ã€ŠThe New Gateã€‹


 Book 1: Prologue

    <h4>Book 1: Prologue</h4>

    The depths of the gate to another world ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿

    There, two figures were squaring off against each other.

    One was the figure of a monster.

    The name of the Gatekeeper{monster protecting the gate} was ¡¾Origin¡¿, the very end of the VRMMORPG ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, and its strongest monster.

    It was a humanoid dragon type, with a humanoid body, a dragon''s head, wings, and a tail.

    It''s total length was roughly 20m. It''s eyes were dyed a sky blue, and its horns and the scales that covered its body glittered golden. A golden armour also concealed a figure like that of a trained warrior. The unadorned spear it held was also golden.

    Though its colour scheme could be very possible taken as ugly, but though you could feel a sublime divinity from its physique and overwhelming pressure, there was no hate.

    It was no exaggeration to call it a divine beast, and could be said to be a monster worthy of the title ''strongest''.

    The other figure was a person.

    His name was Shin, and his real name was Kiritani Shinya.

    A veteran yer who held top ssbat ability.

    His height was a little over 180cm. If you had to choose between bulky or skinny, he''d be thetter.

    ck hair and ck eyes. Despite facing off Origin, from his in face that could neither be called beautiful nor ugly, not a shred of nervousness could be felt.

    Around his neck was a light muffler, ck-coloured with red zigzags. What he was wearing was a long coat with pants of the same design. His arms and legs were wearing crimson tekkou[ÊÖ¼×, arm guards] and kyakkou [½Å¼×, legs guards], but besides those there wasn''t anything else that resembled armour.

    As for weapons, there was only the ck katana in his right hand. Both the handle and the tsuba were ck, but the de alone faintly sparkled red, as though it had rubies mixed in.

    Shin took a step forward. In response, Origin readied its guard. In contrast to Shin who seemingly wore no armour besides his arm and leg guards, Origin was armed and guarded from head to toe. From an outsider''s point of view, it was a sight that was the epitome of recklessness. You couldn''t imagine anything except Origin turning Shin into a piece of meat with a single swing of its spear.

    Once Shin took yet another step forward, Origin responded by thrusting its spear. With a speed unimaginable for its size, the attack with the spear was like a fast approaching wall.

    The spear bore into the tiled floor. Where the point pierced the floor, not only were stone tiles sent flying, but the spear gouged even the floor beneath the tiles.

    However, Shin''s figure wasn''t there.

    Shin was by Origin''s feet.

    A moment before the attack, Shin had used the Support-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shingan [mind''s eye]¡¿ to predict the location of the attack, and furthermore relocated himself at high speeds with the Movement-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿[¡ù].

    Aiming for Origin''s right leg, having left its sight, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Kogetsusen [Arc Moon sh]¡¿. [Note: Here, Toujutsu = katana swordsmanship]

    Together with the activation of the skill, the de of his katana started to glow red. For just an instant, the sharpness and speed of his attack was amplified by 1.5 times, and he shed into Origin with all his might.

    "Shii!"

    A single yell and strike.

    Leaving behind a bright red trail, the de bisected the armour around Origin''s right leg.

    The de continued and cut apart the leg about halfway up, and the flowing blood dyed its golden scales red.

    Origin''s HP gauge decreased by 1/50. Considering it was a single blow against the strongest monster, it was a shocking amount of damage.

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!"

    Origin let out a cry at the pain that assailed its leg.

    A high pitched cry like the screeching of metal resounded through the room. Immediately reacting due to ¡¾Shingan¡¿''s attack prediction, Shin swiftly made a big jump out of the way. The leg strength that had been strengthened to its limit made Shin fast enough that he left behind an afterimage.

    Immediately after Shin moved, the butt of the spear smacked down like it was trying to crush the afterimage. Probably because it had weakened, there were fewer smashed tiles thanst time. Even so, it goes without saying that even so, it was with force beyond the norm.

    "How quick. As expected of thest boss."

    Even seeing the fearsome strength of the spear, Shin had enough leisure to admire it. The final Gatekeeper. Filled with fighting spirit worthy of being an opponent.

    Though Shin had a lot of leisure to spare, he was definitely not being careless.

    If the HP gauge that floated in the corner of his vision emptied, he would die. Not only did he understand this, he had made it this far.

    ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿ had been turned into a death game, it was for the sake of clearing it that Shin was here right now.

    Therades he had fought along with weren''t here in the death game, but people who supported him were.

    Almost all of the gear Shin was using were his own creations, and though the items he had been given were basically all useless in boss fights. Even so, the feelings of his allies that had supported them him with all their strength were important[heavy].

    There was a girl who cried from missing her family. There was a boy who was at a loss having lost his older brother. There was a man who refused to lose, and challenged himself. There was a woman who woulde running to help those who were troubled. All of them had struggled, given up, challenged, fought, and a number of them had disappeared.

    It had ben a year since they had been trapped here. Shin wasn''t sure if that was a long time, or a shrot time.

    However, what filled Shin''s heart right now was but one word¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡ºWin¡».

    He''d defeat Origin, and he''d release those who had support him, and those who had pushed him forward, from this game.

    It was because of this¨D¨D¨D¨D

    "I''ll take that head of yours!!"

    Against Origin who red over at him, Shin once again took a stance with his sword.

    "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

    With a yell, his sh cut off Origin''s wing from the base.

    Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Hazan [Mountain Crusher]¡¿.

    It was a vigorous sh from above.

    And, as the as the name suggested, it boasted enough power to cut a mountain; a massive 2.5 damage to enemiesrger than oneself.

    The one-winged Origin fell to its knees from the damage it had sustained.

    Shin thought ''Alright!'', in his mind. The cooldown from the skill was covered by the copse of the opponent.

    The armour that Origin was wearing was now broken and cracked all over.

    Not only was one of its wings missing, but its left arm had been cut off, and even the tip of its golden horn was broken off.

    Only a little HP remained in its HP gauge.

    "Hahh, hahh, hahh."

    Origin was wounded all over, but Shin wasn''t uninjured either. His equipment durability was still okay, but he had repeated warded off the huge Origin''s blows, repelled its blows, and asionally blocked its blows. Though his HP gauge was in the safety zone, he was mentally exhausted, so he was panting as though he really was tired.

    "Hahh, hahh, suuuuuu haaaahhh¡­"

    He breathed in, then out.

    Even if it was needless because of the game system, to Shin, it was a necessary action.

    As though to calm his anxious heart, he took control of his breathing.

    With ¡¾Hazan¡¿, he''d need only need one more hit to finish things, but the cooldown[dy time] for this skill was long. It was long enough that if not the longest, it had at least the second longest cooldown of all skills. He probably wouldn''t be able to use it again in this fight.

    (It''s not so easy an opponent that it''ll just take huge moves one after another, after all. But that''s only one of my skills. There''s no reason to worry.)

    He didn''t only have the high damage ¡¾Hazan¡¿. If theycked in quality, then he''d make up for it in quantity.

    "Don''t get hasty, me."

    Though Origin had little HP left, it wasn''t zero. If he got done in at the very end because he lost focus for a moment, it''d be terribly pathetic. [there should be limits to being pathetic]

    There was still fighting spirit left in those eyes that stared at Shin. Though it should''ve been just graphics, that was what Shin felt.

    Immediately afterwards, a monotonous female voice reached Shin''s ears.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¾Survival Instinct¡¿ Activate: Attack and Speed increased

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¾Golden Wave¡¿ Activate: HP, damaged parts, and broken armour, steadily recover

    Shin''s Autoskill, ¡¾Analysis ¨C ¢ú¡¿[''analysis ten''] activated and let him know that Origin was reinforcing its abilities.

    And at the same time, Origin''s HP gauge began to recover just a little. At the subs of its lost arm and wing, a goldened light formed and grew just a little, slowly regenerating its arms and wing.

    If he left Origin alone, at this rate it would return to its original status.

    Of course, Shin wouldn''t.

    At the same time he received the information from ¡¾Analysis ¢ú¡¿, Shin used ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿ to move, and came down hard on the still kneeling Origin.

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨C!!"

    In response to Shin''s movement, Origin roared and at the same time mowed the spear in its right hand across.

    GOU-!! rang the sound of the spear cutting through the air as it approached Shin.

    Without a pause, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shirahanagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]¡¿ and the Barehanded-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿.

    Lowering his centre of gravity, using ¡¾Shiraha Nagashi¡¿ he blocked the spear with his katana, and shifting the top of the de, he diverted the power of the spear strike away. On top of that, his right hand propped the de, and using ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿, he reduced the power of the spear.

    However, because the strike was strengthened with ¡¾Survival Instinct¡¿, Shin was unable to fully ward off the blow, and a little of his HP gauge was shaved off.

    "Hu-!"

    Whilst taking damage, the moment he part his de from the spear, from his crouched position, Shin increased the power of the strike of the spear above him.

    Because of that, the spear struck faster than Origin had intended, and as a result, Origin''s posture was destroyed.

    Shin immediately activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai [Moonlight Beheading Dance]¡¿. Silver light like the light of the moon wrapped the de katana, and took the form of a silver de. The de length would be temporarily extended by two times. [Note: The pre-edit ReadNovelFull says it extends to 2 metres]

    "Sehhhhyaaaaaah!"

    The light de struck into Origin''s defenceless torso.

    One!

    Two!

    Three!

    Each time the de swung with a speed that left afterimages, a trail of silver was drawn in the air. The three strikes had whittled away the amount of HP that ¡¾Golden Wave¡¿ had recovered.

    Four!

    Five!

    Six!

    Seven!

    Eight!

    Nine!

    Ten!

    The seven strikes that followed depleted Origin''s remaining HP in one go.

    The moment ten silver trails were etched into the air, the light disappeared from the de, and let Shin know that the skill hadpleted.

    ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿ was a skill that increased the attack speed and range for ten strikes. The speed of the attack would be increased 1.3 times, and the range by 2 times.

    Though the damage given by one of the strikes wasn''t that high, because of the increased range and number of strikes, thebined damage taken from the attack was greater than a simple power-increased skill.

    Though it certainly didn''t reach a ¡¾Hazan¡¿ that was performed with Shin''s STR, weapons and attack power, it was able to deal damage close to it.

    And truly, the intense attacks from the ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿ ten-strikebination left Origin''s HP gauge with almost nothing left.

    "This finishes it!!"

    Shin ran up to Origin, who was copsed from ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿''s damage. Even in this time, Origin''s HP had recovered a little, but Shin judged that he would make it.

    Perhaps as a final struggle, Origin''s right hand let go of his spear, and let loose a backfist. Shin leapt over it, and set up a joudan guard in mid-air. [Note: Joudan no Kamae. Oberhut. Vom Dach.]

    His eyes met with the copsing Origin''s. Despite the fact that this blow would truly spell the end for it, for some reason Shin felt not anger in its eyes, but a quiet calm.

    However, even if he could feel no animosity from those eyes, the power in shin''s de didn''t let up an inch.

    Having decided on victory, his heart didn''t waver.

    "This is the end!"

    Along with those words, Shin brought down his de de on Origin''s forehead.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have defeated Gatekeeper ¡¾Origin¡¿. ordingly, you will be given the boss defeating bonus.¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained Gift(s) ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿, ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ and ¡¾Liberator¡¿.¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have learned Skill(s) ¡¾Wave of the Dark King¡¿, ¡¾Focus Wave¡¿ and ¡¾Scattered Wave¡¿.¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained Items(s) ¡¾Corpse of the Guardian¡¿, ¡¾Soul of the Guardian¡¿ and ¡¾Heart of the Guardian¡¿.¡»

    [Note: First of all, ''gifts'' are what would be called ''titles'' in other games. The kanji says ''title'', but in the light novel, the furigana reads ''gift''.

    Also, I have seen ÅR½çÕß(rinkaisha) used before in D. Gray Man as well, but the trantors there couldn''t find a good English equivalent either. In light of the rest of the series, will write it as ''Limit Breaker'' for now. It more literally means something that has hit the critical point. Ah, also, Dark King (Ú¤Íõ) sort of equates to Pluto/Hades in a sense, esp. (Ú¤ÍõÐÇ).]

    Hearing the voice of the announcer, Shin stood still.

    The ce filled with light.

    Origin''s body turned into light and scattered, and filled the room with light.

    The light glittered for a few moments, and disappeared. After that, all that remained in the tattered room were an undamaged door, and Shin.

    When the light faded, the announcer spoke again.

    ¡ºThe Gatekeeper of the Depths of the Gate to Another World, ¡¾Origin¡¿, has been defeated, and the dungeon has been cleared.¡»

    It announced Shin''s victory to hispanions.

    ¡ºordingly, all yers are now able to log out.¡»

    It let all the yers that fought in THE NEW GATE know that they were released from the game.

    "It''s over¡­"

    Right, it was over.

    The death game they had been trapped in for a year was now over.

    Just to be sure, Shin confirmed that at the very bottom of the menu, the ¡¾Log Out¡¿mand was certainly there.

    Shin opened up his friends menu to see, and even at that moment, the names of the yers were changing from ¡¾Online¡¿ to ¡¾Offline¡¿.

    It seemed that everyone was able to log out safely.

    "I kept my promise. Right, Marino?"

    His chest brimmed with a sense of aplishment.

    Would the girl who had fallen in this world have praised him?

    So wondered Shin.

    "Now then! Shall I wait to make sure everyone else has logged off?"

    Deciding to stop thinking about the depressing, Shin switched his mood and sat down on the floor.

    Shin had decided to make sure everyone else made it home before logging out himself.

    Shin took out something like a rolled parchment from his item box; the Survivor''s List, and quietly spread it. This list was an item that showed the names of the surviving yers in real-time.

    Apanion alchemist who sympathised with Shin''s thoughts had spent 7 days and 7 nightsing up with the item. If the yer died, or otherwise logged out, their name would disappear from the list.

    Whilst feeling grateful towards that alchemist friend, Shin continued to watch the list for a short while longer.

    The time it took was roughly 3 minutes. Finally, the only name left on the list was ¡¾Shin¡¿.

    "I''m thest one, huh?"

    He unconsciously let out those words.

    While he was fighting, he did nothing but focus on what was ahead, but now that now that he was about to end things, it felt somehow deeply moving.

    After logging out, he probably wouldn''t return here again. For a game that had been turned into a death game to continue running; no matter how you thought about it, it was impossible.

    (It ended up as a death game in the end, but excluding that, I really had a lot of fun times with it.)

    For Shin, the time he had spent ying THE NEW GATE actually equated to a 1/3 of his life. For better or worse, he had spent a long time in this game.

    "Cya, THE NEW GATE."

    Muttering words of farewell, Shin made to log out, but at that moment, the door before his eyes let out a groan.

    "Mn?"

    Preupied with the gate, the finger that made to touch the words Log Out, stopped.

    The gorgeously decorated, and dignified doors were slowly opening with a groan. Light shone from the opened gap, and from where Shin was, it was impossible to tell what was happening beyond the doors.

    "What''s this? There shouldn''t be anymore events¡­"

    Shin was bewildered.

    Besides Shin, the door continued to open, and the overflowing light dyed the room white.

    "Something is wrong."

    Feeling a sense of abnormality, a moment faster than Shin''s finger managed to touch the words ''Log Out'', the light filled the room.

    As though swallowed by the light, Shin lost consciousness.

 Book 1: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    The first thing he felt was wind.

    Shin''s consciousness faintly grapshed the feeling of the warm wind blowing on his skin.

    What he felt next was a hard sensation on his back, and faintly, a sweet smell tickled his nose.

    Was the reason his sight was dark because his eyes were closed?

    "Mmn¡­"

    Shin opened his eyes as he sat up.

    What spread across his field of vision was a broad meadow, dotted with tree groves.

    White and pink flowers bloomed where Shin had been sleeping. It seems that what Shin smelled earlier were these flowers.

    "This is¡­"

    To solve the mystery of why he was here, Shin worked his mind.

    (Today I fought Origin, the boss monster at the Depths of the Gate to Another World, and won. Right, I cleared THE NEW GATE. Because of that, we could log out, everyone was released, and in the end it was just me¡­)

    Gradually, his mind became clear.

    The scene Shin had seen at the end; that was,

    "The doors¡­ opened?"

    Right, after defeating the final boss mosnter ¡¾Origin¡¿, logging out became possible, and just as he was about to do so himself, the closed doors had opened, and he lost his consciousness.

    "The heck was that? And this is¡­"

    Even looking around again, what he say was a broad meadow, and groves of trees. There was nothing else he could find.

    "Could it be, I''m still in the game?"

    Shin wasn''t sure whether or not he had managed to touch the words Log Out in the end. Wondering if only he hadn''t logged out because of an event, he made sure by calling up the menu.

    "¡­Oi, oi."

    Translucent screen behind his eyes, and the menu items lined up there; it was unmistakably the menu screen of THE NEW GATE.

    "What, I was still in the game?"

    Man, that was shocking, thought Shin, as he brought his gaze down the menu.

    There, the words Log Out were¨D¨D

    "¡­Gone."

    The words Log Out that should have been between ''Owned Gold'' and ''Help'', were nowhere to be seen. The six letters that he had made sure were there when he had defeated Origin, had disappeared.

    "Oioioi, this is a lie, right!?"

    He opened up every menu item from start to finish, but as expected, the words Log Out were nowhere to be found.

    It was like when it was a death game.

    "Tch!! Right, what about everyone else!?"

    Was there anyone else besides himself? Thinking about that possibility, Shin look out the Survivors List from his item box. If there was any other yer left behind, the list would show it.

    "What¡­ the hell?"

    The only one on the list was ¡¾Shin¡¿, but below that in the white space,

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºCannot disy due tock ofwork connection.¡»

    was written.

    The Survivors List was a way of having the avatar that used the item, ess thework of THE NEW GATE, and checking which yers still survived, said his alchemist friend.

    Considering that, it meant that at present, Shin''s avatar was disconnected from THE NEW GATE''s system.

    "Can''t connect to thework. Then why can I move my avatar?"

    Even though he couldn''t log out, he was connected to the system¨D¨D¨D¨D was something like that possible?

    In this situation, Shin shouldn''t have been able to move his avatar. It wasn''t as though Shin was well-versed with VR technology, but at any rate, that was how THE NEW GATE worked. Thinking about it normally, being disconnected from thework, yet being able to move your avatar was contradictory.

    "I don''t get it. The heck is happening."

    The feeling of relief he had up until a while ago had disappeared in one go, and Shin once againy down on the ground.

    He didn''t feel like getting up, and he worked only his mind, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''te up with an answer.

    (It''s no good, huh. In these situations, I should empty my mind for a little.)

    It was Shin''s way of calming down when the inside of his head was a mess. When there was something he couldn''t understand, he''d temporarily let go of everything, and then rebuild this thoughts.

    ¢Ù He couldn''t connect to thework.

    ¢Ú It was possible to manipte his avatar.

    ¢Û The two points above were not reconcble.

    ¢Ù could be confirmed through the Survivors List program, and the message that appeared on the list.

    ¢Ú was also confirmed since he was certainly moving hsi avatar.

    As for ¢Û, it was a reality that awork connection was essential for the act of moving ones avatar. There was no mistake that yers who had lost connection to thework due to a bug found themselves unable to move their avatars.

    Then, what would have to happen to reconcile these two facts¨D¨D¨D¨D what Shin came up with was this.

    There was the possibility that the Survivors List had malfunctioned, and there really was awork connection. It wouldn''t be strange for something like this to happen.

    The next possibility was that he couldn''t connect to thework, but it was possible to move his avatar. That kind of technology might ahve been developed.

    "Thest possibility would be that¡­ Fantasy."

    Shin smiled wryly at the thought that had by chance crossed his mind while he was thinking seriously.

    Shin was a pure-gamer. He was bad enough that his friends called him a-game addict. And at the same time, he also reached out to anime, manga, light novels and web novels.

    Stories where the protagonist ended up in a world exactly like the game had already be a staple for such fiction, and he had also read a number of these. The reasons for this were varied, but Shin had read many stories where they came to the world of the game with their menu intact.

    What hade to mind just now was exactly that. He had suddenly wondered if the ce he was in now wasn''t the game, but the real world of THE NEW GAME.

    Losing hiswork connection, and being able to move his avatar; both of these could be exined by it.

    ''As if'', thought Shin. He decided to stop thinking for a while, and looked up at the sky. The wide blue sky filled his vision, and small clouds slowly moved by.

    He could see the groves of trees in the corner of his eyes. Turning his sight that way, he could clearly see each leaf.

    "¡­¡­¡­¡­"

    He could see them. He could see them clearly. He could see them distinctly.

    He could see too much.

    He could see more clearly that when it was a game. It was as though they were the real thing.

    With the development of VR, certainly they could create a world that was the spitting image of the real one. Not only in sight and sounds, but it was possible in touch, and taste as well.

    However¡­ However possible it was to reproduce these things, technology still hadn''t reached the level of the ''real thing'' yet. Technology was only at a level where if you''d seen it in reality before, you''d know for sure that these were affected fakes. In the end, they were just pretty graphics.

    However, what was reflected in Shin''s eyes were the movements of clouds, the colour and gloss of leaves, the figures of flowers blooming in the field; all of this looked like nothing but the real thing.

    "¡­¡­¡­¡­"

    Shin slowly held his own hand above his face. There were wrinkles and fingerprints that hadn''t existed when it was a game.

    "Is this¡­ the real thing?"

    After noticing this one thing, he started to understand things one after another. The scenery before his eyes, the rustle of the leaves, the feel of the wind on his skin, the smell that tickled his nose; all of these were different from how they felt in-game.

    "After a death game, is a trip to another world¡­"

    Shin experienced two VRMMO yer urban legends in session. Depending on the person, it might''ve been a delightful situation, but Shin was thinking that he''d have preferred some time in-between them. The only indication that he bore these thoughts that were pretty far off the norm, was his calm expression.

    "Ahhhhhhhh¡­ What the heck is going on~~?"zily said Shin, as he rolled around on the ground.

    Just where had the valiant figure from the fight with Origin gone?

    On top of the fatigue from the fight with Origin, just when he thought he could log out, unbelievably he ended up on a trip to another world. At any rate, his mind sought rest.

    If you had to describe it in one word, he wasnguid.

    He was a little bit burned out as well, so for a while the feelings of wanting to take it easy filled Shin''s heart.

    "Ah~~~¡­ Hahh¡­."

    For a while he''d roll about as though he had reverted to infanthood or something, and then stop that, endlessly repeating the two. Little though it may have been, perhaps because he had abandoned the act of thinking for a while, his weariness had be somewhat better than before, and he began to think again.

    The situation was filled with unknowns. There was nobody else around, so he couldn''t gather even a little information. Still feeling a little heavy, whilst he sat up he considered what he''d do from now on.

    (At any rate, I don''t have enough information. For now, since the menu still appears, I''ll check my status and items, and then shall I search for a ce that would have people?)

    Summoning the menu, he disyed the status menu.

    On the left hand side was a 3D graphic that disyed the avatar that was Shin''s other self, and on the right were entries like ¡¾Ability Points¡¿, ¡¾Equipment¡¿, ¡¾Gifts¡¿, ¡¾Skills¡¿ and the like.

    The disyed avatar had ck hair and ck irises, with no notable traits outside of some slightly sharp looking eyes; the face of a young man you could find anywhere.

    The face on the avatar was Shin''s real one, and because the physique was made to reflect that, though it was 180cm tall, it gave somewhat of anky impression. Shin''s friend in real life who had been in an athletics club [at school/university] had always told him to train his body more.

    When he made to confirm his ¡¾Equipment¡¿, he found that they had changed a little since his fight with Origin, and his muffler, his arm guards, and his leg guards had been unequipped. What he still had equipped was the red-lined ck long coat, ¡¾Overcoat of the Dark King¡¿, the pants that had be a set with it, and essories.

    In the weapons column were the words ¡¾Shingetsu [True Moon]¡¿. It seemed that his beloved and prided de was in good shape.

    When he checked his inventory, the equipment he had worn to fight Origin was in there. He had verified his items and money at the same time too, and it seemed there was no problems with his belongings.

    Next was ¡¾Ability Points¡¿.

    Originally all stats except LUC were maxed out with 9s, and he prayed that he hadn''t weakened.

    01 01stats

    "¡­Nonono"

    He looked away from the screen, and for a while gazed far away before returning to the screen.

    There was no way that doing something like that would change what was being disyed before him.

    "Hangon, just hangon!"

    Once again, he looked away from the screen, and gazed into the distance. Furthermore, he rubbed his eyes, and then having made sure there was nothing blurry about his sight, he returned his gaze to the screen.

    It was like he was in a frame of a manga where the character couldn''t believe their eyes, Shin thought.

    "¡­I didn''t see wrong¡­ huh?"

    In the end, having looked upon it for the third time, Shin finally epted that he hadn''t seen that wrong.

    The reason was simple; except for LUC, those ability points were very different from what his stats used to be.

    The VVMMORPG ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿ was different to other MMORPGs, and if you spent a long time, you could raise every stat except LUC to the maximum.

    Shin who had spent massive amount of time on it since the Closed-¦Â days, on top of aiming for maximum hunting efficiency, and who would repeatedly use the rebirth[reincarnation] system, was the only yer who had capped all stats.

    There were other yers who had almost maxed out, but none of them could reach Shin.

    When it was a game, Shin''s HP and MP were 9999, and besides LUC which was 36, all other attributes were 999.

    The reason LUC was low was because on top of it having a cap of 99, it was determined and fixed from when the character was created.

    But right now, all of Shin''s statuses save for LUC were disyed as over double their original values.

    "The game''s specs have been¡­ smashed by this¡­"

    There was already nothing left he could do but be amazed.

    The numerical values were toorge, and right now he had no idea how great his own strength was.

    "¡­As you''d think, I''m exhausted from the surprise¡­"

    Because of all the surprises he''d had recently, he was sure that he looked hrious, he thought mockingly about himself.

    Even so, staring at the menu was unproductive, so for now he''d move on to other entries.

    (There are things I''ve never seen before, huh.)

    Looking at it from start to finish, he found out that new Gifts and Skills had been added.

    The Gifts ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿, ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ and ¡¾Liberator¡¿, and the Skills ¡¾Wave of the Dark King¡¿, ¡¾Focus Wave¡¿ and ¡¾Scattered Wave¡¿ had been added.

    He should have heard it when he defeated Origin, but Shin hadpletely forgotten.

    To find out what effects they had, he chose the three new Gifts from the menu.

    ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿

    With this power, you can exceed the limit.

    The upper limit for all statuses has been removed. Statuses will rise ording to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.

    ¡¾Aplished One¡¿

    Blessings to the one who has reached the ends of Samsara.

    The moment this Gift was received, all ability points were doubled.

    ¡¾Liberator¡¿

    You are the hopes of those who have been imprisoned.

    Acts of restriction and subordination are restricted. Forbidden magic, traps, items etc. are made invalid.

    "¡­The heck?"

    Every one of the Gifts he had gained were beyond expectations. Even Shin who knew of almost every Gift in the game didn''t know of such bnce-breaking Gifts.

    It was fine that he had solved the mystery of his increased statuses, but these were basically cheats. They weren''t even in the dimension of having a rare item, or starting on a high level.

    ¡­Having said that though, that LUC was still the same as ever (in ordance to the game''s setting), it kind of felt like he was being mocked.

    "Stories where they go from an MMO to another world usually have cheat characters but¡­ this really feels like they''re overdoing it, huh¡­"

    Shin, whose original statuses could be called cheats, had been enough to demolish a group of max level Lv.255s once (a group of 12, with no rebirths). He was strong enough that when he killed them all, they screamed "You freaking cheater!" as they died.

    Against yers who had rebirthed dozens of times and almost capped their stats, even Shin wasn''t undefeatable, but even so, he could fight on par with 4 of them at once. In the first ce, yers who fought with Shin head on were rare though.

    Those stats had now been even further increased. As long as he didn''t suffer an instant death from an ambush, in fights against people he probably couldn''t lose anymore. Of course, this was assuming that there were other yers in this world in the first ce.

    Whilst thinking about needless worries, Shin prayed that these titles weren''t possessed by heaps of other people.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 1: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    (The store doesn¡¯t seem to be more flourished than before¡­)

    It was true that the store was in a worrying state.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    TieraShinMeeting

    Shin was startled with the question that he didn¡¯t know what to answer. He seemed to have spoken his mind unconsciously. As he turned to the direction of the voice, he saw an elven girl with ck hair and golden eyes from the other side of the counter. A pointed ear can be seen between the silky ck hair, so he might be correct.

    If ten people saw her, they would all be admiring her beauty. She had a beautiful appearance that matched perfectly with her figure. Her height was approximately 160 cemels which was one head lower than Shin¡¯s height. Her skin was healthy white and her chest was very firm and proportionate with her overall slim body.

    From her looks, she seemed to be around 17 or 18 years old, but as elves lived a long life, she might have already lived several hundred years.

    ¡°Ahh, I was seeing what kind of goods you have.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I thought I heard some rude remark just now.¡±

    ¡°There was no such intention.¡±

    ¡°Well, feel free to look around, those nuisances are gone now.¡±

    As the elf said so, he sat on a chair provided for the counter.

    ¡°Those nuisances? ¡°

    ¡°Yes, they oftene by to ask when will mastere back. I have to say, they are persistent.¡±

    They probably came frequently because Shin noticed her tone became weary just from saying that.

    ¡°It must be hard. Ah, this is ate introduction but I am Shin. As you have seen, I¡¯m a wanderer of the street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a serious way of introducing yourself to an ordinary salesclerk, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m Tiera Lucent. Just call me, Tiera. I am the acting storekeeper and the apprentice of the shop owner here. If you have some good items and materials to sell, I¡¯ll buy it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please take care of me during that time. Is Tiera¡¯s master so incredible that even the knightse frequently?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Even children nowadays know that the store owner of ¡®Tsuki no Hokora¡¯ is Schnee Raizar.¡± (T/N: ¡®Tsuki no Hokora¡¯ is the name of the shop, it means Moon Shrine) (E/N: Schnee means snow in German)

    ¡°Haa, is your master really that famous?¡±

    ¡°It was said by the people themselves. Still, master¡¯s truths are unquestionable¡­¡±

    ¡°To have such famous person behind this shop¡­¡±

    Shin who had a slight misunderstanding of the store showed an impression, after all, if there was a famous person here, the shop should be doing better than he thought. However, he had a familiar feeling with the name of the store owner, like he remembered it somewhere.

    ¡°Schnee Raizar¡­Schnee Raizar¡­Schnee¡­Schnee Raizar¡­Ahh!?¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised when Shin suddenly shouted. The chair made a ¡®Gatan¡¯ sound after it fell when Shin abruptly stood up.

    ¡°Oh, my bad. I was a little surprised.¡±

    Shin apologized and returned the chair back to its original position. He thought about the name which he had heard somewhere, but it was only natural, since it was one of the support characters whom Shin made to be the salesclerk of Tsuki no Hokora in the game, and the name was Schnee Raizar.

    ¡°Sorry, but is it okay if I want to confirm something about your master?¡±

    ¡°Eh, yes, I will answer if I can.¡±

    Tiera was slightly drawn back by Shin¡¯s menacing look. However, Shin who was surprised at her agreement, didn¡¯t notice Tiera¡¯s expression at all.

    ¡°Is the race of Schnee Raizar a High Elf with long hair that reaches her hips, blue eyes, a beautiful woman with height around 166 cemels?¡±

    ¡°¡­That is certainly right¡­are you my master¡¯s fan?¡±

    Again, Tiera was drawn back slightly but Shin was still unaware of it.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Schnee is an acquaintance of mine or something like that. (It was a store owner and a salesclerk rtionship in the game)

    ¡°Master¡¯s acquaintance? Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if your master remember¡­¡±

    Tiera looked at Shin with full of doubt and suspicion.

    It was only natural since Shin suddenly visited and said he was acquainted with the store owner in which Shin didn¡¯t have proof or that the store owner may have no recollection of Shin.

    ¡°Speaking of which, where is Schnee now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t say it. Why would I tell you something that I won¡¯t tell the knights?¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay, I understand¡­¡±

    Although Shin had no idea how hierarchy worked in this world, he understood that a knight was a high ranking position from the situation with Ardi a little while ago. And a wanderer itself was less trusted which made Shin discouraged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass a message if you want. Half of my work is to receive message for my master after all.¡±

    ¡°Half¡­for it to be half of your job¡­¡±

    ¡°Most of ites from upper echelon of the country and the guilds. Some requests are in verbal message with locations stated. Because they areing from various countries with confidential information, I have to close one eye and pretend that I didn¡¯t see them.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to say except that it is amazing¡±

    What kind of request must havee from the upper echelon of the country, thought Shin.

    ¡°Although I rarely have to receive one. So, what are you going to do? Send a message?¡±

    ¡°Well, can you ask for the time being?¡±

    ¡°A message will cost you 1000 Jul.¡±

    ¡°What Jul?¡­Is that money?¡±

    Shin tilted his head because he had never heard of that currency before. THE NEW GATE used Geyl as currency.

    ¡°Seriously, are you listening? How can you travel without knowing the currency?¡±

    ¡°No, it was different from the currency I was using before.¡±

    ¡°Currency used before? The currency was unchanged for around 400 years and won¡¯t change anytime soon. Can you show it to me?¡±

    400 years¡­Shin stiffened from hearing the words. Shin thought the previously currency could be used normally. Suddenly, he became like Urashima Taro*. (T/N: Google it)

    ¡°It¡¯s this coin¡­¡±

    Shin took out 1 Geyl from the ¡®Item Box¡¯ and ced it on the counter. A Geyl was a circr gold coin that have a diameter of 3 cemels. The center of the coin was painted with a girl held in a dragon¡¯s arm with 8 feathers surrounding it.

    ¡°¡­Hey, just now, where did you take that out from?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s eyes widened seeing the Geyl gold coin appearing out of nowhere.

    ¡°From the Item Box of course¡±

    ¡°Item¡­Box¡­¡±

    Tiera seemed to be more shocked upon hearing those words than when the Geyl gold coin had suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, what?¡±

    ¡°No, you seemed to be very surprised, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°There is nothing wrong. You are able to use Item Box. Of course I¡¯m surprised.¡±

    ¡°?¡­Is it something to be surprised about?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Tiera dropped her shoulders for some reason. As for Shin, he still couldn¡¯t understand why Tiera was very surprised.

    ¡°Nowadays, only Kings and the elders of certain races can use an Item Box. Furthermore, it is only possible for races that have long lives such as High Elves or High Pixie. I am surprised because you are unexpectedly able to use it. Are you someone from the royal family?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not from the royal family.¡±

    Shin was surprised by the Item Box status quo. He could not imagine that only important people could use the Item Box when all yers got one.

    By the way, the ¡°High¡± before the race name was because the races have experienced reincarnation dozens of times before getting the title. There were many races in THE NEW GATE, but the base race were Human, Beast, Dragnil, Elves, and seven kinds of Pixie.

    Humans were ssified as a Hominini tribe, Beast as Therianthropy* or Beastman, Dragnil as Dragonewt tribe, Lord as Devil tribe, and Pixie as Fairy group.

    ¡°Even though I was only using it naturally.¡±

    ¡°Haa, that¡¯s certainly not natural. That reminds me, what is this awful feeling of various magic races mixing in you. Elves, Lord, Dragnil and others, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I do not understand it either. Anyway, my race is High Human.¡±

    Shin was certain of his race as it can be revealed in his status screen. As for High Human, the racial characteristic was high state abnormalities resistance with enhanced magic tolerance. While in other games, the ability of the character was the lowest from the other races and were rarely in a party or even in going solo.

    (Well, it was rather a plus for me)

    It was the humans which had the obscure viewpoint, but from Shin stats, which were developed even more and iparably by the race¡¯s special quality, he was thankful. Though, only a small number of yers were able to say it.

    ¡°High¡­Human¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Yes, that is right.¡±

    Shin was still reminiscing about memories when humans were still being look down. Tiera was dumbfounded and muttered something to Shin.

    And Shin was startled from the words spoken by Tiera.

    ¡°High Humans¡­are extinct¡­¡±

    ¡°Ehh, extinct¡­Extinct?!¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    Extinction. Tiera said so.

    That the High Human race was extinct.

    ¡°¡­Then, there won¡¯t be any of the human race around?¡±

    ¡°No, humans are still around. You saw the knights a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    Shin had misunderstood about the Human extinction and involuntarily retorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s the High Humans that went extinct, not the humans.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    ¡°It is different. The High Human race consisted of 6 people who formerly ruled the Redmond continent. Even 10,000 humans couldn¡¯t win against them. Their strength was in another dimension.¡±

    ¡°The continent was ruled by 6 people?¡±

    Shin remembered there was ce that was ruled by 6 people. He had a feeling that he heard such an episode before.

    ¡°Can you exin more in detail?¡±

    ¡°Even though most people know this, all right then. I¡¯ll tell you. In the past, around 500 years ago, there were the High Humans who once ruled the continent. Though they were only 6 people, other races couldn¡¯t do anything to them because of their overwhelming power.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°However, their domination was suddenly ended.¡±

    ¡°Ended?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ended. Not only the High Humans but many other races such as High Elves, High Lords, High Beasts, and High Dwarfs have disappeared. Many influential people like Kings, Elders, Heroes, and Generals disappeared as well. It¡¯s said that it was a sudden disappearance. ording to master, numerous influential and strong men disappeared. The day of disappearance happened was called the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯¡±

    ¡°The Dusk of the Majesty¡­¡±

    ¡°It is said that all High Humans disappeared at that time. And there were only 6 of them.¡±

    Sudden disappearance. Shin had a theory about that.

    The phenomenon which caused many people to disappear.

    (It¡¯s that day. The day when I defeated ¡®Origin¡¯, and everyone logged out. There is no conclusive evidence, but ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ might be the result from that day.)

    Kings, Heroes, and Elders would probably be guild masters. Tens of thousands of people were expected to be released from the game. Shin didn¡¯t know the exact number, but there were at least 10 thousand people stuck in the game. It probably looked like a sudden disappearance for the people in this world.

    (To think that the 6 High Humans had ruled the continent before that¡­)

    Shin finally understood. 6 of the High Human race. Without a doubt¡­

    (It¡¯s¡­us¡­)

    When THE NEW GATE was still a good VRMMO and before it turned into a death game, there was a guild which was said to be the strongest in THE NEW GATE.

    The guild was named ¡®Rokuten¡¯ as it was formed by the 6 High Humans. The small guild defeated major guilds one by one in THE NEW GATE, until its name was known to all yers in just one month. They had a reputation of ¡®PK¡¯ing yers who tried to oppose them. (T/N: I used the romaji name, Rokuten¡ºÁùÌì¡» not ¡®Devas¡¯ in the manga, Rokuten means six heavens/six skies)

    Shin was a former member of Rokuten at the beginning. Back then, it was stupid to choose the human race when ying for the first time. Human were despised by other races and Shin had a dark history because of that.

    Needless to say, all member wereposed of High Humans and had almost maxed stats. Even the weakest member had HP and MP maxed, while the rest of the yers averaged around 900 for their stats.

    While inpetition with every other major guild, the battles that took ce looked unbelievable as it was 6 people against thousands of people. At that time, each field was burnt up by an expanding wide-range fire magic. The leader who was surprised got ambushed and it was settled.

    Since then, no one dared to provoke the Rokuten guild. Even the ones to hold derision against human had decreased. Not only was thebat power of High Human shown, their unusual magic resistance was also demonstrated. Most magic didn¡¯t have effect on them. Moreover, Poisons, Paralysis, Confusion, Enchanting, Burn, Frostbite, Confusion, Petrifaction, all of them were ineffective against a High Human. Besides, it only took a few second for them topletely cure their bodies.

    It was rather fortunate (or unfortunate) that only Shin among the Rokuten got stuck in the death game. At least three months or more could be reduced if another person from Rokuten was there, thought Shin.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you suddenly silent?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Do you mind if we change the topic to the currency?¡±

    Shin felt he would be digging his own grave if he continued to talk about High Humans, so he deliberately changed the topic to the currency, which they talked about before.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. Is this the currency you have been using?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, to be able to bring out such valuable item, maybe you being a High Human isn¡¯t a lie after all.¡±

    Apparently Tiera didn¡¯t believe that Shin was a High Human.

    While sighing, Tiera took the gold coin and looked at it. She seemed to be confirming whether it was genuine.

    And Shin doubted what Tiera¡¯s meant by ¡®valuable¡¯.

    ¡°Is is valuable? It¡®s only 1 G though.¡±

    1 Geyl was equivalent to 1 Yen in the game. If converted, it¡¯s value would be worth 1/1000 Yen in reality. It was the lowest currency in the game. Incidentally, Shin¡¯s Item Box contained one hundred million Geyl. It was a mystery, as why it was disyed ¡®G¡¯ as ¡®Geyl¡¯ not ¡®Gold¡¯ with the gold coin.

    ¡°The Geyl gold coin is often abbreviated to G gold coin. However, now it¡¯s hard to obtain. You might not know this, but the Geyl gold coin is a magic item that can amplify magic. It is asionally found in ruins. When a Geyl gold coin gets exhibited in auctions, it can reach a billion Jul or even more. The Jul is the currentmonly used currency on how many J gold coin or how many J silver coin¡­J means to be used as a method of counting. (T/N: 1 J gold coin = 1,000,000 J and 1 J silver coin = 10,000 J. E.g. If you have 2 J gold coins and 87 J silver coins, you¡¯ll have a total 2,870,000 J)

    ¡°So this one is worth 1 billion¡­¡±

    ¡°A magician would kill to get even one as the price is enormous and most can¡¯t afford it. Though master had shown me one, it is my first time to seeing any other than that. After all, 1 billion is the minimum amount you can get, the price can reach 10 times more than that.¡±

    ¡°For this one Geyl gold coin to be worth that much¡­by the way, how often it can be found?¡±

    ¡°Rarely, but I can¡¯t say. Even when new ruins were discovered, the chances of finding it were still very low.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Look like I have to be careful when buying goods.¡±

    Shin thought about converting it to increase his funds, but he canceled it after realizing how valuable it was.

    ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision, but you are doing it just now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an awful joke. However, I will be careful next time.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to sell something? I told you I¡¯d buy if you have good materials or items.¡±

    ¡°Well, how about this?¡±

    Shin took out item cards, which he got whilst traveling, from the Item Box. In the game, it was possible to change an item into a card. It was the same in this world, too. The materials turned into cards automatically and could even be stored in the Item Box. Once the item became a card, a picture of the item was drawn on the card. The card could be materialized anytime.

    Shin put his item cards on the counter. The item cards varied from Tetra Grizzly, Twinhead Snake, me Boar, and their fangs, ws, furs, meats and so forth to raw materials such as sparkling jewels.

    In the game, the materials can be sold and processed in various ces. The jewel would especially fetch a high price, because it was able to give attributes or additional effects to equipment and weapons, and only if it was done by cksmiths. Jewels could be found as monsters drop them after being killed, though the drops¡¯ probability are low. The jewels which Shin showed were Grade 7, which was the lowest grade.

    ¡°Item cards¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What is it? Is there something strange?¡±

    ¡°No, if you have an Item Box, this is natural, isn¡¯t it? Though I don¡¯t know if you already know this, so I¡¯ll say it just in case. Because an item card is also expensive to a certain degree, it¡¯s better not to take them out recklessly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome. Should I purposely treat them as the materials?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the normal way! You are really weird!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡­ I see. I understand, so please calm down.¡±

    ¡°Mou~, you made me mad again.¡±

    While saying that, Tiera still focused on doing her job. She materialized the item cards and began to appraise them. Even though she was surprised, she still knew how to use the item cards.

    ¡°From Tetra Grizzly to Twinhead Snake and me Boar. Not only are these materials of ferocious monsters, none of these monsters can be found unless you go deep into the woods. Just what kind of person are you?¡±

    ¡°I just defeated them on my way here. The fight was not so ferocious as you described though.¡±

    ¡°But it takes several knights to kill one monster¡­well whatever, as long as you defeated them. I¡¯m not that surprise after all that urred before.¡±

    It seemed that the monsters were unexpectedly dangerous. Shin had thought they were beginner monsters.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. Leaving that aside, how are the items?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The raw materials are still in a good state due to the materialization of the card. The material¡¯s price would be 1 J gold coin and 27 J silver coins, so the total would be 1,270,000 J. The jewel is Grade 7 with a high purity, so the price is 25 J gold coins, so the price is 25,000,000 J. All together would be 26,270,000 J.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s expensive or cheap due to the conversion of currency¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little less than the original price, but the price of jewels can go up and down depending on the market. This grade and purity is usually worth about 20,000,000 ~ 23,000,000 J.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m lucky. I gained more than 2,000,000 J.¡±

    ¡°How is it? If you are fine with the price, I¡¯ll buy it.¡±

    ¡°It is my pleasure. I¡¯ll sell it. Thank you. And I¡¯ll give you this as well.¡±

    While saying that, Shin pointed to the Geyl gold coin on the counter.

    ¡°¡­Is this a joke?¡±

    ¡°Why would it be!?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me speak a while ago!? A Geyl gold coin is worth billions, no one in their right mind would give it freely in this world.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Shin pointed at himself.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡­I¡¯m not going to return it even if you ask for it.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Tiera quickly grab the Geyl gold coin and held it to her chest. Her eyes were sparkling while looking at the Geyl gold coin. At this time, Shin¡¯s eyes were glued at Tiera¡¯s chest, he was like a sad man¡¯s destiny.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s like dreame true¡­ a G gold coin¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s expression changedpletely to a delighted face with enchanting eyes. Shin suddenly felt a strange seductiveness from her, which caused his cheek to turned slightly red. He was then shaking his head to remove the dirty thought.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you like it. Elves should find it useful since you can use ma¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨Dgic.¡±

    Tiera interrupted Shin¡¯s speech and stood up abruptly. Her expression had a look of someone who saw something unbelievable.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°Just now¡­did you say elf?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I said it¡­oh? Wasn¡¯t it elf?¡±

    Shin remembered that the facial feature of elves and High Elves were pointed ears, so he wanted to confirm it¡­Shin was still puzzled, because it may be a race he never seen before.

    ¡°I should look like a cat girl with red hair and ck eyes.¡±

    ¡°Cat girl with red hair and ck eyes?¡±

    Cat people was one of the popr Beast races among female yers and a certain group of male yers. There were various derivations in Beast races, as for cat people, there are Persian cat, Calico cat and so forth. In addition, yers were divided from their animal model, some yers had the same face, arms, tail, wings and many more, while some only a portion of their body.

    But in Shin¡¯s eyes, Tiera was a beautiful ck-haired and golden-eyed elven girl. There was no cat person, red hair, and ck eyes.

    ¡°I can only see a beautiful elf girl with ck hair and golden eyes in front of me.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    He tried to emphasize her beauty, but it seemed she didn¡¯t hear it.

    ¡°How? Master already cast illusion magic on me.¡±

    ¡°Illusion magic?¡±

    Speaking of illusion magic, it was usually used to confuse or show hallucinations to the other party. It was a magic that had left a strong impression on Shin, because one of the magic¡¯s users was from Rokuten.

    ¡°Uuu¡­to be exposed like this¡­¡±

    Tiera was looking down and her face looked like the world wasing to an end. Tiera¡¯s sudden depression caused Shin to desperately try to resolve the situation, since he didn¡¯t know much about her and what caused her to be dejected.

    ¡°Um¡­Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­what is it?¡±

    He intended to talk gently, but Tiera was nervous that it was exaggerated.

    ¡°I noticed Tiera is an elf only because it is one of my quality features.¡±

    ¡°Qua¡­quality?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Illusion magic is the magic that shows hallucinations to and confuses the other party. However, it might be not effective towards the guys who have a strong resistance against magic. Therefore, that¡¯s why I see the true form of Tiera.¡±

    ¡°But¡­even with strong resistance, for the magic that master cast to be broken¡­¡±

    Even with Shin¡¯s exnation, Tiera still wore the face that showed disbelief. ording to Shin¡¯s memory, Schnee, who was the master of Tiera, was a Lv. 255 High Elf. Furthermore, the magic used was surely strong, because High Elves were a magic specialized type. Though the status couldn¡¯t bepared to Shin¡¯s. Even other High Humans virtually could not match Shin¡¯s stats, so no illusion magic could affect him.

    Shin sighed after a long pause.

    ¡°Saw it¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You, you saw my true form, right?¡±

    ¡°I saw a beautiful elven girl with ck hair and golden eyes, did I make a mistake?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    No response. Shin became discouraged and demoralized.

    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±

    Shin, who was regretting that he said something strange, heard Tiera¡¯s soft voice. Her voice was like a child who was frightened by something.

    ¡°Scared of what?¡±

    Shin immediately rxed his thoughts and talked in a calm manner.

    Still, is he frightening her?

    When Tiera said in a trembling voice, Shin remembered one of the Rokuten member¡¯s face.

    Shin was proud of the login time he wasted for gamer ss as he was having fun. But that member was hospitalized because of his excessive ying time.

    The story was confessed during the offline meeting among members. Shin had a feeling that it was the same atmosphere at that time, as now with Tiera.

    He was scared that the his true self was known.

    But there was no one in Rokuten that cared about such things. Shin remembered that the member was very relieved.

    Because there was such a situation, Shin was able to listen to Tiera without feeling shaken and changing expression.

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know this either, do you?¡­ck-haired Elves are the symbol of bad luck.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking down.

    ¡°The symbol of bad luck?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Every elf is born with white hair. As they grow up, it turns gold, silver, green or blue-green colored. Can you believe it? My own hair was originally silver-colored.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s face looked like she was punishing herself.

    ¡°But now my hair is ck. There is never a time when an elf¡¯s hair turns ck.¡±

    ¡°Never turns ck?¡±

    ¡°Yes, elves with ck hair bring misfortune. It happened to me all the time. Strong monsters suddenly attacked my vige many times, and I was expelled from my vige because of that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I was picked up by master after wandering aimlessly. And this store has a strong barrier to prevent the monsters from attacking. So I have not left this store for more than 100 years.¡±

    ¡°100 years?¡­That¡¯s a long time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but since I can live without inconveniencing someone, this is good for me.¡±

    It¡¯s impossible to be good, Shin wanted to shout. To be confined in the store for 100 years could never be good. However, he refrained from saying that, because nothing could be changed even if it was said. He clenched his fists in anger.

    Although not even a day had yet passed since their meeting, Shin personally could properlyprehend why he was angry at himself.

    ¡°¡­Tiera, I want to confirm something.¡±

    ¡°¡­Confirm what?¡±

    ¡°Ah, though Tiera¡¯s hair was originally silver-colored, why is it ck-colored now?¡±

    Shin had a feeling that it would give him a hint.

    ¡°It suddenly became ck-colored on a certain day.¡±

    ¡°Suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, suddenly. I woke up in the morning as usual, and it had be ck-colored. I was really scared at that time, as I didn¡¯t understand what had happened.¡±

    As Tiera recalled that time, her body was trembling while hugging herself tight. From Tiera¡¯s exnation, Shin was thinking at full steam for relevant information or knowledge.

    ¡°Suddenly, hair color changed¡­Attacked by monsters¡­The color of the hair¡­Changing color characteristic¡­Monsters¡­Attacked multiple times¡­Encountered many times¡­Possibly strong¡­The characteristic of color change¡­Vulnerable to monsters¡­Such a thing!?¡±

    While Shin murmured something, a moment shed in Shin¡¯s mind. If his memory was correct, a possible condition was met.

    ¡°There¡­there is a way if the conditions are met!!¡±

    ¡°Eh? What is it?¡±

    Shin was shouting while staring at Tiera. Tiera was shaken by Shin¡¯s sudden shout.

    Despite that, Shin¡¯s eyes remained fixed on Tiera.

    ¡°I wonder why I had forgotten. However with this¡­hmm? This is strange, why is the status not disyed? It should be automatic.¡±

    The reason Shin keep staring at Tiera was because he wanted to see her status. If Shin¡¯s prediction was correct, then the status should appear.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ ¡®Skill Window Open¡¯¡­Analyze¡­Analyze¡­ah, here it is. Disy yer and monster except when turned off. If I turn this on¡­¡±

    Shin looked at Tiera again after applying the setting. Tiera felt a little uncertain as Shin was ring into empty space while moving his finger.

    ¡°Okay, now I can see the status. Name, level, race¡­good¡­and¡­Ahhhhhh!!¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Shin, who found what he looked for, unintentionally posed a victory pose. Tiera, who was watching Shin¡¯s entricity, stayed on guard.

    ¡°Be delighted, Tiera! I just found out what causes your bad luck.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Believe me. I¡¯m sure because the disy status appeared. The color of hair changes, the multiple attacks by monsters, they are all caused by ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿.¡±

    ¡°¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿?¡±

    Tiera was dumbfounded because she didn¡¯t understand its meaning.

    ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ was a curse that suddenly urred in THE NEW GATE. It was literally bad luck.

    Originally, yers could obtain ¡¾Title¡¿ or ¡¾Gift¡¿ from regrly clearing the quests. On asion, support abilities and items could be gained from it. Depending on the ¡¾Title¡¿, stats could be slightly strengthened as more new skills became avable.

    Then suddenly the ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ had fallen to all yers. The curse had negative effect such as random status degradation, gained all kind of abnormalities, random encounters with strong, unique monsters and so on. It could only be cured with the magic skill ¡¾Purification¡¿or by using the item ¡¾Holy Water¡¿.

    Although the negative effect was random, the yers with ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿had some part of their body turn ck. Their status screens also showed an image of aughing reaper.

    Subsequently, Shin had confirmed that there was aughing reaper shown at Tiera¡¯s status screen.

    ¡°Alright, to make this quick, Tiera, I want you to step out from behind the counter and stand at the center of the store.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­okay¡­¡±

    As Shin said that, Tiera stood at the center of the store without much resistance as she was confused at the situation.

    ¡°Here I go. Activate ¡¾Purification¡¿!!¡±

    In order to eliminate the curse, Shin extended his right hand toward Tiera and activated his magic skill ¡¾Purification¡¿. Shin acquired the skill that mainly used by a priest due to a certain circumstance.

    Golden light began to gather on Shin¡¯s right hand. At the same time, Tiera¡¯s whole body was wrapped in golden light.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s warm¡­¡±

    Although Tiera was surprised when she got wrapped in the light, she didn¡¯t feel any danger from the light emitted. Tiera feltfort and warmth instead, while the purification process took ce.

    After about 5 minutes, the light gradually dimmed and disappeared.

    Even after the light disappeared, the absentminded Tiera took a while toe back to her senses.

    ¡°¡­Was it sessful?¡­¡±

    Muttered Shin as he felt baffled. Theughing reaper¡¯s icon slowly faded on Tiera¡¯s status screen as Shin looked at it. However, the hair that should have returned to its original color, was still mostly ck. A silver highlight was seen among the ck hair.

    The atmosphere between those two became silent for a while, because it was hard to determine whether the curse had disappeared.

    ¡°So, how is it?¡± Tiera asked.

    ¡°The curse is gone¡­it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s¡­but¡­the hair wasn¡¯tpletely restored¡­¡±

    He had a hard time saying it.

    ¡°Hair?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry, only part of your hair returned to its original color. But just in case, please confirm it.¡±

    Shin said while feeling discouraged. A mirror was taken out from Item Box and passed to Tiera. Tiera snatched the mirror from Shin after she heard the word hair, and held it in front of her.

    Tiera¡¯s face was reflected in the mirror. There was a face that never changed. But one portion of her hair changed into a shining silver-color.

    It was obviously the color Tiera once had.

    ¡°¡­Sob¡­sob¡­¡±

    Tears started to flow down from Tiera¡¯s eyes.

    After that, tears started to burst out like a broken dam.

    ¡°Uu¡­sob¡­uu¡­¡±

    While wiping her tears with her sleeve, Tiera cried quietly.

    And in front of Tiera, there was a man who was totally confused.

    Needless to say, it¡¯s Shin, after all.

    The girl who cried in front of him was not a little child, but an adult woman, yet due to Shin¡¯s limited reasoning ability, he just remained still in that situation.

    ¡°Sob¡­just a moment¡­hick¡­need to¡­catch my breath¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I understand. Just take it slow.¡±

    Shin passed a towel as he returned to his senses and dragged the chair from by the counter to let Tiera sit while she wept.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    About 5 minutester, Tiera raised her face from the towel. No tears remained, but her eyes were still red.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Why are you using honorifics?¡±

    ¡°No, well. Even though I removed the curse, your hair is mostly unchanged so I felt apologetic for that¡­¡±

    While Tiera was crying, Shin was afraid that she might get angry again because of the hair.

    However, judging from Tiera¡¯s expression, she hadn¡¯t shown any signs of being angry. At this time, Shin became timid. And just a while ago, the position was the exact opposite.

    ¡°I¡¯m good about the hair¡­Please don¡¯t use honorifics towards me. After more than 100 years of having ck-colored hair, even if it¡¯s only a little that has returned, I¡¯m d.¡±

    Tiera smiled and looked very happy as she said that. And all the frightening feelings that Shin had, dissipated after seeing Tiera¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Really? I am d too.¡±

    But, Shin thought. His mother and his younger sister always said that the hair was very important to women. That¡¯s why Shin felt unsatisfactory for her.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really good, so don¡¯t worry about it. But is the curse gone for real?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it should be, no doubt about it. I think it will be clear if you go out from the store.¡±

    Since Tiera said it¡¯s good, Shin convinced himself not to fuss about it.

    Tiera¡¯s curse, which was random encounters with unique monsters, couldn¡¯t be proven to have disappeared unless she went outside the barrier. Because high level unique monsters couldn¡¯t creep inside the barrier.

    THE NEW GATE pursued reality in the game, so unbreakable objects were almost nonexistent. And the yer¡¯s stores, like Shin¡¯s, were often aimed at by thieves yer.

    Therefore, many skills barrier system existed to prevent intrusion to the store. Which were applicable to monsters, too.

    ¡°Honestly, it is a little scary. What if the curse wasn¡¯t dispelled?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since I was cured from the curse too.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Eh!! You got cursed too!?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, my curse type was random encounters with high level unique monsters too, but I cured it with ¡¾Purification¡¿skill.

    When Shin was cursed, the unique monsters thoroughly tried to attack Shin repeatedly, until Shin was tired of it. And there was a time when Shin used them to raise his level.

    ¡°Is that so. Then, what was the highest level of monster that has attacked you?¡±

    ¡°Horn Dragon was probably the strongest. I think it was around level 200.¡±

    ¡°Is that the higher rank species of Lesser Dragon?¡±

    ¡°You know?¡±

    ¡°Ah, only a little.¡±

    Horn Dragon was a higher rank species of Lesser Dragon, their size was twice asrge and they had horns on their heads. Lesser Dragons were only around Lv. 100, but Horn Dragons were around Lv. 200. Tiera¡¯s level was 57 from what Shin saw in the status screen, so there¡¯s no chance of winning against the dragon.

    In THE NEW GATE, the maximum level of a yer was 255, and the maximum level of monsters was 1000. It was about four times more than the yers. This was solved by reincarnation like Shin or other high level yers. Especially Shin, or Rokuten simrly, could easily beat boss monsters and never get tired from it. But even Shin couldn¡¯t let his guard down, as a boss monster was usually Lv. 1000. So Shin didn¡¯t even feel any danger from Lv. 200 unique monsters.

    ¡°However, it is said that several elite forces of knights are needed to take on a Horn Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Elite forces? Why do they need the elite group for something like that?¡±

    ¡°Shh..They are the real elite, you know. Did you see a huge rampart next to the store before you came here?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think I saw it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the reinforced rampart that surrounds the Kingdom of Bayreuth. Well, the captain of the elite force of the knights group in this country is only level 158. And the Horn Dragons are about level 200, so the captain needs 40 more levels to fight it head on. And only those with a screw loose in their head will take on that monster alone, so no one can brag about it.¡±

    ¡°158¡­that¡¯s¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is absurd to even challenges the Kingdom¡¯s no. 2 strongest alone.¡±

    It seems that Tiera thought Shin was surprised by the captain¡¯s high level. But actually, the level was too low. Shin thought it was absurd to have that level. And the level had barely reached the intermediate ss in the yer¡¯s standards. Particrly, yer¡¯s standards like Shin¡¯s.

    If a monster that had a higher level than Horn Dragon appeared, it might annihte two or three countries. Shin thought.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s leave the store so that we can see whether the curse is gone.¡±

    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you hear my story?¡±

    ¡°I heard it. It¡¯s better to find out now if there are any more problems.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna happen. What if a Horn Dragon attacked us?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.Hey, just to make sure, what is your level?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m level 255?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Both of them went silent. Shin said it honestly, but it seems that Tiera doubted him.

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    ¡°255¡­? Same as master?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, my level is 255, same as Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is it really true?¡±

    ¡°It is true.¡±

    ¡°Really hone¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Yes! yes! I¡¯ve said it many times!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨Dst¡­¡±

    The conversation stopped before it became a truth battle.

    ¡°Are you able to use ¡¾Analyze¡¿? If you can, then you can see my stats too.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Only the skill sessor can use it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a skill sessor?¡±

    ¡°¡­I begin to doubt yourmon sense.¡±

    If he was a resident of this world, he would know that too. But Shin, who arrived in this world just a while ago, didn¡¯t know anything aboutmon sense. Rather, he just assumed it was the same as in the game and went with the flow.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s said to bemon sense, I do not understand it well because I lived far from human viges for a long time.¡±

    Since he couldn¡¯t say that he was in a game beforeing here, he decided to say that he lived as a hermit. It was the most likely excuse for his ignorance of this world, thought Shin.

    ¡°I understand. I will tell you everything you need to know, just ask if you have something you don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Shin bowed his head to express his gratitude while Tiera said ¡°Somehow¡­¡±.

    ¡°First of all, the skill sessor. Because the people who can read the symbols are lost along with the skills. Skills can only be inherited nowadays. A lot of skills were lost during the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ and currently, less than 100 skills still remain.¡±

    ¡°Less than 100, huh?¡­¡±

    Shin unable to hide his surprise for that number. THE NEW GATE was known for its numerous skills, and the numbering out of Tiera¡¯s mouth was not even 1/10 of the total amount of skills.

    ¡°Nowadays, skills are used to gain personal benefit. The people who make a living by fighting, such as adventurers and knights, are using weakened skills which are called Arts. Though it has the same name with as the original skill, its power and effect only amounts to 1/3 of the original. The magic my master showed to me was ¡®Magic Skills¡¯, but I can only use ¡®Magic Arts¡¯. And naturally the power gap is huge.¡±

    ¡°I see, the skills that turned weak are called arts. Is there a separate level in arts?¡±

    Some level in skills have their own setting. Shin activated ¡¾Analyze ? ¢ú¡¿. He immediately understood the skill right away, because the letter of ¢ñ~¢ú was attached after the skill name. The lowest was ¢ñ, and the highest was ¢ú. This setting system was almost nonexistent inbat skills, and most support skills were using this setting system.

    ¡°As far as I know, arts do not have levels like skills.¡±

    ¡°It will be hard to fight using arts¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help to think that it¡¯s difficult to fight using arts, as skills were more favorable than arts.

    ¡°You can use skills, right? What skills are you able to use? Just now you used one, didn¡¯t you? How many skills can you use? 2? 3? No way!! Is it 4!?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, one digit is too few. I¡¯m certain that I can use at least 1000 or more. Although I don¡¯t know the exact number, because I never counted them.¡±

    ¡°What? 1000? Did I hear it wrong?¡±

    Tiera tilted her head and thought whether Shin was making a joke or not. It felt like a joke, because it strayed too much from this world¡¯smon sense, even though the joke was the truth.

    ¡°Do you have the¡¾Analyze¡¿skill by chance? I can lend it to you, although the skill is only level ¢ñ, so it can¡¯t see my limit break level, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have it either. Well, I¡¯ll use the skill ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Tiera looked puzzled as Shin once again moved his hand in the air.

    ¡°Creation sessful.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Wha, what is this?¡±

    Shin handed a scroll to Tiera. Various potential derivation of skills mastery could be learned and benefited if the skill proficiency was raised to a certain level. One of the benefits of ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ was that it was possible to creates items. ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ was able to make scrolls. When ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ was used, it was possible for other yer to learn the skill from the book.

    Although it¡¯s reasonable, various restrictions were imposed to the skill, such as the number of skills that could be made was fixed, yers couldn¡¯t learn the skill if the acquisition condition were not met, and so forth.

    To begin with, ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ also had some skills that were impossible to make. As there were only few strong skills that could be created by ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿. High ss skills from ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ were limited to low-level, and there was a level restriction too.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿wasn¡¯t technically seen a skill. Even the restrictions from ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ were kept at a minimum. So Shin could share the skill with other yers unlimited because of this. It was one of the reasons why he made that scroll.

    ¡°The secret book of ¡¾Analyze¡¿. If you read this, you will be able to use this skill.¡±

    Because ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿was usable for a support character, Shin thought of making good use of it. However, he intended to apologize if it didn¡¯t work. These kind of things wouldn¡¯t be understood if he didn¡¯t try it.

    ¡°Can the skill be used after this? But I don¡¯t have anything of equivalent value to this.¡± ¡°Equivalent value?¡±

    Shin was going to give it for free, but Tiera seems didn¡¯t get it. Apparently, skills were a substantially valuable thing in this world.

    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? Skills are valuable too. Anyhow, one would need arge sum of money for an apprentice like me to get a skill from a master. And you will give this to me for free?¡±

    ¡°Eh, It is, even though I was going to say it. Did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°For the time being, please refrain from raising this matter to anyone. Because it could be a serious matter. Depending on the situation, one life might be targeted.¡±

    ¡°To that extent!?¡±

    Shin decided to instruct only the fellows he trusted with the skills from ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿, as he never thought that his life could be targeted by someone.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t get too scared. I think Tiera will be safe, so have you read it yet?¡±

    ¡°No, after I use it, will there be anypensation ims?¡±

    ¡°No!!¡±

    Am I an evil swindler!? Shin wanted to retort. However, because there was the possibility of one life getting targeted, it was normal to be cautions.

    ¡°Giving away a skill for free is your modus operandi, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I should have made a high-ss skill to deceive you.¡±

    ¡°To me, even this skill is very valuable. It must be a great feeling to have several skills.¡±

    ¡°But I cannot use arts. And I thought this is natural, so I have no feelings about it, because I think I possessed all the skills.¡±

    ¡°What a ¡®luxurious agony¡¯¡­well, whatever. I¡¯ll receive it without reservation then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It would be rather embarrassing if you didn¡¯t take it.¡±

    Tiera took the scroll and seemed convinced for the time being. Shin urged her to read it, so she opened it and took a look at the scroll.

    When she began to read it, a light wrapped Tiera¡¯s body and faded after 10 seconds. This was the effect when a skill was acquired. And apparently the skill learning process had beenpleted.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Shin was anxious because he didn¡¯t know if ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ would work in this world. That¡¯s why he needed to test it.

    ¡°Somehow it is a mysterious feeling. ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed up in my head after I opened the scroll, and something like flows special effecting out. However, there is no unpleasantness.¡±

    ¡°Eh, is that so?¡±

    Shin was relieved as the skill was sessfully learned. From here on, he would keep that in mind in case he used it again.

    ¡°I can see your name, but the other stats have a weird symbol on them.¡±

    ¡°As expected, the name is visible. Well, the weird symbol is called question mark. It will only show when the level difference is huge. So it¡¯smon not seeing the stats.¡±

    ¡°Eh, originally the name is not visible. But now that I gained a skill, I can see it, although your stats are hidden because of the level difference. This skill more or less shows that you are indeed strong.¡±

    ¡°Will you believe me now? I will keep you safe from monsters when you go out of the store.¡±

    ¡°I have no choice but to consider what we have done till now, so I¡¯ll believe in you.¡±

    Tiera seemed more willing to believe in Shin thanks to the skill ¡¾Analyze¡¿ that she had learned. There might be some uneasiness of course, since Tiera had constantly been attacked by monsters up till now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out first to check the surrounding area just in case. After that, pleasee out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±

    Shin went out of Tsuki no Hokora and looked at the surrounding area to make sure there were no monsters around. ¡¾Search¡¿ also confirmed that there were no monsters in the vicinity.

    ¡°All clear, you cane out now!¡±

    Tiera peeked outside the door as she looked at the surroundings.

    At Tsuki no Hokora, there were skill barriers ¨C ¡¾Barrier ? ¢ú¡¿ and ¡¾Wall ? ¢ú¡¿ set by Schnee. The ¡¾Barrier ? ¢ú¡¿ could prevent monsters from Lv. 900 to 1000 (Depends on the user¡¯s levels) from attacking the store, and even if they attacked, the invisible wall could counterattack.

    And ¡¾Wall ? ¢ú¡¿could prevent yer intrusion (Also depends on the user¡¯s level) from level 230-255. Because both of them were of the highest level, the invasion was impossible even with ¡¾Cut Through¡¿.

    By the way, for ¡¾Wall ? ¢ú¡¿, it¡¯s necessary to set the setting permission so that general guests weren¡¯t mistaken for invaders. yers were prohibited using weapons andbat skills in Tsuki no Hokora. When Shin was the store owner before, he went into details, such as preventing yers from equipping weapons.

    At present, the radius of the barrier skills were around 20 mels. (T/N: In case you forgot, 1 mel = 1 meter)

    ¡°Come, over here.¡±

    ¡°Ehh, okay¡­¡±

    When Shin beckoned her, Tiera approached slowly. That was because Shin was standing about 1 mel from outside of the barrier.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin watched the surrounding area while Tiera was silent because of the nervousness.

    For about 5 minutes, there was no change in the surroundings, except warm winds that stroked their hair.

    ¡°Nothing is happening.¡±

    ¡°Yup, nothing happens.¡±

    Furthermore, after 5 minutes, Shin judged that there was no problem. It was because the curse would make monsters to attack once in every 10 minutes.

    ¡°There is no monstering.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    In the first 5 minutes, Tiera was nervous and couldn¡¯t stop checking the surroundings.

    ¡°The curse is finally gone, right?¡±

    Tiera

    ¡°It sure is.¡±

    Tiera replied to Shin¡¯s question while looking up at the sky.

    The sky was so vast and blue, it made Tiera¡¯s eyes open wide. It was notpressed by the store¡¯s windows she always saw it from.

    She could feel the wind, the sunlight and smell the scent of the forest. Such nostalgic feelings spread to Tiera¡¯s mind.

    Shin felt relieved as he saw Tiera looked up at the sky. While it was still necessary to be frightened by monsters, at least she no longer needed to worry about her surroundings or troubling people. It was possible to go outside the store freely from now on.

    ¡°The sky is so wide.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Tiera muttered as she just remembered.

    Then Shin looked up at the sky with Tiera for a while.

    The corner of Tiera¡¯s eyes shined as she looked at the wide sky, and Shin didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back soon.¡±

    Said Tiera, while Shin turned his gaze from the sky to Tiera.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    There was no objection since they only came outside the store to confirm that the curse was dispelled from Tiera. After that, the two walked back to the store.

    ¡°Still, to really dispelled the curse.¡±

    After she returned to the counter, Tiera muttered heartily. She still hadn¡¯t caught up with reality.

    ¡°That was more or less because of the skill ¡¾Purification¡¿. If anything, I was having a hard time and went through a lot of trouble to learn this rare skill.¡±

    ¡°Any curse can be purified with ¡¾Purification¡¿, right? To think that it was hard to get this curse dispelled.¡±

    ¡°Why is that? Don¡¯t priests have this skill? It would be strange if they don¡¯t have one like it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Because ¡¾Purification¡¿ can only be used by high-ranking priests, so I can¡¯t really ask them to meet me. Also, due to the nature of the curse, I can¡¯te to meet them with all the monsters around.¡±

    ¡°However, that would have been different somehow if the curse effect was stats degradation.¡±

    Tiera just said something dangerous without her realizing it. As for the stats degradation, the curse would make stats drop to 1/10 from the original. Evenbating with small fry monsters would be difficult.

    ¡°Now that it is dispelled, it¡¯s useless to think about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. After all, you are able to roam freely again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, although the elves dislike ck hair, if the hair is notpletely ck-colored, it might be different story.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? If the hair is all ck-colored, it¡¯s no good?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t even conceal my hair when I was cursed before. The dye would turn ck after some time. But now that the curse is gone, I can dye my hair again.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Because the act of dyeing hair was not possible in the game, Shin didn¡¯t understand such things. To begin with, as soon as yers got cursed, they immediately used items or found a priest to purify it. So the yers never needed to dye their hair.

    ¡°Ah right, this is your reward for the materials and the jewel.¡±

    Tiera ced a bag on the counter. It was swelled considerably, because there were more than 50 pieces of gold and silver coins.

    ¡°Can this fit into Item Box?¡±

    When he tried to put it in Item Box, he saw Geyl gold coin slots in the disy screen. And it also showed up 26 J gold coins and 27 J silver coins. Somehow, every coin was disyed, separated by type. It was indeed convenient.

    ¡°The coins disappeared? That¡¯s convenient.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say anything but smile wryly because Tiera already said what he wanted to. That was yet another use for Item Box for items. And there was no need for a wallet.

    ¡°For the time being, I need to find an inn to stay at for today.¡±

    ¡°Are you perhaps going to enter the Bayreuth Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are various ces I would like to explore. Is there a good ce to gather information?

    ¡°Well. Wait a minute, I will give you something good as an extra service.¡±

    After Tiera said so, she went to a room located behind the counter. If Shin¡¯s memory was correct, there was a private room there.

    Tiera entered the room, and 3 minutester she came out, handing a piece of paper to Shin.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°A letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora. With this letter, you can enter the country without having to wait in line for inspection.¡±

    Apparently there was a waiting line to enter the country. Shin, who wanted to find an inn today, was feeling grateful.

    ¡°I appreciate it. I didn¡¯t want to be homeless and sleep on the street when I came here. But is this okay? To give an introduction letter to someone who you just met today.¡±

    Although Shin thought that he was not qualified, Tiera unexpectedly shook her head.

    ¡°The curse that stayed for more than 100 years was dispelled. Besides, you meet the qualifications. Moreover, I think you are a good person. There is no problem¡­Even with this, I still haven¡¯t returned all your favors.¡±

    ¡°A good person¡­what did you say just now, I couldn¡¯t hear thetter half?¡±

    ¡°Geez, I don¡¯t care! I said there is no problem and please leave obediently.¡±

    Tiera said so, while pushing the letter of introduction to Shin. Although her face looked downward to conceal her reddened face, it could be seen from her ears which turned slightly red.

    ¡°All right, all right. I will take it without reservation then.¡±

    Again, Shin didn¡¯t notice it. While another person would have noticed it, he himself was a dense person.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now. In addition, please take care of me the next time when purchasing the monsters I hunted.¡±

    ¡°I understand, please don¡¯t force yourself too much. Because I¡¯ll get nothing if you die.¡±

    ¡°See you then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to your next visit.¡±

    Tiera lowered her head and Shin waved his hand lightly while exiting the Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 1: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    Shin came out of Tsuki no Hokora and crossed the woods until he was in front of the ramparts and started to walk along it. Since he didn¡¯t know which way the town entrance was, he went along with his feeling. He somehow knew that he would reach the town entrance sooner orter if he just walked while following the ramparts.

    ¡°Anyway, these ramparts look really sturdy. ¡°

    Shin thought as he saw the ramparts again. Because¡¾Analyze¡¿ was originally a skill to see the details of yers and monsters, he didn¡¯t know much about its magic bestowal beyond skill level ¢õ. But from Tiera¡¯s story, all skills were valuable and he could guess that there were excellent skill sessors out there.

    After walking for around 15 minutes, he could see a line formed in front of the rampart. It seemed like there was a town gate nearby.

    And there were various people wearing all kinds of clothes. Furthermore, there was a human boy who wore tattered clothing, a female beast equipped with an armor and a dwarf who was apanied by a small dragon. The person who wore a robe might be a magician, and the guy with a big wagon might be a merchant. Shin looked around while seeing the line moving slowly. Since all yers in the game had a neat appearance (though there were some people who dressed in strange clothes), Shin was astonished by the scenery.

    A soldier who was equipped with an armor just like a townsguard, was checking something like an identification card. Besides that, they also checked the luggage in the wagon briefly. Shin walked straight to the gate since he had a letter of introduction from Tiera.

    About 20 mels from the gate, a guard noticed Shin who wasn¡¯t waiting in line, and Shin had a suspicious look on his face.

    One of the guards approached Shin as he was about 10 mels from the gate.

    ¡°Hey you! If you want to get into the town, get in the line! I can¡¯t let you enter if you don¡¯t line up.¡±

    Said the guard, while pointing at the end of the line. The line was so long that the end of the line couldn¡¯t be seen.

    ¡°Well, um, I was told I could enter the town if I show this.¡±

    He took out the letter of introduction from Item Box, while pretending to take it out from his chest pocket.

    The guard took the letter from Shin, looked at the contents, and revealed a shocked look. Not to mention, his hands were trembling afterward.

    ¡°¡­Letter of introduction¡­from Tsuki no Hokora¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it from the sales clerk.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know why the guard was surprised, or what were the effects of a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.

    He was even worried about the guard whose hands were trembling.

    ¡°I need to confirm whether this is the real thing. Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The guard gathered other guards and began to discuss something like ¡®Is it genuine?¡¯ Or ¡®how do we decide whether it¡¯s the real thing?¡¯

    At the same time, Shin saw a horse that was 1.5 times bigger than a normal horse, stopped at the front gate.

    While Shin was looking at the horse, the guard returned.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting. This way.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I understand.¡±

    The guard¡¯s manners changedpletely and he became very polite. It was so sudden that it felt out of ce.

    (Is the letter of introduction that great?)

    The road was opened for them while Shin felt stares from the people in the line. Besides that, the ce was filled with people and severalrge wagons going in and out. Along the edge of the street, there were various stalls standing in a row, selling things like food, armor, essories, strange items, and so on.

    ¡°I will be your guide to the adventurers¡¯ guild. Will that be all right for you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you very much.¡±

    Another guard talked to Shin. It seemed like he took over the task of the guard who spoke to Shin previously.

    ¡°Do you have any ns to go somewhere else beside the guild? I¡¯ll guide you if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°No, because there is no other n, I would like to head toward the adventurers¡¯ guild, and please don¡¯t use honorifics with me.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­to be rude to those with a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°No problem, just act like usual.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, if you said so. I underst¡­¡±

    ¡°Honorific!¡±

    ¡°I understand, I understand, it¡¯s just hard to adjust.¡± (T/N: The guard actually said ¡°understand¡± in a polite tone. Then said it again in an informal tone.)

    Shin didn¡¯t mean to act big just because he got the letter of introduction by chance. Meanwhile, the guard with the guide¡¯s role, mixed up the formal and informal tone in his speech.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you understand.¡±

    ¡°Geez, for someone to have a letter of introduction and not wanting me to be polite?¡±

    ¡°Well, it just felt wrong. By the way, I¡¯m Shin. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Shin was formerly a student. He wasn¡¯t ustomed by an older man using honorifics toward him.

    ¡°I¡¯m Beid. I¡¯ve lived in this town my whole life. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.¡±

    Beidughed after saying that. He gave an impression of a bear because of his brown hair and beard. ording to ¡¾Analyze ? ¢ú¡¿, Beid was level 100. It was said that the strongest knight was level 158, so Shin couldn¡¯t judge whether Beid was strong or not.

    ¡°Then, I want to ask you something. Why was I being led to an adventurers¡¯ guild?¡±

    Even though he intended to go to the adventurers¡¯ guild, he didn¡¯t remember saying it to the guard. But then he recalled where he had asked Tiera for any good ces to gather information.

    ¡°It was written in the introduction letter. I have to do it since it is stated in the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°I see. Ah, just to confirm, is the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora such a big deal?¡±

    ¡°Did you show it without knowing about it!?¡±

    For some reason he was surprised.

    ¡°No, this is my first timeing to this country and it was a coincidence that I went to Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Coincidence? And got a letter of introduction? You are something¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a wanderer.¡±

    ¡°Unbelievable! No, never mind then. I don¡¯t know about other countries, but with the letter of introduction, it¡¯s possible to have an audience with the King. Some people have even tried to forge the letter of introduction.¡±

    It seemed the letter of introduction was a rather big deal around here.

    ¡°Tiera¡­this is more than an extra service¡­¡±

    Shin murmured as he regretted not knowing this awesome stuff earlier. Actually, he thought it was just a simple border pass. If Beid¡¯s story was true, it was only natural that the guards were surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯d say, it would be a problem if it got lost¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Just now, someone passed it to the other guard.¡±

    Shin who just realized it, tried to get it back. But as Shin made a U-turn, he was stopped by Beid.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, if it is the letter of introduction, I have it. How many guards can even carry it normally. It was returned before it could be left to idiots who are up to no good.¡±

    ¡°Beid, good job!!¡±

    Shin unconsciously gave Beid a thumbs-up. Shin¡¯s original image of him as a crude person was instantly erased, giving him a better impression of Beid.

    Shin then ced the letter of introduction in the ¡ºImportant Things¡» zone in the Item Box. This zone had an anti-theft function attached. Skills like ¡¾Steal¡¿ or ¡¾Robbery¡¿ were not effective in this zone, so Shin didn¡¯t have to worry about it getting stolen or robbed.

    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot, when you arrive at the adventurers¡¯ guild, give the letter of introduction to a receptionist named Els.¡±

    ¡°Els?¡±

    ¡°The miss receptionist of the guild, and at the same time, an elf adventurer. There are some kind of ancient elven runes written on that letter. And she is the only elf in the adventurers¡¯ guild. So it is probably addressed to her.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll give it to her in the guild.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know that Tiera had another elf as acquaintance, yet he firmly memorized her name.

    As the matter of the introduction letter was settled, Shin heard Beid¡¯s exnation about the town.

    ¡°That reminds me, this is your first timeing to this country. I will exin to you about this town. So first, this street is the rough division of the town. The gate you entered just now is the south gate. There are gates in the south, north, east and west, but only the south gate is used most often.¡±

    ¡°Why is the south gate used mostly?¡±

    ¡°The reason is that the south gate is the connecting point of the districts. There is also amercial district in front of the south gate. Besides that, the king¡¯s castle is in the center of this country, and the wealthy town residents, such as nobles and rich merchants, surround it. It is surrounded by the four districts.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see¡­¡±

    ¡°The southmercial district, as said just now, generally has everything you need like foods, items, misceneous goods and so forth. The guilds are in the east district. Many headquarters of guilds are located there, such as adventurers¡¯ guild, merchants guild, cksmiths guild and so on.

    The west is a residential district. Almost all of the town¡¯s poption live there. The inn is also a ce for adventurers to replenish their stock from merchants, besides being the ce to stay overnight. Finally, the north district¡­is in development for the time being.¡±

    Beid hesitated as he talked about the north district. Shin had an idea about it, so he asked Beid daringly.

    ¡°Is the development only a name, or is it a slum area?¡±

    ¡°As expected, you understand indeed. Yes, it is. Although I said it¡¯s in a development zone, eventually those with no ce to go started to move in one after another. Though each of them have their own motives. Anyway, its security is at the worst, and it¡¯s better to stay away from there.¡±

    Beid advised Shin with a bitter expression.

    However, it was not only this country, but most big countries also have such ces.

    Meanwhile, Shin observed the town situation as he listened to Beid. In themercial district, various people wereing and going, Shin saw a man with an appearance of an adventurer. The man was carrying arge sword and wore a full body armor.

    Shin was excited and almost called out to him , especially after he saw the man was carrying a Dragon Sword. Beid said it was a weapon from an ind country called ¡®Hinomoto¡¯, which is in the east of the continent.

    In the meantime, Shin arrived at the adventurers¡¯ guild. The building wasrger than the neighboring building, and had a signboard with a sword and a spear crossed were painted. Somehow, this was the representation of the adventurers¡¯ guild.

    ¡°My duty ends here. Don¡¯t work yourself too hard in there.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you for guiding me here, and for the information as well.¡±

    Shin went into the adventurers¡¯ guild building after seeing off Beid who lightly waved his hand.

    He opened the guild¡¯s door and entered.

    From the entrance door, the receptionist desk could be seen on the right side, and the bar on the left side. At the center hall, there was a bulletin board which had many requests posted on it.

    Since rowdy NPCs often hung around in adventurers¡¯ guilds when he yed the game, Shin had that image when entering the guild. Nevertheless, no garbage could be seen on the floor, nor adventurers shouting at each other, nor res from other adventurers.

    It was merely a group of adventurers who had just finished their tasks and were having a toast. The bar seemed to be just a normal bar.

    Shin went straight toward the receptionist desk, even though he felt hungry after seeing the bar.

    ¡°Wee to the adventurers¡¯ guild, how can I help you today?¡±

    The beautiful woman who was the receptionist greeted Shin as he approached. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders. Apparently, the reception desk of guilds were always filled with beautiful women.

    There was also a tall man with a height of about 2 mels and scars on his face next to the receptionist. It goes without saying, Shin casually detoured to the woman¡¯s side at the reception.

    ¡°I would like to register as an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°For that, please go upstairs on your left and head over to the second room. One J silver coin is required for the initial registration, is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s alright. Thank you.¡±

    He voiced his gratitude and went up the stairs. Without stopping, Shin was thinking that there was no such procedure during the game. Then he saw the second room and entered it.

    Shin approached the desk on the middle, as there were only three desks.

    ¡°We provide registration for adventurers here. You want to register as an adventurer, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I want to register as an adventurer.¡±

    He replied to the receptionist with a bewildered look. Shin was confused, as the receptionist¡¯s face and that of the receptionist below, were like two peas in a pod. The only difference was that this receptionist had her hair in a ponytail.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, you just look identical to the receptionist below.¡±

    ¡°That is my older sister. Because we are twins, I am often mistaken as her. I will be helping you register today. My name is Cilica Lindt. Please treat me well.¡±

    ¡°I am Shin. Please take care of me as well.¡±

    ¡°First, you will need to pay the initial cost of one J silver coin.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He took out one J silver coin from Item Box. Shin thought it looked a little unnatural since he took it out from his chest, but Cilica received the coin without any suspicion.

    ¡°Then, please fill out this form.¡±

    In the document, there were entries to be filled up such as name, race, main weapon, able to use magic or not, and so on.

    ¡°Do I have to fill out everything?¡±

    ¡°No, only your name and race are required. While it would be easier to receive support if you fill it all out, we won¡¯t force you as this is notpulsory. No one will treat you differently because of it. So please rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Since there was an entry for ce of birth, Shin just had to skip it, because he was not from this world. The race was filled as a human just in case.

    Main weapon was sword, able to use magic, and because there was entry for age, one year of the death game was added in his true age, so he wrote down as 21 years old.

    It was a bitte to bring it up now, but the document was written in Japanese. The spokennguage was Japanese, so it was only natural that it was also being used in the document. Shin was thankful because of it. He was worried in the beginning, as he thought it would be written with characters like wriggling earthworms.

    After that, he gave the document to Cilica, and she just skimmed it through. She was probably checking if it was iplete.

    ¡°Your name is Shin-sama, is that right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Then the document isplete. Next, please drip one drop of blood on this card.

    Cilica handed Shin a needle and a silver card.

    Shin pricked the tip of his finger and dripped the blood on the card. The card didn¡¯t reject the blood and absorbed it like a sponge.

    ¡°With this, the procedure isplete. The card will take one day to process, so it will be ready by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    It seemed that he would need to wait until tomorrow before receiving his card.

    ¡°Would you like hear more information about the guild?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°First of all, adventurers are divided by ranks, from the highest SS to S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and the lowest G rank. Because Shin-sama just registered, your rank is G. Whenever a request ispleted, the point is added and your rank will rise ordingly. If a request is failed or abandoned, the point for the request is subtracted from the current point. The rank will drop if the points are below a certain standard. In addition, you must pay the cancetion fee twice of the reward offered. You can receive requests up to two ranks above you. You can only receive requests one rank above you if you be rank C and above. You can form a party with two or more members. It is also possible to participate in the request of the top three or more rank. Depending on the members, you will receive the request ording to the members of the top rank.¡±

    ¡°What is the maximum number of members allowed in a party?¡±

    Shin asked since he was interested. The maximum number of people in a party was six people during the game.

    ¡°One party can be formed by up to six members. It bes a form called joint work, where you cross multiple parties when you receive a request for further numbers of people. This is usually seen on subjugation requests of strong monsters, or fairlyrge-scale requests.¡±

    It seemed that the number of party members remained unchanged. However, the request (it was called Quest in the game) for further numbers of people seemed different from the game, there was no joint work or multiple parties.

    ¡°There are various kinds of requests such as misceneous duties, fishing, subjugation, escort, and so forth. Please be warned that the guild won¡¯t take responsibility for taking a request without the guild¡¯s approval. An unsuitable request for your ability is likely to receive or sustain severe injuries or even death.¡±

    ¡°What will happen if the request and the contents are different? If a subjugation request is received and upon getting there, the monster is stronger than the request said.¡±

    ¡°In such case, it¡¯s fine to abandon the request. You need to report it, so that the penalty will not ur. Even if the guild verifies all the risky requests, please do not take it without precautions, as not all requests can be covered.¡±

    ¡®The management seemed tock of efficiency. But since the informationwork wasn¡¯t developed, it couldn¡¯t be helped¡¯, Shin thought.

    ¡°The guild will buy the raw materials from subjugated monster. It¡¯s a good source for extra ie. Next¨D¨D¡±

    The exnation from Cilicasted for about 20 minutes. Even if Shin heard everything, he could not memorize all of it.

    ¡°¨D¨DThat¡¯s all for today. I¡¯ll exin again about the guild card tomorrow when you receive it. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Can I receive requests now?¡±

    ¡°After the guild card is issued, you can ept requests right away. Because the guild card also acts as a border pass, I advise that you spend the night in the town.¡±

    ¡°I see. I don¡¯t have any more questions.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for today. I wish for Shin-sama¡¯s sess.¡±

    Cilica executed a graceful bow, and Shin left the counter.

    Shin went down the stairs and spoke with the receptionist who guided him before.

    ¡°Thank you for the help a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°The procedure waspleted, I see. Well then, again, Wee to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. My name is Celica Lindt, I am responsible for the request procedures. My best regards in the future.¡±

    ¡°I am Shin. Same here. Are you the elder sister of Cilica from the registration counter?¡±

    ¡°So it was Cilica in charge. Well, yes, I am the older sister of Cilica. Because we are twins, we look very alike.¡±

    ¡°I was surprised. I thought you could teleport instantly.¡±

    ¡°It is possible for a personing here for the first time to have that curious look on their face when they return, just like that person over there.¡±

    Shin followed Celica¡¯s gaze after she said that. It was the figure of a new adventurer, who left the guild while tilting his head. He was the person next to Shin when he received an exnation earlier.

    ¡°And I often get mistaken for my sister, even in the guild. I hope Shin-sama won¡¯t mix us up, too.¡±

    Shin momentarily felt the pressure from Celica¡¯s smile. As a matter of fact, Shin probably thought it was troublesome to pay attention to it.

    ¡°Still, I will do my best. Ah, can I ask you a question?¡±

    Shin asked as he just recalled what Beid said to him. However, the big man next to Celica threw a nce at Shin a couple of times for some reason. Shin¡¯s intuition was sounding rms, but he decided to ignore it for now.

    ¡°Yes, feel free to ask.¡±

    ¡°I heard that adventurer named Els works here as receptionist.¡±

    There were only two people (Celica and the big man) in the receptionist desk. Shin wanted to say ¡®Miss¡¯ before the receptionist, but was unable to, due to the big man next to Celica.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Els just received a request and is out-of-town right now. She will return today if no trouble urs. Please ask again when you receive the guild card tomorrow. If she is not avable, then I will pass her a message.¡±

    Apparently, Shin got the wrong timing. Since she was an adventurer, she might not always here.

    Shin was hoping for a better luck tomorrow.

    ¡°I see, then I wille again tomorrow.¡±

    Celica bowed slightly and then Shin headed to the bar. He hadn¡¯t eaten since he was transported to this world.

    There were several guests in the bar besides the group of adventurers before. The average level was around 90.

    Shin found a seat in a less crowded area. He then read the menu. Although the menu was written in Japanese, he didn¡¯t understand what kind of dish would be served, so he just asked for today¡¯s rmended set.

    ¡°Today¡¯s rmended set, Shin-sama.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ah, yes¡­?¡±

    Shin turned around and faced the waitress. He didn¡¯t know why the waitress knew his name, then he saw the waitress¡¯s face.

    It was Celica with whom he just parted a while ago.

    ¡°EH!¡­weren¡¯t you the receptionist just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But you are wearing a different dress.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wear the uniform of the guild at the reception desk.¡±

    ¡°Did you change your clothes?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too fast? And why a waitress?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal to change clothes like this. Sometimes, I work here to help when the receptionist desk isn¡¯t crowded.¡±

    That¡¯s not normal¡­Shin wanted to retort. It had only been 3 minutes since he left the receptionist desk, and then Celica appeared. He couldn¡¯t help but think it was impossible.

    After a while, a dish was served which consisted of a steak with a thickness of about 3 cemels, a sd of raw vegetables, and a soup. It was not a dish that could be cooked in a short time.

    In the meantime, no one seemed to go to the receptionist desk since Celica left, so only the big man was there. Shin could sympathize with the adventurers who were taking requests at this time.

    ¡°Please help yourself to the dish.¡±

    ¡°Well, itadakimasu.¡±

    Shin said so and started eating. For some reason, Celica settled herself on the seat in front of Shin.

    (Wha¡­what is this development?¡­)

    It couldn¡¯t be helped, but it was ufortable to eat while being stared at.

    Anyway, the dish was delicious, especially the steak. The sd had a pleasant texture, the stewed chicken meat was crispy and the soup was quite good.

    However, the situation was quite ufortable. He couldn¡¯t enjoy his meal.

    ¡°Is it okay for other customers to be left waiting, Celica-san?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, another waitresses can serve them.¡±

    It seemed that she didn¡¯t want to leave.

    ¡°Though it¡¯s hard to eat while being stared at¡­¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, you know¡­¡±

    She just replied with a smile. She said not to mind her, but Shin still felt ufortable.

    ¡°Haa, what is it, really? Is this harassment against neers?¡±

    ¡°Actually, there is something I want to confirm.¡±

    ¡°Then please say so from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to see what kind of person you are before that.¡±

    Still, Shin thought he was being made fun of.

    ¡°Well? What is it that you want to confirm?¡±

    Shin said so, and Celica answered in a lowered voice.

    ¡°Yes, I received a report that Shin-sama has a letter of introduction from a certain ce.¡±

    Shin only heard the words ¡®letter of introduction¡¯, and he could understand. Apparently, this was more important than Shin thought.

    ¡°Ah, is that so? I certainly have it.¡±

    ¡°Would it be okay for you if we go to another room to confirm the letter of introduction?¡±

    ¡°If I can finish my meal first, then it¡¯s okay. Although I have to decline unless the guild master is there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin said that as a joke, however Celica had be silent unexpectedly. In addition, he could felt her gaze wander around.

    ¡°¡­Well, it was a joke¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, I was asked by the guild master to take you there.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    From her firm voice, Shin could confirm that it was the truth. He felt disheartened, as he had to meet the highest authority in the guild on his first day.

    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t we do it tomorrow?¡±

    He secretly sighed, because it was an abnormal event to meet a guild master on his first day aftering to this world.

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡±

    Celica looked behind Shin after she said that.

    The guild master was there behind Shin.

    (Fuh, want me to turn around¡­ehhhhh!!!)

    Shin knew there was someone behind him, but he didn¡¯t think it was the guild master. He turned around reluctantly, and regretted his futile decision.

    The person who stood behind Shin was an unexpected person.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t wait anymore. I am sorry to disturb you while you¡¯re eating. Hahaha¡±

    It was the big man from the receptionist desk who just talked andughed.

    It was the big man who was throwing nces at Shin.

    It was the big man who made Shin¡¯s intuition send warning signs.

    In other words, it was the big man.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s you?!¡±

    He was surprised that he used an informal tone unconsciously.

    ¡°I heard the report and I wanted to meet you immediately.¡±

    The big man, who was said to be the guild master, talked with a smile.

    ¡°Barlux-sama. If you could just wait a little longer¡­¡±

    ¡°Not this one. After all, this is a thing to be worried about. Shin-kun, right? I¡¯m Barlux. It may be a bit sudden, but can youe to my room?¡±

    Apparently, Barlux was the name of the guild master. Speaking of guild master, Shin was surprised as he imagined a person of old age. The guild master¡¯s appearance looked like a man in histe 30s to early 40s. There was a big scar on his face, ifbined with hisrge stature, he gave of the feeling of intimidation right away. Despite that, he had this friendly smile which reduced the intimidating feeling by half.

    Yet, his level was 228, the highest level he had seen in this world.

    ¡°Haa, though I don¡¯t mind, please let me finish my meal first.¡±

    ¡°Of course, sorry about that. I¡¯ll be waiting in my room.¡±

    Barlux went back to his room after he said that.

    ¡°As a guild master, he looks pretty young. I thought some old man would be the leader in this ce. Ah, so in this case, is an old man¡¯s experiences not significant here?¡±

    Shin talked based on the images he had in games and novels.

    ¡°I understand your thought. What Shin-sama said is not entirely wrong. In fact, most of the guild masters in other cities are elderly persons. Nevertheless, Barlux-sama is a former S rank adventurer, so his experience and connections are not inferior to the other guild masters.

    ¡°Former S rank, huh?¡±

    Shin was still ignorant about this world¡¯smon sense, but he could still imagine that the road to rank S wasn¡¯t easy. If viewed from that level, that person would be considered a guild master.

    He finished his meal while thinking about such things.

    At the same time, he felt nces from everywhere after the appearance of the guild master. And then, he proceeded to the reception desk, guided by Celica.

    There were rooms behind the reception desk, the room which Shin was guided to hadplete furniture for a guest such as sofa, table, desk and bookshelf. Although Shin didn¡¯t know its price, it gave the impression of first-ss goods.

    ¡°Wee to the adventurers¡¯ guild. I¡¯m sorry, I was rude earlier. I am Barlux Heim, the guild master.¡±

    When Shin entered the room, Barlux shook Shin¡¯s hand while he introduced himself.

    ¡°I am Shin. My best regards to you.¡±

    Shin could feel that the hand he shook was stiff and rugged, and it was definitely powerful.

    ¡°Please take a seat.¡±

    Shin sat on the sofa while Celica served tea on the table.

    ¡°Shin-kun. Although it¡¯s a bit sudden, I want to see the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    The letter of introduction was taken out from Item Box, and he gave it to Barlux. At the same time, Barlux ced another paper on the table. Then, a pattern of a crescent moon that was drawn on the center of the letter, shined in silver.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    ¡°The letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora is a little special. The magic of the introduction letters will resonate if brought near each other. The crest will shine like this. In other words, this letter of introduction is genuine.¡±

    From Barlux¡¯s exnation, it seemed to be the method of confirmation for the letter of introduction. And it appeared to be impossible to produce an imitation, as it would be found out right away.

    ¡°So it had this feature¡­¡±

    Although he was astonished at the unexpected function, Shin couldn¡¯t help but think that he should had gotten an exnation when he received it.

    ¡°No one told you about it?¡±

    ¡°I received it as an extra service, as a border pass.¡±

    ¡°Service¡­? Was it Schnee who gave it to you, or Tiera?¡±

    ¡°It was Tiera. Schnee was away.¡±

    ¡°Tiera huh. I think something outstanding must have happened, that she forgot to exin this, but she has good eyes for people though. Even I too, have seen a lot of people but she is always one step ahead.¡±

    Barlux said as heughed.

    And it was true that something outstanding happened to Tiera, like a more than 100 years old curse was dispelled.

    Still, were the eyes for people acquired through the wisdom of age?

    ¡°Fuh!¡±

    As Shin thought about age, dread chilled up his spine.

    The smiling face of Tiera with a background of mes came into his mind.

    (Let¡¯s stop thinking about age, I think it will be fatal¡­)

    Because he had a bad premonition, he stopped thinking about it.

    ¡°? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s continue the story from where I left off before.¡±

    Said Barlux as he corrected his posture. It looked like this would be where the main subject would start.

    ¡°Because you haven¡¯t heard the exnation, I¡¯ll exin the uses of the letter myself. With the letter of introduction, it is possible to enter most countries without inspection. If it has information, it will be treated as final information. Each guild will even amodate it differently. Also, in Bayreuth, you can even have an audience with the king. It will also serve as reliable identification.¡±

    There was no doubt that what Beid was saying before was true. Although he didn¡¯t talk about the guild or the information.

    ¡°The letter of introduction has that many uses. So naturally, there will be someone who will intend to snatch or steal it from you.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡±

    It could be misused for terrorism, smuggling of dangerous material, assassination and so on. Judging from a criminal¡¯s and a crime syndicate¡¯s viewpoint, they would desire it very badly.

    ¡°Therefore, I want you to tell me if you have the capability to protect it. If you can¡¯t protect it, I suggest that you destroy it now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin was thinking. With this letter of introduction, there would be advantages and disadvantages.

    As for the advantages, it would be easier for him to cross the countries. And he could obtain trust from the country easily.

    However, the disadvantage would be the danger from getting targeted of certain individuals or organizations.

    At least, the advantages were indispensable for Shin. At the time of exnation of the guild by Cilica, he heard that entry to every country would be rtively easy if he had a guild card.

    However, he considered that there was a difference in a moment of peril, and that there should be one that could strongly guarantee his identity in the case of an emergency.

    There was also a demerit, as he was already known to the guards when he came to the town, and also to the people who were lining up at the southern gate. Besides, he was already known to the guild. He didn¡¯t know the extent of protection of confidential information here, even if it was already exposed. Rather, it would be better if he acted just like normal.

    (I will put it in the ¡ºImportant Things¡» zone in my Item Box just in case, and avoid taking it out generously.)

    From Tiera¡¯s story, only a few people have an Item Box. In the ¡ºImportant Things¡», even members of ¡®Rokuten¡¯ could not remove items he ced inside.

    Although he didn¡¯t have any way to confirm it.

    ¡°I can protect it.¡±

    He concluded after thinking about it for a while.

    ¡°Is that your decision?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t regret this, will you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. Though I know that if I make mistakes, it will be bad for me and the store. If I was entrusted with this important thing, then I¡¯ll make sure to fulfill that trust.¡±

    Shin said confidently.

    After all, he had decided on the answer before he thought about the issue of advantages and disadvantages.

    Some might think that what Shin was doing was reckless and dangerous, but unfortunately, Shin¡¯s life was targeted a lot. Shin obtained experiences that could deal with assassination and surprise attacks from surviving one year in THE NEW GATE, which had turned into a death game.

    Even though his true intention was that he didn¡¯t want to destroy the letter.

    ¡°Whew, well said. As expected from someone who holds the letter of introduction.¡±

    ¡°Though it was a bit exaggerated.¡±

    ¡°Too much modesty is not good. Once you hesitate, you will lose in life.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    That was the guild master¡¯s view, it seemed. That person could not be made light of.

    ¡°Hmm, how high is your level? I had to ovee numerous battles myself, until I almost reached the limit, yet I still can¡¯t dere what you just did. I can understand that you are considerably strong.¡±

    Indeed, he was a former S rank. He seemed to possess the ability to see through other¡¯s capability, even if he didn¡¯t have the skills.

    ¡°¡­must I answer it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the guild needs to have a grasp on the level of an adventurer. Just the range of your level is sufficient. I cannot allow low-level adventurers to do dangerous requests.¡±

    It appeared that Barlux said that not just out of curiosity.

    He might need to confirm it not only as a person, but also for the guild, as the expectation of ability corrtes to some degree if the level was known.

    ¡°I understand. My level is more than 150.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Shin-kun, as I said just now, modesty is prohibited.¡±

    Barlux raised one eyebrow after hearing Shin¡¯s level. As expected from the guild master, he seemed to know if the level was too low.

    ¡°Is it not good enough?¡±

    ¡°It is not good, the level you said just now is far lower than your original level.¡±

    Even though he didn¡¯t want to say it smoothly because he heard the No. 2 was level 158, he was unable to deceive him.

    ¡°So you can tell without using¡¾Analyze¡¿¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many adventurers as a guild master.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it, huh. My level is more than 200.¡±

    Still, Shin didn¡¯t want to admit his true level. He just added 50 levels to what he dered earlier.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±

    Barlux visibly showed an impressed smile as Shin told him his level again. Celica, who stood near the wall, unintentionally voiced her amazement.

    ¡°Is it something to be surprised about?¡±

    Shin knew that Barlux was also above level 200, so that should not have surprised him.

    ¡°Although it was written in the document, you are 21 years old, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not very often you meet a person who surpasses level 200 in their youth like you. I wonder if you and this country¡¯s no. 1 can fight evenly.¡±

    Although level 150 seemed to be too low, 200 in contrast, seemed too high.

    ¡°What is the current no. 1 person¡¯s level?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 230. She is the second princess of this country.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    A strong princess!!! Shin wanted to retort.

    (The princess is stronger than the captain of the elite forces¡­)

    Because Barlux said the No. 1 of the country, he thought it might be the king or prince, or even a royal guard, but never a second princess.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there too much of a level difference with the knights? I heard from Tiera that the captain of the elite forces is level 158.¡±

    ¡°Captain of elite forces? Ah, you mean the leader of the knights? His level rose to 188 now. Maybe Tiera hasn¡¯t heard about it since she is in the store all the time.¡±

    ¡°Still, the princess is No. 1¡­¡±

    ¡°It is because the second princess is in the fighter faction. Besides, she is quite popr and often makes an appearance in the town.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe for a royal family member toe into town?¡±

    ¡°The levels of the hooligans around there can¡¯t even bepared to her level.¡±

    It seemed that the strongest in the kingdom wasn¡¯t just for show. The Horn Dragon that went out with Tiera¡¯s story would had been killed if she fought it.

    ¡°Well then, Shin-kun. Actually, there is one more thing I want to confirm, if it is okay with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­It will depend on the subject¡±

    Shin had an unpleasant foreboding about this.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I want you to have a match with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, may I return now?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s regrettable, but you don¡¯t have the right to deny my request.¡±

    Barlux told him in and simple. He probably wanted to see Shin¡¯s capability. He knew that it wasn¡¯t necessary to be capable, even if Shin was a high level person.

    ¡°Somehow, my foreboding feeling came true.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I want to confirm it for the guild personally. No, I have to see it for myself.¡±

    Shin frowned as his premonition came true.

    Because of the nces he received at receptionist desk, he only felt abative intention from Barlux¡¯s eyes.

    But somehow, he ignored Barlux¡¯s intention. Though Shin also wanted to see the capability of a former S rank adventurer.

    ¡°¡­Yes, sir. I can understand that you won¡¯t have a peace of mind if you don¡¯t confirm my capability.¡±

    When it was made public that Shin possessed a letter of introduction, Shin had to show that he had the capabilities to protect it.

    ¡°Where will we fight?¡±

    ¡°There is a training room that only guild members can use. That¡¯s where we¡¯re gonna fight. Do you need time to get ready?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m ready anytime.¡±

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go there immediately.¡±

    He arrived at a room about the same size as the one earlier after following Barlux. There was no furniture in the room, only a crystal about the size of a ser ball, floating in the center of the room.

    It resembled the transition point Shin often saw during the game.

    ¡°There is a training area in the basement. We can go there from this transition point.¡±

    Apparently, the transition point seemed intact. It could be used by touching the crystal and saying the location.

    Subsequently, they arrived in a ce that had a considerable area like a Colosseum. It had a resting ce, a training area inside the za, and an audience seating, except there were currently no adventurers around.

    ¡°There is no one here, is it always like this?¡±

    ¡°No, this is the second training area that is used for a special case like this. Common adventurers are training in first training area. Outsider can¡¯t enter here without permission.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    It appeared that Shin didn¡¯t have to worry about his surroundings. It was a great help, since Shin didn¡¯t want to stand out.

    ¡°Then, shall we begin?¡±

    As he said that, Barlux¡¯s whole body was wrapped with blue light. The light disappeared after one second, and Barlux was equipped with light blue armor and gauntlets. The light blue armor appeared to be much thinner the amon light armor, it seemed to emphasize the easiness of movement. On the contrary, the gauntlets were heavy blue armor, that covered the fingers to the elbows.

    It seemed that the equipment items for the arm showed a glove of Japanese style, the disyed gauntlet was of Western style. It might not be a significant difference, but there were slight additional bonuses for glove to AGI and gauntlet to VIT. The purpose of Barlux in wearing gauntlets might be topensate for the thin armor.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Barlux¡¯s job was, not surprisingly, a fist fighter. Shin was more surprised by the sudden equip of the armor and gauntlets, like a transformation hero.

    In THE NEW GATE, the armor and gauntlets were equipped in the same way, too. The light formed and materialized after that. The reason was so it could perfectly fit into the avatar¡¯s physique. Hence, this is why Shin had been avoiding wearing armor like Barlux, because it was shy.

    ¡°¡­(There was such an item, huh?)¡±

    ¡°What the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡±

    He had nothing to say about Barlux¡¯s equipment scene, as it was amon scene anyway.

    Shin didn¡¯t have anything particrly to be equipped. To some extent, he wouldn¡¯t use weapons since he understood the power of his opponent to some degree.

    ¡°Then, here I go!!¡±

    In an instant, Barlux¡¯s figure became blurry. Though the distances between the two of them was about 10 mels, he closed up to 5 mels in a blink and charged towards Shin.

    ¡°Those equipment are good and fast.¡±

    If Shin had been without the bonus speed he obtained from Human reincarnation, he would lose against the equipment¡¯ speed.

    ¡°Whew!!¡±

    ¡°Whew!¡±

    The sound of wind cutting could be heard as they unleashed their fists towards each other. Barlux¡¯s equipment was confirmed.

    Light armor ¡¾Light Blue Crystal Armor¡¿ and gauntlet¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlet¡¿, Shin thought. It was definitely not a mistake, as Shin had sold both of them in the store before.

    ¡°Those are good equipments.¡±

    ¡°I had a hard time¡­obtaining¡­and put it on as it is¡­!¡±

    Barlux said, while frowning, as he unleashed his fists to Shin, but Shin eluded them.

    ¡¾Light Blue Crystal Armor¡¿ was a rare armor with high AGI.

    And the ¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlet¡¿ was a special unique weapon with high offensive power. It was made from the raw material of a unique monster of Lv. 600 named Blue Mitt Hound. ¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlet¡¿ was often equipped by high level yers that used bare hands martial arts.

    BarluxFight

    ¡°As expected, to be able to fend off my attacks easily.¡±

    Barlux momentarily stopped his vigorous attack and distanced himself from Shin. He was talking while smiling wryly, but his eyes remained sharp to ascertain Shin¡¯s next move.

    Whereas, Shin didn¡¯t actively attack the distanced Barlux, because he was wary about the ability of the gauntlet.

    Besides high offensive power, its other ability was¡¾When defending an attack using the gauntlet, the attacker receives 1/10 of his attack damage¡¿. But there was a limitation in the gauntlet, it would only execute this ability if the wearer¡¯s STR values was 100 or more, higher than the opponent¡¯s.

    Shin was watching the¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlet¡¿ and noticed the effect wasn¡¯t activated.

    (I might know his equipment better than he does. As both of our levels are more than 200, added with some bonuses, the STR didn¡¯t reach the 100 difference. Besides, prying about it is troublesome. I want to end it in one shot.)

    Shin was not in the mood to respond to the guild master¡¯s talks.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking how to attack, since you are strong.¡±

    ¡°Fuh, just from the fighting just now, you seem to know my equipment already. Only a few people who know about it still remain.¡±

    ¡°Well, what to do.¡±

    While they were exchanging banter, Shin was thinking what to do next.

    What he understood from the earlier fight, was that Barlux was a bare handed type. Although his range of attack was short, Barlux¡¯s bare handed style excelled in attack speed, and the attack speed would rise with the effect from ¡¾Light Blue Crystal Armor¡¿. Therefore making it more difficult to defeat him.

    (That gauntlet is troublesome¡­should I give it a try?)

    He checked his skills and took a stance.

    Barlux reacted to his movement, but Shin stepped forward quicker.

    Shin left an afterimage after dashing towards Barlux. His steps shattered the soil as Shin jumped onto the air.

    ¡°Shuss!!¡±

    In one breath, the distance of his right hand reached the target. Because it was an attack without a feint, Barlux reflexively defended with his gauntlet.

    (He¡¯s taking it!)

    Shin began with conviction.

    On the verge of his fist hitting the gauntlet, Shin changed the direction of his momentum and executed a sweep kick with his left leg.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Though Barlux tried to reduce the damage by moving to the left, his reaction was dyed by Shin¡¯s fist.

    As a result, Barlux flew into the air.

    ¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlet¡¿ effects didn¡¯t activate, because Shin didn¡¯t hit it directly, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about his damage being reflected.

    Shin gripped Barlux¡¯s gauntlet, which was defenseless now, and used the martial art skill ¡¾Willow Throw¡¿.

    ¡¾Willow Throw¡¿ was a technique of super low damage for capturing monster. So Shin didn¡¯t have to worry about Barlux receiving fatal wounds. He used the skill without any hesitation.

    The body of Barlux was thrown in the air and mmed onto the ground almost instantly. And then, Shin locked Barlux¡¯s joint so he could not move.

    ¡°Phew. For now let us stop this, shall we?¡±

    After confirming that Barlux couldn¡¯t move, Shin asked. The match would not end quickly if they had the same stats.

    ¡°No way, to be easily suppressed like this. Though, I wonder about thest technique you used?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret. It¡¯s not a good idea to reveal too much of one¡¯s ability.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, that is certainly right. It¡¯s my defeat. You have shown me your abilities. And I don¡¯t need to be worried anymore.¡±

    Barlux stood up and extended his right hand to Shin.

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°The handshake earlier was as a guild master. And this handshake is for the people who are recognized by Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin nodded and returned his handshake. Although it should be the same hand, Shin felt somewhat different.

    ¡°If there is anything you want, let me know, and the guild will try to cooperate to a certain extent.¡±

    ¡°Is this okay? To favor an individual?¡±

    ¡°No problem. It is a cooperation, so even a rank G adventurer is still a member of the guild.¡±

    Be it one individual or a guild, Barlux didn¡¯t seem to have any trouble lending power personally.

    Returning into the room with the transition point, Celica who waited, weed the two of them by giving them potions.

    Shin tried to refuse at first because he was unhurt, but decided to get it as Barlux insisted he take it.

    ¡°I hope for your sess as an adventurer. Well then, see you again.¡±

    After separating from Barlux, Shin walked to the passage to return to the guild hall with Celica.

    ¡°How was the match with Barlux-sama?¡±

    ¡°It was tough. I pray that there will be no second match.¡±

    Because they were walking silently, Celica brought up the match with Barlux as the topic. He was a little anxious because the match ended quicker than the desired time.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s not that often that one is able to fight with a guild master, it should be okay.¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling that I will be invited the next time as a practice partner¡­¡±

    Shin sighed, as he promised not to repeat the situation where he would fight with a guild master in the future. While walking with Celica, a warrior with a level about 200 passed by them.

    High level adventurers often wore an intimidating atmosphere, different from amoner¡¯s. Even for Celica, who, because of her job, had met a lot of them, she still unconsciously would get tense. However, no such presence could be felt from Shin. Rather, Celica felt something like a sense of security.

    (A mysterious person¡­)

    Celica was thinking about such things as the two of them arrived at the hall.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Please take your time, since you can get the guild card anytime after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I will do that. Ah, could you rmend me to a good inn? I just arrived today, so I don¡¯t know the area well.¡±

    Shin asked while lowering his head a little. He felt ashamed because he couldn¡¯t differentiate between the good or bad inns in the area. But he didn¡¯t want to stay in the poor quality inns from day one.

    ¡°There is a good inn in the residence district named Bear Point Pavilion. I think you will like it, because the meals are delicious. With the guild on your right hand side, go straight down the street, until you see a signboard with a bear¡¯s paw painted on it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Bear Point Pavilion it is.. Thank you very much.¡±

    Though Shin had a slight uneasiness about the word ¡®Bear¡¯, he believed that it would be all right, because Celica rmended it to him.

    After expressing his gratitude to Celica, he exited the guild¡¯s building.

    Then, Shin began to walk leisurely towards the inn.

 Book 1: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Vol. 1 Chapter 3 ¨C Part 1

    Shin walked for 25 minutes after leaving the guild.

    Before his eyes, there was a signboard with a bear¡¯s paw painted on it. ording to Celica, this should be Bear Point Pavilion.

    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it, it¡¯s here.¡±

    He confirmed it again and ced his hand on the door. Laughter could be heard which became louder as he slowly opened the door.

    Inside the Bear Point Pavilion, there was a counter with seats and arge number of people sitting at seven tables. Five of the tables were filled with adventurers making loud noises while drinking beer.

    As Shin surveyed the scene, a shadow appeared in front of him. Something seemed to block the light, and he felt a presence behind his back, so he turned around.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    An arm which took pride in its thickness, around thrice that of Shin¡¯s, and an apron with embroidered flowers came into sight.

    ¡°Wee, pleasee in! Is it just one person?¡±

    Hearing the voice from above, Shin lifted his head and saw a person with a rock-like, stern, face smiling viciously.

    ¡°Deke¡­¡±

    He burst out a strange word in reply. Although Shin¡¯s height was 180 cemels, the person in front of him was probably 230 cemels or more. It was a giant.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sonny? Are you feeling sick?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling well! Um, you are?¡±

    The words of the man made him return to his senses. Although the man didn¡¯t answer the way he expected.

    ¡°Me? I am the popr boss and shopkeeper of Bear Point Pavilion. I¡¯m Douma Bear.¡±

    ¡°¡­Boss¡­you say?¡±

    Shin thought there would be a pretty poster girl in the inn.

    ¡°Yeah! People gathered for that popr guy, the popr boss! To some extent, popr boss¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°That is a poster girl!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨Dnuu¡± (T/N: ¡®¿´°åÓH¸¸¡¯(kanbanoyaji) is a parody word to match ¡®¿´°åÄï¡¯(kanbanmusume) which means a poster girl, Shin made a pun out of it.)

    Shin retorted after he noticed the pun.

    ¡°Umu. Nice rebuttal!¡±

    And then for some reason, the self proimed popr boss gave him a thumbs-up.

    ¡°Did I enter the wrong shop?¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, young man.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not shy! I just happen to look like this!¡±

    Somehow, it evolved into aedy dialogue.

    ¡°Good!! Nii-chan!¡±

    ¡°Do it some more!!¡±

    Shin sighed because of all the shouts from the drunken group. It was a conversation livened up by alcohol.

    ¡°Haa, another¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?!!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨Done?¡±

    Just as Shin thought about searching for another inn, he heard a female voice resound from the bar.

    The voice seemed toe from behind Douma. Shin couldn¡¯t see her because of the gigantic body in front of him.

    ¡°Dad? Didn¡¯t I always tell you not to say weird things? What if strange rumors spread?¡±

    The voice said. Even though the voice was calm, it was clear that it was said while suppressing its anger.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s this, a form of¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡±

    Even his excuses were rejected right away. Judging from the remarks earlier, it could be said that the voice might belong to Douma¡¯s daughter. Somehow the position was reversed.

    ¡°I will take over from here. Dad, go to the kitchen and help Mom.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I understand.¡±

    Douma went back into the kitchen, feeling disheartened. Somehow, Shin¡¯s impression of him had diminished.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the sudden, weird things you saw. Are you here to eat? Or to stay overnight?¡±

    Douma could no longer be seen, as such, Shin could finally see Douma¡¯s daughter after she reprimanded her dad to the kitchen.

    It was a girl with a short brown hair. She might have a business smile, but she was still attractive. The word cute suited her more than beautiful.

    ¡°Ah, I will be staying. Even so, just now, is it always like that?¡±

    ¡°Though I want you to forget that, yes, it happens sometimes. My dad is in a good mood when he is with adventurers but turns bitter when he is with merchants.

    By the way, staying overnight is 2 J silver coins including breakfast and dinner. To enter the bathhouse, you have to request for it. The charges are 4 J copper coins. The breakfast will be provided until 9 bell rings. If that¡¯s okay, you can register at the inn¡¯s registry.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shin was unsure if 2 J silver coin for the inn was expensive or cheap. Since he didn¡¯t have any problem with it for now, he epted the offer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I will stay, will that be okay?¡±

    ¡°If so, do you want to pay everyday? Or you can pay for a certain number of days and extend it as needed. Just to be sure, you are an adventurer, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I just registered today. I was rmended by Celica to go here.¡±

    ¡°Celica¡¯s rmendation!? You should have said that sooner. Then, I will offer you 1 J silver coin and 90 J copper coin. For adventurers, I rmend paying in advance. It¡¯s normal to leave the inn for a few days whenever there is a request. Be warned that all personal items inside the room will be disposed of if the bill isn¡¯t paid.¡±

    A long term request was not rare for an adventurer, so the room might be empty for several days. There was also the risk of dying during a dangerous request. If that happens, it would not be possible to pay everyday.

    ¡°Then do you want to pay in advance? Or is it fine for now?¡±

    As she said so, Shin took out 1 J gold coin from his Item Box (he pretended it was from his chest pocket) and handed it to her.

    ¡°This will be enough for 50 days, what about the change?¡±

    ¡°Can you subtract the fee for using the bathhouse from it?¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then I will let you know when it bes insufficient. For now, write your name in the inn register. It will cost another 2 J copper coins if you need to write a name on someone else¡¯s behalf.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright¡­will this do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, okay. Shin-san, here¡¯s the key, the room number is 201 and its on the second floor. Do you know where the box for valuable things are ced?¡±

    ¡°Box? No, never heard of it.¡±

    When the registration was confirmed, a room key was handed to him.

    However, Shin tilted his head as he never heard about the box she mentioned before.

    ¡°Then, if you don¡¯t know, that would be a loss. Because an inn with boxes is proof of it being an excellent shop. In other words, the box is something like a safe wherein valuables are kept. The box can only be opened by the person who locked it or the innkeeper. Besides, the box is immune to magic, skills, and physical attacks. Even if the inn ispletely destroyed, the contents inside the box will be safe as the box itself is a magic item. How is it? Isn¡¯t that great! Because it¡¯s not possible to find an inn like this in the neighborhood.¡±

    While exining about the box¡¯s indestructibility, some advertising was added. At least it was certainly better than the surrounding shops. Without the parody going on earlier, it would have been perfect, thought Shin.

    He went up to the second floor after he received the key. He didn¡¯t have any luggage, but he wanted to check the room.

    Room 201 was the first room on the second floor.

    The room was about 10 tatami big. It was a simple room with a single bed and a chair with a desk. If the bed included drawers and so on, it would be enough to livefortably alone. There was a box for leaving valuable things in the inner part of the room. Besides that, there was nothing inappropriate in that room. (Editor¡¯s note: The size of 10 tatami is about 15 square meters or 164 square feet.)

    There was a toilet in addition to the furniture. It was even had a flush toilet.

    Shin was surprised by it.

    It¡¯s not really surprising that there was a toilet. In Shin¡¯s case, the circumstances were slightly different.

    To begin with, toilets didn¡¯t even exist in THE NEW GATE. Even though the game pursued reality, nobody among the producers wanted to do the excretion act in the game.

    It would spoil the mood if one got attacked by a monster in the middle of the act.

    Without realizing it, Shin hadn¡¯t seen a toilet for one year after the game turned into a death game. Especially, a flushing toilet.

    It could be said that each room had a toilet and that it¡¯s natural due to the quality of Bear Point Pavilion. But Shin got a mixed feeling of surprise and nostalgia from it.

    ¡°Believe it or not, just seeing a toilet brings memories from the past¡­¡±

    Shin was surprised and had an indescribable feeling that no one knew.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After checking the room, Shin locked it with the key and proceeded to go downstairs for the purpose of eating and gathering information. He had not eaten since he had at the guild. Also, it would be a waste if he didn¡¯t go eat the meal, as dinner was included in the room charge.

    On the first floor, the adventurers were still making noises. From ¡¾Analyze ? ¢ú¡¿, the average adventurer level was 120.

    Subsequently, Shin recalled the level of the knights he saw in Tsuki no Hokora. Though he didn¡¯t see many details, the knights should be around 100 ~ 110. And he wondered about the rtionship between adventurers and knights in this country.

    Then he found a seat, ordered a dish, and he decided to listen to the surrounding mors until the dish came. He used ¡¾Noise Cancetion¡¿ so only voices could be heard and ¡¾Listen¡¿ so that voices and sounds from a certain range could be clearly heard. Thanks to the skills, he could even hear the muttering of other parties on remote seats.

    It was easy to listen when using it, the menu filtered both voices and sounds alike, so that he could choose what to listen to. Almost none of the conversations were meaningful to listen to.

    However, the information to be obtained in this ce shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. Even in the game, unexpected information would be avable in this ce since there were a lot of conversations going on. Though he didn¡¯t know whether it would be useful in this world, Shin didn¡¯t even have a shred of themon sense of this world in the first ce, so he would have to hear it even if it was trifle. And there was no loss for him anyway.

    ¡°Have you heard? Wilhelm seemed to have quarrelled with hordes of demons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡«. It¡¯s a meal, a meal¡±

    ¡°Did you hear the rumor? A Skull Face appeared in the Northern Forest.¡±

    ¡°Recently, Hillock Herb can be harvested nicely.¡±

    ¡°This beer is delicious!¡±

    ¡°What should I order¡«?¡±

    ¡°Popr boss you said¡­?¡±

    ¡°Tsugumi-chan, bring the alcohol¡«, Douma, get hold of yourself ©`©`©`©`©`¡±

    He waited for the dish while organizing the information he heard in his mind.

    There was one man who flew through the air but no one reacted to it. Shin also looked at it as if it was a usual thing.

    Because he heard some words to be worried about, he took note of them in his mind. The most noteworthy was Skull Face.

    This was the undead-type monster, Skull Face. The word Pawn, Jack, Queen, and so on showed the ss among the monsters. Because the level of the monster would be different depending on the ss, an individual would encounter hardships or annihtion if they didn¡¯t make sure to confirm it.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, here¡¯s the food you ordered.¡±

    Shin came back to his senses after hearing the voice. He seemed to concentrate too much on using different skills to assess the state of the area.

    Douma¡¯s daughter was putting the dish on the table when he turned around.

    ¡°Are you, by chance, deep in thought?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just lost in thought. Um¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Tsugumi Bear. If there is some business, because my father is often in the kitchen, let me know¡±

    ¡°I understand. I wonder if you already know, but my name is Shin. I¡¯m more or less an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°More or less?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten my guild card yet.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, what were you thinking about just now? How to quickly raise your rank?¡±

    Tsugumi asked with interest as she sat facing Shin on the table after the meal was served.

    Are rookie adventurers rare, Shin wondered.

    ¡°I will raise my rank leisurely. Because I came to this country from a faraway vige, I¡¯m not really familiar with the practices here. I was referred here as I looked around.¡±

    ¡°I see. I don¡¯t know much, but people from other countries said there¡¯s not much difference.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well you should be careful not to trust them, probably.¡±

    ¡°Well, you sure are an unusual person. A rookie adventurer should want to be stronger and raise their rank quickly. Furthermore, low rank adventurers seem to be made fun of frequently.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. Because I am such an oddball, I will give an appropriate response if I were being made fun of.¡±

    Shin said with self-confidence and a wide grin on his face. Although he didn¡¯t know much of the image of adventurers, he was confident in his numerous skills. This was his idea to act a bit like an adventurer.

    ¡°Huh, are you that confident with your skills?¡±

    ¡°As it suits the asion. When it is dangerous, I will run away quickly. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    To begin with, Shin had no intention to caused amotion, so it was expected that he say that.

    ¡°Rather than sitting here casually, don¡¯t you have other tables to attend to, miss waitress?¡±

    ¡°I will be called if there is an order so it is all right. Look, my mom is here, too.¡±

    He followed Tsugumi¡¯s line of sight and he saw a woman who had the same hair color as Tsugumi, and was receiving orders at other tables.

    From there, Shin was convinced that Tsugumi took after her mother. It made Shin think that Tsugumi would be a beautiful woman when she grew up.

    ¡°Goofing around, aren¡¯t you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not goofing around. I¡¯m gathering information, I repeat, gathering information.¡±

    ¡°About a rookie adventurer?¡±

    ¡°It might not have a promising future. But I have the eyes for people based on the various adventurers I have seen.¡±

    Tsugumi said with a confident expression while putting her hand on her chest.

    ¡°Oh, then what about me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I wonder, 85 points maybe.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I be happy about that?¡±

    Though it might be as high as it sounded, it would depend on the grading criteria standard.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ce where I can expect a little.¡±

    ¡°So strict. What caused the minus points?¡±

    ¡°First point, yourck of ambition. You can¡¯t seed if you don¡¯t have the will, besides, you are overconfident in your abilities. Though my rules are learned on experience.

    ¡°Ambition, huh. Well, there are steps for that.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t register to be an adventurer for fame originally, so he didn¡¯t have the motivation to work hard. Somehow it didn¡¯t meet Tsugumi¡¯s ideals.

    ¡°You sure are an easygoing guy. Hmm, now that you mentioned it, it really suits you. Well then, I will return to work or I¡¯m gonna get scolded soon. Good luck, but don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    Tsugumi said as she winked before leaving to take orders. The number of customers seemed to have increased. Without having noticed it, all tables were already filled.

    He quickly finished his meal as he was alone at one table and went back to his room. When the amount of people increased, trouble increased too. He decided to dutifully follow Tsugumi¡¯s advice about how rookie adventurers were being made fun of.

    He had nothing to do even if he went back to his room. If he was asked about it, he would just say he was organizing his luggage. After that, he went to the the bathhouse. After sweating lightly and removing a portion of his equipment, it became easier to sleep.

    He erected a barrier inside his room before going to bed since it was his routine during the game. Although he didn¡¯t receive surprise attacks very often because of the detection system, he still took precaution.

    As for the bed, it was soft and fluffy, and it was reallyfortable. He was thanking Celica in his mind while letting his body fall asleep.

    In the middle of his sleep, he suddenly remembered something that he had forgotten.

    That reminds him,

    ¡°Message¡­sent?¡­Have¡­¡±

    He cursed in his mind because he hadpletely forgotten about the message.

    He woke up and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

    He recalled yesterday¡¯s events, from thest fight, being transported to a different world, lifting Tiera¡¯s curse and the events at the guild.

    Though he didn¡¯t wish to have that dream, he could not help but wish to be able to log out safely and wake up in a hospital or in some other ce.

    ¡°Such convenience, it won¡¯t go as I want.¡±

    He muttered that and looked at his surroundings.

    The room was still dark, so he knew it was before dawn.

    There were signs of people starting to move on the first floor. Apparently the people of this world were considerably early risers.

    ¡°No abnormality in both barrier and detection system. The former me would have woken up first and checked his surroundings.¡±

    He smiled wryly and wondered when thest time he slept without being cautious was.

    When he opened the window, fresh air from the outside entered the room. While feeling chilly from the cold air, he looked down from the window and he could see the figures of people walking on the street. The pedestrian traffic was sparse, but he felt it was gradually livening up.

    Since Bear Point Pavilion was bigger than the surrounding buildings, he could see the townscape outside very well. It was different from the game or program as he was captivated by the townscape.

    Because he fell asleep early, there was no sleepiness and he felt refreshed. While looking outside, the sun, which began to rise slowly and the ramparts that covered the town, could be seen.

    He watched the town as it was gradually getting enveloped in warm light.

    After a while, the sun was up and the number of people on the street started to increase.

    Shin also took out equipment such as a jacket and trousers from the Item Box, and changed into them. He went downstairs after locking the room.

    On the first floor, there were people whoe to eat breakfast like Shin, people who already had breakfast, people who leave and enter the store, and so on.

    Based on their appearances, almost everyone here was an adventurer. It seemed that it was not unusual to start mobilizing at sunrise.

    ¡°Good morning. Did you have a good night¡¯s sleep yesterday?¡±

    It was Tsugumi who greeted him. She was carrying a tray with a dish.

    ¡°Good morning. I woke up perfectly fine today.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s good. Breakfast right? I will prepare it soon so please have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±

    He took a seat at the table, different from yesterday since he wasn¡¯t eager to gather information early this morning.

    The breakfast served was a stew with brown bread. The brown bread was neither too hard nor too soft, like a French bread. The stew was full of colorful vegetables and meat, it was voluminous than it looked.

    He looked around and saw everyone dipping the bread into the stew.

    ¡°Delicious!¡±

    It seemed to be cooked well. The ingredients of the stew mixed in harmoniously and the taste firmly permeated in the mouth. Whenbined with the bread, it¡¯s was still delicious.

    The unexpected taste made him refill his te twice. He reflected a little after having eaten too much.

    ¡°You sure eat a lot in the morning.¡±

    ¡°So was yesterday, the food here is delicious.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say such wonderful words. It¡¯s just a little service for Shin. By the way, you should wait a little more before going to the guild to pick up the guild card.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything going on at this time?¡±

    ¡°It is crowded especially in the morning. When you are a low rank, you might get interrupted and forced to enter a party so you better be careful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s sound dangerous. Doesn¡¯t the guild staff stop it?¡±

    ¡°Though they will stop it if they saw it was done in the open, the adventurers who does it has a method to prevent it from leaking out.¡±

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s a situation that I need to get informed about.¡±

    He decided to dy his time while thinking that those who were doing that were definitely petty people. It was not a big deal but he himself didn¡¯t want to get in trouble with them.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t rely too much on the guild staff, when in case of emergency, it may not be reliable.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°Well, as long as you take your time then it¡¯s good.¡±

    Tsugumi said as she went to take order for a waiting customer at another table.

    He was thankful for Tsugumi¡¯s consideration. He decided to kill time for a moment while drinking fruit juice. Because he had some spare time, he continued gathering information like yesterday, this time he observed the equipment and tools of the adventurers.

    He noticed that he was casually using rare tools this morning. Nevertheless, he recalled the reason he had forgotten the message before going to sleep. While he was changing clothes and opening the Item Box, it suddenly reminded him of the weapons and tools lined up in Tsuki no Hokora.

    There were equipment used by beginners to a few high-grade ones. The equipment for an intermediate person could be counted with one hand. Shin knew an advanced equipment was also included so he was a little regretful. Because of that, he directed his attention to the equipment and forgot about the message.

    Although he already saw a lot of adventurersst night, it was easier now since many adventurers were going in and out.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    While drinking the fruit juice, he nced at the other side of table.

    It seemed that most of the weapons were made from iron and copper. The armors were mostly made from leather or metals like steel, only a few of them had enchantment done.

    The quality of the equipment and tool might have also deteriorated since the game era. Shin couldn¡¯t help to think that the equipment was terrible, though it was bad for the adventurers in this world.

    It was also his reason choosing the low rank equipment when changing clothes. At present, Shin was wearing ¡®Mud Lizard Jacket¡¯ and ¡®Demon Spider Thread of Trouser¡¯. Both are using the material from monsters that could be hunted even at level 70. However, the performance for both equipment was 4 times higher than normal, because it was reinforced until the limit was reached.

    On his waist hang a katana named ¡®Several Strokes¡¯. Several Strokes was the initial weapon that could be obtained when changing job to samurai. Naturally, its performance was low. Most yers would sell it or put it in a warehouse when the yers level up or even if it was strengthened. Still, the katana had better performance than any of the nearby adventurers that one could easily guessed its quality.

    The equipment that Barlux had might be considerably valuable, Shin thought.

    Afterwards, 30 minutes already passed after killing some time and gathering information, Shin left the Bear Point Pavillion.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While walking on the road to the guild, he observed the town¡¯s appearance. There was not much pedestrian trafficpared to yesterday.

    Various stalls started to open at the edge of the road, crowding with people having breakfast and buying lunch. Also, there were a lot of stalls that seemed useful to adventurers ¨C selling armor, magic items, and various tools.

    It was an incredible scene as the sun was only been out for two hours.

    After window-shopping at the stalls, he walked to the guild. Since a lot of adventurers had weapons, Shin¡¯s weapon didn¡¯t attract attention.

    Still, ¡¾Search¡¿ was used to search enemy as a habit and for caution. Shin probably didn¡¯t stop using the skill because there was the matter of the letter of introduction, too.

    After walking for 40 minutes, he finally saw the signboard of the adventurer guild. Time taken to reach the guild was increased from yesterday probably because he was avoiding the crowded areas.

    As he entered the building, a group of adventurers came out from the door. Though a lot of time passed, he sensed that there were still many people inside.

    Celica and an elfdy were at the receptionist desk. He was certain because he could see a pointed ear like Tiera¡¯s. Shin approached the receptionist desk and talked to Celica.

    ¡°Good morning. I¡¯m here to get my guild card.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Shin-sama. Please wait a moment while I go to get your guild card. And, this is Els whom you were looking for. Els, this is Shin-sama whom we talked about just now.¡±

    When Celica introduced him, the elfdy which sat in next to receptionist desk came toward Shin.

    ¡°Good morning, Shin-sama. My name is Els Balter. I¡¯m told that Shin-sama has a business with me.¡±

    Els possessed a ssic example of elven beauty, and her appearance looked like she was around 24 years of age. Her vivid green hair reached her waist like the trees in the forest. Blue eyes as reminiscent ofkeside. Her height was about 170 cemels. A style and good looks which would put models to shame. Though he had no idea about the preferences of adventurers in this world.

    Since he couldn¡¯t stare for too long, Shin immediately averted his eyes.

    ¡°This, it¡¯s probably addressed to you.¡±

    Shin said and passed the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora to her after he took it out from Item Box. The anti-theft measure had been removed.

    ¡°Addressed¡­to me¡­?¡±

    While cocking her head and looking puzzled, she looked over its contents.

    Then, her eyes widened momentarily as she read the letter of introduction. It could be said that she had read some unbelievable things in the letter.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­no, but¡±

    Celica looked a little worried over her colleague¡¯s state. And Shin was also anxious about the content because he didn¡¯t know what was written. Though the content must be rted to Tiera¡¯s curse, it didn¡¯t concern Shin that much as Tiera seemed to be secretive about it.

    Els was very surprised that she mumbled and whispered something, like she had forgotten Shin and Celica was there. Then she returned to her senses and turned her attention to Shin.

    ¡°Umm¡­what?¡±

    Shin flinched at her gaze. His heart was getting restless as he thought of the reason why she was staring at him.

    ¡°You¡­Tiera¡­thank you. I¡¯m truly grateful.¡±

    As soon as she said that, Els gave a quick bow. For some reason her speech became somewhat different.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t understand the situation¡­¡±

    It was too abrupt and iprehensible for Shin.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I seem to be a bit shaken. Celica, please take over for me just for a while. I apologize but this conversation will be confidential from now on. Because we will continue at the back room, that I¡¯m asking you to take over.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I will call another staff to handle the reception for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have any problem with Els¡¯s proposal so he agreed while slightly feeling discouraged.

    Shin enter the same room as yesterday. After both of them entered the room, Els closed the door and locked it with a room key and then she sat on the sofa after she had done a ritual.

    ¡°Once again let me say thank you. For lifting the Tiera¡¯s curse, thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that was the reason.¡±

    Apparently, Els seemed to have known about the curse of Tiera. It seemed to be written in the letter of introduction.

    ¡°Please raise your head, I never intend for it to go out of hand like this.¡±

    ¡°But, I was looking for a solution and still haven¡¯t found a clue. And you did it. So it¡¯s only natural to be grateful.¡±

    There was an item that could remove the curse but it seemed to be that it was hard to obtain. Perhaps she was going to an adventure to find the solution for the curse.

    ¡°If possible, please do not exaggerate it too much. Do you normally talk like that?¡±

    ¡°I understand. I will not leak this information in the name of Spirit of the woods. To be honest, not much of subject can be discussed openly. Also I find it mostfortable talking like this. It was written here that the person would not mind it, did that offend you?¡±

    ¡°No, it is good as it is. Was that the only reason why I was brought to this room? Just now what ritual were you doing?¡±

    ¡°That was an eavesdrop prevention magic. Even the guild staff cannot hear my story that I¡¯m going to tell you now. And I have to ask you personally as well.¡±

    Although Shin understand Els had various question from her state, he didn¡¯t want to abuse his advantage as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say this just in case, I don¡¯t have the answer for everything.¡±

    ¡°I know. However, I could not stand it when I had looked for the solution for the curse for more than 50 years and had not found a single clue.¡±

    It seemed that it was out of curiosity. Not only that, envy and earnest desire feeling seemed to mix in Els¡¯s eyes.

    50 years. The time spent was twice more than the time Shin was alive. Even if it was solved, one would indeed want to know the method used.

    Besides, there might be another person who would get the curse.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t written in the letter of introduction?¡±

    ¡°It seemed to be written in haste so it wasn¡¯t included. Well, how about this. I will do anything for you as a reward. Will you tell me, please?¡±

    Els leaned forward as she step closer to Shin. Although Shin didn¡¯t feel bad about being approached by a beauty, somehow there was a bloodthirsty aura emitting from her.

    Shin didn¡¯t want to hastily open the topic about ¡¾Purification¡¿since he at least not yet have the basicmon sense of this world.

    However, Els knew about Tiera¡¯s curse, and Tiera wrote it in introduction letter to inform Els. Shin thought it would not be a problem if he told her.

    ¡°I understand so please sit down. Before I tell you properly, please calm down for a bit.¡±

    Els sat down again on the sofa while Shin adjusted his sitting posture.

    ¡°The method to remove the curse is using the skill, ¡¾Purification¡¿. There are other methods, but this is the most reliable method I know.¡±

    Though he knew that there was an item that could remove the curse, he didn¡¯t say it as he still couldn¡¯t confirm if it existed here.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿?¡­for that skill to have such an effect.¡±

    He could understand the look of frustration on Els.

    Because based from Tiera¡¯s story, only high rank priests could acquired the ¡¾Purification¡¿ skill.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿ acquisition¡­no, inherited in this case, how many people have inherited it¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. In the church, only a person with position knows the condition to use ¡¾Purification¡¿ on a body. Moreover, not all of its effects are known. In the first ce, it is unheard of a person who is not from the church that can use ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    ¡°What¡­really?!¡±

    Shin dropped his shoulder as he heard that from Els. He could imagine that it would be quite bad if the church knew he had that skill. That skill, if he were to stand out, it would attract a lot of enemy who would want to inherit that skill.

    (I have a bad premonition about this¡­)

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell it to anyone.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Because I am a skill holder too, the guild ispelled to help me, or I will leave the guild. Therefore, I want you to feel relieved.¡±

    Els said like it was nothing. Shin thought it would be difficult to against humans or organizations but it seemed like he didn¡¯t have to worry.

    ¡°Well, as long as I am careful, it will be okay.¡±

    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s a weight off my shoulders thanks to you. Although it was safe, living in that house for years is cruel.¡±

    ¡°I thought so. It was the same reason why I dispelled the curse. Which reminds me, how did you know about the curse? Tiera was even quite hesitant to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Me and Tiera are from the same vige. I became an adventurer and went around the world, it was when I¡¯m on my way back home that I knew about that incident. She was an ordinary elf at that time. She was a girl with beautiful silvery hair.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°When I came back to the vige after hearing that Tiera was cursed, she was already banished. To be honest, I never thought she would still alive after hearing about the curse until I met Schnee.¡±

    A curse that attracted strong monsters, it was almost impossible to survive all alone. In fact, if Schnee didn¡¯t protect her, the survival rate would have dropped to zero.

    ¡°She got the curse, and was helped by Schnee¡­, wasn¡¯t it? Is she lucky or what?¡±

    ¡°It is for Tiera to decide. However, the curse was removed, thanks to you, and I think she can find happiness from now on.¡±

    ¡°You are right. It not for us to be the judge. So the story ends here. Is there anything else you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°None, what I wanted to ask, you had already answered. I¡¯m sorry if it had taken your precious time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Els¡¯ feelings, I can understand it a bit.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t too conscious of the time as 30 minutes had psed while he was listening quietly to Els¡¯ story.

    When they left the reception room and returned to the receptionist desk, Celica and another miss receptionist was talking. The receptionist rose when she noticed Els and went up to the second floor after making a quick bow.

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have finished our conversation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Celica. And thank you for this favor.¡±

    After saying her thanks, Els started to attend to the request brought by adventurers at the receptionist desk.

 Book 1: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Then, Shin-sama, this is your guild card. Please be careful not to lose it, because it also serves as a proof of your rank. And a fee of 10 J silver coins is needed to reissue the card in case it gets lost.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin epted the guild card from Celica. The card had his name, rank, affiliation, party described on it. He recalled Cilica¡¯s exnation that the description couldn¡¯t be seen unless a specific tool was used.

    ¡°Do you want to take on a request now?¡±

    A bulletin board with requests posted on it was seen. As for rank G requests, something like collecting stuff and other misceneous duties were often found. They were less dangerous and therefore less rewarding. Still, the average reward was 1 J silver coin, which seemed to be highly paid.

    ¡°How about this? Can I take this request?¡±

    He tore off a request posted on the bulletin board and took it to the receptionist desk. Shin intended to raise his rank by at least one. Still, Celica didn¡¯t say anything about how he had the lowest rank even if she had the information of his rank.

    ¡°This request please.¡±

    ¡°This is to collect Hillock Herbs. Because this request is always given, there is no time limit. The reward will be 1 J silver coin per 30 pieces.¡±

    ¡°If I gather 60 of them, will I get 2 J silver coins?¡±

    ¡°Yes, There is always a demand for Hillock Herb, because it¡¯s an ingredient in a potion. Are you okay with this request?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. Oh, is there a picture book that shows the Hillock Herb?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Actually, he already saw it in the game, but he decided to confirm its appearance to make sure. The book that Celica brought over from the bookshelf behind the reception was as thick as a dictionary.

    She ced the book on the reception desk and exhaled in a small voice.

    ¡°Phew, this is a nt encyclopedia. And Hillock Herb¡­here it is.¡±

    He confirmed the Hillock Herb while thanking Celica who took the trouble of opening the book and find it for him. The nt¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t seem to have changed. Its height was about 10 ¨C 15 cemels with jagged leaves. He was hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to gather 30 grown nts.

    ¡°It grows in the eastern and the northern forest.¡±

    ording to the book, Hillock Herb grew in the eastern and the northern forest, especially in the depths of the forest.

    ¡°Please be careful as people have been lost in the depth of the forest while searching for Hillock Herbs. You might also get attacked by ferocious monsters if you advance too far.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    There were some things better left unsaid. When he went to ¡®Tsuki no Hokora¡¯, he had already crossed the eastern forest. The ferocious monsters that he had ughtered were used to pay for his stay at the inn.

    ¡°Take care.¡±

    Said Celica as Shin departed from the guild.

    Shin walked toward the east gate, while wondering whether or not he should buy a map .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¨D¨DIn the guild¡¯s lounge room.

    Els and Celica had just finished tidying up some documents and were talking about Shin while drinking tea.

    ¡°Celica, do you know who that person is, just now?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t know much about him yet. Although one might say I know him, I don¡¯t have much information about him either.¡±

    Shin had only arrived at the guild yesterday, so Celica didn¡¯t know much about him yet. Since he held the letter of introduction, she told Els about his match with Barlux.

    ¡°Are you saying the ¡®Blue Wolf¡¯ was dealt with easily? Though, even I can understand that he is a considerably strong person.¡±

    Because Celica was her colleague, she talked with her in afortable tone. She was originally like that, so it was not a problem for Els tomunicate with in her this way. But she had to make sure not to talk like that in public, only when the two of them were alone.

    By the way, ¡®Blue Wolf¡¯ seemed to refer to Barlux.

    There was not much known about that person¨D¨DShin.

    As Celica introduced Shin to her, Els said something rted to her ¡®Official Title¡¯.

    ¡°Indeed, no wonder I couldn¡¯t see it.¡±

    Els nodded as she understood the story from Celica.

    ¡°Is it true, that it wasn¡¯t seen?¡±

    Celica looked at Els in disbelief.

    Els was one of the executives with power next to the sub-master within the guild. Els was a skill ¡¾Analyze ? ¢÷¡¿ holder, and at the same time, she held the title ¡®Observer¡¯. Therefore, she could even see through the name and level of people whose levels were higher than hers. A fake name could be seen through immediately by her. In fact, Barlux¡¯s level was seen through at the first nce.

    When Els said she couldn¡¯t see through Shin, one would wonder who on earth he was.

    She didn¡¯t even know if his name, Shin, was true.

    ¡°Well, there is no need to worry about it too much. I don¡¯t think Tiera would have handed a letter of introduction to a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Blue Wolf also had the same opinion. Just a little different.¡±

    Celica muttered while remembering the mysterious sense of security she felt from Shin.

    ¡°Different¡­is he? Certainly, his ability and the atmosphere around him don¡¯t match, it¡¯s actually odd¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed. How do I say this? It felt somewhat like a sense of security.¡±

    Both of them stopped talking, with a good mood around them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know (I guess)¡­¡±

    The more they thought about Shin, the more his image became blurred.

    In the past, even when they felt uneasy, there was never a time when both of their hearts got riled up.

    After he left the guild, Shin went toward the east gate without stopping. At first, he went along the main road, then he changed his path and entered the woods. The eastern forest was a ce where rookie adventurers entered routinely. It looked like a ce where almost none of the ferocious monsters came forth.

    When he happened to pass through the gate, Beid informed him about this. He said that several rookies went to the eastern forest today. Beid was a guard at the south gate yesterday, but apparently the guard would rotate after a certain period of time. He seemed to be guarding the east gate now for a while.

    Easy quests could be done in 30 minutes in the game. He nned to finish this quickly, and then go to a library afterwards. Shin hastened his pace.

    Even if the ce was said to be fine for rookies to enter, the forest was dark and filled with trees. Beid said that there were only low-level demons or wild beasts, but it was still frightening for Shin as he was not yet ustomed to it.

    Without putting too much trust in the information, he looked for the Hillock Herb cautiously.

    If Shin¡¯s memory was correct, it should grow in ces the sunlight easily gets to.

    Since he heard that the Hillock Herb could be harvested easily, he thought that he could finish quickly.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t it.¡±

    He had entered the forest 3 hours ago.

    ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t it either!¡±

    Number of harvests¡­ zero.

    ¡°¡­Noooo!!¡±

    Not a single Hillock Herb was found yet.

    It had been a while since he entered the forest triumphantly. Despite walking with the reliance of his memory, he wasn¡¯t able to find even one herb.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­No matter how much I look for it, not even one can be found.¡±

    It was strange because he had been slowly going deeper into the forest to find some. There were no signs of adventurers around so it was not likely that someone picked them all before him.

    ¡°Should I go a little deeper?¡±

    The information from the encyclopedia stated that it was easier to find them deeper in the forest. Naturally, the surroundings became darker and the signs of wild animals could be felt everywhere.

    He devoted himself to search for the nt without any encounters with monsters. As he advanced a little more, he went towards ces monsters didn¡¯t go to, and looked at the surroundings.

    Even with a full search, he couldn¡¯t find an open ce where the sunlight hit the ground. Though he searched for likely ces one after another, there were no signs of them, instead there were bushes and tree roots everywhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling hungry¡­¡±

    The sun was already high in the sky, so it was about afternoon. He had walked forever and his stomach was growling because he hadn¡¯t eaten lunch.

    ¡°Should I eat some food?¡±

    Because his hunger was near the limit, and as a change of mood, he decided to have lunch.

    He put his lunch from the ¡®Item Box¡¯ on a stump and began to eat. On the menu was hot dog and c. The food items stored in the ¡®Item Box¡¯ do not rot as time progresses. He entered the forest without buying food beforehand, because he could store food items in his ¡®Item Box¡¯.

    Though the food originally had special effects such as stats rise or HP recovery and so forth, somehow those areas were unavable, so the effect couldn¡¯t be felt.

    In addition, there were various other luxurious food items but they seemed to be treated as normal food. Even if it had special effect, there might be no time to eat the food while fighting a monster.

    ¡°Mmm, myum, fuu¡­ Well then, shall I search for it?¡±

    Without wasting any time, he finished his lunch. A characteristic of junk food was being able to eat it fast. He ate it quickly because he could be in trouble if a wild animal and a monster came, tempted by the smell.

    Though he went to search for the Hillock Herb again, it still could not be found.

    Another 3 hourster, after he ate lunch, it was rather refreshing; he had still found nothing. The Hillock Herb might just have been picked exhaustively, thought Shin.

    After one more hour, Shin decided to return to the inn because he was tired. Though it was possible to go on physically, he felt mental fatigue after not being able to find what he was looking for.

    When he arrived at the gate, the guards had been changed. It seemed that the guards took turns and patrolled in a rotational fashion.

    He found Beid among the soldiers who returned from patrol and exchanged a few words while he confirmed Shin¡¯s guild card.

    ¡°Yo, you look tired. Did you find what you were looking for?¡±

    ¡°The thing is, I went to the eastern forest to gather Hillock Herb, but I have searched for it all day long and haven¡¯t found one¡­¡±

    ¡°Oioi, that herb can be found easily if you look for it properly. I saw several rookies return with it today. It was harvested well.¡±

    ¡°WH¡­WHAT¡­?¡±

    Other rookies were harvesting well. Shin was shocked as he was struck by the words.

    ¡°I think everyone returned in the morning¡­You, surely you weren¡¯t searching for it for a full day, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡±

    He covered his face with his palms and dropped his shoulders. Shin was an SS rank adventurer during the time of the game. His pride was shattered here even if he knew this was a different world.

    ¡°Well, that, what can I say. Cheer up.¡±

    ¡°Ku, your encouraging words sting my eyes.¡±

    Since Beid too didn¡¯t know Hillock Herbs couldn¡¯t be found there, without knowing, only mundane words came out.

    ¡°Well, this is just your luck, I guess. I don¡¯t think today is your day, but you can try again tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It is so¡­should I go deeper into the forest tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far into the forest. Though you won¡¯t do such blunder, a lot of rookies die easily because they advance too far into the depths.¡±

    ¡°I understand. See you.¡±

    He understood Beid¡¯s worry, too. And there was no need to hurry as there was no time limit. Yet, there was this psychology of person who wanted to find something when it was not found before. When it came to this, Shin had begun to make a n regarding his trip to the northern forest tomorrow.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day.

    Shin awoke at dawn and immediately started to mobilize.

    He checked his equipment, had breakfast in the Bear Point Pavilion and pushed his way through the crowded area. On the way, he stopped by at a secondhand shop and purchased a simple map that showed the area around the kingdom. Yesterday he thought he was going to return quickly, so he didn¡¯t buy one. Even though it was a map depicting the kingdom and the surrounding area, it was only a rough sketch. Because he didn¡¯t want to explore the kingdom yet, he decided to purchase it only if the map had a record of the northern forest.

    After leaving the secondhand shop, Shin walked towards the gate. He saw a crowd there. ¡°Is something going on over there?¡± Shin thought as he approached.

    There was a barely identifiable vehicle which looked like a carriage. A coachman entered from the gate and several adventurers followed behind the carriage. Though the coachman seemed to be unhurt, the adventurers seemed to suffer from serious injuries. They helped each other as one of the less heavily injured adventurers lent his shoulder to one missing an arm. Anyone would agree that they had barely escaped with their lives based on their appearance.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    This kind of crowd loved to watch the strange group, but no one tried to be concerned. He only stared at the guards listening to the story from a distance.

    (Their levels are 131, 129, 118, and 134.)

    The knight leader was level 188. Assuming the ability of the knight leader was rank A, they would probably be rank C or D adventurers.

    There were scratches on both the adventurers¡¯ armor and on the carriage, one could guess it was done with sharp tools. But it would be too hasty to conclude they were attacked by thieves or robbers, because there was a huge cut on the roof of the carriage.

    After a while, the curious spectators started to scatter, and the adventurers were left to be treated.

    As Shin approached the gate, he talked to Beid.

    ¡°Hey Beid, what happened to that group just now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh Shin. They were attacked by a monster and escaped.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t an attack by thieves or robbers after all.

    ¡°I see. Did you ask what they were attacked by?¡±

    ¡°I was told not to speak carelessly. Well, I think it will be alright if it¡¯s you. But anyway, it will be known soon.¡±

    ¡°Is he an important person?¡±

    What kind of monster it was that caused the guard to be alerted, he would have to wait for Beid¡¯s words to make sure.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a Skull Face. You¡¯ve heard the rumors too, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I certainly have¡­if I¡¯m not mistaken, it appeared at the northern forest.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has. Because there were hardly any eyewitness reports, it was thought to be a Pawn ss, but, apparently, it was a Jack ss. ¡°

    ¡°Jack ss¡­How many people were in that party?¡±

    ¡°Two parties with full members, 12 people in total. As you can see, only four survived.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    The level of a Jack ? Skull Face was around 150 ~ 250. The average level of the adventurers¡¯ party earlier was probably around 120. If 12 people couldn¡¯t defeat it, despite the adventurers¡¯ equipment, it was reasonable to think that the Jack ? Skull Face was beyond level 200.

    ¡°All high-ranking adventurers are out now. Depending on the case, the guild master or the knight leader wille out.¡±

    ¡°If you think about the level, it¡¯s an adequate move. Hmm? Will the princess go out as well? She is pretty strong.¡±

    He recalled that the second princess exceeded level 200 and asked Beid.

    ¡°I hope not¡­No matter how strong she is, this is royal family you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°No, when I heard about the princess, I thought of someone who is crazy about fighting. Even the Horn Dragon will be defeated by her.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­that¡­¡±

    In contrast to yesterday, it was now Beid¡¯s turn to do a facepalm and drop his shoulders. Apparently, it was a topic that should not be touched.

    ¡°For now, just avoid approaching the northern forest, right?¡±

    ¡°I expect you to understand but be careful.¡±

    He hurriedly left toward the eastern forest. A worker of the kingdom also had hard times.

    He crossed the range of his search in the eastern forest yesterday, and proceeded to the depth of the forest at once. Even though he knew monsters were wandering around from ¡¾Search¡¿, he didn¡¯t worry about it as the monsters could be easily defeated by him.

    He strolled into the depths of the forest looking for Hillock Herb. ording to the information from the encyclopedia, it should be easier to find in the depths of the forest. And he already discovered several pieces of them growing. The current number in possession was 13 pieces. Still, he hadn¡¯t reached half the goal yet.

    After strolling for about two hours and still couldn¡¯t find more than 13 pieces, he decided to go to the northern forest. It could be said that the eastern forest and the northern forest were connected with one main road. So he entered the northern forest and went straight to the depth via the route to the west.

    He saw a road after walking for a while. Two carriages could pass by another, as that was the width of the road.

    The adventurers were probably attacked by the Skull Face around here, Shin guessed. The roof from the cutout was lying on the side of the road. And puddles of blood and pieces of armor were seen everywhere. No corpses were found as the wild animals and monsters already disposed of them.

    ¡°In this world, is a Skull Face a powerful enemy?¡­¡±

    He muttered while looking at the remains of the carriage. It would no longer be a habitable ce for humans if a Jack ss Skull Face was that strong, Shin thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use to think about it now.¡±

    He discarded the thought he had in his mind and entered the northern forest.

    As for the northern forest, the trees grow denser together here than in the eastern forest. The sunlight was decreased by more than half, so it was fairly dark despite it being daytime. Just going straight required Shin to be cautious. As Shin walked deeper, he sighed seeing how he would have a hard time looking for the Hillock Herb. Unlike the eastern forest, a lot of monsters lived in the northern forest.

    The map had a function that disyed a red or yellow marker. When hebined the search operation skill with the map, Shin could know how many monsters were hiding in a certain radius around him.

    He didn¡¯t want to kill unnecessarily, but he would counter-attack if monsters attacked him. He wondered how long he wouldst while fighting with ¡¾Limit¡¿.

    Unlike the situation when he fought against Barlux, he, without taking any consideration, dealt a single blow to a monster and sent it flying. Although he wasn¡¯t surprised because it also happened when he went to ¡®Tsuki no Hokora¡¯, he didn¡¯t know the extent that his maximum offensive power had risen to. He only understood his stats from before he got transported here, but not since his stats had doubled.

    He had no choice but to use a support skill, ¡¾Limit¡¿ at maximum level ¢ú.

    ¡¾Limit¡¿ was a skill that was made so that a beginner and a high level yer could y together. If the skill level was raised by one(from level 2 to level 3), the skill would limit the stats to 1/3 of their original value, instead of only halving it. As a result, the yers could still y together despite the difference in level and stats.

    Even though there was a method to check the changes of physical strength ording to the stat rises, he couldn¡¯t take action as it could destroy the surrounding area. Incidentally, the limitation was also executed as a danger-preventative measure for the aplishment of the request.

    Currently, the maximum stats value for Shin¡¯s STR was 223, which was 1/10 of his original STR, because of ¡¾Limit¡¿. The others stats value were still intact. This was the STR stats value of a human without any reincarnation at level 255.

    By the way, ¡¾Limit ? ¢ñ¡¿ didn¡¯t restrict the stats as it was 1/1 from original stats. The lowest level of this skill provides no change, while the highest level restricts a stat to 1/10 of it¡¯s original value.

    Why only STR? It¡¯s because he was experimenting on how much damage a monster could deal to an ordinary human. It was also to avoid suspicion from other members if he joined a party.

    ¡­To prevent himself from carelessly changing the surrounding terrain by using an all out attack, was also one of the implications.

    Since there were numerous monsters, he only fought them while searching for Hillock Herb because it was useless to hunt all of the monsters. While thinking that, he wished he had the skill to search for an item.

    As he went further into the depth of the forest, he was able to find more Hillock Herbs.

    Currently, the number in possession was 29 pieces. Only one more was needed toplete the request. Alright, just one more! Shin was getting fired up as he walked carefully in the forest. At that time, he detected a marker which made a strange move on the map that progressed to the edge of the map view.

    The color was red. And that was the color that indicated a hostile existence.

    But, the red marker didn¡¯t move much from the ce, instead it was moving in zig-zag line in a range of 10 mels.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    He was drawn to the current movement of the marker which had awakened his curiosity. He started to advance towards the direction of the marker with the help of the map, so that he could take a look at the situation.

    The movement of the marker stopped for a few minutes while Shin moved closer. Then he waited and looked from the shadow of a tree.

    Shin stood still as he was at a loss for words when he saw the figure.

    Before his eyes, there was a figure of Jack ? Skull Face. While its big body was only bones, it was twice as big as the Pawn ss, its height was about 3 mels or more. It was fully equipped from gauntlet to armor and wore a helmet on its head. In addition, it had a round shield with diameter of 1 mel equipped in its left hand, and held a 2 mels long greatsword in its right.

    The equipment it was wearing was all in one color, solid ck, except for the greatsword. It couldn¡¯t bepared to the Pawn ss which was equipped with a rusted sword and worn-out gauntlets.

    A dim purple me could be seen in each of its bony eye sockets, and its whole body emitted a ck smoke which could be called a negative aura.

    It had the presence of an undead militarymander who had returned from hell. It was a Skull Face of the Jack ss.

    The dwellers of this world would be frozen in fear if they looked at this existence.

    However, that was not the reason why Shin stood still and was at loss for words. To begin with, a Jack ? Skull Face was just small fry for Shin. Then why did he look at the enemy without starting to attack?

    It was because,

    ¡°Why is the Skull Face breakdancing?¡±

    Shin¡¯s words spoke for themselves.

    Undead monsters held grudges towards all living things, they were existences that would drag any living things to the dead side. Its appearance made any person who saw it feel fear, its body didn¡¯t feel fatigue so as tovish death upon its surroundings. There existed a group of undead monsters in THE NEW GATE, and the Skull Face was said to be its representative.

    It was never an existence that was meant to breakdance in the depth of the forest.

    ¡°It¡¯s surreal¡­too surreal. Do you like to dance that much? You?¡±

    Around the Skull Face, there were no trees, and if seen from above a big hole opened in the forest. Which was not surprising, as the Skull Face wore armor and the breakdance was done while equipped with both sword and shield. Hence, the grass was mown down by the shield, the big trees were cut down by the greatsword, and the ground was scooped out by the ruggedness of the armor.

    In the first ce, there was the question of whether it was possible to breakdance while wearing armor, but that question was dismissed as the Skull Face had done it.

    Shin revealed a trace of pity on his face.

    Somehow he even felt indescribably guilty for having looked at something that he shouldn¡¯t have.

    However, such thoughts of Shin¡¯s dissipated instantly after the Skull Face revealed its true color.

    The sound of liquid sshing reached Shin¡¯s ears. As he shifted his attention to a big tree there, the trunk of therge tree was stained with red ¡¶???¡· liquid.

    Shin immediately observed the appearance of the Skull Face. The greatsword that resounded while cutting through the air, the armor that covered its skeleton body, the shield that mowed down the grass, all of them were stained in the same colored liquid as the tree-trunks.

    As he shifted his line of sight a bit, there were corpses of monsters that were sliced in half lying around. The Skull Face was his opponent after all, no more discussion needed.

    The Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest. Attacked adventurers. Dry blood that stuck to the greatsword and blood that was still dripping. There was no need for a conviction. Even so, Shin was not so optimistic as to think that the Skull Face wasn¡¯t attacking the adventurers, so letting it roam free wasn¡¯t possible.

    He regained control of his thought process. His blurred face tightened, and the atmosphere changed from cked to sharp.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be fooled in this situation.¡±

    He muttered while not neglecting the task of gathering information on the opponent. It was dangerous to think that the world remained unchanged since the game ended.

    In fact, 30 cemels wide big trees were shed ¨C that didn¡¯t seem like a joke. There was no point in lowering his guard either.

    ¡°Should I start?¡±

    Shin unsheathed his katana and waited for the right timing. And the moment the Skull Face¡¯s back was facing Shin, he took his stance and decreased the distance between them in a split second.

    He drew his katana as the distance between them shrank, and targeted a brandish skill at the Skull Face¡¯s defenseless back.

    Moderate damage could be dealt by surprise attacks from behind, though Skull Faces generally had a tolerance for shing attacks.

    However, his expectations failed him.

    The moment Shin¡¯s katana swung toward the back of the Skull Face, as if it sensed the danger, the Skull Face flung its left arm against the ground and elerated its rotation with the force of the recoil. Then the Skull Face began to counter-attack with its greatsword.

    ¡°What is this!?¡±

    Shin ran past the Skull Face without losing momentum, and escaped from the range of the counter-attack.

    It was no wonder that Shin was astounded. A level 250 Skull Face wouldn¡¯t do a strange movement like the one just now. The flowing defense and the counter-attack with its sword. Moreover, it didn¡¯t break its pose even after that. It was a movement that was not possible during in the game.

    But the Skull Face¡¯s appearance was that of a skeleton to begin with, so it¡¯s movements weren¡¯t restricted by joint or muscle.

    Shin couldn¡¯t hide his surprise at the unimaginable fighting power of the Skull Face.

    ¡°What is that movement? Those are not the movements of a Skull Face.¡±

    The breakdance in itself was weird, but now he couldn¡¯t make any sense of it.

    ¡°Even its level is strange. Besides, that sword is not supposed to be with a Skull Face.¡±

    He looked at the Skull Face while fixing his posture. ording to ¡¾Analyze ? ¢ú¡¿ , the Skull Face¡¯s level was 359. Let alone Jack ss, it jumped over Queen straight to King ss.

    In addition, the sword that it held was the problem. Humans wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the greatsword if they weren¡¯t using both of their hands. Besides the dazzling ornaments on the hilt, the sword de emitted a silver shine and a blue line traveled along its center. It was likely a demon steel that was harder than iron and wasbined with mithril which had goodpatibility with magic. A portion of the de¡¯s edge shined with a strong, white light.

    The white light revealed the sword¡¯s light attribute. It had the atmosphere that could bepared to a holy sword.It was not a weapon that an undead monster would hold no matter what, as it had the opposite attribute.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s reasonable to think of it as a unique monster.¡±

    He raised his alertness level by one stage. Unique monsters often had a different attribute and ability from the original. But even Shin hadn¡¯t heard of a monster that had the attribute of its own weak point.

    The Skull Face now stood with both feet on the ground as it recognized Shin as a powerful enemy. Pulling its weapon and shield backwards slightly, it took on a stance. That was obviously the movement of a person who had mastered fencing, but there was a clear distinction as the Skull Face could only do repeated attacks.

    ¡°That dance didn¡¯t seem to be a joke either!!¡±

    While muttering he again charged toward the Skull Face, this time directly to its left side which held the shield.

    Again, he closed the distance instantly with the unsheathed katana and aimed at the opponent¡¯s left ankle.

    ¡°Seissh!!¡±

    SkullFaceSD

    A sh was seen on the Skull Face¡¯s left ankle.

    Even though the Skull Face also reacted to attack by defending with its shield, it couldn¡¯t prevent the cmity because of the differences in their physique and the size of its shield.

    ¡°Kin!¡± The sound of metal rubbing against metal resounded in the air, metal resounded, and Shin distanced himself from the greatsword. The Skull Face would begin attacking Shin with its greatsword while ignoring its own defense when it couldn¡¯t dodge.

    The greatsword was swung down in the ce toward Shin, and he dodged as he judged that it was too dangerous to take the blow head on. The ground was split about 3 mels by the shing of the greatsword.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that weapon before, is it rare or unique grade?¡±

    The attack range of its weapon was increased with magic. From Shin¡¯s view, this was an ordinary attack, but the weapon of the monster originally didn¡¯t have this ability. Not to forget that the Skull Face could also make acrobatic moves.

    As for the Skull Face, it didn¡¯t care about the dubious Shin and started its revenge with its greatsword. Its left ankle was cut in half from the blow before, however it wouldn¡¯t be a serious problem for it since it didn¡¯t feel any pain. As if there was no ankle from the start, it just thrust its left foot on the ground and let out a strong side sweep.

    Shin ran toward the Skull Face and invoked a sword skill, ¡¾Dazzling de Sink¡¿. The katana hit the de of the greatsword near the hilt, as he eluded the side sweep.

    Then he activated a martial art skill for fencing, ¡¾Crushed de¡¿ in a sh.

    The skill was usually used to deal damage to opponents that have shing attack tolerance. And the attack crushed the Skull Face¡¯s armor.

    ¨D¨DAgain, it was not as he expected.

    ¡°Seriously!?¡±

    It was understandable that Shin was astonished.

    The katana attack from Shin was sessfully dodged by the Skull Face. Just as the de was about to hit, the Skull Face did a back step and the katana missed its body. Though the attack broke the armor, it didn¡¯t do much damage to its body.

    It moved as if it knew that the katana attack was a powerful sh. Even if Shin didn¡¯t take it seriously, it was already abnormal for it to follow his movement up until then.

    ¡°GeeEEEEaaaaAAAAAAAA¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!!!¡±

    The scream that resounded from the Skull Face could be misinterpreted as the crooked groan of a beast. It was the voice of resentment that would make any person feel difort when they heard it.

    Even Shin frowned after being screamed at from close range. There was no special effect, but the loud sound would instigate fear on all living things.

    He immediately resuscitated himself and jumped backwards. The HP gauge of the Skull Face only decreased a little, since the attack only hit the armor so the damage was only minimal. If the attack didn¡¯t reach the core of the Skull Face, heavy damage could not be dealt.

    ¡°Man, why do I meet a strange monster this early?¡±

    He muttered a half astonished and half praising sentence following the Skull Face¡¯s movement.

    As he look at his own katana, he noticed several cracks on its de.

    A durability value was set to weapons and armor. When it dropped to zero, it would make the weapons and armor unusable.

    Currently, Several Stroke¡¯s durability was already below 30%. Since Skull Face¡¯s weapon was strong, it probably damaged the katana¡¯s de when they shed.

    ¡°I can only do one more attack at most. Then, I will try this!¡±

    Shin and Skull Face. The lone man and his surroundings, cruelly destroyed by the Skull Face. He changed his posture into a different one from earlier.

    He put his left foot in front and bent slightly forward. He pulled his katana while lowering it to his waist.

    And he muttered.

    ¡°¡¾Limit ? Off¡¿¡±

    The suppressed ability or stat was released from the skill¡¯s effect.

    Even ordinary people could sense the transformation in Shin.

    The katana he held in his hand was channeled with energy and ¡°Gishiri¡± sounds were made.

    ¡°GuUUuuuUUuUuUUU¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    It seemed that Shin¡¯s transformation caused the Skull Face to be vignt. As it groans in deep tone, it hold the shield in front, and took a posture that emphasized defense.

    Shin admired the Skull Face¡¯s movement while he was charging energy into his katana.

    ¡°Shhh!!¡±

    While exhaling short breaths and concentrating energy in his katana, he brandished it.

    He left an afterimage as he rushed into the Skull Face and struck a single blow.

    Two sounds were heard, ¡°Ki¡± and ¡°Gin¡±. Then Shin¡¯s figure vanished from in front of the Skull Face.

    Two changes took ce.

    One, Shin¡¯s katana was shattered, left only its hilt.

    Two, the greatsword of the Skull Face was sted away and disappeared into the sky.

    Among the two sounds echoing in the surroundings, the ¡°Ki¡± sound was the blow of Shin hitting the shield. The clear ¡°Kin¡± sound was made when he cut through the core of the Skull Face together with its armor. And the following ¡°Gin¡± sound was produced as Shin¡¯s katana and the Skull Face¡¯s greatsword shed together.

    The greatsword was not broken as it durability value was very high, but Skull Face¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t withstand the impact, so the sword was thrown up into the sky.

    The core was cut in half and Skull Face¡¯s HP gauge was drained entirely, and left were mere bones. It hard to associated the scattered bones with the intensebat just a few minute ago.

    ¡°I knew this weapon wouldn¡¯tst long.¡±

    He sighed while staring at Several Stroke¡¯s hilt. It was a powerful single blow, but it still wasn¡¯t his maximum power. Though the big trees behind the Skull Face fell down just now as an aftereffect of the attack, he ced the hilt inside the ¡®Item Box¡¯ like it was only natural.

    ¡°The greatsword from a little while ago seems good.¡±

    He looked up in the direction the sword flew, but all he saw was a clear, wide and blue sky and he didn¡¯t know where the sword flew to.

    Though he didn¡¯t expect that the sword would be blown off too far, he could only pray that it didn¡¯t hit a person.

    ¡°¡­Should I return?¡±

    Anyway, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to search for Hillock Herbs anymore after all that.

    Because there were jewels among the bones, so he collected them before he left.

    After Shin got out of the forest, he began to walk toward the gate and thought that he had better to report about the Skull Face case to the guild.

    Without knowing that the greatsword caused amotion in the kingdom,

    Shin left the northern forest and had returned to the east gate.

    He noticed that the gate area was noisy as he walked closer.

    ¡°Is there something going on?¡±

    No curious spectators gathered like yesterday, it was just the guards who seemed to be asking for information from the passerby. Seemingly, only the people entering the country got questioned.

    Although he could enter without waiting in line as adventurers have guild cards, he wanted to listen to the story one by one. So he lined up and waited for his turn toe.

    When the distance to the gate gradually decreased, he could listen to the guards¡¯ and adventurers¡¯ voices.

    ¡°Northern forest¡­eastern forest¡­shadow, flew¡­?¡±

    Only a fragment of the conversation could be heard, but he couldn¡¯t expel the bad feelings from his mind.

    As the distance diminished, he summarized the story he heard clearly together. The residents of the town witnessed a mysterious object flying in the sky. Furthermore, it seems to have fallen into the royal castle. The eyewitnesses saw it was flying, but couldn¡¯t determine if it came from the northern or eastern forest and no one knew what circumstances behind it as the investigation proceed.

    (Mysterious flying object¡­it is the sword after all¡­)

    He remembered the greatsword that was blown away. But he didn¡¯t know which way or in which direction it flew as he concentrated on the battle.

    His feet were getting heavier the closer he got to the gate.

    ¡°Yo Shin.¡±

    ¡°Yo Beid, has something happened?¡±

    He replied to Beid as if nothing had happened. He wanted to believe that the mysterious flying object was not the greatsword.

    People called this an escapism.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, a sword has flown toward the royal castle. From the investigation we had, it was either from the north or from the east. Didn¡¯t you go to eastern forest? Did you saw anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I didn¡¯t see it. Were there any injuries?¡±

    From the story, no people were hurt, as the sword fell and stuck to the castle wall. Good grief, it was absurd that a sword flew over the rampart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that no one got hurt.¡±

    He breathed a sigh of relief at the words of no human injury.

    ¡°Let¡¯s confirm the direction firmly.¡±

    He made a promise to himself at that moment.

    ¡°Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°No, It¡¯s nothing. May I go now?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Please tell the soldier who does the investigation if you remember anything.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    He left the gate with a quick pace while maintaining his poker face. He walked until the gate was out of sight and loosened his pace as he let out a sigh.

    ¡°Haa, why did itnd at the royal castle out of all ces?¡±

    Already on the third day in this different world, he had a hunch that the country was already determined to be his opponent. It was very likely that he was gonna be charged with treason for attacking the royal family. Frankly speaking, it was very bad.

    Even though there was no evidence that lead to Shin, when he reported about the Skull Face to the guild, the doubt would be shifted toward him somehow.

    ¡°Why did it happen this way¡­¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t always go the way he wanted in life.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 1: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    Shin set aside his worry and headed toward the guild. Though the rumor about the Skull Face was true, they hadn¡¯t heard about it. In addition, the Jack ? Skull Face basically has several Pawn ss subordinates, so he couldn¡¯t assert that it became safe just because the Jack ss was subjugated.

    Shin had been searching for enemies in the surrounding area when he left the battle location, but there were no signs of other monsters in the surroundings. Did it act alone? Or were its subordinates swallowed up by the dance and sliced into pieces? It was very likely thetter if one looked at the Skull Face¡¯s actions. It was not a movement that could distinguish between friend or foe.

    Even a normal adventurer of this world could handle a Pawn ss monster, so there was no problem if it was revealed to be Pawn ss. But the story was different in case of a unique monster like the Jack ss. From Beid¡¯s way of speaking, he seemed not to worried, because a Jack ss monster didn¡¯t came forth very often.

    Nevertheless, would it end with only a mere unique monster appearance this time? It was the anxiety of Shin, who was ignorant about this world.

    That said, the current Shin didn¡¯t understand it no matter how much he thought about it. He thought about whether he should ask Els or Celica again about that situation and opened the guild door.

    The guild was the most crowded ce Shin had ever seen. The ce where adventurers assemble, was crowded with adventurers who were armed with swords and spears, and wore armor and robes.

    Besides the anxious feelings, the ce generally had a feeling of excitement to it. There were some unusual people who didn¡¯t seem to be agitated.

    ¡°This is somewhat imposing.¡±

    Although there were many people, the receptionist desk was not crowded, so he decided to report it at once. Conveniently, Celica was at the receptionist desk. Shin was saved from trouble because the contents of his report were more or less better told to a person he knew.

    ¡°Hello. I have something I need to report.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Shin-sama. The report?¡±

    ¡°It was about the Skull Face. However to be sure, how much is known by now?¡±

    ¡°Tsu!¡­the Skull Face is known to be Jack ss, it¡¯s been reported from surviving adventurers that the Skull Face holds a weapon that is stronger than normal. Every individual confirmed it in general. The Pawn ss subordinates are not confirmed yet. Currently, subjugation requests have been issued. It became top priority, because the ce in question is near the kingdom. Various A and S ranks are all out because of the situation, and are getting ready to set up a front party with B ranks and below.¡±

    It seemed that its battle style was not known. But it was the information regarding the weapon that Shin was anxious about.

    ¡°The weapon is stronger than normal?¡±

    ¡°Rather than amon greatsword, the Skull Face¡¯s sword is around twice as big.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a greatsword, huh? Any other information about the sword?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all we know for now.¡±

    The information about the sword had already circted after all. As expected, the adventurers who survived the battle did not forget the weapon of the enemy. However, the greatsword which that Jack ss was using should have been charged with light magic of the light attribute. Why was there no information about that?

    ¡°¡­In summary, it is a Jack ss with arger than usual weapon, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The level is presumed to be at least 200 or more.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hmm, Shin pondered. That was not the answer Shin wanted to hear, he wanted to know whether or not the greatsword was charged with light magic. But from Celica¡¯s story it seemed like the weapon of the Jack ss was just a mere greatsword. Because he expected that a magic bestowed weapon would be rare, he was in danger of being suspected to have a connection with the sword that flew into the royal castle if he unskillfully mentioned it.

    The idea of a totally different Skull Face appeared in Shin¡¯s mind, but the idea of two Skull Faces would only make uproar if he mentioned it. Besides, was there such a thing like two Jack ? Skull Face with simr greatswords appearing at the same time in the same ce?

    ¡°Uhm, Shin-sama?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. Just slightly lost in thought.¡±

    Celica was slightly worried, because Shin had pondered while his facial expression showed a serious look. ording to Celica¡¯s judgment, Shin was one of the few people with fighting power equal to the S ss. If such a person was making a serious face when hearing the information about the Skull Face, it couldn¡¯t be helped that she became uneasy.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I was thinking about what kind of items Skull Faces drop.¡±

    Shin thought about the greatsword, about whether or not it was charged with light magic and what kind of questions he should ask to find out, but could not say it. Instead, he decided to ask about the item drop.

    ¡°Item drops? Uhm, If I remember correctly, it drops a jewel, worn-out armor and a sword, which can be sold at moderate prices, I think¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so. Iyaa, Ipletely forgot about that, hahaha¡±

    Shin behaved cheerily so that the lie he told wouldn¡¯t be exposed, but by all odds, he behaved suspiciously.

    However, Celica didn¡¯t notice Shin¡¯s strange behavior because a Skull Face of the Jack ss was a formidable opponent, so she wasn¡¯t worried about the item drop. In the guild, a senile looking manughed unnaturally as he replied to a woman, which was an out of ce scene.

    ¡°That reminds me, what kind of case would Shin-sama like to report?¡±

    ¡°Oops, sorry. It¡¯s an important matter. I want to report that the Jack ? Skull Face in the northern forest was killed by me. Ah, this is the jewel which I recovered at the time.¡±

    ¡°Really? Skull Face¡­Skull¡­that¡­?¡­uhm, was it Pawn ss?¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it was a Jack ss. It had a greatsword too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Celica¡¯s movement became awkward as she tried to take out the document like usual after hearing Shin¡¯s words. Somehow she managed to return a question about whether she misheard Shin¡¯s words, but said question was denied inly. It was so surprising that no words came out.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Errr, Celica-san?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah!? So-sorry! I was surprised for a moment.¡±

    Celica pulled herself together and apologized in a hurry. That caused her tone to return to normal.

    ¡°Is it that surprising?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all!? At least an A rank with considerable ability is necessary to subjugate the Skull Face of Jack ss alone. Please do not say it like it was a trivial thing!¡±

    ¡°Uhm, sorry?¡±

    ¡°I knew Shin-sama was a strong person¡­but subjugating it alone on the day the request is issued is unheard of.¡±

    ¡°That encounter was a coincidence though¡­¡±

    ¡°Still, normally a person would return first and report it to the guild, then attack after they firmly prepared. I think only few people would think of attacking it on the spot.¡±

    ¡°I see. No, but certainly my weapon is like this.¡±

    The sword, which was mostly just a hilt, was shown. During the fight, when he heard the crack, the katana¡¯s de was already in a sorry state. In other words, its state was currently worse than a bamboo sword.

    ¡°Ha!? Has it shattered!¡±

    ¡°I only managed to keep this little part.¡±

    ¡°What kind of absurdity did you do!?¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Celica-san, too close! Too close!¡±

    He held Celica¡¯s shoulders to stop her from approaching any closer and climbing over the counter while her expression changed. Because of the sudden action, their faces approached each other until they were around 20 cemels apart.

    Shin was experiencing a trivial, internal conflict about whether he should praise or scorn himself for reacting to Celica¡¯s unexpected action.

    ¡°Eh¡­Ahh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to do such a strange thing. I was worried that you got injured or rather I got too excited¡­Wait, what am I saying!?¡±

    The shaken Celica was amusing to Shin as he watched her. Shin almost retorted as he looked at her. She appeared to be so surprised that the Jack ss was defeated by him alone.

    ¡°An intellectual, cool woman who is both shy and nervous¡­? Somehow this is¡­someone ising!¡±

    It¡¯s better for me toe, but don¡¯t give off some half-baked calmness. You are kinda conspicuous.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, Els¡±

    Is this gap moe?¡­Shin nodded alone as Els called from behind him. Apparently, Shin and Celica¡¯s conversation was attracting attention from the surrounding people without them knowing it.

    ¡°Excuse me for intruding. Besides, just now the embarrassed Celica-san was so cute.¡±

    ¡°Cu-cute!?¡±

    ¡°Though I agree there, I would like you not to bully your colleague too much.¡±

    ¡°Agree!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But it was not intentional, the exnation still remains.¡±

    ¡°I know. Because I also saw her.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what about my opinion¡­¡±

    Els and Shin who hastened their conversation, ignoring all of Celica¡¯s words. If Els was there from the beginning, Shin felt that the situation would not be like this.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I have even prepared in various ways and was gathering information.¡±

    Els¡¯ attire was not the miss receptionist look like what Celica was wearing. Instead she was wearing hunter-equipment that was made for easiness of movement. She wore a slightly long leather jacket which seemed to be made from a durable material, together with a pouch to store small items andpression shorts that went to her knees, which were covered by long boots. The bow on her back was the fundamental equipment of a hunter, while a dagger was tied to her left thigh. Her long hair was tied up and the atmosphere around her was different from before. It was ¡®the hunter who was aiming at something¡¯ presence.

    ¡°About the Skull Face?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the monster that appeared in the northern forest. Quite some time has passed since the rumor started circting. However, this time it holds a stronger weapon than a Jack ss usually does, and for the first time harm has been inflicted to someone.¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that, I also saw it, too. Certainly, it swung a greatsword around.¡±

    ¡°I thought Celica was surprised about the appearance of the Skull Face and the sword together, but it seems to be different matter.¡±

    ¡°More precisely, it was reallybined, even though I killed it.¡±

    Shin uttered the killing part in a low voice. When he talked to Celica, he had to say it out loud, because the surrounding noise was loud.

    ¡°¡­If that¡¯s true, I understand why Celica was flustered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not funny.¡±

    Els who joked around, stopped Shin¡¯s words. The Celica who just returned herposure, barely responded with agreeing words.

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s hard to doubt you, do you have any proof? It¡¯s not possible to trust youpletely, even if you subjugated it.¡±

    ¡°I only collected a jewel though. To begin with¡­what is the proof part of a subjugated monster? I don¡¯t know what is it for Skull Face.¡±

    From the remnants of the game, Shin hadn¡¯t collected drop items that weremon. He recalled the proof part for the guild and hadpletely forgotten that he could not prove that he subdued it if there was no proof.

    ¡°Did you collect the armor and the sword? Jack ss certainly have good equipment, there are people who have sold it to increase their funds, and those who use it themselves.¡±

    Shin racked his brains about how to overturn the not trusting response of Els. Anyway, beside the greatsword that vanished in the sky, he didn¡¯t think that the helmet and the armor could be collected now.

    ¡°I wonder how much value such things have.¡±

    ¡°Those don¡¯t seem like the words of an adventurer¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­¡±

    From Shin¡¯s expression, Celica and Els understood that the words he muttered carelessly were the truth. Shin was strange. Though Els was said to be modest, she needed a considerable amount of funds to buy the same or equal quality equipment as the Jack ? Skull Faces in this world. At least A and B ranks would not easily get their hands on it. It was natural that Shin, who treats it like that, was seen as strange. Because he implied that he didn¡¯t need it, and it was hardly said by other adventurers.

    ¡°Well, if the jewel get examined by an appraiser, it will be alright I guess. Because the jewel it dropped had the magical power of the monster charged, it should be revealed that it belonged to a Skull Face.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Els decided not to think too deeply, and let the jewel speak for itself if it turns out to be evidence. Though it takes time and was more difficult than the finding of other proof part, if he could prove that he had really subdued it, there was no problem even if some time was lost to some extent.

    ¡°But it will take a while, so the jewel will be kept here as it¡¯s being appraised. Though it¡¯s possible to sell it right away.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this time I will pass. Because I don¡¯t mean to sell it for the moment.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I will contact the person in charge at the inn as soon as they finish appraising it. The inn is Bear Point Pavilion, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Well then, thank you.¡±

    Celica took over from Els¡¯ speech and skillfully conveyed that it will take time. She was inplete working mode.

    ¡°That reminds me, why did the Skull Face appear so easily in the northern forest? I¡¯ve heard that rumor before.¡±

    ¡°Originally the undead monster group was born because grudges and regrets of the living meets with magic power. Moreover, though ferocious monsters inhabit the northern forest, there was no end to the people who set foot in there, because there are precious medicinal herbs and materials to be collected. Subsequently, numerous people had lost their life because they were attacked by monsters. Therefore, the condition for the undead to be born was set. However, the appearance of a strong magical individual like the Jack ss had not naturally urred in that environment. Because normally in the northern forest, the Skull Face is a Pawn ss.¡±

    Els added that she thought Shin might have mistaken it for a Pawn ss. Moreover, it seemed that no one has actually fought it for it to be confirmed its authenticity. Nobody tried to verify it expressly because it was no more than a rumor.

    ¡°By the way, what is the range level of a Jack ss?¡±

    ¡°It is confirmed that the lowest is 150, and the highest is 250. It is ssified as Queen and King ss for levels beyond that.¡±

    Apparently, the upper level limit for every monster did not seem to have changed somehow.

    ¡°Then. Will it be an exception this time?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°What?¡±

    Two people reacted to the words from Shin. As expected from staff of the guild and an adventurer, it was a split second reaction.

    ¡°The Jack ss which I fought had a level exceeding 250.¡±

    ¡°That, is that true?¡±

    ¡°No doubt about it because I saw with ¡¾Analyze¡¿. I think it is probably a unique, or special monster. There were no Pawn ss followers in the surrounding area unlike the normal one, too.¡±

    ¡°Just to confirm, what was its exact level?¡±

    ¡°It was 359. I think it was already a King ss if my memory is correct.¡±

    ¡°359!?¡±

    Jack ss certainly appeared in ¡¾Analyze¡¿, and in the first ce, Queen and King ss Skull Faces¡¯ physique and equipment don¡¯t match. When the level was excluded, the weapon and the movements were nonstandard, but there was nothing strange besides that.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Again, two people became speechless from Shin¡¯s words. There were various questions that popped up inside their heads, such as ¡®Should I believe it?¡¯, ¡®Is he mistaken?¡¯ and so on.

    ¡°¡­Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Rather than unpleasant¡­no¡­I seem to be confused. Celica, I guess there is probably a method that can roughly examine the opponents strength in the jewel, right? Then how about we try that?¡±

    ¡°¨D¨Dtsu! Then I will hasten the appraisal of the jewel. Els, I¡¯m sorry, but please take care of the rest.¡±

    As she replied to Els¡¯ words, Celica bowed to Shin and took the jewel in his hand and headed for the other side of the reception desk.

    As for the easygoing Shin, he felt admiration about the convenient method.

    ¡°Good grief, what a guy you are.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s true what you said about the level, your strength can bepared to at least an entire A rank party. But if it¡¯s a lie, then you¡¯re a great braggart.¡±

    ¡°Well, If it¡¯s wrong, that means I saw it wrongly. Besides, isn¡¯t my rank G? No one will believe if I said that I subdued a Jack ss.¡±

    ¡°Though that is certainly so, if they don¡¯t know the circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s nice, I guess. Though I don¡¯t mean to attract attention with the words I said until now.¡±

    Although it felt like his words were contradicting his actions, Shin chose to not stand out because he didn¡¯t want to be troubled by the attention towards him. Shin¡¯s only purpose was to return to his former world, and joining the guild was an effective way to gather information.

    ¡°I reported it because if one would wander aimlessly to search for it and that would be bad, I guess. If possible, I don¡¯t want it to be known that it was my doing.¡±

    ¡°Although I want toply with your will, I think there will be people who investigate it even if I hide it. Because normally it¡¯s natural to introduce oneself as the one who did it, right?¡±

    ¡°You have a point¡­¡±

    Though Shin understood that, he felt it was bothersome as she said it clearly. There would be amotion only for this. The adventurer that defeated it would be considerably famous, but it was too unnatural if the person chose not to divulge his name. It would be inevitable that people wanted to know the reason that he didn¡¯t appear.

    When it was revealed, it surely would attract attention if he was a G rank adventurer. It was troublesome no matter how it turned out.

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you, but it seems that I¡¯m not able to help you with much.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to put a burden on you there, so it¡¯s fine. For the time being, I have to find a meal to eat.¡±

    The problem wasn¡¯t solved from worrying meaninglessly. He decided to have lunch as a change of mood. Inside the guild was so crowded that hardly any seats left, so he decided to go outside the guild, to eat lunch.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Since Els stayed in the guild, Shin walked on the main street alone. He headed for the restaurant which Els and Celica, who returned from the interior of the reception desk, rmended together.

    After walking for a little while, the restaurant that hung out the signboard where a sword and fork were drawn, came into view. It was said that every chef were a former adventurer, and seemed to be offering exotic dishes such as dishes with rare ingredients and so on.

    ¡°Is it a fighting chef?¡­like Cook?¡±

    He remembered the woman who did the cooking in the ¡®Rokuten¡¯, and a wry smile leaked out. She was particr about securing materials by herself, therefore she was an oddball whose stats were said to be on the verge of the maximum value.

    To begin with, there was no oddball in the ¡®Rokuten¡¯, but the figure that handled a handiwork kitchen knife in both hands while preparing to cook a dragon left a strong impression in Shin.

    ¡°Just by remembering it makes me hungry¡­¡±

    Because his stomach started to growl, he quickly opened the door. The restaurant was crowded, probably because he arrived during lunch break.

    ¡°Wee. I¡¯m sorry. You will have to wait a bit!!¡±

    The voice which likened a bell resounded in the noisy restaurant. There was only one waitress who went back and forth between table and counter. Although he was hungry, he felt sorry for rushing it in this situation.

    Shin stood quietly beside a door and looked at the restaurant interior. Was it because it was near the guild?, or because the restaurant manager was a former adventurer? Most of the people inside the restaurant were equipped with armor and weapons. They were probably the people who gathered because of the Skull Face, Shin guessed.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting. Let me guide you here¡­Isn¡¯t it Shin-san?¡±

    ¡°Yep? well, errr¡­Celica-san? No, is it Cilica-san?¡±

    Although Shin was surprised at the sudden words, he could see properly that the hair was in a ponytail not like Celica¡¯s, so he noticed it was Cilica. He thought about whether Celica had changed her clothes again for an instant.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Is it because of a rmendation from Onee-chan that you have chosen this restaurant?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m grateful in various way.¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it too early for an ordinary person to be rmended here.¡±

    ¡°? Did you say something?¡±

    Cilica muttered something with serious face for a moment. Though Shin felt inclined and asked, she just smiled and said nothing. Since pursuing it would be strange, the conversation stopped there. He didn¡¯t want to have a long conversation beside a door, too.

    He was guided there when a group seemed to leave by chance, so one table was vacant. Shin felt awkward to use the table alone, but unfortunately the table for one person was filled. He gave the consent to Cilica that he wouldn¡¯t mind sharing the table when other visitors came, and then he ordered a dish.

    ¡°Uhm, Shin-san. Because a new visitor came, share the table, please. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I understand.¡±

    Cilica turned up after Shin ordered a dish almost without pausing and requested for him to share a table. The one who came over was a man who was also an adventurer with a spear which emitted a poisonous-looking radiance.

    ¡°¡­Is that ¡®Venom¡¯?¡±

    Shin muttered as the spear that could be said to be ominous was seen.

    Devil spear ¡¯Venom¡¯¨D¨D ¡¶Legend¡· grade that had the ability that could bepared with ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, was a weapon that had a clear distinction from ¡¶Rare¡· and ¡¶Unique¡· grade.

    ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±

    ¡°No, you saved me from trouble. I was hesitant to upy the table alone¡±

    While greeting lightly, Shin looked at the man. His height almost the same as Shin. His eyes were red and gathered his raven-ck hair roughly behind his head. His skin was white like the skin of a sick person. Though he thought that the man had a good-looking face, Shin had the impression which stood contrary to his appearance. The man was like a wild beast. He had a sharp glint in his eyes, indicating that the man has made it through violent situations. In addition, he had the sameposure to kill as a beast.

    WilhelmFirstShow

    His level was 188. This man could probably defeat the normal Jack ? Skull Face alone.

    ¡°I am Shin. This must be fate or something, too. Although it¡¯s only for a short time, nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°¡­There is still a guy who has not yet heard about me, huh? I¡¯m Wilhelm Avis. Are you a new face among adventurers?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s my third day today.¡±

    Shin observed the man as he greeted him, and Wilhelm told him his name. Shin answered the question while looking puzzled to Wilhelm¡¯s words.

    Suddenly Shin noticed that all the visitors in the restaurant paid attention to him, although the surroundings were still noisy. But Shin was still a rookie adventurer. So it would be Wilhelm who attracted attention. Even though Shin did not understand the reason why Wilhelm attracted attention, he decided to leave it alone because there was no harm for the moment.

    ¡°Third day? That equipment is quite good for you. Are you employed as a mercenary?¡±

    ¡°No, well, you might say that it¡¯s because I have traveled from a faraway country, I think. So Ick a little knowledge about themon sense here.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you don¡¯t feel nervous when hearing my name. A normal adventurer and me wouldn¡¯t share a table, I guess.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel nervous? ¡­What on earth did you do?¡±

    Shin calmly asked about it, despite of the intimidation situation which seemed to caused some person break out in a cold sweat. The surrounding adventurers were thinking: ¡°Why is this guy speaking with him overly familiar¡±, their hearts were all screaming together.

    As for Shin, he didn¡¯t feel the intimidation, not even in the slightest. It was just a somewhat over-familiar question because he thought the man he saw had more or less nevermitted any crimes.

    ¡°No big deal particrly. I only killed undead monsters for quite some time. So people don¡¯t always approach the ce I fought. It was said that I continue to fight to the point where I can absorb the undead¡¯s power.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡­I don¡¯t understand the meaning.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t believe it was only that simple. He wondered whether or not it was a joke.

    ¡°I am the same, too. Well, a guy with a low ranked who believed this is a fool. The true reason is because I have this.¡±

    As he said so, Wilhelm grabbed the spear which leaned against the wall ¨C the devil spear ¡®Venom¡¯.

    ¡°This guy is ¡®Venom¡¯. It is a weapon of the ¡¶Legend¡· grade, and it has the ability to absorb the vitality of the opponent it wounded, and share it with the user. Though it is a convenient thing, ¡¶Legend¡· or higher grade weapon means it possesses a power that can blow anyone away. But even if I use it, I don¡¯t understand the ability of this guy either.¡±

    ¡°You use it, and you don¡¯t understand it either?¡±

    ¡°I noticed that I became the guy who was being detested. Additionally, the ability of my weapon is absorption. Even allies were nervous at one time because of the absorption.¡±

    Because naturally there was no weapon description column in the game, he did not seem to know exactly what kind of effect the weapon had. Though it would actually be an absurd case if Shin knew the effect, it was because he wasn¡¯t from this world. At the same time, he was satisfied with the reason as to why the surrounding visitors were paying attention to them, then the ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ skill question emerged.

    ¡°Do you know it can get appraised?¡±

    ¡°Well, I have attempted to get it appraised you might say, but only the name and the grade was discovered. The current ability used can¡¯t be confirmed.¡±

    ¡°What is skill level of the person who did the appraisal.¡±

    ¡°It was ¢÷.¡±

    Shin was convinced he knew why it was impossible from Wilhelm¡¯s reply. The lowest skill level necessary for confirming the ability details of weapons of ¡¶Legend¡· grade was ¢ø, ¢ù in ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, and maximum level ¢ú for the ¡¶Ancient¡· grade ones. When ying the game, merchants or cksmiths could be requested immediately by yers for appraising skills, but apparently in this world, it didn¡¯t seem to be that easy.

    The dish which he ordered was served as Shin was going to give up the topic. Wilhelm seemed to have already ordered his dish, as there was a dish that Shin didn¡¯t remember ordering.

    ¡°For the time being, shall we eat?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s eat!¡±

    After saying ¡°Itadakimasu¡±, they immediately dig in. The dish Shin ordered was the grilled thigh with bone of the Aburidori monster. Shin¡¯s nose was tickled as an indescribably fragrant aroma was shrouded as it made a sizzling sounds.

    A fragrance of the spices mixed with meat juices impacted and filled his mouth the moment he bit in it. Crispy skin and the feel of the meating loose softly was irresistible for the hungry Shin.

    ¡°Delicious! This is delicious!!¡±

    ¡°¡­Settle down a little and eat.¡±

    Wilhelm was a little amazed at Shin who was vigorously wolfing it down. Though he couldn¡¯t say that himself, because Wilhelm was greedily ate the dish with a speed matching Shin¡¯s.

    For a while, they continued to eat in silence, and then each of them sipped a cup of ck tea after the meal.

    ¡°I ate Aburidori for the first time after a long absence. Even it¡¯s name made me think that oneself is warmed.¡± (T/N: Aburareru means warm; grill/scorch which is almost simr to the monster¡¯s name, Aburidori)

    ¡°It was a little charred here though.¡±

    It was a yful name, but still, the level range of the monster was about 100. It couldn¡¯t fly although it was a bird type monster, and it was not alert and agile, but it could breathe out me as it was the biggest characteristic ording to its name. It was the monster which was strangely popr during the time of the game.

    ¡°That reminds me, was it okay to tell me the information on your weapon thoughtlessly? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be concealed?¡±

    ¡°What I said earlier, it was widely known a long time ago. It won¡¯t change anything even if I have only told a rookie now.¡±

    ¡°You have a point there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already done eating. See you then, neer¡±

    ¡°See you~¡±

    Just like he said it to a friend, Shin saw Wilhelm off. The surroundings were noisy, but Shin didn¡¯t mind it now.

    Shortly after Wilhelm left, Shin left his seat, too.

    The first meeting of a High Human Rokuten and a white figure welding a devil spear, was in fact a in and simple one.

 Book 1: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    Shin, who left the restaurant, turned around on his foot toward the library. Even though the request was notpleted yet, it didn¡¯t have a time limit. So he didn¡¯t need to hurry. From now on, because of his conduct during thest few days, he intended to carefully study the possible sense of an impending crisis.

    ¡°Is it here?¡±

    Shin was at the middle point of themercial and residential districts. Loud voices from energetic merchants could be heard asionally. It was a quiet cepared to themercial district.

    And in front of Shin, there was a library standing tall before his eyes. The library, which was managed by the Bayreuth kingdom, was named the Royal Magic Library.

    It seemed to have plenty of magic category books assembled together, but he was told by Tsugumi that the information aboutmon knowledge that he didn¡¯t understand, could be found here. Though there were books that couldn¡¯t be read without permission inside, there was no problem, since Shin intended to only study within a readable scope at this time.

    From the information desk, the chairs, tables, and therge quantity of bookshelves in the library, there was nothing special about it, nor were there features that could distinguish it from other libraries. Just in case, he received an exnation about the usage at the information desk, he summarized the matters that required attention, such as how he could only rent 3 books at a time, how there was a limit in amount of rental days, and how he was free to read inside the library, but how it would cost money if he borrowed one.

    As for the rental cost, it was based on what kind of book it was, and how many days it was rented for. Of course, if a book was lost, there would be a fine. The general rule for the books which required permission to be read, was that it was prohibited to rent them, and there were books that couldn¡¯t be read without certain social status and/or trust such as the senior adventurers and the court service officers.

    If there was a valuable book, one would think that a thief would break into the library. But there were guards and soldiers who kept watch on the surroundings in the building. In addition, they also had the skill for crime prevention, so no fellow could act violently.

    (Is it level ¢ø ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿? So that¡¯s why they are so full of confidence.)

    Although he doubted that the skill barrier used was stronger than the rampart, he still admired that the barriers were never broken since from the very beginning.

    After receiving the exnation, he was instructed where the books of which field were located at. Then, he gathered books around the library and sat down on a empty seat.

    First, the history. After all, Shin thought that the first thing he had to do was to investigate about the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, which seemed to be connected to the simultaneous logout from the death game. Because there was a chronology which listed the big events since the country was founded in the book, he opened it at once.

    ¡°First of all, from the recent events. Um, it¡¯s the 511th years now from when the country was founded, huh? Because it¡¯s said that the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ urred 500 years ago, and it was almost in the same time period as the founding of the country.¡±

    He traced back the chronological table to the past while looking puzzled due to the strange coincidence. There were numerous things rted to the national administration that were written, such as the conclusion of the alliance, the kings taking over, funerals, wars,rge-scale constructions, and so on. As he looked at the end of the chronology, which was the part about the country¡¯s founding.

    ¡°No info about the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ is written here, not even a little.¡±

    Only the founding of the Bayreuth kingdom was written about in the chronology, anything that happened earlier than that wasn¡¯t written about.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a chronology after all. I guess that it was written about in other books.¡±

    He opened another history book while pulling himself together. However, most of the content in the opened books did not describe in detail the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.

    Though he read several history books afterward, the conclusion was still the same. Only one of the books seemed to have written about the event.

    ¡°The world has changed after that day¡­¡±

    The king left, the country disappeared, and it was written that the world had changed, but it was not written clearly about what happened to the world afterwards. Apparently, after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, there was temporary chaos around the world, but the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ was not described in detail. It seemed odd that there was so little recorded in the book about the yers¡¯ logout, where they were thought to have vanished.

    He took out one of the books from the mountain of books while thinking that no book could provide him with the info he wanted.

    It seemed to be a book about races, and each feature and characteristic was briefly described.

    Human ¨D¨D They have the highest number in poption, and there were a lot of countries, too. When a kingdom was established, the ruler was called a King.

    Dragnil ¨D¨D Power and vitality were prominently high, have a long life. It can transform into the shape of a human. When an empire was established, the king was called a Dragnil King.

    Beast ¨D¨D They have the highest number in poption next to humans, they are keen and nimble, and have different characteristics in every tribe. When the tribe was gathered together and formed an alliance, the chief was called a Beast King.

    Lord ¨D¨D There was a little bias about their ability, also no ability that seemed prominent, but as a whole, their abilities have the tendency to be high. When the empire was established, the king was called a Devil King.

    Dwarf ¨D¨D They have skillful hands and are good at making armor and tools. They were scattered in every country and formed a guild which had the tendency to share their technique and craft. The best craftsman was called a Cave King.

    Pixie ¨D¨D They are the longest living race, they excelled at magic handling. The pixies were divided between the ones who lived in this world, and the ones who lived in the fairy vige in the other world, which exchange with each other. The king was called a Fairy King.

    Elf ¨D¨D Their lifespanse 2nd after the pixies, not only magic, but also their crisis perception ability was high. They lived in the woods. Young elves often appeared outside the vige. The vige was called the garden, and the chief was called the Forest King.

    There were no contents that differed from Shin¡¯s knowledge. Although Shin momentarily felt a sense of incongruity for the dwarf¡¯s best craftsman, who was called the Cave King, he remembered that there was a setting where dwarves originally lived in caves.

    Because there was a chance that an Elf or Pixie might know about the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, he made sure to memorized that part.

    ¡°Now then, what should I read next?¡±

    He decided to investigate as long as the time permitted, and opened the next book.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin was doing the investigation in the library, executives, such as Barlux and Els, were preparing for a meeting in a room of the adventurers¡¯ guild.

    Of course, the agenda was the Skull Face. Even though the situation called for waiting for the appraisal of the jewel, the members that had some free time were gathered for the time being. There was a possibility that the information was urate, because the one who reported was said to hold a letter of introduction. Since the Skull Face had already been defeated, the sense of urgency was not high, but the Shin¡¯s personality in the report of Barlux and Els was raised to some extent.

    Though the man called Shin seemed to be easily trusted, there was never a case where a dangerous person held the letter of introduction, so it gave the report some credibility.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start the special meeting.¡±

    All the members in the room directed their attention to Barlux in response to his voice.

    ¡°Though there are people who have already heard this, the Jack ? Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest was subdued. The one who subdued it only collected a jewel, which is currently under investigation.¡±

    ¡°The Jack ss was subdued and neither the sword nor the armor were collected?¡±

    All the members looked puzzled due to the words from Barlux, who reported inly. The first one to speak was Ardi, who was just dispatched as a liaison from the kingdom. The mage, Arad Royl, who was in charge of the appraisal of the jewel, nodded as he had the same kind of doubt. Kylie Ein, who was the sub-master, and Els, who knew about the circumstances, had no reaction. Then Barlux continued.

    ¡°The person told me that the sword and armor were not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Not a big deal?¡­¡±

    Ardi had the expression of someone who didn¡¯t understand. Arad wasughing ¡°hohoho¡± whilebing down his beard.

    ¡°To dere something like that, it seems that this man¡¯s wealth is quite considerable.¡±

    Although Arad¡¯s hair and beard were white-colored because of his old age, due to his well-developed back muscles, which were tightly visible, he didn¡¯t look as old as he was. The way heughed suited the good-natured old man.

    ¡°The fellows who hold the introduction letter are generally thoughtless fellows. They don¡¯t care about losing their life, especially the young ones.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Wait! Though I have no obligation to say this, we are not that thoughtless.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convincing when guild master says so.¡±

    Ardi was about to believe Arad¡¯s im asmon sense. But Barlux interfered, and was put down by Els.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back to the jewel case. I don¡¯t know the details yet, but apparently there are no mistakes, at least about the story of its level being 359.¡±

    ¡°Still. It would be nice if the proof part was collected. The problem is whether or not a simr monster has appeared.¡±

    It was likely a little joking, and the moderate tension became loose from Arad¡¯s honest report. Because there was no one excelling Arad in jewel appraisal in the guild, it was decided that a Skull Face that had the level of at least a King ss had appeared.

    ¡°The staff that¡¯s skillful in searching has already gone out to investigate it. The information will be assembled tomorrow.¡±

    Kylieplemented in a calm tone. ck hair held together with a barrette, light brown pupils and long-narrow eyes could be seen from the interior of her sses. The secretary of Barlux had good looks and skillbined, and a sword could be seen at her hips.

    ¡°As usual, Kylie did her work fast. The guild master should follow her example.¡±

    ¡°Our sub-master is excellent, old man Royl.¡±

    ¡°Can Barlux-sama focus on your work a little more?¡±

    ¡°Urgh¡±

    ¡°She has no mercy.¡±

    A few words from Kylie break the joke from Barlux. Barlux was not bad at office work particrly, but Kylie still seemed to be dissatisfied with him.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, were you surprised that this is different than you thought?¡±

    ¡°No, well you might say, because I thought that the feeling of tension should remain a little bit.¡±

    Arad asked Ardi, who was taken aback by the dialogue of the three people. He seemed to have a serious personality. Ardi said modestly, and yet he showed a slightly perplexed expression.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s a usual case. Besides, this is something like a petty liaison meeting, rather than a conference. If this was a state of emergency, each district chief and S rank adventurers would gather here.¡±

    ¡°Still, only one Skull Face has been reported, right?¡±

    Ardi understood that it was not an emergency situation, because only five people gathered, but he thought he might be too optimistic. Arad, who read Ardi¡¯s mind,plemented Ardi so he revealed his true feelings.

    ¡°It seems so. To be honest, there is no knowing how many such monsters are out there, and there is a reason to do an assessment.¡±

    ¡°Is it the barrier¡¯s protection?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Do you know about it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the barrier against monsters. It is said that monsters from outside the barrier will not be allowed toe near.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, the first King erected the barrier. Therefore, even if a strong monster is born, they can¡¯te inside the barrier. It also has the effect of silencing strong dark magic. In addition, we are being vignt ourselves, too.¡±

    The technique from the time the kingdom was founded was still protecting the Bayreuth kingdom. That was the reason why the amount of strong monsters that had appeared so far, hadn¡¯t increased.

    However, neither the kingdom nor the guild considered the barrier absolute, no matter how well it defended. In response to the Skull Face report, the knights¡¯ group was prepared, so they could sally out by the thoroughgoing condition in the kingdom. Also, the subjugation report was not confirmed at the moment, so the adventurers were still waiting for orders and were working hard to gather information.

    ¡°Skull Faces be active at night. Ardi, in preparation for the worst case, I want you to contact the knight leader and raise the alertness order by one rank.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Barlux spoke during the gap of the conversation between Ardi and Arad. The flustered state just a while ago seemed hard to believe. Judging from Arad, Kylie and Els¡¯ attitude, it was probably a usual thing.

    ¡°That¡¯s all from me. Does anyone have any other opinions? If not, I assume we are done.¡±

    Arad, Els and Kylie thought it was over regarding the main report of the Skull Face from Barlux. However, Ardi raised his hand and Barlux nodded to let him convey his opinion.

    ¡°The Skull Face this time had a different weapon from the information we obtained. I would like you to give me detailed information on the person who subdued the Skull Face, so the investigation about the weapon can be clear after this.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, though there is no intention to cover up information about the weapon, I can¡¯t reveal anything about the person who subjugated it, as it was his wish. Still, if it¡¯s alright, lets take responsibility for it. I wonder about why you are making a fuss about this, may I hear the reason?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Though the story changed a little, does everyone know about the sword that flew to the royal castle?¡±

    Naturally all the members nodded back. If there was no disturbance by the Skull Face, it would have been a hot topic by now.

    ¡°The Skull Face was subdued on the day when the sword flew to the royal castle, furthermore, the Skull Face that appeared this time was equipping a greatsword that was different from the normal ones. There is only one person who can connect these together, I think.¡±

    Everyone except Ardi imagined one person from his remark.

    ¡°May I hear what kind of sword it was?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a condition you must adhere to, or I can¡¯t disclosed the information.¡±

    All members agreed on Ardi¡¯s condition. There was no person that didn¡¯t know the importance of the information in this ce.

    ¡°The sword¡¯s de is about 2 mels long and the material is a demon steel mixed with an alloy of mithril. Moreover, the sword has permanent light attribute magic bestowed upon it. If it is put side by side with our country¡¯s treasured sword, then the treasured sword seems to be poorly made.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Everyone couldn¡¯t hide their surprise at his words. Speaking of the treasured sword of the Bayreuth kingdom, even at the lowest rank, it was a weapon that was ssified as ¡¶Legend¡· grade. It was a national treasure grade of weapon that almost no person could forge, so there were no equal swords in existence right now. Let alone that a person thought that the Skull Face held it.

    Because he was in the middle of a fight, Shin didn¡¯t notice as he did not use the appraisal skill. He thought the greatsword of the Skull Face was of the lowest grade, but it had a self-restoration ability which was higher than ¡¶Rare¡· and ¡¶Unique¡·.

    ¡°If it¡¯s assumed that the Skull Face had the greatsword, then the person in question is indomitable, as the enemy had a weapon at the treasured sword level in addition to a high level was subjugated. But no need to worry, as it is impossible I think. Besides that, I was a little troubled by it¡­¡±

    Though the worry about the strength of the person at hand was understandable, Barlux, who doubted the indescribably, indecisive of Ardi¡¯s speech in thetter half, asked.

    ¡°Troubled by it?¡±

    The content which Ardi recited was indeed true, although he had only guessed, and nobody came to have conclusive evidence, because there was no one who knew about the greatsword in detail. It was said that it was impossible for undead to have a weapon with the light attribute in this world.

    ¡°As for this, news may reach Barlux-dono soon, as it is likely to be announced grandly. Until then, please don¡¯t tell anyone for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood. Should others leave this ce?¡±

    ¡°Because the permission is given, it doesn¡¯t matter, as I follow the same condition as a while ago. Since there is a possibility that everybody will know, too.¡±

    Though everyone except Barlux had a question about the announcement ce, they nodded for the time being, and then speech was urged to be started.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    Afterwards, everyone who was present was perplexed about the content that leaked out of Ardi¡¯s mouth.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 1: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    For several hours, he had been investigating things in the library. Somehow the library was closed when the sun was a little high in the evening. When Shin confirmed it with the menu screen, the time showed 4:50. Even though he didn¡¯t know whether the time was urate, Shin thought that every city hall and post office had their own way to keep track of the time. Rather, he was amazed to learn that they had about the same closing time.

    He thought about returning to the south district for the time being, but his stomach was grumbling while looking around the stalls. It was early, but he bought yakitori* for dinner which he saw was barbecued nicely in a stall he found by chance. It could be said that a simr yakitori wasn¡¯t sold in Japan, as they were 30 cemels long skewers stuck into hearty chicken meat. (T/N: *a bite-size marinated pieces of beef, seafood, or chicken on skewers)

    ¡°This yakitori tastes good even in a different world¡­but did I buy too much?¡±

    He took out a freshly cooked skewer from a bag while smiling wryly. He bought four yakitori. It was a quantity that could be said was too much to eat before dinner.

    He sat down on the edge of the fountain in the center of the square to rx after walking and eating. He stuffed his mouth with meat while looking at the passersby for no particr reason.

    After all, there were still many appearances of adventurers since the information regarding the Skull Face was published.

    Although information regarding the subjugationpletion was also made public, the adventurers seemed to be still on guard.

    ¡°¡­Tsu¡­tsu¡±

    While looking at the hustle of the town and chewing on the yakitori, after he had investigated, he organized the information he had acquired in his head. There were three noteworthy things that he understood for now.

    First, the book that had written about the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ was rare.

    Besides that, there was also a possibility that the book was banned or that it was stored in a ce with reading restrictions. For now, Shin couldn¡¯t enter that ce, so it was put on hold. In the future, he couldn¡¯t help but to feel prepared to visit viges of long-lived species such as Elves or Dragnils. Either way, he still didn¡¯t have the intention to sneakily search for it.

    Second, the geography of this world.

    Originally, four continents existed in the world of THE NEW GATE, the 1st three continents were for beginner, intermediate and advanced level yers. And the 4th continent became the area for yers who had lost interest in themon fields.

    Of course, Shin had almost conquered all four areas that were disyed on the map, but now the map function was no longer recognizable. The reason was simple, it was because the continental shape itself had changed due to a natural phenomenon that took ce after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯. Through movements and ground upheavals, the 4 continents turned into 5, and a lot of small ind nations were scattered. This might be one of the causes for there being no documents about the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.

    By the way, the continent where Shin was currently at, was called the Continent of Eltnia.

    Third, the big city that was formerly the headquarter base of adventurers.

    Each continent had two or three big cities that became the headquarter base for the yers. Each city featured an enhanced defense and the city¡¯s trades were lively, it was also crowded although there was prejudice in certain races and jobs. One of the reasons why people gathered there was only because big cities have temples that could be used for reincarnation.

    Those big cities were now called the ¡®Sacred ce¡¯, and were also seen as targets to be recaptured. Though the big cities that existed were mostly the same without being affected by natural disasters, after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, each city turned into a demon city dominated by high-level monsters. The investigationmittee was sent on countless asions, but the lowest level of monsters exceeded 500, and it was said that anyone who entered the ¡®Sacred ce¡¯ would never return.

    For some reason, the high-level monsters of the ¡®Sacred ce¡¯ never came outside the cities, and the overflowing magical power caused the surroundingnd and nts to mutate. In addition, the current conditions had also caused sudden mass outbreaks of low-level monsters.

    ¡°Then, the problem is?¡±

    He contemted while putting his hand on his chin. If the topography itself had changed, then his memory from during the time of the game was unreliable. The locations of Elf¡¯s garden and the Pixie¡¯s fairy vige or the other ces with long-lived species, were different from his memory, too. Information collection was likely to be difficult.

    ¡°Hmmph¡­?¡±

    Just when he thought about asking Tiera and Els, Shin looked up because he felt someone¡¯s gaze. Shin turned his face to the direction of the gaze and saw a cat-eared girl, probably at elementary to primary school student age, who was staring at Shin from 2 mels away.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Drool¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­¡±

    Correction. The cat-eared little girl was intently staring at the skewer that Shin held. Somehow, her strong desire could be seen.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Errr¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you want to eat it?¡±

    The little girl¡¯s intense staring was interrupted by Shin. Besides her desire which werepletely revealed, her innocent eyes caused Shin to feel bad.

    Since he thought that he bought too many anyway, he took out a freshly cooked skewer from the bag while holding his half-eaten skewer in his mouth, and presented it to the girl.

    Shin intended to say ¡°Do you want to eat it?¡±, but only gave off the iprehensible words ¡°Fu fu ah it¡± as a result of having a skewer in his mouth.

    Though it was not certain, was she able to decipher Shin¡¯s pronunciation? Or was it simply because of the act of presenting the skewer to her. The little girl lightly ran toward Shin and with quick ¡°Shu~batsu¡± sound effect, she took the skewer from Shin by force. She sat next to him as she began to stuff the yakitori into her mouth. The moment when their eyes met, her cat ears went ¡°Syu~pin!¡±, even Shin was a little surprised.

    ¡°Mugumugu¡­Hamuhamu¡± (T/N: munching with closed mouth sfx and bite chew sfx)

    They ate the meat silently for a while. When Shin looked at the girl working hard to fill her small mouth, he was able to confirm her appearance. Somehow it made Shin feel heartwarming.

    The words young vagrant and beggar appeared on Shin¡¯s mind in addition from it. But, he denied those kind of words immediately when he saw the appearance of the girl.

    Her clothes had been mended here and there, but she wore the clothes properly, and there was no emaciation either. Also, there was no sign of aiming at one¡¯s wallet. There might be a person who raised her with at least a home to return to, Shin judged.

    ¡°Whew, thanks for the delicious meal.¡±

    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re wee.¡±

    After she finished eating thest bit neatly, the girl bowed to Shin.

    ¡°Onii-chan, a good person.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±

    Shin looked at the little girl with a smallugh. From the cat ears, he understood that the girl might be a beast which belonged to the feline family. Only the tips of her yellow hair were dyed light brown, and he wondered if she was a Tiger Type. Because 30% of the poption of the Bayreuth kingdom were Beast as he learned from a chat with Tsugumi, it was not particrly rare.

    ¡°I, Millie. Onii-chan?¡±

    ¡°Name? I am Shin, just Shin.¡±

    ¡°Together with Millie¡±

    ¡°Together?¡±

    ¡°Millie too, just Millie.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, indeed together.¡±

    ¡®Shin¡¯ was not a surname because the name he used exactly his yer name. Particrly, because it wasn¡¯t pointed out and he didn¡¯t see any problems keeping his name as it was during the registration in the guild. It seemed that the thought of a timid Millie had disappeared, and she seemed to be looking delightful.

    ¡°Now then, I have finished eating the meat and I have to go soon, but what will Millie do? Should I send you home?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Pick me up, came.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No way! Pick you up¡­?¡±

    The direction where Millie pointed to, Shin was unable to hide his surprise about the figure that walked toward them.

    When the figure noticed that Millie was with Shin, it quickened its pace to approach them.

    ¡°Oh! We meet again, Shin.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since the lunch, Wilhelm.¡±

    A raven-haired man who had the presence of a beast greeted Shin. So, when Millie said pick up, it was none other than Wilhelm Avis.

    ¡°Wil-nii!¡±

    Millie ran and clung to Wilhelm. Shin was astonished at the unexpected development.

    ¡°No way, Wilhelm¡¯s¡­child?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it! I am taking care of her at the orphanage!¡±

    ¡°Orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, it hasn¡¯t been that long since you came to this country.¡±

    While patting Millie¡¯s head, Wilhelm briefly exined. ording to him, a church in the west district was doubling as an orphanage and seemed to be taking care of children who lost their parents in some kind of circumstances. Millie was one of them.

    ¡°This fellow skillfully sneaked out from the orphanage some time ago. I was searching for her like a fool.¡±

    ¡°Did you go out without permission? I can¡¯t really admire that.¡±

    ¡°Uu, sorry, I am¡±

    Millie, who was aware she had done a bad thing, apologized obediently. The cat ears also went ¡°Shu~n*¡­¡± as one would expect in fantasy.

    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s unusual for this person to not be afraid like this.¡±

    ¡°Afraid?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand after what I have seen today, but this person is afraid of strangers. She doesn¡¯t approach strangers at their first meeting.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Only tempted by the meat, Shin thought, but Millie shook her head. Was she able to read Shin¡¯s thoughts? It seemed likely he hit the bull¡¯s-eye. And for some reason, it felt like she said ¡°You must not say it¡±.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to stay here for too long. Come on Millie, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Said Millie as she ran toward Shin.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ear, lend.¡±

    ¡°Like this?¡±

    Shin squat down and brought his ear close to Millie¡¯s mouth. Millie, who ran toward Shin in the same way as she did to Wilhelm, whispered words to Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Bye-bye.¡±

    Shin saw Millie off as she was led by Wilhelm and disappeared into the crowd.

    He walked toward Bear Point Pavilion while thinking about the words he was told by Millie.

    After he returned to Bear Point Pavilion, Shin took a rest in his room as he had some free time before dinner.

    He sat on the bed and recalled the words Millie whispered, in his head.

    ¡°Help the fox-san which is in the northern forest¡­huh?¡±

    During the time of the game, he was able to determine what to expect from the area information, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t make an inference now, since the topography had greatly changed.

    He tilted his head in doubt about whether or not there would be a fox. At least, a fox type monster never attacked Shin. The monsters which were simr to a bear, a snake, and a dog were often found and asionally a flight type appeared.

    Other wild animals were extremely rare because there were a lot of monsters, and it was snakes and rats that he saw the most. A monster was a wild animal that mutated under the influence of magical power, so naturally there weremon animals. Still, he didn¡¯t remember seeing a fox before.

    ¡°It¡¯s no good, I don¡¯t know nothing about it.¡±

    The answer didn¡¯t appear no matter how much he thought about it. But she said ¡°help¡±. That might be something imminent. Especially the area of the northern forest in the vicinity of the Bayreuth kingdom, where the risk was quite high.

    She might have judged Shin as an adventurer because he was an acquaintance of Wilhelm¡¯s, although it seemed strange that she requested Shin during their first meeting.

    It was not something that he must do just because it was requested. However, if he didn¡¯t do anything, it would leave a bitter feeling. Shin decided to n for tomorrow as well as for Millie¡¯s request. Incidentally, he intended to meet Tiera, and finish the message to Schnee.

    ¡°So I have decided¡­meal it is.¡±

    The yakitori had already been digested. Shin went downstairs to eat dinner.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Dawn of the next day.

    Shin departed from Bear Point Pavilion and passed through the main street where there were crowded stalls towards the south gate. When he exited from the gate, there were people lining up to enter the country, in contrast to Shin who was leaving.

    Shin moved along the rampart, while ignoring the people. Tsuki no Hokora was located between the south gate and the east gate, in fact, it was closer to the south gate. The ce where trees opened came into view after walking for a little while.

    As before, there were huge trees enclosing Tsuki no Hokora with about a 1 mel thickness, it gave off the impression that it was separated from its surroundings. It was because Tsuki no Hokora was originally built at the outskirts of the Arclid continent, which was one of the 4 continents. The ground where Shin lived, which was the Eltnia continent, might originally have been part of the Arclid continent.

    The Arclid continent was an even more superior area than the Houzent continent, the area of advanced level yers. Moreover, there were originally many quests and monsters which had a higher degree of difficulty than in themon areas of the other three continents. Besides, there were also quests that beginner and intermediate yers could receive, but yers who yearned for unusual quests, wanted to fight with strange monsters, had often visited there. In a sense, the yers were mostly gathered regardless of their levels and jobs.

    It could be said that the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora, due to being built in the outskirt area, were mostly advanced level yers. Seldom there were yers who sought shelter after escaping from monsters. By the way, the average level of monsters in the area where Tsuki no Hokora was built was around 600. Meanwhile the lowest slightly exceeded 200, and needless to say, the highest was 1000. It was in the past, but the store was set up casually near the habitat of a boss monster. Even the yers replenished their items in Tsuki no Hokora before challenging the boss.

    ¡°If I think about it¡­ I wonder what happened to the monsters that were in the Arclid continent. They certainly should have gotten on when the continents stuck together. Did they perish along with the natural disasters?¡±

    Certainly, if the monsters still existed, the Bayreuth kingdom would be destroyed. Anyway, there was monsters with the habit akin to ants, too. The monsters¡¯ levels exceeded 600 and appeared in random areas altogether. It was annoying to the advanced level yers, the intermediate level yers ran away or went around it, and beginner level yers had no choice but to acknowledge death and return. A ce where most of the people gathered, such as a country and so on, was unlikely to be targeted, but because of the rate of the encounters rose, the number of party members was increased.

    However, he still didn¡¯t know, no matter how much he thought about it. Since damage was not dealt, were some measures taken? Anyway, there might be a reason as to whether the monsters that perished appeared or not. He was convinced that one would not be able to establish the country and the roads if it was not so, and he stopped thinking about it for a moment. In fact, it might be possible that there were different continent grounds outside the surroundings of Tsuki no Hokora.

    He kept his questions to himself and stood in front of Tsuki no Hokora. When he visited a few days ago, he was relieved that the store still existed and did not notice it, but a wooden tally about 20 cemels across vertically and 10 cemels wide hung at the door which was the entrance of the store. It had the letters ¡ºThe storekeeper struggles hard inside¡»on it. This expressed that Tsuki no Hokora was doing business normally. And it had the letters ¡ºThe storekeeper has left home¡» on the back. This expressed the closing time for the store from material collecting or not being logged in and so forth.

    He opened the door while admiring that the wooden tally was still being used and entered the store. When Shin stepped forward in the store by one step, a light ¡°Chiri~n¡± sound of the bell was made. It would ring when someone entered the store. Apparently, the knights didn¡¯t show up today.

    ¡°Wee! Oh, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Yo, I came to leave a message I had forgotten about.¡±

    When she saw that it was Shin who entered, Tiera¡¯s expression changed from a smile into a happy face. The silvery hair that had returned to its original hair shined because of the light from the windows.

    ¡°That reminds me, Ipletely forgot about that.¡±

    When she heard Shin¡¯s speech, she did the expression ¡°Ah!¡± as if she remembered something she had forgotten. Still, there was no help for forgetting about it when he thought about the previous event.

    ¡°Then, I want you to convey to her that I want to meet and talk if she remembers this.¡±

    Shin said and ced an object, which he took out from his Item Box, on the counter.

    It was a dark blue ninja sword, there were flowers engraved on the sheath and handle, which Tiera had never seen before. It was well engraved in such detail, which turned the ninja sword weapon into a work of art.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Tiera?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh!¡±

    Shin called out to Tiera who was staring at the ninja sword. Tiera abruptly returned due to his voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Hey Shin, This¡­is this by any chance an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon?¡±

    Tiera looked at the ninja sword with an ¡®impossible¡¯ face. As if she was seeing a dazzling thing, she squinted her eyes.

    ¡°You know? This guy is certainly an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon. This is Schnee¡¯s personal weapon, named ¡ºBlue Moon¡».¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s personal weapon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, if I¡¯m not mistaken, Schnee might not be using her personal weapon now, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, to begin with, I don¡¯t know what a personal weapon is¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    Shin, who thought it was certainly known, was surprised that the words personal weapon wasn¡¯t known.

    ¡°The personal weapon was set¡­uh, it¡¯s the weapon which only an authorized person can use. In the case of ¡ºBlue Moon¡», only Schnee or thepanion whom she had permitted can use it, excluding me who is the maker. Because if I leave it, then even if it¡¯s Tiera who is trying to, you cannot touch this guy without permission.¡±

    It was a function in the game that was granted to items, and could be epted as a reward in the time of an event so it couldn¡¯t be snatched. It was granted to weapons he made as a symbol of the guild.

    There were few people who were able to grant the function of personal weapon, because only the first-ss of cksmiths and alchemists could produce it.

    ¡°The user¡¯s limitatione to think of it, I have heard that some of the weapons excavated from ruins are not usable to anyone. Perhaps it¡¯s because of that?¡±

    ¡°It was probably someone¡¯s personal weapon. If that¡¯s that case, even if the weapon was discovered, there¡¯s no way to use or even research it. Only weapons that are higher than ¡¶Legend¡· grade can be granted the function of personal weapon, so it was definitely a high power. Even a guy with level 1 bes able to defeat a Tetra Grizzly easily, but only if he is able to use the weapon.¡±

    ¡°¡­What an outrageous ability.¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the performance that was far beyond expectation. One would be dubious if they only heard the exnation, but when the ninja sword, which hid an absurd power, was ced before one¡¯s eyes, they had no choice but to believe it.

    Shin casually ced the ninja sword ¡ºBlue Moon¡» on the counter. However, to Tiera it looked like the¡ºBlue Moon¡» had a distorted appearance around it. Tiera understood how powerful it was, even if she didn¡¯t have much battle experience.

    ¡°It is certainly a sword with remarkable power. But I don¡¯t want to use it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, for what reason would you not use it?¡±

    ¡°Because it looks like it¡¯s going to engulf me, I wonder.¡±

    Tiera intuitively understood, and was convinced at the same time. This certainly gave the user a great power. But if there was no ability to correspond with it, it would undermine the user.

    ¡°Engulf¡­huh? It¡¯s probably because of its materials.¡±

    When Tiera¡¯s words were heard, the first thing that came to Shin¡¯s mind was the penalty generated when equipping weapons that did not correspond with one¡¯s level. A necessary stats value was set for each weapon. In addition, status would be lowered when equipping a weapon in the state where one didn¡¯t reach said necessary stats value. One portion of ¡¶Legend¡· grade, ¡¶Mythology¡· grade and ¡¶Ancient¡· grade were impossible for him to equip at all. (Editor¡¯s note: The reason for ¡°one portion¡± part is probably because of Shin¡¯s LUC only 36)

    However, he thought that the phrase ¡®to engulf¡¯ was different, so he decided to exin what materials the weapon was made of.

    ¡°Really? What did you use?¡±

    ¡°The main alloy is called Chimeradite. And there is the tusk of a ck-Death Dragon, scales of a Sea-War Beast, and teardrops of an Element Tail, all which were fused together. The four materials I mentioned just now are the main ones, although there were various other essential materials. It¡¯s a guess, but it¡¯s probably caused by the tusk of the ck-Death Dragon or by the scales of the Sea-War Beast. Both monsters are the highest ss.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    Although Tiera heard the exnation from Shin, it could be said that she couldn¡¯tprehend it, as she put her hand on her forehead and wrinkles were seen in the area between her eyebrows.

    ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m not surprised anymore. Yeah, for example, even if what I heard just now are the creatures of legends¡­I¡¯m all right. Yes, it¡¯s all right.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t look alright at all.¡±

    Shin instinctively retorted to Tiera who was shaking her head to the sound of themon sense in herself crumbling.

    As usual, Shin still wasn¡¯t ustomed to the norms of this world, although this time themon sense was even further out of ce. Which wasn¡¯t surprising, because the monsters Shin spoke of were currently nothing but names that held a mighty power and were remembered only in legends. One would think it was a joke when told that the material was made from monsters that had the power to induce natural disasters.

    ¡°Haa, mymon sense seems to be shattered one by one whenever I talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Eh, because of me?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You casually take out an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon, even impossibility has its limits, you know?¡±

    ¡°Even if you say so, whether or not Schnee remembers me will depend on this.¡±

    Shin said while looking at the ¡ºBlue Moon¡». Schnee¡¯s personal equipment was entrusted to Shin before he challenged Origin. This was done not only by Schnee, but by all support characters as well. It was considered something like a good luck charm before Shin fought against the final boss. Thus now, other support characters¡¯ equipment were also waiting for their turn inside Shin¡¯s Item Box.

    Unless Shin met Schnee directly, there was also a possibility that the message wasn¡¯t read by her. Since the name ¡®Shin¡¯ might be amon name, he thought about leaving an item.

    ¡°Though such things are handed over, the people who are able to meet master are rare. But with a person like you, master might¡­¡±

    Simr with Shin, Tiera looked at the ¡ºBlue Moon¡» while nodding as she was convinced.

    So far, expensive clothes, jewels, and various rare items were sent. Nevertheless, the figure of her master who didn¡¯t show any interest appeared in Tiera¡¯s mind. Because she could easily imagine, her master wasn¡¯t interested even in items that were equivalent to ¡¶Legend¡· grade and would simply not look at the various expensive items.

    Even though Schnee ignored the ¡¶Legend¡· grade items, Tiera slightly deviated a bit from her evaluation of her master¡¯s interest for ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    ¡°Use this if she says that she remembers. It should contact me wherever I am.¡±

    He said and put a message card and writing paper with a simple design next to the ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    ¡°I can contact you by using this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s only one-way. Write the name of the addressee on the writing paper and the message you want to send here. After that, you only need say ¡®send¡¯.¡±

    Shin exined the usage while pointing at the writing paper and the message card. It was an item used often on birthday and Christmas in the game. There were people who made an borate card which induced a fancy special effect the moment it was opened.

    The item was only used at certain times, because normally it was faster to email in the game, but it was certainly a convenient item, because in the first ce, functions such as email and friend list were not usable in this world.

    ¡°Items as convenient like this exist too¡­¡±

    ¡°I do not use it too much and there are plenty left.¡±

    The item was rarely used, even if he got many message cards and a lot of writing paper as quest and event rewards. Though they were not really useful in the ¡®game¡¯, the items were unexpectedly handy in ¡®reality¡¯.

    ¡°If this thing bes popr, I think that would be amazing.¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    It could reach the addressee wherever they were, if viewed from Tiera¡¯s point of view, it was equivalent to a technology revolution.

    Unfortunately, Shin didn¡¯t have any interest in initiating a technology revolution. In the first ce, the items now were the things that originally existed in THE NEW GATE. Someone might invent it sooner orter, Shin thought.

    ¡°¡­Hey, I think rather than requesting me to pass on the message, aren¡¯t you able to contact master directly with this?¡±

    Tiera said like someone who suddenly thought about it while holding the message card with one hand.

    ¡°Well, actually, I can only send this to someone I have met directly, but I was not able to send it to Schnee, whom I should have met, for some reason.¡±

    Shin also thought it was a good idea to send it directly. However, for some reason, the message was not sent and he was not able to contact Schnee. To begin with, it was a mystery why a message card was usable but an email was not.

    Was there a defect in the card? He ran outside to show it to Tiera in practice, and sent the message. Tiera was surprised at the writing paper which suddenly appeared in front of her, but at least he seemed to understand that the item was not defective.

    (It looks like the list was reset.)

    This would be the reason why he was not able to send it, Shin guessed.

    There was one sentence, ¡°Let¡¯s send your feelings to people whom you¡¯ve met in adventures¡±, in the exnation column of the message card. For example, he would not be able to send the message to a person he had never met before in this world, even if he had met them in the game era, Shin thought.

    ¡°Ne ne~, can I get additional ones if you have any more?¡±

    ¡°Though I don¡¯t mind it in particr, I think you should not use it with someone who doesn¡¯t know about this.¡±

    ¡°Rather than use it, I want to research it. Even though I may appear this way, I want to know the mechanism when I look at this unusual magic item, because I aim to be a mage.¡±

    In fact, ever since he used the message card, Tiera had sparkling eyes like a child that had found a fun toy.

    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s good then. So I will give you another five. Don¡¯t use them all, since it includes the one for Schnee¡¯s response, okay? And because I give you this, please make it an appropriate service for the message fee.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to distribute the items just because they were in excess, he proposed that at least a trial run for the free message service was needed.

    ¡°I understand. Be relieved, because I have no intention to use it thoughtlessly. It will turn into amotion if poorly used on someone. And I do not mean for you to give this to me for free. For the time being, the price for the message is free of charge. You can expectpensation for the rest, as well.¡±

    The oue seemed to gain him some privilege, in addition to the price bing free. When he reconfirmed that it was valuable after all, Shin made a mental note to avoid using it in public ces.

    As for Tiera, she wondered what to test it on, and seemed to be happy. It was Shin who thought that she should aim to be an alchemist if she liked to research, but did not say it expressively, because a mage didn¡¯t necessarily not engage in research. Actually, there were many yers with job: mage, sub job: alchemist.

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s all from me. My best regards to Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I will have master see it first, when master returns.¡±

    Shin exchanged goodbyes and left Tsuki no Hokora.

    I could use the message card to send it right away! Tiera realized, shortly after Shin left.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 1: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 1: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    After leaving Tsuki no Hokora, Shin went straight to the northern forest. Since encountering the guild¡¯s staff that came to investigate the Skull Face would be troublesome, he advanced while confirming that there was no one in the surrounding area.

    He didn¡¯t have the direction, so he depended mostly on his instinct. But he aimed at the depths of the forest first, because the depths of the forest felt somehow suspicious. Still, because he thought that the encounter with the investigators could not be avoided when he went to the ce where the Skull Face appeared, he advanced toward the opposite direction of where the Skull Face was. It was the direction he did not walk when he came here before.

    The position where the Skull Face existed was the southeast of the northern forest. Since Shin was aiming to advance to the depths of the forest, he took the west route near the center part of the northern forest. Trees grew thicker and shut out the daylight as he advanced farther into the forest. The darkness was like the night, and could not bepared to the eastern forest. The heights of the trees alone eclipsed those in the eastern forest, and with the dark and thick atmosphere he felt like it was refusing a person to advance to the its depths.

    In fact, the deeper he advanced into the forest, the more Shin thought about not approaching in his mind. It was not perception or foresight. More precisely, there was something that was affecting his consciousness in this ce.

    (This, is this a barrier?)

    Though he was not certain, the more Shin moved forward, the stronger he sensed the intention to obstruct him. It was some kind of protection barrier that was erected.

    But the barrier or something was nothing to Shin as he moved rapidly. Even though he was going ahead like it was nothing, to begin with, if it were normal humans, it would not be possible for them to approach the barrier, as the feeling of avoidance increased as they got closer. However, the barrier was not effective against Shin, especially after he put some effort to strengthen against the mind interference system. Rather, it was notifying him ¡®There is something ahead!¡¯.

    Shin walked earnestly toward the direction where the sense was getting stronger while observing his surroundings. None of the monsters appeared because of the effect of the barrier.

    He continued walking for a while, and the moment he passed the side of a particrly big tree, the darkness was cleared before his eyes and a soft light gently shined upon Shin.

    There was an open space with a diameter of about 30 mels as if it was cut into the ground in a circle. And a bright cinnabar red torii* and a cozy Shinto shrine were built there. (T/N: a Japanese gateway of light constructionmonly built at the approach to a Shinto shrine)

    ¡°This ce is the center of the barrier?¡±

    Because of the mental interference that had been received when he first entered the forest abruptly ended when he set foot in the shrine, he guessed that it was likely he hade off from the barrier effect. Still, he did not think that there would be a Shinto shrine.

    ¡°Hmm¡«?¡­This Shinto shrine, I think I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before.¡±

    He felt like he remembered that he saw it somewhere before, and tilted his head. The Japanese style architecture was not rare at the time of the game, but there were not many enthusiasts who built a Shinto shrine. He thought that he could remember it instantly, but couldn¡¯t, no matter what.

    ¡°For the time being, should I enter first?¡±

    Because it was absurd to agree by himself, he passed through the torii at once and entered the Shinto shrine.

    There was a road from the torii, straight to the main shrine. The only buildings were the torii and the main shrine, not even one of the essential parts of a Shinto shrine like guardian lion-dogs, a purifying basin and offertory box were present.

    ¡°Did the air change?¡±

    However, the moment he passed through the torii, the air which surrounded Shin changedpletely to show that this was a holy ce, although the building was only a main shrine.

    Shin¡¯s cheek was brushed by a refreshing wind that could make him forget that he was in the middle of a forest. Shin noticed much stronger mixed scents of various creatures that came through the middle of the forest. It made one realize that this was a special ce.

    Inside the Shinto shrine, it seemed to be well managed as it was not particrly rough. The main shrine had a higher floor, and few decorations. If seen by people who only knew a general Shinto shrine, they would feel ufortable.

    A moment before Shin arrived at the main shrine, a ¡°pishiri¡± sound reached his ears.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    It was the sound of something like ss cracking. There was a possibility that a barrier was cracked, he thought. And it was not a nice foreboding.

    Is it probably because of me? He looked around, but there was no change in particr in the vicinity. The clear atmosphere didn¡¯t change and the sacred air had not weakened either. To begin with, Shin hadn¡¯t done anything.

    The door of the main shrine was slightly open.

    It was somewhat telling him to open it quickly. Though there was no gap for him to look through inside, it was really difficult to ignore his curiosity once he was interested.

    ¡°¡­Should I try to open it?¡±

    While thinking that there was nothing much to say, Shin opened the main shrine door and was exposed to a full view of a gloomy room receiving light from outside.

    The letters written on the floor were the first things he saw. The Sanskrit characters-like letters were lined up to form a circle. A big circle was wrapping around several smaller ones, and the appearance of it was just like a magic formation.

    And in its center. One figurey at the middle of the various-sized circles.

    ¡°¡­A fox?¡±

    It was a young fox, which had a silver coat of fur, that was lying down on the floor exhausted, while its body was exposed to light.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it carefree being seen like this?¡±

    When he confirmed there was no trap, Shin rushed over to the young fox. There was no visible injury, but the HP gauge of the young fox was in the red zone. Moreover, it was suffering from abnormality states ¡¾Poison ? ¢ú¡¿ and ¡¾Curse ? ¢ú¡¿. It was only a matter of time until it ran out of vitality if it was left unattended in this state.

    ¡°The fox that Millie mentioned, is it this fox?¡±

    It was certainly not amon fox as it was in a ce like this. He would think about itter as it was not the time for it. Shin opened the Item Box from the menu screen, selected the all purpose cure ¡®Elixir¡¯ from the list of items lined in a rows and took it out directly as an item, not the item card. Then he flicked the cap open with his thumb. The full phial of golden liquid couldpletely restore HP, MP, loss of body parts and remove abnormalities except one portion of it. When he tried to put it to the mouth of the young fox, a crashing sound reached Shin¡¯s ears. The loud sound was like arge amount of sses breaking all at once urring multiple times in session.

    ¡°What is it now!?¡±

    Shin promptly activated¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ and perceived the state of the surroundings. ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ was not the same with the monsters only type of detection, ¡¾Search¡¿. ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ was capable of determining the position of monsters and yers within a certain range. The disadvantage to ¡¾Search¡¿ was its narrow perception range, but it was more effective to investigate an area from the shadows of buildings or obstacles.

    Shin confirmed that about roughly 50 monsters or more were approaching the main shrine. Apparently the sound a little while ago looked like the barrier was broken. He could see that red markers surrounded the main shrine and that the encirclement was gradually shrinking, like ants that gathered around sugar, when he looked at the map.

    (Are they aiming for this fox?)

    Shin thought while looking at the fox crying ¡°Kuu¡­¡± weakly. He made the fox drink the elixir so its abnormals state was cured, and its vitality was smoothly recovered from the red zone to yellow and then green. Though its vitality had recovered, the fox still seemed to be in a weakened state, and a lot of time had passed since Shin restored it to its normal state.

    ¡°First, activate ¡¾Barrier ? ¢ú¡¿!!¡±

    Shin deployed the highest level barrier before the enemiese closer. A barrier was formed around the main shrine and blocked the march of the red markers, and the enemies crowded outside the barrier.

    To be honest, Shin didn¡¯t fully understand the situation yet, but he didn¡¯t even consider the option of abandoning the young fox here. It raised its head while trembling as it watched Shin. The young fox was lowered on the floor where the pattern-like magic formation was drawn, and after its head was patted, Shin stood up.

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait here a moment. I¡¯m about to kick those intruders.¡±

    He said and turned his back to the young fox and opened the main shrine door to go out. After Shin exited the main shrine, he saw the figures of Skull Faces¡¯ which crowded on the outside of the barrier. They were wearing rusted swords and armor, and the skeleton soldiers had a dim light in hollow eyes, gathering around the barrier like sleepwalkers.

    Because the Skull Faces couldn¡¯t break the barrier, Shin calmly took in a view of the whole scene.

    ¡°If their quality is bad, then their quantity is endless?¡±

    Shin muttered while looking at the crowd of Skull Faces that extended past his field of vision. An individual with unique equipment and level like the Jack ss he foughtst time was not found in the crowd of the Skull Face that were surrounding Shin, it wasposed of Pawn ss and Jack ss that simr to Shin¡¯s knowledge.

    Shin, who understood that the Skull Face¡¯s have surrounded him from ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿skill activation, switched to ¡¾Search¡¿ skill, which could cover a wider area. With the erged detection range by focusing only on the monsters as targets, he could pinpoint all of the Skull Faces.

    It was the amount that became the problem this time. Thanks to ¡¾Search¡¿, he understood that the number of enemies was close to 3 digits. There was a possibility that the Bayreuth kingdom might received the coteral damage again, too, if he let them slip even a little.

    It crossed Shin¡¯s mind after he saw the pool of blood that spread on the ground and there were barely any human remains nearby. Though he had no intention to put on airs for justice now, it was about the disposition of trying to not deal unnecessary damage.

    ¡°You guys are evil. Not one of you will get away from this.¡±

    While advancing one step toward them, Shin took out a new weapon from the Item Box. It was a spear which materialized in his hand. The handle shone in silver, the de was vivid green as if a jade had been attached to the tip. Because magic had been bestowed, the whole spear was wrapped in a white radiance.

    He rotated the spear with his right hand once and pointed the tip forward to the crowd of enemies, ¡¾Limit¡¿ was released to ¢ò in one breath. He confirmed that his strength was released to a point where he couldpletely control it, furthermore, hisbat abilities efficiency was risen, too. Shin kicked the ground forward and rushed at the crowd of Skull Faces.

    ¡°Here is the first blow!!¡±

    Simultaneously, he invoked the spearmanship system martial arts skill, ¡¾Furrow Pierce¡¿ while dashing. The tip of the spear prated, by Shin¡¯s physical strength, through several Skull Faces in a mass. An emerald green light was generated by the invocation of the skill, while at the same time forming a spiral along with the swords, armor, and Skull Faces spinning together. The Skull Faces were shattered to very small pieces by power rivaling a cannonball that had been fired in a horizontal path, and a furrow was formed made of bones and iron fragments in a straight line.

    Shin was able to escape the encirclement of the Skull Faces without changing the momentum of his charge.

    ¡°Next one. ¡¾Star Mine¡¿!¡±

    Dozens of light orbs appeared around Shin while he invoked the skill, it was arranged to surround the groups of Skull Face.

    Light technique system magic skill, ¡¾Star Mine¡¿. A skill with light attribute that could set up mine-like light orbs in the sky.

    The generated light orbs was located further outside of the Skull Face¡¯s that surrounded the main shrine, it was to cut off the way of retreat so the Skull Face could not escape into the forest.

    After he made sure that the instation of light orbs had beenpleted, Shin runched his attack to the Skull Faces that still gathered around the barrier.

    This time it was the skill of the spearmanship system martial arts, ¡¾Spark Blossom¡¿was used. Needless to say, the Skull Faces were shattered when receiving the direct hit from the spear that left a trail of emerald light in a horizontal line. Furthermore, pieces of crushed armor and swords were sent toward the Skull Faces that were outside the spear¡¯s range. Those blown off by a single blow from the extraordinary power were Pawn ss and Jack ss, they were pierced without any regard. The Skull Faces situation were literally like buzzing in beehive.

    Although the Skull Faces of Jack ss raised their swords and tried to attack Shin, they were returned by Shin¡¯s spear and the fragments of bones and irons became impromptu bullets that pierced their allies.

    ¡°Another one!!¡±

    Shin wielded the spear freely with unimaginable speed in one hand. Nearly ten Skull Faces nearby were defeated in one blow when he used the skill. Moreover, the fragments, like a shotgun attack, further decreased the number quickly.

    The ce was sopletely monopolized by Shin, that not even a single Skull Face could survive.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Since Shin started the battle, the group of Skull Faces waspletely wiped out in less than ten minutes. The remains of the Skull Faces were scattered in the area around the barrier and the ground couldn¡¯t be seen. Because he didn¡¯t have any intentions to clean up the remains, he ignored them and pretended he did not see them as he returned to the main shrine.

    When he opened the main shrine door and entered inside, a young fox jumped at him as it was waiting for Shin.

    ¡°Ku©`!!¡±

    ¡°Gee! Th-that¡¯s a dangerous thing to do, you.¡±

    He almost lost his bnce while holding the young fox in arm, he rubbed its head while stepping down from the stairs and stood on the ground. Its physical condition waspletely restored, too. The exhausted appearance that had improved since a little while ago was not felt in young fox as it constantly licked Shin¡¯s face.

    ¡°By the way, what will you do from now on?¡±

    He looked at the surroundings that were in a pitiful state while holding the young fox. In addition, the sacred atmosphere that he sensed until a while ago was not felt. The power protecting the Shinto shrine along with the barrier that broke might have vanished.

    ¡°Ku©`?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t know much about you yet.¡±

    Although he helped the young fox with the impetus of Millie¡¯s request, unexpectedly, this young fox had a lot of mysteries. When Shin first found the young fox, he was being distracted by its low vitality, and he just noticed that he didn¡¯t even confirm its name yet until now. He only knew that this young fox was a kind of monster, because only yers and monsters had an HP gauge in the game.

    ¡°Ipletely forgot to check its name. After all, is it a Little Fox?¡±

    While citing the name of the monster that was popr as a pet, he read the information about the young fox with ¡¾Analyze¡¿. While being held by Shin, the young fox looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning of words.

    ¡°Uhm, name, nam¡­e?¡±

    Shin¡¯s gaze stopped at the position of the monster¡¯s name. The name that was written there had gone far above the Shin¡¯s imagination.

    ¡°E, Element Tail¡­seriously¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ku©`!¡±

    As if it totally agreed! The young fox¡¯s reaction showed that it seemed to convey it was an Element Tail. It was no wonder that Shin became stiff. The Element Tail was a monster called Nine Tailed Fox, or Kyuubi among yers, and was originally part of the highest ss of monsters which boast Lv. 1000 in THE NEW GATE.

    It was always in the top in the THE NEW GATE strongest monster ranking chosen by yers, and Shin who did not considered the possibility that the name of such monster appeared, cannot help but to be at a loss.

    ¡°What should I do?¡­What should I do, seriously?¡±

    The level of the Element Tail was 211 at the present time when he examined it in detail. It was a level already dangerous enough ording to the residents of this world. It might not have a parents, as it was seen alone. If say incidentally, it was the life of Shin that was in danger. An Element Tail was an opponent that could be said was absurd to be challenged alone even if one were a maxed stats yer. Shin might defeat it after releasing all ¡¾Limit¡¿, but at least the northern forest would be burnt down to the ground.

    ¡°What is an Element Tail doing in a ce like this? Just like Arclid¡­that¡¯s it!! That was Element Tail isn¡¯t it!!¡±

    The sensed that he had seen it somewhere before when he looked at the Shinto shrine. He remembered the cause and unintentionally raised his voice.

    The quest rted to the Element Tail of the Shinto shrineposed of only the main shrine and the torii, but it was a ce that one went to visit in a.k.a. the Kyuubi quest. Actually there was a detached building separately from the Shinto shrine, but it might have copsed from a natural disaster. The Shinto shrine itself was probably protected by the barrier that Shin felt. It was not strange even if the Element Tail was here if he thought about it that way.

    Anyway, half of the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora were yers who challenged the Kyuubi quest. In a sense it could be said that Shin was receiving in cooperation with the sales of the store during the game.

    Shin understood that there was an Element Tail in this ce, but there was the question remain, about what it would do from now on. There was only an adult form of the Element Tail that appeared in the Shinto shrine in the Kyuubi quest originally, and there was no monster such as the young fox.

    ¡°You, what do you want to do from now on?¡±

    Though it was not possible to talk, Shin asked because somehow he felt like it understood him. Because a barrier was erected, it was safe, but the thought of leaving a young fox alone even for an Element Tail in this ce was unbearable.

    ¡°Ku©`¡­¡±

    Though the Element Tail that had been lowered to the ground gazed at the main shrine, after a short time, it shook its body and turned around. Then, the fox jumped skillfully and climbed up Shin¡¯s body, and ced itselffortably on the top of Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Why on top of my head?¡±

    ¡°Ku¡«!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand it.¡±

    The Element Tail on the head pped him ¡°pechipechi¡±. (T/N: light p sfx) Was this fox¡¯s resolve to leave this ce?, Shin felt, it somehow was saying that.

    ¡°¡­Do you want to go together?¡±

    ¡°Ku©`!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡­Dangerous! ws! Your ws are painful!¡±

    Shin somehow felt like it was saying: ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±, but the violent behaviour of the happy young fox almost caused him to lose his bnce.

    Since its ws were not fully retracted, it was difficult for Shin to walk with the young fox scratching his face.

    ¡°Calm down!¡±

    ¡°Ku©`?¡±

    ¡°What are you tilting your head for? You absolutely understand the meaning of my words!¡±

    Even though it was young, it belonged to the race of the first-ss monster Element Tail, there was no way it was not smart. Perhaps it was one of the young fox¡¯s ways to distract itself from loneliness.

    (You should be a full-fledged Element Tail before I return to the original world)

    While thinking about that, Shin advanced toward the kingdom, while preventing scratches from its wed paws with both of his hands.

 Book 2: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Shin, who let the young fox sit quietly on top of his head, walked toward the town. After he told the fox ¡°retract your ws back into your paws¡± repeatedly, the young fox finally settled down. The ws that struck his face until then caused him to stagger.

    As a result of having followed the request of the orphanage girl, Millie, a massive amount of Skull Faces were defeated by Shin. And he saved the young fox from the Shinto shrine, which became a battlefield. The forest, after the battle ended, became full of noise from living things, unlike when he first came to the shrine.

    Possibly when Shin headed toward the shrine, the group of Skull Faces were already approaching, and the animals went into hiding. But the crowd of Skull Faces were indeed too many for it to ur naturally.

    The number of undead appearances popping from tombs or underground dungeon areas might be caused by hazardous swirling miasma. He sighed while advancing forward, because if he didn¡¯t report this, it would be bad.

    First of all, how to conceal the Element Tail¡­while thinking about that, he called out to the young fox which was leisurely resting on top of his head.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s have a discussion.¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    The bark with question mark came from the young fox. From themunication a little while ago, it was already revealed that the young fox understood what Shin was saying.

    ¡°Because it is bad if your true identity was exposed, do you want to form a contract with me?¡±

    The contract in this case was the partner contract that tamers make.

    ¨D¨DTaming. Unlike the summoner who was able to make contracts with numerous summoned beasts without restriction, the tamer was able to do partner contracts only up to 5 per person. However, for other jobs than tamer, it was only possible to do partner contracts once. Even though, he could only contract once, he thought that it was satisfactory as a pet and as a little support personnel. Because Shin had a lot of support characters, he didn¡¯t need a monster partner. But Cashmere, the tamer and summoner of Rokuten, rmended it to him, which was half the reason Shin performed the contract.

    Nevertheless. Shin never thought that it would be useful in such a situation.

    ¡°Although there is no bonuspensation because I am not a tamer¡­Your level and race won¡¯t be exposed to other guys, and we will able tomunicate without the need of items, too.¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, when there was too much a difference in level and stats, the low-level yers would not be able to see the higher level yer¡¯s stats. And they must able to see the stats of the yer who was the master, before being able to see a monster partner¡¯s stats. In other words, if Shin, who had overwhelming power in this world, formed a contract with the young fox, almost no one could see the stats of the young fox.

    By the way,munication (telepathy) became possible between the master and monster partner. While it seemed silent when observed from the outside, the monster partner was given instructions via telepathy during a battle. This was how a tamer fought with their monster partner.

    ¡°Kuu!? Ku~Ku~!¡±

    ¡°Really!? I will do it!¡± as if it said that, the young fox unleashed its ws again. Shin somehow came to understand the young fox even before the contract.

    ¡°I understand! I understand so don¡¯t move for a moment!¡±

    He said as he held the young fox facing him while reciting the keywords together.

    ¡°I, wish to walk with thee.¡± ¡°Ku©`¡­¡±

    The young fox answered to Shin¡¯s words. In this case, the contract would bepleted if the monster said ¡°I, vow to be on thy side¡±. When the bark stopped, a tattoo in the shape of a falcon formed respectively on their left arm and left foreleg. This was the mark of the contract which the yer created, it was intended to distinguish the difference between amon monster and a monster partner. The monster partner that was raised by a yer was basically stronger than amon monster.

    ¡°Then, again, I hope to get along with you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!!¡± as if it said, the young fox raised its right foreleg and barked. It was a heartwarming scene that would make anyone smile.

    ¡°Now then, first thing to do after contracting.¡±

    ¡°Ku?¡±

    ¡°It is to decide your name. Because Element Tail is a race name. It is natural to think about a name for you when you became my partner, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!? Ku©`Ku©`!!¡±

    ¡°And it¡­calm down! Or I will shake my head!!¡±

    ¡°Really!? What is it!!¡± As if the fox said that. While calming down the excited young fox, Shin announced the name that popped in his head.

    ¡°Yuzuha, how about it?¡±

    ¡°Kukukuu¡­kuu!!¡±

    The small bark from the young fox fell silent for a while, thinking about the name ¡®Yuzuha¡¯. And then it yipped with a noticeably loud and high-pitched ¡°kuu!!¡±, as if it said that it was pleased with the name.

    Rather than a male name, it was a female name that came to Shin¡¯s mind. Because when the Kyuubi quest was epted, the Element Tail most often appeared as a female figure to the yers.

    ¡°Well, actually, there is no gender, but¡­¡±

    The Element Tail was a monster that didn¡¯t have genders, it could be either man or woman and not be tied to either one. Even though it was usual that it appeared as a female figure before a yer, he remembered that a male figure appeared very rarely in a walkthrough site. But he never actually saw it.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I guess you will be ¡®Yuzuto¡¯ when in male mode.¡±

    As in novels, manga, and anime, there was a story such as naked beautiful women appearing the next morning after hugging an animal in bed. He didn¡¯t know whether the Element Tail in this world would appear the same as in the game, but he prefer it to be a female figure anyway. It would be a nightmare for Shin if he woke up only to find that he was cuddling with another man, as he looking forward to an enjoyable sleep.

    (My LUC is low. I hope the time when it bes a person will nevere.)

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°There cannot be a strange good luck¡­¡± Shin muttered, and the young fox, Yuzuha, tilted its head. For some reason, he was acting strangely while feeling a little uneasiness, then he stopped thinking about it. Even if it¡¯s called an Element Tail, its body was still that of a young fox. Thinking about difficult things were not of his characteristic, as he was not good at it.

    As usual, Shin¡¯s forehead was lightly hit by its paw that had retracted its ws. Moreover, its reaction was like ¡°What happened?¡±, called out to Shin. For a long time, to Yuzuha, who had endured poison and a curse, a trivial thing such asmunication might be nothing but a joyful experience.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    As soon as he left the northern forest, a familiar electronic sound, ¡°Pon!¡±, was heard by Shin. It was the sound of level up, iing email, event announcement, and so on, which he often heard in the game.

    Judging from Yuzuha, who wasn¡¯t reacting, it seemed that it was heard only by Shin.

    ¡°Iing message. From Tiera.¡±

    The semi-transparent letters ¡ºYou have a message¡» at the edge of Shin¡¯s view became clear. The obvious unrealistic game characteristic, to Shin who already spent a few days in this world, brought the illusion that he was still inside the game.

    ¡°There is a feeling of something wrong because of this half-baked system.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t feel odd obviously because having seen the game screen through the VR (Virtual Reality), when it happens in reality, the feeling of something wrong couldn¡¯t be shaken off. Is this the feeling when game and reality are mixed? Shin frowned, but it was certainly a convenient thing. He sighed as he had no choice but to get used to it, and opened the message.

    ¡ºTo Shin

    When I tried it, I was able to send a message to master.

    Though I don¡¯t know whether master has a message card or not, when the replyes, I will contact you again.

    P.S.

    Is it possible to send items via the message card?¡»

    Tiera, who was Schnee¡¯s acquaintance in this world, seemed to able to send the message card without any problems. Since Shin was not able to send the message card to Schnee himself, he didn¡¯t think about the possibility that Tiera couldmunicate with Schnee before.

    ¡°Well because she already contacted her, it¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    He convinced himself that it was alright while looking at an unused message card to reply as an attachment. The message card became drops of light and was sucked into the letter paper of the reply. It appeared to be possible to attach only light items, but it was satisfactory and convenient.

    ¡°¡­Is this happening because it¡¯s this world? The attaching items was not possible in the game.¡±

    The game and reality are not the same, and the inspection of other items was necessary, he made a mental note of this. There were unexpected things likely to ur in this world other than the game.

    Given the number of items in his Item Box, it would require a considerable amount of time for the inspection. Shin, while thought about it, had a slight headache.

    ¡°If Schnee reply something, contact me immediately.¡±

    He replied to the message which included the method for item attachment, then he continued walking. He was heading towards the east gate of the town.

    He decided to report about the army of nearly three digits worth of Skull Faces to the guild, and leave out Yuzuha from the report, even if he had to lie.

    ¡°Yo Shin. This time you brought something strange again.¡±

    It was Beid who called out by the east gate. There was no formality like when they met at the first time, probably because they encountered each other pretty much every day.

    ¡°This is my partner, Yuzuha. I would like to confirm something, when I take a monster partner with me, is there any restriction or something?¡±

    Even if it was apanied by a tamer, Shin expected that it would be difficult to just let a monster into the town.

    ¡°There are various restrictions in case of aggressive monsters or monsters that have huge body¡¯s, but there is no problem if it¡¯s that small, I guess. Just in case, I will have you to write the necessary document for preparation here for the time being. After that, yourpanion has to show the mark of your contract toplete the registration process.¡±

    ¡°This is unexpectedly lenient.¡±

    Because he thought it would be strict, he was a little disappointed.

    ¡°Of course, it is strict when a guy appears to act violently and dangerous. In addition, a tamer must take all the responsibility if their monster partner causes some trouble. And be careful, because there are such guys who start fights on purpose, and demand a payment from the tamer.¡±

    ¡°Ah, such guys exist too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, unfortunately. Moreover, the monster partner was only aimed at when the tamer ability was restricted at that time. The regtions are difficult around there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking whether it is lenient or not¡­¡±

    Because there were people who tried to catch and sell rare monsters, Shin understood Beid¡¯s words of caution.

    Just in case, counterattacking seemed to be permitted for the time being if he was going to arrest them with brute force. But the processing afterward seemed to be troublesome, ¡°Do it thoroughly in a ce where it won¡¯t be found out if you do it¡± said Beid. He didn¡¯t know whether it was fine for a guard to say that, but he understood about the monster partner and start of a fight, and since most of the criminals belonged to the monster¡¯s trade organization, it was said that they didn¡¯t need pardon.

    ¡°Name is Yuzuha, race is demon fox. The rest is¡­¡±

    He wrote the necessary words on the document which Beid brought.

    Demon fox was a race to which a type of fox monster belonged to, and there were many yers who made it their pet in the game.

    Element Tail was ssified as a first ss boss, and categorized as an ¡®Element Tail¡¯ race while at the same time being of the demon fox tribe. One could say that it was a higher kind, like High Human or High Elf.

    So the race that Shin wrote in the document was notpletely random. Though it was not the whole truth either.

    ¡°¡­Yosh, I have finished filling out the document. Please confirm it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm. There aren¡¯t any problems. Then, the registration of the contract mark ispleted. Please touch with the arm and foreleg that have the contract mark on this.¡±

    When Beid confirmed there was no discrepancy, he handed the document to another guard and held out a purple sphere with the size of a baseball.

    Shin and Yuzuha touched the globe with their left arm and left foreleg respectively. Thereupon the globe slightly shined, and the contract mark with falcon design appeared inside the globe.

    ¡°The registration process has ended with this. And though I don¡¯t want it to happen, in case your monster partner dies or has been kidnapped, there is the procedure of registration cancetion. Please remember it, just in case.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I hope it will not happen.¡±

    He nodded to Beid¡¯s detailed circumstance speech that turned a little businesslike, then Shin left the gate.

    Since Yuzuha was sitting on top of his head, the passersby were ncing at Shin as he walked on the street without minding it. Because Shin already predicted it would be like that. Small children and the like, pointed ¡°it¡¯s fox-san¡± and Shin, were warned by their parents. Though it was not necessary to ce the fox on his head, Shin judged that it might be a little dangerous if Yuzuha walked on the ground where there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. Of course, the one who shed with Yuzuha would be the one in danger.

    He endured the nces from the surrounding onlookers, and passed through beneath the signboard of the adventurers¡¯ guild. Here, also without exception, Yuzuha, who resided on Shin¡¯s head, was attracting nces.

    There were the appearances of two miss receptionists who resembled each other like two peas in a pod. They were the twin sisters Celica and Cilica.

    ¡°Excuse me. I would like to report something.¡±

    ¡°I will receive it.¡±

    Two people answered at the same time. The timing almost identical. Both were ncing at Yuzuha for a moment, but it was the feeling of mere confirmation rather than the eyes of curiosity.

    ¡°Well, errr, which one should I report to?¡±

    ¡°I will ¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Receive it!¡±

    The one who interrupted elder sister Celica¡¯s answer, was the younger sister Cilica. The diligent elder sister and the mischievous younger sister ¨D¨D Shin right away judged from their hairstyle, and he didn¡¯t seem to be mistaken about it.

    ¡°¡­Cilica¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama came to me first, therefore I will receive it.¡±

    ¡°Eh, am I no good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no good, I will do it.¡±

    ¡°Somehow your mood is different than usual.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s different?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, I understand. I will behave myself.¡±

    In the end, Celica seemed to be dered as the winner. For Shin it didn¡¯t matter which one he reported to, as it was all the same to him.

    ¡°¡­Uhm, the report?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sorry for the fuss. Your report please.¡±

    ¡°Today, near the center of the northern forest, I encountered arge amount of Skull Faces. I confirmed that I defeated all of those within my range, but because a stray monster might remain, I¡¯m reporting it just in case.¡±

    ¡°Arge amount¡­what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact number because I never counted them, but I think it was near 100 bodies.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡­¡±

    Nearly 100 Skull Faces bodies ¨D¨D There was the matter of the Jack ss subjugation the other day too, so the remark of ¡°I defeated them¡± caused a weak response from Celica, but as expected, it was not possible to hide her shock because of thatrge number.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it is what I think it is, is it the same strong individual like the other day?¡±

    ¡°No, this time the ones I encountered didn¡¯t exceed the general knowledge of level and equipment. The ss is a mixed of Jack and Pawn ss, and they moved to surround a certain building.¡±

    ¡°A building?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A Shinto shrine¡­it was a facility to worship a God.¡±

    Since he wasn¡¯t sure whether she would understand the words Shinto shrine, he roughly exin it.

    ¡°Shinto shrine¡­I have heard that there was such a thing in the Hinomoto country, but I didn¡¯t know that there was one in the northern forest.¡±

    It seemed to be the result of the barrier which prevented living things toe near. Furthermore, the barrier wasn¡¯t spread widely, so it was hard to notice.

    ¡°I was anxious when I heard the sound of something cracking as I approached, and at the same time the Skull Faces emerged. Perhaps a barrier or something was erected, I think.¡±

    ¡°So did you find something?¡±

    ¡°Though there were a few things inside the building, something like a magic formation was drawn on the floor. That¡¯s all the features I can think of.¡±

    The matter of Yuzuha was concealed, in addition, he cited where the worrisome ce was to others.

    ¡°Thank you for your report. Including the matter of the Jack ss on the other day, I will investigate this one too. Besides, if you noticed anything else, please contact me again. I might not able to understand it if Shin-sama is not present.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I wille again if I remember something else.¡±

    Then he shifted his attention to the bulletin board where the requests were pasted. When he took the request of Hillock Herb before, he only looked at the G rank requests. This time Shin looked over therge amount of requests which he couldn¡¯t take at his current rank. And then incidentally, he found that another bulletin board existed, hidden beside the main bulletin board.

    Its size was about 30 cemels in length and width. It had a handmade feeling from the pasted on requests. And it couldn¡¯t bepared with the adjacent bulletin board.

    Shin, who took a little fancy to it, took a look at the requests which were pasted in a disorderly manner. Then, he found a word that caught his eye in the request that was mixed with others. He took it in his hand and scanned it properly.

    ¨D¨D Requesting a skill sessor.

    ¨D¨D The one who epted this request, please contact the church¡¯s orphanage at east district.

    ¨D¨D Reward negotiable.

    The contents of the request was seen, and Shin noticed that the request was not covered by rank.

    There were requests that were not covered by rank, like the request rted to criminals or the request from poor children that were put on the bulletin board, ording to Cilica¡¯s exnation about the request.

    If one asked why set up such things, the answer would be any person has the freedom to do requests.

    ¡°I have a feeling that this is a special circumstances request. That rumor is not necessarily a mistake, is it?¡±

    Shin said while thinking about that. He recalled some of the information he collected while using the hearing skill. Though it was only a rumor, the content made him a little worried.

    It was the connection between the guilds; especially the rtion between the ones called as the underground guilds and the adventurers¡¯ guild. To be precise, the normal guilds, like the adventurers¡¯ guild or merchant guild, were epted by the society, and the underground guilds undertook crimes such as assassination and kidnapping.

    ording to the rumor, the underground guilds were performing purges for the nobles and the like, such as forcing unreasonable demands and violent requests, and the normal guilds were said to overlook the crimes of these underground guilds. Though the truth was uncertain, it was notughable matter if there was ¡®something¡¯.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the orphanage. If I am not mistaken, it¡¯s the orphanage where Millie was.¡±

    He recalled what Wilhelm said before parting the other day. When Shin thought that there might be a rtion with the girl who brought the opportunity for him to meet Yuzuha, it would leave a bad aftertaste if he left it as it was.

    ¡°¡­I should go and check.¡±

    Because originally Shin intended to ask Millie about Yuzuha, at the same time, he would listen to the contents of the request. Shin decided to head over to the orphanage.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After he asked Celica how to get to the church from there, he walked for several minutes. Later, Shin was in front of the church.

    Shin imagined it was a ce of worshipbined with stained ss when he heard about the church, and it was exactly as he imagined it. There was a big open door, worshipers who sat on the bench inside, and a ray of light that shined from the stained ss could be seen. The sun seemed to rise from the other side of the stained ss. The light, which shined into the little dim chapel like a halo, was indeed mysterious.

    There were two sisters inside if the worshipers were excluded. No figure such as a pastor or priest could be seen.

    (There are a few differences in the interior design, but this is certainly an architectural skill ¡ºChurch¡».)

    He thought about such things while looking around the chapel. Architectural skill was a skill necessary for constructing a building, just as its name implied.

    Because he was brought up by Cain, who was both a magician and an architect of Rokuten, Shin¡¯s architectural skill level was raised to VI. Thanks to that, Shin understood a little bit about bad and good points in buildings.

    He understood that the interior was old, but it was carefully taken care of. With that alone, he more or less knew the personality of the person managing the church.

    ¡°May I help you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, sorry. This is my first timeing to this ce.¡±

    Shin was observing the church near the entrance. One of the sisters saw him and right away approached him. It was a young women with a dark eyes and chignon, light brown hair.

    Though he came to the church, he was not praying and just standing near the entrance, which was quite suspicious. Yet, there was no wary tone from the sister toward Shin.

    Because he didn¡¯t have business with the church, he decided to ask about the orphanage.

    ¡°I have a business with the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Are you the one who saw the request!¡±

    The sister voiced an exaggerated surprise. There must be very few people who epted the request she put on the bulletin board. Either that or she didn¡¯t expect anyone to ept the request for her to be that surprised.

    ¡°Well, shall I listen to the story first? And then, is there a child beast named Millie in this orphanage? This young fox¡­Yuzuha, I want to confirm it with Millie.¡±

    Shin said and pointed to Yuzuha above his head. Although the sister was staring in wonder at Yuzuha, whom she had just noticed, but she turned to Shin shortly after that while giving him a cautious look.

    ¡°That kid, what?¡±

    ¡°When I met her yesterday, I was interested in what she said to me. Besides, I want her to confirm a few things about Yuzuha and about the request at the same time.¡±

    From the sister¡¯s attitude, was there any special circumstances with Millie? While Shin thought about that, he lowered his voice so other people didn¡¯t hear it.

    ¡°¡­Okay. Come this way, please. Sister Rashia, please take over here.¡±

    After having slightly considered it, the sister who was cautious of Shin, left the ce and prompted him to follow her after she entrusted the ce to other sister.

    When the sister went out through the door, he went around to the back of the church. There was an old building there. The building, which reminded him of an apartment, had traces of repairs in several ces, but Shin didn¡¯t pay attention to the shabby impression. This appeared to be the orphanage.

    ¡°Please wait here while I get Millie.¡±

    He entered a ce that was supposedly a reception office. When Shin sat on a sofa and looked around, the sister brought Millie shortly afterwards.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s Shin-nii¡±

    Millie who was hiding behind the sister, ran to Shin and sat next to him when she found out that it was Shin who sat on the sofa.

    ¡°¡­It seems like you really aren¡¯t a bad guy after all.¡±

    The sister smiled and sat on a sofa in front of Shin.

    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed if I am suddenly being looked at by those kind eyes¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s been a long time since Millie became attached to someone.¡±

    ¡°Wilhelm said the same thing too. Oh, I am Shin. An adventurer.¡±

    ¡°This time it seems that you have epted Millie¡¯s request, thank you very much. I am Thoria Serias. I am in charge of management of the sisters in the church and the orphanage.¡±

    This sister seemed to be the person in charge. Shin, who didn¡¯t know about the personnel affair of the church in the meantime, was convinced.

    ¡°There is a little thing I want to confirm today. Hey Millie, when you said ¡®fox-san¡¯ yesterday, is it this fellow?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Yuzuha, say thanks too. It was all thanks to Millie that you were helped.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    While patting Millie¡¯s head, Shin didn¡¯t forget to make Yuzuha said her gratitude. In fact, he didn¡¯t know what would have happened to Yuzuha if not for Millie¡¯s words.

    Yuzuha got down to the floor and lowered its head, and after satisfied with Millie¡¯s confirmation, Shin turned to face toward the sister.

    Millie And Yuzuha

    The sister, who was watching the exchange between Millie and Yuzuha, straightened her posture while smiling.

    ¡°There is one more thing I need to confirm. It¡¯s about the request in the guild. Can I hear more details about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because Shin-san looks like a person I can trust.¡±

    Thoria nodded with serious face. After all, there seemed to be a reason, as it was a request outside the rank.

    ¡°Having read the request means Shin-san is a skill sessor, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, you could say I am.¡±

    Though it differed from the truth, Shin nodded as he didn¡¯t want the talk to be confusing.

    ¡°The reason I¡¯m looking for a skill sessor is, though I think it is impudent, I want you to teach the skill if possible.¡±

    Shin heard from Tiera that just having a skill could gain you preferential treatment, although it was said that a considerable amount of effort and money were necessary for the session. Shin hadn¡¯t seen it yet, but apparently there were degraded versions of skills which were called arts.

    As the sister talked about the skill, several necessary skills appeared in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°After all, is it the¡¾Heal¡¿ and ¡¾Cure¡¿ system?¡±

    ¡°No, It¡¯s different. Those are certainly necessary skills, but the circumstances are different this time.¡±

    ¡°Circumstances?¡±

    Because they were necessary skills for the recovery job, could you teach me those? Shin thought the sister would say that, but it seemed to be different for some reason.

    ¡°Then, what is the skill that Thoria-san was looking for?¡±

    ¡°¡­Tion, it is.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear it properly.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡¾Purification¡¿, it is.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it is¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    Thoria said as she was ready to give up, because she knew she was asking the impossible.

    ¡°I know this is absurd¡­¡±

    ¡°Because it is troublesome, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes troublesome¡­what?¡±

    A few seconds after Shin¡¯s remark, for the first time, Thoria noticed that Shin¡¯s response was odd.

    ¡°Errr¡­what did you say just now?¡±

    ¡°No, it is troublesome. I said.¡±

    Thoria was having a face trying to squeeze the words, in contrast to Shin who said what came to his mind.

    ¡°Erm, to acquire the skill, do you know it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know it.¡±

    ¡°¡­The request, can you ept it?¡­¡±

    ¡°It depends.¡±

    Shin changed into a serious expression from those words.

    Though Shin spoke in a thoughtless tone, he calmly analyzed the information in his head. He thought he understood something about Millie, but he didn¡¯t have even a fragment of information about her. Instead, he got to know about the trouble in the church. In addition, he didn¡¯t expect that the skill would be ¡¾Purification¡¿, but he daringly said that he had the information about ¡¾Purification¡¿. Although he had poor knowledge about this world, he wasn¡¯t that foolish to teach the skill to the sister during their first meeting.

    ¡°I would like some time to think about the reward.¡±

    ¡°No, the mary things are fine. Instead, there are some conditions.¡±

    Conditions, Thoria stiffens by that word. As if she knew what Shin would say next.

    ¡°Conditions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, first of all, about Millie¡¯s power. Subsequently, I want the information you obtained in the church, the term for the condition is one year. Finally, I want it to be a secret that I epted this request. Even from the higher-ups in the church. Please say it was a volunteer service by me.¡±

    The church was a ce where various people regardless of age or sex gathered. There might be some information that came out before God, Shin thought. And since Thoria seemed like a good person, this type of conversation seemed to be unfamiliar to her.

    Apart from that, Shin¡¯s preference was about Millie¡¯s power. It might be something like future foresight or crisis perception. Shin¡¯s nature as a gamer spontaneously thought about it. That thought, if in his former world, would beughed off.

    ¡°These conditions are the rewards I wish for.¡±

    On the other hand, Thoria, who was asked, seemed to hesitate for what she should do.

    From Thoria¡¯s point of view, it was apanied with a great risk to reveal Millie¡¯s power to a person whom she didn¡¯t know and who appeared suddenly. There was no conclusive proof that Shin wasn¡¯t going to expose this story either.

    In addition, she even had to defy the higher-up of the church in some cases. It couldn¡¯t be helped but to say that the conditions were relentless in exchange for the ¡¾Purification¡¿ skill. To make matters worse, there was no evidence that Shin really knew the acquisition method of ¡¾Purification¡¿. And if Millie¡¯s power was known to someone powerful and greedy, Millie herself would be in danger. It was not an agreement that she could consent to thoughtlessly.

    Silence filled the reception room.

    Shin was waiting for an answer and Thoria was keeping quiet.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s alright.¡±

    It was Millie¡¯s words who broke the silence between the two people.

    It¡¯s alright. Millie said while looking at Thoria. Her eyes were not the eyes of a young child, they harboured mysterious glows.

    ¡°Millie?¡±

    ¡°If it is Shin-nii, it¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Though Thoria still kept silent considering it, having made up her mind after looking at Millie¡¯s appearance, she opened her mouth slowly and nodded.

    ¡°I understand. I ept the conditions. However, even though you might say information, we are amateurs. I don¡¯t know whether we can be helpful by investigating or doing something for you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to act strangely. You can inform me if someonees to the church and says something worrisome. The real nature of Millie¡¯s power is more important to me.¡±

    Shin exined that she didn¡¯t need to imitate the information seller. It would be dangerous if it was done unskillfully. He urged that the power of Millie was by far the main issue.

    ¡°¡­Millie has had the title ¡ºHoshiyomi¡» since birth. From Millie¡¯s story, the scenery abruptly differentiates from her normal view. Actually, nothing Millie has said was wrong as long as one did not do something. I think the reason why she requested Shin-san is because she saw something with that power.¡±

    ¡° ¡ºHoshiyomi¡»? For Millie to have such power¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­Do you know something about it? As for this title, even I don¡¯t know much about it. And title holders are fewer than skill sessors, since they almost never exposed their ability. I only know it from Millie¡¯s story.¡±

    Hmm, Shin pondered.

    ¡ºHoshiyomi¡» was originally a title which could be obtained from a quest with a simple hint. It was a rare title, but it was not something to be worried about.

    When Shin was there Millie¡¯s power, which Thoria told him about, didn¡¯t manifest. There might be certain conditions, but it didn¡¯te to Shin¡¯s mind at all. Although there were no powers in THE NEW GATE that Shin didn¡¯t know about.

    Possibly it might have be the clue as to how to return to his original world.

    (Not only the message card, there is a change even in the title, too? Though it was not useless to try to understand it, the title is hard to confirm because it cannot be activated voluntarily. The ¡ºHoshiyomi¡» effect for future foresight is not certain either.)

    Titles in particr were divided between random activation type and regr activation type.¡ºHoshiyomi¡» was asionally activated when a quest was generated, so it was in the middle between the two types.

    Then¨D¨D

    ¡°Kidnapping, abduction, confinement. It was too scary if Millie¡¯s power was found out. People who thought about such dangerous things are likely to appear. What about this side?¡±

    Only worrisome words had appeared in his mind. The lighter tone probablyes from his past experiences.

    By the way, this time he talked close to Millie¡¯s ear.

    ¡°I will tell the person concerned not to talk about it carelessly, so it won¡¯t spread easily. That person is someone who left here and be an adventurer, he will cooperates with me.¡±

    ¡°Is it Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are others, but he is the best for protection. The people who want to put their hands on the children here are almost all gone because of their fear of his ability.¡±

    That small children were likely to be the target of evil deeds didn¡¯t seem to change anywhere.

    Although Wilhelm was feared by the adventurers, it seemed that Wilhelm was not a bad person, Shin thought. He protected the orphanage by gaining fame, whether it was good or bad.

    Even though the drawback was that there was the possibility that someone had a grudge against Wilhelm and would therefore target the orphanage, somehow other adventurers would do something about it. Since there were not many things he could do alone.

    ¡°Then, because I received the reward, I want to formally ept the request. Is it agreeable with Thoria-san to acquire the ¡¾Purification¡¿?¡±

    ¡°No, It¡¯s not for me to acquire, I want to request it for Rashia. You saw another sister in the church, right? That girl, please teach it to her.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I certainly thought it was Thoria-san in this case.¡±

    ¡°That girl is the grandchild to a person who served as a priest here. Because if the n goes smoothly, the church will be handed over to her by inheritance.¡±

    Apparently, there seemed to be some circumstances other than the ¡¾Purification¡¿. Shin had a wry smile while stroking Yuzuha, as it was likely to turn into aplicated development.

 Book 2: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    A minute discussion with the person concerned was proposed by Thoria and Shin epted, he would have to wait in the orphanage until the church closed. It was understandable because she couldn¡¯t afford to neglect her work. Furthermore, he intended to keep the childrenpany, too.

    ¡°Fox!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fox-san!¡±

    ¡°I want to hold it!¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡°Kuu~¡­¡±

    The children of the orphanage were interested in Yuzuha.

    Though it was bad for it to be made into a toy, he asked Yuzuha to put up with it this time. Shin intended to join in if he saw the opportunity.

    In contrast to Yuzuha, the children didn¡¯t approach Shin at all. Only Millie was near Shin.

    ¡°Although it is understandable, what is this feeling of defeat¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t give up?¡±

    The constion caused his eyes to sting.

    ¡°¡­Well, to be attached to a guy who suddenly came and had a conversation is unreasonable, huh?¡±

    As for the children, their wariness was strong. They would not trust him, no matter how much he was introduced by Thoria. All the more to the orphans who had lost their parents or siblings.

    ¡°Millie doesn¡¯t want to join in?¡±

    ¡°I lose.¡±

    ¡°Lose what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    Though a somewhat unexpected answer came back, the point was that she was defeated by a stronger opponent.

    Millie remained anxious on whether or not to jump into the group that surrounded Yuzuha.

    When he thought about that, Yuzuha was not able to endure anymore. It slipped through between the children, rushed to Shin and climbed up to on top of his head. Its fur was somehow bristled up, as if it was being cautious.

    ¡°Yuu-chan,e.¡±

    ¡°¡­Kuu.¡±

    When Millie called, after pausing a little while, Yuzuha barked and settled itself into Millie¡¯s arms.

    Yuzuha¡¯s wariness seemed to have fadedpared to when it met them the first time. And its nickname seemed to be Yuu-chan.

    ¡°With this, only I hold it.¡±

    ¡°What a schemer!?¡±

    ¡°Without effort, victory.¡±

    ¡°You are saying something like that!?¡±

    She seemed to have foreseen that Yuzuha would not be able to endure it and would run away.

    ¡°Millie, you¡¯re a frightening girl!!¡±

    Shin retorted. In the middle of such an exchange, from a distance, the children started to look at Shin.

    Now a rtively serious girl, who appeared to be the oldest, stood before Shin as he thought ¡®What¡¯s up with that?¡¯ There seemed to be courage in this girl. She might be a child in an elder sister position because she said, ¡°Hey boy!¡± And she was not one of the children who had gathered around Yuzuha.

    The girl had evenly cut, grey hair that extended down to her shoulders. If the children who gathered around Yuzuha were around lower grade elementary school students, this girl looked like an upper grade junior high school student. Her green eyes were tense, with an -ask something- look.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello. You might already have heard it from Thoria, but I am Shin. I am an adventurer. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Kua, it is. Nice to meet you, too.¡±

    To make sure, he introduced himself again. Was it the result of her being fearless? She introduced herself without feeling pressured.

    ¡°By the way, this fox is Yuzuha. Please excuse my partner from too much whisker and tail pulling.¡±

    ¡°Are you the person who came to help us?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡±

    Shin would understand if she said, ¡°person who came to help the Sisters¡±, but what about the remark ¡°us¡±?

    ¡°Because the Sister told us that the ce here might be lost.¡±

    ¡°The church will be lost?¡±

    ¡°No, only the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Only the orphanage?¡±

    Shin, who thought the church and the orphanage were a set, was surprised at Kua¡¯s words.

    What will happen to all the children who live here if the orphanage is lost? From Kua¡¯s perspective, it was not a nice premonition

    ¡°May I hear the story for the time being? I don¡¯t really know the details.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±

    Was Shin¡¯s determination transmitted? Kua began to speak calmly.

    And, he understood several things from Kua¡¯s story.

    First, the management of this church was not entrusted to someone unless they were a priest with a certain extent of ability, and Thoria didn¡¯t meet the qualifications. The priest, in this case, referred to a job. Father and sister were simr to the priest job, they just differed in name.

    Second, when one couldn¡¯t meet the qualification as it was, another priest would take over the management here. Apparently, the man who was the next candidate would demolish the orphanage. It was really doubtful whether the man was a real Priest or not.

    Third, a rtive of the former manager. In the case of identical qualification holders, the rtive would be put in a higher priority for the session order. And this was the reason Thoria pushed it to the other Sister, Rashia. If Rashia seeded this church, the current problem would be solved.

    Shin, who didn¡¯t think that the child was well-informed about the circumstances, was a little surprised while he heard the story.

    ¡°Even so, why is that Priest not going to keep the orphanage, even though it¡¯s the same church?¡±

    Judging from the actions of Thoria and Rashia, the church was an independent organization that helped other people.

    However, the next candidate Priest¡¯s actions were strange in this situation.

    ¡°We hate that person.¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    The children behind her were nodding at Kua¡¯s words.

    He asked what kind of person he was, yet Shin was somehow able to predict Kua¡¯s answer.

    ¡°That pig is blinded by money.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, yes. Just that alone is enough.¡±

    When a child said an abusive remark, one could imagine what kind of person that man was.

    Though he understood that it was rash to judge only from one viewpoint, it was unreasonable in this state of affair.

    By all means, there were always corrupt members somewhere in an organization. Shin had a distant look.

    ¡°In other words, the acquisition of ¡¾Purification¡¿ is required so that Rashia can take over the church?¡±

    As Els from the guild said, ¡¾Purification¡¿ was a skill, a very special one for a priest.

    ¡°Because Shin-nii will help, it will be all right.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be asserted with only this.¡±

    He warned Millie who was full of confidence in herself.

    This time he intended to teach by the original method without using the secret book. In this case, if the person in question didn¡¯t make any effort, it would not have much effect, even with Shin¡¯s help.

    He didn¡¯t want to use ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿, because he didn¡¯t know what kind of significance ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ had in this world. Besides, he wanted Rashia to get used to fighting scenes.

    From Kua¡¯s story, he didn¡¯t think that the problem of the church would be solved just by acquiring the ¡¾Purification¡¿skill. In 9 out of 10 cases, the predicament was that it would be a fighting scene. Although it was likely to end when Wilhelm started to rampage.

    ¡°But, if Millie-chan said so, I wonder if it¡¯s really all right?¡±

    Kua muttered and Shin asked about it.

    ¡°Is what Millie says always right on the money?¡±

    ¡°Yes, although she seldom tells me something about when the shop is cheap or where the sweets are put away.¡±

    ¡°No, wait, that is something different.¡±

    Shin worried about Millie for being seen as weird because of her good intuition, but the unexpected reply about food came back.

    ¡°Weird?¡±

    Millie looked up at Shin.

    ¡°No, it is not weird. But it¡¯s rather a good thing¡­?¡±

    Because he thought he should cover the one he should conceal, he questioned if it might be good.

    He felt that she had a grown-up mentality, which Shin thought might be caused by ¡ºHoshiyomi¡», as she had seen various things with that power.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good if you don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    He said while patting Millie¡¯s head.

    Initially Millie showed a face of wondering, but she lookedfortable after being patted.

    ¡°Being patted, love it.¡±

    Afterwards, there were children of the beast race that looked enviously at Millie, who seemed veryfortable.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    They yed together for several hours while Millie broke the ice with the other children. By the time Thoria returned to the orphanage, all of the younger children and some of the older ones were inside their dreams, leaving the other children behind.

    ¡°When I see the children sleeping¡­¡±

    The words she was about to say stopped. It seemed that Thoria¡¯s strength came from seeing the children who slept peacefully. As one might expect, she would hesitate to have Shin, whom she just met today, take care of the children.

    ¡°¡­these children seem to bepletely off guard, too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and it¡¯s nice to see.¡±

    There was the figure of the girl called Rashia in the church behind Thoria. She had gray hair and the same chignon as Thoria. From her brown eyes, Shin could perceive the same tension as Kua had not long ago.

    ¡°Is that Rashia-san?¡±

    ¡°Ye-yes! This time I hope to get along with zu¡­iyai¡±

    It appeared that she bit her tongue.

    ¡°Uhm, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Though she has a little careless side to her, I can assure you she will do her best.¡±

    This was followed by Thoria who showed a little bitter smile.

    ¡°Uu, I¡¯m sorry. It was an unsightly scene.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s be at ease. I¡¯m Shin. An Adventurer. I will instruct you in how to learn the skill ¡¾Purification¡¿. However, whether it can be mastered is up to Rashia-san. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±

    ¡°Yes!!¡±

    She returned an answer clearly this time. Those eyes showed earnestness itself.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s move on to the finer details. First of all, I want to ask you two; Do you know of a ce where undead monsters with high levels appear inrge quantities? If not, I will check with the guild.¡±

    There were essential conditions for the acquisition of ¡¾Purification¡¿. Generally, how long it took for acquiring it would depend on the ce.

    ¡°I think the famous one is ¡®Wraith ins¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Wraith ins?¡±

    Shin looked puzzled at the name of the ce that came out from Thoria¡¯s mouth, as he had never heard of it before.

    ¡°Yes. After you leave the country, the ins are located in the north. Originally, there seemed to have been a dungeon there, but a part of it rose above the ground due to the former natural disasters.¡±

    ¡°A dungeon is above ground? Is there such a thing?¡±

    ¡°I heard that there are other, simr cases, but the details are¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, since this time the task requires undead monsters, I¡¯d say it¡¯s perfect.¡±

    In this case, he felt it was too timely, but decided to not to worry about it. He was saved the trouble of looking for such ce one by one. He didn¡¯t seem to have much time ording to the story he heard. It would be better to start early, Shin thought.

    ¡°So, how long do you need to travel to arrive there?¡±

    ¡°You can expect ¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°5 or 6 days by carriage.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ara, Will, did you just return?¡±

    The one who interrupted Thoria¡¯s words was Wilhelm, who had shown up at the entrance. He was carrying Venom in his hand, and was quietly raising his fighting spirit.

    ¡°Yo, I¡¯m interfering.¡±

    ¡°Are you the adventurer who responded to the request?¡±

    Though Wilhelm seemed calm on the surface, Shin knew that Wilhelm was openly prepared for battle.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct, since I have received the rewards, I don¡¯t mind teaching ¡¾Purification¡¿.

    ¡°¡­What did you hear?¡±

    Wilhelm saw through Shin¡¯s answer that the reward was not some kind of money or goods. His eyes were saying ¡®I will not forgive a lie.¡¯

    Shin took a short pause and replied.

    ¡°¡­Millie¡¯s title, and what kind of power she has. Afterwards, the talk of to make sure the information didn¡¯t leak with the adventurers of orphanage alumni.

    ¡°Is it okay to put this much trust in him?¡±

    The words were directed to Thoria.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t see him as a bad person. Besides, Millie also assured it. That it was all right.¡±

    Wilhelm, who knew Millie¡¯s power, was like ¡°No way!¡± as he looked at Millie.

    ¡°¡­Did you see it¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Millie¡¯s word rendered him silent momentarily, and respond with a few words. He seemed to agree for the time being.

    ¡°Ah, did you settle the dispute?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since Millie said so, I will trust you for now.¡±

    Shin could do nothing but shrug his shoulders to that reaction.

    ¡°I never thought of spreading what I heard, abusing Millie¡¯s power or anything like that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. If someone dares to do such things, I will kill that guy.¡±

    Wilhelm told the joke while waving Venom, but his eyes werepletely serious. There was a hint that the spear could be sent flying anytime.

    ¡°Mu~, quarrel, cannot!¡±

    ¡°Oops.¡±

    ¡°Uu¡±

    Millie, who sensed the tense atmosphere, sweetly interrupted it. Wilhelm, who appeared to not be in a mood to press any further, let go of his fighting spirit.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never been a patient person.¡±

    ¡°Will doesn¡¯t have the habit of patience.¡±

    ¡°Impatience Will-nii.¡±

    Thoria and Rashia followed up casually. It seemed like it was more to criticize than to follow up.

    ¡°They told you¡­¡±

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±

    Shin had a hunch that if an ordinary man felt his fighting spirit, they would bepletely frightened, yet Thoria and Rashia still remained calm despite beingmoners.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s fine. From the various things I¡¯ve heard, in this case, they will receive information about ¡¾Purification¡¿, huh?¡±

    ¡°Just in case, keep it a secret from others.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The information is about the church¡¯s secret, it would be dangerous if someone were to talk about it.¡±

    Others were nodding to Wilhelm¡¯s remark. Apparently. Shin thought the church had arge influence.

    ¡°Did you put up the eavesdrop prevention magic just to make sure?¡­Well then, the main subject. The acquisition method for ¡¾Purification¡¿ is to defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150, while having the item called ¡¾Prayer of Saint Sphere¡¿. Because it only counts the decisive blow that defeats the enemy, I will weaken the monsters first so that Rashia can defeat them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oi, is it true, seriously?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. The truth is, obtaining the ¡¾Prayer of Saint Sphere¡¿ is really difficult, but it¡¯s okay this time, because I have it.¡±

    Shin talked about it like it was nothing.

    Though he didn¡¯t realize it, monsters whose level exceeds 150 were very dangerous existences to an ordinary person of this world. Rashia, who heard that she was required to defeat at least 200 monsters, was dumbfounded like her soul froze.

    ¡°Oi, Rashia!¡±

    ¡°Hahi!!¡±

    ¡°Oioi, are you alright?¡­¡±

    Wilhelm tapped her shoulder and Rashia returned to her sanity. Besides, Rashia had no other option but to persevere.

    ¡°Oi Shin. I will also go together with you this time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does not matter, but she might be more at ease if she had someone with her whom she knows.¡±

    If they were only 2 people, he guessed it would be severe. Shin who considered Rashia¡¯s mental state.

    Although he saw Rashia¡¯s reaction, even if it was an adventurer in this world, it would be difficult to clear the trial Shin talked about. Shin thought he himself was prudent, but he unconsciously based it on the standard from the game era.

    ¡°Then, Rashia, try your best.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will do my best!¡±

    While Shin was thinking, Rashia somehow appeared to have recovered, too. Since she held responsibility for the church, she had to get over this.

    After Rashia settled on her resolution, the discussion of minor things came to an end.

    While it¡¯s better to move quickly, the preparation time for each person was considered. The meeting ce was decided to be in front of the east gate.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After Shin left the church, the others started preparing for tomorrow. Rashia and Thoria exined to the children while preparing for the journey.

    Wilhelm had gone out to purchase the necessary food and goods for the long journey.

    He called out to trusted adventurers who were orphanage alumni, while at the same time, walking along the main street to buy the necessary things. It was because the Priest who tried to demolish the orphanage was not likely to make a move if someone was there.

    Even if it was the adventurers from the orphanage, the people who knew about Millie¡¯s power were limited. He had to convey all members to be on the lookout, since there was the possibility of a long time absence. While busy, Wilhelm kept thinking about a certain man.

    Needless to say, it was Shin.

    He met him for the first time in his favorite restaurant and shared a table by chance. Though Shin just became an adventurer, Wilhelm was surprised that Shin was talking to him without fear, despite him having Venom. Thus he was able to recall him immediately when they met again in the orphanage.

    He heard that Thoria talked about Millie¡¯s power with Shin in the church, and thought that no matter how he looked at it, Shin was being trusted too much, but he consented for the time being since Millie asserted that it was all right. Moreover, Millie said ¡°I saw it¡±. Somehow, though he couldn¡¯t say so himself, at least he was sure that Shin was not a dangerous person. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t think that Millie would support Shin.

    However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he didn¡¯t know Shin¡¯s true character.

    If he thought about it carefully, he noticed that there were many odd things or spots. Especially the remark ¡°Did you appraise it?¡±, and when he asked about the appraiser¡¯s skill level, too.

    Now that he thought about it, Shin¡¯s expression at that time was like saying, ¡°Then it is impossible¡±.

    And then the ¡¾Purification¡¿ acquisition requirement. Shin said ¡°defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150¡±. And then afterwards, he continued with ¡°I will weaken the monsters so that Rashia can deal the finishing blow.¡± Judging from the way Shin talked, it didn¡¯t seem that Wilhelm was included in thebat capability.

    If what he said was not a lie, then that means that he has the ability to defeat opponents of Lv. 150 or more by himself. In addition to that, he was able to take Rashia along, who would be a burden in that situation.

    (Did he really just be an adventurer?)

    When they shared a table, he sounded like he had some battle experience before he became an adventurer, and it was not strange if the information for his skill was circted. But no such information were found, even when Wilhelm asked the information dealer of the orphanage connection.

    To be able to defeat monsters level 150 or more, the rank of adventurer would be at least B or higher. It would not be unusual if it was in the case of rank A.

    What kind of person was he, that he was unknown until now?

    (Possibly, that guy¡­)

    He unintentionally stopped walking.

    Words appeared in Wilhelm¡¯s mind. Certain words that only a few people know.

    Words that indicated the existence of a power that was not conceivable within themon society.

    A person who had kept a lot of skills and knowledge, and deviated from the concept of level in this society, a ¡®Chosen One¡¯ as its generic term. Furthermore, Wilhelm had a deep connection with a Chosen One himself.

    ¡°A Chosen One¡­huh?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s spontaneous muttering was not heard by anyone, as it disappeared in the mor of the town.

    At dawn the next day.

    Shin quickly finished his breakfast, and told Tsugumi that he wanted to check out of the room since he would be out for a long time. The remainder of the inn fee, which he had paid in advance, was received. Because all of the baggage was put inside the Item Box, he didn¡¯t need packing and was able to leave without spending too much time. It was because Tsugumi didn¡¯t want to let go of Yuzuha that he couldn¡¯t depart immediately. Shin felt that it was the movement of a hunter who had found their prey. After all, was it because of the family name ¡®Bear¡¯? Shin guessed so.

    As usual, Yuzuha rode on his head while he walked down the road where the pedestrian traffic was sparse. He arrived at the east gate at the appointed ce at an earlier time than usual, probably because it was not crowded like it was in the daytime. Though Shin thought he was a little early, there was already a waiting member there.

    ¡°Yo.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, you are early.¡±

    Shin replied, while feeling a little surprised that it was Wilhelm who came early and was waiting.

    The way to know the time in this town was to hear the sound of the bell which basically rang at regr intervals. It was difficult to match the meeting perfectly, so either one would have to wait. The merchants were an exception because they have their own clocks, but adventurers were unexpectedly poor when it came to timing. Tsugumi and Douma said that rushing at thest moment was not unusual.

    There were still 20 min before the appointed time. Shin understood that thanks to the game system. Somehow, he regretted that he went out too early.

    ¡°Are you always this early?¡±

    ¡°No, I just want to confirm one thing before departing. Just follow me for a moment.¡±

    Shin was at a loss at Wilhelm¡¯s frightfully serious look. He followed after Wilhelm while thinking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±. Yuzuha was still rxing on top of Shin¡¯s head. It didn¡¯t seem to feel the danger in particr.

    ¡°Come to think of, where is Rashia?¡±

    ¡°She was asked for a trivial errand. She will bete.¡±

    It looked like he didn¡¯t want to be asked by Shin about Rashia somehow.

    They began to walk for several minutes. Wilhelm stopped in front of a certain shop.

    It looked like a restaurant judging from the signboard. The signboard had a ss and a spoonbined drawn on it.

    After knocking on the door three times at fixed intervals, Wilhelm opened the door. The inside of the shop was dim, but the brightness was kept at a level where it was not inconvenient to walk. Three tables, five counters seats and a bottle of sake were disyed in an orderly manner inside the shop as they entered his sight. And then, a bartender polishing a ss.

    It appeared that this shop was like a bar.

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m going to borrow this ce.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The bartender nodded at Wilhelm¡¯s words, opened the back door and left the shop. He should have noticed Yuzuha, but didn¡¯t say anything. Shin thought on whether animals were going to be declined due to hygiene, but it seemed to not be a worry about in this world. He might have thought that Shin was a tamer in this case.

    ¡°Someone you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the orphanage connections. Didn¡¯t you hear about such fellows from Thoria?¡±

    ¡°Oh. The bartender from a while ago is an adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    The two of them were chatting while standing, before sitting on a seat in front of the counter.

    Then, Wilhelm suddenly began to talk.

    ¡°I want to confirm one thing. Are you a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°¡­What, is that?¡±

    Shin asked back as he had never heard of those words in his memory, while tilting his head. The reason for his slight pause was due to him trying to search his memory for that title by the name. However, there was no title called the ¡®Chosen One¡¯ as far as Shin knew.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°No, not in the least.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Wilhelm observed Shin¡¯s state after he replied, and began to talk calmly after a short time.

    ¡°A chosen one has skills and titles since birth, and they have knowledge that is not supposed to be known. The person himself has strength not conceivable for their level.¡±

    ¡°Since birth? You don¡¯t say! Did the baby talk or fire some magic?¡±

    From Wilhelm¡¯s speech, Shin imagined the mysterious phenomenon of a baby being able to talk due to a restart from reincarnation, which he read about asionally in web novels.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a story. Instead, there are numerous stories, such as a boy with a single digit age killing a Tetra Grizzly with his bare hands, or suddenly being able to use a secret skill.¡±

    ¡°A person strong since birth, huh? How should I say, like normally being branded as a monster.¡±

    Though the ability was influenced since birth, it was strange to acquire skills and knowledge from the beginning. Though it depends on the point of view, the dwellers of this world surely have said such thing to a chosen one.

    ¡°With all of that knowledge, does the Chosen One have the memories from their previous life?¡±

    ¡°No, mostly item and monster knowledge, but the story of a fellow who remembered their past life is unheard of.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    While hearing Wilhelm talk, one possibility popped up in Shin¡¯s mind.

    (Several skills can be used from the beginning, has a title, and the ability is high¡­could it be, the reincarnation system is still functioning?)

    Originally the reincarnation was conducted in the temple inside THE NEW GATE, so a start over for a baby inside this reality world was not that strange. He couldn¡¯t deny that there was the possibility that he would be born normally in some family if it could happen.

    It depended on the reincarnation frequency, but there were a lot of reincarnation benefits, such as titles and skills inheritance, bonus stats, and so on. Shin thought that this possibility was the highest if he overlooked some of the contradictions.

    However, the ce where the temple was became a danger zone because of the monsters, so it was hard to enter now, and the confirmation seemed to be difficult.

    ¡°Do you happen to know about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes or rather no.¡±

    Shin was at loss for that answer.

    He himself had reincarnated too, but that was the story in the game, and one was not reborn as a baby like in this world. But the ability of Shin might only be exinable as the chosen one to the humans in this world. In addition, it was not possible to make an excuse that his abilities were high because he was some long life species, since Shin stuck to being a human in the guild.

    He didn¡¯t know whether Wilhelm would believe him if he spoke honestly, and even if Wilhelm believed it, Shin would be in trouble. Since High Humans were supposed to have gone extinct.

    ¡°It¡¯s dull¡­well whatever, I don¡¯t have any reason to make you spit out everything. I wouldn¡¯t want to say either, I guess.¡±

    ¡°I am relieved when you said so.¡±

    ¡°Because you seem to not be aware of it. But to take on a level 150 alone is what an advanced level adventurer does. It seems thoughtless when ites from you, a rank G.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, that¡¯s right. No, thoughtlessly!!¡±

    Oops, Shin let out a wry smile while scratching his head. In this world, where level became the evaluation standard, Shin¡¯s judgment of the importance of stats might be unconventional. Though he roughly understood just in case, it was already found out.

    Shin had a little shy reaction, and his mind was not calm. Even though he intended to be careful when he saw the reaction of Rashia for ¡¾Purification¡¿, he had done it again. However, it was not long ago since Shin came to this world, so he didn¡¯tpletely understand the way this world worked. In a sense, it was a severe worldpared to the time of the game. It was not possible, even if he already spent a few days, to adapt to the sense of values andmon sense.

    ¡°A Chosen One¡¯s given name is not known by many people either, since trouble would follow around when their ability was exposed. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡­might already toote.¡±

    ¡°Oi, did you do something?¡±

    ¡°I guess that I might have had a match with the guild master and won, reported that I defeated a Skull Face which had the level of a King ss, and even defeated a near three-digit amount of Skull Faces, where Pawn and Jack sses werebined¡­alone.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oi, that¡¯s too ridiculous to respond too. What is this, these insanely strong topics?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped I guess. Even I didn¡¯t expect all of this stuff to have happened. Or rather, it¡¯s not that I voluntarily invite myself into trouble.¡±

    Certainly it was Shin who approached the unique monster Skull Face, but the introduction letter of Tsuki no Hokora was the cause of the fight with Barlux, and even the near three digits amount of Skull Faces appeared when he was just saving Yuzuha. Shin insisted that it was not his fault. Especially the Skull Face, where he couldn¡¯t just choose to leave it alone.

    ¡°Good grief, although something makes me feel that this is not a joke. Be careful, seriously. The Chosen Ones tend to be respected for their ability. But from what you said just now, it¡¯s like you were treated as a taboo child.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only natural, I think.¡±

    ¡°There was also this guy who prattled that he descended from an oracle¡­actually, the ability¡¯s strength might be restricted while growing up, as there are fair differences from the environment. Well you might say, most chosen ones are protected by the church or the country so it isn¡¯t a serious problem up until there.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Even if I feel worried about it, but how many of the chosen ones are in the different countries?¡±

    If the chosen ones were the existences that experienced the reincarnation as Shin thought, the person might be able to destroy a country in some cases. It was the number that he was worried about.

    ¡°It depends on the country. If you ept published information, there are 4 chosen ones in this country, including the guild master. Generally, there is 1 person in the neighboring countries. In each countries power rtionship, there is a considerable difference in individuals, as for the power of the chosen one, some fellows only specialize inbat, and they are said to be the superior ones. Even if Bayreuth is at the top in ability for battle, the neighboring countries will form an alliance and oppose Bayreuth if they conducts tyranny. No matter how powerful a chosen one is, they can¡¯t wipe out an army alone. Even if after they used their secret weapon. So now, bnce is maintained. Well, there is also an unspoken agreement that all countries will conceal their chosen ones, too.¡±

    ¡°The countries won¡¯t show their trump cards, huh? Even so, it is difficult for the chosen ones to annihte an army. By the way, how much power does the strongest person have?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, the strongest is the second princess, well the second princess, if in melee, the first princess if in magic. For the first princess, her magic could cover a wide range of 1000 enemies, but somehow she is ¡®out¡¯ if approached. The second princess depends on physical strength and strategy to defeat the enemy. Even if there are multiplebat specialized chosen ones, there is a considerable difference in the individual strength of their abilities, thebination of Bayreuth¡¯s princess is excellent.¡±

    Shin calcted the abilities of the chosen ones while listening to Wilhelm¡¯s words. Since ordinary soldiers didn¡¯t have the benefit from the reincarnation system, their stats would not reach 300, even if they were max level. Of course the limit was not dependant on the abilities of the equipment, but still, only a few stats would reach 300.

    When he thought about it, since human was another race that had high magic resistance, the INT of the first princess who was able to take on 1000 opponents would exceed 500, and even her MP would be quiterge. It was extraordinary in this world to be able to use several magic attacks at once. And then the second princess who paired with her, probably had high HP, and one of STR, VIT, AGI values was near 500. He couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly as he divided the warrior type and magician type splendidly.

    ¡°It¡¯s somewhat easy to understand. In a sense, the duo princesses are unrivaled as a set, huh?¡±

    The first princess defeated the enemy with magic, the second princess defeated the enemy who approached them. He had the feeling that the sess in battle would rise if both of them came, as it would be interesting to a match with a thousand.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter how manybinations are made, it¡¯s those two people after all. If simr chosen ones appear andpete, the victory or defeat will be decided by the difference between the ordinary soldiers. Because all countries also have a simr condition, it¡¯s the reason why they cannot easily reveal their hand.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    In other words, the chosen ones with ability probably didn¡¯t have much of a difference in stats. Though there was no conclusive evidence, Shin¡¯s definition of the chosen ones was that they had the stats of reincarnated people, which were around 500.

    A justifiable request woulde to Schnee, Shin thought. All her stats exceeded 800. He didn¡¯t know what weapon she was using now, but with addedpensation, her STR would be close to 900.

    If Shin used the wide area magic he had learned before, he could annihte not just 1000 but 10,000 enemies in a single horse ride. It¡¯s easy to imagine the neighboring countries being annexed in a sh, if he served the country.

    (Come to think of it, neither Els nor Celica-san asked me about the chosen one.)

    Because they were guild staff, he thought that they would know about it. However, going from Wilhelm¡¯s speech, there was the possibility that only the high-ranking staff and adventurers were informed about it. Well, they were likely to forget since the impression of dispelling Tiera¡¯s curse and the Skull Face subjugation were too strong.

    ¡°Thank you for the advice. Although it¡¯s toote, I will be careful.¡±

    ¡°Please do so.¡±

    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s nice that Wilhelm is unexpectedly taking care of me. Is it really true that you are feared?¡±

    Shin talked about what he felt. Shin sensed an unusual gap between the impression that he heard about and the impression he got when he actually met Wilhelm.

    ¡°That is because the surrounding people just think as they please, I guess. Even I don¡¯t understand it.¡±

    ¡°But you are protecting the orphanage, right?¡±

    ¡°Other fellows are just not enthusiastic. Even when the Father was about to kick the bucket, that greedy pig guy was still meddling in the church. Because of that, the brats were crying. And a brat¡¯s cry is harsh on my ears.¡±

    Wilhelm said, while grimacing. However, it was probably because of a sense of incongruity he had acquired a long time ago that he felt irritated in the situation where a child was crying. Or otherwise, Shin guessed.

    ¡°So, did you silence the guy who tried to meddle?¡±

    ¡°Just that. Recently, I think the brats came up with strange ideas. A kid should be a kid, they should run, sleep, and eat without worries.¡±

    (Darn, this person is a good guy.)

    Shin thought, when Wilhelm talked bluntly.

    In other words, a child should act like an innocent child and Wilhelm would not forgive the guy who was letting them cry. The title of ¡®big brother¡¯ suited him really well.

    ¡°Good gracious! You are not being honest aren¡¯t you?¡±

    It was so amusing that Shin unintentionally smirked.

    ¡°Aaah?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s nothing. By the way, I am little worried, is it a good if I intervene in the inheritance of the church when that pig guy can use ¡¾Purification¡¿?¡±

    He tightened his face to show his worries. Though the opponent was not to be liked, he shouldn¡¯t be underestimated if he acquired the ¡¾Purification¡¿ by himself. A pig that was able to fight was not just a in pig.

    ¡°It is damn annoying, but that pig indeed possess ¡¾Purification¡¿. But that scoundrel¡¯s fighting power is like, to be frank, a small fry. The method you mentioned yesterday is impossible for him. It was not possible with his level.¡±

    ¡°Do you know his specific level?¡±

    ¡°I heard it was 40.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed impossible. Then, it is from ¡¾Secret Books Creation¡¿ huh?¡±

    As expected, it seemed that he acquired that skill from an item. Otherwise, it was impossible for such a low-level to learn ¡¾Purification¡¿. A reincarnation person ¨D A chosen one in this world ¨D Though it was possible, from Wilhelm¡¯s way of speaking, it was different from Shin¡¯s thought.

    ¡°The church has secrets, one way or another. Even if there are such things, it is improper. More like, it was clearly unpleasant. The high-ranking priest at the headquarters¡¯ seem to be a skill sessor from a conversation I heard.¡±

    ¡°But even then, why is it that fat guy was let loose, is there not an eye for people? Is it the power of money?¡­It is thetter no matter how much I think about it.¡±

    Certainly, for a leader¡¯s position, there is no way that people could turn a blind eye. Besides, after thinking various things, money was indeed one of theprehensible power.

    ¡°At first, I thought you were one of that scoundrel¡¯s underling.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?, Come to think of it, isn¡¯t it strange?¡±

    An adventurer with ¡¾Purification¡¿ skill turns up with this timing. It was impossible not to doubt Shin without Millie. All the more, she know the circumstances.

    If there was no Millie, he didn¡¯t know what would happen.

    ¡°Millie too, on her own ords, was seen talking to other people about something. I was thinking about what kind of rtion they have.¡±

    ¡°Really? What kind of people does Millie talk to?¡±

    ¡°Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Millie approached me as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I cannot say in detail, but it was a ck dragnil, a pixie with blond hair, and an elf with silver hair.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    While Shin was lightly replying with an agreeing response, he suddenly had an idea one of the descriptions.

    (ck dragnil, blond hair pixie, silver hair elf¡­it was a feature I heard somewhere. No, thisbination itself is not that rare. However, one of the three people seems familiar.)

    Though it was insufficient details for a person, ¡°Is it that person?¡± question appeared in his head.

    ¡°Hey, for thest silver hair elf, is it Schnee Raizar?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Intuition¡­I cannot say, but I just have a hunch.¡±

    ¡°Intuition, huh?¡±

    Shin look straight into Wilhelm¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°May I hear what Millie said to the elf at that time?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡®Soon,ing back¡¯. I don¡¯t understand what she meant by that.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know, even though your face looks convinced?¡±

    ¡°That I cannot say too.¡±

    Still, Shin who wasn¡¯t able to say it himself, was surprised at Wilhelm who unexpectedly informed him of the contents of the conversation. By some chance, Millie already expected Shin toe here.

    ¡°Well. Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You have to tell me next time no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, please wait for a moment.¡±

    A message suddenly started blinking on the edge of his view. It seemed like a message from Tiera.

    He told Wilhelm to wait, and opened the message.

    ¡ºTo Shin

    The reply from Master arrived.

    For some reason, I was asked a lot of questions, so I only answered what I knew.

    She will return home in a great hurry, as soon as her work has ended.

    In case you are leaving Bayreuth, please let me know.

    P.S.

    There were a lot of questions and I was a little scared, what on earth did you do to Master?¡»

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The amount of questions became too scary, he thought while sending a consent message. Whether it was the result of became worried after 500 years of no news, Shin decided to meet first to make sure so there was no problem when they were traveling together.

    In the ce where he was about to close the menu screen while having a bitter smile, he noticed that the column of ¡ºImportant Things¡» was shing. He opened to see the ¡ºTsuki no Hokora Letter of Introduction¡» shining silver.

    ¡°Hmm? ¡­Ah!¡±

    Shin thought about why it was shining, and the time when he met Barlux suddenly crossed his mind. It was said that the letters of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora resonated with each other with magic and was how one knew whether it was a genuine thing.

    ¡°That means¡­¡±

    He took out the letter of introduction which in this state was formed into a card. Because he didn¡¯t know what design would appear, he covered it by hand to prevent it from being seen just in case.

    The letter of introduction emitted silver light in the state which formed into a card.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t tell me, do you have the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora?¡±

    What? Wilhelm asked what Shin was about to say.

    Then Shin noticed and asked back.

    For that a letter of introduction to emit light, that means ¨D¨D

    ¡°You too, do you have it?¡±

    ¡°The letter of introduction shined after all!¡±

    Wilhelm took out a piece of card from the open space with surprise look on his face. Simr to Shin¡¯s, Wilhelm¡¯s card emitted silver light.

    ¡°¡­that is, no way!¡±

    ¡°¡­It surely is.¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm looked at each other.

    An indescribable atmosphere filled the ce.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 2: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    The two of them regained theirposure after a while and materialized the card. Then they properly confirmed that it were the genuine article.

    ¡°So you really are a letter of introduction holder.¡±

    ¡°I guess we both are.¡±

    Wilhelm showed a little weariness while Shin returned it with a wry smile.

    Even with Millie¡¯s mediation, he was wary of Shin¡­Wilhelm was still cautious of Shin¡¯s ability even with the assumption that ¡®Millie¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t be abused¡¯. Though Wilhelm¡¯s outward appearance was no problem, there was a little distrust remaining in the corner of his mind. Then both of the letters of introduction in their hand vanished.

    ¡°There is nothing more reliable than this. That exins why you know about Schnee Raizar.¡±

    ¡°In my case, I got it from Tiera. Did you get it from Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I got it after I received hellish training from her. But I was beaten up one-sidedly even if it was training.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­she is still that serious, huh?¡±

    Even though it was Shin who set the character, he only decided the personality aspect roughly at thest moment. When he heard Wilhelm¡¯s story, he thought that she had hardly changed. Although he was prepared, it would not be strange if Schnee differed from the game era in various ways. She originally had a fixed character, like all AI¡¯s, but it didn¡¯t mean that she had not acquired something, so her personality was nothing more than his impression of her at this point.

    ¡°Well then, stop cking and let¡¯s go meet Rashia. We can continue this while we walk.¡±

    ¡°Is it that time already?¡±

    Wilhelm looked at the clock on the wall, and stood up. He didn¡¯t mean to stay for a long time, but it took longer than he thought because of the unexpected situation where Shin had a letter of introduction. But it was worth the time since he was satisfied with the result.

    While each one of the letter of introduction holders had their own special ability, almost none of the holders has caused anyone else to have a character breakdown. Wilhelm probably felt that Shin would cause trouble for the church in one go if that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°Even if I know we can trust each other, from what I heard, Wilhelm is a Chosen One too, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the intention to hide it at this time, but why do you think so? Not all adventurers with a rank A are Chosen Ones, you know?¡±

    ¡°No, it was from the weapon you hold, because an ordinary person would not be able to equip that. Therefore, when I saw you holding Venom normally, I thought ¡®Ahh, so he isn¡¯t an ordinary guy¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Huh? So that¡¯s the reason. No wonder you desperately asked the skill level of the appraiser. You bastard, acting like you didn¡¯t know about from the beginning.¡±

    It was Wilhelm¡¯s ¡¶Legend¡· grade devil spear ¡ºVenom¡».

    This was an item that couldn¡¯t be equipped if the yer¡¯s STR didn¡¯t exceed 500. When Shin met Wilhelm for the first time, he had reasons as to why he looked toward the weapon, too.

    Basically, for any equipment of the¡¶Legend¡· grade, they required specific stats to exceed about 350 in order to it be equipped. If he thought about it, the stat requirements for ¡ºVenom¡» were abnormally high. But it was not necessarily a bug, because there was a reason for it.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t just talk about it in front of so many people. And a while ago, when you took out a card from an empty space, did you use an Item Box? I heard there are very few people who have one.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you actually saw my little trick, huh? I used an item called, ¡ºExpansion Kit¡», it has the capacity of an Item Box imitation¡­so it looked like I¡¯m using the real deal. But that doesn¡¯t mean that every Chosen One has one.¡±

    ¡°Heh, is that so?¡±

    Shin thought that the function remained after all, as he responded with agreeing words. It has the function to give a support character and/or a monster partner the ability to hold arge quantity of items, and yers eventually expanded it until it almost had the same capacity as an Item Box. A lot of yers used one or two ¡ºExpansion Kit¡» to make sure their support characters were able to carry items, this way the support characters were able to use recovery items themselves in the case of an emergency.

    In Shin¡¯s case, all of his support characters were expanded to the limit. There was no particr reason for this. It was just his obsession about it.

    ¡°That aside, it seems that you also used an Item Box.¡±

    ¡°In my case, I was able to use it from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°You are a Chosen One after all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­for now, that¡¯s fine I guess.¡±

    Because Wilhelm seemed to be convinced that Shin was a Chosen One without asking for a detailed exnation, Shin gave up and said it was fine for now. Since it was troublesome to think about the setting in detail, and contradictions might appear somewhere, he decided to pass as a Chosen One on this asion.

    While continuing the conversation, they returned back to the appointed ce. When the two returned to the east gate, Rashia was looking around restlessly.

    ¡°Hey! Hey Will. I was forced to go shopping, where have you been?!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I had some business to take care of.¡±

    ¡°When you say things like that, I hope you didn¡¯t go to that indecent shop again.¡±

    ¡°Go to that shop!? Are you still half-asleep?¡±

    ¡°Shin-san. Please don¡¯t follow Wilhelm even if he invites you. Good grief¡­you will have a painful experience.¡±

    ¡°I can hear your conversation! Saying such things will lead to misunderstandings!!¡±

    ¡°Calm down both of you.¡±

    Shin calmed the couple who had started some kind of lover¡¯s quarrel, and departed immediately. Secretly, he was a little envious of their rtionship, where they were able to freely dispute without reservations.

    The means of transportation this time was to use horses. Wilhelm seemed to have borrowed them from the guild. The two horses had remarkable bodies and a splendid chestnut color, so that even Shin, who was an amateur about horses, understood it.

    The moment it saw Yuzuha, who wasying on top of Shin¡¯s head, the horse¡¯s movements stopped. Yuzuha let out a small ¡°Kuu¡± bark, and the horse replied with a small ¡°Hururu¡± neigh, and became quiet. For some reason, Shin didn¡¯t understand the exchange of words that was being carried out.

    Wilhelm and Rashia were on one of the horses, while Shin and Yuzuha rode the other one. Though it was the first time Shin was riding a real horse, somehow the ¡¾Riding¡¿ skillpensated for that, so he didn¡¯t have any problems riding it. Since he had the opportunity to ride not only horses but various monsters, including griffins and dragons, in the game, the skill level was up considerably.

    It would take 5 or 6 days by a carriages¡¯ slow speed, but it seemed like they would arrive quicker at the current speed, Shin thought. Of course, Shin could run much faster than this, but didn¡¯t talk about it because he would¡¯ve had to carry Rashia, who was an ordinary person.

    They advanced without any problems, while letting the horses rest asionally along the way. There were 2 Item Box holders, so there was almost no luggage, and they were able to gain more distance because of that. In addition, because they could take with them various utensils, they didn¡¯t have to eat preserved dull foods during camping. Because she could enjoy the meal which was one of the hardest things on a journey, Rahsia who was inexperienced in a travel didn¡¯t seem to be affected.

    While traveling by horse for 4 days, they deepened their friendship to the extent that they could speak in a casual tone. Shin and his group arrived at the region that was called the Wraith ins before noon.

    Nevertheless, the ins region was gloomy despite the sun hanging high in the sky. It was as if there was an invisible wall in the gap between the forest and the ins since the sunlight was blocked. When they looked at it closely, there was a deep violet haze slowly rising from the earth¡¯s surface, like it was welling up. It wrapped the ins zone like a boundary line.

    Since nothing was disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ when he used it, there seemed to be no effect that would be causing an abnormal state.

    ¡°There is no reaction even when I touch it, huh? It doesn¡¯t seem like a mistake that the border line is here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It is said that the monsters won¡¯t chase you if you leave from inside this ce. They are forbidden from leaving, as if they are being restricted inside there.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It happened once. There is no mistake about it, their equipment were tattered in an instant, even if it was daytime.¡±

    ¡°Just escape outside in case of an emergency, huh?¡±

    Since Rashia was there, the escape route was secured in case of an unexpected situation. It would be different if it was only Shin and Wilhelm, but they had to keep the dangerous monsters away from Rashia from now on.

    ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s prepare our base so that we can take shelter if we seed in escaping. And this is the¡¾Prayer of Saint Sphere¡¿. It will be useless if you don¡¯t have this. And then, this is extra. This will repel even a dragon¡¯s breath.¡±

    ¡°U-Understood! Thank¡­hyai¡­¡±

    As expected, Rashia appeared to be nervous and felt the cold that drifted from the Wraith ins. Though she had always snapped at Wilhelm during the journey, it was probably Rashia¡¯s own way to rx.

    What Shin handed over together with the¡¾Prayer of Saint Sphere¡¿ was a magic item of the bracelet type. It has the effect to nullify damage under a certain value and reduce the damage if above said certain value. Because it was one of Shin¡¯s handmade items, one would be unperturbed even if hit by a King ss Skull Face. It¡¯s durability was guaranteed too. Therefore, though it could be said that the tension was unnecessary, there was no other way but to give it to Rashia, who was not used to fighting scenes.

    By the way, Rashia¡¯s casual tone toward Wilhelm was due to them being childhood friends, so there was no need for them to act reserved.

    ¡°(I entrust her to you, Yuzuha.)¡±

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    He talked to Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, via telepathy. Previously it became possible to use telepathy shortly after he entered the country. It was discovered that the words Shin thought in his mind would be transmitted to Yuzuha. Some simple emotions, beside simple thoughts such as approval, refusal and so forth, were transmitted from Yuzuha in return.

    Yuzuha, who received the telepathy, got off Shin¡¯s head, and then rubbed its face on Rashia¡¯s cheeks after it jumped onto her shoulder.

    ¡°J-Just a moment Yuu-chan! That tickles.¡±

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    ¡°Full of spirit, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­Yuu-chan, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Whether or not she had cheered up a little, a somewhat awkward but understandable smile was expressed on Rashia¡¯s face. While Shin was transmitting a feeling of gratitude toward Yuzuha, who moved ording to his expectations, Wilhelm emerged from the thickets.

    ¡°Wilhelm, how about the base location?¡±

    ¡°I have set up the tent in the vicinity as told, but that, what is that?¡±

    Wilhelm pointed with his eyes toward the forest ahead. Though it wasn¡¯t seen from the ce where Shin was, there was a jewel with a diameter of around 10 cemels that enclosed all sides of the tent. Even if the monsters couldn¡¯te out anyway, the tent was set up a certain distance from the ins for caution¡¯s sake.

    ¡°That is just a trifling interception item. When a monster approaches, it will attack with magic. Because it was possible to put up with a barrier where the monsters couldn¡¯t go in, it¡¯s satisfactory for a simple base.

    ¡°I have never heard of such an item!¡±

    Shin would normally only erect a ¡¾Barrier¡¿, but he thought that he would be doubted again, no matter how much of a Chosen One he was. Therefore, he decided to use an item for interception. Although he understood that a Chosen One was outside of the norm, there was a limit for that, so it would be bad to show a power beyond it. He was worried about his uncertainty of that limit.

    While he was at it, he didn¡¯t forget to put up ¡¾Wall¡¿, since the danger was not necessarilyprised of only monsters.

    ¡°You are a Chosen One too, Wilhelm, so you have no choice but to consent.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use that name for your own convenience, man.¡±

    ¡°What? Shin-san is a Chosen One, too!?¡±

    Apparently, Rashia seemed to know about Chosen Ones somehow. She probably heard it from Wilhelm.

    ¡°Eh? You didn¡¯t tell her that yet?¡±

    ¡°I missed the timing.¡±

    Wilhelm smiled wryly.

    ¡°Did you two perhaps confirm it on the day of departure?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Then you should have said it from the beginning!¡±

    Rashia pouted when she thought she had been excluded.

    ¡°I thought you could guess it even if I hadn¡¯t told you. If Shin was not strong enough, he wouldn¡¯t have proposed this harsh requirement, understand?¡±

    ¡°But Will, you said you wanted to do it too, so I thought it was normal.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡±

    Wilhelm was a little astounded by Rashia, who said so while looking doubtful.

    ¡°B-But even if you say Chosen One, the only one I know is Will. I know Will is strong, but I don¡¯t know how strong you are.¡±

    Even if she knew about the existence of Chosen Ones, if she didn¡¯t actually witness their power, she was not likely to understand their true significance. In the first ce, no one would be able to bring Rashia to this ce, even if Wilhelm put in some serious effort; it was too much. It could be said that it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Oi~, I know it¡¯s bad interrupting you guys, but let¡¯s start soon. We don¡¯t have time for leisure either.¡±

    Shin who was contemting the two people, lightly called out to them.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s go then. I feel a little bit better now.¡±

    ¡°What? Eh! Wait a moment!¡±

    Because he understood that Wilhelm was trying to loosen Rashia¡¯s tension, Shin picked the right time. In addition, they could continue happily.

    ¡°Now then, I wonder which one of these creeps will appear first.¡±

    ¡°Since it is daytime, it might be a Skull Face, a Bio Hound or a Mad Zombie. These monsters are more abundant while the sun is up.¡±

    ¡°When you think about the level range, the right time is at night, right? Well, now is a good time to get her some experience before the real deal starts at night.¡±

    ¡°The rest will depend on Rashia¡­well then, they are appearing already.¡±

    They appeared in front of Rashia who was trembling while holding her staff. Shin and Wilhelm shifted their gazes to the shadows that approached them. Their view was limited to a degree due to the haze, but it wasn¡¯t a problem for the perception ability of these two people.

    What appeared from the haze were 2 Jack ss Skull Faces and 3 Bio Hounds. After seeing that half of the Bio Hounds¡¯ bodies was rotting, Rashia covered her mouth with her hand. It was hard to look straight at it, even for Shin, as it became too realistic to some degree.

    ¡°This is so-so for a warm-up battle.¡±

    ¡°That Bio Hounds¡¯ smell is awful.¡±

    Shin drew his katana from his waist and Wilhelm prepared with¡ºVenom¡». While Rashia¡¯s resolution would be decided here, she held her staff while having a slightly badplexion and began to chant.

    The Bio Hounds moved first, at a rate of speed that seemed slow to Shin.

    Shin stepped forward before the 3 of them leaped at him straight on, which was probably because of theirck of intelligence. With one hand facing toward them, he invoked magic system skill ¡¾Ichiyou no Misogi¡¿*. (T/N: Single leaf of purification ceremony)

    At the same time, a semi-transparent barrier was created in front of him. The charging Bio Hounds crashed into the barrier and a crushing sound was made as they fell to the ground.

    In magic system skill, a lot of the skills were effective against undead monsters, and the one he used was a skill for defense. The HP of the Bio Hounds, who were basically conducting the act of suicide, instantly went down to the red zone as a result of the anti-undead skill. And then, without Shin missing it, the barrier was released and at the same time, he gave instructions to Rashia.

    ¡°Attack the Bio Hounds!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Rashia immediately reacted to Shin¡¯s instructions andpleted her chanting.

    White light emitted from the staff she held and shined upon the Bio Hounds. It was the magic system art ¡¾Heal¡¿. Though it was not as powerful as the magic system skill, the recovery magic was effective in damaging undead monsters as well. The remaining HP disappeared, and the bodies of the Bio Hounds disappeared.

    Seeing that, Shin confirmed that the rule of monsters not leaving a corpse behind in a dungeon was applied even now. Apparently, the whole area of the Wraith ins was regarded as a dungeon.

    ¡°The next ones areing!¡±

    From Wilhelms words, they prepared for the next attack. Simr to Bio Hounds, the 2 Skull Faces charged straight forward while the sound of armor scraping together was reverberating. However, they were prepared with a shield in front of them.

    ¡°¡¾Shield Bash¡¿, huh?¡±

    Then Wilhelm called out the muttering Shin.

    ¡°Oi, can your barrier also stop their blow?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. And cut their arms and legs so that they can¡¯t counter-attack once you have the chance! Or I guess that you can¡¯t do it?¡±

    ¡°Ha! Who the hell do you think I am!?¡±

    Wilhelm said confidently, and again Shin invoked ¡¾Ichiyou no Misogi¡¿. The Skull Faces crashed into the barrier which was deployed, but there was no damage because they used a shield unlike the Bio Hounds. However the Skull Faces, who probably didn¡¯t think the ¡¾Shield Bash¡¿ would be defended against, greatly broke their posture. Shin removed the barrier right after he confirmed that the Skull Faces¡¯ charge was stopped, and Wilhelm with the devil spear, instantaneously stepped forward between the two Skull Faces and jumped.

    ¡°SoRyAa!¡±

    While drawing a big arc in the air, he used the spearmanship system martial arts skill, ¡¾Spark Blossom¡¿.

    A single blow that hit both legs of the two Skull Faces and shattered them into pieces and the attack didn¡¯t end there.

    Without changing his momentum, Wilhelm rotated once with his spear. The Skull Face on the right side had its sword and shield blown away by the centrifugal force. The Skull Faces which had lost both feet and weapon fell down to the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±

    Shin, who released the barrier, had already crushed both arms of the Skull Face on the left side with the sword system martial art skill ¡¾de Breaker¡¿, while watching the movements of Wilhelm. He held a new katana in his hand.

    It was a katana with a crimson red de named ¡ºRed Chidori*¡». The katana¡¯s cutting ability had a lighting attribute, it was a ¡¶Legend¡· grade katana that easily surpassed the durability of ¡ºSeveral Strokes¡» he used before. (T/N: Ç§øB(chidori) literally means one thousand birds, usually for lighting rted power.)

    The Skull Faces only had a head and torso left, and no significant damage was dealt to its core. But its HP was shaved vigorously whenever the scarlet electric shock ran from the de of the katana. The additional damage from the lighting attribute urred because of the weak electric shocks that ran through the monster¡¯s body, and its HP could be shaved without directly hitting its core. It was effective against a monster that couldn¡¯t be damaged in other parts except for its core, such as a Skull Face. That was one of the reasons that Shin chose to use ¡ºRed Chidori¡», too.

    ¡°Rashia! Heal this fellow in front of me!!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!!¡±

    As Wilhelm came into view, he instructed Rashia to finish her chant.

    While restraining the Skull Face which tried to struggle despite only having a head and torso, Wilhelm extended the perception sense beyond the his view. He could not check visually because of the haze, but he sensed multiple presences heading toward them with ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, which were probably drawn in by thebat sounds.

    ¡°More wille. Please be quick.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to go any faster!!¡±

    As might be expected, it seemed to take time for Rashia¡¯s art to reduce the Skull Face¡¯s HP since they had more than a 100 level difference.

    ¡°That¡¾Heal¡¿art won¡¯t do, huh? Oi, Shin! Can we attack from inside the barrier now?¡±

    ¡°That is not possible. Even if it¡¯s possible, I don¡¯t know how.¡±

    It would be convenient if they could attack from inside the barrier as Wilhelm said, but the barrier skillpletely blocked the inside and outside of the deployed barrier. Therefore, the way of attacking one-sidedly was unusable. However, there was a possibility to be able to do it in this world which was somewhat adaptable, unlike in the game. And in this case, it was not possible for Shin to understand the barrier skill in such a short amount of time.

    Shin Wilhelm Rashia

    ¡°Damn, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s faster to beat the hell out of them, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not our goal to defeat them, but we don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment! Though we are in desperate situation right now, why are you two stillposed like that!?¡±

    The unexpected trouble stopped the n of holding the enemies down, though it was understandable. Even though there would be not muchposure when an ordinary adventurer did something like that, the speech that leaked from the mouth of the two people was ¡°It¡¯s annoying to do that.¡±, although not audible. As for these kinds of things, they maintained a moderate tension while preparing their weapons, although there was aint from Rashia toward those two people.

    ¡°The monster¡¯s level is not high right here since we are on the edge of the ins.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s necessary to advance a little deeper, right? Let¡¯s wait a while until Rashia bes a little stronger.¡±

    ¡°From the beginning, 10 level rises are quick. Just now it¡¯s 24, because the level of the Bio Hounds is about 60. After that, it became 40 in one go. It is easier to raise the level when there is a level difference of 100 or more.¡±

    Though there was theint of ¡°Hey, are you fucking kidding me!!¡± from Wilhelm, Shin ignored it as he couldn¡¯t spend time waiting for months.

    With a loud voice, Rashia continued to chant ¡¾Heal¡¿ although she was trembling, which could be said to be cruel. Because it was natural for an ordinary person to be running away or have an absent-minded reaction in such a situation. Even if she was protected, a single blow from such a monster from an opening under their very noses would kill her. ordingly for Rashia, she wasn¡¯t constantly exposed to the fear of death at all. For a person who didn¡¯t make a living out of fighting, they would feel a sense of fear far above what an adventurer felt. If mental stress was measured in a numerical value, it would probably hit an abnormal value.

    ¡°But Wilhelm, looks like her willpower has reached its limits. Her MP ¨D¨D magic power is running out, huh? After all, the Bio Hounds are difficult to defeat all of a sudden.¡±

    Shin abruptly express the word MP in different words as magic power. He had heard the word magic power asionally, but never heard the word MP which he noticed at thest moment.

    ¡°They¡¯re damn grotesque than I expected. It¡¯s a good thing that she didn¡¯t faint.¡±

    Fortunately (or unfortunately), Wilhelm didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    ¡°If Rashia falls here, we will havee for nothing. Let¡¯s take a break now while I drive them away.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that! Even if her level rises without pausing, her magic power isn¡¯t restoring either.¡±

    Still, because the attack in the first match failed, they decided to temporarily go back to their base.

    In the game, when a level rises, all the stats would be restored, but somehow it seems to be different in this world. He nned on using the restoration from the level up, but his expectations fell through.

    (The restoration here is not yetplete, that is bad. If it¡¯s not possible to restore it by leveling, I need to be careful of the MP amount remaining.)

    Since he couldn¡¯t depend too much on potions, he couldn¡¯t do anything but go with a natural recovery. Shin thought about revising the n in the future while cutting down a monster, because it was likely to take more time than he thought.

 Book 2: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    After repelling the group that was approaching, they temporarily went outside the ins zone and took a break.

    Although Rashia was mentally tired as a result of power leveling, it was also possible to say that her vitality and magic power were in the best condition.

    ¡°Uu, I thought I was going to die.¡±

    ¡°We managed to hold on though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, I think the Bio Hound is very formidable for amoner. Especially its appearance.¡±

    Shin also joined Wilhelm in teasing.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t make me remember~¡±

    She remembered the monster dragging its internal organs while approaching. Rashia¡¯s shoulders quivered as she red at the two people. Although one might say, there was not a bit of threateningnguage.

    ¡°That reminds me, was that the first time you fought that monster?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the experience, though I am surprised! More than that, it was the rapid leveling up that scared me!

    ¡°That was expected since there is too much of a level difference with these monsters. Perhaps you will be around level 150 when you acquire ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    Rashia was a human without reincarnation so her level rising was kind of interesting. Her level would probably be near to Wilhelm. Though their fighting power was as different as heaven and earth, in the first ce their role was also different, so it could not bepared.

    ¡°While that may be true, my body feels light and is overflowing with magic. Yet I am a little worried that my body has be so different.¡±

    ¡°Normally the level goes up little by little. You shouldn¡¯t even feel a damn thing as it happens.¡±

    ¡°There is no way but to get used to this. Well, though it¡¯s bad for you to attack a weakened enemy, this is for you to use, Rashia.¡±

    Shin said that while taking out the secret book of ¡¾Heal¡¿ and ¡¾Cure¡¿. He understood that from the battle earlier, ¡¾Heal¡¿ art was simr to the¡¾Heal¡¿ skill, but its effect was fairly weak. ording to Tiera, it had 1/3 of the skill effect, but he thought that it be lower depending on the user. The damage dealt was too low, though it be might due to the level differences. In fact, Rashia raised her level without stopping, so she was about level 40*. However, she still couldn¡¯t defeat several dying Bio Hounds, so it was too inefficient. (T/N: It was level 40 in WN and 70 in LN)

    Due to such circumstances, he thought he had better teach her these skills. Since it was not abat system skill, he didn¡¯t have to worry about it getting misused.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°This is a secret book. A skill, corresponding to its content, will be yours when you use it. It has ¡¾Heal¡¿ and ¡¾Cure¡¿this time.¡±

    ¡°Eh! The skills will be mine?!¡­I cannot ept such an expensive thing!? How much money do you think I have!?¡±

    Rashia shook both of her hands in front her face. What kind of skill for amoner? Her reaction was clearly understandable.

    It was known that anyone could learn a skill by using a massive amount of money, so Shin¡¯s words were misunderstood.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anypensation if you keep it a secret. I was originally going to teach you anyways. If you have these skills, you will be able to help those suffering, too.¡±

    ¡°And then? What¡¯s up with this stinkin¡¯ speech, tell me your true intentions!¡±

    Shin tried to say lines that were out of character, but it seemed to be too suspicious somehow. Wilhelm¡¯s eyes said ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me!¡±.

    ¡°Arts will get you nowhere. With this, we can speed up.¡±

    ¡°You are such a pain!!¡±

    ¡°What a wonderful rebuttal. But you should know better than me how weak the arts are, right? Even with the level difference, it is taking too much time since she needs to defeat 200 monsters. We can¡¯t leave the orphanage to just Thoria-san for days, and that pig guy might start something while we are here.¡±

    It became hard to argue with Shin when he mentioned the orphanage. There was no disadvantage since he knew that inefficiency was the problem. And he was certain that both ¡¾Heal¡¿ and ¡¾Cure¡¿ were useful to the church.

    For Shin, those skills were for a beginner who had just began to y the game, to the extent that he felt that it was just petty help. Honestly, it might be somewhat out of this world¡¯smon sense, but he thought about spreading it on arge scale only if the source was hidden.

    Needless to say, the main reason he wanted to hurry was because there might be something bad happening while they were away. The absence of Wilhelm, who had the biggestbat capability, was a good opportunity for the opponent.

    ¡°I understand. I will ept your offer.¡±

    ¡°Do that.¡±

    Rashia opened the secret book with a timid look. As she started to scan it, as with Tiera when she learned ¡¾Analyze¡¿, a green light enveloped Rashia and faded after a while.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Certainly I understand how to use them.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she need to read it before learning it?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the method of learning is that it enters your mind.¡±

    Shin replied to Wilhelm who was stretching his neck from side to side to look.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, but it¡¯s difficult to exin with words.¡±

    Rashia mumbled with deep emotion while staring at the secret book she held.

    ¡°Well then, shall we go again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Shin got up from sitting, and was followed by Wilhelm.

    ¡°U-Understood.¡±

    Rashia, who was originally not tired, began to move immediately too. A Pawn ss Skull Face and a Bio Hound approached them as soon as they entered the field, and partly because her level had gone up, the effect of ¡¾Heal¡¿ was demonstrated in an interesting way.

    The gloomy aura of the Bio Hound slowly faded with the Art, but dissipated instantly with the Skill, like how smoke was blown away by the wind. Shin didn¡¯t have to weaken it, as he saw that the Bio Hound disappeared with several heals. From there, Shin understood why a skill sessor would get favorable treatment.

    ¡°I guess there is a big difference in power.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Well obviously, those were the Arts, you know.¡±

    Wilhelm responded while looking ahead.

    ¡°Iya, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s my first time seeing an Art upgraded.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m kind of surprised at how little you understand.¡±

    The two people didn¡¯t stop moving while talking frivolously. While Wilhelm crushed the arm and leg of a Jack ss Skull Face with Venom, Shin beat a humanoid monster, gray orc, with the back of the de.

    The gray orc had another name, Zombie Orc. Its appearance was exactly like an orc version of a zombie monster.

    ¡°Pleasefort those who are wounded, ¡¾Heal¡¿!!¡±

    Rashia¡¯s healing was focused on the weakened monsters. The level difference was still huge, but the Heal, which became a skill, showed a far superior effectpared to the art version. The two undead were changed into grains of light without much effort.

    It was Rashia herself, who was surprised the most at the rapid level up and skill effect.

    ¡°It seems like it will speed up a little with this.¡±

    ¡°However, to meet the requirements ¨D almost none of these creeps are higher than level 150. Even if it is daytime, I wonder if it is because we are outside of the sealed zone, how annoying.¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait a moment. What is this seal talk? I¡¯ve never heard of this.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, did youe without knowing about it? So that dangerous monsters don¡¯t go out from here, there is a monster protectant barrier set up inside the ins. For some reason, the higher level undead appear near the center. The guild is managing it strictly.¡±

    ¡°I see, the effect of the seal is concentrated onto the strong monsters, and leaves the weak alone, huh?¡±

    ¡°The seal item seems to have a limitation too. It couldn¡¯t be used here, I guess.¡±

    Normally for a dungeon, the deeper theyer, the stronger the monsters are. Apparently on these ins, the depth of theyer seems to have been changed to the distance to the dungeon¡¯s center.¡±

    ¡°What should I do to enter inside the seal?¡±

    ¡°An A rank or higher guild card from an adventurer shouldn¡¯t have any problem. Since it is managed by the guild.¡±

    ¡°Then there is no problem. We will battle inside the seal tonight.¡±

    Shin said while watching Rashia eliminate a gray orc. The low-level monsters didn¡¯t approach much now, probably because her level rose. This meant they had to change the hunting ground. Though some of the monsters which attacked, such as the Jack ss Skull Face, exceeded level 150 as expected, they were only a few in number including the 2 encounters, which they defeated just moments ago.

    The number of the defeated could be counted with the fingers on both hands and were far from the target number. The 3 continued to battle for a while, and then decided to withdraw once Rashia¡¯s level rose above 80.

    After returning to the base, they took a nap until the sun set. The surroundings were clear, but Shin and Wilhelm took turns standing watch for cautions sake. Whether Rashia was mentally tired or not, she fell asleep without taking much time.

    Shin decided to do some skill investigation while he stood watch because he had some spare time. Since he had already been using thebat system skills since the first day he transported into this world, he used detection system skills this time. There was a limit to how many skills he could use simultaneously during the game, and he had to activate them one by one.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    He unintentionally leaked out a voice.

    When he attempted to use more skills than the limit number, no problem seemed to arise. In addition, skills that were not possible to use simultaneously before were now possible. For example, when ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ and ¡¾Search¡¿ were used together. Moreover, each skill effect¡¯s advantage was put together, and the weak points almost vanished. The range of the effect was extended, and the distinction of individuals was possible at the same time.

    ¡°The effect from the skillsbining was already exceptional. Are there any changes with the effects of the simr skills when used simultaneously?¡±

    This one required more inspection¡­he made a mental note of it. There appeared to be only a pattern of more benefits for the moment, but he doubted whether it would go that conveniently well.

    Besides, various thoughts filled his mind, like did it have any effect even with the automatic activation types? Was it restricted to manual activation types?

    The time for standing watch passed in an instant while he was doing the inspections.

    The sun set, and the time was 8:00 at night. Shin and Wilhelm judged that it was a suitable time, and advanced into the interior of the Wraith ins with Rashia. Shin thought that it might take some time, but they were able to advance without much trouble since the haze that covered the ins in daytime was dispersed in the bright moonlight.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that haze? I certainly thought it would appear at night.¡±

    ¡°Well who knows, but from the story of my magician colleagues, the magic power in the dungeon has begun to leak out, though it is only a story.¡±

    ¡°Magic power?¡±

    ¡°They say that the dungeon itself is like an undead monster. Since the dungeon rose above the ground halfway, it receives damage when the sun shines upon it. I think that has affected the dungeon, which is filled with magic power, to overflow above ground.¡±

    ¡°Really? Certainly I understand that as a theory.¡±

    It was amonly known point that an undead was weak during the daytime. In fact, the undead emit a ck aura when they are in the sun. It¡¯s something like HP, which one could see. However, it was released into the air with time. Perhaps that was the real nature of the haze, a grand version of the aura that breaks out during the daytime.

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder if the lost magic power is being restored now?¡±

    ¡°I guess so. Well, that has nothing to do with us now.¡±

    After Wilhelm said that, they returned to walking for a while. A transparent blue wall that was set up in front of them came into view. It appeared that they somehow had arrived at the seal location.

    ¡°Is this it?¡±

    ¡°Correct, this is the seal I talked about during the day. The blue wall is easy to understand since it is visualized, but it also covers the invisible, aerial part.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Its height was only 4 mels at most, even if it was called a wall. Shin thought that there was a possibility that monsters could jump over, but it seemed that he was worried for nothing. Wilhelm looked back for an instant.

    ¡°Now then, is everyone ready?¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay, too.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin, Rashia and Yuzuha answer to Wilhelm¡¯s words. Wilhelm, who verified it, put his guild card on the wall, and an entrance of about 2 mels high and 1 mel wide appeared.

    Wilhelm entered first as he had battle experience in the seal. Rashia and Yuzuha were next to enter, and Shin wasst. It was to guarantee their safety, just in case a monster attacked from behind.

    Inside the seal, it seemed no different from the outside.

    However, the enhanced perception ability of Shin, by using the skills together, already picked up several hostile presences. Since he still had enough time beforeing into contact with the enemies, he focused on obtaining detailed information on each individual.

    ¨D¨D 3 Rupt Raptors from the front.

    ¨D¨D 2 Jump Kins from the left.

    The appearance of the Rupt Raptor was a wyvern that had lost its wings. There were no hands, and it possessed a powerful leg with a strong kick. Moreover, there was the additional effect of paralysis on its ws. Its average level was around 170.

    Seemingly, Jump Kin was a flying pumpkin. Wait, that isn¡¯t jumping, is it? Shin wanted to retort. Anyways the pumpkin was rotten. Expressions of emotion showed on the rotten pumpkin and it used fire magic skills when it was happy, and earth when it was sad. Its level was about 200 on average.

    ¡°They areing, huh¡±

    Wilhelm muttered while Shin analyzed the enemies. It seemed that the enemies had arrived at Wilhelm¡¯s perception range.

    ¡°Rupt Raptors from the front, Jump Kins from the left.¡±

    ¡°You know?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Wilhelm, handle the Rupt Raptors. I will divert the Jump Kins.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    They nodded to each other and began to mobilize.

    Protection of Rashia was left to Yuzuha, while Shin and Wilhelm rushed to their targets.

    Shin came closer to the enemies with a speed different from before. He drew his katana and kicked the ground to jump toward the two Jump Kins.

    The Jump Kins were floating 2, 3 mels above the ground.

    ¡°Sish!¡±

    Two lines of sword sparks drew an arc in the sky, and the Jump Kin stopped their movements the following second. Shinnded before the sounds of 2 raw foods falling to the earth resounded in the quiet ins.

    Thus, with the strike from the back side of the ¡ºRed Chidori¡», the 2 monsters suffered a double abnormality state of faint and paralysis. Shin took out arge wrapping cloth from the Item Box, and quickly wrapped the Jump Kin. He returned to Rashia for her to deal the finishing blow.

    Then, about a dozen secondster, Wilhelm also faced off against the Rupt Raptors.

    With no hands, it could be said that it was, without a doubt, a bipedal type dinosaur. Its body was about 2 mels and was half rotted, simr to the Bio Hounds, although its speed and strength were notparable. It was clumsy, but it became a troublesome monster when it cooperated.

    ¡°Fyun!¡±

    Wilhelm exchanged attacks with the front Rupt Raptor, while the other two Rupt Raptors together leaped upon the trap he set and were knocked down by Venom. The body of the Rupt Raptors were brittle. Hence, when a bone was broken, a vivid sound of internal organs exploding could be heard.

    While confirming with a nce that it didn¡¯t disappear from the damage he dealt, Wilhelm stood against the remaining Rupt Raptor. Whether or not it didn¡¯t have a choice to escape, thest remaining one stared at Wilhelm.

    ¡°Going easy on something is so damn bothersome.¡±

    Simultaneously with that phrase, the view of the Rupt Raptor turned ck.

    The Rupt Raptors had their heads caved in, with broken legs, and parts of their body had also copsed while being tied by the rope. Wilhelm too, then returned to the ce where Rashia was.

    ¡°Ii¡«ya¡«¡«¡«!!¡±

    It goes without saying that a scream from Rashia was heard, from where the three people were gathered.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin¡¯s party worked hard hunting undead in the middle of the Wraith ins, dozens of mels from there, the sound of battle resounded from several figures inside a forest.

    ¡°Surround it! Aim at its core!¡±

    ¡°Give the injured potions for recovery! Priests and Mages use the light system arts!!¡±

    ¡°Attract the Jack¡¯s attention! Don¡¯t let it cooperate with the Pawns!!¡±

    While the group of knights in full body shining armor let out a loud voice, they shed at the Skull Faces. Behind the guard knights who handled a shield, there were a group of people wearing robes and priest cloths while firing dazzling light balls at the Skull Faces.

    The ck aura around the Pawn ss Skull Faces vanished the moment it touched the light and it turned into mere bones. However, no one loosened up their guard in this ce. Because the most formidable enemy still remained.

    ¡°Guu, its attack is too heavy.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who has strength left, go help! It won¡¯t be possible to suppress it if the number of people standing decreases any further!!¡±

    ¡°Damn, what the hell is that!?¡±

    Voices of half desperation resounded through the forest. Though there were dozens of knights with extensive fighting ability and they were hand-picked from the alliance countries, they hadn¡¯t dealt any damage that could be said to be a fatal blow.

    ¡°No matter how much of a Jack ss it is, we are supposed to endure here, but¡­¡±

    Theint that leaked unintentionally was drowned out by the sound of sword and shield shing.

    Normally, the battle should have ended a long time ago, but the Jack ss Skull Face held a strange white shield, that repelled the vigorous attacks from the knight group. Many of the knights were injured by the damage taken from the counterattacks.

    The skilled knight whomanded the battle, Berg, was also unable to decide whether they should attack the Skull Face which made unexpected movements.

    It had an abnormal upper limit of expert ss, quick sword techniques, in addition, the shield almost nullified the light attribute magic and magic system arts that should have been the weak point of any undead monster. Although the Skull Face was surrounded, attacking it unskillfully caused injury and the risk of being impatient was getting bigger.

    (With the way things are going, it will not move anywhere. If only that shield didn¡¯t exist, at least something could be done somehow¡­)

    Since the battle had started, Berg had contemted it a countless number of times. The existence that made the Skull Face a formidable enemy. High defensive ability and magic resistance. When he thought about it, the Skull Face¡¯s movement hadn¡¯t be slower, so it seemed that the shield wasn¡¯t that heavy. He couldn¡¯t help but to click his tongue, as if it was using some kind of irregr weapon in this battle.

    (However, that doesn¡¯t mean that no damage was dealt to the enemy either.)

    Berg and the rest of the knights had their pride and had gained experience through numerous battles, thus they had techniques. By using every effort they had, little by little, they managed to deal some damage somehow. While ascertainingrade and enemy conditions, they would eventually reach the road to victory. However, following the situation, Berg was getting ready to call for a withdraw when a silver sh ran into the knights¡¯ view.

    As the sh ran straight toward the Skull Face without stopping for a moment, he quietly stood still next to it.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DTime stopped.

    The battlefield which should have been filled with mor, regained its former silence in an instant.

    The real nature of the sh was silver hair that shined when hit by light. Because the owner of the hair ran too fast, it was seen only as a sh to the eyes of the knights.

    Though the knights were slow and full of openings, no one felt danger from it. It was because they knew that the person with silver hair had never failed to give a decisive blow once so far.

    The silver hair seemed very graceful with brilliant silver and transparent blue eyes. The expression showed a faint smile that possessed both motherhood and a mystique kind of work of art, too.

    Pointed ears were visible when her hair was blown to the side by the wind, showing that her race was either elf or otherwise high elf.

    Her clothes resembled waitress clothes, but they were not necessarily simr. If a person with modern knowledge was nearby, they would have guessed it was close to the maid cloth type called Victorian Maid. The apron was big, and the hem of the skirt was long. That was the uniform that the employees of Tsuki no Hokora wore. Was it made to fit her body? Or because she had a good figure originally? The clothes boosted her breasts to the bulging point, it was obvious that the eyes of several of the knights were focused on them.

    Her attire itself brought about a calming atmosphere. The person who held a dagger in one hand, who gathered all of the attention in the battlefield to herself, was the sole High Elf of Tsuki no Hokora. The acting manager, and who conveyed the skills from ancient times.

    That person was, Schnee Raizar.

    THE NEW GATE

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 2: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Vol. 2 Chapter 2 ¨C Part 2

    ¡°Wide Heal!¡±

    The voice echoed throughout the quiet ce.

    At the same time, a strong, gentle light wrapped around the surrounding knights. It was the magic skill system ¡¾Wide Heal¡¿ released by Schnee. A wide area version of heal.

    The knights, who were weakly sitting on the ground, recovered without a single wound when the light that wrapped their bodies disappeared.

    While everyone raised their voices in admiration, Berg, themander, promptly calmed himself down. He realized he was getting too careless, so he tried to re-focus his mind, and gave out instructions loudly.

    As might be expected from a veteran, there were no useless instructions. The surrounding knights started to mobilize in a rush, and a different noise resounded throughout the forest from a little while ago.

    ¡°You have been a big help¡­we were thinking about stopping and withdrawing.¡±

    Berg formally thanked Schnee who stood near him. His voice was still rattling.

    ¡°No, I was able to defeat it because of everyone¡¯s assistance in fighting.¡±

    The words of encouragement reached Berg¡¯s ear. Berg thought that this feeling, that his mind was being cleansed just from hearing her voice, was not just his imagination.

    ¡°I am honored when you say so. But actually, it was thanks to Schnee-dono that the undead was defeated, please let me show Schnee-dono deference here.¡±

    ¡°If you say so¡­however, we cannot rx yet.¡±

    Schnee replied with an awkward smile.

    It was not a lie that they should be focused and remain on guard. It was the reality.

    This incident began one month ago; it was at the time when an adventurer, who just had be a rank B, approached the Wraith ins to test his strength. That adventurer was heading toward the Wraith ins through the forest, and when he tried to enter the haze which showed the boundary line of the Wraith ins, a Skull Face appeared and broke through the haze a few mels from where the adventurer was.

    A monster from the Wraith ins should not exist outside of it, and it was a situation that would overturnmon sense.

    Even though the adventurer was stunned from the impossible scene, he managed to break off from the fight. He left the ce immediately when he understood the abnormality of the situation, and went to nearest town¡¯s guild with all of his effort.

    The guild that received the information quickly decided to dispatch an investigation team. From the investigation afterwards, the condition was unclear but although some monsters were much stronger than others, it was confirmed that monsters hade out from the haze and spilled into the forest.

    The ins were vast, so it wasn¡¯t understood when and where they left from; furthermore, it took several weeks until it was clearly confirmed that a monster had passed through the haze. It was unknown how many monsters reached the forest, and to make matters worse, because a control point was not set up, damage had already started to ur in the countries near the Wraith ins.

    It was the reason why the advanced level adventurers went all out when Shin went to the guild for the first time before.

    Of course, the damaged countries wouldn¡¯t just sit and do nothing either. They set-up every possible type of security and also set up patrols to protect the people of their own country. The greatest problem was that the monsters breaking through the haze had abilities that far surpassed themonly known monsters. In most cases,ing into contact with the enemy would result in either annihtion or retreating, even with enough battle capabilities from allies.

    Kings from each country that were concerned about this, united under the name of an alliance for the first time, and put together the best knights from each troop to form a monster subjugation force, a n to calm the situation. At the same time, a request to a certain person was issued.

    The requested destination was ¡ºGeneral Store Tsuki no Hokora¡».

    And that certain person was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar.

    Though whether or not she would ept the request was a gamble, Schnee epted the request purely to protect the people. Thus, she went quickly and participated in the monster subjugation force.

    ¡°I understand. Then, I will leave to Schnee-dono the monsters¡¯ weapons and raw materials as ording to the contract.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will hold them for now.¡±

    She nodded at Berg¡¯s words, and Schnee stored the equipment from the Skull Face that was scattered in the surrounding area into the Item Box.

    Since the subjugation force was a joint military unit of knights from two or more countries, the scramble for precious equipment and raw materials was considered. After the subjugation waspleted, she was expected to distribute it equally except for a portion. Schnee, who had the highest battle capabilities, was also given the safekeeping role, with forestalling and anti-theft by usage of the Item Box.

    While seeing Schnee put an item away, Berg thought, if there was no Schnee Raizar, the situation would have advanced towards the worst case scenario.

    From the battle just now, he understood that there was an enemy that they could not beat, even with the top ss ability of the knights from each country. Certainly, part of it was because of the poor cooperation since it was a joint military unit, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that the strength of the monster was abnormal.

    The problem above all else was that there were monsters possessing extraordinary gear like the previous Skull Face. ording to the information that had been collected up to now, it seemed that all of the Skull Faces held special gear, but it couldn¡¯t absolutely be confirmed.

    From Berg¡¯s view, he prayed that these kinds of equipments would run out.

    Up until now, Schnee had defeated a few of the monsters with special weapons, and the knights then took charge with just the numerical advantage. The arrangement was to contact Schnee immediately if there was an encounter with a weapon holder. The situation was somehow good enough this time. The monster that the knights had a hard time fighting with was instantly defeated by Schnee. And in addition to that, close range battle was assumed to be the weak point of elves.

    ¡°As expected of someone who stood side by side with a High Human before.¡±

    The continental conquerors, the High Humans, which once existed. The people in this world couldn¡¯t help but to have sense of respect towards those who fought with them. The achievement of those conquerors was carved into the memory of the people without fading, even now after a long time.

    The reason why the knights fought bravely was also because there were strong feelings topete with such an existence. No one wanted to show an unsightly appearance and misbehave themselves, as such, the monster subjugation went smoothly without any arguments as a result.

    Several monsters that were in the reports were among thest Skull Faces that were defeated. They still needed to confirm whether or not any monsters had been passed over with the adventurer who had been dispatched by the guild after they had left. If there was nothing, the subjugation force would return. And a surveincework would spread out under the cooperation of each country and guild.

    ¡°It would be good if there is nothing more, but¡­¡±

    Berg talked to himself, suddenly remembering an unpleasant predicament from his long life full of experience. And then he saw the casual Schnee, who seemed to be reading a letter eagerly in the open space where the raw materials of the Skull Face were scattered.

    ¡°Schnee-dono? Did something happen?¡±

    When Berg called out, Schnee put the letter away and turned around. During that period, Berg, by chance, saw ¡ºBlue Moon¡» written on there, but he didn¡¯t know what that was.

    ¡°No, its nothing. After this though, because I will continue searching for someone, we will mobilize separately. Pleaseunch the magic item I gave you if you encounter a monster, since it is difficult to pinpoint the specific area.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    Schnee, after that shortmunication, quickly left the ce.

    While maintaining an unbelievable speed, even while wearing a long skirt, Schnee thought over the content written in the letter.

    It was the information on the message card that was sent from Tiera, which had written that a certain person seemed to be heading to the Wraith ins.

    The name of the person was not so unusual. There were a lot of people with simr names if she thought about searching for them. However, the story was different when the person has ¡ºBlue Moon¡». There was only one such person as far as Schnee knew.

    ¡°Did youe back, and return it¡­¡±

    While noticing that she herself was not calm, Schnee continued to run at full speed. Her destination was the Wraith ins.

    She was irritated because of the time taken up by the monster search. Even if it was not her main job, without skimping on it, it was the obligation of a person who had received the work, so she still went.

    Her heart was getting more impatient.

    She might finally meet the person whom she looked forward to the most.

    That thought filled Schnee, who deeply yearned for it.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The hunting party started in the center of Wraith ins andsted for several nights. Currently, Shin¡¯s party was still in the sealed area.

    ¡°Oi, Dammit, Shin! Pecker Hollow ising!¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, let¡¯s withdraw right away.¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm perceived the monster that was approaching and had Rashia and Yuzuha go outside the seal. If a person was separated by the seal barrier, it seemed that they couldn¡¯t be sensed by the monsters inside, even if they were very close. The Pecker Hollow appeared to lose interest in Shin and the others, and after loitering around for a while it left the ce in no time.

    The monster, Pecker Hollow, which approached was an undead monster at level 541. Arge amount of corpses were joined together by a vengeful spirit to form arge monster. It had the upper body of a mantis, with folded forelimbs like sickles, andpound eyes. Also, though it had eyes that werepounded and the forelimbs were folded like sickles, it didn¡¯t have simr organs to a mere insect. Arge amount of people¡¯s eyes were gathered within thepound eyes, and a person¡¯s bones were gathered together to be the form of the sickles. It had feet and hands sticking out everywhere from it¡¯s body, and somehow or another it gave off an abominable feeling. It was such an appearance that it caused almost all female yers to approach neither the field nor the dungeon at all.

    And most troublesome of all was its skill, ¡¾Deadman¡¯s Howl¡¿. Though this skill caused little damage, it also inflicted the disorders of: confusion, curse, and other abnormal states at the same time. Moreover, the minimum level of the abnormal states were ¢õ, which could be said to be brutal. Anyways, it would not be so bad if it hit Shin or Wilhelm, but Rashia and Yuzuha might receive the maximum level of the abnormal states in one go.

    As expected, they had to evacuate to the outside of the seal when the troublesome monster appeared, since it was too dangerous to attack it.

    ¡°Did it leave?¡±

    Wilhelm asked.

    ¡°Just wait a little more for the time being. We will be in trouble if ites back after hearing the sound of battle.¡±

    If the small fry¡¯s were included, the number of monsters that had already been defeated in battle was already more than 200 over thest several days. If Shin¡¯s count was not wrong, Rashia should be able to learn the long-cherished ¡¾Purification¡¿ after one more kill.

    ¡°Are Rashia and Yuzuha alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, somehow I¡¯m already bing ustomed to it¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    While smiling wryly at the answer from Rashia, who was strangely looking far away, and at the energetic Yuzuha, Shin searched for a presence within the range of his perception. He was able to confirm one level 343 Jack ss Skull Face, two level 158 Gray Orcs, one level 177 Gel Bison, and four level 249 Ein Jackals.

    Gel Bison was a monster which had a slime-like, transparent gtinous material that adhered to the skeletal remains of a bison. When a person approaches, the gel bes like a whip and attacks. And then, it melts the prey while eating the opponent who was immobilized.

    Ein Jackal was a monster that eats tainted meat. Because of that, it joined the undead group. It had the appearance of a purple jackal of about two mels. It was a low ss monster, but had demon eyes that could paralyze its opponent. It was a difficult enemy for a beginner ss yer who was just getting into the game.

    There was no problematic Pecker Hollow in the perception range anymore. Since time had passed after it moved outside the perception range, they assumed it was safe.

    As for the distance for each monster, the nearest was the Skull Face and the other monsters were at the edge of the perception range.

    ¡°There is a Skull Face nearby, but it¡¯s level is unusual.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Wilhelm and Rashia threw a question at Shin¡¯s remark.

    ¡°The level is 343. Did I tell you the story about that Skull Face that had a King ss level? I think this monster might be simr to that.¡±

    ¡°Though the ce here is slightly irregr, the story of a monster like that leaving from here has not been heard. However, for the past month, something strange has been happening in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°¡­That reminds me, Ragnal-san said that events where strong undead monsters attacked the vige in Beirun urred frequently.¡±

    Rashia, who heard about the level of the Skull Face, took out the information from the corner of her memory. Beirun was a country that was located on the other side of the Wraith ins and the Bayreuth kingdom.

    ¡°Strong undead, huh? It seems to be rted after all. And who is Ragnal-san?¡±

    ¡°It is the master in the bar that I brought you to. You met him once.¡±

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s that person, huh?¡±

    He recalled the silent man from Wilhelm¡¯s words. That time, Wilhelm certainly said he was an adventurer friend.

    ¡°Well for now, leave the story for another time. What would you do? I would feel bad leaving it alone.¡±

    Shin said and looked at Wilhelm.

    ¡°What kind of power did it have?¡±

    ¡°In my personal opinion, its ability was corresponding to its level. It is necessary to be cautious, as that Skull Face had unimaginable movements. The fellow I fought before had some tricky moves.¡±

    ¡°We only need to beat it, huh? It shouldn¡¯t be necessary to make Rashia cross a one-way bridge.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡±

    ¡°No, I will go too!!¡±

    Wilhelm proposed to Shin that the two of them would knock the abnormal enemy down. But as her level raised, Rashia became confident and was filled with eagerness.

    ¡°What to do? I don¡¯t have any problem particrly. I think Rashia will be safe as long as she carries the item I gave her.¡±

    The two people looked at each other spontaneously.

    ¡°Indeed. Oi Rashia, do you really want to do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t return home with my head held high if you protected me the whole time!!¡±

    Was it the result of the battles over the past few days? Rashia wasn¡¯t shaken to see a monster over level 200, let alone a zombie, as she yelled with a high-spirited voice now. Actually, even though the Skull Face outside the seal was a low level monster, it was still a level 80+, and she was able to fight it without feeling daunted now. This was the fruit of the Spartan training by Shin and Wilhelm. It was probably too much for a girl of pubescence, but unfortunately they didn¡¯t really care about that.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it!¡±

    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t get in the way as much this time.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm were concerned about Rashia while facing the Skull Face. Though Rashia was slower due to the speed difference, she entrusted Yuzuha and the 2 people to go ahead because she only had to deal the finishing blow.

    This time the Skull Face didn¡¯t have any strange equipment. However, the posture with the sword and shield was simr to the unique Skull Face monster that Shin had fought before.

    ¡°This fellow might be simr to the one I fought before? It¡¯s posture is quite simr.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s the same. Oraa!!¡±

    Wilhelm, who had a long reach, began his preemptive attack.

    The single blow, which was aimed at the Skull Face¡¯s core, was caught by the round shield on its left hand. The shield produced sparks as it was being drilled into. Though ¡ºVenom¡» cut into into the round shield, the arm that held the shield had already shaken the hit off, and the trajectory of ¡ºVenom¡» veered off.

    Then the Skull Face promptly unleashed a single blow with its sword. Together with the sound of cutting air, the sword was swung downward. Wilhelm quickly pulled ¡ºVenom¡»back and received it. Sparks scattered from the sh.

    The sound of metal interlocking sent echoes into the night around the ins. The single blow was not only packed with power but also added weight to it, causing Wilhelm to stick to the ground.

    Shin, who had waited behind Wilhelm, sensed that the Skull Face tried to knock Wilhelm down using the shield arm, so right away he shed at the Skull Face while jumping from the back to the front of the shield.

    However the shield on its left arm split into two at the same time as a ¡°Kin¡± sound was heard. If its reaction had been any slower after the sh, its left foot would have been cut in an instant. It was able to minimize the damage dealt at the expense of one arm, which was usually unthinkable for a normal Skull Face.

    ¡°I see, this bone bastard really is able to move surprisingly different from the usual ones, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Wilhelm, who witnessed its movement, sneered while baring his fanged teeth.

    In the case of the Skull Face, if the core remained, even with an arm missing, it was not a problem for Rashia to deliver the final blow. Therefore, like any other difficult to kill monster, going easy was unnecessary.

    Facing the Skull Face¡¯s capability, Wilhelm¡¯s fighting spirit was ignited.

    ¡°Are you forgetting our objective?¡±

    ¡°I know. I just want to enjoy myself a little.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s all right, but it would be bad if you force it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that. This fellow still resembles a practice board to me.¡±

    Wilhelm prepared ¡ºVenom¡» whileughing wildly again.

    He lowered his center of gravity. The spearhead was slightly pulled back, and ¡ºVenom¡» was nted diagonally upward.

    His right hand held the handle, while his left hand was stretched out. His appearance right now was just like a bow about to be shot. As it matched the rising of Wilhelm¡¯s fighting spirit, the feeling of hearing the sound of a bow being drawn to its limit was heard.

    Whether the Skull Face noticed Wilhelm¡¯s presence or not, the Skull Face took its stance again. It pulled its right leg slightly behind it and the right hand holding the sword was raised almost level to its head. The sword tip was pointed straight at the sky, and an aura that slowly swayed gathered onto the Skull Face¡¯s body.

    In front of the knight-like posture, Wilhelm raised his fighting spirit even higher.

    As if the atmosphere froze, not even one of them moved. And, it was simr to the silence between the cocking and firing of a gun.

    ¡°Will!!¡±

    ¡°Uh!!¡±

    The shout from Rashia shattered the frozen atmosphere.

    Two shadows ran, triggered by it.

    The single blow of decapitation released by the Skull Face was intercepted, and red sparks brightened the darkness. Their weapons crossed in an instant.

    In the next moment, the Skull Face dropped to the ground left with only a head and body intact, with Wilhelm standing still and ¡ºVenom¡» thrusted out.

    The Skull Face had what people called; a near death experience. Its arms and legs vanished and numerous crack appeared on the surface of its core, all from the aftermath of a single blow from ¡ºVenom¡». It was on the verge crumbling.

    ¡°Rashia, don¡¯t just stand there. Quickly, end that creep.¡±

    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t get a turn. What was all of my determination from earlier for?!¡±

    Rashia was angry at the result of her being left out, because her resolve in risking her life was wasted.

    ¡°There was no other way. There was no room for you to step in.¡±

    ¡°Urgh, God, is this a trial?¡­¡±

    Though Rashia was in a bad mood, she didn¡¯t forget to heal the core. The aura that covered the core disappeared when it received the light of healing from Rashia, and the Skull Facepletely vanished.

    At the same time, a golden light enveloped Rashia¡¯s body.

    ¡°W-What is this?¡±

    ¡°Rashia!?¡±

    Rashia was confused by the sudden event. Wilhelm, who was also surprised, couldn¡¯t move carelessly without knowing what had happened.

    ¡°No need to worry!! This effect happens when the requirement has been met and a new skill is learned!!¡±

    Shin raised his voice to calm the two confused people down. Apparently, Shin¡¯s calction was not wrong, and the 200th body was the Skull Face just now.

    The light effect faded away as soon as Shin raised his voice. Rashia¡¯s gaze wandered through the space as if she became engrossed in something.

    ¡°Oi, Rashia! Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Fue? Ah, yes. I¡¯m alright.¡±

    Wilhelm called out to her while tapping her shoulder, and she replied with a somewhat lifeless voice.

    ¡°With you staring into space like you are dazed, are you really alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, okay. It was because the way to use the skill suddenly flowed into my head.¡±

    ¡°Was there any difference from the time you used the secret book?¡±

    ¡°Um, yes there was. The secret book somehow had a more gentle feeling to it, while this time, it was more of an abrupt feeling. But maybe that exnation is poor and difficult to understand.¡±

    It seemed to feel differently whenpared to the secret book.

    For some reason, there seemed to be various effects that urred when a person learned a skill. Because the person in question wasn¡¯t harmed, he didn¡¯t have to worry, but Shin just didn¡¯t understand that feeling properly. In the first ce, the experience of information flowing directly into the brain was impossible.

    ¡°Well, first of all, because you sessfully acquired ¡¾Purification¡¿. Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you did well.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin, Wilhelm and Yuzuha each gave her their blessing.

    ¡°Thank you very much. I can take care of the orphanage with this, too.¡±

    With the acquisition of ¡¾Purification¡¿, the orphanage would not have to worry about the inheritance problem anymore. It was Rashia¡¯s real feelings as she thanked them with tears in the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go to base, get some sleep, and quickly return to the Bayreuth kingdom in the morning.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There is no reason to stay here any longer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go then.¡±

    With each of them smiling, they went outside the seal. There were no signs of enemies around the three people and one animal.

    The request ended with this. They only had to return to the kingdom now. All of the members who were there thought so.

    Until that happened.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It happened out of the blue.

    Right then, in the Wraith ins, the insects and wild animals in the night strangely went silent. Therefore, Shin noticed immediately. Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin¡¯s head, also perceived the unusual event with its superior hearing, which was the characteristic of animals, as its ears stood up.

    ¡°Hmm? What is that sound?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    It was a sound like the wind blowing through the grass. Shin wouldn¡¯t mind if it was only the sound of the surrounding grass rubbing against each other.

    But he couldn¡¯t help but worry if the sound was also happening at the same time as a strange noise was heard, like that of a creature being crushed.

    Shin and Yuzuha came to a halt and looked back, and so they saw the grotesque scene.

    ¡°What¡­is that?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What happened to you¡­guys.¡±

    Wilhelm noticed Shin¡¯s movements and turned around, he too was speechless as he saw the same thing.

    The ce where the Skull Face was just defeated before, there was now a ck orb just floating there, one that did not exist until just now. It was now in the process of swallowing the Pecker Hollow. When he looked at the map screen, a huge red marker, which wasn¡¯t there before, was now at the edge of the view. White and blue markers were disyed which indicated Shin and the others.

    The Pecker Hollow was rapidly being sucked into the ck orb, which was about 30 cemels wide. The volume obviously didn¡¯t match. A crunching, cracking sound was being made, because the Pecker Hollows body was beingpressed.

    The Pecker Hollow, which was the prey, didn¡¯t even raise a death cry or show any other kind of resistance. All of the faces that appeared on its body seemed to be smiling. It appeared to be pleased with beingpletely absorbed.

    ¡°What the hell!? What the heck is that thing!?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, it is disgusting¡­¡±

    Rashia covered her mouth from the spectacle of a person¡¯s face being crushed slowly, and crouched down. Wilhelm rushed to Rashia, and Shin stood between them and the ck orb.

    It didn¡¯t take much more time and the Pecker Hollow waspletely sucked into the orb. Simultaneously, a big tremor suddenly urred and the ground quivered.

    ¡°Uoo!?¡±

    ¡°Kya!¡±

    ¡°Kuuu!?¡±

    In the spur of the moment, they somehow managed to keep their bnce and avoided falling. When they looked around to see what had happened, they saw a purple light blowing toward the sky from everywhere in the Wraith ins.

    From the ce where the Skull Face had fallen, a sparkly light was rising to the sky.

    ¡°Beautiful¡­¡±

    Rashia muttered. This sudden urrence was indeed really wondrous and beautiful.

    If only there was no mysterious ck orb in front, Shin would have enjoyed it, too. However, this was not the time to enjoy the scene.

    He slightly expanded his map view. He noticed that the red markers, that had progressed to the edge of the view, had disappeared from the map.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    His turned his attention away from the map and stared in the direction of the red markers where the monsters were, using the skill ¡¾Long Sight¡¿, while staying cautious of the orb. Then, he saw that the Gel Bison and Ein Jackal were emitting a sudden purple light from throughout their bodies. That glittery and shining light resembled the effect that happened when an undead monster was killed during the time in the game.

    The monster, which was emitting light from its body, gradually lost it outline, and a short timeter it would vanish like it was dissolved into the air.

    And that, the light, which painted an arc in the atmosphere, was absorbed by the ck orb.

    Shin and Wilhelm who saw the scene moved to protect Rashia. While wary of their surroundings, they looked at the orb in front of them.

    ¡°Shit, its sucking the demon essence in!¡±

    ¡°Demon essence?¡±

    ¡°Ah! That light, the demon¡¯s essence, is what moves the undead. Because it¡¯s disappeared, it bes impossible to maintain the body.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    After a while, all of the demon essence that the atmosphere contained was absorbed into the orb. Then the sphere whirled up into the sky and stopped at a height of about 10 mels from the ground. At the same time, a dark aura spread around the orb. It gradually took shape, and bones like a Skull Face were formed. In addition, it expanded to several times the size of a regr Skull Face. It was covered with jet ck armor, and the aura filled the space between the bones and the armor. It only took 10 seconds.

    A Skull Face more than 10 mels in height appeared before Shin and his party.

    If it didn¡¯t have a skeleton head attached, it would remind them of a valor knight. It was unimaginable that the ornament on the armor was made from the aura.

    But from the body, there was a sinister aura rising up. It was definite evidence that it was an undead.

    And, its burning look in front of Shin and the party caused their bodies to freeze from tension.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ºLord Skull Face Lv. 804¡»

    When Shin activated ¡¾Analyze ? ¢ú¡¿, it disyed to him its name and its level.

    The level¡¯s numerical value was considered a high ranking enemy, even in THE NEW GATE.

    ¡°Level 804. Is it this dungeon¡¯s boss?¡±

    Shin was calmly asking himself this, but Wilhelm intensely responded.

    ¡°Oi, the level you said just now, was that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no doubt about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡­it is at a level that can destroy a country!?¡±

    ¡°Kururuuu!!¡±

    Yuzuha openly raised a roar to try to intimidate it, but Wilhelm and Rashia couldn¡¯t hide their shaking from the impossible numerical value. Except those monsters that stayed in the Sacred ce, since the Dusk of the Majesty, the monster with the highest confirmed level didn¡¯t even reach level 600. Moreover, even that monster destroyed several countries at that time.

    ¡°B-But there is the seal and it is not possible to get out, right?¡±

    ¡°I wonder.¡±

    When Shin replied to the anxious voice of Rashia, the Lord finally moved.

    Its arm of several mels length bent and it clenched its fist. And then, while slightly bending its knee, it drew its fist toward the sky in an uppercut-like form.

    A dry sound, ¡°gashari¡±, was made at the same time its arm finished expanding. The invisible barrier that was thought to be covering the sky made a breaking sound and scattered like the demon essence from before, as witnessed by Shin and his party.

    ¡°Damn, the seal is finished.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Perhaps it was shattered by a single blow just now.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh no¡­¡±

    The seal that was supposed to keep high-level monsters inside was disappointedly broken too easily. Rashia probably lost her strength as she fell backwards onto her buttocks.

    The eyes of the Lord which had been sucking the demon essence captured the sight of Shin and the others.

    ¡°Hii!!¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi, it looked over here¡­¡±

    Wilhelm swallowed his saliva down.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    It had no eyeballs, but Shin and the others were certain that they were being looked at. Rashia turned pale and trembled at the pressure.

    Wilhelm held Rashia who was at a loss, and got ready to escape.

    ¡°GuuuuUUUUUU¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DGaaaAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!¡±

    The Lord let out a warcry as if it would not let any of them go. Shin put himself on guard as he felt the physical weight from the volume of the voice, while Yuzuha shrank its body, Wilhelm was forced to his knees, and Rashia covered her ears while crouching down.

    ¡°That roar, damn, it won¡¯t let us get away huh?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s different. Look at the surroundings!¡±

    Almost at the same time Shin raised his voice, white bones thrusted out, one after another, from the ground.

    Obviously it was the arm of a humanoid monster. When the ground was gripped firmly, it dragged out its main body from the ground.

    A skeleton that was wrapped in a rustic armor came out. Needless to say, it was a Skull Face. They ranged from the Jack, Queen, and the King ss. One by one they emerged from the ground until it became a huge uproar. Additionally, each of the individual monsters was two timesrger than normal, as the King ss was close to 8 mels tall. The number of Skull Faces filling up the ins had already almost reached that of an army.

    The aura that was given off by each individualbined, and the entire ins was dyed ck.

    The emergence of the Skull Faces was happening all over the ins, the surrounding area around Shin and his party was already overflowing with Skull Faces.

    ¡°Will!! What to do, Will!!¡±

    ¡°Calm down! Don¡¯t panic about what we have to do! Oi Shin, let¡¯s break through to escape right away!¡±

    ¡°No, I will stay.¡±

    ¡°Ah? What are you saying, you bastard. Do you want to die!?¡±

    Wilhelm, who was irritated at Shin¡¯s awfully calm speech, tried to grab Shin¡¯s shoulder. Though he put power in it, to make him turn around, Shin didn¡¯t move an inch as if Wilhelm was grabbing a gigantic mass of rock.

    Shin, then turned around slowly, while calmly releasing the ¡¾Limit¡¿.

    ¡°Uo!?¡±

    ¡°Kyaa!¡±

    Wilhelm and Rashia opened their eyes wide at the torrent of power that was given off by Shin.

    ¡°I cannot leave this fellow alone. I will open a path so that Wilhelm and Rashia can go ahead toward the kingdom before me.¡±

    ¡°This power¡­what the hell are you?¡±

    ¡°There is no time to talk about it now. In addition, I have some personal business with this fellow. I don¡¯t want you guys to be dragged into this because that would be bad, so please just get away as far as you can.¡±

    Shin said that while umting magic power in both hands. Wilhelm was not able to argue against the overwhelming density.

    ¡°Dammit, it can¡¯t be helped then. I will take Rashia and that fox with me. Do I need to collect the item at the base?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s possible then that would be nice, but I¡¯m not bothered if it¡¯s lost.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s start quickly. I will properly hear the circumstances when youe back!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I understand. Because I will put a body strengthening buff on you, your speed will be faster than usual. Don¡¯t fall down, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hah! Who the hell do you think you are talking to!! Hey, this fox, it doesn¡¯t want to be separated from you.¡±

    When Wilhelm pulled on Yuzuha, Shin¡¯s face was also pulled.

    ¡°Adadadada! Hey Yuzuha! Don¡¯t cling there.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!! Kuu~!!¡±

    Yuzuha, who disliked it, barked. It desperately clung, as if to say it didn¡¯t want to leave Shin.

    ¡°Oi, what are you gonna do?¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha¡­¡±

    By telepathy, Yuzuha¡¯s strong feeling of not wanting to leave him was transmitted to Shin.

    ¡°¡­Sigh, I guess I don¡¯t have any choice. Do you really never want to be separated?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    Yuzuha, on top of Shin¡¯s head, barked again. It was full of motivation.

    ¡°Have you settled your discussion? Then let¡¯s be quick.¡±

    ¡°Ah sorry for the wait! Then let¡¯s do this!!¡±

    The body strengthening buff was put on Wilhelm, and while facing toward the direction of the base, Shin released a skill.

    It was the lightning system magic skill, ¡¾Lightning Bunker¡¿.

    2 parallel lines of very thick lightning bolts, with several mels diameter, were released towards the group of Skull Faces, and they instantly changed into charcoal. The lightning attack made a path through the encirclement of Skull Faces, while Shin maintained the skill.

    ¡°Go!!¡±

    Wilhelm kicked the ground at the signal from Shin¡¯s voice. With his leg strength raised by Shin¡¯s buff, he ran through the breakthrough with enough force to leave an afterimage.

    ¡°Kyaaaa!!!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D©`©`©`©`©`©`©`¡­¡±

    Rashia screamed at the excessive speed, but it was immediately inaudible. Since the edge of the seal was close by, with Wilhelm¡¯s speed, it probably wouldn¡¯t take much time to get outside of the encirclement of the Skull Faces army. Though swords and spears were thrown by the separate Skull Faces outside the range of the lightning attack, they were repelled by ¡ºVenom¡»while their speed was maintained.

    ¡°Is he gone?¡±

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    He confirmed that the figures of the two people had disappeared and cancelled the ¡¾Lightning Bunker¡¿. He had killed dozens of Skull Faces, but arge amount of Skull Faces closed up the holes as soon as he cancelled the skill.

    The opponents were the subordinates of the Lord Skull Face; Jack ss, Queen ss, and King ss.

    The ring Lord didn¡¯t pay any attention to Rashia and Wilhelm at all, it was focused on Shin the whole time.

    There was no monster called Lord Skull Face ording to Shin¡¯s knowledge. There were no monsters that exceeded level 800 that Shin didn¡¯t know of, in other words, it was a totally new monster. It was not an enemy that he could judge just from its level.

    However, anything like an unknown enemy could be the key for Shin to return to his original world, so there was a possibility that some new information or something could be obtained. Since those possibilities existed, Shin didn¡¯t have the option to run away.

    ¡°Now then, should we go this way?¡±

    ¡°Kuu©`!!¡±

    Shin prepared his katana, and while feeling that Yuzuha¡¯s voice was reliable, he began to run toward therge army of Skull Face.

    If one could say it with one word, it would be, ¡°ughter¡±.

    Bones shattering, swords breaking, and armors that became lumps of mere iron fell to the ground.

    Several deep cracks and gouges scarred the ground, which were unimaginable, since he caused them without using magic.

    It was all due to Shin swinging his katana.

    ¡°Woosh!¡±

    He kept swinging his katana without using any skills. He cut the cores right in half, those of more than 10 Skull Faces just like that, and they became demon essences as they disappeared.

    In addition, he also crushed the swords and armors.

    Whenever the katana drew an arc in the ins, where the moonlight shined, the Skull Faces were knocked down, like a sand castle crumbling.

    If it were normal adventurers, to defeat a King ss, they must be prepared for dozens of sacrifices. But now, it was just a wooden figure in this ce.

    Like casually cutting down the grass that grows too much, the Skull Faces were definitely being killed.

    ¡°Kuoooooo!!¡±

    Not only was Shin attacking, Yuzuha, who took a position on top of Shin¡¯s head, was also breathing out pale mes from its mouth and burning the enemy to ash.

    It was a skill exclusive to monsters, ¡¾Fox Fire¡¿. It was a red me, but an Element Tail originally spit out blue mes. Though it seemed difficult for the present Yuzuha, a diverse attack could be drawn out from the tails in the case of the adults with the original appearance of level 1000. As for the Element Tail, each one of their tails takes charge of either fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, or dark magic skills, as well as physical attacks, and magic system skills. It was like fighting multiple enemies from the opponent¡¯s point of view.

    The only tail that Yuzuha seemed to be able to control was the magic system skill, which strengthened the¡¾Fox Fire¡¿. Because it was not a skill that a yer could use, it was simply based on the image that Yuzuha imagined.

    ¡°Man, there are too many enemies.¡±

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Even though Shin and Yuzuha had already defeated more than 100 Skull Faces, they had hardly moved from their original spot. There were too many monsters. Moreover, even though each of them was bigger than usual, the gap from the defeated was quickly filled.

    It felt like an eternity as he was doing the same thing again and again, like digging sand from the bottom of an hourss and putting it back on top.

    Apparently the Lord Skull Face, the boss, after making a massive amount of Skull Faces appear, withdrew to the center of the Wraith ins. The ins stretched dozens of kemels from one end to another. Shin was at the edge of the ins, so no appearance of the Lord came into his range of view.

    Having withdrawn to lure in the exhausted Shin, it might have started to prepare something.

    Shin thought about how to make the enemye out, while flourishing his katana and Yuzuha spat out mes. In the ins, which were dyed in ck aura, only the circumference around Shin was cut out, like exposed skin.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t overdo it too much?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    It looked like one person and one animal were going to be swallowed by the ck muddy stream, if seen from the edge. But they talked in a carefree voice, which was inconceivable in this situation.

    While chatting, Shin used a shing attack to hit the Skull Faces, and the ck muddy stream was pushed back on the contrary.

    No enemy could break through the barrier-like, shing attack in this ce. Just like the Skull Face who fought with Wilhelm before, most of the Skull Faces were expert sses in footwork and sword techniques, but it could only gain them a little time. Rather, it was pathetic that they were no match for Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s no good, huh? The ces where the enemies emerge from is too vast.¡±

    Shin used the detection system skills together to scan the surrounding information. Thanks to his shy actions, a lot of Skull Faces in the ins were gathered around Shin. But Shin perceived that there were some individuals leaving the ins; ignoring the battle.

    And apparently there was a big reaction, so presumably there was a King ss among them too.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kick it up a notch. Hold on tight!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    The powerful ¡ºRed Chidori¡» was swung around, and the surrounding Skull Faces disappeared.

    While holding the ¡ºRed Chidori¡» in his left hand, he extended his arm behind him and made a throwing posture. The lighting that had run through ¡ºRed Chidori¡»¡¯s de previously couldn¡¯t bepared to the present. The katana de, that was d in red lightning, waspletely luminescent in and of itself, and brightened the surroundings as if it emitted light. The sound of metal creaking could be heard; it was the shriek of the katana¡¯s de due to an excessive amount of magic power being poured into it. With his improved stats, it was impossible for the Legend grade weapon to endure Shin¡¯s magic power.

    Maybe sensing high density magic power mixing with the light, the Skull Faces hesitated to approach.

    And, that hesitation gave Shin enough room to make his preparation.

    Katana technique lightningbined skill, ¡¾Hien Raikiri¡¿*. (T/N: Flying Swallow Lightning Cutter)

    It was a mixture of martial arts skill and magic skill. Then, thebo was put together into a single blow released by Shin.

    The ¡ºRed Chidori¡» was thrown with strength that could be called inhuman, while also spreading out a shock wave. There was no kind of resistance in ripping apart the Skull Faces crowded together.

    The red lighting immediately spread out in all directions from the katana¡¯s de, moving toward the Skull Faces that became ashes one after another. The appearance was totally like a Hydra. A lightning-like red Hydra was trampling down the ck wave with ultra high speed. It felt like the Skull Faces were voluntarily sacrificing themselves to the jaws of the lightning.

    After the ¡ºRed Chidori¡» flew, a road with a width of about 10 mels was formed, and the ground was cut into from the shock wave and lightning.

    Shin immediately ran on that road.

    He aimed toward the center of the ins. To the Lord Skull Face.

    If he defeated it or destroyed the dungeon core, Shin expected that this turmoil would be settled.

    (If Schnee was here, I could have done something different.)

    He thought so momentarily, but there was no point in asking for too much. He changed his mindset into that only he could do it now.

    He took out a new weapon, and unsheathed it from its scabbard, while speeding up.

    It was a ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, extra long katana, named ¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡».

    It was Japan¡¯s number one long katana. Its full length surpassed 3 mels, if the hilt was included, and the katana¡¯s de reflected the moonlight in the darkness. Though it¡¯s a little different from the actual name, depending on the person, they would be reminded of ¡ºNenekirimaru¡»* when they heard the name. (E/N: Nenekirimaru is an exorcism de which only harms yokai.)

    ¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡» has a high anti-undead ability as was expected from that anecdote. It had an attack that boasted a ranged attack which was not inferior to a spear due to it having a very long de.

    ¡°Fhew!!¡±

    It was a simple cut, the same as the katana from before. But the Skull Faces that vanished appeared to be no match from a while ago.

    The ¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡» was originally a weapon that needed 800 STR or more for it to be swung properly, and it possessed a cutting ability that could cleave a low-level dragon¡¯s head off only with its own weight. If it was swung by a physical strength that surpassed the max stats by a yer like Shin, the power was immeasurable.

    The de cut the air, and even the shock wave was impacted into the surrounding objects, splintering them altogether. The Skull Faces had no chance against it. The magnitude of power was different from the start. It was already a disaster for the Skull Faces. Large scale storms, earthquakes, floods and so on; the overwhelming destruction that one could not go against.

    The present Shin was exactly like that.

    He charged through the gauged-out ground at a speed faster than the slow progress from the situation before.

    Though the Skull Faces filled the gap made by ¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡» , this time he didn¡¯t get stranded or stuck.

    ¡°Be gone!!¡±

    Then Shin invoked a magic skill.

    Wind system magic skill, ¡¾Air Barret¡¿.

    It was a skill that made a about 30 ~ 40 cemels mass of wind that wasunched in any direction, it had enough power that it could shoot down small flight monsters. However, Shin was not satisfied with only that much power. All of the wind masses that were fired randomly all around exceeded 2 mels, that power could easily blow away the Skull Faces that wore light armor. The Skull Faces flew into the sky like bowling pins, and there was no dignity as a monster of fear remaining anymore.

    As he headed toward the center of the ins, the number of Skull Faces that faced Shin multiplied. The majority of the map disyed in Shin¡¯s view was red, and it was impossible to count the number of enemies.

    While the white marker, which indicated himself, broke-through the red dyed tainted map on the edge of the view, Shin rushed forward.

    The orb that had absorbed the Pecker Hollow appeared in his mind. Since then, the Skull Faces that emerged were certainly strong. But the abilities to strengthen its subordinates and respawn them was not unusual to some degree for a boss monster. Judging from the standards of this world, it would be extremely brutal, but Shin had experienced arger scale if put on a scale. For this reason, while Shin swung his long katana, he wondered whether he could defeat the enemy as smoothly as that.

    (There is no disadvantage in being cautious.)

    He reserved his energy while he annihted the enemies. It was possible since his stats were raised from the game era. Shin was surely powerful. But sometimes quantity exceeded quality. Regardless of how many of his stats were maxed, Shin was not invincible, nor immortal either. He could do nothing but die if killed.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!!!!!¡±

    A roar resounded throughout the ins. With a high frequency like-signal, arge amount of hands starteding out of the ground.

    The origin of the roar was the Lord Skull Face. Due to that roar, no matter how much he reduced the number of Skull Faces by, it didn¡¯t matter. Whenever it made a sound, new Skull Faces emerged from the ground.

    ¡°Again?¡±

    He muttered while feeling that the source of the roar was nearby. He had the urge to use a wide area annihtion magic skill to blow off the excessive number that sprang out, but he endured it because he couldn¡¯t use it carelessly.

    In this world, range and power were not the same as in the game. Even with the basic magic skill that Shin learned, especially with his stats, its power might be in an intermediate ss or higher if he lost control. What scale could it be if he used the wide area magic at the highest ss? It was unimaginable. A forest might vanish by mistake, so it was not aughing matter.

    The ability that rose remarkably at this moment, was restrained and became a burden while Shin fought.

    (If it was only me here, I might do that.)

    While seeing green markers disyed on the map, Shin invoked a magic skill.

    me system magic skill, ¡¾Ember me¡¿.

    By the way, the green marker expressed a neutral yer or NPC who was neither friend nor enemy. In other words, it showed that this ce had someone other than Shin.

    Countless fireballs appeared high in the sky above Shin, they rained down over the Skull Faces that surrounded Shin and the green markers. The fireballs generated intense heat the moment they touched an object without exploding and would disappear. The Skull Faces that received a direct hit from the fireballs looked like bee nests and vanished.

    Because it didn¡¯t spread mes, there were little flying sparks near the surroundings. And he didn¡¯t need to put up with any clouds of dust due to the explosions. Thus, he didn¡¯t rx on the aiming even if there was a considerable distance.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know it, it was the adventurers who had been dispatched to observe the Wraith ins, the knights squadron. They identally encountered the Skull Faces which had left the ins, and it became a state of war.

    ¡°That¡¯s bad.¡±

    The Skull Faces¡¯ bigger physiques that Shin was fighting in his surrounding area interfered with his field of vision, so he couldn¡¯t see well, but they seemed to be receiving Shin¡¯s protection and were fighting well when he saw the movements of the marker. The level of the Skull Faces crowding around the green markers were about 300; fortunately it were the weak sses of Skull Faces that had been strengthened. However, there were Skull Faces exceeding level 500 that were approaching from the rear.

    No matter how much he supported them with a magic skill, the distance was too far and there was a limit. Shin had learned to usebinations of skills, so he was able to sense it because the perception range had been expanded. He might be able to go if he could fly, but a skill that enabled flight was nonexistent in THE NEW GATE, so it was not possible to ¡®fly¡¯ even if it was possible to ¡®jump¡¯ using a skill.

    ¡°Why are they approaching in this direction? Did they not hear the roar?¡±

    While d in the storm of his de as usual, he changed his course toward the green marker. He didn¡¯t know who they were, but he couldn¡¯t abandon them.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to help?¡± As if Yuzuha asked, and answered ¡°They will die before you arrive¡±, as he defeated the nearby enemies with a magic skill. Though the red marker indicated that the Skull Faces disappeared, multiple individuals of the red appeared immediately from the ground.

    ¡°Tsk, there is not enough time!!¡±

    He collected magic power in his hands in order to save those who were surrounded.

    The moment Shin was about to release his magic skill, a blue lightning bolt exploded ahead of Shin¡¯s point of view.

    It was the same lightning system magic skill that he used when Shin let Wilhelm and Rashia escape, ¡¾Lightning Bunker¡¿.

    The lightning passed near the green markers at point-nk range, and defeated the nearby Skull Faces. Not one wound was inflicted on the adventurers, while all the surrounding enemies were destroyed.

    Shin felt relief for that situation for a short time, but he was momentarily unable to take his eyes off of it, due to the color of the marker and the name disyed.

    The color of the marker was blue. The color that indicated a friend.

    The disyed name was ¡¾Schnee Raizar¡¿.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 2: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    The blue marker, that showed Schnee, approached the green markers. It was likely that they were told to leave, as the green markers left the ins immediately. And then, the blue marker instantly changed direction towards Shin. It pushed forward in a straight line.

    Though she was slower than Shin, almost all of the Skull Faces that bumped into her were instantly killed.

    Silently killing and cutting the approaching Skull Faces, Shin also went toward Schnee. However, his steps were heavy. There was a hint that she remembered him in the letter from Tiera, but he didn¡¯t know what to say when they met again.

    Schnee, in the game era, didn¡¯t converse more than what she was programmed to. As a support character, although he had raised her charm setting to the max, he had no idea if that had affected her personality.

    If he thought about it, the store had been left neglected. As it was, there hadn¡¯t even been any news from him for 500 years. What did she think of Shin? It was impossible to guess. Instead, it would not be strange if she was angry and hated him.

    But without thinking about it too much, Schnee arrived at Shin¡¯s position.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DWhile a ck skeleton squirmed, the two people had their reunion.

    Whether it sensed something or not, the Skull Faces¡¯ movements stopped.

    Even if it tried to move right away, it couldn¡¯t move forward; as if it was blocked by a totally invisible wall. Though Shin, while perplexed, also noticed the surroundings, he was hit lightly by paws on his forehead as some kind of interaction. Judging from the thoughts that flowed to him, Yuzuha seemed to have erected a barrier somehow. It didn¡¯t seem like it would be able to hold for a long time, but it was not the situation for a lengthy reunion, so it was not a problem.

    When he conveyed ¡°Sorry¡±, the feeling of the thought ¡°It¡¯s all right¡± was returned. The fox could indeed read the atmosphere.

    That exchange of thoughts was finished in an instant, and Shin changed his attention to Schnee again.

    While her silver hair swayed from the wind, Schnee stared right at Shin.

    Seeing that, Shin thought, ¡®She hasn¡¯t changed at all¡¯ which was indeed an ordinary impression. The silver, shining hair, the transparent blue eyes, and even the clothes she wore; not one thing had changed from thest time they parted.

    ¡°¡­Have you been well?¡±

    Though he thought he should say something else, only those words came out from his mouth.

    Those were foolish words, he thought to himself. If the game had been over though, he wouldn¡¯t have met her again, an NPC. So he had been curious.

    In a sense, she was the longeststing friend he had in the game, and the one he held the most affection for. She was totally simr to a yer even if he only saw her because of the VR(Virtual Reality). Therefore, in the VR-world, where the SF(Science Fiction) was excellent, the AI could be equipped with a conversation function¡­and so on, he thought.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t answer.

    Her eyes became watery, and her lips pressed together tightly, as if to suppress something. Seeing the figure which was desperately enduring tears, Shin panicked.

    ¡°Schnee¡­tsu!?¡±

    The moment he called out her name, the sh of silver flickered.

    He was embraced affectionately by Schnee, and Shin received an impact that was far stronger than expected. It seems that the outstanding stats, even among his support characters, was not for show. As expected, he almost yelled out ¡°Gofuu!!¡± but barely endured it.

    ¡°Sc-Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say?¡±

    Embraced tightly, Shin¡¯s spine almost screamed in pain. Even if the question was asked abruptly, in this situation where he was surrounded by enemies, he couldn¡¯t think of anything.

    ¡°Um, sorry for neglecting you until nowAaa!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°Gisiri¡± sound was made, as the force emitted by her arms intensified.

    ¡°T-Thank you for protecting the store!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    The force from her arms grew further. It was not an apology, nor even gratitude.

    What was it then? What does he need to say?

    Shin frantically ran through his memories.

    He recalled back to when he came into this world, thest thing that came into his mind was the expression of Schnee weeping and the ce everyone once spent time together called ¡®Tsuki no Hokora¡¯, which she continued to protect.

    (Ah..I see)

    From there, it became simple.

    What was he really thinking about before, he wanted tough at himself.

    These were words that he would say in the game, and he had to say them now.

    He left the store, disappeared, and then came back.

    The first thing he should have said¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m home.¡±

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±

    Schnee ended the hug with Shin after hearing these words.

    There were no tears anymore in her eyes. It was the usual calm expression, that Shin knew well.

    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te home anymore.¡±

    ¡°¡­Indeed. I also thought that I wouldn¡¯t meet you again.¡±

    He had understood this at the time he left the shop. If the death game was cleared, the data for both Tsuki no Hokora and the support characters would be deleted. He would never be able to meet Schnee, or her real side again if that had happened.

    Even though NPC¡¯s could only receive it in the program as an example, Shin felt that it was the parting that was painful.

    It was very difficult to express it in words.

    No love and affection. The friendship would also be different.

    More data, it could be said she was less than a human being. It was tooplex, and personally Shin didn¡¯t properly understand it either.

    ¡°Kyuu~¡±

    A cry that lost strength, for the two people, resounded in the serious atmosphere. When Shin turned his eyes upward, he saw the figure of an exhausted Yuzuha above his head.

    Apparently, by keeping the barrier up, it seemed to have reached its limit somehow. The barrier shattered, and they noticed the Skull Faces pouring in toward them.

    ¡°Though there is a lot to talk about, let¡¯s get this situation under control for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Well. I had forgotten about it a little because of our reunion after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    While smiling wryly at Yuzuha¡¯s bark that said, ¡°I will leave the rest to you~¡±, the two people faced the Skull Faces.

    ¡°The first blow. I want to execute something big.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Now is just the right time.¡±

    Shin said with a broad grin, and Schnee, with a pleasant smile,ughed. Then they held their hands up toward the sky.

    ¡°The manifestation for one to be pure.¡±

    ¡°The manifestation for one that bes eternal.¡±

    They invoked a magic system skill that was exclusive to cooperation.

    Only 2 or more yers, or support characters, were able to use it.

    The name was ¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°Sanctuary!!¡±

    The chant melted the darkness.

    And immediately the effect was visible in the sky above the whole area of the ins.

    An enormous magic formation was drawn in the night sky.

    Shin and Schnee. It could be said that no one in this world could rival these two people¡¯s cooperation skills. That effect was more than enough to exceed the usage of skills of ordinary skill users by far.

    Before the Skull Faces reached Shin, light shined from the heavens.

    It cut the darkness, illuminated the earth, and the light cleared away the world¡¯s impurity in the ins as the ones that were wriggling were purified without mercy. That light spread temporarily even into the veil of night, and it shone upon the whole ins as if the sun had suddenly appeared.

    ¡°AAaaaaa¨D¨D¨D¨D¡­¡±

    Although various individual Skull Faces were hit by the light, most became sparkling demon essences and vanished. But as expected, the Lord wasn¡¯t killed it seems. Though the unpleasant voice resounded throughout the ins, the moment the Skull Faces sprang out from the ground, they were exposed to the light of purification and disappeared instantly.

    The two people¡¯s magic power, which fueled the magic formation, kept pouring out as it was maintained for several seconds without fading away, it continued shining upon the ground with a powerful and gentle light. Under such conditions, it seemed that the Skull Faces couldn¡¯t even act properly. The red markers that were swept away from the map were reflected in Shin¡¯s field of vision, and a beautiful field was able to be perceived.

    ¡°Now then, since the nuisances are all gone, let¡¯s move onto the elimination of the main culprit.¡±

    ¡°Does Master know the cause of this phenomenon?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it was caused by the monster named Lord Skull Face. Though I saw it for the first time just now, do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I too just heard of it now for the first time.¡±

    Shin thought Schnee, who spent a long time in this world, would know something, but Schnee didn¡¯t have any idea someway or another.

    Since the Skull Faces disappeared, there was nothing that blocked the way to the Lord anymore.

    They checked their equipment quickly and ran toward the target. Yuzuha had bepletely energetic due to the recovery effect of ¡¾Sanctuary¡¿, and watched their surroundings while on top of Shin¡¯s head.

    Shin would have liked to hand over ¡ºBlue Moon¡» to Schnee, but it was already given over to Tiera, so instead a powerful anti-Lord ninja katana and dagger were handed over. Though the main job of Schnee was a Kunoichi(a female version of a ninja), she was able to equip any weapon she liked such as a ninja katana and dagger, because there was no equipment restriction on weapons due to her job. Most yers were satisfied if their support character could use at most 2 or 3 types. However, Schnee was the support character of Shin, so unfortunately only 2 or 3 types of weapon mastery was out of the question.

    She held the ninja katana in her right hand, the dagger in her left, and ran at full speed alongside Shin towards the Lord.

    ¡°I saw it.¡±

    They ran through the ins with overwhelming speed, and the two arrived at the ce where the Lord was. Now, due to the downpour of the light, demon essence flickered from the whole body of the Lord. It was kneeling on one knee, and the armor, which covered its whole body, was cracked in several ces. Its HP gauge was about half-full. Great damage was already dealt to it even though they hadn¡¯t attacked it directly, due to the powerful skill Shin and Schnee released together, which at the same time was its weak point.

    ¡°GGUUUuuuuu¡­¡±

    It looked down at the two people while roaring. The demon-mes that lit up the interior of the skeleton, now in this situation, emitted an ominous light. As expected from a monster whose level exceeded 800, the pressure it exerted could not be neglected.

    ¡°I wanted to ask it various questions, but it seems that it can¡¯t talk.¡±

    Shin muttered in front of the Lord again. From the beginning, he didn¡¯t expect that he could talk to it directly, but the monster itself didn¡¯t exist in the game, so he observed its whole body in the hope that it might shed some light on information that he didn¡¯t know.

    Its appearance gave off the impression of an upgraded King ss Skull Face, although it was tattered. Including the information from ¡¾Analyze¡¿, it was still of the higher kind of Skull Face.

    ¡°Either way, since the start, it was an opponent that must be defeated.¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­I¡¯m about to begin.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    Following Schnee¡¯s response, the Lord, which was preparing a counter attack, was attacked.

    The Lord¡¯s hand reached out and grasped a deep dark-colored greatsword out of thin air, and unleashed a powerful sh at the two people who broke through the front. Towards the blow that cut through the air, Shin stepped forward and readied the long katana to cross des.

    Due to the sudden eleration and weight of the long katana,bined with Shin¡¯s shy physical strength, the middle part of the Lord¡¯s greatsword collided and shed against his katana.

    When the steel frames collided, a thunderous sound was emitted. The Lord barely managed to keep its hand on the greatsword, which had bent backwards as a result of the sh. Schnee, who held two des, prepared to approach the almost defenseless body of the Lord.

    Sword system martial arts skill ¡¾de Breaker¡¿, suddenly appeared.

    It was a skill that was highly effective against an opponent that was resistant to shing attacks. Shin gave Schnee the ¡¶Mythology¡· grade ninja katana ¡ºLazuline me¡», and the dagger ¡ºScarlet me¡». Two me colors, red and blue, left a trail while the two des drew an arc through the air. Every time the armor of the Lord was smashed, the interior was exposed.

    Inside, the broken armor was filled with a tar-like ck liquid. It pulsated as if the thing itself had purpose. At the same time, as she was crushing the armor, it stretched toward Schnee.

    ¡°Uh!¡±

    Schnee, who sensed the impending crisis in the form of a ck tentacle, gave up the chase and retreated momentarily. The ck tentacle that approached her was repelled by the two swords, and she withdrew from the tentacle range.

    ¡°Its attack is like the Gel Bison¡¯s.¡±

    When he saw the ck tentacle emerging from the Skull Face, Shin was reminded of the monster in the ins, the Gel Bison. Was this because the Gel Bison was turned into demon essence and absorbed by the ck orb? It immediately came into his mind.

    (Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s able to use the abilities of all the monsters it absorbed?)

    It was an assumption that he didn¡¯t want to be correct, if possible. Undead monsters had many things that resembled a unique characteristic, and almost none of them relied on endurance to fight. Gel Bison did not really have much of a special attack, but Shin was worried about the monster that was absorbed first, the Pecker Hollow.

    ¡°No need to hold back.¡±

    Confirming that Schnee had withdrawn, he gathered magic power in his left hand.

    In the following moment, crimson mes were fired toward the Lord from Shin¡¯s hand.

    It was fired without chanting, me system magic skill ¡¾re Volcano¡¿.

    A roaring me that exceeded the Lord¡¯s height by dozens of mels ran through it in a sh, as it directly hit the Lord who couldn¡¯t even properly move anymore.

    It was burnt by two different kinds; the light of purification and the crimson me, and the Lord was destroyed soon after it raised a death cry. The mes were extinguished after a while, and they left a trace of muddy melted earth from the high temperature that extended horizontally in a straight line.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    He fired it with the intention of defeating it. However, Shin felt a strong sense of something being wrong, for the ¡®strangely too quick¡¯ end of the act.

    Schnee might also have felt the same, as she didn¡¯t let her guard down.

    Shin, who carried ¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡» on his shoulder, activated the detection system skill to the max. The demon essence in the atmosphere became dense as a result of the battle, and they concentrated on the flow of demon essence that they didn¡¯t sense until now. Thereupon, they noticed the unnatural flow of the surrounding demon essence. The demon essence of the Skull Faces that had fallen didn¡¯t dissolve in the air, but was absorbed into the earth. Not just one or two bodies, but it could be said that it was almost all of them.

    ¡°¡­Beneath us!¡±

    The moment Shin turned his attention to the underground, arge shaking hit the 2 people.

    A small red marker appeared on the map at the same time that Shin looked at it. It¡¯s size increased along with the earthquake, until finally, it¡¯s size exceeded that of the Lord.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it looks like this is it¡¯s true form.¡±

    A ck orb pierced through the ground and appeared simultaneously with Shin¡¯s words. Unlike the time when he saw it earlier, this ck orb had red lines drawn upon it; traveling like blood vessels and pulsating like a heart.

    ¡°The one that came up a while ago was just an empty shell, huh?¡±

    That exined why the Lord fell so quickly. Apparently, the empty shell was just a decoy so it could gather the demon essences in the entire ins for the main body.

    After the appearance of the ck orb, a noticeablyrger shake urred. Gigantic arms emerged in sequence, with which it was even possible to grab a King ss Skull Face. 3 pairs, or 6 arms, gripped the ground and dragged its main body out.

    Its head was decorated with twisted horns, its body was a collection of Skull Faces, its lower body had the impression of a crustacean with 4 pairs of legs, and it had 5 scorpion-like tails.

    It might still have obtained the ability of the Pecker Hollow, too. Its total length exceeded 20 mels, so judging from that standard, it was different from a conventional Skull Face.

    As the orb was absorbed and it fused with the gigantic body, a demon-fire lit-up inside its eye sockets.

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!!!!!!¡±

    The roar emitted was also apanied by a shock-wave. Though Shin and Schnee were exceptions, it would not be strange if whole bodies of average adventurers were blown away just from the wind pressure.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s look like it.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we should get serious too.¡±

    Facing the Lord who issued its roar, Shin also changed his equipment. He selected the same equipment from when he challenged Origin before, using the shortcut system which registered a specific set, and changed his equipment instantaneously.

    Deep crimson arm guards and leg guards covered his hands and legs, and a fluttering ck long coat that had a muffler with red lightning streaks going down it appeared.

    The scabbard of the ¡¶Ancient¡· grade katana,¡ºTrue Moon¡» was removed from its sp, and the thumb of his left hand flexed out slightly so he could instantly draw out the katana.

    With the change of equipment, Shin¡¯s presence also changed with the new appearance.

    Was it the equipment¡¯s effect or that his focus changed? It gave off an overpowering feeling that wasn¡¯t there a short while ago, due to the figure that was wrapped in red and ck body armor.

    The demon-mes, upon seeing Shin¡¯s appearance and the re from the two people, momentarily flickered in a big way. An intimidating feeling was given off by Shin, which was doubled due to the pressure received from his presence as well as from his new equipment set.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Loosening his katana for immediate use, his right hand was affixed to the handle.

    He invoked ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿* silently, and instantly rushed into the Lord¡¯s proximity. (T/N: teleportation power that¡¯s capable of moving vast distances in a single step.)

    The four arms swung toward Shin. Each held a jet ck greatsword that was like solid darkness. It was clear that they possessed a heavy mass, and that was not a false impression as they each created a tornado in their wake.

    The greatswords reached Shin first. The moment the greatswords entered the katana¡¯s proximity, the handle vanished from the sheath and a red trail drew an arc in the air.

    The four greatswords were intercepted despite only one sound reverberating. Shin jumped onto the Lord¡¯s chest, as all the greatswords were repelled by the katana¡¯s power.

    The Lord was going to defend itself with its two remaining arms, but it felt a slight chill and right away re-routed one of its arms to over its head. Without any pause, metals shed, and a sound reverberated asrge sparks instantly flew.

    It was an attack from Schnee¡¯s ¡ºLazuline me¡», an attack that hit the Lord¡¯s blind spot. It made use of a strong point of ninjas, as the highest rank of assassins, as it was not easy to exchange attacks from the blind spot. However, undead monsters originally didn¡¯t depend on senses. That reaction couldn¡¯t have existed without the Lord¡¯s perception skill that was strengthened outside of specifications. Though Schnee objectively understood the ability itself from that movement, it was also enough to understand just how much the Lord deviated from the standard of monsters called Skull Face.

    ¡°After all, it really is different from the existing monsters, huh?¡±

    Shended using the recoil from the blow exchange, and analyzed the opponent¡¯s ability while exchanging blows with the tails from the blind spot.

    The pursuit of Schnee was slow due to Shin whonded on its chest. Though the Lord tried to intercept Shin with its other arm, the previous four arms and the one greatsword left couldn¡¯t catch or do anything to Shin. The remaining greatsword was broken by a single blow from ¡¾de Breaker¡¿, and the Lord retreated several mels from that aftermath. The single blow from Shin, who was no longer going easy, became an unbelievable offensive power that corresponding to the stats that rose, showed the overwhelming force difference.

    Even Schnee, who knew of Shin¡¯s ability well, was astonished at that power.

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    The Lord, which while retreating earlier prepared its posture began a pursuit of Shin. The Lord, which had lost its weapons earlier, crossed its arms in a defense posture. When the katana swung down toward the Lord with its arms guarded, it created sparks as all of the arms were cut off and were blown away.

    ¡°GURUAAAAAAAA!!!!¡±

    The tails approached with a war cry, and began attacking Shin in earnest. The four tails had saw-like des attached, and although they struck out from every direction, Shin jumped toward the Lord before the pointed ends arrived.

    A strike from its arm was unleashed in desperation, but Shin evaded it with the martial arts movement skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ that enabled double jumps in the air, and so Shin came closer to the Lord. The destination, while he evaded, was the Lord¡¯s body; the location of the sr plexus in a human.

    It could be said that the distance between the two was almost zero, the splendid gap for Shin was partly due to the differences in physique. And it was the ce where the core of the Skull Face had just been absorbed. The Lord tried to gain some distance, but Shin had already prepared his attack prior to its action, and everything was toote.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨Dtsu!!¡±

    A sharp exhale together with the katana swinging downward.

    He unleashed the katana system martial art skill ¡¾Mountain Cleaver¡¿.

    Even though he didn¡¯t have any firm footing in the air, the stroke from Shin showed perfection and thorough power.

    The visual sword trails were a mix between red and ck lines that prated the Lord¡¯s left shoulder from the air, went through the body, cut through one of the right legs that flew off, and left a deep cut in the ground from the aftermath.

    ¡°GIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    The Lord screamed at the excessive damage. The nted sh line had traveled through its body, and the ck liquid along with its armor were torn as well. Although it was diverted from its core, Shin saw that about 1/5 of the ck orb was cut.

    ¡°It retreated, huh?¡±

    The core vanished from view immediately. Somehow, it seemed to be able to move freely inside the body to some extent. As he promptly thought about a countermeasure, ignoring the Lord who screamed, hended on the ground and moved in pursuit without mercy.

    He shed at the Lord¡¯s right legs consecutively to destroy its posture.

    The shing storm was done with a speed that left an afterimage. In addition, whenever Shin¡¯s katana left a sh, different parts of the Lord¡¯s body fell.

    Katana system martial art skill ¡¾Kasane Dachi¡¿.

    This skill generated, at random, multiple shing attacks that each possessed a simr power as the individual shes. It cut the internal parts of the Lord, which also caused the armor to fall off in pieces.

    This skill was able to attack several enemies at the same time, as therger the offensive ability the user possessed, the more its power increased altogether. It seemed like he had already gained total control of the skill, ¡¾Kasane Dachi¡¿, as each of the internal shing attacks were already at a fatal offensive power.

    ¡°GI¡­A¡­aa¡­¡±

    Destructive power was put into each of the shing attacks that one by one were rampaging inside the Lord. The Lord was barely alive at the time it received the ¡¾Mountain Cleaver¡¿ and it also did not have enough power remaining to support itself.

    All of the tails had already been cut off by Schnee and were blown away, leaving no possibility of resistance.

    The body of the Lord swelled with the rising internal pressure. As additional invisible shing attacks were generated inside the body due to¡¾Kasane Dachi¡¿, that ¡®energy¡¯ wanted to exit.

    He didn¡¯t overlook the core even though it was not found yet. The body that was hit by the tempest of shing attacks was not a safe ce anymore. The only destination the core could escape to was the head.

    ¡°It¡¯s the end!¡±

    He kicked the ground and jumped.

    Shin and Lord

    Then he took an overhead stance with ¡ºTrue Moon¡», with the de d in red lightning, above the top of the Lord¡¯s head.

    Katana technique lightningbined skill ¡¾Moon Arc : Thunder sh¡¿.

    First of all, lightning was formed around the red de as it swung toward the head. Next, the lightning on the katanas main body ¡ºTrue Moon¡» sliced through the skull of the Lord, and lightning struck from inside of it. The red lightning spread and blew away the demon-mes from within the eye sockets. The lightning strikes destroyed the headpletely, as it went along the neck and the whole body of the Lord burntpletely as if it was not enough.

    ¡°¡­Tsu! ¡­tsu¡­¡±

    No screaming came out though its body was roasted.

    The single attack from Shin sliced the orb together with the core that escaped to the head, andpletely disappeared due to the additional lightning strikes. Naturally a Skull Face without its core would vanished in a short time. The Lord though, didn¡¯t disappear right away because of that gigantic body, but its body was already but a corpse¡¯s mere remains.

    ¡°Tsu¡­tsu¡­tsu!!¡±

    Despite the crumbling body of the Lord, it stretched out its remaining arm toward Shin in its final moment.

    ¡°Master!!¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Schnee shouted at Shin who didn¡¯t move while seeing the state of the Lord. Schnee, who was rushing toward Shin, stopped at hismand, and Shin fixed his eyes on the Lord.

    The figure had neither hostility, the thirst of blood, nor the sense of intimidation that existed when he fought it a little while ago. The Lord that was extending out its arm towards Shin, seemed to be trying to grip something that was totally out of reach.

    ¡°(So¡­Wo¡­Ni)¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    The voice reached Shin¡¯s ear. Though it was a distorted and had a twisted pitch, it was certainly the words of a person.

    However, soon after having uttered it, the Lord dissolved into the atmosphere and be demon essence, just like the other Skull Faces. A huge jewel with a diameter of about 50 cemels remained at the ce where the Lord had been.

    ¡°Master! Are you alright!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s no problem.¡±

    He soothed Schnee, who rushed at him in a panicked state, and thought about the words he heard just a while ago in his mind.

    (In the end, I could hardly understand anything. although it was indeed an enemy.)

    He paid more attention to the jewel while having a hard time not showing disappointment on his face. It was certainly the highest grade jewel of the first-ss. He collected it for the time being just in case it might be a clue to something.

    When he turned his attention to the map, the markers for the monsters, which had escaped from the battle with the two, that he was able to perceive, seemed to have disappeared. There was a little individual monster which escaped the purification too, but it seemed to have faded away with the Lord¡¯s defeat. Either way, the Lord was the cause of this disturbance.

    The light that illuminated the surroundings was weakened when Shin confirmed it with the map. As he might have expected, the effect of ¡¾Sanctuary¡¿ seemed to gradually stop. When the lightpletely faded away, the surroundings became dark, although it was still lit by the moonlight.

    And, a big change, as a result of defeating the Lord was visible on the ins. Though he didn¡¯t see it because of the strong light of purification, the demon essence drifted smokily up to the sky from the whole ins. With the spectacle of demon essence floating up, the light seemed to dissolve into the night sky.

    The scene that happened over the whole ins caused the surrounding knights and adventurers to remain on lookout.

    The demon light that soared up high at the same time as the holy light that repelled the darkness faded out into the shades of the night.

    There were many people in awe of that scene, which was never seen until now.

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. In a while, it will be returned to the original ins, I guess.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should we return home?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Without saying ¡°To where?¡±, the two people began to walk as they watched the light of the demon essences disappear.

    He braced himself, during the battle earlier, to talk to Schnee the same way as he did in the past or in the game, but an indescribable atmosphere settled between the two people as soon as the tension was resolved.

    The time separated was short to Shin, but long to Schnee.

    They felt awkward around each other, but they gradually became talkative. In order to fill the time that had passed, they continued to talk.

    As the investigation team that consisted of knights and adventurers came quickly, the two people had already left the ins.

 Book 2: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Shin and Schnee entered the forest at a quick pace.

    While avoiding the adventurers who were moving into the ins, they turned their route toward Tsuki no Hokora. On the way, because the set-up base had been abandoned, he stopped, broke it down, and collected it all including the interception item. Wilhelm seemed to have given priority to evacuating and since Wilhelm wouldn¡¯t do such a foolish move like collecting items in that situation, it was only to be expected that the base was neglected.

    Shin¡¯s feelings wouldn¡¯t be hurt or even bruised if the items themselves were left. He removed them in this situation, because there was a danger of them changing into a permanent fort without its owner. In fact, many Skull Faces might have already fallen victim to it, as there were signs that the interception magic had activated. They seemed to have been individuals, those killed here, because it was not very far from the ins.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t you receive a request? Is itpleted?¡±

    Shin asked Schnee as he finished collecting the items.

    ¡°It is not quite finished yet, but my job is almost done.¡±

    ¡°Job?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the safekeeping and distribution of the items. My work now is to manage all of it to prevent infringement, since multiple countries had joined together to form a joint military unit.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is this perhaps rted to the recent uproar?

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±

    Shin sighed. Although it was not intentional, he had meddled in anotherrge affair again. He was utterly ignorant toward serious matters, he didn¡¯t realize that the countries had started working on calming the situation down. Although he was a little regretful that he had done it in such a shy manner, the damage was already done.

    While asking Schnee about what kind of situation it was in detail, he wracked his brain to recall if there were any eyewitnesses. After grunting ¡°uh-huh¡± for a while, he concluded that as far as he could tell, no one could have seen him, except for Schnee. Even the green markers he had protected should not have seen him or which way the fireballs came from, given how massive the Skull Faces were.

    ¡°Well, never mind about that. So, does Schnee not have to show up for the distribution? I think you should at least go to the meeting ce or should I say headquarters for you to finish your request.¡±

    ¡°It will be alright for a while. Even if I distribute it evenly, it doesn¡¯t work on the basis of firste, first-served. I am supposed to do the allocation after all the corps have gathered. It will take about one week at the earliest, until there can be a meeting. If I think about the range of each unit¡¯s progress, there is no problem even if I don¡¯t hurry that much.¡±

    As he had given up on thinking about the eyewitness case, because nothing could be done any further, he confirmed Schnee¡¯s timeline. If she was serious, Schnee could travel faster than the others, so she could afford to spend some time with Shin

    Whether it was Shin or Schnee, there were a lot of things they wanted to ask each other. While heading toward Tsuki no Hokora, they decided to exin to each other their own situation.

    ¡°Since I have a lot of questions I want to ask, you can ask me anything before that.¡±

    Shin decided to ept questions from Schnee first, considering the longer time she had spent here. Actually, it still hadn¡¯t even passed one month since Shin came into this world, so he might only be able to answer a little.

    ¡°I understand. Then I will ask several things that I¡¯ve been anxious about for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Schnee asked Shin three things.

    First, where was he until now?

    Second, why did hisbat ability rise?

    Third, what will he do from now on?

    ¡°Then the first one. About where I was until now. To tell you the truth, I personally haven¡¯t even been here for one month, today, since I went to thest dungeon.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true. Remember the time when everyone saw off me to challenge the Origin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I defeated the Origin and it should have been the end ordingly. But afterwards, in the deepest depth of that dungeon, ¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, there was a big door in the boss¡¯ room. It opened soon after the Origin fell.¡±

    Shin recalled that moment while exining it to Schnee. The scene where the heavy door he thought was just a decoration opened up while making a sound.

    ¡°Door¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. After that, I lost consciousness, and before I realized it, I¡¯mying down on a grassy field. After that, I went to Tsuki no Hokora and heard the outline story. I was really surprised when I heard that more than 500 years had passed. That¡¯s the reason why I haven¡¯t been around for 500 years.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason, huh?¡±

    Schnee seemed to understand the situation as she listened to what Shin said. It was different from the time when they met earlier; she had an expression of relief, like her chest wasn¡¯t constricted anymore.

    ¡°Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Fufufu, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s good.¡±

    Though Shin had a question mark dancing above his head because Schnee, for some reason, was in a good mood, he didn¡¯t think about it too much because it was boorish to be a wet nket; especially when with someone who is in such a joyful mood.

    Now then, for the next one. My abilities and stats went up because of the titles I acquired after defeating the Origin.¡±

    ¡°Titles? What kind of titles?¡±

    ¡°There are three of them. ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿, ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ and ¡¾Liberator¡¿. The first two are rted to the growth of my stats. Though I heard them for the first time when I got them, do you remember hearing any of them before?¡±

    No, I¡¯ve just heard all of those titles for the first time as well. What kind of effect do they have?¡±

    Shin exined each of the titles¡¯ effect in answer to Schnee¡¯s question. Even though there was not a stat raise for the title ¡¾Liberator¡¿, since he felt like it had some kind of meaning, he exined it in one go. (E/N: ¡¾Liberator¡¿ ¨C Immune to all binding and restriction effects, be it items or magic skills. ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ ¨C All ability points doubled. ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿ ¨C The upper limit for all stats has been removed, and all stats will rise ording to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.)

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s absurd, isn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Totally. I also thought it was a joke until I looked at the stats.¡±

    Shin too, could understand the feeling of Schnee who was at a loss for words. If a chosen one acquired these titles, the power bnce of the world would likely copse.

    ¡°However, I think it is not necessary to worry about it to that extent.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Shin asked.

    ¡°It is the acquisition requirement. Although monsters exist in this world, the phenomenon of re-spawning in the same ce withpletely identical unique monsters doesn¡¯t happen. I don¡¯t think there is a person who can meet the acquisition requirement anywhere else, because the Origin might be the only one. Also, the dungeon that Master went to haspletely disappeared.¡±

    ¡°I see. That does make it impossible.¡±

    ording to Schnee, several days after Shin left to conquer the dungeon, Shin¡¯s support characters became exasperated when Shin didn¡¯te back, so they gathered together and followed their Master¡¯s path. However, not even a shadow or shape was there, even the outlines were gone.

    When they stopped the search temporarily and went back to Tsuki no Hokora, the support characters of other yers were making a racket saying, ¡°My Master has disappeared!¡±. Schnee heard it and was convinced that Shin had cleared the dungeon. But they still doubted that he disappeared with the other yers, and started to investigate the story on their own. She also thought of the possibility that Shin was still in this world, just like her and the others were.

    However, the earth¡¯s crust changed, and a state of confusion followed on the continent afterwards. While helping the people who were in trouble, Schnee remained in Tsuki no Hokora, and the rest of his support characters separated to continue searching for Shin, or moved to protect their own race.

    Somehow, Shin had expected that they would do that.

    ¡°But wait? Didn¡¯t the Dusk of the Majesty ur right after I defeated Origin?¡±

    Shin had noticed that there was an unusual timeg for the support character to make a racket.

    ¡°Master, if you think about the former location of Tsuki no Hokora, of course it would take some time for the information to circte. Where did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°¡­True.¡±

    Schnee was saying that since numerous boss monsters existed in the area near Tsuki no Hokora, one could say it was a remote outpost. In a situation where the support characters couldn¡¯t use the chat function, information couldn¡¯t be shared right away.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I believe that a person who has Master¡¯s titles or at least simr titles will likely never appear. If such a person does appear, well, please do something about it.¡±

    ¡°So it falls to me, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Only someone of Masters¡¯ standing can oppose them, if a person with a power simr to our ss obtains those titles. Therefore, I leave all of it to you Master.¡±

    ¡°Well, that is right.¡±

    The stats double, so that mean that the higher the original stats were, the stronger the titleholder would became. If a chosen one with a high ability obtained the title ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ or in even¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿, even Schnee wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against that person.

    However, since there were strict requirements for the acquisition conditions, and Shin had beyond maxed stats, Schnee believed that the appearance of any enemy that would be able to get a solid hit in, was very unlikely in the present state.

    ¡°By the way, Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°That, ¡®Master¡¯ calling, can you do something about it?¡±

    While talking, Shin by all means felt bothered. Though he didn¡¯t mind it during the game, simply because she was an NPC, it was very awkward when she called him that in the current situation.

    ¡°Is there a problem when I¡¯m calling Master, ¡®Master¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no¡­problem, but isn¡¯t Schnee famous now? If such a person calls me ¡®Master¡¯, it will absolutely turn into an uproar.¡±

    ¡°Mu, that¡¯s certainly the case, but¡­¡±

    Shin well understood the influence of Tsuki no Hokora. And, it was certainly Schnee who made it so. It was impossible that nothing would happen if a person such as Schnee appeared to have a master whom she looked up to.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? I would especially like to avoid bing the center of the attention. Therefore, I request that you do not call me ¡®Master¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But, then what should I call you?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wouldn¡¯t using my name normally be enough?¡±

    ¡°Uh!? T-That¡­¡±

    For some reason, the surprised Schnee looked downward with her mouth mumbling. After a short time, she raised her face to stare straight at Shin as if she had made up her mind.

    ¡°T-Then¡­Shin.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there we go.¡±

    Schnee said it in a whisper. Her cheeks were dyed a faint, pink color and her ears were bright red.

    As for Shin, he had quite the response of ¡®Eh, what is that reaction!?¡¯ and strangely enjoyed the embarrassed feeling.

    Schnee¡¯s reaction was certainly seen in a lot of mangas and games. Though Shin well knew of this situation, the problem was whether or not he could return the reaction directly.

    Though he was not well-versed, it didn¡¯t mean that he had never experienced love before.

    To tell the truth, Schnee had never changed her expressions to be this shy in the game, so the very action of calling his own name with somewhat upturned eyes was terrific, and considerably very ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡®Moe¡¯.

    ¡°How should I say this¡­that has destructive power¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Yeah, it¡¯s really nothing. From now on, please call me Shin.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Then, after this I will call you S-Shin.¡±

    Schnee tried to act calm, but the flushed cheeks and ears vividly expressed her state of mind. Shin, who knew her usual calm appearance, was worrying about the too extreme gap.

    (Is this the true ¡®Gap Moe¡¯? Indeed¡­the destructive power is worthy ofparison with the gap of Celica-san, which I felt in the guild.)

    After that, they walked without saying anything to each other for a while. After confirming that the ears of Schnee, who was fidgety, returned to their former color using side nces, Shin resumed the conversation.

    ¡°Ah, though we got off topic, should we continue with the questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I showed an unsightly side. But I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    Though he felt that her voice still sounded somewhat excited, he ignored it, because the conversation would not advance if he pointed it out.

    ¡°Let me see¡­Errr, I¡¯ve already talked about my abilities. Then about thest question. First of all, I intend to go around collecting information around here and there after this.¡±

    ¡°Information?¡±

    ¡°Yes, first I will learn about this world. For the time being, I have investigated a little in the kingdom¡¯s library, and I intend to go to the Sacred Landter. Has Schnee been there before?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But because it was only a simple internal investigation, I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in the center of the city.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Whether the key to returning to his former world lies there or not. The only way is to go there directly.

    ¡°Um¡­Shin.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Schnee called out to Shin, who was thinking on whether he wanted to go the Sacred Land next. Her voice hadpletely changed from a while ago and was a little bit stiff.

    ¡°If you find the way¡­are you going to stop and return?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    He went silent for a while and replied. Though he hesitated on how to answer Schnee¡¯s in this state, it wouldn¡¯t change the conclusion even if he lied. He didn¡¯t mean to give up if there was still a possibility.

    And there was no meaning in vague answers, either.

    He didn¡¯t want to lie.

    ¡°That should be expected, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, When I listened to your talk earlier, I already thought you wanted to do so.¡±

    Schnee nodded while showing an innocent smile, seemingly understanding in some respect. At the expression that resembled a look of relief, Shin felt a faint sense of incongruity.

    ¡°Hey, Schnee. How much do you remember from the game?¡±

    Shin asked, in an attempt to change the sense of incongruity.

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    ¡°Everything..?¡±

    ¡°Yes. From the time I descended down from that ce to be together with you.¡±

    Everything until this very moment now.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 2: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    The moment when he ran through a field for beginners.

    The time when he was depressed due to losing in PvP.

    The eagerness to improve his stats.

    The friends he had in the guild.

    The loudugh after defeating arge army of yers.

    The dungeon where he risked his life.

    The tears he shed for not being able to protect someone¡¯s life.

    The assassin¡¯s dagger he wielded.

    The promise he made to a certain person.

    Thest time seeing his back.

    ¡°¨D¨DI remember it all.¡±

    Schnee said while calmly putting her hand above her chest.

    ¡°Although it was useless to ask you to forget it too, please say¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying~¡±

    The smiling face was too radiant as she answered bluntly. It was a facial expression that he hadn¡¯t seen when she was an NPC, and when his fellow made this sort of face, Shin became a little d.

    ¡°But, if that was the case. Though you only talked in pre-set sentences, were you in a state of awareness?¡±

    ¡°No, it was after Shin and the others entered the situation known as the death game, that a type of self-consciousness became clear. Until then, it felt like watching a moving picture. It is very hard to exin it, but it¡¯s like looking at myself from a bird¡¯s-eye view.¡±

    Though it was her memory, Schnee said that it was like the memory of another person. To be frank, he didn¡¯t understand it well, because he thought it was rather painful that her consciousness became aware while in a state where her body moved without permission, so he didn¡¯t question it further.

    ¡°I see. In short, you know all about the logout stuff and the other things beyond that point as well.¡±

    It was possible to say that that might be the reason why she had retained her memories of the game.

    ¡°Yes. At that time, it was because all of the adventurers sometimes used those words after the life and death fights began. If I am not mistaken, another world, different from this one, is the real world, right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct¡­so anyways, after I left, you guys searched for me and then separated, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    While smiling as if she had been in trouble, Schnee affirmed it.

    Thest fight of the death game. If Shin won the fight, Schnee and the others would disappear. If Shin lost, Schnee and the others would lose their master. Either way, it couldn¡¯t be a happy ending. Therefore, they took several actions, due the mysterious situation where they didn¡¯t disappear even though Shin should have won.

    ¡°If only you all could have told me beforehand, though that might not be possible to say.¡±

    ¡°Then, wouldn¡¯t Shin have been troubled by it? You had to do the best that you could at that time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    Though it was decided that it was okay and he had been in high spirits when he left Tsuki no Hokora; when he learned about the circumstances that his support characters had concealed among themselves, Shin felt miserable.

    Nevertheless, even if he had known, he would not have doubted himself, and would have done what he did, so he did not say anything.

    ¡°In those days, independent action was notpletely possible yet, and the talk of freedom, like the present day, was more or less not even imaginable. Either way, it would have been impossible to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Well now that you mention it, when the death game began, I thought it was weird that the NPC¡¯s were strangely acting like human beings. Now knowing that it was self-awareness, I realize ¡®Ah! so that¡¯s it¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You have a difficult personality as always, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡­Leave me alone.¡±

    He muttered at Schnee, who smiled wryly while he was embarrassed. He was pondering his past actions, thinking about if or when the programs had began self-consciousness or something, wondering ¡®Did I treat them decently?¡¯, as Schnee¡¯s remark actually hit the target.

    ¡°Well, you would have gone to battle even if you had known, Shin.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s probably true.¡±

    Compared to the lives of ten thousand humans, the support characters were no more than data. Even if the data had been somewhat self-consciousness, it was still notparable.

    ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you make a promise?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    Even though it wasn¡¯t much, many people returned to reality.

    In fact, it was due to that promise which Shin had exchanged with a certain person.

    Since they knew about it for sure, neither Schnee nor the other support characters would have said anything.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s put a stop to this solemn atmosphere. Especially since we are able to meet again after so much effort and a long wait.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. ¡°What am I saying now, it¡¯s quickly be depressing! Let¡¯s stop it!¡±

    In order topletely change the mood that had be depressing, Schnee behaved cheerfully and pped her hands in an exaggerated manner. Shin also joined in by raising his voice.

    ¡°First of all, to celebrate the reunion, let¡¯s go all out with a party. If it¡¯s about food ingredients, I have a lot left in the Item Box.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Please let me demonstrate my cooking skill that I have raised over the years.¡±

    ¡°By the way, what is your cooking level?¡±

    ¡°It became ¢ù about one month ago.¡±

    ¡°Seriously!?¡±

    Shin was surprised that it had grown to the level where she could cook even a high level monster. Even if she made the lowest grade meal, a simple soup, with this level it transformed into a dish that generated a lot of bonus stats. It was said that a skilled cook was found to be as useful as a skilled cksmith in major guilds. There were enormous bonuses when a dish was made using rare ingredients. If one of two yers with the same level, job, and about the same ability ate the dish, the yer who ate it would end up with aplete victory inbat.

    And Rokuten, where Shin had been a member, was able to overpower other yer¡¯s skills and stats because there was a cook skill of level X. So, with a dish that gave a bonus of temporary adding to their maxed stats, they were able to exceed the limit, though it was only by a little. (E/N: Even though their stats were maxed at 999, with that food they could go above 1000)

    By the way, only Shin and the other members of Rokuten, who had reached the maximum stats, knew of that information. All of the members, including Shin, started to notice the increase in damage from the bonus effects, and the information was not circted in order for only the six members of Rokuten to benefit from it.

    ¡°Though I¡¯m not like Cook-sama, you can anticipate it.¡±

    ¡°Yosh! Leave the ingredients to me!¡±

    While expressing ¡°Fufufu¡±, he took a look at the ingredients in the Item Box. Even though the ingredients were stored since the time it was just a game, he himself had already confirmed that it was okay to eat them.

    ¡°By the way Shin, may I ask one more question aside from the questions earlier.¡±

    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±

    Schnee asked him the question while looking at the top of Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°That one, what is it?¡±

    ¡°This one? ¡­Ah.¡±

    He realized what she was talking about.

    It was Yuzuha who was sleeping soundly on top of Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Though since only its name and level are seen, did you use Taming on it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there were some minor circumstances, and we made a partner contract due to them. Its name is Yuzuha. I will be honest since it is Schnee. It¡¯s race is the Element Tail.¡±

    ¡°¡­When I looked at the tails, I thought it was not a mere Demon Fox race. So it is an Element Tail, huh?¡±

    Schnee became stiff momentarily, right after she heard the race of Yuzuha. But she promptly regained herself as if she thought, ¡®Well, it is Shin after all.¡¯

    ¡°You found out through the tail?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Shin didn¡¯t notice it? I could understand that it was not an ordinary Demon Fox because there are 3 tails.¡±

    Shin tilted his head due to what Schnee was saying. There should be no such feature in Yuzuha¡¯s tail.

    ¡°¡­Three¡­tails?¡±

    Then he suddenly noticed it. Now that he thought about it, there was a sense of tails hitting his ears and the back of his head.

    First, he grabbed a tail with his right hand. Yep, nice and soft.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Next, he grabbed a tail with his left hand. This one was also fluffy.

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    Finally, he concentrated on the sense of touch on the back of his head. There was a faint light touch.

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    For the time being, he released the tails from his hands, gripped the body of Yuzuha from above his head and brought it in front of his face.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°They had certainly be three.¡±

    Yuzuha woke up after being moved from overhead. And then the tails that had increased to 3 swung side by side ordingly.

    When looking at its level, it had unexpectedly gone over 400.

    ¡°¡­Well, I guess its level rose too much.¡±

    Even if the former level was over 200, it had gone up too suddenly. It hadn¡¯t killed many monsters while they were power-leveling Rashia. And it was indeed impossible for it to level up almost 200 levels just from the fight with the Lord.

    ¡°I think something else happened.¡±

    Shin thought that there was something that he personally didn¡¯t know. The growth extent of a monster partner or something simr was something he had heard from a member of Rokuten; Cashmere. Therefore, he understood that such a straightforward growth was nearly impossible.

    The first thing that came to Shin¡¯s mind was that a hidden quest had beenpleted when the requirements were fulfilled. He had experienced it several times during the game, so he had grown ustomed to it. If he remembered correctly, there was a quest with a monster partner, too.

    ¡°Schnee, how do you take up a hidden quest in this world?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, I haven¡¯t heard talks of any such quests being generated. The world voice I had heard before, it too was never heard from again after Shin vanished. And I have not heard of any story like this either.¡±

    The world voice Schnee mentioned was probably the announcement system in THE NEW GATE.

    Unlike the quest which could be epted in a guild, when the conditions for the generated hidden quest were met, the yer was notified of what kind of quest it was via an announcement as the hidden quest began.

    In this case, since there was no sort of announcement at all, Shin didn¡¯t notice Yuzuha¡¯s level up. Also, judging from Schnee¡¯s story, the system feature of announcements was likely gone.

    ¡°Still, for the number of tails to increase, is this because the level rose?¡±

    Shin spoke while facing Yuzuha.

    Because there were no Element Tail kit¡¯s in the game era, he was uncertain about how they grew up.

    It might unexpectedly just be a mere growth spurt rather than a quest and the like.

    ¡°Kua~¡­Good morning, Master.¡±

    Without knowing that Shin was worried, Yuzuha yawned loudly¡­ and greeted him like it was only natural.

    ¡°Wait a minute, Yuzuha! Did you reach the point where you are able to talk?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? When the ck things disappeared, my head felt refreshed.¡±

    ¡°ck things?¡±

    When he heard about the ck things, he was thought of the Lord¡¯s core that was sliced in half just a while ago. If he recalled back, it was only Skull Faces that had surrounded the Shinto shrine where Yuzuha was rescued from. And it was not strange to regard the Lord that appeared this time as the boss.

    ¡°It was ck, roundish, and inside the bones. And Master cut it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Lord¡¯s core, no mistake about it.¡±

    It seemed like it matched Shin¡¯s expectations. There was some kind of rtion that connected Yuzuha and the Lord, Shin¡¯s intuition as a gamer told him so.

    Was some portion of its power absorbed? Or was it sealed? It was regrettable that he had no way of confirming it after defeating it.

    ¡°For now, you are prohibited from talking in public. Since ordinary Demon Foxes can¡¯t talk.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s just the two of us, it should be fine, but don¡¯t expose yourself to other people.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, then do I only talk directly into your mind?¡±

    ¡°Telepathy? If so, it should be fine.¡±

    Since there was telepathy, it was still possible tomunicate. It seemed that Yuzuha also understood it intuitively, as it nodded obediently.

    ¡°But Shin, since the number of tails have increased, will it still be known as a Little Fox?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Actually, there were various types of Demon Fox races, and so naturally there were ones with multiple tails. Indeed, it was possible to say that that most of them had multiple tails.. But generally it became a slightly dangerous existence for amoner if the number of tails exceeded 2.

    As for Demon Fox races with 3 tails, there was me Tail, Tail Leader and so on. Even if it was young, their levels were still at least 250. They were not the kind of monster that one would just take as a pet in this world.

    ¡°Its still a child, so entering a country might be possible, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, it will be an adult sooner orter, too. That¡¯s right¡­say, Yuzuha. Can¡¯t you do things like transform?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? There are things that I¡¯m able to do, and things I am not able to do.¡±

    ¡°Can you change the three tails into one?¡±

    ¡°Easy~¡±

    Yuzuha said, while its three tails splendidly turned into a single tail with a pop sound.

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Shin and Schnee both opened their eyes wide in surprise.

    Rather than an illusion, they seemed to have really be one tail. Even touching it seemed natural.

    ¡°Is this good??¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Won¡¯t it make you tired?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡±

    ¡°Then from now on, can you merge them into one tail in ces where people can see? Because that will save us some trouble one way or another.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can do that~¡±

    Yuzuha agreed easily. It didn¡¯t hide any resistance.

    ¡°¡­It was somehow solved easily.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. If it¡¯s like this, it won¡¯t be discovered easily.¡±

    Schnee too, assured. It seemed like Shin was relieved by this.

    ¡°Yuzuha is excellent?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, good job.¡±

    ¡°Kuu~~¡±

    With Yuzuha held against his chest, he patted its head for its good job.

    ¡°¡­Cute!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Ha! It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you want to pet it?¡±

    ¡°Sure!!¡±

    Even though she was so strong, Schnee was still a woman and seemed to like cute things. Petting Yuzuha indeed felt really good, too.

    ¡°Still the same as ever, Shin never fails to surprise me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°No one has aplished taming an Element Tail before.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s deration contained something of amazement while stopping her petting. The Element Tail was set to be impossible to tame since the beginning of the game era. It was no wonder that she was surprised.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look surprised while saying that though?¡±

    ¡°Well, since it¡¯s Shin I¡¯m really not surprised. No high level individual like you has ever tried doing that before.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. We, the Rokuten, weakened the opponent while going easy, even if the difficulty was high.¡±

    Shin recalled. Having every attribute of magic, aided by strong physical attacks from its fangs and ws, it was a monster that had a nimble and agile nature which didn¡¯t match itsrge body. Even the maxed stats yers could not let their guard down. That was the original appearance of the Element Tail.

    Yuzuha, which was curled up while being held by Shin¡¯s arm, did not show such a threat at all.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Yosh, let¡¯s run at full speed now. In fact, there are somepanions ahead of us. and they might cause an uproar soon.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we better hurry. We might catch up in time.¡±

    If someone thought about the travel speed of Shin and Schnee; they could easily overtake a horse that ran at full speed by arge margin. However, Wilhelm had the buff given by Shin, which made him run faster. It was likely that he would lengthen the distance in this case. If those two people arrived at the kingdom and informed them about the situation, it would be troublesome for Shin in various ways.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get serious. It¡¯s too bothersome to be marked by the guild any further.¡±

    ¡°What you said just now, can you exin itter?¡±

    ¡°That is that and this is this.¡±

    Would it be possible to put it off after Schnee made such a face, Shin couldn¡¯t say.

    ¡°Yosh, let¡¯s go!¡±

    He put Yuzuha on top of his head, and began to run with Schnee.

    It didn¡¯t take too long for the two people to catch up with Wilhelm and Rashia.

    After about half a day since Shin and Schnee began to run and not much time had passed since the sun appeared from beyond the horizon, the figures of Wilhelm and Rashia were perceived.

    ¨C

    ¡°Oi! Now tell me everything, like what on earth happened back there?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up with this sudden contentious attitude¡­¡±

    Wilhelm was cautious of the surroundings while protecting Rashia, who was asleep. Though they joined up safely, Wilhelm was losing his temper and red up at Shin with a threatening tone.

    Meanwhile Rashia continued to sleep, probably because of fatigue.

    ¡°Well, to put it simply, Schnee took the trouble of defeating the Lord.¡±

    ¡°Hyun!¡±

    Shin, who answered, was pushed away by the devil spear. It was not serious, but there was some speed put into the devil spear.

    ¡°Wait! That¡¯s dangerous!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone that could do anything like that and have their magical power leap to that degree. You are dangerous after all!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so persistent!?¡±

    ¡°What else do you expect!! What was your intention when you saw us off with such an exaggerated skill, and then easily caught up with us! Even with such a margin in time! And I was fucking desperate to return!!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, calm down! Though it was a bad joke, isn¡¯t¡ºVenom¡»too much!?¡±

    The devil spear was continuously thrust out, but it didn¡¯t hit Shin even once.

    ¡°Tsk¡±

    ¡°What the heck are you clicking your tongue for!? It was just a little joke.¡±

    ¡°What joke? That face seems like it wants to say something, but you yourself didn¡¯t do anything. Exin it precisely and I don¡¯t want another joke.¡±

    As one would expect, the joke seemed to have gone a little too far.

    Wilhelm looked at Shin with a serious expression.

    ¡°Shin, let¡¯s cut to the chase now.¡±

    Schnee, who looked at Shin and Wilhelm messing around, stepped forward.

    ¡°You are..? Don¡¯t tell me, you stood behind him.¡±

    Wilhelm said it with some kind of profound meaning.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw you. If you understand, then the exnation is unnecessary?¡±

    Apparently, the two peoplemunicated with only those words.

    ¡°Hey, I want you to tell me in a way that I understand.¡±

    Shin had no idea at all of what they were talking about.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know, huh? Schnee Raizar is famous for not yielding or kneeling to anyone. I guess even to the Royal family and the Pope.¡±

    It was somehow very stout-hearted.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°I kneel to no one except to my Master.¡±

    Somehow, Shin felt bad about her making the royal family an opponent, but it seemed like Schnee would never waver.

    ¡°Well, to begin with, there is no fellow who would dare pick a fight with her.¡±

    ¡°So that is the reason it was tolerated, huh?¡±

    Let alone punishing her, there were only a few people who could even rival her.

    When Shin heard that, it seemed as if that was not the only reason. Her tone and attitude were both polite. If a strong monster appeared, she lent her power. She kept neutrality without belonging to any organization, and didn¡¯t bother picking any unnecessary fights.

    The achievements from over 500 years were not just for show.

    Though there were people who had secretly tried to draw her into bing their ally, because she had such a great power, it seemed like none had ever seeded.

    ¡°I understand the feeling of wanting to win her over to be an ally.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­then if she is obediently following a guy like you, that means¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you figured it out, huh?¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how well Schnee and Wilhelm were acquainted, but it seemed like Wilhelm had already seen through it.

    ¡°A High Human, huh?¡±

    ¡°He is also my Master.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s more or less it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not just more or less. But if that¡¯s the case, I understand. That level of magic power was no joke.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but that was still me in ¡®easy¡¯ mode.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­the Master of Schnee Raizar, huh? Indeed, the story was more than I expected¡­Oi, then the animal that you, a High Human, put on your head is not just an ordinary fox?¡±

    Wilhelm shifted his attention to Yuzuha while feeling relieved and shrugging his shoulders. Surprise and amazement began to mix into his tone of voice. There was no sense of fear here, probably because he got to know Shin without any preconceived notions.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°It might not be a Little Fox. Its level exceeded 400 after the fight a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°¡­Again, I¡¯m not really surprised.¡±

    Wilhelm sighed while ring with scornful eyes. Even though he was surprised by the truth about Yuzuha, which had the appearance of a small animal as well as a level exceeding 400, he was way past being shocked, so he ended up feeling ¡°Like hell such a thing could exist!¡±.

    ¡°So that is why you vaguely answered about being a chosen one earlier, huh?¡±

    ¡°Right. In my case, I was not strong since birth, though my power is higher than a chosen one. I thought such guys were rare in this world, don¡¯t you agree? Therefore, I decided to go with being a chosen one.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then, if you two act together from now on, it¡¯s only a matter of time before ites to light.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s point was justifiable. Generally speaking, Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were famous. So if Schnee appeared to be close to a man, certain groups of people would try to gather information.

    ¡°For that situation, there are magic skills that easily allow me to deceive others. I can earn some time if I make full use of illusion magic.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the illusion magic you talk about is simr to the one I know. I would not be surprised if you transformed into a monster.¡±

    ¡°What kind of treatment is this¡­¡±

    Shin could do nothing but smile wryly.

    ¡°If you are going to do that, then you will be a walking disaster. A guy like you could easily go out and erase a country if he felt like it in the same day. If I were the King, I would lose my mind.¡±

    It was meaningless to try and act violently, so Wilhelm sat down as he added another point. He then urged Shin and Schnee, who were still standing and talking, to sit down while he mended Rashia¡¯s bed sheet.

    Rashia was sleeping soundly as her breathing could be heard. ording to Wilhelm, when the people were told that high ranking adventurers were around, they seemed to calm down atst. Regarding Shin, he seemed convinced that there was no need to use the illusion magic skill immediately to that extent.

    ¡°Which reminds me, are any documents rting to us, High Humans, still remaining?¡±

    He had returned empty handed when he visited the library before, but how were yer matters circted? Shin only had the unclear information that he had heard from Tiera. If he thought about it now, he wasn¡¯t certain if it was unconsciously avoided. No one would bother with such a dark history, and they would pretend like it never even happened, naturally.

    ¡°There might be some left. Well, the things that I know of are; they have absurdly powerful-like strength and each had their own field of expertise in which they possessed an abnormal ability. They were treated like Gods in their particr field.¡±

    ¡°There are various legends that have been passed down among other people, right?¡±

    Schnee chimes in.

    ¡°Uhee, this is gonna be troublesome again. Because Rokuten certainly was a former production guild first, we felt like we wouldn¡¯t lose to others when it came to our individual fields of expertise.¡±

    ¡°Ha? Since you were strong at the beginning, did you waste time on craftsmanship? Like Schnee here.¡±

    ¡°Wilhelm, didn¡¯t I only cook to pass the time??¡±

    There seemed to be some kind of different history between the two people.

    Even though every member of Rokuten certainly had amazing stats, the main reason they first gathered together was to be production guild.

    ¡°It¡¯s different from that. Even if the levels are the same, humans are weaker than other races. In my case, Ipensated with cksmithing. It was really difficult to raise its level at the same time asbat skills.¡±

    ¡°You just ran from ce to ce many times when you first started adventuring, right?¡±

    Schnee grunted ¡°uh-huh¡± and nodded. When Shin first yed, he was very weakpared to the present.

    ¡°These kinds of things, I guess, are not normal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what ¡®High yers¡¯ did.¡±

    Schnee casually said a word that only yers would understand.

    ¡°It was called ¡®High Human¡¯ though.¡±

    ¡°Hai pu¡­what?¡±

    Wilhelm could not understand the term.

    ¡°Anyway, I made weapons to raise my level in cksmithing. I equipped them and defeated stronger opponents to raise my level. Then I made a stronger weapon with the material from the opponents I defeated. And again, defeated another stronger enemy. It was this loop.¡±

    To begin with, the world of cksmithing was not sweet enough to be able to make an advanced weapon as easily like Shin said. Though ¡®cksmith¡¯ was an example of a production skill system that was somewhat easier to raise than thebat system skill, THE NEW GATE was not a lenient enough of a game to allow it to be maxed that easily.

    For this reason, there were divisions for production andbat system guilds. The majority of yers who worked on both sides stopped halfway and quit, although it¡¯s also difficult to master just one of the two systems. No simr person aplished this.

    In the systems above, yers with abat job had to be able to make a lower ss recovery item, like a ss 10 Potion, and production job yers had to be able to handle a battle. But it was still only at a ¡®better than nothing¡¯ standard.

    ¡°Amazing. I guess you are the real deal.¡±

    ¡°How rude.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s absurd no matter how much I think about it. I can¡¯t even think about standing both jobs together.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it, it seems like it would favor the long-lived species such as elves and pixies. But they are not able to do it.¡±

    If the Pixie and Elf species existed in reality, they would not be suited for being cksmiths in the first ce.

    In other words, raising two jobs together and so on was an unbelievable act of sheer madness for the residents of this world. Shin was able to do it because it had only been a game. Using items every time to gain a proficiency bonus and learning skills from using secret books, there stood Shin today only because he had spent the time to strengthen himself.

    And even that took a tremendous amount of time. It was impossible to do the same thing in the daily life of this world.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of it. The members of Rokuten are strong in various ways. It is quite normal that even I am not a match for them, except for in cksmithing. Cain could build a castle in a day, Cook could make a dish from dragons, Cashmere raised a monster ranch before anyone knew it, Hecate produced Elixirs and Philosopher stones, and made a load of low grade potions by mood. Also, Reed¡¯s puppets were able to exchange blows with divine beasts.¡±

    ¡°Shin has produced several holy swords and cursed sword types. And if you don¡¯t like an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade sword, he and Filma will melt it down to avoidints.¡±

    Schnee expressed a wry smile as she remembered those days. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a ¡¶Legend¡· grade or a ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, he would just do it over again if he was not satisfied.

    By the way, Filma was Shin¡¯s no. 2 support character. Incidentally, Shin, who recalled that time, was strangely discouraged.

    ¡°That sure is a damn dramatical way to improve oneself. I mean, your specialty is cksmith, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you want me to restructure your ¡ºVenom¡» ?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡±

    Kukuku. Shin, who now had a suspicious voice with a grinning face, forced Wilhelm to reply right away. He seemed to give off a bad feeling somehow or another.

    ¡°Please tell me if you¡¯re not satisfied. If it¡¯s Wilhelm, I will reinforce it for a bargain price.¡±

    ¡°Oi, Why are you making a face like a shady merchant?¡±

    ¡°Iyaa, how should I put it, it¡¯s just my cksmith¡¯s blood getting excited?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh, your profession is certainly a craftsman. That face looks like a dwarf¡¯s boss in a hot-iron room, now that I think about it.¡±

    In any world too, it seemed like people with simr upations all resembled each other in speech and action. The face of some dwarf craftsmen when they saw ¡ºVenom¡» appeared in Wilhelm¡¯s mind clearly.

    They have the eyes of children that have just found their new toy as it glitters, much like the eyes of Shin just now.

    ¡°Even so, you need a cksmith¡¯s forge to showcase your skills, don¡¯t you? Though you are different than the others, a weapon cannot be made using secrets or a lost secret arts thing, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not like some fake cksmith!! I only intend to hold a hammer after such a long absence from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°I know you will be able to make something. From the story of a craftsman, whom I am indebted to, the longsword produced by Rokuten¡¯s cksmith was of ¡¶Normal¡· grade, but was on equal terms with a ¡¶Legend¡· grade sword.¡±

    Of course, Wilhelm was not a child to believe such a story. In a sense, ¡¶Normal¡· grade and ¡¶Legend¡· grade have different performance standards that couldn¡¯t bepared with each other.

    ¡°It is indeed¡­no, wait. Now that you mention it, there was a time when I tested how far I could strengthen a ¡¶Normal¡· grade weapon.¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­you are joking, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    When Wilhelm reflectively asked that question in return, Schnee also opened her mouth to talk.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the experiment you conducted that was suggested by both Reed-sama and Hecate-sama?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If I¡¯m not mistaken, only suitable and prepared iron can be enchanted. It¡¯s the kind that could only be made by using the best facilities avable at that time. I put it in the store by mistake, I wonder if the buyer was surprised and spread that information.¡±

    ¡°¡­What the heck is that!¡±

    By the way, the buyer bought it as a present for a beginner who had just begun to y the game. And it was discovered by yers passing by, as monsters that should not able to be defeated by a beginner were being killed in one hit. When watched from the side, the monsters gave off a feeling of being awfully weak. The buyer thought it was just a normal longsword and didn¡¯t notice it because they didn¡¯t check the stats on the weapon.

    ¡°I was astonished that an amazing thing could be made at that time. However, because the material was iron, the durability is inferior by all means. I made several of them, and started to test them, or should I say crossed swords. They broke after striking each other about 10-20 times.¡±

    ¡°I would think, it¡¯s damn weird, when it was possible to exchange blows at that time.¡±

    As if to say he couldn¡¯tprehend Shin¡¯smon sense, Wilhelm held his head with one hand. The grade of the weapon should not be sweet enough that even a cksmith¡¯s skill could enhance it this way.

    ¡°Ah, I understand it well. You are definitely a High Human. Themon sense here just continues to break down since a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Because it is my Master, the currentmon sense does not work.¡±

    ¡°Kuu~Kuu~¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not apliment.¡±

    To the proud looking Schnee and the agreeing Yuzuha, Wilhelm retorted while being astounded. He seemed to still be a little confused as he didn¡¯t notice how Yuzuha had reacted, as if it understood the words.

    Schnee seemed to be boasting, probably because it was about the legend of Shin.

    ¡°Nh¡­Ngh?¡±

    When Wilhelm was about to sigh, Rashia who had been sleeping on the side woke up. They apparently had made too much noise. It was too loud for her to continue sleeping.

    ¡°Eh?¡­Shin, san?¡±

    ¡°Yo.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Hello¡­why are you here!?¡±

    Rashia, who was still half asleep, recognized someone with a nce before raising her voice. She was certain that this man had remained with the flock of monsters to let them get away. Even Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, was still the same as before.

    ¡°I somehow made it here.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Rashia looked like she wanted to say, ¡°What is he saying?¡± as she faced toward Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm caught the gaze and responded.

    ¡°Apparently, an ally happened to pass by.¡±

    Wilhelm said that while ncing at Shin and Schnee, as if his eyes said to Shin ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell this girl.¡±

    Because Shin also intended to conceal the fact about him being a High Human from Rashia, he gave a small nod. Unlike Wilhelm who had some connection to Rashia, who was amoner, she couldn¡¯t guess the identity of Shin from Schnee¡¯s attitude. Though there was no problem if it was known, it was still dangerous just to know that valuable information. A possible information leak may cause Rashia misfortune..

    So Wilhelm decided to modify the story to one where just an ally happened to pass by.

    Incidentally about Wilhelm, Schnee was thepanion who had handed over the letter of introduction to him, so he didn¡¯t have to worry.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Schnee Raizar. I am the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the polite words. I am called Rashia Luzel¡­um, what did you say just now?¡±

    Rashia asked Schnee again as if she had heard something impossible.

    Of course she had heard it, she just couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s Schnee Raizar. You know. It¡¯s that Schnee Raizar.¡±

    ¡°¡­That?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you!¡±

    Schnee raised her eyebrow a little.

    ¡°Though it sounds like the meaning is not very positive for some reason.¡±

    Even though her name meant a good thing in this world, it was still a mystery how it could also have a strange meaning when people kept saying it.

    ¡°Just make up your damn mind. Look! Rashia,e back to yourself!¡±

    ¡°E-Errr, I¡¯m Rashia! It¡¯s an honor to meet zuu! ¡­.uu¡±

    ¡°Yes, I hope to get along with you.¡±

    Schnee replied as if Rashia biting her tongue didn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°I was only able to defeat those monsters thanks to Schnee helping out. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°Did you defeat all of the monsters!? A-As expected from the ¡ºSaint¡»-sama.¡±

    ¡°Saint?¡±

    Shin was trying to emphasize the achievements of Schnee, but had a question about the unfamiliar word.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Schnee-sama never epted it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t ept it?¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee unintentionally.

    ¡°I received amunication acknowledging me as a Saint from the church headquarters previously. Although I declined it.¡±

    ¡°Was there any problem in epting it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have any intention to be affiliated with influence somewhere just because I served with the High Humans. However, when the title of Saint arrived, because there is the possibility that I would naturally end up with some church influence, I didn¡¯t ept it. I thought it was already forgotten about because it has been more than 100 years, but it seems they still haven¡¯t given up yet.¡±

    It was indeed unexpected, Schnee sighed as she was disgruntled.

    Although the church recognized her as a Saint, it was meaningless if she didn¡¯t ept it.

    For Shin to meddle in the church¡¯s internal politics would be more than a pettyplication, it waspletely contrary to his goal. Religion was something which was troublesome through all the ages. When thinking about these kinds of things, Schnee smiled at Rashia.

    ¡°You can call me Schnee, it¡¯s no problem.¡±

    ¡°S-Such a thing! It¡¯s too much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too tense!¡±

    ¡°Will, that is too much, too!¡±

    Though it was somewhat exaggerated, Shin thought it was the correct reaction.

    Shin, personally, was Schnee¡¯s long-time acquaintance, and Wilhelm had a character that didn¡¯t hold much back. Therefore they could talk normally. However, as Tiera said before, even children knew the name Schnee; she was very popr.

    If that person was in front of someone normal, they would probably react this way, too.

    ¡°Oi,e on! Don¡¯t we have to go soon? There¡¯s no need to rest here, right?.¡±

    Shin and Schnee hadn¡¯t taken much of a break, and Wilhelm understood that much.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, we should go then.¡±

    Shin spoke while standing up with Schnee. They were able to leave without any problems, and since there were orphanage matters too, it was better to rush.

    Rashia began to tidy up the bedding in a hurry as well. Though Rashia didn¡¯t understand the significance of the details of the incident, for the time being she understood the exnation about how it was solved by Schnee. It didn¡¯t mean that she had forgotten the fear of when they were surrounded by monsters, but Rashia might believe that there was nothing impossible for this person.

    ording to amoner such as Rashia, Schnee Raizar was a living legend. A heroine and a saint, who had been protecting thisnd for more than 500 years.

    There was a trust that was close to faith.

    ¡°Well, the reliance is greater than I thought.¡±

    Shin talked to himself, as he saw the expression full of trust in Schnee on Rashia¡¯s face. It was easy to imagine that it would be outrageous if Schnee walked together with him. It might be difficult even if it was only to buy something.

    He sighed and decided to carefully make the disguise.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Wilhelm carried Rashia, as Shin and Schnee maintained their speed to match up with them. No matter how much her level had risen, it would be a significant burden on Rashia if she had to run with all her effort.

    That speed couldn¡¯t bepared with a horse. Even though they took a break on the way, the four people arrived at the location where they were able to see the kingdom¡¯s town before sunset.

    They walked from there because it would be difficult if they caused others to be cautious of them as they were going to a ce with public eyes.

    ¡°Ugh, I feel like vomiting¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on, I carried you on my back, so endure it.¡±

    Rashia, who was not used to high speed travel while being carried by someone, had herplexion worsen, like she was having motion sickness. Since it was cruel to let her walk as it was, Wilhelm carried her on his back.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Schnee called out kindly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will put up with it¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s serious.¡±

    Shin let out a small sigh.

    Because potions didn¡¯t work on motion sickness, the party proceeded after she said so.

    Schnee had already changed her appearance using a magic skill before being perceived by the public. Her blue eyes turned red, her silver hair changed to blonde, and she now had a ponytail hairstyle. Several other skills were applied besides that.

    Since Shin personally applied the magic, it would never be discovered unless in an extreme circumstance. From the beginning, just transforming a woman¡¯s hairstyle and her impression made her significantly different. If her hair color and eyes were changed, even humans who were used to seeing Schnee would not notice it immediately.

    ¡°Just to confirm, it¡¯s okay if we separate in front of the gate?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. The request was originally until she learned the skill. There¡¯s no need to bother walking us to the church, too. If something does happen at the church, it¡¯s for us to manage.¡±

    ¡°That tone that doesn¡¯t match with your honest side is the same as always.¡±

    Schnee showed a wry smile while speaking to Wilhelm.

    ¡°Dammit, leave me alone!¡±

    They joked around while approaching the gate. Even though Wilhelm said that something might have already happened, Shin expanded his perception range to the orphanage, and confirmed everyone was safe. Of course, there were no signs of any uninvited guests either.

    ¡°Then, we will walk together up until we get there. I will give you this just in case. Please contact me if anything happens.¡±

    When they arrived at the gate, Shin presented the message card and the letter paper.

    However, Wilhelm who saw that, tried to refuse.

    ¡°This is the item that transfers a message, huh? If it turns into a situation where I need to use this, I won¡¯t choose to do so. What if I involve you and something happens?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, it only puts you at a disadvantage.¡± those were the words left unsaid, but expressed through Wilhelm¡¯s eyes as he told Shin, and his intention to have Shin stay out of it could be sensed.

    No matter how simr Shin was to a chosen one, or as a simr fellow who was recognized by Tsuki no Hokora, Wilhelm didn¡¯t intend to involve apanion who had merely received the request. There were possibilities of Shin being marked by the church when he received enough requests. If the message card was handed over and used, that alone was unjustifiable. He had already expected that Wilhelm would say that.

    If something were to happen without Shin being involved, like the situation earlier, there was the high possibility that it couldn¡¯t be solved, or it would be more disastrous. Even still, that man couldn¡¯t approve of it.

    Rashia, who was being carried on Wilhelm¡¯s back, didn¡¯t say anything either.

    They themselves were going to challenge the enemy; who had power, money, and ability.

    Schnee Raizar and her master. It should not be shameful in any way if they requested help from apanion with unparalleled power and fame in this world. But in this case, they kept their problems to themselves till the very end.

    Though the request for ¡¾Purification¡¿ was just recently put out, it was already over, too. If possible, Wilhelm would settle it by himself from here-on. That belief became a wall that stood between Shin and Wilhelm.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Take it.¡±

    Shin forced the message card onto Wilhelm. He was saying to ignore the invisible wall between them.

    ¡°I will feel bad if I neglect you both from here on.¡±

    ¡°But¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Besides!¡±

    Wilhelm tried to say something, but was interrupted by Shin.

    ¡°When I first came here, those children only tried to protect each other and their friends. I will not abandon them. Thus, when the chips are down, I will help.¡±

    ¡°You¡­what are you saying¡­¡±

    ¡°You can contact me without worrying about a thing. Take it quickly! It¡¯s bing a little embarrassing to say anymore!!¡±

    He felt embarrassed about the lines which he had never uttered before, even in the real world. It was guaranteed that he would groan in agony once he thought about itter. Am I such a passionate guy? No doubt he would question himself.

    But remorse would not do either.

    Even if this world was a different world for him, there was nothing wrong with his choice. Believing so, Shin handed over the items.

    ¡°Then, I shouldn¡¯t hold back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Wilhelm, who was broadly grinning, received the message card atst.

    ¡°Shin too, still the same as ever.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Schnee said while seeing Wilhelm and Rashia off toward the gate. It was because there was a situation resembling such a thing before.

    Though Shin showed a reaction of not remembering, Schnee clearly recalled the figure of Shin that had helped some strangers before, like just now.

    They were a little girl whose eyes were swollen with tears, a young boy who was dumbstruck, and an old man who was going to sacrifice himself and desperately tried to go ahead of the young boy. There was no discrimination at all.

    ¡®It¡¯s impossible for me to save everyone, but there is no other way but to try to do it.¡¯

    When Shin talked like that.

    Schnee was able to recall clearly, even now, the figure that was almighty, but didn¡¯t act like it, and continued to protect the weak.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Schnee? Let¡¯s move on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment. I¡¯ming now.¡±

    Schnee walked while looking at Shin¡¯s back. After advancing for a while, they almost came to their destination.

    Shin tilted his head when he looked at Schnee with side nces, but without pointing it out, the two people moved one step closer to Tsuki no Hokora.

    Schnee¡¯s face, when captured in Shin¡¯s line of sight, had a very calm and gentle facial expression.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 2: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    After they had walked for a while, a familiar sight appeared in front of Shin and Schnee. Needless to say, it was Tsuki no Hokora.

    Because the wooden sign at the door said ¡ºThe storekeeper has left home¡», it seemed like the store was already closed. Naturally it was locked, but Shin was the owner, and Schnee was registered as an employee. So the lock automatically opened when Shin put his hand on the door, and the door swung open.

    The store hadn¡¯t changed much from thest time that Shin visited, and there was a faint scent of dinner in the air.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, my stomach is grumbling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry~¡±

    Shin held his belly, and Yuzuha, who had been silent for a long time, also raised its voice. Whether it could read the mood or not, it appeared to be bored because it had hardly barked while they had traveled with Wilhelm and Rashia. Now it was being carried by Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the right time, let¡¯s have dinner first.¡±

    They both nodded at Schnee¡¯s proposal as she canceled her disguise, and then the sound of a person running loudly, probably from the main room to the counter¡¯s interior, was heard.

    ¡°Master!!¡±

    Surprised Tiera

    It was Tiera, who was tending the store. She had probably heard the sound of the bell chime when they entered the store.

    She appeared to be out of breath while holding a kitchen knife. She might have been in the middle of cooking as not even a little sense of danger came from her.

    ¡°Calm down. You are too flustered.¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry. But, as I wrote in the message card, a person came and told me he was master¡¯s acquaintance, and then he left some amazing things behind!!¡±

    Though the person in question was right in front of her, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t noticed yet, probably because of her panicked state.

    ¡°Is this person the one?¡±

    ¡°AHH! T-That¡¯s certainly right, but¡­Eh? Why are Shin and master together?¡±

    Tiera became aware of Shin¡¯s existence only after Schnee stepped sideways. But now the question of why the two people were together came out from her mouth.

    It was because Tiera thought that her master should still be in the Wraith ins and had no clue as to why the two of them were together. Aside from Schnee, Shin should still be in the ins when one thought about it with this world¡¯smon sense.

    ¡°Just some various things have happened. Can we have dinner before we move on to the detailed story?¡±

    ¡°Because we had a bit of aplicated situation yesterday, it might take a long time to exin.¡±

    Sigh ¡°I understand¡­then Shin too, is gonna eat with us?¡±

    Tiera, who didn¡¯t know the circumstances, responded to Shin who talked like it was only natural.

    ¡°Of course he will.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Of course¡­what?¡±

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, no one has told you yet, right Tiera? This person here is the ¡®Manager¡¯ of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin.¡±

    Schnee smoothly dropped a bomb there.

    ¡°The man..a..ger?¡­Ah, the manager¡­THE MANAGEERRR!?¡±

    It took a while for the word, ¡°manager¡± to register in Tiera¡¯s brain.

    Tiera¡¯s reaction when she finally understood what Schnee meant was as followed; she opened her eyes wide, her mouth formed an ¡®O¡¯ shape, and she almost dropped the kitchen knife she was holding. She was indeed easy to read.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she is a bit too surprised?¡±

    ¡°Because themon knowledge among the general public is that you don¡¯t exist anymore, it¡¯s no wonder that she is so surprised.¡±

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be surprised!? The manager, the¡­ legendary manager!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? What? Am I known as the legendary manager?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it!! I mean a High Human!!¡±

    ¡°But, didn¡¯t I tell you that when we first met?¡±

    ¡°Normally no one would believe it¡­¡±

    The scene of Tiera losing herposure alone was amusing, but Shin was beginning to think that this might be the normal response. Like Tiera said, normally if someone said ¡°I am High Human¡± or something like that, no one would take them seriously. But the best witness, Schnee Raizar, was here. Because she wouldn¡¯t mistake the person she had actually served, it could be said that her testimony about Shin being the real deal, a High Human, was the definite proof. In the meantime, Tiera¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, I didn¡¯t realize you were the manager!!¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    She waspletely transformed from the shock. Tiera bowed vigorously.

    This time, it was Shin¡¯s turn to be surprised.

    What was she thinking of, because Yuzuha put its paw on the lowered head of Tiera, and Shin also stopped her immediately.

    (This is¡­that, huh? That feeling when the other party casually speaks to their superior. Even though I experienced that shock, I still got flustered.)

    The partner with whom Shin got along with, at his old part-time job, was in fact the shop manager, so he could understand a bit of Tiera¡¯s feelings. Though it wasn¡¯t a straightparison, the partner who unbeknownst talked overly familiarly with their superior, often fretted and felt embarrassed when they found out.

    Seeing Tiera in a flustered state made Shin unconsciously feel some pity.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I understand your feelings.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, yes.¡±

    While nodding, he put his hand on Tiera¡¯s shoulder.

    Of course, Tiera didn¡¯t know that Shin¡¯s thoughts expressed understanding, and his action caused her to be even more confused.

    ¡°No, really, don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s weird and embarrassing for me too, if you obey respectfully at this point.¡±

    ¡°R-Really? You won¡¯t say something like, ¡®Get out of here¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say it!?¡±

    What kind of unreasonable action was this!? He wanted to retort.

    After that, they talked for a little while, and it concluded in the same manner as before. Aside from Shin being Schnee¡¯s master, because there was more trouble when Yuzuha was introduced and could talk, Tiera had a simr reaction as before, so the rest of the story was omitted.

    ¡°Then, shall we eat?¡±

    After a short period of discussion, all three people and one animal sat down together at the dining table. Needless to say, they had taken a bath prior to eating because they were covered with dirt.

    They appeared to be in unity as they pped their hands while saying ¡°itadakimasu¡±. Elves didn¡¯t seem to have such a custom, but because Schnee did it, Tiera too, did the same.

    And Schnee was certainly imitating Shin.

    ¡°But, as expected from Schnee. All of them look delicious.¡±

    It was only natural that Shin praised her. The dishes that were arranged on the table were something that was not very often seen, even by Shin.

    Even if the pinnacle of chefs, Cook, was in Rokuten, they didn¡¯t eat homemade dishes every day. Moreover, the skill level ¢ú of ultra high-ss cooking was not meant to be eaten at every meal. It was sometimes made only by experimenting, and there was the possibility of serving a terrible failure of a dish, too.

    However, the dishes in front of Shin were not that inferior whenpared to Cook¡¯s high ss dishes. As shepensated her skill with special vors that were from this world, the dishes rivaled the best menus in a row.

    In front of that type of meal, that even the royal family might not be able to eat, it was no wonder that the sounds of gulping in his throat resounded.

    ¡°Kuu~ A feast, a feast!¡±

    ¡°I have never seen Master cooking like this until now¡­Master is serious.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am.¡±

    Yuzuha, who saw the dishes lined up, was also in high spirits.

    Tiera, who lived together with her for a long time, was also astonished at Schnee¡¯s enthusiastic attitude.

    ¡°When ites to a great dish like this, it¡¯s worthwhile to supply the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Amazing~¡±

    ¡°Hey, though I heard a little, just what on earth did you supply? There is a weird auraing out of the dish.¡±

    ¡°Ehh?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    When Tiera said that an aura came from the dish, Shin stiffened. Yuzuha tilted its head.

    Even though nothing was disyed in Shin¡¯s eyes, he recalled the ingredients which he handed to Schnee. And it was not strange that Tiera, an elf, said that the dishes radiated an aura.

    ¡°Th-That right. The main meats are Thermal Leo, Orc King, and parts of Elmora. The vegetables are Blood Radish, Karma Onion, and Baocha Potato or something like that. The fruits are the Topaz Pear and Fruit of Idea. The others are somewhat proper. I guess you used the ingredients you had stocked up after that?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I have used a few high-ss ingredients because today is special. Though I didn¡¯t have enough time to do anything special.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words seemed like she was indirectly saying ¡°I¡¯m not serious yet¡±.

    And speaking of Tiera, who just heard the name of the ingredients.

    ¡°W.. WH.. WHAT¡¯S THAT!? Almost all of the ingredients are extremely hard to obtain!! I¡¯ve never even heard of some of them before until now. Moreover, when you say Fruit of Idea, it¡¯s the fruit of dreams that only bears fruit once every 100 years. Though I was told that the real deal didn¡¯t even exist anywhere¡­¡±

    She was at her wit¡¯s end after hearing the names of the ingredients which left Shin¡¯s mouth.

    Thermal Leo and Orc King, were both acknowledged as monsters of cmity. As soon as they were discovered, there was such a degree of danger, that the guild conveyed an urgent summons for all of the adventurers. Even though Tiera hadn¡¯t heard of the name Elmora, because it was treated on the same rank as the previous 2, she could imagine that it might be a simr one.

    Blood Radish was a vegetable simr to a half monster that grew by sucking out demon essence from the air, and Baocha Potato was a tuber vegetable that exploded from a certain amount of pressure, just like andmine.

    As for the Topaz Pear, its surface glistened like a jewel, and about the Fruit of Ideas, there was no need to say anymore.

    Once they were put together, one did not expect them to be used for cooking.

    ¡°Hey, Schnee. What aura does Tiera refer to?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simr to the remains of the life force and magic power from the ingredients. Because we elves and pixies have senses unlike other races, such things can be perceived. It can be sensed more easily from a strong monster or a rare nt and so on.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Since elves and pixies were originally a race that had a high sensitivity, he was able to understand what she said.

    ¡°Tiera too, calm down. Let¡¯s eat soon or the special dishes will get cold.¡±

    Schnee urged.

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Then, let¡¯s eat at once.¡±

    Shin agreed as he nodded.

    ¡°¡°Itadakimasu¡±¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Itadakima~¡±

    After pping their hands for prayer, Shin took the knife and fork.

    Soup, potato sd, hamburger, and his favorite rice and bread were lined up on the table. For the celebrated asion Schnee¡¯s treasured drink, ¡ºMoonlight Sake¡», was poured into their sses.

    If one looked only at the menu, excluding the drink, they were simr to dishes served in a family restaurant. But he could recognize the skill of the cook directly due to it being a dish he was used to eating.

    The meat juices that overflowed when he cut into it with the knife and the aroma of the sauce that was singed on the iron te caused him to salivate before he even tasted it.

    As he put it into his mouth, the meat juices overflowed even more as he chewed, andbined with the texture of the tender meat, only the single word ¡®delicious¡¯ coulde out.

    Then his mouth was filled with white rice, and there was no need to say anymore.

    The corner of his mouth raised as he started grinning. A smile escaped him.

    When one ate a really delicious dish, that person couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    When he tilted his ss, the rich scent and deep vor of the ¡ºMoonlight Sake¡» increased his appetite even more.

    ¡°¡­!¡­!¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin and Tiera silently savored the food. As for Yuzuha, the word ¡®undivided attention¡¯ was embodied in its whole body.

    While observing two people and one animal smiling, Schnee ate the meal fully at ease.

    ¡°Ha!! I unintentionally ate in silence!?¡±

    Shin was stunned while sitting in front of his empty te.

    ¡°Can I have another serving?¡±

    ¡°Sure!!¡±

    Such interactions between Tiera and Yuzuha were repeated several times. As if she foresaw that, Schnee prepared it without missing a beat.

    Even if the pace slowed down in the middle, they became a happy circle sitting together while listening to how Schnee and the others had spent their time until now.

    ¡°¨D¨DEven so, those guys live quite freely.¡±

    Those words leaked from Shin¡¯s mouth as he heard about the other support characters. There was a fellow who became a King, one who wandered from ce to ce, and one who was missing in action. They seemed to be stubbornly searching for a clue on Shin¡¯s whereabouts. Though they might have stayed in this world, because they didn¡¯t imitate him by wasting their lives for that reason, he felt a little relieved.

    He understood once he thought about their personalities. Up till here, only the devoted Schnee was special.

    ¡°¡®Shin is somewhere¡¯ was the only wishful thought I had to the end. Everyone might understand that it was not good to needlessly worry.¡±

    ¡°That will save me trouble. I didn¡¯t want to keep you all looking for an imaginary guy who does not even exist.¡±

    ¡°Even if one of us chooses to do so, it is our own choice. Shin doesn¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°You are right.¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t worrying when a person has gone missing make us human? Thinking about such things would indeed be a useless action. Well, even if said ¡®people¡¯ didn¡¯t worry, because Shin was the master, it was just idle thought and meaningless spection.

    ¡°Master, sad?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Shin returned a smile to Yuzuha who was looking at him with concern.

    ¡°Geezz~ Why ish Schhinn woarryingg soo muchhs~¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey, Tiera. I think you¡¯re drunk.¡±

    Her tone was slow and some enunciation didn¡¯te out well. Her remarkably white skin stood out, in stark contrast with her ck hair, which was now dyed in a slightly pink color. It was considerably reddened when he thought about her original snow-white skin.

    Thus, that reminded him of how many sake bottles had been emptied so far. He got carried away as he had also drank arge amount up til now.

    ¡°Hey Schnee. How many ¡ºMoonlight Sake¡» were emptied?¡±

    ¡°Approximately 5 of them.¡±

    ¡°Incidentally, what is the alcohol percentage?¡±

    ¡°It is around 35 percent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s HIGH!!¡±

    Because he thought it was just a type of wine from the taste and easiness of drinkability, the alcohol from this fantasy world¡¯smon sense was more than expected.

    ¡°Tere arre twuoo Masterrs~¡±

    ¡°This is really dangerous. Is Tiera weak to alcohol?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s never got drunk like this when she drank before, but quantity is quantity.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t feel very drunk.¡±

    Whether it was about alcohol tolerance or not, Shin felt a little tipsy, but not more than a certain degree of loss of awareness. He wasn¡¯t slurring and didn¡¯t stagger around either. When he thought about the alcohol percentage, he himself would certainly be down for the night if this was in the real world, and it was a good thing that it became difficult to expose shameful behavior with alcohol. There was no need to be troubled by some strong alcohol, even though he normally should be.

    ¡°Though I¡¯ve had this body for one year, what¡¯s happened to my real body¡­ Well, now might not be the time to think about it.¡±

    While Schnee took Tiera to her room, Shin tidied up the tableware. Shin suddenly thought of these kind of things while wiping the table. He didn¡¯t know whether it was possible to return either, so it was no use even if he thought about it.

    After the tidying-up was finished, Schnee returned.

    ¡°That was quick.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m used to doing this.¡±

    Since he lived alone in the real world, he had to do the dishes on his own. Certainly he didn¡¯t do it during the game, but he remembered how to unexpectedly.

    ¡°Yuzuha is sleepy¡­¡±

    Yuzuha was falling into a doze on top of the desk.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We too, should go to sleep soon.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do so. Since Shin¡¯s room was left as it is, it can be used immediately.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    After leaving the living room, Shin headed toward his own room while carrying Yuzuha. It was the room for Shin and the other support characters in Tsuki no Hokora, though there was also an extra room for more guests and customers to use. Even though a guest or customer room and the like was not needed, it was the result of the obsession from Cain and Shin; which could be said to have made useless additions in that construct, the Tsuki no Hokora. The ce was thoroughly discussed about and they fussed over such pointless things; as it was the expected oue when Japanese people get excited.

    ¡°It really hasn¡¯t changed.¡±

    He entered his own room and looked around inside. The inside area of the room was approximately 16 tatami mats big, with a bed and a desk. There were multiple shelves where trophies and items obtained from various events were disyed. Not many things were there. It was a in room. The room might have been cleaned regrly, as dust hadn¡¯t umted.

    Moonlight entered naturally from the window, but the light that night was terribly weak. He proceed to change his clothes without turning on the light, because he had the skill ¡¾Night Vision¡¿. Because there were no such things like pajamas in this world, he chose equipment with a jersey-like material.

    Yuzuha had jumped onto the bed the moment they entered the room and it was already curled up next to the pillows.

    ¡°Somehow here is the best ce to let myself rx.¡±

    Was it because he had lived here since the game time? He could rx his mind and didn¡¯t have to set up barriers because it was already fully equipped with a very powerful security system. He didn¡¯t have to consider the possibility of a guy attacking him while he was sleeping, quite unlike the time during the death game; so he was able to genuinely rx for the first time since he came into this world again.

    Of course, when there was an assant, he would deal a serious blow, for it was deserved.

    ¡°Yuzuha¡­did you fall asleep? That won¡¯t do, I should sleep too.¡±

    As the alcohol set in, hey down on the bed with a good feeling enveloping him.

    When he closed his eyes and gradually felt his consciousness getting blurry, something soft suddenly clung around his right arm. Normally, he would jump up to his feet and shake it off in that situation. However, Shin¡¯s body¡¯s awareness told him that he didn¡¯t feel any danger at all.

    ¡°?¡±

    Was it embracing him rather than twining around? There were only two people in the Tsuki no Hokora who could do such a thing, and one person was already down for the count.

    There was no reaction from the continuous activated skill for an anti surprise attack. Shin¡¯s own intuition didn¡¯t signal it as an enemy either.

    Because it somehow had no particr movement, he turned his neck and looked at his right arm.

    Beside himy the figure of Schnee, who was already asleep, clinging to Shin¡¯s arm. His right arm was wedged in between Schnee¡¯s breasts. The identity of the softness he first felt was this.

    (Seriously¡­is such a development even possible?)

    With a different meaning from the time in front of the dishes, a gulping sound resounded in the room.

    Even Shin was a man. He didn¡¯t know about NPCs, but the Schnee in this world was undoubtedly the real deal. As a matter of course, there was no way he didn¡¯t feel anything.

    And frankly speaking, Schnee was created bybining Shin¡¯s preferences. If he had picked her up, taken her into the room, andid her on the bed, then he could lie down next to her with a gentleman¡¯s behaviour. However, Schnee¡¯s body-temperature was transmitted to his right arm, which was currently embraced closely, and the softness of her breasts put a hold on his reasoning power. His left hand stretched toward Schnee unconsciously, even though he was aware of it.

    (This is¡­bad.)

    He didn¡¯t mean to do it, but due to the influence of the alcohol, by any means, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of the defenseless sleeping face.

    He understood it. Yes, he understood this was not good.

    He desperately tried to cool down his head that was overheating, but his reasoning didn¡¯t act like he expected.

    He was entranced by her.

    Her extremely defenseless face, innocent, and seemingly sad somewhere.

    It was just by a little, but he wanted to leave his arm there a bit longer before excusing himself from Schnee.

    It was at that moment. When the moon that was obscured by the clouds finally appeared.

    The moonlight that was obstructed until now shone inside the room gracefully. It reached the edge of the bed, the ce where Schnee justy down.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    When illuminated by the moonlight, Schnee¡¯s body faintly shone. The silvery hair, which was spread on top of the bed, reflected the moonlight and emitted a mysterious shine. And then, a stream of bright sparkles from her closed eyes mmed into Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    The flowing sparkles were tears that she shed.

    It was flowing from the closed eyes in a straight line and dampened Shin¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The moment he saw it, the haze that enveloped Shin¡¯s consciousness cleared up.

    The excited heat of desperation was cooled and disappeared instantly.

    It was because he had seen a sad sleeping face.

    What did she think about that made her cry? Shin had no idea.

    Were they happy tears caused by their reunion? Were they tears for the uing parting?

    He wiped her tears, and gently patted her head.

    ¡°Ah¡­u¡­i¡­¡± (T/N: She probably says ¡°Aruji¡±, which means ¡®master¡¯.)

    Even though he wasn¡¯t able to understand it, was it ¡°Master¡± the word that leaked faintly from her mouth? Moreover, she might not have gotten used to calling him ¡°Shin¡± yet.

    (I¡­)

    Looking up at the night sky, while aware of Schnee who was sleeping on his right arm, Shin thought of the question.

    Until his consciousness sank into the darkness, no answer emerged.

    ¨C

    ¨C

    ¨C

    (Extra content from LN; Warning: might or might not contain a spoiler, read at your own risk.)

    ¨C

    ¨C

    ¨C

    ¨C

    Let¡¯s rewind time to go back to just over half a day into the past.

    It was around the time when Shin and Schnee were dashing at near full speed for the sake of meeting up with Wilhelm and Rashia.

    Right now, the Wraith ins have be an ordinaryrge in. Every one of the knights and adventurers that had gathered to investigate realized that the battle had ended. The light from the magic power that had spread through the sky had already faded away, so the mages were illuminating the ce. Even though they had the choice of waiting until dawn before starting their duty, it was decided that an urgent investigation was necessary for the current situation.

    From the fact that Schnee Raizar, who should have participated in the battle, had left, it was thought that at least there was no danger left.

    ¡°What the heck is that?¡±

    While the knights and adventurers were busy moving around, one woman muttered as she looked at the deep crater newly created in the ins. The name of the woman with hair like golden threads swaying in the wind was Rionne Strail Bayreuth. She was the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.

    Several hours before that, there was an incident in the forest when the knights were fighting the Skull Faces. Suddenly a wailing like voice, like a shriek, was heard reverberating from far away in the night sky.

    Simultaneously, a group of Skull Faces with strength that never seen before appeared. A fresh enemy sprang up from the ground, in front of Rionne¡¯s eyes, an enemy whose strength could not bepared to that of the Skull Faces she had fought until then.

    At first, she felt fear. It was not a fear of being killed. She understood the opponent¡¯s strength, so instead she felt a strong fear as she could imagine the tragedy it could cause. ¡®I must not let that get away from the ins¡¯, was the only thought she had in her head.

    After her subordinate released her restraint, she faced off against the Skull Face with her sword. From the weight of a single blow that transmitted through her hands, its agility could be mistaken for an advanced level knight. She herself was said to be superior even among other chosen ones, and it was abnormal to exchange blows with her on equal terms.

    Still, because the Skull Face¡¯s equipment was the same as an ordinary Skull Faces¡¯, she was able to win due to the difference in their equipment. A few days ago, all of a sudden, a white greatsword pierced on her room¡¯s wall. The greatsword was bestowed with a light attribute, the weak point of all undeads, and it caused the Skull Faces to be weakened steadily. But unfortunately, they were too many in numbers. It couldn¡¯t be helped since the other knights had to fight on their own.

    Thereupon, Rionne, while at the same time letting the messenger return to their country,unched herself at the Skull Faces. Even if it only attracted a small amount of the attention of the enemy, she could gain more time. It was for the sake of stopping the crowd of monsters from leaving this ce. With only one subordinate apanying her, she charged into the middle of the battlefield.

    RionneStrail

    Then, a Skull Face ranked higher than before appeared in front of her. Possibly, it was a Queen or King ss in front of her; as the one earlier was a Jack ss Skull Face. It was supposed to be impossible to defeat, as encountering one would be hopeless. The cmity caused by a single King ss that appeared once still remained strongly in people¡¯s memory. As such multiple enemies appeared and filled up the ins. It might be an unprecedented disaster.

    They actually felt death surrounding them, as they sensed the *Shinigami¡¯s breath on their skin. (T/N: god of death) They reprimanded their bodies that trembled, and when they grasped their swords again, a red cannonball came flying from the sky. As the sphere hit the Skull Faces, it caused their whole bodies to be riddled with holes. No matter if it was the shield, sword, armor, arms, legs, or even their cores. Its appearance was simr to the me system magic skill ¡¾Fire Ball¡¿. But ¡¾Fire Ball¡¿ had no such destructive power and homing nature like that me ball in front of them. To begin with, a me arts that didn¡¯t explode was unusual and the light it emitted upon impact eliminated its target as if it scraped off only that part.

    Even though they were wondering why it didn¡¯t hit them, they understood that they were being protected. As they felt gratitude to whoever released the fireballs, they prepared their swords again to fight the Skull Faces that surrounded them.

    This time, blue lightning passed through in front of them. This was the specialty of the person who helped out numerous countries, the lightning system magic skill. It was the skill that crossed the line from the art, as it had superior power and boasted of being the strongest skill ever.

    The person they expected, appeared at the same time that the lighting had disappeared. With silver fluttering hair, it was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar. Her appearance seemed unchanged since thest time Rionne had seen her, with her calm voice, Rionne felt death bing distant. As if the Shinigami was blown away by the blue lightning.

    ¡°I will take over from here on out. Please escape through the forest.¡±

    Her words were returned with unhesitating nods. The Skull Faces that were scattered like wood chips were visible to their eyes.

    And then, as they defeated the Skull Faces that were found here and there in the forest, the surroundings suddenly became as bright as if it was daytime, and the Skull Faces became ashes instantly without them doing anything.

    Thereafter, the Skull Faces they encountered had sluggish movements and were smashed into pieces by a single blow of their swords. Though the opponent was supposed to have equal skills to Rionne, they were weakened to the point that even the ordinary knights could defeat them. It seemed like it was caused by the light that shone onto the ins. A gentle and graceful light. It became clear that the damage they had received was recovering.

    They couldn¡¯t help but think: ¡®If it¡¯s Schnee-dono, such a thing is possible¡¯. After a while, the wriggling Skull Faces dissolved and became demon essence all at once. From watching that, they couldprehend that the situation was resolved.

    Now, Rionne was looking at the traces of the battle that might be left from Schnee. There were deep fissures remaining in the earth and he ground was ripped apart. Something that continued for hundreds of mels; there was even a ce where the earth was totally molten.

    At the location where they apparently shed, there were bizarre traces of high voltage burns and deep shing attacks. How much power was released when they shed? They couldn¡¯t even imagine anymore. The first princess, who was the elder sister, might be able to do something simr with magic, but it was impossible for her to do closebat if she plunged into a crowd of Skull Faces.

    ¡°This¡­ is this the power of a person who was recognized by the High Humans?¡±

    Once again, that power was recognized. Even though Rionne¡¯s battle capability alone was said to be equal to 100 people or more, she felt like a dull, ordinary knight whenpared to Schnee.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s still dusk, can you see here a little?¡±

    The one who started talking was the subordinate that went to survey the surroundings. The man wore red armor that wrapped around his big body and his name was Gadras Jarre. He was the leader of the knights in Bayreuth Kingdom, and was themander of the strongest knight squadron,¡¾Red Wolf¡¿, in the kingdom. The reason why he became a mere battle assistant and apanied Rionne was to prevent her from going on a rampage, but he hardly ever aplished his role, not even this time.

    Gadras too, had to directly face against the Skull Faces. He was the only chosen one in the knights squadron who could handle a close range battle with Rionne, and although he usually had the role of a watchdog, this was the only time that he had to fight as hard as he could. There were numerous cuts on his armor as proof.

    In Gadras¡¯s hand, a katana was held. Its handle was worn-out and darkened, the de was cracked, and its edge was chipped here and there, too.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°This thing was found above the hollowed out ground over there. Because it was stuck in the ce where the fissures ended, I collected it.¡±

    He also said that the katana that had been stuck there matched with the directional line of the hollowed out ground.

    ¡°Also, though it¡¯s just a hunch, I think the hollowed out ground was caused by this katana. However, I don¡¯t know what skill was used.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, is there a possibility of that?¡±

    Was Schnee together with another person on the battlefield? Rionne thought if it was at least Schnee, the case might be possible.

    ¡°That katana here, what do you see?¡±

    Gadras pointed at the katana.

    ¡°¡­Something like a bird?¡±

    ¡°Right, from the story of a well-informed guy I know, that bird is a falcon, like in the story.¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I just have an idea of the cksmith who carved it into the katana. Of course, it¡¯s only one of the possibilities, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You have an idea? It doesn¡¯t mean that there is only one cksmith who drew the falcon, don¡¯t you agree? Why are you making such a fuss?¡±

    Rionne looked puzzled at Gadras who abruptly said those words. He appeared to be strangely restless.

    ¡°You will understand if you look at this.¡±

    Gadras spoke as he held the tattered hilt and raised the katana to an overhead position. Then he swung downward, straight to the ground.

    ¡°¡­I see, so that¡¯s the reason, huh?¡±

    Rionne¡¯s expression showed understanding.

    The ground that was in front of her was deeply gouged out. No matter how much Gadras was said to be a chosen one, he couldn¡¯t unleash this degree of shing attack with a katana that had a chipped de. In other words, despite Gadras swinging the katana in question down with all of his might, the katana remained fractured as it was, but maintained its shape.

    ¡°If it was a normal katana it would have broken apart when I smashed it, but it didn¡¯t have any effect, even when I used all of my power. It is obvious that no ordinary cksmith forged this.¡±

    ¡°Certainly¡­if it was in a perfect state, how much power would be released?¡±

    ¡°Also, speaking of the cksmith who would make such a katana carved with this crest, there is only one person, as far as I know.¡±

    ¡°Fumu, who is it?¡±

    Rionne replied as calmly as possible. Furthermore, Gadras¡¯s voice was filled with excitement.

    ¡°A High Human. It was said that the cksmith, who had mastered all the smithing techniques, was called the ¡¾Dark cksmith¡¿.¡±

    ¡°That may be true. I could understand if a person who was well versed in smithing forged this katana, especially if it was a High Human. But, he should not be in this world anymore. If it¡¯s Schnee-dono, who was under the direct control of a High Human, it is not strange that she possesses such a weapon. Moreover, if you saw the skill that was protecting us and that light from before, there is the possibility of the ¡¾Crimson Alchemist¡¿, too.¡±

    Of course, the alchemist whom Rionne spoke of was both the mage and alchemist of Rokuten, Hecate. Because Rokuten¡¯s production aspect was famous, they were often called by a name that was rted to their job. The color that was attached before the job¡¯s name was the color of the clothes that each of them liked to wear.

    ¡°Well, there is no conclusive evidence, but¡­anyway, that a High Human made weapon is lying around is amazing. Besides, I don¡¯t think that the weapon of Schnee-dono¡¯s master would be in a state like this. If that¡¯s the case, I think there might be an astounding person who can use it and throw away this kind of weapon somewhere.¡±

    ¡°But this time, the scale is different from the battle so far. Do you understand the light that illuminated the night? If it was such an intense battle, even Schnee-dono might not think about wasting a weapon¡­Still, it is true that there was someone else here besides Schnee-dono. Who on earth is that person?¡±

    ¡°What could have caused Schnee-dono to be ced in such a predicament, it¡¯s unimaginable.¡±

    As she listened to Gadras¡¯s words, Rionne thought about it. Truthfully, since she had seen Schnee¡¯s figure easily kicking aside the Skull Faces, Rionne wasn¡¯t convinced by her own words either. It was due to the magic skill user who took the trouble to protect them in the beginning. Judging from the power and scale, it was probably not a High Human, but for certain it was not in the ss of a chosen one either. After they went into the forest, did Schnee Raizar join to fight with that person? If it is true that there was a powerful person at this ce, then who was it?

    ¡°No way, really?¡±

    Was there a High Human in that ce?

    The katana which Gadras held, it might even be a higher grade than the weapon Rionne had, if it was in a perfect state. For a being to be able to use and dispose of such a weapon, she couldn¡¯t fathom they existed.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Rionne shook her head in denial. High Humans should have disappeared like many other people did after the Dusk of the Majesty. Since the unusual event that was said to still be a mystery, until now, no one had ever returned. However, maybe. Just maybe.

    There was, as far as the legend goes, a story that it was High Humans that crushed the people who were called heroes and brave men altogether. If the High Human has returned, it would be not strange.

    ¡°¡­I better stop, I will never understand it even if I think about it.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know who was in that battlefield, but if that person was rted to Schnee, then that person could not be a dangerous character. Even though it would be necessary to spare a number of men to monitor Tsuki no Hokora to some extent, Rionne thought it would not be a serious problem.

    ¡°As soon as the investigation is over, I will go back to our country. I would like to talk to Schnee-dono if possible, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It will be difficult, right?¡±

    From Gadras¡¯ words, Rionne nodded as she understood too. Once her request was finished, Schnee Raizar wouldn¡¯t stay too long. This was because the invitations came from many ces and had grown out of control, so it might beplicated this time.

    ¡°Gadras. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Dark cksmith was the owner of the Tsuki no Hokora, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that should be right, though¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fumu, then try to visit Tsuki no Hokora right away when you return.¡±

    ¡°Though that is what I want to say, is it because you think that a High Human has really returned?¡±

    ¡°I am certain that there was at least one other person on that battlefield. Well, in fact, someone should be confirming it. If one really has returned, I certainly would like to have a match. I assume that he would be perfect as a marriage partner.¡±

    ¡°A-Again without warning, what are you talking about, huh?¡±

    Gadras became flustered by Rionne who had suggested an unexpected thing. When he thought about it calmly, if the High Human was won over to their side by the dedication of Rionne alone, it would be good for the country. Even Gadras understood that much.

    The problem with this princess, Rionne, was that it was said that a portion of her brain might be made up of muscles. Though it was not the truth, ¡°If you want to be my husband, you have to show your own power and defeat me.¡± was considered to be what she said up until now. All of the vassals including Kings, if he thought about it, how many times did she reject them¡­if they were uninteresting.

    The princess¡¯ situation was understandable, and there was the feeling of having to think about the nation, as well. In the future, he understood that she expected for her marriage to not be forced, either.

    This time too, even if it became a situation where the Skull Faces began to overflow from the Wraith ins, there was no question about her actions either. The princess was outside of their territory, and in addition to that, showed up on the battlefield.

    Rionne and Gadras were chosen ones, therefore it was not a big problem for them. They cooperate in moments of peril at the same time without sparing any effort in attitude, which was disyed even in a strangend.

    Under the pretext of that power and her beautiful face which raised the knights morale, she had participated in this investigation and exterminatory battle. Although thetter role has been taken away by Schnee, she has aplished her given role well.

    One point. If the one point of an oddball character was nonexistent, she would be perfect. Though it was not the whole head, there was the reason she was said to have a part of her brain muscle.

    ¡°Just to be clear when I say a test of strength; what if it turns out to be an impostor who stabs at my back without warning? If not, the day when a High Human turns into an enemy, our country will disappear.¡±

    ¡°You have a point there.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t want to hear that from you. Well though, I wonder if a High Human could be a really good partner.¡±

    Even though he was supposed to be wise, for some reason, the slightly abrupt answer from Rionne caused Gadras to be weary. Consequently, the excitement from when he discovered the katana had also left him.

    ¨C

    ¨C

    ¨C

    (T/N: The 2nd princess wasn¡¯t supposed to appear in this volume of WN yet. This is one of the extra content from the LN, which I deemed is important to the storyline. On the side note: Pls buy the light novel to support the original author. And no, the light novel is not avable in English, only in Japanese.)

 Book 2: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    The next morning, after Shin had spent the night at Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s too bright.¡±

    It was the first thing that he thought when he woke up.

    The sunlight had reached the top of the bed because he didn¡¯t close the curtains. Now, it was directly shining on Shin¡¯s face.

    ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    Because he had gone to bed without setting the rm, he didn¡¯t know the time. When the menu screen was disyed, it was slightly pass 6:30.

    ¡°Schnee is not here¡­¡±

    Schnee, that had been clinging to his right hand, was nowhere to be seen. It was likely that she was already awake. A faint smell of breakfast confirmed Shin¡¯s prediction.

    As he had those thoughts, there was a feeling of some difort on his left arm. He turned toward that way while thinking ¡®no way¡¯, as silvery hair spread on the bed, entered his field of vision. If it was that alone, he would have thought it was Schnee, but the physique was too different for some reason.

    The figure that was stark naked and sleeping peacefully, was a little girl of around 10 years old.

    Her identity¨D¨D

    ¡°Is this Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿showed the name of the little girl. Besides when Yuzuha mentioned about its head clearing up after the fight yesterday, perhaps there was some sort of seal that was removed as well. If that was the case, then the unusual level up, suddenly being able to speak, and having this figure too. All of it was exined.

    Anyways, when an Element tail became a full-fledged level 1000, highest ss monster in the game; human transformation and talking too, were possible by default. It just felt unnatural to see instead of the fox¡¯s usual appearance.

    Leaving behind the fox ears and tail for no special reason, it was an irresistible appearance for a person who likes these sort of things.

    ¡°In any event, this is a very dangerous setting.¡±

    It was amon pattern, someone woulde to wake another person up with bad timing and then, receive an outrageous shock due to the misunderstanding.

    There was no presence of a person on the other side of the door, but he couldn¡¯t be careless now.

    ¡°Hey Yuzuha, wake up. It¡¯s morning.¡±

    He held Yuzuha¡¯s shoulders and began to wake it up. While paying attention toward the outside the room, he shook it a little harder.

    ¡°Unyu¡­What~?¡±

    ¡°I will say it again, it¡¯s morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still sleepy¡­¡±

    It seemed like its appearance still simr with the personality, too. The Element Tail in Shin¡¯s memory had an antique way of talking, but now, it talked like a little child.

    ¡°Come on, wake up, quickly.¡±

    ¡°Nh? Oh.. Shin~ Good morning~¡±

    ¡°Yeah, good morning. Please put on clothes for the time being as you get up.¡±

    Though Yuzuha was only a little half-asleep, when it realized it was Shin that woke it up, it had an ¡®awkwardly forced smile¡¯ on its face. Depending on the person who saw the smile, they would roll over in agony. Of course, there was no such characteristic in Shin as he ignored it and urged Yuzuha to put on clothes.

    ¡°Shin is warm~¡±

    ¡°Why are you clinging. A girl must not do such a vulgar thing, it¡¯s bad.¡±

    ¡°Eh~¡±

    Shin warned Yuzuha while separating himself.

    After all, everything would end if someone saw him embraced by a naked little girl.

    While it looked like fondling a younger sister, he had to keep some distance.

    ¡°Is a girl no good?¡±

    ¡°Not good!¡±

    ¡°Then I will transform this way!¡±

    Yuzuha, who asked that, emphasized girl for some reason. For Shin who was against it with, ¡°Not good¡±, Yuzuha took an unexpected action.

    All of a sudden, Yuzuha¡¯s body emitted a faint light, and the slightly bulging chest disappeared, followed by that, the hair became very short. And then, in thather region, there was a thing that a little girl shouldn¡¯t have.

    Shin¡¯s thoughts stopped at that moment, the phenomenon that happened before his eyes was too shocking.

    ¡°¡­Oi¡­Why, did you be this?¡±

    ¡°If a girl is not good, then I should be a boy!!¡±

    It was not a line that a nude pretty boy, while puffing out his chest with pride, should say. In front of Shin was not the coveted ¡®loli¡¯ of pretty girls, it was the desired ¡®shota¡¯ of pretty boys. There was no fixed distinction of sex to an Element Tail. This was the moment that made him realize it clearly.

    ¡°Even if it is a girl or a boy, it¡¯s not good to embrace while naked.¡±

    ¡°Shin doesn¡¯t like ¡®boys¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why is it, that I feel like the way you said ¡®boy¡¯ has a different meaning to it.¡±

    He felt the sense of incongruity from the remark. Yuzuha wasn¡¯t supposed to know the meaning it held in order for it to say it.

    ¡°Yuzuha? I have one question for you; when you said a ¡®boy¡¯, you mean a ¡®man¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Doesn¡¯t it mean a cute boy? But, I wonder if this boy is a cool looking guy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Although it seemed alright for now, he felt a shudder.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­It is not wrong, I guess.¡±

    And then, Shin properly glossed over the question.

    ¡°Or more precisely, where did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°People who came to the Shinto shrine said it. In addition, the ¡®BL¡¯ they said was interesting.¡±

    ¡°Who the ©`!! What a fool to have a conversation like that in front of the boss Element Tail©`©`!!¡±

    While sending a curse to whomever and wherever the unknown yers were, Shin instructed Yuzuha to return to the little girl mode. It was not so bad when it was a ¡®loli¡¯, but a suspicious ¡®shota¡¯ was too hard mentally.

    ¡°Come on, put this on for the time being.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s puffy. What is it~?¡±

    ¡°It is from the material that I made before. If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t you wear clothes that had such a feeling before?¡±

    Shin handed Yuzuha a scarlet hakama* with a kimono* undershirt and a white robe. In short, it was the shrine maiden clothes. Certainly, they were not ordinary clothes since they came from Shin¡¯s Item Box. (T/N: A type of traditional Japanese clothing)

    Even though the clothes would be suitable in the Shinto shrine, they were also the clothes that Element Tail wore during the game in human mode.

    ¡°Oh~¡±

    ¡°Please say if you think you want to change the color. If i¡¯m not mistaken, it was navy blue?¡±

    ¡°This is fine~!!¡±

    Yuzuha delightedly said, while putting on the shrine maiden clothes. Because the size adjustability was included, there was no problem even if the figure was small.

    However, was the memory vague? A few minutes after the clothes began to change, they had lost shape everywhere.

    ¡°Shin¡«¡­¡±

    Yuzuha called to Shin in a frail voice.

    ¡°Say it from the beginning if you don¡¯t know how.¡±

    Shin spoke while he repaired Yuzuha¡¯s disarrayed clothes. Speaking of how he knew how to put on the shrine maiden clothes, it was because of the schematic attached to the note column. Such a thing was a part of the item¡¯s clothes description.

    As Yuzuha put on the Japanese sock that Shin took out as an addition, it spun around and around on top of the bed in high spirits.

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move around too much. The outfit will get out of shape.¡±

    ¡°Then, I will have Shin dress me again~¡±

    ¡°Stop it.¡±

    What made it so happy? It was twirling around and around, matching with the tail that extended from the hakama. Somehow the shrine maiden clothes expanded from the spine muscle as a result.

    Was it the close feeling of wearing a dougi*? Shin wondered. He had a hunch that the spine expanded only because it wore it like that. (T/N: martial art¡¯s uniform)

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go turning around. It should be breakfast soon.¡±

    ¡°Breakfast!¡±

    ¡°I guess Yuzuha feels hungry too.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go. Hmm? Someone ising. This response, is it Tiera?¡­Ha!?¡±

    Shin perceived that it was Tiera approaching. It was different if it was Schnee, but he hadn¡¯t exined about Yuzuha to Tiera in detail yet.

    ¡°Shin, are you awake? The breakfast will be ready soon.¡±

    Tiera knocked on the door as she told him about breakfast.

    ¡°Oh, yes. I will be ready right away¨D¨D¡±

    Still, the door was not impudently opened like the way they did in mangas and light novels. But, was Yuzuha not able to wait? Yuzuha, who didn¡¯t notice Tiera¡¯s voice, pushed open the door with all of its might.

    ¡°Breakfast!!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨DThere!? Yuzuha stop!!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    At the same time as Tiera¡¯s surprised voice, a thick sound resounded as the door collided with Tiera.

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    ¡°Um, ano, au¡­¡±

    Shin, who appeared from the side of the door, saw Tiera holding her reddening nose and the figure of Yuzuha was also seen. It seemed like Tiera took a pratfall as she was sitting in a child-like sitting state.

    ¡°Are you alright¡±

    ¡°Uu~ This child is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yuzuha. Actually, it has a transformation ability. Hey, apologize to Tiera.¡±

    ¡°I am so-sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. Haha, it¡¯s alright, Yuzuha-chan. Since I didn¡¯t get hit with too much power. But, be careful when you open the door next time, okay? And um, good morning.¡±

    ¡°Okay~ Um, good morning.¡±

    Tiera, who was seenughing, made Yuzuha, who was panicked, feel relieved. As for Yuzuha now, one would think that it was only a child that was excited too much, because its thoughts and actions were appropriate for its age.

    Shin thought about it while seeing the situation that got the two people talking. If he looked at Yuzuha¡¯s situation, this might be the maximum growth limit in the present conditions. Yuzuha hasn¡¯t leveled up since that time, and he knew that it¡¯s mind state hadn¡¯tpletely returned to its original state either.

    Why was Yuzuha¡¯s power sealed? Though he didn¡¯t understand much of the information obtained from Yuzuha itself, he would have to verify it. It was obvious to Shin that there was something else unknown that urred.

    ¡°By the way, now that you two have reconciled, shouldn¡¯t we go eat breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because I only can serve it after. Master is already there waiting.¡±

    ¡°Breakfast~, breakfast~¡±

    ¡°Huh, was it a young fox originally? Yuzuha-chan, do you like fried tofu?

    ¡°I love it!¡±

    ¡°Then, shall I make inarisushi* for lunch?¡± (T/N: sushi wrapped in fried tofu )

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    Yuzuha rejoiced when it heard inarisushi. This appearance that wasn¡¯t even seen in intimate sisters.

    ¡°Good morning. Ara, is Yuzuha also able to change into a human form?¡±

    When the three people arrived at the living room, Schnee who set the table greeted them. Since she knew that Yuzuha was an Element Tail, she didn¡¯t seem to be surprised much. And Shin decided not to touch on what happenedst night.

    ¡°G-Good morning.¡±

    ¡°Yes, good morning. Then, shall Iy out the meal for each person?¡±

    Was it because of the sudden encounter with Tiera? Yuzuha showed a little restraint while greeting Schnee.

    Seeing Schnee, who returned the greeting while smiling kindly, Yuzuha separated from Shin¡¯s trousers, which Yuzuha had kept holding while watching from there.

    As for the table, even if four people sat, there was plenty of space left. While Schnee prepared breakfast for Yuzuha¡¯s portion, Shin brought a spare chair.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°¡°Itadakimasu!¡±¡±

    They sped their hands and began to eat. The menu was rice, fried tofu miso soup with seaweed and tofu, and dried and opened mackerel fish.

    Shin thought about whether or not Japanese foods suited elves, but there was no feeling out of ce because of the figure that was holding wooden chopsticks and breaking the fish into smaller pieces.

    Yuzuha was using a spoon because it couldn¡¯t use chopsticks properly.

    ¡°Yummy!¡±

    ¡°As expected from Master.¡±

    ¡°This is great.¡±

    Only voices of praise came out. Even though it was not luxurious, even in the real world he never ate such a delicious meal.

    ¡°That is because of the vor boost from the skill. I can¡¯t be proud of it very much.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a great thing?¡±

    ¡°The taste goes up at least two stages due to the skill.¡±

    ¡°Is that so, but it could not originally be delicious if there was no practice. After all, I still think it¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°That is so, didn¡¯t Master practice so much?¡±

    Tiera talked about how the humble Schnee put great effort in cooking.

    As for the cooking skill, it certainly couldpensate the dish in various ways, but it was not possible to improve bad foods. Because a bad thing would always be a bad thing.

    Even if onepensated with the skill, there was no change if the cooking ability was good.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re satisfied.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    After breakfast, Schnee and Tiera were in charge of cleaning up and Shin headed toward the cksmith¡¯s workshop in the inner part of Tsuki no Hokora. Yuzuha, who was probably curious about it, came along with Shin.

    ¡°What is in there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my warehouse and workshop, and the warehouse is a little special. It has considerable more capacity than it looks.¡±

    The storehouse of Tsuki no Hokora was not as big as a guild house, but quite a lot of items were stored inside. Since it was Shin¡¯s personal warehouse, its contents were inclined to be weapons and armor.

    They were making a little detour in response to Yuzuha¡¯sment, ¡°I want to see it¡±. The appearance of the warehouse was a normal door with a hanging lock. However, it was so tough that even Shin¡¯s strongest attack in the game era couldn¡¯t break it. It was said that nothing could break it physically.

    ¡°Just pour a little magic power, and done.¡±

    When Shin poured magic power into the lock, a light ¡°click¡± sound was made, and the lock came off. This type of lock was opened by using magic power recognition. The door wouldn¡¯t open no matter how much someone fiddled with the fake keyhole.

    He pushed open the door and they entered inside. There, it was overflowing with lines of armor and weapons side by side.

    There were swords, katanas, spears, bows, daggers,rge hammers, halberds, ils and all kinds of weapons disyed. In a different location, there were full body armors for warriors, gauntlets that were thought to be custom-made, and shields alongside it all. Naturally, everything was valuable, starting from ¡¶Unique¡· grade to ¡¶Legend¡· grade, ¡¶Mythology¡· grade and finally, ¡¶Ancient¡· grade.

    A person would feel an enormous amount of pressure the moment they entered the room, even if the person was not sensitive to magic power. Although the quantity and the quality of each item was different, the overwhelming magic power given off was simr to the feeling of abnormal tepid water ording to a dweller of this world.

    If even one of them was put up for sale, many countries would have piles of their weapons lose their value whenpared to its prestige. A warehouse that had arge quantity of these kinds of things for sale already felt like a ¡®warehouse clearance sale¡¯.

    ¡°Amazing! But, somehow I feel hot~¡±

    ¡°It is because this ce is filled with magic power. You better not enter if you are not strong-minded.¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha is okay for this much!¡±

    The Element Tail was indeed one of the strongest species even if it was young.

    Rather than being overwhelmed by the magic power pressure emitted from the arms, Yuzuha was looking curiously around the warehouse. Even though its tail fur was fully bristled up, there are some things that are better left unsaid.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you only look at it, but don¡¯t touch without permission, okay? There are some cursed arms here.¡±

    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt. There is a seal function attached to the containers, but there are several of them that you might able to break.¡±

    ¡°Muu, Yuzuha don¡¯t do things like that.¡±

    While apologizing to Yuzuha, who puffed its cheeks, they headed off to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. Even here, it was in a perfect state without change, waiting for its master to return.

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem at all. It seems like I can use it right away.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making swords and armor here. But before doing it today, I have to ask you something, Yuzuha.¡±

    ¡°Want to ask me something?¡±

    ¡°There is a lot I want to ask. Well, lets return to the living room for now. After that, we will talk. As for forging a sword, that¡¯s forter.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go quickly. I want to see Shin forge a sword!¡±

    They returned to the living room and Yuzuha had sparkling eyes with anticipation. Even though Shin didn¡¯t know what Yuzuha was looking forward to so much, he lightly checked the tools and followed after Yuzuha. As for Schnee and Tiera, who were taking care of the cleaning after the breakfast, it should be done soon.

    When he returned to the living room, the three of them already surrounded the table. He sat down on his seat while smiling wryly at Yuzuha, who urged him on with ¡°quickly! quickly!¡±.

    ¡°What did Shin want to ask?¡±

    ¡°First of all, why were you in such a weakened state in that Shinto shrine. And, did arge amount of people disappear around 500 years ago? If you know something about it, then please tell me.¡±

    When Shin¡¯s question was heard, Yuzuha closed its eyes and folded its arms like it was thinking about something. After several seconds like that, Yuzuha began to talk.

    ¡°Well, err¡­ When Yuzuha was there, I was having the most painful experience from the inside. It was very painful, so much that I copsed.¡±(T/N: Yuzuha sometimes refer itself as ¡°Yuzuha¡± when talking.)

    ¡°Is that so? Did you understand the drawing on that floor?¡±

    ¡°No~, I didn¡¯t know it.¡±

    Shin thought it was some sort of relief feature that dyed the condition, but Yuzuha didn¡¯t seem to remember it.

    ¡°I understand. How about the people who had disappeared?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. People didn¡¯te very much.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, there was some kind of erected barrier that made people stay away from there.¡±

    Shin remembered that a barrier, around the Shinto shrine, affecting one¡¯s mind had been erected. A person might note near it because of that.

    ¡°Eventually, what was Yuzuha doing in such ce?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, I was basking under the sun, when suddenly the ground went ¡®bam¡¯, the wind blew ¡®byu byu¡¯ and the mountain went ¡®ng¡¯. Yuzuha was surprised and jumped. After that, I tried my best so that the ground would not be wrecked apart.¡±

    ¡°¡­In other words, the natural disaster urred, and you tried to suppress it?¡±

    ¡°It is likely so, I have no doubt if it is Yuzuha.¡±

    ¡°Eh, is that true?¡±

    When Schnee chimed in with an agreeable response, Tiera was amazed and had wide eyes.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know what kind of technique Yuzuha used, the Element Tail was a monster that corresponded to all attributes. The possibilities of interfering with the natural disaster by some special method was high.

    ¡°A lot of power was used while I kept at it, then I took a rest in the Shinto shrine. Because my power could not be held in my body then, I thought I was gonna die soon when Shin came.¡±

    ¡°It was just at thest minute when I came, huh?¡±

    ¡°When the unpleasant wind blew, I was scared.¡±

    When he heard about unpleasant wind, Shin was reminded of the miasma. Perhaps both of the ¡¾Curse ? ¢ú¡¿ and the ¡¾Poison ? ¢ú¡¿ at that time, were caused by the miasma. A number of monsters and levels were increased in an area with a lot of miasma during the game. Moreover, to a yer, it was a troublesome way to be given an abnormality state responding to status at a regr intervals. Apart from the monsters, they had to drink potions regrly because of the abnormality state, although it didn¡¯t affect high-ranked yers too much.

    ¡°It was thanks to Millie that Yuzuha was saved. I wouldn¡¯t have gone there if not for Millie¡¯s advice.¡±

    ¡°I will give thanks when I meet Mi-chan again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s take some souvenirs.¡±

    Because of the forecast ability, Shin couldn¡¯t say it clearly. Whether Yuzuha understood it or not, it matched with Shin¡¯s way of talking.

    ¡°Hey, who is Millie?¡±

    Tiera looked puzzled.

    ¡°She¡¯s a child who lives in the orphanage of the kingdom. I happened to meet her by chance. If you know Wilhelm, think of the orphanage he is protecting and you will understand.¡±

    ¡°Ah! that guy.¡±

    ¡°You know Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Hees over once a while to meet master. But I rarely meet him. However, I thought it was strange that he bought sweets while he was here on asion. I wonder if he was going to the orphanage, if so, it is understandable.¡±

    Wilhelm seemed to buy the cakes which Tiera made.

    ¡°It is because the cakes that Tiera makes are delicious, right?¡±

    ¡°No, it is because it¡¯s cheap. Master¡¯s cake are more delicious. Even the king¡¯s messenger hase to purchase it. Because I learned mine in an elf¡¯s vige, it is only fine.¡±

    They praised each other, although both of them seemed delicious.

    ¡°When you said learned it in an elf¡¯s vige, which one was it?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s a baked confectionery called Cayfal, have you heard of it?¡±

    ¡°No, I have never heard of it.¡±

    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t remember any kind of setting called skillful bakery in any elf¡¯s vige. Because cooking was not his specialty, there were many dishes which he couldn¡¯t cook or make, even if he had the recipe.

    ¡°That Cayfal is like a financier*, huh? It will be nice to distribute it to children because the cake is as big as a mouthful.¡± (T/N: Financier is a small French cake)

    ¡°Though I disyed it on a whim, one or two sale items have topete at the present time. Because I originally lived in the forest, my strong point is making cake using honey.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? But wait, since Tsuki no Hokora is not a store that mainly sells foodstuff, are there any other sales?¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee while asking that.

    ¡°Because Shin was absent, there are a few items for sale. I am an amateur with smithery, and for replenishing the goods, only Shin can open the storehouse where the arms were kept.¡±

    Therefore, Schnee had to replenish unskilled stock from somewhere, and it seemed difficult to replenish goods because ofpetition over that right. It was only natural that if the maker went missing, there would be a shortage of inventory.

    ¡°How should I say it¡­I¡¯m sorry. Schnee is doing a good job to keep the store open.¡±

    ¡°Even if it is open, there aren¡¯t many things that are able to be put up for sale.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. Even if it¡¯s open, it won¡¯t solve anything.¡±

    During the game era, the store was barely continuing in business. It was no wonder.

    ¡°When I have time, I will replenish the stock with the ones I have saved.¡±

    ¡°Roger that. By the way, the talks have derailed from the subject. Yuzuha, can we continue?¡±

    ¡°Yup. But, because I was in the Shinto shrine the whole time, I don¡¯t know more than you already know.¡±

    The interference to the natural disaster, it seemed to be an impossible task, even to an Element Tail. Although it said that it didn¡¯t know about the world¡¯s situation, because it made a great effort to decrease the damage of the natural phenomenon since the Dusk of the Majesty, there¡¯s no reason to me it.

    ¡°I see, tell me when you recall something, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand~ Umm, Tiera-onee-chan, that Cayfal just now, is it done yet?¡±

    When the conversation settled down, Yuzuha asked about the pastry matter to Tiera. Was it interested in it that much? Even the things about the smithy was forgotten. As Yuzuha approached Tiera, its tail shook with flutters.

    Such an appearance also suited its age.

    ¡°Excuse me, but there is one more thing. I have to talk to Shin.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Though Schnee was in a serious mood; it was different from a while ago, as she put a stop to the air trying to clear.

    She appeared to have been looking for the right time to begin the talk.

    ¡°Actually, there is a person I would like you to meet. I understand that you may have various things to investigate, but please make this the first priority this time.¡±

    ¡°Then, who is this person you want me to meet?¡±

    Shin felt like it was a rush from Schnee¡¯s tone. It was like something was running out of time, such a feeling of impatience.

    He corrected his sitting posture, and waited for Schnee¡¯s words.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to meet again immediately so I didn¡¯t talk about it yesterday, but the person I want you to meet is Girard.¡±

    ¡°Girard huh?¡­No, wait, is it really Girard?¡±

    Girard was the no. 3 support character of Shin. A High Beast. But, it was more than 500 years since the Dusk of the Majesty, it should be impossible to meet Girard.

    ¡°¡­Is he still alive?¡±

    Although he was called a High Beast, he didn¡¯t have a long lifespan. Humans, Beasts, Dwarfs were said to live a long life if they lived for 100 years.

    In contrast to these 3 races that have short lives, such races like Elves, Pixies, Dragnils and Lords were said to be a long-lived species.

    Even though High Beasts and High Dwarfs were a superior race, still, it should be 150 years at most.

    Although a beast¡¯s length of life depends on the animal which became the model, Girard¡¯s model was a rtively orthodox wolf among the choices. It wasn¡¯t a model for long living especially.

    Certainly, he heard the thing about Girard bing a king. However, because that was a fairly old story, Shin never thought that Girard was still alive.

    ¡°Yes. But¡­I think he has a few days left and it will not be that much longer anymore.¡±

    Schnee personally didn¡¯t know why Girard was still alive until today.

    But she was certain about one thing.

    ¡°He too, was waiting for Shin.¡±

    As Schnee was, Girard also was waiting for Shin.

    ¡°He himself doesn¡¯t know how he could live this long. There is likely some meaning, since he is alive.¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem to feel too much fear from the approaching death either since his body should already be dead.

    ¡°Actually, even if there¡¯s no Girard, the alliance can continue functioning. The current beast king is the eighth generation, that not only has military power, but he also has the ability as a ruler.¡±

    Falnido Beast Alliance was formed by bundling up every beastman tribe. It was built by Girard during the confusion that struck the world.

    And then, as for the first beast king, it was Shin¡¯s support character, a no. 3 of High Beast origin.

    Girard Estaria.

    The appearance that Shin remembered, when he was in a normal human form, was a man of about 40, characterized with an unkempt beard and brown hair that was trimmed short. Handsome men and beautiful women would be wretched, because this appearance of a wild middle-aged man was good. When Girard was fully armed, the charisma that was felt around him could be called a veteran warrior, Shin took pride at that time for not making a wrong choice.

    When inbat, Girard went into werewolf mode, a figure that swooped down upon his prey, exactly like a hunter.

    He specialized in close rangedbat and paired up with the no. 4 support character, Shibaid, a High Dragnil, to serve as an advance guard party. Although his offensive power from magic skills was low, it waspensated with agile movement, and perfected with hand-based martial arts skills. He could fight on par with Schnee, and would win under certain conditions.

    The figure that used to strike his fist against enemies with a roar, was reproduced instantly in Shin¡¯s mind, as he remembered it properly.

    ¡°After hearing that, we can¡¯t afford not to go. Where is Girard¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°When we exited from the Wraith ins the other day, just go further north ahead instead. The alliance extends over the ins and forest area, it is next to a capital city that is said to be ruled by a human king. There are 4 big viges like the capital city, and the Girard is in the vige of the dog n where the current beast king is.¡±

    ¡®I see. Although I heard it roughly, there is no danger before arriving there, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think it will be safe for at least another several more years. Because the person in question has not weakened that much too.¡±

    ¡°Then, should I go normally?¡±

    Shin was going to use his trump card for long-range transfer if he was really driven into a corner, but it somehow seemed to be all right.

    ¡°Then, because there are several things I want to check, let¡¯s leave after I am finished. I have to be ready too, will both of you be alright for tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all right anytime~¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I¡¯m good since I¡¯ve always been the sort of ¡®stay at home caretaker¡¯.¡±

    Shin asked Yuzuha and Tiera, who had taken the role of listener. Basically, Tiera was entrusted for house-watching because of Schnee always being away from home, and she thought she would do the same this time too.

    ¡°Tiera, you will also go this time.¡±

    ¡°Eh! Me too?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to hear from Schnee that she was also going.

    ¡°Because Shin has returned, there¡¯s no need to stick to this ce anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the strong point of owning a personal store.¡±

    ¡°Um, is it okay to leave this store alone?¡±

    Schnee smiled wrily at Tiera¡¯s question.

    ¡°No problem. Because he will carry it away.¡±

    ¡°Carry it¡­away?¡±

    What did she say, Tiera had an expression of not understanding. Surely, there were few people who could understand immediately when Schnee said, ¡°Carry the store.¡±

    ¡°I can take it. This store.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eto, what do you mean by that?¡±

    It was understandable that Tiera couldn¡¯tprehend what Shin was trying to say. No matter how one looked at it, he couldn¡¯t easily carry the store, was what she was probably thinking.

    ¡°Is it unusual now? To carry a store or a house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonexistent, but without an expert in that field, it would not be known. As far as I know, it needs quite arge sum of money to be attached even to a small hut.¡±

    Although it wasmon technology during the game era, as usual, Shin didn¡¯t know what happened under the present situation. When he heard about it from Schnee, he understood that it was treated like a special technique.

    From seeing Tiera¡¯s reaction, the production skills seemed to have suffered a steep decline.

    ¡°Indeed. Then, it¡¯s only natural that Tiera doesn¡¯t know about it, huh? Then, are arts more mainstream than skills now? Is the production system too?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The production system is also divided by arts and skills. After the Dusk of the Majesty, people tried to restore the skills, and from trial and error, arts were born. It¡¯s the same as thebat system, where the effects are lower than a skill.¡±

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    If it was said in a game style, they were trying to reproduce the skill without the system assistance. Normally nothing would happen, but here was a different world. Perhaps, an effect, such as a portion of the skill was produced, and it was called arts. As for a cksmith, because there were techniques that could never be reproduced by simple physical work, it must not be an ¡®off the mark¡¯ guess.

    ¡°Since the new generation, like me, thought arts were the standard, it¡¯s deviated from Shin and Master by all means. Were people with the same ss as Mastermon before the Dusk of the Majesty? I can¡¯t imagine what kind of world that was.¡±

    ¡°Well it had its own way, but there were not many people who had the same ss as Schnee, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, it can¡¯t be counted with the number of fingers on both hands, don¡¯t you agree? It was so beyond scary that I¡¯m amazed from that time. Those kind of people fighting were heard everywhere, and how such a society was able to maintain itself in such situation.¡±

    ¡°In that situation, it was managed properly, and when a guy went too far they would get expelled.¡±

    Malignant yers were reported to GM¡¯s and had their ount deleted, but because he couldn¡¯t say that, he got by with simr words. If there really was such a world, it ought to have perished a long time ago.

    ¡°How was it able to be managed?¡±

    ¡°That was because there were various people cooperating in that situation. Leaving that aside, what do you mean by a ¡°new generation¡± that you said a while ago, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Ah that matter? It¡¯s simple. It is a ¡®new generation¡¯ for people who were born after the Dusk of the Majesty, a person who was born before the Dusk of the Majesty and is still alive is called the ¡®old generation¡¯. It was first said by someone when the country was founded after the Dusk of the Majesty, andsted until now. Though I think as a new generation, I obviously feel inferior when I see Master and other older generations.¡±

    As Tiera said, an old generation was certainly superior when looking at the ability.

    Shin and Schnee were good examples. However, if the skill was excluded, it didn¡¯t mean that the old generation was high in ability.

    ¡°There are gaps in ability between the different generations, but I¡¯m not too conscious of differences between the old and new. However, I clearly feel the generation differences from Shin and Master.¡±

    ¡°Not generation differences!¡±

    To tell the truth, a piece of the generation differences didn¡¯t make sense to Shin.

    ¡°Such recognition is all right I guess.¡±

    Since it was already established, there didn¡¯t seem to be any harm or anything. Although it appears to have some exceptions.

    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the talk that had derailed away for the time being. I said it a while ago here, but Tsuki no Hokora is a store that can be moved. Because of that, I intend for the two of you to act together. In addition, Tiera is able to go out without much trouble now and I thought it would be good to take a trip. Ah, of course there is a choice, do you want to stay?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t force her, against her will, toe along with him. And there was no reason he must take Tsuki no Hokora with him.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will follow you. Though I did go out from here several times, it was still a little scary for me to enter the kingdom yet. But I think it¡¯s all right if it were with Shin and Master together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡±

    ¡°Everyone will be together~!¡±

    All of them nodded at Yuzuha¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move for preparation immediately!¡±

    In addition to Tiera and Schnee, they aimed to meet an old friend at Falnido Beast Alliance.

    The anticipated reunion and parting, Shin has decided the destination.

    What was waiting for them thereupon, no one knows.

 Book 2: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 2: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    As she felt the morning light warming up her chest, Schnee woke up.

    (Here is¡­)

    She remembered yesterday¡¯s event vaguely in her head. The things where Shin returned. The situation where Wilhelm and Rashia were surprised. The time when they sat down at the dining table in Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, I definitely put Tiera in my bed¡­Eh!!?¡±

    As she muttered that, she noticed that there was somebody next to her. She was also holding somebody¡¯s arm.

    ¡°EH? S-Shin!?¡±

    She desperately suppressed the loud voice which came close to shouting. Schnee confirmed that it was her master¡¯s arm that she had been holding.

    The curly ck hair. The deep ck eyes under the closed eyelids, it was something that Schnee knew well.

    That person was Shin, the master of Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Huh!?¡±

    The state of their bodies being so close and the sensation of their skin touching each other, caused Schnee¡¯s face to turn red. Even she herself was aware of her ears turning bright red. She was aware that she had been intoxicatedst night.

    However, she never thought that she would do something like step into Shin¡¯s bed in a natural fashion while being drunk.

    ¡°W-What a blunder¡­¡±

    While her face was flushed red, she reproached herself, since she never had the intention of releasing Shin¡¯s arm.

    When she got out of the bed without waking Shin up, she let out a small breath. The reason was that she didn¡¯t know when Shin would wake up. If Shin was to wake now, she couldn¡¯te up with any excuses.

    Somehow she restrained her desire of wanting to look at Shin¡¯s sleeping face, and she left the room.

    After changing her clothes in her own room, she washed her face and cleared her consciousness. She felt refreshed due to the cold water, and her reflection no longer showed her face flushed red from a little while ago.

    ¡°First of all, I will prepare breakfast.¡±

    As for the time, it was only a little past 5:30. Because she always finished tidying up before 7:00, this was pretty much her daily routine.

    Schnee went to the kitchen, and as she looked at the fridge¡¯s contents to decide the menu, Tiera came over.

    ¡°Ah, Master, good morning.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, you were quite drunk yesterday, are you okay now?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­I caused an inconveniencest night. For the time being, I have no hangover.¡±

    Tiera seemed to remember, and she apologized while dropping her shoulders.

    ¡°Then, please help with the preparation for breakfast. Because it is likely that we will need to prepare portions for 4 people.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­huh? For 4 people?¡±

    ¡°Well, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    Tiera seemed to have some doubts about the 4 people part, but she obediently wore the apron and began to help. Schnee also put on her favorite apron. Schnee¡¯s was light blue, and Tiera¡¯s was light green.

    ¡°What would you like for the menu this morning?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with a Japanese-style meal. For the other ingredient beside the miso soup, take out the treasured fish.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Master, don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s THAT?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her surprise due to Schnee words. That super high-quality ingredient was said to be worth arge amount of Jul white gold coins. The name of the ingredient was ¡®Diamond Horse Mackerel¡¯. The special food was opened and dried in the sun, and it was best to be used at this time. In other words, the breakfast at Tsuki no Hokora today was the dried and opened horse mackerel, along with the miso soup which is a must in Japanese cuisine.

    As for the Diamond Horse Mackerel, it was a fish type monster, like the horse mackerel, and had scales that shined like a diamond. However, regardless of its appearance, it boasted a strength level of 450 ¨C 600. They were usually found in a school. It was a monster that ate low-level Krakens and a shark type monster that exceeded level 500 instead of normal bait. Only a few were caught, when they weakened and got lost from their school, and asionally ended up on the market.

    Among the food ingredients from the sea, it was recognized as a high-ss food material with a tremendous price. What would happen if such a Diamond Horse Mackerel was processed with Schnee¡¯s cooking skill? It was already needless to say.

    ¡°Though the mackerel has the appearance of a dried and opened fish, somehow it is sparkling.¡±

    With the keen sense of an elf, Tiera seemed to have caught the hidden life force in the horse mackerel.

    ¡°Now then, I will prepare the miso soup first. Tiera, please cook the rice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    The fish, which emitted the shine of a diamond, was first put on a te, and Schnee took out the ingredients for the miso soup. The ingredients were miso paste, wakame seaweed, and three kinds of fried tofu. It was said to be a ssic style with Dashi* and dried bonito and kelp. (T/N: Japanese soup stock)

    ¡°Master, the rice is ready.¡±

    Tiera who finished preparing quickly called out to her master. Because it was obvious that she cooked her own meals when Schnee was away, Tiera too could prepare basic dishes. She didn¡¯t need much time in preparation for cooking rice either. The magic stove was ignited, and the preparation wasplete. In a few minutes, the aroma of the boiling soup stock from the miso began to fill the inside of the room. For Schnee, it was a smell she was very familiar with nowadays.

    It was already past 6:00 at the time. It was time for breakfast soon.

    Suddenly Tiera opened her mouth.

    ¡°Master, may I go outside for a moment?¡±

    ¡°Since the mackerel is almost roasted, try to make it brief.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I will return in about 10 minutes.¡±

    Tiera excused herself from Schnee and headed toward the doorway of the store. What was Tiera going to do? Schnee knew and encouraged her. This was because Tiera needed to get over the final defense line with her own power.

    Tiera opened the door and went out. Then, the morning sunlight enveloped Tiera gently.

    ¡°This time, it¡¯s still only a little chilly.¡±

    Was it the remnant of the night? She felt the air was still cold with her thin clothes. Tiera then walked slowly toward the boundary of the magic barrier that was erected around Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­it¡¯s alright¡­¡±

    As she approached the boundary, Tiera felt her heart beating rapidly. Shin was together with her when she went out for the first time. And she was able toe forth alone on the second time around.

    Still, the fear thatsted 100 years was cultivated and wouldn¡¯t disappear so easily. She might get attacked again by monsters if she went out. In addition, someone else might fall victim to it, again. That sort of unreasonable idea clung to her.

    Schnee certainly noticed it, because she encouraged Tiera to keep at it.

    While regaining her breath, Tiera advanced forward step by step. She already understood that there was nothing ahead. If there was experience, Tiera was able to advance beyond that.

    She recalled the hand that Shin held out. In order to grasp that hand, Tiera stepped forward outside of the boundary.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    She stayed in that ce for about 1 minute, and confirmed that there was no change in the surroundings. While it may be true that she was outside of the boundary, there was nothing that abruptly appeared or anything unusual. However, she still felt that the air that surrounded her was unusual.

    ¡°¡­Phew. After all, I¡¯m still nervous.¡±

    Together with her voice, she entered the barrier again. Once again, this was obviously only for her to get used to the outside.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do this quickly.¡±

    Aiming toward the corner of the trees that surround Tsuki no Hokora, Tiera began to walk. She moved until there was grass that grew thickly to about the height of Tiera¡¯s waist, and went around sideways there.

    A blooming flower with an appearance that was simr to a Cosmos flower, was in Tiera¡¯s line of sight. Only its shape was simr, the flower¡¯s petals were varied in manner, such as, red, blue, green, and purple.

    The name of the flower was ¡®Repika¡¯. ording to the elves¡¯ belief, the flower had a meaning of gratitude and sincerity. When she was not yet able toe outside of the barrier, Tiera knew when it would bloom at this ce in the current season. She didn¡¯t look after the store for 100 years just for show. From the windows of the store, she looked casually at the blooming Repika.

    Though she could see and was unable to touch it, those things were in the past now. She picked several flowers to decorate the dining table, and returned to the store.

    ¡°Flower vase, which flower vase~~¡±

    ¡°Have you be ustomed to it a little?¡±

    Schnee called out to Tiera who was searching for a vase with a reasonable size.

    ¡°Somehow or another, though it is only a little.¡±

    Tiera replied with a calm face, and Schnee had a gentle smile on her face. From her words, there was no sign of overdoing things.

    ¡°¡­It will be ready soon. Please go and wake Shin.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Schnees¡¯ smile deepened a little as she sent off Tiera. The figure of Tiera disappeared into the depths of the passage and after a while, a sound of something falling was heard by Schnee.

    Before long, the appearance of Shin and Tiera turned up, and then a young girl with fox ears and silver hair.

    Though Schnee was extremely embarrassed when she recalled that theyid in bed togetherst night, she managed to keep herself calm somehow. She just hoped that Shin would say nothing. On the corner of the table, in that little noisy situation, a Repika flower watched the scene.

    ~Volume 2 End~

 Book 3: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start getting ready now.¡±

    Shin decided to head toward the Falnido Beast Alliance where his old friend Girard awaited, and they began making the preparations respectively. However, because Tsuki no Hokora could wholly be carried with him, most of the preparations were unnecessary.

    The elf, Tiera, returned to her room to choose the clothes that were appropriate for going out. The Element Tail, Yuzuha, stood by on top of Shin¡¯s head in the young fox mode. The High Elf, Schnee, looked back at Shin and said;

    ¡°I have to goplete the request. Could you buy some food and supplies, just in case?¡±

    ¡°Okay. Since I¡¯m going to go to the adventurers¡¯ guild after I lightly temper a sword, I¡¯ll buy them on the way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to the guild?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess we¡¯ll go do our separate actions for a while; Schnee, you¡¯re still on the Skull Faces matter, right? Therefore, I¡¯ll take a request toward the Falnido area, and improve my rank while I¡¯m at it. It¡¯s regrettable, but I can¡¯t stay a rank G forever.¡±

    To enter the guild and stay at the lowest rank forever, was not a good thing in the eyes of society either. Because he knew that staying as a rank G for a long time was a rare case, even for a person who didn¡¯t have remarkable abilities, he thought to at least to make it to F rank.

    Since the Skull Faces¡¯ subjugation was not a request, Shin currently had zero request achievements.

    ¡°I understand. What about the meeting ce?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll decide it after seeing the status of the request. We can always use the message card to talk to each other.¡±

    ¡°If so, let¡¯s form a party. We can use the voice chat in that case. It¡¯s easier than using message cards.¡±

    ¡°EH, Seriously!?¡±

    ording to Schnee, only partners in the same party could use the voice chat. Now the speaking and writing via the mind was called ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°However, only we, the old generation, are able to use it immediately. People like Tiera, a new generation; someone who was born after the Dusk of the Majesty, I heard they are unable to use it if they don¡¯t trust each other. Even so, I don¡¯t know how true that is.¡±

    ¡°What happens if the old and new generations are mixed in a party?¡±

    ¡°Only the old generation is able to use it.¡±

    Because she didn¡¯t know on what kind of principle it worked, she appeared to be unclear on the exact conditions. In the case of the new generation, they seemed to suddenly be able to use it one day. Certainly, the ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ was not usable when the party was disbanded, but if the party united again, the person who experienced thatmunication would be able to use it right away.

    ¡°So that means, only Schnee and I can use it immediately, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha is also able to talk to Shin~¡±

    A sweet voice came down from on top of his head.

    ¡°In the case of Yuzuha, I think it is because of Yuzuha¡¯s individual talents and Shin¡¯s tamer ability. I also think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t announce that too much. Please remember the party that we are talking about and the guild¡¯s party are two different things.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha had a question mark floating above them.

    ¡°A party is only recognized by the guild after it has registered with the guild. However, the party formation system for the old generation, like Shin and me, was performed through the menu disy so the general public is not aware of it. In other words, we can create a double party.¡±

    To begin with, the menu screen seemed to be limited to the people who are still alive since the Dusk of the Majesty. For the new generation, they couldn¡¯t read the precise exnation notes of the skills and arts and somehow only understood how to use it, not how it worked.

    ¡°If there is no guild card for the new generation, they only roughly know my stats, excluding my level, huh? But eventually, only a party that was formed in the guild is recognized by the guild, don¡¯t you agree? Is there an advantage of forming a party the way the old generation did?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s being able to use the Mind Chat. In this world, when there are many partners who can do long-distancemunication, only that alone is useful. Since there are almost no human beings that have the message card, I guess. Also in any country, the person who has the Mind Chat is given preferential treatment. Even if that person is not an adventurer for an old generation. Because there is no need to go to battle, if that person joined a party and it was dispatched to various locations, as they are able to quickly receive information.¡±

    ¡°I see, so a person who is able to use the Mind Chat is hired just because of the skill, huh?¡±

    Themunication method in this world was letter delivery by a messenger or a wagon. The speed of the information transmitted was extremely slowpare with Mind Chat.

    From Schnee¡¯s story, only a small handful of adventurers from the whole new generation were able to use Mind Chat. Now, since the old generation has decreased in number, it¡¯s worth has be immeasurable.

    ¡°Kuu~? Is it really that amazing?¡±

    Yuzuha asked while shaking its tails.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing. As an example, I can convey my thoughts to my partner who is in a remote ce immediately. If I¡¯m hurt and can¡¯t move, I can call for help, and I can pass along important information right away.¡±

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha will help if Shin is in trouble!¡±

    ¡°Please take care of me at that time. Yuzuha too, can call me if you are in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Yuzuha, who didn¡¯t understand the advantage of fastmunication, somehow understood that it was amazing from Shin¡¯s words. It was not possible to say if itpletely understood though, as it was still a child.

    ¡°Now, the old and new generation that are able to use Mind Chat have to form a party with the guild. So the Mind Chat is not usable with amoner who has not registered to the guild. If you have time, it would be nice to help Tiera register as an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Then, do you want me to bring her to the guild with me?¡±

    ¡°That would be really helpful. She should be able to move better than an amateur since I have trained her in basic fighting techniques for thest 50 years.¡±

    ¡°Eh, you trained her?¡±

    The other day, Wilhelm, who had fought together with Shin in the Wraith ins, said that he had received training from Schnee as well. And he was beaten up one-sidedly.

    ¡°Yes, is there something wrong with that?¡±

    It seemed like Schnee didn¡¯t know why Shin was surprised, as she looked slightly puzzled. That spontaneous action made Shin felt embarrassed, but he somehow kept hisposure.

    ¡°Was it safe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that.¡±

    The figure of Schnee doing Spartan training just popped into Shin¡¯s head. For some reason, that image seemed to be pretty harsh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Shin imagined, but it was only basic training that was done. Because I¡¯m able to go outside of the barrier, I only teach her when I have time. Although her level is low, she should have superior movementspared to a newly fledged adventurer.¡±

    Schnee, who seemed to have read what Shin had imagined, said that with a slightly displeased tone.

    ¡°Iya, that¡¯s¡­ well, sorry. Because I heard that training with you seemed to be a little harsh.¡±

    Shin apologized upfront at this time. It was an invible rule, that his mother in the real world told him. Incidentally, in his father¡¯s words, the situation would be worse if he did not apologize.

    Somehow he recalled these kind of things from the talk with Schnee.

    ¡°Then, in exchange, you will listen to my simple request.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes¡­I understand.¡±

    Schnee said it with a smile. The smiling face that could make the whole nation captive was a little frightening to Shin now.

    He felt a little worried about whatever he was going to be made to do.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Before long, Schnee went out for shopping, and Shin then took Yuzuha along with him to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. He wanted to lightly temper a sword before going to the guild.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do this.¡±

    He took out an unprocessed iron ingot from his Item Box. It wasn¡¯t bad one but it wasn¡¯t a good quality one either, it was just a normal ingot.

    A longsword was also amon thing to make. Of course, it would be forged. Although metal casting is easy and fast, he couldn¡¯t sell it like that.

    ¡°Does this be a sword?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t approach me too much when I¡¯m forging, because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    After telling Yuzuha to keep its distance, Shin began making the longsword. His body moved without trouble sinceing into this world, probably because he had done this for more than 5 years.

    The iron was heated and beat with a hammer. The sound of metal being struck, ¡°ng¡±, ¡°ng¡±, resounded in the forge, and Yuzuha¡¯s tails synchronized with a small flutter.

    When hitting the ingot in the game, it didn¡¯t matter where it was struck as the result was still the same. But now that it was reality, that wouldn¡¯t work. Nevertheless, Shin somehow understood where he should hit. It might be the benefit of the skill. While thinking whether a real craft man might have such a sense, he set the metal and hit it with the hammer again.

    ¡°Amazing~!¡±

    Yuzuha raised a cheer, as it saw the ingot changing form almost instantly. It was at a speed that would leave an ordinary cksmith stunned. One would wonder whether it was alright to be that fast, but obviously it was not alright. Only inferior goods would be produced by striking it quickly.

    It was the¡¾cksmith¡¿ skill which Shin possessed that allowed this. With the creator¡¯s intended design known, it was a cheat skill that increased the production speed to an efficiency that was impossible to reproduce in the real world.

    Certainly, it didn¡¯t mean that any weapon could be created with the cksmith skill. A Magic skill was needed for magic bestowal, and the skills ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Tempered Metal¡¿ were necessary for raw materials as well.

    When the person tried to master a production job, it was inevitable that the person had to learn how another production worked.

    ¡°The first one.¡±

    He looked at thepleted sword he had made for practice. Though there was only a de, no one would think it was only made from an ordinary ingot.

    The light that entered from the entrance of the cksmith¡¯s workshop was reflected by the sword de, and a dim white light on the de showed its sharpness. Even if an amateur handled it, the item seemed to raised the probability of sess in battle.

    ¡°¡­I was fired up a little too much.¡±

    Though it was made just as an experiment, it obviously became goods that would cause uproar when put up on the storefront. It was not possible to simply say that this was amon longsword. When the item was bestowed with magic, it would be ssified as ¡¶Rare¡· or ¡¶Unique¡· grade.

    A sword that was bestowed with magic was known as a Cursed Sword, or sometimes a Holy Sword in this society. Because there were few people in this world that had a weapon that was higher than ¡¶Legend¡· grade, weapons such as a ¡¶Rare¡· grade were often found up to ¡¶Unique¡· grade. However, for weapons that were above the ¡¶Legend¡· grade, they had a higher ability than a Cursed Sword without any magic bestowal.

    ¡°A failure?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a failure, but this can¡¯t be sold. There are no weapon shops in the kingdom that put up magically bestowed weapons.¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean that there were no magically bestowed weapons on sale, but it was rare. Moreover, because it was Shin who tempered it, the weapon¡¯s performance was different from the other cursed swords around there. If someone bought a Cursed Sword with an average ability from the weapon shop and put two longswords together, that would be the limit that Cursed Sword could break. However, one of Shin¡¯s tempered Cursed Swords would be able cut 4 additional longswords. If he put in some serious effort, even one of his low-grade Cursed Sword could break it. The weapons that Shin made and could rally with the ¡¶Legend¡· grade ones were not just for show.

    Nheless, it backfired this time. There were differences between the cksmiths in this world and the cksmiths in the game era, especially when it came to weapon design.

    ¡°For some reason, I have a feeling. The next one should be good.¡±

    He was probably doing it unconsciously. So, while being aware of the boosting performance from the cksmith skill, he made another longsword. The second longsword had a bit of a high performance, and the third one was somehow a normal one. Because those ready-made goods were aggravating, he continued to mass-produce swords with a simr ability to the second one.

    He repeated this for about one hour, and decided to stop after he had made several of them. Meanwhile Yuzuha, instead of moving around and making noises, was watching Shin and thepleted longswords for a long time. It appeared to be so interested that it lost track of the time, probably because of the concentration that was peculiar to a child.

    ¡°I guess Tiera should be ready soon.¡±

    They left the cksmith¡¯s forge and headed back towards the living room. It was partly because he presumed that the presence that came out of the room was Tiera, that he finished up.

    ¡°Ah, Shin. I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I just tempered with swords here and there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would take up so much time myself. After such a long time, I don¡¯t know what I should wear.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s point was understandable. For the first time after about 100 years, she would have to go to a ce where there were a lot of people. It couldn¡¯t be helped that she was hesitating over what clothes to wear.

    Because she was told that she had to register with the adventurers¡¯ guild, Tiera wore clothes simr to what a hunter would wear, emphasizing easiness of movement. What Tiera chose was close to what Els had equipped before. Especially thebination of long boots and leggings.

    On top, she wore a light green colored jacket with ck colors on the inner side. Because its design was made to fit the body, Tiera¡¯s body shape could be seen clearly. This might be the standard for elves.

    She appeared to be unarmed, but it was concealed in the form of a card. A lot of elves had a battle style thatbined magic with daggers and bows.

    ¡°Well, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hurry up a little.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Yuzuha, who was in fox mode, was put on Shin¡¯s head, and they walked out of the store. It was a fine day. Warm sunlight shined over the two people and the animal.

    ¡°Ha~, it is nice on the outside after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is fine weather and ¨D¨D!?¡±

    It came into Shin¡¯s view as he casually answered Tiera and he turned to face her, an astounding sight was disyed.

    It was a pair of spheres.

    It was the most magnificent pair of globes he had ever seen before.

    (Amazing¡­)

    To put it in simple words, while basking in the sunlight, Tiera was also stretching her body. However, when she raised her arms and bent her back in a nice way, her chest naturally stuck out as a result. Only the owner of that body could know, from the current posture, the size of what was being emphasized. Shin¡¯s eyes were glued to it.

    ¡°Phew, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, yeah.¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem to realize that her chest was being stared at, and Shin tried to look calm. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything, at least not on purpose¡± was what he tried to say with his body behaviour.

    While walking next to such Shin, Tiera coughed in a whisper.

    ¡°And, what are your thoughts on my chest?¡±

    ¡°Iya, they are seriously perfe¨D¨D¨D¨DHA!?¡±

    It was said that a man¡¯s ncing look was simr to staring for a women. Shin didn¡¯t know whether it was true or not, but at least he knew he was found out by Tiera.

    ¡°Shin will be in charge of the shopping fee. And, really, you did look too much earlier.¡±

    ¡°That was my bad. Haa, that was an expensive view¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural because you so rudely stared at a maiden¡¯s breasts.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly at Tiera¡¯s smiling face. Did she aim for it? Or was it done spontaneously? Only Tiera knew the truth.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    While Yuzuha tilted its head, it watched the exchange between the two people.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    They left Tsuki no Hokora and arrived at the gate of the Bayreuth kingdom after a short while. Was it a slow hour? There was not a lot of pedestrian traffic.

    When they passed through the gate and entered inside, Tiera looked around while surveying the surroundings.

    ¡°Uwaa, there is a great number of people. Are there always so many?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not crowded right now. There are twice as many people as this in the mornings and evenings.¡±

    ¡°There are? I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like when it¡¯s crowded.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s eyes sparkled like those of a child who went to an amusement park for the first time.

    ¡°So the things that the people, who came into the store, said is true.¡±

    She seemed to have heard various stories from adventurers who came to buy goods. Since she couldn¡¯t go out from the store, she couldn¡¯t do anything but imagine. It seemed that when she actually experienced it by herself, she realized that what they had said was not a lie.

    ¡°You sure are in high spirits, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­that excited¡­¡±

    She was probably aware of it herself. Though she denied it, the wordsing out from her mouth were a little weak.

    ¡°Let¡¯s register you first, and then do the shoppingter. You can decide to do whatever you want in the remaining time.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s sounds good. Then, let¡¯s go to the guild right away.¡±

    Was she drawn to the word ¡®sightseeing¡¯? Tiera walked rapidly while grabbing Shin¡¯s hand.

    Didn¡¯t she just say ¡°The crowds are scary¡±? Now she was charging through the main street by force.

    ¡°Wait! It¡¯s good to hurry, but do you know where the guild is?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah!¡±

    It seemed like she didn¡¯t know. She suddenly stopped, and threw nces at the surroundings.

    ¡°Come on, over here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    Because it was truly pointed out for the second time, Tiera also finally listened.

    They walked down the street as Shin held Tiera¡¯s hand to lead her.

    From Tiera¡¯s point of view, while in the crowd, she would lose sight of Shin if she took her eyes off of him for a second.

    They walked along the street while being careful not to bump into any pedestrians. As they approached an intersection with a particrly lot of people, she unintentionally saw a man and a woman walking together in front of them, and Tiera now noticed what kind of situation she was in.

    (Hands holding¡­ remaining connected¡­)

    Probably because she was carried away, due to this being her first time in the outside world in 100 years, but she didn¡¯t notice that she was walking hand in hand with the opposite sex until now.

    Because of the size difference, Tiera¡¯s hand was wrapped in Shin¡¯s hand.

    It was different from hers, his hand was a bit bigger and more rugged. When she saw her hand in a certain way, she had a feeling that her face was somehow blushing.

    Blushing Tiera

    (So this is a man, right?)

    Since she tended the store, she had obviously talked to men. However, she had never touched any of them. Tiera moved her legs while finding herself not really understanding her own feelings.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the Adventurers¡¯ guild.¡±

    ¡°I heard it was big, and it really is!¡±

    Thergest building in the area came into view when they passed through the crowd. That was their destination, the adventurers¡¯ guild.

    While it was inevitable that adventurers would make up most of the pedestrians now, Shin was aware that an awful lot of gazes were directed toward them.

    ¡°Somehow, aren¡¯t we being watched?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±

    The passing adventurers were mostly men, and Shin didn¡¯t know the reason for why their nces were mixed with hostility. He verified if there was something wrong with his state and noticed.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re holding hands.¡±

    Even under normal circumstances, Tiera was a beautiful woman. Naturally, a man who walked hand in hand with such a woman was exposed to jealous looks.

    ¡°Sorry, I thought it was likely that we would get separated since there are a lot of people.¡±

    He separated his hand from Tiera¡¯s in a hurry.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    That time, when he let go, he had a feeling that he faintly heard a sound that seemed to be disappointmenting from Tiera¡¯s mouth. He decided to think that it was just his excessive self-consciousness and forgot about it.

    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get you registered quickly then.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    They entered the guild with Tiera looking a little flustered. Was it because the time was in the middle between morning and noon? There were not many people in the guild either.

    The figures of Celica and Els were seen at the receptionist desk, and when Shin and Tiera were half-way there, the two people who noticed them showed dissimr reactions.

    Celica had a little of a sullen expression, but Els momentarily had a very surprised look on her face, which quickly erupted into one of joy.

    ¡°Tiera!¡±

    Els jumped over the counter at the same time as she called out her name, ran straight to Tiera, and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Wa, E-Els!?¡±

    Though Tiera was surprised at the sudden embrace, she rxed when she realized that the person was Els.

    ¡°Wait Els, it¡¯s a bit tight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Though I¡¯ve heard the news, I couldn¡¯t contain myself when I saw you in person.¡±

    While having tears in the corner of her eyes, Els started to gently hold Tiera. The abrupt situation caused the adventurers who were there to stare in wonder.

    ¡°I really wanted to go see you immediately, but I¡¯ve been very busy with the guild for a while now. It wasn¡¯t possible to leave.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re not my mother, you really worry too much.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying. If you¡¯re the daughter of Eilen, then it¡¯s as if you¡¯re my daughter too.¡±

    Els embraced Tiera like a true mother.

    Away from the two people, Celica talked to Shin.

    ¡°Shin-sama. What kind of acquaintance is that person?¡±

    ¡°Due to a little twist of fate, we will be traveling together. So she will register as an adventurer for the asion.¡±

    ¡°I heard you were walking hand in hand like lovers though?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd! How did you hear that!?¡±

    Shin was surprised at the speed of which the information travelled. Perhaps, there was a guy who could use Mind Chat standing guard! Certainly a cautious lookout, but really, this was only a trivial matter. The adventurer, who knew Shin¡¯s name and face, identally saw the two people, and Celica, who were receiving requests at that time, grumbled when she heard about it.

    ¡°Because she is a beautiful woman, right? Not because you are a man, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, you¡¯re not using some scathing words, are you?¡±

    ¡°No no, not at all.¡±

    ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing¡¯, was what Shin wanted to say.

    While they continued on with the exchange, they noticed that they had attracted some attention as well.

    ¡°Why is it that other people seem to be distancing themselves?¡±

    ¡°Ara, I think they don¡¯t want to break the deeply emotional reunion, huh? Besides, it was Els who suddenly jumped out.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡±

    ¡°Now, now, both of you. I want you to register Tiera for the time being.¡±

    Thereupon, Celica and Els returned to their professional expressions, and bowed slightly.

    ¡°Ah, my apologies. I was acting shameful.¡±

    ¡°Just now was because I also wanted to meet the person in question.¡±

    She was probably very d. Els¡¯ eyes were still a little red. Apparently, she seemed to have been a good friend of Tiera¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Um, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I will take care of the registration. It was my turn to take care of new registrations anyway.¡±

    Els said that and lead Tiera to the second floor. Just like Shin did before, Tiera filled out the documents and listened to the exnation.

    ¡°Now then, I should go and look at the list of requests.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Shin-sama. I¡¯m sorry, but may I have a bit of your time, please?¡±

    ¡°Me? Well, I don¡¯t really mind.¡±

    Shin, who was going to go to see about requests in the Falnido area, was called out by Celica. She seemed to have to talk to Shin individually about something or another.

    Because he was asked to hand over his guild card, Shin took out the guild card from Item Box and handed it over to Celica. Celica then proceed to engrave the guild card, and ced it on top of the tray-like thing..

    ¡°What are¡­¡±

    While Shin thought about asking what she was doing, the transparent guild card was dyed yellow.

    ¡°There we go, the improved rank ends with this. From now on, Shin-sama is rank E.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Shin absentmindedly replied, due to the sudden rank up. At this point, Shin actually had a zero request aplishment rate at the present time. If just by an evaluation of the guild; let alone rank improvement, he would be defeated even by a neer who had the same rank G.

    Nevertheless, to suddenly be a rank E, it was too much to be expected. He didn¡¯t think about rising to E and skipping F altogether.

    That reminded him of the exnation he had received from Celica before, the talk about the ssification of the card by rank.

    SS was gold, S was silver, A was ck, B was white, C was red, D was blue, E was yellow, F was green, and the lowest rank G was semi-transparent.

    ¡°Errr, there aren¡¯t any aplished requests yet, so why did I rank up?¡±

    ¡°Certainly Shin-sama¡¯s official request achievement rate is zero percent. However, there are the results of the subjugation of a high rank Skull Face and the suppression of the Skull Faces¡¯ outbreak in arge quantity. Because Shin-sama¡¯s report was proved to be authentic by an investigation handled by us, the guild, the promotion of Shin-sama was decided as a partial reward. It is rank E, but if one more request is aplished, it will rank up to D.¡±

    ¡°I see, but why do it to an unfinished state?¡±

    ¡°If you rank up too fast, it would not look good in the other adventurers¡¯ eyes. I think rank A is enough for an individual like you, but when I think of the strife it would cause, it only became a rank improvement like this. Of course, the bonus is paid, too. I need to return the previously borrowed jewel before that though, please wait here for a while.¡±

    Celica gave the guild card back to Shin, and entered the inner room of the receptionist desk for a moment. She came back in less than 5 minutes. There was a bag and a dull shining jewel grasped in her hand.

    ¡°This is the jewel that was borrowed, and here is 250 J gold coins of reward inside this bag.¡±

    For convenience sake, it seemed like she brought them in gold coins. Though white gold exists, it was not used in everyday life. One piece of white gold could make one live and enjoy life for more than ten years. The gold coins in front of him were considered arge sum of money from an adventurers¡¯ viewpoint, and Shin suddenly voiced his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering, but is it possible for you to make the guild card as quickly as possible in exchange for the reward?¡±

    ¡°The guild card? Let me see. I think it can be done by today at noon if it¡¯s rushed.¡±

    ¡°Then that please. Though I will be going afar for a little while, I want to leave as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Then, the reward will be 200 gold coins. Is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, but is it fine to ept a reward of this magnitude?¡±

    Though only 50 gold coins were deducted, Shin had heard that the guild cards were made with the guild¡¯s original special technique, so he felt that there might only be a few of them.

    ¡°I will have the experts do their best for a little while, and the additional charge is satisfactory enough from the received amount of money. There will be too much when all of the bonus is returned.¡±

    ¡°I see, by the way, how much is the subjugation reward for the Skull Faces?¡±

    ¡°5 silver coins per Pawn ss. For the Jack ss, it is 5 gold coins. Actually you can earn a lot more because the Jack ss¡¯ armor and swords are valuable if sold.¡±

    Celica added and smiled wryly, the degree of danger of a Jack ss is in a whole other league. In fact, once or twice a year some adventurers go off to fight with a Pawn ss, in a spur of the moment feeling, in spite of the warning from the guild¡¯s staff, and then get killed by a Jack ss that is avenging the Pawn ss.

    When thinking about the amount of money that Celica spoke of, Shin¡¯s reward was naturally almost 500 gold coins, but because a formal request was not issued, the reward became this amount of money along with the rank improvement. To begin with, that was not thebat capability that a rookie should have shown on his own, so without Barlux, the guild master, and Els and her acquaintances, the skill sessors, it was certain that the reward would not have been so easily paid like this.

    ¡°Do the Skull Faces appear that frequently?¡±

    ¡°There is a nearby spawn spot called the Wraith ins, but normally there will be more than a couple of them. It¡¯s not so bad when it is a Pawn ss, but several individuals, which are higher ranked than a Jack ss, appeared; I heard it happened for the first time, too. Such an event has never urred before.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. By the way, does the guild deal in information, besides monsters?¡±

    ¡°Information other than about the monsters? Well, it depends. There is a lot information about monsters and ruins thates in, but you should inquire about that with people who specialize in information.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Incidentally, may I ask what kind of information you have on Sacred ce?¡±

    If they had detailed information on monsters and ruins, they might have gotten their hands on some information on the city that fell after the Dusk of the Majesty, which was called Sacred ce, too.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot of information about the Sacred ce. Even though the guild investigated it, because the danger zone is not normal at all, it¡¯s impossible to let someone go towards it just like that. About the information, it was decided to not disclose it to adventurers who are below a minimum of rank B. I¡¯m sorry, but showing it to you, Shin-sama, with your current rank is¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it so much, I was just interested. I wille back to hear about it after I¡¯ve raised my rank.¡±

    As one would expect, she could not easily give out information on Sacred ce. Shin thought of confirming this again with Schnee some other time.

    ¡°Which reminds me, you said you are going away, right? Are you looking for a request towards the destination?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I intend toplete at least one request. Is there a request that is going to the Falnido area?¡±

    He could go and look at the bulletin board, but it was quicker to directly ask Celica for a good request.

    Celica picked up a thick file from under the counter, and removed a piece of request paper from that.

    ¡°Well, how about this request here? There is no request going to Falnido for the moment, but this is a request for going to Beirun, which is on the way.¡±

    ¡°Is it alright for Tiera to receive the request too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if you form a party with 2 people, there will be no problem, because Shin-sama¡¯s rank matches the rank required. Here is the content.¡±

    He took a look at the presented paper.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D

    Request contents: Cargo guards to Beirun

    Client: Nack

    Number of recruitment: Up to five people

    Rank: E and above(Individual, party, both are eptable)

    Reward: 10 silver coins per person

    Note/Remarks: Meals included

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°The departure is three bells(3:00 p.m.) this afternoon. Though two adventurers have already participated, there¡¯s still time. Other than this, I still have avable requests for several days¡­¡±

    ¡°I will confirm with Tiera just in case. Can you hold onto this until shees back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s alright if shees back soon.¡±

    Nobody else came to ept the request, probably because of the time period. He continued chatting with Celica while holding onto the request. Tiera and Els returned before 10 minutes had passed, and Shin exined the contents of the request.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Then, it¡¯s possible to finish our other task ahead of time.¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t seem to have any problems either. They went out of the guild at once, and went shopping.

    The ingredients were bought while walking along the street crowded with other shoppers. Bread was not a food to keep for a long time like dried meat was, but the strong point of the Item Box was that they could buymon ingredients. Basically, ingredients would not spoil if they were put into the Item Box, and they could buy various kinds of fresh food. Looking at the two people choosing fruits and fresh vegetables, no one would imagine that they were about to go on a long journey after this.

    By the way, the luggage was already ced into Shin¡¯s Item Box, hidden from prying eyes. Still, he didn¡¯t boldly use the Item Box publicly in the middle of the street.

    They also bought the items necessary for the trip, like hooded cloaks, insect repellent and so on.

    The shopping ended after 30 minutes because there was no limit to their luggage. They still had time until noon.

    ¡°The Item Box is too convenient. I have time until the card is done, so what should I do after this?¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t think it would be over this quickly; it was a little anticlimactic.

    ¡°There is a ce I want to go to, is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to go to the orphanage.¡±

    Shin too, was worried about Thoria¡¯s situation over the seat of sessor. Sister Rashia had learned the skill ¡¾Purification¡¿, and although the orphanage inheriting requirement had been cleared, the pig bishop* might have interfered with something when he felt that he was losing. *(T/N: Shin¡¯s naming)

    ¡°Orphanage? Ah, the ce of the person who buys the cake.¡±

    ¡°More of less. I thought of going there, just in case.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m interested in the church¡¯s building too. Let¡¯s go there now.¡±

    They faced toward the church, guided by Shin. Did it look forward to meeting Millie? Yuzuha¡¯s tails moved cheerfully to express a happy spirit on top of Shin¡¯s head.

 Book 3: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    They walked on for several minutes, but the church was still not open and Rashia and Thoria were cleaning the surroundings. When Shin and Tiera entered the church grounds, Rashia, who noticed, ran up to the two people.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it Shin-san! What are you doing today?¡±

    ¡°I came to check up on the situation. How¡¯d the matter in question turn out?¡±

    ¡°Well then, pleasee to the orphanage. Um, that person is?¡±

    ¡°Ah, My name is Tiera. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for not having told you this sooner. I am a sister in this church, and my name is Rashia.¡±

    To Tiera, who introduced herself while feeling a little nervous, Rashia replied with a calm expression. Was there any progress in the talks? Theposure she showed now was not imaginable a few days ago.

    Though Rashia was surprised about Tiera being an employee of Tsuki no Hokora, since that was the case, it was no problem to lead her into the orphanage.

    Shin thought the duties of the church might be dyed, but the church seemed to be closed today. When they arrived at the reception room in the orphanage, Millie was sitting on a sofa for some reason.

    ¡°Shin-nii!¡±

    When she realized that it was Shin who entered after Rashia and Tiera, she jumped vigorously. Seeing the state of the girl who was clinging to him with a smile, Shin expected the transfer problem to have been settled.

    ¡°Yo, you seem to be happy.¡±

    ¡°The orphanage was not lost! Shin¡¯s help. Thank you!¡±

    She seemed to be in a very good mood as her feelings, which wereing out, were reflected on her expression. For Millie, the possibility of the orphanage possibly being lost would be a big problem.

    Shin waited for Millie to settle down and then sat on the sofa, as he had decided to hear the whole story after Tiera had introduced herself again.

    ¡°Thanks to Shin-san it was settled that I would take charge of this church as the next priestess without any problems. The official announcement has not yet been publicized, but I think it will be alright unless something extreme happens.¡±

    The priest, who lives in the upper level district where the nobles live, came to the Orphanage a little while ago; he had to confirm whether or not Rashia¡¯s skill acquisition was authentic.

    When she was asked how she acquired the skill, she answered that it was the result of training. In fact, because the priest seemed to remember that it was possible to learn skills through training, she didn¡¯t appear to be doubted in particr.

    ¡°The children were pleased, too. Really, how can I thank you enough??¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already received the promised reward, please don¡¯t worry about it too much. Ah, this is a present.¡±

    Because he was worried that she would worry about it too much, he changed the topic by handing over the presents to Thoria. In the middle of shopping, they bought them from a peddler due to its unquestionable quality, though the peddler was surprised because Shin purchased said present inrge quantities.

    ¡°Is it alright with this many?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve already bought them, I¡¯d feel rather troubled if they didn¡¯t get epted. Look, Millie has already taken one.¡±

    Thoria, who reserved herself, was won over, while Millie, who was sitting and pressing Yuzuha to her chest, opened one of the bags filled with candy. When Millie took out an orange candy from it, she put in her mouth without hesitating.

    ¡°Sweeet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±

    Millie¡¯s smile made everyone around her also smile.

    When the reception room calmed down, the sound of a door opening was audible.

    ¡°Sensei, is that true that onii-chan hase?¡±

    The one who appeared from the door was the girl who mobbed Yuzuha when Shin came to visit before.

    ¡°That¡¯s no good, Melka. Because I¡¯m busy right now.¡±

    ¡°Ehh, but I want to y with onii-chan~¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m having an important talk now. I¡¯ll y with you next time.¡±

    ¡°Muuuu, then can onee-chan, y?¡±

    ¡°Eh, me?¡±

    The girl called Melka promptly changed her target to Tiera when she was declined by Shin. Was this because she was together with Shin, or was it women¡¯s intuition? For the little girl, it seemed like Tiera was judged to be a person whom she didn¡¯t need to be cautious around. She had already caught the hem of Tiera¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Um, because it¡¯s my first timeing today, I don¡¯t know the games well¡­¡±

    ¡°y?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    Looking at Melka staring at Tiera, Shin, while smiling wryly, thought ¡°Can¡¯t refuse that.¡± With a lisping voice, and upturned eyes, thisbo from the little girl required immense willpower to decline. She might be cunning depending on the person, but Tiera, who rarely came into contact with children, shouldn¡¯t be able to resist her.

    ¡°Millie,e y too.¡±

    ¡°S-Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°T-Traitor~¡±

    Tiera called for help from Shin, but she was taken away by Melka along with Millie after all. Was she unable to just watch anymore? Thoria too followed them to save her.

    ¡°Umm, will it be fine?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe.¡±

    Rashia answered as if it was not necessary to stop it. Though it was another matter if it was something good or bad for Tiera, Shin thought it would be a good experience for her to y with children.

    ¡°By the way, Wilhelm is¡­?¡±

    ¡°As usual, he went to investigate the bishop in question. It¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯s going to leave it as it is.¡±

    ¡°As expected, he understands it well.¡±

    As an adventurering from the orphanage, Wilhelm seemed to gather information in cooperation with fellow adventurers. This way, Shin thought it was improbable for this fellow to be obediently lead by the hand.

    ¡°Shin-san also thought the same as Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Though I don¡¯t know why the bishop thought of taking over this church, as far as I know after having heard the story, I don¡¯t think that guy is willing to give up so easily.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯d good if nothing happens.¡±

    ¡° Indeed, that¡¯s right. Please hand this to Thoria and Millie just in case though.¡±

    Shin took out 2 small essories from the Item Box and handed them over to Rashia. One of them was simr to the bracelet he gave to Rashia before, and the other one was attached to a light green colored string and was a simple wooden ne in the shape of a diamond. If one was to say it in a nice way, it had a handmade feeling, and if one was to say it in a rude way, then it looked crappy.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It grants various magic skills. Just in case.¡±

    He then exined what kind of magics were bestowed upon it to answer Rashia¡¯s question. Because he had already told her about the damage reduction effect of her own bracelet earlier, it was omitted. The ne got the main exnation. Although it had a in appearance, when Rashia heard what kind of material the string and wood were made from, her mind wentpletely nk for a short while. One of the reasons he chose this material was because it wouldn¡¯t stand out among the children in the orphanagepared to if it was a metal ne.

    ¡°What can I say. Just amazing!¡±

    ¡°About Millie¡¯s ne, it has the ability to block her ability. How¡¯s it going with the bracelet I gave you before?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still wearing it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for me to continue borrowing it, but Will asked me to wear it. Though I¡¯m intending to return it in the near future.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine with it as it is. Since the safety of the church isn¡¯t settled yet, there is still the possibility of Rashia bing a target, too. The danger will be minimized if you keep wearing it.¡±

    Rather than the problem of the continuation of the orphanage, the possibility of Rashia being aimed at was high. Therefore, besides the essory for Millie, the bracelets for Rashia and Thoria had considerable abilities, too. They could even stand against a chosen one for a certain period of time.

    ¡°Thank you very much for everything.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to prostrate yourself that much.¡±

    Though she was only half satisfied with the way she had shown her appreciation, the words were stored in her heart.

    ¡°Please have lunch with us at the very least. You still have time, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shall we feast?¡±

    She probably wanted to pay back her feelings of gratitude, even if just a little. He nodded to Rashia about lunch, and they proceeded to the square where the children were.

    Tiera was surrounded by several young girls, maybe ying with dolls, since some beautiful handmade dolls were ced around her. Yuzuha, who was being mobbed earlier, was seeking refuge on top of Tiera¡¯s head. Yuzuha seemed to have learned that no one could touch it when at that location.

    In contrast to the young girls, who were happy and joyful, for some reason, the boys were looking at Tiera¡¯s group from afar. Although the boys seemed to be kicking around a round ball that looked like a ser ball, they nced at the girls too much, especially toward Tiera.

    ¡°The boys are kind of quiet, huh?¡±

    ¡°No no, that¡¯s a normal reaction.¡±

    Shin said while holding hisughter, to Rashia who looked puzzled. She apparently didn¡¯t know why the boys didn¡¯t approach the girls.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°They are probably too embarrassed to approach because of how beautiful Tiera is.¡±

    Though there was a boy who was mixed in with the girls, when Shin looked at him, the boy appeared to be at the age of a child who had just started kindergarten. The boys, who were watching from a distance, were equal to children approaching puberty. When one reached that age, it became difficult to freely talk to an older, beautiful onee-san. That didn¡¯t mean that everyone disyed the same behavior, but Shin, who had simr experiences, understood the feeling of wanting to talk but being too embarrassed to do so.

    ¡°Tiera-san is indeed beautiful, even from my point of view as a woman, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that hard to call out to her.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can understand, because I also experienced simr things as a boy, but it¡¯s not strange if you don¡¯t understand it, Rashia.¡±

    Speaking of simr patterns, there were children in kindergarten who were in love with their teacher, and primary school children who were interested in the onee-san type.

    He had a wry smile when he recalled the good old memories as an adult. The world was different, but simr things seemed to happen everywhere. He told the frowning Rashia not to worry about it, and called out to Tiera who was beckoning him.

    Tiera, who noticed it, kept evading the eyes from the girls that seemed to be reluctant at parting, and came over to Shin.

    ¡°Shi¡«n¡«, how could you abandon me?¡±

    ¡°No, hold on, I just thought that it would be impossible to reject them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ certainly, it was impossible to refuse that. *Sigh* I guess it can¡¯t be helped, huh.¡±

    ¡°Leaving that aside, because I¡¯m treating you to lunch, I want to take out some ingredients. How about it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, since I promised to make Yuzuha-chan some inarisushi, how about I make it for the children of the orphanage as well? May I borrow the kitchen?¡±

    Even though the sun was already high in the sky, there was still enough time. There was no problem if they overstayed a little.

    Tiera also had the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill since it was taught to her by Schnee. The eyes of the children were nailed to the inarisushi which was soon disyed on a te.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re the one who ended up making it, even though it was me who suggested it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, since I¡¯m the one who wanted to do it. Although I said one thing or another, it was fun ying with the children.¡±

    The church seemed to be a ce for a tranquil heart, as there were children who could approach without being timid. Even from Shin¡¯s point of view, he had a feeling that Tiera¡¯s expression had be softer than before.

    Lunch ended and Shin and Tiera wanted to help put things in order, but Rashia¡¯s words of, ¡°I can¡¯t have you do that¡± caused them to excuse themselves.

    They left the church and returned to the guild. Because it was already past noon at that time, Tiera¡¯s guild card should have been made.

    The bar inside of the guild was crowded with adventurers having a meal. They went towards the receptionist area to avoid the crowd, and called out to Celica. Were there few adventurers receiving requests at this time? They were able to talk without even waiting.

    ¡°This is Tiera-sama¡¯s guild card. Please check it.¡±

    ¡°There seems to be no problem. Thank you very much.¡±

    Tiera confirmed the card functions without any problems. Shin also took out his own guild card at this point.

    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, can you please register us as a party.¡±

    ¡°Understood. In regards to the members, there are only two people, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±

    In the case of a fixed party, it seemed that the guild required a party name, but they decided to not do it this time.

    They were seen off by Celica and Els and left the guild. Their destination was the shopping street again.

    This time, they bought preserved foods due to the acquaintances they¡¯d be traveling with on their trip. Because they would be in the presence of others during this trip, the Item Box couldn¡¯t be used lightly. However, since the rations were made into cards and taken along, it didn¡¯t change the quantitypared to the normal preparation for a trip.

    Besides that, it might not even be necessary since there was the remarks column in the request that stated that meals were included, but it was for emergencies. ¡®Save for a rainy day, save for a time of need¡¯ was thought, and they kept shopping.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to go now.¡±

    As they arranged the necessary items they bought, Shin called out to Tiera.

    ¡°Eh, but it¡¯s not time yet.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m taking Tsuki no Hokora with us.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t leave Tsuki no Hokora as it was, before the departure.

    ¡°Ipletely forgot about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good, forgetting about it, at least.¡±

    ¡°I normally wouldn¡¯t think about forgetting a ¡ºHouse¡», you know!¡±

    That was quite natural. It was crazy to think that a ¡ºHouse¡»could be considered a personal property item.

    ¡°S-Sorry. Look, am I not the owner of Tsuki no Hokora? So it¡¯s only natural to think that it could be carried.¡±

    ¡°The old generation is weird after all. Or is Shin particrly strange?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cruel!?¡±

    Tiera voiced the question without hesitation with a teasing smile. While receiving the mental damage, Shin took out a light blue crystal from the Item Box.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºCrystal Stone¡». You¡¯ve never seen one before?¡±

    ¡°That is a Crystal Stone? That one is big and clearly processed, something which I am seeing for the first time right now.¡±

    ¡°This item is bestowed with ¡ºMetastasis¡» magic. I can move to a registered point in an instant if I use it. It a disposable one, but with this we can move to Tsuki no Hokora without any effort.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. The things that Shin pulls out are all unique.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡±

    Did Tiera go beyond being amazed, and arrive at the eptance state? ¡®Shin clearly said that we could move in an instant with the metastasize-crystal.¡¯ .

    There were a lot of mages who have tried to reproduce the magic up till now, but they weren¡¯t able to get even a little foothold on it.

    This mystery, among the secrets of the old generation, was assumed to have already been lost.

    No one would be able to expect things would came out from said item with a pop.

    ¡°Shin, I want to check one thing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ok, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, just maybe¡­is it possible to manufacture this?¡±

    Tiera had glossy eyes. It waspletely different from the mood from a while ago, and Shin couldn¡¯t hide his bewilderment.

    Still, he understood that the item he took out appeared to be the stuff that defiedmon sense, again.

    ¡°Please tell me, before I answer your question, but what would others think about a Crystal Stone with the metastasis ability?¡±

    ¡°¡­Metastasis, itself, is considered a lost magic.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin understood with those words. If that was the case, he could see why Tiera would be surprised. Even from Shin¡¯s experience so far, the Crystal Stone was thought to be quite valuable.

    But he frankly found the ¡®lost¡¯ part in Tiera¡¯s sentence hard to believe. He was certain that it could have been spread out to the general public, but it seemed like such a thing was likely to have been concealed. It would not be surprising, if even the country and the organization were secretly covering it up.

    ¡°Then I will also answer, yes, it¡¯s possible to manufacture it. If, and only if, you have sufficient materials.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sigh, I guess so. For one of Rokuten, a Crystal Stone with metastasis is easy to make, huh?¡±

    As she settled with a sigh, Tiera too, seemed to begin to understand what sort of people belonged to the Rokuten guild.

    ¡°Ahh, though it seems bad when you are dispirited, may I transfer us now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do it.¡±

    He took the defiant Tiera to an open ce with no signs of life. Together with Schnee, he had confirmed that it was usable without problems. It was possible to use it soon after having woken up in this world, but he would rather not take the risk. Unlike other tools, it was unknown what would happen if it failed, so he couldn¡¯t bring himself to use that item.

    When Shin let magic power flow into the Crystal Stone to act as a detonator, the magic stored inside the stone activated itself. Their vision distorted, and shelves that lined up with goods came into view in the next moment.

    The two people were certainly in Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°T-That¡¯s a strange feeling. And, how are you going to carry this ce?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside for a moment. Then we can start on that conversation.¡±

    Shin went toward the door as he mumbled a bit. Because Shin turned his back, Tiera didn¡¯t see that Shin¡¯s mouth continued moving.

    It was the familiar woods outside of the store as they exited it. Shin nced around as he surveyed the surrounding area.

    There was a green marker which was not there when he came to Tsuki no Hokora before, glowing on the map screen.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rat. I think it¡¯s time to tease that guy a little.¡±

    Shin said that while looking at the trees or at the rat? Tiera had a question mark floating above her head. Though she wanted to retort that he might be looking for a rat in the wrong ce, the opponent was Shin. Common sense wouldn¡¯t work anyway, so Tiera stopped questioning it.

    Shin finished the preparation, stopped talking to himself, and held up his hand toward Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°¡ºStorage¡»!¡±

    Simultaneously with those words, Tsuki no Hokora began to glow faintly. The light extended out to cover the whole store, and in the next moment, the lights were converging into a single point.

    It stayed in the air for only a few seconds and then slowly flew and settled in Shin¡¯s hand afterward. When the light disappeared, a ne with a crescent moon shape was grasped in his hand. It shined silver and seemed to be more valuable than its poor artwork showed. The transparent glow was proof that it was not ordinary silverwork.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is Tsuki no Hokora, carry mode.¡±

    ¡°You really can carry it! As expected.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s doubt was answered while he put the ne away into the Item Box.

    Did she tire of getting surprised? Or did she grow ustomed to it? Tiera¡¯s words contained pure admiration.

    There was no reason to stay forever in a ce that had gone, although Tiera looked at the ce where the former Tsuki no Hokora was for a while, so they decided to head toward the departure ce on the request. It was just the right time. Shin knew this because of the time disyed in the menu screen. Furthermore, it was because he was wearing a wristwatch-like item.

    The other two possible applicants had already arrived. Because of that, he nned to have a conversation for a little while. They would participate in the same request for some period of time, so there was no loss in deepening their friendship.

    When they entered the country in the direction of the east gate from the Tsuki no Hokora site, in a corner of the za before the east gate was where the departure point was located, the wagon upon which the luggage was already loaded had arrived. A group of two people who appeared to be a Dragnil and Lord race were standing on the side.

    ¡°Excuse me, this is Nack-san¡¯s wagon, correct?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s right¡­Oh, both of you adventurers are joining us, right?¡±

    It was the Dragnil who responded. Probably because he had thought words simr prior to joining, they served as confirmation and he therefore called out to him. The blue scales that were covering its whole body gave out a really strong impression. Judging from the deep voice, it was probably a male. The longsword on his waist and the chest protector were made with some kind of skin that stood out. If he didn¡¯t put on that much protective gear, he was probably the type who yed around with speed. Or maybe, he probably didn¡¯t need much protective gear because the scales were hard enough?

    ¡°Yes, we will be going together, although it¡¯s sudden. By the way, I¡¯m Shin. This here is Tiera who is made a party with me.¡±

    ¡°I am Tiera. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    ¡°Yea, my name is Gaien. It is my pleasure to get along with you along the journey. And this one here is¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Tsubaki, best regards¡±

    The one who had introduced herself with a few words was a girl with crimson hair that reached her back along with red eyes. The red eyes, which were transparent in contrast to the hair which was darker in color, were observing Shin and Tiera.

    Her height was considered short. At least one fist lower than Tiera. Probably about 150 cemels. Though the features were in order, it would not be strange if someone said that she was a high school student only by appearance. However, he had a painful experience because of judging from appearances in the THE NEW GATE.

    Since she could work as an adventurer, he judged that they wouldn¡¯t have any problems. He was positive that she should at least have an E rank ability.

    Gaien¡¯s level was 187, and Tsubaki¡¯s level was 133. If one judged it only by the level, Gaien might be an A-rank adventurer. The sword on his waist didn¡¯t seem to be for decoration.

    As for Tsubaki, her level already exceeded rank E.

    ¡°Oh! Did additional faces appear? I am Nack the merchant. I hope we get along until Beirun!¡±

    When they introduced themselves to each other, a dwarf showed up from the shadow of the wagon and started talking. Apparently, this person seemed to be the client of the request. The muscr body which differed from the usual Dwarf, was wrapped in well-tailored clothes, which gave off the feeling that something was wrong. They properly exchanged greetings, and boarded the wagon in order.

    ¡°Everyone has gotten aboard. It¡¯s a little early, but let¡¯s depart!¡±

    Nack¡¯s voice was cheerful while the whip sh was heard from the driver seat, and the wagon started to move slowly.

    As the wagon with 5 people passed through the east gate, it began to advance straight north, to Beirun.

    Afterwards, the news of the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora made the higher-ups of Bayreuth Kingdom arrive at the pinnacle of the confusion. It would be a story for the future before Shin and the others knew it.

    ~~

    The disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.

    That information was not only known to the upper echelon of the Bayreuth Kingdom, but it was spread out even to the other countries, which were monitoring Tsuki no Hokora, in a sh.

    Initially, everyone had to confirm whether it was a mistake. For more than 500 years, preceding the Dusk of the Majesty, the immovable building existed without change. People couldn¡¯t invade it no matter how powerful they were, it didn¡¯t permit any high-level monsters to invade, not even a single step. It was the secret shop that was made with lost technology, that was Tsuki no Hokora. When it was said to have disappeared, it was impossible to believe it so easily.

    However, after verifying it many times, the only answer was: ¡°No doubt about it¡±. The side that received the report was still good. At the actual scene, the shock of the people seeing Tsuki no Hokora vanish before their eyes, was also indirectly affecting the superior who heard the news from far away. At this point, a strange situation urred, where the spies who monitored Tsuki no Hokora revealed themselves in broad daylight, and ascertained each other whether the scene they just saw was true.

    ¡°What the heck just happened!?¡±

    It was their superior who was shouting.

    It was noisy in a corner inside a castle.

    They had gathered in a meeting room, talking about the important matter at hand. Although they were roused up from bed before the first sunshine appeared on the horizon, nock of sleep appeared on their faces. To begin with, there was no such margin for that, except one part.

    ¡°Well then, there is no mistake in that report after all?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡±

    The one who asked from that ce, where the head of the table sat, was the King of Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth. With blond hair, blue eyes, and 2 mels of height covered with muscles; this person had the body of a warrior.

    By all means, it was a splendid king who d himself with dignity as the ruler of his body, but it wasn¡¯t going so well today. The agony-d expression on Jeon face made even the prime minister worry about whether they should continue answering his questions or not. This time, it was not just a problem for Bayreuth Kingdom. Let alone the neighboring countries, an inquiry would surelye from the Empire and Imperial if they did a bad job.

    ¡°Tsuki no Hokora¡­Disappeared¡­huh?¡±

    Everyone who gathered had a darkplexion.

    The one who was, more or less, better off was the first princess, the royal magician. Jeon saw the report while knowing that it would not change no matter how many times he read it. Here was the summary.

    ¨CReport About the Disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora¨C

    Fourth month, second day.

    At the sound of the 12th bell, that indicated it was noon, all of sudden the Tsuki no Hokora begin to emit light.

    After a few seconds, when the light settled, Tsuki no Hokora was already gone.

    The spies for each nation were confused about the sudden urrence, too.

    This caused the situation where we mutually contacted each other.

    There was no reaction from the skill detection system, though we did investigate the hollowed-out mark left in the ground.

    Again, there was no sign of anything happening in the surroundings either.

    The whole urrence was aplete mystery.

    The people who were assigned to the monitoring job jotted down the details of what they saw in the report. It was written as detailed as possible, even though the amount of sentences were few. It was not possible to report it any further, as they didn¡¯t have much information.

    The spies of the other countries in the vicinity whom they exchanged information with and of whom they should be wary of, understood the disordered state of the site well. It was that crazy.

    However, they didn¡¯t want to go back without understanding anything. Even though Tsuki no Hokora did not belong to Bayreuth Kingdom, it was almost next to them. They took pride in having a more intimate rtion with the shop than any other country.

    ¡°Do you know what happened to Raizar-dono?¡±

    ¡°No, however the second princess, Rionne-sama has reported that she came into contact with her in the Wraith ins. Because of the considerable distance, it is the only ce to think of when Tsuki no Hokora disappeared.¡±

    ¡°I see. There¡¯s no mistake if Rionne said so, but¡­as long as Raizar-dono does not have some problem, she will at least show up for the distribution of the spoils of war several dayster, because if Raizar-dono is healthy, it should spread to the many countries.¡±

    Even if Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, if Schnee Raizar was alive and well, it should not be a lethal problem. The important one was not the building, but the person who lived there.

    ¡°Tell Rionne that when Raizar-dono appears, she is to report it with Mind Chat immediately. That¡¯s an order!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    He passed on an order to one of the soldiers who was standing guard, and left. There were a few of the old generation who served the king, and every one of them was currently in the midst of gathering information by Mind Chat. Jeon had to change his n, as there was no other way, even though it put a strain on his informationwork.

    And then, because the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora had never happened before, he ordered an investigation.

    ~~

    Let¡¯s rewind back the time a little to the previous day.

    While Shin and the others who left the kingdom were jolted about in a wagon, they confirmed each other¡¯s hands. They confirmed what they were able to do and what they couldn¡¯t do, because it might cause a dy in judgement in the case of an emergency. It was mainly confirming each others job and rank, also whether having the ability to use magic or not. The level and way of fighting could be understood roughly with this. Since there was the danger of revealing level and trump cards during the first meeting, it might be concealed somehow or another.

    ¡°As you can see, I am a samurai. Adventurer rank is A. I can use charms to some extent, but I don¡¯t not want to rely on it very much.¡± (T/N: Gaien uses ¡°sessha¡± to refer to himself)

    It was Gaien who gave information about himself first. It seemed he was an A-rank adventurer after all. His equipment itself was unrted to his job. So when he said ¡°As you can see¡± with his current state of not wearing a kimono, no one could have guessed it without ¡¾Analyze¡¿. Samurai was a vanguard job, it was natural that they didn¡¯t use much magic as they didn¡¯t get an upation bonus for that. As for expecting a proper magic attack, the rear guard jobs that get an upation bonus (in INT/WIS)monly used those.

    ¡°I am a fist fighter. Rank is E. I can use a little support magic to raise agility.¡±

    The next one who opened her mouth was Tsubaki. Her level seemed to be befitting of a rank D, but it appeared that she had only newly joined the guild. Incidentally, he was told that she was going to be rank D very soon.

    ¡°I am more or less an alchemist, but I can use a bow and dagger¡­if I have to¡­ I just registered to be an adventurer, so my rank is G. I can use water and wind magic arts and create simple recovery medicines, if necessary, please call out to me¡­¡±

    Tiera, who almost spoke in formal lines, did so partly because it was their first meeting. Though it was a great difference from when she met Shin in Tsuki no Hokora for the first time.

    It was Gaien who suggested first to speak casually, so they didn¡¯t have to pay attention to their wording. Since they had to entrust their lives to each other, and there was no objections, which lead to the present.

    Even though she was worried about having a low-level and rank, her recovery medicine was reassuring, Gaien and Tsubaki encouraged Tiera who was feeling a little small.

    In reality, it was very difficult to consume a potion during a battle. Though the story was different when there are a lot of people, there were many situations where there was only a little bit of time when hunting a dangerous monster. For the few adventurers who fight regrly, having an ally who could cast recovery magic could make a big difference in the survival rate.

    ¡°I am simr to Gaien, a samurai. Rank E. I can use a little fire and lightning magic. And this is Yuzuha. Even though it might appear this way, this is an excellent monster.¡±

    Shin told them about himself and Yuzuha. Including Tiera, he didn¡¯t forget to inform them that they did a guarding-type job for the first time, too. This was because experience could be the factor which makes the difference between life or death. He was not asked for his level this time, but if he was, he ought to pretend that it was low. Because he didn¡¯t know what surprise it would cause, if he carelessly said that his level exceeded 200. When one thinks of Shin¡¯s age, it was indeed too abnormal.

    Just in case, he had already arranged beforehand to tell the same story as Tiera. Of course, he had already forbidden Celica, who knew the circumstances, from speaking about it, too.

    For Yuzuha, he talked about it being contracted by the tamer contract, and informed them that there was no danger.

    ¡°Oh, you can use magic while being a samurai, huh? I didn¡¯t hear about it in detail, but it seemed that doing so requires extraordinary training. It is also unusual to have tamed a monster.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. I¡¯d be troubled if you expect me to be at the magician level. I only use it for diversions and surprise attacks to a certain degree. Yuzuha, by the way, is unexpectedly strong, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Although these diversions were a far cry from the instant kills he could produce if he was serious, it seemed to be moderate for a rank E.

    Since for a vanguard to use magic was enough, Gaien and Tsubaki should not have high expectations, like magician level, either.

    ¡°Are you peopleing from Hinomoto?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not, but why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Almost all people from Hinomoto are samurais. This is the first time that I¡¯ve met a samurai other than Gaien.¡±

    Shin looked puzzled at Tsubaki¡¯s question, but understood it after hearing the reason. Even though Shin had also collected information via the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ and¡¾Listen¡¿skills, finding a person who had the samurai job was nearly impossible. That was probably why Tsubaki said that it was unusual. But, it didn¡¯t mean that Shin had never seen one. When he was walking toward the guild for the first time, the Dragnil he saw wearing a long sword at his waist was actually Gaien.

    ¡°Usually it is a warrior or knight one sees in this country. And then there is the job specialization. A lot of the people who are aiming to be a samurai are oddballs.¡±

    ¡°Oddballs!? That¡¯s absurd¡­ because it is a job that is excellent for raids¡­¡±

    In a basic strategy, it is a hit and run job that deals out a heavy blow while ying around with speed, but the samurai could also tank if equipped with warrior armor.

    The job that was popr in the game era regardless of generation seems to be different in this world.

    ¡°That is probably because the prerequisite is the necessity to master both the knight and berserker jobs.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±

    Shin consented to Gaien after hearing the reason.

    In the game specification, one needed to have two jobs, knight and berserker, to be a samurai. The requirements seemed to be identical in this world.

    On one hand, a knight put emphasis on defence, and on the other hand, a berserker put emphasis on attack. Mastering two contradicting jobs was the reason that samurai were known to be able fight versatile. That was the reason a samurai was easy to use. Although there was highpensation, Tsubaki seemingly found it difficult to understand somehow or other.

    ¡°I understand it, but to put it bluntly, it¡¯s strong?¡±

    ¡°I agree on that point, but it¡¯s strange after all.¡±

    Then Gaien interrupted the conversing Tsubaki and Shin.

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s the difference in cultures. Hinomoto is an ind country that was formed by a natural disaster. There are some bases of the guild where people with jobs like samurai and shinobi gathered at that time. Those people yed a key role and made it possible for the country to be established. For that reason, the people who now use their body to fight for Hinomoto have a strong admiration for samurai. The country is regarded as a curiosity, even though it is quite smallpared to the countries on the continent, so only a few peoplee near it. I, personally, was often puzzled in various ways after I left the ind.¡±

    The guild that Gaien talked about appeared to be different from the current adventurers¡¯ guild. Hearing the story, it seemed to be the one from the game age.

    Shin felt like it was too good to be true when he heard about an ind country filled with samurai.

    ¡°By the way, what are the names of the guilds that founded the country?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what is generally known as their pursuit of natural beauty, the ¡®Dark Child Shrine¡¯.¡±

    ¡°H-Heh, it that so?¡±

    Shin showed understanding with an ¡®I see¡¯, without putting it into words.

    The guild that Gaien mentioned, with a Japanese style name, represented by samurai and shinobi, was formed by people who liked the Japanese clothes, such as the shrine maiden clothing. In that guild, the samurai, shinobi, and miko(shrine maiden), ordered sequentially by the highest number, werepeting for power. The guild house was a castle, needless to say a Shinto shrine, and consisted of many entric yers. Because the armed forces that protected the guild house consisted of only support characters, they might have been able to repel monsters even if the yers disappeared. Shin thought that if they cooperated, they should have the ability to govern a small country.

    ¡°In addition, there seemed to be some small guilds, too, but I don¡¯t remember it well.¡±

    ¡°I understand it well, thank you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know that the country had originally been a guild in the game era. Possibly, there might be a lot of surprises there.

    ~~

    They exchanged various information while being jolted around in the wagon for a few days. The party advanced smoothly without being attacked by monsters, and because it was a Grimm horse, a demon beast, that pulled the wagon, their speed was twice as fast as normal. By the way, this Grimm horse was the one that Shin saw at the gate, when he had visited Bayreuth for the first time. The Tamer, who he caught a glimpse of when entering the gate at that time, was Nack who was doing this request. A merchant with the sub-job Tamer could pull a wagon in the same way as yers did in the game era.

    Shin and the others decided to take turns watching the surrounding, and those who could take the position of coachman took over for Nack alternately as they continued traveling.

    It was when Nack had just taken his turn to be the coachman that the sign for enemies was disyed in Shin¡¯s perception range.

    ¡°Something ising. And it¡¯s fast.¡±

    ¡°What? Tell me in detail.¡±

    ¡°There are 12 bodies ahead. Judging from the number and speed, it might be a wolf pack, but¡­¡±

    Though Shin knew the full details, he simply told them some spection, because it would be troublesome if he told them too much.

    ¡°That alone is plenty of notice. You guys! It¡¯s time to work!¡±

    When Nack heard about the situation from Shin, he immediately raised his loud voice, before Shin had finished talking. As expected from a former adventurer, his courage resounded through the air. It was so loud that if a person was asleep, they would jump up to their feet. However, his words sounded more like that of a bandit than a merchant.

    When his voice rose, Gaien and Tsubaki were already finished preparing. Tiera too was holding her bow, and confirming the quiver position. Apparently Gaien had also perceived the signs.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wolf group as Shin said. I¡¯m worried about there being no movement from the 2 animals at the rear, but first, let¡¯s take care of the 10 animals in the lead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking the same thing. If they are willing to approach a Grimm horse pulling a wagon, then I know that they are not ordinary beasts.¡±

    Shin, who heard Gaien and Nack exchange opinions, looked at the monsters¡¯ details that wereing up.

    The monsters¡¯ name was Jag Wolf. It was twice as big as a normal wolf, an extremely aggressive monster. Their movement speed was in a different leaguepared to ordinary wolves. Ten of them wereing toward Shin and the others. Their average level was around 100, with one of them at level 120. This one was probably the leader of the pack. As for the two that were staying behind, their level didn¡¯t even reach level 10. They might have been left behind because of the danger.

    3 out of 10 Jag Wolves went ahead of the pack. The rest of them divided into two to go to the right and left, scattering between the trees sessively, while the leading three, including the leader, were getting closer approaching.

    The road where the wagon was on right now was caught within in the forest. They seemed to intend to perform a surprise attack using the forest as cover. Gaien appeared to grasp the position of the approaching enemy, immediately deciding the arrangement without Shin having to suggest it.

    ¡°Split into the left and right. I will hold the front. Shin to the right, Tsubaki to the left. Tiera, give support from the top of the wagon. Nack-dono, stay near the horse. I think it won¡¯t go wild if a tamer is nearby.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no turning back in this situation. Come on!!¡±

    Nack stopped the wagon at a rtively wide section, and each of them was given a position to hold. Yuzuha stayed beside the Grimm horse, just in case.

    ¡°Here we go!!¡±

    Gaien¡¯s shout was the signal as the three leading wolves showed movement. The center one sprang forward from the front and the remaining two went to his left and right.

    Gaien, with a longsword in his right hand and the sheath in his left, charged to the front.

    ¡°Nuun!!¡±

    Something like a light blue aura covered Gaien¡¯s body as the Jag Wolf approached, flicking away therge beast.

    Dyed with a short pause, the other two Jag Wolves approached. Without Gaien panicking, he sliced at the jaw of the beast on the right by brandishing arge swing and jumped to his left, where the one on that side received a hit on its mouth and thereby silenced.

    The remaining Jag Wolf, which had been pushed off, saw itspanions get defeated in an instant, and was disheartened.

    ¡°Mu, it¡¯s somewhat easy.¡±

    He scowled at the lightness of the resistance, but he didn¡¯t need to go all out if the opponent was weak, so Gaien concentrated his attention on the approaching leader.

    ¡°As expected. By the way, there are someing here, too.¡±

    ¡°The left side is quick. Do you see it from above?¡±

    To Shin¡¯s warning, which perceived the Jag Wolf approaching from the forest, Tsubaki answered and asked Tiera.

    ¡°I caught it!¡±

    Tiera was already aiming at the fastest one and shot the arrow into the forest.

    A howl of pain was heard from the point that the arrownded at, and one of the markers disyed on Shin¡¯s map disappeared.

    ¡°Did you actually kill it?¡±

    As Tiera was relieved, Tsubaki voiced some admiration.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    Shin thought she couldn¡¯t kill it in one shot when he thought about the level differences, but the Jag Wolf seemed to have run out of energy unexpectedly. It might have hit a vital point.

    Was it because they received an unexpected counterattack on the left side? The Jag Wolves turned back to where the leader was.

    ¡°It went back, huh? Tsubaki, please go support Gaien. Tiera and I are enough to hold this position.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    As Tsubaki moved ording to Shin¡¯s instruction, a Jag Wolf jumped out from the forest on the right. The w attack of the Jag Wolf passed through next to Shin, and moved toward where Nack was. The attack towards Shin appeared to have been a feint.

    But, it was too careless to have thought that it was able to outwit Shin to that degree.

    Shin twisted his body to dodge the Jag wolf¡¯s w and at the same time, pulled out a katana to parry. The one he pulled out from the scabbard hanging at his waist was the longsword katana which he had forged in Tsuki no Hokora before. A single attack from a sword that was at a simr level to an average Magic Sword; it traced a white line in the air and the Jag Wolf¡¯s neck was cut into two.

    As the body fell over, Shin thought that his physical ability rose proportional to his kic vision, but he only had time to observe the Jag Wolf. And then he felt that something was wrong.

    While thinking about the source of that ufortable feeling, Shin perceived another Jag Wolf approaching. The Jag Wolf probably didn¡¯t want to waste an ally¡¯s sacrifice, as its fangs were already out when Shin turned his eyes. It was at a close enough of a distance for Shin to quickly counterattack with his sword.

    But an arrow pierced the forehead of the Jag Wolf before he could swing the katana. Seeing the wolf receive a mortal wound, Shin dodged with a sway as the Jag Wolf fell past him due to the momentum from its leap, and then he turned toward Tiera.

    ¡°Nice follow-up!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nice, geez.¡±

    Tiera, who shot the arrow, breathed out as she was relieved, and nocked the next arrow.

    Instant sniping was quite a sight to behold. No matter how one looked at it, that was not a move a newly fledged adventurer should know. Schnee training her was really not just for show.

    ¡°If you can do that kind of movement, you would have no problem at rank E. Go cover the other side quickly!¡±

    ¡°Tsubaki also said something simr. Well, I got it.¡±

    They shifted their attention forward as Gaien and Tsubaki fought against five of the wolves, including the leader. Did Tsubaki use magic to raise her agility, as she mentioned earlier? Her body was enveloped with a thin white aura while she was trifling with the Jag Wolves.

    ¡°Haa!!¡±

    One of the wolves was unable to keep up with her pace and received a direct hit from her fist and vanished.

    Tsubaki¡¯s radiant blunt gauntlet sunk into its body, and it was thrown off at the tree while bending back and forth, without moving. It was a scene that would make one question where that power came from, with such a thin arm.

    Tsubaki¡¯s level was 133. There was nearly a 30 level differencepared to the Jag Wolf; even so, she gave off a feeling of power.

    ¡°This is strange. These fellows¡¯ movements are rather slow.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Their reactions are pretty mild.¡±

    Tsubaki and Gaien

    While Gaien muttered that while throwing an enemy down into the ground, Tsubaki also agreed. Apparently everyone seemed to have felt that something was wrong.

    Shin joined in and it became 3 against the remaining 3 members of the pack, including the leader. They didn¡¯t show any behavior of turning their backs at all. Normally, they should have already tried to run away.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t these fellows look a bit thin?¡±

    Shin said as he noticed it when the other two people spoke of a sense of incongruity. The Jag Wolf appeared to show its ribs if one looked closely, even the leader as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s like the demon essence affected these monsters somehow or another. They probably aimed for the Grimm horse because of its meat and demon essence. That certainly exins theck of resistance I felt a while ago.¡±

    Gaien nodded when he understood it, without dropping his guard against the Jag Wolf.

    There were monsters that were born from the demon essence¡¯s influence, and wild beasts that became monsters due to the demon essence. The former could live on demon essence alone, but thetter was different. They had to eat meat and could not just absorb demon essence to maintain their bodies. The majority of thesetter types often attacked people and domestic animals, but it didn¡¯t get much public attention, because the former have such a strong demon essence. Gaien exined the situation on the way. As for Shin, since he didn¡¯t remember in detail how the monsters spawned during the game, he memorized it for future reference.

    ¡°It is prepared for death as there¡¯s nowhere for it to go.¡±

    Tsubaki said it inly. Even for the monsters in this world, they had to be strong to exist. Before the rule of the survival of the fittest, all living things were equal. There was no line dividing the humans and monsters here.

    It must be remembered that Shin¡¯s and the others¡¯ request was to guard the wagon. If it ran away, they would not chase after the wolf, but they could not help but kill it if it continued to attack.

    The choices left for the Jag Wolves was either to die starving or to die fighting.

    ¡°We are also risking our life for this. Shin, it¡¯s useless to hold back.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin answered him briefly, as this was not the first time he fought a monster to live.

    However, he had never met such a desperate opponent prior to this time.

    (The resolution is different from the previous guys. Though that¡¯s the only difference, it couldn¡¯t have done that so easily.)

    It was not about challenging a strong opponent, nor the hunt or fight.

    It fought to live.

    To the extent that the pressure they received was remarkably different.

    (Moreover, the two of them that are behind it are still pups.)

    The two that were approaching little by little were still children with the shapes of puppies.

    Was it because he was a Japanese person, that his de was getting blunt?

    ¡°I will kill the leader. Tsubaki on the right, Shin on the left.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­let¡¯s go!!¡±

    The timing was matched to each other.

    Tsubaki and Shin were the first to begin.

    Tsubaki stepped into the fight with her aura continuing as it was. Judging from the Jag Wolf¡¯s point of view, it felt like there was a chance of being cut down if it blinked. To the opponent, which froze by reflex, Tsubaki swung down her fist without mercy.

    The Jag Wolf mmed into the ground with a cracking sound, and then twitched a few times before it stopped moving.

    Shin also took a stance and raising his sword above his head, stepped in with a speed superior to Tsubaki¡¯s. The katana swung down as he stepped forward. The Jag Wolf didn¡¯t move. No, it was not possible for it to move.

    At the same time as the arc in the air disappeared, its body slipped diagonally. The eyes of the Jag Wolf blinked a few times as it turned toward Shin. It might not even have noticed the cut.

    ¡°Then after you.¡±

    ¡°Umu, agreed.¡±

    Gaien stepped forward between Shin and Tsubaki. The reason why the leader didn¡¯t attack Shin and Tsubaki was because Gaien had overpowered it.

    There was no longer a chance of winning. Still, the Jag Wolf leader didn¡¯t back down. It raised a short howl and put its strength into its limb. Its intention to live was straightforward. Even if he thought it was hopeless, Shin felt a sense of respect for that figure.

    The leader exerted its power for a few seconds. In itsst dash, it squeezed out all of its strength, aiming at Gaien. The speed was as expected from the alpha of a pack; powerful.

    ¡°Magnificent.¡±

    It was Gaien who spoke words of praise. He prepared his longsword while facing the oing leader.

    For the leader, which was approaching straight, Gaien moved calmly. The figure of Gaien wavering, with his feet side-stepping.

    The moment of their sh. In the next moment, along with Gaien¡¯s swung down sword, there was the figure of the leader split in two.

    While waving the blood off of his de, Gaien turned his eyes toward thest, small Jag Wolves ahead.

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    How would a person of this world make such a decision at this time. To find out the answer to that question, Shin called out to Gaien.

    ¡°I will kill them if they attack, but I won¡¯t give chase if they decide to leave. Our work is to guard, not to hunt monsters. In any case, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s possible for those two children to survive on their own.¡±

    In case they survived, they might get attacked by someone else. However, that was for another story. If they appeared outside a vige in this world, it was amon sense to employ a bodyguard or to learn some self-defense. They might get attacked by other monsters or even by bandits in either case. Even if they killed the Jag Wolf children here, the possibility of someone else attacking the wagon, as well as themselves, didn¡¯t decrease.

    The children might have understood that their parents had died. They disappeared into the forest to escape.

    ¡°Somehow, it leaves a bad aftertaste in the mouth.¡±

    ¡°It was different from a fight againstmon monsters, huh.¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s words.

    ¡°I share your sympathy. I¡¯ve never experienced such a fight before.¡±

    Gaien consented.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not good to mind it too much either.¡±

    What Tsubaki said was right; if they worried about it too much and thereby let it dull their des, apanion might be sacrificed next. They had to be practical.

    ¡°Is it over? Then let¡¯s hurry up and leave.¡±

    Nack, who was near the Grimm horse, called out to the four people. As expected from an elderly former adventurer, he changed gears quickly. He was not shaken to see the scene from a little while ago either.

    ¡°Still, for them not to eat to get thinner, there must be something in the forest, right?¡±

    Gaien then answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can add. Jag Wolves are smart monsters. It¡¯s hard to think that they failed at hunting until they reached such a condition.¡±

    ¡°Even if the food supply diminished?¡±

    ¡°These guys also eat goblins. It unreasonable to think that the goblins were swept away, right?¡±

    ¡°I agree. If one of them was found, 30 of them woulde out.¡±

    Tsubaki said it in a way that was like saying a G* was lurking in the house. After all, the goblins¡¯ reproductive power didn¡¯t seem to have changed, just like in the game era. (E/N: G = cockroaches, ¡®cause Goblins are like cockroaches)

    ¡°I heard a story that said Skull Faces were appearing inrge numbers in the Wraith ins. Wouldn¡¯t that have an influence?¡±

    When Tsubaki said that, Shin opened his mouth as he suddenly remembered.

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, I overheard that all high-rank adventurers are away the guild, wasn¡¯t there something like arge-scale request?¡±

    ¡°That matter, huh? At that time, I was going to go home for a few days before, at Bayreuth¡¯s southern town with Tsubaki. So I didn¡¯t participate there.¡±

    Then Tiera secretly whispered into Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°(Hey Shin)¡±

    ¡°(What¡¯s the matter?)¡±

    ¡°(The Skull Faces, was that the request that came to master?¡±

    ¡°(Yes, those fellows were quite strong. That might be the cause.)¡±

    There was the possibility that their territory was overflowing with Skull Faces.

    ¡°Either way, we don¡¯t know the reason. It¡¯s useless even if we think about it. So I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡±

    Doing things at her own pace, Tsubaki said that and put on her overcoat. It was typical for adventurers to be able to sleep in a shaking wagon. Because there were shifts between being coachman and standing guard, it was an important duty to rest while one can.

    ¡°It¡¯s as Tsubaki said. There¡¯s not enough information even if we think about it. Since that took a significant amount of time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. For the time being, should I do maintenance on our weapons? What are you going to do, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s my turn soon, I will be at the coachman box.¡±

    When Tiera said so, she exited the canopy, and moved next to Nack.

    ording to Schnee, Tiera learned most of the necessary skills for an adventurer, so she could take the role of coachman without any problems. Rather, it was Shin who didn¡¯t have the experience. That was because a horse could advance without him having to guide it when he set the direction in the game, so he was not used to doing such things.

    ¡°What adventurer can¡¯t drive a wagon? Even a young woman can do it.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Even though they were just simple words, what Nack said made him feel a little down.

 Book 3: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    Afterwards, they advanced without another incident and went toward Beirun while camping. They had to take a detour around the forest surrounding the Wraith ins, not only merchants such as Nack, butrge scale caravans did the same, too. Thus, not a lot of monsters came near them from the start. The reason was that, there was already plenty of prey inside of that forest. And one day before they were due to arrive in Beirun, Shin and the others encountered what they were asked to defend the caravan against.

    ¡°Poor merchant-san. If you don¡¯t want to die, hand over the money and baggage.¡±

    They were bandits.

    Though ording to the information Shin and Tiera exchanged with Gaien and Tsubaki, bandits seldom came out; they did not seem to have any luck. It goes without saying whose ¡®luck¡¯ it was.

    They were not a numerous group, but they were properly armed in leather armor and were holding longswords as well, which was likely to earn them money. Though one might not want to know how.

    ¡°Then, how? I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m confident enough to ambush and take on 6 people head-on all alone, what should I do?¡±

    Shin looked back at Gaien and Tsubaki.

    ¡°That won¡¯t change anything. If we attack, they might turn the table.¡±

    ¡°One person should leave the right to y someone with impunity to me.¡±

    Ignoring Tsubaki¡¯s remark, which they didn¡¯t know whether she was joking or not, the three people moved out.

    The strategy had already been decided. They formed a basic formation with three people, where Shin, Gaien, and Tsubaki stepped forward, while Tiera was to cover them. Yuzuha was left in the wagon in case there was an opponent they couldn¡¯t perceive.

    The enemies level were about 150 on average, although the man who started to talk was unexpectedly higher-leveled at 163. Shin was a little surprised by that. They could make a living as normal adventurers, but he thought that they might have had various things happen to them to make them stay like that. No matter how much he thought about it, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.

    Nack as well this time, held an axe for self-defense.

    It was only a matter of time before the battle began. While the tension increased, Tiera was holding her breath inside the canopy, and recalled what Gaien asked earlier.

    ¡®Shin, Tiera. Have you ever killed someone?¡¯

    When the trip first began, it was the first question that Gaien had asked of the two people. Even though this was the first barrier that adventurers aimed to strike at, it was because the request for the guard was an E rank request. Therefore the possibility that an enemy rted to this request would appear existed. The mortality rate was divided by each rank for adventurers; high rank requests at rank B and above had a much higher mortality rate. Aside from monsters, many of them were killed by people. It was a rank E.

    (It¡¯s alright. I will defeat them.)

    Only Tiera hadn¡¯t killed anyone yet among the members. Shin¡¯s worrying about this was reflected on his expression, but she said it would be alright. She ought to do it. If she couldn¡¯t do it, the danger toward the three people stepping forward increased.

    ¡°Oioi, do you intend to fight with only three people? There¡¯s still time now?¡±

    ¡°Shall you leave the youngdy too? I can entertain her in a bunch of various ways!¡±

    The stinging lines from the bandits was heard by the three people. Of course, it was only natural.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    While looking at such three people, it was Shin¡¯s name that came out from Tiera¡¯s mouth. Tiera¡¯s sensitivity was particrly strong even among the elves. That¡¯s why she understood it. Just after the bandit said to leave Tsubaki behind, the feeling from Shin changed a little.

    It didn¡¯t change to bloodlust. But it became sharp and dark. The calm presence that Tiera knew vanished, as she felt some kind of sinister feelinging from Shin. From Tiera¡¯s perspective, it was already another person¡¯s presence. Was Tiera not keen enough? Neither Gaien nor Tsubaki seemed to have noticed it. Be it fortunate or not, it was only Tiera who felt the change to the present Shin.

    (I can¡¯t leave Shin like that any further. That Shin is no good!)

    The hand holding the bow filled with power.

    Before she knew it, Tiera¡¯s thoughts of killing without hesitation, disappeared from her head. The opponent was a bandit, and in addition to that, he was obviously a habitual criminal. To be a bandit repeatedly in this world was equal to having a worthless life. There were no other destinations except the execution stand if caught. For such opponents, topare them with Tiera¡¯s worry for Shin, their existence itself was already too light.

    The arrow was nocked in the bowstring, which in turn was drawn to the limit. She aimed at the bandit lurking in the bushes nearby. That person might have had the intention to hide, but it was no different than casually going for a walk for the elf Tiera. While aiming, she waited for the signal from Gaien.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like useless killing. I will stop if you pull back, but I will kill if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, can you see the situation? I know that one is merely a rank E.¡±

    ¡°No matter how much of a rank A you are, don¡¯t you have to fight while protecting other members? You better turn a blind eye to us without causing trouble rather than showing off that strange spirit, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Where did they learn that information from? The bandits knew that they were all low-rank with the exception of Gaien. Even though the number of bandits hidden and visible aiming at Nack were unknown, it was clear that this was not an idental encounter.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to listen any.¡±

    ¡°Leave the number of people to two.¡±

    Shin and Tsubaki made eye contact. The negotiations broke down. No one here thought it would end any other way. They only wanted time to prepare so as to lessen the damage while observing the other side.

    Gaien shook his head a little, reacting to Shin¡¯s and Tsubaki¡¯s remark. That was the starting signal for the attack.

    In the next moment, an arrow shot by Tiera flew out from inside the canopy, and was sucked up into the thicket where the bandit hid in.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!?¡±

    There was no scream. However, a dull sound of something hitting the ground was audible.

    One red marker that existed on Shin¡¯s map disappeared. Was it the head or the heart? It might have hit one of the two. The HP vanished in a single blow. It was an instant death.

    ¡°Tsk, what a failure. You guys, do something!!¡±

    The leader appeared to curse, far from mourn over the death of theirrade. The bandits rushed to attack after they received their instructions.

    ¡°Then, two bandits per person. Leave the person alone if you can¡¯t do it. You heard the story.¡±

    ¡°With no injuries?¡±

    ¡°You should listen to the directions, do as you like to the others, I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Gaien and Tsubaki calmly exchanged disturbing words. It was as if they were used to it. Even though there was sure to be a level difference between Tsubaki and the enemies, she didn¡¯t seem to be eager at all.

    Gaien stayed as he was, and Shin and Tsubaki scattered to the right and left, distracting the bandits.

    Three bandits were going for Gaien, one for Tsubaki, and two for Shin. Was there any ¡¾Analyze¡¿ skill holder among them? The low-level was after Tsubaki rather than Gaien.

    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±

    Anger was mixed in with Tsubaki¡¯s words. The bandit whom she faced was certainly stronger than Tsubaki when one only looked at levels. Still, just because the bandit was stronger didn¡¯t mean that they would be able to knock her down easily.

    A chill ran through the back of Tsubaki¡¯s neck, to ce where the she thought the bandit hid his hand. She immediately close the distance, caught and pulled the bandit¡¯s sword with her gauntlet.

    ¡°Heh, you have some nice intuition, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The man looked at her, like he was making light of Tsubaki¡¯s body. Red aura was being released from the sword grasped in her right hand.

    She shifted her gaze and saw the surrounding state. All of the bandits, though the colors were different, had weapons that gave off an aura like the man in front of Tsubaki. Did all the members have a Magic Sword, they appeared to have weapons with simr characteristics.

    Apparently, besides from the level, there also seemed to be a reliable chance of sess due to the equipment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t put up much resistance. I can¡¯t enjoy it if I kill you, kukuku¡±

    The bandit noticed that Tsubaki¡¯s gauntlet was just amon mass-produced item. It was not possible to defend with this. Therefore, he had no doubt about his superiority.

    ¡°If you see me as being only small, you¡¯ll experience pain for looking down on me.¡±

    ¡°Haa, say that after you defeat me!!¡±

    The bandit lunged at her while speaking. Was the attack aided by the sword? Obviously the speed level was faster than before. However, Tsubaki didn¡¯t lose. She was enveloped in a white aura and ran before the bandit arrived at her position. The real nature of the aura was ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿.

    As the name implied, it is a martial art skill that strengthens the body, although an inferior version. As for the ¡®Katsusen¡¯ that was attached there, aside from body strengthening, it indicated that it specialized in speed increase.

    Tsubaki left a white afterimage and jumped toward the bandit¡¯s chest, and drew back her fist. Though the bandit was surprised that Tsubaki¡¯s speed was faster than his own, he judged that it was not possible to sh with it, and instead tried to guard with his hand that wasn¡¯t holding the sword.

    But Tsubaki¡¯s aim was not to deal damage. She aimed at the hand that was holding the sword. The bandit¡¯s reaction was good, but he didn¡¯t read Tsubaki¡¯s aim until after it happened. The fist wrapped in her gauntlet directly hit the bandit¡¯s right hand, breaking all five of his fingers. Bones poked out from the bandit¡¯s fingers, as they bent in the wrong direction.

    ¡°Even if you have a good weapon, you are untrained.¡±

    No matter if his weapon was a Magic Sword or not, the user¡¯s ability didn¡¯t change. The bandit, who was screaming intensely, couldn¡¯t defend because of the excessive pain. In front of that virtually defenseless enemy, Tsubaki umted power in an instant.

    ¡°¨D¨DFly!¡±

    Her fist was released along with that word. At the same time, a dull sound that wasn¡¯t supposed toe from the body was heard. The bandit was sent flying off into the sky while continuously vomiting blood.

    Beyond that point, there were figures of bandits surrounding Gaien.

    ¡°Gahaa!!¡±

    Without any time to react, the bandit who was sent flying crashed into one of them, and disappeared into the thicket. Because the sound of heads-butting together was heard, the person who was thrown would probably not move for a while.

    The bandit who was hit again had the pit of his chest cave in, so that rather than his intestines, it was certain that his heart had exploded. It was an instant death simr to the person who had received the arrow from Tiera.

    ¡°W-What it is now¡­¡±

    One of the bandits, whoserade was suddenly sent flying, looked at the thicket in in a daze.

    When in front of an enemy, that was a fatal opening.

    ¡°Idiot! Don¡¯t turn your eyes away from this fellow!!¡±

    It was already toote when the bandit¡¯s leader yelled out.

    ¡°Swish!¡±

    Gaien approached the bandit who showed the opening and swung his long katana down.

    The bandit barely reacted to the voice of the leader and broke his posture, thereby he became unable to defend against the single blow from Gaien that was filled with power. The long katana raised a buzz as it shed against the Magic Sword. The Magic Sword was repelled, and from the single blow of the long katana, it was blown away together with the body. By a miracle, the Magic Sword seemed to act as a substitute for armor, defending the bandit from the long katana. But unfortunately, although the Magic Sword gave off the impression of protecting the bandit¡¯s life by reducing most the momentum from the long katana, it was disappointingly not enough and broke in the next moment. Naturally, the bandit¡¯s body, which the Magic Sword protected, was still in one piece.

    ¡°Wh¡­What¡­¡±

    Looking at his subordinate from the side, the squeaky voice of the leader came out. It was unthinkable to beat a Magic Sword and cut it in two, even for a rank A. His eyes were wide open as he looked at Gaien like he saw something unbelievable.

    ¡°Though you guys are Magic Sword holders, unfortunately, they are no match for my Magic Katana.¡±

    The battle situation that they thought to be to in their favor was overturned in an instant.

    The incident that happened in front of him was unbelievable for the bandits¡¯ leader. The information he had received imed that they all were rank E, with Gaien as the sole exception. They were supposed to only lost half of their men at worst. For the one who went up against Tsubaki, despite being a Magic Sword holder at C rank, he was a subordinate that was worthy enough of being her opponent.

    The confused leader clung to the tiny bit of hope that a subordinate would save him, but he even turned toward his aide. And then, what came into his view next, was yet another impossible scene.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Immediately after the battle started, two bandits went to face Shin. One of them had brown hair and the other man had blond hair. The one with brown hair was level 151, the blond hair was 153. If one were to say it in adventurer terms, they would be C rank. Looking at the deployment, Tsubaki had taken down her sole opponent quickly, Gaien was holding four people, and the two people here, probably going after Nack, were already expected by Shin. The man who lurked in the bushes was the lowest level among the bandits while the blond man had the highest level next to the leader. At that level, he might even be able to deal with the flying arrow. The air he gave off was clearly different.

    ¡°Well, what has been done can not be undone.¡±

    He muttered, and blocked the route of the two people.

    To force Shin out of the way, the guy with brown hair went ahead and unsheathed his sword. The aura attached to this Magic Sword was yellow. However, the katana Shin was holding was different in a big way. For the Magic Swords of the current world, the definition was differentpared to the Magic Swords from the game era.

    Though the ce where the aura leaked out from on the de was identical, the sword itself was originally ssified as a ¡¶Legend¡· grade, not a Magic Sword. The swords that the bandits had were not Magic Swords in the true meaning of the word.

    The bandit¡¯s sword gave off an aura like steam, but the white aura which Shin¡¯s katana emitted was converging in the form of a sword in order to fit around the katana¡¯s de. The air pressure of the aura, released from the Magic Sword showed the quality. An aura that did not scatter, and instead surrounded the sword¡¯s de was said to be the top in ability.

    Therefore, the natural oue of the two people shing their swords was disyed.

    After the des shed with a little rivalry, it ended when a clear sound rang out and the sword of the bandit was broken. Both items could be called Magic Swords but one was a Magic Sword imitation. However, the katana that Shin held disyed its ability multiple times, and could exchange blows like the real deal. The sword that uselessly discharged its aura was so different from Shin¡¯s standard that he would call it a fake.

    The brown hair looked at his sword that could even inflict a wound on a Horn Dragon but yet was broken in a single blow. And then, continuing with that gap, with the same stroke, Shin cut down the brown haired man.

    ¡°Waa!? broke¨D¨Dn !?¡±

    The voice raised was filled with surprise because he was cut, and the bandit with brown hair copsed.

    Like a sh. There was no hesitation in that movement.

    For Shin to kill a person, it didn¡¯t mean that he was used to it. But he was already beyond the stage of hesitation, worry, and other such things since a long time ago. During the death game, nobody wanted to get tangled up with a person who fought on the front line.

    Besides, the opponent was a bandit who wielded a sword with evil intentions. When he saw the blood remains from a previous victim on the armor, it was impossible for his sword to be dull.

    He never looked at life lightly. However, he shouldn¡¯t be too serious either.

    ¡°Now then, what are you going to do?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t look at the brown haired man that copsed, instead he stepped in front of the blond hair.

    Shin had a light tone. Speaking as if he was asking for the description of a meal, giving the blond hair more pressure.

    The blond hair, who was shocked, was making an ugly face. He looked at the ce where the brown hair¡¯s Magic Sword broke, perhaps, for the first time. Then his line of sight changed topare Shin¡¯s katana with his sword.

    ¡°Anyways, that sword is a nuisance.¡±

    Shin casually stepped forward, and waved his katana. With that alone, the blond hair¡¯s Magic Sword was smashed apart.

    ¡°Wha!? T-That¡¯s ridiculous¡­My Magic Sword is¡­¡±

    The blonde hair muttered dumbfoundedly after seeing his Magic Sword that had already be only a hilt. He was not able to see the single blow from Shin from a distance where he should have been able to. Shin didn¡¯t use any skill. With only stats and ability, he closed the distance of several mels in an instant.

    ¡°Next, to immobilize.¡±

    With those words, Shin¡¯s figure vanished. Thereupon, an acute pain ran through the blond¡¯s limbs.

    The body, without the support of its hands and feet, copsed onto the ground. At the rear, Shin put his katana back into the sheath. He had shattered the bones just by striking with the back of the sword.

    ¡°Did it end there too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Shin was tormenting him.¡±

    ¡°He just going easy on him!¡±

    While they were exchanging jokes, the leader, who was the opponent of Gaien, looked at Shin. The blond hair was equally confused about the situation. No matter how much he thought about it, that was not the fighting power of an E rank.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s have a talk about the person who handed over the information to you.¡±

    The situation was exined to Nack, so there would be time for them to interrogate the leader. When Nack understood that he might have been deliberately targeted, he consented.

    The interrogation was performed by Gaien and Nack, as they entered the thicket and Shin and Tsubaki returned to the wagon.

    Tiera had a worried face toward the two people, especially as she approached Shin¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°Good job, for the time bei¨D¨Dmuguu!?¡±

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D And she suddenly held Shin¡¯s head, embraced to her chest.

    Tsubaki stared in amazement at the sudden action, and Shin, whose speech was interrupted, was confused. Tiera¡¯s jacket was open, exposing the chest, and Shin¡¯s face was in held in there. Though there was the inner cloth, the fabric was not thick enough. Therefore, a fairly vivid sensation enveloped Shin¡¯s face.

    Though there was no space topletely enjoy the sensation, as the person in question, Tiera¡¯s action, was too abrupt.

    ¡°Um, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move¡­just a little¡­bit¡­okay¡­¡±

    It appeared that Tiera had some sort of purpose for the time being. Tsubaki, who was forcibly convincing herself to watch their progress attentively so as to understand. This situation was too iprehensible to get involved with. Above all, Tiera¡¯s expression was awfully serious.

    When he heard Tiera¡¯s oddly charming voice, Shin became docile too. That state was maintained for a while and when Shin was about to start being able to enjoy the soft sensation that surrounded his face, Tiera let Shin¡¯s head loose.

    However, both of her hands firmly held onto Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Umm¡­Tiera? What¡­¡±

    Tiera, who said nothing, stared into Shin¡¯s eyes with a serious face. Shin felt it was awfully long, although it was only a few seconds.

    ¡°¡­Yosh.¡±

    Finally, after nodding a little, Tiera released Shin¡¯s head, and went outside the wagon to be on lookout.

    ¡°What is it¡­now¡­¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Though he asked Tsubaki, she simrly didn¡¯t understand it either. Shin had a question mark over his head as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While taking distance from Shin and Tsubaki, Tiera searched for Shin¡¯s presence. Even though it was only a fairly small range from Shin and others, it was still out of normal for G rank adventurers.

    Relief spread through her chest as she secretly moved to behind the wagon. Until a few minutes ago, Shin, who returned with Tsubaki, still slightly wore that presence as usual on the surface. That dark, sharp, and unpleasant feeling that she wanted to run away from by reflex.

    Although it was a momentary thing, when looking back at the action she took, it was an action which she really thought of seriously, but at the same time her face became almost as red as a beet.

    In the beginning, when Tiera hadn¡¯te to Tsuki no Hokora yet, Tiera, who was totally frightened, was gently embraced by Schnee. Her anxiety was softened by that act alone.

    Thus, she thought that the presence might disappear if she did the same thing. For Tiera, who had limited contact with others, she thought that it was the most effective way.

    Anyways, the result was a sess. If anything, she was a little panicky when she returned to her sanity, but because the goal had been reached, she considered it a good thing.

    (Am I the only one who noticed? Or am I strange?)

    She felt the familiar thirst for blood at the time when she was driven out of her vige. She was still mentally young back in those days, but she only felt fear. On the other hand, when Shin confronted the bandits, she noticed the change in the nature for the thirst for blood. No, it might be good that she noticed.

    Tiera personally didn¡¯t understand her sense well, but it was because of the sense of impending crisis that it became stronger. The impulse that she couldn¡¯t understand. Though it was not regarded as maniption of the heart and mind, there was strangely no difort. She seemed to understand that there was no danger at all; there was a strange trust.

    When sheposed herself before long, in a sense, it was obvious what Tiera would think of next.

    (After this, what kind of face should I make when I talk with Shin¡­?)

    Where had the seriousness, when embracing Shin tightly, gone? The bewildered appearance of saying ¡°Au Au¡±, when seen by a person who knew the usual Tiera, would think of it as really cute.

    Though she intended to hide and move, Shin and Tsubaki having perfectly witnessed her appearance, was a fact not known by Tiera.

 Book 3: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    Shin and the others waited for ten minutes while guarding the wagon. Then Gaien and Nack returned. The bandit leader¡¯s figure was not seen. He was likely taken care of since there was no need to bring him back alive.

    Everyone climbed back into the carriage and tried to recover from the dy caused by the bandits, so the speed started to increase a little. Nack was responsible for being the driver, so Gaien exined the information obtained to Shin and the others.

    ¡°In other words, they wanted the baggage Nack-san carried?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It seems to be rted to a church matter. But they weren¡¯t informed of what the baggage was.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t know what to take?¡±

    Tsubaki asked.

    ¡°Well. Consequently, after the guards were ughtered, together with the coachman, they would steal the wagon.¡±

    Shin, who listened to the story, instantly thought that Rashia might be rted to this case. The priest appointment of Rashia was only valid when recognized officially by the church. Therefore, the mark of proof, necessary documents, and so on might have to be transported.

    The client who requested it, without telling their goal to the bandits, was at the same time trying to avoid being detected. Though it was simply a guess, when he looked at the ce, where no one had disclosed what Nack was transporting, it was no doubt that it was something important. There were plenty of those possibilities.

    When Shin thought about it, for Nack to have a Grimm horse by chance, which traveled faster than amon merchant, and to also have guards, it seemed to be the right interpretation.

    Afterwards, without encountering any more bandits or being attacked by monsters, the group arrived at Beirun.

    The wagon pulled by the Grimm horse passed the gate.

    A lot of wagons entered the gate in simr ways. It was congested, but it was reasonably crowded with people.

    Beirun was a small country, and simr to the surrounding countries. Eltnia continent had a shape of two continents linked, and Beirun was located in the middle of the two. Because of its strategic location, they might be invaded by the big countries, so they cooperated by forming an alliance to prevent an invasion by another country. Since each of the countries had a chosen one, the total force of the alliance was said to exceed even a big country¡¯s.

    ¡°Thank you for your efforts, if there¡¯s a another opportunity, I will request you again.¡±

    They passed through the gate and advanced for a while along the road, and the wagon stopped in front of a second-hand shop.

    Unlike a usual merchant, Nack said his gratitude with words, and handed over the proof of requestpletion to Gaien. This was how to receive the reward, once it was submitted to the guild.

    ¡°Well then, I will go to Kilmont after this, what will everyone else do?¡±

    Gaien started on a topic after this matter along the road. Kilmont was ruled by the dragon king, a Dragnil¡¯s country.

    The formal name was the dragon empire, Kilmont.

    From Schnee¡¯s story, it was Shin¡¯s support character no. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid¡¯s country.

    ¡°I also have business in Kilmont.¡±

    ¡°Tiera and I have business in Falnido.¡±

    Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to have a different destinations from Shin and Tiera.

    ¡°Fumu, this is divided splendidly again.¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡¯s like abination.¡±

    Meeting and parting were part of the adventurer ways. Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to go to Kilmont for another guard request this time. By the way, before they met Shin and Tiera, they already received the same request several times.

    After receiving the reward, they each left the messages, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again¡± and ¡°Call out to me if you see me¡±, and started their journey to Kilmont. Though it was very simple, because it was often the case for adventurers to meet again during different requests, they might have to be practical if that was the case.

    ¡°So, how do we advance after this? Use a wagon too?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, using an ordinary horse will take one and a half months, and a wagon will take 2 months, which we should not do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too far now that I think about it again.¡±

    After separating from Gaien and Tsubaki, Shin and Tiera talked about the means of transportation. There was the way of moving on foot, but they were not so poor that they couldn¡¯t ride on a wagon together. Though Shin was the fastest if he ran, he couldn¡¯t hold Tiera all the time. After thinking it through, Shin decided to purchase a wagon. Either way, Shin and Tiera could continue traveling even after Schnee joined them. There was no loss in owning one. That¡¯s why Shin and Tiera visited the shop that sold wagons for trips, as introduced by the guild.

    ¡°How should I say, all of the performances seem simr, even the high performance ones.¡±

    ¡°No no, customer, there is a reason for this.¡±

    Towards Shin, who had muttered while looking at the shop, the storekeeper, who wasing nearby, answered.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, arge quantity of wagons were bought by the country a while ago. The ones here were made with the leftover materials, because we had to prepare the number required, it pretty much became the same thing in the long run. Depending on the material, it will be a little better.¡±

    ¡°I see, materials huh?¡±

    From Shin¡¯s assessment, the quality wasn¡¯t that good, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Shin recalled the wagon used by Nack. Though the appearance was not good because it stressed the importance of transporting cargo, as for the material, the good ones were certainly used. Something needs to be done about the shaking, so they didn¡¯t have to suffer there. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that he was dissatisfied with everything else.

    ¡°This one¡­only need to restructure it just a bit.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute, did I hear something bad just now?

    Tiera put her hand on Shin¡¯s shoulder who was muttering. And as she now knows from experience, she would expect that didn¡¯t mean a good thing. Though she had aughing face, her eyes weren¡¯tughing.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s shameless. I know you¡¯re lying. Now spit it out. What are you going to do this time?¡±

    ¡°Why are you being so cautious? I just want to improve the wheel¡¯s movement, and suppress the shaking a little.¡±

    The shaking countermeasures could reduce the burden on the horse pulling the wagon. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want the trick to be found out, so the outward appearance wouldn¡¯t change much. One must get in the wagon to actually feel the change.

    ¡°Really? It won¡¯t fly in the sky and travel without a horse?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say, ¡°It was not possible to do.¡± But because the wagon¡¯s design was out of his specialty, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    However, because the springs and wheel bearings were within the cksmith¡¯s domain, it would be easy to start working on it.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine if you only go that far.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to keep a low profile. Aren¡¯t I learning, even a little?¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you who said it, I¡¯d believe it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of cruel.¡±

    Not being able to object was painful.

    ¡°Then, the wagon can be remodeled further?¡±

    ¡°Only a little because it¡¯s not my main job, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s better than Nack-san¡¯s, it¡¯ll be weed.¡±

    Apparently, Tiera was also annoyed by the shaking of the wagon. The carriages that nobles rode in hardly shook, that was something that Tiera learned from an idle chat with an adventurer who came into the store. So, she thought that she should rather wee him if he could make such a carriage.

    Though the shaking was minimized in Nack¡¯s wagon too, it was hard on Tiera who was not ustomed to it.

    ¡°Enough about remodeling, which carriage will do? Honestly, I don¡¯t know which one is good.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I want space big enough to be able to sleep inside. Something like that.¡±

    Shin thought about the number of people and the baggage they would have, and pointed at the biggest carriage in the shop.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Master wille too, so we also need to think about if it will hold arge amount of baggage.¡±

    Tiera also agreed, about it not posing any problems with the number of people.

    Also the horse must be powerful in order to be able to pull the wagon¡¯s weight, in the worst case, he would have to get Yuzuha¡¯s help to pull the wagon. That transformation ability was indeed useful.

    ¡°Thank you for your patronage! By the way, customer, have you obtained a horse for pulling the wagon?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go buy one after this.¡±

    ¡°Is this your first time buying a horse?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this is a piece of advice for the customer who just did an expensive purchase. The horse¡¯s legs should be as strong as possible. Though it¡¯s different when using several of them; to pull it with only one, the wagon is a little heavy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I will use it as a reference.¡±

    Perhaps, a draft horse type would be good. Given the number of people that will ride on the wagon, Shin thought that type was better.

    ¡°On that subject, how about using a monster to pull it? Because there is person I know who does it in such a way.¡±

    ¡°Well, the horsepower is definitely in a whole different league. Though it would have to be tamed, haven¡¯t you heard that it¡¯s difficult?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Thank you for the information.¡±

    He thanked the storekeeper who gave them advice and left the shop. Their following destination; a shop that dealt with horses.

    ¡°Next is¡­hmm? This sound is¡±

    When Shin took a step forward to go purchase a horse, a ¡®Ding¡¯ sound reach his ears. It was the ringtone when notified of a voice chat, which he had set before. Because the operation hadn¡¯t changed since the game era, he epted the call by thinking about it.

    ¡°(Hello, This is Shin. Loud and clear.)¡±

    ¡°(This is Schnee. The request here is over. Where are you now?)¡±

    ¡°(We are in Beirun. I intend to go to Falnido by carriage once a horse is obtained.)¡±

    Because it was just the right time, he conveyed his present location and the wagon he just bought.

    ¡°(Is that so. Then, I will capture a monster. I think I will arrive in Beirun in about 1 day, would you wait for me there?)¡±

    ¡°(I understand. Now that you mention it, you are also a Tamer.)¡±

    At the time when Shin was encouraged to obtain the job from Rokuten¡¯s Tamer and Summoner, Cashmere, he was also apanied by Schnee. She acquired it when he did. Though she hadn¡¯t tamed anything up till now, it was useful in an unexpected ce.

    ¡°(Yes, please look forward to it, because I will bring the strongest one possible.)¡±

    An image of Schnee stating so in high spirits came into his mind.

    ¡°(And, may I ask you one thing?)¡±

    Schnee asked.

    ¡°(What is it?)¡±

    ¡°(When storing the Tsuki no Hokora, did anything happen? Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, I¡¯m worried they would do something.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah, somehow it was monitored, but because being followed is troublesome, I used a little magic skill.)¡±

    ¡°(I see, it¡¯s an illusion, huh? That¡¯s quite peaceful. I thought the surroundingnd would be cleared, because it is you.)¡±

    ¡°(Hold on, what do you think I am!?)¡±

    ¡°(Haven¡¯t you done it before?)¡±

    Apparently, she seemed to be talking about the death game era.

    ¡°(No, that¡¯s because I¡¯m not the kind of guy who just goes all out in order to wipe such opponents, and to begin with, I wouldn¡¯t do such a violent thing to the monitoring people of a country.)¡±

    Certainly, he would not go easy on an opponent who hade to take his life, but he didn¡¯t have the intention to needlessly kill an opponent who only observed. In the first ce, it was Tsuki no Hokora and Schnee that were monitored, not Shin.

    ¡°(If Shin decides so, then it¡¯s fine. The upper echelon might be serious about it this time, because I acted like I didn¡¯t know about it.)¡±

    ¡°(Right. Of course, our appearance was not seen, since I used a concealment skill. To the guys who were watching, Tsuki no Hokora would have seemed to have suddenly disappeared. I¡¯m sure it caused a great deal of confusion.)¡±

    The multiplex use of concealment and illusion. It was a popr way of showing an illusion to others while hiding oneself. Because the user was Shin, the other person couldn¡¯t help but to be a target of the spells. As for the ¡®concealment¡¯, the skill name was simr for both martial arts and magic skills. It was the magic skill ¡®concealment¡¯ that Shin used this time. The effect was lower than the martial arts skills, but it was effective for himself, and he could hide Tiera too. In fact, the spies couldn¡¯t see them at all.

    ¡°(Get a taste of their own medicine. To be honest, while I get praised unanimously, I got mad at the way they monitored and solicited repeatedly behind my back. Even if it causes a bit of an uproar, it will be their own fault.)¡±

    Schnee said that irritably. Of course, not all countries were like that. There were many countries that contacted her with a moderate attitude. However, there were also a lot of countries that gathered war potential over the hegemony after the chaos due to the crustal movement. It was known that Schnee was the subordinate of a High Human, and an endless amount of countries desperately tried to include her in their own area.

    This was how things got this way, that Tsuki no Hokora continued to be monitored even after the turmoil had settled down. Even though there were few people or countries that monitored her knowing those days, it was not so very long ago for the high elf Schnee. Even now that she became calmerpared to those days, she still felt a strong difort from the monitoring and solicitation.

    ¡°(Somehow, it¡¯s even worse than I heard.)¡±

    ¡°(There are even countries that imed to have the property rights for Tsuki no Hokora without permission, too. I thought of erasing each of those countries at the time.)¡±

    ¡°(When you say it like that, it must be serious.)¡±

    While telling him that she was disgusted, Shin understood why Schnee got angry. Their precious ce and things, it was natural to be angry when others imed it was their own without permission.

    With Schnee¡¯s temperament, her anger was probably greater than that.

    ¡°(Well, there¡¯s no need to be worry about it anymore now. That was my property originally, it¡¯s up to me to take it anywhere.)¡±

    He couldn¡¯t concede Tsuki no Hokora, even if it was important to the people.

    For Shin, Tsuki no Hokora was a precious ce where he spent a long time with friends. Even if the opponent might be the king, he didn¡¯t have any intentions to submit even a fragment.

    ¡°(Perhaps if Tsuki no Hokora was obtained, they thought that Schnee would follow?)¡±

    ¡°(Right, such people exist, too. There were even a lot of people who proposed marriage though.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­Right)¡±

    It was Shin who set her appearance, but the beauty of Schnee could be said to be on the level of a beautiful courtesan. It was easy to imagine that she would be popr before long. Since Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were known as a set, there might be a lot of people who tried to obtain Tsuki no Hokora, just to get that pretty face unexpectedly.

    ¡°(Well, it¡¯s only natural, huh?)¡±

    ¡°(Are you jealous?)¡±

    ¡°(That¡­)¡±

    He would¡¯ve been proud of it in the game era, but the feeling changed now that it was reality. Shin also felt considerable feelings from Schnee. Was it because he was the master? Or as a man? It was difficult for him to make a judgment, but if possible, he thought it would be nice if it was thetter.

    ¡°(Fufu, is that so? Would you be jealous for me?)¡±

    ¡°(Why are you in a good mood like this?)¡±

    ¡°(Please guess~)¡±

    ¡°(I feel like I¡¯m being led around by the nose.)¡±

    The problem before guessing the reason for a good mood and so on; For a light novel¡¯s main character who was thickheaded, there were possibilities of saying ¡°I seriously didn¡¯t know¡±.

    Though Shin was also dense, still, it usually didn¡¯t go to that extent.

    ¡°(Then contact me when the inn is decided upon. Because I don¡¯t know when I will arrive yet. I will go directly to the inn ording to the time.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. See youter.)¡±

    The Mind Chat was cut off. Since the goal of obtaining a horse were more or less met, he didn¡¯t have to purchase a horse anymore.

    ¡°Hey Tiera, once the wagon is obtained, why don¡¯t we look for an inn for tonight? I think securing the beds is important too.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with this abruptness? Don¡¯t we have to go buy a horse?¡±

    ¡°Schnee just contacted me. We will wait because she¡¯ll catch a monster to rece the horse.¡±

    ¡°As expected from master. It¡¯s perfect timing.¡±

    Even though the admiration felt different, because he felt like he lost when he thought about it, Shin didn¡¯t say anything. That timing was too perfect in his opinion.

    ¡°For the time being, would you like to go sightseeing while looking for an inn?¡±

    ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s boring if we only walk around.¡±

    Because they had time on hand, the two people decided to walk slowly. When they looked around at the stalls, various ssworks attracted their attention.

    By the way, although Shin was also attracting attention because of the young fox on top of his head, he didn¡¯t mind it since he had already gotten used to it in Bayreuth.

    ¡°Is the specialty here ss?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. But I don¡¯t know what it represents.¡±

    The ssworks seemed to be popr, except the shops that sold ss, the products were disyed in almost every shop entrance.

    They went to several shops in session before finally stopping by a female store-keeper who was talkative, so they were introduced to a famous inn in this town. Since it was a lot of effort, they decided to stay at the inn there tonight.

    They walked for about 15 minutes after they were instructed about the route, and saw a quite elegant building.

    Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be made from wood, the outer walls were painted in white and its presence was clearly different from the neighboring inns. The windows in all of the rooms were fitted with ss. If seen properly, those window-sses were enchanted to bepletely strengthened.

    Because the entrance door was big and had ss attached on the left and right, they could have a look inside. Rather than amon inn from fantasy, it had the same appearance as one would see in a modern hotel. The name of the inn was ¡®The Reflected Flowers Pce¡¯.

    ¡°Amazing! I didn¡¯t see any inns that used ss in this way in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems to be one of the selling points of this inn. It was said that its ss windows were firmly strengthened.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I think it would be okay even if I hit them with a hammer.¡±

    ¡°But it seems a bit expensive.¡±

    While Shin looked at the details of the exterior with his architectural skill, Tiera worried about the price.

    Since they couldn¡¯t stand in front of the inn forever, Shin went ahead and entered. Still, there was no automatic door or something like that, so they had to open it by themselves.

    Once he was inside, the employees, who were dressed in stylish uniforms, immediately greeted them. When he conveyed that they had a female store-keeper refer them, they received a slight discount to some extent.

    Apparently the main building was separate, this seemed to be the annexes for the trial services. Trial service? The two people look puzzled.

    ¡°For one night, it 4 silver coins per person.¡±

    Though the discount should have reduced the price, it was two silver coins more expensive than the Bear Point Pavilion of Bayreuth where he stayed before. It was as expected from a high-quality hotel.

    Because there was the reward from Nack, they paid respectively for a night. He also thought about whether it would be okay for Yuzuha to apany them, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any problems if they had a contract. Naturally, Shin would have take responsibility if it caused a disturbance or something like that.

    ¡°Um oba-chan(aunty), did you see through us and know if we could pay the price?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer. Aren¡¯t you all considered to have money?¡±

    ¡°Well we do have some, but the request¡¯s reward just diminished in one go.¡±

    Because half of their reward vanished in an instant, Shin unconsciously thought of such things. As a matter of fact, though there was some additional ie, as a reward from defeating the bandits, he still felt it was too expensive. Actually, he did have a certain amount of white gold coins, but his money sense was still fuzzy.

    ¡°Since this is simr to the famous inn in Beirun, there are stories saying that you should stay at least once. Also, the main building costs one gold coin per night, that¡¯s still fair.¡±

    ¡°Who could stay there?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s people like Shin. Don¡¯t you have money from the raw materials you sold to mest time? To be frank, the current Shin is quite rich, you know?¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. I only thought about the request¡¯s reward.¡±

    Tiera pointed it out, and Shin finally remembered that he himself was quite rich. Judging from the total sum of money he had in hand, 4 silver coins was just a trivial expense.

    Even though the inn was where the reward from the guard duty would disappear within 3 days, because the tempered ss was very expensive, 4 silver coins might be a cheap price when he thought about the details of the facilities.

    For this sort of famous inn, he understood why it became the topic of the story. It was a special trip, so Shin decided not to worry about it and enjoy himself a little.

    ¡°As expected from a high-quality inn. This is already an ordinary hotel. The soundproofing is secure, too.¡±

    That was the level of quality that Shin first felt when he entered the assigned guest room. It was a ce that could be called a budget hotel if seen in his former(real) world. Though it would be excessive forparison, the only other inn that Shin knew of in this world, Bear Point Pavilion, from the bed, desk and the chair provided, they were of a higher grade. Still, it was inferior to the furniture inside Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Kuu, can I talk already?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all right here.¡±

    Yuzuha seemed to endure it for a long time in the town. The walls of the inn were thick, so it was judged to be safe to talk as it spoke to Shin.

    ¡°There¡¯s still time until dinner, shall I do some equipment maintenance?¡±

    Shin put the luggage on the floor and took off his sword from his waist and began the inspection.

    It was hardly necessary in the game, but he thought that he should try to keep doing it wherever it was practicable here. A small chip in the de and rust due to blood remains and so on were factors that hastened the deterioration of the arms. Naturally, frequent inspections were required, especially for low-grade arms.

    ¡°Pretty!¡±

    ¡°It took a lot of hardships to reach this level.¡±

    The aura that wrapped the de was visible, and Yuzuha voiced its impression. Actually, the de, which retained its mysterious shine, was indeed beautiful. He could understand if it was called a work of art and not arms. While looking at the radiance that could not be emitted by superficial gear, Shin remembered the days of his former training.

    He confirmed the de state, loosening the hilt and the guard of the katana in order. As he was about to return the katana into the scabbard, the door was knocked upon.

    Tiera¡¯s voice was heard from the room.

    ¡°Shin, do you have a moment?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll open the door now.¡±

    Before Shin stood up, Yuzuha took a human form and opened the door. Of course, it wore the shrine maiden¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Ara, Yuzuha-chan. You are in that form now, huh?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, do you have business with Shin?¡±

    ¡°I want to ask about a little something.¡±

    Yuzuha showed her in, and Tiera entered the room.

    ¡°And, what do you want to ask me?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I receive ¡¾Analyze¡¿from Shin before? It¡¯s about that.¡±

    ¡°Was there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It may be trivial, but when I looked at Tsubaki¡¯s stats, there was a thing that worried me a little.¡±

    ¡°Something that worried you?¡±

    Suddenly, a certain conjecture shed into Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°By any chance, when you used¡¾Analyze¡¿, sometimes it became hard to see the race of Tsubaki¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Shin too?¡±

    Tiera was surprised. Shin¡¯s prediction appeared to be correct somehow or another. To say it urately, rather than hard to see, there was some static or something such that moved around. Though it was only the race column, it was a phenomenon that had never existed in the game. It was the first time for Tiera to have seen one. For Shin, it was his second time.

    ¡°I am a bit interested too. But I don¡¯t understand this well either.¡±

    In case of Shin, he wondered whether it was a malfunction appearing or not, since the way he came into this world was also a malfunction. Anyway, he only knew that the static noise didn¡¯t start until he encountered Tsubaki.

    ¡°I wonder if master knows something?¡±

    ¡°Right. Either way, she¡¯ll join us tomorrow, and we¡¯ll ask her then.¡±

    Since Schnee could use the same ¡¾Analyze¡¿as Shin, she might know something. However, it was not an urgent business, so he decided to not use the Mind Chat.

    ¡°Kuu, a serious problem?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a serious matter. I have a guess, but there is no conclusive evidence.¡±

    Shin shrugged his shoulders while smiling wryly toward Yuzuha.

    ¡°Which reminds me, when will mastere?¡±

    Tiera asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time. She told me that if I tell her the inn, she wille there.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can already take a rest for today. I guess master won¡¯te at night.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess so. Let¡¯s have dinner soon.¡±

    The current time was past 6.00 P.M. Though it was a little early to have a meal, it seemed to be unquestionable in the inn. Because Yuzuha wanted to eat together, but its human appearance couldn¡¯t be shown so they brought their dinner inside the room to eat.

    Though it could be said that the food was grand, the bread was still brown. Apparently, the white bread seemed to be quite high ss for some reason or another. By the way, if this was the main building, white bread would appearmonly.

    Afterwards, he asked for a hot bath and fell asleep after changing his clothes. About the hot spring, in Bear Point Pavilion it was charged per use, but was free here. There didn¡¯t seem to be a bathhouse. Since the one in Bear Point Pavilion was basic bathing, he felt like there wasn¡¯t much of a difference.

 Book 3: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Dawn of the next day.

    The half-asleep Yuzuha had crawled into Shin¡¯s futon, but it was really peaceful and not making any fuss, because it was in young fox mode. Shin unconsciously rubbed Yuzuha¡¯s head and moved it away, and then washed his face. Just like a hotel, the room had a washbasin. After feeling refreshed, Tiera visited them, and they ate a breakfast simr to yesterday¡¯s.

    ¡°Just now, before breakfast, I heard that Schnee will arrive in Beirun by the end of the morning. I¡¯ll remodel the wagon, what will Tiera do?¡±

    Shin talked to Tiera while chewing his bread. Because he thought it was not a good idea to keep waiting without doing anything, he intended to remodel the wagon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look at how you remodel the wagon.¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha too!¡±

    Tiera, who had demanded that Shin restrain himself, seemed to be interested in the remodeling process, too. It goes without saying for Yuzuha.

    Apparently, they appeared to be excited about seeing an unknown technique.

    After checking out from the inn, they headed straight to the shop from which the wagon was bought. The wagon was still in the shop as there was no horse to draw it yet.

    ¡°Wee. Oh, it¡¯s the customer from yesterday. Have you bought a horse?¡±

    ¡°It was decided that my acquaintance would supply it. So I intended to fiddle with the wagon a little.¡±

    ¡°Heh, is Customer-san a craftsman or something? I thought you were an adventurer.¡±

    The surprised shopkeeper returned, and they moved to the ce where the carriage was. First of all, heid a magic skill that lifted the target temporarily to prevent the frame from falling down, and then installed the spring as a countermeasure for the shaking. Of course, it was not just attached, he tinkered around with the wheels¡¯ axis, too. The appearance of lumps of wood and metal, wriggling and changing shape, might be quite weird, depending on the point of view. However, the speed of the operation in that state was fast. Since he went underneath the frame; he worked quickly, because he didn¡¯t want the shopkeeper to see it. The shopkeeper didn¡¯t notice that the wagon¡¯s performance had already be iparable to that of the surrounding wagons.

    And seeing the work scene up close, Yuzuha had glittering eyes, and Tiera¡¯s eyes were in a focused state. Tiera was somehow able to understand the details of the operation, too. But seeing lumps of metal be flexible and changing shape in Shin¡¯s hand caused them to be speechless. She wanted to say: ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned about not attracting attention already?¡±, but managed to endure, as the shopkeeper might hear her.

    ¡°Phew, I only need to attach the bearings next.¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Shin, what was that a while ago? The iron was flexible!)¡±

    Was it that interesting? Yuzuha began to talk through the Tamer version of Mind Chat. Did it love craftsmanship? The enthusiasm was seen before, during the time when Shin was tempering the longsword.

    ¡°(This is the production group skill which processes iron. Somehow, I found a use for it.)¡±

    It was the production group skill, ¡¾Molding¡¿, to be exact. Originally, it was only possible to transform objects into fixed patterns, but once he knew how to use it, the shape could be changed into interesting ways. Because the technique of remodeling a wagon had not changed since the game era, he could finish it without any problem.

    ¡°Shin, where did your self-restraint go?¡±

    ¡°A-Ah? I hid myself in a way that I couldn¡¯t be seen, and the external appearance didn¡¯t change either. Why are you so mad?¡±

    ¡°Certainly I saw it in a sh, and I don¡¯t even know what the difference is.¡±

    ¡°Right? Then¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°But! It¡¯s obviously unnatural.¡±

    ¡°Um, why is that?¡±

    Before he knew it, Shin was spinning his mind around to think if he was guilty of doing something wrong, as Tiera was in preaching mode. Unfortunately, the reason why Tiera was angry didn¡¯te to mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s the time.¡±

    ¡°Time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, time. You know, no matter how easy the work was that modified the wagon, it shouldn¡¯t take less than 1 hour! It¡¯s too fast!!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Ah¡¯ me, you have to take it a little more serious¡­¡±

    She said it with a strong tone, but in low voice. While Shin was using the impressive lost technology, Tiera warned him. Though Tiera said one hour, only about 15 minutes had actually passed since he started his work. Come to think of it, it was definitely too fast, so it might be a story of, ¡°How on earth did you do that?¡±. Because he only cared about the appearance and the result, he seemed to have forgotten about the working speed. Shin didn¡¯t realize it, since there was never aint about being too quick in the game.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I¡¯ll go slow with the bearings.¡±

    ¡°Please, do so.¡±

    He epted Tiera¡¯s demand and proceeded to work slowly this time. Since he only had to remodel the axial junction and the wheels to some extent, it didn¡¯t take that much time even when he did it slowly. He could concentrate on the work, because only a small part of the body was still floating.

    Afterwards, the bearings were attached to all four wheels, and the modifications werepleted. The total time for the job took about one and a half hours, including the instation of the springs. The current time was half past 10 now.

    He told the shopkeeper at the wagon dealer that they would bring a horse, and exited the shop. And then, they waited for contact from Schnee. Since they had time, they went for another walk in a different direction from yesterday. They spent about one hour of window-shopping at the street stalls, and then the call from Schnee came.

    ¡°It¡¯s the call from Schnee. She seems to be in the forest ahead of the north gate.¡±

    Because he conveyed that they had already checked out from the inn and were wandering around, it was decided that she would wait outside. And so, they headed toward the north gate immediately. While extending his perception area, they passed through the gate and walked further. The response from Schnee showed what she had already captured a suitable beast. But¨D¨D

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Both of his feet that were supposed to be walking in high spirits became heavy.

    ¡°Kuu, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, how should I say this¡­, I think you will understand when we arrive there.¡±

    Tiera raised her question after Yuzuha¡¯s words, but Shin said that she would find out once they reached there. The reason was that even if he didn¡¯t expressly speak of it, as Shin walked forward, he had an expression of bewilderment, because he understood what had caused Yuzuha to be cautious.

    What was disyed on the map, moved into Shin¡¯s field of vision. The monster that stood next to Schnee was why there was such a reaction from Shin.

    When they got closer to the forest, the appearance gradually came into view.

    ¡°Shin, that one, is strong.¡±

    ¡°Hey Shin, really, what is that? My ¡¾Analyze¡¿ doesn¡¯t show its name, let alone its level.¡±

    Yuzuha and Tiera seemed to be uneasy.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s natural.¡±

    Even if it was Schnee, it couldn¡¯t be helped as the monster alone emitted huge pressure. Tiera stood behind Shin to hide herself, Yuzuha re-hardened its posture that had weakened.

    ¡°I¡¯m here now. As I told you with Mind Chat, the monster I brought will pull the wagon. In the case of this fellow, it won¡¯t have any problems pulling the wagon that Shin gets on.¡±

    With a very nice smile, Schnee said so full of confidence. That smile with overflowing charm would make everyone a captive.

    However, Shin¡¯s heart was about to say ¡°Seriously?! This will pull the wagon?¡±, as his line of sight went to what was behind Schnee.

    ¡°Just to check, but where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°Because I was near the sacred mountain, it¡¯s from there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Clever. As expected from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honored to receive your praise.¡±

    As expected from Schnee, she seemed to interpret the meaning of crazy in a good way, even with Shin¡¯s state of mind.

    ¡°I forgot. Master sometimes gets reckless when ites to Shin.¡±

    ¡°That information, if possible, I wish you would have said that earlier.¡±

    Tiera looked up at the sky with a shocked expression, while Shin held his brow with one hand as if to say, ¡°Oh great!¡­¡±. Watching the two people, Schnee looked puzzled.

    ¡°Well, nothing can be done since you already brought it here. For the time being, may I ask about this fellow?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because it will pull the wagon that Shin is riding on, I thought it should be something like this, a divine beast ss monster.¡±

    ¡°No no, that way of thinking is weird. It¡¯s strange no matter how I think about it! What kind of wagon do you think it¡¯ll pull!?¡±

    Shin eximed, while pointing at the monster which was obedient behind Schnee.

    That shout was reasonable too. Anyhow, its physique was much bigger than a carriage. In the case of it pulling, the wagon would need to be the size of a single house.

    ¡°Of course, I assumed that Shin would say that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Schnee calmly replied to Shin¡¯s retort. Apparently, she seemed to have a n.

    Shin looked at the monster Schnee brought again.

    A four-legged walking type monster, its name was Gruefago.

    It had a forward-leaning posture when it walked, and its height was about 3 mels from the ground. Even if it was pulling to the wagon he purchased, they might not able to see the front.

    Ash-silver hair covered its whole body to the forearm, which was developed like a horse¡¯s body. Moreover, it had thick and strong muscle masses on its tail, and it rivaled the power of the Lord Skull Face which Shin and Schnee fought before.

    In addition, if it began a surprise attack during the game era, it would be a fiendish monster even for advanced level yers. Its head resembled that of a wolf, but there were scales that dully shined visible here and there, making it possible to tell that it was a different animal.

    Above all, it was eye-catching as Gruefagos¡¯ have a horn protruding from their foreheads. Though its horn was crooked to some extent, an amount of light and shade was emitted from the emerald horn, just like a crystal.

    There was one fact to understand from there. This meant that this Gruefago was a unique monster.

    Even though it was unclear, it should be a monster that attacked without hesitation when it found a yer, and yet it behaved itself without showing such signs at all.

    When he checked with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, it appeared as Gruefago Jade, Lv. 751. Originally, the upper limit level of a Gruefago should be 650, but it was amon urrence for a unique monster to exceed the limit. It would certainly be a recipe for disaster if it descended on a human dwelling.

    Schnee with her monster partner

    ¡°Go on, do it.¡±

    When Schnee said that, green phosphorescence enveloped the body of the Gruefago. Crackling sounds were asionally heard, a small sense of incongruity was added to that magical scene.

    The phosphorescence dimmed in less than a minute, and a single monster made an appearance.

    Though ¡¾Analyze¡¿ confirmed it as the Gruefago, the appearance was different from before. The forelegs were about the same length as the rear legs and the tail also shrunk. Though it was somewhat irregr, it could be said that it was a slightly big wolf. The featured horn shrunk as well, so that only a small part of it could be seen from the forehead.

    ¡°It became small?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Since there¡¯s this ability, there¡¯s no problem if it pulls the wagon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true.¡±

    Surely, the wagon could be pulled without any problems. But, there was a thing Shin was interested in before that.

    ¡°Did it have such an ability?¡±

    Gruefago were originally monsters that put emphasis on flinging themselves onto the enemy. Like Yuzuha, it should not specialize in transformations.

    ¡°Because it has a habit of ambushing and a preference for surprise attacks, it became a unique monster, and I think it obtained a more useful ability. In fact, it can use illusion and lightning attribute skills.¡±

    Though he didn¡¯t feel at ease because of that, a monster that couldn¡¯t adapt didn¡¯t make sense. Because it was born from demon essence, he was convinced that it would transform into a skeletal monster.

    ¡°I guess this appearance is probably fine for the time being. The wagon has already been modified, let¡¯s return and depart from there.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Since it was a waste of time even if he talked here, he decided to return and leave at once.

    ¡°Haa, it is strangely tiring.¡±

    In contrast to the happy Schnee, Tiera appeared to be slightly tired. It was natural too, no matter how light the exchange of Shin and Schnee appeared to have been, that was certainly a monster that was called a divine beast standing before her eyes. Even if it seemed docile, the intimidating air dispersed around it was not normal. Now that it became small, the feeling of intimidation was on the same level as that of amon monster. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if amoner fainted because of the strong pressure from its original figure though. For Shin and Schnee to talk like it was nothing, the two people were strange.

    If Tiera hadn¡¯t received training from Schnee, she would have joined the fainting group.

    ¡°Kuu, Kukuu?¡±

    ¡°Guru, guruaa!¡±

    Looking at both of them barking to talk, all one could do was to have a strained smile.

    ¡°I agree with Tiera. I didn¡¯t expect that you would bring something of this level, either.¡±

    For Shin, if anything, his surprise was stronger than fatigue. Because when he said horse, he expected something like the higher kind of Grimm Horse, a Wonder Horse, or even higher than that, a Tri-Horse. For a monster that was said to be the standard for every merchant yer, the level didn¡¯t exceed 200, because it was easy to handle. It was unexpectedly popr because of its horsepower.

    However, a divine beast was obviously overqualified if he looked at the oue.

    ¡°Was it something strange?¡±

    ¡°Master, usually one doesn¡¯t bring a divine beast simply to pull a wagon.¡±

    ¡°I will only settle for this.¡±

    ¡°¡°Eh¡­¡±¡±

    What was her intention to bring it along? It couldn¡¯t be helped for Shin¡¯s and Tiera¡¯s voices to be in harmony.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit excessive?¡±

    ¡°No way, you don¡¯t like it¡­?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face became gloomy.

    ¡°Wait, wait, why are you depressed?¡±

    ¡°Well, Shin has a contract with an Element Tail, so if it¡¯s not a stronger monster maybe you wouldn¡¯t be pleased with it?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Guu-chan, don¡¯t want?¡±

    ¡°Guruu!?¡±

    Though what Shin meant was: ¡®You don¡¯t have to strain yourself¡¯; Schnee seemed to have interpreted it as ¡®You are not satisfied with this level?¡¯. She was overly enthusiastic, too.

    And, hearing the two people¡¯s conversation, toward Yuzuha¡¯s remark, the Gruefago expressed its surprise. Judging from its facial expression, it probably said, ¡°Really?!¡±. As expected from a divine beast, it didn¡¯t need to say out loud what it was thinking.

    ¡°No, a Gruefago is strong enough. Besides, it is a unique monster and I see almost no other ws.¡±

    ¡°I am relieved when you say that. I thought it would be useful if the monster was as smart as a person.¡±

    ¡°So that means, it understood the things we talked about just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Though it can¡¯t talk with words, most of our words are understood.¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me, it said.¡±

    Yuzuha promptly followed up. It seemed that fellow monsters understanding each other was possible. After all, a divine beast ss had high intelligence.

    ¡°This is my master. Be sure not to be rude.¡±

    Schnee said while presenting Shin.

    ¡°Guru!!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Shin said as he patted the head of the Gruefago. Without a sign that it disliked it in particr, the Gruefago closed its eyes partly, indicating that it felt good.

    ¡°By the way, what is this fellow¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Kagerou.¡±

    ¡°Is it because it can use illusions?¡± (T/N: The ¡®Ó°¡¯ kanji, from ¡®»ÃÓ°¡¯[genei] which means illusion, is pronounced as ¡®kage¡¯.)

    ¡°Yes. Is it too simple?¡±

    ¡°Well, that might be good. I think it¡¯s a cool name.¡±

    It was certainly simple, but Shin thought it was not bad. It was a name that is asionally seen in games and manga.

    ¡°Guruu¡±

    ¡°I like it.¡±

    This beast seemed to like it, too. Yuzuha, who moved to Kagerou¡¯s back from Shin head, interpreted it properly. Since it might be hard to understand with only barking and gestures, it was very helpful.

    ¡°Then, Kagerou. I will give your first mission!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!!¡±

    ¡°That is, pull the wagon!¡±

    ¡°Guruaa!!¡±

    To Shin, who exaggeratedly informed the beast, Kagerou answered full of motivation. Though Shin worried that it mightin, it didn¡¯t seem to mind pulling the wagon.

    With Schnee and Kagerou added to Shin¡¯s party, they returned to Beirun from the forest, and came back to the shop where they left the wagon. At the time when they passed through the gate, Kagerou was registered as a monster partner of Schnee, simr to what Shin did in Bayreuth. For Kagerou, because its build was quiterge unlike Yuzuha and its appearance seemed to be a little ferocious as well, it was necessary to hang a te that indicated ¡°Tame¡± on the monster¡¯s neck.

    Schnee was strongly warned that if Kagerou barked, acted violently and so on, there would be penalties for that, but that was inevitable. Unlike the monsters of the horse group, it was considered very likely that it would act violently.

    Did bringing Kagerou along have some effect? Although Schnee and Tiera were beautiful women, no suspicious men tried to pick a quarrel with them. People like punks generally had a low sense of danger andcked the ability to read the mood. But when they saw Kagerou, there were no daredevils who tried to pick quarrels with the group.

    With Yuzuha riding on Shin¡¯s head, they might have thought that Shin was Kagerou¡¯s tamer, too. It was natural for a strong man to be with 2 beautiful elf women; it was from the air he gave off, everyone who looked at Shin¡¯s party thought.

    ¡°Customer¡­ this is also another great one you brought.¡±

    The storekeeper was surprised when looking at Kagerou that appeared alongside Shin.

    ¡°There¡¯s a little connection with someone I trust.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say, is it that beautiful woman whom I didn¡¯t see yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sort of.¡±

    ¡°I envy you brother, with how your youngdies look.¡±

    What did the storekeeper imagine when looking at Tiera and Schnee; Shin¡¯s shoulders were pped down on hard. Though the storekeeper was acting a little overly familiar, there was almost no feeling of difort, which was expected from a merchant.

    ¡°It¡¯s not such a rtionship¡­¡±

    Before he knew it, the way he was called changed from ¡°customer¡± to ¡°brother¡±. Incidentally, even with such a poor excuse, the smirking storekeeper didn¡¯t seem to be listening.

    Currently, Schnee had changed her appearance with a skill. With blond hair, red eyes, and a ponytail hairstyle, her impression appeared to be more energetic than usual.

    Therefore, the collection of gazes she received from passerbies, was even more than Tiera and Kagerou gotbined.

    Shin received the wagon while sighing, and then mounted the necessary pulling device on Kagerou. It took some time for the fitting, because it was originally meant to be mounted on a horse, but he adjusted it using a skill in secret and kept up the appearance.

    ¡°Is it tight?¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    Kagerou nodded, telling Shin that it didn¡¯t have any problems. It felt no constraints, even when Shin took it for a light run. Though the wagon¡¯s weight should be more than normal, it didn¡¯t seem to be a burden judging from Kagerou.

    ¡°Then, shall we depart?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    While hearing enthusiastic voices from the monsters, the carriage began to move slowly. Was it the result of his remodeling? The shaking had been considerably lessened.

    ¡°Amazing, it doesn¡¯t shake at all.¡±

    Tiera widened her eyes in amazement.

    ¡°Fuh, this is the result of my remodeling. Aren¡¯t you d I did it?¡±

    ¡°Now that I know this to be thisfortable, I won¡¯t be able to ride a normal carriage anymore.¡±

    There were personalized cushionsid out for each of them, so the vibration wouldn¡¯t make their buttocks sore. From a person who knew the shaking of an ordinary wagon, the difference infort was like heaven and earth. What Tiera said was also understandable.

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s been modified, huh?¡±

    Schnee also felt admiration as she looked around the wagon.

    ¡°Yes, originally I thought of excluding the extra bearing, but I knew I could improve it more if I tried. I thought why not do it on this opportunity, as it really is harsh to be inside a shaking wagon for a long period of time.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed. Isn¡¯t the performance better than the carriage of the royal family?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that rash to go all out there though¡­¡±

    ¡°In present times, there are no wagons¡¯ that don¡¯t shake like this one.¡±

    Schnee smiled as if she was troubled. Judging from the talk, she was likely to have ridden on the royal family¡¯s wagon.

    ¡°Long distance travel in this world is really hard.¡±

    ¡°There are problems of public peace too, one wrong step could cost you your life.¡±

    Monsters and bandits were dangerous too, but even wild animals were plenty of a threat for any ordinary person. For this reason, there existed the work called, bodyguard. For a person who couldn¡¯t hire a guard, a trip was really risking their life.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll hardly feel danger with these members.¡±

    The words that Tiera muttered alone were the truth, too.

    To begin with, with a divine beast ss monster, Kagerou, pulling the wagon, monsters wouldn¡¯t approach directly. Even if a bandit who couldn¡¯t measure its power showed up, they would either settle in Kagerou¡¯s stomach, or be minced meat by Shin.

    There was no problem even if there was somewhat of a travel mood.

    ¡°When Shin and I are present, we can generally even do something about a national disaster ss problem.¡±

    ¡°Master is too almighty.¡±

    The speech that came off as arrogance was incorrigible, simply because it was reality. Even with only Schnee, she was already a national ss in regards of war potential.

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha also here, so it will be all right!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    The two of them agreed with Schnee¡¯s words. That scene was exactly like a pet seeking approval from its master.

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s trustworthy.¡±

    The words Shin muttered while smiling wryly were not heard as they dissolved in the hustle and bustle.

    ¡°But well, to modify it to not attract attention, it stands out in a different way.¡±

    ¡°Mou, this couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    In addition to thebination of Schnee and Tiera that would attract public eyes, there was Kagerou, too. There was no way that this group wouldn¡¯t stand out.

    After all, they were continuously exposed to public eyes from the surroundings until they left the gate.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin¡¯s party departed from Beirun. Kagerou¡¯s movement speed was notparable with a normal wagon; when it ran for a while, all presences of people disappeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright if it¡¯s here. Schnee, can youe over here for a moment? I want to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    He searched for any surrounding presences, and called out to Schnee after confirming that there was no one around. He had something to discuss with her that couldn¡¯t be heard in the neighborhood, though he only now remembered it.

    ¡°Ipletely forgot about it. What was Kagerou¡¯s position on the sacred mountain?¡±

    So, he had forgotten to ask this because he was surprised at the appearance of the divine beast, since Kagerou had been found by chance and was brought along, he felt uneasy with its presence.

    Basically, for divine beasts, most of them had their own territory, and rarely came out from there. In addition, each of them were followed by their underlings. It was different in the game, but in reality, he couldn¡¯t just bring it along like that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. If I am to say it nicely, it would be symbiosis, but if I must say it in a negative way, it would be freeloader.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Due to the anticipation ahead of the unusual answer, Shin couldn¡¯t be helped to have a stupid expression on his face.

    A freeloader.

    It was not a word he imagined would describe a divine beast.

    That symbiosis she mentioned earlier, there might be a another divine beast in this case.

    ¡°Is it that? Kagerou was allowed to live in another divine beast¡¯s territory?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is a monster called Mist Garuda that leads on the sacred mountain, near the summit. Because of that, there are not many ways for Kagerou to be helpful. And Kagerou didn¡¯t appear to have either followers or its own territory.¡±

    The story seemed to have taken a quite special turn. Normally, in the territory of a divine beast, other divine beasts didn¡¯t emerge. Since it was not a game any more, it was possible, but if that was the case, Shin felt a strong sense that something was very wrong.

    ¡°I understand this much as we came to a mutual understanding over the Mind Chat. I don¡¯t understand Kagerou as clearly as Yuzuha, but we canpare the information I know.¡±

    ¡°I see. Yuzuha, can you ask?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, leave it to me.¡±

    Yuzuha, who was able tomunicate clearly, asked about its circumstances. The conversation that sounded like ¡°Guruguru¡±, ¡°Kuukuu¡± continued for a few minutes.

    Was she interested in that conversation? Tiera also sat near the coachman¡¯s seat. Before long, Yuzuha returned to Shin.

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°Yosh, let¡¯s hear it right away.¡±

    ¡°Let me see. Was it the Mist Garuda, now? Though it rules the sacred mountain, originally half of it belonged to Kagerou¡¯s mother. However, its mother was killed by adventurers, and only Kagerou survived.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers, huh?¡±

    Shin had done simr things in the game era, so he felt ashamed.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to hunt divine beasts thoughtlessly in this world.

    ¡°It desperately ran for its life, and then, it was helped by an elf girl. After that, it tried its best and became strong, though when it returned to the sacred mountain, it could only help in battles, because its mother¡¯s territory was already lost.¡±

    ¡°Elf, huh? Indeed, when I met it, there was a little hostility against me.¡±

    Did she recall the time she met Kagerou for the first time? Schnee nodded as she understood.

    ¡°Did it surrender without fighting?¡±

    ¡°Though we did have a contest, if anything, it was a slight degree of testing each other¡¯s ability.¡±

    Apparently, without showing their whole power, they seemed to understand each other¡¯s strength.

    ¡°Schnee is very strong and had a nostalgic scent attached to her, that¡¯s the reason it apanied her.¡±

    ¡°Nostalgic scent?¡±

    ¡°It said that it was the same scent as Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    An unexpected answer returned. Shin, who heard it, had an idea pop up by chance.

    ¡°The elf girl who helped¡­ was probably Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, looks like it.¡±

    It was totally like a development from a manga, but such a thing was really unexpected in reality. If Shin hadn¡¯t arrived, it seemed like their destinies wouldn¡¯t intertwine.

    ¡°Errr, I wonder when such a thing happened¡­¡±

    Tiera said as she closed her eyes to search for the memory where she helped Kagerou. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to remember it right away.

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°It said it was more than 100 years ago.¡±

    ¡°That was when I was still a child¡­ Now that I think about it, I did save an injured puppy.¡±

    The information of Tiera¡¯s age could be guessed, but because circumstances were circumstances, Shin didn¡¯t dig deeper.

    Though it was difficult to associate the puppy from back then with Kagerou¡¯s current real figure, it probably didn¡¯t have a brutal appearance when it was a baby. She could understand because it reduced its size to pull the wagon furthermore.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, there was a severe injury. It was hopeless for me alone, so I asked for mother¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°Benefactor, it said.¡±

    ¡°And you chose to be tamed? Even if you might not end up meeting Tiera?¡±

    Shin pointed out that doing so was hasty; even if it followed the scent, it might not have met Tiera again.

    ording to Yuzuha, it seemed to understand that it couldn¡¯t win, even if it fought against Schnee. That being the case, it decided to believe in its own intuition.

    By the way, the reason it let Shin pet it quietly too, was because it felt a portion of the strength that he hid. Even if he limited it using a skill so that his true ability wouldn¡¯te to light, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t able topletely cover it when it came to a monster of Kagerou¡¯s ss. It felt an overpowering sense of intimidation that couldn¡¯t bepared, even with Schnee, or so Yuzuha informed them of what Kagerou said.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it was so docile.¡±

    Indeed, it wouldn¡¯t let an unfamiliar human touch it just like that. Although it seemed to be no problem for the members here now.

    ¡°Then, shall I transfer the master¡¯s qualifications to Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Will that be alright? For her level and such.¡±

    ¡°If the person in question is epting, there won¡¯t be any problem. It has been verified.¡±

    Though Shin raised his doubts, it seemed to be alright.

    ¡°Um, master. I don¡¯t have the Tamer job, so continuing with this conversation is pointless.¡±

    Of course, a special skill was necessary to form a contract. And only a tamer was able to do it.

    ¡°In this case, I was thinking of an irregr contract, rather than the said transfer. The contract is canceled temporarily and then made again, right?¡±

    Shin asked.

    ¡°Yes. Because a monster that was freed from the contract would return to the wild, it can make a contract with another tamer.¡±

    Though it was obvious, this world was a reality. If it was a game, there was no such thing. It was simr in the sense that a monster would return to the wild after the contract cancetion, but something like a re-contract was impossible. After the message of it having returned to the wild, 2 characters disappeared.

    As Shin had mentioned, it wouldn¡¯t disappear in the way they did in the game.

    ¡°No, like I said, I don¡¯t have the job.¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t get the point.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. With this method, Tiera doesn¡¯t necessarily need the job.¡±

    ¡°Errr, what do you mean?¡±

    Tiera was at a loss for Schnee¡¯s words. The reason for her perplexity was because she didn¡¯t know the acquisition conditions for the job.

    In THE NEW GATE, there were 3 main methods to get the Tamer¡¯s job.

    1. ept the contract application from the monster¡¯s side, generated at a very low probability. (E/N: Monster proposes contract, yer epts)

    2. Inherit the skill, ¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿ from another yer, and at the same time, acquiring the job.

    3. Clear a job acquisition quest.

    In Tiera¡¯s case, it was falling under no. 1 this time. Though they were supposed to fight until it was driven into a corner, Kagerou was uninterested in fighting, so it became a contract as it was. He understood it since the characters for ¡°Very Low Probability¡± were included. There were only a few yers who obtained the job through method no. 1 in the game age. Even Cashmere of the Rokuten guild hadn¡¯t experienced this, more or less making him realize the low probability to some extent. Though it looked a little like a cheat, there was no benefit in particr.

    Therefore, most yers received the skill from acquaintances, or obtained it directly through a quest.

    ¡°Indeed, then I can do it, too.¡±

    Tiera consented after receiving the exnation from Schnee.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s finish this quickly. Kagerou, stop.¡±

    The wagon stopped moving, and everyone hopped off for the time being. The pulling device was detached from Kagerou, and it changed back to its former appearance.

    ¡°First, I will cancel the contract.¡±

    When Schnee said so, she stretched out her arm, and Kagerou bowed its head and touched her hand.

    ¡°The light in thy future¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    Schnee recited the words of contract cancetion. Then a faint light enveloped Schnee and Kagerou, and vanished after a few seconds. With this, the engraved contract marks on both of them disappeared.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s Tiera¡¯s turn.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±

    Though she was tense, Tiera stood before Kagerou.

    The current Kagerou was in a state without any restrictions. The intimidating feeling released by that body was enough to make amoner scared, even if Kagerou suppressed it. Combined with that gigantic appearance, Tiera felt the illusion of a force that pushed her into the ground.

    ¡°Guruu¡­¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s alright. I can do this.¡±

    With a smile to Kagerou who barked worriedly, Tieraposed herself. There was no hostility from Kagerou. Those eyes too, when looked at properly, were worried about the shaking Tiera.

    She took a deep breath, and looked straight at Kagerou. The next moment, a stream of information flowed into her head. A golden light enveloped Tiera¡¯s body, and disappeared after several seconds.

    With the guide from the skill she acquired, Tiera recited the words of the contract.

    ¡°I, wish to walk with thee.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    Kagerou barked to answer Tiera¡¯s words. At the same time, Tiera and Kagerou, on each of their left arms, a tattoo with the shape of some kind of flower, emerged.

    ¡°That is¡­oops¡±

    The pattern of the tattoo created ripples in Shin¡¯s memory for an instant.

    But since Tiera staggered after that, his thoughts were interrupted, and he caught her as she was about to fall. Because of that, the sense of incongruity he had, was gone along with the waves.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, somehow I¡¯m losing strength.¡±

    ¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿ was originally a skill used on a partner who was already weakened substantially. Since there was a huge level difference too, Shin judged that there might be an unexpected burden on the body.

    Shin let the tired Tiera rest on the canopy top, and installed the pulling device on Kagerou again. Though Kagerou worried about Tiera, when he said she¡¯d be alright once she took a rest, since the person in question was merely tired, Kagerou began to pull the wagon obediently.

    ¡°Hey, Schnee. When you transferred Kagerou to Tiera, was it to protect her after all?¡±

    The carriage has moving forward, and approximately 20 minutes had passed. Shin confirmed that Tiera was still asleep, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yes. It is as you say.¡±

    She probably knew that she would be asked that question. Without being surprised in particr, Schnee answered.

    ¡°After this, we won¡¯t always be nearby.¡±

    Schnee said it in a t voice. This was likely one of the reasons she tamed Kagerou in the first ce.

    Schnee would follow Shin, but for Tiera, it was not necessary to follow him. Though she brought Tiera a little forcibly this time, she intended to let her go free after the affairs were over. It was up to Tiera on how she lived.

    However, in the case of her joining Shin with his action, there was the insecure factor of fighting power in the long run. Currently, Tiera¡¯s level was 59. Although it went up a little in the battle with monsters and bandits to some extent, it was still low. It goes without saying that the same goes for her stats. Even Rashia, who did power leveling with Shin and Wilhelm, had a much higher level. The equipment necessary topensate for it was also limited.

    That was the reason for the¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿. The person who became the master was able to summon their monster partner near oneself in an instant. The danger might decrease if Kagerou was there.

    Above all, if Tiera was exposed as staff of Tsuki no Hokora, some insurance for that time was needed. No matter how much she raised her level, if a chosen one appeared, it was impossible for Tiera to deal with them alone. If Kagerou made some serious effort, it would likely end up as overkill, even against a chosen one. But one could expect that the opponent would use any cruel means, so there was no need to show mercy.

    Also, if it was Tiera, Kagerou would not to be used formitting crimes.

    For Schnee, what kind of life Tiera would choose, though she thought to decide on the coping method, it was unexpectedly easily settled. Of course, since it was possible for her to do something for Tiera indirectly, a different coping action was needed again.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that it would turn out like this, though.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­for an ordinary elf to tame a divine beast, usually one wouldn¡¯t think of doing it. Though, I didn¡¯t think you would bring a divine beast to pull the wagon either.¡±

    ¡°I was aiming for the Mist Garuda actually.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the top position in the sacred mountain? That would endanger the ecosystem or the territory in various ways, you should stop that.¡±

    Certainly, bringing the master of a territory would be too much of a problem.

    ¡°If Tiera chooses a different path from us, I will look for another monster again.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be fixated on another divine beast, you know? You seem ready to pull something like this time again.¡±

    Something like this time, it certainly was Kagerou.

    She wasn¡¯t aiming for it, andpletely discovered it by chance. However, contrarily it was human nature to be suspicious when it went smoothly up until there. To the chain of events, he felt some kind of artificial destiny.

    Shin asked Schnee for a horse substitution, and Schnee came across a divine beast that has a connection with Tiera. The divine beast was reminded of Tiera by the attached scent of Schnee, who was a High Elf, and followed her obediently. And then, it made a contract with Tiera.

    The urrence was too much for it to happen by mere chance.

    ¡°Really, for it to somehow move like it was arranged, it makes me uneasy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad sign though.¡±

    If he took it in a good way, it could be said that he was guided to it. Depending on the viewpoint, even if he was dancing in the palm of someone, he couldn¡¯t make a conclusion based on the present situation.

    ¡°There! That¡¯s what I mean. How do I put it¡­basically if it¡¯s malicious, it seems even stranger because I couldn¡¯t see the intentions.¡±

    ¡°In terms of war potential, there is no disadvantage to us, right?¡±

    At present, they didn¡¯t have a big disadvantage. Only at the present, however.

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t understand even if I think about it.¡±

    ¡°If something happens out of my expectation, I cannot do anything but deal with it right away.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, huh? As I said earlier, it hasn¡¯t been a long time since I came to this world. In some cases, there might be situations where I can¡¯t make a decision.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Since a lot of things are different from before, adjusting might be difficult.¡±

    ¡°And to be frank, I will rely on Schnee when it gets really dangerous. So please take care of me at that time.¡±

    ¡°!!¡­Leave it to me!¡±

    I will rely on Schnee.

    As Schnee heard those words, she stopped moving as if struck by thunder. And after a short period of silence, she answered in a firm voice. The expression that overflowed with determination only brightened her pretty face even more.

    Because she was relied on, Shin thought it was good to show some motivation. But Shin¡¯s words appeared to be more effective than he thought.

    When he looked between her hair, her long ears, which were peculiar to an elf, sometimes twitched and quivered, and her cheeks were also tinged a little reddish. Her lips were twitching like she was enduring something, and when he looked closely, he found out that the corner of her mouth almost rose up.

    ¡°Schnee? Are you alright?¡±

    Shin was surprised at the unexpected reaction from Schnee. Though he intended to understand Schnee¡¯s feelings for him, he didn¡¯t expect that this much of a reaction woulde out. Having said that he would rely on Schnee, he was including Tsuki no Hokora that he carried, Tiera, and the monsters¡¯pany, because he thought it would make a big difference in dealing with an emergency.

    Of course, no one could rival Shin¡¯s dependability of Schnee, but did he flip a switch? Shin was anxious.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. No problem at all¡­¡­.that surprise attack, it¡¯s unfair.¡±

    While she answered Shin, Schnee vented out her emotions in a faint voice. The voice was covered by the sound of the moving carriage, so it didn¡¯t reach Shin¡¯s ears.

    Schnee was a youngdy, too. To thepanion whom she longed for, it was impossible for her not to be happy when told she would be relied on and so forth.

    She was counted on. How long did she wait for that moment. The joy that erupted next, no one in that ce could understand it. Contrary to motivation, the face that almost broke out into a smile was tightened by force. In some way or another, she maintained a front as hard as possible.

    ¡°Well, that. Please do.¡±

    With moistened eyes and a reddened face, coupled with the strange romance that appeared, as he nced at Schnee, Shin issued instructions to Kagerou. The speed was about 1.5 times that of a normal carriage when it was doubled, and the scenery of the surroundings flowed by faster. The wind that blew against their faces became stronger, too.

    While thinking that it was nice if his face didn¡¯t redden, Shin stared ahead.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 3: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    It was an easy route,paratively, for one week. Without being attacked by any monsters or bandits, the trip advanced smoothly. From Beirun, there was arge forested area, which was called Larua Grand Woods, and the wagon traveled along its borders.

    The wear and tear of the wagon was intense due to Kagerou¡¯s speed, but it still didn¡¯t break because of the good craftsmanship. However, maintenance would be necessary when they arrived at Falnido.

    ¡°It¡¯s normally impossible toe all the way up here in one week.¡±

    Tiera muttered alone while looking at the map. If it was a normal carriage, even when it advanced quickly, at this time they would only have covered around one-fifth of the way, and yet they had already covered four-fifths of the whole distance. There was hardly any shaking, thanks to the modifications before the trip, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about Tiera and the others, even if he sped up.

    If he had done the same thing with a normal wagon, it probably wouldn¡¯t have held up for even an hour. Especially the passengers inside.

    ¡°Even with this speed, I have gottenpletely used to it.¡±

    ¡°It can be faster than this. But the wagon wouldn¡¯tst.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t raise it any further, it¡¯s scary¡­¡±

    Currently, their speed was about 60km per hour(T/N: About 38 mph). Because of the terrain, that speed was not always maintained. However, after Tiera became ustomed to it, they moved at a speed about 3-4 times faster than a normal wagon. For Kagerou, it was somehow fast, since its stamina to maintain the speed was off the charts.

    Most of the inhabitants of this world have never experienced that kind of speed.

    Although Tiera¡¯s face showed no reaction at the moment, her face had been blue while yelling ¡°Too fast! Too fast!¡± repeatedly when Shin raised the speed in the beginning. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to feel relief even when she saw how calm Shin and Schnee were.

    ¡°With this pace, we should arrive in another 2 or 3 days, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think around then.¡±

    Contrary to the calm conversation, the wagon traveled on the grassy ins at a blistering speed. Not only animals, but monsters also ran away immediately when they saw the carriage.

    ¡°For monsters to clear the road for me, I¡¯m seeing it for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Because the one pulling us is Kagerou. It¡¯s far from being reckless.¡±

    Shin said that while giving instructions to Kagerou. The direction of Kagerou¡¯s running changed depending on those instructions. Avoiding big cavities in the ground while running in a zigzag line, the wagon easily sped across the grassy ins.

    They got through the grassy ins in one day. A forest came into view in the direction of their movement, and there were some reactions within Shin¡¯s range of perception.

    ¡°Schnee, Tiera. There is something up ahead. Be cautious, just in case.¡±

    While giving instructions to drop the speed to Kagerou, he called out to the two people in the wagon.

    Yuzuha, as usual, was on top of Shin¡¯s head. It¡¯s attitude was alert even without having been told.

    ¡°This is¡­are they being chased by something?¡±

    Shin muttered while looking at the map disyed in his view. Judging from the speed, it might be riding a horse. It was faster than a running human, and the multiple responses were heading toward Shin and the others.

    Behind them, a response came from a monster.

    ¡°They are being chased.¡±

    ¡°Um, naturally I don¡¯t understand even if you guys say something like that.¡±

    ¡°Mmm~, I can¡¯t see them¡­¡±

    They seemed to already have entered Schnee¡¯s range of perception, and she gave the same judgment as Shin.

    Neither Tiera nor Yuzuha could grasp the situation. It was only natural, as they were still several kemels away.

    ¡°At this rate, we are going to sh. Should we change ourne?¡±

    ¡°Eh, we aren¡¯t going to help?¡±

    ¡°Whether they were attacked or not, it¡¯s hard to judge by theposition.¡±

    While having a difficult face, Shin told Tiera about the other party that wasing straight toward them.

    The number of people who were on horseback numbered five. There were people of level 40 and exceeding 200 in the center, and three people around level 150 surrounding them.

    Three Guardian Golems at Lv. 430 were chasing them from behind. If Shin¡¯s memories were correct, the Guardian Golem acted as a gatekeeper for a dungeon; it was a monster that was supposed to serve as protectors of treasure. At least, it didn¡¯t attack a person indiscriminately.

    If that characteristic was still in effect, it meant that the 5 people who were escaping were being chased because they were guilty of something.

    ¡°Indeed. It will bring us harm if we thoughtlessly help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said. You might say it¡¯s because the monsters from the golem group sometimes run wildly without any meaning, but I cannot affirm that.¡±

    Like this time, it was very likely the model that persistently ran after the opponent. At the same time, there might be something nearby that was unknown to Shin, something that the golems were protecting.

    ¡°If I might add another possibility, the golems were protecting a secret, for example, an item, and they stole it and ran away.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most troublesome one.¡±

    The golems that guard a treasure chest would chase the stolen item until the ends of the earth. It could be said that it was thest form they wanted to be associated with.

    ¡°I¡¯d understand if that is the reason they went wild when I see it, but¡­¡±

    The golems, when in a state of running wildly, were clear at a nce, because mana was emanated from the core to its whole body. The problem was that it was not understandable just by looking.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell the difference with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.¡±

    In¡¾Analyze¡¿, except for the official record of the wild golems, it was usually indistinguishable from a normal golem.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no point in continuing the matter by prediction alone. I will help if they are really being attacked, otherwise I will kill them if they started the problem. Let¡¯s adapt to the circumstances for the moment.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    He assumed it would be the worst type and got prepared just in case. The driver was Shin. Schnee and Tiera hid themselves inside the wagon¡¯s canopy.

    ¡°For the time being, all members put on cloaks. One of those escaping is a noble. Even though I don¡¯t know what they are doing, I don¡¯t want our faces to be remembered.¡±

    Because the illusion skill would be removed if they took off the cloaks, it was still better than nothing.

    ¡°They will reach us anytime now. Kagerou, please slowly reduce the speed.¡±

    ¡°Gruu¡±

    They advanced for a little while along the road when he saw the cloud of dust that was whirled up by the golems, and he dropped the speed of the wagon. Shin confirmed the armored men who rode the horses with an eyesight strengthened by a skill.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the troublesome type.¡±

    He sighed while saying a few words. That was Shin¡¯s guess from the scene that was reflected in his view.

    In front of Shin and the others¡¯ line of sight, a man in armor riding on a horse, who seemed to be leading the group, made an appearance. And then, there was a low-level man and a man who seemed to be his guard, appeared sessively. Andstly, two horsemen with a little dy appeared.

    The men with armor seemed to be really experienced inbat. On the other hand, the low-level man wore clothes that gave off a luxurious feeling of material. A word that exined his body: obesity. He held a cup that shined like silver in one hand.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed the name of the cup. Shin, who saw it, grimaced in a big way.

    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have been attacked without reason.¡±

    ¡°Schnee¡¯s prediction is a strike. That guy who is yelling has a Holy Grail of Rotten Malice.¡±

    Treasure chests existed in dungeons of regr rank and above. One of the items could be obtained at random from there.

    Considering the situation, Schnee was right; it was likely that they only collected the item and ran away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going for a moment. I¡¯ll leave the defense to you.¡±

    While taking out a card from the Item Box, Shin got off of the wagon. In the next moment, he disappeared with a Hiding skill.

    In the coachman¡¯s seat, Schnee now sat instead of Shin. Because there was a distance between the two groups, the movement of the two people couldn¡¯t be seen by the side that was running away.

    While hidden, Shin approached the men who escaped. Then, he heard the low-level man who was ranting louder than the sound of the horses¡¯ hooves.

    ¡°What have you done!? They are catching up! Can¡¯t you go faster!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is the limit!! If you just throw that thing away, the golems might stop chasing us!!¡±

    Looking ahead, a guardsman answered. That face clearly showed that this situation was not the man¡¯s real intention. As for the other men, they were making simrly ugly faces.

    ¡°Damnnit, this pig guy is misusing his power. If I was holding it, I would have already thrown it away.¡±

    Shin strengthened his hearing, and caught the murmur of the man who lead the group.

    (There seem to be some circumstances. Given this situation, all of them will be killed immediately in the end.)

    Though he didn¡¯t know the reason, the guards didn¡¯t seem to be cooperating willingly.

    The distance between them and the wagon which Schnee rode on was getting smaller.

    ¡°Hey! That wagon! Make that a decoy and let¡¯s escape! It might earn us a bit of time!!¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Don¡¯t joke around!! Do you know what you¡¯re saying!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you guys who are joking around! Do you understand what happens if I don¡¯t return!¡±

    At the words which the low-level man said, when he looked at the wagon, a guard shouted back. As one might expect, the guard couldn¡¯t hold his anger.

    (He might be using the guards¡¯ weaknesses. Even if he did something to that low-level, it wouldn¡¯t solve the problem)

    While watching the exchange of the two people, Shin decided to act.

    He could kill only that low-level man, but then the situation of the guardsmen would worsen.

    Judging from ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the job of the low-level man was priest. It was no doubt that he was a church official. And from his attitude and appearance, he was probably a priest with a high-rank.

    When Shin thought up to there, everyone in the orphanage came to mind.

    (¡­Don¡¯t tell me, this guy is that pig bishop in question.)

    Partly because of the ¡®pig guy¡¯ remark he had heard a little while ago, Shin was convinced that he identified the low-leveled man correctly. Though there was no conclusive evidence, he wouldn¡¯t let him steal the item just like that.

    (I will switch the item with a counterfeit.)

    The cup, which that low-level man held, was quickly exchanged with an imitation. It looked exactly the same, but only in appearance; it was now a joke material item.

    The holy grail was turned into a card, and stored away in his Item Box. With Shin having snatched the item, the target of the Guardian Golems moved to Shin. Because he didn¡¯t want them to notice that, he traveled side by side with them for a while.

    ¡°(Schnee, can you make a scene where you run away when the golems attack the wagon with the illusion skill?)¡±

    ¡°(I can do it, though do you want to let them escape?)¡±

    ¡°(There seem to be some circumstances here. It¡¯s just one person who is the root of all of these problems.)¡±

    ¡°(I see. I understand. Should I refrain from counterattacking even if they do something?)¡±

    ¡°(Do so.)¡±

    He made an arrangement with Schnee via Mind Chat. If one looked properly at the carriage, Kagerou had also been d with the illusion of amon horse. To the men¡¯s eyes, it would only look like a horse. Since Kagerou stood out, Schnee seemed to have made a smart move.

    ¡°The wheels! They can¡¯t run away immediately if you break the wheels! Break them when we pass each other!!¡±

    ¡°For a guy like you to say something like that!!¡±

    While Shin acted separately, the low-leveled man¡¯s instructions went in a cruel direction. Of course, the guard tried to refuse. However, he finally pulled out the sword from the sheath at his waist and lowered it due to the words of the low-level man.

    That face was filled with bitterness. The thing which the guardsman tried to protect, him or them, he wanted to protect even if he got his hands dirty.

    The man¡¯s sword destroyed the wheels on one side when they passed each other, making it impossible for the wagon to advance.

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    A faint mumble leaked out as anguish appeared on the guard¡¯s crooked facial expression; it clearly expressed the man¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult¡­¡±

    Shin muttered while seeing those men gallop away. In the eyes of the man who looked back, the destroyed wagon and Shin¡¯s group trying to escape was reflected.

    ¡°Now then, shall we finish it up?¡±

    He turned around, and prepared for the Guardian Golems that were approaching from behind.

    Although he also could just return the item to the Guardian Golems, the Holy Grail of Rotten Malice was very dangerous when misused. Therefore, it was too bad for the Guardian Golems, but he decided to retrieve it here.

    ¡°Those golems are a precious raw material. It¡¯s useful for remodeling the wagon.¡±

    He asked Schnee to be cautious and hide in the surroundings, then faced the Guardian Golems.

    Even if the Guardian Golems were in front of Shin, he charged without faltering. Since they were not living beings, they were not affected by Shin¡¯s overpowering presence. Their gigantic build reached about 3 mels in total height, and they were closing in on Shin while raising a cloud of dust.

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    Without changing the momentum of his charge, he dodged a fist, and they passed each other as he swung his katana. The sh that hit the Guardian Golem broke through the high defense that was a characteristic of the Golem group monsters without difficulty, and its left leg was sliced off.

    Shin changed his running direction and aimed for the golem¡¯s core after it lost its bnce and fell down. The core was located in the center of the body from behind, which Shin pierced through with his katana. Though the Guardian Golem moved its body as it suffered, it slowly stopped moving after Shin twisted his katana to tear and crush the core.

    The two Guardian Golems that were left attacked Shin when his movements stopped after he dealt the finishing blow. With Shin¡¯s katana sticking out of the core, the two bodies swung their fists downward like hammers.

    ¡°Boom!!¡±

    Shin parted with his katana, turned around and held out his right fist. With the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿ activated, his fist shed with the fist of the Guardian Golem. Following that, the thick sound of metal being hit resounded. Shin¡¯s fist didn¡¯t seem to be much of a rival, but the golem¡¯s fist, which was almost 1 mel wide, was repelled. That recoil caused the Guardian Golem to lose its posture and stumble backward. Various big and small cracks traveled across the fist that collided with Shin¡¯s own.

    Shin didn¡¯t pay attention to the stunned Guardian Golem, and twisted his body with the momentum of the swung right hand. And then, toward the other Guardian Golem that was closing in a little bit more slowly, he unleashed a skill from his left palm.

    Barehanded system martial art skill ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿¨D¨D a vibration wave that destroyed the internal parts of the body was transmitted through the Guardian Golem¡¯s fist from Shin¡¯s palm. Was the power too strong? It was over in an instant, as the Guardian Golem¡¯s body shook a little, before half of it got blown away. Among the shattered pieces, the core seemed to be mixed in, too. The remaining half of the body fell down to the ground like a broken doll.

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t be used on a living being.¡±

    Shin muttered while seeing the Guardian Golem shattered. If the opponent was a living thing, it would be a painful scene to look at.

    He made a mental note in his mind, and faced thest golem. The Guardian Golem that fell on it¡¯s back didn¡¯t seem to flinch at all, even though the other two were already knocked down. At the same time as it was getting up, it naively turned its fists toward Shin.

    Before the punch arrived, Shin fired magic toward the final Guardian Golem.

    It was the earth system magic skill, ¡¾Earth Spear¡¿. The magic that was released immediately showed its effect; the earth right underneath the Guardian Golem shot upward and simultaneously became a spear that attacked its target. The earth spear was reinforced with Shin¡¯s magic, and ran straight through the core of the Guardian Golem, as it ceased to function.

    ¡°An elementary level magic skill of the Earth system can take down a golem exceeding level 400, huh?¡±

    Shin tested two skills as an experiment, since there were a few golems. ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿ seemed to be effective against monsters which have a high defense, such as golems. However, a very grotesque spectacle might ur if he used it on a living being. By the way, after he had used it, he had a feeling that adjustment of the skill¡¯s power was possible.

    As for ¡¾Earth Spear¡¿, was it because of Shin¡¯s magic power? It¡¯s power had increased considerably. Though the increase in power itself was obvious, he hadn¡¯t thought that the defense of golems surpassing level 400 would break so easily. Anyways, earth system magic skills were the first skills one obtained in the game. Though it was useful for traps and surprise attacks, there was no power behind it until now. Soon aftering to this world, he was only able to test the operations of a few skills, but Shin once again thought that it was necessary to train.

    ¡°Now then, time to collect the raw materials¡±

    When he concluded the matter in his mind, he moved on to retrieving the raw materials. However, the only thing he collected was the golems¡¯ fragments, which he then changed into Item Cards. From the Guardian Golems, one could harvest magic steel, while even small amounts of orichalcum could be retrieved, so he didn¡¯t forget to collect even the smaller pieces.

    When he collected everything, Shin returned to Schnee¡¯s location.

    ¡°Good job for today.¡±

    ¡°That one too, so what¡¯s your impression on the damage?¡±

    ¡°The right wheels werepletely destroyed. The axles were broken too, as it slumped against the ground afterward.¡±

    Schnee and the others got off the carriage and waited. Schnee, who heard the report about the broken wheels, got off from the wagon earlier and cast an illusion.

    As for the wagon, the wheels were destroyed and one side of the carrier had sunk into the ground. When it lost its bnce and touched the ground, it didn¡¯t seem to be able to endure the weight of the carrier, so the axles brokepletely. It was also probably influenced by the violent speeding earlier. When he looked more closely, they were pretty much worn out.

    ¡°It¡¯s totally broken. Should I make it more sturdy on this asion?¡±

    He made the carrier float with a skill, and removed the broken axles. Taking advantage of this situation, he took out parts for the wagon that were long stored in his Item Box. Even if it wasn¡¯t his specialty, it was still a production job. While raising a skill, parts he made couldn¡¯t help but pile up to an excessive amount.

    He removed the wheels to change out the broken axlex, while at the same time, he remodeled it to reduce vibrations. The newly installed parts gave off the appearance of wood. However, for a human specialized in that field, if they were not an expert craftsman, they wouldn¡¯t be able to grasp the unnatural gloss on its surface.

    That shine was the adamantine coating, which only Shin and Schnee had in this world.

    ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡±

    ¡°¡­Something, feels strange.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination.¡±

    Tiera was going to ascertain the strange feeling with the power of observation, but because of herck of knowledge, she gave up on it. Nonchntly, Schnee also diverted her attention.

    When the repairs were over, they began to depart. The wagon¡¯s performance rose significantlypared to before the repair, and pushed onward in spite of the bad road.

    After moving for an additional 2 days, the party finally reached the end of the Larua Grand Woods, and arrived at Falnido.

    Shin and the others were in the southeastern part of Falnido. Probably because the grand wooded region was adjacent to Larua Grand Woods, it wasn¡¯t dense, but the scenery of the forest across the border was extended. Was it different vegetation? While Larua Grand Woods was a densely packed area close to a jungle, Falnido¡¯s forest gave off the impression of small animals living peacefully.

    Although the forest was spread out, naturally there was a border. ording to Schnee, there were guard troops, too.

    The road that lead to the country was maintained; there was no need to charge through a trackless path. On the main road that continued to Falnido from the ins, Shin¡¯s troupe advanced slowly. They might be taken as suspicious fellows and be restrained if they increased their speed here.

    Schnee sent out a message card, to inform Girard of their arrival.

    ¡°Hmm? Someone¡¯sing. Their levels are quite high.¡±

    About 10 minutes had passed since they entered inside the forest through the road. Shin sensed someone heading toward the carriage in a straight line. There were two of them. Their levels were 210 and 179 respectively.

    ¡°Since I already sent a message to Girard some time ago, I think it¡¯s the people who areing to wee us.¡±

    Because they couldn¡¯t afford to just call him a High Human, she seemed to have requested a reliable person to guide them. Schnee, who appeared to remember the two people, casually sat next to Shin.

    The wagon stopped for a few minutes, and a pair of Beast-men appeared from the forest.

    ¡°As expected, you guys came.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I received a decree from the Founder whom you are visiting.¡±

    The one who responded to Schnee¡¯s words had gray hair and deep green eyes was a man with masculine looks. There was no opening in that standing posture, so it was clear that he could cope on the spot if something happened. He looked to be in histe 20s; for this world¡¯s standard, considering his level, Shin felt he was pretty young.

    ¡°That person is, the one who was mentioned?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is him. Because it¡¯s somewhat difficult to introduce him here, I asked for a guide from Girard.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We will be the guide to our city, Elden. Follow me.¡±

    The man moved to the front of the wagon with that reply. Shin made the wagon advance to match the speed of the man running.

    ¡°Cuore seems healthy, too.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Schnee-sama also seems healthy above all.¡±

    Having answered in a brisk tone, was the woman called Cuore. Identical to the man who was described just now, she was a beautiful girl with gray hair and deep green eyes. The length of her hair was shoulder length. Shin saw that the only part that was lengthened was the part at the back of her neck. She talked like a warrior, and gave off the impression that she was popr with the same-sex.

    Judging from the friendly conversation, Schnee and the two people appeared to be acquainted since olden days.

    ¡°Have you been acquaintances for long time?¡±

    ¡°I was there when she was born. I also trained her.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°The implication might be different, but she has enough power that it could be said she is a chosen one. After all, it¡¯s because she is Girard¡¯s direct descendant.¡±

    ¡°What!? ¡­Is that so? If that beast has great-grandchildren, let alone great-great-grandchildren¡­, no¡­, anymore would not be strange.¡±

    When he thought of Girard¡¯s original life, Girard was married to his wife, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to have a child. Since he couldn¡¯t live for several hundreds of years like elves and pixies.

    ¡°Hmm? Have we arrived?¡±

    After the man had run for a while, he signaled for them to stop in front of the ramparts that came into view. When Shin looked at the ramparts, he discovered that some parts of the wall were camouged to make it look ordinary.

    Apparently, there was a concealed door somewhere or another. The width was enough to let about one carriage pass, and there was not much height either. This might be a gate to let the fortingpany go through incognito, like at this time. The soldiers who were on guard were likely chosen ones, too.

    ¡°How about the wagon?¡±

    ¡°In this case, I should change it into a card.¡±

    Because the parts he used for remodeling might be suspicious in this world, he put it away in the Item Box, just in case. It could be said that the moment he started remodeling it, the option of selling it was already gone.

    Kagerou was released from wagon pulling duty, obviously changing into a small body, so that Tiera could hold it.

    They moved from the open space where they stopped the wagon to go through the tunnel, so they could meet Girard who was ahead. They then entered a building, and advanced toward the underground from there.

    ¡°Somehow, I feel out of ce.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, an employee of Tsuki no Hokora is a legitimate person concerning the people.¡±

    As they were guided along the way, Shin encouraged the nervous Tiera. Since she was in the shop for more than 100 years, she was pretty much family as far as Shin saw it.

    ording to Shin¡¯s memory, Girard was not the type that worried about trivial things, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous, because I already told him about you, Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Even if that is so, it¡¯s impossible for me to rx¡­¡±

    From amoner¡¯s viewpoint, the person whom she was about to face after this, was a person who was on such a whole different level, that it was only possible to encounter them once in a lifetime. It was normal to feel small. Just because she was close to the existence named Schnee, didn¡¯t mean she was able to get close to other simr members.

    ¡°Prepare yourself. We have arrived.¡±

    While they were talking, it seemed like they had reached the end of the tunnel. Beyond what appeared to be above ground, there was a building like a Japanese samurai residence.

    There was no gate, but everything from the roof tiles, to the paper sliding doors, it was like a full-scale replica that seemed to be able to be used for a historical drama.

    ¡°This way.¡±

    The man invited them in with a few words. They took off their shoes at the entrance, and proceeded to the depth of the residence through the veranda.

    In front of a room in the house, the man who guided them stopped his pace.

    ¡°I have brought Schnee and herpanions.¡±

    ¡°Ou,e in.¡±

    The answer was received, and the man opened the paper sliding door. There were three people in the room.

    Before long, Shin recognized one of them. Sitting in front of him was a Wolf Type High Beast, his support character no. 3. It was Girard Estaria.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, there was an Elephant Type on his left, and a Turtle Type to his right side, but Shin had no memory of them. Both were level 255. They might be Girard¡¯s trusted confidants.

    Following the man, Shin, Schnee and Tiera entered the room. Of course, Yuzuha and Kagerou followed along too.

    Shin was in the center, Schnee and Tiera were on his left and right respectively, and Girard opened his mouth to talk.

    ¡°Ou, Master-dono. I never thought I¡¯d live until the day I saw you again.¡±

    Girard¡¯s voice, which he now heard for the first time aftering to this world, and one that Shin used to hear all the time, was a low and deep voice.

    Girard

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Same here, I never thought that you would still be alive.¡±

    Simr to Girard¡¯s first opinion, Shin too, answered back.

    Unlike the beasts that were sitting down on his right and left, Girard was a Human Type now. Wrinkles had increased on his face, and his hair had whitened.

    However, even if his appearance looked old, the presence that emanated from that body, Shin thought that not even a particle of it had be weak. At least, he didn¡¯t look like he would die any time soon. That arrogant tone seemed to be the same as before, too.

    ¡°Kukuku, that is right. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m still alive either. Because I might die suddenly, everyone around me is worried.¡±

    ¡°Well that, you shouldn¡¯t beughing at that.¡±

    While saying things that he shouldn¡¯t joke about, Girardughed heartily. As for the beasts who sat on his right and left, they were in a shocked state and also sighed while nodding in agreement at Shin¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Now then, there is great deal to talk about too and the story has been umting, but I have to introduce these guys before that.¡±

    Saying so, Girard introduced the man and woman who guided Shin and his party, while sitting down between the beasts.

    ¡°This guy is the current Beast King, Wolfgang. And this here is Wolfgang¡¯s daughter, Cuore.¡±

    ¡°I am Wolfgang Estaria. Please to make your acquaintance hereafter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Cuore Estaria! It¡¯s an honor to meet you!¡±

    Introduced by Girard, the two beasts lowered their heads respectively.

    Wolfgang lookedposed, but Cuore seemed to have gotten a little bit excited.

    ¡°And, these two people are my trusted friends. Van and Rajim.¡±

    ¡°King¡¯s right arm, Van Kuu.¡±

    ¡°King¡¯s left arm, Rajim Dolku.¡±

    The two beasts said no more than that and calmly bowed. Their shocked states from a while ago disappeared, and they now wore serious expressions.

    The one who introduced himself as Van was an elephant, and Rajim as a turtle beast, were known. The position where they were seated seemed to be corresponding to each arm. The right was Van, the left was Rajim.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. You might have already heard it, but I¡¯m a High Human. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    Shin too introduced himself and bowed. That humble attitude was not the same dignity as those who transcend and were talked about among the people.

    From the beginning, he didn¡¯t have the intention of doing it with an air of superiority.

    ¡°Kuku, master said it like usual. There¡¯s no profit even if you are being modest here.¡±

    ¡°Well, because I shouldn¡¯t talk so casually to a king I just met. It¡¯smon to call them by name. You originally wouldn¡¯t call them by such a name.¡±

    ¡°A reunion after such a long time. I want you to forgive me for making a joke like this. Besides, Shin, we know how much High Humans are an irresponsible existence. Then, I should understand such a reactioning back.¡±

    ¡°Good grief, this guy. Well, if you know about the things we have done, you should understand.¡±

    For a resident of this world, a High Human was a legendary existence, and also an object of fear at the same time.

    They sank a city into a sea of mes and hunted divine beasts. It was an existence that really aplished what people usually thought to be a joke.

    And now, amongst the long-lived races such as elves and pixies, which have seen such spectacles, many were still alive, spreading stories about the mighty power of High Humans.

    Moreover, if Schnee and Girard, who were merely subordinates, have shown such a phenomenal power, one could only imagine how mighty of an existence the one they followed was.

    For a person who governs a country, bowing their head to one with such power was trivial, just done to tter them. It was a might so great that any king voluntarily does such a wee.

    ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s talk normally, whether or not I can erase a country on a whim doesn¡¯t matter. This way, I feel I can talk to a friend.¡±

    In a defiant attitude, Shin asked Wolfgang to talk in his normal tone.

    ¡°Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to ask here.¡±

    Shin answered immediately.

    Though he had made a mess of various things in the game, he was aware that he was known as a legend. However, from Shin¡¯s point of view, even if he didn¡¯t remember that he had done anything, other than the game era, for him to be worshiped made him ufortable.

    The reason was different from respect as a high yer during the time of the game.

    ¡°Cuore-san, Van-san, Rajim-san too, please do the same.¡±

    ¡°IS IT FINE!?¡±

    ¡°Princess, please calm yourself a little.¡±

    ¡°But Van, he himself said it¡¯s fine!¡±

    The high-spirited Cuore gave Shin the impression of a fan who met their idol. Though when they met for the first time she had a dignified appearance, there was not even a shadow of that left. It was an absurd ¡®change¡¯.

    ¡°Shin-dono is our Patriarch beast king, Girard-sama¡¯s master. Don¡¯t use the honorific title for us either, we don¡¯t mind if you call us by our first names.¡±

    ¡°That was an unintentional mistake created by the dignified presence just now.¡±

    In the ce of Van who calmed down Cuore, Rajim talked with Shin. For the person whom Girard pledged his allegiance to, using the honorific titles, the style might go mad.

    ¡°Then, it will be easy to talk if Rajim and the others speakfortably, too. Since it¡¯s morefortable for me and I feel more at ease that way.¡±

    ¡°If Shin-dono says so, I will have the privilege of doing so. Because this is my mostfortable way of speaking. Please understand.¡±

    Because of the warrior personage which Shin had gotten an impression of, he thought Rajim was going to decline, but he seemed to be surprisingly adaptable. Since Girard was not holding back, that might be the influencing effect.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. Now I want to hear about the youngdy and the divine beasts over there.¡±

    In a somewhat friendly way, Girard shifted his attention to Tiera and the monsters. About Yuzuha and Kagerou being divine beasts, he seemed to have already found out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for thete introduction. She is Tiera. She was the one who looked after Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Tiera Lucent. For Tsuki no Hokora, I am very grateful.¡±

    Her behaviour from before entering the room hadpletely changed, Tiera perfectly managed her behaviour, and even performed good etiquette. The strained appearance was nowhere to be seen. Not even stiffening up, she faced everyone in Falnido in a natural manner.

    Shin may have seen it in a different way, as a defiant attitude, because she was too tense.

    ¡°And the fox here is Yuzuha, that wolf pup is Kagerou. I¡¯ll tell you just in case, but their races are Element Tail and Gruefago.¡±

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­the legendary¡­?¡±

    ¡°C-Cute¡­¡±

    While Yuzuha, who had be small next to Shin, and Kagerou, who was held by Tiera, were looked at alternately, Girard had a smiling face, like a mischievous boy grinning.

    In contrast to him, Wolfgang and Cuore opened their eyes wide in surprise. To a certain extent, Shin had a feeling that Cuore¡¯s shock was pointed in a different direction.

    Though neither Van nor Rajim reacted in a big way, they gave a small nod, as if they thought it was as expected from a High Human.

    ¡°Same as ever, you neverck on subjects.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I aim for that in particr.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, it¡¯s a good thing not to be bored. Then, the story has piled up, but you all must be tired from the long journey. The youngdy looks like amoner. Lead them to their rooms for the moment. After having cleansed your bodies in the baths, let¡¯s have a meal together.¡±

    The current time was 4:30 P.M. Apart from Shin and Schnee, because Tiera showed fatigue as expected, he seemed to be worried.

    Wolfgang and Cuore returned to work temporarily, and would join them for a mealter on.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Shin,e here for a minute.¡±

    When he was about to move, Girard called out to Shin.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a party. There will be some talkster on.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Apparently, there was something secret he wanted to talk about. For a party created in the old generation version, Mind Chat was avable anytime.

    Van and Rajim lead them to their rooms.

    With a private room each, the interior of all rooms were decorated with a chest of drawers on tatami mats next to a hanging scroll, just like a samurai residence.

    ¡°(Shin. I¡¯m sorry about being so sudden, but can you keep mepany for just a little?)¡±

    ¡°(Okay, I will go there right away, so wait for me.)¡±

    While Shin was looking at the interior of the room, a message came through Mind Chat from Girard. For some reason, he didn¡¯t have a good premonition. However, there was nothing he could do butply with him, and therefore headed toward Girard with the help of a map.

    Though this was a digression; the simple map projected in Shin¡¯s view before he knew it, the map drawing function was restored like it was during the time of the game. Because of that, he couldpletely understand the structure inside the samurai residence.

    ¡°Oh, here you are.¡±

    As Shin preceded while checking with the map, he discovered Girard who was looking at the garden while sitting on the veranda. Was it to match the style of the house? He was wearing a kimono.

    ¡°You came. Please sit down. The tea wille soon.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±

    He sat on a prepared cushion, and Shin paid attention to the garden Girard was looking at. As for the vast garden, there were both a pond and a stone garden where the greenery was well arranged. Even Shin, who didn¡¯t know much about such things, was somehow able to recognize that it was an excellent garden.

    Before long, Schnee arrived with a tea set. The tea seemed to have been prepared by Schnee.

    ¡°Now then, where should I start talking from?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s about the heroic story of Girard founding a country, I have already heard it from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, did you tell him about it earlier? I was gonna brag about it.¡±

    ¡°If you were the one telling it, I thought you were going to exaggerate the contents, so I conveyed the truth of what I saw objectively.¡±

    Schnee answered with a smile, to Girard who was disappointed. Knowing the temper of her fellowpanion, she replied without hesitating.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Leaving my heroic tale aside. In exchange, please tell me about Shin¡¯s circumstances instead. I received the message, but not the minor details that weren¡¯t written.¡±

    ¡°Is that so, though I already told Schnee, to tell you the truth¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Just like at the time with Schnee, he exined to Girard how he ended up here.

    ¡°I see. That exins why no matter how much I looked for you, not even a single clue was found.¡±

    Girard, who had now heard his circumstances, nodded. Girard had searched countless times for Shin. Since he shared information with Schnee, he knew that difficulty well.

    ¡°Even so, Shin too, don¡¯t let this mysterious thing bother you.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Well, though not everything, helping out isn¡¯t all bad.¡±

    Girard wore an expression seemingly wanting to say ¡°Yareyare¡±. Because Girard was relieved as he felt sorry for the person concerned, Shin was slightly touched.

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s right. At least it¡¯s a good thing to me.¡±

    ¡°Girard?¡±

    Girard¡¯s mood changed. The sensation that Shin felt, pricking his skin, it was the aura that Girard wore.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to the main point. Shin, I must tell you something.¡±

    ¡°¡­..What is it?¡±

    Anticipation appeared in Shin¡¯s mind. However, he calmly asked again, without showing it on his face.

    ¡°I am going to die soon. It¡¯s not long now. Perhaps, I won¡¯tst for even one more month.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    At the least, the Girard who was before his eyes didn¡¯t seem like he was going to die in about a month¡¯s time. Rather, his body, with which it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he stayed alive for several more decades, unleashed a suitable presence.

    ¡°I¡¯ve felt an ufortable feeling for several weeks now, and I was convinced when I read Schnee¡¯s message. Inside me, the stopped time has started moving again.¡±

    ¡°As if it was waiting for Shin to return.¡±

    Schnee also added.

    ¡°If God exists in this world, it might have granted my wish.¡±

    ¡°Wish?¡±

    It might be the content of the main point. Girard looked straight at Shin, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s a match, Shin. You¡­me, I want to fight against you.¡±

    ¡°Girard¡­You¡­¡±

    In the situation where his life span has shortened considerably, he asked for a match.

    Even if Girard didn¡¯t say everything, Shin understood well what Girard wanted to say.

    (You want to die in a battle?)

    Girard was a warrior. Not as a job, but as a way of life.

    For this reason, he couldn¡¯t help but think about it. More importantly, it was a fight against Shin who was the strongest warrior at the same time.

    He never had a duel in the game era, a one on one duel with Shin, that is.

    How far could he reach with his fists and skills against a transcended person? Not as a Beast King, and not as a support character either. Just as a warrior, he wanted to challenge the summit.

    ¡°It¡¯s myst wish. Can you ept it?¡±

    Girard¡¯s eyes conveyed that there was no way more suited to burn thest of his lifeforce. Unaffected by old age, his fighting spirit was still burning brightly; there was no option for Shin to decline.

    For example, ifrades who walked together before wished it, even if it lead down a path that would continue until death, it was Shin¡¯s duty to ept his challenge.

    For the role of the opponent who gives glory to the end of the first Beast King, there was no person that fit the role better than Shin.

    ¡°¡­I understand. I ept your challenge.¡±

    He looked back into Girard¡¯s eyes and agreed.

    There were no grim emotions in the eyes of these two people.

    As if it was expected to happen in the near future, such a sensation was shared.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    As the two resolved themselves to face each other, Schnee was quietly watching them.

    To Girard, who had revealed all his feelings, she felt it was enviable.

    ¡°By the way, have you talked about your decision to Wolfgang, Van, and Rajim?¡±

    Girard¡¯s existence as the first Beast King was huge. If he died, then the influence his death would have on the surroundings was immeasurable.

    ¡°I have told them about my shortening life span, but not yet about the duel. Nheless, I have no intentions of concealing it. I will talk to them after this. Well, Van and Rajim seem to be aware of my wish though.¡±

    Saying his confidants¡¯ names, Girardughed.

    They probably pretended not to see through and so on; it seemed like they had really followed Girard for a long time.

    ¡°Are they your fellowrades-in-arms?¡±

    ¡°Yes, after Shin disappeared, it was a rtionship built on continuously fighting together.¡±

    Girard probably felt nostalgic for the old days, as he talked while at the same time being boastful in some respects.

    ¡°Elephant and turtle. There are one or two kinds amongst the Beasts with long lives, huh? I guess it¡¯s possible to live for more than 500 years.¡±

    ¡°You might say that I¡¯m the one who is an old geezer. They were originally in a guild somewhere, but it copsed during the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    When Girard first met them, both of them were still boys. They became his subordinates with whom he shared his life; it could be said they wererades.

    ¡°Those guys have years of experience. I am also simr. Soon, the people of this country have to get out from our influence.¡±

    Different from when Girard boasted about his subordinates, he closed his eyes like he was worried about something.

    ¡°We beasts quickly go through our generations. Though it¡¯s not what I should say myself, our existence has grown too big due to that. I got off as a retired person until about the second or third generation, but I became the shadow who was being relied upon after that. Other than the current Beast King, we were being counted on by the guys before that.¡±

    ¡°That is certainly bad.¡±

    It was a problem if the strongest king was still active during each sessive generation. The stories would be slightly different though if his ability declined. However, whether it was for better or for worse, Girard¡¯s physical strength hardly changed as time passed. When his bad influence showed traces on the current reign because of it, Girard was probably in a bind. Looking at his character, one wouldn¡¯t expect him to be involved in politics. However, his influence would remain, simply because he was part of the first generation.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I want to die just to pass over my lifespan. But the country is still not good. Though I cannot strongly say that because there are the chosen ones, if I only depend on a few strong warriors, I don¡¯t know what would happen if those guys died. If Shin hadn¡¯te, I thought of going away to a far-offnd.¡±

    It was not necessarily a bad thing to be gathered up and lead by a strong person. But, Girard¡¯s strength,pared to the other chosen ones, was too different in order of magnitude, so it was not possible to treat them as if they were of the same rank.

    ¡°I heard that Wolfgang is excellent as a ruler, what about that?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that guy is especially excellent among the sessor generations. Even in battle he is the strongest, next to me, within Falnido. He also listens to the voice of the people.¡±

    The present Beast King seemed to be stronger than Van and Rajim.

    ¡°So you can leave it to him, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so.¡±

    This was a someone with whom he was able to entrust the country. It was a very joyous thing for the people who supported Wolfgang to shoulder the country. Moreover, Girard was also able to die without worry for the only country he created.

    ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that Wolfgang and Cuore are not Chosen Ones, why was that?¡±

    ¡°Those fellows are certainly not chosen ones. However, that¡¯s what people say. If I am to judge from their stats, they are more than 600 on average.¡±

    The value that Girard conveyed greatly exceeded the ability level of a chosen one by many times over, even more than Shin expected. Apparently, powerful people in this world didn¡¯t seem to be limited to only the chosen ones.

    ¡°Even if I say that, they are more like the exception. Within my direct descendants, a child who can seed my ability would asionally be born. Wolfgang and Cuore are two of them. There are individual differences regarding how much those children inherit, but generally, their attribute values are high.¡±

    ¡°In the case of a chosen one, such a thing never happens?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a story. But such cases, where one has stats above the standard, I have heard rumors about them. At least, they never went out of the stage from being rumors to facts.¡±

    Girard highlighted a portion of the rumor. Though he didn¡¯t confirm it, since it happened to a child¡¯s body, he couldn¡¯t be so sure.

    ¡°Actually, though it is a rarity among the chosen ones, a person with abilities greater than Wolfgang might have been born.¡±

    Once again, a very powerful chosen one seemed to have appeared.

    ording to Girard, he was informed that each of the stats had an average of 700. It was a value than could even fight with Kagerou. It was said that there was no information rting to their descendants.

    By the way, as Shin expected for an ordinary chosen one, if one of their stats, STR or INT or so on, reached 500, they seemed to be ssified in the upper advanced level. It seemed to be quite rare for two of the stats to be that high.

    The two princesses of Bayreuth seemed to fall under that category, but there were hardly any others. Furthermore, their stats were around 200-300 higher than the standard. This numerical value could be gauged from intuition when fighting. As for the majority of the chosen ones, they had an average of 350 at most.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s plenty menacing for amoner, huh?¡±

    ¡°It seems so. Well, the story has digressed. Let¡¯s return to the talk about our duel.¡±

    Girard lightly shook his head.

    ¡°Okay, on that subject, do you know of a good ce with plenty of room for the duel? If we fight seriously, it won¡¯t end up as just a joke.¡±

    As Shin said, the surroundings would definitely be turned into empty plot ofnd with a destroyed surface. ording to the circumstances, it was necessary to take the terrain changes into consideration.

    Of course, no buildings, including the arena and training grounds, either. When Shin and Girard¡¯s attacks shed, it would be too dangerous to even just watch.

    ¡°There is a ce I have in mind. If you came from Beirun, do you remember Larua Grand Forest? Let¡¯s do it there.¡±

    ¡°Is there a ce to fight there? It¡¯s looked like a jungle to me though.¡±

    ¡°That forest is a little special. Within a certain range in the extended forest, no matter how many trees are cut down, they will all be restored overnight. Because there were times when I tried to rampage before, even after I turned the roots upside down, it waspletely restored the next day.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a jungle-type dungeon that mutated. Though the cause is unknown, because the forest didn¡¯t extend from its fixed range, it was left alone. It was also used as a ce for a fellow chosen one to fight, so it¡¯s not the first time.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin, who at first might have been worried about the destruction inflicted upon nature, understood when hearing Girard¡¯s words. If it was restored no matter how much damage it took, it was perfect as a battleground. Moreover, if it¡¯s constantly being used as a ring, he didn¡¯t need to hesitate.

    If the two people got serious, even if there were monsters that wandered around the area, they wouldn¡¯t be a threat either. It was just perfect.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem about the location. Next is the time. I guess you don¡¯t have much time left?¡±

    ¡°It would the best for me to have it one week from now.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be better to have it earlier?¡±

    ¡°No, most of my power is likely toe forth on that day. The embers that are fading will burst into mes during my final moments; there is timing, you know?¡±

    What he said was probably that his physical condition was also having its ups and downs. Was it because he sensed death? He seemed to understand about these types of things to an extent.

    ¡°Is that so? Then in the meantime, I will polish off your personal weapon. If we do this, you should have the best equipment.¡±

    ¡°That is unnecessary. Still, I want to use that in my fight till the end.¡±

    Girard¡¯s personal weapon was an arm guard, covering everything from the hand to the elbow, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». Its rank was of course, ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. It was firmly kept in Shin¡¯s Item Box.

    Because ¡ºBlue Moon¡» was already returned to Schnee, the equipments he had remaining for his support characters numbered only three.

    ¡°How about your armor? I think you kept it with you before though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s securely stored. Though its appearance is a bit rough, it was never in poor shape. Even after 500 years of using it, somehow I don¡¯t feel like its performance has dropped.¡±

    ¡°Can I see it just in case, I have a feeling that no one could repair it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, none of them have the sufficient skill level. If it wasn¡¯t an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade with an outstanding durability level, it would¡¯ve probably be useless by now.¡±

    For Girard, since the armor was not close to a keikogi*, it could be said that he had no way of maintaining it. He couldn¡¯t improve it by only using magic power. As Girard said, if this was a ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, it was likely that the armor would be useless. Its performance too, was the highest ss in respect of the durability level in ¡¶Ancient¡· grade gear. *(T/N: Martial art uniform)

    ¡°I will hand over the armor first¨D¨D here it is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep it¡­this is horrible.¡±

    When Girard took out the armor, which was in Item Card form, from his Item Box, Shin lightly checked on the armor¡¯s condition and raised his voice as he was astounded. The reason was that the durability level of Girard¡¯s personal armor was left with only 30%.

    To exhaust the durability of an¡¶Ancient¡· grade armor until it¡¯s this low, it was difficult even in the game. Exactly as Girard stated though, there was hardly any change in its defensive power, regardless of the degree of damage its durability suffered; it was as one expected from an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade item.

    When he materialized it in an attempt to take a look, no other words came into his mind, except for ¡®worn-out¡¯. There were torn spots, burns, and even discolored ces, to which he couldn¡¯t help but want to say; ¡®What have you done to this thing all this time?¡¯

    However¨D¨D.

    ¡°When ites to fight after fight for more than 500 years, I must say, you have cared for it well.¡±

    When Shin thought about the times when the armor was repeatedly worn, he understood.

    ¡°The performance state hasn¡¯t changed much either. It¡¯s still usable.¡±

    ¡°Though it¡¯s not something I should say myself, I have made an incredible thing.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, is that what the maker should say?¡±

    Though what Girard said was reasonable, having touched the real thing and not data, Shin was made to wonder, ¡®Was there such a thing?¡¯. As for the one who was familiar with modern science, he believed that just this one could cause a technological revolution.

    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    Shin stopped thinking about these matters. If he returned to his former world, magic, skills, and so forth didn¡¯t exist, even if it was possible, he didn¡¯t intend to take something with him from this world.

    ¡°For the time being, leave the equipment to me. Is there anything else to decide upon?¡±

    Returning back to the point of the discussion, Shin asked Girard. Assuming the battleground and equipment didn¡¯t have any problems, the arrangement and session were needed. Whether Shin could help it or not, he intended to lend his hand if there was anything he could do.

    ¡°Another thing huh?¡­I have nothing in particr. Because I¡¯m not in some official position, there is no troublesome session either. The preparations have already ended, too. Ah, that¡¯s right. I want Wolfgang, Cuore, Van and Rajim, the four of them to watch the fight, do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no problem. They already know that I¡¯m a High Human, so I guess they want to watch from the side, too.¡±

    ¡°As for me, what kind of level of power a High Human has, I want to know that. The residents of this world, they don¡¯t know of the existence that is stronger than me and the others. Of course I know there are monsters that are stronger than us, but if you find yourself representing a country, you will have a better understanding from the highest standpoint.¡±

    Girard probably wanted to personally experience what it was like to go up against an opponent that one must not fight. The stories of Shin and the others¡¯ strength were exaggerated like a fairy tale. He couldn¡¯tprehend that, unless he experienced it with his own body.

    ¡°Indeed. Certainly, the things before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ would be unknown if there were no long-lived species.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not often that we fight seriously either, so they will be using ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ to watch us fight. I guess that is enough to feel the atmosphere of the battle.¡±

    Though Shin intended to push the issue if Girard said they would be watching from within the vicinity, but as expected, Girard didn¡¯t say it.

    All jokes aside, the distance should be a kemel(km) at the minimum, or there would be casualties in the aftermath of the battle. Such a thing would result from the fight between Shin and Girard.

    Whether or not they could defend themselves, they couldn¡¯t watch safely unless they were in a remote ce, away from the battle.

    ¡°Such a ce must be decided upon soon. And the rest will be decided after I tell Wolfgang and the others.¡±

    ¡°Roger that. Then, is that all for today?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. Ah, Schnee. Sorry, but can you take the teacups to the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no problem.¡±

    Schnee put the teacups for 3 people on the tray, and left without making a sound.

    ¡°¡­So? What is it that you don¡¯t want Schnee to hear?¡±

    After Schnee¡¯s figure disappeared for a few moments, Shin asked Girard. Because it was somewhat quite forced, Schnee probably also noticed it.

    ¡°Well, sorry for this.¡±

    He seemed to be sorry for what he did, Girard scratched his cheek.

    ¡°Only one, I want to confirm one thing.¡±

    Those eyes, they were more serious than when Girard talked about dueling with Shin. The opposite side, Shin, also naturally got nervous.

    ¡°Schnee might have already asked you this, but if Shin finds a way to return, will you?¡±

    Will you leave Schnee behind?

    Though that wasn¡¯t expressed in words, it was clearly conveyed by Girard¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­.Yeah, I will return. That is the reason I continue fighting.¡±

    He has family waiting. Has friends. Haspanions.

    There was no end, even though he cleared the game. It was the promise he had exchanged with his special someone to continue living in future, it was an oath that Shin himself decided upon.

    Just because he was transported to another world, it would not make him quietly abandon hope and give up so easily.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    Shin¡¯s answer was heard, and though Girard was about to say something for a moment, he didn¡¯t turn it into words.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, it should be me apologizing. I¡¯m sure the person concerned would understand. This old man tends to say unnecessary things.¡±

    Girard shook his head, as it wasn¡¯t his intention to say it expressly. Even Shin understood the things Girard wanted to say. No matter howrge an effort Girard was making for the country, his fellow support character had been exchanging information with him, and they would notice each other¡¯s intentions.

    Schnee¡¯s situation from Tiera¡¯s story, and guessing from Girard¡¯s way of speaking, Schnee must have searched for Shin for a long time.

    Would he return and leave her? Girard wanted to ask him, no, he was going to ask him. Girard, as apanion who had seen Schnee¡¯s actions, couldn¡¯t help but do so.

    ¡°We have our own, and Shin has his circumstances. They¡¯re difficult ones, too.¡±

    Girard sighed after he said so. He didn¡¯t express his words clearly, because he saw various colors in Shin¡¯s eyes. Doubt, confusion, and sadness were all reflected in there. There were also positive colors such as joy and love. And then, the color of determination enveloping them.

    Girard knew those well, it was the color of a warrior who advanced while struggling. When he saw it, he understood that Shin was thinking about Schnee. In fact, he could assert about that.

    However, a clear answer had note out yet. In the answer that Girard heard, there was still some hesitation. His former world or the current world. Even though Shin still strongly thought about his former world right now, one never knew what would happen in the future.

    ¡°My matter and Schnee¡¯s matter too, I will think about them when I have gathered all the possible solutions, isn¡¯t that the smartest way of doing it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I too just thought about it a little while ago. It¡¯s as they say, the principle of convenience.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, everything goes well and you get a good ending. Everyone is happy and they all lived happily ever after.¡±

    The ending where everyoneughs, no one is missing, and an overflow of happinesses to him. For the misfortune that befell him, he would have no choice but to y a minor role that emphasized happiness.

    ¡°Really, I can¡¯t rte to it at all.¡±

    ¡°That was just said unintentionally. But I also have the same opinion.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but think that to believe in both at the same time wasn¡¯t possible. The two people, who experienced a lot of unjust separations, smiled wryly together.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to take so much of your time, Shin. There¡¯s still a little time before the meal. Get some rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    They bid farewell to each other and returned to their respective rooms. Shin killed time in the room while ying with Yuzuha. He wanted to begin the restoration of Girard¡¯s weapon and armor, but the currently avable time was insufficient.

    Then he ate with relish over the luxurious dishes at dinner, and took a bath to wash off his sweat. There was no big event afterward either, the night of the first day in Falnido grew silent.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After dinner, when Shin and his group were heading to their bedrooms, Van, Rajim, Wolfgang, and Cuore; the four of them were called to Girard¡¯s private room.

    ¡°Ou, sorry to call you when all of you are tired.¡±

    ¡°What is it that you want to discuss together?¡±

    Wolfgang, who might have felt there was something abnormal from Girard¡¯s appearance, asked on behalf of the four people.

    ¡°Well, you see, I have found a ce to die. And I wanted to tell you all.¡±

    Out of nowhere, Girard said so with a light tone. Of course, the contents were far from being light-hearted.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hah?¡±

    To the sudden remark, Wolfgang¡¯s response escaped from his mind. It was natural. Being suddenly told that a ce to die was found, there was no way he could return with ¡°Yes, I see¡±.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It is how it sounds. Didn¡¯t I tell you all that my life-span was about to end? Before that, I will duel with Shin. That is the ce I¡¯m going to die at.¡±

    ¡°Why, now?¡±

    ¡°It is one week from now that I can disy my maximum power. If I go beyond that, there is nothing left but to be decrepit and ugly with age afterwards. My warrior¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow it if I didn¡¯t bring it to an end before then.¡±

    He dies as a warrior in the end. Wolfgang could say nothing to Girard who announced it so. After having done everything, protecting his family, leaving behind a child, he was ending his life in a fight without leaving any regrets.

    For the wolfman n warrior¡¯s family, which was also called Wolf Type, it was the best way to die. Much more so, if the opponent was of the legendary race, High Human. It would be envied by everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say that the time hase.¡±

    In ce of the silenced Wolfgang, Rajim muttered as he consented.

    ¡°Umu, when I heard the story of the longevity of the king, I never thought that it would end this way. What

 Book 3: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Shin-dono! I¡¯vee to pick you up!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The next morning. When Shin and Yuzuha were getting ready to dress themselves, a voice came from outside the room.

    Shin opened the door while thinking, ¡°Where have I heard that voice before?¡±. It was Cuore, kneeling in a proper seiza posture.

    Cuore

    ¡°Breakfast is ready. Come this way, please!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡±

    Since she didn¡¯t talk much at the dinner table, he didn¡¯t know it was her, with only her voice. Also, because it was not a maid, but Cuore, what kind of thing was that?

    ¡°Um, why is Cuore the one who is summoning me? Yesterday, I was told by the maid about dinner.¡±

    Supposedly, Shin was a guest of Wolfgang, so the maid came to pick him up at dinner time.

    ¡°I asked to take over.¡±

    Why would she do that? Shin thought, while thinking back that he had the same feeling at yesterday¡¯s dinner. Within Cuore, the existence of High Humans was quite glorified, especially Shin¡¯s, for some reason. Though she didn¡¯t talk much, her manner and gaze showed eloquence toward Shin, too.

    It was also probably because Shin was Girard¡¯s master. Apparently there were too many anecdotes that were told when she was a child, so she seemed to feel strong admiration.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, his embarrassing past being dramatized was nothing but a punishment game(batsu game) to him.

    (I somewhat feel like her image of me is too far away from reality.)

    Furthermore, the Cuore of today, her tension felt higher than yesterday. Shin became a little worried about that.

    Did Girard tell her about the duel? It seemed to have slightly forced her tension to raise a little.

    When he checked the route they were walking, while thinking about what was up with her, he noticed that they were going to a different ce from the dinner.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the destination different from yesterday¡¯s hall?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told to guide you to Girard-sama¡¯s private room.¡±

    Since the dinner was a banquet feast, he wondered if he could eat peacefully in the morning. On the ount of the work, Cuore seemed to finish it earlier.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. I think yourpanions wille soon. Then, I will be on my way.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Shin thanked Cuore who was leaving with a bow, and entered the room. Inside were Girard, Van and Rajim.

    Schnee and Tiera entered after a few minutes.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    They finished greeting each other and began to eat breakfast. There was rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables when he looked at the contents of the menu.

    When breakfast was over, they talked about things from then onward.

    ¡°Though I asked you to take care of the equipment, I don¡¯t want you to only do that. You have to take it easy and go sightseeing.¡±

    ¡°Then, will you tell me a ce with a library? A ce with past documents is good, too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood. There will be a need for a permission, but I will arrange it all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved of the trouble.¡±

    He might identify some of the things he didn¡¯t understand in Bayreuth. If there was the permission of the first Beast King, he might even be able to see something like a prohibited book which was his goal earlier. There were no issues somehow or other.

    ¡°What will Schnee and Tiera do?¡±

    ¡°I will stay with Shin.¡±

    Schnee answered immediately as if it was natural. To take it easy? It seemed there was no option for her to go sightseeing.

    ¡°Well um, I wonder if I can follow you to the library too? I am curious but¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go together after I repair Girard¡¯s equipment?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. When you repair the equipment, will you deal with an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon? I¡¯m interested in that too.¡±

    Tiera has been researching the message card he handed over from before, but apart from that, she appeared to be interested in the work that Shin did.

    Her study couldn¡¯t crack a part of the mechanism yet, but because she was not in a hurry, it seemed to be postponed.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Girard andpany, what will you do?¡±

    ¡°I am, well as they say, putting my affairs in order. While I¡¯m at it, I intend to teach a skill that I failed before to Wolfgang.¡±

    ¡°From yesterday¡¯s talk, did you reach the Hiden rank?¡±

    ¡°I almost mastered it up until the Ouden. Because the Secret Book is almost certainty a loss. What will happen next will depend on that.¡±

    Because Shin had heard the story about their stats, he expected that a rank of martial art skills has been acquired.

    The ranks in martial art skills were divided into 5 ranks in THE NEW GATE.

    First, the foundation skill was Shoden. There were many techniques to learn by leveling up. Ouden could be attained by training Shoden and Chuden. When a special quest waspleted, Hiden was usually acquired by taking a different action. And then, when everything from Shoden to Hiden skills were forged until they were at their greatest, Shiden could be learned.

    (T/N: Shoden[Beginner] <>

    Because there were stat value requirements too, any yers who attained Shiden were all advanced level yers. Wolfgang¡¯s stats were barely enough for a Hiden rank.

    Though Shin understood all of that, Girard¡¯s next words made him raise his eyebrows.

    ¡°Is there such a thing as the Secret Book failing?¡±

    Shin was surprised at that information, as it shouldn¡¯t have failed if the condition was met. Was there another factor that has emerged or something? He thought it over.

    ¡°Martial arts and magic. Both depend on the mental condition of the user. Long story short, it can¡¯t be learned if he is mentally inexperienced even if his stats are high.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. It requires both mental and physical strength, huh?¡±

    It was natural for martial arts, Shin who was thinking of various things, felt silly. As he himself belonged to an archery club in high school, he didn¡¯t remember any sense of difort either. Martial arts were such things.

    Mind and body were strengthened, to polish the techniques. It was a natural duty for a person to learnbat techniques.

    ¡°It¡¯s that kind of thing. Well, if it¡¯s Wolfgang, I don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, he seemed to be diligent. And he has a warrior vibe as well.¡±

    Shin had never met a person who was a genuine master or a person who was called a warrior in his former world, but he still felt integrity from Wolfgang. That sign would not be worn, if he had an untrained mind or inexperienced heart.

    ¡°He is pretty much my valued descendant. I¡¯m so happy to have heard you say so.¡±

    ¡°You have be a grandpa who is proud of his grandchild, don¡¯t you? Well, the meal is finished, so I will start preparing. I want to take out Tsuki no Hokora, is there an open ce somewhere?¡±

    ¡°There is a za for training. If it¡¯s there, it will be fine. Van, guide them, Rajim, go ask for the permit. I will go to Wolfgang¡¯s ce.¡±

    ¡°¡°Roger!!¡±¡±

    Van would guide the three of them, Shin, Schnee, and Tiera, towards the za behind the residence. By the way, Yuzuha was on top of Shin¡¯s head, and Kagerou was walking with small steps by Tiera¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Step back just a little.¡±

    Van stepped back, and Shin took off the ne with the crescent moon shape. And then, at the same time he threw it out to the za, he said the keyword.

    ¡°¡ºRelease¡»!!¡±

    The ne emitted light instantly. The light with the shape of the ne was greatly expanded in the next moment, and took the form of a house. And when the light disappeared, Tsuki no Hokora appeared there.

    ¡°Hmm, this is the technique that only the store owner can use, huh? There¡¯s a big difference from hearing it and seeing it.¡±

    Van, who saw it for the first time, seemed to feel some admiration as he looked at the state of Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who had surely seen Tsuki no Hokora put away before, had her face stiffen at that absurdity again. As usual, only Schnee didn¡¯t show any reaction at all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s enter now. What will Van do?¡±

    ¡°If it is possible, I would like to see the process of repairing the armor. Such an opportunity, there will be no next time.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t usually show it, but if it¡¯s Girard¡¯s aide, I guess it¡¯s fine. Come on, follow me.¡±

    Shin spoke and entered the Tsuki no Hokora. They passed through the counter, and went straight to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. Other members also followed for some reason.

    ¡°Somehow, it feels like a tour.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Being able to see the person¡¯s technique who mastered cksmithing, that possibly nobody will ever see again? Anyone would want to see it.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, it¡¯s interesting to watch.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    Following Tiera¡¯s remark, Yuzuha and Kagerou raised their voices too. When Yuzuha spoke, Van had the look that seemed to want to say ¡°Eh¡­?¡±, but never did. Incidentally, Shin recalled when Yuzuha couldn¡¯t speak.

    It was possible for Yuzuha to talk, unlike an ordinary monster, because it was an Element Tail; Van was forcibly convinced, and Shin started working.

    The divine beast was also there but without Van who consented pursuing it in particr, he looked closely at Shin¡¯s work.

    ¡°First, from how I understand its current condition¡±

    By materializing the card, he held the armor in both of his hands. When Shin¡¯s mana ran through it, the armor itself began to shine in seven colors. From that, Shin listed the missing things in his brain.

    ¡°¡­this can only be done with Orichalcum.¡±

    After confirming his list, Shin separated one hand from the armor and manipted the Item Box. Though the armor was held with only his left hand, with it still shining, it was maintained in the air like the time he held it with both hands.

    Shin took out the missing material, and materialized it. A transparent lump of metal like a crystal appeared, it was the Orichalcum. When Shin held his right hand out toward it and performed some movement, the Orichalcum came apart at the edges, and changed into a fine thread.

    ¡°That skill¡­indeed, no one could learn that.¡±

    Van muttered, unable to describe the mysterious phenomenon before him. Van was a character originally made to have the role of a cksmith during the game era. Therefore, he has the capability of amon cksmith. That was why he was able to understood, more than everyone who was there, the abnormality that happened right in front of him.

    The spectacle where the Orichalcum transformed its shape voluntarily, he couldn¡¯t do anything but keep looking at in utter amazement.

    ¡°The torn part is repaired. The Orichalcum is diffusing thoroughly and the strength is recovered. Mana is mixing evenly¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Was what Shin said, as he was concentrating on his work so much that he didn¡¯t notice the state of Van and the others. It was only natural. What Shin had in his hand now, so to speak, was Girard¡¯s burial clothes. He couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to the surroundings, because he had to keep working with the utmost respect. As for the reason he allowed their observation, other than the reason that they would not interfere, it was because he had a hunch that there was no room for him to mind.

    All of the nerves in his body concentrated to restore the armor to the best possible condition. That was the thing that Shin must do.

    At about 30 minutes. When the seven colors of lights disappeared, the dougi type armor reached the point where one would hesitate to touch it. It was unimaginable that its appearance was once battered.

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯s done.¡±

    Shin wiped the sweat that slightly drifted away, and change the armor back into a card. The work that ended after several minutes in the game, it was actually felt very time consuming for the one who did it.

    Generally, it took more time to finish since his magic maniption wasn¡¯t perfect yet, although it was understood that he could do it by intuition. Even so, the area around precision rose up greatly when he used mana the same way of using magic skills; it was as one would expect from a person who mastered cksmithing.

    To restore such a flexible equipment like the dougi of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, this method was the most efficient. There were other methods too, but they were inferior in terms of performance.

    ¡°Hey Shin. Earlier, was that cksmithing? It seemed to be a magic skill to me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it certainly looks like that when seen by others. However, if there is no smithing skill covering it, let alone to change the metal¡¯s shape, it would be a quality that is lower than scrap iron in an instant.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know the requirements before too, so he himself, experienced Orichalcum and Mithril changing into scrap iron. The rare metal which he had gathered through much hardship, when it crumbled right in front of his eyes, it was heart breaking, even to Shin.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I understand that the mana seems to change the quality.¡±

    Such a thing should have been written on the exnation column of the skill, so Shin then opened the exnation column of the skill he used a moment ago to confirm.

    ¡°By the way, the skill level must be sufficient too, or the same thing will happen while repairing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you did an experiment on the substance?¡±

    ¡°¡­There were times when I would repair armor made of Orichalcum and made a mistake, it be an armor of scrap iron.¡±

    Recalling those days, Shin¡¯s mood became deeply emotive as he brooded over that time. Tiera who heard the story, hadplicated feelings.

    ¡°cksmithing is surprisingly a job with a big risk.¡±

    Tiera calcted the mary damage of when Orichalcum became scrap iron. Since she was dealing with goods in Tsuki no Hokora, she knew the market price to some extent, but for the amount of Orichalcum needed to make an armor and so on, she couldn¡¯t imagine how much it cost to only collect it. Tiera didn¡¯t want to think that there was a job that turned it into worthless scrap metal in an instant.

    ¡°Usually it returns to an ingot even if I make a mistake, and other items can be processed to be reuseable. Just this, let alone reusing it, I¡¯m worried because it can,pletely be garbage.¡±

    If Shin failed normally with cksmithing, there were several methods to reuse a material. Of course the item would not just return to its original form without any changes, but it¡¯s still better than nothing. However, the method Shin took couldn¡¯t be reused now, no matter what. The purchase price was zero if sold to a NPC in the game.

    To rise a skill level, just how many rare metals did he convert into garbage? If it was not a game, it was something he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do by any means.

    ¡°The reason for the loss is not only because of the craftsman¡¯s ability. To use Orichalcum for practice, would be an unbelievable act for the present cksmiths.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. How much does Orichalcum cost now?¡±

    ¡°In Falnido, it will be a white gold for a fist-sized ingot. Though only a few people can deal in it, it is obvious that everyone would be in a frenzy if the price was knocked down. It¡¯s difficult to ascertain how many times its value has increased.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing after all.¡±

    How much would it cost if Shin seriously made a sword from it? There were various rare metals in his Item Box, it seemed like he couldn¡¯t show it to the other cksmith.

    ¡°I will stop selling metals then. Well, the story has gone this far, should I move on to the next one?¡±

    Shin then took out Girard¡¯s personal weapon, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». (T/N: Changed from ¡ºMoon Destroyer¡»)

    Since this weapon was at an even higher ranking than the armor, there was only a little damage on the surface of the arm guard. The durability level also had more than 90% remaining.

    He needed to restore this to bepletely perfect. This time he put the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» on top of the table, in addition, a small ingot was put on top of it.

    ¡°What is that¡­¡±

    ¡°By chance, is that the¡­¡±

    Tiera and Van saw the ingot, but only hoarse voices leaked out. The ingot, which was put on top of the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», except Schnee, no one in that ce had ever seen it before.

    The metal had a dull shine for a ck color. However, on the main colored surface, big and small glitters were able to be perceived. It was like the night sky where the stars sparkled for as far as you can see, or like the space contained numerous gxies.

    Tiera, who was sensitive to magic, understood that the metal contained extraordinary magic power, and was astonished. She consistently saw metal that had magic power contained in them many times before, but the metal in front of her was far more superior. She thought it was possible for it to be a magic catalyst as it was.

    Van, who knew a lot about metals, had its identity sh in his head. It was different from any of Orichalcum, Adamantine, Mythril, or Crimson Ores, but it felt higher rankedpared to the above metals. Suddenly one thing came to his mind. It was called an illusion among the cksmiths, because no one could say they have seen the real thing.

    ¡°Bang!!¡±

    Despite the two people being shocked, before they knew it, Shin took out a hammer and struck the ingot on top of ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». With a high-pitched sound ¡°Kin¡±, the two people were fascinated to see the phenomenon that happened earlier, following again.

    When Shin beat the ingot with the hammer, the ingot melted and faded away. And the scratch under the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» disappeared, it began to shine brightly as if to say it waspleted.

    The hammer was swung downward a few times topletely fuse the ingot, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» looked like a brand new gauntlet on the table.

    ¡°Yosh, this one isplete too. It is perfect if I say so myself.¡±

    While looking at ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» which had returned to its perfect state, Shin nodded and agreed. If it was this, there was a confidence of satisfying any kind of demand of the user.

    Because he couldn¡¯t look at it forever, he formed it into a card and put it away in his Item Box. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting¡± Shin said and turned around, he saw that Tiera and Van had an indescribable expression on their faces.

    Schnee had no change in particr, Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed to be excited for the time being. They were having some kind of conversation with ¡°Kuu Kuu¡±, ¡°Guru Guru¡± sounds.

    ¡°Shin-dono. May I ask you one thing, only one?¡±

    Among the two people who had frozen in shock, it was Van began to move first. By bringing his face close, he urged Shin to consent with force. As one might expect from a beast of the elephant type, that power was considerable. Shin moved back a little.

    ¡°For the time being, please settle down, you will hear the story. You are close, too close!¡±

    ¡°Oof, I am sorry. But the metal that Shin-dono took out some time ago, that is, perhaps a Chimeradite, the one thing that is of the highest grade?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s right. But you seem to know it well. Because there are different types of Chimeradite, there are not many people who see it and recognize it instantly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not because I understand it¡¯s type. It is something like a legend, circted among the cksmiths. The dark-colored metal where it retains the twinkling of the stars. Chimeradite, The weapon made using it, could easily kill even a higher kind of dragon. Depending on the person, such a thing was deemed as a mere fantasy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. This thing is certainly quite limited. It¡¯s hardly circted in the market.¡±

    Even during the game era, for a high-level cksmith, it was an item that they would almost never see. Even the ingot. Once, a retired yer had put a weapon made of Chimeradite into the market on a whim, a fiercepetition arose because of it.

    It was virtually impossible to be fully equipped even for an advanced yer. With only one of those, it was possible to be famous. Of course, it goes without saying that all of the Rokuten members were the irregrity that had all of their metal-based weapons made of Chimeradite.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. You were doing it differently a little while ago, is there any significance to it?¡±

    After Shin made Van settle down, Tiera asked a question. If he had used the same method earlier to repair the armor, he should have been able to repair it without using the hammer.

    ¡°That ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» is a weapon which has the highest rank, that¡¯s why. And both grades are ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. But, there is a rating higher than that. The armor is ranked as average ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. Because the metal is knitted together with thread using mana, that method was effective and fast. In regards to ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», it is a higher-rank of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. When ites to that, I need to directly hammer it while giving mana. Though it¡¯s possible to mend it using the same method as the armor, this is more efficient and above all, there is no possibility of making a mistake.¡±

    Tiera knew there were differences between the same grade. However, she never thought that the grading was also applied; ¡¶Ancient¡· grade was even referred to as a fragment of the world, it was indeed the highest grade.

    ording to Shin¡¯s exnation, based on the grade and the nature of the armor, there seemed to be a maintenance method that was the most suitable.. Though there were other methods, in that case, the possibility of changing the quality sharply rose. If it was done in a timely manner, with a sufficient ability, it was almost impossible to make a mistake.

    ¡°I have to redo my thinking about a cksmith that is out of their area of expertise. For such precise mana power maniption, it won¡¯t be possible without mage knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Magic maniption is necessary anywhere, someway or another. In case of a production job, skill in magic maniption is required as it gets closer to the advanced levels.¡±

    ¡°Alchemy however, is a difficult study thoroughly too. Even though I learned a few skills, I can¡¯t even call myself a full-fledged practitioner.¡±

    Tiera had the skills which could be said to be the mark of a full-fledged alchemist, but from today, she realized that that was only one part of it, and she was aware that she wasn¡¯t as good in that regard either. She couldn¡¯t help but think that she might not even reach the middle of the pack in the era where Shin came from.

    The field was totally different, but to see the person who reached the very pinnacle, doing his work, Tiera felt something towards that person.

    ¡°You seem to be improving slowly. It¡¯s not easy to gain skills either.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s shoulder was lightly tapped, and Shin faced the entrance of the forge. The things that needed to be done were over, so everyone decided to go towards the living room now.

    When Shin and the others moved, he heard the sound of the store¡¯s entrance being opened. It should be Rajim, when guessing from the timing.

    ¡°Shin-dono. This is the reading permit for the restriction area in the library. Please ept it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m saved.¡±

    As he anticipated, the permit was received from Rajim who entered the store. Because there was also no reason to remain, after everyone left, Tsuki no Hokora was stored again. They headed toward the library with Schnee as a guide. Van and Rajim returned to their residence as they couldn¡¯t be together all the time.

    When they appeared from the back door of the residence to Elden¡¯s city district, Tiera was surprised at the diversity of the people walking.

    There were many people in Bayreuth too, but almost all of them were humans. There were not many races with different characteristics, such as beasts or pixies.

    However, this was the beast¡¯s country. Beasts with various animal characteristics, were walking and overflowing. There were types that walked on two feet with almost an appearance of animals in clothes, a type that had a tail and ears on a person¡¯s body and so forth; there was no uniformity.

    Even if it was the same as the great number of people in Bayreuth, she was even more surprised to see this many beasts here.

    ¡°I thought I got used to seeing beasts, but there are just so much different impressions as there are numbers of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the beast race is the one whose outward appearance is the most diverse.¡±

    In the game era, there were people whose bodies resembled a human, there were some who only had their face as animalbinations and the like. The degree of freedom inbinations was high, so the word of beast was attached to it.

    ¡°Even for the people other than the beasts, there are items so you can feel what¡¯s it¡¯s like to be a beast too.¡±

    What Schnee was saying, is that there were items such as animal¡¯s ears or tails which could be mounted and removed. A so-called cosy item. The item was surprisingly popr among the female yers. It was also the item for which the male yers made a petition for the female yers to wear.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I also have several of them.¡±

    ¡°By chance, it¡¯s that!?¡±

    Schnee pretend to reach into the pouch on her waist, and a card was taken out of her Item Box.

    It was the cosy item that Shin gave to Schnee before. When she materialized the item, it was adjusted to match Schnee¡¯s hair, silver colored dog¡¯s ears and bushy tail, grasped in her hand.

    It was an item created on a whim by the members of Rokuten before. Anyway, it was high quality with various options. It was not just an ordinary cosy item.

    ¡°Amazing. doesn¡¯t this feel like a real one?¡±

    ¡°It was Shin, Reed-sama, Cashmere-sama, and Hecate-sama coboration. To bring it as close to the real thing, there is a function that automatically conceals the characteristics of other races when attached¡­ how¡¯s it look?¡±

    Schnee stated, and equipped the cosy set. The long ears peculiar to elfs disappeared in a moment, instead there were dog ears on top of her head, and a tail of a simr color to her hair emerged from around the area of her tailbone. The beautiful High Elf woman, transformed into a beautiful woman of High Beast.

    By the way, what Schnee was wearing now was hotpants with boots under, and a light-blue shirt with nothing but a long jacket on top. Because the uniform of Tsuki no Hokora somehow stood out, her clothes were changed into an easy to move adventure-like style.

    A belt was worn near thep on top of the jacket, and the pouch was attached there. In one of the equipments in the game age, the jacket was split into right and left from the belly area, so it wouldn¡¯t obstruct the movement of the legs. Schnee left only one button in front of her belly, and others remained open. There were two reasons. One, it wasn¡¯t so cold to close everything. Two, she couldn¡¯tpletely close it because of her chest measurement.

    In the game¡¯s specifications, even if it¡¯s armor or a dress, it would automatically adjust to the physique of the person who equipped it; one would not deliberately wear something without that feature. What Schnee was wearing, was the equipment previously created under supervision of one of the female members of Rokuten, Hecate. Not to mention its good performance, it was set-up to emphasize Schnee¡¯s style. ording to Hecate, it was erotic for a beautiful woman and youngdy, like a cute outfit where a man would want to help her put it on too, was what she said.

    Clothes that focused on seduction, when worn by a woman whose style was the embodiment of a man¡¯s desire, such as Schnee, the effect level rose by at least one more step. Inparison to a thin waist tightened with a belt, the bulging of a chest pushed up due to the shirt in the jacket, but it would be emphasized too much.

    Schnee, in such a state, blushed a little as she felt embarrassed, but still asked for an impression.

    ¡°¡­It suits you very well.¡±

    Anyways, in the game era, the NPC¡¯s only reacted like a doll. So when asked ¡°How¡¯s it look?¡± by Schnee just now, Shin couldn¡¯t think of anything good to say except, she matched well. He wasn¡¯t used to seeing lively garments either, but the dog¡¯s ears suited her very well.

    The moment Schnee heard those words, her face¡¯s rosyplexion shed even pinker. At this point, one would have noticed her abrupt behavior.

    ¡°¡­E-Elfs stand out, so disguising as a beast makes it easier to fit into the surroundings. Besides it¡¯s better like this now I will lead us to the library let¡¯s go.¡±

    While talking quickly, she stuttered to some extent and Schnee began to move at a quick pace. There was no breathing in thetter half of her speech.

    Supposingly, the long ears, peculiar to elfs, would have turned bright red. As for the dog¡¯s ears that were shaking on top of Schnee¡¯s head too, they somewhat look red when seen by Shin and the others.

    ¡°I saw, for the first time, Master, act like this.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, me too.¡±

    He agreed with Tiera¡¯s remark while running after Schnee. As for the two people, it was better not to attract attention. So he took out some items, and Shin and Tiera changed their appearance to beasts, too. What Shin lent to Tiera were, cat ears.

    Could it be, Schnee wanted him to see so she changed herself? Shin guessed while chasing the back of Schnee. Though it might just be him over thinking it, but if it proved to be right¡­it was already toote to think about it in various ways.

    The Schnee that Shin knew was a woman like a secretary, a calm, cool and collected woman. Because she alwaysmunicated in a businesslike manner during the game, he never saw this side of her like at this time. It seemed he needed to change his way of thinking.

    (I think that¡¯s not so bad, mostly.)

    While he was aware of his favorable impressions of Schnee rising, Shin quickened his pace in pursuit of her.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It was several hourster, after seeing the unknown side of Schnee. Shin was alone in the library of Elden.

    When he arrived at the library with Schnee¡¯s guidance, after he showed the permit and entered the restricted reading area, he proceeded to examine what happened after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯. Unlike Bayreuth, because the materials were not open to public, the content was different in quality. Some information that Shin wanted to know was recorded too.

    ¡°The natural disasters that urred after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯¡­there¡¯s no difference in damage by the regions after all. Isn¡¯t the range of thest dungeon connected to the¡­Ley Line?¡±

    Shin arranged the information he obtained, while voicing out in a small volume. ording to the material, what was called Ley Line seemed to have been rted with the natural disasters. Shin has heard it well in manga and light novels, it was something like a circle that ran through the earth. Though it was the guess of the person whopiled the document, the biggest ce where the continents divided had numerous flows of Ley Line. The dungeon that Shin faced at the end of the death game, ¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, that ce was the convergence point, which could be read from the document.

    ¡°Come to think of it, Yuzuha interfered with the Ley Line and suppressed the damage, huh?¡±

    Even if he said they had a contract, a monster was still prohibited from entering the area. So now, there was no figure of Yuzuha on top of Shin¡¯s head. Under the watch of the youngdy at the reception desk, while apologizing to Yuzuha, who was waiting at the entrance in his heart, he remembered the things Yuzuha said before.

    ¡°Is the Ley Line also rted with meing here? But at the time of the game, it was not a major thing.¡±

    There was an event rted to the Ley Line, but there were a lot of limited-time events that he couldn¡¯t remember up until a trivial setting. The one he understood the most was, the ce where the Ley Line runs, monsters were likely to appear. Even if he knew this, there was no conclusive evidence in this world.

    However¨D¨D¨D¨D

    (As shown in the document, if the ce where the Ley Line gathered(Power Spot) is rted to the dungeon, it is possible for me to return if a simr ce is found¡­right?)

    Though it was only a in hypothesis, it was simple and persuasive too.

    It would save a lot of trouble if it was simple as this. While thinking about these kind of things, Shin picked up the next document.

    ¡°(Shin~¡­Shin~?)¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    One hourter.

    Shin was concentrating on reading the documents, when he noticed the Mind Talk from Yuzuha.

    ¡°(What¡¯s the matter?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry¡­no lunch yet~?)¡±

    When he confirmed the time due to Yuzuha¡¯s meal remark, it was already past 12:00 in the afternoon. He seemed to have forgotten the time passing as he got absorbed in reading the documents.

    ¡°(My bad, I will go out immediately. Schnee, can you hear me?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, is there something wrong?)¡±

    ¡°(Let¡¯s have lunch soon. Yuzuha seems to be feeling hungry.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. I will go toward the entrance.)¡±

    Schnee was contacted with Mind Talk, and Shin left the restriction area a little early. He caught Tiera who was conducting research in the general area, and went toward the waiting Yuzuha and Kagerou. After thanking the receptionist who looked after them, Shin left the library after all the member joined.

    ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°No, not much of the important things. Still, it is regretful that the dungeon disappeared. If I could investigate it directly, I think I might able to get a little clue from there¡­

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do since it¡¯s already gone. It¡¯s thanks to Schnee that I understood something, and it¡¯s going steadily.¡±

    While pretending not to worry about it, Shin thanked the discouraged Schnee. For the information that vanished afterward, it was not possible to know without Schnee.

    Instead, Shin was more worried if they couldn¡¯t coborate in information gathering together.

    ¡°(Kuu, smells good from there.)¡±

    ¡°(Hmm? It indeed smells nice. Let¡¯s go there.)¡±

    Shin changed his feeling from Yuzuha¡¯s urging voice. Even if he was anxious, he decided not to say it yet.

    After the meal, he looked around the residence a little, and then shut himself in the library again.

    He took a rest in the residence at night, and it was the repetition of the library in the daytime.

    As a change of pace, he had a match with Cuore, and watched the skill session of Wolfgang so he was never bored.

    When he went to Larua Grand Woods for a preliminary inspection, Tiera¡¯s leveling up also took ce. With her level still low, she becamepletely dependent on Kagerou conditions. Even if her upper limit was pretty much decided, Shin respected Tiera¡¯s intention to want to be strong even if by only a little.

    In the meantime, the remaining days passed in no time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One weekter, Shin met Girard again. They moved toward Larua Grand Woods in the early morning.

    Because they were in the wagon which Shin remodeled, it was Kagerou who pulled it. There was Shin, Girard, Schnee, Tiera, Wolfgang, Cuore, Van, Rajim and Yuzuha who rode in the wagon.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine weather.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect weather for a duel.¡±

    Shin and Girard were sitting on the driver¡¯s box. Contrary to everyone who seemed a little tense, the two people had a conversation like they were going fishing. Since there was nothing that could be done about it, there were no things that needed to be discussed left. Everything hase to an agreement, including the things after the duel.

    ¡°How is your condition?¡±

    ¡°I can do it anytime. My mind and body are joined together.¡±

    The broad grin andugh from Girard, an irrepressible presence was leaking out. Shin felt it was refined even more from the time when they met again.

    Girard certainly seemed to be at full power today.

    ¡°Though I want to begin immediately, let¡¯s send the other people to the spectator seats.¡±

    ¡°I guess from that hill should be fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, if there I guess it will be fine. Last time when the chosen ones dueled, I watched it from there.¡±

    For a fight between the chosen ones of another country, Girard seemed to be called as a referee role. Though there were guards with low fighting power watching from the top of the hill, it seemed to have no problem if they saw Girard was nearby, Shin thought.

    It was the human¡¯s and beast¡¯s chosen one that fought. Their stats were around 400, but the beast appeared to have won by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    ¡°The usage of skill and power were rough, but the fight was not so bad.¡±

    While they were talking, the ce where the ground was several floors higher than its surrounding, appeared in Shin¡¯s field of vision. Only short grass grew there, and it seemed to be quite vast when they surveyed it on the top of the hill. Because Shin and Girard were to fight, it was impossible to know what would happen. It was certainly perfect for a spectating ce, when he thought about the spectator¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Then, we will wait here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I will count on you if there are any stray shots.¡±

    The wagon was returned to a card, and he asked Schnee for precautions just to make sure. He thought it would be fine, but it wouldn¡¯t end as a joke if it did happen.

    ¡°I understand. And as for Girard¡¯s matter, thank you in advance.¡±

    ¡°Well, see you soon.¡±

    ¡°Shin, go for it~¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    Schnee, Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou saw Shin off, and faced toward Girard¡¯s people. Shin nced ahead, and saw every one of Falnido were exchanging theirst words.

    ¡°I will leave it to you two afterward.¡±

    ¡°¡°I wish you good luck in battle!¡±¡±

    The things that should be told might have already been conveyed. So Girard only said a few words. Van and Rajim striked their left palm to their right fist, and said their farewell words.

    ¡°I will not forget the founder¡¯s teaching throughout my life. As for the country and the people, leave it to me.¡±

    Wolfgang dered that he would take responsibility of Falnido when Girard was no more, he announced it with confidence, sticking out his chest with pride. That expression has a close resemnce to Girard in the past. Powerful words, and oozing with presence, it was worthy of a Beast King.

    ¡°¡­I will be a warrior that won¡¯t shame the founder¡¯s name.¡±

    Cuore, who stood nearby, had little watery eyes, but still looked ahead and stated her oath firmly. She couldn¡¯t expose her unsightly side at Girard¡¯s final goodbye, so she didn¡¯t cast her eyes down.

    Girard who saw her state nodded in satisfaction, and began to walk toward Shin¡¯s party.

    The parting was finished. There was only one thing left to be done.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Ou.¡±

    Starting with those words, Shin and Girard began to run. With that sudden eleration, the figure of the two people became blurry. They ran down the hill¡¯s slope in a sh without anything obstructing them, and entered the forest.

    ¡°The king hadn¡¯tughed like that in a long time.¡±

    ¡°When was thest time I saw him like that?¡±

    As they saw the two people disappear into the forest, Van and Rajim exchanged a few words. That face, that wasughing innocently like a child, was simr to Girard¡¯s expression.

 Book 3: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    Shin and Girard ran between the trees, they were headed straight towards the center of the forest. By the way, Larua Grand Woods was quite spacious. One could imagine the vastness, when it was said to be wider than Hokkaido in the real world.

    They went towards the center to keep the damage to the surroundings to a minimum. To really ensure safety, they should be at least 20 kemels away from the spectators.

    Wouldn¡¯t it make so that they couldn¡¯t be seen by the¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill if they were that far away? It was probably a concern, but it would never happen. Because, on the route where Shin and Girard ran through, clouds of dust looking like explosions and thousands of sliced trees flying off could be seen. Even though their figures couldn¡¯t be seen, that track of destruction informed the others of their existence.

    The two people ran side by side for a while, and divided into two groups on the way. While heading toward the center, they gradually separated from each other. It was about 10 minutester, that the earth and sand that was flying up due to their tracks disappeared, and so they knew that the two people stopped moving.

    About 5 kemels apart, both of them faced each other. Among a few of the dueling methods of the beasts, it was the oldest dueling principle that was chosen this time.

    With that settled, the duel that took ce in Larua Grand Woods was where they set a distance ording to the ability of the people who were fighting. This was intended to get rid of the handicap of each other¡¯s weapon specialty.

    Though it might seem to be disadvantageous for the short distance type, the dense trees that obstructed the view made it easy to dish out a surprise attack.

    As for the long distance type, though the distance was reduced, that meant it was harder to make a line of fire with the trees in the way.

    Now that it came to this, whoever found the opponent first, was the most important point. Normally the distance would be roughly 50 mels, but because it was these two¡¯s ability that were having showdown this time, what was said to be the best distance was not decided. Both of them spontaneously decided the distance.

    There was also no referee for this match. Though it wasn¡¯t just because it would put the referee¡¯s body into danger; to begin with, victory or defeat was not significant between Shin and Girard. The fight itself was the goal. A referee, and the likes, would only be a hindrance instead.

    Their fighting spirits were mutually raised at their locations, and they gazed at the opponent they couldn¡¯t see.

    Shin had to control his ¡¾Limit¡¿, to match his stats with the time in the game. It wasn¡¯t because he was ¡®going easy on someone¡¯. The titles, such as Limit Breaker and Aplished One, were turned off in the fight, so it became the original values from when he had spent time with Girard.

    Shin wore the titles that had increased his power from around the time of the Death Game. The titles that he acquired after he defeated the boss, Origin, in the final dungeon, would never have been obtained via normal y. Because the dungeon that was also called ¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, and Origin too, both appeared after the Death Game began. To fight against an opponent who called himself Master, it was extremely rude to depend on those cheat skills. Though there would certainly be a time when he must use it, at least now was not that time.

    This was a kind of ceremony to see off Girard. It was meaningful, when fighting with only his own power.

    Girard strengthened his own ability with the aid of martial arts skills. Shin¡¯s stats were better than his, this was something he had known a long time ago. To fill the differences, even if only by a little, he wouldn¡¯t spare the effort.

    Though Shin talked about the titles with Girard, he also conveyed that he didn¡¯t have any intentions of using them. About that, Girard was thankful, but regretful too. He would do the same thing if he was in Shin¡¯s position; it was easy to imagine. The feeling of them getting in the way was understood, and he felt genuine happiness by thinking that it would be settled with only their own original powers. However at the same time, he really wanted to have a fight with Shin at his best, in the true sense. Girard also knew, that Shin also thought of the same thing. When that time happened though, it would be over in an instant.

    Girard was lost in thought for a brief amount of time; To receive the death that he could be satisfied with the most.

    Now at this moment, Shin and Girard were pouring every nerve into each other¡¯s presence.

    Thus, it was the moment that both of them were well prepared for. The presence of the opponent was felt, and it was understood that they were ready.

    And then¨D¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡°¡°Suuuuu¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡±¡±

    The two people inhaled in a deep way. And like they had arranged it beforehand, skills were invoked.

    ¡°¡°Oooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±¡±

    What seemed to be like the firing of a signal gun for starting a war, was actually the barehanded system martial art skill, ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿.

    As if sneering at such a skill¡¯s exnation, both of them fired a¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ that ran through Larua Grand Woods. Power that could rival even the upper ss of wind-system magic skills mowed down a big tree exceeding 1 mel of diameter, sted away arge monster on its course, and finally collided at the midpoint of the two people.

    The charged energies did not offset each other, instead it condensed where it gathered, and that energy was released in all directions in the next moment. The scattering energy was transformed into a shock wave, and spread the destruction out to the surroundings.

    That shock, together with the earth shaking, cleared the ground from a radial center that should be called ground zero. Big trees that were said to be several hundred years old, and the gigantic stones that were buried under them, flew over several mels up into the sky and disappeared into the thin air. Though it would cause a second disaster when they fell, the two people didn¡¯t worry at all. After firing ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ , they had already started moving.

    If Shin used a magic skill for long distance, than Girard, who specialized in close-range was at a disadvantage. However, Shin abandoned the advantage of a one-sided attack from the distance, as he went toward Girard.

    With the speed of the two people, it wouldn¡¯t take too long for them to arrive at the ce where the ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ collided. The trees vanished and the ground was exposed, it was almost like an impromptu ring had appeared. Shin with his ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and Girard with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», took a stance and filled the distance furthermore.

    ¡°Shiiiiiiin!!¡±

    ¡°Giraaaaad!!¡±

    Against the blowing from over Shin¡¯s head, Girard answered by thrusting his right hand straightforward. Sparks and a buzz sound were produced when the weapons shed.

    With a high-pitched metallic sound, cracks ran through the ground around the position where the two people stood. The earth was split, due to the energy from the sh.

    ¡°Kuku, still as good as usual.¡±

    ¡°Hah, this is nothing for me to stop the blow.¡±

    With a grinding sound, while praising each other as their weapons met, the grins that appeared on their faces could be called fierce.

    The duel had be a state where they couldn¡¯t go easy on each other, because the higher the ability of both of them; just a trivial blow might prove fatal.

    However, at this time now, Shin and Girard were both convinced that the other would not die from a lucky shot.

    There was no reasoning there. They just knew.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DThis guy(Girard) won¡¯t fall by such an attack!!

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DI can¡¯t defeat this guy(Shin) with just this level!!

    The weapons were repelled and they took some distance again.

    Shin took a stance with his katana, and waited for Girard. Those fangs, if only he could pierce through them.

    Girard, who prepared his stance with one leg bent in front and the other extending behind him, calmly overflowed with fighting spirit. As long as he used his own technique, he could receive it with his own body.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Silence, time flowed slightly.

    And, the moment when the big tree fell from the sky between the two people, their figures vanished.

    Subsequently, consecutive metallic and crushing sounds were heard. Sparks were scattered about midair and the ground on top of the ring was crushed.

    As for speed, Shin was faster. The shing attack that could be mistaken for a sh of light, he faced towards Girard without any hesitation.

    And as for reflexes, Girard was superior as he faced Shin. He didn¡¯t specialize in close-rangebat just for show. The reaction to the strike, instant judgment, and above all, the attack predictions that came from 500 years long experience. Girard had experienced fighting against numerous people and monsters, and watched Shin fight side by side with him. His intuition showed that he could cope with Shin¡¯s attacks, even if Shin had better stats than he had.

    He bent his body and dodged the shing attack from the upper right, approaching while flicking it with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», and then turned his body back to go under the roundhouse kick from Shin. The wind pressure, from when it missed, created a storm of destruction 10 mels in a straight line. Without minding Shin¡¯s attack, Girard jumped up from the ground, after bending down, and drew back his fist.

    That fist was then continuously fired out, with the support system magic skill¡¾Enchant ? High Blow¡¿ to reinforce it further. It was an additional reinforcement magic, to the fist that could already crush a solid castle wall easily. For a fist that the naked eyes couldn¡¯t follow, it was said to be inevitable that the opponent would be definitely crushed.

    But Shin, who was a master of swordsmanship, was not so normal that he could not receive it either. The current stats were at the value that Shin was the most experienced with. When he fought against divine beast monsters, when there were confrontations among the Rokuten, and when he defeated Origin too; it was always with these stats.

    Therefore, now Shin couldpletely grasp his own physical abilities. The arms that wielded the katana swung, and the foot that crushed the earth, they moved as Shin imagined them to. Was it because he dueled against this pinnacle opponent, the one known as Girard? His mana maniption that was imperfect before the duel, it too was sharpened unconsciously. If he strengthened his stats by using the titles, his control might be weakened again. However, when he was in the present state, he was able to use mana naturally, like breathing; Shin was able to grasp it again.

    For this reason, he didn¡¯t skimp. In contrary to the fisting toward him, Shin was pouring mana into his beloved katana.

    Simrly to Girard¡¯s fist, the de that now received the support system magic skill ¡¾Enchant ? High Edge¡¿ effect was shining, and its edge was sharpened, along with its speed.

    The de raised a buzz sound whenever it cut a fist. Whenever Shin¡¯s de resisted the fists of Girard, each weapon¡¯s charged mana counterbnced each other before discharging into the surroundings. Small explosions sounded around the two people as they exchanged blows, and the terrain was transformed.

    For a lengthy long rally, remarkablyrge shocks resounded, then Girard and Shin separated again. Without missing a beat, they began to move. While it was going nowhere, even with the exchange of blows there, the way of fighting changed.

    Contrary to before, it hadpletely changed to a high-speed chase inside the forest, now they dashed without leaving a trail of destruction. Though the figure of the opponent disappeared from sight, the two people wouldn¡¯t make such a blunder as to lose sight at that level.

    Let alone the five senses, their intuitions also sharpened. Multiple support system martial arts skills, ranging from¡¾Mind¡¯s Eye¡¿ to ¡¾Insight¡¿ were activated there, and they sensed each other¡¯s blood-lust, repeatedly shing into each other.

    The de that was aimed towards Girard¡¯s blind spot was repelled by his fist, while Shin had to fend off a tempest of fists that came from above with his katana. The attack wasing from all directions, whether from above, front, left, right, rear, and sometimes from the ground when they jumped.

    Still, not a single blow was hitting each other¡¯s bodies. Since there were stat differences, it was natural for Girard¡¯s attacks to not hit.

    But even Shin¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t graze Girard. A person who knew the ability of these two people would feel a sense of incongruity. No matter how much they kept strengthening, currently there was a wall that couldn¡¯t be overturned between Shin and Girard.

    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t get through. Is this the limit of the current technique?¡±

    ¡°Did you finish warming up? It¡¯s time to show it. I felt something was off only a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, you found out, huh? I was trying to conceal it.¡±

    ¡°Did you think I wasn¡¯t gonna find out after we exchanged blows? It would be noticed eventually.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s a technique I devised specifically to fight against you. Let me put on some airs a little.¡±

    Sparks were scattered with the de and fist, but the two people were joking around while running in the forest. Shin who was expressing slightly messy words, and Girard who was returning them with a smile.

    For both attacks, though they were certainly powerful, it seemed to have turned into a state where friends talked about obtaining a rare item by chance.

    They understood each other. There was still much to this fight; they hadn¡¯t gotten serious and gone all out yet.

    It had been about 10 minutes since the duel had started.

    The greatest battle was about to begin.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Whenever Shin and Girard shed, a portion of the forest vanished as craters and trees were blown away, exposing the devastation. The animals, which had sensed the abnormalities and moved to the edge of the forest, where there was little danger, were perhaps the only things saving grace. The two people were getting absorbed in the fight, but seemed to have considered the area as the damage tended to be concentrated at the center of the forest.

    Somehow, that spectacle, which was watched with the ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill, was divided into two groups based on their reaction.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be¡­this is when the founder is serious.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Ku~¡±

    ¡°Gu-Guru¡­¡±

    Tiera was speechless at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. Wolfgang, who saw Girard being serious for the first time, growled. Cuore and Yuzuha couldn¡¯t cover their excitement. Whereas Kagerou was watching their state.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time they finished warming up.¡±

    ¡°Umu, shy warm-up as usual.¡±

    ¡°Well, expect no less from our king.¡±

    Schnee, Van, and Rajim watched it all with a calmposure, as if saying ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet, there¡¯s still more after this¡±.

    Their reactions were split in two splendidly, into whether or not they had seen that Shin and Girard were not being serious yet.

    ¡°Master, they haven¡¯t gotten serious yet, despite all that!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Shin appears to have hardly used his magic skills at all, and Girard hasn¡¯t shown his new move in that state either.¡±

    ¡°Master is strong like that too, right?¡±

    ¡°Depending on the fight, I still have a hard time against Girard.¡±

    To Schnee who indirectly implied ¡°I am stronger¡±, Tiera became speechless again. Though Tiera knew that Schnee was strong, after watching the fight between Shin and Girard, she understood how poor her imagination had been. Furthermore, it was said that the two people who were battling now weren¡¯t evenpletely serious yet. How far away was the existence that spoke to her like it was natural? Tiera finally understood the true meaning.

    ¡°Honorable father, this is the fight of a High Human and Girard-sama, right?¡±

    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s still more to it from Schnee-dono¡¯s story. Though I also seeded in the secret and became strong myself, I can¡¯t help but think I have so much more to learn when I see this.¡±

    ¡°I have had a match with Shin-san before, and I thought he was as much the same as Girard-sama. But it was not so.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the person whom founder-sama lowered his head to. We are likely not able to see through that power or something.¡±

    While hearing the explosions echo far away from the hill, the parent and child were having a talk. Meanwhile, their pupils were moving rapidly, as they were going to sear the fight between Shin and Girard into their memory.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for him to move.¡±

    ¡°Umu, I guess it will be an exchange of existing skills from now on.¡±

    ¡°That will reach the High Human, huh?¡±

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s up to our king.¡±

    Van and Rajim knew Girard¡¯s trump card. They were not excited nor did they adopt a philosophic view on it; they just calmly watched the progress of the battle.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 3: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    The intense sounds stopped.

    The vibration of the earth and the atmosphere fell silent.

    In the forest, in the space that was born from thest sh, the main sources were facing each other.

    ¡°Let me dere this. From here, I will be one fang.¡±

    It was time to go all out from here.

    Girard announced with the implied meaning, and released all of his power.

    There were two changes.

    First, the aura that covered Girard¡¯s body slightly shook.

    Second, his body trembled a little, and transformed into the appearance of a wolf.

    On top of that, there was the beast¡¯s race bonus due to the changed outward.

    Though the differences between the outward appearances were small, he was neither discouraged nor unprepared. Had Girard reached that fang? That couldn¡¯t be just a mere transformation appearance.

    In contrast to Girard, Shin started to invoke magic skills as well.

    ¡°Come then. I will fight with my whole soul.¡±

    Matching that remark, there were 7 attributes of advanced level magic skills developing around Shin.

    Starting with a white me, a water that rotates at a high velocity, then red thunder, to the earth rising from the ground like a snake, if a person who practiced magic in this world saw that, they would faint. As those magics shouldn¡¯t be able to manifest without chanting them one by one.

    However, even facing the magic skills that surrounded Shin, Girard¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change a bit. It was natural. If he was shaken at this point, reaching that fang would only be an empty dream.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨DHere Ie!¡±

    Just a word. Speaking no more than that, Girard disappeared.

    No, it was¡­

    ¡°!!!¡±

    It was high-speed movement without any prior motion. Even for the advanced level chosen ones, the reaction speed was unbelievable.

    However, it was not possible to shake off Shin, even with that. Even if Shin was astonished, his perceptual skill continued on grasping Girard¡¯s movement.

    Shin unleashed one of his magic skills. A crimson thunder approached Girard¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°It won¡¯t hit!¡±

    Not even a graze on Girard, but the forest was burnt.

    ¡°I see!! You have reached this point, huh?!!¡±

    Shin shouted at Girard, who avoided being struck by lightning, while having a smile on his face.

    Thunder and light techniques. In magic skills, these two boasted of being the fastest; They were thought to be unavoidable. It was possible only for a small handful of people, who reached an AGI value exceeding 900, with the support skill enabled.

    Girard¡¯s AGI value had reached 800. No matter how much he tried to enhance his physical ability, 900 couldn¡¯t be exceeded. However, Girard showed that he could dodge the thunder technique. The action that was impossible in the game, he had shown it to be possible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, for this time.¡±

    Girard spoke while in a fired-up mood, and closed the distance while feeling the heat on his skin from the lightning before.

    He had gone through battlefields, polished his techniques, and searched for the technique that exceeded the limit by himself.

    How far had hee? To what extent could he go? Girard himself didn¡¯t know it either.

    Still, he knew one thing. He was confident.

    ¡°Now, only now¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Yes, he was sure at this moment.

    ¡°My fangs will reach you!!¡±

    He elerated.

    He was faster than when he avoided being struck by lightning.

    It passed even the light technique.

    Girard was the at the breaking point for a man who was at the summit, as he set foot there.

    His whole body screamed with the intention to fight against Shin, as he charged towards the target(Shin) before his eyes.

    ¡°Ooooooooooooooooo!!!¡±

    He drew back his fist, while maintaining top speed, with a power that was not evenparable to just several minutes ago. Girard¡¯s blow that was approaching had one long straight beam of light behind it, while Shin held his ¡ºTrue Moon¡», prepared to receive the blow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think this attack will defeat me, do you?¡±

    Shin told Girard, who then reacted like it was obvious.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    As for Girard too, it was only natural that Shin wasn¡¯t surprised.

    Girard, who was at the boundary of men, continued stepping onto the road to the summit, and finally he achieved a view of the top. However, Shin was already there. He was not so naive, as to think that this amount of attack would surprise him.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen that. How did you do that enhancement?¡±

    ¡°You can ask Schnee. After this battle!!!¡±

    Girard pushed Shin aside together with a roar as he invoked the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Burst Strike¡¿. No matter how different the stats were, mass didn¡¯t change. If it was the current Girard, if he used ¡¾Burst Strike¡¿ which had a powerful knock back effect, it might be able to repel Shin forcibly.

    Shin retreated while shaving the ground, and Girard attempted a second assault. There was no chance of winning if the distance increased, and he didn¡¯t have a lot of time either. Therefore, whether or not Girard could finish his attacks in this match? It would depend on that.

    The firmly stepped-on ground burst and scattered as Girard¡¯s figure vanished.

    ¡°Gaaarr!!¡±

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    Against the fist that was approaching from his left, Shin put up his de. The attacks didn¡¯t alwayse from behind. As Girard couldn¡¯t do such monotonous attacks.

    Before the spark went out, Girard¡¯s figure vanished again. He was running around Shin while maintaining maximum speed, and not only from the blind spots, he struck from the front sometimes, too.

    Shin was thinking. For Girard¡¯s phenomenal ability to rise, Shin knew Girard¡¯s limit was being exceeded. Furthermore, there was something that he was hiding.

    Did he want to use magic, or bring it to closebat? Or maybe do a surprise attack? While observing Girard¡¯s movement, Shin considered his next move.

    While striking at Shin who didn¡¯t move, Girard also thought about how to deal a single blow with all of his might.

    In Girard¡¯s judgment, Shin, who was using magic skills to move from ce to ce, was troublesome. Supposedly, if Shin kept freely running around, with that alone, the chances of Girard winning went down to zero.

    The skills for Girard, he was not only strengthened by bing a beast, he was enhanced through the arts, too. And strengthening his body by 3 fold, it was done by consuming his life force. The movements that exceeded Girard¡¯s limit, were possible because he staked everything on this fight. Until he could finally fight with Shin head-on.

    If he moved poorly and the distance increased, it wouldn¡¯t just end with time running out. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t continue in his present state for a long time. He had to keep up with Shin with all of his efforts. He couldn¡¯t behave as he did earlier.

    ¡°¡­Now, I¡¯ll go from here!¡±

    With a few words, Shin kicked the ground. A sh, like he was no longer ¡®going easy on someone¡¯ was unleashed at Girard in the form of a thrust.

    ¡°Chiii!!¡±

    Girard nced off the approaching katana with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», while at the same time bending his body. Although the ce right beside him was blown away, Girard barely seed in turning that brandish strike to the ground. Hended on his limbs at the same time lifting his upper body, thrusting out his fist high towards the sky.

    ¡°¡°Enchantment!!!¡±¡±

    The voices of the two people and the sound of the arms shing ovepped in session, and the surrounding trees were blown away from the shock.

    With Shin¡¯s activated movement system, martial arts skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, due to the sudden change of course, together with attacking while pursuing, Girard reacted without even seeing it.

    When Shin entered Girard¡¯s range of attack, Girard¡¯s body moved unconsciously. Because he knew the nature of the fight from one another, Girard¡¯s reaction was precise. Shin especially, didn¡¯t know this world¡¯s unique strategy, which Girard had mastered. Therefore, Girard was able to predict the skills that Shin would unleash urately.

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have much time. Shall we exchange blows!!¡±

    Shin shouted, with his sword not one step away. He didn¡¯t understand what kind of enhancement Girard used, but he knew this duel, it was not the right way. When the duel had be drawn-out, only Shin would have the advantage. Such a thing, was not the fight Girard hoped for.

    (Girard, you don¡¯t wish for this kind of fight, do you!!)

    With that thought, Shin put his strength into the hand holding his katana.

    ¡°Answer me!! Girarrrdd!!¡±

    Girard withdrew back, avoiding the powerful blow, and corrected his posture.

    ¡°Kuku, haha, haha, that¡¯s right. Good grief, I got greedy since the enhancement worked smoothly, huh?¡±

    A strainedugh unintentionally leaked out from Girard, answering Shin¡¯s remark. What exactly was he thinking? He reserved his power for the biggest game, Shin, he shouldn¡¯t keep thinking as if he was the same as before. Such thoughts were discarded together while he exhaled.

    Does the chance of winning disappear when Shin moves? Does he have the stamina?

    Such thoughts were for a person who had the time.

    ¡°No, not now. With my remaining strength, my fangs will reach yoouuu!!¡±

    He began to run with those words. As an answer to Shin¡¯s shout, he returned a blow right to the front.

    Shin didn¡¯t avoid it. The swung down de was pushed up, Girard¡¯s shout was answered.

    It was a simple blow that had neither had skills nor arts. Thus, there was no need to put much thought as their weapons resounded mutually.

    ¡°Hahahahaa¡±

    ¡°Kuahahaha¡±

    It was said that fellow masters didn¡¯t need words, they spoke by the exchanging of techniques.

    ¡°¡°Hahahahahahahahahaa!!!¡±¡±

    Thus from thereon, the two people stopped talking.

    They understood, even if they didn¡¯t speak. Theymunicated when their weapons crossed.

    Onlyughter came from their mouths.

    ¡°ZeeaaAAA!!¡±

    Shin invoked the katana and water techniquebined skill, ¡¾Setsugekka*¡¿, a single blow formed an ice de, from outside the distance between them. (T/N: Snow, Moon and Flowers)

    ¡°GuuraaAAA!!¡±

    Girard¡¯s fist was d with fire, and broke the icy de. Furthermore, he thrust out his fist in front before the mes went out.

    The range shouldn¡¯t have reached Shin. However, a mass of energy was projected out from his fist, and that fist, made up of mes, rushed towards Shin.

    Barehanded me techniquebined skill¡¾zing Sky¡¿ and barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Far Strike¡¿ were put together for a counterattack.

    ¡°This sort of thing, *Burst*!!¡±

    It was several times the normal ¡¾Far Strike¡¿. The bullet of fire with a width of almost 1 mel, Shin cut right in half with his katana. One of the effects bestowed upon ¡ºTrue Moon¡», was the nullification of magic skills that came in contact with the katana de. Naturally, not all of the magic was erased, pure energy such as martial arts skills couldn¡¯t be nullified. Having cut the blow that became the form of a me technique from Girard just now, it was Shin¡¯s height of capability.

    Still, being able to cut magic, it became very handy inbat. Though it was a slightly different situation this time, he originally used it to cut barrier skills. With that alone, he could turn the tables.

    Yet, it became a trap this time. Simply because Girard knew that Shin was able to cut ¡¾Far Strike¡¿, so he used a skill that let him wear mes.

    Under the guise of a huge bullet of fire, Girard unleashed a skill while pursuing, in a situation where Shin would shake off his katana.

    It was the barehanded system martial arts skill¡¾Binding Snake¡¿.

    To obstruct the movement of the opponent, the energy with the shape of a snake hung around Shin¡¯s arms.

    ¡°This won¡¯t hold me!¡±

    The restraints in front of Shin vanished, but that moment became the chance for winning the fight between the two.

    ¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡± (T/N: This is also known as Itariden, which was mentioned in the previous part. I have changed it to Shiden.)

    That moment when Shin¡¯s movement was stopped. Girard dealt a blow with all of his might.

    This was the secret that only the person who learned all of the martial arts system skills could unleash.

    The pinnacle in martial arts skills.

    ¡°¨D¨DZekka*!!¡±(T/N: Superb)

    Barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Shiden ? Zekka¡¿. This skill needed only a moment before it was invoked, its movement was only a pushed out fist, right in front. It had a short reach and an even bigger opening, too.

    However, for this reason, its power was top ss among the many martial arts skills. If it was in PvP, it was said to be able to overturn the situation with just a single blow.

    When the current Girard released it, supposedly, its power should be beyond Shin¡¯s imaginations.

    ¡°Ku, GuoooooOO!!!¡±

    In front of the approaching fist, Shin barely slid his ¡ºTrue Moon¡», at thest moment between the attack and his body. But even Shin too, was just barely able to properly parry it, as it was difficult to turn aside. Holding out was not possible, as he was blown away into the forest.

    ¡°Aaargh*cough*, as expected, it¡¯s strong.¡±

    Shin was blown away for dozens of mels, while some of therge trees vanished. Though it wasn¡¯t a direct hit, it was clear that damage prated into his body. No matter how much of a stat differences remained to some extent, the power of the Shiden ss of martial arts skills were in a different league. The forest, except for the ce where Shin was, had a folding fan shape scattered for kemels away, testifying to the ferocity of that power.

    Shin got up, and returned to Girard¡¯s location. Although there was no pause time when using the skill, ¡¾Zekka¡¿ was a skill that had a big bacsh. In the game, it became temporarily impossible to move after using it, and unnecessary damage was often received. It was not thought to be able to attack immediately after using such a skill.

    Therefore, it was toote to react to an attack while being pursued from the rear.

    Girard was soundless, without revealing his presence too, closing in on Shin as he glided on the ground.

    He seemed to be able to totally read Shin¡¯s thoughts perfectly, and assaulted the moment he had the chance. He suppressed his skill¡¯s bacsh forcibly, and his pupils were fiery and shined like a beast¡¯s in a hunting game

    ¡°¨D¨D!!¡±

    Due to the wind technique skill, the noise of the approaching fist was gone, and the handle of Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» struck up. He judged the de was good enough, rotated his body with minimal movement, and raising his opposite fist shed against the armguard on Shin¡¯s left arm.

    The armguards shing with each other resounded. It was a blow that could have taken off each others arms, if it was not Shin. The distance between them was only a few dozen cemels. Girard had invaded Shin¡¯s domain.

    Barehanded system martial arts ¡¾Reverse Wave¡¿¨D¨D¨D¨D that skill was the derivation of ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿ which Shin had used on the golem before. It was not a power that burst from the inside, it was a skill that broke through at a point and exploded on the outside. Though Girard was also slightly damaged from the point-nk range, he didn¡¯t worry about such a thing anymore.

    But because it was Shin, he wouldn¡¯t remain silent when feeling the pressure gathered on his left arm. Shin immediately used ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿, and though the majority of the power from ¡¾Reverse Wave¡¿ was warded off, he couldn¡¯t prevent his left arm from being flipped by the shock remaining.

    With Shin¡¯s damage reduced by his defense, Girard received a portion of the aftermath. As for damage, Girard who had a lot of it shouldn¡¯t be able to move right away. Yet, Girard moved. As if there was no damage at all, he invoked the next skill.

    Girard forcibly adjust his disordered stance, and what he invoked next was the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿.

    As the name might imply, it was an 8-hitbo attack. But the flowingbinations had already all been seen by Shin. Even in this world, there were certain motions to engage abo attack.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know it, it was said that skill was used against the physical body with magic. Each skills¡¯ form has their own kind of chants, it could be said that the unleashed blows were invoked by magic. Therefore, it was very difficult to change form in the middle of a fight for a martial arts skill, as its power would drop if interfered with forcibly.

    And supposing that rule was not known, if it was a person such as Shin, who was well-informed about the skill and the motion associated with it, it would not be difficult to deal with.

    While destroying the posture with a close ranged martial art skills, Shin also dodged the drawn fist, and a kick with minimal movement.

    When thest round kick approached from his rear, Shin put his strength into counterattacking it, but once again he was hit by an unexpected attack.

    Soon after the kick passed in front of Shin, Girard instantly changed his pivot foot, using the rotation of his body, and aimed for Shin¡¯s head. That without a doubt, was the movement of the continuous rotation kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Two Wheels¡¿.

    ¡°Guu¨D¨D!?¡±

    The kick that was approaching his face was stopped by ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Shin raised his eyebrows at the lightness of the power. He didn¡¯t know it, but he felt that something was wrong. However, that ¡®something was wrong¡¯ feeling was confirmed before long by Girard¡¯s following action. Using Shin¡¯s de that stopped the kick as a foothold, Girard jumped up and invoked a skill while rotating.

    He made one rotation above Shin¡¯s head, and without breaking his momentum, an axe kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Waterfall¡¿ weaved its way towards Shin on the spot.

    The ground caved-in, as Shin, who received that blow, had his feet pushed into the ground. But even with such power, it didn¡¯t be the decisive blow.

    Shin, whose main job was samurai, was not superior in defense skills like a shield job, and was not equipped with high strength shield either. However, the katana Shin was holding was an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon, ¡ºTrue Moon¡». The average shield was no match for its strength. In addition, because its performance as a weapon was top ss, it could withstand an attack that was impossible to defend against by ordinary katanas. This was also usually thebat method that was used with arge sword that values strength.

    Nheless, if Shin was without his prized possession, the ¡ºTrue Moon¡», he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against even a single blow of Shiden ss attacks from Girard.

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    With his feet buried in the ground, while facing Girard who was in mid-air, Shin counterattacked with nothing but ¡ºTrue Moon¡». Girard, who was a little faster than Shin¡¯s katana that was swinging down, took some distance with ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿.

    Shin¡¯s thoughts were filled with astonishment. Girard was doing movements that he didn¡¯t think of in the game.

    Apart from the ¡¾Zekka¡¿¡¯s recoil, ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿ to ¡¾Two Wheels¡¿, and ¡¾Waterfall¡¿, Shin thought that suchbinations flowing together were admirable even if it was his body caught in the attack.

    To work out such a strategy, he had no idea how much training Girard went through. But there was one thing that was clear, giving hisplete devotion was Girard¡¯s true strength. He was a real warrior, one who might have overtaken High Humans on earth. When he thought about that, Shin, just like Girard, had his chest filled with bitterness.

    It was understood. No, he was going to. Still somewhere, he was reminded of the sense of fighting during the game. Although Shin had already experienced PvP in this world, it was not a proper fight. So, he hadn¡¯t experienced something called a real battle.

    Thus, he was falling behind.

    ¡°¡­Pathetic. To think that I am the culmination that an opponent is risking their life against, and it ended up like this?¡±

    It not being the final blow, it was all thanks to his stats and his piled upbat experience. But even with that, Girard had also caught up now.

    What a predicament, when he said he would ept the challenge. In the way of fighting until now, he might receive a heavy blow sooner orter.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨DNo good. This is no good.¡±

    Shin thought. The opponent, whom the first Beast King has pursued, shouldn¡¯t be merely at this level. Even without the unusual titles, everyone must have thought that with an opponent like this, it would be a worthy death.

    Is this the limit?

    ¡°¨D¨DNo¡±

    Is this how the Master of Girard fights?

    ¡°¨D¨DNo¡±

    It should be overwhelming. Being led around shouldn¡¯t be allowed.

    He was a High Human. The person who stood on the summit.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Girard. It still wasn¡¯t my everything.¡±

    The way of fighting in the game was over, from here on out, it would be Shin¡¯s best.

    ¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡±

    He returned to his senses, and the small skills were meaningless. Simrly with Girard, he would show his feelings with the his highest skill.

    With his posture set with him holding the katana above his head. His movements, from up to down, were as if he were about to cut some Chinese bamboo in half.

    Just, he only put it all into a single stroke.

    ¡°¨D¨DAmagiri*!!¡± (T/N: Heaven sh)

    The single blow that designate itself as cutting the heaven, he ran toward Girard in an instant.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±

    Though Girard understood that he should never lose sight of Shin, still, he couldn¡¯t help but stare in wonderment. The de that was swinging down, it became blurry when Girard looked at it.

    His body moved before he could even think of following his instincts and intuition. Girard¡¯s abnormal reaction speed was acting in harmony, and reinforced by his body repeatedly.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    He didn¡¯te through unscathed. Girard¡¯s dougi type of armor, though it didn¡¯t have any effect in battle, had a part of the shoulder cut open and stained with blood. As it may be called the same Shiden, ¡¾Amagiri¡¿was a more converged power than Girard¡¯s ¡¾Zekka¡¿.

    Behind Girard, who defended against ¡¾Amagiri¡¿, the earth was cut apart, exposing its cross-section due to the attack.

    Nheless, for the current amount of damage that had been received, neither Shin nor Girard showed much of a difference.

    Still, the presence that Shin gave off, Girard felt it had changed a little. From the blow just now, Shin deciding on something was transmitted.

    ¡°¡­Ku, kukuku, now you¡¯re talking! That¡¯s what I wanted to see!¡±

    Girard muttered with a smile so ferocious, that even a grown man would run away. Though he was facing death at this moment, he was unbearably happy.

    Faster and stronger. Until he could pierce his fangs into that body.

    ¡°RoaaaaAAR!!¡±

    The ground was smashed and he ran.

    Also with ¡¾Amagiri¡¿, there was big recoil simr with ¡¾Zekka¡¿. Naturally, it produced a big chance too. Girard was aiming for that. If it was the current Girard, he didn¡¯t even take two seconds to catch Shin in his attack range.

    ¡°UraaaAAA!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s roar resounded there.

    Girard¡¯s fist arrived a little faster, Shin¡¯s arm that should be stiff from the recoil, suppressed his mind and jumped up. The de shed and sparks were scattered with Girard¡¯s fist. That was a movement that was impossible in the game.

    And then the de flipped. It didn¡¯t mean that he knew how to suppress the recoil. It was by using his stats, that could be said to be forcibly breaking the mechanisms.

    However, that was the correct solution. If it was impossible to remove the bacsh, then the only thing left, was brute force.

    Shin¡¯s invoked movement of the katana technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Swallow Reversal¡¿, added to the de, which drew an arc. The de elerated rapidly in the air once again, as Girard¡¯s body was wounded.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DYou have to do it. You have to do this, you know?

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DYes, it was ratherte.

    Each other¡¯s smiles were deepened. Without saying anything, those words were transmitted through their weapons.

    They realized the end was near.

    ¡°¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±¡±

    The smiles were erased, and at the same time they prepared their weapons.

    Shin raised his ¡ºTrue Moon¡» over his head, Girard set his fists on his waist. As if they knew what they would unleash next, their preparations were simultaneously ready.

    Their eyes met, but silently they bid farewell.

    ¡°¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡±¡±

    This was the end. They understood that mutually.

    With the unleashed Shiden. There was no more martial arts to follow this, to decorate the end.

    ¡°¨D¨DZekka!!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨DAmagiri!!¡±

    Together with the invoked skills, the figures of two people disappeared. Instantly the distance between them was closed, as well as the impact that shook the space, a violent sound echoed out.

    It was the sh of Shidens in close range. With that alone, the ground caved in radially with Shin and Girard in the center. The power of the sh increasing endlessly, the collided energy that was repelled, destroying the surroundings without exception.

    Though the power¡¯s repulsion was very powerful, both of them continued to let out Shidens like it was natural. It was an exchange of skills of the Shiden ss, which was impossible in the game. Not only the user, but it also put a tremendous burden on each other¡¯s weapons.

    A snapping and cracking sound reverberated. To achieve that, which weapon was it?

    No matter how much each of these weapons were bestowed with an invalidity weapon destruction attack effect, what was called durability surely existed. Therefore, it didn¡¯t mean that it would never break, even though they were weapons of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade.

    Still, even if they heard the screams of each other¡¯s weapons, neither of them loosened their power. Because they knew it would be their defeat in that moment, if they rxed, even if only a little.

    ¡°¡°OooooooooooooOOOOOO!!!¡±¡±

    They shed, separated, and collided again.

    Shin vs Girard

    Apparently, in this fight simr to a rivalry, Shin gradually began to overwhelm. It was natural, because the ability of the two people was not equal. The weight of the blow after blow, and the burden to the body, the distinct differences became visible.

    Therefore, Girard tore off thest charm.

    ¡°Shiden!!¨D¨D¡±

    This was the technique for someone who had already abandoned their life.

    Color faded from Girard¡¯s whole body. And, besides the power of his right fist, that waspeting against Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» at close range, power also gathered in his left fist at the same time.

    The white light that covered that fist was Girard¡¯s own life force. It was thest splendor of his life, as he was baring his fangs at this moment.

    ¡°¨D¨DKassenkou*!!¡± (T/N: Constrict Pierce Armor)

    That skill would inflict huge damage to both the armor and shield. A blow, like a sh exploded on Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    The sound of something breaking gradually grew bigger.

    Girard continued to receive the burden, of the multiple invoked Shidens on himself, yet he still continued to put forth his power.

    ¡°Using Shiden simultaneously, huh? That¡¯s cheating.¡±

    Shin cursed while taking the blow from Girard. Still, he didn¡¯t back down. While his Shiden was activated, Shin stacked ¡¾Enchant ? High Edge¡¿ on his ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    The power to rampage was arranged beforehand, so they could mutually unleash their best single blow soon. Having realized it was the end, it came down to which one had the first move.

    Did theypete for a moment, or only several seconds? Or was it for several minutes?

    ¡°¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±¡±

    What reached the limit first was their weapons. The de of ¡ºTrue Moon¡» broke, and the armor part of ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» also broke into pieces.

    However, even if the weapons crumbled, it didn¡¯t stop the users.

    Shin, who was holding the remains of the hilt, took one step toward Girard with both of his hands lowered.

    In regards to Girard, with nothing but both fists thrusted out, he single-mindedly charged toward Shin.

    Shin too, promptly jumped upward with both hands holding the hilt. However, with both skills, ¡¾Zekka¡¿ and ¡¾Kassenkou¡¿, worn on Girard¡¯s fists, and with ¡ºTrue Moon¡» bing just a handle, without any skills, even Shin couldn¡¯t defend against it.

    ¡°I got yoouuuuu!!¡±

    The hilt that was used as a shield was repelled by Girard¡¯s left fist, as his right fist smashed into Shin¡¯s defenseless body.

    With a raised roar, his fist ripped through Shin¡¯s coat,ing into contact with the sr plexus¨D¨D¨D¨D and made a ¡®Tap¡¯ sound, and there, he stopped moving.

    ¡°Damnit!!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHuh?¡±

    I¡¯m done for, was what Shin thought, and he took a step backwards from the unexpected lightness in Girard¡¯s fist. He shouldn¡¯t die an instant death, due to his high stats, but he was prepared for some damage. However, the fist that hit his body had no strength at all.

    Shin raised his line of sight towards the thrust out fist, and saw Girard again¨D¨D¨D¨DHe understood.

    ¡°¡­Girard¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Girard didn¡¯t respond. Only, he had be rigid in the state where his fist was thrust out.

    ¡°Gira¨D¨D

    ¡°Listen, I got¡­*hack* *cough*¡­¡±

    Girard interrupted Shin, who tried to call him once more. With blood vomiting at the same time, he fell down to his knees at the spot.

    ¡°Hey Girard!¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡­ Apparently¡­This is as far as I can go.¡±

    Shin was about to rush over, but Girard stopped it by raising one hand. He knew that recovery and so forth were useless.

    ¡°¡­I received thest blow. As expected from Girard.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, I have lived for 500 years,¡­ not just for show. Surely¡­ these fangs,¡­ have reached you.¡±

    Though his face was pale, Girard wasughing, baring his fangs. It was a ¡®proud of myself¡¯ smile, as this body had finally reached his master.

    ¡°Urgh¡­. Now then, my long-held¡­wish was fulfilled. Shin. Can I request..from you, onest time, a single blow as the reward?¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±

    Girard, who had stood up while tottering, spoke of hisst wish. After a bit of hesitation, Shin who heard it, epted it.

    From Girard who was barely standing, he took a distance of about 10 mels. And, quietly released his ¡¾Limit¡¿. Simultaneously a torrent of power gushed out. The time when he was exchanging blows with Girard seemed halfhearted, and strange pressure surges were in the surroundings.

    ¡°So this is a¡­¡±

    Receiving the pressure that emitted from Shin, Girard kept standing there. Hisst wish would depend on Shin¡¯s all out power as the finishing blow.

    Power that Girard couldn¡¯t fight against. Thus, to get over thest ordeal, he wanted to witness Shin¡¯s power.

    Shin took a stance. The shattered ¡ºTrue Moon¡» was stored into the Item Box, with nothing in his hands. No, to begin with, weapons and so on were unnecessary.

    Shin¡¯s stance that he took, was the movement for ¡¾Zekka¡¿. It is quite ironic if that is the case, Girard thought.

    ¡°¡­See you¡±

    ¡°Farewell¡±

    They exchanged a few words, and Shin took a step forward. With that speed, which was godlike. Girard had already lost sight of Shin.

    But he knew. Before the blow that was approaching his body, Girard perceived Shin in the world for a moment.

    With overwhelming power, and mana gushing out. The speed that would leave everything behind.

    That figure, the appearance of the Master whom Girard surely yearned for. The present Shin was more powerful than even the figure that existed in his memory.

    He wanted to reach those fangs someday. He, wished to be the best existence. That conflicting wish was now, bing a shape in front of Girard.

    (Indeed, that¡¯s what I expected of my¨D¨D¨D¨D)

    Hisst thought dissolved, when the roaring sound echoed.

 Book 3: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    ¡°It seems to have ended.¡±

    It was a little silent, after that remarkably big explosion. The powerful shock wave that crossed the forest and mowed down the trees had stopped.

    Not just Schnee, but everyone on top of the hill realized that it was the end of the duel.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Wolfgang and Kagerou, who both boasted of high stats too, fell silent. No, they couldn¡¯t say anything. They were cautious while all of their body hair was bristling.

    Thest blow. They were speechless at that too powerful pressure. Though they knew who fired it, still, the power surge couldn¡¯t be seen in an optimistic view. It made them realize defeat, without even fighting, and they couldn¡¯t help but feel the presence of a conqueror.

    It hadn¡¯t been long since they met the person called Shin, but everyone¡¯s breath was taken away as they couldn¡¯t imagine that violent presence hade from the figure of the ordinary Shin.

    Therefore. In the midst of that silence, only Schnee remained calm.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be befuddled forever, you know.¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh!?¡±¡±

    With that single phrase, everyone quickly came back their senses. It was the moment of their own king¡¯s death. This was not the time to be senile.

    ¡°Someone ising here.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, that¡¯s¡­.¡±

    Having steeled themselves in the confusing surroundings, Wolfgang and Cuore noticed a person approaching. When did that person get close? There was a figure at the bottom of the hill.

    There was only one figure appearing. It walked toward the top of the hill while carrying something on its back. Needless to say, it was Shin and Girard. Shin was shouldering Girard, whose eyes were closed like he was sleeping.

    Everyone went down the hill without waiting for Shin to arrive.

    ¡°Shin, your clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s from Girard.¡±

    Tiera, who saw the ripped coat, spoke with concern, but understood Shin was not seriously damaged from his gesture, and nodded as she was relieved.

    ¡°I will take out the wagon. Please hold onto Girard.¡±

    ¡°¡°Affirmative¡±¡±

    While fiddling with the Item Box, Girard¡¯s corpse was left to Rajim and Van. After taking out the wagon, Girard wasid behind the carrier, so he wouldn¡¯t be shaken.

    ¡°Girard-sama¡­¡±

    Looking at theid down body, Cuore leaked out a voice with moist eyes. Her shoulders were dropped feebly, the ears that always stretched upwards were now drooping along with her head. Wolfgang didn¡¯t show any of the attitude, but he looked somewhat a little disheartened.

    Nothing could be done for the grief to held in, even if it was the person¡¯s ownst wish.

    ¡°Raise your heads. All of you guys.¡±

    Shin called out to the two people. It was different from before. It was a voice carrying some dignity.

    ¡°Shin-dono?¡±

    ¡°He would be ashamed of your sympathy.¡±

    Shin knew what he said was harsh. Gratitude was not expressed. Still, he believed he had to say it himself.

    ¡°Princess, Ulu too, don¡¯t be disheartened. Look at the king¡¯s face.¡±

    Van called out, and the two people looked up. Though it was a digression, Ulu seemed to be a nickname for Wolfgang, only spoken by his close friends.

    ¡°He has a satisfied look. No one will think he had a regret remaining when they see this.¡±

    Rajim too, called out to cheer up the two people. What Rajim said was right, a faint smile had appeared on Girard¡¯s face. To Van and Rajim, who had shared a long time with him, Girard¡¯s final thoughts were understood, without them even having to wonder.

    There was certainly a feeling of sadness. However, the feelings of relief were stronger. They knew Girard had hidden the truth about his life span. Therefore, the joy of him dying without any regrets was bigger.

    He would rather die in a satisfying fight than survive shamelessly. Because that was the way of his life, for a man who lived as a warrior.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If I was to weep, I would beughed at.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you are right.¡±

    From the words of the two people, that were the closest to Girard, Wolfgang and Cuore seemed to have regained themselves. The two people each faced Girard¡¯s death firmly, the resolve to step forward was able to be perceived.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It didn¡¯t take much time for the wagon to arrive at Girard¡¯s residence in Elden.

    The corpse was enshrined by Van and Rajim, and various people in charge of office and executives were gathered under the instructions of Wolfgang. When Girard¡¯s death was announced, there were grieving people, there were people showing an expression of relief, and various other reactions.

    There seemed to be people who also guessed at the things that happened in Larua Grand Woods, too. Apparently the sounds of their battle had echoed throughout Falnido. When connecting the dots, together with Girard¡¯s death, questions on who was the person who fought him surfaced.

    ¡°The founder¡¯sst moments, were very worthy of him.¡±

    Wolfgang didn¡¯t report Shin¡¯s name. However, it was clearly dered that there was no better match for Girard¡¯sst fight.

    Naturally, there were people who wondered who it was, but the majority of people guessed it was someone simr to a High Human follower. Schnee and Shibaid, both were well known to have interacted with Girard, as for the other members, there wasn¡¯t a doubt about their abilities, too.

    For the people who still weren¡¯t convinced, when they met Girard¡¯s corpse and looked at his face, Wolfgang¡¯s speech was understood to be truthful. A lot of people from Falnido had the reaction of; this was the spirit of a true warrior.

    Anyways, everyone was quickly convinced. Before the day was out, contact was made with eachmunity that lived here in Elden, with the exception of the dog tribe, and they started the preparations for the funeral service in unison.

    Girard was unmistakably the founding father, even if he had long since retired. It was a necessity for it to be a national grand funeral. Before the supposing one week, various people gathered in Falnido, reaching the point where the ce was like a festival rather than a funeral. Envoys seemed toe from all of the countries with diplomatic rtions, except the n in Falnido.

    Because Shin and his group didn¡¯t have to prepare for the funeral in particr, they spent every day going back and forth to the library. But they hadn¡¯t aplished much. Still, being able to enter the restricted zone, more useful things were discovered here than from the books in the general area of Bayreuth¡¯s library.

 Book 3: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    And then, it was the tenth day after Girard¡¯s death. The funeral of the first Beast King, Girard Estaria, was held in the capital of the dog tribe, Elden, of the Falnido Beast Alliance.

    Shin and Schnee participated too. It was told that Schnee came after she had heard the report of Girard¡¯s death, and it was epted without any doubt. Shin and Schnee lined up to see off Girard, equipped with a full body armor for that asion. Some of the attendees wore the equipment that they had worn when they had shared battlefields with Girard, and Shin, who had put on armor, was mistaken as a veteran hero; he was thought to be a famous soldier. Girard had had a lot ofbat experience, so unexpectedly, there were a lot of people who had shared battlefields together, but didn¡¯t know each other by sight.

    At the funeral, everyone in the upper echelon of the country was present, each tribal head and sessor, retired former generals, and so forth; a terrific lineup had been gathered. The representative from the vige of elves and pixies was also among them. Wolfgang, who was the king, and Cuore the princess were in the front row. There was a person next to Schnee. It was the representative of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, an ally of Falnido, and Shin¡¯s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku.

    He was a High Dragnil with red eyes, and scales like obsidian. As a fellowpanion that founded a country, apart from as a person that also served as a fellow vanguard in Shin¡¯s party, Shin heard they had formed strongmunications. Both the capitals of the two countries should have a considerable distance between them, but somehow, he made it in time. Shin, who saw that figure, felt nostalgic, and thought that as soon as he had calmed down, he would meet him directly.

    The funeral advanced solemnly, and finished peacefully without any trouble. Girard¡¯s body seemed to be buried in the earth where the sessive kingsid. ¡®I am born from the earth, live on the earth, and return to the earth.¡¯ That was the outlook on life and death that most of the beastmen had.

    At the end of the ceremony, Wolf Type, Dog Type, and Fox Type, all of the beasts howled together. It was the melody of burial rites, to send off warriors who fought till theirst breath.

    Girard¡¯s body was buried in the tomb of the kings while being seen off by many people.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    When the funeral was over, Shin returned to the residence. Wolfgang and the executives of the country had a pile of matters to be discussed hereafter, and it seemed that they wouldn¡¯t return home for a while.

    ¡°Can I sit next to you?¡±

    Having called out to Shin, who was looking out at the garden, while he was patting Yuzuha above his knee, was Van. The figure of Rajim was seen behind him, too.

    ¡°Is the discussion going well?¡±

    ¡°We, the old soldiers, shouldn¡¯te into y.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, the country¡¯s matters have already been entrusted to others.¡±

    Van sat on the veranda, and spoke those words to Shin who was asking. And Rajim agreed with the words.

    The two men were d in such a calm atmosphere, that Shin had the feeling that they would disappear at any moment.

    ¡°What will you two do from now on?¡±

    ¡°Go on a journey.¡±

    ¡°Journey?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because ourpanion is waiting, too.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Go join your friend.¡±

    Theirpanion is waiting, too. From the words which Van said and the atmosphere around him, Shin felt something special. He knew the destination of the two people.

    ¡°¡­Hey, ording to you two, what kind of guy did you see Girard as?¡±

    After a few minutes of silence, such words came out from Shin¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°He was a great person.¡±

    ¡°He was a warrior rivaled by nobody.¡±

    As Van and Rajim were feeling nostalgic, they closed their eyes and spoke.

    He stood before everyone else, a leader who showed the way. A great person, who possessed overwhelming fighting power.

    ¡°He was a solitary man.¡±

    ¡°He was someone who got lonely easily.¡±

    A hero without equal. A lonely king.

    Because of hisbat power, it was often said that it couldn¡¯t be helped that he fought alone on the battlefield. If neither Schnee nor Shibaid was there, the two people said he would really keep standing alone on the battlefield. And yet, he seemed to impulsively pick quarrels with his friends.

    ¡°He was a person who thought of his friends.¡±

    ¡°He was a person who could do nothing but fight.¡±

    For this reason, people gathered in Girard¡¯s surroundings. For the sake of his friends he picked up a weapon, and rushed on to defeat monsters, he gathered up the tribes during the confusion of the crustal movement. He was just like a hero from the fairy tales.

    Just, unlike a lot of heroic tales, he had no enthusiasm to be king. Girard¡¯s job was focused purely onbat. Other than that, it was not important.

    Though people requested it from Girard, he himself knew that he didn¡¯t have the ability to rule. If anything, he was fit as a general. Thanks to that, he needed people to support him. Van and Rajim were first on the list, and he was said to have a hard time. Nevertheless, though he never tried to stop them from leaving, he felt mutual trust within those surroundings.

    While having fighting power that could be called abnormal, it wasn¡¯t the contributing factor on why he was alone. As the gap between battlefield and daily life was tremendous, the two people spoke in unison at the end.

    ¡°I see, thank you for telling me.¡±

    The appearance of a Girard, whom Shin didn¡¯t know, was there.

    ¡°Shin-dono, I want to express my gratitude once again.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that, suddenly.¡±

    Van straightened his posture and bowed to Shin. When he moved his line of sight, Rajim too, was bowing in the same way.

    ¡°Hey now, both of you.¡±

    ¡°For granting the king¡¯s wish. Our feelings of gratitude will never end.¡±

    ¡°Come on now, just quit it. It happened by chance, really.¡±

    Yes, it really was a coincidence for him to return, and etiquette was not necessary, Shin thought. Moreover, if Shin didn¡¯t return, Girard might still be alive.

    ¡°We don¡¯t think of those kinds of things at all.¡±

    Rajim spoke his words while raising his head, to Shin who did think about these kinds of things.

    ¡°A life that does not end, it¡¯s painful for us beasts, who are not of the long-life kind.¡±

    Rajim said. The average lifespan of a beast didn¡¯t vary muchpared to humans. It was about 120 years at most, even if one had a long life. Sure, there would be people who would live for several hundreds of years, that were born in this age, but judging from the whole, it was only a small handful. Inparison with the elves and pixies, who seem to live for an eternity, it could be said that life was too short.

    However, that was fine. Elves are elves, pixies are pixies, and beasts have the beast¡¯s way of life. It was very cruel, that he alone deviated from that road.

    Except for himself, the other people that were born, died. People who lived in the same time as him, left him. Certainly, Girard¡¯s soul was gradually being eaten away by time.

    ¡°We are people who live for just a short time. Living a long life is like an endless prison. Thus, to Shin-dono, who released the king from there, it¡¯s natural for us to express our gratitude. Even if it was by chance that you returned here, you did not leave without doing anything.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Van and Rajim left, and a veil of darkness descended in the area. Because he conveyed that he would have dinner by himself, no one came to call on Shin.

    While the moonlight shone, Shin was still on the veranda. Yuzuha had curled its tail and was sleeping.

    ¡°¡­Wee home.¡±

    Shin called out to Schnee as he perceived her approaching. Though Shin returned to the residence soon after he had witnessed the burial, Schnee, who was in a special position, was unable to return immediately.

    After the fight, outwardly, Shin appeared to have no change until now. However, looking at it from Schnee¡¯s viewpoint, that state of no changes was unnatural. For this reason, she wanted to be at his side if possible, but Schnee had to attend a meeting.

    The general greeting was finished, and when she returned to the residence and felt the presence of Shin, she discovered that he was looking at the night sky from the veranda. But the face that she saw from the side seemed to melt inside the moonlight and disappear; he looked empty.

    Schnee approached quietly and embraced Shin. Because he was sitting, Shin¡¯s face was held against Schnee¡¯s breasts, but his expression didn¡¯t have any big changes.

    ¡°¡­Schnee?¡±

    Shin called Schnee¡¯s name in wonder. But that voice somehowcked feeling, too.

    ¡°The current Shin seemed to have disappeared somewhere.¡±

    Oddly enough, it was the same feeling that Shin felt from Van and Rajim. In order to erase the anxiety welling up inside his mind, Schnee put power into her arms to hold Shin.

    ¡°Whatever it is. Please say it to me.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what she was able to do. But to make him even just a little energetic, Schnee spoke the words.

    Before long, an answer came back.

    ¡°Just a little while ago, Van and Rajim came.¡±

    Saying few words, Shin conveyed the things he talked about with those two. With Schnee embracing Shin closely, she listened to his voice.

    ¡°Van and Rajim said they understand it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They also said they understand Girard¡¯s own wish.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Even me, I understood it as the opponent.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    While speaking, Schnee noticed Shin¡¯s voice was trembling a little.

    Aftering to this world, the time Shin spent with Girard was awfully short. However, they discussed each other¡¯s intentions through weapons, to fill the time they had been apart. It was neither NPC, and not data either; it was the real Girard. The length of time spent and so on, was unrted to the two people.

    Therefore, in a sense, this was the proper reaction.

    Even if the person himself wished it. Even if the surrounding people consented. But still.

    ¡°My friend died¡­it¡¯s hard¡­.¡±

    It was painful. Because Shin understood it at the end.

    ¡°¡­Please cry. You have fulfilled your obligation. It¡¯s okay to grieve.¡±

    While hugging Shin, Schnee also noticed that her view was blurry.

    She must be sad, and it must be difficult. To Schnee, Girard was an importantpanion.

    Beneath the moonlight, without sobbing, and without crying voices.

    Only the tears didn¡¯t stop.

    The two shadows that drew close to each other under the moonlight, slowly separated.

    The person who got over his sadness, in his eyes a fire with a strong light was lit .

    The moon sunk over the horizon, and the sun made its appearance.

    The spectacle that filled the world with light, Shin directly watched it.

 Book 3: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 3: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    One day, while waiting for the duel with Girard, set to be held 3 dayster.

    ¡°Falnido is more lively than a country of humans, huh?¡±

    ¡°If I were to say it in a few words, it¡¯s because the customs and cultures are quite different from tribe to tribe.¡±

    Shin, who said so, spoke without any particr reason, but was dutifully answered by Cuore.

    Four days had already passed since Shin came to Girard¡¯s ce in Elden.

    It¡¯s not good to stay in the library all the time, said Schnee and Tiera; which was the reason they were sightseeing in the town. Cuore who heard them, immediately announced she would be his guide, which is how they reached their current state.

    Only Cuore walked next to Shin, except for Yuzuha who was sleeping on top of Shin¡¯s head. Tiera was doing apletely different action of siding herself alongside Schnee.

    Tiera, who was taken away by Schnee, had a gloomy face, or it was probably just his imagination. Shin deceived himself, she¡¯ll feel better when shees back.

    ¡°Though I only took you to the rmended ces until now, is there anywhere Shin-dono would like to go?¡±

    The capital of Falnido was decided on as the city where the king resides. Therefore, the current capital was here at Elden. He had heard the exnation from Schnee, but naturally it was not on a scale that could be called a vige. It would be difficult to finish going around it in one day.

    ¡°ces I want to go, huh?¡±

    Since Cuore already guided him to some extent, it didn¡¯t ur to him right away.

    ¡°So?¡±

    While thinking about where he wanted to go, what entered Shin¡¯s line of sight was the signboard of a certain shop. Shin who saw it, for some reason, picked Yuzuha up from on top of his head and brought it before his face.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha, who was suddenly being held, barked like it wanted to say: ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That reminds me, I have a feeling that Yuzuha¡¯s fur is going from a bad situation to a worse one.¡±

    One of Rokuten¡¯s members, Cashmere, had taught him a lot of things about taking care of monsters. Was this because hugging a monster that had a good coat fur let one thoroughly enjoy its fluffiness? The present Shin understood the disorder of its fur to some degree. Of course, there was no such skill in the game. But when he stared at it closely, he was certain that the coat hair was deteriorating after all.

    ¡°For the moment, may I stop at that shop?¡±

    ¡°That one? Ah, I see. I understand.¡±

    Cuore, who saw the shop, somewhat knew what Shin thought, and agreed immediately.

    When they passed through the door and entered, a Dog-type woman came over.

    ¡°Wee. What are you looking for today?¡±

    After the woman shifted her attention from Cuore, who was standing next to Shin and Yuzuha, whom he carried, she shifted her pleasant eyes toward Shin.

    Shin felt like he was being somewhat misunderstood.

    ¡°I need a brush for brushing, but I also want you to show me somebs¡­.¡±

    ¡°Certainly. Here please.¡±

    In the ce which that woman guided them, there were big and small brushes disyed. Ignoring the employee who was speaking slowly, Shin looked at the brushes.

    Apparently, there were materials that were prefered by different races, although they looked the same, they varied from materials to prices.

    Dog, Wolf, Fox, and so on seemed to have simr preferences, as they were sold together.

    ¡°Amazing. Do you have something like personalized brushes here?¡±

    ¡°For a particr person, they can get the material by themselves.¡±

    It was not rare, as Cuore had one, too. As Shin felt admiration for the beasts¡¯ obsession to brush, suddenly he remembered these kinds of things. It was by the greatest tamer; the article that had been carefully made by Cashmere. It was something that seemedfortable when Girard was brushed in the game era.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to explore, so I should care for Yuzuha every once in a while.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    He purchased some items to improve the coat of hair, and they exited the shop.

    When they returned to the residence, Shin sat on the veranda outside of the room, and took out the brush, ¡®Gloomy Star¡¯, from his Item Box. It had a dark appearance, like amon brush. But the handle was made from the World Tree¡¯s trunk, and the bristles of the brush were made from the materials removed from a level 800 gigantic monster with arge mass of hair, called Tyrant Bristle.

    By the way, here is the description: , was one sentence that appeared. With brushing alone, cat, dog, horse and so forth, the favorability of the monster for each model increased. It was certainly a super brush.

    Originally, there were various kinds of brushes; this brush was for hair loss, the furballs were collected and broken down by the magic item; it was also a magic tool.

    ¡°Keep still.¡±

    Shin said, and he put the brush on Yuzuha¡¯s back. First, it was gentle, as the brush loosened up the hairs.

    ¡°Kuu~¡­¡±

    While being careful not to put in too much power, the entwined hair was unraveled. Did this gentle repeated brushing feel good? Yuzuha let out a bark, like it was losing strength.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Cuore was staring enviously at Yuzuha. Though she should be free, since the town tour was finished, when she heard that Shin was going to brush Yuzuha, she asked him to show her by all means. Shin too had no reason to decline, though it might be boring, so her being there was approved.

    With her admiration for Shin continuing to umte from Girard¡¯s stories, his courteousness and skillful brushing of Yuzuha was seen, so Cuore unconsciously thought about these kinds of things.

    ¨D¨DIs it no good if I request it of him?

    ¨D¨DNo, it¡¯s rude to him¡­he¡¯s a High Human, yeah.

    ¨D¨DBut, still¡­

    For a beast, having the opposite sex do the brushing and grooming had a special meaning.

    It was an expression of one¡¯s intention towards their lover, or someone close like a family member. A woman requesting it from a man, although it wasn¡¯t necessarily a confession, the fact of it being special didn¡¯t change.

    While her tail and ears were twitching, Cuore was inwardly troubled about what to do, and the figure of someone she knew approached from the other side of the veranda.

    ¡°Hmm? Shin? Didn¡¯t you go sightseeing in the town?¡±

    ¡°I have to take care of my partner asionally, hence the brushing.¡±

    ¡°I see. Fumu¡­It¡¯s been a long time. Can I request it too?¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s almost over, so please wait a little. Come to think of it, this brush was made by Cashmere for Girard¡¯s sake.¡±

    They exchanged such a conversation, as Girard sat next to Shin. Yuzuha¡¯s brushing ended after a few minutes, and the brushing of Girard, who transformed into a beast, began this time.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Cuore was speechless at seeing such a scene. The current Girard who hadn¡¯t let anyone, except his deceased wife, brush him was well known to Cuore.

    However now, Girard was lying down and had his eyes closed before her; while Shin carefully moved the brush using one hand. That appearance, which looked like arge dog that entrusted its body on the knee of its master, was captured by Cuore¡¯s eyes.

    Though Wolf Types hate to be treated like a dog, it couldn¡¯t be helped but to think so. Cuore felt the reliable bond between the two people.

    (For Girard-sama to make such a face, I¡¯m seeing it for the first time.)

    The expression was hard to understand when Girard was in beast form, but Cuore, who was a simr Wolf Type, understood well that Girard was rxing and loosening his whole body.

    Unlike Yuzuha, Girard had arge physique, but eventually it ended in less than 30 minutes.

    ¡°I feel refreshed after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you feel that way!¡±

    ¡°Now then, on this asion, how about you do it to Cuore as well?¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    It was a dreame true for Cuore, but at the unexpected development, she shouted out unintentionally.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but is it okay to do it? Apart from the monster Yuzuha, and the man, Girard, Cuore is a woman. To do that to the opposite sex, there tends to be a lot of strange meanings that could arise though.¡±

    Shin turned toward Girard with a suspicious face. Even without the knowledge, he thought there was some meaning to the act.

    ¡°That will not be a problem. To let my master take care of my descendant, there¡¯s no motive. Cuore also seems to anticipate it.¡±

    ¡°Wha!? G-Girard-sama!?¡±

    Cuore¡¯s face reddened from Girard¡¯s remark. But no words of denial came out from her mouth.

    While she tried to say something in a hurry, eventually she finally looked downward embarrassed, answering ¡°Yes¡± in a faintly audible voice.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll do it as carefully as possible, it¡¯s my first time brushing a woman. If the power is too much for you, I want you to say so without any reservations.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please treat me favourably.¡±

    Cuore transformed into a beast, and put her body weight on Shin the same way as Girard did. Immediately she felt the brush touch the back of her head. Slowly and carefully, the entwined hairs were pulled apart without causing any pain; it was a skilled hand movement.

    ¡°¡­!! ¡­Umn¡­nn¡±

    Was it because of the superior tool, or because of Shin¡¯s technique? Choppy voices leaked out from Cuore¡¯s mouth, as she felt thefort that she didn¡¯t experience in everyday brushing. With each stroke of the brush, she felt calmness. Before several minutes had passed, Cuore was in a dreamy state of dreaminess.

    ¡°Kukuu, she somehow looks pleased.¡±

    ¡°Kuu. Shin is skilled.¡±

    Girard and Yuzuha understood. Understood in that territory, but Cuore didn¡¯t notice. Within thatfort, just like receiving a first rate massage, her cheeks loosened.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°*Woof*¡­Thank you very m¡­What did I just say!?¡±

    Girardughed.

    ¡°In the presence of others, make sure to not let your mind wander.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­I think I let my guard down a little, anyway it¡¯s different!¡±

    The feeling of being embarrassed rose, when she said things that she only spoke about in her own room. However, when her head and neck were being gently stroked by Shin, she was able to regain herposure a little. If she looked at the front, Girard being patted the same way was rxing. Before anyone noticed, Yuzuha was already sleeping on top of Girard. At that appearance, Cuore had a soft smile.

    Tiera and Schnee came back after a while, Shin at that time, was like a master that was surrounded by his pet dogs; wry smiles on their faces.

    That was just a few days before Girard died.

    It was like the good old days they spent before, a peaceful time.

 Book 4: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    It was the first reunion in 500 years with Shin¡¯srade in arms from the game era, Girard, his support character No. 3, a High Beast. In addition to the duel and the bereavement following it, a figure that was seen at Girard¡¯s funeral was Shin¡¯s support character No. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid.

    Shin, who visited the Falnido Beast Alliance, faced the reality of parting with his formerpanion.

    At dawn, following the funeral held in Elden, in the capital of Falnido, Shin, guided by his support character No. 1, Schnee, headed towards a certain ce. On his head was his monster partner, the Element Tail, Yuzuha. In front of him was the current Beast King, Wolgang, and his daughter, Cuore.

    The elf, Tiera, was next to Schnee. The monster that became Tiera¡¯s partner, Kagerou, had dived into Tiera¡¯s shadow using a monster skill called ¡¾Shadow Dive¡¿.

    After about 15 minutes of walking from their residence, a 2-story building came into view. It was the ce where the envoys and representatives from other countries stayed in to witness the funeral. The reason Shin was visiting there, needless to say, was to meet Shibaid. Shin and the others went there because they couldn¡¯t invite Shibaid to their residence.

    ¡°Come to think of it, it is Shibaid after all. Isn¡¯t his rank the same as Girard¡¯s, king?¡±

    ¡°No; currently he has severed connection with the royal family. However, he is famous as an adventurer with the highest rank.¡±

    ording to Schnee, simr to Girard, Shibaid became the first Dragon King of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, but it seemed that he roamed free after the country stabilized. As a member of Kilmont¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and at the time when monsters overflowed from the Sacred ce, he fought together with other ordinary adventurers.

    ¡°¡­Is that fine? To be like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably fine, since the royal family also seems to agree. For Shibaid, rather than the country, he became a figure that participates as a mercenary in a Guild led by Dragnil.¡±

    Apparently his banner-like implication, for having be the first king from the start until the people gained stability, was strong.

    Since he didn¡¯t gather the scattered tribes like Girard did, the session seemed to be carried out unexpectedly smoothly. As for severing the connection with the royal family, there might be an external implication.

    ¡°From the start, it seems that he had dered to temporarily be the king.¡±

    ¡°The people must have understood it well.¡±

    ¡°Because the second generation king, also in the vanguard together with Shibaid, was the one he severed ties with. Originally, that second king was supposed to have be the first king. But I heard that he was wounded in the final battle just before founding the country.¡±

    ¡°So he was something like a substitute, huh?¡±

    Shin wondered what kind of king they were to be reced with so easily, but there appeared to be some circumstances. Since Schnee didn¡¯t know all of the intricate details that well either, he would have to hear from the person in question when they met afterward.

    This time, by the way, because Shibaid was a friend of Girard, he was picked as the representative.

    ¡°Anyways, this is packed.¡±

    Before long, the group arrived at their destination. Shin, who saw the building, was the first to speak; it was that crowded.

    The people who had heard the news about Girard¡¯s death were many, and that the amount was about to exceed the capacity of the mansion, was clear to Shin. Seeing from Falnido¡¯s side, this might have been unexpected. Incidentally, Shin recalled the state of the funeral, and it looked like the people who had been guiding the attendees appeared to be quite exhausted.

    There might be no more vacancies any longer to stay at the other inns, but the thought hadn¡¯t hit Shin¡¯s mind yet.

    ¡°The number of people that came far exceeded the numbers we had expected. The founder shared the battlefield with a lot of people, and many of them are leaders or generals of each country now. Though I already reduced the numbers, everyone has acting power.¡±

    The tired-looking Wolfgang spoke.

    It seemed to be impossible to invite all of Girard¡¯s acquaintances. Although, there seemed to be no end to people who slipped through the loophole and came over. These acting powers were certainly due to the influence from Girard, and the top management was at their wits¡¯ end.

    ¡°Nheless, Shibaid-dono is an exception. I had him stay at the further inner side of the second residence, since he is the representative of a long time ally together with the envoy of Kilmont.¡±

    Apparently Shibaid received special treatment. As they advanced to the depths of the site while following Wolfgang, a building on a different level was seen. The feeling of luxury was grasped by Shin, as if to tell it was only for VIP¡®s.

    When the doorbell was rung, a man past middle age, thought to be the butler, showed up. When Wolfgang stated his business, a deep sound was made as the door opened. Was it to barricade themselves in an emergency? The door was coated with Adamantine when one looked closely.

    ¡°Then, I will call out to Shibaid-sama. Everyone, please wait here.¡±

    The butler left to call Shibaid, after he guided them to the reception room.

    Though Shin had already perceived the presence of Shibaid, because of the call out, he decided to wait patiently.

    ¡°Please excuse me as I have a discussion with the envoys of Kilmont after this. In the future, if there is anything, please ask Cuore.¡±

    When the butler left, Wolfgang also left, leaving Cuore behind. Now that Girard was gone, Wolfgang was the Beast King in both name and reality. He might also apany Shin and the others depending on the asion of the business.

    ¡°Though it¡¯s kind ofte, it¡¯s unwise to speak to a King without using honorifics, right?¡±

    ¡°At present, it won¡¯t pose any problems when meeting Ulu, except in public. I, too, speak informally outside the royal family.¡±

    Schnee spoke about her manners when meeting the king on formal asions. She seemed to understand the area well.

    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s because before power, he looked for abilities that were superior than him.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem that Wolfgang had the intention to let Shin and his group use politenguage in his own country; it was probably because Wolfgang was a warrior type, not a staff officer. It¡¯s also possible that one of the reasons was that he didn¡¯t interpret it as having impolite manners from Girard¡¯s master.

    After a while, Shibaid showed up together with the butler.

    He was a big man with a height surpassing more than 2 and a half mels, had scales like obsidian, and had deep crimson eyes. Because the default appearance was a dragon in human form, a person might feel a little fear during their first meeting, Shin thought.

    ¡°Um, it¡¯s been a long time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am sincerely pleased with Master¡¯s return now. From here on, I will return under themand of Master, and be the spear who pierces through the enemies.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right,e to think of it, this guy was like this¡­¡±

    As soon as they met, Shin was perplexed at Shibaid, who started speaking and was for some reason, kneeling. In their settings, Shibaid was a very earnest person, in a different meaning from Schnee. Was it because Shibaid¡¯s main job was Holy Knight? Somehow he appeared to be pompous.

    The butler, after guiding Shibaid, left immediately. Fortunately or not, such a thing was not seen.

    ¡°Well, um, as I have told this to Schnee, this is a long-awaited reunion, so there¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shibaid, because Shin said so, it will be fine. It¡¯s different from before.¡±

    Schnee called out to Shibaid who hesitated to talk. Hearing Schnee, who was calling their master Shin, without any honorifics, Shibaid understood the meaning of her words: ¡°It¡¯s different from before.¡±

    However, he was not able to understand the dog ears and tail that was seen on Schnee¡¯s head and rear.

    Schnee and Tiera, by the way, currently had the appearance of beasts through the cosy item set. Cuore, who was well-known by the people, was in disguise with Schnee¡¯s illusion skill.

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I agree indeed. Then I will try to be easygoing as well. Is this okay?

    ¡°Yes, please do so.¡±

    Shibaid stood up from his kneeling posture, looked at Shin¡¯s face and agreed. Though Shin, as the master, didn¡¯t change, Shibaid presented his right hand when he answered happily.

    ¡°Once again, please take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Shin also grasped that hand. The sizes of their hands were too different, it was like an adult¡¯s and a child¡¯s.

    ¡°Well then, we can¡¯t talk while standing forever. Let¡¯s continue while drinking tea.¡±

    Shibaid prompted Shin with a terrific speed of change.

    ¡°That right¡­Hey, those two people there. Come over here.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Ah yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±

    Shin also called out to Tiera and Cuore, who stiffened up when Shibaid knelt, and sat on a sofa.

    It was a situation that seemed impossible with this world¡¯smon sense for the two people, as their thoughts were frozen. Though they got used to seeing Schnee and Girard acted like that, they might be shocked because it was the first time for them to see Shibaid thoroughly showing his allegiance. From an ordinary view, Girard and Shibaid, were without a doubt, said to be heroes.

    Everyone took a breather as Schnee poured tea in a prepared teapot.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s been a long time. Though I heard the news from Schnee, you really have returned. I too, wanted to visit as soon as possible, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Many things have happened, right? As a person like Schnee and Girard, you have a considerable role corresponding to the current situation. It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Shin talked with Shibaid for the first time in this world. Was it due to the parting during the time in the game that they talked like friends who met again after being unconscious for a long time? Though it was also like this when he was with Girard, it was the first and yet not the first time; It was a mysterious feeling.

    ¡°When I saw Girard¡¯s face earlier, I guess he was quite satisfied with moving on. It¡¯s that guy after all.¡±

    ¡°That guy was a warrior till thest moment. Nevertheless, I never thought that the fighting in this world was different than in the game. He invoked Shiden twice at thest moment, you know?¡±

    ¡°Kukaka! He did something like that, huh!? Even I would lose after that.¡±

    The mood was about to be a little solemn, but it was not the first time for Shin when talk deviated this way. Just before the mood became strange, the topic was deliberately switched.

    Shibaid also naturally participated in the talk, and the atmosphere of the ce lightened. To give praise for that splendidst moment was a natural thing to do as apanion. From there, Girard¡¯s heroic tale that even Schnee didn¡¯t know about would be heard.

    ¡°By the way, Shin, what will you do after this?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Right, for the time being, I have examined most of the materials in Falnido¡¯s library. After doing a little bit more research, I¡¯m going to go to Kilmont and investigate the Sacred ce next. Shibaid, you have investigated it a little bit too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you might have heard it from Schnee, but what¡¯s in the Sacred ce¡¯s heart is unknown. There are numerous roaming monsters that can¡¯t be underestimated so easily, even for skilled adventurers and advanced level knights. Besides, almost none evere out alive. Since Kilmont must preventrge-scale invasions from the monster spawns around the Sacred ce, the help is never enough.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I need to directly ascertain it as soon as possible, huh? What will Shibaid do hereafter? I heard you are active around Kilmont though.¡±

    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild has no borders. Adventurers are free to go anywhere with anyone. Of course, there are restrictions depending on the rank. I also will return to Kilmont for a moment, then I will join Shin after that. Master has returned after a long wait. I can¡¯t sit and wait.¡±

    Shin thought about whether it would be alright with the monsters¡¯ invasion, but it seemed like the preparations were done, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem when Shibaid left. From the start, if the frontline couldn¡¯t be maintained without Shibaid, he wouldn¡¯t be the carefree adventurer he is.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we were together in a party.¡±

    ¡°I never thought the day we stand shoulder to shoulder woulde once again.¡±

    ¡°Me too. By the way, when are you going to depart? It will not take long to examine the rest of the materials; incidentally, I intend to receive requests from the guild, but¡­¡±

    On this asion, Shin confirmed the matter for the future.

    ¡°I am sorry, but we have to travel separately. Though I attended the funeral as the representative of Kilmont in name, I am a guard for the king that acted as an envoy. I have to give them priority until they return to their country.¡±

    ¡°I see. Were you not able toe privately?¡±

    ¡°It was the travel problems. I received the report 3 days before the funeral. It was not possible to move from the capital of Kilmont to Falnido in such a short time. That¡¯s why I became an escort with the condition that I can borrow a flying dragon, which is the country¡¯s property.¡±

    Even though Shibaid was not a speed type, his AGI value exceeded 700. If he had moved at full speed, even a horse would be left behind. However, it was truly because of ack of time that he used a little trick.

    There were various problems for a country to help an individual, but Shibaid was in their favor for founding the country. Therefore, the role of guard for the envoy of the country was given to him, and he was able to use the flying dragon under that pretext. Shibaid was also aplished as an adventurer at SS rank, so he was the best choice for an individual as an escort.

    The king in question, which was the second generation and the current Dragon King, appeared to be still active in duty, and it was arranged because the rtionship between Shibaid and Girard was known. Shin thought it was a very smart thing to do.

    ¡°Indeed. Then I will join you when I arrive over there. We canmunicate via Mind Chat too.¡±

    ¡°I will wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Then, we will be going¡­ Ah that¡¯s right, I¡¯ll return this to you.¡±

    Without finishing his talk, as Shin was moving towards the guild, he recalled something as he took out a card sheet from his Item Box. A halberd was drawn on its surface.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is your personal weapon ¡¾Calming Moon¡¿. I have finished the maintenance on it while I was here. Please check it just in case.¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, Shibaid materialized the card. The next moment, a Halberd about Shibaid¡¯s height was grasped in his hand. The grip was twice as thick as normal, so it was ready for Shibaid¡¯s physique. Even so, just the tip of the spear was 60 cemels in length. In addition, des were ced throughout the handle and, rather than an axe at the left and right of the base of the de, a single-edged sword that looked like an oblong axe head was also attached. It might be seen as a trident, depending on the viewpoint.

    Because it was made from Chimeradite, simr to ¡¾Crushing Moon¡¿, the weapon¡¯s appearance shined as if the night sky waspressed in it. Part of the de was decorated in deep, vivid green as if an emerald was inserted into it. There was a dignified presence that it seemed to pass for ceremonial use.

    ¡°Though I haven¡¯t held this in a long time, it seems to perfectly fit in my hand. It is excellent workmanship. But, if my sense is correct, I have a feeling that the power from the weapon has increased.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you realized it? In fact, it¡¯s magic control is better than Girard¡¯s item. It¡¯s because of the 50% increase to the performance, you know?¡±

    ¡°50%¡­The ability has increased even further from the previous state, huh? Even though you are my master, you are scary.¡±

    The power transmitted from the current weapon to his hand was iparable to so far, and Shibaid reflexively stopped breathing after hearing the reason. If Shibaid¡¯s memory was correct, even in its former state, it should be able to break a weapon of ¡¶Mythology¡· medium grade 10 times. Now, it was a 50% increase. Since it was already ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, Shibaid felt it was beyond exnation.

    Tiera, who heard of this, had a distant look and had the expression portraying the words, ¡°Ah, again, huh?¡­¡±. Cuore had more of a ¡°50?¡­50!?¡­¡± look, exposing her surprise. Only Schnee didn¡¯t change, as usual.

    Needless to say, besides Shin¡¯s ¡¾True Moon¡¿, Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Blue Moon¡¿ and the rest of the weapons were already finished being upgraded.

    ¡°Well, Shibaid and the others are special to me. I don¡¯t have any intention to throw a weapon with this kind of ability into the market.¡±

    ¡°I am relieved to hear that. If it is the current Shin, you could make a ¡¶Rare¡· grade weapon to have a simr performance to an average ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon.¡±

    Shibaid nodded with a relieved face. If Shin was serious, he could make dozens of rare grade weapons per day. It wouldn¡¯t be a joke if he could open a warehouse with such numbers. Chaos would be inevitable if arge amount of these kind of things appeared on the market. Besides, confusion might also spread. Indeed, it was not a thing to overlook and keep silent about.

    ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t want to stand out yet.¡±

    Though Shin wouldn¡¯t hesitate if it was necessary, there were only disadvantages if he put the weapons on sale inrge quantities, at least for the present Shin. Even if he was desperate for money, he didn¡¯t want to make bad connections somewhere.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll use this gratefully.¡±

    ¡°Yeah; then, see you again.¡±

    They bid farewell briefly, then Shin and his group left the residence. After that, they walked toward the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Elden.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    There were no borders for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Because information was shared, there was no need to register again in another country, even if he had registered in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Bayreuth. Since there was a guild¡¯s branch office in most countries, it was rare for an adventurer to not find work.

    It seemed unnatural, if looking at it from the outside, for onerge army force that didn¡¯t belong to the country to be inside the country. However, no matter how much an army consisted of knights keeping a close watch on the peace and order maintenance, they couldn¡¯t do anything for all the monsters scattered around the borders. Also, there were troublesome formalities just to move a bunch of knights. Before the guild was established, the dy in initial responses caused the damage to spread.

    Now, the knights¡¯ job was to maintain the order in cities, fight inrge-scale monster invasions and wars against other countries, and so on. As for adventurers, they have misceneous jobs: guarding caravans, small-scale monster subjugations in isted areas where knights couldn¡¯t correspond, etc. Of course, when a situation that threatens the country urs, like during the event in the Wraith ins, the decision to coborate with each other was reached.

    Also, in case of war, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the countries involved wouldn¡¯t actively participate in the battles. If an adventurer participated in the war, it was simply an individual action, as the guild wouldn¡¯tpensate for any consequences. The position of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the world, though not all followed the current rule, was neutral to the end.

    That position was ensured by the high-ranking adventurers. Because, including Shibaid, rank A and above adventurers usually had higher fighting power than the advanced level knights. If the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was untactfully meddled with, the military units that controlled a city might get annihted in the worst case.

    Still, there were oddballs that changed jobs from knight to adventurer, when they wanted to live freely rather than keep living on the country¡¯s payroll. Hence, total war potential of the guild was sometimes bigger than arge country.

    It was mostly disadvantageous, whenparing the pros and cons of a country meddling with the guild. Rumors where the Adventurer¡¯s Guild took refuge in an emergency state indicated something had urred in the past.

    ¡°Still, this isrger than in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°How should I say this? It seemed like it expanded, huh?¡±

    The first things that caught Shin¡¯s eye when they arrived at the Elden¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild was the size of the building. As Tiera had said, besides it being very wide sideways, the ceiling on every floor was 50 cemels higher than the one in Bayreuth; although the two-story building was still the same. Since the appearance was simr, in a sense it looked like a photo that was erged.

    ¡°Because many Beasts have big builds, naturally the buildings are bigger too.¡±

    Schnee answered the question for the two people.

    ¡°We Beasts vary greatly in physique depending on the tribes, so the ceiling and entrances arerge in order to match the Elephant type people.¡±

    Cuore added to Schnee¡¯s exnation. Because it was inevitable that having arge physique could cause idents mainly due to contact, it seemed to have been built with that in consideration.

    Shin and his party opened the big door and entered the building. The interior also had no great differences to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Bayreuth, as the cement such as bulletin boards with requests posted and so on were almost the same.

    Though a lot of people noticed when they entered, their gaze stopped at Schnee and Tiera for several seconds due to their attractiveness. Somehow, Shin felt that the nces directed at him became sharper.

    ¡°Which reminds me, wasn¡¯t there a request that I haven¡¯tpleted yet¡­¡±

    Shin suddenly recalled it, as he looked at the bulletin board for non-subjugation requests. Despite the unfulfilled request, because thest piece he found was a very expensive item, therge amount of money he earned was far more than the reward of the gathering request. (T/N: This was in LN volume 2 when he found Gem Grass, something not stated in the WN. You can read it in the manga, chapter 10.)

    Shin headed towards the receptionist desk to confirm the details, because it was convenient toplete the request if he found another piece.

    ¡°Excuse me, I would like to confirm a little something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡±

    The reception woman, whose featured ears reminded him of a Chihuahua, was asked about the collection request for Hillock herbs.

    ¡°I am truly sorry, but a gathering request of a repeatable kind has to be confirmed at the branch office where you received it.¡±

    ording to the receptionist, items in demand depended on each area, and the reward was often different, too. So they couldn¡¯t handle this request, only the branch office where the request was received could. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, Shin decided to ept a subjugation request corresponding with his current rank.

    The content of the request was: Subjugate Goblins that infested the forest south of Falnido. At least 5 bodies. 50 copper coins per body are added if any more Goblins are killed than that. Proof of subjugation is an ear.

    ¡°Is this expensive, or is it cheap?¡±

    50 copper coins per Goblin. In his calctions, if he killed 4 of them, he could stay overnight in Bear Point Pavillion at Bayreuth from the ie.

    ¡°It can be said that requests of rank D are in the easy ie category. Goblins basically act in groups, so you can earn decent ie if you defeat them altogether. Though there is a higher risk to a certain degree, too.¡±

    Cuore exined it to Shin, who looked doubtful at the reward. The rank that was said to recognize an adventurer as finally bing independent was rank D. People who leveled more than 100 began to appear when ites to this rank. For such people, they could kill goblins rtively easy.

    However, even for low-rank monsters like goblins, there was a possibility of danger when they came in a group. The goblins of THE NEW GATE have levels which range between 10 and 50.

    Also in the game, it was a monster that couldn¡¯t be underestimated, though it was only goblin. Many have died, from warrior types to magician types, because the adventurers who had their ranks rise got carried away and challenged them carelessly.

    There would not be a problem if they formed a party, but even a rank D wouldn¡¯t necessarily be safe encountering a group of goblins alone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this; we could go and return in a day.¡±

    Of course, Shin could kill them even if he closed his eyes, so he took the request paper to the receptionist desk without getting worked up.

    ¡°It¡¯s the subjugation of the goblins. Please show your card so I can carry out the formalities.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Pardon me for being rude, but the ce you registered as an adventurer, less than a month ago, is Bayreuth, correct?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±

    The receptionist who received the card, confirmed whether Shin was the person in question.

    Celica didn¡¯t need to confirm it when he received a request for the first time because the card was handed over immediately after it was created.

    ¡°Excellent. The content of this request is about the goblins subjugation that reside in the forest of southern Falnido; is there any mistake?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you in a party? If so, please present the party member¡¯s guild card.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Schnee, Tiera, pleasee over here.¡±

    Shin called out to Schnee and Tiera who were behind him, he exined the situation and their card was pulled out. Since Cuore didn¡¯t join the party, she waited at the original location.

    ¡°Here, I have confirmed it. The party name is not registered, do you want to keep it as it is?¡±

    Though a party name was for adventurers who formed a party for a long period of time, it was also used to raise the fame and strengthened thebination power of all party members.

    Some of the parties were those who specialized in support rather thanbat. For example, a scout party, would have a hard time raising their achievements.

    In any case, it was easy to earn fame by fighting in the frontline, but it became hard to get noticed for someone working behind the scenes. To avoid that, a party name was made.

    If the name as well as the party rises, it came to the point where one could be acknowledged by simply saying that they were a member.

    Though it was not apletely fair assessment yet, as long as it was not a one-man party, it was beneficial to decide a party name. Still, it was unnecessary currently for Shin and his group.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Please keep it as it is.¡±

    ¡°Understood. The procedure is finished. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Shin thanked the receptionist who corresponded politely, and left the counter.

    ¡°A person like Shin-dono is going for goblin subjugation?¡±

    Cuore asked Shin, who had just returned.

    When Shin held the request paper for goblin subjugation in his hand, she seemed to keep silent whether there were any special reasons. However, it appeared that she had questions about the somewhat ordinary request content.

    ¡°That¡¯s how the merits are, because my adventurer¡¯s rank is not high. I have no choice but to keep umting achievements.¡±

    No matter how strong a person was, their guild¡¯s rank didn¡¯t rise easily. This was because achievements and corresponding trust were demanded from the high-ranked. Even if the person was a former knight or a noble, the treatment didn¡¯t change.

    From Celica¡¯s exnation before, even a chosen one had their first rank go from G to F, or otherwise, to E.

    ¡°I¡¯ll end it quickly, because I want to make it to C rank at least. What will Cuore do after this?¡±

    ¡°May I go with you too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but it¡¯s goblin subjugation, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. For my remaining work, because I don¡¯t know how long it takes, I¡¯ll do itter.¡±

    ¡°What work?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the investigation of the ce where the duel was fought the other day. I always go to confirm whether or not the forest has restored itself after a battle is fought in Larua Grand Woods. Because the scale of the fight was quite huge this time, the damage of the forest increases too. Even though I should increase the number of people for the investigation, the monsters that appear in the Larua Grand Woods are deadly for an ordinary adventurer. So, even if the request was given out, it won¡¯t be easily epted. I have to go, especially because it was after the fight of Shin-dono and Girard-sama this time. When strong people fight, a nt that doesn¡¯t naturally grow there might appear for some reason. Besides, this investigation is not possible to finish before Shin-dono finishes his request andes back, so I¡¯m going to postpone it.¡±

    And, though many nts with a high medicinal property seem to appear, they wither after a certain period, so it is said that they don¡¯t grow after that.

    ¡°I see¡­Hey, may I go together with you for that investigation too?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, no, but it¡¯s possible¡­¡±

    Cuore had a puzzled look at Shin who suddenly offered to go together. She might have been surprised because it was work that did nothing except for looking around.

    ¡°Sorry because it¡¯s so sudden. For once, I wanted to see the ce as the person who fought there.¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean anything would change if he examined it. Still, because it was beyond recognition from the sceneryst time, Shin wanted to look again at the ce where he had fought against Girard.

    ¡°I understand. What about Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono?¡±

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t have business elsewhere, I will go with you two.¡±

    Schnee decided to apany without any hesitation.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯ll go too. As the forest was noisy during the fight, I have no idea what happened to the state of the spirits as well.¡±

    Tiera seemed to have been wanting to go to the forest after a long time as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and his group left the guild and headed toward the southern gate of Elden.

    After leaving the gate and advancing for a while, there were almost no people around. Since their destination ce was nearby, they went on foot whilst almost everyone else traveled by wagon. Because very few passersby moved along the highway, they were travelling a different direction from Shin and his party, who were going to the forest.

    ¡°Over here.¡±

    Shin changed directions, as he perceived a monster¡¯s presence. They were moving inside the forest at a speed simr to when moving in a in, but no one was falling behind.

    There were the elves Schnee and Tiera, the beast Cuore, and the monsters Yuzuha and Kagerou. It could be said that these members were specialized at moving inside a forest.

    Wild animals ran away once Shin and his party approached. Since they didn¡¯t hide their presences, they might be deemed as dangerous beings.

    ¡°¨D¨DFound it!¡±

    Shin, who activated both¡¾irvoyance¡¿and¡¾Through Sight¡¿, discovered a group of goblins moving in the forest.

    Their height was about 140 cemels, and their skin was greenish. Compared to humans, their head was about twice as big; the structure of their face was ugly. Some of them were holding daggers or short swords in their hands. Five of them were around level 20, and only one was level 31. The one with highest level appeared to be their leader, as it was holding a wooden shield.

    Cuore also offered to cooperate, so they decided to kill one per person as they moved closer.

    After confirming that all members had entered the range of attack, each of them took out their weapons. Throwing daggers for Shin and Schnee and bows for Cuore and Tiera. Needless to say,Yuzuha and Kagerou used ws and fangs.

    While Tiera and Cuore drew their bows together, Shin and Schnee wielded daggers in their hands. Yuzuha and Kagerou were crawling so that they weren¡¯t noticed, and they approached without making a sound.

    Schnee Tiera Cuore

    ¡°¡­Now!¡±

    At Shin¡¯s voice, daggers and arrows ran through the forest.

    The daggers that Shin and Schnee threw prated the heads of the two goblins who were walking in front. Then, without any time for them to react, arrows pierced the heads of the two in the back.

    As for the remaining two, their necks flew away from the ws of Yuzuha and Kagerou.

    Even if it was natural for them, it was an instant kill. The ears were cut as proof of subjugation, and after gathering them together in one bag, they were stored in Shin¡¯s Item Box.

    Though this was already proved when he was shopping in the town, if several things are collected and put in one ce, the items could be stored in the Item Box as one item. Turning it into a card was also possible.

    However, the card became impossible to separate when the card was materialized into pieces.

    ¡°The request ispleted. Then, shall we go to Larua Grand Woods too?¡±

    Including the travel time, it was only one and a half hours since the time they took toplete the request, and they had enough time left to head towards Larua Grand Woods.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go. There are two ways, crossing the forest as it is, or using the main road. Which one would you like to go?¡±

    ¡°Cuore is used to the forest, and since we won¡¯t be a hindrance, it might be nice to go with crossing the forest, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    As if to say ¡°Agreed¡±, Yuzuha barked. Simrly, Kagerou, who was next to Tiera also barked.

 Book 4: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    When they got out the forest to the south, some ins appeared for a moment. They then further advanced for 30 more minutes. From there, the wagon was taken out and they advanced on the main road.

    There were no particr events except for when Cuore was surprised at the speed of the wagon that Kagerou pulled.

    Shin and his party finally arrived at Larua Grands Wood.

    It was at the hill where Schnee and the others previously watched the duel between Shin and Girard, that they got off of the wagon.

    ¡°Amazing. Even after all of the shy blows, this doesn¡¯t look the right ce.¡±

    Shin, who looked at the forest while standing on top of the hill, was surprised about not seeing any traces of destruction. At the start of the fight with Girard, the exchange of skills from the¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ had mowed down a lot of trees. Though boulders and big trees were blown away due to the after-effects of the fighting, damages were magnified as they were thrown onto the other trees on the ground. Shin had also caught a glimpse of the changes before.

    However, now within the range of Shin¡¯s field of vision, he couldn¡¯t find any evidence of it.

    ¡°After seeing it, the vegetation from before and after the fight doesn¡¯t change, huh? Rather than restored as before, I think that the rapid growing nts covered the scars or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. When I look at it closely, I can see a few young trees in several ces.¡±

    When Schnee exined the state of the forest, Tiera also had the same opinion. While pointing at a portion of the forest, Tiera said ¡°That is the ce where it is growing, around the original forest.¡± to Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like Larua Grand Woods. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t understand it even if you tell me.¡±

    Shin was staring hard at the direction Tiera pointed at, but he wasn¡¯t able to distinguish the differences in the end.

    To begin with, naturally other than the size, there was no distinction between the young and old trees.

    ¡°As one would expect from Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono. It took me about 10 years until I finally understood the differences.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped I guess, since the sense rted to forests are prominently keen for elves and pixies. But to be able to tell the difference by yourself is a great thing.¡±

    Schnee praised Cuore, while smiling. She seemed to have directly taught Cuore how to tell them apart before. She was probably happy that Cuore could master it properly.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Cuore replied with a smile. As if she couldn¡¯t bear the joy of it, her tail was wagging left and right in a big way.

    ¡°And, what should we do after this? We are doing the investigation, right?¡±

    Shin asked Cuore, because he didn¡¯t know what kind of method the investigation was going to use.

    ¡°For the investigation about the regeneration of the trees, we check whether or not there are unnatural nts that shouldn¡¯t grow in these surroundings. Because it¡¯s indeed impossible to look all around, the range is divided roughly, and I decide some points based on that.¡±

    As Cuore said that, she took out a card from her pocket and materialized it. In the next moment, a map of Larua Grands Woods appeared. There were big trees, likendmarks, and other peculiar characteristics and so on that were drawn.

    ¡°With this tree as a mark in the a middle, the forest is divided. Because thesendmarks do not change after they have regenerated, we should not lose sight of them.¡±

    If ordinary adventurers were here, they would have to be cautious about not going too deep into the forest, but she didn¡¯t have to worry about that if it was Shin and his party.

    ¡°¡­I feel guilty for me asking to apany you, since I don¡¯t seem to be helpful.¡±

    To begin with, differentiating between trees that have been restored couldn¡¯t be assigned to Shin. Because he couldn¡¯t understand it even if Tiera taught him.

    ¡°Then, how about going together with Tiera? Tiera can harvest any nts that are found, and Shin can put them into the Item Box, so it will be efficient.¡±

    Looking at Shin, who was sulking and feeling bad, Schnee made a suggestion.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. I think it will be most suitable for you two to pair, because I and Schnee-dono are able to use the Item Box.¡±

    Cuore also agreed.

    As for Shin, he could only answer yes because that was at least the only way he could be useful. It waspletely reasonable that an Item Box member would be essential.

    And though it was heard just now, Cuore was also able to use the Item Box. As for the card she pulled out from her pocket not too long ago, it was actually her using the Item Box.

    On that subject, he remembered that Tiera talked about royal families and elders having the Item Box.

    Cuore was a daughter of the Beast King, in short, a royalty. It was understandable that she could use Item Box, if she inherited the abilities as Girard¡¯s descendant.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s divide into three sides. Just to confirm, have any changes taken ce except the unnatural nt that appeared so far?¡±

    Did something concern her mind on the harvesting? Schnee asked Cuore.

    ¡°As far as what has been confirmed, there¡¯s no such things. In fact, nts that don¡¯t grow naturally were discovered only twice in the past, when strong people fought in a duel. The first, that was found was after the duel between a Dragnil and Beast, was ¡®Fairy Grass¡¯. The second that was discovered, after the duel between a Lord and Elf, was ¡®Phantom Grass¡¯. That was the only two which were recorded. Because both were found at several ces, I think someone will find something this time too.¡±

    However, it was said that because the numbers of growing nts increased, it wouldn¡¯t remain intact. It was only a temporary thing.

    ¡°How do you split the works? Is it good to divide it into 3 equal parts?¡±

    Shin moved his finger to form 3 circr ranges on the map while Cuore listened.

    As Cuore said, it was impossible to examine Larua Grand Woods with such a small number of people, so the scope of investigation must be narrowed to some degree.

    Though the others didn¡¯t take note of the drawing, all of the members understood the approximate ranges.

    ¡°Everyone might be unfamiliar with Larua Grand Woods, so I don¡¯t mind if my area of responsibility increases.¡±

    Toward Cuore who said that, Schnee disagreed.

    ¡°Because the investigation like this time was requested of me too, there is no problem as it is either. It¡¯s better for you and me to increase our area of responsibility, and decrease the area that Tiera¡¯s and Shin¡¯s are in charge of instead. Even though Tiera is able to tell the difference, she hasn¡¯t handled this kind of request before, so it might take more time than us.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could do that.¡±

    Tiera agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal.

    Tiera was hardly able to enter the forest for about 100 years. Even though she was an elf, the fact that she didn¡¯t spend time going to the forest was undeniable.

    In addition, Shin was going together with her. Schnee thought if there was only one beginner, the work would be dyed. At the same time, she considered this as a training in order to restore Tiera¡¯s intuition.

    Meanwhile, Shin, in front of Schnee and Tiera who were able to differentiate the nts intuitively as elves, was reminded yet again about not being useful although he was the who had one who suggested they work together. Once again, his shoulders dropped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a burden¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how to spot the differences~¡±

    Tiera patted Shin¡¯s shoulder in order to console him.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Shin-dono. I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s the differences were at first too.¡±

    While Cuore was a beast, she possessed the knowledges and experiences that could sense the changes in the forest quickly. However, that was the result of years of effort. If Shin could do it from the beginning, nobody would have a hard time.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s copy the map. It will be a troublesome if there is slip of memory.¡±

    Schnee who spoke, activated a non-system skill ¡¾Transcription¡¿. It was literally a copying skill, as patterns and characters were drawn on the paper.

    In the game era, it was also a skill that was used to share map data among the yers. Shin also learnt how to use it, but he was impressed as he thought ¡®It can be used like this, huh?¡¯.

    ¡°Okay then, shall we start?¡±

    In case a person finished quicker than assumed, they would join a person who hasn¡¯t finished yet, and the restrictions and the meeting ce in case it didn¡¯t end was decided. Afterward, all members were scattered in the forest.

    ¡°Now quickly, which one is irregr?¡±

    ¡°The ce is a little bit ahead, right? Since you¡¯ll lead the way, I¡¯ll learn it while actually seeing it.¡±

    While moving through the forest, Shin received guidance about the names and the medicinal effect of flower nts, which were not counted as items in the game, as well as the distinction between the old and young trees from Tiera.

    There was no grasses named ¡®weed¡¯; Even if there was such a word, the grass that looked identical to Shin had their own respective names. It was a different nt from other things, such as how its flower bloomed or how it dispersed seeds.

    Tiera talked about the development of those flowering nts and its item utilisation in this world too. Shin was a little excited with the possibility of something new being made, ifbined with his own techniques.

    ¡°Shin, is this a young or an old tree?¡±

    ¡°¡­Old tree?¡±

    ¡°Wrong, it¡¯s a young tree.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    However, it was another question whether or not Shin could tell the difference, even if he understood. Even Cuore took 10 years to aplish such a feat. There¡¯s no way the amateur Shin could easily do it.

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡±

    Shin followed after Tiera¡¯s example and along the way, the same questions were repeated, although most of them were correct only by chance. Even if Shin opened his eyes wide while looking at it, he couldn¡¯t distinguish it at all.

    ¡°I cannot do it easily after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult even for a High Human. huh?¡±

    ¡°Materials in the old days could have been distinguished with¡¾Analyze¡¿ and ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, but for such grass, it was treated as an ordinary weed.¡±

    To Tiera who was only reassured a little, Shin picked up the grass he was taught about a moment ago and answered.

    The grass that Shin held, might be usable if he intended to use it as material. But if they had additional effects, the rate of failure might rise in some cases. And there was no reason to check or to use the grass either.

    ¡°But if you can distinguish it easily, that would leave me in a fix. However, I can see the name of this medicinal herb with my¡¾Analyze¡¿ too. Something like this and this, shouldn¡¯t have grown in this area around here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin stopped moving at Tiera¡¯s statement. As far as Shin knows, it was appraisal that identifies an item. No matter how much he analyzed it closely, only information of ¡°Grass A¡± was disyed.

    By the way, what Tiera picked up just now was ¡®Golden Grass¡¯ and ¡®Pure White Flower¡¯, each of them were one of the ingredients for Potion One and Ether One. It was material with a prospect of recovery that was higher than a potion of low rank, even without being changed.

    ¡°The duel between me and Girard brought some kind of effect, huh?¡­That¡¯s right, is there any difference between my ¡¾Analyze¡¿and Tiera¡¯s? No, but she learnt it from ¡®Secret Book¡¯ I gave¡­¡±

    While storing the golden grass in the Item Box, Shin voiced his doubt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But only up to the name was disyed, when viewed with my¡¾Analyze¡¿. Though I heard it from master, I think detailed information will be disyed when appraisal is used, right? But there¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    As Tiera said, if the conditions were met, the hints ofpound and detailed effects of the item were disyed when appraisal was activated. However for Tiera, such information didn¡¯t appear.

    ¡°Really¡­hmm?¡±

    Shin attempted to learn the name of the nearby grass by staring at it closely. But as expected, he couldn¡¯t find anything. At the same time, next to his view, he noticed something dark.

    ¡°Is this, ck iron?¡±

    What appeared on the ground, was a material that cksmiths are familiar with.

    Looking at its state, it might appear naturally from ground dug up by animals, or it came up to the surface as the soil was washed up by rains.

    ¡°¡­With only¡¾Analyze¡¿¡­¡±

    Suddenly it urred to Shin¡¯s mind, that he viewed the ore with an appraisal skill. And then, he looked at the ck iron with nothing but ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¡°¡­I can see it. Hey, really, I can see it¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Though I only looked at the metallic material with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ as an experiment, I can see its name. But it was something like ¡®Iron A¡¯ or ¡®Ore A¡¯ before though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s guess, where he thought the race characteristics and the upation might be rted, seemed to hit the mark. The name that was rted to the metal was disyed as if it was natural.

    In ability standpoint, Shin was at the pinnacle of cksmithing, even though it was not his race characteristic. As a result, the name of things relevant for cksmithing might be disyed.

    ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s some kind of meaning?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait a minute, don¡¯t you understand it on your own!¡±

    Tiera said with a sullen expression at Shin who nodded his agreement.

    ¡°Sorry sorry. The job I do might be also simr to a dwarf I guess. So things like individual skills and race characteristics might have some sort of effect on analysis, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I am elf so I can see nt-rted things, and because Shin is a cksmith you can see metal-rted things?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably. Though it¡¯s only an inference, it¡¯s not off the mark I think.¡±

    Shin thought he would confirm it with Schnee and Cuoreter.

    ¡°So, besides seeing Golden Grass and Pure White Flower, do you feel anything abnormal?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well. There¡¯s nothing special besides that. The only thing left is whether or not it will regenerate afterwards. But we don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s sense didn¡¯t seem to be dull. From her affirmation, without a doubt, it didn¡¯t feel as though there was any harm from her not entering the forest for a long time.

    The investigation afterward was quick, partly because Shin¡¯s understanding of golden grass and so on as the materials.

    Just in case, while Shin gathered it, Tiera examined whether there were changes elsewhere, and then moved away immediately if there was nothing.

    Though Schnee and Cuore joined along the way, at that time, Shin and Tiera were almost finished examining the range entrusted to them.

    After the investigation, Cuore reported the results.

    ¡°We discovered Golden Grass and Pure White Flowers here. How about everyone else?¡±

    ¡°I also saw the same. There are arge quantity of them too.¡±

    Schnee also seemed to have made a simr discovery.

    ¡°Here too, but the quantity was not so much.¡±

    ¡°Well, it must not be growing at both ces inrge quantities.¡±

    Shin¡¯s remark was confirmed, as Tiera knew the detail of the materials too.

    ¡°By the way, though it had nothing to do with the investigation, when a non-appraisal item was checked with analysis, does it show the name of the things that are rted to jobs and race?¡±

    Shin confirmed what was on his mind with Schnee and Cuore.

    ¡°For me, if it were daggers and bows, I can see the name of magic items before the appraisal. Perhaps, it¡¯s because I have used such weapons for a long time, no?¡±

    Cuore disyed her own dagger and bow as she materialized it. Even from Shin¡¯s eyes, it was understood that the items were maintained properly.

    ¡°I am simr with Tiera. I can see if it¡¯s nt-rted. A few ores and metals too, if it¡¯s of the lower ranking ones.¡±

    About the ores group, it might because of her watching Shin¡¯s cksmithing for a long time, was what Schnee said.

    ¡°Things, different from the game era, seem to appear steadily, huh?¡±

    ¡°Because we also don¡¯t fully understand it.¡±

    Schnee answered, to Shin who muttered small.

    There were no particr troubles afterward, and the party returned to Elden.

    It could be said it was already evening time. When they arrived at the guild, they headed straight towards the reception.

    ¡°The request has beenpleted. Please confirm it.¡±

    ¡°Understood£­£­Yes, there¡¯s no mistake for the the subjugation¡¯s parts. The request isplete. Please take this paper here to the reward recipient counter over there.¡±

    The receptionist who confirmed the goblin¡¯s ears, wrote something on a paper and presented it to Shin. Like in Bayreuth¡¯s guild, the rewards were not handed over at the reception desk.

    ¡°Also, I have one more thing to tell you.¡±

    Before Shin who received the paper moved, the receptionist spoke.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°To Shin-sama, we received a message from the guild master of the Bayreuth branch adventurers¡¯ guild, Barlux-sama.¡±

    ¡°Message?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The same message was conveyed to each branch office. The contents are inside here.¡±

    The receptionist handed a piece of envelope after saying so. The transmission was likely to have been written down via the Mind Chat.

    ¡°If it¡¯s for Shin, there are other adventurers with simr names too, right?¡±

    ¡°Guild Cards can be used for identification. Because the magic reaction issued is peculiar to each card, unless it was forged, I would never mistake it with another person.¡±

    ¡°I see. I understand.¡±

    Shin left the reception desk, and joined the others.

    ¡°Is it from Barlux?¡±

    ¡°It seems so.¡±

    He nodded to Schnee who asked, and unsealed the envelope. There was a letter inside, and only some brief information was written. The content was ¡°Greetings, Shin. There is a summons for you from the royal pce. I want you to return as soon as possible¡±.

    ¡°Why did you receive a summon from the royal pce?¡±

    ¡°Well, I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°It is something you don¡¯t have knowledge of?¡±

    ¡°No¡­No, there¡¯s not,¡­ maybe?¡±

    Though he quickly responded that he didn¡¯t know to Tiera who was amazed, something came to his mind followed by Schnee¡¯s remark.

    (Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s about the Skull Face sword which flew into the royal castle?)

    Besides that, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    He thought about whether he had done anything that could rte him with the sword, then he recalled that he talked about the greatsword to Celica and Els.

    The battle where he fought against a high-level Skull Face with a powerful weapon, was likely to have been circted.

    Since it was not written in the contents of the summon, he had no choice but to confirm it when he met Barlux afterward.

    ¡°Prior to rank up, shall I straighten up this one?¡±

    No matter how much an adventurer was said to be have freedom, ignoring a summon from the royal pce was unthinkable.

    Of course, even if Shin and the others ignored Bayreuth, they couldn¡¯t be brought immediately.

    However, there was no benefit even if they made trouble on their own ord. Even now, Shin still intended to act as a mere adventurer. The interference of the country would be troublesome if he, a High Human, was revealed.

    To break off from the country, Shin didn¡¯t know much about this world yet. Acting bymon sense of the game and former world was a bad n at this current stage.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go together with you.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Schnee and Tiera dered as if it was natural to say. Cuore couldn¡¯t afford to go together as expected, and they parted momentarily here.

    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t make such gloomy face. For the time being, tell me when Wolfgang is avable, because I have to hand over something.¡±

    Shin calmed down Cuore, who was suppressing her desire to go with them, which was reflected on her face with of all her heart. And then, he confirmed Wolfgang¡¯s schedule.

    Since Wolfgang was busy, he thought maybe it was good after the investigation matter here was over, but it didn¡¯t go so well.

    ¡°Though the conference may be prolonged, because it should be paperwork after that, I think it¡¯s better for us to wait for the opportunity in the residence. So we won¡¯t be passing each other and so have to chase after him.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

 Book 4: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    When Cuore returned to the residence and asked one of the maids about Wolfgang¡¯s whereabouts, it seemed that Wolfgang had already returned, from the reply.

    ¡°Father, do you have a minute? Shin-dono seems to have something to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    When Cuore knocked on the office door and stated the matter, a reply came in a sh.

    Cuore opened the door, and Shin and the others entered the room. The office desk, chairs, bookshelves and so on, stress the simple, practicality look. Above the big desk, that was ced directly in front of the door, there were documents which Wolfgang had just finished signing. Mountains of paperworks which were not yet finished was also seen on the edge of the desk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your work.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, this is also the job of the king. Leaving that aside, what can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry for being abrupt, but I have to go to Bayreuth for a moment. Because I¡¯m in a hurry, I have to depart immediately. So, I intend to hand over this before going.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? T-This is!!?¡±

    Shin handed a card over, that he took out from the Item Box, to Wolfgang.

    Wolfgang, who received it, had a shocked expression when he saw the drawing on the card, as a blurred voice leaked out.

    ¡°It¡¯s Girard¡¯s ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». I already finished changing its owner, and it¡¯s transferable for Wolfgang to use.¡±

    ¡°But I heard it was broken in the duel¡­¡±

    ¡°Who do you think made the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡»? Of course it¡¯s possible for me to remake it. Besides, I was asked to hand it over, when the duel was over, by Girard originally. Because if it¡¯s Ulu, he won¡¯t misuse it, was what he said.¡±

    ¡°The founder¡­to me¡­¡±

    Wolfgang stared at the card in his hand, as he was deeply moved.

    ¡ºCrushing Moon¡»was a legendary weapon for the beasts of Falnido. He might be feeling the significance of having it in his hand.

    ¡°Next, I am giving you this one too.¡±

    And, there was another piece.

    What Shin passed to Wolfgang, was ¡ºSwift Fang¡», which was said to be a simr weapon type as the arm guard, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». It was one of the weapons which Shin had entrusted to Girard, for 500 years, until their reunion the other day.

    ording to what he heard, the sessive Beast Kings that were permitted to use ¡ºSwift Fang¡» by Girard, seemed to be recognized as the true King. If said in the reverse, a king who was not permitted to use ¡ºSwift Fang¡», even if they had strong power, meant that they were not recognized by neither the people nor the retainers.

    Girard apparently didn¡¯t let anyone, who he deemed not suitable, even if it the person was his rtive, to touch ¡ºSwift Fang¡». All of the sessive kings had been a good rulers, which was definite proof that Girard had good eyes for judging character.

    ¡°Just in case, try to equip it, see if whether there are any defects.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative¡­¡±

    Wolfgang nodded slightly and materialized the cards, then he equipped ¡ºSwift Fang¡»on both arms.

    Because it also features an automatic adjustment of the size, there was no sense of difort either. Instead, Wolfgang was surprised that the power¡ºSwift Fang¡» transmitted was stronger than thest time he previously equipped them.

    ¡°This is¡­How do I say¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been upgraded. This is possible thanks to Girard.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    After ¡ºSwift Fang¡», ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» was equipped.

    Wolfgang involuntarily shivered, as he felt power that couldn¡¯t bepared to ¡ºSwift Fang¡».

    ¡°Ulu will have to choose the following sessor on your own.¡±

    After all, Girard was no longer there to see it through.

    From now on, people who inherit ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», have that responsibility. Again, this was also one of the king¡¯s responsibilities.

    ¡°That obligation, I ept it firmly.¡±

    Wolfgang bowed properly, with his fists clenching tight, in order to focus his mind.

    Shin thought, that with that straightforward look it would be all right if this was the case. When Shin conveyed that it was a summon from the guild and he had to leave at this time, Wolfgang presented a ne made of animal fangs, probably shaped after a wolf¡¯s fangs, to Shin. At the center of the fang, there were drawings of a wolf in a crest style.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°That is the item which is treated as our family crest. Whenever you need me, if you shown this to a person in the residence, you will be able to contact me immediately.¡±

    It goes without saying that exploitation was strictly prohibited. The ne was epted, thanked, and stored in the Item Box.

    And then, Shin and his party appeared outside of Falnido though the underground tunnel which they used when they came in for the first time.

    They advanced for about ten minutes, after being seen leaving by Cuore, then the wagon was put back into a card after making sure there was no one around.

    ¡°Well, shall we hurry up and return?¡±

    ¡°We are going there by Metastasis, right? Is the location the site where Tsuki no Hokora was before?¡±

    To Schnee, who noticed it when getting off from the wagon, Shin nodded and took out a crystal stone.

    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t know about other ces, but there is no problem over there I think. It takes time toe back from here, too.¡±

    ¡°What a luxury¡­¡±

    The reproachful remark from Tiera was ignored.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡±

    After confirming that all members were ready, mana was transmitted to the crystal stone.

    In the next moment, the surroundingndscape changed, and three people and two animals were in the site where Tsuki no Hokora was set up before.

    Immediately after the transfer, Shin sensed that there were multiple responses in the neighborhood.

    However, they didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Shin and the others because of the hiding skills which were used beforehand.

    (¡°There are lots of people here?¡±)

    (¡°Yeah, they¡¯re still monitoring after all. Moreover, it doesn¡¯t seem to be only one force.¡±)

    While having a Mind Chat with Yuzuha, Shin probed into the appearances of the distributed people who were monitoring.

    When thinking about the deployment, there were 2 or 3 separated groups.

    ¡°Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared suddenly, they may think that it might appear again. It¡¯s likely that they have forgotten about the possibility that it can be carried.¡±

    If it was the old generation, that lived before the Dusk of the Majesty, they would know about such a thing. However, because the owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin, a High Human was thought to have gone extinct, they haven¡¯t thought about that possibility yet.

    ¡°How did you answer when you were asked at themission before, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I only said I don¡¯t know. Though I understood only Shin could wipe out Tsuki no Hokora, it felt like Shin had disappeared together with the store. To be honest, I was really anxious at that time.¡±

    However, it was only a needless anxiety. Schnee continued, while smiling, and began to walk towards the gate.

    The atmosphere that almost became solemn, was erased by the smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave you behind~¡±

    Tiera called out and overtook Shin who quieted down at the answer.

    ¡°Ah, sorr¡­wait, it¡¯s me that was called by Barlux!?¡±

    ¡°What are you being absentminded for?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I wait for the partner to return without knowing how long, I can¡¯t imagine it in any way.¡±

    Not even Shin understood Schnee¡¯s word of anxious.

    It¡¯s not easy to forget their loved ones. But, Shin¡¯s view of life was at most just a little over 20 years, so he couldn¡¯t imagine it for 500 years.

    In response to Schnee¡¯s words, he carelessly thought about what would he do, if he was in that situation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it impossible to do?¡±

    ¡°What an immediate remark!?¡±

    Shin retorted.

    The answer that came back without pause from Tiera, was indeed simple.

    ¡°The sense of time is very different for elves and humans, considering how long the life span differs. Because master is a High Elf, it was more cruel than me in that situation.¡±

    While walking next to Shin who has caught up, Tiera spoke in an admonishing way.

    Elves have a long life span, next to pixies. Therefore, for a short-lived kind, such as humans and beasts who could only live for around 100 years, even the sense of ¡®waiting¡¯ was greatly different.

    It was only natural, ten years for human was a long time, but ten years for elf feels like less than one year for a human when thinking of their life span. It was also the cause for why long-lived species are known as easygoing fellows.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice? I¡¯ll wait if you want me to, you know?¡±

    ¡°Is that how it works?¡±

    ¡°It is. To lose a reason to live, is the beginning of hell for the long-lived kind like us.¡±

    Perpetual youth and longevity; Though people continue pursuing this, it¡¯s reflected differently in the eyes of a person who has it.

    ¡°When I think of it seriously, it is a very terrible situation, huh?¡±

    Shin spoke in a serious tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. When I think about it, I want to pretend a bit longer. But when Shin became serious suddenly, the mood felt a bit off.¡±

    ¡°Can you stop always giving out those, ¡°Live life properly¡± remarks that you always do?!!?¡±

    The serious tone from Shin changed, with a single phrase from Tiera.

    A little bit ahead, Schnee stopped and was waiting. Shin and Tiera quickened their pace and caught up to Schnee.

    ¡°Shin is the same as usual, serious in unexpected ces.¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡±

    Apparently the conversation was heard by Schnee. Shin sulked and replied to Schnee who said it in a teasing way.

 Book 4: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    Without taking too much time, Shin and the others reached the south gate of Bayreuth.

    There was a long line to the gate, as usual, but it seemed to be better than before. Shin showed his adventurer card as the identification paper to the guard, and passed through the gate.

    Though it was unknown until now, Schnee surprisingly had an adventurer card, too. It seemed like a C rank, because the color of the card was red.

    ¡°Schnee, did you enter the guild?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for identification purposes only.¡±

    It seemed like she could ask for anything from Barlux, to have the card issued. Its function was for nothing more than identification purposes, instead of not being able to take requests, she also said she did not have any obligation to respond to any emergency requests and the likes.

    It¡¯s like a special measure because of Schnee¡¯s position.

    ¡°And it¡¯s because they were indebted to me for many things.¡±

    Schnee spoke with a grin on her face, and Shin felt sympathy toward all of the members of the adventurers guild.

    As they entered the ramparts, without making any side trips, they headed toward the guild.

    When the door was opened and they entered inside, simr with Falnido, Schnee and Tiera became the main focus.

    Schnee with the dog ears, tail equipment, and active attire, which she showed in Falnido, made the male¡¯s eyes present be glued onto her. Somehow it felt like the passionate eyes of some women were mixed in it, too.

    Because it was routine for hooligans to pick on beautiful women, Shin quickly headed to the reception before someone came near.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯ve received the report about the summons from the guild.¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama, it¡¯s been a long time. Please wait a minute as we convey the message. Cilica, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes~¡±

    It was the sisters, Celica and Cilica that were at the reception desk. When Cilica was called out by Celica, she disappeared out to the back at a quick pace. Though they were twins, their actions and personalities were not simr at all.

    ¡°Do you know what kind of business they have with me?¡±

    ¡°No, we were not told about the details. Though it¡¯s different for Els who has a high position.¡±

    ¡°Ah well, I just wanted to ask, please don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, if it¡¯s Shin-sama, I think you¡¯ll be summoned before long though.¡±

    ¡°Eh, why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because Shin-sama is not an ordinary adventurer.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    It was said because suddenly subduing a high-rank monster alone was an unthinkable thing to do, ording to people in this world. So Shin beingmon was out of question.

    ¡°Looks like yourpanions are all beautifuldies.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, is that so? Though I can¡¯t deny it¡­Hey, but Yuzuha is a monster. It¡¯s just my adventurer¡¯s acquaintances that are women¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Ara, I never saw you talk with a man before though.¡±

    ¡°There is no such.. thing? Umm, yes, Wilhelm, I received a request together with Wilhelm before.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡­¡±

    For some reason, from Shin¡¯s one word, the hall fell silent.

    ¡°Shin-sama, is what you spoke just now true?¡±

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t a regr request, more or less. Wait, why did everyone go silent?¡±

    While being conscious that eyes were focusing on him, Shin questioned Celica whom had an expression of someone who had just heard an unbelievable thing.

    ¡°That man rarely joins a party with another person. Even though his fighting power is said to be S-rank, there are many rumors flying around. He seems unapproachable to everyone, too.¡±

    But rumors are unreliable, Celica continued with a small sigh. The authenticity of the rumors might be understood, because she was a part of the guild staff.

    ¡°Well, that guy is misunderstood easily I guess.¡±

    The biggest problem would be his character. Wilhelm was not the type that wore a friendly atmosphere. Because the person himself behaved like that, if he didn¡¯t make any effort to solve someone¡¯s misunderstanding, the rumors would not disappear.

    Though Shin heard that Wilhelm always kept in touch with other adventurers, who graduated from the orphanage, listening to Celica¡¯s story, it was very likely that he only epted solo requests.

    ¡°Wilhelm-sama is very excellent person himself though.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    To solo, unlike a party, one could only rely on oneself, when in case of an emergency. Thus, his sense of danger and techniques to measure the opponent¡¯s abilities became higher than an adventurer of a simr rank.

    Moreover, Wilhelm was a Chosen One, there was no need to state how excellent that is.

    ¡°Shin-sama, preparations are done, pleasee now.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then lead the way.¡±

    When Cilica returned, they stopped talking and went to Barlux¡¯s office.

    Schnee and Tiera would be waiting in the hall. Yuzuha, who rode on Shin¡¯s head before, was entrusted to Schnee.

    When Shin entered the office, Barlux and an old man whom he didn¡¯t recognize, sat down on a sofa.

    ¡°First of all, have a seat. It was faster than I expected.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I originally was going this direction.¡±

    Shin answered Barlux while sitting on a sofa.

    Of course, this was a lie. If he had heard the message near Beirun, then it fit it well timewise, so he decided to say so.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for rushing it. Ah, this mage, who is in charge of jewel appraisal in our guild, is Arad. It¡¯s him that appraised the jewel of the Skull Face which you brought in before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Arad Royl, pleased to meet you.¡±

    Without doubting Shin¡¯s words, Barlux introduced Arad. (T/N: To refresh back who is Arad, refer Vol. 1 Ch 4 ¨C Part 1)

    No matter how many branch offices there were in each country, they could not check where the adventurer received the message at one by one. Unless, the person was on the ck list and under surveince. Shin, under the present conditions, didn¡¯t have the guilds distrust towards him when that investigation was conducted. For Shin¡¯s high prowess inbat, this also could be exined as a Chosen One category.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. I hope to get along with you as well.¡±

    Shin also replied to the old man as politely as possible.

    Since the story of the Skull Face already came out, he thought ¡®It is this after all, huh?¡¯ while putting up his guard.

    ¡°Though you already heard it from the message, Shin, you are being summoned by the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°For the time being, can I hear the reason?¡±

    ¡°For that, I will exin it to you.¡±

    When the reason was asked from Barlux, Arad took over the talks.

    ¡°Before that, do you know the story, about where a sword flew into the king¡¯s castle?¡±

    ¡°Something flew in¡­Only to that degree.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It was actually a greatsword with a white de.¡±

    ¡°A Greatsword, huh?¡±

    I know, was what Shin wanted to answer but endured it somehow. He happened to know too much after all.

    ¡°Moreover, the greatsword pierced and stuck into the wall of the second princess Bayreuth kingdom¡¯s bedroom. It also caused a lot of mour in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Are you serious?¡¯. It was only natural that it became an uproar.

    ¡°Fortunately, no one was hurt when it pierced the wall. The question is the greatsword. It¡¯s bestowed with a good attribute and the material used is excellent, in short; It is a very good sword. It seems to even rival the country¡¯s treasured sword when put side by side, if I have to say so as an appraiser.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    It¡¯s exposed! Who did it, that was definitelying to light. While thinking about that, Shin inwardly arrived at the stage of resignation.

    Perhaps after this, Shin might be questioned about the connection between his ability and the Skull Face.

    Without hearing it to the end, Shin understood. Rather, he should know by the flow of the conversation. It was amon pattern. He didn¡¯t read all of those fantasy novels just for mere fun.

    ¡°By the way, the jewel of the Skull Face you defeated, it was d in a very strong magic power. It was quite a high-level one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I think.¡±

    ¡°ording to what I heard, it¡¯s level was 359. It¡¯s at the level where average adventurers would be killed during an encounter. However, for someone who was still at G rank at the time they were facing it, and far from escaping, rather it was actually defeated by¡­you, are you a Chosen One?¡±

    The calm air changed sharply, as Arad asked.

    ¡°¡­ That is correct.¡±

    There is no answer besides that, Shin thought while nodded.

    When Shin answered obediently, Arad dissipated the dangerous air, and returned to his original calm mood.

    ¡°You even know the words ¡®Chosen One¡¯, huh?¡­Well if it¡¯s you, the Skull Face that held therge sword would be defeated. Perhaps, when the skill was used at the end of the battle, the greatsword was blown off to the ce in question.¡±

    ¡°How do you know it ended up to there?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lived a long time just for show. I also heard your weapon was shattered at that time.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it was shattered. Only the hilt remained¨D¨DBy the way, why is it that you think I was involved? I understand wanting to associate that greatsword to the Skull Face situation, but I don¡¯t think you are suddenly convinced from the evidence though.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think that the people of the royal pce would make a move just by that reasoning.

    ¡°Of course, there was someone investigating the person behind it. Also, the Skull Face was examined immediately. The matter of the jewel was found out, and the investigation requests came out to examine that together with the greatsword. In the aforementioned greatsword, though there is only a little, there are the remnants of magic power left on the sword. Furthermore, it was matched with the magic power of the jewel. It didn¡¯t reveal how you did it though.¡±

    ¡°I see, so there is such method, huh?¡±

    It seemed to be a fantasy technique simr to our version of DNA analysis. The quality of magic power might be different in individuals.

    ¡°That¡¯s why once it was understood up to there, one thing after another was revealed. When the fact that you brought in the jewel came to light, the summons appeared.¡±

    ¡°Even for a guild, this kind of thing can¡¯t simply be revealed, right?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way to deceive when it¡¯s been exposed to that extent.¡±

    There was no reason for the guild to protect Shin. If seen from the guild, Shin was only a G rank novice adventurer at that time.

    Of course the story was different when it was about a chosen one, there was a possibility that the royal family would be exposed to danger.

    However, because Shin held the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, that situation ended without turning worse. Moreover, since Barlux had reported about the time when they had met, he had judged that Shin would not be the type of person who held hostility, at least toward the kingdom.

    To begin with, to have malicious intentions toward the princess, who was in the upper rank of Chosen Ones, was way too careless.

    ¡°Somehow, it was useful for the first time.¡±

    After hearing that story, Shin felt grateful for the letter of introduction for the first time.

    ¡°And here¡¯s the main problem. Shin, the one that summoned you was none other than the second princess.¡±

    ¡°The second princess?¡±

    ¡°She seems to be interested in you; Shin, who knocked down the Skull Face which held the greatsword. Because she is a Chosen One, too.¡±

    ¡°So, is that it? She wants to fight against me?¡±

    ¡°It would be nice if it could be settled with only that.¡±

    From Barlux¡¯s remark, it indicated that it wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s beside it? Don¡¯t tell me, she wants me to take responsibility because I almost inflicted injuries to the royal family?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. To tell you the truth, simr Skull Faces had appeared in the vicinity of the Wraith ins. The princess also participated in its subjugation, but from that experience, she knows that even she couldn¡¯t afford to go easy if she¡¯s fighting solo, so she seems to want to persuade you into being one of her people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saved if its going this direction, but¡­what¡¯s next?¡±

    Besides, what came to Shin¡¯s mind was something like government service recruitment. Since there were people serving the country among the chosen ones, it might not be impossible.

    ¡°Well, for that, I don¡¯t know it either.¡±

    ¡°Politicians, are only but the *evil spirits residing in the mountains and rivers.¡± (T/N: This idiomatic expression[÷Î÷È÷Íôu], literally means evil spirits of rivers and mountains)

    It was a story that was notughable on Shin¡¯s side.

    ¡°Okay, I understand the story for the time being. I can only keep going. Is there no specific time for the summon?¡±

    Shin asked Barlux.

    ¡°For that, we will contact them from here. That¡¯s right, how about 9¡¯s bells tomorrow, good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like it. Ah, then what clothes should I wear? Because I didn¡¯t expect to meet the royal family.¡±

    Though Girard was also considered as royalty, they had the familiarity as friends, and because Shin was treated like a guest in Falnido, he didn¡¯t mind his clothes in particr. Because everyone around dressed in clothes that emphasized ease of movement, he couldn¡¯t use it as a reference in the opinion of a royal castle such as Bayreuth.

    ¡°Dress code is not demanded, for an adventurer who is not a noble. You should keep your appearance neat though.¡±

    ¡°To begin with, the armed state can be said to be the uniform of an adventurer. And there¡¯s hardly a guy that possesses clothes simr to a noble.¡±

    Hearing Barlux and Arad talking, there seemed to be no regtions on that subject.

    ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask? I think I can advise a little.¡±

    Arad asked Shin.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have anything on my mind in particr. You might say, because it¡¯s my first time like this.¡±

    ¡°It might not meet with your expectations. The next thing that we are able to say is, do not make amitment due to such a ce. Depending on the other party, because they might bring up again about your fault persistently for a moment, it might be depressing for you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Somehow a genuine feeling could be sensed from Arad¡¯s words. He might have experienced it himself.

    ¡°Old man Royl dislikes nobles. Though it doesn¡¯t apply to all nobles, well because there are such people too, you should really be careful.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin replied to Barlux with a wry smile.

    Actualy, like in novels and anime he had seen, he expected the existence of corrupt nobles that were only skillful at faultfinding.

    Shin has not yet met a noble in this world. However, people raised in the privileged ss who were only good at looking down at others, often existed.

    Afterwards, Shin learnt about some etiquettes and left the office.

    When he returned to the hall, there was a crowd in the corner of the hall.

    ¡°Yeah, indeed, it¡¯s as I expected.¡±

    Needless to say, at the center of the crowd was Schnee and Tiera.

    Shin consented because he expected it to turn this way if the two people were left alone.

    ¡°Hiss!!¡±

    Yuzuha was heard to be threatening.

    The surrounding men that enclosed them, probably didn¡¯t know that they would be minced meat the moment that Yuzuha got involved.

    Still, because it would be unpleasant to have casualties inside the guild, Shin approached the crowd before Yuzuha exploded.

    ¡°Excuse me. Tiera, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    Schnee, who perceived Shin approaching, began to walk out with Tiera.

    Additionally, at the same time, a slightly intimidating air was given out by Schnee. Defeated by that pressure, the men that encircled them backed off for several steps. Schnee and the others weaved their way out through the space resulting from that, and escaped from the crowd.

    Shin realized that the men who were following the two people with their eyes, were also paying attention to him. Shin felt the pressure that he had never felt in real life.

    (The day I receive this kind of stare finallyes.)

    If he was very thick-headed, he might of not been aware of those envious eyes. While feeling depressed, Shin had an indescribable mood.

    ¡°Did they invite you two to a party?¡±

    ¡°Half of it was for a party invitation, the other half was a tea break invitation.¡±

    ¡°So did you ept any of it?¡±

    ¡°There are none.¡±

    That evaluation from Schnee, spoken while having a perfect smile, was indeed sharp.

    Her eyes stated that it¡¯s not even worth considering.

    ¡°To have such a good matching level with Master, there are virtually none.¡±

    Tiera said in an amazed way.

    From the start, Schnee never thought of joining others except Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural. Leaving that aside, how was the talk?¡±

    Schnee asked.

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ve heard about the subject. Before I exin, let¡¯s move to another ce. Here is a bit¡­¡±

    It was not the kind of conversation done in an attracting attention situation.

    Their moving destination was Bear Point Pavillion. When Shin stayed therest time, he had confirmed that the soundproofing was reliable.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Wee! Ara, Shin-san. Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Are there 2 rooms avable?¡±

    ¡°We do have vacant rooms, but¡­before that,e here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The ¡®poster girl¡¯, Tsugumi, pulled Shin until they were near the counter.

    With a suspicious face, Tsugumi started talking in a lower volume.

    ¡°Hey hey, who are those beautiful woman?! There are many beautiful people among the elves, but the beast people next to you, they belong on a different level!! What kind of magic did you use!?¡±

    While skillfully shouting in low voice, Tsugumi kept on talking without pause.

    Tsugumi, without any adverse effects, was called a beautiful girl herself. However, Schnee and Tiera, seen from Tsugumi¡¯s point of view, were on another whole different level.

    ¡°Various things happened and I can¡¯t say the details.¡±

    ¡°Eh~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Eh¡¯ me. You shouldn¡¯t pry into customers¡¯ affairs.¡±

    ¡°But, you just became an adventurer no more than a month ago, how did you get entangled with such two beautiful women? I¡¯m not worried or anything, but something is wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Hey! Though I understand your feelings, this is no good, you know?¡±

    ¡°Che©`¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sulk!¡±

    Was it because of ack of entertainment? She seemed to have a fancy about this sort of story.

    Were Shin and the othersmon adventurers, he could talk about story that they came across each other by chance. However, there were circumstances for Shin and Schnee, so he couldn¡¯t reveal the detailed contents.

    ¡°Sigh, I thought I could listen to interesting stories again after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡±

    Contrary to his way of talking, Shin was amazed at her state, which didn¡¯t seem to be very disappointed.

    Did she not have the motivation to ask about it persistently? After Tsugumi returned to the counter, she waited on customers normally.

    Shin rented a single room for himself, and a twin room for Schnee and Tiera. Because he didn¡¯t know how much time it would take due to tomorrow, he handed each one Jul gold coin for the time being. He also had Tsugumi to speak up if it started to run out.

    It was just at the right time so they had a lunch, and then, they gathered in Schnee and Tiera¡¯s room afterward.

    ¡°¨D¨Dand well, that¡¯s what I was told. I probably have to fight and so on, I think.¡±

    When he spoke about the discussion he had with Barlux and Arad, Schnee nodded as she consented.

    ¡°I see. There was such a thing happening before our reunion, huh?¡±

    ¡°A sword that flew into the royal castle, what have you done¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it because I like it, okay.¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Shin is amazing~¡±

    Tiera was astonished and Yuzuha, who might not understand it well, tilted its head.

    ¡°ording to Shin¡¯s words, it¡¯s possible for the country to invite you, whether or not you enter the government service. Or, it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s rmended that you set up a marriage with a high nobility to some extent.¡±

    ¡°I understand about the government service, but marriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if the second princess in question grasped the Skull Faces¡¯ fighting power urately, she should be convinced that Shin¡¯s ability is among the upper ss of Chosen Ones. Because the power of a country is said to be proportional to the number of Chosen Ones, I expect she will actively try to win you over.¡±

    ¡°After the story about the princess, may I refrain from the marriage meeting? I don¡¯t mean for things to go like this right away.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the intention to enter government service or being tied with marriage.

    And he didn¡¯t have the motivation to talk about how to decline such a n and so on from the beginning.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s no problem if you decline to enter the government service. There are not many people who be knights from adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°There are many people who hate being bound by rules. Also, viewing from the party members, because the recruitment is a loss for them, they refrain from doing it.¡±

    The types that entered the government service, from adventurers, were the people who were solo and people who didn¡¯t join a party as a fixed member.

    ¡°And now, Shin is in a party with us, so if you put that as a reason, it would be difficult to reject it.¡±

    ¡°Then, the problem now is the marriage, huh? It¡¯s obvious that if I decline this without a good reason, then troublesome things wille about.¡±

    ¡°Regarding that, should I pretend to be your fiance?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I can be that guy who is already engaged to his partner, huh?¡±

    Schnee expected that a new fiance wouldn¡¯t be pushed onto a person who was already engaged.

    It was certainly not bad as an excuse. Though, it wouldn¡¯t be assured that a noble would give up so easily.

    ¡°It¡¯s unreasonable to force it too much, so it¡¯s their loss if they continue to offend you. In some cases, Tiera too, if she pretended, they at least won¡¯t even think of tempting her as your woman.¡±

    ¡°Uhm, me?¡±

    Tiera asked.

    ¡°Ara, you don¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°No, if it¡¯s about pretending, I¡¯m good but¡­¡±

    If it is only pretending, Tiera was also okay with it.

    ¡°Kuu! Then Yuzuha and Shin can be a couple too!!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Yuzuha, it¡¯s not like that! I¡¯ll be killed by society!!¡±

    However, when Yuzuha announced its candidacy, to an extent that it even transformed into its female human form, because of a you-know-what misunderstanding, Shin hurriedly put a stop to it.

    Anyway, Yuzuha could only turn into the little girl mode after all, rather than the figure of the voluptuous beautiful woman from the game era. To dabble with a little girl could be considered to be on the path to bing a pervert at full speed.

    ¡°This time it is just pretending, only pretending. It¡¯s not real, okay?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? You are not mating with Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Hey! You must not say such a thing with that appearance!!¡±

    ¡°Mattiiinnn¡­!?¡±

    To the unexpected word that came out from Yuzuha¡¯s mouth, Shin was at his wits¡¯ end and Schnee had stiffened.

    Though Yuzuha¡¯s original knowledge was sealed, it was not strange even if it knew. However, it was different when it was in its young fox mode, when such a word was spoken in the little girl mode, he strongly felt that there were problems in various ways.

    For the ¡®mating¡¯ word, it might be due to its strong animal¡¯s sense from its nature.

    And, other than Shin, who was denying it with all his might, Schnee¡¯s face was dyed in red.

    ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s calm down.¡±

    Though Tiera was the one who spoke out, she was the calmest in that situation.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 4: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Dawn of the next day.

    Letter from Barlux and all kinds of permits were received at the inn, and Shin finished preparing for his summons at the castle.

    As a result of a discussion between Shin, Schnee and Tiera, for the time being, Shin would go to the royal castle to see the other party¡¯s attitude. If he conveyed that he had both a party and a fianc¨¦e, the other side should not consider it unusual; However, he couldn¡¯t be careless.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m going. I¡¯ll leave Yuzuha with you.¡±

    ¡°See you soon. If there is anything, contact me with Mind Talk.¡±

    ¡°You have to hold back when you fight, because it¡¯ll be terrible if you hurt the princess.¡±

    ¡°It will be fine¡­probably.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, you really have to watch out, okay?¡±

    After such an exchange with Schnee and Tiera, Shin left the Bear Point Pavilion.

    Since the other party was said to be royalty, Shin¡¯s attire was one of the originals from the game era, ceremonial attire from Kalkia which was currently called a ¡®Sacred ce¡¯.

    You might say it looked like a ceremonial military uniform thatbines practicality and mour; it was a wonderful item. The essories¡¯ rank was not too expensive and it was treated as a set equipment.

    Partly because Kalkia was originally the first base, after starting an adventure, one could buy it in the arms shop for beginners. Naturally, its performance was also low.

    What Shin put on was a formal dress that was a red associated with captains. Besides that, there was also a piece of clothing that was colored a blue specific to vice-captains and other low rank clothing which had slightly less performance than that of an ordinary soldier and so on. When these items came together, it was referred to as a set.

    ¡°Now then, what will happen now?¡±

    While checking the map disyed at the edge of his view, Shin faced the gate in the inner wall.

    The King¡¯s castle was located in the center of the Bayreuth kingdom and it was surrounded by the houses of the rich, such as nobles, wealthy merchants and the like. Though it seemed to be a general residential area originally, a wall around it was erected as the poption rose, and the living area was segregated off except for those of higher social status.

    The boundary that separated the living district between nobles and ordinary people was the inner wall Shin headed towards. Because it was originally an outer wall, it was reinforced sturdily. Was there a powerful magic user? The degree of reinforcement was top ss.

    As for Shin, he only prayed that the day when the inner wall was invaded would nevere.

    ¡°Well, I think it won¡¯t fail here though.¡±

    As he walked for a while, a gate smaller than the one on the outside wall came into view.

    Like the outside wall, the inner wall also had south, north, east and west gates. And theings and goings were checked.

    There were a lot of people with high status who lived there and a person with a clear position, to a certain extent, could pass through without an identity check.

    Although that was the case, there was a suspicious looking D rank adventurer there now, and if not for the request he received, he would have been turned away at the gate. In the letter that had arrived from Barlux this morning, there had been a permit to enter the inner wall attached to it.

    ¡°¡­Good, enter.¡±

    Spoke the soldier who was guarding the gate after hepared the permit alternately with another document.

    When the permit was epted, Shin stepped inside the inner wall.

    ¡°¡­This is a quiet upper-ss residential area, huh?¡±

    There were almost no pedestrians, unlike the outside. The only people walking appeared to be servants from their clothes. Most people traveled on horse-drawn carriages. Of course, there were no stalls and so on. It was so quiet that it felt like he was in apletely different country.

    (3, 4, 5,¡­8 people, huh?)

    On his way to the royal castle, Shin felt the nces directed to him.

    ¡¾Hiding¡¿skills of both martial arts and magic were used, surrounding Shin as he moved while his observers maintained a certain distance. The colors disyed on his map were green, so they didn¡¯t seem to be hostile for the moment.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sign of them making a move, huh? From what I¡¯ve heard of the princess, I have a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t think of doing something like this.¡±

    From Barlux¡¯s story, he had the impression that the princess was likely toe over directly rather than hiding and watching.

    Though it was just his assumption, there might be other forces that were moving.

    ¡°¡­Ah, I want to go back¡­¡±

    They were certainly Shin¡¯s true feelings.

    Though he couldn¡¯t return now since he hade this far, he disliked unpleasant things. With that state of mind, Shin stepped forward to the royal castle.

    ¡°Excuse me, I received a summons from the second princess and so, came here. Can you pass that on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news. Please present your permit.¡±

    Shin talked to the pce guard, that was defending the castle gate, to obtain permission to enter.

    As for the story, it seems to have been well circted. The pce guard checked the permit Shin received from Barlux again and then put him in the guard¡¯s office which was located beside the gate. It seemed that the pce guard didn¡¯t intend to open the gate for Shin alone.

    ¡°I will call your escort now. Please wait for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    Because he had nothing to do, he looked around to kill time.

    The maintained road extended to the inside of the castle. One could get off from a wagon that entered inside without getting wet even in the rain.

    After waiting for a while, he saw a mounted figureing in his direction. A person in red armor was taking the reins. The person stopped the horse in front of Shin and dismounted.

    ¡°Excuse me. You are the adventurer Shin, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am, and you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I am Gadras Jarre. I have been ordered by princess Rionne to greet you. I¡¯ll be your escort, so follow me.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin nodded and followed after Gadras.

    Shin, while walking, checked Gadras¡¯s stats.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGadras Jarre Level 188 Dark Knight¡»

    Level 188. Shin remembered that numerical value. He heard it when the first time he met Barlux, the ¡®leader of the knights¡¯ might be him.

    As for Gadras¡¯ main job, Dark Knight was one of the advanced level jobs that derived from a knight. Moreover, the armor he wore was a lower end ¡¶Unique¡· grade Scale Horn Armor. It was upational equipment that required suitable stats and level, and a tiny presence of sharpened valor was emitted from it.

    No matter how much Shin was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One, he kept thinking about how someone who was considered a part of the kingdom¡¯s strongest force came to pick him up expressly.

    Did they want to indirectly convey that he was worthy of it?

    Or, was it because an ordinary soldier couldn¡¯t hold him down if he acted out violently?

    It was impossible for Shin who was not familiar with this ss of people to read into the thoughts of these royal nobles.

    Shin followed Gadras obediently, but somehow they hardly passed by anyone.

    ¡°You, are you actually of a noble family lineage somewhere?¡±

    Gadras asked out of the blue.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just amoner you can find anywhere¡­¡±

    If Schnee and the others were to hear that from Shin, ¡®Are you in any position to say that?¡¯, would probably be the reply he would get.

    ¡°Is that so? Ah, just call me Gadras. I became a knight from an adventurer, so to be humble myself doesn¡¯t match with my nature.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll call you Gadras-san.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine I guess. Let¡¯s return to the topic at hand. When I was summoned to the castle for the first time, they were shocked by my armor. As an adventurer raised as amoner, you should also pay attention to your attire properly. There are many ignorant people, so your clothes can be easily misinterpreted.¡±

    It seemed like it wasn¡¯t necessary toe dressed in formal attire.

    ¡®Did I make a mistake?¡¯ Shin thought, but decided to heed Barlux¡¯s advice for the time being.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I heard that you should maintain a neat appearance from the guild master. Actually, I was worried if this was fine.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a bad thing to choose clothes ording to the destination. And I think it¡¯s rather nice.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s my first timeing to a castle, I prepared it in a hurry.¡±

    As they walked while having such exchanges, Gadras stopped in front of a door. As Shin looked at the door, he noticed that the grade of ornaments was different from the others.

    ¡°Princess Rionne is in here. You don¡¯t need to be so tense too, because the second princess is not the kind of person who demands formalities from an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Gadras knocked on the door, and reported that Shin had arrived.

    Before long, the door was opened from inside. When Gadras and Shin entered inside, the door was closed immediately.

    Shin wondered whether there was a female maid, but it was a male knight who opened and closed the door.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºFeyzel Adith Level 172 Pdin¡»

    As for his appearance, he had the look of a mild-tempered man with blond hair and blue eyes. His main job was a Pdin. This man might be a Chosen One too.

    On that subject, Wilhelm also said there were more Chosen Ones than the ones publicly announced.

    Since he couldn¡¯t stare at the man too much, he turned his attention to the front right away.

    There was an elegant table and a fancy chair in the center of the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the chair. Fine golden hair was tied at the back of her head, but it still reached all the way down her back. Her deep crimson eyes, which looked like rubies, stared at Shin. Her figure was pleasant too, even a certain ¡®part¡¯ of her seemed to rival Tiera.

    Only her clothes were far from the image of a princess. For the upper half of her body, a leather type armor covered from her chest to her abdomen. In addition, a white jacket was worn above it. And for her lower half, there were red hot pants and boots that went up to her knees with a simr color.

    Speaking of the jacket, because it wasn¡¯t buttoned, Shin could clearly see her cleavage pushed up by the leather armor from his location. This was totally different from the princess he imagined.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºRionne Strail Bayreuth Level 230 Magic Swordswoman¡»(T/N: I may have stated her main job as Dark Knight before.)

    Although her name and level were disyed, Shin understood that excluding him, she was the strongest in that room simply from the presence she emitted.

    Shin guessed that she probably wore those clothes forbat. Apparently, a match seemed inevitable.

    ¡°Thanks foring. I¡¯m Rionne Strail Bayreuth, this country¡¯s second princess. My best regards.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the adventurer, Shin. Thank you for inviting me here today.¡±

    He bowed his head while introducing himself.

    ¡°Oh my! This is turning into a serious talk. I don¡¯t really care for etiquette, so you don¡¯t need to worry about manners. Feel free to call me Rionne.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, Rionne-sama it is¡­¡±

    Though Shin thought ¡®isn¡¯t it bad?¡¯ for the princess to not care about courtesy, but still, Shin avoided pointing it out.

    As she frequently appeared in the downtown area, her activities as a princess would put adventurers to shame. ¡®There¡¯s also such a thing¡¯, Shin convinced himself.

    Her beautiful appearance was princess caliber, but she didn¡¯t exude the dignity of someone from a royal family. Was this a positive or negative for the royal family? It seemed opinions could differ on this matter.

    ¡°Princess, I wouldn¡¯t do that in the first meeting. It will cause a misunderstanding.¡± (T/N: Having a boy call a girl by her first name is typically done only by those in a rtionship.)

    ¡°He is a person who we may soon fight together with as apanion. Wouldn¡¯t this be better than creating a strange barrier between us because I¡¯m from the royal family?¡±

    ¡°¡­Shin, it¡¯s unfortunate, but this is how the princess is. Please don¡¯t worry about your social status and act casually.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I, will do my best¡­I guess?¡±

    Shin thought ¡®rather than a princess, she should be called a sociable adventurer.¡¯

    Gadras¡¯s tone too, for some reason, became less formal. Apparently, this seemed to be their usual way of exchange between lord and retainer.

    When Shin fleetingly nced at Feyzel, while feeling at a loss, he saw that the man stood upright like one of the room¡¯s furnishings as if saying ¡®it¡¯s of no concern to me¡¯.

    ¡°Um, for now, I want to ask you the reason why I was summoned¡­¡±

    ¡°Muu! You don¡¯t have to use formal words, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, for some reason, that¡¯s kind of..¡±

    Just because the person in question permits it, it didn¡¯t mean that the surrounding people would ept it in the same way.

    Even if the princess has no bad intentions, since there was an observer there as well, it would be troublesome for him if someer said he acted too familiar.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no helping it if Shin said so. Now then, the reason why I invited you today, I think you may already heard it from Barlux, but it¡¯s the matter of the Skull Face. It was the one that was level 359 and wielded this.¡±

    As she said that, Rionne opened a huge case that was located under her feet.

    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that a job for a maid?¡¯ was what Shin thought, but unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a single maid in that room. Incidentally, there wasn¡¯t even any tea prepared.

    What Rionne took out was the greatsword, which had belonged to the Skull Face that Shin had previously defeated. It should be too heavy for a woman, but Rionne lifted it with one hand like it was nothing.

    ¡°¡­That is certainly the one the Skull Face had at that time. I remember the decoration and the aura covering the de.¡±

    Because it was a pretty memorable opponent, he also remembered its weapon well. Secretly, he activated his ?¡¾Appraisal¡¿? skill, which he forgot to do so during the battle. For the first time in here, Shin found out that it was a ¡¶Legend¡· grade greatsword. There was an inscription on it too which seemed to say ¡®Muspelm¡¯.

    ¡°Yea, the Skull Face had considerable skill, I believe?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If my weapon was a bit more fragile, I think I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything but run away.¡±

    ¡°It was able to rally with this greatsword that¡¯s equivalent to our country¡¯s treasured sword, ¡ºWazamono¡», huh?¡±

    She may have heard the story about how the sword¡ºSeveral Stroke¡», which Shin had equipped at that time, had be only a hilt.

    As for ¡ºMuspelm¡», it was a 2 mels sword with a thick de. If the other sword was not as good as ¡ºWazamono¡», it would be unthinkable for it to be able to exchange blows directly.

    ¡°I obtained that katana by chance in the middle of my journey. I think its performance was at least ¡¶Rare¡· grade though.¡±

    Actually, it was only a reinforced ¡¶Normal¡· grade katana, but Shin lied because he didn¡¯t know what the value of a maximum reinforced weapon was in this world.

    As for the matter of whether or not it was possible for a ¡¶Rare¡· grade to exchange blows with ¡ºMuspelm¡», it should be believable since it ended up getting broken from the excessive force.

    ¡°So now you¡¯re just using an ordinary weapon, Shin?¡±

    ¡°No, I received an escort request towards Beirun earlier and we exterminated some bandits on the way. Since one of the bandits was using a Magic Sword as a weapon, I¡¯m using that now.¡±

    As for the bandits¡¯ belongings, the property rights basically moved to whoever subdued them.

    Since it¡¯s possible that his current weapon would be examined, he used that excuse to add credibility to his story.

    ¡°I see. If it¡¯s a Magic Sword, then it may be a good fit for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good if that¡¯s the case. But I¡¯ve almost never used it after I obtained it, so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±

    ¡°You can get used to it, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Right, this is the flow of events that usually precedes a fight.

    Shin exchanged words with Rionne while thinking that. The weapon from the monster, in addition, the monster¡¯s skills¡ªthough it took the flow of a natural conversation, ifbat-rted talk continued in this way, it was obvious that the final result would be ¡°Let¡¯s have a match.¡±

    ¡°Fumu¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡±

    Against his expectations, Rionne who nodded once, fell silent.

    As for Shin, he had the hesitant reaction of a ¡®What should I do?¡¯ decision.

    ¡°Well, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well, you are different after all, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t figure out the flow of the conversation, so the question was reiterated.

    ¡°Adventurers that suddenly stand out like you, are usually Chosen Ones. Though Gadras was like that too, when it was judged that his ability ranked in the upper ss, it was customary for him to be invited to the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable.¡±

    ¡°However, there are groups who use Chosen Ones to attempt assassinations from the inside.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s also dangerous, right?¡±

    ¡®Then, is it fine to suddenly let me meet the princess?¡¯ Shin wanted to ask.

    But, he didn¡¯t interject because she wasn¡¯t finished with her story.

    ¡°Though I had my suspicions about you, I thought it would probably be fine.¡±

    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t remember having said anything that would clear myself from doubt though.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because of my intuition.¡±

    ¡°Ehh©`¡±

    A monotone sound came out unintentionally.

    That too, seemed like it couldn¡¯t be helped. Shin had never heard of someone determining whether an opponent might bring harm to the country by relying solely on intuition. What would she do if it hadn¡¯t worked out?

    ¡°Ah, a monotone sound came out!¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. Moreover, if it¡¯s like this, people won¡¯t be convinced by such things since there is no concrete evidence.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I have ?the ¡¾Intuition¡¿? skill. I was born with it and my intuition never misses a thing. Besides, even though I may appear this way, I am one of this country¡¯s princesses. I¡¯ve developed my ability to judge character!¡±

    With a smile, Rionne¡¯s words were heard by Shin and he tried to recall the effect for ¡¾Intuition¡¿.

    It should only be a battle support skill. If anything, he had a feeling that it was suitable to say it was just a woman¡¯s intuition.

    (¡­Could¡¾Intuition¡¿possibly enhance a woman¡¯s intuition?)

    Shin unconsciously wondered about such a thing.

    ¡°You might say the biggest deciding factor is that you hold a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Under the current situation, it was the strongest piece of identification.

    ¡°That letter of introduction is impossible to replicate and Schnee-dono would never hand it over to a group plotting an assassination. As for a letter of introduction carrier, it¡¯s almost certain that their theft countermeasures are not ordinary. Therefore, a story of someone stealing a letter of introduction is unheard of until this very day. In fact, this acted as something like a final confirmation.¡±

    ¡°I see, then the main question is?¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯se to this. Let me say it without beating about the bush. I want you to fight with me!¡±

    ¡°Not that, princess! You¡¯re supposed to tell him about government service!¡±

    Gadras promptly interrupted Rionne who had challenged Shin for a match.

    Somehow, this turned out differently from their briefing session.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Gadras? Either way, for his true ability, how can I judge it urately if we don¡¯t cross swords?¡±

    ¡°Even if you yearn for it, you could wait a bit longer before saying it. What kind of ce is it for a princess to challenge an adventurer with something like, ¡®Fight with me!¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ady-like princess is the elder sister¡¯s responsibility!¡±

    ¡°R-Responsibility¡­¡±

    Gadras seemed to have it hard with one thing or another.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s the wish of the princess, I don¡¯t want to decline, but if possible I would like to ask for a weapon used for training purposes.¡±

    Though Shin¡¯s weapon was notcking, still, it was unclear as to how long it would be able to keep up a rally directly with a ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon.

    ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll lend you a weapon used by our knights. It doesn¡¯t matter if you destroy it.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. Though, I want you to forgive me if that sword breaks in the middle of the fight.¡±

    While saying that, Shin kept secret about the even more dangerous items thaty in his Item Box.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s head toward the training ground immediately.¡±

    The princess began to walk triumphantly.

    Contrary to her personality, she walked elegantly without pause. If one only saw her movement, everyone would think that she had a graceful character.

    Without taking the huge case, she held the¡ºMuspelm¡»in one hand.

    ¡°Princess¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s tough, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You understand?¡±

    Shin felt sorry for Gadras who dropped his shoulders.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shortly after Shin and the others left the room.

    Feyzel, who had remained in the room, let the tension out of his shoulders as he felt the presence of Shin and the others go away.

    He seemed to be tense and before he noticed it, he felt that his muscles had be quite stiff. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat better after taking a short break.

    ¡°I¡¯m so tired.¡±

    Other than Feyzel, a male¡¯s voice suddenly echoed through the room that should contain nobody else.

    ¡°Yeah, indeed.¡±

    Feyzel, who began to talk, replied without any surprise. The owner of the voice was Feyzel¡¯s co-worker.

    ¡°Are you feeling nervous about the other party as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as expected from a letter of introduction carrier.¡±

    A slightly tired smile appeared as Feyzel answered.

    Feyzel¡¯s role was to obtain the other party¡¯s information with his own skills.

    ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I saw it. But perhaps, his stats might be falsified.¡±

    That person was the most abnormal among all of the people who hade in so far. Feyzel continued, and waited for a response from the owner of the voice.

    ¡°To that extent?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure about it. That person, named Shin, has a level of 200. Job of samurai. However, if I were to really say my impressions of when we faced each other, I would have rewritten the information.¡±

    Feyzel was a Chosen One that specialized in uncovering the ability of the other party, therefore he was sure of it.

    Rionne and Gadras didn¡¯t notice the abilities of Shin, but Feyzel felt exactly a fragment of the power leaking out from his body. In fact, the right answer was beyond the level he stated.

    ¡°Though I failed to obtain any sufficient information, I can only say this. He is strong! Even more so than we imagined.¡±

    ¡°Since you say it to that extent, I should report this matter to the King.¡±

    ¡°Please do so if possible, I¡¯d be saved the trouble if you convey it. Also, don¡¯t make any needless trouble, I guess? Like what you did to Wilhelm, if you make a foolish move, it will be terrible. At least, I don¡¯t want to fight him.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I must not make an enemy of an upper ss Chosen One.¡±

    By the end of those words, the voice was already inaudible.

    Apparently, it seemed to have gone to report.

    ¡°Good grief! I want to go home today already!¡±

    I feel like I am dead instead of living.

    Muttering so, Feyzel left the room.

 Book 4: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    Shin, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.

    ¡°I want to confirm something. For the time being, we¡¯re not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?¡±

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work that¡¯s not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it can¡¯t helped with so many people. Or, is Shin the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?¡±

    ¡°To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.¡±

    ¡°I see, you¡¯re a cautious one, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how an adventurer should be?¡±

    Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, Shin thought.

    ¡°Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.¡±

    Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course there are also guys like you who don¡¯t reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.¡±

    Although it didn¡¯t seem to be unusual, somehow people like Shin appeared to be in the minority.

    ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t prefer the types like Shin. People who think that they can act that way, even if they¡¯re powerful, I don¡¯t like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.¡±

    ¡°The obligations of a person with power, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, ¡®What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings?¡¯ Even though what I hope to see doesn¡¯t always happen.¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m from the royal family, I¡¯d say that I tend to think that way¡±, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.

    From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat simr.

    That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.

    She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the country¡¯s princess.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Though I¡¯m telling you about someone else¡¯s problems, I guess even you canmiserate, huh, Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t serve the country, isn¡¯t it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, it¡¯s tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you won¡¯t feel rxed, right?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t mean to deny Rionne¡¯s thoughts.

    In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.

    As for what would happen as a result, only God may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for Shin to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought ordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.¡±

    ¡°Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually don¡¯t change though¡±

    ¡°If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I can¡¯t say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.¡±

    ¡°An additional bonuses along in various other ways instead, huh? I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I¡¯ll still have to decline.¡±

    Shin evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.

    He didn¡¯t have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For Shin, who lived in a world without a ss system such as nobles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.

    Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didn¡¯t understand it in this world.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. It¡¯s not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like we¡¯ve arrived?¡±

    Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that Shin would have agreed.

    And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.

    ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this ce.¡±

    Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.

    Inside, there was a transition point simr to what Shin saw in the adventurers¡¯ guild. (T/N: metastasis point had been changed to transition point)

    ¡°So we are going to teleport?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t you also do so in the guild?¡±

    Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open space about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the ce where Shin fought against Barlux.

    ¡°It¡¯s constructed differently from the guild¡¯s training ground, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, there¡¯s no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didn¡¯t say anything, I was nning to fight you here anyway, Shin.¡±

    Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a ¡®tiny¡¯ portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this ¡®tiny¡¯ amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this ce would be alright, if that was the case.

    ¡°It was decided, huh?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any other ce for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we haven¡¯t been able topletely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, it¡¯s not known yet. But it¡¯s pretty sturdy, so it¡¯s thought to have been a training ground in the past.¡±

    I see, Shin thought.

    He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.

    (Hmm¡­I wonder if this ce was for some guild house originally.)

    If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers¡¯ guild.

    However, there were many yers guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied ording to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no simr guild houses.

    And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that Shin had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re fine as is.¡±

    Just like the match with Barlux, they didn¡¯t battle immediately.

    Several mels ahead of Shin, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless des. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take this.¡±

    Shin chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.

    It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-ded greatsword. The de was almost 2 mels in length, simr to ¡ºMuspelm¡», and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.

    ¡°When I see that in person, something feels out of ce.¡±

    Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.

    It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a woman¡¯s slender arm was very strange to see in reality.

    Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. Shin heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since it¡¯s no use to keep watching forever, Shin too, lightly swung his sword and rxed his body. With their preparationspleted, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.

    ¡°This is a fight to check your ability, so I¡¯ll let out some of my power to an extent!¡±

    ¡°Please go easy on me.¡±

    Shin replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.

    Gadras yed the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.

    Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blownded. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.

    With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached Shin using the most direct path, with Shin doing the same. Facing against the greatswording from a diagonal direction, Shin prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, there¡¯s no doubt that Shin¡¯s sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the t part of the greatsword.

    Ting! A high-pitched sound was made when Rionne¡¯s greatsword veered away from Shin. Furthermore, in one step, Shin leaped toward Rionne¡¯s chest. However, in the next moment, the heel of Rionne¡¯s boot appeared in front of Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Shin bent down right away to dodge the unleashed kick.

    Her released fist was also evaded as she continued the attack before taking a distance once more. Then, her hand, which had parted with the intercepted greatsword, started to counterattack with martial arts. As for the greatsword, the downward force may have been great, as it pierced the ground diagonally.

    ¡°You avoided my attacks without being flustered, huh? I thought I could somewhat surprise you with that though¡±

    ¡°Well, I am surprised. I didn¡¯t expect you would suddenly throw away your weapon and start to fight hand-to-hand.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say that parting with one¡¯s own weapon has never happened during battle, but it was not usually done immediately after a battle started.

    If an ordinary adventurer did something like that, they would be cut down in no time. There was a limit to making unorthodox decisions.

    ¡°You can still say that even though you dodged it like it was nothing. However, the next one will not be so easy!¡±

    The greatsword was pulled from the ground, and Rionne took her stance again.

    That stance was indeed magnificent. It was the posture of someone who had been training without depending too much on their ability as a Chosen One.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go from here!¡±

    Saying so, Shin faced Rionne and shortened their distance.

    As for the current Shin, some restrictions were put on his stats based on information from Girard. Because of the restriction ability ¡¾Limit¡¿, his STR and AGI were about 500. If he rallied with Rionne who was an upper ss Chosen One, it should be fine.

    Shin, with the momentum from hurling himself, plunged into and pushed Rionne¡¯s greatsword with his sword¡¯s brim.

    ¡°Going topete with me in strength, huh, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident in my strength!¡±

    As the weapons made a grinding sound, Shin and Rionne exchanged words.

    And then, Rionne stopped pushing Shin¡¯s sword. Apparently, in response to Shin¡¯s words, Rionne decided to ept his strength challenge with a contest.

    Rionne put power in her slender arm, and the locking of sword to sword started. If she took her time, she may be able to ovee the resistance, but it was obvious that Rionne would take measures before that.

    (She is on par with 500 STR, huh? As expected of Girard, he guessed correctly.)

    As for the stats of an upper ss Chosen One, Girard had talked about it being around 500.

    ¡°I wonder if our strength is equal?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it.¡±

    They made some distance between them by stepping back together.

    Shin had his sword in an aiming-at-the-eyes stance, and Rionne was in an overhead sword posture.

    ¡°You may use skills too. No need to be reserved, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you insist.¡±

    Rionne and Shin, both used the support system martial arts skill ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿.

    Shin moved his sword to the left side of his waist from his previous posture, took his stance with his left hand on the sword¡¯s de near the hilt and lowered his posture. It was a quick draw stance, but without the sheath.

    Rionne on the other hand, stayed there without changing her posture. From Shin¡¯s point of view, he saw the aura that covered Rionne¡¯s body sharpen.

    The strengthening effect from the support system martial arts skill was calcted based on the stats during its usage, so there was almost no difference of strengthening ability between Rionne and Shin under the current conditions. If there was, it was simply the difference between ability.

    Swish!

    Shin moved first.

    The distance between them was shortened by his sliding feet. And then, just one step from Rionne, Shin jumped into her territory by sliding on the ground.

    Though it could not be said that it was his normal form, the sword that was charging towards Rionne was at a speed difficult to see by an ordinary person.

    Without turning her eyes to that attack, Rionne also swung the greatsword downward. Due to the explosion of her sharpened spirit, it elerated instantaneously. And that speed exceeded Shin¡¯s attack.

    Shin would likely die if he received that blow directly, so as the greatsword approached from above his head, by putting his strength into his left foot, he bent himself backward and evaded it.

    Rionne, who had just swung down her greatsword, couldn¡¯t move right away because of the weight of her weapon.

    From there, Shin did a horizontal kick, but Rionne crouched down and evaded it.

    Shoom!

    With her body twisted as she tripped, although she had just evaded Shin¡¯s kick and stood only on one foot, she still didn¡¯t stop attacking.

    Without losing any centrifugal force from pulling out the greatsword from the ground, she turned once more. The force of her tripping was converted into power for swinging her greatsword.

    With the sound of air being cut, she returned the favor and aimed at Shin who just drew a horizontal kick. Shin, who was just slightly above the ground, kicked the ground again to escape from the greatsword.

    Rionne suddenly stopped the greatsword, which was gaining momentum, as soon as she thought the blow woulde out of ce. Even though the centrifugal force was strong, Rionne didn¡¯t break her posture. It seemed her being a closebat type Chosen One was not just for show.

    (Somehow just now, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn¡¯t avoid it.)

    Though there was no killing intent, Shin didn¡¯t think he would escaped unharmed if he received Rionne¡¯s greatsword to his head. When he saw Rionne¡¯s movement just now, he understood that she stopped the blow just before that. However, when he saw the greatsword pierce and stick into the ground, he couldn¡¯t get rid of his anxiety.

    In his current condition, Shin didn¡¯t want to risk restricting his defence-rted stats. When the world was still a game, not even a scratch would be there if he received a blow from a greatsword. However, Shin didn¡¯t have the courage to try it now with his own flesh.

    ¡°Apparently, it seems our types are simr, Shin. Our reaction speed is about the same too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is getting hard to settle, how about we call it an end it here?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I want to fight a little longer though.¡±

    Rionne was like a deted balloon.

    ¡°Since it was a sword for training purposes, it¡¯s hard to know how far I can put my strength into it. Besides, Rionne-sama¡¯s sword has also bent.¡±

    ¡°Muu! This one couldn¡¯tst either.¡±

    The swords for training purpose couldn¡¯t endure Shin and Rionne¡¯s power.

    As proof, about 30 cemels from the sword guard of Rionne¡¯s greatsword was bent almost into the shape of the character ¡®¤Ø¡¯. It was pretty admirable that it didn¡¯t break.

    Shin¡¯s sword had also deformed, a part of it had cracked when it had rallied with the greatsword.

    ¡°At least we were able to properly understand each other¡¯s strength, Rionne-sama.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? His strength is even equal to yours, Princess. Moreover, that speedy reaction. It¡¯s plenty enough for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to force the subject too much, huh? All right. Let¡¯s stop the match here. You have my gratitude for going along with my selfishness.¡±

    Gadras, who saw the their battle situation unfolding, gave some timely support to help end the match.Gadras realized by intuition that it would be bad if he let them ¡®heat up¡¯ as it was. Although Gadras was also a Chosen One who was near the upper ss and therefore was able to follow the two people offense and defense with his eyes, he still couldn¡¯t be sure that he would be able to react in time if he entered their ranges.

    Not much time had passed since the match began, so he urged them to stop fighting. He had already decided that Shin was not an average Chosen One when Shin could keep up with Rionne¡¯s movement. It was not difficult to even judge him to be an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s return. You should put the sword back where it originally was.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shin put back the one-handed sword which was already unusable.

    He thought the sword wascking before the fight began. It was already fortunate that it didn¡¯t break on the first rally. Perhaps the angle in which they rallied was good, he guessed.

    ¡°By the way, I want to ask something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you bring the Skull Face¡¯s sword?¡±

    Because she brought it to the training ground like it was natural, Shin thought it was strange since it was decided they would use a training sword.

    ¡°Though this is apletely different matter, when a man proposes to a woman in Bayreuth kingdom, it¡¯s customary to present a sword.¡±

    ¡°¡­Again, isn¡¯t that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Ddangerous!¡±

    Shin muttered in a way that was not heard by Rionne.

    Is that what it¡¯s for? It¡¯s the thing used to cut ¡°it¡± off one has an affair? Shin suspected without any reason.

    ¡°The reason is, in case they are caught cheating, they will be cut by the sword. It¡¯s only a formality for now though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you for real?¡±

    It seemed his suspicion was right.

    Will the cheating mistress get punished too? Trivial questions appeared in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Because of that, to be honest, although the sword pierced and was stuck in the wall of my bedroom, I¡¯ve considered it as a present for me.¡±

    ¡°T-That, isn¡¯t that too unreasonable?!¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. If I did that, the sword would be mine legally.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see thating! What a scheme!?¡±

    Rionne showed her yfulness, but as a matter of fact, since there was no weapon that could match Rionne¡¯s strength, it seems her primary focus was on the matter of the greatsword.

    A weapon that could endure the power of an upper ss Chosen One was not easy to find in this world. Even if it was found, it was most likely owned by skilled adventurers or famous knights.

    Only the treasured sword that symbolizes the country was able to endure all of the energy from Rionne in Bayreuth kingdom. However, Rionne couldn¡¯t take out the treasured sword every time, so she seemed to have been racking her brain on how to remedy the situation.

    Because the Skull Face¡¯s greatsword was notcking in durability, didn¡¯t have curses and so on, it seemed to have been secretly prepared for her given her circumstances.

    At the same time, she had been thinking of various scenarios just in case someone came forward iming it as the owner.

    ¡°Just to confirm, by any chance, am I supposed to propose to Rionne-sama?¡±

    ¡°Yea, you¡¯re supposed to because you gave me the sword.¡±

    ¡°About the blown off greatsword matter, it really was just idental¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t mean to push the matter either. Although it would be reassuring if Shin serves the country, I get absolutely nothing out of offending you so badly that you moved to another country. It¡¯s promising if an upper ss Chosen One bes an ally, but it¡¯s extremely troublesome if they be an enemy. If possible, I would like you to refrain from entering government service at another country, but this is up to your discretion.¡±

    ¡°For the moment, I don¡¯t have any such ns.¡±

    ¡°However, a person that¡¯s not affiliated with any ce can be scary. Because, what they will do is unpredictable. And there are many people who dislike that sort of person, you know?¡±

    Although an upper ss Chosen One was an individual, one of them wasparable to an army.

    For this reason, they were terrifying when they were unaffiliated.

    ¡°For the time being, I belong to the adventurers¡¯ guild.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of the penalty, I can withdraw you from there immediately. Well, ever since the guild has revealed that Shin has a ¡®letter of introduction¡¯, people with impertinent thoughts have been suppressed.¡±

    ¡°Really? Since I showed it to the guard at the gate, I thought that was how I was exposed and that¡¯s how it reached the guild.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the information was obtained from there. Only, when showing it to the guard, the possibility of it being an imitation is not zero. However, the story is different when the master of an adventurers¡¯ guild acknowledges it. Because he has the method to distinguish the real thing. If Shin has been acknowledged, additional confirmation of his status is preferable for those people, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I think so too. Or rather, what are those people who have impertinent ideas trying to do?¡±

    Though he had some idea of what to expect, Shin asked anyway.

    ¡°They want to arrest you as a criminal because of the sword that pierced my bedroom, and make you serve the country, little by little, as restitution.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, even though I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if someone had died when I misstepped, right?¡±

    Having it only pierce a wall was entirely the result of good luck.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I guess the Skull Face which caused it may have been a unique individual? If it is, then it¡¯s not a situation where you could ease up. I don¡¯t know how much harm it would have caused if you had let it go as it was. At that time, most adventurers would not be able to take on a unique individual, so the damage would have kept on umting until the information was gathered. Therefore I¡¯d like to thank you instead.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, for the time being, it¡¯s good that I¡¯m not considered a criminal since it would make it difficult to move around.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu, is this really okay? You can ask me for a favor you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the courage to ask for a favor from the royal family. And so, how¡¯s this story connected to the greatsword in the end?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because this has been formally handed over to me.¡±

    As she said that, Rionne lifted the case that contained Muspelm.

    ¡°Umm, in regards to the matter Rionne-sama mentioned just now, is it because the greatsword already belongs to you?¡±

    ¡°Because the owner had appeared in this way, thus I thought about a different method if I could not be engaged. In the first ce, to forcibly ce a present under my control, even though I also wanted to make the sword mine, the main reason is to prevent it from falling into the hands of the aforementioned impertinent guys.¡±

    ¡°Doing something like that ispletely useless.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    The higher-ups didn¡¯t seem to be monolithic too.

    When looking closely at the privileged ss called the nobles, there may be a rotten part that exists.

    ¡°So in other words, having decided the greatsword was a present, without an engagement, Rionne-sama formally obtained a powerful weapon, and I can avoid any meddling from the country, huh?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll fully take out from my personal assets topensate for the price of the sword. And I also understand perfectly that this one is worth more than I can afford. But, please, sell it to me!¡±

    Thest sentence was an entreaty.

    She may have been depressed because she had never had a weapon that could bring out her potential. Was how Shin thought, and desperation could be felt from Rionne.

    True power couldn¡¯t be demonstrated if there was no weapon that corresponded to their ability. Rionne seemed to understand that.

    ¡°I only want to continue being an adventurer in the same manner as before, so if there is no further meddling from the country, that would be good as a condition. However, if possible, I want to enter the restricted zone in the royal magic library though.¡±

    ¡°Is that really all? You don¡¯t have to hold yourself back.¡±

    ording to themon sense of this world, it could be said that it was impossible to have dealings for a weapon of ¡¶Legend¡· grade.

    ¡°For now, it¡¯s information that I want, not money. Unlike a weapon, I can¡¯t get information, somehow or other, even if I take out money.¡±

    ¡°Though I also understand that¡­Fumu, how should I say this, you have no greed, Shin.¡±

    Rionne said as she was a little astounded.

    Certainly, information was sometimes worth more than gold. However, information that was equal to a ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon was notmon. Even though Rionne has visited the zone that required reading permission, what kind of information does Shin seek? She had no idea at all.

    ¡°The one that defeated the Skull Face is Shin. Though it becameplicated due to the ce where it pierced, the property rights are originally Shin¡¯s. With one of these, you could probably obtain arge sum of money to live the rest of your life without having to work. On the other hand, this sword is something that I don¡¯t know if I could obtain even if I piled up money. If you hand it over without any reservations, I¡¯ll be suspicious that you have ulterior motives.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how much I value information.¡±

    Rionne conjectured that there was some kind of special meaning in Shin¡¯s words.

    However, she didn¡¯t voice her guess, because she didn¡¯t want to pursue it there.

    ¡°Then, Rionne-sama, it¡¯s a deal?¡±

    ¡°Of course. To tell you the truth, I have used this greatsword several times already and I have grown ustomed to having it in my hand.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The only thought in your head is of obtaining that sword after all, was what Shin didn¡¯t say.

    She didn¡¯t know that she could have requisitioned it even without informing Shin, so he was able to maintain a good impression of her since it was properly negotiated for.

    If Shin could get through this without any meddlesome discussions, then a greatsword of ¡¶Legend¡· grade was a cheap price to pay.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have your library permit deliveredter, where are you staying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an inn called Bear Point Pavilion, in the west district.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Gadras, make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Roger that¡±

    When Rionne talked, Gadras, who had remained silent until now, answered.

    ¡°Shin-dono. For this matter, please ept my thanks. It seems like the princess will finally be able to fight without reservation now.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for thanks. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Next, I want to confirm something, it¡¯s about those people with overzealous ideas. In case I have any problems in the future, may I repel them?¡±

    ¡°In regards to that, just act without any reservations, but also please be careful. I would like to think that there aren¡¯t any more fools who would try to threaten an upper ss Chosen One, but guys like that, will usually not heed any inconveniences that their actions would cause to themselves.¡±

    Gadras strongly agreed.

    The reason being if anyone did so, they would most likely be punished.

    ¡°It¡¯s happened before?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is a powerful person that had been acknowledged as an upper ss Chosen One before, like Shin, but some fools held that person¡¯s rtive as hostage and tried to make him obey them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can I speak my thoughts freely?¡±

    ¡°Please speak without reservation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d think so? By the way, as for the nobles, all of them were killed, from the main culprit to the perpetrators. Their mansion waspletely destroyed too. No mercy for those meddling guys. However, there is no evidence that the person in question did it himself.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    They seemed to have received a suitable retribution.

    By the way, it appeared to the public that the kingdom¡¯s army had subdued the nobles who were going to start a revolt.

    ¡°Well, well, I¡¯m fine with acting how I normally do, so I¡¯d like to request your help if it happens.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m no princess, but I¡¯ll exert my power too.¡±

    Gadras firmly nodded again.

    Next to him, Rionne too seemed to say, ¡°Leave it to me¡±, as she nodded. Though some people may prefer to handle things themselves, having a royal family member as an ally was still great. Shin had decided to just report if there was a bad noble.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t return home too soon, because those overbearing guys are noisy. Let¡¯s have a tea break. Can you tell me about the story of the Skull Face in question?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s that much, it¡¯s fine I guess.¡±

    Shin replied to Rionne with a nod.

    When Shin and the rest returned to the castle using the transition point, someone was already in the room.

    It was a petite man, a little over middle-aged, who approached them. If one looked at the cassock of the priest, it was mainly white and blue, and he had the air of someone who was a high-rank.

    If something peculiar could be stated about that man, it was that he was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point without taking notice of Rionne.

    As there were a lot of exit destinations for a transition point, the destination could be specified with the control panel. There was no such action when Shin fought against Barlux before in the adventurers¡¯ guild, and the training ground couldn¡¯t be entered without the guild master¡¯s authority, because the destination had been already fixed.

    By the way, in a normal situation, when the guild master¡¯s authority wasn¡¯t invoked, it was only a training ground open to the public, so it was not made just for a Chosen One.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Cardinal Greyl? What is he doing?¡±

    Rionne voiced her question.

    Was he a mediator with the church? Shin looked at the man called cardinal. However, in the next moment, Shin¡¯s face stiffened due to the status disy from Analyze.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGreyl Dulles Level 161 Priest¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D Endowment:¡¾Charm ? IV¡¿ ¡¾Confusion ? III¡¿

    Those troublesome abnormal statuses couldn¡¯t be felt for real in the game era, but anyone would understand the real danger they would pose in this world that became reality.

    And the person who was under two such abnormal statuses, was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point.

    ¡°He is affected by Charm and Confusion! Stop that person!¡±

    Shin started running at the same time as he shouted.

    However, Shin waste by just one step, as Greyl finished messing with the controls.

    ¡°Ugh!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s view effortlessly distorted.

    When the difort that was not felt during a normal transition was over, the scene around Shin hadpletely changed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Is this for real?¡±

    What extended throughout his surroundings was, in a word, ruins.

    The crumbling houses and scattered remains denied the existence of dwellers. Shin tried to collect his surroundings for information through the support system skill¡¾irvoyance¡¿, but because of a thin haze that faint magic could be felt from, his vision was obstructed from seeing far away.

    There were many buildings that had avoidedpletely copsing, but most had big holes in their walls, or their second floor was gone, which was unlikely due to any evidence of weathering.

    Within the range of his view, there was the wreckage of broken ss and wagons. And, he was able to ascertain footprints that were clearly not from humans or horses.

    ¡°uu¡­What is happening?¡±

    When Shin turned around, Rionne was standing nearby.

    Gadras and Greyl were nowhere to be seen. Was it only Shin and Rionne that were transferred, or were the other two transferred to a different location? It couldn¡¯t be determined by Shin currently.

    ¡°Apparently, we have been transferred somewhere. Does Rionne-sama know anything?¡±

    ¡°Transferred, huh¡­From that transition point, transferring to a ce with ruins in this condition¡­Perhaps, no, it¡¯s certainly the Sacred ce, Kalkia.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s the ce that is said to be rampant with dangerous monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is. They may have thought to get rid of us with the monsters here.¡±

    Inside the Sacred ce, Rionne heard that strong monsters with levels higher than 500 roamed around. No matter how much Rionne was an upper ss Chosen One, there was no guarantee that she would survive when she was thrown in without any kind of preparations. But, that would only be the case, if Shin was not beside her.

    ¡°Shin, are we the only ones here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is no one near us at least.¡±

    ¡°Then, it seems that only we have been transferred here. It¡¯s not possible for one transition to transfer to multiple ces.¡±

    ¡°In others words, Gadras-san remains on the other side, huh?¡±

    It was good that not all of the members who were there in that room transposed.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s move out from Kalkia. Can you use Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°No, unfortunately I don¡¯t have an adventurer card. How about you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I have apanion who I can use it with. Just in case, besides Gadras-san, even if I tried to exin the present situation, will anyone believe it? To begin with, I don¡¯t know if they would be able to convey a message for us.¡±

    Though Shin didn¡¯t want to announce that he could use Mind Chat, it was currently an emergency, so he told Rionne the truth.

    If amoner went to the castle, they would definitely be restricted at the gate. It was different if Schnee revealed her identity, but he didn¡¯t intend to go that far.

    If it was known that Shin was able tomunicate directly with Schnee, he was certain that his treatment as an ordinary upper ss Chosen One would be gone. He had the luxury of worring about these kinds of things, because as long as Shin was there, Rionne¡¯s safety was secure.

    ¡°I want to know what happened on the other side. However, it¡¯s hopeless if they couldn¡¯t make it to the castle, huh? I guess Gadras will arrest Cardinal Greyl, so Shin doesn¡¯t need to be troubled by it, I think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised too. I didn¡¯t expect that a priest would have such dangerous abnormal statuses.¡±

    If it was still a game, it would be impossible to manipte an avatar¡¯s behavior with abnormal status effects, but it seems like that wasn¡¯t the case in this world.

    At least, it was impossible for those who were affected by such status effects to maintain a proper mental condition. In addition, the timing. It was likely that they nned to target Shin and Rionne when they returned from their transposing.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡±

    Shin muttered as he sighed lightly.

    ¡°I want to tell mypanion a rendezvous point, do you know of any towns nearby?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there is the fort city Balmel. It¡¯s necessary to pass through that ce, even if they head here or we head in the direction of Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll tell mypanion to meet us at Balmel.¡±

    Shin thanked Rionne and he connected to Schnee via Mind Chat.

    Within a few seconds, the nostalgic ringtone stopped, and Shin was aware of the sense being connected.

    ¡°(Ah, Schn¨D¨D)¡±

    ¡°(SHIN! Where are you now!?)¡±

    ¡°(Uooo!?)¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were interrupted by Schnee¡¯s loud voice, making him let out a strange sound. Furthermore, his body was hit with a jolt.

    Speaking of Schnee, she noticed very quickly when Shin was transposed. Her voice didn¡¯t seem like her usual tone, and her panicked state could be felt by Shin.

    ¡°(Are you alright!? Please answer me!)¡±

    ¡°(Wait, Schnee, calm down a little, I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll exin what happened now. Again, I repeat, I¡¯m okay.)¡±

    Shin began to talk as calmly as possible.

    After saying he was fine several times, Schnee finally showed signs of settling down.

    ¡°(I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m fine now.)¡±

    ¡°(Then that¡¯s good. Somehow panicking doesn¡¯t seem like Schnee.)¡±

    ¡°(That is, again¡­that. I thought Shin had disappeared.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­My bad. I heard too much.)¡±

    Even though Schnee seemed calm, her insecurity remained.

    Maybe it¡¯s because she was just recently reunited with Shin again that her insecurities were inly visible. No matter how high-level she was, even if her body was strong, Schnee was a woman, too. Even if her stats were high, it didn¡¯t mean that her heart was strong to that extent.

    ¡°(And so, where in the world are you? You don¡¯t seem to be within my perception range either.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah yes, I was in a training ground having a match with the second princess, but was forced to transpose when we returned to the castle.)¡±

    ¡°(Transposed? That exins why your presence disappeared suddenly.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m with the second princess right now. ording to her, the ce where we are is called Sacred ce Kalkia.)¡±

    ¡°(The Sacred ce can only be transitioned to from the royal castle, right?¡­However, if I¡¯m not mistaken, the transition to there should be impossible without permission.)¡±

    Schnee seemed to be aware about the transition point in the royal castle.

    ¡°(It was the old man called Cardinal Greyl that transposed us. Though the rank was low, he was suffering from the abnormal states of Charm and Confusion.)¡±

    ¡°(I see. If it¡¯s Cardinal Greyl, then choosing the Sacred ce to transpose to is possible. Still, Charm and Confusion, huh?)¡±

    ording to Schnee¡¯s story, Cardinal Greyl devoted himself to studying in the church in the Bayreuth kingdom, he seemed to be a person of deep faith so he rose to the position of cardinal.

    As Shin expected, Cardinal Greyl served as the church¡¯s mediator and had been stationed in the king¡¯s castle for some time now. Worthy of someone who acquired ¡¾Purification¡¿ on his own, it could be said that his fighting power was quite good for an ordinary person.

    From the short story that Shin heard, he understood well that it was unrted to Charm and Confusion.

    ¡°(Was he asked to purify a cursed item but failed or something?)¡±

    ¡°(His actions were too precise for that. It¡¯d be more logical to think that he was manipted by someone, don¡¯t you agree?)¡±

    When Shin gave one of the possibilities, Schnee denied itpletely.

    ¡°(Then, do you have any ideas, Schnee?)¡±

    ¡°(As far as I know, nothing in particr that I remember. To begin with, the Skills of the mental interference group, like Charm and Confusion, are considered to be taboo. Just for having learnt it, one will be executed when caught, even if it¡¯s someone from the royal family.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah, so it¡¯s like that, huh?)¡±

    Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s words.

    After all, a skill that maniptes a person¡¯s heart would be regarded as dangerous. Even the royal family was not immune to the punishment, as thorough enforcement was carried out without exception.

    It was hard to believe that the user of such a skill or item would be serving the castle.

    If that was the case, then¨D¨D.

    ¡°(There is a hidden one.)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, I think so too.)¡±

    Simr words appeared in the minds of Shin and Schnee.

    It was the given name of an antagonist who differs from the original 7 races in this world.

    ¡°(I cannot return at once. It may be bad, but I¡¯ll leave it to you, okay?)¡±

    He had a skill to use transposing. However, if it was known that he could use magic that was said to be lost, Rionne would not let him get away, no matter what happens.

    ¡°(No problem. It¡¯s a good opportunity to teach Tiera too.)¡±

    ¡°(Thank you.)¡±

    ¡°(Please leave it to me. I¡¯ll tell the matter about the princess to the King.)¡±

    If it was Schnee, it would be easy toe into contact with the King without being noticed by anyone.

    If she somehow conveyed that the princess was safe, the confusion would be settled. In that situation, the person lying hidden in the castle should find it difficult to move.

    ¡°(Then, I¡¯ll contact you about the resultster. What about the meeting ce?)¡±

    ¡°(Balmel will do. It seems you need to go through there, so let¡¯s meet there.)¡±

    ¡°(Affirmative.)¡±

    After detailed decisions were made, the Mind Chat was cut.

    Shin decided to leave the Bayreuth matter to Schnee, and turned around toward Rionne again.

 Book 4: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Schnee, who cut off the Mind Chat with Shin, went into action immediately.

    She seemed to be very anxious when Shin¡¯s presence disappeared half a day after going into the castle, but she regained her usualposure right away.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yuzuha asked, and the situation was briefly exined.

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha hates that!¡±

    Precisely because Yuzuha¡¯s partner got involved, and because it personally had been affected by miasma before, Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t allow the existence of the enemy*. (T/N: This will be exinedter.)

    With Yuzuha perched on her shoulder, Schnee went into town from the inn. Though passersby stopped walking, being fascinated by Schnee¡¯s pretty face, nobody recognized her because she was disguised by a magic skill.

    Avoiding those who didn¡¯t know their ces gracefully, Schnee arrived at the ce where Tiera was in no time. When she opened the door to the entrance, fragrances that she never smelled in daily life lingered in the air. Apparently, it was a shop that dealt with alchemy-rted products. Items, which would be special catalysts, like leaves with poisonous-looking colors or some kind of dried things, were side-by-side.

    Tiera was in the corner where various types of paper lined up, and she was eagerlyparing them.

    ¡°Tiera. Tiera?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Apparently, Tiera was quite focused on it.

    Even when Schnee called out to her, Tiera didn¡¯t respond at all. Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, Schnee lightly tapped her shoulder and called out her name close to her ear.

    ¡°¡­Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Hyaaa!!?¡±

    Tiera was probably surprised, suddenly hearing a voice so close to her ear.

    She jumped in response.

    ¡°M-Master. Please don¡¯t startle me like that.¡±

    ¡°Though it¡¯s good to concentrate, pay attention to your surroundings. You didn¡¯t even notice when I was calling you earlier.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Tiera apologized while hanging her head.

    Somehow, her long ears also seemed to face the ground.

    ¡°Never mind. Tiera, although this may be difficult for you, there has been an urgent business that hase up and you need to apany me from now on.¡±

    ¡°Urgent business?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about the King¡¯s castle.¡±

    The King¡¯s castle, Tiera understood it, was not a ce she could go.

    If she was still at Tsuki no Hokora, she certainly would have retorted in a loud voice. However, because of Shin and his actions, she was not surprised by a thing of such degree.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m starting to get used to these situations that happen while apanying Master.¡±

    ¡®As expected from Master, you and Shin are certainly the same¡¯, agreed Tiera as she thought to herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a story to exin in here. Let¡¯s go outside.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Tiera obediently followed Schnee who turned back towards the street.

    It wasn¡¯t a problem for Tiera, since she had no intention of buying anything in particr.

    While walking on the road that lead to the King¡¯s castle, Schnee exined the situation.

    ¡°¡­So in other words, I will have to defeat ¡®it¡¯ from now on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it appears. Because you have reached the point where you can go outside, there¡¯s no guarantee that you wouldn¡¯t get involved with ¡®it¡¯. There are no documents or rumours about ¡®it¡¯, and it¡¯s better if you understand ¡®it¡¯ by yourself.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯ was different from the monsters that attack people for food or to protect their territory. ¡®It¡¯ was different from the thief who steals items and money. ¡®It¡¯ was the antagonist who afflicts and entraps people.

    ¡°It¡¯s a perfect chance for Tiera to learn about the existence of demons.¡±

    ¨D¨DDemon.

    Was a monster said to be born from miasma.

    It was greatly different from other monsters, because it was not subjected to ability restriction at the ce where miasma umted; instead it was strengthened. Again, in the demon¡¯s area, the transmogrification of monsters were also elerated by miasma and in the areas affected by it; the presence of demons increased the degree of difficulty.

    Normally, when a monster was affected by the miasma, it was difficult for them to keep their sanity.

    It may be possible for a high-level monster, but low-level monsters are hardly able to resist transmogrification. Monsters that change appearance have the word ¡®Invade¡¯ added to their names. Then, it bes an existence that attacks surrounding living beings indiscriminately.

    The change of the appearance was assumed to happen when the body of the monster, which was born from demon essence, was reced by miasma. Thus, the monster¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t revert back to its original form even if the miasma was cleared away. Was it because the monsters, which couldn¡¯t distinguish between ally and enemy, were affected by miasma? There were a lot of them that followed the demon.

    Also the miasma, besides affecting monsters, inflicted effects to the seven races who existed in this world. There was no transmogrification in the game¡¯s setting; however, inside the miasma, one would have received bad statuses such as ability restriction, abnormal states, and so on. Though it depends on the density of the miasma, level and race of the person in question, it was a troublesome hindrance to fight against the enhanced demons.

    The miasma appeared in quests against a boss, and it lead to monsters attacking a town; it appeared in various ces.

    When ites to a high-ranking demon which had the appearance that was close to human anatomy, high intelligence, high fighting power, and was apanied by low-ranking demon. It was a monster that always appeared in a difficult dungeon and quest.

    Ranks usually depended on strength, and were ssified into Grand Duke ss, Duke ss, Marquis ss, Count ss, Viscount ss, Baron ss, and Knight ss. By the way, this was the index that existed as a setting in the game; it roughly expressed the fighting power of the demon.

    ¡°The enemy is probably a Count ss.¡±

    ¡°How does Master know?¡±

    Tiera asked Schnee who conjectured the enemy¡¯s rank.

    Even if Tiera knew the existence of demons as knowledge, she couldn¡¯t predict like Schnee did.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple method of elimination. In case of Marquis ss and above, it¡¯s plenty enough to destroy the country in a surprise attack, without even the need to transpose the second princess. When ites to Baron ss and below, there is no intelligence to think about that far ahead in time. Its level is high to some extent, but it¡¯s reasonable to think it¡¯s a Count ss.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, what is the level estimation?¡±

    ¡°Right, I guess it¡¯s about low 300s , to high 400s.¡±

    ¡®If the Princess dies at the Sacred ce, then it¡¯s beneficial for them. Even if she doesn¡¯t, they achieve their purpose by taking advantage of the confusion.¡¯ Tiera thought, while receiving such an exnation from Schnee.

    ¡°The level of that ss is somewhere in the middle¡­I mean, um, Master? I¡¯m still no good to fight against it, even if it¡¯s half of the lowest level.¡±

    Unlike chosen ones with high fighting power, it was impossible for her. Except to get killed by fighting an opponent whose level difference was more than 200. Even if Kagerou was with her, it didn¡¯t mean her fighting power increased.

    ¡°No problem, because we¡¯ll only observe this time.¡±

    ¡°Observe¡­¡±

    ¡®Should I be pleased that there¡¯s no need to fight? Or should I be amazed with Master who says such a thing?¡¯

    ¡®Something was strange either way¡¯, Tiera thought, as her eyebrows furrowed.

    Aloof from Tiera¡¯s worries, Schnee continued walking towards the castle.

    Because Tiera heard that the Princess was forced to transpose, she thought that the castle would be in confusion. However, the guards didn¡¯t have the appearance of a panicked state.

    ¡°Master, we don¡¯t have permits, will we be all right?¡±

    ¡°No problem, because we won¡¯t use the gate to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    A question mark floated from Tiera at Schnee¡¯s words.

    Schnee then advanced towards the direction where it was different from the gate.

    Though Tiera didn¡¯t understand Schnee¡¯s intention either, she followed her for the time being. Schnee, who walked along the wall for a while, the moment there were no people in the area, she activated a magic skill.

    ¡°¡¾Hiding¡¿¡±

    The figures of the two people disappeared with the effect.

    Coupled with the bonus effect of Kunoichi, which was Schnee¡¯s main job, they would only be discovered in extreme circumstances.

    ¡°My appearance is concealed¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡±

    ¡°You are correct. Hold on a little, because we are going to jump.¡±

    Saying so, Schnee held Tiera in her arms and kicked-off the ground.

    ¡°Eek!¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Without crushing the ground, Schnee and Tiera appeared to fly up gently.

    However, Tiera¡¯s scream was forcibly halted from the sudden wind pressure. Though no one would hear it even if she screamed due to the effect of ¡¾Hiding¡¿, if possible she wanted some time to be prepared.

    ¡°One step is not enough after all, huh?¡±

    Besides Tiera who thought about these kind of things, Schnee calmly calcted the distance to the top of the wall.

    Because she jumped while holding Tiera, she wouldn¡¯t have arrived at the top if she kept going as is. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, she put her feet on the wall and kicked with her strength.

    Movement system martial arts skill ¡¾Wall Run¡¿. With a fixed number of steps, it was a skill that let one run vertically on a wall temporarily when invoked and maintain the foothold.

    From that one step, Schnee soundlessly ran up the wall.

    ¡°Master, didn¡¯t you make a strange jump just now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a skill that can make foothold on a wall. It¡¯s very convenient.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±

    From Tiera¡¯s point of view, who often hadbat training, she wondered ¡®will there ever be an opportunity to use a wall as a foothold like that?¡¯ She expected that it was rted to a job.

    When Tiera asked about Schnee¡¯s job before, she received a single phrase: ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± instead.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go down. It¡¯s dangerous if you don¡¯t hang on.¡±

    Regardless of what Tiera thought, Schnee jumped into the air without faltering.

    ¡°Ah, ye-AAAAH!¡±

    Tiera screamed from the sudden fall, but Schnee didn¡¯t mind for the time being. Schnee often did this type of fall together with Shin.

    Though she jumped off from about the height of an average building, Schneended soundlessly, just like when she got on the wall. After she lowered Tiera, Schnee began to walk with silent footsteps right away.

    To Tiera who was kneeling on the ground, holding her chest, and was out of breath, the next words that came out from Schnee mercilessly pierced her.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to sneak into the castle.¡±

    ¡°Ye-Yes¡­¡±

    While recalling her past days of Spartan training, Tiera obediently followed after Schnee.

    (Even if Shin returned, Master is still Master¡­)

    Schnee waspletely ignorant of Tiera who thought about such a thing.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Now, Schnee and Tiera stepped inside the castle. However, their appearances were not to move sneakily like someone suspicious. In fact, they acted in a very bold way.

    They entered the castle¡¯s front gate after a little walking from the wall, and advanced through the passage where the knights and civil officers were going back and forth. They were moving as if they were in a totally open in.

    ¡°Um, where are we going, Master?¡±

    ¡°To the prison cell. I¡¯m going to remove the abnormal statuses on Cardinal Greyl.¡±

    ¡°Well, um, don¡¯t we need to defeat the said demon before?¡±

    ¡°No problem. I already caught it.¡±

    ¡°Master is too amazing¡­¡±

    While talking with Schnee who answered indifferently, Tiera thought, ¡®Demon, it¡¯s over for you.¡¯

    There were certainly soldiers who were on patrol and on guard duty. However, there was no one powerful enough that could see through Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿, and Schnee assumed that there was no need to patrol inside a castle in broad daylight.

    ¡®It was too easy,¡¯ thought Tiera who knew of Schnee¡¯s capabilities, but she held back her question about whether if it was all right to have advanced so easily like this.

    Even the demon wouldn¡¯t expect this kind of development.

    And then¨D¨D.

    ¡°We have arrived¡­¡±

    After a several minutes, they arrived at the front door that lead to the prison cell without any incident.

    Guarding the sturdy door were two muscr knights. However, when Schnee approached, they leaned their backs against the wall and sat down, as if they lost their strength.

    It was the non-chanting magic skill, Sleep. After taking the key from the guards who havepletely fallen asleep, Schnee opened the door that led to the prison cell.

    You couldn¡¯t say that the prison cell was clean. Even though it was in the royal castle, it had the appearance close to a cave. Each one of the jails were spacious, it was possible to amodate about ten humans brought together.

    Schnee had detected 2 presences within her perceptive range. One of them was the demon and the other belonged to Cardinal Greyl. She headed straight towards the cell because that was where the demon¡¯s presence was.

    In the prison cell, except Schnee andpany, there were only two presences. Even though the room was quite spacious, only the Cardinal was amodated there.

    After leaving Yuzuha to Tiera and put her on standby, Schnee approached the Cardinal and showed herself. Then, a loud voice from Cardinal Greyl asked for her identity.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Cardinal Greyl.¡±

    ¡°!? T-That voice, perhaps you are Raizar-dono? Why are you here?¡±

    Perplexity was mixed in with Cardinal Greyl¡¯s voice.

    Even the Cardinal heard about the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°You are affected by Charm and Confusion, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­You know?¡±

    ¡°I heard you transposed the person who was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One and the Second Princess to the Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°As expected from Raizar-dono, you have quick ears. When did it begin? I have little memory of it. I was arrested by Gadras when I recovered my consciousness, and came to be this state. Even if I try to remember it, no matter how many times, only fragmented and vague memories appear.¡±

    Cardinal Greyl frowned in a regretful way; Schnee felt he was a size smaller than the time when he was part of the Armed Struggle Faction. It was likely he felt responsible for the events that urred.

    ¡°That¡¯s the harmful effect when you get two of the mind interference, you know? I came here to remove Charm and Confusion from youpletely. Please be at ease. The two people who were transposed are safe.¡±

    The Cardinal suddenly lifted his head.

    ¡°What! Is that the truth!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s trustworthy information.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for your concern. Having driven people indispensable to the country, the royal family and a Chosen One, to death, you could say I was very worried.¡±

    ¡°It probably won¡¯t take long until they return. Now, since your worries have disappeared, shall I remove the abnormal states?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s frightening that I don¡¯t know when I will lose my sanity. Please do so.¡±

    The truth was it¡¯s already dispelled, but Schnee told him so to make him feel relieved.

    When mind interference group magic skills became a taboo, the knowledge of the recovery method was also lost.

    Schnee was going to use an abnormality state recovery magic skill on the weakened Cardinal Greyl.

    However, before she could activated the skill, a shadow came flying towards Schnee.

    ¡°You finally came out, huh?¡±

    Schnee quickly took out a ninja katana,¡ºLazuline me¡», and turned her gaze toward the shadow that flew in.

    Before her, there was a monster which had a strange appearance.

    The lower half of its body had two different legs: one leg resembled that of a cow and the other was human. An exoskeleton simr to insects covered the being from its chest to its buttocks. The left arm had a pair of crab pincers and a mantis sickle. The right arm on the other hand, had five tentacles, all of which had thorns protruding the tips. Its head was probably an anglerfish. With a fish face that extended horizontally, the demon seemed to hadpound eyes.

    It was like a chimera created with evil intention. That figure, which could only be called revolting, were characteristic traits of the Count ss.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºCount ss Demon Magunumuku Level 423¡»

    With Schnee¡¯s¡¾Analyze¡¿, the enemy¡¯s information was disclosed. The rank was what she expected. The only difference was it had ¡°Magunumuku¡± as an individual name.

    ¡°It has a name. I see, so that¡¯s why it possesses such intelligence, huh?¡±

    Some demons, apart from the rank, have their own name.

    It could be said that there were the demon¡¯s version of unique monsters. It wasmonly known to be strong, simr to other unique monsters. In an indirect way, its high intelligence seemed toe from it being unique monster.

    ¡°Silver hair. Blue eyes. Elf. You are Schneee¡­Raizaa¡­huh?¡±

    Did it have a problem with its vocal chords? It seemed to have a distorted out of pitch voice that echoed in the basement.

    ¡°It¡¯s been about 500 years since I¡¯ve met your kind. Though I haven¡¯t seen a figure since the natural disaster, it¡¯s still a weird appearance as always.¡±

    ¡°You all are annoying. You fellows are always a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°Naturally, swish!!¡±

    The voice of Magunumuku was erased by a Ting sound that reverberated underground, and blue sparks lit up the dark prison cell momentarily.

    As it weaved through the darkness, the thorn that lengthened from the tip of the tentacles wereunched at Schnee, but she knocked it down in time. The iron bars of the prison cell were already in pieces by Schnee¡¯s movement.

    Whoosh

    Pincers and a sickle attacked Schnee who moved to protect Cardinal Greyl.

    Schnee caught the 3 lethal weapons that concentrated an attack on her ¡ºLazuline me¡». With the katana de pushed by the Count ss, which featured high muscr strength, blue sparks scattered from the ¡ºLazuline me¡».

    Tentacles approached from Schnee¡¯s right side, which couldn¡¯t move. There were five of them and Schnee¡¯s ¡ºLazuline me¡» was suppressed by the pincers and sickle from Magunumuku.

    ¡®Caught you¡¯, Magunumuku thought, but just then a blue trace ran through the base of its tentacles.

    Gaaahh!?

    The screaming Magunumuku took distance from Schnee.

    Thepound eyes of Magunumuku caught the dagger, ¡ºScarlet me¡», in its view in Schnee¡¯s left hand, and confirmed that it had stopped the ¡ºLazuline me¡» with its pincers and sickle.

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t prevent its tentacles from being freely cut by ¡ºLazuline me¡», as it was not possible to react to Schnee¡¯s simple but quick movements. Even if the tentacles were able to withstand blows from a greatsword, it couldn¡¯t endure the de which carried a mysterious shine.

    ¡°Guu! Annoying! Why are you protecting a human!?¡±

    ¡°He is an innocent person, I cannot let him die with such a false usation. Besides, I cannot let you guys do whatever you please. To do so would tarnish Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s record.¡±

    ¡°Tsuki no Hokora. The ce of the High Human, huh?¡±

    Mugunumuku, who heard the name Tsuki no Hokora, withdrew back one step and straightened its posture.

    Its cut off tentacles regenerated from the part of its base.

    ¡°High Human, these fellows also killed many of myrades. However, that¡¯s already over.¡±

    ¡°Over?¡±

    ¡°They have abandoned this world, and many of the warriors left. Humans that remained, degraded as they progressed.¡±

    ¡°Well, I never thought to be told such a story by a demon.¡±

    Though Count ss demons were not smart to that extent, when it came to those owning a name, it seemed able to understand the society of the human race.

    ¡°Human era is facing the end. Schneee Raizaa. Be ourrade.¡±

    ¡°Is this the lead in to said story? When I think about whatever you said¨D¨D¨D¨D It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Magunumuku¡¯s invitation was declined by Schnee without any hesitation. Such a thing was not worthy to be considered.

    Magunumuku, which heard Schnee¡¯s answer, bent its without-a-neck-body skillfully, and had a posture that looked puzzled. It appeared to not understand the reason Schnee refused.

    ¡°Schneee Raizaa. You were left by your master, why did you refuse us?¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±

    In the middle of a trifling conversation, Schnee had to estimate the timing of attack, and her pretty eyebrows twitched to the words originating from Magunumuku.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    The air had frozen. Everyone in that room felt the illusion that the temperature inside the prison cell fell below freezing.

    At this time, only Tiera felt the furs of Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly bristling up.

    ¡°Your master has left you behind. These fellows have gone long ago. They will no longer return.¡±

    As for Magunumuku, did it not feel the severe cold given off by Schnee? It wouldn¡¯t stop talking.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hateful? I won¡¯t abandon you. Isn¡¯t it annoying? Just rely on that power.¡±

    Magunumuku kept stacking up words in a crooked voice to Schnee, who was silent.

    The distorted sound, which was simr to the noise from the abyss, invaded and surged toward Schnee¡¯s ears.

    That was the skillset of Charm and Confusion that had manipted Cardinal Greyl. The double mind contamination extended its evil hand towards Schnee.

    However¨D¨D

    ¡°Indeed, you all are still not aware of it after all.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice had somewhat a translucent feeling in it, filling the dark wet prison cell and purifying it.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°If it was the former me, I would surely be angry. I may have relied on feelings and fought.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression changedpletely into a calm one from some time ago.

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t understand why it didn¡¯t feel negative emotions.

    ¡°The timing was bad for you.¡±

    Schnee, in the next moment after saying so, moved both of her hands that they became blurry, and her weapons¡ºLazuline me¡»and ¡ºScarlet me¡»became shes that prated through Magunumuku.

    Gaahhh!?

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t even react to the overwhelming speed of Schnee.

    The des pierced through the demon¡¯s right chest and left side belly; its power and sharpness caused Magunumuku to be sewn on the wall of the prison cell.

    There, Schnee approached him in a rxed manner. Her movement was not in the least fast.

    ¡°This degree of¨D¨D¡±

    Its words didn¡¯t continue to the end.

    With its view declining diagonally, the figure that projected there, especially the blue shining line, made a strong impression in Magunumuku¡¯s mind.

    Magunumuku had its head severed. However, it didn¡¯t cease breathing immediately because of its tough vitality. Therefore, it was able to recognize the ninja katana that gave off a bizarre air that Schnee held in her hand.

    Schnee and a Demon

    (That weapon, don¡¯t tell me, ¡ºBlue Moon¡»? Absurd, that impossi¡­)

    Its thought also broke off there.

    Magunumuku¡¯s view turned blue for an instant, and this time, it ceased breathing after recognizing the ninja katana.

    ¡°If now, I don¡¯t feel like losing to an Element Tail.¡±

    Schnee muttered, while feeling the power flow from ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    ¡°Raizar-dono. What in the world was that monster just now¡­?¡±

    Cardinal Greyl confirmed that the demon had vanished, and turned toward Schnee.

    Before his eyes, an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.

    ¡°The one I defeated just now was the monster called a demon. The one that was manipting you. Though you should be able to understand what you saw, there is not much known about it because it was a unique monster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a demon¡­I have read the Church¡¯s documents. It¡¯s humanity¡¯s enemy and is born from miasma.¡±

    The demon, which hadn¡¯t appeared for a very long time, started making its move.

    This, may be an advanced warning that something different from the current would happen.

    ¡°The abnormal state that affected you has been dispelled. Because I have to tell the King, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what should I say to express my gratitude? I will repay this kindness by all means.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t get worked up too much. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Schnee winked at Tiera and the rest who were hiding, and began to walk.

    Tiera, who was under a ¡¾Hiding¡¿ state, was holding Yuzuha, followed the two people. By the way, Kagerou was hidden inside her shadow the whole time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Schnee and Cardinal Greyl headed straight to the King¡¯s room. Because Schnee stopped hiding her appearance, people who passed her gave a surprised expression and lowered their heads, which looked impressive to Tiera.

    Was the story transmitted to the top brass? A guide came from the King¡¯s bodyguard unit in the midway and led them. It was boisterous inside the castle, probably because the information rted to the series of events were not transmitted urately. As for the guide being dispatched, it was because some of the capable leaders had no choice but to make a move.

    ¡°This is the office of the King. Please wait for a little bit.¡±

    Saying so, the guide¡¯s soldier knocked on the door, and conveyed Schnee¡¯s visit.

    Schnee already grasped who was inside the room, and when the door opened, she calmly entered. Cardinal Greyl was urged to go inside, too. Tiera and the rest secretly slipped into the room.

    There were three people in the office.

    King of the Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth.

    First princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Efilia Lou Bayreuth.

    Knight¡¯s leader of Bayreuth Kingdom, Gadras Jarre.

    The color of tension could be perceived on the three people¡¯s expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I need to talk with all of you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Raizar-dono. I¡¯m sorry for meeting you like this. I heard that Tsuki no Hokora had disappeared, and my mind became dismayed, you know?¡±

    ¡°I seemed to have caused you worry. However, Tsuki no Hokora and I are safe. Please rest assured.¡±

    Jeon had heard the report of Schnee being alive and well. However, having met her, moreover obtained the information of Tsuki no Hokora was safe from her directly, he felt relieved.

    ¡°Raizar-sama. That is Cardinal Greyl, shouldn¡¯t he have been put into the prison cell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would like to talk regarding that.¡±

    To Efilia¡¯s question, Schnee exined to them about the existence of demons and how they were behind the scenes of controlling the cardinal.

    ¡°Demons¡­It¡¯s written in the history book. The enemy of mankind. For such a thing to make a move¡­¡±

    ¡°They have mind interference skills, which are considered a taboo. What a troublesome bunch.¡±

    Listening to Schnee¡¯s story, Jeon and Gadras groaned with a grave expression.

    Because they knew Cardinal Greyl was a person who didn¡¯t neglect self-training, they seemed to fully realize the nuisances of the mind interference system skills that manipted him.

    Efilia anxiously looked at Schnee.

    ¡°With my magic skills, can I oppose them?¡±

    ¡°Even without magic system skills, there are skills that weakens the mind interference. I will hand you the Secret Book, please spread it around as much as possible.¡±

    Up until now, such a skill was hardly needed.

    However, when the thought of enemies that relied heavily on mind interference skills, like demons, increased, Schnee handed over the¡ºSecret Book¡»of support system magic skill to Efilia. Though it was a useless item depending on level differences, she thought it was better than doing nothing.

    ¡°Also, the two people who were transposed are also safe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that the truth?!¡±

    ¡°What a relief¡­¡±

    ¡°Though princess and Shin-dono are said to be upper ss Chosen Ones, I thought they wouldn¡¯t die easily, no, I¡¯m d, very d.¡±

    Jeon, Efilia and Gadras looked like they were relieved to hear the safety of Rionne and Shin.

    ¡°As for Cardinal Greyl, he has not been affected by mind interference either. Therefore, I came with him to go here.¡±

    ¡°This time I have troubled you all.¡±

    ¡°No, as Raizar-dono said, it was because you received mind interference; it would be the same if it was us. I would like Cardinal Greyl to serve as a mediator with the church as always.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, I promise to give more effort.¡±

    The cardinal bowed his head to the King.

    Because he was not the cause of the event, there was no significant punishment.

    ¡°First of all, we need to manage the information. When people of the castle are confused, they be uneasy.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Raizar-dono, what will you do after this?¡±

    ¡°There is a ce I must go. Excuse me.¡±

    Schnee bowed and turned back.

    Though it was extremely rude toward a King, no one said anything because it was Schnee.

    Jeon, as usual, already turned his head and gave instructions to Gadras.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What will we do from now on, Master?¡±

    ¡°We are heading toward the fort city Balmel. Because when Shin and Rionne escape from the Sacred ce, they will be going there.¡±

    After buying food in town, Schnee and Tiera appeared outside the ramparts.

    Since Shin had the wagon, they were going to head on foot from here. Schnee and Yuzuha moved by themselves, but Tiera rode on Kagerou¡¯s back, which transformed to just the right size.

    Like the blowing winds, Schnee and the rest ran through the road.

    With¡¾Hiding¡¿still in effect, and due to the running speed that was iparable with horses, the merchants and adventurers passing by were gued with the sudden gust¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡°Master~! It¡¯s fast! Too fast!¡±

    ¡°G-Gruu¡­¡±

    asionally, they heard such voices too.

 Book 4: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    Going back in time, immediately after Shin and Rionne were transferred to Sacred ce Kalkia.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°I was able to contact and convey the message to mypanions. They will meet us at Balmel and will contact me if somethinges up. I asked them to inform the king that the princess is safe for now, but please don¡¯t expect too much.¡±

    Shin thought about what to do next, while telling Rionne; although it was quite different from his actual conversation with Schnee.

    Though he wanted to explore the Sacred ce, it would certainly be bad if he took Rionne with him, so he decided to make escaping a top priority and exploration as a bonus.

    Even though Rionne was said to be an upper ss Chosen One, if the rumored monsters¡¯ information were correct, she would be in danger if Shin didn¡¯t guard her.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, do you know anything about the Sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°No, this is also my first time inside, but I have heard stories about the monsters that woulde out, and that it would take several upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ everything to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simr to the information I know. In any case, I will need a weapon, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s impossible without a weapon. Is it a blessing in disguise that I have this?¡±

    Rionne said and took out ¡ºMuspelm¡»from the case she held in hand.

    Was this because Rionne had a weapon that could bear all of her energy? Though she was transposed to the danger zone, there was no grim facial expression from her.

    Since the case became useless baggage under the current situation, she decided to leave it behind. Because ¡ºMuspelm¡» was currently sheathed in what was thought to be a custom-designed scabbard, she didn¡¯t need to carry it exposed.

    ¡°I am good, but what about you, Shin? There may be no handy weapons lying around¡­¡±

    Rionne, who was equipped with ¡ºMuspelm¡», muttered as she looked at Shin.

    However, Shin didn¡¯t panic. If what he needed was a weapon, he had more than he could possibly use and had exnations for having them prepared.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, because I have this.¡±

    Shin said and took out a piece of a card from his chest pocket and materialized it.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I said it before? I have one or two trumps card concealed.¡±

    Shinughed a bit proudly towards the surprised Rionne.

    What Shin was holding was something that could be misinterpreted as a weak, elliptic-shaped, ttened bar. The katana without-brim had a thickened portion part of the de, which also best describes its shape.

    Its length was about one and a half mel and was fully ck in color. Designs like Sanskrit characters were drawn in red on its t part. Though it had the appearance of a sword, because the weapon was of the heavyweight ss like a mace or a long staff, it was mainly for smashing, not cutting, duringbat.

    This weapon, which seemed to havepletely opposite attributespared to ¡ºMuspelm¡», was an average ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, named ¡ºKakura¡». The reason why it had a ck appearance was because most of it was made of adamantine. There was a little amount of orichalcum in its core, and mithril was used for the Sanskrit characters; as a result, it could deal with the opponent¡¯s magical and physical attacks.

    ¡°Even though I thought that you were no ordinary person, when you concealed such a thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I went through many hardships to obtain it, so please keep it a secret if possible.¡±

    Shin confirmed his senses by taking a swing of ¡ºKakura¡», which was enveloped by a red aura.

    By contrast with its thin appearance, because the material was adamantine, its weight was as heavy as Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡». The gust of wind conveyed the weight of a single swing.

    ¡°I just wanted to ask one thing, where do the Sacred ce investigation teams enter? I have a feeling that they exit over there.¡±

    ¡°Among the gates are four cardinal directions, they enter through the southern gate; of course, it won¡¯t be so easy to pass by.¡±

    ¡°Is it difficult to climb the surrounding walls?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there was one person who tried it once. It¡¯s fine to do it from the outside, but when you try from the inside, monsters seem to only target you. Evasion is also difficult once noticed.¡±

    From the ce where Shin and Rionne were, walls that surrounded Kalkia were seen.

    Even if one climbed the wall which, by the way, was higher than Bayreuth¡¯s, and did so without any hindrances, it would probably still take a considerable amount of time.

    It would take even more time while on the lookout for monsters.

    (But if I get serious, it¡¯s possible to do it¡­)

    Though Shin could do it, his ability may be known to Rionne, and it was a simple matter to escape for the two people.

    The technique ofbining martial arts and magic skills to run up the wall quickly was a rtively popr technique in a battle between yers. If he forcibly used the technique little by little, he may be able to do it with just either one of the skills alone. However, ording to what he heard from Rionne¡¯s story, that technique must have been lost too.

    ¡°Well then, Shin, let¡¯s advance cautiously.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The two people moved toward the south gate while observing their surroundings for presences.

    Because Kalkia was a city from the game era, Shin thought he could restore the map; however, against his expectations, when he tried there were no significant changes. Still, the map seemed to have been drawn from scratch again.

    While watching the presences of monsters, they moved along and jumped onto a roof, and Shin felt his view was distorted.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin found himself standing on the ground before he knew it.

    He intended to jump onto the roof above, but the sensation that transmitted to his feet certainly came through the ground.

    ¡°Shin, you felt the same thing too?¡±

    When Shin turned around, Rionne stood there with a simr perplexed expression.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Let me try it again just to make sure.¡±

    Saying so, Shin kicked-off the ground a little stronger.

    As usual, he only put enough strength so that he could just jump over the roof of the building. However, nothing happened.

    ¡°Is this a transition point?¡±

    It was possible to jump to a certain extent. However, when one reached above the height of a certain level, the body that should be jumping upnded on the ground.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, how did I look to you?¡±

    For confirmation, Shin asked Rionne.

    ¡°You certainly jumped, there¡¯s no doubt about it. However, there, when you reached the height just above the roof of the 1st floor, your figure, which should have been heading up, disappeared, and you appeared on the ground in the next moment.¡±

    While Rionne pointed at the roof of a certain building in front of Shin, she exined how she saw him.

    ¡°I see¡­If we assume that that will happen every time we try to ascend above a certain height, it means that it is blocked.¡±

    Shin concluded.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a phenomenon. Shin, do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°I think that I have some idea of what¡¯s going on. Can we move continue along the road as is to confirm my hypothesis?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, so I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    Shin moved through the readjusted boundary of the main street.

    In the middle of the street, they finally stopped in front of a narrow alley that could barely fit two people.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, I will enter the alleyway now, please wait here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After saying a few words to Rionne, Shin walked into the alley.

    In the following moment, when Shin¡¯s whole body entered the passage, his vision became distorted, and a different scene of the alley came into view.

    In Rionne¡¯s eyes, just like what happened to Shin a while ago, Shin seemed to return from the alley unnaturally.

    ¡°What on earth is this¡­?¡±

    Rionne looked at Shin with a puzzled expression.

    Although it happened in front of her eyes, she seemingly couldn¡¯t make any sense of it.

    ¡°This one too, huh?¡±

    ¡°Shin, can you please exin what is going on? Something is strange with today¡¯s events.¡±

    Rionne asked Shin, who looked like he understood what was going on.

    ¡°Sorry, I just want to confirm onest time, because I think I can be sure after this one, could you please wait a little?¡±

    ¡°Muu! If you have to, then it can¡¯t be helped. Also, what is it that you want to confirm?¡±

    Rionne asked as she pressed Shin ahead.

    ¡°When we get on this road, there should be a glowing sphere floating. Because you can¡¯t move forward if you go off the road, please take note of it.¡±

    Shin told Rionne the details and began to walk.

    Rionne too followed him, while looking closely at her surroundings.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, I saw it. It¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Indeed, it¡¯s as you say, a sphere of light.¡±

    The way ahead, also in the center of the road, was a floating sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels, which emitted a white light.

    The brightness was not very strong; one would not be blinded even if they looked straight at it.

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no mistake about it. Somehow this whole city seems to have be a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°WAIT, WHAT?!¡±

    Rionne heard Shin¡¯s exnation, but raised her voice in surprise.

    Though the features for the city were lost because of the roaming monsters, it was once a ce known to be full of prosperity. When she heard that it be a dungeon, it couldn¡¯t be helped that she was surprised.

    ¡°But, what should we do now? I¡¯ve never heard of a town bing a dungeon before.¡±

    ¡°Even though I say ¡®dungeon¡¯, please don¡¯t worry, because it¡¯s different from a general one.¡±

    Shin talked calmly to Rionne who frowned and pondered.

    Shin actually knew this whole dungeon-making thing well.

    ¡°Please exin it to me, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Sure. What I¡¯m saying is, In the current situation, we can only reach the exit if we go along a specific route.¡±

    ¡°Specific route? Then, the reason for us not being able to move above the roof and the alley¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because it deviates from the specific route. If you try taking shortcuts that greatly deviate from the route, you return to your original location. In order to escape, we must advance following this shining sphere as a marker.¡±

    Shin had remembered that immediately after a massive update, a time-attack race was held using the entire city.

    In the city that newly appeared in the update, there were no yers¡¯ shops, guild bases and so on. So, in the case of an event using a whole city which was thought to be impossible, was implemented at this opportunity; a time-attack race.

    With the center of the city as the entrance, yerspeted in a time trial to escape from there. The yers and parties with the shortest time got a limited edition rare item distributed from the event; therefore, Shin had seen this sphere before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember registering in this race though.¡±

    Shin continued talking in a small mutter that was not audible to Rionne.

    ¡°Because there are no traps installed on the route, if we find the sphere while killing monsters, we should be able to escape without any trouble.¡±

    Monsters would emerge and would match the stats of the yers.

    ¡¾Limit¡¿ couldn¡¯t be released during an event, and decreased stats were applied. In addition, the course became longer if the stats were high; it was the overview of the time-attack race that Shin knew.

    Instead of the race deciding on stats or learned techniques, the race was decided upon the escape routes that were randomly generated and differed in length.

    (It¡¯s possible to release ¡¾Limit¡¿ now, but will it be different from the event in the game? No¡­, to begin with, there is a possibility I cannot interfere with the stats because the game became a reality, right?)

    Because this world itself was mysterious, Shin couldn¡¯t be certain, but then, not everything should act ording to the game scenarios.

    ¡°I see, is there a time limit? When exploring the ancient ruins and the dungeon, I heard that there were such things.¡±

    ¡°No, there should not be.¡±

    It was an event which one could clear even if one took their time.

    The goal was topete for the quickest time to escape. ording to Shin¡¯s knowledge, there was no particr penalty in the case of being slow.

    ¡°Shin, though it may seem bad when I say it this way, I feel lucky to be teleported with you. Thanks to you, I did not have to make any effort in trying to solve this riddle.¡±

    Rionne said while smiling wryly.

    If Rionne was actually alone, it was certain that she would waste time before she understood the situation.

    ¡°Then, Shin, let¡¯s go look for the lightsphere. Tell me if there¡¯s a ce that differs from your knowledge. This is a Sacred ce, I don¡¯t know what can happen.¡±

    ¡°Understood. As for this sphere, it bes the transition point to the next route. First, I will be transposed ahead. I will return immediately if there is nothing, so please standby.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hearing Rionne¡¯s answer, Shin touched the sphere.

    His surrounding scenery suddenly changed in an instant, and Shin was in a different ce than a moment ago. When he checked the map, the distance between him and Rionne was not that far. It was the distance of less than five minutes if walking normally.

    ¡°This is the part of the race where it gets unpleasant.¡±

    Shin sighed, as he recalled the race that he had experienced before. He returned to Rionne right away.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe for transposing. Now then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to leave you in a dangerous position.¡±

    ¡°I cannot afford to let you, the princess, to be in my position. Besides, there are groups of monsters ahead at the transposing point. If it were just me, I could only run away.¡±

    Shin, on the contrary, could easily crush the enemies ahead.

    If he was in a ce where he wouldn¡¯t be seen, Shin would instantly kill any monster that was there without hesitating.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for etiquette here. Let¡¯s both survive and leave together.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    In response to Rionne¡¯s words, which were full of determination, Shin returned a big nod.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    With Shin as the lead, the two people walked down the street.

    During the time-attack race, it was basically impossible to move forward except through the main street. There were exceptions, such as hidden passage-like alleys and shortcuts, but it dependedpletely on luck whether or not they were found.

    Unless they were in a very desperate situation and aimed for reversal, it only cost time to look for such a thing. Rionne was also looking for such alleys at first, but with Shin¡¯s advice, she went ahead through the main street obediently.

    In a ce where they approached a crossroad, Shin looked back at Rionne.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, let¡¯s go straight from here.¡±

    ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°There are three monsters on the left, one on the right. Because there is nothing up front, we should go there first. If it¡¯s no good, we go to the right. Even if the left is the correct path, there will be a series of battles. I think we should avoid battle as much as possible.¡±

    In Shin¡¯s perception range, there were already several presences of monsters.

    Because he could narrow down the range to value uracy, he was able to see their names and levels.

    On the left side, there was a level 602 wolf type monster ¡°Blue-Mist Hound¡±, a scorpion type monster level 544, ¡°Spoerk¡±, and three level 588 slime type monsters, ¡°Gily¡±.

    He could see that it was a three-way battle from the movement of the markers. It would probably be hard for Rionne to jump in there.

    In the opposite direction, there was a ghost type monster level 531, Ghillie Wize.

    It was a troublesome monster that uses some advanced level magic skills, but with Shin¡¯s ¡ºKakura¡» and Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡», they had more than enough to deal effective damage to it. Even with Rionne¡¯s fighting ability alone, going right was the easiest fight. There was no problem even if she were to be directly hit by magic skills if Shin became her shield.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, there are only two of us. We should avoid the fights that are likely to be disadvantageous.¡±

    Rionne seemed to believe Shin¡¯s story, and stepped straight forward.

    However, the view for the two people became distorted after they walked for about five minutes. It was iprehensible because it was in the middle of the main street, and the left and right shops changed simrly to a moment ago.

    ¡°It seems to be no good here.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. No choice but to return.¡±

    Since they could not proceed forward, as they agreed beforehand, they returned and instead turned left.

    Shin caught the monster¡¯s appearance in his view after moving for a while.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. It¡¯s still the only monster, and there¡¯s no other presences of monsters nearby.¡±

    Before the two people was a figure of a mummy, which wore a mist-like ck robe and had a twisted, warped-shaped staff.

    Only the head and arms resembled the figure of a mummy, neither the legs nor upper body were there. It was a monster that fell into heresy; its own body had turned into mist. Its name was Ghillie Wize.

    In fact, by looking at it alone, the mummy that appeared had no physical substances for its head and arms either. It could be said that normal weapons couldn¡¯t deal proper damage; it was a mage type monster which could resist physical attacks.

    ¡°What¡­ is that?!¡±

    ¡°A ghost type monster, Ghillie Wize. It can use earth and wind magic. Though it seems to hold a staff, because the staff is floating, it¡¯s movements are irregr. Please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice!¡±

    Shin gave important info to Rionne while running.

    If a person saw this creature for the first time, they may have thought that it was holding a staff, and they would have received severe damage from the flying stick, as they would not be able to perceive any movement from the monster.

    ¡°Suuuooooooooooooonyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!¡±

    Its voice reverberated, not knowing where it came from.

    It was the magic chants of Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    Almost at the same time as the Ghillie Wize finished chanting, Shin shouted.

    What it released was a wind system magic skill, ¡¾Air Barret¡¿ and ¡¾Air Cutter¡¿. Bullets ofpressed wind and des of sharp wind swooped down on Rionne and Shin. Though both magics were elementary level, the number of attacks were no match for an ordinary mage.

    ¡°This degree!!!¡±

    Rionne closed the distance while lightly evading the barrage of winds from Ghillie Wize.

    Sparing no effort to disy her strengthened physical ability by the support system martial arts skill ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿, she continued dodging the wind magic which should be difficult to see.

    Shin too, closed the gap in the same manner as Rionne, approaching the Ghillie Wize. However, if one looked closely, the magic shots actually vanished when they neared Shin. With the magic resistance from the said High Human¡¯s abnormality, the magic couldn¡¯t maintain its form. Judging from mage types such as Ghillie Wize, the existence of Shin had a thoroughly badpatibility.

    ¡°Ziiii!!?¡±

    That surprised voice originated from the Ghillie Wize.

    Apparently it had noticed that the magic around Shin had disappeared.

    While moving with a speed matching Rionne¡¯s, Shin had a grin andugh that could only be seen by the Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°Uhh!!?¡±

    The word that came out, did it mean, ¡°Crap!!?¡± if it was said by a human?

    It may have realized that its magic didn¡¯t work. The mummy¡¯s face, which should have had no expression, appeared to twitch.

    The approaching figure of Shin, who was a little behind than Rionne, must have appeared as the devil in the Ghillie Wize¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s being more cautious toward Shin rather than Rionne who was holding a holy sword that should be its weakness, was the best evidence of it.

    ¡°BeeeeJaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±

    With a cry, arge mass of magic power developed around the Ghillie Wize.

    It was charging the wind system magic skill ¡¾Storm st¡¿ and earth system magic skill¡¾Dragoon Bite¡¿. With a tornado that exceeded the height of the Ghillie Wize, and a huge y jaw modeled from a dragon, the skill ¡¾Air Barret¡¿ flew wildly, pushing the two attackers.

    ¡°Damn it! Is this the power of a monster in the Sacred ce?¡±

    Even Rionne seemed to be rmed by this.

    Putting strength into the hand holding ¡ºMuspelm¡», she was going to activate some kind of skill. However, Shin interrupted there.

    ¡°Leave it to me here! Rionne-sama, you deal blows on that fellow!¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can count on me!¡±

    Rionne canceled the skill she was going to invoke, and umted more power into her arm.

    Though it was quite dangerous if Shin failed, Rionne didn¡¯t think that Shin would make a mistake. Even if she only knew a little about his ability, she didn¡¯t doubt Shin¡¯s so called trump card, ¡ºKakura¡».

    Shin stepped forth strongly by one step while a pair of advanced level magics drew nearer. These magic skills were unleashed with the Ghillie Wize¡¯s whole power. However, the magic already lost its power due to Shin¡¯s magic resistance; in fact, the magic was on the verge of dispersing.

    ¡°Here I go~!!¡±

    Shin used a side sweep towards the magic, which would disappear if blown apart.

    Contradictory with its appearance, in front of ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s brandish, which carried a considerable amount of mass, was able to erase the magic that approached the two people so easily that it was basically disappointing. The Ghillie Wize too, never thought that it would be easily broken there.

    Seeing Shin and Rionne charging through unscathed, the Ghillie Wize¡¯s movement already stoppedpletely. Rionne, who never overlooked such opportunities quickly took advantage.

    ¡°Got you!!¡±

    Rionne mightily jumped up from behind Shin and rotated once in the air.

    Releasing the umted power, she invoked the fencing technique system martial arts¡¾Full Moon Edge¡¿. With centrifugal force added to the mass of ¡ºMuspelm¡», she struck the increasingly white radiant de against the Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°Dyyyyyyyyyyyyyy©`©`?!!¡±

    The shing attack pierced the robe diagonally and blew off one-third of what the Ghillie Wize wasposed of, and cut off the arm that held the staff.

    The cut off arm then vanished into thin air. Even though it was said to be disembodied, it couldn¡¯t avoid damage if so much of its body got blown off. All the more was true since the attack had a light attribute to it, which was its weak point.

    The staff that should have been floating around was also lying on the ground now. The Ghillie Wize screamed at the substantial damage it received, but its suffering hadn¡¯t ended yet. This is because, charging towards the Ghillie Wize that had received so much damage and had started to retreat; was Shin.

    Shin was grinning andughing again.

    It¡¯s needless to say that the Ghillie Wize saw Shin, who had a brutal smile, as the devil.

    ¡°Hiiiii!?¡±

    Did it have intelligence? The Ghillie Wize started to desperately take distance, as it no longer raised the ¡°Hiiii!?¡± voice.

    However, it was not possible to escape from Shin¡¯s pursuit.

    ¡°Time to put an end to this fellow!!¡±

    Shin jumped and swung downwards, on the Ghillie Wize which fell due to damage.

    It was the mallet technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Fission¡¿ that enveloped ¡ºKakura¡». Because of the very few martial arts skills that could cause damage to disembodied monsters, the already strong ¡ºKakura¡» was powered up even more.

    ¡°orz¡­¡±

    Ghillie Wize uttered at its final moment as a single blow came from sky; although, what it muttered was a meaning even itself didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°It¡¯s unexpectedly an easy win.¡±

    Rionne seemed to feel satisfied, for the battle that ended after only a few minutes.

    ¡°It may be because its weak point is the light attribute bestowed on ¡ºMuspelm¡». Added with its high quality, somehow even with only us, two upper ss Chosen Ones, we were able to defeat it. It¡¯s usually not so easy.¡±

    Because Shin was troubled that it was strange to be thinking optimistically, he gave a firm reminder.

    Perhaps, if his weapon was an iron bar or sword borrowed from the ruins, it hardly would have gone in this direction. Though Ghillie Wize was brought down very easily, if its opponents were ordinary soldiers, it had the ability to destroy approximately a small country on its own. It just had a bad matchup this time.

    ¡°I get it. Anyway, my level didn¡¯t go up even when I defeated a unique Skull Face, but this time it did. While it may be true that the battle was easy, I never thought it was weak.¡±

    Apparently, Rionne¡¯s level had gone up.

    The opponent was close to her rank in this case. For such, she earned enough experience points to level up.

    ¡°Moreover, I also acquired some kind of title.¡±

    ¡°Title?¡±

    ¡®Titles are obtained through battles and leveling up¡¯, Shin thought as he recalled the things that corresponded to the current battle.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s disyed as ¡®Natural Enemy of Magic Users¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Natural Enemy of Magic Users¡¯ was a title that was obtained by defeating a monster without using magic, and without receiving any magic damage when fighting against an opponent who uses advanced level magic skills. There was an effect of decreasing the damage of magic skills by 2 percent.

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­but is it okay to tell me that? This kind of thing should be kept a secret, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you that I obtained this, Shin. Besides, you will not spread such a thing around, will you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Before he knew it, Rionne¡¯s reliability on Shin seemed to have risen.

    Was it because they both fought together?

    ¡°Still, from your appearance, you seem to know the effect of the title, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Well, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°A while ago, you said ¡°I see¡±, didn¡¯t you?¡¯

    He seemed to have been exposed from his answer.

    Because he had a hunch that it would be bad if he knew in detail, he didn¡¯t answer affirmatively. On that subject, Shin recalled that ¡®titles are rarer than skills¡¯.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t remember it.¡±

    ¡°Are you a noble?¡­¡±

    Rionne gave out a little disgusted feeling; the nobles in this world seemed to have said simr things, too.

    When rted to politics, these types of lines seemed to bemon anywhere.

    ¡°Fufu, but I¡¯m more interested in you suddenly. However, it¡¯s an emergency now. I will question youter on. Then, I will go ahead.¡±

    Did something tug on Rionne¡¯s heartstrings? She began to run away with a smallugh.

    Her eyes felt like a hunter who found their prey.

    ¡°¡­Roger that.¡±

    ¡®I would be rather thankful if you forgot that,¡¯ Shin thought while following Rionne.

    When he escaped from the Sacred ce, Shin had a premonition that a troublesome thing like this woulde back when he returned.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 4: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Shin, how many monsters are within your perception range?¡±

    ¡°Besides the other three that I mentioned earlier, there are more than 20 in total. From what I know, most of them supposedly don¡¯t make big movements, but we can¡¯t be careless because some of them tend to disregard this trend too.¡±

    Shin answered to Rionne, while searching for the white sphere to make sure that this was the correct route.

    ¡°It would be nice if the rest of the way goes as smoothly as it has been so far.¡±

    ¡°That, I agree with you.¡±

    It was his honest, true feeling.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    While repeatedly being transposed for several times, Shin noticed something.

    After the battle against Ghillie Wize, the route was gradually approaching the center of Kalkia.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something funny?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I think we are moving away from the gate.¡±

    The route waspletely random. There was a behavioral pattern in which a person could transition near the gate in one go.

    Were there any requirements that had to be fulfilled during the race to reach the gate? Or was it that the race¡¯s goal was to reach the center? Shin didn¡¯t know, but since it was a one-way route, they would eventually return to the gate even if they came close to the center.

    ¡°Indeed. Well, this area in the Sacred ce is uncharted territory, so it¡¯s a good chance to unravel such a ce¡­¡±

    ¡°Although life is more important than information,¡± Rionne continued and as she followed behind Shin.

    When they passed through the street after being transposed some time ago, they used the shade of a wall and the tree that grew in the garden of a residential building to conceal themselves from the wandering monsters.

    Such a small technique was possible; although the alleyway couldn¡¯t be used.

    Fortunately, they were notcking hiding ces thanks to a house that hadn¡¯t yet copsed.

    The monsters¡¯ blind spots were exploited, as they went behind buildings, garden fences, and asionally went against the direction of the route.

    However, there were some monsters that noticed them because some of the monsters had a perception ability that didn¡¯t rely on sight, but instead sound or heat.

    (It¡¯s hard not being able to use skills thoughtlessly¡­Hiding!)

    Shin activated the skill, without Rionne noticing. It was a non-system skill which fell under magic skills, ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    Though its effect was lower than the ¡¾Hiding¡¿ of support system martial arts skills, it could conceal presences, sound, etc. to a number of people like a party within a fixed range. It was useful using this skill too, as they wouldn¡¯t be discovered by snake or bat type monsters.

    ¡®However, it is difficult as I can¡¯t use the skill with all of my strength,¡¯ Shin thought once again.

    Even for an upper ss Chosen One, dozens of them didn¡¯t have the skill either when he asked Schnee about it.

    He didn¡¯t worry about it at that time, but when being with a person like Rionne, it was not done easily.

    Even under normal circumstances, she was interested in him because he was knowledgeable in weapons and titles. If various skills of martial arts or magic that he was able to use were discovered, what kind of questioning would await?

    (Why is it whening to a different world, I have limited y?)

    ¡®If the members Schnee, Tiera, and Wilhelm were here, it wouldn¡¯t be a pain in the ass like this,¡¯ Shin thought while running.

    It was a considerably high pace, but as expected from a Chosen One, Rionne didn¡¯t have a shortness of breath and so on. Then, after transposing repeatedly several times; just when Shin thought, ¡®can we reach the gate without any troubles?¡¯ a formidable enemy appeared.

    ¡°¡­Is that Gily?¡±

    It was a different individual thatposed 3-way battles some time ago.

    With a level of 684, that Gily was the highest level among what he saw in Kalkia. It was not a good opponent to be in conflict with as it had random movement and had no regrity.

    Weren¡¯t the small-fry enemies that came out in the beginning of the game slimes? This was a monster that could be ssified as a formidable boss character.

    The most troublesome thing about this Gily was that the monster had exceptionally high fighting power for a slime.

    Was it because its gel-like shape was irregr? Almost all physical attacks were ineffective. Furthermore, its body stretched out like a tentacle and struck in the same way as a whip. It thrust like a spear, wrapping around to capture its target, and did so until the attacks broke the opponent¡¯s battle formation.

    In addition to the body fluids that secreted from Gily¡¯s body, it also had an effect of reducing the durability of weapons and armor. It was known to be a typical time-consuming monster, so the battle was prolonged even longer.

    Even if its appearance was about 4 mels of semi-transparent water and steamed bun-like, one should never be careless.

    ¡°Slime, huh? But if it¡¯s only huge then there¡¯s no problem. Let¡¯s not stand still, but breakthrough in one go.¡±

    ¡°Ahh!? Hey hey, Rionne, don¡¯t go there!!?¡±

    However, apparently Rionne recognized that the said slime was a small-fry and didn¡¯t stay still.

    Did she not hear Shin¡¯s panicky voice that said to restrain herself? She went for the endgame as she closed the distance in one breath by using her strength as an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°*Hmph*!! ¨D¨DGuah!? What on earth is this?!¡±

    Rionne, who swung down ¡ºMuspelm¡» at Gily, stopped moving when the bizarre reaction urred.

    If Gily was simr to any ordinary slime, it definitely would be defeated if she could destroy its core. However, it couldn¡¯t be easily done as Shin examined the situation. The opponent was a monster whose level exceeded 600. It was not so naive as to overlook the chance of Rionne stopping.

    Gily immediately moved to counterattack. Did it think that she was not a strong opponent? Rionne¡¯s limbs were restrained by the body that stretched out like tentacles.

    Moreover, Rionne was not able to react to the unexpected speed.

    ¡°Good grief, I told you so!¡±

    The sounds of Rionne¡¯s protective gears dissolving by the Gily¡¯s body fluid was heard.

    Since he couldn¡¯t just leave her as she was now, Shin approached the slime brandishing his ¡ºKakura¡».

    ¡ºKakura¡» had a d in mallet technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Sandstorm Burst¡¿¨D¨DA single blow of ¡ºKakura¡» was dyed in a brown aura, and blew away the tentacles that had caught Rionne.

    Shin¡¯s current stats were quite restricted, but he somehow managed to deal damage to Gily.

    Nevertheless, Gily didn¡¯t appear to have the physical resistance of its main body as the tentacles became thinner. ¡¾Sandstorm Burst¡¿ was effective against opponents who had high physical defense, so it may have been a good idea to use it.

    ¡°We will fall back so don¡¯t move for a moment!¡±

    Attack of the Tentacles

    The liberated Rionne was held with one hand by Shin, who jumped back.

    With Shin¡¯s leg power, they were able to escape from Gily¡¯s attack range in one jump. Tentacles of Gily pierced the ce where Shin was before just one breathter.

    The road they were on used a orichalchum mixture for the pavement. Only the strength of a rampaging middle ss Dragon could crack it.

    Even so, the tentacles of Gily had easily pierced the pavement.

    ¡°It prated through the orichalcum pavement¡­¡±

    If it¡¯s Shin¡¯s armor strength, there was no problem receiving any number of attacks, even on his own body. However, knowing the hardness of the pavement, his face was stiff instinctively.

    Even though there was no damage, Shin unleashed a single blow and blew out the tentacles. Did the Giy judge him as a threat? Unlike when it was against Rionne, the Gily didn¡¯t go easy.

    ¡°Shin, what is that? Is it really a slime?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down first, I¡¯ll exin it to you. That is Gily, a monster that is strong at resisting physical attacks. Never confuse that with small-fry slimes from the grassy ins.¡±

    Because it would be a problem if Gily charged again, Shin exined briefly what kind of opponent it was to Rionne.

    It was indeed troublesome if he plunged into the enemy who didn¡¯t match his power.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, it was careless of me. Even though we are in the Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s inevitable if you only know about ordinary slimes. Gily has a gentle-looking appearance; however, be it shing or striking, it¡¯s a troublesome opponent since half-hearted attacks are reduced to nothing and have no effect.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it pierced through its body. For my weapon to really be repelled.¡±

    Even though it was a sh without any skill, the attack of ¡ºMuspelm¡»was repelled.

    Looking at Rionne, who nodded seriously, Shin, who for now felt relieved, thought ¡®Is this alright?¡¯.

    While Rionne was ring at Gily and preparing ¡ºMuspelm¡», Shin thought about the n. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to separate from Gily, as it was a high defense but low agility opponent.

    If there was a problem, it lied in its tracking ability.

    The monsters who didn¡¯t rely on their five senses could perceive many things such as the opponent¡¯s magic or presence and could pursue them.

    Among them, slimes were especially good with this ability. Even if they thought they seeded in escaping, there were many cases where it actually followed them.

    In many ces, leaving it alone would lead to more danger. It seemed better to defeat it, Shin concluded.

    ¡°This fellow has a considerably high sensing ability. Because we¡¯ve already been targeted, it will chase us for a long time even if we escape. I think I¡¯ll defeat it here, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t object for my future¡¯s sake, but can you break through that defense, Shin?¡±

    Rionne, who had experienced the firmness of the slime firsthand, had her eyes seem doubtful toward Shin.

    The story would have been different if the attribute bestowed upon ¡ºMuspelm¡»was me or thunder, but it couldn¡¯t be helped that she said that. Light attributes tended to be very effective against monsters such as undead and ghosts, but it were not very effective towards other monsters.

    In other words, since Rionne¡¯s attack was only a physical attack with light attribute, it was ineffective towards Gily.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got few tricks up my sleeve. I can clear the way to the core, so please destroy the core with your strongest skill. Since the core itself is quite fragile, it should be good to go.¡±

    Generally, monsters with cores were vulnerable to direct attacks on it. It was especially noticeable on the slime group.

    It was said that it was the result of bnce adjustments for having high defensive power except for the core. So, if given the chance, Shin judged that there would be no problem if it was Rionne¡¯s skill and her weapon¡¯s ability to break the core.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s trump card huh? All right then. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    As if there was no uneasiness, Rionne faced towards the Gily.

    ¡ºMuspelm¡»was carried on her shoulder and was ready to step up at any time. Rionne would¡¯ve been knocked down by Gily if Shin wasn¡¯t there¨D¨DNo, she would have been devoured. The binding force of the tentacles seemed tough at Rionne, who resisted desperately. It was frightening just remembering it.

    However, with such a strong binding, Shin blew it away with only a single blow, which was why she said she would leave it to Shin.

    ¡®It would be a disgrace as a woman if I didn¡¯t go,¡¯ Rionne thought and let her entire body be filled with power; at the same time, she got rid of idle thoughts from her consciousness.

    This world¡¯s mental improvement enhances precision and the power of skills. The original power increased a little, regardless of skills and arts.

    Rionne, while waiting for Shin¡¯s signal, prepared the skill that she would unleash.

    ¡°I have to meet his expectations.¡±

    Shin took out a card. A blue me-like pattern was drawn on the surface.

    ¡°¡¾re Burst¡¿ release!¡±

    Simultaneously with the shout, Shin pointed the card toward Gily.

    Then as the card tore itself apart, a sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels appeared.

    In the following moment, a heat ray around 1 mel was discharged from the sphere.

    The sphere was blue on the outside and white in the center, and charged through the air aiming at Gily¡¯s core.

    Did it determine that it couldn¡¯t dodge the attack? The Gily expand its volume size as the ¡¾re Burst¡¿ hit it directly.

    There, the heat ray pierced through while scorching the air.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!? ¨D¨D!!!¡±

    Though the Gily desperately withstood it, its body had low resistance to magic by nature from the start. Even if the strengthening by level was taken into ount, it wasn¡¯t able to endure the ¡¾re Burst¡¿.

    When the bluish-white heat ray went off, the figure of Gily could be seen with a portion of its body vaporized in the line of fire.

    The heat ray didn¡¯t destroy the core, but it was left half exposed.

    It may be because a quarter or more of its original volume vanished at once, and the Gily didn¡¯t move immediately after receiving the heat ray.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!!¡±

    Without missing the opportunity, Rionne, who reacted to Shin¡¯s voice, prepared to use ¡ºMuspelm¡» and dashed toward Gily right away.

    Rionne was surprised of the ¡¾re Burst¡¿¡¯s power, but since she had to focus on defeating the enemy, she left that thought in the corner of her mind.

    With the increased concentration, Rionne¡¯s ability was perfectly demonstrated.

    As of now, she arrived at the front of Gily quickly, leaving her afterimage as she swung down the ¡ºMuspelm¡», and the core was cut in two with little resistance.

    ¡°!!?¡±

    Once the weak point of Gily was cut right in half, its gel body shook, and its life was ended.

    Afterwards, the jewels broke into two and dropped on the ground along with a gel substance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s collect the jewels and leave quickly. Other monsters are approaching as they noticed the battle noises.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please lead the way.¡±

    The jewels, which rolled over the ground, were picked up while running. The two people ran at full speed on the supposed correct route.

    ¡°By the way Shin, yournguage has seemed quite friendly since a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Rionne pointed out as if she just remembered and Shin looked at her with a distorted expression.

    His face had ¡°Oops!¡± clearly written there. Ever since he warned Rionne, who had jumped out recklessly in the spur of the moment towards Gily, he had been talking like that without change.

    ¡°I wonder if the wall between us disappeared a little, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah no, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just, when in battle, my wording bes rough.¡±

    ¡°Mu! I don¡¯t mind it as is. This is a situation where we must entrust each other¡¯s lives. It¡¯s difficult to cooperate if you¡¯re strangely humbled.¡±

    ¡°Even if you say so, I can¡¯t just talk like this after all¡­¡±

    In Shin¡¯s mind, in a society where a privileged ss such as the royal family and nobles exist, amoner and the like shouldn¡¯t be talking to them over-familiarly.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is the Sacred ce, you know? Anything trivial can cause death. From being modest some time ago, the consequences of it may dy me a bit. If I am killed by my own mistake, then that¡¯s what I deserve. However, if you are put in danger because of my mistake, I¡¯ll not be able to live with it, so dying is not an option. At this time, let¡¯s leave out the strange modesty from each other. You can drop the formalities and just call me Rionne.¡±

    ¡°Well, um¡­¡±

    Though it was about the problem of wording, before he knew it, it became a serious matter between life or death.

    As for the matter of Gily, Shin didn¡¯t mean to be especially reserved toward Rionne, but she seemed to interpret so. Still, when ites to the matter of life or death, he couldn¡¯t decline it without special reason. Before he was aware, it was difficult to continue keeping a distance in that type of atmosphere.

    ¡°¡­Got it. However, I think we should give priority to the royal family in this case, no?¡±

    ¡°Though what you said is also a fair argument, even if only I was left alone, the probability of safely escaping is not high. It¡¯s more meaningful for both of us to be alive. Again, don¡¯t be reserved from now on.¡±

    Words of reluctance didn¡¯te to Shin¡¯s mind; he epted Rionne¡¯s condition unwillingly.

    The frowned Shin and the joyfully smiling Rionne were indeed opposite.

    ¡°This is only temporary until we escape.¡±

    ¡°Mu! Well, there¡¯s no other way.¡±

    He also didn¡¯t forget to make it clear, ¡°I¡¯ll do it since there¡¯s no one here¡±.

    ¡°¡­Then let me say this while I have the opportunity.¡±

    Because she was slightly annoying, Shin decided tounch a little counterattack.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them. In various ways.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Did she not understand what Shin was talking about? Rionne looked puzzled.

    ¡°Have you look at yourself after being caught by Gily?¡±

    ¡°Caught? ¨D¨DKyaAH!!¡±

    Rionne, who checked her own appearance after Shin¡¯s words, raised a cute voice and crouched down on the spot.

    In addition to the equipment that was caught by Gily, she finally noticed that it melted her clothes too. Frankly speaking, there were almost no safe ces.

    Most of her arms and legs were bared, hotpants and so on in a very dangerous state. Only a portion of her body was safe. It was probably thanks to the double equipment of armor that consisted of dragon¡¯s leather and a jacket. It seemed to have prevented her clothes from meltingpletely.

    Although there were holes here and there, given that Rionne was a woman, she had hardly shown it to other people.

    The body fluids of Gily, which had durability reduction effects, seemed to aplish its duty well to thest minute.

    Was it because it was the body fluids of some fantasy creature? It may be a fortunate blessing in disguise that the skin had no injury. However, Shin was worried about the voice Rionne raised.

    ¡°Kyaah?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t look at me.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, sorry¡­for the time being, put this on.¡±

    The figure of Rionne, which may have been visible and invisible, was very tempting for eyes.

    This was embarrassing for Rionne too it seemed, as she was blushing and huddling herself up. Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, Shin let Rionne put on the jacket he wore.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s enter the house over there. It¡¯s bad to stay still here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    While Rionne, who was out of order and suddenly became meek, Shin pointed at a rtively decent abandoned house nearby.

    Though there were no monsters around, it was better than being outside. Even though it was in the middle of a time-attack race, they were able to enter the isted house.

    Just in case, Shin activated ¡¾Barrier¡¿ without Rionne noticing. Then, an item card was taken out from his chest pocket. Of course, it was actually from the Item Box.

    ¡°First of all, change into this. It should be better than what you currently have on.¡±

    The item card was materialized, and presented out to Rionne.

    It was the equipment items which had been stored in the Item Box. Because he couldn¡¯t hand over powerful things, the equipment¡¯s rank was low, but since it was strengthened by Shin, it was several times more powerful than those of which were sold in the market, without exception.

    What he handed over was a shirt made of rockworm thread, a jacket that used the skin of a ck buffalo, and a pair of pants that was made of orb-weaving spider string. As for the appearance, it was a simple in white shirt, a light brown jacket, and ck pants.

    ¡°Thank you, do you always have this with you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. There¡¯s a saying, save for a rainy day, save for a time of need, at the ce where I¡¯m from.¡±

    Shin said. Just in case Rionne didn¡¯t understand the saying, he made sure to say his hometown.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good expression. Still, to possess so many item cards¡­¡±

    ¡°Acquaintances¡­Wait, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t mean to tell you any information about this. It¡¯s sort of an agreement.¡±

    Instead of taking all the responsibility, Shin hinted it as if he obtained it from a personal connection.

    ¡°I got it. Not all Chosen Ones are Item Box carriers. I don¡¯t think of trying to pry into you thoughtlessly. It¡¯s just enviable, I think.¡±

    Every item skill were no matchpared to the usefulness of an Item Box.

    Its carrying capacity was very useful in many fields such as business and military affairs. Rionne was in a preferable direction, since she wasn¡¯t persistent.

    ¡°By the way, Shin, though it¡¯s a little rude to ask, I wonder if there are a bit morefortable clothes that I can borrow?¡±

    ¡°Oh, was it torn anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Well, no? It¡¯s a bit tight.¡±

    ¡°Tight? ¡­Ah.¡±

    When Shin pondered over Rionne¡¯s words, he noticed the meaning behind those words.

    The size of the equipment which Shin handed to Rionne was fitted to Shin¡¯s physique. Because a size adjustment function was not included in low-grade equipment, he deliberately disabled the function so he wasn¡¯t suspected.

    However, a problem appeared as the result. Mainly on the chest measurement.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡±

    Shin had nced at Rionne¡¯s chest, which seemed to be able to burst out of her shirt at any moment because she buttoned up forcibly.

    Furthermore, the bottom half of her chest was pushed up. The top half was left open, so now there was a deep cleavage to look down into. In the case of general mass production of clothes, it may be in the right size until there. However, this time, what Rionne wore was equipment that matched with Shin¡¯s physique.

    The size adjustment function was adjusted along the line of the body, so Shin, who was ssified as a thin man, had no need for room at the chest at all.

    The shirt may have been no problem if it was an average sized shirt, but when a pair of hills that were bigger than the average like Rionne¡¯s, there was not enough to hold it in various ways. Additionally, the length of the sleeves were too long; even the joints of her fingers were covered. Her appearance was sensational, in a different meaning than from a while ago. Rather than it bing shabby equipment, it became cool to see, but only the fingers were outside the long sleeve.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but the sizes of the clothes are helpless.¡±

    ¡°Muu! There¡¯s no choice, huh?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the intention to tell the truth at the moment, so he decided to say it was helpless.

    The reason was by no means a delight for his eyes if she stayed as is.

    ¡°Putting that aside, what was that a while ago?¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    ¡°When you suddenly went ¡°KyaAH!?¡± before.¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Such a shameless appearance has been seen! I guess it¡¯s not possible to stay dignified.

    Rionne protested, but there was no intimidating feeling while her face was dyed in red.

    ¡°Is being shy is amon thing?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a way of speaking when I got mixed up in something.¡±

    Rionne, who heard Shin¡¯s remark, scowled at him lightly.

    ¡°Well, because there¡¯s an image that ady¡¯s maid helps to change the clothes of royal families and nobles, I thought you were fine even if you are seen.¡±

    Because there were such scenes in manga and novels he read before, Shin thought that Rionne would also be so.

    ¡°Having ady¡¯s maid to help change my clothes and having been seen by a man in an improper appearance¨C there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s the same!¡±

    ¡°You say so but don¡¯t you usually notice when your clothes are in tatters that much? I thought it was certainly so, because you were so dignified to that extent.¡±

    ¡°I was focusing on the fight!¡±

    From the slime¡¯s strength to the power of Shin¡¯s card ¡¾re Burst¡¿, she should have had enough to be surprised at; even if her clothes came offpletely, it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Also, I am a woman. I can scream too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, what I want to say is that you are not feminine. Until now, you had a different image. Look, you don¡¯t feel scared when you fought against Ghillie Wize, right? Therefore you are not really simr to my impression of you.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know Rionne that much. However, from her attitude until now, the impression of her was dignified was strong.

    ¡°¡­I have no need to keep up appearances. This tone is my personality. I¡¯m aware that it¡¯s hard to say it¡¯s charming as a woman. I¡¯m a woman whose job is to fight.¡±

    ¡°No wait! Why are you being so down for? If you said you¡¯re not attractive, you will make all the women in the world your enemy!¡±

    Because the story deviated towards a strange direction, in order to change the mood, Shin spoke the lines he heard somewhere.

    Of course, that was reality.

    Though Shin has seen a lot of beautiful girls, it didn¡¯t feel unnatural to put Rionne along with beauties like Schnee and Tiera.

    Rionne was more than beautiful enough, though she didn¡¯t seem aware of it. From Shin¡¯s point of view, he couldn¡¯t understand why she became so servile.

    ¡°The ability as a warrior and being of royal lineage. There¡¯s not much I can boast about. Not only am I useless in political marriage, I¡¯m also powerless against enemy monsters.¡±

    ¡°You know, you have looked very down for a while now. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    After they entered the house to take a rest, her thoughts were too negative.

    Shin understood that it was not the type of atmosphere tough or make fun of, as he tightened his expression himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s the fight just now. I couldn¡¯t even put a scratch.¡±

    Even though it could be said that she was the one that gave the final blow, it seemed to be caused by the fact that she wasn¡¯t able to do almost anything to Gily.

    ¡°I would say a while ago is the question ofpatibility. If you had known the physical attacks didn¡¯t work, it would have been a different battle.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly so. However, if a simr opponent appeared, there¡¯s nothing I could do. If it was only me alone, this time is¡­¡±

    Shin was worried about how to speak to Rionne, who was now discouraged.

    The problem that resulted in having the power of an upper ss Chosen One was that it was likely that she had never fought against such a difficult opponent. However, since they have to act together from now on, he couldn¡¯t leave her as is.

    ¡°¡­Hey Rionne, can¡¯t you use a magic skill? If you can use it, you can fight without being repelled.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not at my elder sister¡¯s level, but I can use several magic skills of elementary level. However, can that affect the enemy in some way or another?¡±

    ¡°Only the elementary levels are usable, huh? Well then¡­¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean there was nothing she could do about it. If physical attacks didn¡¯t work, one should go with the bestowed attribute instead of the physical attribute as the weapon.

    Magic and martial arts. If Rionne could use both skills, abination skill may be usable, and even if she couldn¡¯t use them, there was a little loophole path too.

    The problem was whether he should tell her or not.

    While Shin has encountered some things in this world, the people who could usebination skills were limited. Because of that, he didn¡¯t know howbination skills were treated in this world.

    Even a mere skill was valuable. Abination skill was unleashed using two or more skills, and it didn¡¯t appear to bemon.

    On this asion, he decided to ask it from Schnee.

    ¡°(Schnee, is it alright to talk now?)¡±

    ¡°(No problem. Is there anything you need?)¡±

    ¡°(I want to confirm something; nowadays, how arebination skills treated?)¡±

    ¡°(Combination skill, huh? I would say it¡¯s valuable, but it¡¯s not strange for a Chosen One to be able to use it. However, the number of people who can use it are quite limited.)¡±

    Shin briefly talked about the current situation, because he didn¡¯t have much time.

    Schnee, who guessed the situation, shared her knowledge about the skills. Living more than 500 years in this world, she covered all of the information to this degree.

    ¡°(If I¡¯m a Chosen One, is it alright to teach it?)¡±

    ¡°(I think it¡¯s alright. If you are an upper ss Chosen One, it isn¡¯t strange to have multiplebination skills.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m saved)¡±

    Apparently, there was no problem.

    He had no doubt if it was information from Schnee, and decided to give advice to Rionne about the skills.

    Rionne herself was not a bad person, and she couldn¡¯t protect the country if she was left alone in this condition.

    ¡°Hey Rionne, may I ask which magic skills you can use?¡±

    ¡°Magic skills? I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    As a person who seemed to already know, they just started to get acquainted with each other.

    So to add one thing to another, Rionne gave away the skills¡¯ names. As for Shin, he explored thebination of Rionne¡¯s martial arts skills and the magic skills she had told him.

    However, as expected, she didn¡¯t have a clue about her skill, ¡¾Full Moon Edge¡¿, which was ssified as abination of elementary level magic skills and Ouden rank martial arts skills.

    Not only was its bnce bad, but also,bination skills that used elementary level magic were few in numbers.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. I guess we¡¯re going with an imitation, huh?¡±

    ¡°Imitation?¡±

    Shin, who was lost in thought for a while, decided to teach a method of giving an attribute to a physical attack, although it wasn¡¯t abination skill.

    If he found out the information of other martial arts skills that Rionne could use, there might be some goodbinations too. However, he¡¯d like to stop the act of uncovering everything of the other party¡¯s skills.

    ¡°Just checking, but Rionne, you can¡¯t usebination skills¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, my magic skills haven¡¯t reached the level where they can¡¯t be used asbination skills. I tried many different ways though.¡±

    ¡°Then, have you tried this method?¡±

    Shin exined the method to bestow a false attribute.

    It was not a legitimate way, so its power was inevitably diminishedpared to the real thing, but it was still powerful enough.

    ¡°Can I really be able to go with that?¡±

    ¡°You will know once you try it. I also only knew about this by chance.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it.¡±

    Rionne then activated the basis of me technique system magic skill ¡¾Fire¡¿.

    Thereupon, near the poised ¡ºMuspelm¡», a me about 30 cemels appeared. When she maintained the state as described by Shin, the me was gradually absorbed by ¡ºMuspelm¡», and its de turned red.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    The foot of the chair which Shin suddenly threw was cut off by¡ºMuspelm¡» without any resistance; it was like cutting tofu.

    The cut surface scorched; it was clearly understood that heat was added to the de. Although the proper support magic skill ¡¾Enchant Fire¡¿ somewhatcked thermal power whenpared tobination skills with me techniques, the effect of the bestowed attribute was still obvious. At least with this, it would be much better than the light attribute.

    ¡°What kind of state is this?¡±

    For Rionne, who couldn¡¯t use support andbination skills, she seemed unable toprehend the current phenomenon just yet.

    Since it was ced as an underhanded trick in the game era too, it was no wonder she didn¡¯t understand it.

    ¡°Well this, if I have to say, is ¡¾Imitation-type Fire¡¿. I don¡¯t know its formal name either. Please keep in mind it¡¯ll break low-grade weapons when it¡¯s applied there. At least ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapons are still needed, and overuse of this is strictly prohibited. Even without the application of personal skills, there are a lot of things that can be done with that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand it vaguely, but was it okay to teach me? This is an undiscovered technique, you know?¡±

    ¡°In this world, the strength of monsters exceeds humans. If such a technique spreads out, there will be fewer victims too. Are you unhappy or something?¡±

    ¡°Very unhappy. You¡¯re only giving it to me, aren¡¯t you Shin?¡±

    Rionne wasn¡¯t convinced at the immature soteriology.

    The application and the diversity of the technique that Shin taught, she probably had understood it urately.

    ¡°I tried and understood it, Shin. This can be applied to arts too. You may even use a low durability weapon if it¡¯s an arts, there are many usages besides battle as well. The value of this information is higher than a Geyl gold coin, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I understand it even without you making such a scary face, Rionne. Isn¡¯t it fine? You obtained so much valuable information. Shouldn¡¯t you be pleased as a royal family?¡±

    While calming Rionne who approached seriously, Shin told the reason.

    ¡°But, that is¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convincing, huh? Then¨D¨D¡±

    Let¡¯s give her a good reason.

    ¡°Protect. I want to protect all the countries, people, and myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the equivalent price,¡± Shin finished it while staring at Rionne.

    ¡°Shin, you¡­¡±

    Rionne thought there was a secret in Shin¡¯s speech, but she was at a loss for words.

    Rionne felt as if Shin waspletely making up excuses.

    ¨D¨DTherefore.

    (Crap! I said it like that to deceive her, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t so useful and was treated as a joke. When such a look of respect was directed at me, the sense of guilt is incredible!)

    Rionne wasn¡¯t aware of the things going on in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I¡¯ve epted your reasons, Shin. I¡¯ll put it to good use without fail!¡±

    Rionne, who didn¡¯t know the truth, firmly clenched her fists and expressed her determination.

    Something like eyes on fire could be felt from her.

    ¡°First of all, have you recovered?¡±

    ¡°You can count on me. The me a while ago is already gone!¡±

    ¡°Though this is a bad ce to disy your motivation as we will be avoiding battle, you know?¡±

    ¡°I will bear that in mind, whatever the circumstances may be. Please take care of me.¡±

    Though Shin was worried whether the revived Rionne would want to rush the race or not, as expected it didn¡¯t go to that extent.

    However, should one say ¡®as expected?¡¯ Her spirit was quite high.

    ¡°When I¡¯m together with Shin, it makes me think various stuff. I have thought that the talk about engagement is not bad either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve a fiancee. Give me a break!¡±

    He had a feeling that the distance between each other was gradually diminishing, and Shin couldn¡¯t settle down in the difficult situation.

    Though Rionne was a little surprised about how he had a fiancee, she didn¡¯t have the intention to uselessly talk further, and their travel went smoothly.

    On the way, when they reached the closest point to the heart of the city, Shin saw something like haze spread out in the center of the Sacred ce.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    The anxious Shin informed Rionne in a few words to see if it was possible to move to a better ce on the street and observe the central part using a skill.

    Since the central part of the city was slightly higher than the surroundings, they could see it without even without getting on a roof.

    Though there were ruins everywhere in the Sacred ce, only the building in the center remained intact. Shin also remembered it faintly because he often came there when the game had just begun.

    When he looked back at the haze again, for an instant, something seemed to move inside it.

    ¡°What? There¡¯s something there?¡±

    In order to ascertain its identity, Shin stared at it motionlessly.

    In several seconds, the moment when something began moving in the haze again, and Shin was assaulted by a sense that seemed to pull him into the haze.

    ¡°Uwah!?¡±

    He lost his bnce in the abrupt situation, but recovered quickly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You suddenly raised your voice.¡±

    ¡°No, I had the feeling of being sucked in, but it¡¯s alright now.¡±

    At the moment he lost his bnce, when he looked again in the haze, he felt nothing in particr.

    If he said that it was because he was leaning forward too much and nearly fell because he was staring at one point for a long time, she would have been convinced.

    ¡°Shin, I don¡¯t feel anything though?¡±

    ¡°Just what on earth was that?¡±

    Will a simr thing happen? Although Shin watched the haze for a while, the sense he felt in the beginning didn¡¯te back in the end.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Is it alright? Aren¡¯t you interested, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle by again even if I don¡¯t go now. In this situation, I don¡¯t have any intentions to say anything more selfish.¡±

    With the princess, he couldn¡¯t investigate the dangerous Sacred ce thoughtlessly.

    Shin reaffirmed his priority, and both of them resumed their travel.

    Then, in the ce where they had transposed for more than three times, Shin and Rionne finally reached at the za that existed inside the southern gate.

    While being alert of their surroundings just in case, they moved to an alley path to leave the gate and there was nothing stopping them like the teleporting fiasco from before.

    ¡°Somehow we have reached the goal. There¡¯s no need to worry about the route anymore.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, with this we escaped atst.¡±

    If Rionne¡¯s story was true, the southern gate seemed to be the gate which was used when Sacred ce was investigated, so they decided to go toward it right away.

    ¡°That¡¯s the ce.¡±

    Before long, in front of Shin and Rionne, the southern gate of Kalkia revealed itself.

    A portion of it was hidden by buildings from the za space, but its appearance didn¡¯t change since the game era. It was a solid gate which had defense magic bestowed upon it.

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡­¡±

    Nevertheless, what leaked from Shin¡¯s mouth was a voice of disappointment.

    Because the side entrance was for pce guard usage, the door Rionne meant to go through was crushed and buried. The side entrance was more fragile than the main wall, so it was not strange for it to break. However, it was clear that it didn¡¯t copse naturally.

    ¡°I wonder if this is an idental attack to the side entrance by a fight between monsters?¡±

    ¡°There are some scars in addition to the side entrance, but it¡¯s still unknown with only this.¡±

    Visually on the surface of the side entrance, it was in a state like a cement was poured and hardened.

    Even if Shin gently tapped on it, only a feeling of a rigidness was returned. The surface was easy to blow off, but if it was firmly filled in on the inside; it would be the same for the walls. One could see it was hardened in a simr way, as the cement, which fortified the side entrance, was widely used in the surroundings.

    ¡°Now that it hase to this, we must climb up the gate; also¡­what is that?¡±

    When Shin just thought about climbing the gate forcibly as thest resort, he saw a strange thinge into view from the ordinary sky and spread out on the wall which enclosed the Sacred ce.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this either.¡±

    Simrly, Rionne turned her attention to the sky muttered.

    ¡°Is it a barrier?¡±

    When Shin looked around, a dome shape covered the town, and a semi-transparent thin coat was being developed.

    Because it resembled the state when ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿were being erected, Shin predicted that it was some kind of barrier.

    In the game era, except during events, flying-type monsters couldn¡¯t enter the town. So in this world, it could be said that there was protection developed before their eyes.

    ¡°Shall I try a little experiment?¡±

    When Shin picked up a pebble which dropped at his feet, he threw it with all his might toward the sky.

    The stone, which was shot by the physical strength of an upper ss Chosen One, flew to the top of the wall without losing power and hit the thin coat. The result was slightly different from Shin¡¯s expectations when the electricity made a noise that sounded like a short-circuiting, *Crackle*, and the stone crumbled in an instant.

    While the stone was falling, it lost to air resistance and disintegrated in midair; it became sand and blew with the wind.

    ¡°Leaving from the top of the wall will be difficult.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not possible to touch that carelessly.¡±

    Rionne also agreed with Shin¡¯s opinion.

    Though it was uncertain how much electrical output the erected barrier had, there¡¯s no doubt it wouldn¡¯t end without someone getting burned.

    If Shin used all of his power, he may be able to break the barrier, but he couldn¡¯t do so in front of Rionne, so he decided to keep that as ast resort under the current situation.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we use other gates?¡±

    ¡°Only this ce was secured in case of an invasion. There are dangerous monsters, so I cannot afford to open the gate leisurely. Thinking about the unlikely event, this is the only ce. Besides, the side entrances from the other gates have probably copsed from the beginning due to the impact of natural disasters. It¡¯s a different story for a small animal, but there¡¯s no gap for a person to pass.¡±

    The findings of Sacred ces seemed to be shared among the countries; Rionne knew in details.

    ¡°Then, do I need to break through the site gate forcibly? Is there no other choice but to open the very gate itself?¡±

    The gate¡¯s opening and shutting mechanism was located inside the wall and the entrance was through the side entrance; it was said that the methods to open a gate were amon everywhere.

    Even if the part which leads to the outside has been destroyed, there was a possibility that the room with the opening and shutting mechanism was safe. Because they couldn¡¯t move in the southern gate because of the current state it was in, both of them decided to leave for the eastern gate.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Strange.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What it is?¡±

    Rionne asked about the words that she happened to overhear during their travel.

    ¡°Most of the monsters¡¯ presences have disappeared. I was going to choose the route with the fewest monsters if possible, but no matter how I look at it, there are no presences at all.¡±

    When Shin felt ufortable, he turned his attention to the map; there were already several monsters dwelling in the Sacred ce. That number was greatly reduced than the ones he had perceived when they were heading toward the southern gate and were being transposed.

    Although Ghillie Wize was defeated by Shin and Rionne, it should be no more than a ¡®pouring water on a hot stone¡¯ level.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly strange, but it has be easier to travel in this way, so isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°I hope so too, but because of the difference of information in various ways, I can¡¯t help but foretell something dangerous will happen after this.¡±

    Even if the side entrance of the southern gate was crushed as an ident, the top of the wall had a barrier to prevent anyone from escaping.

    The contact waspletely cut off from the outside world; it seemed to be trying to confine those who were inside.

    ¡°Then, all the more reason to escape quickly. Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°An enemy may appear suddenly. Don¡¯t let your guard down, Rionne.¡±

    It was only an unpleasant premonition, but there was no reason to waste time either; Shin and Rionne raised their running pace.

    As a better alternative to the shortcut of going on the roof, due to the dangers of being found by monsters and risks of houses copsing, they advanced through the way along the wall obediently. In the process, Shin noticed certain things.

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t the wall somewhat shining?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems so. I¡¯ve never seen such a phenomenon before.¡±

    At first he thought it was just his imagination, but now it was clearly shining; it was emitted from the wall which stood towering over the surroundings of their nk.

    Two colors, ice blue and emerald-green, flowed to the front of Shin and Rionne as they blended together.

    ¡°Hey¡­at this rate, I have a bad feeling about going straight.¡±

    ¡°I agree. However, there¡¯s no ce for us to escape to, right? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better to check what¡¯s going on, and then think of a way to countermeasure from there.

    ¡°The exit has been blocked. Even if we avoid danger here, there¡¯s no point,¡± Rionne said.

    ¡°It seems so, but I think most humans would want to avoid trouble, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Shin joked, as he failed to remember any information about the phenomenon that urred in front of them.

    If there was such a shy event, it should be caught somewhere in his memory. If there wasn¡¯t, it became a situation which was unknown during the game era.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, not. Well, look Shin!¡±

    Coming into the wryly smiling Rionne¡¯s view and Shin who was talking jokingly, the eastern gate was visible.

    Apparently, a torrent of light seemed to flow to the eastern gate from the north side.

    ¡°Did it gather in the gate? ¡­If it gets slightly nearer, it¡¯s better to hide ourselves and observe.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know whether the same thing happened in all gates and decided to stay here for safety.

    In front of the gate, the road where they ran along the wall and the main road merged and became a small za.

    Shin and Rionne entered an inn that was facing the street, and observed the gate from a window on the top floor.

    ¡°There¡¯s something like a huge ball.¡±

    A huge blue sphere appeared in front of the gate.

    By a rough estimate of 5 mels in diameter, luminous green asionally ran through on its surface. The mana that moved along the wall could also confirm that it was flowing into the sphere.

    ¡°Shin, is this change caused by that?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ve never seen something like this, but it feels like the time when a monster is born, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    A monster spawned from mana in this world. Shin thought Rionne may have seen it, so he asked.

    ¡°No, when a monster is born from umting mana power, the scene is warped and takes the monster¡¯s form. Then, it appears by breaking out of the shell. As for a sphere like that, I¡¯ve never seen one.¡±

    ¡°If so, does it mean it¡¯s not an ordinary monster? Or is it not a monster to begin with?¡±

    While looking at the sphere, which was stationary, Shin thought, ¡®what is that sphere?¡¯

    On Shin¡¯s map, the sphere was disyed with a green marker. This represented neutrality.

    However, even if a marker was usually green, there were monsters which turned to red when a yer approached, which represented an enemy, so he couldn¡¯t rx his guard.

    ¡°For now, I should change to my original equipment. Rionne, here.¡±

    Shin changed his equipment with a shortcut function. It was the Dark King series which he wore during the duel against Girard.

    ck coat and trousers, red arm guards and leg guards, and a muffler with a red line like lightning bolt; Shin wore so much protective gear that not a scratch could be dealt if hit by a half-assed attack.

    Apart from that, Shin materialized a pair of gauntlets and handed it over to Rionne.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Gauntlets of Moribito¡¯, it raises the resistance to magic and abnormality statuses for the equipped person. Its best effect is when the equipped person is about to receive a fatal blow, it¡¯ll be a sacrifice, but only once. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, so please equip it just in case.¡±

    ¡°Is this alright? It seems quite a valuable thing to me.¡±

    Rionne, while listening to Shin, turned her attention to the gauntlets.

    As for its appearance, the material used was orichalcum, although it was mostly silver in color and close to iron gauntlets. The red pattern on its surface was drawn with paint of mithril and scarletite ingot, which was dissolved by a special method. Self-repair was also possible if not destroyedpletely.

    Even though the gauntlets were ¡¶Legend¡· grade, it had been reinforced by Shin, so its strength was close to ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. High defensive powerbined with a sacrifice effect was demonstrated when the gauntlets were used as a shield during a critical moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright because I have these arm guards. Though, even my clothes are far sturdier than armor, I tend to be a puzzle a lot this time. I said it a while ago, ¡®save for a rainy day, save for a time of need¡¯.¡±

    Shin raised his crimson red arm guard equipment with both arms himself, and spoke to Rionne.

    That so-called Dark King¡¯s Arm Guards have the effect of preventing the skill with an effect such as trap and theft. Also, there is even the effect of reflecting back a portion of the damage; Gauntlets of Moribito¡¯s performance was not on a par with the arm guards.

    ¡°¡­Understood. I¡¯ll use it gratefully.¡±

    When Rionne put on the gauntlets, it shone slightly and its size changed to fit her hands.

    ¡°I was worried about the size, but this is really cool!¡±

    ¡°This is my treasured item, so return itter.¡±

    ¡°Got it. However, I feel like I¡¯m being protected by you somehow, Shin.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking¨D¨D and as we continue talking, there is movement within the sphere.¡±

    ¡°Are those cracks?¡±

    Urged by Shin, Rionne also turned her eyes to the sphere.

    The cracks on the surface of the sphere were spreading gradually, reminding the scene of an egg hatching.

    ¡°Indeed, I have a feeling that something will be born after this, Shin.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. Besides, the wall that shone until a while ago is restored now. Maybe its duty has been finished.¡±

    Shin looked up at the wall.

    Was it a ce for the mana to pour into the sphere? The possible cause that he could think of was that the wall or the entire city was bing some kind of device.

    Shin didn¡¯t know of any existences that could do so such a feat. If this was in the game, it would be management and the GM, but if they still existed now, ¡°Return me to the original world quickly,¡± was what he would likely say.

    What was the meaning of this phenomenon in this case? When he thought about it, Shin suddenly felt the sense of being dragged into the center of the Sacred ce simrly to a while ago. Shin thought that this might be rted.

    ¡°¨D¨DShin, it came out!¡±

    ¡°It came, huh?¡­¡±

    There was movement in the sphere before his thoughts were being settled.

    When Shin returned his view towards the sphere, the cracks that were spreading little by little already had its whole surface covered. Light began to emit from several ces, and flickering ominous light informed them that some kind of existence was moving inside.

 Book 4: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    Shin and Rionne shifted their gazes toward the sphere. About a minuteter, the globe finally reached its limit.

    ¡°KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    A huge cry was raised together with the sound of something simr to ss cracking, and something broke out of the sphere.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    Rionne appeared to have never seen the emerging monster.

    ¡°¡­Looks like a Gryphon.¡±

    ¡°Gryphon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster that usually inhabits the forest or hignds.¡±

    While Shin exined, he activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGuardian of rbh%t& Lv$%&¡»

    ¡°It has garbled letters, huh?¡­ A Guardian?¡±

    Barely readable portions of the name were disyed, and Shin looked puzzled while tilting his head.

    There was a monster with a ¡®Guardian¡¯ prefix attached to their name. However, it was a huge golem with full body armor that would appear in the city and be the base of the yers. On top of that, it didn¡¯te out unless there was a special event.

    The current Gryphon before them had crystal wings. Because the wings were made of transparent blue ice and had an angr-shape, it had a solid feeling that living things didn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Is that ice?¡±

    Shin judged that those wings wereposed of ice crystals, as he saw the cold wave of air released by the wing of the Gryphon, who was generating white mist around it.

    When observed carefully, ice also covered its talons up to its foreleg and the horn that had grown from its forehead. Though they were the same base color as its wings, there was also green blended into several ces.

    A portion of the ground near the Gryphon was already frozen. Was it due to the influence of the ice on its forelegs?

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, it certainly resembles a monster I know, but it¡¯s slightly different.¡±

    The monster was simr to ¡®ss-Blue Gryphon¡¯. It was a monster that appeared in ice and snow zones.

    However, a ss-Blue Gryphon had its whole body made of crystal-like ss, which was different than the Gryphon that had just appeared. To begin with, Shin didn¡¯t know of any kind of Gryphon that exceeded 5 mels in body height.

    ¡°It¡¯s looking this way!¡±

    The Gryphon, which raised a roar, turned its gaze to the direction where Shin and Rionne were.

    Since their eyes met perfectly, it¡¯s not possible to say it was just their imagination.

    ¡°Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!¡±

    ¡°Mu! Is it up to something?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad to stay here, so I¡¯ll break the wall!¡±

    At the same time as the shout, Shin broke through the wall in the room and jumped outside.

    Rionne followed soon after, and the breath of ice which the Gryphon released hit the building directly. The building was frozen in an instant.

    The Gryphon seemed to have seen that Shin and Rionne escaped, as it turned its neck while breathing out ice in order to put them in the line of fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous! We¡¯re gonna jump!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa, what!?¡±

    Shin carried Rionne and kicked through the air against the looming breath of ice.

    He dodged the breath mid-air by a movement system martial arts skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, and jumped into the shadow of another building.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®mowing down¡¯ breath, huh? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no such attack used by gryphons¡­¡±

    ¡°I-Is that so? Rather, Shin, I want you to lower me down now.¡±

    Rionne said, while stuttering in Shin¡¯s arm.

    The current body pose of Rionne wasmonly referred to as ¡®holding the princess in one¡¯s arms¡¯ state.

    ¡°Ah sorry. It was emergency, so it was either this or I carry you under my arm.¡±

    When Shin pulled Rionne¡¯s arm and evaded the breath, he was able to hold her under his arm, but as expected that may be inappropriate for a princess, so he changed it.

    ¡°You really¡­so what would you do? We cannot go near it since it attacked as soon as we showed up.¡±

    ¡°That kind of attack is a breathing spell or magic power charge; there will be a cooldown-time when the attack is used somewhere, so we have no choice but to attack at once. I will take charge of the front, so aim for its back while hiding in the building, Rionne.¡±

    Though it was a surprise attack, Shin knew the capture method of a Gryphon himself.

    Even if he was directly hit with the breath, he shouldn¡¯t be killed on the spot.

    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I don¡¯t want to be hit, but I¡¯ve a way even if I¡¯m hit.¡±

    The worrying Rionne nodded, and Shin stood up.

    After seeing Rionne off, who was moving away from him, he jumped outside the building.

    ¡°KyuAAAA!!¡±

    The Gryphon promptly shot its breath.

    As if it knew Shin was there, its aim was urate.

    Shin bent over and evaded the breathing straight at him, then started to run.

    Though the Gryphon made a mowing down motion with its breath like it was natural, a simr attack wouldn¡¯t be a threat to Shin.

    Using both movement system martial arts skills ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ and ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿, Shin sometimes jumped over and dove under as he closed in upon the Gryphon without slowing down.

    ¡°Hey, hey I¡¯m here. Where are you aiming at!?¡±

    While exercising one of the taunt skills, ¡¾Clown Noise¡¿, Shin stirred up the Gryphon aloud.

    Did the Gryphon determine that its breath wouldn¡¯t hit as it saw Shin¡¯s movements? The Gryphon aimed at Shin with its left foreleg. Shin then intercepted the talons made of ice with his¡ºKakura¡». Taking advantage of his strength, from the lower position he hammered onto the lowered foreleg to reach a conclusion.

    ¡°Kyui!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!!¡±

    The Gryphon and Shin rallied each other, and were both surprised at the weight of the opponent¡¯s blow.

    When¡ºKakura¡»was pressured by the talons of ice, Shin jumped back at once.

    ¡°This is not the physical strength of a Gryphon¡­¡±

    The Gryphon in the game era was not such a strong monster to that degree.

    Though it also depended on the kind, level 600 was the highest; it was an opponent with insufficient power to be considered a formidable enemy.

    Yet, the current opponent didn¡¯t appear so.

    Shin¡¯s STR was more than 500, although it was being controlled by ¡¾Limit¡¿. If he added the weaponpensation of ¡ºKakura¡», his STR would be close to 600.

    With that being easily overwhelmed, Shin concluded that the Gryphon¡¯s STR was more than 700.

    ¡°Did I underestimate it? Its power is also strong. I can¡¯t talk to Rionne either, huh?¡±

    Shin lowered the ¡¾Limit¡¿ to II, as he muttered and scolded himself for being deceived by the Gryphon¡¯s appearance. (T/N: The lower the Limit is, the stronger Shin gets. Currently his stats was divided by 2(II) from his original stats)

    Though it was not aplete release, his stats still exceeded 999 in the time of the game. Unless it was a powerful boss monster, nothing could ovee the current Shin¡¯s attacks. As for why he didn¡¯t release the limitpletely, it was because he couldn¡¯t estimate the power when attacking.

    Unlike Schnee, right after Rionne was involved, neither evasion nor defense were possible. Simrly to the battle of the Lord Skull Face, this wasn¡¯t a situation where he could attack without thinking about the damage to the surroundings.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t defeat it with this, it is no joke.¡±

    Shin, in the same way as a while ago, started to attack the Gryphon.

    The Gryphon, in response to that, raised its ice talons and was about to swoop down on Shin.

    ¡°*Hyaah!*¡±

    ¡°KyuAA!?¡±

    Their yell sparked.

    ¡ºKakura¡» and the ice talons struck each other directly¨D¨Dthis time, the winner was ¡ºKakura¡».

    It couldn¡¯t endure Shin¡¯s overwhelming physical strength; the ice that covered the Gryphon¡¯s left foreleg burst and scattered. Still, did the ice be a cushion? The Gryphon¡¯s leg itself was safe. However, the Gryphon couldn¡¯t escape the impact, as it had its leg lifted and stumbled back a step or two.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Nevertheless, the moment the ice covered leg was smashed, Shin was surprised to see that the scattered ice that flew transformed into spears, and Shin missed the opportunity to continue the attack.

    ¡°The ice covering its legs is not an ordinary ice¨D¨Dtto!¡±

    Shin, who witnessed the unexpected ability, dodged the extra ice spears that flew toward him.

    The origin of the current ice spears were the Gryphon¡¯s wings. From therge wings, which were unfolded, various small andrge ice spears colored blue and green were scattered around to block Shin¡¯s escape route.

    Gryphon¡¯s movement became sluggish, as there seemed to be damage to some extent.

    ¡°KyI!¡±

    When the Gryphon made a cry sound, ice covered its left foreleg again.

    The awkward movement of its left foot was restored ordingly. Apparently, its fighting power didn¡¯t seem to fall at the ce where he smashed it.

    ¡°Next is a barrage of breaths, huh?¡±

    While crushing the ice spears with ¡ºKakura¡», Shin attracted the Gryphon¡¯s attention again.

    On the edge of his view, he confirmed the figure of Rionne creeping up the back of the Gryphon. As Shin changed his standing position, he examined the attack range of the Gryphon.

    The range of the Gryphon¡¯s neck movements limited the breath attack¡¯s direction. Also, it could only shoot the ice spears forward, and when Shin went around to its side, he wasn¡¯t attacked. Though ice talons were equipped on both front and back legs, Rionne should have seen the situation where Shin destroyed the talons.

    She should be able to take the Gryphon by surprise now.

    ¡°I should have its attention just in case.¡±

    Shin exercised a taunt skill¡¾Shura Rush¡¿ when he confirmed that Rionne was ready with her ¡ºMuspelm¡» behind the Gryphon.

    Even though there weren¡¯t any other monsters around, he didn¡¯t know when they would appear. Therefore, using a taunt skill to attract the attention of a wide-ranging enemy would overwrite the ¡¾Clown Noise¡¿, which collected only a single opponent¡¯s hate; he decided to thwart the possibility of Rionne receiving a surprise attack reversely.

    ¡°KyuA!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, look here!¡±

    While adding sporadic attacks, Shin fixed the position of the Gryphon.

    Then, the moment the Gryphon spread its wings in order to release ice spears, Rionne started her move.

    ¡°¨D¨DHyaah!¡±

    ¡ºMuspelm¡», which gave off a vivid orange effect, hit directly on the joint of the right wing.

    However, the wing seemed to have more strength than it appeared, for even with one or two katanas used to cut it, the wing was hardly damaged.

    ¡°HyaAAAAA!!¡±

    A yell that contained a noticeable fighting spirit apanied by a striking blow, she somehow seeded in giving the Gryphon¡¯s wing a small wound.

    However, it didn¡¯t restrict the Gryphon¡¯s movement. Rionne continued as it was, attacking the back of the raging Gryphon. Arcs were drawn continuously, as the orange-colored effect covered¡ºMuspelm¡».

    The rate of Rionne swinging ¡ºMuspelm¡» was faster than usual, and the power also increased proportionally to the speed.

    Its fur also seemed to have high defensive power, as the Gryphon received almost no damage. However, if its back was attacked, which was the blind spot taken by Rionne, who was a melee-type Chosen One, even the Gryphon couldn¡¯t move properly. Though it tried to shake her off, it wasn¡¯t very sessful.

    The reason why Rionne could one-sidedly attack the Gryphon was because, besides it being caught off guard, she invoked fencing technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿.

    Rionne Against Gryphon

    While she couldn¡¯t use magic skills during the invocation, she raised her offensive ability and attack speed up to 1.4 times aspensation; it was a skill that dealt a stun effect for a very short time to the opponent every time the attack hit.

    Even if the effect period was very short, when the condition was met, one-sidedly crushing down the opponent was possible. It was often used in the game era by yers whose upation emphasised physical attacks.

    ¡°Ugh, my skill ended! Sorry, but I¡¯ll leave it to you now!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s behind and the back of its neck, which were hacked at recklessly, were leaking little-amounts of blue mist from its wounds.

    When looked at closely, it was like a blue spray that spewed out from the wounds. It didn¡¯t appear to be a liquid, as it faded and disappeared in the air when it rose 30 cemels like steam.

    ¡°Is something leaking!? No, does the body fluid evaporate?¡±

    Shin, who looked at the Gryphon¡¯s state made inferences on the phenomenon he had never seen.

    ¡°GRUUUUU!!¡±

    With Rionne separated away, the Gryphon pped its wings in a big way and turned toward Shin.

    Its four legs had firmly stepped on the ground. Its HP was almost recovered when he looked at the Gryphon with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    Because the level disyed was garbled, it was difficult to determine what level the monster was, but he expected level 800 or more from the amount of damage received. Though animal-type monsters typically didn¡¯t have high defensive power, it seemed that this didn¡¯t apply to the Gryphon in front of him.

    ¡°This guy is a nuisance.¡±

    While provoking it so Rionne wasn¡¯t targeted, Shin resumed his attacks on the Gryphon.

    He aimed at the parts which weren¡¯t covered in ice. As Shin passed through the ice spears unleashed from the Gryphon, he swung ¡ºKakura¡» vigorously at its body. What was returned was a heavy feeling like beating arge mass of rubber.

    ¡°KyII!!?¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s body recoiled sideways, and the ce where ¡ºKakura¡»stroked was hollowed out greatly.

    While the Gryphon was hit by ¡ºKakura¡», which unleashed its shing attack power as if to cut up the enemy, it wasn¡¯t the end for the Gryphon.

    ¡°GRUUU¡­¡±

    Even if a normal living thing who had received that blow would have their internal organs destroyed, the Gryphon only raised a menacing growl.

    Rather than the sounde from receiving damage, it was a cry that one could feel an annoying vexation from.

    ¡°Shin! Are you okay?!¡±

    Rionne shouted from the rear of the Gryphon.

    ¡°No problem here! Don¡¯te to the front because of the heavy barrage!¡±

    Shin shouted back.

    The strength of the ice spears released by its wings was higher than what a half-baked weapon could produce. Even though the intensity had declined over time, the ice spears still pierced through the orichalcum paved road like the tentacles of Gily. In some cases, there was also a possibility that they could not be defended against with ¡ºMuspelm¡».

    ¡°If the main body is made of ice, then how about this?¡±

    Shin, who was dodging the Gryphon¡¯s attack, took out a card and tossed it to the sky while shouting,

    ¡°Release ¡¾re Burst¡¿!¡±

    The card was torn and a bluish-white sphere was summoned in response to Shin¡¯s shout.

    What he threw to the sky was a shot from the front, because the possibility of it being dodged was high.

    ¡°KyUAA!?¡±

    Did it feel the magic power in the sphere? The Gryphon raised a voice of caution. Ice spears which came flying toward the sphere were repelled, and the sign of breath forming could be seen in its mouth.

    In the short time after it wasunched, heat rays were fired from the sphere. Although Shin could also attack the Gryphon himself at the same time as he tossed the sphere, the effect of the magic may have weakened when Shin approached.

    Therefore, Shin materialized 4 one-handed knives made of orichalcum, gripped them between his fingers and threw them.

    If it was a synchronized attack from the top and the front, lowering the possibility of either being evaded.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Rionne was watching Shin¡¯s movements, but expressed her doubt.

    It was mostly because the knives Shin threw were greatly off the mark.

    ¡°KyUIII!!¡±

    The Gryphon probably also thought he missed the mark. It repelled only two of them which came flying by its wings, and a breath was fired toward the approaching heat ray from the sky.

    The snow-white breath collided with the bluish-white heat rays, offsetting each other. The power of the attacks were almost equal, neither one of them overwhelmed the other one-sidedly.

    However, that state was only for an instant. The knives which were thrown in the wrong direction changed trajectory and pierced the stomach and the wing of the Gryphon.

    ¡°GyUA!¡±

    The power of its breath diminished along with the scream.

    Then, the heat ray overcame the breath and hit the Gryphon directly.

    ¡°GIIIIIIIIIIII!?¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s squeal reverberated through the sky of Kalkia.

    Its left wing which it had promptly used as a shield was almost evaporated, and the left side of the Gryphon¡¯s face was also burned hideously.

    From the wing, which was mostly missing, and from the burnt skin, blue steam spouted out.

    ¡°What on earth was that just now¡­¡±

    Rionne, who saw the knives whose trajectory changed at almost a right angle to pierce the Gryphon, muttered in a dumbfound state.

    What Shin had done was called a throwing technique and windbination skill ¡¾Trick Throw¡¿; it was a skill that made the trajectory of the thrown weapon go toward the target.

    In this world where skills were extremely scarce, it may have been unusual for her.

    ¡°In that timing, there¡¯s no way I could miss!¡±

    In that single chance, Shin attacked the Gryphon which received damage and lost its bnce.

    As the breath was not usable as a result of half of its face being burnt, a barrage of ice spears came from its single wing; it was the ideal situation toe close.

    ¡°This time it won¡¯t go like a while ago!¡±

    Shin put up¡ºKakura¡» against a blow by the right forefoot of the Gryphon.

    The Gryphon¡¯s ice talons burst open together with a roaring sound. The flying ice spears which changed into ice debris were easy to deal with if one knew how to handle them.

    As the attack of the forefoot was flicked away, if he turned around to the right side of the copsed Gryphon¡¯s face, the ice spears didn¡¯t show any effect.

    There, Shin brandished his ¡ºKakura¡».

    ¡°¡¾Enchant Fire¡¿¡±

    Along with Shin¡¯s mutter, ¡ºKakura¡» was enveloped in mes.

    Leaving a red trace in the air, ¡ºKakura¡» struck on the Gryphon¡¯s body directly.

    With a thunderous sound that resembled an explosion, the Gryphon slid sideways for about 5 mels. The Gryphon¡¯s talons scraped off the orichalcum pavement, and w marks were carved on the ground. Though the talons seemed to break easily due to Shin¡¯s attack, the strength of the ice talons were higher than a thinyer of orichalcum.

    On the body where Shin hit, some kind of burnt traces remained. Blue steam also grandly leaked from there, as the wound had not burntpletely.

    ¡°Its HP condition decreased decently. That steam, is it different from bleeding and magic leakage?¡±

    Shin thought while seeing the HP gauge of the Gryphon.

    In case of the bleeding state, it should be the same as a poison; the HP should decrease intermittently. However, the Gryphon had not received any more damage than what Shin had dealt.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it an abnormal state?¡±

    Some of the monsters at boss ss often had special attack methods.

    In case of the golem group it was hand throwing, in the spector group it was summoning followers, the ability that reflected each of their characteristics were typical. Of course, there were exceptions among them, too.

    What he could imagine from the steam gushing out from the wound was an ability of the type that takes time, and changes the environment to one where the boss could fight more easily. This was like a ck Spirit*; many of the monsters which mainlyposed of magic attacks had it. (T/N1: ck Spirit is as it sounds like, an RPG monster which is a Spirit)(T/N2: When it says ¡®it¡¯, it talks about the ability to change the environment)

    ¡°*Shoom*!¡±

    The state of Shin and the Gryphon ring at each other was probably to determine for a good opportunity.

    From the blind spot of the Gryphon, Rionne again prepared with ¡ºMuspelm¡» and jumped out.

    ¡°KyUI?¡±

    The attention of the Gryphon seemed topletely point toward Shin, it wasn¡¯t able to cope with the surprise attack.

    Rionne jumped onto the back of the Gryphon again, and exercised ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿. Leaving a trail of orange color, ¡ºMuspelm¡» was mmed against the Gryphon.

    ¡°GyII!¡±

    The Gryphon which couldn¡¯t bear it, screamed at Rionne who attacked mainly on the left half of its body which was badly burned.

    Shin drew the attention of the Gryphon from the front without interfering with Rionne.

    ¡°Rionne! I don¡¯t know whether there¡¯s any effect from the steaming out from the wound! Don¡¯t let it touch you!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Rionne utilized the length of ¡ºMuspelm¡»¡¯s de, wielding the sword skillfully so as to not touch the steam.

    However, as time passed by, Rionne¡¯s movement became too dull to keep up. If one looked closely, the blue steam was clinging to Rionne¡¯s body before she was aware of it.

    There was an indication of speed drop when he checked Rionne¡¯s status.

    ¡°It¡¯s a debuff system, huh?¡±

    Shin, who had a bad hunch, immediately released cancetion of the weakening magic.

    ¡°¡¾Cure All¡¿!¡±

    Though ¡¾Cure¡¿ was sufficient if it¡¯s a single abnormal state, Shin chose the most effective skill he had just in case.

    The ability of the enemy whose effect he couldn¡¯t identify, he knew it from experience that it was good to be extra wary. The moment when Rionne had her movement back, she jumped off from the back of the Gryphon. Then the Gryphon waved its wing toward Rionne who was mid-air.

    Rionne prevented a direct hit by using ¡ºMuspelm¡» as a shield. However, it was impossible for her topletely block the power in the air, and she was sent flying.

    Rionne forcibly fixed her posture while mid-air and as shended the ground was whittled down. Sparks scattered on the paved road and on ¡ºMuspelm¡».

    ¡°Such power from only being hit by a wing, huh?¡­¡±

    A muffled voice leaked from Rionne¡¯s mouth.

    Even though ¡ºMuspelm¡» became a shield, she was sent flying for about 10 mels by the Gryphon. Even if there was almost no damage, the burden on her body was immeasurable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get its attention! Go into a building for a moment!¡±

    Shin shouted and invoked me system magic skill ¡¾Smoke Bomb¡¿.

    A ck globe appeared in the air and rushed toward the Gryphon.

    ¡°KyUA!¡±

    Though the Gryphon only had a single wing, it still intercepted the ck globe well.

    When the widely scattered ice spears touched the globe, the ck smoke was dispersed grandly with a ¡°Puff¡± sound.

    ¡°GRURURU¡­¡±

    Did it get cautious over the ck smoke covering its surroundings? The Gryphon raised its voice and growled. Without a slight break, a strong wind swept along with a wind noise.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, it seemed that the Gryphon had spread its wing and caused the wind. However, the ck smoke generated by the smoke bomb was not affected by the wind. So no matter how much the Gryphon pped its wing, the ck smoke didn¡¯t clear up.

    ¡°KyUIII!¡±

    The Gryphon cried as it got irritated.

    The ck smoke of ¡¾Smoke Bomb¡¿ could obstruct both the sense of smell and sight. So it seemed both were effective. It obviously lost sight of Shin and Rionne as the ice spears were shot in the wrong directions.

    Shin fended off the flying ice spears asionally, and joined with Rionne in the shade of a building. After making sure the wall wouldn¡¯t easily be broken thanks to its thickness, he checked on Rionne¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my hands are a bit numb, but I¡¯m all right. But I¡¯m sorry, my attacks don¡¯t seem to deal effective damage to that guy.¡±

    During neither the first nor the second time, Rionne¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t deal proper damage to the Gryphon.

    Power was achieved with skill, so the Gryphon probably had greater defensive power than thebination of Rionne¡¯s STR and ¡ºMuspelm¡»¡¯s attack power.

    ¡°Since I came here, I haven¡¯t been anything other than a burden.¡±

    Rionne put power in her hands gripping the hilt of ¡ºMuspelm¡», which touched the ground and made a ttering sound.

    Shin then revealed one of his cards to Rionne whose face distorted in frustration.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible to increase the physical ability by ¡¾Enchant¡¿, but what will you do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Please do. When I¡¯m aimed at by that guy, I¡¯d like to make sure that it won¡¯t interfere with you, Shin.¡±

    Rionne hesitated slightly, but rxed her shoulders and lowered her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll raise your physical strength and robustness. Please be careful as sensation rted to muscle strength can change significantly. Here I go, ¡¾Enchant ? Double Strike¡¿ !¡±

    After adding a cautionary note concerning the rise in ability, Shin activated ¡¾Enchant¡¿.

    A silver light shone over Rionne¡¯s head, and faded out after it covered her body for a moment. This was the effect when an ability is more than doubled.

    ¡°¡­I feel light¡±

    In the state resulting from¡¾Enchant¡¿, Rionne lifted ¡ºMuspelm¡» and said so.

    The enormous metal ¡ºMuspelm¡» felt like a twig.

    ¡°I think you should have realized it, but you cannot treat a weapon the usual way when in a strengthened state. The swing speed is too fast and causes a gap in self-image and senses. Therefore, when trying to strike down a long-distance attack of an enemy, swinging to the sky happens quite often.¡±

    ¡¾Enchant¡¿ was very excellent in battle. However, it was a type of skill that only applied to the yer, and not the weapon, such that there was an adverse effect.

    In the game era, there were two things which caused numerous idents.

    First was as Shin said; because of a shift in timing, neither attack nor defense could be performed satisfactorily. Second, one couldn¡¯t stop at the ce they thought when their AGI raised, and self-destruct by crashing into a monster.

    Also in the game era, if ¡¾Enchant¡¿ was applied in an unfamiliar state, it was said that it was better not to apply anything when it came to fighting power.

    The reason why Shin hadn¡¯t suggested this when they came to Kalkia, was because such risks were taken into ount.

    Though the rate of increase of the stats depended on the value of the conjurer¡¯s INT, it was Shin who applied ¡¾Enchant¡¿ to Rionne. The effect wasn¡¯t ordinary.

    Nevertheless, Shin has yet to acquire the ability which let him adjust ¡¾Enchant¡¿¡¯s rate of increase, Naturally he didn¡¯t have the time to train and master it in Kalkia.

    ¡°Now you can dodge the ice spears as much as possible, probably using ¡ºMuspelm¡» as a shield. Don¡¯t try to strike it down unskillfully.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t forget to remind her a couple more times, so she wouldn¡¯t do anything ipetent.

    If she focused only on defense, there would be fewer odd mistakes, too.

    ¡°Indeed, this is great. It¡¯s like holding ¡ºMuspelm¡» like a wooden sword. I may get intoxicated with this feeling of omnipotence.¡±

    While swinging ¡ºMuspelm¡» up and down, Rionne said with an eager expression.

    Even Shin understood that she would charge recklessly if he didn¡¯t give her a warning.

 Book 4: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    ¡°KyUAAAAAA!¡±

    At the same time as Rionne muttered, the Gryphon¡¯s cry echoed.

    Shin was ¡®waiting and watching¡¯ in the shadow of a building when the Gryphon released its breath in every direction, trying to cover its surroundings with ice.

    ¡°Oi oi, it¡¯s recovering.¡±

    Other than the buildings covered with ice, Shin also saw the left half of the Gryphon¡¯s body.

    The left half of its body, which was previously burnt by the ¡¾re Burst¡¿that Shin had thrown, was already considerably recovered. Though it was not fully healed yet, its wing had almost restored to about 70% of its former shape.

    The HP that Shin had greatly reduced was mostly restored, too. The current Gryphon¡¯s HP was about 90% ofplete recovery.

    ¡°It¡¯s too fast, even for self-recovery!¡±

    Hearing Rionne¡¯s words, Shin looked closely at the wing.

    ¡°That¡¯s regeneration rather than recovery. The melted wing is sucking in the blue steam and is restoring to how it was previously!¡±

    The steam, without leaking out of the Gryphon¡¯s wounds, had gathered on the tip of the wing that hadn¡¯t finish regenerating.

    Was it regenerating by gathering the steam? Though it wasn¡¯t conclusive whether it hastened the regeneration speed, it was certain that the Gryphon would restorepletely over time.

    ¡°It seems that the steam will disappear soon. Rather than dealing arge amount of damage all at once, it seems better to shave it down little by little.¡±

    Shin had no conclusive evidence, but as far as he could tell, the steam that didn¡¯t vanish was used for the regeneration of its wing and had gushed out inrge amounts from its gaping wound.

    Since the wound on the front leg and the body had already recovered, there was no way to tell how those ces had regenerated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the front. Rionne, you observe the Gryphon¡¯s state; if there¡¯s any change, tell me. Because there¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯s still hiding something, don¡¯t let your guard down. Just be careful.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there still may be something like the abnormal state from a little while ago. But, Shin, will you be alright alone?¡±

    ¡°You can count on me. It¡¯s not my first time fighting like this.¡±

    They confirmed their course of action and Shin jumped out from the building first.

    The effect of the ck smoke still remained, as the Gryphon didn¡¯t turn towards Shin.

    ¡°Going near it seems bad. I¡¯ll do it from a long distance.¡±

    Shin went around to face its right side where the damage was still being restored, and shot the wind system magic skill ¡¾Air Cutter¡¿.

    A de of wind flew and cut through the ck smoke, and shed the body of the Gryphon. It wasn¡¯t a deep wound. He had deliberately dropped the power, and intended to make a lot of cuts on the surface of its body.

    As for the length of the wound, it was about 20 cemels long. The steam, which spouted out, vanished when it rose by approximately 30 cemels. This state wasn¡¯t really different from the one he saw in the early stages of battle.

    ¡°The damage dealt is small. Though the wound itself appears to have steaming out, its state doesn¡¯t seem to have additional decreases to its HP. I need to pay attention to the changes in its body movements and its attacks, huh?¡±

    Shin thought about the countermeasure while observing the state of the Gryphon.

    For caution¡¯s sake, he didn¡¯t forget to prepare the cure, so that it was usable anytime.

    ¡°Next, I¡¯ll go head on.¡±

    The Gryphon spread its wings and released the ice spears.

    Even though the wing had not fully recovered, it was not inferior even whenpared with the time it was in a perfect state. Among the widely scattered ice spears, Shin urately struck down only on those whose trajectory pointed toward himself while advancing.

    ¡°KyUAAAAAA!¡±

    Then, a breath of ice approached.

    However, as the ice breath had a small range and slower speed than the ice spears, it couldn¡¯t catch up to Shin¡¯s speed. The ice spears that were shot in order to not interfere with the ice breath, were no longer functioned as the primary artillery barrage, and for Shin, it wasn¡¯t difficult to break through the barrage of ice which had be weak.

    ¡°Yo, how¡¯s the condition of your body?¡±

    The Gryphon, which concluded that there was no effect from the breath, answered Shin¡¯s remark with a blow of ice talons.

    If one looked closely, the ice talons which extended from the Gryphon¡¯s foreleg became one size bigger than before.

    ¡°It is reinforced each time it regenerate, huh?¡±

    The ice talons which crashed onto ¡ºKakura¡», shattered like thest time.

    However Shin felt that even the size of the shattered ice seemed to have increased. It was likely that its strength went up, too. Though it was natural, the ice spears which transformed from the shattered pieces were just as big as the huge pieces.

    By going around to the back, Shin made the Gryphon¡¯s huge figure a shield, causing the ice spears to fly over him.

    ¡°Kyiiiiiiiiii!!¡±

    However, the Gryphon also kicked the ground with its hind legs and tried to maintain the line of fire by hovering with its wings.

    ¡°That¡¯s a poor move.¡±

    Though the Gryphon disyed a nimbleness which didn¡¯t match its gigantic figure, it was in the line of fire of its own ice spears. Guaranteed to hit the Gryphon, it received a huge damage.

    In addition, when considering their physical differences, it was like showing its belly to Shin as the Gryphon flew and floated in the air. It could be said to be a heaven-sent opportunity to drive in a single blow, although there was no guarantee that the belly was soft like an ordinary creature¡¯s.

    ¡°Hoo¨D¨D¡±

    Without overlooking the little opening, Shin, who wielded ¡ºKakura¡», jumped at the bosom without holding back.

    From ¡ºKakura¡» that cut up the air, a purple me burst out.

    ¡°¨D¨DraAAA!!!¡±

    The feathers of the Gryphon were blown away and scattered at the nk of the swung down ¡ºKakura¡», and sank into the skin and inside the meat.

    Just like that, the Gryphon¡¯s belly caved in and it mmed against the ground with its whole body.

    ¡°GIE!!?¡±

    With a giant body more than 5 mels long falling to the ground, an earthquake traveled through the ground.

    The sound of buildings, which were about to crumble, copsed, and arrived at Shin¡¯s ears along with the Gryphon¡¯s groan.

    ¡°Was that about 10% just now?¡±

    Shin confirmed the Gryphon¡¯s remaining HP whilending.

    Although his stats were restrained and although his weapon was not ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, a single blow directly from Shin had only dealt damage equal to about 10% of its total health. It was an exceptional defensive power for a monster he came across in this world.

    The Gryphon didn¡¯t continue to expose the gap while lying on the ground. A gaze of precaution was directed at Shin as it immediately kicked the ground and stood up.

    ¡°G-GIIII¡­¡±

    However, there was no power in that gaze. It was because the purple mes were still spreading in the part where Shin struck the single blow.

    At this moment, the Gryphon¡¯s HP gauge was decreasing little by little. What Shin used was the mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Wicked me Fall¡¿; it generated a me which dealt additional damage for a certain period of time when an attack hit.

    Was it because the Gryphon was d in ice that it was weak to the fire? The Gryphon made a groan like sound. It was going to let the me induced wound freeze, but the power of the me was strong and continued to burn its body.

    ¡°That one blow is effective, huh?¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem to be able to recover the internal damage, as there was no steam gushing out that it could suck into its belly. It didn¡¯t recover the HP which continued to decrease.

    As for Shin, who judged that dealing damage by blows was more appealing, he once again thrust from the front.

    Though the Gryphon came to intercept him immediately, the uracy of its attack had declined, probably because of the mes burning in its stomach.

    Shin slipped through the weakly aimed barrage, eluded the talons, and hammered ¡ºKakura¡» on the ces where it wasn¡¯t covered in ice, such as the Gryphon¡¯s body or its neck, etc. Along with its decreased HP, the movements of the Gryphon became duller.

    Then, that moment came around. The umted damage had reached its feet. The Gryphon had raised its ice talons toward Shin, but its hind leg that was on the ground suddenly lost power.

    The Gryphon which swung up its foreleg, couldn¡¯t recover from its copsing posture. Shin didn¡¯t miss that fatal opening.

    ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t afford to miss here.¡±

    The one who got attacked was the Gryphon. The one who tried to hunt was being hunted, it was the way of the world.

    Shin kicked the ground and jumped up, a bluish-white sphere appearing on his right palm. This was the me technique system magic skill which had burnt half of the Gryphon¡¯s body;¡¾re Burst¡¿¡¯s sphere, before the heat ray was discharged.

    Shin then pushed the sphere onto the falling Gryphon¡¯s head.

    ¡°Can you withstand this at zero distance?¡±

    As soon as Shin finished speaking, a heat ray was discharged from the sphere.

    Against the mighty amount of heat emitted from point nk, the Gryphon had no way to defend. The heat ray which charged straight, melted the Gryphon¡¯s head as it went through the body in the line of fire, and melted the ground.

    The body of the Gryphon, whose head had vanished, fell down to the ground as it lost power. The HP which was disyed was 0 without a doubt.

    From its body where the heat ray prated its head, and other wounds as well, a mix of blue and green liquid flowed out.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    As Shinnded on the ground, he was wary of the surroundings next to the Gryphon¡¯s corpse.

    He felt only Rionne¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Shin! You did it!¡±

    Rionne, who had been hiding, came running up. She called out to Shin, after confirming the Gryphon had ceased to breathe.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to go outside now with this, huh?¡±

    ¡°Worst case, even if we can¡¯t go out from the side entrance, we can use the means to open the gate.¡±

    ¡°Will that be alright? It¡¯s possible for the outside monsters toe in.¡±

    ¡°The side entrance here is somehow connected to the room with the gate opening and shutting device. Besides, it has a width to the extent where a carriage can pass through when the gate is open, and it also closes after several minutes. Even if there are monsters outside, if it¡¯s you and I, it¡¯s possible to escape as soon as we defeat them.¡±

    After verifying the detailed operation and time taken, etc, when it seemed to be no problem, Shin also agreed with Rionne¡¯s opinion.

    However, at that time when the two people began to walk, a change happened.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What?¡±

    It was Shin who noticed it first. When he turned around, on the periphery of the body, fluid was flowing out of the Gryphon, blue steam was generated.

    ¡°The monster¡¯s body fluid?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s the steaming out from the wounds simultaneously with the body fluids¡­although I have a bad feeling.¡±

    Almost at the same time when Shin said that, the steam converged mid-air and a familiar silhouette was formed.

    In just a few seconds, there was a figure of Gryphon which was exactly the same as several minutes before in front of Shin and Rionne.

    ¡°KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    A roar together apanied by ice spears assaulted the two people.

    Shin and Rionne resisted it, and escaped to shelter for a moment.

    ¡°¡­Now then, what will you do? It has resurrected!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What I think is, it has a separate main body, and the rest was created by magic.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There is another main body, it means that the Gryphon is a puppet or something, and another monster or conjurer maniptes it. As the monster is created by magic, it¡¯s the technique to engrave on something, but it feel like the revival and the reconstruction of the monster was done automatically. It¡¯s good if the main body is defeated. Also, in case it was engraved with magic, it¡¯s settled when the magic formation or the catalyst is destroyed. Given the circumstances that emerged, I think it¡¯s thetter, but¡­¡±

    As far as Shin knew, there were several skills to summon a monster.

    However, in this case, it was different from the monster partner of tamer and monster summon of summoner. It was also not the doll summons of exorcist¡¯s magic and puppeteering.

    The monster was created by magic ¨D¨D it appeared to be the closest method he could think of. Normally it was often used as a trap in dungeons.

    ¡°Then, there is a method that became the key somewhere in this Sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Because it is usually close to the emerging monster, finding it should not be so difficult. It¡¯s suspicious¡­it¡¯s over there as I thought.¡±

    While Shin slightly peeked out from under cover, he pointed toward the wall.

    ¡°The side entrance? Near the ce where the opening and shutting device for the gate is, could there be something that would make such a monster appear, Shin?¡±

    ¡°That Gryphon, I think it prevents us from going outside Sacred ce. Because it holds a position in front of the gate, we cannot get close to the side entrance either. But it doesn¡¯t mean there is no other choice, it¡¯s the most suspicious at the moment.¡±

    Given that the Gryphon had attacked regardless of the ce, there shouldn¡¯t be such a thing in a building where it would mistakenly bombard the surrounding area.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a decoy again. Rionne, you enter the side entrance in the meantime and use this item to inspect things. It reacts when there is a magic formation nearby. Here, this is for defensive use when you¡¯re in a pinch.¡±

    Shin said while materializing 2 items in his pocket, and handed them over to Rionne.

    Both items were ne-shaped items, so it would never get in the way of action.

    ¡°I have a feeling that these are superb items again¡­I¡¯ll not ask about it now. I don¡¯t worry because it¡¯s you, Shin. Just don¡¯t act too recklessly.¡±

    Shin nodded at Rionne¡¯s words, and jumped out ahead into the Gryphon¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    He raised his voice on purpose to notify his presence.

    The ice spears came flying instantaneously, but they were brushed off by ¡ºKakura¡» as he approached the Gryphon.

    After confirming that the Gryphon¡¯s attention was directed at Shin, Rionne also started to run.

    ¡°It could stand a blow of Limit II. Unless I go further, it¡¯s unlikely for me to beat it down.¡±

    After seeing that Rionne went into the side entrance, Shin released his limit.

    He couldn¡¯t predict the impact on the surroundings due to having the biggest offensive power. However, in front of the Gryphon, he couldn¡¯t do an instant kill, at least not with his former stats.

    Then at this chance, he decided to use it as a subject for an experiment.

    *Swish!*

    Shin jumped off the ground and shortened the distance to the Gryphon.

    To Shin, who wasing at a speed that couldn¡¯t bepared to up until now, the Gryphon was not able to react.

    Since he was faster than the ice spears that were shot, the¡ºKakura¡» wielded by Shin reached the Gryphon¡¯s neck. Previously, the strike was obstructed by the Gryphon¡¯s feathers and skin, and even if ¡ºKakura¡» only dealt the damage due to a blow, it was different this time.

    The de part of ¡ºKakura¡» broke through the defensive power of the Gryphon and gouged out the meat while the de creaked under the power exerted.

    Right after Shin passed by next to the Gryphon, the neck of the Gryphon rolled onto the ground after a gap of several seconds.

    It was so quick that less than a second had passed from the moment he closed the distance while wielding ¡ºKakura¡» until the Gryphon¡¯s neck was sliced. If there was an expression on the Gryphon, it would have said ¡°I don¡¯t understand what happened¡±.

    However, the body which fell down and the neck which rolled onto the ground turned into blue and green steam before long, furthermore, it was revived in a perfect state in several seconds.

    ¡°Until Rionne finds something, shall we have test of who can hold out the longest?¡±

    The distance between Shin and the Gryphon was almost 0.

    He knew that it had restored. There was no way he didn¡¯t anticipate such a presage.

    Shin mercilessly beat the resurrected Gryphon with ¡ºKakura¡». Once again, its neck dropped, its body was cut in two, and burnt down with magic.

    The Gryphon was simply a target to the current Shin. Like a carp on top of a cutting board, it was merely in food preparation.

    ¡°GhuI!!¡±

    ¡°Too bad¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s struggle was futile, as its ice spears were dodged, smashed, and ¡ºKakura¡» was swung down in return. The kill count exceeded 10, 20, and piled up to 30, but the Gryphon hadn¡¯t weakened.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with it?¡±

    The result was the same either magic or physical.

    Shin couldn¡¯t think of anything but to confine it afterward.

    ¡°KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡±

    The Gryphon cried, it was conspicuously high.

    Soon after that, the dragged sense Shin felt at the central part of the Sacred ce enveloped his whole body.

    ¡°What again!?¡±

    Come to think of it, it was likely that this Gryphon was connected to the haze at the central part. It didn¡¯t seem to be his imagination after all.

    Shin unleashed a magic skill while going against the drawing force, but all too soon, he was drawn in by a white sphere which appeared on the joint part of the Gryphon¡¯s neck. Though it was possible to shatter it with ¡ºKakura¡», the force bes irresistible when approached and disappears in the same way of approaching magic. (T/N: He basically can¡¯t destroy the sphere, as it won¡¯t let him. It disappear when one get close and there is force of attraction towards it.)

    The suction force gradually became stronger, and Shin¡¯s shoes began to scrape the ground.

    Shin made up his mind to attack the sphere, whether he had choice or not. For better or for worse, that happened.

    ¡°What the heck is this¡­¡±

    A golden shine began to escape from Shin¡¯s body.

    That light reminded him of thest boss in the death game, Origin¡¯s ¡¾Golden Wave¡¿.

    ¡°KYUUUII!!¡±

    In response to the golden lights appearance, the Gryphon groaned. As if it was cautious of the light.

    ¡°The drawn feeling faded away, huh?¡±

    Before he knew it, the sense that pulled him toward the center was gone.

    While Shin carefully observed the Gryphon, he also devoted some of his attention to the light leaking from his own body. When he attempted to move it using same way he handled magic power, the light surprisingly obeyed Shin¡¯s intention without a hitch.

    The golden light gathered at ¡ºKakura¡», and it turned into a golden de.

    ¡°¡­Shall I try it?¡±

    Shin muttered while he ran.

    He was at point-nk range to begin with, so the distance with the Gryphon was closed in an instant, and the swung ¡ºKakura¡» left a golden trace.

    ¡°KyuA!?¡±

    The Gryphon also tried to avoid with its very best effort, but its left foreleg flew without it being able to evade.

    ¡°KYIIIIIII!!?¡±

    ¡°This is, it went well, huh?¡±

    From the joint of the foot which Shin blew away, the blue steam didn¡¯te out.

    As for the left foreleg which was blown off, it had disappeared as it dissolved in mid-air.

    The Gryphon fired ice spears aiming at Shin, and tried to keep distance. It was not possible to read its facial expression, but that was indeed the flustered expression of the Gryphon.

    If the advantage of overwhelming regenerative ability was lost, it was a natural reaction to have, because the difference between theirbat strength was obvious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it well, but I¡¯m grateful!¡±

    Shin corrected his posture with ¡ºKakura¡», and took aim at the Gryphon.

    ¡°KYUU¡­KYUA!¡±

    In an instant when the Gryphon was aware of Shin who had the shining ¡ºKakura¡», it donned an armor of ice on its whole body.

    As for the lost left foreleg, it waspensated with an artificial limb made of ice. Its talons were erged further, each one seemed to be a sharp sword. Its body also became one size bigger by having ice enveloped to its whole body, and a feeling of coercion increased too. A thin blue aura emitted from the armor of ice.

    ¡°KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡±

    ¡°Is that your full power? Bring it on!!¡±

    Shin also screamed back at the roar filled with thirst for blood.

    It was the Gryphon that took the first move. Its flying speed, formation speed, and ice spears which was shot by its wings became remarkably fast.

    In the barrage of ice which tried to bury the surroundings, Shin answered by waving ¡ºKakura¡».

    With enhanced dynamic vision, Shin firmly perceived the ice spearsing toward him. His arm which wielded ¡ºKakura¡», responded to Shin¡¯s consciousness without any dy.

    A golden blur intercepted the blue and green barrage. More than 10 of the ice spears were shattered by one swing of ¡ºKakura¡».

    A storm of raining ice spears and hail was not allowed to advance before the impregnable defence formed by the golden blur.

    ¡°KyUA!¡±

    However, the ice spears were only for stalling. The enemy¡¯s favorite was the breath which cameter.

    The breath unleashed from the Gryphon¡¯s mouth went directly toward Shin. Its thickness was twice the previous; it became approximately 80 cemels thick. The breath sped straight through the air like a blueser, and Shin caught it head-on.

    ¡ºKakura¡»which swung downward straight from the upper position, thrust into the center of the breath. The breath then split into 2 directions with the contact portion of¡ºKakura¡» as the base point. And then the breath ran along Shin¡¯s left and right, and the swallowed up nearby ice spears were frozen over. In the twinkling of an eye, anything that wasn¡¯t behind Shin was covered in ice.

    ¡°I was preupied by the front that I¡¯ve be negligent of other things.¡±

    ¡°GHUA!?¡±

    That Gryphon screamed almost at the same time as Shin¡¯s remark.

    Several explosions were heard; the force of the breath weakened, and the number of ice spears decreased too. Emerging from the opening ¡ºKakura¡» made by scattering the breath, the figure of the Gryphon with the back part of its ice armor split open.

    Shin, who had activated flying magic skill while facing the breath, had attacked from the Gryphon¡¯s overhead. The explosive sounds were the result of using a skill of the me technique system. It seemed that the damage reached not only the armor but also the inside, as the breath ceased after a few second as well.

    With less ice spears, there would no longer be any obstacle for Shin. Against Shin who closed the distance instantaneously, the Gryphon answered with talons of its foreleg.

    The fact that it couldn¡¯t even react some time ago was hard to believe, as its eyes managed to track Shin¡¯s movements. Earlier at the beginning, its left talons were swung out a beatte.

    The shining talons which basked under the sun, appeared to unt their sharpness.

    *Swish!*

    To match the right talons, Shin raised ¡ºKakura¡».

    The moment they struck each other, the repelled right foreleg of the Gryphon flew into the air. With the momentum of the raised¡ºKakura¡»just now, Shin rotated sideways on the spot. The raised ¡ºKakura¡»struck against the left ice foreleg which approached toote.

    In front of the Gryphon, ¡ºKakura¡» drew a golden arc. Its left ice foot, which couldn¡¯t withstand the power of ¡ºKakura¡», flew into the air like its right foreleg.

    ¡°I got y¨D¨Dhuh!?¡±

    Just as Shin went directly to take its neck, a strike entered from the upper left sky.

    He immediately repelled it with ¡ºKakura¡», and nced at the things that attacked him.

    ¡°That a Gryphon¡¯s tail huh? But I suppose it should be quieter¡­¡±

    What was swaying from side to side in the air was the Gryphon¡¯s tail which didn¡¯t have a presence until now.

    It was covered in ice and had its length extended, it had be like a whip.

    With an armor worn on its whole body, the number of weapons seemed to have increased too.

    ¡°But it¡¯s futile!¡±

    If the secret was broken, coping was possible.

    It was said that the tip of amon whip could surpass the speed of sound, but the Gryphon¡¯s tail was even faster. However, it was not a speed that Shin couldn¡¯t react to.

    He was only surprised to see an attack from an unexpected direction upon receiving it. The trajectory of the tail flying on a wall, along with the huge figure of the Gryphon, had been supplemented by his ¡¾Mind¡¯s Eyes¡¿.

    Shin matched its timing, and flung ¡ºKakura¡» against the flying ice tail. As the strength of the tail was low, it was easily cut.

    ¡°¡­It has quick recovery, huh?¡±

    Shin expressed his discouraged grumble.

    Because in front of Shin, the tail was restored in but a moment. It was probably because the part he sliced off was not a living body.

    And then both of its forelegs were reconstructed with ice too.

    ¡°As expected, I have no choice but to slice its neck.¡±

    As soon as Shin said so, he invoked a magic skill.

    The golden light which covered ¡ºKakura¡», fused with a crimson red light. At the same time, above the sky, a me technique system magic skill¡¾Red Tomahawk¡¿ was fired onto the Gryphon¡¯s rear. An arc was drawn in the sky, as Shin began to aim the me bullets to rain at the Gryphon.

    While attacking Shin with its tail, the Gryphon back stepped with an agility that belied its gigantic figure. It spread its wings and fired ice spears at the sky, while sending forth a breath.

    ¡°What a clever guy!¡±

    The Gryphon which dealt with simultaneous attacks from the sky and thend, was praised by Shin. That was simply because it was theposure of the strong.

    In reality, the Gryphon was not able topletely prevent his attack. The me bullets plowed through while erasing the storm of ice spears. Though several blew up on the way, the remainder were rained down on the Gryphon.

    ¡°GHUII!?¡±

    A scream leak from the Gryphon¡¯s mouth. Its tail strike and breath were interrupted.

    ¡°This time I won¡¯t miss!!¡±

    The ground was crushed as Shin stepped on it.

    ¡ºKakura¡» which went into motion, cast more light.

    A mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾me Net Charge¡¿.

    ¡ºKakura¡»was struck against the base of the Gryphon¡¯s neck.

    The armor of ice evaporated after touching ¡ºKakura¡», and the Gryphon¡¯s body along its trajectory was burnt off.

    Along the shing mark, a red line was carved on the Gryphon¡¯s body.

    ¡°See you¡±

    After leaving a parting word, Shin distanced himself immediately.

    In the next moment, intense light emitted from the red line carved on the Gryphon, and exploded.

    ¡¾me Net Charge¡¿ was originally used for blunt weapons such as hammers and so on to crush the opponent, it was a skill to blow up the opponent as well as the ground.

    Since ¡ºKakura¡»was thin this time, it resulted in an explosion along the line.

    ¡°Was it done?¡±

    Shin confirmed that the golden light was also mixed in the explosion.

    When that was considered, the effect of the golden light should have been carried on with the effect of the skill. When the explosive me cleared up, the figure of the Gryphon was nowhere to be seen.

    The remains of the Gryphon which turned into pieces, were scattered everywhere.

    When he looked at the state for a while, the remains copsed and vanished like sand. There was nothing left behind. Even the light emitted from Shin¡¯s body disappeared after the Gryphon exploded.

 Book 4: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 4: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    ¡°What the heck was that?¡­¡±

    When Shin breathed out a sigh of fatigue, he heard a *Ga-thunk* sound from the gate.

    When he turned his gaze toward the sound, a heavy gate was slowly opening.

    ¡°Shin! Are you alright!?¡±

    From the direction of the voice, Rionne was running from the side entrance.

    It seemed like she managed to open the gate safely.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Rionne. I defeated the Gryphon somehow. What was that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I heard an explosive sound, so I thought you had used a trump card. I was thinking about trying to escape as soon as the Gryphon was temporarily incapacitated.¡±

    The monsters in the Sacred ce didn¡¯t go outside. She seemed to have intended to utilize that rule.

    Since the Gryphon was an unknown monster, it may have chased themter on, but she judged that it was possible to push it back with 2 people. There was also a possibility that the Gryphon couldn¡¯t pass through the slightly opened gate with its gigantic body.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s you, Shin, although I also felt that you could defeat it¡­It seem I was right.¡±

    ¡°More than anything, I seem to be able to live up to expectations. Now, let¡¯s hurry up before the gate closes.¡±

    Shin urged Rionne and moved to the outside of the gate.

    Thereupon, Shin and Rionne went outside and walked on the road a little, and exactly as Rionne said, the gate closed automatically. When Shin shifted his eyes toward the sky, the magic barrier which enveloped the Sacred ce also deactivated.

    What had happened? Shin didn¡¯t understand it.

    However, he made up his mind to remember this event well, and looked back at Rionne. He smiled with an expression as gentle as possible. Because she may be worried if he still had a serious face.

    ¡°It was a sessful escape.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, for the time being, rather than being inside, it should be much safer.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While being cautious of the surroundings, the two people were still not as tense as they were inside Kalkia.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run from here on out. Both of us are upper ss Chosen Ones. Rather than looking for a vige to procure a horse, running by ourselves is better and we can arrive faster.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have no objection. Balmel is at the eastside of the Melt Mountains, so if we run while making the mountains intondmarks, we should be fine.¡±

    Balmel was a fort city that was built in order to respond when the monsters overflowed from Kalkia. It faced both the sea and mountains, and seemed to be a convenient ce to live if only there was no mass monster outbreak.

    Since there was also the promise with Schnee, he decided to go toward Balmel as Rionne said. They ran at a speed that would leave horses behind.

    After 15 minutes of running while ignoring the monsters which were seen asionally, Shin perceived an abnormal number of monsters¡¯ presences in his sensing range.

    ¡°¡­Hey Rionne, is Balmel further ahead?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°There is arge amount of monsters ahead, is that alright?¡±

    Rionne, who heard the information which Shin perceived, made a stiffened expression all of a sudden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, the ¡®Flood¡¯ is happening!?¡±

    ¡°¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Around the Sacred ce, the demon essence umtes, which overflows from the Sacred ce. Though it doesn¡¯t have influence on the human body, when the demon essence gathers to a certain amount, all of it manifests into monsters and is unleashed into the surroundings. We call that the ¡®Flood¡¯.¡±

    Shin, by chance, had previously read about the description of the phenomenon in the library of Bayreuth.

    In the content written in the book, it was a story of emergence of the low-level monsters. However no matter how much he looked, the number of monsters would cause numerous resources to be destroyed.

    ¡°If the end of the monster line is still here, the front may not arrive at Balmel immediately. I¡¯ll overtake it and support Balmel.¡±

    ¡°Roger. As expected, in this situation, you won¡¯t just leave them alone, Shin.¡±

    Amoner would have simply run away, but unfortunately, these two people were far frommoners.

    Balmel wouldn¡¯t fall easily; there would be enough countermeasures as it was the only purpose of the town. However the scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯ was not fixed, ¡®there¡¯s no knowing what may happen¡¯, was also written.

    It was not a thing he could ignore when he heard about it; that¡¯s the character of the man called Shin.

    ¡°It seems going home will take longer.¡±

    The running Rionne, who took a detour to chase after the group of monsters, Shin also raised his pace of running.

    After a little while, a huge group of monsters were confirmed by sight.

    In every ¡®Flood¡¯, there seemed to be a trend in the emerging monsters. This time it was humanoid monsters, such as goblins and orcs that became the majority.

    Was it a blessing of God? Compared to the high physical ability beast type and the tirelessly golem type, their pace was considerably slow. However, therge crowd of monsters was certainly headed to Balmel.

    ¡°Hmm? Hey Rionne, there¡¯s smoke rising over there, do you know what it is?¡±

    At the right front of the running Shin, a big cloud of smoke that appeared suddenly was visible.

    When he listened carefully, explosive sounds were audible, too. Apparently, there was something going on in the vicinity of the boundary between the forest in the in and the Melt Mountains.

    ¡°Perhaps, the Mist Garuda have descended the mountains. Melt Mountains is in the territory of the Mist Garuda after all. When the monsters that were born, in the ¡®Flood¡¯, were about to enter the mountains, I heard they were reduced to ashes. That¡¯s why the monsters have no choice but to advance toward Balmel.¡±

    The Mist Garuda may not have had the intention, but they seemed to have be the figure that guided the monsters toward Balmel in a good way.

    On top of that, since it killed the monsters which trespassed on the mountains, it had reduced the numbers that reached Balmel. Therefore, it was said that the act of trying to hunt the Mist Garuda in Melt Mountains was prohibited in a treaty. Because it reduced the damage of the ¡®Flood¡¯, it was outrageous to fight against each other.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Mist Garuda, huh?¡±

    A big shadow flying in the sky was reflected in Shin¡¯s eyes as he ran while watching the mountains.

    The Mist Garuda was flying leisurely while leaving an arc like a vapour trail. The mist was shaped like a bird, as shown in its name, and its level was high, ranged between 700 ¨C 800. It had a lot of special attacks, and was a very powerful monster.

    ¡°Oh, that is..¡±

    From the Mist Garuda which was dancing in the sky, a red mist was sprayed.

    The goblins and ogres started to roll over with their whole bodies covered in mes the moment the mist touched them.

    It was one of the special attacks of the Mist Garuda, ¡®Fog of re¡¯.

    If you didn¡¯t have resistance to a certain level of me attribute, you could receive an abnormal status where your HP decreased by 10% per second and die in 10 seconds. It was even said that the setting in the game may be wrong, as it was the fog of death that burnt many yers to death, although it was the monsters being roasted this time.

    ¡°Anyway, why is it that the monsters still go in even though they know they are going to be burned?¡±

    Shin thought of such things, looking at the monsters which kept on diving into their own death.

    ¡°The monsters that emerge from the ¡®Flood¡¯ tend to have significantly lower intelligence. That¡¯s why they charge until thest one standing.¡±

    Indeed. The monsters which were born from the ¡®Flood¡¯, seemed to be different from ordinary monsters.

    While wishing that the Mist Garuda burned the monsters as much as possible, Shin and Rionne decided to leave from that ce.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and Rionne ran on the in as they overtook the group of monsters which were previously ahead of them and became a ck wave.

    The map which was projected onto Shin¡¯s view when he passed the group of monsters, disyed only a bright red marker without any gap where the monsters were. It was too crowded, and the distinction of the individual was difficult, too.

    ¡°Is it always such arge crowd?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I think there are various kinds of scales in the ¡®Flood¡¯, but I don¡¯t remember it. The number of monsters were a bit more than when I participated in the battle once. It would be nice if there were fewer to be considered¡­¡±

    Rionne probed into her memories while remembering the scene from that time.

    What Rionne talked about for a while was the story where she merely drove a sword into the emerged monsters, and repeatedly killed them. This ¡®Flood¡¯ feltrger in scale than the one at that time, Rionne added at the end.

    Even if Rionne knew strong soldiers were there to protect Balmel, her feet naturally increased the speed.

    ¡°I understand your feelings, but you¡¯re pushing too much, Rionne.¡±

    Seeing Rionne who had shortness of breath, Shin called for a break.

    No matter how much an upper ss Chosen One Rionne was, her stamina was not unlimited. Before arriving at Balmel, there¡¯s no meaning if she gotpletely exhausted and couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for a moment on top of that hill. We already passed the leading group of the monster too. Rest for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°But! ¡­Well, sorry, you¡¯re right, Shin.¡±

    Rionne was probably trying to say that she still can go on, but she noticed her own state as well.

    If this goes on as it is, she would run out of energy in the middle of the way. Since they kept running at a high speed, the monsters¡¯ group was already quite far behind. Even if Shin and Rionne arrived at Balmel, several days could be expected to pass before the monsters reached them.

    Considering their pace, it was reasonable to rest here, because there was still a distance to cover to get to Balmel.

    ¡°It¡¯s called a fort city so haven¡¯t they already repelled the enemy many times over?¡±

    While they were on break, Shin asked about Balmel.

    If it¡¯s a city built for ¡®Flood¡¯ control, a military unit with reasonable equipment should exist.

    ¡°It is indeed, but it won¡¯t finish without a small number of sacrifices. Moreover now, among 3 upper ss Chosen Ones who should protect Balmel, one is absent.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay to be absent as the main part of defense?¡±

    ¡°It seemed there was something at the church, that he had to guard a certain person. Geez, what is the church thinking about?¡±

    Rionne frowned as she couldn¡¯t understand it.

    The fort city ording to Rionne, apart from being the ¡®Flood¡¯ breakwater, had received a dispatched upper-ss Chosen Ones from the church and the neighboring countries. Because the fort city was inferior in terms of numbers, it was a strategy topensate with quality.

    However this time, since the church had stimted a talk about pulling out a Chosen One at their own discretion, objections flooded from various countries.

    (The church, huh?¡­Is it by any chance, that guy?)

    Hearing ¡°Church¡± and ¡°A certain person¡±, a figure of a knight who damaged his wagon during the journey to Falnido came to Shin¡¯s mind.

    In this world, it was quitemon that the actual status differ from the height of a level. However, a high-leveled person was still limited. The knights at that time, especially the man who destroyed the wheels of the wagon was level 239. It was higher than the present Rionne.

    It was no more than a possible story, but if it¡¯s the truth, it would be necessary to add restraints to the priest who threatened the knights.

    ¡°What about the other two? Will they be able to pull through somehow?¡±

    ¡°Thebination is not bad. The other two are a magic swordsman like me and a mage. If they cooperate with the high-leveled adventurers who are in Balmel, they would never lose as long as there is no ident. The problem is the number of victims.¡±

    ¡°How far could the enemy be reduced by magic skills of the mage, was the key¡±, Rionne murmured, and drank water.

    Even though how much the mage was called a Chosen One, a skill couldn¡¯t be released forever.

    Though it depended on ability and skill, there was also a limit in range a person could cover.

    ¡°How is the fighting force of Balmel? There are Chosen Ones from the adventurers¡¯ guild, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed apart from the dispatched people, there are powerful people who are close to upper-ss Chosen Ones. But most of them are melee type. Only few people can attack a wide area.¡±

    It was alright if the monsters were in small number, but when it came to several hundreds of thousands, defeat would happen in the long run. Since the monsters appearing in the ¡®Flood¡¯ were low-level, even a general soldier could help to keep them upied.

    Though the course to go over there was changed, Shin decided to contact Schnee just in case.

    (¡°This is Shin, is it alright to talk now?¡±)

    (¡°Yes, did something happen?¡±)

    After making sure there was no problem tomunicate, Shin told about the ¡®Flood¡¯ things to Schnee.

    (¡°I can¡¯t say anything about the scale unless I see them myself. It it¡¯s the normal scale, we don¡¯t have to worry about Balmel at least.¡±)

    Schnee judged calmly after she listened to Shin¡¯s story.

    However, there was an irregr this time.

    (¡°Have you taken that 1 Chosen One¡¯s absence into ount?¡±)

    (¡°If the Chosen One who is not there is not a mage, it would be all right. Since the monster itself can be dealt with just Balmel¡¯s forces.¡±)

    ¡°Although I have not considered the victims¡±, Schnee continued.

    (¡°I got it. I¡¯m going to rush up to Balmel from here, you should hurry as much as possible there, too.¡±)

    (¡°Understood.¡±)

    With Schnee there, it should not be a problem without the Chosen One and so forth.

    Though Tiera was not able to move so quickly, she would not bete if Kagerou¡¯s with her.

    ¡°¡­Now then, we¡¯ve had enough rest. Let¡¯s move soon, Shin.¡±

    Thanks to having rested for a while, Rionne seemed to have recovered, as she stood up swiftly.

    The talk with Schnee had just ended too, so Shin also stood up at the same time.

    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll carry that.¡±

    Saying so, Shin carried ¡ºMuspelm¡» which was ced on the ground to his back.

    It wasn¡¯t much burden to Shin due to the height of his physical strength, he determined that it would be hard for Rionne to carry it and run for a long time.

    ¡°Mu! I can carry my own weapon¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Rather than fussing over that now, it¡¯s more important to move quickly. You were worn out halfway, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, when that¡¯s said, I cannot talk back¡­¡±

    Since that was the reason they took a break, Rionne couldn¡¯t argue.

    The top priority here was to proceed ahead, and the ¡ºMuspelm¡»was entrusted to Shin.

    ¡°Mumumu!¡±

    ¡°Why are you groaning?¡±

    ¡°We have to hurry up, must to but¡­damn, I¡¯m ashamed to be tired out at this amount.¡±

    ¡°You unexpectedly hate to lose, huh¡±

    Although they were talking, their running speed has not dropped.

    Rionne¡¯s burden of ¡ºMuspelm¡» has diminished a lot, she could afford to talk as a result.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    They kept running most of the day, and finished preparation for camping before the sun set.

    As one would expect, to keep running for days without sleeping was difficult no matter how much the stamina, so they decided to get enough sleep in a simple tent they set together and stood watch in turn.

    After finishing a quick meal, and Shin cleaning up, Rionne began to speak. She casually approached Shin and sent a flirtatious nce.

    ¡°You really have a lot of stuff thates up. Even if I am prepared, isn¡¯t this thoroughly prepared?¡±

    ¡°I was prepared for a journey to begin with. Because I was summoned there, these are the only things I have. Once you convert them into cards, it¡¯s not very bulky.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you can use item cards, huh? I wish my country had a person with that ability.¡±

    In the story Shin asked Wilhelm, there should be a possibility that Rionne and other countries¡¯ Chosen Ones possessed an Item Box if they had items.

    ¡°I will not talk about cooperation.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know the detailed information, and either way he wouldn¡¯t do it.

    ¡°No good?¡±

    ¡°No good.¡±

    ¡°No matter what?¡±

    ¡°Never. Hey! don¡¯te closer!¡±

    He distanced himself from the leaning forward Rionne who approached him.

    Around the area that emphasized her chest, ¡®She¡¯s actually aware of her own charm, isn¡¯t she?¡¯, Shin thought. How have the princess¡¯ manners and so forth fallen? He wanted to ask.

    In the darkness of night, Rionne who was illuminated by the bonfire, the lively state she had during the day quieted down, and wore an atmosphere that seemed to be slightly strange.

    ¡°For you to be somewhat flustered, is this body even attractive?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I understand what you have been doing. I mean I should say, is this the kind of thing you should be doing in this situation?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say ¡®It¡¯s useless to even be flustered¡¯, Shin! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll make good use of the time when I don¡¯t have anything to do.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the effective use of time? Where?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time effective at least for me. In this way, I can speak to you without reserve.¡±

    While smiling somewhat lonely, Rionne corrected her sitting posture.

    ¡°Without reserve, huh? Rionne, well, there will be such a partner, like when you talked with Gadras, I think that was pretty frank though.¡±

    ¡°Gadras is my sword¡¯s mentor. I¡¯m morefortable with him than other people. Although, there is still something like a wall to royal family. In that respect, you really have no constraint, Shin.¡±

    ¡°That, in other words, am I just being rude?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I also want to talk with such a partner, who humbles himself all the time, but it doesn¡¯t suit me personally; although I¡¯m ustomed to such things.¡±

    Rionne often went out to towns, but due to bad publicity, even the adventurers who wasn¡¯t particr much about social status seemed to humble themselves.

    ¡°How about your family? Ah well, you don¡¯t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to. There seems to be a lot of discord in some ces.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the things I conceal particrly. You¡¯re right, our family¡¯s interpersonal connections had¡­been long gone. Although we¡¯re not on a bad terms, I don¡¯t know whether I want a substitute family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that kind of royal family, huh? Well, in case you need someone to talk, I¡¯ll be yourpanion. ¨D¨DHey! Why are you getting clingy!¡±

    ¡°Sometimes even a princess will want to depend on someone. You may hear my selfishness a little while hearing my story.¡±

    ¡®Was she teasing me?¡¯, Shin thought, but Rionne never did anything more than cling to Shin¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I can¡¯t show this to the people in the castle.¡±

    ¡°Nobody is around. It¡¯s been a long time not being monitored everywhere other than in the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Good grief, this princess¡­only this time.¡±

    After a sigh, Shin tossed a branch to the bonfire with his free arm.

    It was easy to pull away if he intended to. However, the unhappy speech he listened to was making his intention fade away.

    A family was something very important to Shin. Though before the death game, his parents were in good health, and his rtionships with his elder brother and younger sister were also good. It was noisy fun, and the ce where he should have returned. As he thought to himself, he couldn¡¯t help but to feel something in Rionne¡¯s circumstances.

    The serene expression of Rionne relieving her burden, Shin would like to see it a little longer. Speaking furthermore, there was none of the monitoring that Rionne spoke of. It meant that Rionne was constantly monitored.

    ¡®You probably have time to rx now¡¯, Shin thought.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re warm.¡±

    ¡°Is it cold?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡±

    ¡®I know¡¯, he muttered in his mind, and threw another branch on the fire.

    *Pop* sounds and the noise of branches split open were heard. Shin was not that thickheaded to be mistaken on the meaning of this situation.

    Was this the original Rionne? Shin couldn¡¯t arrive to a conclusion. Where was her usual spirited mood?

    ¡°Sleep soon, we will keep on running tomorrow. Don¡¯t reserve the fatigue.¡±

    ¡°Muu, it can¡¯t be helped. Or I have to wait for the next opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Vacate such thinking until we pullpletely through the ¡®Flood¡¯.¡±

    Shin, who took out a mantle, wrapped up Rionne, and warned her for formality¡¯s sake.

    Rionne probably would understand that. Somehow, she took a rest well.

    The transition to Sacred ce, the defeat against monsters, and the impatience due to the ¡®Flood¡¯. When such various factors were put together, the manner until now was expressed, Shin thought.

    The deep darkness of the moonless night.

    Groups of monsters from behind.

    What can be relied upon by fellow travellers, was only a small bonfire.

    Regardless of the strength of capabilities, it was no wonder that a feeling to seek one who can be relied upon was sought, Shin thought.

    Speaking of why he understood it, it was because Shin had experienced simr things.

    Shin and Rionne, Schnee and Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were heading toward Balmel.

    A great army of monsters exceeding 1000, approaching moment by moment.

    In order to fight against the looming threat, everyone would meet at Balmel.

 Book 5: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    ¡°I saw it!¡±

    It was the third day since Shin and the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Rionne, had been transposed to the Sacred ce Kalkia. The rampart of the stronghold city, Balmel, was visible to the two people who continued going south.

    Normally it was impossible to arrive in three days, but they were upper ss Chosen Ones. It could be said that their speed surpassed that of a flying dragon.

    Simrly from the Sacred ce to Balmel, there was quite a distance from therge crowd of monsters. Since the Goblins and other monsters were the main constituent for their slow movements, they still had probably nearly a week to spare.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go meet the feudal lord. Shin, please report to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What will you do afterwards?¡±

    ¡°When ites to the intercepting therge-scale of ¡®Flood¡¯ monsters¡¯ invasion, cooperation of the guild and the army is essential. It means that the Chosen Ones will assemble immediately.¡±

    ¡°I see. Roger that.¡±

    The current time was just past noon. Since it was not early in the morning orte at night, he didn¡¯t have to wait at the reception desk.

    Rionne told the circumstances to the guard who was in the guardroom of the gate, and was guided to the feudal lord¡¯s castle.

    Shin also asked the guard about the ce and headed toward the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡°Is it in between Bayreuth and Falnido?¡±

    What Shin spoke about was the race of people he came across. There were a lot more beasts here than in Bayreuth, and more humans than in Falnido. He also saw some elves and dragnils.

    The key point of defending was to keep the overflowing monsters in check from the Sacred ce. In addition, because the city was next to the sea and an abundance of mountains, this might have resulted in various races gathering.

    ¡°It¡¯s lively.¡±

    Shin briskly walked for a while, and soon saw a familiar signboard.

    He opened the door, entered inside, and made his way to the counter.

    ¡°Excuse me, could you ry something to the guild master?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for being so for asking, but what kind of business do you have with Guild Master?¡±

    The elf receptionist girl, who gave off the impression of a working woman with sses on, asked him with a dubious look.

    It was the first time Shin hade to Balmel, so he didn¡¯t know any acquaintances. When an adventurer without acquaintances asked to call the guild master, you probably would think it was suspicious, too.

    ¡°There is information on the ¡®Flood¡¯. In addition to the Guild Card, I also pledge with my social position.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please wait a moment.¡±

    The receptionist contemted for a moment before lightly bowing and drawing back to an inside room.

    It was likely that she couldn¡¯t ignore it when she heard it was about the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    The receptionist, who returned after a few minutes, prompted Shin to the back room.

    It seemed that the guild interior¡¯s design was almost the same in every town. They walked a short distance and a big door could be seen, and the reception girl knocked on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Eliza. I brought you the adventurer in question.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s open. Have him enter.¡±

    The reply, which came from the other side of the door, was a male voice.

    Also, this reception girl seemed to be called Eliza.

    Shin passed through the door which had been opened by Eliza, and entered the room.

    ¡°Wee to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I am the guild master, Baren Lakt. I¡¯m told that you brought information on the ¡®Flood¡¯; could you tell me more about it?¡±

    When he was invited to sit on the sofa, Shin felt that he was being observed.

    Baren¡¯s appearance was that of a man just past his 60¡¯s. Most of his hair was white; wrinkles also stood out on his face.

    However, even if he looked gentle, that glint in eyes held a sharpness that wasn¡¯t inferior to Barlux¡¯s.

    ¡°I am Shin. The ¡®Flood¡¯ urred around Sacred ce Kalkia. It consists mainly of Goblins, Orcs and others humanoid monsters. Judging from the speed of their progression, I think it will take them about one week until they arrive here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your expression looks like you¡¯ve seen it happen; may I ask for your information sources?¡±

    ¡°As you said, I saw it. I can¡¯t say in detail, but I can confirm that a mass of monsters was heading toward Balmel when I went to the vicinity of the Sacred ce. Mypanion has already gone to contact the feudal lord here.¡±

    ¡°To the feudal lord? Does the person apanying you have a high social rank?¡±

    Baren asked, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

    If one could have an audience with the feudal lord immediately, it must be a person with a high position to some degree. As expected from the guild master of the city near the Sacred ce, he was quick to catch on.

    ¡°You will know about mypanion¡¯s status. The information should be passed on to you soon. Leaving that aside, do you believe in my information?¡±

    ¡°Hrm, I can not remain silent when hearing ¡®Flood¡¯. But under the present situation, there¡¯s no proof to back up what you¡¯re saying¨D¨D¡±

    Baren said, while putting his hand on his chin.

    However, it seemed he already sent a messenger to confirm the information contrary to his words.

    There were people leaving the guild hurriedly; Shin could sense it.

    ¡°If you say that you are an A rank adventurer, the story would be different.¡±

    For Baren, he should be able to get into action quickly. However, since he was the head of the organization, he couldn¡¯t ept Shin¡¯s information that easily.

    ¡°Then, how about this?¡±

    Receiving a probing-like gaze, Shin took out the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora from his Item Box.

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    Eliza expressed words when she saw the letter of introduction.

    ¡°I already have official guarantee that it¡¯s genuine by Guild Master of Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, I have no choice but to believe you since this is shown.¡±

    The gaze containing doubt from Baren was erased.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to verify it?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a letter of introduction. But as you said, I can contact Barlux-dono. Even if you tell a lie, I¡¯ll know it immediately.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, from here on I officially announce the deration of a state of emergency. If thepanion whom you said has brought the story to the feudal lord, the army would move immediately. As soon as the reportes, we¡¯ll begin the preparation for the residents¡¯ evacuation. Eliza, please contact the representatives of each guild.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Eliza who received the order left the room afterward.

    Organization of the army and units, procurement of supplies, and the evacuation of the residents; there were many things that needed to be done from now on.

    ¡°What are you going to do hereafter? I guess you¡¯re an upper ss Chosen One, right? Please cooperate as I¡¯d like to ask regardless, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. As an upper ss Chosen One as you say, you can expect me to help to some extent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring. Then, it would be nice if you have a meeting together with the other Chosen Ones in this city.¡±

    In Baren¡¯s talk, the Chosen Ones that became the main force, because upper ss Chosen Ones were not the same as ordinary adventurers or knights, it was said that they would unite in a party between fellow Chosen Ones and fight.

    Since they themselves often had weapons for their exclusive use, they didn¡¯t take much time with preparationpared to amon adventurer.

    ¡°Now the Chosen Ones protect Balmel, but I¡¯ve heard there is one short..¡±

    ¡°You had known? I¡¯m also concerned about this, but the force increased once you joined. It became somewhat better, is what I¡¯d like to think.¡±

    ¡°Mypanion is a Chosen One too, so you can count on us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing.¡±

    After inquiring about the location of the shop which the Chosen One ran, Shin left the adventurer¡¯s guild. Even if everyone of them were a Chosen One, it didn¡¯t mean they would be adventurers or knights.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°That¡¯s the ce, huh? I¡¯ve seen that signboard somewhere before.¡±

    He said as he went ahead along the street, and found the signboard of thendmark.

    At the sole of a paw and small fish which were drawn on the signboard, Shin tilted his head.

    ¡°Paw, small fish¡­Wait, those are, dried small sardines?¡±

    A paw and dried small sardines. To thatbination, something shed inside Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°The shop¡¯s name is ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯¡­you say? D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­.¡±

    While remembering the person who shouldn¡¯t be here, Shin opened the shop¡¯s door.

    A bell rang and he entered the shop, there, it was a bar with a calm atmosphere. Shin was familiar, no, he was at a loss for a moment how he should move in the interior which he was so familiar with.

    ¡°Hm? Customer-san, I am very sorry, but we haven¡¯t opened yet. You can have delicious sake after the sun goes down a little more, okay?¡±

    Shin stiffened at that very moment, a deep voice of a man from the inner part of the store was heard.

    Shin was also familiar with this voice, and he turned toward the direction of the voice.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hibineko-san?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, I was called that by a close friend, but¡­Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa!?¡±

    That person, expressed his surprise with his whole body when he confirmed Shin¡¯s face.

    His race was High Beast of cat. As for the appearance, there was no way of expressing it other than a cat walking on two legs and wearing clothes.

    His face was mostly white but only the ears were ck. A part of the fur on his face had be gray for some reason; it looked like a crack on a split tile.

    The reason why Shin called him ¡°Hibineko¡± was because of the grey patch. His avatar name in-game was ¡®[email protected]¡¯. (T/N: Hibineko literally means crack cat)

    If only his voice was heard, one would imagined a refined man of middle age, but due to his short stature and his cartoonish costume, he looked like a mascot character of a deformed animal in an amusement park.

    Add a exmation mark floating above the head, and he would be the gag character of a manga.

    ¡°Are you a d-double?¡±

    ¡°Who is! Ah, no, but why? Hibineko-san, you were in the death game¡­¡±

    You should have died.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t voice it, he knew he wasn¡¯t mistaken. However, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ certainly disyed ¡®[email protected]¡¯.

    ¡°Really, you¡¯re Shin-nyaa¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­you¡¯re indeed Hibineko-san¡­first of all should I stop calling you that name?¡±

    Shin felt that tension dispersed, as ¡°-nyaa¡± attached to the end of names which was a peculiar way of calling from Hibineko. Even if he thought back to when it was a regr game, he was a yer who could change the mood of the area unintentionally.

    ¡°*Sigh*, even though I don¡¯t understand it well, it¡¯s been a long time, Hibineko-san. No, is it better to call you [email protected]?¡±

    ¡°Mugu! To know my sealed true name, you¡¯re really Shin-nyaa!¡±

    ¡°I only saw it from ¡¾Analyze¡¿. Or perhaps I should say, please stop calling me as Shin-nyaa, seriously.¡±

    Whilemunicating like they did in the past, Shin sighed.

    ¡°Fumu, it¡¯s truly you, Shin¡­ Hey, Shin. I want to confirm only this, have you died?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, supposedly.¡±

    Shin spoke briefly about what happened to himself after he defeated ¡®Origin¡¯. He couldn¡¯t be dead at least.

    ¡°No no, such things¡­¡±

    ¡°For me, I am concerned why Hibineko-san is here though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either. Having lost my life in death game, when I came to myself, I was asleep on a grassy in. Level, stats, and items. Nothing changed from prior to dying, so I didn¡¯t have a hard time while living.¡±

    Balmel seemed to be the first ce he arrived, it was said that he was active as an adventurer based in here.

    ¡°Then, what is this shop?¡±

    ¡°Besides being active as an adventurer, this is matched with my character.¡±

    ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯ bar was the name of the shop which Hibineko opened during the game era.

    Half of the menu being cat food hadn¡¯t changed either.

    ¡°And, I became the mark when other yers also came.¡±

    ¡°Besides you, there are others?!¡±

    Apparently, the situation was on arger scale than Shin thought.

    The yers who should have died in the death game or something; it was much more than expected.

    ¡°As far as I know it, Shadow-nyaa, Ho-nyaa, Masa-nyaa, Hira-nyaa have certainlye into this world. But¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°There are PK among the people thate as well.¡±

    ¡°PK?!¡±

    The yers havee. Hearing that, Shin thought even if they died in the original world, they could at least live in this world, but his expression changed when he heard the following words by Hibineko.

    PK or abbreviated of yer Killer; it referred to the act where a yer killed another yer, or the yer who did such an act. This time, it was thetter meaning.

    Also, speaking of the PK in the death game era, the majority prefered to kill the viinous people.

    ¡°Do you know who hase?¡±

    ¡°I still cannot grasp everything. But it¡¯s no doubt that Hameln hase.¡±

    ¡°That guy hase? It¡¯s going to be troublesome¡­¡±

    Hameln, Shin who heard that name had his expression stiffen.

    The yer who was known as a habitual offender of PK-MPK(Monster yer Kill) in the death game era, that¡¯s Hameln.

    As a High Pixie, he had morebat power than any upper ss Chosen One in this world, though not as much as Schnee.

    ¡°Even in this world, he has already been ced on the wanted list in many countries.¡±

    ¡°What did he do?¡±

    Though he was able to expect it without hearing, Shin still asked.

    ¡°He brought arge amount of monsters, and attacked a town. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a big town, but it was said that it was a total destruction.¡±

    ¡°That bastard. Even here, he¡¯s doing the same things, huh?¡±

    As Shin, who had a connection as he put an end to Hameln during the death game, he wondered why there was such a yer in this world.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s useless even if we think now. Anyway, why did youe to this shop, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, though I think you will be contacted soon, the ¡®Flood¡¯ happened. So, it would be nice if you have meeting together with the other Chosen Ones, was what the guild master said.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the case, huh? Then, I¡¯ll call out Shadow-nyaa and the others too.¡±

    Hibineko paused for a short while, and fell silent.

    Partly because he was a yer too, Shin understood that Hibineko used Mind Chat.

    ¡°When I spoke about you, Shin, he said he woulde at once.¡±

    ¡°Are they nearby?¡±

    ¡°They are my next-door neighbours. Didn¡¯t you see the signboard?¡±

    ¡°That is, I was paying more attention to the paw signboard..¡±

    ¡°To miss the cafe ¡®B&W¡¯, you still have a long way to go, Shin.¡±

    ¡°¡®B&W¡¯? That¡¯s the Shadow-san and Holly-san¡¯s shop?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, they have a daughter too.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?!¡±

    ¡°They have a daughter¡±, Shin was surprised at that use.

    Even a former yer seemed to able to make a child in this world. Just when he tried to ask for a detailed story, the shop¡¯s door was opened forcefully.

    ShadowHollyAndHibineko

    ¡°Is it true that Shin-chan is here?!¡±

    ¡°Hey Holly, calm down a bit.¡±

    Entering by kicking the door open were two people, a High Elf and a High Lord.

    Having raised a loud yell was the High Elf woman, her white hair waved loosely and her blue transparent eyes were impressive.

    What reprimanded her was a High Lord man, having the same ck hair and iris as Shin.

    The words handsome man and beautiful woman, matched the two people really well.

    ¡°Um¡­Holly-san¡­if possible, please stop attaching -chan to my name.¡±

    It was Holly¡¯s habit to put up ¡°-chan¡± to someone, because Shin had the same nickname to a certain kindergartener, he requested her to correct it whenever being called.

    Though she attached ¡°-kun¡± to his name during theirst meeting, she seemed to havepletely forgotten it, probably because she was being surprised.

    ¡°¡­Hibineko-san. They look like they¡¯re somewhat misunderstanding though..¡±

    ¡°U-Umu, they should hear the story in general about you, Shin.¡±

    They seemed to think that Shin probably died and hade to this world. From the tears umting in their eyes, there¡¯s no mistake about it.

    ¡°Hey Holly, Shin has not died. You¡¯ve heard Hibineko¡¯s chat.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Is that so?¡±

    To begin with, she had a character that was quickly jumping to wrong conclusions, and that didn¡¯t seem to have changed even after she came here.

    It was also amon thing for Shadow to rebuke her.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. At least, I¡¯m certain that my HP didn¡¯t be 0 when I came here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d. I certainly thought¡­but, then why are you here?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ve said he doesn¡¯t know. Anyway, it¡¯s been a long time, Shin. I¡¯m happy to see you again, but I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s nice to say..¡±

    While answering Holly¡¯s question, Shadow called out to Shin.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m d to meet you too¡­Meeting again, it was possible, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it after I died..¡±

    Shin and Shadow, they had known each other for the longest inside that group. At one time, they made a party together.

    Shin was d to see Shadow and Holly together, and became jealous at the same time.

    Even in the real world, Shadow and Holly were a married couple, their good rtionship was famous amongpanions. Despite dying and ending up in a another world, they could still be here together, Shin was a little jealous.

    (Well, his circumstances are slightly different than mine.)

    Shin almost hoped for a reunion like those two, and shrugged his shoulders a little to restrain himself.

    ¡°First of all, I am delighted with our reunion here, but the situation at the moment is a little..¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. When I heard the ¡®Flood¡¯ took ce, I couldn¡¯t calm down either.¡±

    Shadow also changed his expression.

    ¡°Has the adventurer¡¯s guild made their move?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mypanion has also told the feudal lord, too. Each guild should be contacted soon.¡±

    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re quick to respond. But Shin-kun, did Guild Master believe in your story?¡±

    ¡°As for that, I showed him this.¡±

    Shin took out the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora in front of Holly.

    When that was seen, everyone nodded as having consented.

    ¡°I see. You already went to your ¡®home¡¯.¡±

    ¡°It was near the ce where I woke up, so I went there first. I also have met Schnee already.¡±

    All three of them seemed to know the situation of Tsuki no Hokora; Holly and the others wanted to hear the detailed story from Shin.

    However, because it was not a time to be carefree, Shin ignored Holly¡¯s gaze and returned to the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told this to the guild master, but the majority of the monsters were humanoids such as Goblins and Ogres. Anyway, you should be careful of their number. It was a number that wasn¡¯t seen even in an event of the game.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the feature of the ¡®Flood¡¯ which breeds arge amount of low-level monsters. Though we, the melee-type, would have a difficult time corresponding to the attack, it seems we don¡¯t have to worry with Shin here.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you destroyed them when you came across them?¡±

    Shadow said in neither joking nor in a serious tone.

    ¡°No, actually, mypanion in question is the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom. To use my power in front of such person is still..¡±

    ¡°Will she be afraid or praise it? Either way, it will be mayhem. High Humans here seem to be treated like half Gods. Shin-kun¡¯s support character, Schnee-chan, is very famous, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, besides, even now she still held full interest toward me. As Shadow-san says, I intend to prevent war sacrifices too, but I don¡¯t want to be discovered.¡±

    It was said, no matter how much the number were, most of them were small fry which didn¡¯t reach level 100. He could burn them down using a wide range magic skill.

    As why that wasn¡¯t done earlier, it was because Rionne was nearby.

    ¡°A man with power, is difficult in every ages. For the matter of the second princess, I heard she isn¡¯t that corrupted to that extent though..¡±

    Following Shadow, Hibineko began to talk.

    ¡°Well, the cement probably will be different from us when ites to a royal family. I dare say, we ought to be together as the dispatch group.¡±

    The group of dispatch were the Chosen Ones assigned to various ces by turns. The mage and the magic swordsman which Rionne mentioned before fell under that.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡±

    ¡°If I say that we¡¯re acquaintances, it¡¯s almost settled with the princess bing separated. A hastily made party and a party with cooperation, the battle results are greatly different. The guild master also understands that situation.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if we would be a hindrance instead¡­Didn¡¯t Schnee-chane?¡±

    ¡°She is in Bayreuth now. It¡¯s also why I¡¯m here, it seems like a demon was in the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°Demon?¡±

    Shadow reacted to Shin¡¯s remark.

    Neither Hibineko nor Holly spoke, but they seemed to be surprised simrly.

    ¡°I heard in Schnee¡¯s story, 500 years from the natural disaster, she didn¡¯te across it at all.¡±

    ¡°Hm, we haven¡¯t heard of it either.¡±

    In addition to Hibineko¡¯s words, Shadow and Holly nodded too.

    Though they didn¡¯t understand what was happening, demons having begun to move again was not a good premonition. Just to make sure, he also informed them of what was in the royal pce.

    ¡°A Count ss, huh? If that¡¯s the case, we should able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Although anything higher than that, we¡¯ve only ever fought in dungeons or for quests.¡±

    ¡°The terrain has changed now, we don¡¯t know the reason. In all the dungeons that we have visited in this world, there never been something like this.¡±

    Three people looked at each other and frowned.

    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s better than not knowing, but please put it in the corner of your mind for the time being. You may have to give priority even more soon.¡±

    Since he couldn¡¯t find solution even if he thought, the demon matter was put on hold for the time being.

    ¡°For now, let me take charge of strengthening your weapons and armor which you¡¯re using now.¡±

    ¡°Is it fine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here this time, but I don¡¯t know what will happen hereafter. I think there¡¯s no loss to reinforce them. Of course, you can expect it to be good as I will do it seriously.¡±

    Shin was there this time. Though the preparation made by the guild and the feudal lord were wasted, he didn¡¯t intend to increase the victims and the like from the start.

    Shin¡¯s attention was already focused on the ¡®Flood¡¯ which would eventually happen again.

    ¡°F-Fumu¡­Shin is serious huh? A fearful weapons will probably bepleted, although it¡¯s reliable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to hand over my weapon.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow said in a slightly restless voice.

    Because they didn¡¯t know Shin¡¯s abilitypletely, what kind of magic remodeling would Shin subject their favorite weapons to? Such uneasiness shed across their head.

    ¡°Please take care of my weapon! Even if Shin-kun is not here, we will defend this ce!¡±

    Unlike the men who were sweating from their foreheads, Holly with an expression full of motivation, handed over a weapon which was still in card state to Shin immediately.

    There was not any trace of anxiety towards the magic remodeling seen.

    ¡°You can count on me.¡±

    Shin also received the cards from Shadow and Hibineko, and put them away in his Item Box at once.

    He intended to make Tsuki no Hokora appear, to work in the night as he sneaked out from Balmel.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll introduce you my partnerter.¡±

    ¡°Partner? If it¡¯s Schnyaa-san, I know her.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible for monster to be tamed if you have the job Tamer? It¡¯s that.¡±

    Shin told Hibineko, who heard ¡®partner¡¯ and imagined Schnee, that he tamed a monster.

    ¡°Hoho, I didn¡¯t think there is a monster could catch Shin¡¯s eyes.¡±

    While ying with his mustache, Hibineko smiled with great interest.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a very strong monster, right?.¡±

    ¡°Fumu, is it the Mist Garuda around here?¡±

    They being immensely curious also didn¡¯t change here, Holly and Shadow voiced their ideas too.

    ¡°Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll call it now.¡±

    Saying so, Shin connected via telepathy between partners to Yuzuha.

    ¡°(This is Shin. Yuzuha, can you hear me?)¡±

    ¡°(Ku? Wha?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯ll introduce you to my acquaintances, and I want to summon you here, is it okay?)¡±

    ¡°(Wait a minute¡­*clonk*, Schnee-oneechan, Tiera-oneechan, see youter)¡±

    For a short while, Yuzuha seemed to get confirmation from Schnee and Tiera.

    ¡°Then, here ites. Contract beast summon!¡±

    When Shin chanted the incantation, a summoning formation with aplicated pattern was drawn at his feet.

    Normally, Yuzuha should have appear at Shin¡¯s feet, but¨D¨D

    ¡°Kyaah!!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°Ha? ¨D¨DWhoa!¡±

    Just as Shin thought he heard a short scream, his face was wrapped in something soft, and his view became dark.

    His posture broke and he fell onto the ground. Besides the sound of Shin falling, the sound of something dropping resounded inside the shop.

    ¡°Ouch¡­What¡­on earth¡­Master!! What happened?¡±

    When Tiera looked up while her eyes moistened because of pain, there was the figure of Schnee whose breasts enveloped Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­Tsui¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡°Tsui¡± me, ah, geez! Please release Shin, he seems to be in pain!¡±

    He likely couldn¡¯t breath. Shin tapped Schnee¡¯s back repeatedly.

    ¡°Mm mmm! Mm mmm!¡± voice omitted from her chest, ¡°Give up! I give up!¡± was also heard.

    ¡°T-This is, I only hear it from the rumor, is this heaven or hell?¡±

    Shin who was freed from Schnee¡¯s embrace, murmured while gasping for breath.

    Because it was the timing when he just breathed out, he was about to be suffocated seriously.

    The beginning was heaven, and the end was hell. As a matter of fact, if he had wanted to avoid it, he could have, but it was a secret only for Shin.

    ¡°¡­Um, what kind of situation is this?¡±

    Shadow, Holly and Hibineko who had stiffened by Schnee and the other¡¯s sudden appearance, among them, the first one to reboot was Holly.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have a clue either.¡±

    While fixing his disordered breathing, Shin answered.

    Indeed, he didn¡¯t expect Schnee and Tiera to appear together with Yuzuha.

    ¡°About that, I..¡±

    Schnee started to exin as if nothing had happened.

    ording to her, Tiera and her seemed to have been pulled into the summoning formation around Yuzuha. Normally only the partner bes the target for transition, and it appeared that the two people were recognized as existences simr to Yuzuha for some reason.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, but isn¡¯t it because of them being inside the summoning formation?¡±

    ¡°They were swallowed by the summoning formation, huh?¡±

    ¡°The summoning formation had a one mel diameter, so Tiera and I were indeed inside the summoning formation.¡±

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, Cashmere talked about such a thing.¡±

    Shin recalled the words of the summoner and tamer of Rokuten, Cashmere.

    ¡°When calling your partner, if there are other partners in the summoning formation, they may appear together sometimes. Although it doesn¡¯t seem to be a bug.¡±

    The contents should be like this, and Shin confirmed that his memory was not mistaken.

    Perhaps, it was meant to be in THE NEW GATE from the start.

    ¡°Oh dear! I¡¯m not bored when Shin is around.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow who came to their senses, said in an amazed way.

    ¡°Everyone, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Schnyaa-san too, hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡±

    ¡°Next time, tell me about when you met with Shin-kun again, okay?¡±

    To see Schnee exchange voice casually, Shin had a sudden thought.

    ¡°Hey Schnee, did you know that Hibineko and the others hade to this ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Concerning Shin¡¯s friend, I heard a lot of stories.¡±

    ¡°Then I wished you said it a little earlier. Well, it can¡¯t be helped since there was Girard¡¯s matter, too.¡±

    If he knew that there were yers other than himself, Shin would have taken a different course of actions.

    However, because he had no choice but to meet Girard whose death was approaching, he didn¡¯t intend to scold her.

    ¡°I am very sorry. I had no intention of covering it up, but I couldn¡¯t get an opportunity to tell you¡­¡±

    ¡°Now now, a man shouldn¡¯t worry about a trifling thing. Leaving that aside, I want you to introduce that little fox-chan and elf-chan quickly to me.¡±

    Was she aware of what¡¯s inside Schnee¡¯s mind? Holly requested for Tiera¡¯s and Yuzuha¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°I get it. I assume you already know Schnee, so I will omit her, this young fox is Yuzuha, and this elf is Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°I am Tiera Lucent.¡±

    Yuzuha barked cheerfully, and Tiera bowed politely.

    ¡°Then next is this one. The one who looks like he has a crack on his head is Nekomata-san, we call him Hibineko-san. That is the High Elf Holly-san, and next to her is the High Lord Shadow-san.¡±

    ¡°I am Nekomata, I¡¯m also called Hibineko by everyone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Holly, I hope to get along with you, Tiera-chan.¡±

    ¡°Shadow. Come to my house if you¡¯re hungry.¡±

    Then, Tiera dropped her sight, looking at her own feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce my partner too. Kagerou,e out.¡±

    Answering the call, Kagerou in puppy mode appeared from Tiera¡¯s shadow.

    ¡°This puppy is Kagerou, although he¡¯s small now. His original form is very enormous.¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    Kagerou barked, and made sure it matched Tiera¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°His monster name is Gruefago.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

    ¡°Nyaan!?¡±

    To the content which Shin told as an addition, the three former yers raised a voice of astonishment.

    Even the advanced yers would be on their guard against the divine beast; it was a strange scene when it was being held by a beautiful elf girl like a puppy, but the three people¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed Kagerou¡¯s name and level without an error.

    ¡°Oh, oh dear my my, such a cute pup is that Gruefago?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think he can change his body size at will.¡±

    ¡°Tiera-san is a Chosen One too?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just an ordinary elf unlike Shin.¡±

    ¡°She is not a Chosen One, so how could she tame a Gruefago?¡±

    ¡°Okay okay, that¡¯s it! Please ask the questions afterwards!¡±

    Shin forced his way through in front of Holly, Hibineko and Shadow who were pressing for answers.

    He was certain that Tiera would be barraged with questions if he left them alone. It was only natural that only Holly kept shifting the contents of the questions.

    ¡°The number of people increased somehow, let¡¯s sit down and talk at least.¡±

    When Shin said that, Shadow and Holly nodded.

    ¡°Thene to my shop. It¡¯s a special reunion, so I will show my skill.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, since the shop is closed today, we can talk a little bit. There¡¯s still time until the monsterse, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­If you said there is still time, then I will ept your offer here.¡±

    There was a dy of at least four or five days before the group of monsters arrived at Balmel.

    Before one knew it, Rionne¡¯s impatience seemed have moved to Shin, too.

    ¡°The summon of the adventurers, the formation of the armies, the amodation of the supplies, all of this takes time to deal with, but it probably will be all right today at least.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Following Shadow and Holly, the party entered ¡®B&W¡¯ cafe. Different from the ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯, it was a coffee shop with a rxed atmosphere. The wall that faced the street was ss-sided, though the inside of the shop could be seen, the curtain was closed now.

    A ¡°Closed¡± sign was hung up when the door was opened and they entered the shop; it was also a scene which Shin knew very well. The shop had a clean impression with white as the base, and hadn¡¯t changed at all since the game era.

    Even if it was said that the shop was just brought as it was, there was almost no strange feeling.

    ¡°¡­You have reproduced it well here.¡±

    ¡°I think it was well-bnced even if I say so myself. But this is all in favor of Rokuten before Shin-kun arrived here.¡±

    ¡°Rokuten?¡±

    Shin had no idea at all, and couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head for Holly¡¯s words.

    ¡°The ¡®Golden Company¡¯ exist because Reed of Rokuten built it, right? These various amodations were thanks to Shin and his acquaintances.¡±

    ¡°¡®Golden Company¡¯, huh?¡­That reminds me, what are the other guys¡¯ support characters doing?¡±

    Hearing the story from Shadow and Hibineko, Shin remembered the other support characters of Rokuten now.

    ¡°Schnee, do you know something?¡±

    He asked Schnee while sitting down on a chair.

    ¡°Reed-sama¡¯s follower, Berett, remain with ¡®Golden Company¡¯, Cook-sama¡¯s follower, Keritori and Zaji run a restaurant ¡®Shigure Shop¡¯. The others, Cashmere-sama¡¯s follower, Busy and Cain-sama¡¯s follower, Raster, were maintaining the monsters¡¯ nurture at Rashugum. That is all I know. As for the information about Shin, I think Berett knows the whole content, since we had an arrangement to share through the ¡®Golden Company¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey, I heard Rashugum just now, does that ce remain too?¡±

    In the middle of the talk, Shin voiced his question.

    ¡°Yes, because it was originally floating in the sky, it didn¡¯t receive the influence of the crustal movement. It has a wide area, so Busy evacuated the monsters that lost their breeding ranch there. As a result, it is called a Dragon Nest now.¡±

    ¡°Oi oi¡­ well, it¡¯s a fitting name for the ce.¡±

    The Rashugum Schnee talked about, was one of the guild houses of Rokuten.

    In the game era, there was no limit on the number of guild houses. So, having multiple guild houses to certain scale, one guild house could be expanded endlessly and was divided up into the guild which continued to be strengthened.

    In Rokuten, six bases were especially arranged, it became one person would manage one base.

    And, the Rashugum, the sixth guild house, was ¡®Silver Summoner¡¯ Cashmere¡¯s responsibility, the official name was ¡°Type 6 Sky Castle Rashugum¡±. It was called ¡°Castle¡± amongpanions, as it was literally a flying castle.

    ¡°Since half of the raised monsters are from the dragon species, saying it is a nest isn¡¯t wrong either.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Then Schnee, if that¡¯s the case, is my ¡®Studio¡¯ somewhere, too?¡±

    About the ¡®Studio¡¯, it was ¡°Type 1 Mysterious Studio Demi Eden¡± which Shin being in charge of.

    ¡°I looked for it, but it has not been found yet. We cannot transition to the guild house alone.¡±

    Originally, the guild house was exclusive for yers¡¯ use. If the support character was together with the yer, transfer was possible, but it was not possible to be used by a single support character unlike a general transition point.

    Anyway, if it was a game, one could be deployed to some ces, just by operating menu.

    ¡°If it¡¯s the ¡®Shrine¡¯, it should have be the headquarter of the church now.¡±

    ¡°The church!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression changed from the Hibineko¡¯s remark.

    From the priest who was running from the Golems they encountered the other day or Rashia who he got to know through a request and so on, Shin was strangely connected to the church people, he was not quite convinced that one of their guild houses was being used without permission.

    ¡®Shrine¡¯ was an alias, the official name was ¡°Type 4 Forest Pce Palm Luck¡±. It was the fourth guild house, and a shrine type. It was the facility which the ¡°Blue Magician¡± Cain was in charge of.

    ¡°Hibineko-san, do you know to what extent the facilities are being used?¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t grasped control of the central area at least. I heard most of the rooms are sealed.¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°No, because I kept my distance from the church, so..¡±

    Though it was heard that they had trouble in the past, it seemed she hadn¡¯t gone to their headquarters yet.

    ¡°About that, I know it.¡±

    Holly raised her small hand in ce of Hibineko and Schnee.

    ¡°When I came to this world, what was the closest to me was the church headquarter city, Sigurd. Since I lived there for a while, I had the chance to go to the Shrine.¡±

    When she helped with the distribution of food after an emergency that the church performed, she seemed to have been invited by a priest she knew.

    The invitation was also due to Holly¡¯s race as a High Elf, which was known to be a good-natured race, and also served as a variety of solicitation, she exined.

    ¡°In a story I heard, and when I think about matching what I saw from a visit, the building itself was seen as important. Looks likes only parts of the gate and hall seem to be useable for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be entire building¡±, Holly added and sipped the coffee prepared by Shadow.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much that building was influenced by the natural disaster, but as far as I can tell after hearing Holly¡¯s story, I think the Shrine¡¯s functions haven¡¯t stopped even if it isn¡¯tplete.¡±

    ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°It was famous among some yers, so I don¡¯t mind. The building that Cain built maintains the functions in the facilities using a core, and when the core is destroyed or breaks down, the building would start self-destructing.¡±

    To Hibineko¡¯s question, Shin answered without pausing in between lines.

    Cain¡¯s reason was, ¡°Such things cannot be made in reality, so I decided to build in THE NEW GATE!¡± was what he said.

    His real life architect¡¯s blood seemed to tingle with excitement to a strange direction. In case of an invasion, the Shrine together with the enemy would copse, was what he seemed to have wanted to try.

    In the end, there was no opportunity for that to happen.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, the core of the building is safe for now. Only the members of Rokuten or their support characters should be able to use the important facilities, so I think it is locked. Perhaps, as Holly says, only parts of it can be used, huh?¡­Were the unique items sold?¡±

    If the whole facilities were avable, it would be unimaginable ording to this world¡¯smon sense when various stuff revealed.

    ¡°Yes, I have investigated it a little, but there wasn¡¯t anything strange was sold. Only things such as the standard potion of this world and also antidotes.¡±

    ¡°I think my guess is correct if that¡¯s the case then.¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, I don¡¯t think the dwellers of this world able to do anything to the Rokuten¡¯s guild houses.¡±

    Shadow who brought foods suddenly spoke a few words, and everyone in that ce gave a bitter smile.

    It might be possible that the residents of this world were able to operate it by ident, but there¡¯s no way such a thing would happen. Even that was difficult for former yers, but even more for the residents of this world.

    ¡°Dishes have arrived, shall we eat?¡±

    ¡°Though it couldn¡¯t bepared to Schnee-san¡¯s, it¡¯s my best ability.¡±

    The dishes were arranged on a table, and Shin gulped his saliva.

    During the three days leaving Kalkia, he only had simple meals like an ordinary traveler. Though dishes could be made into a card too, he couldn¡¯t put it out because Rionne was there.

    ¡°Well then, itadaki¨D¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±

    Just when he about to eat the dishes, the shop¡¯s door was flunged open in a big way.

    It was an elf girl around 15 years old that raised a cheerful voice. White hair, ck pupils, and pointed ears, and not one freckle on that fair skin; she had the features of a general elf in THE NEW GATE.

    ¡°Oh? Customer-san?¡±

    The elf girl looked puzzled at Shin who was going to sp his hands for prayer.

    Her white hair which was tied behind her head swayed like a puppy¡¯s tail.

    ¡°Ara, you¡¯re early.¡±

    ¡°Mother, is the shop closed today?¡±

    ¡°They are my friends. We would eat together because we haven¡¯t met for a long time. This is Shin. And the young elven woman is Tiera.¡±

    There was no introduction of Schnee. It seemed they already knew each other.

    ¡°This child is our daughter, Kaede¡±

    ¡°I am Kaede Kurosawa. Nice to meet you!¡±

    Kaede introduced herself in a lively tone.

    What could be called a positive mood seemed to overflow from her whole body.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. I¡¯m a close friend to Holly-san and the others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Tiera Lucent. Hope to get along with you.¡±

    To the Kaede who was brimming with energy, Shin and Tiera naturally smiled.

    She appeared to be the type that lightened the surroundings in a sense unlike Holly.

    ¡°Schnee-san too, long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have grown taller again.¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t grown that much taller. I envy Schnee-san.¡±

    Said Kaede as she look at Schnee¡¯s chest.

    As expected, it probably caught her eyes even as a member of the same sex. Therefore, it shouldn¡¯t because Kaede¡¯s chest size was below standard.

    ¡°You are still in your growing period, it will be in the future.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s good.¡±

    After such an exchange, Kaede also joined them for meal.

    ¡°That reminds me, herst name is Kurosawa, right?¡±

    ¡°Using only character names is dull, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Mitomi was also fine though.¡±

    ¡°Rejected.¡±

    Holly instantly rejected Shadow¡¯s opinion.

    Kurosawa was Shadow¡¯s and Mitomi was Holly¡¯sst name in the real world.

    Though it was possible to give one¡¯s name as the real name, since the character name appeared by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ in this world, it seemed to attach Kurosawa when the name was spoken.

    When the meal was over, Kaede went to her room, and Shin and the others also began to prepare for the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    He nned to upgrade the weapons at night, so he decided to do something other than that.

    ¡°For now, I think I¡¯ll go to the ¡®Golden Company¡¯. Schnee, please tell the feudal lord and the guild master that you will be participates in the war. If Schnee is here, the soldiers¡¯ morale would be raised too and the residents should feel relieved.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What would you do afterwards?¡±

    ¡°How should an adventurer like me move? I¡¯ll ask in the guild. If there is a past document incidentally, I¡¯ll go check it.¡±

    What role did an adventurer y in the ¡®Flood¡¯, Shin didn¡¯t know it.

    Was it reserve force in the case of an emergency or search and destroy missions? Because he couldn¡¯t expect an organized movement like from the army, it shouldn¡¯t be so far off the mark.

    Chosen Ones may have a different possibility, but there¡¯s no loss in knowing it.

    ¡°What will Hibineko-san do?¡±

    ¡°We will work on converting materials into cards. I wish the opportunity to use them never arises though.¡±

    Shadow added.

    ¡°If you say materials, they¡¯re boulders and oil to drop from the top of the rampart, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, indeed.¡±

    At the time of the attack to drop something from the top of the wall, if they were defeated in the war at the in, and had to retreat to the castle due to an unfavorable situation.

    Therefore, when there was an opportunity to use it, they would be in trouble. However, because any measures had been taken care of, the preparations seemed solid.

    Also, because of they were already considerably stocked up, it didn¡¯t take much time.

    ¡°Has it been attacked to the point of using it so far?¡±

    ¡°One time in the past, I heard it was a battle to the very limit. The story goes that they could not cope with the numerous groups.¡±

    ¡°Is is a pattern like that this time too?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it. Well, we won¡¯t be cornered this time probably.¡±

    The others were also in agreement with Hibineko who smiled wryly.

    Shin, Hibineko and the others were former yers. In addition to Schnee, there was Gruefago, a divine beast. They wouldn¡¯t lose.

    ¡°By the way, should we decide the next meeting time?¡±

    ¡°No, there will be no problem to act respectively. When there is a special summon from the guild, the guild card will emit a magic power. At that time, you should go to the guild.¡±

    What Hibineko was saying was that it was the call function which informed of the state of emergency.

    ¡°When there is an urgent business, I¡¯ll use the message card. You have some of them left, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, certainly.¡±

    Shadow and the others were yers after all, they seemed to notice the usefulness of the message card as well as Shin.

    ¡°What will Tiera do?¡±

    ¡°I would like to do something if possible. I wonder if I should tend to my weapon afterward.¡±

    ¡°May I ask you to pick an inn?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind since I¡¯m the most free here.¡±

    When they confirmed what to do, their own course of action started.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 5: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    Shin asked Hibineko the location of the Golden Company, and he went there without getting sidetracked.

    When he went along the road as instructed, a really shiny signboard caught his attention.

    ¡°What a conspicuous sign.¡±

    On the signboard, which was painted entirely ck and had a golden border, the words ¡®Golden Company¡¯ were also written in gold.

    Because the letters were shining excessively, it stood out the most; it was rather dazzling.

    Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin¡¯s head, was also overwhelmed by this, closing its eyes trying not to look at the signboard.

    ¡°(My eyes are starting to sting~)¡±

    ¡°(When I stare at it for a while, my eyes also start to itch¨D¨Dhm?)¡±

    Next to the shop, he saw that a box with goods was loaded onto a wagon in a hurry.

    They were probably informed by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and they were getting ready to transport the supplies.

    What interested Shin was the person who was issuing the instructions next to the wagon.

    The merchant, who had put on a robe with golden embroidery attached, looked familiar to Shin.

    ¡°¨D¨Dthese to the port; after it arrives at the other side, do as you were instructed. I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    When Shin approached him, he seemed to just finish issuing instructions and turning toward Shin conveniently.

    The information that was shown by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was already disyed in Shin¡¯s view.

    Name: Berett Kilmar Level: 255

    With a chubby look and a charming smile, if he were not a merchant, he would have had the impression that he was a gourmet reporter. It was impossible to tell by his appearance, but Shin knew his race was High Elf.

    Though his main job was merchant, he was actually a character a little off from the usual practice, as his sub job was dark knight.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to ask a little but..¡±

    ¡°Yes, what!!? ¡­ Well well, long time no see.¡±

    When he tried to answer Shin¡¯s greeting, Berett paused for a moment. However, he was the Golden Company¡¯s assistant manager. His expression immediately changed into a smile and bowed to Shin.

    ¡°The day when we are able to meet again, I was looking forward to it. Now now, we can¡¯t talk at ease in this ce. This way, please, and take yourpanion with you too.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, understood.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin avoided using overly familiar words partly because it was their first meeting in this world, but Berett guided Shin to the reception room personally without breaking his humble attitude.

    There were no shy things like the signboard appearance inside the room; theyout was harmonious.

    When the two people entered the room, the door was knocked on almost immediately.

    ¡°Excuse me. I have brought a drink.¡±

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    Hearing Berett¡¯s voice, ady wearing employee¡¯s clothes entered the room.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, her name was Pyuri. Judging from her pointy ears, she was probably an elf or a High Elf.

    After Pyuri put out tea and cake, which were loaded into the wagon, she left the room quietly.

    ¡°From the viewpoint of everyone in Rokuten, this would be cheap tea.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for such a thing.¡±

    Saying so, Shin tilted the cup. When he took a sip of that reddish liquid, faint sweetness and bitterness spread inside his mouth.

    ¡°This is spectacr.¡±

    ¡°I use the best tea leaves in the area. Above all, I¡¯m d that you like it. Leaving that aside, Shin-sama, it¡¯s unnecessary to be so formal. Honorifics don¡¯t apply to other people.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s morefortable, but..¡±

    ¡°Then, I ask you to be like that. If honorifics are spoken by the people of Rokuten, myself included, everyone would be ashamed.

    Berett seemed to be thorough on the position where one stands, such as master and servant. Would it be different between Shin and Reed?

    ¡°So, how may I help you today?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I wanted you to tell me the current state of Rokuten¡¯s support characters besides mine. I have heard the things about the ¡®Shigure Shop¡¯, Busy, and Rasta from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°All right, but we don¡¯t know anything except the one just came in. Oxygen and Hydro should be in ¡®Garden¡¯, but it¡¯s currently being treated as a danger zone. We couldn¡¯te close to the ¡®Garden¡¯ to confirm it, so we don¡¯t have enough evidence to verify the information. ¡®Studio¡¯, ¡®Ship¡¯, and ¡®Base¡¯s¡¯ whereabouts are unknown. Though I can confirm the existence of ¡®Shrine and ¡®Castle¡¯ under the current state, only ¡®Castle¡¯ can be secured.¡±

    The guild houses were as big as there was. If it wasn¡¯t found, it was probably buried underground or had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

    ¡°I see. I will keep searching for the ¡®Studio¡¯. As for the ¡®Garden¡¯, what makes it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because a harmful gas is generated around the ¡®Garden¡¯. All are above VII abnormal state. The center is expected to be the maximum X. If I considered the fighting power and the resistance force, Schnee may be able to break through, but she still cannot stay long. For sure, if it¡¯s the resistance force of High Human ss like Shin-sama, it would be different¡­¡±

    The gases were generated by the surroundings, and seemed to have a quite powerful effect.

    If Berett¡¯s story was true, it was indeed not possible to break through unless it was Shin.

    ¡°Since there are also food production facilities inside, they, at the very least, won¡¯t starve to death¡­I¡¯m sorry for not being able to help much.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m satisfied, it¡¯s enough just to have heard about ¡®Garden¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Garden¡¯ was originally for the guild war use, traps were prepared around it.

    Perhaps, it had malfunctioned. Because the inside is air-tight, they wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the gas.

    The detailed location of ¡®Garden¡¯ was given and he kept note.

    ¡°Being able to listen to a lot of stuff saved us a lot of trouble. If something happens, please send me a message card.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will prepare it for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll rely on you. That reminds me, do youe here often? I didn¡¯t expect to encounter you so abruptly.¡±

    ¡°I just had toe here for some business. At that time, I was informed by the merchant guild that the ¡®Flood¡¯ happened, so I was issuing instructions in order to cope.¡±

    Because precious fish could be caught at this time, he always came over personally. If he kept scuffling through the documents in the head office, his intuition as a merchant would dull or something like that.

    ¡°It is an opportunity, but it is also because it¡¯s something I was asked to do by Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Something she asked?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this should be reported to Shin-sama, too.¡±

    When he said so, Berett rung the bell which was ce on the edge of the table. Then, the door was knocked on in less than one minute.

    ¡°Excuse me for being rude. What can I do for you?¡±

    The one entered was Pyuri who brought the tea.

    ¡°Bring me ¡®that¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    Replying promptly to Berett¡¯s words, Pyuri left the room.

    He didn¡¯t say anything about what he wanted her to bring specifically, but as long as there was no mimunication between the two, there was no need to be worried.

    A few minutester, the door was knocked on again and Pyuri enter the room. She held a small envelope in her hand.

    ¡°Thank you. You may leave.¡±

    When he made Pyuri leave, Berett opened the envelope and took out the contents inside, and he presented it to Shin.

    ¡°This is a list of yers who came to this world.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression changed when he heard ¡°yers¡±.

    He read the list he received from Berett slowly from top to the bottom.

    ¡°¡­Is that all?¡±

    Shin finished reading the list, but asked Berett with a face that was perplexed.

    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable question. If I have to say honestly, we¡¯re at a loss, too. The deceased in the event which yers called the death game ended with 100 or 200 people. If that¡¯s the case, the yers that havee here are just a really small fraction of it. Of course, not everyone was mentioned in the list.¡±

    Shin recognized every yer on the list that he held. Though he was surprised that only former yers were there, what was the list aiming for?

    (Have those guys, who were involved with me in the game era,e here?)

    Though Berett said it wasn¡¯t everything, as expected, Shin, too, couldn¡¯t hide his agitation.

    ¡°Also, please check this.¡±

    To Shin, who had a serious look on his face, Berett held out another paper. Though there were fewer names written down than that of the first list, a horizontal line was drawn for several names.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It should be clear by now; this list is for what Shin-sama and yers call PK.¡±

    ¡°PK you say!?¡±

    Shin looked through the list while being surprised. There was Hameln at the top of the list, and several names Shin knew were on the list.

    ¡°(Shin, what is a Pi Kay?)¡±

    ¡°(¡­Guys who murdered others and enjoyed it.)¡±

    Shin replied to Yuzuha¡¯s question briefly. The words were a little hard for Yuzuha to say, and its vocal tone seemed to change even in the Mind Chat.

    Did it understand the atmosphere? Yuzuha barked a small ¡°Kuu¡­¡± and be quiet.

    ¡°Have you checked this individually?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In fact, when the first yer was found, it was Schnee who insisted that I should look for PKs first.¡±

    ¡°Schnee did?¡±

    Though Schnee said that there were no opportunities, no matter how much Shin looked at it, she was not ipetent enough to not convey such an important story as yers or PKs forever. If she said that she didn¡¯t have an opportunity or something, she should have had plenty of them.

    As expected, there may have been something.

    ¡°From your appearance, I guess Schnee hasn¡¯t told Shin-sama about this, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I only knew about the dead yers living by chance.¡±

    Then, Berett erased his smile.

    ¡°¡­If I say as a fellow follower of Rokuten, not conveying such important information intentionally is clear evidence of disloyalty to her own master, as such a thing shouldn¡¯t happen. Even though she is Shin-sama¡¯s follower, it doesn¡¯t mean she is clear from being punished.¡±

    Berett said in a solemn tone.

    Shin was troubled. He had a conjecture that Schnee was hiding something, but he didn¡¯t know how other followers of Rokuten felt.

    ¡°What is Shin-sama thinking?¡±

    ¡°¡­Schnee wouldn¡¯t do such a thing without any reason is what I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    Anyway, it would not be strange when that information came to light.

    The guild usually included portraits of wanted criminals such as Hameln. Even without Schnee telling him, Shin before long would find out.

    When Shin spoke about what he thought, Berett¡®s expression changedpletely from the moments ago when he said Schnee should be punished, and it became more gentle.

    ¡°Certainly, judging from Schnee¡¯s nature, I also think she would not conceal information to harm Shin-sama.¡±

    It seemed that there was no objection.

    ¡°¡­Hey Berett, do you know anything?¡±

    Shin, who felt something was wrong in Berett¡¯s manner, asked directly. Berett, who was questioned, nodded without change in his expression.

    ¡°Yes, I think I know.¡±

    ¡°Do I punish her after knowing the circumstances?¡±

    ¡°As a Rokuten¡¯s follower, I think that¡¯s proper.¡±

    ¡°Then, how about you as an individual?¡±

    ¡°I also understand her.¡±

    It seemed it depended on the ce where Berett stood. At least, it didn¡¯t seem to be the reason why he couldn¡¯t sympathize at all.

    ¡°If I was in the same situation as Schnee, I cannot assert that I would not do the same thing.¡±

    ¡°She is unqualified as a follower, is what you¡¯re saying as a friend, huh?¡±

    ¡°Rather than being unqualified, I think it¡¯s because she is a follower under your direct control. Shin-sama, the list in your hand, don¡¯t you remember those people, especially the ones with names crossed?¡±

    Shin, again, looked at the names which were crossed.

    Kagemaru.

    Jay Son

    Telfon.

    Evenpared to the other names, Shin remembered them.

    ¡°Shin-sama, do you remember once being called ¡®The God of Death¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It was way back when I wasst called like that¡­Yes, I see. These guys are¡­¡±

    Shin recalled those days, and noticed.

    ¡°The people whom I killed?¡±

    Though it was a vague memory, they were all PKs or otherwise members of PK guilds who fought again Shin.

    ¡°Forgive me if I say something rude, but Shin-sama¡¯s appearance at that time waspletely different from your usual self.

    If Berett had an ego like he did currently, he would have wanted to run away quickly even as a support character, Shin at that time seemed to be enveloped in a dangerous atmosphere.

    ¡°Schnee knows what causes Shin-sama¡¯s appearance to be so. Besides, even now she still regrets it that she was not able to do anything, despite being the closest to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be helped.

    No one would argue against that, but it¡¯s probably not at all eptable from her point of view.

    ¡°To Schnee, the days when Shin-sama met with these people, she was afraid that you¡¯d return to be like another person. Thus, she was likely trying to handle it herself without telling Shin-sama.¡±

    Berett said, tasting the drink and putting it down in one beat.

    ¡°¡­Seeing for myself, Schnee¡¯s feelings to Shin-sama were something that couldn¡¯t be concluded with the single word of loyalty. As she knows of the state you had changed into, she couldn¡¯t ignore the people who had caused such changes and tell it to Shin-sama.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me at that time, huh? ¡­Well, looking at it objectively, isn¡¯t it a dangerous story?¡±

    As for Schnee trying not to get Shin involved, it was understandable when hearing the reason.

    Shin, at that time, believed that defeating PKs was more important than clearing the game ¨D¨D No, he moved for the purpose of killing.

    He had not a fragment of morals, taboo, or such ideas; he had no hesitation, killing without pardon.

    ¡°There were yers with Shin-sama who acted together at that time too.¡±

    Yes, PKK(yer Killer Killer) ¨D¨D Shin alone was the yer who killed PKs, but he didn¡¯t do everything alone. Shadow, whom he met again at Balmel, was also one of the yers who cooperated with Shin.

    There was always a person who sought revenge butcked the power, or a person whocked information, even with sufficient power. The person who held grudges against PKs became frantic and cooperated in PK killings.

    There was no system for thew to judge, or the police to catch the criminals in the game. Therefore, some victims went for severe retaliatory actions.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    When there was such a reason, one wouldn¡¯t think speaking about yers and PKs proactively.

    Shin wasn¡¯t able to bring himself to punish Schnee at least.

    ¡°Even if Schnee normally should have disclosed it to you directly, I told you because a fact is a fact.¡±

    ¡°You, taking this opportunity or something, actually intended to say this from the beginning, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh?! What do you mean?¡±

    Berett feigned ignorance with a friendly grin on his face. However, the smile that Shin should have recognized was slightly suspicious now.

    ¡°What if I listened to that sort of crazy talk? I understand that Schnee didn¡¯t think this through.¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama was well-known for taking good care of your followers. Above all, Schnee is the longest-serving member.¡±

    ¡°Ku, that smile on your face irritates me.¡±

    It was a smile that should have formed a sense of closeness, as it was expressed on Berett as always, but it made Shin somewhat irritated to the appearance that seemed to want to say ¡°I understand¡±.

    ¡°To that extent, it¡¯ll be the evidence that Shin-sama is loved.¡±

    ¡°Keep saying that!¡±

    Shin replied Berett¡¯s words curtly.

    ¡°By the way, is Shin-sama participating in this ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yes, I intend to intervene but..¡±

    Berett, who was able to change the topic abruptly, had a contemtive look.

    ¡°Then, could you leave a part to the army without hunting everything?¡±

    Berett kept silent for a while, and mentioned that kind of thing.

    Because he knew Shin¡¯s true nature, he understood that Shin¡¯s remark of intervening meant annihtion.

    ¡°What is your reason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be military training because only few ¡®Floods¡¯ were used to raise the levels of the soldiers.¡±

    Though Shin thought Balmel would be in danger if one wrong move was made, there were upper ss Chosen Ones keeping watch so that wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°It would be hard leveling, you know?¡±

    ¡°In the Melt Mountains, which is the domain of a divine beast, not a group of monsters could trespass, such as the ¡®Flood¡¯. Balmel is one of the most important borders with the Sacred ce to many countries. So, geographically, Balmel bes an important defensive position between the Sacred ce and to each country. However, in recent years, the scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯, which can be used for training, hasn¡¯t urred, and it means that the skill level of soldiers showed a slight drop. The star of the battles are the Chosen Ones, but it¡¯s themon soldiers that upy most of the battlefield. There¡¯s no loss to raise the strength of the whole battle force, no matter how little. It¡¯s rare, so let¡¯s put it to good use. Schnee wille too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she should have gone to meet the feudal lord now.¡±

    ¡°Then please contact Schnee too. I¡¯ll take care of the small necessary arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Do you make the arrangements with the guild and the army?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since I am the assistant manager of Golden Company. In addition, the feared ¡®worst case scenario¡¯ won¡¯t happen now since Shin-sama is here.

    He seemed to have connections with the top brass of the army and the guild. Shin also knew that Golden Company was of arge-scale, so he was not surprised that that was the case.

    ¡°Would it be okay for you to make such a decision on your own for apany?¡±

    ¡°The merchant sometimes has stronger power than a king. Because Golden Company has a different status from tradingpanies, which can be found here and there, my own decision too, is not treated as the decision of amon merchant. I also have experience participating in a defensive war; that will y a part in this decision. When there were too many peaceful days, it cks off in various ways. That may be fatal to Balmel. Fortunately, I get along well with the personmanding the army, and added to the fact that Schnee will join there, the preparation won¡¯t be so necessary too¨D¨DIf this city falls though, there is also the trouble regarding the cirction of goods..¡±

    ¡°Oi, your true intentions just leaked out a little..¡±

    If one thought of stories with persuasive power, this was one of them.

    To Berett, who leaked lines that were significant to merchants, it made Shin lose strength.

    ¡°It¡¯s because a vast quantity of material will arrive after the ¡®Flood¡¯. It¡¯s an opportunity to replenish stock cheaply.¡±

    ¡°To discover this as soon as the safety of Balmel is ensured, huh?¡­¡±

    Where did the elf who lived in the forest go to? Berett was a money loving character; at the same time, Shin recalled that now.

    ¡°Hearing profit talk anywhere, that¡¯s called a merchant. I had a novel idea in various ways with yers this way. In thest decade of doing that in the shadows, sales are skyrocketing.¡±

    ¡°Heh, what kind is it, for instance?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the featured product ¡®Toilet Set¡¯ of course. I had a hard time reproducing the inner shape and the flow of the water. Though the function necessary to make it a ¡®wasslet¡¯ cannot be reproduced yet, I¡¯ll make ite true someday.¡±

    ¡°The name is slightly different though. Or rather, was it you who made that?¡±

    Shin was often surprised when he came to this world, but he was most surprised by the toilet in the sense of unlikelihood. He thought that was a thing that was very close to the real world, but it appeared to have been made in the image of the real thing.

    ¡°That reminds me, it was also in Tsuki no Hokora. I havepletely forgotten because it was something I used ordinarily.¡±

    There was a toilet in his home. It was a natural thing to have in the real world.

    And, even if this world looked like a game, it was real.

    Therefore, in the situation where Shin did his business normally in Tsuki no Hokora, he hardly remembered any sense of difort.

    ¡°I mean when was that toilet ced in there? Though it is there now, Tsuki no Hokora never had such a thing.¡±

    ¡°I got permission from Schnee because it can be said it is a necessity when ites to living in real life.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It was also in the inn where I stayed; is it fairly widespread now?¡±

    ¡°Though we haven¡¯t yet reached one in every household, it¡¯s not strange to find one in some big inn or so. The first regr customers were the royal family and the nobles. They have to show off in a variety of trivial ces after all. Because our toilet also has the practicality, we have received a considerable sum from the optional charges.¡±

    They also seemed to sell custom-made toilets. It was clever salesmanship.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m aware of that, I cannot return to the same life in the past anymore.¡±

    ¡°Uwaa, your smile is evil, Berett.¡±

    When only the words were heard, he seemed to be in the ¡®sell some dangerous medicine¡¯ mood. Was the situation before the ¡®Toilet Set¡¯ instation severe to that extent?

    ¡°Will the other followers be so dark too?¡±

    To Berett¡¯s appearance, Shin became worried a little.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯m looking forward to our next business.¡±

    Turning his back on Berett, who neatly bowed, Shin went to the guild.

    Schnee had been contacted and was asked to cooperate with Berett. The rest also asked for a little request.

    When he arrived at the guild with the help of the map, a lot of adventurers had already gathered.

    There were various people who were recruiting for impromptu parties, people who were not absorbed in information gathering, and people who withdrew money that had been deposited in the guild to maintain their weapons.

    Shin, who ced the young fox on his head, appeared to attract the attention of the surrounding adventurers for a moment, but they returned to work as if having lost interest before long. Looking at the circumstances, Shin expected that the information that the ¡®Flood¡¯ was happening had been announced.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to ask a few questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, how may I help you?¡±

    At the timing he aimed for when there were few people around, Shin headed toward the receptionist.

    The one at the receptionist desk was Eliza, who had called the guild masterst time.

    At the other side of the rectangr lens, light blue eyes stared at Shin. She was a professional at her job, as she didn¡¯t direct her gaze at Yuzuha either.

    ¡°Are there any records of the past ¡®Flood¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Past ¡®Flood¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since it is my first experience, I want to gather more information. Also, may I hear what kind of role of the adventurers have in the ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    There seemed to be very few people examining the past records of the ¡®Flood¡¯; he was permitted immediately on the condition that he had to examine them inside the library.

    Shin stood next to Eliza who guided him through the guild. Yuzuha was Shin¡¯s contract beast, so it was fine for it to apany him.

    ¡°You were talking about the role of adventurers a short while ago, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Personally, I was thinking that they were ced like a reserve force of the army or for search and destroy missions.¡±

    Shin talked about his expectations to Eliza, who seemed to be going to exin along the way.

    ¡°You are not wrong with that; it¡¯s reckless to tell adventurers to take organized actions like the army. Though it¡¯s possible if several parties gathered and work together, it couldn¡¯t bepared with the army. Therefore, their main job is to crush enemies who runs out of the protruding groups.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s appropriate.¡±

    A standard adventurer¡¯s party consisted of six people. However, it didn¡¯t mean there was an upper limit to the amount of members.

    An irregr party such as a duo or a group of three was not unusual, there were many of those who increased their members only when on arge-scale like this time. There would be a significant differentbination of skill levels, and they couldn¡¯t be incorporated into the army.

    The contents of which Eliza spoke, it was natural to say it was appropriate.

    ¡°But upper ss Chosen Ones like Shin-sama and the others are different.¡±

    Eliza said, as they arrived at the reference library, even though the door was closed.

    No one was in the reference library. Because it was only limited to humans among the adventurers who knew about the Chosen Ones, it was probably taken into consideration.

    ¡°A little while ago, the report from Feudal Lord-sama has arrived. The person who apanied you is from the royal family of Bayreuth Kingdom, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. As for why we came to such a ce, please don¡¯t ask me. The one who saw the ¡®Flood¡¯ and told me to hurry up was her.¡±

    ¡°We do not intend to inquire any further. But let¡¯s get back to the story, the Chosen Ones are the vanguards that cut through the ¡®Flood¡¯. Although to be exact, it is the magic skills of the Chosen Ones.¡±

    It was probably the Chosen Ones who could use wide area magic that he heard about from Rionne¡¯s talk.

    ¡°As for the group distribution, the first group will consist of four people: Shin-sama, Hibineko-sama, Holly-sama, and Shadow-sama. The second group will be Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-sama, and Liege-sama. The number of enemies will be reduced by the magic of Schnee-sama and Guile-sama, and at the same time the battle starts, the army will annihte the remaining enemies. But it¡¯s said that the number of enemies is quiterge, so the first group will charge at the enemy, who are outside the range of the magic, and will have to hold this ce down. After the use of the magic, Schnee-sama thins it out by killing the big boss, and Rionne-sama together with Liege-sama be the guards for Guile-sama. After the first group also has reduced the number moderately, they will retreat and have the army take the front over.¡±

    Eliza exined the strategy inly. It seemed a detailed n had already been made.

    Guile and Liege were probably the names of the other Chosen Ones.

    ¡°There is a fairlyrge battle force this time, but how has it always been done?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the Chosen Ones whoe at that time. When there is a person who can use wide area magic, it bes a pattern simr to this time. But, there is almost no difference because it is included in an agreement that one person is always there.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Because reducing the number was required, a magic skill user would be useful.

    In case of the Chosen One¡¯s magic skill, the wider the range of a spell, the lower the power bes, but it could be covered with the height of the stats. It should be enough if the opponents are low-level monsters.

    ¡°By the way Eliza-san, will it be okay for you to leave the reception desk?¡±

    ¡°No problem. The staff and the residents should know what to do. Besides the inexperienced person being in a hurry, we have surprisingly little work.¡±

    As expected, the city continued standing off against the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    Then, once the talk was over, Shin reached out his hand to a document.

    While reading the documents of the past ¡®Flood¡¯, he asked Eliza about the strategy taken and the movement of the enemy at that time, and thought over whether there was any regrity.

    ¡°asionally, strong individuals seem to appear, right?¡±

    Shin, who looked at the document, suddenly spoke out what was on his mind.

    Low-level monsters spawned inrge amounts during the ¡®Flood¡¯, but it seemed that individuals who reached level 300 were confirmed several times.

    He understood that the appearance rate was higher in the ¡®Flood¡¯ of arger scale.

    Because the number was two or three at most, ordinary level soldiers were able to deal with it if their concentration level was raised on a long-distance attack.

    ¡°The monsters of the ¡®Flood¡¯ are too crowded, there seems to be the possibility of them killing each other by mistake. As a result, some of them have leveled up and evolved.¡±

    There were also rtionships of friend and foe, as well as allies between monsters, in THE NEW GATE.

    Depending on the situation, the case of a yer getting caught up in the battle between monsters had happened. Though it didn¡¯t happen frequently, because many items and experience point were obtained with less damage if one acted skillfully, many yers utilized it.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it may happen this time, can it not?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is high. Speaking of this time, I think it¡¯s unnecessary to worry.¡±

    Was this because the news of Schnee had circted? There was no uneasiness on Eliza¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now then, shall we return soon?¡±

    ¡°You have enough already?¡±

    ¡°I have read most of the noticeable ones, and I have ns for the evening.¡±

    When Shin and Eliza returned to the hall of the guild, the amount of people had decreased considerably. Was it because the time was approaching evening? They were probably having a meal.

    He thanked Eliza and exited the guild. He intended to help with the preparations if he had time, but reading the documents had unexpectedly taken time.

    ¡°¡­This message is, Tiera huh?¡±

    Because a message had arrived, he looked around and opened it while walking slowly on the edge of the street.

    The contents were about tonight¡¯s inn. With the name of the inn, such things as whereabout, which area were written. Though it was simple, a map was also drawn, if Shin used that map, he wouldn¡¯t get lost.

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry¡­)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shall we go to the inn and have a meal?¡±

    After he replied like he was speaking to himself, Shin then headed to the inn.

    After about 20 minutes of walking, a signboard, upon which a red tailed fox was drawn, was seen.

    The name of the inn was ¡°Red Tail¡±. By the way, it was also the name of an existing monster, and Yuzuha¡¯s follower.

    When he opened the door of the shop, a bell rang ¡°ng ng¡±.

    ¡°Wee! Will it be one person?¡±

    ¡°I think mypanions will alsoe.¡±

    Onedy came out from the counter hearing the bell sound.

    With ears above her head, and from the tail seen behind the long skirt, she was a beast without a doubt. They were vivid red as the name of the shop suggested. Though it was simple, she was probably a Type Fox beast.

    ¡°May I ask for your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. This is my partner, Yuzuha.¡±

    Thedy with the appearance of a beautiful woman at blooming age, seemed to remember something when hearing the wordpanions from Shin. She nodded as having convinced that Shin¡¯s name was heard, and opened the register inside the counter.

    ¡°The name of yourpanion, please.¡±

    ¡°Tiera Lucent.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Yourpanion is already rested in her room. This is customer-sama¡¯s room key. The location of the room is go up the stair and go right side of room 205. Yourpanion is in room 206 right next to that. Breakfast is until 9 bell sounds in the morning, as for dinner, I¡¯ll serve until it¡¯s 9 o¡¯clock on that clock there.¡±

    Shin looked at the direction where thedy pointed out. A clock with a diameter of about 50 cemels was installed there, and was ticking away quietly.

    ¡°There are clocks, huh?¡±

    Clocks weren¡¯t widely used in this world. The church bell was in the area where nobles live. People acted using that as a guideline. The ones who worried about time, were merchants and government officials who had the motto ¡°time is money¡±.

    ¡°Does it ring at fixed times?¡±

    ¡°Customer-sama is pretty knowledgeable. That clock produces a ringing sound once every hour.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem to be the style where it rang one time at 1 o¡¯clock, and two times at 2 o¡¯clock.

    The needle on the clock already pointed at nearly 6 o¡¯clock.

    ¡°For the time being, I think I¡¯m going to eat after I go to my room.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As Shin was seen off by thedy, he went up to the second floor.

    The room 205 was a single person room. The area was about 7 tatami mats and there were a desk and a chair by the window, there was also a bathroom at the entrance sideway. A white clean sheet wasid out on the bed, and lookedfortable too.

    ¡°Tiera, you there?¡±

    Shin who checked the room briefly went out to the corridor at once, and knocked the door of the next room where Tiera was at.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    After a short while, a voice was heard from the other side of the door.

    ¡°Yeah, have you had dinner?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Then, shall we eat together? Yuzuha also looks hungry.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, isn¡¯t it? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go out soon.¡±

    To Yuzuha who raised a cry for feeling hungry, the voice of a bitter smile returned from Tiera.

    They waited for a couple dozen seconds. Tiera joined Shin to order dinner in the dining room on the first floor.

    Was the stew a standard? An exquisite dish with proper ingredients was served.

    Also for some reason, Yuzuha¡¯s was a thick steak which had been grilled carefully. Though Kagerou¡¯s was a steak too, Shin saw that the two steaks were not the same.

    Shin had learned the basic ¡¾Cooking¡¿ from Cook. The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill rose until VI. In this world, it was a level that couldn¡¯t be reached easily.

    Therefore, he understood the value of the steak put before Yuzuha. The food grade of the steak was obviously above the ones before Shin and Kagerou, Yuzuha repeatedly revealed its joy through telepathy since a while ago.

    ¡°Um, this is?¡±

    ¡°Somehow, we feel like we must serve to customer¡¯s contract beast our finest cuisine of our shop. Naturally, the price stays as it is.¡±

    Thedy also had a look that said ¡®I don¡¯t know why I feel such a way¡¯ on her face.

    (This is because Yuzuha is an Element Tail, right?)

    Element Tail was not only a fox type monster, it should be worshiped by the people of Type Fox beasts as well, Shin remembered. For them, it was possible to say it was an existence on same level as a God. Even if the true identity of Yuzuha was not understood, it may have had an effect on her somewhere.

    Since there was no reason to refuse, they decided to receive it gratefully.

    Did Kagerou also realize that Yuzuha had a higher rank too? He seemed to have noints.

    ¡°I wonder what it was.¡±

    ¡°Free of charge she said, isn¡¯t it good? This stew is delicious!¡±

    ¡°I have noints since I prefer this rather than meat.¡±

    While watching the meat juices of the steak Yuzuha had dripping, Tiera also slowly put the stew into her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s delicious!¡±

    After they finished eating, Shin left Yuzuha to Tiera and left the inn for a moment.

    He crossed over the rampart while hiding himself with a skill, and entered the woods where the trees were dense. When he neared the center, he cut down trees with wind magic, and created an open space.

    ¡°Release!¡±

    A pendant shone, and Tsuki no Hokora appeared.

    This luminous phenomenon had already been concealed with magic too.

    He then entered the shop and went straight to the forge.

    ¡°Well, shall I do this?¡±

    Fire was ignited in the furnace, and he materialized the equipment he took from Shadow and the others.

    By looking at the weapons which he lined up, he contemted for a short while in what way to strengthen them. While making a list of the materials in his brain, first, he picked up Shadow¡¯s dagger from the weapons. The hilt was removed and he poured magic into the de.

    ¡°The durability value has somewhat dropped, but it is well matched to its owner¡¯s magic. It¡¯s as I expected.¡±

    When he confirmed the state of the dagger, Shin took out an orichalcum and a scarletite ingot each from Item Box, and threw them into the furnace.

    It didn¡¯t take much time, a metal was produced from the mix of silver and red. The metal formed was called chimeradite. Because it was a synthesis of two kinds, its performance became a low-ss among chimeradite. However, the quality of the metal was higher than orichalcum and scarletite alone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    While Shin poured magic into the chimeradite, he thrusted the dagger¡¯s de into the ingot. The chimeradite like y swallowed the de, and when the de waspletely buried inside the ingot, Shin ced that on the anvil.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He focused his mind, and hammered the ingot with a mallet to distribute the magic power. Each time the ingot changed shape, it became smaller as it waspressed. If there were other cksmiths in this ce, the view would make their eyes widen in amazement.

    After a few minutes, the ck ded knife with silver and red mixed in waspleted on the anvil. The hilt and the sp which were taken apart were reattached again. Though the length and the weight of the dagger hadn¡¯t changed, the high-density red aura which enveloped the whole dagger proved that it was not a normal item.

    Its inscription was ¡°Night Kill¡¯s Dagger¡± when appraised. As for its grade, the weapon ranked up to ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. Its performance also increased by 80%. In the event when supported by ¡¾Enchant¡¿, its performance would be far above the equipment avable.

    ¡°Well, I guess this is alright.¡±

    He nodded once at the result of the dagger, and then Shin picked up the next weapon.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°This is thest one!¡±

    Finally with a yell, Shin lowered the mallet. As for Hibineko and Holly¡¯s weapons, ¡ºMisty Hound¡» and ¡ºShort Stick of the Dawn¡», they had been ranked up respectively. The dragon¡¯s armor was also reinforced.

    About an hour and a half had passed since he began his work. Shin, who felt thirsty, converted thest equipment into a card, put those back into his Item Box and went to the kitchen.

    Thereupon, for the first time, he noticed that Schnee was in the living room. He was so focused on cksmithing, he hadn¡¯t noticed hering in.

    When Shin arrived in the living room, Schnee offered the drink which she prepared for Shin. Shin thanked her and epted it, drinking it in one go.

    ¡°Phew, I feel revived.¡±

    ¡°Good work for today.¡±

    ¡°When did youe?¡±

    ¡°I arrived about 20 minutes ago. Because I can¡¯t help you with smithing, I was waiting here.¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t train the cksmithing skill as Shin did. Even in the game era, her skill level was almost at IV.

    ¡°How about the feudal lord?¡±

    ¡°Regarding my participating in the war, Berett¡¯s n was adopted. We will reduce the number of monsters, and leave the rest for the training of the army.¡±

    ¡°It is just as I heard it.¡±

    As he expected, Schnee participation in the war seemed effective.

    ¡°¡­Um, Shin¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    When Shin intended to return to the inn because he finished his business, Schnee called out to him with a hesitant voice.

    ¡°Did you hear about ¡®that¡¯¡­from Berett?¡±

    ¡°The story of PKs and yers where you were silent?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­yes¡±

    To Shin¡¯s words, Schnee answered in a small voice.

    Schnee herself probably felt a great sense of guilt for not telling him. His acquaintances who died in the game, if the person close to us is alive, normally we would like to know about that information.

    That was concealed intentionally until it came to light by chance. Berett was right, Schnee¡¯s behaviour couldn¡¯t be praised if seen as a support character.

    ¡°I heard the circumstances. About your matter, I guess you would mention it after everything had ended, right?¡±

    Shin said in a light tone, so it didn¡¯t be too serious an atmosphere.

    After Schnee finished subjugating the PKs, she was supposed to talk about everything to Shin, and wait for the verdict. At the very least, the Schnee whom Shin knew of, was such a character.

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    For a support character, to the yer that should be called the creator, the thoughts to disobey shouldn¡¯t exist. That also included Schnee. Even though the binding in the game era had disappeared by the fact that it became reality, her defying him was unthinkable.

    ¡°Berett said that what you did, was for me. I think I have caused you worry.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face turned down.

    It was not normal. However, Schnee moved on her own. She carried it out against Shin¡¯s intention.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    Schnee said it¡¯s different. But Shin couldn¡¯t think of a good reason other than that.

    ¡°It is true, that I don¡¯t want Shin to change, by concerning yourself with PKs. But it¡­it is more of a personal reason for me.¡±

    Though it was an action with Shin as the primary concern, it was also for her own sake at the same time.

    Her voice gradually began to tremble. The words and thoughts which she had kept held in, were asking for the way out.

    ¡°I hated it! To see that kind of Shin, and being looked at with the same eyes that saw me as a tool! I was able to endure it when my ego was weak at that time. But, the me now, undoubtedly can¡¯t stand it!¡±

    In a calm and yet strong tone, Schnee vented her feelings.

    If thepanion was not Shin but someone else, she wouldn¡¯t have done this. Otherwise, if only pure loyalty to serve Shin existed inside her heart, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have suffered like this.

    But that would not happen in reality. Once again, just the thought ¡®He may be like that¡¯, had Schnee unbearably frightened.

    ¡°I cannot rece Marino-san. If, if Shin bes like at that time once more, I cannot stop you, Shin!¡±

    The source of why Shin had changed, and also the reason why he had to return, everything was caused by his girlfriend. In her ce, there was no room for anyone else.

    Now that Marino wasn¡¯t here, he would be beyond cure if he changed. If that was the case, Schnee had no choice but to remove the cause. Even if she understood it was hasty thinking, doing nothing and so on, Schnee was unable to do it.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°I am a cowardly woman. Even though I did something like this, I am somewhat d that Marino isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Schnee stepped back as she said this.

    His girlfriend ¨D¨D If Marino, who was Shin¡¯s only lover, was there, it may be all right for Shin to change. Marino was an important person to that extent for Shin. If put into a ranking, she would finish first by arge margin.

    Thus Schnee believed, if the first, Marino, was not there, she herself may be able to be the number one.

    ¡°I¡­.I¡­..¡±

    She suppressed it in front of Shin.

    So far, she was able to suppress it. She stopped the thoughts in her mind, and pretended not to see it.

    However, once she put it into words, she couldn¡¯t control her feelings anymore. It couldn¡¯t stop overflowing.

    Because former yers hade to this world, Marino may also havee, too.

    If it was Marino, she could probably stop Shin.

    However, to look for only one person in this world, how difficult was it? Schnee also understood that much. Even if Marino came here, they wouldn¡¯t meet each other conveniently quickly. In fact, even with Berett and the others from Golden Company¡¯s power, the searchable range and so on were limited.

    But it couldn¡¯t be asserted that there was nothing as it was.

    This was because he was reunited with manyrades such as former yers, Shibaid, Girard, and Schnee, who werepletely drawn to Shin. It was possible that even the irregrs where he appeared near Tsuki no Hokora, or the appearance of Demons, and the reencounter with the former yers were orchestrated.

    It wouldn¡¯t be too long before he met Marino. There was something that made her think so.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Seeing Schnee shed tears, Shin was troubled at what to do.

    He never thought Schnee would lose herposure like this.

    He came to this world and often saw new things, still Shin¡¯s image of Schnee was always calm, graceful, and a little airheaded; she was such a woman.

    Even if they had spent time together, his impression didn¡¯t change greatly.

    However, that was merely Shin¡¯s presumption. As for Schnee, the impression of this guy from the game was repeating many times over in her heart. When the foundation was the same, he wasn¡¯t able to perceive her heart.

    Shin didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with what Schnee had said.

    What Schnee said about Shin had changed at that time, he had no way of arguing even if he said he was not sane.

    Shin himself knew well how he was in a dangerous state at that time now. It was natural for Schnee to be uneasy.

    That she didn¡¯t want him to reunite with Marino, also could be understood vaguely.

    If you came to like someone, of course you would like to be that person¡¯s number one, it was a natural feeling. And, like Schnee, being in dilemma because of her consciences, it was to be expected if she had a heart.

    While noticing that Schnee had a liking toward him, it was natural to ept it as ¡®what goes around,es around¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Sorry¡±

    ¡°Please do not apologize, Shin. I am, the bad one.¡±

    He hated himself for only such a word toe out.

    Shin was sorry, when he should have talked properly earlier.

    When he met Hibineko and the others again, and heard about the yers that hade to this world, Shin also thought about Marino¡¯s being.

    However, Shin didn¡¯t think that Marino would be in this world. Hibineko and the others had their HP be 0 in the game, and died. And, though the reason was unclear, they were transferred to this world with state as is after they died.

    As for Marino, her HP certainly became 0 too. However, there was no direct cause of death. Marino¡¯s avatar, didn¡¯t disappear.

    ¡°Schnee¡­Don¡¯t me yourself too much¡±

    ¡°!!? Eh, um, !¡­.¡±

    Schnee, who was quietly shedding tears, had no time to react, Shin embraced Schnee tightly.

    To Shin¡¯s abrupt action, Schnee¡¯s body stiffened without a sound.

    The ugly part of herself had been revealed. For Schnee, who was filled with anxiety, Shin¡¯s action was too unexpected.

    SchneeAndShinHugging

    Even though she was in such a situation, she was ashamed as she was delighted for being embraced tightly, the cheek of the flustered Schnee turned rosy.

    ¡°Schnee, I don¡¯t think your behaviour was wrong. Even me, if I knew that you would be like the me of that time, I¡¯m likely to think of doing something and act.¡±

    ¡°But I, to Marino-san¡­¡±

    ¡°That, I guess there¡¯s no helping it.¡±

    ¡°Such a thing is¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°It is. When ites to liking someone, I¡¯d like to be the number one of that person; everyone is the same. That, even if it¡¯s to wish for someone else¡¯s misfortune, surely I cannot help think. Being really in love, it is likely because of that.¡±

    Because he was experienced, he understood it.

    There was no reason. Be it Shin, or Schnee, or someone else, there would be no difference.

    ¡°To be honest, I was really happy to be able to meet you, Schnee¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    To Shin¡¯s confession, Schnee¡¯s body trembled a little.

    ¡°Just when I thought it was over after I finally beat the boss, I was transferred here. Without any acquaintances, and on top of that, it felt like another person¡¯s house even when I found my home. As a result, I had a strange disposition in herb collection. Therefore, when you said wee back at that time, I was so relieved. That you still remembered me, Schnee.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Though Berett mentioned about you being an unworthy follower or something, I don¡¯t have the intention of punishing you if I have nothing to me you for.¡±

    ¡°But that¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything. I¡¯ve already decided, a high decision. Objection is uneptable.¡±

    Shin forcibly shut up Schnee who still tried to say something.

    Nothing good would result in dragging out and prolonging such a thing.

    ¡°And no more secrets.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes¡±

    The hug was released. Shin was inwardly relieved as there was no gloom on Schnee¡¯s face until some time ago.

    ¡°Um, Shin. May I ask you one question?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°About Marino-san, do you¡­still love her?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I love her. This feeling hasn¡¯t changed even now.¡±

    ¡°I..see. I understand.¡±

    Hearing Shin¡¯s answer, Schnee has an expression like she had made up her mind.

    The next moment, when Shin had a question regarding that change, Schnee jumped forward lightly without spare movement.

    ¡°!!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s lips touched Shin¡¯s lips for a moment.

    Schnee took action as if it was the revenge for a little while ago, and Shin wasn¡¯t able to react this time.

    Even if he understood what happened, he didn¡¯t know why it had be so.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not giving up.¡±

    With a bright red face, Schnee said so.

    ¡°I-I love you, Shin. I understand that there is a reason for you to return to your former world, but still, these are my true feelings!!¡±

    She was quite embarrassed. With the momentum like being somewhat desperate, Schnee spoke of what she felt.

    At those direct words, Shin also felt his face flushing.

    ¡°¡­I-I will leave first.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the time to stop her, as Schnee rushed outside in the blink of an eye.

    Speaking of Shin who was left hanging, he could only freeze while stretching out his arm.

    ¡°That¡­that wasn¡¯t expected¡­¡±

    What kind of face should he make when they met after this? Shin racked his brain.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 5: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    Soon after Schnee had left, since he couldn¡¯t just remain there forever, Shin left and stored Tsuki no Hokora.

    The night wind chilled the small traces of passion that still lingered.

    ¡°¡­First, should I head back?¡±

    After climbing the rampart with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, he went back inside the castle without being noticed by anyone.

    As he went back to the inn, he bought a light snack at a street stall and sat on an empty bench.

    Information regarding the ¡®Flood¡¯ seemed to have spread well already, as he noticed people that appeared to be preparing for the war here and there. There was no sense of urgency. Was it because they had experienced the ¡®Flood¡¯ several times before?

    ¡°Ara? Shin-kun?¡±

    While he was watching the pedestrian traffic, he was suddenly called out to. When Shin turned around, Holly was walking toward him with Shadow right behind her.

    ¡°Are you heading back now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m going shopping while I¡¯m at it. What are you doing in a ce like this, Shin-kun?¡±

    ¡°I finished the weapon reinforcement, and I¡¯m a bit hungry now.¡±

    Shin had met them at just the right time, and since he had already finished, he gave the two back the weapons he had strengthened.

    Holly was pleased with the result, while Shadow stiffened in surprise.

    ¡°Reinforcement can¡¯t result in this kind of level.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about trivial things. Shin-kun did his best, so I¡¯ve also decided to *whack* in the battle.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. I¡¯ll use them gratefully.¡±

    Shadow nodded in agreement to Holly, who was positive wherever she went.

    As there was still time to spare before the war, they also had enough time to practice with their weapons.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you something, is it okay?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about your daughter.¡±

    When he had used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on Kaede, there had been a small static interference running through the race indication.

    ording to what he had heard from Schnee, it was likely that the interference urred when the child was a person of mixed parentage.

    ¡°Do-Don¡¯t tell me Shin-kun, that you would even take a beautiful child away, even though it¡¯s our Kaede?!¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

    ¡°Wait a- what is with that manga-like reaction? Shadow-san, please don¡¯t take Holly¡¯s joke seriously!¡±

    While Holly¡¯s joke could be called clich¨¦d, Shadow emitted a dangerous aura.

    Shin had intended to have a serious talk, but it had lost its tension almost immediately.

    ¡°Good grief, please keep the joking within bounds¡­¡±

    ¡°But you brought up Kaede so suddenly. I don¡¯t think I should be saying something like this as a parent, but it¡¯s popr phrase, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Shadow agreed with Holly¡¯s remark. They seemed to have acquired the title of ¡°doting parents¡± after having a daughter.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s leave the joking aside. What I want to ask is, what¡­is Kaede-chan??¡±

    When Shin said this, the two changedpletely from their yful mood immediately.

    ¡°If possible, let¡¯s talk about this at a ce with no one around.¡±

    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t a story that I would like to tell people much.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. That was my intention from the beginning.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t intend to keep talking there, so they moved to a better ce like the two had suggested.

    They went to the bar ¡®Nyan Da Land,¡¯ which was located next to the cafe ¡®B&W¡¯.

    ¡°For the three of you to gather at a time like this, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I want to borrow the back room¡­it¡¯s about our daughter.¡±

    Shadow said a few words to Hibineko and borrowed a private room in the back. With thatst remark, Hibineko had understood what Shadow wanted to talk about.

    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever you rmend.¡±

    When they entered the private room, Shadow and Holly sat across from Shin with a serious posture.

    Naturally, Shin too corrected his posture.

    ¡°Getting straight to the point, Shin, how much do you know about Halfs?¡±

    ¡°Based on what I heard from Schnee, it¡¯s a child that has either inherited the special characteristics of both parents, or inherited neither of them. There¡¯s also the kind that has almost no changes from one parent.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake in what you know. Also, if anything, the first one is often called critical, and the second one is called fumble.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those gambling terms?¡±

    ¡°Once, there was a group of people who tried to give birth to Halfs intentionally. The names they used back then seem to have remained. It isn¡¯t just the names that are from gambling, the probability involving it should be called gambling too.¡±

    The probability of a person with mixed parentage being born was extremely low. The ones that were called critical had even lower chances.

    Almost all of the ones born were born as ordinary children that were ¡°Halfs¡± in name only. It¡¯s something that no one was able to predict the oue of.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fact that a critical is quite superior in terms of fighting power, you know?¡±

    ¡°What happens specifically?¡±

    ¡°Fumu, though there are a lot of individual variations, the child can use the two different race¡¯s native skills and bonuses. There is a famous beast that can remain in¡¾Beast Form¡¿ while using the dragnil¡¯s¡¾Breath¡¿, and a lord that can use both ¡¾Devil Eyes¡¿ and the elves¡¯ ¡¾Soul Technique¡¿simultaneously.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that cheat?¡±

    Shin, after hearing about the ability of the criticals, said unintentionally.

    Each of the seven races that existed in this world had their own abilities which could be called unique skills and bonuses.

    Things like the humans¡¯ high magic resistance, the beasts¡¯ bestial form, and the elves¡¯ soul techniques were examples of the unique skills that each race had.

    How was it not a cheat to have more than one of them?

    Shin wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything, but even he couldn¡¯t use the unique skills and bonuses of other races.

    In this world in which the existence of individuals became reality, there would be individuals who is Halfs.

    ¡°By the way, our Kaede-chan is a critical, you know?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°She can use both ¡¾Soul Technique¡¿ and ¡¾Devil Eyes¡¿. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she¡¯s a critical, but her stats also average out at around 400.¡±

    ¡°I thought so. Isn¡¯t that just a natural cheat?¡±

    From the viewpoint of amoner, a critical was an existence that could make fun of even the upper ss Chosen Ones.

    ¡°So please don¡¯t spread it in the public, okay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Come to think of it, if she is that strong, why wasn¡¯t she chosen as one of the front-line members?¡±

    ¡°Theing of age for elves is 20 years old. I can¡¯t send a minor off to the battlefield. Because it¡¯s certain that she will be part of the battle force, she will be ced in the reserves in case of an emergency.¡±

    This time, since Shin was around, Kaede didn¡¯t have to participate in the war and could remain on standby in the castle.

    The reason for this was because she was too young and inexperienced in controlling her power on the battlefield during thest ¡®Flood¡¯. But, as a result of Shadow and Holly¡¯s continued training, there would no longer be any problem even if she was counted as part of the fighting power now.

    ¡°By the way, Shin, I have a question, is it okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. What do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°What did you do after ¡®that¡¯, Shin?¡±

    To Shin, who was thinking about what kind of question wasing, Shadow¡¯s question was quite unexpected.

    Certainly, because time had been limited earlier, he didn¡¯t get to tell Shadow and the others.

    ¡°Right, not much changed as for what I did. I was hunting PKs every day. But, after ¡®that,¡¯ there was a small incident. I was going to return to dungeon capturing, but¨D¨D¡±

    As for that incident, it was also something that was rted to Marino.

    Without it, Shin wouldn¡¯t be here today.

    Shadow listened to Shin¡¯s story without saying anything. His expression was somewhat mncholic.

    ¡°¨D¨Dthat¡¯s why I crushed the big PK guilds first, before setting out on a quest and dungeon assault. Because thest boss was a solo-type, I somehow managed to defeat it.¡±

    ¡°I see. No matter how powerful it is, if it¡¯s a solo-type, you can defeat it.¡±

    Shadow, who had finished hearing the story looked amazed.

    The fact that Shin had defeated thest monster Origin all by himself, even if it wasn¡¯t reckless, it was absurd.

    You could say the premise of MMOs was to cooperate with other people. Though there were also active solo yers, most gained the social disposition of either forming a party with somebody or entering a guild.

    Above all, party cooperation was essential, as the real thrill of adventure was in killing the boss. Basically, a boss monster wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be challenged solo.

    Parties formed, cooperated, and backed each other up to win against monsters that couldn¡¯t be defeated by a single person.

    Among the high-level boss monsters in THE NEW GATE, bosses who could be defeated by a single person were called solo-type, and bosses who could only be defeated by a party were called raid-type.

    Though Origin, which Shin fought at the end, was a solo-type, it had originally been a raid-type boss.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I did every kind of reinforcement I could think of: foods, items, equipment and so forth. One might say that if the opponent was a raid-type, I would normally lose.¡±

    Even if it was Shin, if the opponent monster was impossible to be conquered without a party, he wouldn¡¯t think of challenging it solo. He would only challenge it if he knew that the opponent was a solo-type.

    As for a solo-type, even if it was a boss, from the size and the attack method and so on, defeating it was possible depending on the luck, equipment, skills, and level of the yer alone. Of course, it goes without saying that normally, even if a yer was defeated, they still had the choice to return.

    The winning rate wasn¡¯t always 100% even if Shin fought against a monster of the same solo-type more than once.

    On the other hand, raid-types were different from solo-types. Their bodies were enormous, and they had many ces that had to be attacked at the same time.

    Shin¡¯s partner Yuzuha, also known as an ¡®Element Tail¡¯, was a raid-type boss. Though it was different for Shin now, he didn¡¯t know whether he could have won once in 100 rounds against one as a solo yer or not in the game era. Even then, it would have taken an extreme amount of luck.

    If you only thought about hunting down a raid-type ¡®Element Tail¡¯ regardless of the resulting sacrifices, you could understand just how strong it was just by saying that you would have needed at least three members of Rokuten, who were of the stat-capped ss.

    ¡°I wonder why was it a solo-type.¡±

    Shin said after remembering his fight with Origin. He thought that a raid-type of the highest difficulty would be waiting as the final boss. If the monster was at least ¡®Element Tail¡¯-level, it would have been almost impossible to clear.

    Shadow shook his head calmly.

    ¡°Maybe it was intended to be cleared, or was deemed sufficient? Either way, if many people were saved, that would be fine, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That reminds me, I also wanted to ask you something else. How did Shadow-sane here? From Holly-san¡¯s story, you don¡¯t seem to have initially arrived here together.¡±

    Though it was unimaginable for the present Shadow, the Shadow, when he and Shin had acted together, had been an assassin through and through.

    Shin remembered Shadow crying while he disappeared after he and Holly¡¯s enemy had killed each other at the same time.

    ¡°Oh well, as foring here, I seem to have arrived earlier. I was surprised when I met Shadow again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line!¡±

    One couldn¡¯t imagine the ghastly figure he had been in the past after seeing the Shadow who talked with Holly while smiling.

    ¡°I found this man in a vige I was dispatched to at the request of the guild. I heard him fighting the group of monsters that had attacked the vige, so I chased after him in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°I am indebted to that vige in a lot of ways. Because the monsters had no special features aside from their numbers, I was able to stop them.¡±

    ¡°NO! You weren¡¯t able to stop them. The people of the vige were panicking.¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Holly-san. Shadow-san wouldn¡¯t go without knowing the probability of sess either.¡±

    Shin calmed down Holly, who began to get angry after remembering those times.

    Shadow was an assassin of a higher job ss, a ¡®Shinobu¡¯. Moreover, his average stats were more than 600. Though he didn¡¯t remodel his equipment randomly like Shin had, if he used the equipment he possessed, which were above the ¡¶Legend¡· grade, he could wipe out some of the tougher monsters instantly.

    ¡°Sigh, so I was looking for Shadow in a hurry, and when I found him, he was turning mountains of monster corpses into cards. The other adventurers were stunned. Because they were A ranked, they were somehow convinced of the exnation that he was a Chosen One.¡±

    ¡°After that, I went to visit several ces together with Holly. Along the way, I received a report from Gold Company, and met Hibineko again here.¡±

    Berett¡¯s messenger, who was searching for former yers, seemed to have had contacted him.

    As Shadow and Holly had been associated with Shin in the game, they seemed to have judged that there would be no danger even if they came into contact. If it was only Shadow, they may have had chosen to wait.

    ¡°After this and that, I decided to open a shop here.¡±

    Both of them had their cooking skill at level VII, so their business seemed to be thriving.

    They also seemed to partnering up with Hibineko¡¯s shop, and both issued coupons that could be used at each other¡¯s shops.

    ¡°Come to think of it, how much time has passed since Holly-san came here? You said a while ago that there was a difference between when the two of you arrived.¡±

    Shin suddenly spoke what came to his mind.

    There was a timeg of approximately one month between Holly and Shadow¡¯s deaths. Shin thought about in what way it influenced the time they arrived here.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for 30 years as of this year¡±

    ¡°As for me, I came here about 10 years after Holly.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, is it about 10 years per month?¡±

    ¡°But the person who had almost the same time of death as me came here more than a decade before me. This seems to be different for each individual. Some came here more than 100 years ago, and there are people who have already reached the end of their life span, too.¡±

    Though Shin had calcted the approximate conversion from their story, his hypothesis was denied by Holly. By the way, it had been about 40 years since Hibineko had arrived here.

    ¡°Shin, do you think Marino-chan wille here?¡±

    ¡°Holly!¡±

    Shin stopped Shadow, who tried to scold Holly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­To be honest, it¡¯s a fifty-fifty; I feel like I want her to be here, but I also feel like I don¡¯t. Of course, I want to meet her again, but then I wouldpletely lose my intention to return to the former world.¡±

    There were many things that Shin had left behind in the real world.

    His parents who had raised him, his brother and sister, his close friends; the list could go on forever.

    Even though he had no rtives in this world, he wasn¡¯t terribly unhappy.

    Still, although he hade to this world that looked just like the game, the real world was not something so unimportant for Shin that he could discard it easily.

    Therefore, if there was a scale between the choices of ¡®Stay¡¯ or ¡®Return¡¯, he still inclined toward ¡®Return¡¯ for now.

    He must pass on the messages entrusted to him by the people who had died in the death game to their bereaved families; it was a promise he must fulfil if he returned to the real world.

    But, as he spent time in this world, the scales in Shin slowly, but surely, moved. They were slowly moving away from the choice to ¡°Return¡±.

    There were so many charms in this world. He had overwhelming power that separated him from others, Schnee, who loved him, and former Rokuten followers who still showed him loyalty.

    Even if the dangerous living conditions were extremely different from the real world, it was not a great threat to Shin.

    He desired to travel freely around the world that had undergone a great change; it would be a lie if he denied that.

    In addition, it was possible to reunite with the yers who had died¨D¨D the more he spent time in this world, the number the bonds he had with its inhabitants increased.

    If he found out that Marino was here, the scale would probably sway greatly to one side.

    ¡°Well, in the first ce, there¡¯s also the problem of whether I can return or not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. But you were able toe here, so there must be a method, no?¡±

    ¡°As I expected, the gate of the dungeon is the matter of concern. Although it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you¡¯ll have to pass through it again, it¡¯s possible that you¡¯d be able to return if you find yourself in a simr scenario.¡±

    The two people replied seriously to Shin¡¯s words.

    From the contents of their discussion, they seemed to agree that Shin should return to the original world.

    ¡°There are stories that the Ley Lines may be rted to it, but it¡¯s still not enough information. From now on, I¡¯ll go around looking up more information here and there.¡± (T/N: changed Earth Pulse to Ley Line)

    ¡°Let us help when possible.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be reserved then.¡±

    Shadow and Holly expressed a gentle smile.

    Afterwards, Shin left the shop after hearing the tales about the two, the countries they had been to, and so forth.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Shin has left.¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we met again, Shin haspletely returned to his former self.¡±

    After Shin left the shop, Shadow answered Hibineko, who put away the sses as he spoke, with a look that seemed somehow relieved.

    ¡°Was he that terrible?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s not my ce to say, all I can say is that he has changed. It¡¯s because in the past he had no hesitation to cut down a person.¡±

    ¡°I also heard the stories¡­he didn¡¯t seem like someone who would do something like that.¡±

    Among the three people, only Shadow had known the deste Shin. Hibineko and Holly, on the other hand, could not imagine that Shin wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to murder like Shadow had said.

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯m surprised, too. Thest time I saw Shin, he would never haveughed with such an expression.¡±

    When he didn¡¯t show his power, Shin currently looked like an ordinary young man who could be found anywhere.

    He had retorted to Hibineko¡¯s and Holly¡¯s way of calling him, and was surprised when he had heard that Shadow and Holly had a child.

    That was a natural reaction.

    However, he didn¡¯t have such a natural reaction before. The Shin whom Shadow had seen at that time had hardly ever changed his expression. Even when he had killed PKs, even if he had eaten delicious food, even if the yer who had assisted him had died in front of him.

    He had searched and killed PKs just like an assembly-line operation. If one were to say that he was a machine of that kind of purpose, one might understand how dangerous he truly had been.

    Had this person changed beforeing here only by chance? This was merely what Shadow believed.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there something certainly might have. Something that pulled Shin here.¡±

    The three people could only guess. However, it was a good thing, or at least, they understood it to be a good thing. It also concerned the woman whom Shin loved.

    ¡°¡­Marino-chan, will youe here?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. ording to the story we heard from Shin, her circumstances seemed slightly different from ours.¡±

    The two people didn¡¯t know the main reason behind why they had arrived here, except that it had to do with their death in the game, so their question couldn¡¯t be concluded.

    ¡°¡­If Mari-nyaa-san isn¡¯t here, what would the two of you want Shin to do?¡±

    Hibineko asked Shadow and Holly while skillfully wiping the table with his short paw.

    ¡°I guess he should return.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, I think so too.¡±

    The two people answered the casual question with the same response.

    To the reply without hesitation, Hibineko stopped wiping the table. Because there were only three people in the shop at the moment, they could afford to talk a little.

    ¡°Fumu, from our viewpoint, I think he should return if possible.¡±

    ¡°Why the hurry?¡±

    ¡°For now, Shin still wants to return to the other side. But, will he be able to make the same choice after he has spent a long time here?¡±

    If Hibineko had came to this world without muchpany, he would probably have been able to return without hesitation.

    However, Hibineko had already spent more than 40 years in this world. Even if he could return to the original world with Shin, he would no longer choose too.

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t have much longer to live in real world like we do, then the choice to spend the rest of his time here is not bad even if it possible for him to return. But Shin is still young. I don¡¯t think I want him to remain in this world where the end is unknown.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. If he had been here for a long time, he would likely not want to go home.¡±

    ¡°But unlike us, Shin is not dead. There should be something he left behind, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, you can also say that, unlike us, Shin is the strongest in this world. Besides, I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to turn down the love of a woman as beautiful as Schnee.¡±

    The current age was called the ¡®stress society¡¯. People wanted to be bound by no one, and do whatever they wanted. But at the same time, as people who lived in the real world, they also had to consider everyone else¡¯s feelings. There were many people who wished to live while doing the things they liked and forgetting the unpleasant things.

    ¡°This world is indeed really convenient for Shin.¡±

    Shadow and Holly couldn¡¯t deny Hibineko¡¯s words because what he had said also applied to themselves.

    ¡°In the end, it depends on Shin, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Personally, I want his parents to feel relieved.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he carried everyone¡¯s expectations all by himself. I wonder how things will turn out if Mari-nyaa isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Since the beginning of the death game, the three knew that various unreasonable things had been forced upon Shin; they recalled Shin had suppressed himself because of that power at that time. His stats had been high by chance, but because of that, he had been forced to clear the game. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Shin hadughed with a tired look on his face.

    It might have ended up differently if everyone had begun from the same starting line. However, with the exception of Shin, the best stats of the advanced yers had only just began to exceed 800 in those days. Shin¡¯s stats was about 200 points above theirs.

    200 ability differences in THE NEW GATE would only cause other yers to be a hindrance to Shin, even if he made a party. The difference in damage dealt, movement speed, defense, and so on was obvious. Only a small number of yers reached advanced levels in the first ce.

    The story was different when he fought against big armies of monsters and cooperated with multiple parties, but there was not enough space for many yers to fight together in dungeons. This had especially been true in thest dungeon.

    In addition, in the situation where it wasn¡¯t possible to revive after death, it would take over a year to train other yers to Shin¡¯s level. The yers who had wanted to log out as soon as possible had ganged up and demanded that Shin quickly cleared the game.

    ¡°I hope we can be of help to him in the case of an emergency.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, right?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t do anything for the young man who had fought the death game in solitude.

    The adults were worried.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Now then, shall I return to the inn soon?¡±

    Shin, who had left ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯, muttered and headed toward the inn.

    Although his talk with Shadow and the others had diverted his mind to some extent, he still didn¡¯t know what he would do when he met Schnee.

    He opened the door of the ¡®Red Tail¡¯ while feeling a little depressed, received the key, went to his room without meeting anyone on the way, and arrived at his room.

    A short timeter, someone knocked on his room door. When he had received the key earlier, he had also asked for water. He then received a bucket of water from a woman. The bucket looked heavy, but the woman had carried it with ease.

    He soaked a towel after using magic to warm the water, and wiped down his body. Toilets were bing popr, but baths still seemed to be difficult to reproduce. Shin, who didn¡¯t understand the technical side of things, couldn¡¯t do anything but hope it was built quickly.

    ¡°¡­I should sleep.¡±

    He had nothing else to do in particr, so he decided to go to sleep.

    Did the matter with Schnee have asting effect on him? He wasn¡¯t able to bring himself to do anything.

    He crawled into the futon. Shin¡¯s consciousness faded into sleep unexpectedly smoothly.

 Book 5: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    The next day at dawn.

    After Shin had finished preparing by outfitting himself, someone knocked on the door. Schnee, who was in disguise, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou were waiting outside. It seemed like they wanted to have breakfast together.

    Shin went downstairs with Yuzuha on his head. Though he casually looked in Schnee¡¯s direction, he didn¡¯t see anything unusual about her appearance.

    ¡°What will you do today?¡±

    Tiera asked while eating breakfast.

    It seemed that the ¡®Flood¡¯ had already been widely announced, as the residents¡¯ evacuation had started.

    Although adventurers had been recruited to help out at ces where help was needed, there was not much work left to be done.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the feudal lord¡¯s castle. Because I have said that I¡¯d bring you there, pleasee with me today, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Ah-Yeah, I understand.¡±

    Had she forgotten to tell him yesterday? Since Shin hadn¡¯t thought about his ns for today either, he agreed.

    When he looked at Schnee, whose attitude hadn¡¯t changed, Shin thought, ¡®Am I strange for worrying about what happened?¡¯.

    What did a man often worry about at such times? He thought about trivial things.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to the training center. I can¡¯t go to the frontlines, but you never know what will happen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be nice. If I have time, shall we spar again?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, thank you in advance.¡±

    While hearing the answer from Tiera, who paused at the delicate situation, Shin prayed for her in his mind.

    Shin had seen the two training when they had been travelling together, but from what he had seen, Schnee¡¯s training was very hard. It was at the level where, without the remodeled wagon and the bed specially made by Shin, Tiera wouldn¡¯t have been able to move due to the fatigue umted from training. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t help but answer obediently.

    She could fight adequately if she wanted to go to the frontline because she would be apanied by Kagerou, but that didn¡¯t mean that her own fighting power had increased. Thus, the training was unexpectedly effective.

    When one only stuck to gaining levels, they couldn¡¯t get really strong.

    They entrusted their key to the innkeeper after they had finished their meal and departed.

    Though Schnee and Tiera always attracted people¡¯s eyes, with the ¡®Flood¡¯ monsters approaching, no one catcalled them.

    Tiera and Kagerou headed to the guild on the way back, separating from Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha who walked toward the castle.

    ¡°What will we be doing today?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be discussing cooperation and meeting with the Chosen Ones who will be dispatched. Actually, it¡¯s also to see how much we can cooperate.¡±

    Though he had already met Hibineko and the others, Shin had not yet met the rest of the dispatch group. Perhaps Rionne would be introduced too. Even though Chosen Ones had excellent individual ability, it was absurd to cooperate without preparing.

    Because the fate of the city depended on them, it could be said it was only natural to do so.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, are we meeting Guile and Liege?¡±

    ¡°You already knew about them?¡±

    ¡°I heard about them in the guild. I heard we¡¯ll attack with Guile¡¯s magic skills, is he a mage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, his full name is Guile Serget. He is a mage who excels in me system magic skills. The other one is Liege Latreia, who is a magic swordswoman like Rionne-sama.¡±

    It appeared that Guile was a Lord, and Liege was a Dragnil. Schnee seemed to have had the opportunity to fight together with both of them several times before, as she seemed to know their personalities well.

    While Shin was listening to Schnee talk about Guile and Liege¡¯sbat styles and abilities, they arrived at the feudal lord¡¯s castle.

    Just before they entered the castle, Schnee canceled her disguise and walked to the gate with her original appearance. Though the change had been sudden, no one noticed the magic skill.

    ¡°Schnee Raizar-sama! Thank you foring here!¡±

    The gatekeeper who noticed them approaching saluted perfectly.

    With the gatekeeper¡¯s eyes fixed on Schnee, Shin¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t even noticed.

    ¡°Um, we would like to enter inside¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Pardon me! Please show your permit!¡±

    The gatekeeper really seemed to be unaware of Shin. The gatekeeper said in a hurry when Shin called out.

    Schnee handed over a permit to the too enthusiastic gatekeeper. She seemed to have had received it beforehand.

    Two people and an animal passed through the door opened by the gatekeeper, who confirmed their permit, and entered the castle.

    One of the gatekeepers guided them with a happy expression. However, if one looked at the despairing faces of the other remaining gatekeepers, who continued working, it was obvious that a fierce fight had unfolded over this role.

    (It seems excessive.)

    When they walked inside the castle, it was inevitable that they would pass by a lot of people. Most of them stopped walking; was it because they were fascinated by Schnee? They bowed politely.

    The feeling that a number of people were following them increased as time passed; it was probably not just Shin¡¯s imagination.

    ¡°(Is Schnee popr?)¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, she is a strong and beautiful woman of a superior race. It¡¯s a given that she¡¯s popr.)¡±

    While answering Yuzuha¡¯s telepathy, Shin felt depressed as he looked at himself.

    The people who passed by mostly noticed Shin and Yuzuha after they had looked at Schnee. Also, about 90% of them had a ¡°Who is that guy walking along with Schnee-sama?!¡± look on their face.

    Though only a few of them had directed hostility at him, it didn¡¯t change that it was a pain in the ass. Shin regretted underestimating Schnee¡¯s poprity.

    Had no one call out to her because everyone knew why she hade here? Shin felt relieved that as no one could openly ask who Schnee¡¯spanion was.

    After a few minutes, the gatekeeper stopped in the front of a certain room. Apparently this was the location of the meeting.

    ¡°Raizar-sama. I wish to express my gratitude for youring here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Are wete?¡±

    ¡°No, there is a person who has yet toe.¡±

    When the two entered the room, someone who was wearing the clothes of the highest quality among the people seated at the table stood up and gave Schnee words of gratitude.

    Taul Yaxfell.

    The figure with eyes that conveyed a strong sense of purpose and hair that was trimmed short was probably in his mid-40s. The body without bbiness reflected his character.

    ¡°Shin-dono, your participation in defending our city together with Rionne-sama is indeed reassuring.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    When he had exchanged light greetings with Schnee, Taul also called out to Shin promptly. Though his speech was polite, his sharp eyes seemed to see through the character called Shin; perhaps this was what one would expect of the feudal lord of Balmel.

    ¡°There is still a little time before the discussion begins. I¡¯ll ask someone to prepare drinks, so please make yourself at home.¡±

    Taul said, and left his seat to step outside. Neither the dispatch group nor Rionne hade yet.

    As they spoke to Hibineko and the others while waiting for a while, in addition to Taul and Rionne, two men and one woman entered.

    ¡°Then, now that all the members are present, I¡¯d like to start the meeting by introducing the new members. As it¡¯s their first meeting, let¡¯s us all introduce ourselves briefly.¡±

    Once he saw that everyone had been seated, Taul began to speak.

    Starting from Shin and Rionne, who were participating on the spur of the moment, the self-introduction advanced in an orderly fashion.

    ¡°I¡¯m Guile Serget. Mage. I¡¯m in charge of first strike together with Raizar-dono this time. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Although Guile had said he was a mage, due to his appearance, it would have been convincing if he had said he was a warrior. He had a refreshing visage of dark pupils and moderately long brown hair. His height was almost the same as Shin¡¯s, but Guile had more muscle mass. Although he was a lord, his appearance was no different from a human¡¯s. Perhaps it was because they would be testing their cooperation, but he had also brought a staff and a cloak.

    ¡°I¡¯m Liege Latreia. I¡¯m a magic swordswoman. This time I¡¯ll be assisting this guy with Rionne-sama. Let¡¯s get along well.¡±

    Liege was a woman who had a red hair like a burning wave and crimson eyes. She talked like a man, possibly due to her warrior ss, but she was a curvaceous, well-proportioned woman who was 170 cemels tall.

    Except for the small scales on the area around her eyes, she had no other characteristics of a dragnil. Unlike Shibaid, whom Shin had met before, her appearance seemed almost like a human¡¯s.

    ¡°So there are actually people who wear that here.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Is there something wrong?¡±

    Liege asked. She seemed to have heard Shin muttering.

    ¡°Ah, no, I was thinking, is that a magic armor that Liege-san is wearing?¡±

    Like Guile, Liege had also put on equipment meant for actualbat. However, what she was wearing wasmonly called bikini armor. It had appeared in a part of the game, and was equipment that had questionable functionality as armor.

    Shin, of course, knew what kind of equipment it was. Its official name was the ¡®Magic Armor of Dragon Ball,¡¯ and was medium rank ¡¶Legend¡· grade armor that used the jewel removed from a monster of dragon lineage.

    As for why the armor was red in color, was because the jewel of a Red Dragon had been used. It nullified damage received under certain value, had an effect that further reduced damage, and couldn¡¯t be equipped with VIT less than 500. The part where skin was exposed had the damage decrease effect, so it was possible to say that she could catch a knife with her bare arm depending on her stats.

    However, though its performance was high, it was not a very popr equipment in the game era. Because the game had been a VRMMO, where avatars acted as the yers¡¯ actual bodies, not many women had wanted to wear it.

    ¡°Oh my, were you that fascinated by my armor? I felt your eyes on my chest.¡±

    Liege emphasized her chest after she said that. Although it was true that Shin had nced at her chest, which was fully covered by her armor, he hadn¡¯t done so with ill intentions.

    ¡°Please pardon me¡­¡±

    While thinking, ¡®don¡¯t tease me¡¯, Shin also wondered whether she was wearing that armor because of her character.

    ¡°Liege, leave the teasing behind. I¡¯ll continue introducing myself, I¡¯m Elgin Scfer. I¡¯m the leader of knights of Balmel. This time, I¡¯ll takemand of the army. I don¡¯t have the intention to rx because Raizar-dono is here. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    As a way of interrupting the banter between Shin and Liege, the next man introduced himself.

    Perhaps it was because his work required him to shout often, but his voice resounded well. Since Shin had been troubled on how to respond to Liege, he thanked Elgin in his heart.

    Elgin was arge man about 2 mels tall. His arms and legs doubled the thickness of Shin¡¯s. His figure was encased in a custom-designed armor which dominated the surroundings just by standing up. Shin didn¡¯t know if he was a Chosen One or not, but Elgin had a high level of 212. Was he in histe 30s or early 40s? There was a sharp glint toward Shin, also in a different sense from Taul.

    Without stopping, Schnee, Hibineko, and the others also introduced themselves.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s discuss the ¡®Flood¡¯ at once. Though you may have already heard, I¡¯d like you to hear this again for confirmation.¡±

    After the self-introductions were over, Taul began to talk.

    Taulid out a map on the table once he had everyone¡¯s attention. It was a rough map that showed both Balmel and Kalkia.

    ¡°As a result of examining the information brought by Rionne-sama and Shin-dono, it was confirmed thatrge hordes of monsters areing here. Judging from their travelling speed, they are expected to arrive at Balmel in approximately 4 days. The core of the horde isprised of humanoid monsters, such as goblins, orcs, ogres and so forth.¡±

    While presenting the information, Taul ced a troop marker down on the map to represent the group of monsters. In addition, he ced two markers in Balmel and four big markers behind them.

    ¡°Here are Shin-dono, Shadow-dono, Holly-dono, and Nekomata-dono of the first group. Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-dono, and Liege-dono of the second group are here. You¡¯ll wait 5 kemels in front of Balmel, while the knight squadron will spread out in the rear. After attracting the monsters to some extent, Schnee-sama and Guile-dono will attack with wide area magic. Meanwhile, because a lot of monsters are expected to remain near the the first group side, they will intercept them. While reducing their numbers, please also let some monsters pass to the rear in moderation.¡±

    Taul re-exined his strategy verbally with the markers afterwards.

    Defeating high-leveled individuals took first priority, defense was a primary concern and training was an additional bonus, Taul told them as he finished exining.

    ¡°So, the first group will form a party and have cooperation training. Because the main duty of second group is to guard Guile-dono, you will train against Schnee-sama.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡±

    ¡°Come again?!¡±

    Guile stiffened at what Elgin had said, and Liege raised her voice almost to the point of screaming.

    ¡°Schn-nya-san is famous for her harsh training, you know?¡±

    Hibineko whispered to Shin, who was looking dubiously at their reactions..

    Apparently, hard mode was the standard even if the people Schnee trained weren¡¯t her friends.

    Only Rionne looked like she was looking forward to Schnee¡¯s training; was it because she didn¡¯t know how severe it would be? Or was it because she felt honored to be trained by Schnee?

    ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡±

    They would have time to recover even if they became exhausted. Schnee would surely work them to their very limits. Shin thought as he cheered them on.

    ¡°Then, we will go train as well.¡±

    Following Schnee¡¯s second group, Shin and his group also start moving.

    Unlike the second group where Schnee acted as the opponent, Shin and his group went outside the ramparts of Balmel. They would train against the monsters that roamed outside during times of peace that were unrted to the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    Although the difference in abilities between Shin¡¯s group and the monsters was toorge to be a proper fight, there was no problem since they were simply practicing their cooperation.

    ¡°Shin, it¡¯s been a long time since you and I formed a party.¡±

    Shadow muttered a few words.

    ¡°Yeah. But in my case, perhaps I should say it¡¯s been a long time since I joined a party.¡±

    This was also the result of an excessive difference in ability. Shin rejected the party system because it was more efficient for him to challenge an enemy alone than it was for him to join a party and adjust to their level.

    ¡°There was no other way. It would have been too time consuming for you to train other yers, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very happy if it was that easy for others to catch up to me¡±

    Shin just said few words in response to Shadow¡¯s remark.

    While it was a good thing for other yers to be stronger, Shin could not be honestly pleased with the prospect because he had already sacrificed so much to be strong himself.

    Then Hibineko interjected.

    ¡°Leave the idle talk forter. We need to deal with these monsters seriously, even if they¡¯re low ranked. You have to be on your guard!¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. Sorry, I was a little too excited.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Shadow and Shin obediently apologized for being too excited about forming a party. Frankly speaking, they would remain unhurt even if they received a critical hit from the monsters to the face.

    Hibineko also understood, so he wasn¡¯t offended.

    Then, Holly smiled wryly and began to talk.

    ¡°Hibineko-san is just as high-spirited, though.¡±

    ¡°An adult must have self-control.¡±

    ¡°So why is your tail moving more than usual?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s to keep my b-bnce!¡±

    When walking on two legs, the tail has almost no effect in keeping bnce. In the end, Hibineko was just as excited as Shin and Shadow.

    Holly watched Hibineko with heartwarming eyes.

    ¡°By the way, we¡¯re at the ce where the monsters will appear.¡±

    ¡°As for me being in high spirits¡­Well, you¡¯re right about that. A lot of wolf-type monsters should have appeared around here.¡±

    Holly was making fun of Hibineko, but she didn¡¯t forget to search for enemies in their surroundings.

    While everyone had been having a yful conversation and moving at a high speed befitting of their status as Chosen Ones, they had already set foot in the area where monsters spawned.

    However, not a shadow of monsters could be seen, even if they looked around.

    ¡°That strange. Not one monster in my perception range.¡±

    ¡°Not even one, you say?¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception range had been greatly expanded through multiple skills such as ¡¾Search¡¿ and ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿. Therefore, he could perceive ces where Shadow and Hibineko couldn¡¯t reach, but he still couldn¡¯t find a single monster.

    Shadow and the others, who knew of his perception range, had puzzled expressions on their face.

    ¡°Does something like this usually ur during the ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No. Though I have experienced the ¡®Flood¡¯ several times, even if the number of monsters may decrease a little, they didn¡¯t disappearpletely.¡±

    ¡°The number of monster decreased?¡±

    ¡°The monsters spawned in the ¡®Flood¡¯ indiscriminately attack other monsters. It is known that monsters will leave their territory when they sense danger.¡±

    ¡°I see. But something seems different this time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the first ce, even if I said their numbers decreased, it didn¡¯t suddenly decrease like this. This is clearly abnormal.¡±

    Shin and the other¡¯s expressions sharpened at Hibineko¡¯s remarks.

    They had no problem dealing with the ¡®Flood¡¯, but now the monsters were mysteriously disappearing too. Everyone unanimously agreed that it was dangerous to be too optimistic.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the time to train leisurely. Let¡¯s return at once.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We don¡¯t know the cause, so it would be better to report it.¡±

    Holly agreed with Shadow¡¯s suggestion. Shin and Hibineko had no objections either, so they ran back to Balmel making full use of the speed of the Chosen Ones.

    They searched for the presence of monsters all the the way back, but still didn¡¯t detect anything.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin? You¡¯ve been silent for a while, do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a few.¡±

    Shin replied to Shadow¡¯s question with a bitter face. There was something that shed in Shin¡¯s memory.

    There had been a war event in the game where hordes of monsters would attack a city. It had not been a particrly unusual event.

    However, the sheer number of monsters had been a problem. The monsters in the surrounding area would temporarily stop spawning and arge swarm of monsters would close in on the city simultaneously like ck waves.

    Of course, the yers stood up to it and seeded in defending the city. Most of the monsters had been blown away by the magic skills of advanced level yers like Shin. However, due to the monsters that invaded the city from underground, the damage caused during the event was not small either.

    Monsters had disappeared before the event had begun. If this was supposedly the same indication, would the same thing happen in the ¡®Flood¡¯? If so, the new surging wave of monsters would exceed the normal scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    ¡°Supposing it¡¯s the same as a war event, we need to report it.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I think I¡¯ll ask Schnee to do that.¡±

    Shin answered Hibineko¡¯s words while nodding.

    Schnee could exin the story as an event from the past. If she did that, Shin didn¡¯t have to stand out.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sign of monsters, you say?¡±

    The four people who returned to the feudal lord¡¯s castle got in contact with Taul immediately, and reported about the monsters. Everyone in the second group, Schnee and the others, also came to the reception room.

    Taul who had listened to the report for a while, contemted as he searched through his memory. However, he let out a small sigh, possibly because he could not think of anything.

    Elgin and the others who were sitting together also shook their heads.

    ¡°As far as I know, there should be no records of this kind of battle. An investigation is needed.¡±

    ¡°The monsters sensed danger and ran away, then it couldn¡¯t be exined with that.¡±

    Judging from their attitude, they were very cautious about this matter circting.

    ¡°Does anybody have any ideas?¡±

    All members except Schnee shook their head at Taul¡¯s words.

    ¡°Schnee-sama, do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recall something simr happened in the past.¡±

    Schnee nodded at Taul¡¯s question. The story had already been conveyed to Schnee by Mind Chat.

    It was only a story of the game from Shin¡¯s memory, but it wasn¡¯t strange to think that it could have urred in this world.

    ¡°Could you tell me? Even the smallest amount of information is necessary.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Though it happened quite a while before¨D¨D¡±

    Schnee exined while smudging the facts here and there.

    ¡°That¡­is¡­¡±

    Everyone who heard the story had stiffened their expressions.

    When they heard that level of monsters that would be attacking would also be high, Taul and Elgin¡¯s expressions became heavy.

    The current defense called for a specialized forceposed of Chosen Ones and ordinary soldiers to kill off the enemies as they came because there were simply too many of them.

    If the monsters hordes became too much for ordinary soldiers to handle, they could expect that total coteral damage would be astronomical.

    ¡°Because the situation is only simr to what I know from the past, it¡¯s not clear whether it will turn out that way or not.¡±

    ¡°No, it would be better to assume that it will. Now is not the time to talk about training and such.¡±

    Elgin replied to Schnee¡¯s remark with a serious expression. It would be too dangerous if Schnee¡¯s prediction was on the mark.

    ¡°I thought it would be an easy win this time.¡±

    ¡°Good grief. Things have never gone smoothly.¡±

    Guile and Liege shrugged their shoulders as if they were saying ¡°Give me a break!¡±.

    Though they had non-serious attitudes, it was hard to say that they had bright expressions, either.

    ¡°However, there¡¯s no need to be so pessimistic. We have Schnee Raizar and two additional Chosen Ones with us as reinforcements. We should be able to survive these critical times as long as we don¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t know how many monsters there will be, but we are blessed with allies this time around. The battle may end unexpectedly quickly.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow called out to Taul and the others who were only thinking about the enemy.

    Their eager voices lightened the mood which was about to sink. They wereposed because Shin and Schnee were there. In a sense, Shin and Schnee were far more dangerous than the approaching monsters.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, I should be thankful you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s change the strategy, then. Schnee-sama, do you know which direction that the monsters will be attacking from?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know to that extent¡­¡±

    It was obviously dangerous to think the monsters would all attack from the same direction, so Schnee answered honestly.

    Additionally, because they didn¡¯t know when the monsters would attack, they settled the discussion by agreeing to send scouts in the directions that were most likely to be attacked.

    Each station was contacted when the discussion was over. This was done so the soldiers would be prepared in case the monsters from the war event spawned at any time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Hey, Schnee, I¡¯m asking just to make sure, but have you ever used therge-scale magic for any anti-guild wars while I was gone?¡±

    ¡°No, I have never fought against such arge army before, since most enemies can be handled with a normal wide area magic.¡±

    Shin and the others who had left the castle had separated briefly before meeting up again.

    Currently, they were heading toward the guild to meet Tiera. Though they could not fight against monsters for cooperation practice, they had tested their cooperation with a training dummy at the training grounds in the castle.

    Because they had to fight against a considerable number of monsters this time, Shin wanted to confirm the power of anti-guild war magic skills with Schnee. But Schnee had not fought against a battalion since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, so she didn¡¯t know how strong they were, either.

    ¡°Then, would it be bad to use them thoughtlessly? Will you try to use one during the first strike?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if I was to use it, that timing would be my only chance.¡±

    Depending on the numbers of the enemy and the scale of the magic, it was possible for everything to end with just that one hit. Because it was not a bad thing in its own right, he decided to take the opportunity to confirm the power ofrge-scale magic.

    ¡°Schnee-chan¡¯srge-scale magic, huh?~. I wonder if we¡¯ll get a turn.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t cause any additional damage, then there would be nothing better than that.¡±

    ¡°Yea¡±

    Shadow gave his opinion and agreed with Holly¡¯s words. Hibineko did the same. Shin was neither optimistic nor excited about it.

    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know what happens until the timees, right? I have to be prepared just in case.¡±

    ¡°Did you do something?¡±

    ¡°There was perfect equipment to fight against numerous enemies, wasn¡¯t there? I intend to upgrade it before it¡¯s toote. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem if I go on a rampage since my face will be covered.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question with a slightly wicked smile on his face.

    Apparently, his cksmith¡¯s blood was excited.

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t have any problem even if multiple enemiese at me the same time.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Shadow and Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Schnee while smiling wryly.

    Hibineko didn¡¯t say a word, but nodded in agreement.

    When they had arrived at the guild, the party went to visit the training grounds after receiving permission from the receptionist.

    The training grounds had various spaces designated for different activities, such as space where one could practice with the bow or with throwing knives, or space where one could receivebat instruction.

    Shin had entered an empty training ground back in Bayreuth when he had fought Barlux the Guild Master, so this was the first time he saw others inside it.

    Apart from that, Shin looked for Tiera.

    ¡°Oh, there she is.¡±

    At a corner of the za where a lot of adventurers did cooperation and individual training, was Tiera. She was doing one on onebat training with someone.

    ¡°Is that Kaede-chan?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems so.¡±

    Holly and the others also noticed Kaede and Tiera exchanging blows after Shin had spoken.

    Both of their weapons were daggers. They seemed to be using weapons rented from the training grounds. Kagerou was on standby as he sat down next to a nearby wall.

    ¡°It¡¯s one-sided, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rather amendable thing for Tiera to keep up with her.¡±

    Ahead of Shin¡¯s line of sight, Tiera was on the defensive even though it appeared as if she were exchanging blows with Kaede.

    If you thought about the difference between Kaede and Tiera¡¯s stats, it was amendable thing for Tiera to be able to defend against Kaede, just as Schnee had said.

    TieraKaede

    Though Kaede probably wasn¡¯t being serious, Tiera shouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up with her for so long. Schnee¡¯s training seemed to have properly increased Tiera¡¯sbat ability.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s dagger was repelled before Shin could call out to her. Looking at the dagger pointed at the scruff of her neck, Tiera stopped moving.

    ¡°Having a match, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Shin-san, Sch, no, Yuki-san is here too.¡±

    ¡°S-Shin¡­?¡±

    Kaede, who noticed Shin and the others, raised her voice. Tiera, too, turned her face toward the direction of Kaede¡¯s voice, but she couldn¡¯t move immediately because she was out of breath.

    By the way, Yuki was Schnee¡¯s name when disguised. Her guild card was also registered under the name Yuki.

    ¡°Did you guys train together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we met by chance.¡±

    At first, Kaede had restricted her stats to train Tiera, but they decided to spar with their stat differences in the end. Then, Shin and the others had arrived.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯m¡­okay..¡±

    Shin called out to Tiera, who waspletely drenched in sweat, while handing her a towel.

    He waited for a while until Tiera¡¯s breathing settled down.

    ¡°Your training seems to have paid off.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to cry if this was all for naught.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? For the time being, good work.¡±

    Kagerou also came near and showed Tiera some appreciation. Tieraughed as Kagerou licked her face.

 Book 5: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Shin and his group left the guild, taking Tiera and Kaede with them.

    Shadow and the others were apparently famous among the people living in Balmel, because they were called out to from everywhere.

    ¡°You guys get called out a lot around here, huh?¡±

    ¡°Even though there isn¡¯t a lot around the castle, a lot of regr customers are in this neighborhood.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­by the way, is it the food or Kaede-chan that draws in more customers?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 50% the food, 30% Kaede, and 20% Holly.¡±

    Shin had asked it as a joke, but Shadow unexpectedly replied seriously.

    The poprity of cafe ¡®B&W¡¯, seemed to be split between the food and the female duo.

    ¡°There are people aiming for Holly-san, too?¡±

    ¡°What? Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°N-No, no! No problem at all. But since Holly-san is Shadow-san¡¯s wife, I only thought that the customers would go for Kaede-chan.¡±

    Shin made excuses hurriedly to Holly whose eyes did not match the smile on her face.

    ¡°(She is happy to be treated as a young wife.)¡±

    ¡°(I-I see.)¡±

    Kaede whispered to his ear in a small voice as Shin had a fakeugh. Evening to another world didn¡¯t change that a woman wanted to appear younger than their years.

    In terms of the appearance, Holly was a High Elf in her early twenties. Though the same thing could be said about Shadow, generally speaking, she looked quite young. In addition, Holly was a beautiful woman. Side by side with Kaede, they seemed more like sisters than parent and child. Even though she was a married woman, it was not strange that she had be popr.

    To begin with, from the perspective of a High Elf and a High Lord, Holly and Shadow were still an age that could be called children. Though they thought of themselves as old from the perspective of the real world, that didn¡¯t apply in this world.

    ¡°Come to think of it, does an ex-yer who came here have the same life span of their character¡¯s race? When I look at Shadow-san that seems to be the case.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not certain, but I believe I may have the same lifespan as my character¡¯s race. Not enough time has passed yet in this world to know for sure.

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s tremendous life span for the people with high race of the long-lived kind.¡±

    In the characters lore, High Elves and High Pixies were said to live for thousands of years. If that¡¯s the case, yers would probably feel as if they had been given eternal youth, especially whenpared to their prior human existence.

    ¡°You may have noticed, Shin-kun, but don¡¯t you also have a simr ¨C or rather, an even longer lifespan than we do?¡±

    ¡°Going by character lore, I¡¯m the one with the longest lifespan, was it?¡±

    ¡°A spirit, or something close to it was what had been written, I believe. I wonder how much of that was carried over?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­Although I don¡¯t particrly feel any different. What about you, Holly-san?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­It¡¯s not something I can really exin, but I feel like I¡¯ve be proficient at harvesting nts.¡±

    Elves were dwellers of the forest. Their character lore described them as being able tomunicate with nts on a simple level, so it might be the effect of that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any change in particr. Maybe because I don¡¯t have the inherent abilities of the elves and pixies.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t feel such changes either. I guess it also depends on the individual.¡±

    It seemed like Hibineko and Shadow could not feel any changes. In the past, when Schnee and Tiera held nt in their hands, they could see its life force aura. However those kind of things weren¡¯t in the game either.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying so much. Isn¡¯t it nice that those kinds of things also exist?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was only a little interested, I don¡¯t intend to think about it so deeply.¡±

    As Holly had said, they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought about it, so there was no point in worrying over it.

    After arriving at the inn where Shin and the others were staying, they parted ways for the day.

    When he entered the inn, Shizu just came out from the kitchen.

    ¡°Wee back! Shall I prepare a meal?¡±

    ¡°No thanks, we will eatter.¡±

    She was the female beast andndy they had met on the first day.

    Shin and the others went to their own rooms for a while, and waited for Tiera.

    After training, Shin and Schnee used the bath in feudal lord Taul¡¯s residence. They had to wait for Tiera to change her clothes because they were all sweaty.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry~¡±

    ¡°You moved around a lot after all.¡±

    Was it due to fatigue? Tiera put her face on the table exhausted.

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved that the results from your special training have shown.¡±

    ¡°If I was made to do so much¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all!¡±

    Schnee reacted as soon as Tiera muttered absentmindedly.

    Tiera didn¡¯t think that Schnee had heard her because she had said it in a low voice. She straightened up quickly, and shook her head.

    What would have happened if the results hadn¡¯t shown? That was what Shin had worried about.

    ¡°Now then, should I head out?¡±

    When he had finished his meal, Shin left the shop alone and began running towards the rampart.

    Because there was a possibility that monsters would attack during the night, he intended to stand guard.

    With his figure camouged by ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to match the rampart, he jumped to the top of the ramparts in one leap.

    There was not a simple light outside the rampart. Visibility would fall down to zero if the clouds covered the moon.

    Even in the dark, Shin¡¯s night vision skill would normally allow him to see the shadows of any monsters. Yet, he still couldn¡¯t see any. There were no reactions to his detection system skills either.

    ¡°It¡¯s really weird that there¡¯s nothing out there.¡±

    Shin muttered alone, and then activated the earth technique windbination skill ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿.

    It was a skill which would notify a yer when a monster invaded a fixed area. It worked not only on the ground but also detected monstersing from underground.

    He didn¡¯t neglect the underground because he¡¯d heard that monsters hade from underground in the past war.

    ¡°I guess this is alright. If only the boss who leads the monsters could be found, it would be over quickly.¡±

    Though Taul and the others had already been informed, what Shin and his group had really worried about was the opponent what should be said to be the principal offender of the war event: a monster called ¡®Raid Vice¡¯. Raid Vice itself wasn¡¯t a strong enemy. However, because it controlled the other races and moved them like its hands and feet, it was extremely troublesome.

    In addition to having a military-like chain ofmand, it was amander-like existence which controlled the ¡®Leaders¡¯ of every monster race. The monsters under its control had bonuses added to their abilities as well.

    If the Raid Vice was defeated, its control would be dissolved. If it could be defeated before the real fight, the resultingck of leadership meant there would be no need to be cautious of a surprise attack. In reality, though, it wouldn¡¯t be discovered so easily.

    Though they didn¡¯t know whether or not Raid Vice would be the principal offender this time, the defenders were told to report immediately if it was found.

    Since ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿didn¡¯t require Shin to stay on the ramparts, he left the area and headed toward the forest where he had materialized Tsuki no Hokora the day before.

    He then recalled the sensation of Schnee¡¯s lips at the ce where he took out Tsuki no Hokora, he almost writhed in agony but endured it somehow.

    Shin shook off this feelings and reinforced the equipment, stored Tsuki no Hokora, and then went back inside the city. When he arrived at the inn, he went straight to bed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A few dayster, the scouts reported iing monster hordes.

    Shin and his party of upper ss Chosen Ones, the first and the second war groups of Balmel knight squadron, were deployed in front of the city gate.

    ¡°No surprise attack in the end, huh?¡±

    ¡°Shin, you needn¡¯t worry too much about the uing fight. We, the party behind you, will support you in case of emergency. Fight at the front with confidence!¡±

    Standing next to him, Rionne tried to re-assure Shin while answering his monologue. Her equipment was the same as when she had fought in Kalkia. She carried¡ºMuspelm¡» across her back. Her gear was the same as before because it was currently the best equipment she could equip.

    ¡°It¡¯s a war of extermination, you know? Don¡¯t cut corners. They will probablye. Although it¡¯s just my intuition.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so too, Shin? I wonder why, but I get that feeling too.¡±

    When asked, Liege and Guile said they also felt the same way. It appeared that their senses had be sharper as therge-scale war got closer. It was probably a feeling shared by those experienced in fighting wars.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±

    Rionne did not look excited even though she had previous experience in warfare.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave my back to you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, go!¡±

    In response to Rionne¡¯s parting words, Shin joined Hibineko and the others. When he passed Schnee, they nodded to each other.

    ¡°(The rm system has been set up. Please be cautious just in case.)¡±

    ¡°(Certainly.)¡±

    Because Berett and his subordinates were keeping a close watch inside the city, he didn¡¯t have to worry too much.

    However, there was a possibility that monsters could pass through the barrier like the previous Skull Faces had on the Wraith ins. He didn¡¯t think that there was a monster that could infiltrate without being detected by ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿, but no one know what would happen so he couldn¡¯t be too careful.

    When Shin arrived at the ce where Hibineko and the rest were, they had already gathered and prepared for battle.

    ¡°You came? How¡¯s the situation over there?¡±

    ¡°No problem in particr. However, everyone seems to feel a little uneasy.¡±

    ¡°As expected, huh? When ites to it, you can leave it to us. In case the previous war event should happen, you should move to the rear, Shin. All the more so if you use the equipment in question.¡±

    Hibineko who knew about the equipment, said while smiling. Hibineko carried the weapon which Shin had reinforced in his hand.

    Hibineko was able to maintain hisposure because, no matter the number of monsters, even if Shin was required to pull back from the front lines, Shin¡¯s weapons reinforcements would be more than enough to counter them.

    In addition thebination of, Hibineko, Shadow and Holly, in a party would represent a powerful fighting force on the front lines.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you at that time. That equipment is hard to use when there are people around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be powerful, but there is a big disadvantage. Although against opponents like this time, it will be terribly effective when Shin uses it.¡±

    ¡°The disadvantage was reduced a little with my smithing ability, so it became better than before. Well, even if it became easy to use, the risks of using it, however, may have increased.¡±

    The equipment Shin was talking about was the kind of equipment that wouldn¡¯t be equipped by a normal yer during the game era.

    Though it was different if one person fought against weak opponents, at least the equipment couldn¡¯t be used in the situation where one joined a party.

    Shin wouldn¡¯t use it if the opponent was a divine beast and a strong boss. It was effective simply because the enemies were small fry for Shin.

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ll go wild with this guy.¡±

    ¡°¡ºKakura¡», huh? It seems you had used it when you escaped from Kalkia with the princess, but will everything be alright?¡±

    Hibineko asked, after Shin materialized ¡ºKakura¡» from a card.

    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡±

    Shin was puzzled. He didn¡¯t understand the point of the question.

    ¡°That kind of equipment is very rare now. I think the princess may have her eyes on it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s already toote though. I¡¯ve already told her that I had found my weapon in some ruins, but I think that she was interested in me, too.¡±

    ¡°I thought of it by chance when I heard that both of you had worked together, but as I¡¯d expected, she had her eyes on you, huh? It¡¯s probably a good idea to have many connections that can collect information for you for the sake of returning to the original world. But you have to use it depending on the other party. That¡¯s something you need to be careful of.¡±

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t intend to seek assistance from the royal family, not yet anyway. I don¡¯t know what kind of coteral they will demand in return.¡±

    Setting Rionne¡¯s interest aside, he was already marked as an individual with powerful war potential, so he didn¡¯t want to incur any debts.

    Shadow checked his watch as he walked up to them.

    ¡°Sorry to be in the way of your talk, but it¡¯s about time.¡±

    He informed the two that the fight was about to begin. Right at that moment, monster hordes began invading Shin¡¯s perception range.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Well then, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let them clear up the very front first.¡±

    The preparations were alreadyplete. Schnee and Guile¡¯s magic attacks were the signal for the nned assault.

    ¡°Here ites!¡±

    When the iing monsters were close enough to see without even using ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, Shin felt two magic power sources rise behind the military unit. Schnee¡¯s power had noticeablyrger presence, so the smaller one was probably Guile¡¯s. Schnee¡¯s presence was sorge that it overshadowed Guile¡¯s.

    In a short amount of time, their magic power ascended and ran through the air. Guile¡¯s magic impacted the front of the monster hordes, while Schnee¡¯s magic kept rising high in the sky.

    The first one to show effect was Guile¡¯s magic. From the height about 20 mels in mid-air, fireballs of approximately 5 mels in diameter poured down like rain. Each fireball crushed several of the goblins. Furthermore, nearby monsters were blown away due to the resulting explosion. The many fireballs and their explosive aftermaths, poured down constantly. The ones exposed to the attacks were helpless to escape.

    What Guile used was the me technique system magic skill¡¾Meteor Fall¡¿. It was a highly useful magic that was rtively popr in the me technique system magic because it caused area damage. There were also many countermeasures for it because it was famous. But, it wasn¡¯t a concern when used against low-level monsters.

    ¡°So, herees the real deal.¡±

    As if answering Shin¡¯s muttering, a jet ck cloud appeared in the clear sky. It had strange motion like a recorded video being fast-forwarded.

    Then, bolts of blue lightning struck the ground as the cloud began to expand.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D!? ¨D¨D¨D¨D!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!¡±

    The deafening roar, loud enough to drown out the explosive sounds of ¡¾Meteor Fall¡¿, reverberated through the surroundings. The monsters, who seemed somewhat able to react to the fireballs, were dumbfounded by this and couldn¡¯t grasp what was happening. The attacked hordes quickly fell into a state of chaos.

    However, their nightmare had just begun. That was only the initial salvo from Schnee¡¯srge-scale magic skill.

    As the afterglow of the initial blue lightning bolts had faded, dozens of additional lightning strikes pierced the monster hordes. The lightning itself started 10 mels above the ground. When it struck the ground, it spread and became snake-like chains of lightning that devoured everything within a radius of 3 mels.

    Unlike the explosion of the fireballs which could be defended against with a shield, the lightning was impossible to block with simple protective gear. The monsters couldn¡¯t evade properly because it was too crowded. They didn¡¯t have any choice but to wait for their bodies to be burnt alive.

    Devastation

    ¡°¡¾Blue Judge¡¿huh? In any case, this is again¡­¡±

    Schnee seemed to have chosen the magic skill that she was familiar with to deal with the monsters.

    Lightning technique system magic skill ¡¾Blue Judge¡¿ was a skill which was difficult to fend off, just like light technique system magic skills. In addition, when the enemy wore metal-based protective gear, it had an increased damage effect. This damage included the monsters that had simple equipment, like most goblins and orcs.

    Shin and his group, who knew the power and the attack range of the magic skill, were unfazed by this disy of Schnee¡¯s power. However, the soldiers who watching this scene at the rear grew pale.

    The soldiers gazed in awe as the blue snakes devoured the ck waves of monsters. The sight had shocked them beyond their expectations. Even Elgin, the leader of the knight squadron, was shocked by this disy.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    No one made a sound as they waited for the magic to end. Because the skill itself didn¡¯t continue for a long time, it wouldn¡¯t take long before the attack stopped.

    As thest bolt of lightning struck the ground, the cloud which covered the sky cleared up and the afterglow disappeared.

    As the sun came back out, countless craters and the charred remains of what once were monsters became visible.

    There were no survivors within the range of effect, too.

    Total devastation.

    Those were the only words that could describe the result.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    There was a different kind of silenceing from the soldiers than during the time the magic skill had been invoked.

    Was it awe or fear?

    It was unknown how much magic power Schnee used. But judging from the soldiers¡¯ reaction, it was clear that usingrge-scale magic for anti-guild wars should be avoided unless it was against arge army. That power was tremendous, Shin thought.

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s hard to believe I¡¯m the same kind of High Elf.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s powerful, but that magic really makes an impact, too.¡±

    Shin replied to Holly, who was amazed.

    However, it was still a tense situation.

    Because¨D¨D

    ¡°After having killed so many, there are still this many left?¡±

    Outside of the area of the magic skill¡¯s effect, the number of monsters still exceeded the number that had been incinerated. They were still heading toward Balmel.

    There had been a gap after the first wave, could this possibly be the second wave?

    Schnee had killed well over 5000 monsters with her magic. To have reduced their number that much and still leave an equal or more amount of monsters than that, there was only one documented event that matched this.

    ¡°Hibineko-san, isn¡¯t this the ¡®Large Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. I heard the probability of it happening was only about once in every 100 years. I guess this is it.¡±

    The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ was a higher version of the ¡®Flood¡¯ which was said to have happened no more than 3 times in Balmel¡¯s history.

    Though the quality of the monster didn¡¯t change, it was not unusual for their numbers to reach 10 times more than normal. The conditions for the outbreak were unclear, but when it had happened before, Balmel had been forced to keep fighting for several days, and only were able to pull through because their neighboring countries had provided them with reinforcements.

    ¡°(Schnee, can you make another shot?)¡±

    ¡°(No, it appears that I can¡¯t use that magic again. Even if I try to invoke it, there¡¯s no response.)¡±

    As expected, it was not the situation to hold back; Shin had wanted her to attack again, but it didn¡¯t seem that it was possible.

    Then, when Shin tried to invokerge-scale magic, his magic power kept flowing out but there¡¯s no change in his surroundings.

    (What is this? My mana is flowing out, but the magic skill isn¡¯t activating.)

    He didn¡¯t know why, but it had taken time to reuse arge-scale magic during the game as well.

    As they charged forward, the surviving monsters trampled over the incinerated remains of their fellow monsters. They were undaunted by the destructive magic that had been unleashed. Unlike normal monsters, the monsters that spawned from the ¡®Flood¡¯ had almost no rationality or emotions. It was as if they were only programmed to attack.

    For this reason, they didn¡¯t react to the magic exploding in front of them.

    ¡°It appears that they will keep fighting to thest monster.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because they won¡¯t withdraw even if they can¡¯t win. A ¡®Flood¡¯ is basically a war of extermination.¡±

    The monsters would kill until thest one of them was defeated. ording to Shadow, that seemed to be how the monsters fought in the ¡®Flood¡¯. As Rionne had said as she wielded her sword earnestly, Shin was able to understand that, too.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t remain one-sided, we¡¯ll get our turn soon.¡±

    ¡°So a power like that wasn¡¯t able to make the battle one-sided, right?¡±

    As Shadow had said, the monsters were spread out evenly as far as they could see. To begin with, the magic that Schnee had shot had almost annihted the first wave of the monsters, unlike the moments earlier, the present state didn¡¯t stay one-sided against the monsters. Even if you were to assess the calction error, given that only the number that did not remain was from the Second Wave, it was not possible to say that it was very noticeable even if they were to be collectively joined.

    ¡°It¡¯s slightly different from the n, but I¡¯ll lead the monsters towards the front of the firstyer of heavy knights. Both of you, please be careful not to lead too many to them, so they don¡¯t get overwhelmed.¡±

    Shin and Shadow nodded at Holly¡¯s warning. Hibineko acknowledged her wordlessly by raising his chin while tossing small dried sardines into his mouth. Though it was an item with stats strengthening effect just in case, his had the impression that seemed to say he was probably acting yfully if he was not an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    As soon as Shin finishedmenting, four people kick the earth and began to mobilize. Though they had to match Holly¡¯s slower speed, with the aid of their equipment, they were still much faster than riding a horse.

    At that speed, they approached the hordes of monsters in a sh. While moving, Holly buffed each party member.

    From the start, their offensive, defensive, and even their magic defensive power were thoroughly reinforced. On top of that, their powers were further increased by the additional effect of the reinforcement of their weapons.

    ¡°I¡¯ll attack first!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Fumu, your blood rages, huh?¡±

    Shin, Shadow, and Hibineko as the three vanguards, plunged into the hordes of monsters while smirking.

    It was a battle formation with Shin at the center, Hibineko on the left, Shadow on the right, and Holly in the back.

    Of course, the first one to make a move was Shin. With¡ºKakura¡» ready on his shoulder, he stepped on and crushed the ground. By invoking the skill of instantaneous eleration he moved instantly to the front head of the pack.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a greeting from me!!¡±

    While riding the force of the eleration, Shin swung down ¡ºKakura¡». His first victims were a group of orcs.

    Shin had invoked a weapon skill which included a mallet technique and wind techniquebination skill called ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿. This caused a high-density wind to coil around ¡ºKakura¡». He swung it down while aiming at the orcs at the very front. A thick ¡°DOOM!¡± sounded, and aided by thepressed wind, a single blow of ¡ºKakura¡» crushed the orcs in front and the approaching group behind them. A radial crater appeared in the ground where ¡ºKakura¡» struck. Small monsters like goblins vanished from just the shock wave of the blow.

    ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿ had the effect of strengthening the range and power of the strike of the wind technique; it was an effective skill to suppress the front of a pack.

    More fissures in the ground that were about 10 mels wide and 50 mels long formed from the radial crater Shin had created. All of the monsters within range had been reduced to nothing more than smears on the ground.

    Shin lifted ¡ºKakura¡»from the crater, and took a stance. The wind technique from ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿ no longer covered ¡ºKakura¡». The next skill he activated was a mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Scarlet Phoenix Wizard¡¿. A crimson light enveloped the surface of ¡ºKakura¡»with the flow of mana. When he waved it horizontally, the me of the Crimson Lotus projected toward the monsters.

    It was a skill with an orthodox effect that was said to increase attack range and bestow me attribute. The only limitation was that the effect would disappear after the first long distance attack was performed.

    Though a lot of people used the long-range attack after the skill¡¯s timer had run out, but Shin used it immediately because the attack was more effective when there was a lot of time left to the skill

    Following the trajectory of ¡ºKakura¡», a crescent-shaped me was formed. The me, which rapidly increased in volume as it shot away from Shin, charged forward and turned all the monsters in its way to ashes. In front of Shin was a 30 mel wide corridor of mes, in which most of the monsters were roasted. Even if the crowd of monsters tried to close the gap, the remaining mes swelled up quickly and exploded. The individual monsters who were near that heat and shock burst open, turning their swords and armor into shrapnel which, pierced the monsters gathered near the explosion.

    ¡°Here I am!!¡±

    Shin activated the taunt skill ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿to attract the monster¡¯s attention. Among the provocation skills that attract the monster¡¯s attack target to the user, ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿ was known for its wide area of effect.

    Shin prepared ¡ºKakura¡»as he cast a sharp nce toward the iing monsters.

    If he listened closely, he could hear simr explosions from not too far away. It looked like Hibineko and Shadow hadmenced battle too.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 5: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    The fist fighter, Hibineko, engaged the enemy shortly after Shin.

    The usually casual Hibineko¡¯s eyes had changed into those of a hunter¡¯s, with the prey already determined.

    Without losing momentum or speed, he took a step and elerated even more. He glided through the air with a jump kick.

    Emerald green light was emitted from the greaves equipped on his legs, which were enhanced by Shin. Hibineko used the barehanded-wind techniquebination skill ¡¾Autobahn Kick¡¿ and plowed through, crushing the monsters he collided with.

    It was a convenient skill for hitting arge group of monsters, with a cannonball-like kick, and also for movement. Hibineko had used the skill on the frontlines of the monster hordes.

    Although Hibineko was short for a man, the aftermath of his kick, which was d in the wind technique and received the blessings of the enhancement skill via his equipment, destroyed even the monsters that were outside its effective range.

    Hibineko challenged the hordes head-on as they were scattered around by that kick¡¯s power.

    If Shin, who had ess to the map function, looked at the map, he would see a clear line cut straight through a sea of red enemy markers.

    ¡°I can¡¯t fall behind Shin and the others!¡±

    Hibineko who dove into the crowd using the barehanded and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Echo st¡¿, mightily flung his right leg against the ground. The crack on the ground where Hibineko stamped spread like a spiderweb, and after a few moments, bluish-white mes burst from those cracks.

    The tremors that spread from Hibineko, who was at the epicenter of the skill, monsters nearby lose their bnce while mes erupted from the ground and roasted them. Though it was a skill that dealt damage regardless of friend or foe, it wasn¡¯t a problem since he was only surrounded by enemies.

    Due to the synergy between the reinforced weapon and the support magic cast on it, its skill and range of effect had risen tremendously and could not bepared to its previous state. When the skill ended and the mes died down, Hibineko was left in a bubble devoid of monsters with a radius of 100 mels.

    More monsters then approached him in order to reupy the empty space.

    As for Hibineko, he wore the smile of a carnivorous animal. He kept on attacking the monster hordes.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Across from Shin on the other side of Hibineko, Shadow was silently carrying out a massacre.

    A ck shadowy figure ran, slicing through the monsters leaving only cut lines lingering in the air. For a short time, the monsters seemed unaffected.

    Then, when the they moved a little, they fell apart along the slice lines.

    ¡°As expected, a weapon made by Shin is on another level.¡±

    Shadow muttered unintentionally, admiring the dagger he held in his right hand.

    The dagger was lighterpared to before Shin had reinforced it, and yet it drew a stronger killing blow. As if being buffed by the weapon¡¯s newfound power, he felt even his body control had increased.

    As a matter of fact, his physical strength had went up too. If one had to say, the way it had risen up was different; there were no stats that had been improved. It had been adjusted for the owner from the beginning. It was the case for Hibineko and Shadow. So, it was natural that the state of reinforcement was varied as well. It became smoother and closer to the ideal image in their minds. With his body moving as he imagined, Shadow felt happier while being on the battlefield.

    ¡°*Sigh* I don¡¯t remember feeling this in the game.¡±

    As Shadow ran, his excitement was charged into his weapon.

    It was totally different from Shin and Hibineko¡¯s fighting style; there was only long and silent movements.

    Only the screams or roars of the monsters, and the sounds made by monsters¡¯ equipment could be heard. There were no explosions or shock waves, but the number of the monsters decreased steadily.

    ¡°¡­*Swish*!¡±

    A voice like a sigh leaked out. During that short pause, 8 to 10 slice lines were made. However, no less than 10 monsters had fallen.

    Using the fencing and water techniquebination skill ¡¾de Stream¡¿ the cutting lines were exerted in the air every time the dagger was wielded. The de of water generated by the water technique shone under the light of the sun. Though there was something called waterjet cutter that could even cut through steel in the real world, the power of this skill greatly exceeded that.

    Water based magic could be prolonged by making the water thin and long, like hairs. The monsters called goblin knights, which had the skin harder than iron, and ogres, which had muscles like bundled steel, didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    The des of water that extended from the dagger were almost as sharp as the dagger itself due to the skill. In other words, be it the muscle mass or the skin, there was no other result than to be cut down in one stroke.

    The radius of the Shadow¡¯s attack was about 20 mels. While normally the dagger was considered a short-ranged weapon, Shadow¡¯s range of attack was like a different weapon altogether.

    Even if it was not as shy, the speed with which Shadow exterminated monsters wasn¡¯t inferior to Shin or Hibineko¡¯s.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Holly was observing the enemy¡¯s movement while focusing on the fight in front of her.

    Even though Shin and the others were separated from each other by some distance so that they didn¡¯t get caught up in each other¡¯s attacks, to the monsters, it was no different than if they were fighting together. The shocks and the sounds Shin and the others made gradually started to draw the entire crowd toward them.

    ¡°(The crowd on the front right has begun to flow to this side. The feint operation seems to be going well.)¡±

    The three acknowledged Holly¡¯s Mind Chat with a few words and increased their extermination speed.

    If it ended early, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a surprise attack.

    Schnee and Guile attacked the hordes that were not heading straight for Shin and the others with long-ranged magic. Thoughrge-scale magic for anti-guild war was not useable yet, normal magic skills could be used without a problem. Due to Schnee¡¯s specialty, lighting and water techniques, and the me technique from Guile, they killed more monsters than Shin and his partybined.

    ¡°Now, I need to do my work too.¡±

    Holly said as a great number of me bullets appeared in midair.

    She targeted behind Shin and the others. Even if the three used skills that attacked on all directions and extend its ranges, they could still face unexpected defeat. As the monster hordes numbered several thousands, it was impossible to keep fighting without running out of energy under the present conditions. Therefore, Holly shut down the possibilities of unexpected defeat.

    ¡°Please go.¡±

    Under Holly¡¯smand, the me bullets which remained in midair started to move. The me bullets scattered in the ratio of 2:4:4 toward the directions of Shin, Hibineko, and Shadow. They flew to the monster hordes which were rtivelyrge, moved to close the gap of their attack, and hit the center of the group.

    With an explosion, the weapons that the monsters carried and parts of their bodies were scattered in all directions.

    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    After she finished firing the me bullets, Holly raised her stick above her head.

    ¡°Come fall!¡±

    The skies above the monster hordes changed as she spoke.

    A portion of the sky warped as if it had been covered by a giant ss lens. Then, it fell little by little toward the monsters on the ground within the spell¡¯s range of effect.

    The monster hordes this time were mostlyposed of humanoid monsters but naturally, there were many other monsters too.

    What Holly had aimed at were the flying-type monsters which would be troublesome if left unattended, even though there were only a few of them. What could be seen were ¡®Head Eagles¡¯ which looked just like erged eagles, and small pterosaur ¡®Airnodons¡¯ which had membranous wings like the Pteranodon.

    Both were about level 180, and their physical strengths were low but their hit & run strategy of swooping down and flying away was a bad match for knights who couldn¡¯t use magic skills. Though some of the knights could shoot them down with throwing spears or kill them when they were swooping down, it would take at least half of the soldiers to achieve that.

    Because Holly had knocked them down to the ground, the knights were able to deliver the decisive blows. While it¡¯s true that high-level monsters didn¡¯t weaken at all when they were dropped onto the ground, the knights easily dealt with the flight-type monsters that Holly had cast down because the monsters were low-level and an easy target after they had fallen.

    ¡°Still, there¡¯s a lot as expected.¡±

    Holly grumbled unintentionally, while she fired additional me bullets at a speed that would shock a mage simr to Guile if seen. It was not Holly¡¯s first time dealing with the ¡®Flood¡¯, but even Holly would get tired by the sheer number of monsters in this ¡®Large Flood¡¯. Even with the assistance of the strengthened equipment by Shin, she couldn¡¯t cover all the three vanguards¡¯ leftovers.

    Naturally, Holly didn¡¯t think she could deal with all the monsters which were moving independently too. The individual monsters who passed through the three vanguards and Holly¡¯s attacks were dealt with by the first and the second war groups of Balmel¡¯s defense knight squadrons.

    Berett had said that the experience in war against the monsters was low, but that had only been based on Rokuten¡¯s standards in the game era. Compared to other soldiers in other cities, Balmel¡¯s knights were rather capable. The levels of the soldiers surpassed 150 on average. Their captain¡¯s levels were in the 180 range. Elgin¡¯s, the leader of the knights, level exceeded 200.

    Since soldiers were not Chosen Ones, when they were up against mutant monsters with levels close to 300, they normally would take damage to some degree. However, with their skills and cooperation, Elgin and his corps could defeat mutated monsters without making any sacrifices. In the game era, these kinds of courageous warriors were known as ¡®cheats¡¯ in a different sense of the word from Shin and the others.

    ¡°Be careful of your surroundings so as to not obstruct others! Don¡¯t ck off until you make sure it¡¯s dead!¡±

    Elgin¡¯s voice resounded as he tookmand. It reached the knights without being drowned out by the explosions and roars of the monsters.

    Even if their opponents were low-level monsters like goblins, they fought seriously. At the rear, there was Schnee and her party, and the third and the fourth war groups were also standing by. They didn¡¯t overlook details in the defense arrangements.

    Up to now, much of the burden had been borne by thedies. Because this was a blot on the knight squadron¡¯s chivalry, the first and the second war group of knights were roused to a new high. Although they were inferior in individual ability, their teamwork more thanpensated for this, allowing the number of monsters to be reduced quickly and reliably.

    While the number of monsters shrank at an increasing rate, a change was felt in the monster hordes which were heading toward Shin and the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s covered with ¡®Worker Ants¡¯. The ones jumping, are ¡®Little Hoppers¡¯, huh?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mainly insect-types?¡±

    ¡°Fumu, this will be a little troublesome.¡±

    While the three were physically separated, their words were delivered as if they were right next to each other.

    Shin who confirmed the name of the monsters with ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, Shadow who looking at the battle field as a whole and saw the monster mix change from humanoid type to insect type, and Hibineko who was concerned because the insect types were hard to kill, had said respectively.

    The main group of humanoid monsters, mainly goblins and orcs, spread out and created a path 200 mels wide. Into this path came the insect type monsters. Just as their names suggested, the Worker Ants and the Little Hoppers which Shin spoke a while ago were monsters who were giant versions of ants and grasshoppers. They were about 1 mel high. They were low-level monsters who didn¡¯t have prominent abilities. On the other hand, they had the abilities that the smaller versions of these insects had. The Worker Ants had powerful mandibles, and the little hoppers had the jump ability of the grasshoppers.

    A majority of the monsters were Worker Ants. The Little Hoppers and other insect type monsters jumped up and down to close the few gaps.

    ¡°(Schnee, can you check the monster hordes from over there?)¡±

    ¡°(No, I still cannot see far enough into the inner groups of monsters yet. Did something happen?)¡±

    ¡°(The mix of the monsters has changed. Worker Ants have be the main attackers and other insect type monster are heading this way.)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s just the way the records document, right? Got it, I¡¯ll contact the personmanding at the rear here.)¡±

    Shin and his party were closer to Elgin whomanded all the knight squadrons. Schnee was closer to the adjutant who wasmanding the third and the fourth war groups which were waiting at the rear so, it was decided she would notify him.

    ¡°(Holly-san, can you contact Elgin-san?)¡±

    ¡°(I am close. Leave it to me.)¡±

    After asking Holly to pass the message to Elgin, Shin plunged into the group of monsters again.

    Shin was 300 mels in a straight line from the first group of Worker Ants. Because there were about 100 mels space between the groups, if the monsters were defeated, there would be about 200 mels distance before he contacted the third wave.

    In order to keep misses to a minimum, Shin used a skill that increased the range of his weapon. Shin let the aura that had enveloped and extended from the tip of ¡ºKakura¡» to lengthen to just under 10 mels. A single sideways blow sent masses of goblins flying. The orcs who tried to engage with swords were turned into minced meat including their armors.

    Among the monsters, several ¡®Ogre Commanders¡¯ were seen. These were monsters of mutation ss that were also described in the documents of the guild. However, they were only high-leveled in rtion to rest of the horde of monsters. With levels of at best 300, they were no different than a regr goblin to Shin and his party.

    An Ogre Commander swung down arge 3 mel long sword, which it probably acquired when evolving, with all its might. It attempted to bisect Shin along with its allies. Shin counterattacked, and struck against the sword¡¯s side with ¡ºKakura¡». The sound of metals shing reverberated with a ¡°Gin!¡±, Two thirds of the big sword that had approached Shin flew into the air.

    Therge sword was actuallyrger than ¡ºKakura¡»; on the other hand, for mass and quality, ¡ºKakura¡» was overwhelmingly superior. Since Shin struck with his physical strength at the side of the sword which was also its weak point, it was inevitable for the sword to either break or bend.

    ¡°Gi¡­?¡±

    The Ogre Commander who saw his sword snapped to nearly ? size, cried out in a stupid voice. In its mind, it had been certain that Shin had been cut in half.

    The Ogre Commander was slow to react and left a small opening. Shin, who couldn¡¯t overlook that chance, hammered ¡ºKakura¡» into its head as a gift in return.

    The de with a dark red aura formed by the effect of the skill, nearly bisected the Ogre Commander. It split him from its head to its inseam in a stroke.

    A momentter a huge amount of blood spurted over the surroundings.

    ¡°Next is the bugs, huh?¡±

    After the group of humanoid monsters were cleaned up, Shin turned his gaze toward the insect types who were approaching. There were signs of Shadow and the others in the distance too. Apparently, most of them had already finished. The monsters which didn¡¯te toward Shin and his party, had already been turned to ash by Schnee and Guile.

    ¡°(Everyone listen, there¡¯s no change to the strategy. We exterminate them without stopping!)¡±

    ¡°(Roger!!)¡±

    To Holly¡¯s voice, Shin and the rest replied in unison.

    Then suddenly, a thought came to Shin.

    ¡°(Shadow-san, Hibineko-san, do you have a moment?)¡±

    ¡°(What was it?)¡±

    ¡°(If everyone uses ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿, we can wipe out the majority of our opponents. Should we take the initiative and lead everyone to victory using abined attack from the three of us?)¡±

    ¡°(I see, that one, huh?)¡±

    Hibineko remembered another party situation like this where two or more yers were up against a vast number of monsters and they decided to use the skill called ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿.

    Shadow also seems to have remembered a simr situation, as he returned with a voice of agreement when he heard Shin¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°(If we do it with the three of us, wiping out a vast area of monsters will not be a problem with this skill.)¡±

    ¡°(Interesting. I¡¯m in)¡±

    ¡°(Me too.)¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow quickly agreed to Shin¡¯s idea. In the meantime, the group of monsters had already approached to within 50 mels.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡±

    The three didn¡¯t worry about the approaching monster hordes. They didn¡¯t bother, because soon, the hordes would be taken care of by this attack.

    The three clenched their fists, and focused their power on their right hands. Boosted by the reinforced equipment, even before they could invoke the skill,rge craters formed just from the power of their fists. The three of them took a simr stance of shooting from the hip.

    There was to be no signal. The three people¡¯s senses had be sharp on the battlefield. They wouldn¡¯t miss the timing.

    ¡°¨D!!¡±

    The moment when the distance to the monster hordes closed to 30 mels, the three simultaneously thrust out their fists without any prior notice.

    Their fists focused on one ce around Shin; The power umted in each respective fist was released. After a momentary dy, the direction and the attributes were given; the power which had been focused into a single spot, was then shot into the approaching enemy.

    The released mass of energy from the three people rapidly swelled up. The chosen attribute was me. The cluster of me zing up transparently because of the overwhelmingly high temperature, then rushed towards the approaching monster hordes.

    As it reached them, the monsters bodies were scorched, and then reduced to ashes in the next moment.

    If one was to observe the strange ce, in spite of the fact that their bodies were burned, there was no fire visible. The me was so hot, it had bepletely transparent. Boosted by the upgraded equipment, only the heat waves were visible as the invisible fire roasted the enemy.

    The fire didn¡¯t just stay around Shin and the others, it spread out into the monster hordes. The mes spread the same way water spread when it flowed on the ground. As for its range, it already vastly exceeded the range of wide area magic that had been shot by Guile.

    The Worker Ants had be a mountain of ashes. Something that hopped like Little Hoppers fell to the ground. Though there were superior individuals like the Ogre Commanders, they too, turned to ashes without evening in contact with the enemy.

    Cooperative mode ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ skill.

    It was a skill that could be invoked when 2 or more yersbined the barehanded and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿. Its power and effect range increases as the number of people who use it increases. Since the stats of the yer and the power of the yer¡¯s equipment governed the ultimate power level, ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ that Shin and his group invoked was far above the expected power of three people.

    ¡°¡­Though I expected the power to increase, that was overwhelming!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this either. ¡±

    ¡°Ah~¡­me is really effective against insect types. It was really powerful because of that, right?¡±

    They were all surprised by the overwhelming power.

    ¡°Now¡¯s our chance, let¡¯s clean up as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how many monsters are left either. But there¡¯s no reason not to be efficient about this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no need to defeat everything individually.¡±

    When they finished the discussion, Holly warned the knight squadron. The three then quickly fired ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ again, at a range that didn¡¯t threaten their allies. 20% of the right wing of the hordes disappeared in the next shot, and the remainder were melted away by 4 additional shots.

    The monster hordes had been like a ck wave that covered the earth. Some soldiers were simply aghast at the spectacle where nearly half of the hordes were destroyed in such a short amount of time. However, since the monster hordes were destroyed by allies and because it reduced the danger, the soldiers didn¡¯t think too deeply about it.

    Even though people knew that Shadow and Hibineko were strong, nobody could have guessed how powerful they really were.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s animal types next.¡±

    Without being aware of the soldiers¡¯ shock, the three intently fixed their eyes on the enemy.

    Behind the third wave, Shin saw a number of animal types. There were groups of animal type monsters such as wild boars, wolves and bears. He was able to confirm both ¡®Tetra Grizzly¡¯s and ¡®me Boar¡¯s which he had fought before.

    ¡°Is it the fourth wave?¡±

    ¡°What the heck! How many waves are there?¡±

    Shadow and Hibineko looked at the monsters while sighing. The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ was a phenomenon that generated multiple times more monsters than a normal ¡®Flood¡¯. From the change of the monster types, it was likely that it had already generated four times more monsters than normal.

    The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ mentioned in the records, was described as being like an average ¡®Flood¡¯ repeated three times over. The currentrge flood had already surpassed the documented one. At this point, nobody knew how much longer it would continue.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna jump a little to see how deep it is.¡±

    Saying this, Shin jumped with his full strength which caused the ground to copse from the power of the jump. He gained altitude with the help of martial arts movement skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿.

    When he reached an altitude where he could look over the fourth wave, Shin used ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ to gaze deeper.

    ¡°Beast rider warriors huh?¡±

    Behind the animal type groups, he saw thest group moving with a 300 mels gap between them and the fourth wave. Thest group was a mixture of humanoid types and animal types. The size of this wave was almost double what they had faced so far. There were small species types like goblins and kobolds, but Shin was also able to confirm riding animal types of monsters.

    Monsters such as goblins and kobolds were individually weak so they may have learned how to ride and handle animal type monsters topensate. These were called beast rider warriors or otherwise ¡®~Rider¡¯. Not only did their mobility increase, but it was known that theirbat ability was also greatly enhanced.

    Unusually, the increased mobility of the beast riders allowed them to reduce the gap between the fourth and fifth wave.

    ¡°The fifth wave is closing the gap between groups. Because most of thest group are beast rider warriors. Their number also twice as many.¡±

    Shin who hadnded, conveyed the things he saw to Shadow and the rest. Though they didn¡¯t have any problems with the enemy¡¯s fighting power, it was the enemy¡¯s mobility which could make things difficult if they dispersed.

    Since they were on a in, it was advantageous for a mobile enemy. It was different than when in the forest or inplicated terrain. For cavalrymen on a in, especially with beast rider enemies like this time, the ordinary soldiers at the rear would be forced into a hard fight. It was particrly difficult because the monsters could jump over closely held lines of spears.

    Though there were also cavalrymen in the knight squadrons of Balmel, it would be difficult to follow the monsters¡¯ nimble movements even with trained warhorses. How they sealed the mobility of the enemy would be the decisive factor.

    ¡°Coping with them is possible if they don¡¯t scatter haphazardly. Just to be sure, I¡¯ll tell Holly to prepare to use soul technique.¡±

    ¡°Holly-san¡¯s soul technique? Oh,e to think of it, Holly-san¡¯s soul technique is ideal for a situation like this. ¡±

    Soul technique was a skill exclusive to elves. Though each yer or support character was assigned one attribute, they could use techniques that gave a different effect from their baseline attributes with magic skills.

    The attribute of Holly¡¯s soul technique was earth. It was suitable for sealing the opponent¡¯s movements and installing obstructions rather than for attacking. It was a very effective way to reduce the mobility of the beast rider warriors.

    ¡°Then, for the rest of them agai¨D¨D!!¡±

    A loud rm sound reached Shin¡¯s ears when he started to say cleanup of the remaining monsters. That sound, which only Shin could hear, was from the ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿ which he had set around Balmel. It was a warning that sounded when a preset number of hostile presences were detected.

    ¡°Shin, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, they havee atst. There was a reaction in ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿.¡±

    ¡°They havee at this time huh? Do you know their direction?¡±

    ¡°They are at the north gate, near the third war group.¡±

    Shadow asked, after Shin broke off in the middle of speaking. The distance from the ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿ to Balmel was approximately one kemel. There was a possibility that the third war group was already moving.

    As for why hadn¡¯t Shin and his party been notified, had nobody seen the enemy yet? Or was it because there was no one who could use Mind Chat? It seemed likely to be the former.

    Soon after that thought, an indication of a message appeared on Shin¡¯s view. The contents were about the monsters approaching Balmel and the third war group¡¯s movements.

    ¡°It¡¯s a message came from Tiera. The third war group has already moved to intercept. The monsters¡¯ levels are high, and they seem to be moving in a direction which avoids contact with the frontlines.¡±

    The monsters of the ¡®Flood¡¯ normally have levels that don¡¯t reach 100 on average. However, the monsters approaching Balmel were a mix of creatures level 200 and greater.

    Kaede seemed to be together with Tiera. She seems to have been the one who confirmed the information as it was written in the message.

    ¡°It¡¯s more dangerous there, as we expected. We will take charge here. Shin, follow the n and go over there. ¡±

    ¡°Roger that. I¡¯ll leave this ce to you.¡±

    Shin entrusted that ce to Hibineko and the others. He started running, while concealing himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, he also released his power ¡¾Limit¡¿.

    With a bang sound, he crushed the ground as he sped up. At the same time, he put on the equipment he had prepared for a time like this.

    Covering his whole body was a full ted armor of deep crimson which closely resembled samurai armor.

    He held a deformed death scythe in his hand decorated with eye-like patterns on the base of the hilt and the de.

    The mood waspletely different than a moment ago, as Shin ran at full speed.

    As if rejoicing that its turn hade, the death scythe on Shin¡¯s shoulder made a *Gisiri* sound.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 5: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°I heard the story, but they really came huh?¡±

    ¡°Many people with a lot ofbat experience, like my mother and father, are able to read the flow of battle with just their intuition. It¡¯s a sense that I don¡¯t understand yet.¡±

    Before their eyes, they saw the monster hordes advancing while mowing down trees in the forest. The number of monsters were so great, that they dyed the earth ck. By all rights, these monsters would normally be hostile to each other. Seeing that, Tiera talked about the things that Shin had spoken of and felt that they hade true.

    ¡°Kaede-chan, do you know what type of monsters they are and what their levels are?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but even if I disclose it, I am confused by all the various monsters mixed together, and to be frank, there¡¯s no type. Even their lowest exceeds level 200. There are individuals whose levels are 350, which I believe are probably leaders.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m going to contact Shin and Master, so please tell me if there are any changes.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Tiera entrusted Kaede to be the lookout and opened a message card. The third war group started to move as they spread out in front of the rampart. Tiera quickly wrote down the information regarding the monsters that she had heard from Kaede and sent it to Shin and Schnee.

    In the case that Shin and the others might not be near Tiera and her group, she was told to make contact immediately when the monsters came.

    ¡°This will do. Now, I will have to create a diversion until Shin and mastere here.¡±

    ¡°I will help you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Though even if I say that, Kaede-chan is stronger than me.¡±

    ¡°No, I was taught that power is not everything, and because I also believe that myself, please issue instructions without reservation.¡±

    Was it the influence of Shadow and Holly¡¯s education? Kaede did not have an arrogant attitude although her stats were superior. It was said that strength is justice, or something like that, but she was free from the arrogance that was asionally seen in Chosen Ones. On the other hand, Kaede was rather impressed with Tiera¡¯s ability to keep up with her with the stats of a normal person. Although Tiera hadn¡¯t realized it.

    Even though Tiera¡¯s stats were low, her abilities, because she had undergone training from Schnee for over 100 years, had already reached the level of an expert. During the escort job, when she had killed a bandit with an arrow, only her elven perception ability and her skill with a bow were required for the task. She had also fought against monsters above level 100 while traveling. Though she herself wasn¡¯t aware of it, she had enough power to fight against the captain ss of Balmel¡¯s knight squadron on equal terms if she made a serious effort. Moreover, she was apanied by a divine beast.

    She was originally an alchemist and now a tamer. Tamers did not excel in physical abilities, and their worth was decided together with their monster partner as a set. Following that logic, Tiera could have been said to be stronger than Kaede.

    Kaede was not so foolish as to take such a haughty attitude toward a partner like Tiera.

    ¡°When theye a little closer, I¡¯ll shoot the individuals who seem to be the leaders with my bow. After that, I can do nothing but to continue shooting earnestly.¡±

    ¡°Can you aim from here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to, somehow, with my weapon and Kagerou¡¯s assistance. This time Yuzuha-chan is here too. Even if I have the ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill, I don¡¯t feel like I am really needed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, someone who is apanied by a divine beast like you is not bad at all! Tiera-san is also better at handling the bow than the instructor at the training school.¡±

    Another person would probably say ¡°What are you talking about?¡± to Tiera who was not aware of her own ability. Normally when a person¡¯s own ability was low, no matter how much assistance they received, the results would still be low. Since she only started realbat training since leaving Tsuki no Hokora and being around Schnee so much, Tiera had lost anymon sense for measuring people¡¯s strength. This gave her a false impression about her own strength.

    Moreover, the fact that Gaien and Tsubaki, who hade together during the escort request the other day, also had abilities that didn¡¯t match their levels and ranks, had also contributed to that impression. To make matters worse, for the past several days she had trained on the training grounds, which were only intended for low-rank adventurers who tried to distract themselves from their own anxiety. Because of these strange turns of fate, Tiera was not yet able to properly recognize her own ability.

    ¡°Anyone can do this given 100 years, you know?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, it must be so if you say so.¡±

    Tiera Lucent.

    A woman who was the personification of the phrase ¡®What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger¡¯.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to go!¡±

    Seeing Tiera ready her bow, Kaede also prepared to use her soul technique.

    Answering Kaede¡¯s chant, an emerald-green sphere of light appeared. The attribute of her soul technique was wind. It was an attribute that rivaled many water and earth users among the elves that used soul technique. An emerald-green light sphere was something that visualized the wind¡¯s spirit. A spirit in sphere of light form was the result of a low-leveled soul technique. When the skill level of the soul technique rose, it would take on various figures ordingly.

    Kaede had asked for the divine protection of the wind spirit. Because it raised the hit-rate of their long-distance attacks and lowered the hit-rate of the enemy¡¯s long-distance attacks, the divine protection was said to be necessary to employ when one is using a bow.

    ¡°Divine protection has been applied.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡±

    Tiera, who concentrated on drawing the bow, thanked in a low voice.

    The bow that Tiera was using was not the purely wooden bow that she had been using up until now, and was instead an obviously superior bow with metal incorporated all throughout it. It had been made using a branch of a magical tree that had been said to be over a thousand years old and with mithril, which had a good affinity for magic. The bow itself was charged with a dense magical power. Had the arrows she was using been processed as well? To Kaede, the arrows seemed to absorb the magical power of the bow.

    Kagerou and Yuzuha growled next to Tiera, who pulled the bow. At the same time, Tiera herself began to shine as she was d in purple lighting.

    ¡°¨D¨D! ¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡±

    Was she concentrating? Tiera didn¡¯t seemed to notice her own state. She held her breath while drawing the bow so her aim didn¡¯t shift due to breathing.

    And, at the same timing as the long-distance attacks by the archers and mages, Tiera released all the power charged in the bow.

    ¡°Kya!¡±

    The moment the arrow had been released, strong winds violently circled around Tiera, causing Kaede to raise a small scream. It was the recoil from the magic power that had been focused into one point and then released.

    The people who couldn¡¯t attack from afar and could only watch Tiera and the others, lost their bnce and fell down from the sudden gust. Many of the people who had fallen down hadn¡¯t fallen simply because of the wind.

    It was because they had seen the spectacle when the bow was released.

    ¡°What is that¡­¡±

    Someone said, but everyone was thinking the same thing.

    What had been shot from Tiera¡¯s bow, was it really an ¡®arrow¡¯? The disy caused them to doubt something even as basic as that.

    The arrow shot from the bow had been enveloped in magic power, and it flew several kemels toward the monsters in an instant, leaving a band of light and a sh of purplish lighting.

    If Shin had seen this, he would probably say, ¡°it¡¯s a beam¡±. The arrow was ridiculously fast, as if a light technique system magic skill had been evoked. It went in a straight line,pletely disregarding arc trajectory, which was a characteristic of archery, towards the ¡®Ogre Leader,¡¯ one of the monster leaders. When it struck, it scraped the leader and its surrounding off as the purplish lighting spread for several mels around the ce where the arrow pierced the ground. Though only one arrow had been shot, the damaged area contained up to a dozen of bodies including the leader.

    Monsters like the Ogre Leader that had been hit directly by Tiera¡¯s attack were annihted, leaving behind only their forearms and lower legs as if the space containing their torsos had been erased. The monsters who were the subordinates of the leader saw this and seemed to be terribly confused by the sudden situation.

    ¡°Um¡­Tiera-san, is that bow¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin lent it to me since I seem able to use it now¡­but I didn¡¯t hear that so much power woulde forth when I shot seriously!¡±

    Judging from Tiera¡¯s tone, it did not seem to have released as much power while she had been practicing. While looking at the bow she held in her hand, her face stiffened.

    ¡°F-For the time being, let¡¯s prioritize killing monsters! I think you shouldn¡¯t think too deeply about it!¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll question Shin closely about thister; now is the time to suppress the monsters in front of us, right!¡±

    Although Tiera¡¯s shooting had decreased the monsters¡¯ morale with its bombardment, the number of monsters had hardly changed. When they had settled down, Tiera and Kaede decided to resume attacking.

    The surrounding people also pulled themselves together as they saw the two get ready to resume. They started moving to do things they thought they could do.

    ¡°Here¡¯s another one¡±

    A single blow like a sh of light was again shot from the bow Tiera held. Likest time, a leader was rent asunder, and unrest ran through the subordinate monsters.

    However, even with that much power, if one considered the amount of magic and time needed to concentrate and charge up for the attack, she was not able to rapidly discharge arrows. As a whole, the damage was insignificant whenpared to the total number of monsters.

    In addition, after several shots, the remaining monsters learned to predict Tiera¡¯s attacks and the leaders began to withdraw outside the bow¡¯s range. They then directed only the subordinate monsters toward Balmel.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sorry, I need to rest for a while.¡±

    After about 10 arrows, Tiera lowered her bow and sat down.

    In terms of power, it was natural that the higher the output, the higher the magic consumption rate would be. Even though it was possible to shoot without using magic, it would be better to wait for her magic to recover when considering efficiency.

    While patting Kagerou, who looked at her anxiously, Tiera took out a magic medicine ¡®ether¡¯ and put it in her mouth. Tiera swallowed the odorless and faintly sweet liquid, and shifted her eyes toward the battlefield.

    Ahead of her gaze, she saw the cavalry unit of Balmel¡¯s third war group cut off the monster hordes while receiving support from the mage unit.

    The knight squadron charged into the areas where the monsters were still in turmoil from Tiera¡¯s bombardment. The monsters were unable to resist the assault.

    The ones who attacked were the elite of the third war group. During their attack, the monsters were trampled repeatedly without a single loss. If you looked closely, something like a film of light could be seen enveloping the knights and the horses.

    Divine magic art ¡¾Light of Mercy¡¿. This was one art that Tiera had memorized. It was a personal barrier that absorbed damage from the monsters. Mages and the like often used it topensate for their low defense. It was learned as a preparation against surprise attack. It was originally a priest¡¯s field of expertise, but it was an art that many people learned regardless of their job. Many of the cavalrymen who returned had lost the film of light. The mage unit cast it again. After all, arts were not as powerful as skills.

    ¡°If they get here, then I¡¯ll fight too!¡±

    When they got closer, Kaede invoked the soul technique again. Spirits of various sizes flew in the air, and bullets of air that were approximately the size of a ser ball scattered over the monster hordes.

    When these multi-colored balls of air hit their targets, arge amount of smoke was released into the area. Then, the monsters in that area suddenly stopped moving and started to act strange as they began to attack their allies.

    ¡°I see, the effect of ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ is amplified by soul technique, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t expect it to do any damage, it¡¯s ideal for disrupting the enemy.¡±

    ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ was a magic belonging to the middle rank wind technique magic skills. The magic skill involved firing wind bullets that randomly debuffed their targets; it had a high probability of causing an abnormal status, but the damage it dealt was almost zero.

    As for why Kaede had chosen to do that, it was because Shadow and Holly, who had experiencedrge-scale battles in addition to the ¡®Flood,¡¯ had taught her to do so. More than direct attacks were needed to be effective when facing numerous opponents at once. Using skills such as poison, paralyze, and confuse was one of the strategies that prevented the other party from demonstrating their strength as a group.

    There was a big difference in strength between organized groups who acted together in a systematic way and groups that either were never organized or became disorganized. ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ was used to prevent that from happening.

    The monsters, which had been rushing closer, had been disturbed by the chaos urring inside their group. The monsters that had been paralyzed fell over and were trampled by the monsters behind them. The monsters that had been confused were attacking their allies from the rear. The frontline, which had stood in one straight line, began to shift greatly, forming a gap between the monsters that were still advancing forward and the monsters that were falling behind.

    The cavalry unit of Balmel didn¡¯t miss this opportunity, and killed the monsters that had protruded away from the rest of the line in smaller groups.

    ¡°That¡¯s the elite of Balmel for you. But¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, at this rate, it would be bad.¡±

    The knights¡¯ movements had certainly proven their skill. However in the long run, there was an upper limit in number of enemies that the cavalry unit, the mages unit, and the long-distance attack of the archery unit could defeat. As for not sending the infantry, it was because they knew it was only a matter of time before they would get swallowed by the huge number of monsters.

    ¡°Now is the time!¡±

    ¡°Grue!¡±

    Kagerou answered Tiera with a bark. Tiera and Kagerou were standing away from the direction that the monsters that had spawned from the ¡®Flood¡¯ wereing from. Tiera had been posted here to prepare for when the monsters moved into the area where no Chosen Ones had been deployed.

    Kagerou was expected to support her if push came to shove.

    ¡°Kuu! Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha-chan?¡±

    Beside Kagerou, who fixed his eyes on the enemy valiantly, Yuzuha raised its foot and barked. That look seemed to say, ¡°Yuzuha too! Yuzuha too!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m counting on Yuzuha-chan too.¡±

    ¡°Ku!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± was what Yuzuha seemed to say with a cheerful bark.

    Even though Yuzuha was far from its full strength, Yuzuha¡¯s level surpassed 400, and because its tail had split into three, it was able to use me technique and lightning technique in addition to divine magic. Itsbat power was already by no means inferior to an upper ss Chosen One. Yuzuha was more than enough as a battle force.

    Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s backup ounted for nearly half of the power of Tiera¡¯s prior bombardment. Even if Tiera possessed many Shin-made items, she was only able to use weapons that were avable to themoner ss with her stats, and it would have been a serious problem if she attacked inurately with a superior weapon. Her low uracy would have been the result of her low affinity with both the weapons and the support she was given. To digress, despite her low DEX, she could aim and hit at a target with a bow of high power like the one she held; In general, Tiera¡¯s ability didn¡¯t depended on her stats.

    ¡°Alright! My magic power has been restored, too. I¡¯ll reduce the number of enemies a little more.¡±

    After her magic power had been sufficiently restored, Tiera aimed her bow at the leaders and began to shoot again.

    Her bow¡¯s shots, which were impossible to counterattack against because they came from the highest point on the rampart, had a small but steady impact on the groups she attacked.

    Meanwhile, an individual clearly different from the other monsters appeared before Tiera¡¯s eyes.

    Its body was two times bigger than a normal ogre. It had blue skin that was almost ck, two crystal-like horns that grew from its head, and grasped a huge ax that was enveloped in dark red aura in its hand.

    ¡°That one¡¯s kinda big.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a leader individual. Its name appears to be ¡®Berserks¡¯. Its level is¡­I can¡¯t see it?!¡±

    Kaede spoke out loud as ¡º???¡» was disyed at the column of its level.

    If Kaede, who was a critical who could fight against a Chosen One, couldn¡¯t see its level, then its level probably exceeded 500.

    Away from Kaede, who was shocked, arge amount of magic arts and arrows poured down on Berserks. Even from a distance, the knight squadrons were not as ipetent as to miss the strange atmosphere that Berserks emitted.

    The attacks had been strong enough to crush ordinary ogres and Ogre Commanders, but before they could hit, Berserks swung its ax with a tremendous force.

    The ax created a windstorm in its wake as it was swung. The wind it generated blew away not only the magic and the arrows, but the monsters nearby as well. Though the attacks, which had been aimed at it had dealt damage to the monsters around it, not even one arrow had reached Berserks¡¯ vitals.

    While the magic and the arrows had killed many other monsters, Berserks, who had been at the center of the attacks, remainedpletely unharmed. It walked forward towards Balmel without anything slowing it down.

    ¡°What is that!¡±

    ¡°That weapon, I believe it may have the performance close to a magic sword. That Berserks didn¡¯t even flinch from the attack and was able to use the weapon like that.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be surprised. Kagerou, Yuzuha-chan, lend me your power!¡±

    They had likely sensed that it was not an average opponent. Kagerou and Yuzuha answered by granting their power to Tiera¡¯s bow.

    (How about this!!)

    The blow, which was charged with more power than previously seen, was then shot towards Berserks.

    However, the single arrow that had been heading straight toward the enemy and leaving a trail of light and sundering the air in its wake was, of all the things, intercepted by Berserks¡¯ ax.

    While letting the aura rise from the axe, Berserks drew a red arc in the air. The swing of the axe, which couldn¡¯t bepared with physical strength of the surrounding ogres and the like, flung aside the arrow which flew toward Berserks.

    ¡°Jal!!!¡±

    Berserks raised its voice to psych itself up.

    After a moment of resistance, the arrow was deflected from its original trajectory and pierced the ground. Because its trajectory had been diverted almost 90 degrees from its original path, there was no damage due to impact when the shock and the purplish lightingnded.

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Tiera was speechless from shock, because the blow that was so fast it hadn¡¯t permitted the monsters to react up until now, had beenpletely repelled. She hadn¡¯t expected to defeat it, but she had expected to at least wound it.

    There were no other individuals like it within the whole crowd of monsters. It was possibly the strongest individual among the approaching monster hordes. Judging from the fact that it had appeared only moments ago, it probably had been either kept away from the frontline or had missed the chance to make a surprise attack.

    ¡°Kaede-chan, can you do a stronger attack than the one just now?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do anything stronger than what you just did Tiera-san¡­¡±

    Tiera had asked Kaede a slight hope, but thetter¡¯s answer was not favorable. Even if shebined her magic with Kaede¡¯s soul technique, that seemed problematic.

    Now that it hade to this, there was nothing that the knight squadron could do any more.

    ¡°!! Tiera-san!! Look!!¡±

    ¡°Wha, that!!¡±

    Tiera, who had thought she had no choice but to depend on Kagerou, returned her gaze toward the battlefield at Kaede¡¯s prompting. She could see the figures of the cavalry unit as they charged toward Berserks.

    The monsters around Berserks had been driven back by the rain of magic and arrows. This had temporarily created an open area around Berserks. A small number of the cavalry unit had advanced straight into that area.

    ¡°Maybe, they intend to try something with their highest-level people?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just suicide? Kagerou!! Get ready now!! ¡­Kagerou?¡±

    In order to support them immediately, Tiera called out Kagerou. But there was no response.

    When Tiera shifted her gaze from the battlefield and looked at Kagerou, he had turned toward a different battlefield. If one looked closely, Yuzuha also looking in the same direction.

    ¡°What¡¯s over¨D¨D!!¡±

    Tiera was going to say ¡°there?¡±, but before she finished her sentence, she felt a strange sensation that prevented her from speaking.

    Something wasing.

    Tiera, who had not learned the perception system either as a skill or art, still clearly felt some presence approaching.

    ¡°Tiera-san, that¡­¡±

    Ahead where Kaede was pointing, there was a silhouette charging forward through the crowd of monsters.

    It was fast.

    At a speed far faster than a horse or a riding beast monster type, that silhouette drew near to the battlefield.

    In no time, the silhouette reached the edge of the group, then jumped without pausing. The cloud of dust billowing up, indicated the power of its leap.

    ¡°Is that¡­a knight?¡±

    It was Kaede who muttered, but ack of confidence could be perceived in those words. It was no wonder. A person jumping over 100 mels while wearing full body armor, was not normal.

    However, that was not the only things that surprised her.

    Considering the direction of the jump, that person probably intended to face Berserks. Even if one had a marvelous jumping power, they could never reach Berserks who was close to the center of the battlefield. However, that figure of a person jumped even further while in midair.

    As expected, the monsters were also astonished by this. Their faces seemed to express bewilderment while the silhouette passed over them as they watched.

    Seeing that insane movement, a person¡¯s face shed in Tiera¡¯s mind.

    A person who was able to do the things that had happened before her eyes.

    In fact, there were three people as far as Tiera knew.

    Among them, there was only one person who seemed to do these kinds of things, so she tried to call out Yuzuha for confirmation.

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha-chan. Is that by any chance¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    A bark seemed to say, ¡°that¡¯s right¡± was returned.

    ¡°Ahh¡­I see. That¡¯s why Kagerou didn¡¯t move.¡±

    If she looked at Kagerou¡¯s reaction, Kagerou would probably have noticed Shin approaching earlier than Tiera.

    It seemed silly that she had be flustered. Though this was not the time to rx, Tiera somehow felt exhausted. It was too bad for the soldiers on top of the rampart, but they would probably have nothing to do anymore.

    ¡°Wow, hended between Berserks and the knights.¡±

    While hearing what seemed like a little excitement from Kaede¡¯s voice, Tiera thought,

    (I hope you don¡¯t overdo it¡­)

 Book 5: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    Vol. 5 Chapter 2 ¨C Part 5

    While moving into a crowd of monsters, a young soldier had a thought.

    He would die here.

    Chosen Ones, like Schnee Raizar, could exterminate a crowd of monsters all by themselves.

    However, if the mutation ss ogre was left unattended, it would reach Balmel before the reinforcements could arrive. Even the tremendously powerful shoots, which had originated from the top of the rampart, had been repelled. Because the defenses inside the castle were weaker than the defenses outside, he didn¡¯t know how much damage it would cause if the gate broke.

    Therefore, a suicide squad consisting of especially high-levelled troops from the cavalry unit were going in to buy some time.

    He was afraid of dying. No matter how long he trained, that was one fear he couldn¡¯t ovee. And yet, the young man and the knights riding around him had chosen to fight. Even if they could only dy the monster a little, they believed that it would protect Balmel.

    ¡°50 mels until contact with the enemy¨D¨D!!¡±

    Thanks to their training, they also knew the approximate distance to the target. It was the distance between the young man and death.

    Due to the attacks that were released just earlier, there were hardly any monsters between them and the mutation ss. Were they afraid of the cavalry¡¯s charge? Or were they afraid that the mutation ss would attack them? The young man thought it might be thetter.

    ¡°20 mels distance!!¡±

    ¡°The monsters around it seem to be looking at something!! Just pay attention to the mutation ss!!¡±

    The captain of the suicide squad raised his voice. Because the mutation ss looked different from a distance, the moment their eyes drew nearer the knights became intimidated.

    Huge.

    It was described in just one word.

    That body seemed like a giant type monster, such as a Gigantes or a Cyclops, which were only heard of in fairy tales. It was unthinkable that anything could lift it up, but the mutation ss lifted the ax high while it was still a distance from them.

    ¡°Shit!! Stay clear!! Everyone spread out!!¡±

    The knights responded in unison without anyone falling behind as the captain, who had predicted the danger, shouted.

    The young man who was riding a horse also evaded the trajectory of the ax that the mutation ss had swung down.

    He thought he had dodged it.

    ¡°Gu!!¡±

    He had avoided a direct hit. However, the young man fell from his horse because of the aftereffects. He was thrown hard to the ground, and he was about to lose his consciousness from the impact in an instant. But his life would be over if he fainted now, so he desperately held on to his consciousness.

    ¡°Kua¡­¡±

    What entered his dazed sight was the figure of another knight who fell from a horse the same way he had. When he put strength into his body in an effort to stand up, he noticed that his left leg wouldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±

    He¡¯d probably been blown over together with his favorite horse. When he looked, he saw his leg was caught between the horse and the ground. Though he twisted his leg to pull it out, it didn¡¯te out.

    Then, a shadow fell onto the knight.

    ¡°ah¡­¡±

    When he looked up, there was the mutation ss.

    There was no sign of intelligence behind its corrupted red eyes. Only the thirst that emitted from its body felt real. It raised its ax using its bulging muscles. There was no time to pull his leg free.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!¡±

    He would die in another few seconds.

    Even though he understood this, the trembling young man still drew his sword from his waist, and prepared to fight the mutation ss.

    From the beginning, he was already a dead man. As he endured without raising a scream, he swallowed the dread that filled his heart and red at the mutation ss

    The movement of the mutation ss was slow.

    Actually, there were no changes in the mutation ss¡¯ movement. Facing death, the young man¡¯s sense of time had elerated somehow in order to evade the attack.

    But, no matter how much his sense of time had hastened, there was nothing he could do anymore. He could only stare at the ax as it slowly approached.

    In a few blinks, his favorite horse would be bisected by the mutation ss¡¯ ax.

    Or so the young man had thought,

    Then, he would be next.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DHe was bound to be.

    ¡°Owa!!¡±

    It had been too sudden.

    Something had descended between the mutation ss and the young man.

    No, it had fallen.

    The impact of the fall caused the ground to shake.

    As the cloud of dust cleared, what appeared before the eyes of the stunned young man was a person standing there with full body armor and carrying a distorted-shapedrge scythe.

    The full-body armor¡¯s design was different from the designs he knew. The color it reflected in the sunlight was red ¨Cdeep, thick cardinal, vivid scarlet, and bright coral. Colored using these different shades of red coupled with a brilliant reflection, the armor looked like a furiously burning me that had taken the form of a human.

    It was ornate with decorations that were ced in various ces. By that alone, he understood at a nce that it was made by a skilled craftsman. The more he looked at it, the more he felt the difference of status.

    He could perceive unevenness in the scythe which rested on the figure¡¯s shoulder from theck of uniformity of its de and shaft. An eye-like pattern had been drawn where the de met the shaft; it seemed more like a ceremonial weapon rather than one meant for the battlefield. Even so, it looked strangely nice when paired together with the armor.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    As he was entranced by that figure, the young man didn¡¯t say anything. Exposed to the overwhelming power emitted from the figure¡¯s whole body, his body wouldn¡¯t listen to what he desired it to do. Although he also did so when that figure had appeared.

    Even though that person¡¯s back was turned, the young man felt the pressure of the overpowering intimidation he received from the mutation ss fading.

    When the young man looked at the mutation ss as they stood directly opposite and facing each other, its movement had stopped while the ax was raised.

    Its eyes spread wide open, and even though they were corrupted, they clearly showed the color of fear.

    (For such a monster to be overwhelmed!!)

    How much power was needed to be able to do that?

    Among the Chosen Ones, there were none with a presence like that of the person in armor before his eyes.

    Because he was on the brink of death, the intuition of the young man had sharpened to the utmost limit and made him realize something.

    The person before him had power equal to Schnee Raizar. And, that person was on his side.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Eh?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t gone senile, but momentarily the young man couldn¡¯tprehend the words directed at him. Judging from the voice, it was likely the man inside the armor.

    As he watched, the person who had been facing away from him until just now, moved the fainted and immobile horse, and pulled out the young man¡¯s leg.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m saved¡­hey, b-behind you!!¡±

    Flustered, he got up in a hurry, and when he looked up, the mutation ss continued raising the ax.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to help others. The young man cried while pointing to the back. His tone was coarse probably because he was in hurry.

    ¡°Hm? Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    It was a casual reply.

    In the next moment, the man in armor, who should have been in front of him, vanished. Sounds of violence reached the young man¡¯s ear at approximately the same time.

    If he were to express it in words, it would probably be something like ¡°BAM!¡±. Because of the excessive sound, the young man stiffened his body.

    It was by luck that he didn¡¯t shut his eyes. Because of that, he saw the source of the sounds.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    He was silent for a different reason from awhile ago.

    In front of him, where the mutation ss ogre had been moments before, was the man in armor with his fist extended.

    The mutation ss monster was nowhere to be seen. But not because it went away.

    In front of the swung fist, only the elbow and the ax which the mutation ss had earlier raised over its head remained, as the arm dropped.

    ¡°Ha, haha¡­¡±

    The spectacr scene which urred in front of the young man¡¯s eyes made him lose it.

    One blow.

    No weapons were used, only pure physical strength.

    The body of the mutation ss that received the blow burst open and into pieces, some monsters which were bathed in the sttered blood screamed.

    Even more than that mass of power the man in armor revealed his thrusted arm, which was covered by a gauntlet, did not even have a scratch.

    Now, he couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°You, what are you¡­.¡±

    ¡°Me? Let see¡­because of the color of my armor, call me Red.¡±

    ¨D¨DRed, the man who defeated the mutation ss and came back without a single drop of blood on him, gave an obviously fake name.

    ¡°Well, my name doesn¡¯t matter. More than that, you can leave this ce to me, and you all must join the main force.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I thank you for your help. But we are the rag-tag remains of the knights, fighting together with you¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. Rather, I¡¯d be more worried if you stayed close.¡±

    ¡°Worried?¡±

    ¡°When someone is around me, I can¡¯t fully utilize my ability. If possible, withdraw your whole team including the group that used magic back to the rampart.¡±

    ¡°But that is¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but this is not a suggestion. Besides, anyone of you that draws near untactfully will be killed, you know? This is that kind of weapon.

    Do you understand?¡± Red lifted the scythe on his shoulder to demonstrate.

    Close up, it was easy to see the scythe¡¯s size. Just half of its length alone was more than 3 mels, and the de itself was more than 2 mels. The de was wide, and something like a zigzag line ran down the center.

    The young man felt that the line seemed to be a ¡®mouth¡¯. He had a premonition that at any moment, the ¡®mouth¡¯ could open and that it would nibble at him.

    The young man now understood why Red wanted the entire army to fall back.

    That thing was dangerous. It was impossible to fight alongside it. He would be killed by the de before he could approach Red.

    That powerful weapon was built for killing allies as well as enemies.

    ¡°That is a cursed weapon¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡±

    Red replied in a casual voice. Considering the situation, that made him stand out as being a bit odd.

    For the residents in this world, there were different kinds of cursed weapons, they were all the same in that they invited destruction. There was a price for using the power of these devilish arms; they led their owners towards death.

    Even though this wasmon knowledge, there was no sign of it seen on Red. Though he had a cursed weapon, which was said to gnaw at sanity and life, both his tone and gestures were very natural.

    ¡°Why¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but no more questions. There¡¯s no time to waste. Someone ising to pick you up, too.¡±

    Behind the young man, the knights who escaped falling from their horses came to retrieve their friends.

    ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Red. I¡¯ve already told this knight, but I¡¯m taking charge here. You all have to withdraw.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The one who called out to Red was the knight entrusted as the captain of the suicide squad. Unlike the young man, the knight didn¡¯t ask any questions, and only sent a sharp nce toward Red.

    ¡°¡­Understood. We¡¯ll leave it to you. Everyone withdraw at once!! We will join the rear guard unit!!¡±

    After contemting for several seconds, the knight decided to withdraw. As the only captain in charge, he also quickly to made a decision.

    ¡°Captain!?¡±

    ¡°You too, get on the horse quickly! We are withdrawing!¡±

    ¡°Well, but¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll entrust this ce to that person¡­.We¡¯ll only get in his way.¡±

    The knight bowed to Red.

    ¡°You helped myrade, we wish to express our gratitude.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this to be thanked. More than that..¡±

    ¡°Yea, we¡¯ll withdraw immediately¡­I just want to ask one question. Are you, by any chance, Schnee-dono¡¯s..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the letter of introduction holder.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. I¡¯m convinced.¡±

    The young man who heard the conversation between the two was surprised by this as well. But he understood it at the same time. It was well known thatmon sense didn¡¯t apply to many letter of introduction holders.

    The young man mounted the horse that his knight¡¯srade rode. They left the ce together with the captain. Strangely, there were no attacks from the surrounding monsters, either. Their gazes were all directed toward Red, as if the monsters didn¡¯t see the young man and his group at all.

    After they got about 50 mels away, something like an explosion was heard from the rear.

    ¡°!!¡±

    When the young man looked back toward the sound, he saw a spectacr scene where monsters came apart and pieces were blown off into the sky.

    Neither sparks nor explosion mes were seen, so it probably wasn¡¯t caused by fire magic. Yet, he could understand that the center of the explosion-like sounds would be dreadful.

    50 mels. Yes, they were 50 mels away. Still, the distance from the young man to thebat wasn¡¯t far enough. The aftereffects of the attack were still approaching.

    The horse was already running as fast as it could. His knightrades probably also felt the danger. He didn¡¯t even look back.

    ¡°How beautiful¡­¡±

    The young man could not take his eyes off the scene.

    Because his line of sight was higher as he was mounted on a horse, he managed to keep an eye on the center of the attack.

    That ghastliness was fully visible.

    ¡°Ku!!¡±

    In an instant, a wall of monsters was demolished. It was Red¡¯s attack.

    Though they should have been moving farther away, the pressure from the attack felt closer.

    The explosions didn¡¯t stop and the area where the monsters¡¯ remains and blood flew to the sky kept getting bigger.

    Red, who was barely visible, hadn¡¯t moved at all from the ce where he parted from the young man. The armor¡¯s radiance which was bathed in monsters¡¯ blood hadn¡¯t lost its shine. In fact, it seemed to get more fired up in order to unt its existence.

    Just how many monsters were facing against Red, who was only one person? The young man didn¡¯t know. Numbers were power. No matter how strong one was, he or she would get crushed by the endless surge of monsters sooner orter.

    That fact still held true for the Chosen Ones. However, as if the young man¡¯s thoughts had been nonsense, Red demonstrated a fierce attack.

    Each time the scythe was wielded, it generated a red de. When the de passed through the monsters, the monster corpses were torn asunder and blown into pieces. Before the power of that single blow, the monsters¡¯ level, race and physique were insignificant.

    The mountain of corpses that should have piled up and be a hindrance were instead blown away by the storm that blew in addition to the generated red des.

    In the young man¡¯s eyes there was little doubt that Red was a cmity.

    He didn¡¯t seem to care about the approaching monsters; everything was swallowed by a raging tempest.

    Thing like numbers was not a problem.

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    The young man noticed that inside the tempest that pummeled the battlefield was an especially crooked shadow.

    His eyes were barely able to distinguish the shape of the scythe that Red held.

    The first time the young man saw it, he was certain there was only one de. But now, the number of des had increased to two.

    No, it had always been two des. The young man remembered the ¡®mouth¡¯, the line that ran through the de. It seemed that the de had split in two along the line, from top to bottom, and had taken on the appearance of a huge mandible.

    ¡°Did it¡­ eat them?¡±

    The separated des ate the monsters¡¯ flesh and blood. The mysterious way it appeared to seek blood added to the strangeness and haunted the young man¡¯s mind.

    Earlier the young man had observed the eye like drawing at the base of the de. Now, the eye was shining brilliantly while emitting a dark purple color. It seemed to give off the impression that it was alive with a will of its own. He was certain that there was nothing holy or pure about that will.

    A person observing the asionally blinking shine, would feel that the scythe was rejoicing in the ughter.

    It was immediately obvious that this was a cursed weapon.

    Though normally bizarre equipment tended to attract the most attention, the most abnormal thing wasn¡¯t the equipment but the one who used it.

    The fact that Red himself could continue fighting calmly while utilizing that equipment was the most abnormal part.

    While the destruction spread in what could only be described as a massacre, no aspect of the attacks were wasteful or inefficient.

    He wasn¡¯t just using the power of the weapon. His swings perfectly matched its performance. His technique allowed a single powerful blow to fall on the monsters and then without dy, lead into the next blow. The recoil from the first blow wasn¡¯t wasted but was instead used to connect with and initiate the next blow.

    Though great martial arts sometimes felt like a dance, Red¡¯s movements also had something close to that. As for the monster hordes, they looked like prearranged harmony as they were seen being knocked down.

    It was a performance by the zing red armor and the distorted scythe.

    It was like Red was inside and outside of the storm area, a fixed space extended around him.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    A distance from the monster hordes, the knights who had watched from the beginning were dumbstruck and simply stared in amazement as they forgot to guard. Unlike the young man who saw it up close, they simply didn¡¯t know how to react to the absurd and unbelievable disy.

    The change that happened as Red swung the scythe was dramatic.

    Some of the monsters who should have been heading for Balmel suddenly turned around and began to return. In addition, the monsters in the surrounding areas also turned around one after another.

    It was the captain of the third war group who noticed how the monsters had changed directions and were heading toward the red dyed storm that was blowing violently in the same direction.

    The range of effect had surpassed 100 mels and gradually continued to expand.

    Won¡¯t we also get swallowed by that at this rate? He was anxious about its vast range.

    The number of monsters were decreasing at a frightening rate. The storm of destruction kept widening.

    It was as if the monsters were voluntarily jumping into the burning mes.

    Consuming the monsters¡¯ lives, the scythe¡¯s ferocious power kept increasing.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Standing at the top of the rampart, Tiera and Kaede realized that almost all of the monsters in the battlefield were gathering around Shin.

    Was it the effect of the armor, or the scythe? When seen from above, the monsters facing Shin seemed to be following something that was lit dimly red. It seemed to draw the monsters.

    The effective range of the effect was wide. There was no way to describe it otherwise.

    The number of monsters could still be called a ck wave. The range of the effect was sorge that even monsters far enough away that mel units would be too small to measure the distance, were all affected by it.

    ¡°¡­What is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the enemy, so it¡¯s all right. Well, even if I say that I feel relieved to see that, though it may not sound convincing.¡±

    ¡°Well, um, is that an ally?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. It¡¯s no surprise that he¡¯sing here.¡±

    Having Tiera reassure her, Kaede too rxed her hands which were tightly clenched to her staff.

    Though Tiera knew its true identity, judging from Kaede¡¯s reaction to that mystery person, she would probably be frightened of it. Though that person still fought against the monsters, there was no guarantee that their de wouldn¡¯t be pointed at them.

    The power that was disyed before Kaede¡¯s eyes far surpassed the limits of the upper ss Chosen Ones in this world.

    It was certain that it fell within the domain of the ¡®Special Beings¡¯ like Schnee and Girard.

    ¡°Not even half of the monsters remain.¡±

    Though Kaede hadn¡¯t noticed because she was only focused on Shin¡¯s existence, only about one-third of the original number of monsters remained. It was visible from the top of the rampart, the view that was only covered by monsters was no longer there.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    In the Kaede¡¯s field of vision, as she able to see the whole view, something strange was disyed.

    In a few words, it was a floating sphere.

    Byparing it to the surrounding monsters, the size could be calcted to be two mels in diameter.

    Brown and purple were mixed on its surface, and various eyes were attached.

    There were eyes just like a human¡¯s eye, pupils like a cat¡¯s eye with vertical slits,pound eyes like an insect and full ck eyeballs under an eyelid.

    Those various eye sizes ranged from one cemel to dozens of cemels, and it observed the surroundings.

    And then, suddenly some of that eyes directed their gaze towards Kaede.

    ¡°Uhh!¡±

    Surprised, Kaede tried to look away. A sharp and throbbing pain struck her head. It was a pain like she had never experienced before. She couldn¡¯t endure it and was forced to her knees.

    Her view turned dark in an instant, nevertheless, her consciousness didn¡¯t fade away.

    Despite having almost no feeling in her body, she had a horrify sense that something was trying to enter inside her. Only pain could be felt clearly though.

    ¡°a¡­Ug¡­.¡±

    ¡°Eh! what¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised by the change. It was looking like it was only a matter of time before the monsters were defeated but, Kaede had suddenly began to groan in pain.

    ¡°Kaede-chan! Kaede-chan!¡±

    Kaede looked like she was about to copse at any moment, Tiera immediately hugged her closely and supported her

    Thereupon, the groaning Kaede entrusted her body to Tiera as she lost her strength. Visiblyrge drops of sweats appeared on her forehead.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Kaede-chan? Can you hear me?¡±

    She was likely to have lost consciousness momentarily. Tiera muttered while wondering what happened and looking after Kaede. Without knowing why, Tiera felt weak as if her strength slipped out from her body.

    (This feeling, what it is I wonder¡­)

    Kaede¡¯s mind was free in the midst of the present war. There was a big fight until here. While her physical condition may be unusual, she regained consciousness.

    After Kaede wiped her sweat, she thanked Tiera and stood up.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m already fine. There is a strange monster in the battlefield,e to think of it, it had some eyes and I suddenly got headache.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s an attack using the mind system? Anyway, I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t acquire an abnormal state.¡±

    Though Tiera couldn¡¯t read most of the information on Kaede¡¯s stats due to the differences in their levels, she could see any indications of a bad status.

    After confirming that there were no such indications, Tiera let Kaede rest and directed her eyes toward the battlefield.

    What Tiera¡¯s saw was a scene where the monster which exactly imitated a sphere, was cut in two by the red scythe.

    During that time, Tiera was being observed by Yuzuha.

    Yuzuha witnessed Tiera¡¯s body radiate a faint light while holding Kaede whichpletely dispelled the ck haze that had coiled around her.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Yuzuha barked in a volume where no one heard except itself.

    Afterward, Yuzuha stared at Tiera until the war ended, trying to see through the existence named Tiera.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While attracting many people, Shin, also known as Red, swung the scythe he held in his hand.

    After his speech, he waited for the knights to withdraw. Afterwards, he simply ran wild.

    Once he beat Berserks, the strongest monster so far, to death the job became a simple routine as he expected.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    A smallint leaked out.

    Because things that he didn¡¯t expect were taking ce.

    ¡°Good grief, a real cursed weapon can¡¯t help but to be noisy can it?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that noisy when he started to fight, but as he utilized the ability of the scythe and killed monsters, voices began to echoing in Shin¡¯s head.

    The exnation note for the scythe hinted that it affected the mind. This was likely because it kept repeating the word ¡°KILL, KILL¡±.

    The scythe that Shin was using was called ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡».

    One of its abilities was to concentrate the hatred of the monsters solely towards the user. The more monsters it killed, the more damage it caused and therger the effective range became. Furthermore, a portion of the damage generated was returned to the user. However, while cursed equipment did enhance ability, this was always in exchange for more risk.

    And as cursed weapons go, the ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡» surpassed the risk of other cursed equipment

    The area within the range to collect the hate, the attack range rose together with the high increased rate of damage. A reason a portion of the damage was converted into HP was that it made it possible for a solo yer to battle against groups. In city defense events against monsters, nearly half of the monsters would be attracted to and attacked by the yer who was equipped with this weapon.

    The downside was that the user¡¯s stats were constantly decreasing by 65%, magic couldn¡¯t be used, and it was impossible to recover HP excluding the scythe¡¯s ability. In addition, it seemed to attract magical attacks by allies. It had more disadvantages than advantages. Furthermore, cursed equipment always include bad status effects for the mind system.

    Needless to say within range of the weapon, there was no distinction between friend or foe. It was the kind of equipment that would consume 100% of any allies who fought near it.

    Because the rate of decline was only reduced to 50% even if the equipment was strengthened, death was still inevitable. All the yers using it died in the event.

    Sinceing to this world, Shin had strengthened it using his technique and made it usable by reducing the stat reduction rate to 30%.

    Moreover, since Shin¡¯s entire body was covered in an armor called the ¡ºHoly me Series¡», this weakened the effect of the cursed equipment. He could even use magic and recover HP to some extent.

    When ites down to it, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the disadvantages. He should be able to fight without a problem.

    However, when the number of monsters killed reached around 500, the aforementioned voice began to affect Shin¡¯s mind.

    Even an upper ss Chosen One hearing that voice, would have had to battle to maintain sanity. The voice that assaulted the mind was making progress on Shin.

    ¡°Ahh, this is bothersome¡±

    Though he said that, Shin was far from falling insane. The effect was only enough to hinder his mood.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice when I tried it out, but there is endless flowing voice in this subtly audible volume. It¡¯s ANNOYING!!¡±

    Was it because he raised his voice? The monsters were blown away by an extra 20 percent.

    At this point the cursed equipment could do no more than annoy Shin.

    The people observing, could never have dreamed that Shin would be saying things like that from within the center of the storm.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you toe out¡­¡±

    After deciding to ignore the cursed voice, Shin directed his gaze to the surroundings again.

    Because he was now encountering strengthened monsters, he determined that amander type monster like the Raid Vice was nearby. Knowing that, soon it would be caught in his.

    Using the ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡» was an efficient way to reduce the number of enemies, other than the inherent problems with using cursed weapons.

    Unlike with normal attacks, because the enemy hatred was focused on the user, it was literally impossible to miss the enemy.

    It was even possible to make the monsters that had already headed toward Balmel return.

    As the range of the scythe expanded, it was even possible to draw the monstermander towards him.

    Themander was lurking in the shadows of another monster. Because it took awhile to see the opponent clearly, Shin didn¡¯t know where it was. Therefore, he used a strategy that would draw it out forcibly.

    ¡°¡­Found you!¡±

    In an area where monsters were crowded together and the individuals couldn¡¯t be distinguished, there was a reaction that was different from the others in Shin¡¯s perception range. Due to the monsters being pulled toward Shin, that area seemed to be less crowded.

    Before the eyes of the murmuring Shin, there appeared a monster with globe-like appearance which had arge number of eyes.

    It was a monster which Shin was familiar with. A Viscount ss demon which were often seen at events where monsters attacked cities. Apparently, demons had resumed full-scale activities.

    However, they were unlucky this time. It was ssified as low-ss demon, so it couldn¡¯t stand a single blow from Shin.

    Was there ast-ditch effort? Its eyes, which faced towards Shin, shed all at once. This was normally used to induce an abnormal mental state, but had no effect on Shin.

    ¡°That will never work on me!!¡±

 Book 5: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Vol. 5 Chapter 3 ¨C Part 1

    ¡°Ahh, I want to return¡­¡±

    In the carriage that was heading toward Lord Taul¡¯s castle, Shin sighed.

    It has been several days since the ¡®Large Flood¡¯. The investigation of the periphery, the monsters¡¯ raw material extraction and their corpses removal and so on, were mostly over. Shin and the others received an invitation.

    Apparently after each ¡®Flood¡¯, A party was held and the person who had the most distinguished achievements would be awarded. It was said that they wanted all the Chosen Ones toe too.

    After the war ended, Shin was asked to stay for awhile. He agreed because he intended to help with the removal work. Their idea of ¡°stay¡± though seemed to be different from what Shin envisioned.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    Next to Shin was a gloomy looking Tiera. She was not a Chosen One, but many soldiers had witnessed her figure shooting the monsters from the top of the rampart. So it was natural that she was asked to attend as well.

    Though they tried to refuse because they imed to be too busy with work, the people who they were working with shot down the excuses by saying ¡°We¡¯re good here, so go¡±

    For the residents of Balmel, it was unthinkable that someone who had achieved so much for them and who deserved a medal of honor for their service would go without receiving proper thanks, or so they said.

    ¡°Because everyone who told me to go ahead had great smiles, I couldn¡¯t decline.¡±

    ¡°You too?¡±

    Since they all said it with such good will, she found it impossible to refuse. Shin was in the same boat so he understood what she meant.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s achievements were reported by the knight squadron, right? The people living here, do that without fail.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that this is going to be a formal ceremony. If you worry about it too much, you¡¯ll just tire yourself out.¡±

    ¡°Think about being able to eat food for free. Just like a noble¡¯s party, no suspicious envious guys should approach you.¡±

    Schnee, Shadow and Holly, who had experienced this kind of party before, tried to reassure them. Hibineko didn¡¯t express it in words but he also wanted to say the same thing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never been to a ceremony like this before, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time like the present to get used to this then. We have been through this a few times. It¡¯s better if you get used to this now while you¡¯re still young. It might prove useful in the future.¡±

    Though Hibineko said that, there would hardly be a ceremony like this in real life, Shin thought. On the other hand, he was alreadymitted and could no longer back out since he¡¯de this far already. He decided to just ept his fate. Just in case, he lightly re-checked his attire to make sure he wasn¡¯t looking scruffy.

    As for what Shin wore, it was a Kalkia¡¯s formal suit, the same clothes he wore when he went to Bayreuth¡¯s royal castle. After removing the dirt, it was in mint condition.

    As for Tiera sitting next to him, she wore a bright green dress. Her ck hair was gathered together at the back of her head and she had put on light make-up. Thebination made her beauty look even more polished. For her one-piece dress, a section from her shoulder to her upper arms was cut out and the skirt was longer on the right side than on the left. It was an asymmetrical type dress. It fit tightly around her waist, which entuated the thinness of Tiera¡¯s waist. The only thing wrong with the outfit was the person wearing it, because she had drooping shoulders and a depressed expression.

    Even though she seemed distressed, she still looked amazing. If someone had announced that she was the princess of a country, nobody would doubt it.

    Holly and Shadow who were sitting in front of them, wore a white dress and a ck suit. It was indeed the proper attire for a ceremony. Holly¡¯s dress was a long type skirt that was called a mermaid type dress. A strap on her left shoulder held a gem that emitted a blue glow which emphasize its presence. With a dress that is showing more body lines than Tiera¡¯s, Holly¡¯s good sense of style stood out. Shadow who was perfectly dressed in his suit, didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    Though Hibineko also wore a suit, he gave off a slightlyical impression due to the nature of his physique. However, it was clear, that he was used to wearing a suit. Like Shin, he typically didn¡¯t feel the need to dress up in clothes like this, but in such a ce, at such a time, his experience meant that he wasfortable dressed up.

    That said, the most radiant one there was Schnee. Since it was widely known that Schnee Raizar rarely participated in events like this, she was attending as Yuki, Shin¡¯s fianc¨¦e.

    As part of her disguise, her hair had been changed from silver to gold and her eyes had been changed from blue to red. Because the skill she used prevented her from being noticed when she used it on herself, that level of disguise was sufficient.

    Her hair which was lightly tied behind her head was held in ce by an ornamental hairpin. The hairpin included a red jewel to match her new eye color. The white dress she wore boldly exposed her back from her shoulders to her waist.

    Since the dress was designed to tighten the cloth under her arms, her chest was strongly emphasized. Because Schnee¡¯s breasts were already naturallyrge this attracted the gaze of groups of males even though it was not a low-cut dress.

    However, the color of the dressbined with Schnee¡¯s natural demeanor didn¡¯t reflect a feeling of excessive sex appeal. The neat look inbination with her allure, instead made her an enchanting figure who exuded charm.

    Schnee was already a beautiful woman to begin with, but her beauty rose by one more rank when she dressed-up. Seeing her like this for the first time, Shin was charmed by her.

    ¡°Both Tiera-san and Schnee-san are wearing dresses. The dresses that you two are wearing, are they traditional dress for elves or something?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, I just borrowed this dress. Is the design unusual?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re pretty rare. I¡¯ve studied clothing a lot on my own because I think I¡¯d like to do clothes-rted work. Most of them are very simr designs for some reason.¡±

    Kaede was an elf brought up in Balmel. She didn¡¯t know what clothing styles might be normal at the elves¡¯ garden well.

    Though Holly was a High Elf too, she might not have such knowledges due to her being a former yer.

    What Holly owned was made by yers, but Kaede seeing the dresses of various designs seemed to be fascinated by them. Kaede herself was wearing a simple yellow one-piece dress. It matched Kaede¡¯s character and created a good atmosphere as well.

    While they were talking, the carriage passed through the gate. They were near the destination. Inside the carriage, was Shin, Schnee, Tiera, the Kurosawa family and the two animals, Yuzuha and Kagerou. Kagerou was as usual inside Tiera¡¯s shadow. Yuzuha was also at its usual position, on top of Shin¡¯s head.

    Because there would be many adventurers attending the party too, the dress code seemed fairly flexible, with many different kinds of attire as evidence. There were also many who seemed to recognize that Shin was an upper ss Chosen One too.

    Before long, the carriage stopped.

    If one looked at the front near Holly and Shadow, Hibineko could be seen taking Kaede¡¯s hand. Mimicking Hibineko, Shin also held out his hand to help Schnee get off the carriage. Though he¡¯d often seen things like this in movies, no one was aware of how very embarrassed Shin was to do it for real.

    ¡°Youngdy, please give me your hand. Or something like that..¡±

    ¡°Fufu, thank you very much.¡±

    Did Schnee want to y along? She took Shin¡¯s hand while smiling wryly.

    Was it because simr scenes were unfolded around them? Shin seemed to be able to speak the lines smoothly now.

    ¡°Now the next youngdy as well.¡±

    ¡°How should I say this, it doesn¡¯t seem to suit you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    Unlike Schnee, Tiera¡¯s held her mouth to keep herself fromughing.

    When everyone had descended, they went to the assembly hall.

    ¡°Will you escort me too?¡±

    ¡°If you are fine with me.¡±

    Schnee causally linked her arm with Shin. Then the other arm was also being pulled.

    Of course, it was Tiera.

    ¡°Are you really going to make me go alone? Since your other arm is avable too, let me use it as well, okay?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright?¡±

    ¡°Because Tiera and I are both pretending to be your fianc¨¦e today, isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°You are blessed by two beautiful women, you know? Might as well enjoy it.¡±

    Because both Schnee and Tiera were in unusually good moods, Shin stopped talking about it. There was no need to be a downer.

 Book 5: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 5: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    Vol. 5 Chapter 3 ¨C Part 2

    ¡°Amazing!¡±

    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s different when actually seeing it.¡±

    Many participants had already arrived at the party hall. Though everyone had dressed up, it was interesting to be able to know who was an adventurer and who was not.

    ¡°There are various impressions at the party held by nobles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, huh?¡±

    Though he only knew about noble¡¯s parties and such from movies and anime, Schnee seemed to be used to it, perhaps that¡¯s to be expected.

    There were many people who paid attention to new arrivals as they appeared one after the other. When Shadow and Holly appeared, the watchers focused their attention on the two. Hibineko and Kaede got simr treatment when they appeared following them.

    ¡°¡­Uu, they¡¯re watching us!!¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Shin is the center of attention, right?¡±

    ¡°While you say that, I feel that most of the attention went to Schnee and Tiera though..¡±

    The ratio of attention was 50% on Schnee, 30% on Tiera, 10% on Shin and 10% on Yuzuha. Furthermore, the eyes ring at Shin were mostly the envious eyes of the men.

    (The mood was darker than the time in the guild.)

    Shin had experienced what was called the ¡°I ENVY this bastard!¡± stare in the guild, in some respects it was a neat feeling. He was feeling arge amount of the same kind of feeling again coiling around him.

    Besides the eyes of jealousy, though it was not much, he was able to feel the eyes of respect and observation. His achievements in the battlefield would be helpful proof for the time being.

    It was only natural that most of the attention was directed towards Schnee. If Shin had been in their shoes, it was certain that he would have reacted the same way.

    While leaving her left arm entwined with Shin¡¯s right arm, she swayed in a way that matched her walking; It seemed to be like a mother leading a child or something to that effect. Compared to the somewhat awkward Shin, she didn¡¯t mind the gazes at all and behaved gracefully.

    Unlike Schnee, it seemed that all the attention was difficult for Tiera. Tiera clung to Shin¡¯s arm, as she shrank away from the crowd¡¯s gaze. The situation wasn¡¯tfortable for her because she was still not very good with crowds of people. At first, her eyes sparkled as she showed great interest in the new surroundings when they were initially entering the hall, but now her eyes had be dull with difort.

    While trying to ignore the happy sensation touching his arm, Shin walked in a way that shielded Tiera from the eyes of male group observers. Schnee too cooperated with Shadow and Holly by making a wall, as they walked toward to the hall.

    Then, they noticed amotion which seemed to be happening at the entrance of the hall.

    From the discussions they heard around them, they learned that Rionne had entered the party hall.

    Even though the party had arge attendance and many invited guests, due to the hall being wide enough, from where they were standing they could just about identify Rionne¡¯s presence through the gap in the crowd. Rionne was dressed in a crimson dress with her hair tied up in a knot at the back of her head leaving a free length of her hair hanging down. She advanced through the hall with the dignified pace of royalty.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Shin watching Rionne, had a feeling that she had nced over at him for a moment. Having an unpleasant premonition, he pulled Schnee and Tiera¡¯s arm and began to move away.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s the matter, Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the second princess of Bayreuth. You know, the one who was transferred with me..¡±

    ¡°So? You don¡¯t need to run away.¡±

    ¡°¡­Shin, did something happen between you and her?¡±

    Tiera wasn¡¯t feeling any need to move replied to Shin¡¯s words, and Schnee paused for a moment before asking Shin a question.

    ¡°Ahh¡­well, she was very interested in things like ¡ºKakura¡» and my magic and other things. The talk of engagement in order to make me attached to the country seeming very¡­possible. Because of that, the ¡®approach¡¯ which I wasn¡¯t sure was serious or joking¡­happened.¡±

    Schnee still seemed to be smiling but, Shin felt a slightly overpowering feeling from her. Eye¡¯s swimming, without any hesitation, he confessed all things that happened during their journey. His arm was then pulled as if she wouldn¡¯t ever let it go, and a very happy sensation surged on his right arm.

    He was absolutely baffled about what kind of expression he should be making right then.

    ¡°She had ¡®approached¡¯ you, right?¡±

    ¡°No, of course I refuse her, for real!?¡±

    And then, Rionne¡¯s presence approached while they having such an exchange. Shin¡¯s vain struggle seemed only up to here.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Shin. Why did you run away after making eye contact?¡±

    When Shin turned around to look at the source of the voice, he saw Rionne standing there with a nice smile on her face.

    Rionne talked to Shin casually. In the same manner as during their journey from Kalkia. Since she had put aside her royal behavior, her friendliness had increased as well.

    Shin hadn¡¯t seen her clearly from the glimpse through the crowd. A close up view though, revealed that Rionne¡¯s dress exposed more bare skin than Schnee and Tiera. Her back and shoulders werepletely exposed, while in the front she showed a deep cleavage, there was also a deep slit in her skirt. Was she aware of the change? The gant and somewhat manly appearance she wore while on the battlefield waspletely gone. Instead she was now disying the feminine appeal of a woman.

    ¡°Mypanion isn¡¯t very good with crowds. Being around Rionne-sama would simply attract too much attention.¡±

    ¡°Muu! Why are you talking to me like a stranger, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re being watched from all sides after all.¡±

    While having a hard time not to stare at her cleavage and the slit in her skirt, Shin looked at Rionne¡¯s eyes when he spoke.

    ¡®Can a princess be over-familiar in a public ce?¡¯ He also included the meaning when he said so.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    ¡°y along.¡±

    ¡®Forgive me¡¯ should be written on Shin¡¯s face.

    Did she read that? Rionne shrugged her shoulders as if to say it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. We can only have empty conversations out here anyway. Putting that aside, shouldn¡¯t you introduce the two flowers on both of your arms? Oh, as you¡¯ve probably heard from Shin, I¡¯m Rionne Strail Bayreuth. I¡¯m the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.¡±

    Rionne seemed to be interested in Schnee and Tiera who were on Shin¡¯s right and left side, because her gaze kept shifting left to right.

    ¡°Pardon my rudeness. These are my fianc¨¦e¡¯s, on my right is Yuki and on my left is Tiera.¡±

    To forestall any awkward questions, because it would have seemed odd if only Schnee was called fianc¨¦e but both women were hanging off his arms, they decided earlier that both of them would be identified as fianc¨¦es.

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting you. I am called Yuki.¡±

    ¡°Um, a-and I¡¯m Tiera Lucent¡±

    Schnee introduce herself gracefully, but Tiera¡¯s tone was strained due to her nervousness. When the word fianc¨¦e was spoken, Rionne narrowed her eyes a little.

    ¡°I¡¯d heard that you had a fianc¨¦e, but I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯s an elf. Well, if it¡¯s a man like Shin, it¡¯s natural isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened.¡±

    While Rionne had been surprised that they were elves, she quickly returned to normal. She nodded as if she understood immediately.

    (In this world, is polygamy considered normal for an upper ss Chosen One?)

    Even if Rionne had been surprised that his fianc¨¦es were elves, she didn¡¯t seem surprised at the fact he had two fianc¨¦es. As far as Shin knew, none of his acquaintances had multiple wives. Still, his knowledge of the world was still too small to be of much use as a reference.

    ¡°They made it here pretty quickly. They had originally been in Bayreuth, weren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go into details but there are methods to travel quickly.¡±

    ¡°Ho, Shin surely surrounds himself with interesting people. I want Shin to be my country¡¯s exclusive asset after all. Of course, I¡¯ll be willing to pay.¡±

    Rionne change her posture in order to make Shin more conscious of her own assets.

    ¡°Well, that¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible. Rionne-sama.¡±

    Shin who saw in Rionne, the eyes of the hunter aimed for their prey, looked for some way to decline without being rude or impolite. However, Shin was interrupted by Schnee who stepped forward.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°If Rionne-sama saw a portion of Shin¡¯s power, I think you can understand why it¡¯s impossible without me having to express it in words, right?¡±

    Though Schnee and Rionne were smiling at each other, Shin thought he saw sparks flying between them.

    As the abrupt situation unfolded, Shin was barely able to keep his poker face.

    ¡°Well er, Yuki..san?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve seen his power, I think you would want it more, right?¡±

    ¡°But, that is for Shin to decide. Besides, did you hear the strange story that happened between us?¡±

    Shin¡¯sment was ignored.

    Apparently, neither one was willing to give up when the topic was rted to engagement.

    Shin could only watch the exchange between Schnee and Rionne. He didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do in this situation.

    ¡°Yuki-san and Rionne-sama, how about we shelve this for now? Because this is a party to celebrate victory, it¡¯s not really a suitable ce for this kind of discussion.¡±

    While ring at each other with smiling faces, the one who skillfully separated the two was Tiera.

    Where did the cowering Tiera go? With her back straight and a faint smile, she seemedpletely unlike the normal Tiera.

    ¡°Yes. Tiera is right. I am sorry, Rionne-sama.¡±

    ¡°No, I was also being impolite in front of the fianc¨¦es. Please forgive me.¡±

    At Tiera¡¯s words, which carried a sense of authority, the two pulled back the dangerous air they were emitting.

    ¡°Well then, there are people here I still need to greet. I have to do it before it¡¯s toote. Let¡¯s meet againter¡±

    Though the party hadn¡¯t really started yet, there seemed to be lots of people she still had to say hello to as her royal duty. In addition to the adventurers who had achieved victory in the war, many of Balmel¡¯s nobility and wealthy merchants like Berett were also attending. There were many other people running around trying to make connections like Rionne.

    ¡°Um, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°No well¡­ because your moods were somewhat different from usual. Well that¡¯s good. I¡¯m at fault, but you save me the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s not a big deal. Now, let¡¯s go eat a lot of delicious food!¡±

    ¡°You are..right. Enjoy yourself huh?¡±

    Tiera who had a vague lonely expression on her face, gave out a small sigh in order to get over something. However, that was immediately dismissed with cheerfulness as she turned her attention to the lined up foods.

    Though Shin was worried about her state, he hesitated to mention it here. He replied to her as natural as possible.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the appearance of the organizer, huh?¡±

    In a timely manner, Taul appeared.

    After the speech where he mentioned how d he was that there were few casualties and that the war ended safely, voices for a toast echoed.

    After that, the party hall became filled with sound and tumult. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party in their own way.

    Elgin and other captains who participated in the war came over to where Shin and his party were gathered to greet them. Though they had invited them over to the knight squadron, they seemed to think it was natural that the invitation was declined. The invitation was simply a formality they had to make as a matter of course.

    When the busy Elgin left for a round of courtesy calls, Guile came over next.

    ¡°Yo! You also co¡­Shin,e here for a bit¡±

    Contrary to the Shin¡¯s expectation that this should have been a casual greeting, Guile beckoned with his hand and took him aside. Since the two adventurers had both trained together, they were already on quite friendly terms.

    ¡°Oioi! Who are those two beauties? They are clearly on another level from the other women around here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, how should I say this, they¡¯re my wife candidates?¡±

    ¡°What¡­do¡­you¡­say? Uh, Shin, how on earth did you get two elven beauties?! Teach me! No, please teach me!!¡±

    Guile asked for a guidance after having stiffened with ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it¡± expression. His expression changedpletely. Thest part was a little strange for his tone.

    ¡°Well¡­ First you make a party together. After you¡¯ve proven that you¡¯re a reliable partner, you can then give her nice presents. It¡¯s also effective if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to protect her in a pinch.¡±

    While worrying that Guile was about to have a nervous breakdown, Shin enumerated the methods to raised favorability from the support characters in the game. Because he wasn¡¯t particrly confident that the methods he used in the game would be effective here, he didn¡¯t emphasize it too strongly.

    ¡°I understand about helping her in a pinch but that would be a problem if there¡¯s no pinch at the very beginning. Then, it will be the presents, huh? Do they have to be expensive?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it. I think it¡¯s alright if the present is something nt rted for now. Then, she would probably be pleased with a precious stone which sometimes falls near the big tree. Wait, do you like elves that much?¡±

    Shin asked Guile. Since he was so curious about elf-rted information, Shin thought that perhaps there was already a woman he was aiming for.

    ¡°Yea, to tell you the truth, there is an elf woman I¡¯ve wanted to get closer to for some time. The problem is that elvesing out from the garden are very wary. Even though I¡¯m a Chosen One, I¡¯ve only been able to watch her from afar.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, good luck.¡±

    ¡°Yea. I¡¯ll introduce you sometime.¡±

    ¡°I look forward it¡­.Hey, where are you going?¡±

    Guile had a look of determination on his face as he moved to leave the party hall. Was he going to search for a present right away?

    Shin thought this might be a bad idea, so he stopped him. Leaving less than 30 minutes after the special victory celebration started, wouldn¡¯t be good, even for a Chosen One.

    ¡°Geez, this guy is always the same, when he finds something he¡¯s interested in, his characterpletely changes.¡±

    Careless of his hairstyle, Liege gripped Guile¡¯s head and pulled it towards her. Though Guile resisted, he was just a mage and wasn¡¯t a match for a magic swordswoman like Liege.

    ¡°Really? I guess I¡¯ve changed too. Did you make the round of courtesy calls over there as well?¡±

    ¡°More or less, you know I don¡¯t like all this formal stuff.¡±

    What Liege disyed was a splendid iron w, such an action was unbefitting of the figure that dressed in a deep red dress that attracted the neighboring eyes. More than Rionne, Liege¡¯s strength was her voluptuousness.

    ¡°Even so, Shin is apanied by some wonderful beauties too isn¡¯t he? It made me lose some self-confidence as a woman¡±

    ¡°Well, anyone who see¡¯s them say the same things, because it¡¯s the truth!¡±

    After they were called beautiful, Shin agreed without a hint of modesty.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty refreshing feeling, when you put it that way.¡±

    ¡°I agree with that. But let me go!¡±

    Guile escaped from Liege¡¯s grasp and stood up. Because his head had been tightly gripped, his hairstyle was ruined.

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t grabbed you, you¡¯d have tried to go home. There are still more ces we have to go and people we need to greet. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Damn this animal strength! Let me go!¡±

    While having an exchange like that between siblings, Liege waved her hand lightly and disappeared together with Guile in the crowd.

    After that, many people continued to meet Shin. When the time was right, he moved to the terrace together with Schnee and Tiera. Though there were still many who wanted to meet them, they excused themselves and took a break.

    ¡°*Sigh* I¡¯m tired. And this is only for being a Chosen One.¡±

    ¡°If it bes known that you¡¯re also a letter of introduction holder, there will be many more as well.¡±

    ¡°If ites to that, I¡¯ll escape.¡±

    ¡°Though as a Chosen One, you exposed the letter of introduction by yourself. Things will still be fine even if you don¡¯t reveal the letter of introduction, right?¡±

    ¡°Argh, I-It is certainly better to just be a Chosen One¡­but I didn¡¯t think that the guild would notify everyone so quickly.¡±

    Besides the problems on how to prove himself, his knowledge about the term Chosen One were limited. After a long time, Shin thought whether or not revealing himself as a letter of introduction holder was hasty, but the damage has been done.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s fine I guess. Since they¡¯re Barlux-san¡¯s acquaintances, it¡¯s unlikely that they¡¯ll leak the information easily. For the time being everything is good, because the city is safe once more.¡±

    Even Shin wasn¡¯t perfect.

    They put aside the difficult discussion and decided to enjoy the rest of the party.

 Book 6: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Several days passed after the party, in which they celebrated the victory over the annihtion of the monster hordes that marched toward the fort city Balmel.

    Shin and others were still in Balmel to help with matters after the ¡®Great Flood¡¯.

    Besides the other remains that had been scattered around the ins, Schnee¡¯s magic skill ¡¾Blue Judge¡¿ and Shin and the others¡¯ ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ caused many monsters to be turned to charcoal.

    Cleaning up the bodies had started before the celebration party, but it has been taking time because of its unusual number.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s amazing. The monsters¡¯ bodies around here were killed by a guy whose name is Red, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I could see it very well as I was on the city wall. There are many who saw it as well. He killed the monster hordes that looked like a ck wave all by himself. Whoever he was, he was really amazing.¡±

    These conversations reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    Some people in the crowd who were heading to the gate after cleaning up bodies were talking about the mysterious person ¡°Red¡±.

    Even in the castle, various rumors were spreading and people were exchanging their opinion about the identity. Some opinions were reasonable but others were far from the truth.

    For example, he probably served under a High Human, or he probably was one of the heroes who remained in this world, or he might be the incarnation of the god of fire Iira Suura and so on.

    In fact, because Schnee or Shibaid, who were Shin¡¯s support characters, could do it, the ¡°Serving under a High Human¡± theory was the most dominant.

    As for the third theory, it seems like people thought the god of fire Iira Suura who appears in myths joined the battle, as the armor¡¯s color was red. It was one of the gods of war and people somehow believe it.

    (So a God joined in huh? In the game world, Iira Suura was a boss monster¡­)

    In the game, they could fight against the incarnation as part of a trial. Perhaps because of it, Iira Suura was known by people in this world as well.

    Additionally, the boss monster ¡¯s appearance was a human form holding a long fire sword.

    It might be close to the scythe that Shin, or Red in this matter, used.

    ¡°But, why is his name Red?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because his body is red, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too simple. Don¡¯t you think there should be a better nickname?¡±

    Ouch!

    Shin was quietly hurt. It was just made up on the spot, but was it really that weird?

    ¡°(Is the name ¡°Red¡± that strange?)¡±

    Yuzuha asked from overhead.

    ¡°(I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a strange name.)¡±

    It should not be strange, though there was no objection against the people who had said it was simple.

    By the way, there was a n to invite Red to the party but there was no way to make contact with him, of course. Schnee had been inquired regarding Red, but Shin asked her to answer that she didn¡¯t know where Red was.

    Shin was chatting with the middle age adventurer Rahl Ratt whom he got along with through working together everyday.

    ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s harder to clean up than to fight.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a first world problem. There were no people killed in that tough battle. If wein more than that, we would be punished.¡±

    ¡°I understand it, but I feel depressed if the number is that big. Besides, you didn¡¯t fight that much. Some guys said they didn¡¯t know why you were there.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, they found out. Hahaha!!¡±

    Shin was talking with him using polite speech but started talking casually after he heard Rahl didn¡¯t like to use polite speech.

    Rahl was a rank B adventurer, so he didn¡¯t know the word ¡°Chosen One¡±. It seemed like he thought the adventurers who were fighting in the front line were from higher ranks.

    As Shin said, there were no opportunities to join the fight for the adventurers of the raid.

    Because they didn¡¯t have coordination simr to the knights, they couldn¡¯t charge into the monster hordes just like that.

    Besides that, their position at the battlefield was right in front where monsters were rounded up by the magic of Schnee and Guile. If they had assaulted, they would just get mixed in and vanish.

    It seemed like they guarded Guile and others to some extent, but it was hardly a battle.

    ¡°At any rate, Schnee Raizar is really amazing. No matter how hard we try, we would never be like her.¡±

    ¡°She is a monster to the general people. If she tried, she could erase a country. Are you scared of her?¡±

    ¡°Of course Shin! I don¡¯t want to deal with her, though I think it¡¯s okay to be killed by such a beauty!¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I can understand your feelings.¡±

    ¡°See? I used to think it was just an exaggeration from those who said Schnee is a goddess or a holy woman, but once I saw her in the flesh, I couldn¡¯t help but agree with them. Young people who saw her looked soulless. Although seeing the massive magic right after the start of battle, we lost our soul in another sense.¡±

    Rahlughed while talking about how epic it was. Even the knights lost themselves, so it was no wonder that younger adventurers were lost for words as well.

    Also, Schnee has gained more fans without Shin¡¯s knowledge.

    If it was about a big guy with an aggressive appearance, people would fear him, but as it was about Schnee, strength was just one of her charms.

    ¡°Moreover, we can¡¯t measure the value of the person by their strength. I have seen so many people up till now, someone can be a hero or bullshit depending on their ability and character. Understanding what kind of person they are, can¡¯t be judged from their strengths or weaknesses. Besides I know that having power isn¡¯t always a good thing.¡±

    Rahl has probably had many experiences going by his age.

    What he said was a cliche, but it carried weight at the same time.

    ¡°Do you know somebody like that person since you asked me about it Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡±

    ¡°I see. If so, you should not be scared too much. I failed because of it.¡±

    Rahl said mournfully which was unusual for his cheerful character.

    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should. Well, we¡¯ll arrive at the gate soon.¡±

    They parked the carriage that carries the monsters¡¯ bodies at the side of the gate, then headed toward the guild to receive the reward.

    In order to make the cleaning work smoother, guilds offered the job to the adventurers.

    After Shin received the reward, he parted with Rahl who was meeting up with his friends, and looked around lightly.

    Schnee and Tiera oversaw another workce, but as their shifts were about the same, they were nning on meeting up here.

    Shin was drinking a fruit juice to kill time at the corner of the bar in the guild when Eliza, the guild¡¯s receptionist, talked to him.

    ¡°Excuse me, Shin-sama. Do you have a moment?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Well, I¡¯m good till my friendse. Is it okay to bring Yuzuha too?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because in these past few days, I know Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    The ¡®Flood¡¯ was over and Balmel returned to its peaceful state. Shin had no idea why he was called.

    ¡°I am sorry for asking you too much. Our staff will take care of your friends once they arrive here.¡±

    Shin followed Eliza who led the way.

    They gathered attention but he decided not to mind about it now. As he was fighting in the front line as a Chosen One, Shin¡¯s name was widely known among a group of adventurers.

    The ce where Eliza led him was the room of the head of this guild. When they entered the room, they found the guild master, Baren, and the princess of Bayreuth, Rionne, waiting.

    ¡°I am sorry that we asked you toe so suddenly. A request designated for you hase, but we can¡¯t talk about it in public.¡±

    Shin could predict the content as Rionne was standing next to Baren.

    ¡°¡­Is it perhaps, to be Rionne-sama¡¯s bodyguard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. By the way, you are close to Rionne-sama, aren¡¯t you? The content of the request is to guard Rionne-sama until Bayreuth.¡±

    There were no opportunities to see her after the party and since the ¡®Flood¡¯ was over at that time, he thought Rionne-sama had left Balmel already. However, his expectations fell short.

    ¡°You helped me a lot since I was transferred to Kalkia. You will also receive a reward for that.¡±

    It sounds like she will give a reward to him for the other day as well.

    At this point, there were a few things Rionne had to give to Shin, so the reward for guarding was included in it.

    ¡°Well¡­ I am sorry but I can¡¯t ept this offer.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you refuse the request from the royal family?¡±

    ¡°ording to thew of the guild, it depends on the adventurer¡¯s decision whether they ept the offer or not, am I wrong?¡±

    There was a designation system that let the chosen adventurer receive the request in guild.

    But the adventurers who were called had a right whether to ept or not. Of course, there was no penalty from the guild when the adventurer refuses.

    In the past, the designation request was partlypulsory. But there was an incident where somebody took advantage of it and trapped a certain adventurer. It was a malicious trap where somebody requested an adventurer and made an assassin hide at the requested destination to kill the adventurer as if they were attacked by a monster. But the incident came to light after the adventurer turned the tables on the assassin and reported to the guild.

    It was found out that there were simr incidents in the past by investigation, and then it became that the adventurers could refuse the requests. However, when the adventurers were having trouble refusing the requests from the nobles and wealthy merchants, the guild was supposed to be a mediator.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said so, I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°Even though I am asking you?¡±

    ¡°Who taught you that upturned eyes and pose¡­

    ¡°It didn¡¯t match with Rionne¡¯s character,¡± said Shin in disgust.

    Then Baren asked for confirmation.

    ¡°You can certainly refuse the offer, but is it really fine with you? Usually only the adventurers who belong to a high rank are called by the royal family.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Actually, if I were to get too close to her carelessly, I would be scared of others¡¯ jealousy. Besides, we are going to Kilmont for now. It¡¯s the opposite direction and I am already prepared for it.¡±

    ¡°I wanted Shin to meet with my father though¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I feel he would tell me to serve for his country, so I won¡¯t¡±

    ¡°Muu!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t change my mind even if you get sulky.¡±

    Shin was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One from Bayreuth¡¯s top brass, but it didn¡¯t mean that everybody would wee him.

    Rionne was a royal family member and was surrounded by the nobles. Sometimes people from the privileged sses act to keep their position more than considering the national interests.

    ¡­Though it was a selfish idea of Shin, he wanted to go to Kilmont to meet Shibaid as soon as possible and start researching the sacred ce Kalkia.

    Besides, even if Shin refused guarding her, somebody will pick her up from Bayreuth or she could request for other adventurers. They would never let the princess go home alone. In addition, Shin honestly couldn¡¯t think that Rionne needed a guard.

    ¡°Well, how should I say this¡­ it looks like you two are really close.¡±

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s Shin and me!

    ¡°I am afraid of what other people might think¡­¡±

    Shin repeated it while turning away from Baren¡¯s eyes who was putting a wry smile on his face.

    ¡°What a pity, but it can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t want to force this on you. But when youe to Bayreuth next time, you shoulde visit me.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will try.¡±

    Considering Rionne¡¯s attitude, it seems like she was thinking if Shin epted the offer, it would be lucky or something.

    Shin was relieved that they didn¡¯t persistently press him. He had no intentions to treat her badly, but he has his priority.

    ¡°That¡¯s all. Sorry for taking your time.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I was free at this time too. Then, please excuse me.¡±

    He left with Eliza who was waiting for him at the corner of the room, they then left from the guild master¡¯s room.

    When Shin arrived at the hall, there was a crowd at the corner of the bar like he had seen before.

    ¡°Again¡­¡±

    The center of the crowd was of course Schnee in disguise¡­In other words, Yuki and Tiera. He could sense the mood.

    It happened often, so Shin kept his cool. He already heard the reason from Eliza about why so many peoplee around. Naturally, most of the adventurers were men. There were female adventurers, but there were very few who were beautiful, good figured, and capable like Schnee.

    Even if there were that kind of women, they just stay with other women mostly, or they were employed by the nobles and there wouldn¡¯t be any opportunity to get to know them.

    Because of these reasons the adventurers were trying to invite Schnee and Tiera, whom often stay together, to join their party as well as the servants of the nobles, who were trying to invite them to the noble¡¯s houses, were swarming around them.

    ¡°Today there are a lot more people around them.¡±

    ¡°Their name and appearance are well-known in Balmel. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    ¡°So as I¡¯m their malepanion, the murderous intent and jealousy are focused on me, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Eliza as she was, had no way of responding.

    ¡°By the way, wasn¡¯t there a n to clear those people?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I informed the staff to be ready for it, but¡­¡±

    Eliza looked around but there weren¡¯t any staff even at the reception desk.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. There is a rule to have at least one person at the reception desk.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, it seems like they tried to do their job though.¡±

    With a sigh, Shin went towards the crowd. Though it was crowded with men, he could find another woman besides Schnee and Tiera.

    The men who noticed Shin¡¯s approach all showed negative feelings in their eyes. But because Shin had gotten used to it, he ignored those eyes and called out both of them.

    ¡°Hey Yuki! Tiera! It¡¯s almost time to go!¡±

    After a little pause, the crowd split. Tiera was behind Schnee, who has blond hair and red eyes, and a woman who wore the guild¡¯s uniform was behind Tiera.

    ¡°I am sorry to keep you waiting.¡±

    ¡°No, I am the one who kept you waiting. I arrived here earlier, but just a little. I will talk about the details while walking. So who is this person?¡±

    Some people were fascinated by Schnee¡¯s smile toward Shin, and others were showing jealousy. Shin ignored those men and asked the woman who was standing behind Schnee and Tiera.

    ¡°Um, I-I am Fran, b-b-belong to the branch of the adventurer guild Balmel!!¡±

    She was flustered and stuttered.

    She was a petitedy and her height was around 150 cemels. Her brown bobbed hair and big round eyes were charming.

    She looked like a junior high school student, or maybe even looked like an elementary school student.

    ¡°Fran, where are the other staff? They shouldn¡¯t leave a new staff member alone at the reception.¡±

    ¡°M-My senpai is dealing with the high ranked adventurer who came a while ago. Others are also busy, so I have been trying to do my best, but¡­¡±

    ¡°The size of the crowd was so big that she could not deal with them by herself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    Fran agreed with Schnee¡¯s words with sagging shoulders.

    Surely, it was tough for new staff to deal with all those men around Schnee and Tiera.

    If Shin were in the same position, he honestly wouldn¡¯t want to get closer to that crowd.

    Maybe the staff who have more experience would be able to handle it better, but it was still unavoidable.

    ¡°I am sorry. We caused trouble for you. Please ept my apology and if you have any requests, please tell me. I will help as much as I can.¡±

    ¡°I-I am sorry!¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I think that¡¯s okay, right, Yuki?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was just bad timing and nothing happened to us, so please don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Schnee answered Shin while nodding.

    She gave up halfway as people oftene around her. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t bring herself to me Fran.

    ¡°We appreciate your understanding.¡±

    Still, Eliza and Fran have an apologetic look on their face.

    Since it was their duty, it would affect their confidence if they epted the responsibility and could notplete it. No matter how many times Schnee said it¡¯s okay, they seemed to be ashamed. Shin and hispanions left the guild saying ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡± to Eliza and Fran who bowed down.

    ¡°Sorry about that. If I hade to you immediately, we could have avoided that situation.¡±

    ¡°You had some business, didn¡¯t you? It looked like you were called on.¡±

    ¡°Right. What happened?¡±

    Somehow the two sensed something, so Shin exined about the request.

    Schnee who listened to the story had a smile on her face and Tiera seemed to understand.

    ¡°It¡¯s natural that they want to have Shin for their country. Rionne is a member of the royal family and although she doesn¡¯t know about your background, she knows a little bit about your power, don¡¯t you agree Shin?¡±

    ¡°A little. If I were in her position, I also would have thought to secure me. But what can I say, I understand it but it¡¯s also different from my way of thinking.¡±

    Though he said that, Shin kept a note in his mind that Rionne might be different from other royal family members. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for an unusual situation like this time, she would not favor me as much¡±, said Shin. Then Schnee said,

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°The way you think and your attitude are rare in this world Shin. The royal families are heavenly people to themoners, but not to yers. Considering Rionne-sama¡¯s character, she would be attracted to the person who casually talks to her and has power that she can rely on. Shin meets both of them, so even though there weren¡¯t any incidents like this time, it¡¯s possible that Rionne-sama likes you.¡±

    ¡°Well, if it is not Rionne-sama, others might say you are rude!¡±

    ¡°Well, how should I say it¡­ I think Rionne-sama¡¯s thought-process is closer to that of themoner¡¯s, not the royal family¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°I agree with that.¡±

    ording to Rionne, the education that she had was focused on being a soldier more than being a member of the royal family, so it might be natural that she was different from other royalty.

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t intend to be engaged with Rionne, so she has no choice but to give up on me.¡±

    ¡°If you say you are actually a High Human, she woulde to you though.¡±

    ¡°From her past statements, I can¡¯t deny that.¡±

    Shin thought that Rionne might forcefullye saying it was for the sake of friendship. If they could have a High Human on their side, the king would happily give the princess.

    ¡°At any rate, our current priority is meeting up with Shibaid and others. If I follow Rionne, I would have to meet with the king. I am sorry for Baren-san, but I have to leave the country matter to the guild.¡±

    He was not sure how far the guild would go, but Shin who was a Chosen One was different from amoner. So he decided to think that the guild would have to do their best to deal with such a matter.

    Partly because he had talked to Rionne, he couldn¡¯t help but to wish that others won¡¯t ask him unreasonable demands anymore.

    There was the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora¡­When Shin thought about it, he realized that he didn¡¯t know much about the letter.

    He had stored the letter in his Item Box and almost forgot about it until he used it in Balmel.

    Because various events happened due to Shin showing the letter in Bayreuth, he hesitated to use it without thinking. Though it was a clue to meet with Schnee, he could meet with her without using it. Shin didn¡¯t know all the items in THE NEW GATE, and he also thought whether there was this kind of item. Anyhow, depending on the yer, making the item that worked effectively under a certain condition was possible. Frankly speaking, without a strong name value like ¡°Tsuki no Hokora¡±, it was just a shiny piece of paper.

    ¡°Hey Schnee, it¡¯s a bitte to ask you, but how do you make the letter of introduction?¡±

    As far as Shin knew, the function that makes items that gave the effect like the letter of introduction didn¡¯t exist in Tsuki no Hokora.

    So that means that it was an original item from Schnee.

    ¡°The letter of introduction? I use the paper thates out from the manufacturing machine that was used in Tsuki no Hokora. Also alchemy is applied. It was the enchantment of the luminescence.¡±

    ¡°Was there such a strong durability for the paper thates out from that machine? It shouldn¡¯t be a special paper that can be used for enchantments though.¡±

    ¡°I noticed it a long time after Shin left, so I don¡¯t know the details¡­Surely it was just paper in the game era, but its quality is the best one as this world changed, so I think that magical power dwelled in it. Of course, I already checked it, and it wasn¡¯t a bad one.¡±

    Manufacturing machine in Tsuki no Hokora. It was like a home that produced various kind of materials, or one of the facility for the guild. There were some machines that could create items such as raw materials and metals, in addition to the paper in Tsuki no Hokora.

    But the one currently works is only the machine that makes papers. In the death game period, when Shin left Tsuki no Hokora for thest time, he closed the door to the room for the manufacturing machines.

    The reason was that the machine for the paper was ced in a different room from other machines, and he just forgot it was there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check it.¡±

    It was better to quickly leave for Kilmont, and meet with Shibaid, but it was also important to check out his own home and his guild house which he oversaw.

    ¡°In that case, that forest is quiet and doesn¡¯t stand out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shall we go?¡±

 Book 6: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    Vol. 6 Chapter 1 ¨C Part 2

    At nightfall, Shin secretly left the town with Schnee, Tiera, and Yuzaha and headed for the forest he had cleared up before. Shin deployed and entered Tsuki no Hokora, where he then checked the manufacturing machines first.

    Inside of the manufacturing machine room, the machines were organized into categories such as ore, ingredients, and materials that were obtained from monsters.

    The manufacturing machines looked like boxes measuring 30 cemels on each side. They were worth almost as much as ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapons in this world.

    Materials that couldn¡¯t be obtained or required great troubles to obtain could be produced without limitation, so long as time permitted. The ¡®machine¡¯ was especially amazing since this world was now reality and certain materials could no longer be farmed.

    Generated items would be changed into cards that were stored in an Item Box within the machine.

    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±

    Shin checked the ore and materials first.

    When he opened the list inside of the Item Box, a considerable number of items were listed. It wasn¡¯t like 100 or 200. It varied depending on the type but even the smallest stacks exceeded 1000, and most of them were more than hundreds of thousands.

    The Item Box should only be able to store 999 of the same type of item, but the maximum stack number must have changed.

    ¡°There¡¯s lots of items¡­Kuu¡±

    ¡°Indeed. There are lumps of orichalcum, mithril, adamantine and even refined Scarletite. The tusks and ws of Bahamut and even the liver of a Behemoth¡­ Wow, the amount of ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯ is amazing! It¡¯s like you could make as many ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapons as you want.¡±

    Nodding at Yuzuha, he scrolled down the item list.

    Even rare items that were likely produced only twice a year in real time, a poor management system which Shin hadined about during the gaming era, were present in incredible numbers.

    Though it was understandable that the items had umted for the past 500 years, Shin¡¯s pride as a gamer was hurt as he felt his efforts in mining were in vain.

    ¡°The ingredients also seem the same. Though, there is an astounding amount of the highest rank ingredients.¡±

    Schnee who checked the list of ingredients in one of the manufacturing machines was also surprised at its contents. It was so shocking that they could easily stay indoors for at least 100 years.

    ¡°These items are something I have never seen nor heard of. What are they?¡±

    Due to herck of knowledge, Tiera was surprised at the number not the item itself.

    Since it was a rare opportunity, Shin moved a portion of the items into his own Item Box.

    Shin was nning to inspect whether there were any differences between the items in his own Item Box and the items in the manufacturing machines.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to forge for a bit. I¡¯ll see whether the materials are usable or not.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll prepare dinner.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I could make some simple recovery potions.¡±

    ¡°Please do so.¡±

    After he passed over the basic alchemy set to Tiera, Shin headed to the smithing area with Yuzuha.

    He started a fire in the furnace and took out the orichalcum ore card from the manufacturing machine.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    When he was about to materialize the card, Shin noticed an auraing from it.

    He stared at what looked like a heat haze, then it became clear, like an image focusing in a camera.

    ¡°That¡¯s magical power, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sparkling!¡±

    There was a light silver color simr to the aura from a magic sword.

    For the sake ofparison, Shin took out the orichalcum ore card from his own Item Box and saw that it radiated a light purple. However, the color didn¡¯t stay the same as it changed to a dark grey then a light blue.

    He hadn¡¯t noticed this when he upgraded the equipment of Shadow and the others, or when he repaired Girard¡¯s equipment.

    ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t understand it. Should I strike it for now? Yuzuha, please stay back.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    He put aside the trivial things for a moment, and materialized the two cards.

    At present, there was no difference except their aura¡¯s colors. Though the amount of ore was somewhat different, there wasn¡¯t a problem since it wasn¡¯t fixed to begin with.

    Shin put the orichalcum into the furnace and refined it. The refined orichalcum that had its impurities removed radiated a stronger aura.

    Then, he ced it on the anvil and swung the hammer down.

    The two swords, made with the same procedure, were both at medium ¡¶Legend¡· grade. They looked almost the same except for the aura that enveloped the swords.

    When hepared the sharpness of the edges, the difference became clear.

    The sword made of orichalcum from Shin¡¯s Item box, covered in an aura of multiple colors, was sharper than the one made of orichalcum from the manufacturing machine, covered in an aura with a single color.

    ¡°Kuu? It¡¯s different, though they¡¯re simr?¡±

    ¡°Even if the materials are the same, the power is different, huh? Is it rted to the magic color? ¡­Come to think of it, Tiera did say my magical power is strange or something like that.¡±

    He remembered the time when he first met Tiera, she said she could feel multiple races¡¯ magical powers.

    ¡°Is Shin¡¯s magic power different from others¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. Though I still can¡¯t perfectly control my power, so I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Shin moved to the main building where Tiera was, thinking that there might be some hint.

    After Tiera had set up the alchemy equipment and materials on the table, she began making the recovery potions. Shin didn¡¯t disturb her, as she seemed to be concentrating. After several minutes, she finished brewing the potions.

    ¡°Whew¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you finish it?¡±

    ¡°Hiiu!!??¡±

    Shin chose to wait for Tiera to finish her work before speaking up.

    But, since Tiera didn¡¯t notice him, she was surprised and gave a small cry of rm.

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to surprise you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that! I was so surprised.¡±

    Tiera red at him while putting her hand on her chest. Perhaps she felt shy as she was seen the moment that she was surprised. Her cheeks turned red.

    Shin didn¡¯t intend to hide his presence, but it seemed like he did so unconsciously.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I wasn¡¯t trying to distract you since you seemed to be focused.¡±

    ¡°*Sigh* Be careful next time. I nearly dropped the potion.¡±

    When Shin bowed, Tiera¡¯s anger seemed to settle down.

    ¡°At any rate, I tried to make the recovery potion ording to instructions using these materials. I don¡¯t have the appraisal skill, so I¡¯m not sure of the difference. Can you check them?¡±

    After Tiera calmed down, she handed the recovery potions over to Shin.

    They looked the same, but when he saw the analysis, Shin found that the potion made of materials from his Item Box were more effective.

    However, the one that used the materials from the manufacturing machine was twenty percent more effective than a conventional potion.

    It seemed like using materials that possess magical power raised the effectiveness of the items made from them.

    ¡°I see. I was expecting an increased effect, but it¡¯s really amazing.¡±

    ¡°Were you expecting it?¡±

    Shin asked about the reason for what Tiera said after she heard the result of the appraisal.

    ¡°Well, it seems like Shin doesn¡¯t know this, but when an object stores magical power, it shares its owner¡¯s spirit and characteristics. It was said that was a condition of something like power without definition. I¡¯ve only seen these objects a few times though. Since only Elves and Pixies can see this power, you may not understand it, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­By the way, I wanted to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Well, when we first met, you said various races¡¯ magical power or something after you looked at me, right? I wanted to ask about it.¡±

    ¡°Eh? D-Did I say something like that?¡±

    Tiera answered evasively. Her face that turned her eyes to the wrong direction expressed exactly someone who was trying to hide something.

    ¡°? ¡­Well, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t force you to tell me. I¡¯ll ask Schnee if there is anything that seems strange in her ingredients. You can keep the potions.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Wa, wait!!¡±

    Everybody has something that they don¡¯t want to share. Even though Shin was concerned about the magical power, somehow he could guess the reason.

    Since he thought it was a bad idea to ask forcefully, Shin decided to go to Schnee¡¯s ce first, but surprisingly Tiera pulled him back.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look so confused.¡±

    ¡°B-Because¡­ aren¡¯t you going to ask about it? Though I¡¯m here with you, I¡¯m clearly hiding something from you.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t want to tell me, right? Of course I can¡¯t leave it alone if it¡¯s about a life-threatening situation, or something simr. But I can somehow guess that it¡¯s not like that, and I don¡¯t want to forcefully ask you to tell me. When I look at you, I can just tell that there are some things you don¡¯t want to tell me. So I think it¡¯s not right to share everything just because we are together. In fact, I also have something that I haven¡¯t shared with everybody.¡±

    ¡°I understand, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine with me to wait until you think you are ready to tell me. When the timees then¨D¨D¡±

    Then Shin¡¯s stomach rumbled ¡°Grruuu¡±. It was so loud that they could hear it clearly.

    ¡°¡­I, I¡¯ll also tell you what I haven¡¯t shared with you?¡±

    Because of the stomach rumbling, the serious mood vanished, but Shin said everything that he wanted to say.

    ¡°Shin, are you hungry?¡±

    Right after that, Yuzuha, who was just observing, quietly said explosive words.

    ¡°Hey! I was saying something serious!¡±

    ¡°But you said ¡®When the timees then Gruuu.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Nooo! Why did it happened in this timing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Pfff.¡±

    Maybe that hit the spot. Tiera held herughter in until her ears turned bright red.

    Because she lowered her head, he couldn¡¯t see her face. However, he guessed that it wasn¡¯t as serious as before.

    It was a pleasant situation for Shin as he wanted to change the atmosphere, but it couldn¡¯t be helped if he thought there might have been a better way.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Even though we¡¯re talking seriously, b-but, pfffahaha¡±

    ¡°Well, I made my point, but, it¡¯s fine I guess. Though you have something you can¡¯t tell me, don¡¯t worry about it. And don¡¯t tell anyone about my stomach rumbling! Never! Yuzuha, you too!¡±

    After the parting remark, Shin went to the kitchen.

    Tiera looked at his back with tears in her eyes. Shin didn¡¯t know her tears weren¡¯t only fromughing. ¡°I am sorry.¡± What Tiera whispered didn¡¯t reach anyone.

    When Shin entered the kitchen, there were already several dishes. He could smell them while he was talking to Tiera, so he couldn¡¯t help thinking what would happened if he had not smelled these dishes.

    ¡°Kuu~, smells good!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does¡­ what a great smell.¡±

    ¡°Shin? You look troubled. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Yeah, nothing happened. By the way, it smells delicious. How were the ingredients?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any problems. The freshness was satisfactory too.¡±

    Schnee answered while wiping a knife.

    It seemed like she hadn¡¯t noticed any differences in the process of cooking.

    Considering the swords and the recovery potions, the differences would probably be seen in its vor.

    ¡°The results of Tiera and my experiments showed that the ones from my Item Box were more effective. However, the quality of the things made using materials from the manufacturing machines were better than normal.¡±

    ¡°I see. I have just finished cleaning up, so we should test them. How¡¯s Tiera doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she finished making the recovery potions, so I¡¯ll bring her here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡±

    When Shin turned around to go to call Tiera, Tiera showed up.

    Since she had a little time to calm herself down, herplexion returned to normal. Her eyes seemed bloodshot, but Shin just felt awkward wondering if she had beenughing till she cried.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. The dishes are ready, so let¡¯spare the tastes.¡±

    They put all dishes on the table and sat down. Yuzuha was also in human form at this time.

    Everyone said ¡°Itadakimasu¡± together and then started tasting.

    What Shin ate first was the dish made using ingredients from the manufacturing machine.

    He put the foods he used to eat in reality, such as stuffed cabbage, pot©\au©\feu, pf, and so on, in his mouth.

    ¡°This is far better than a family restaurant.¡±

    ¡°This is better than what Master usually makes.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, delicious!¡±

    Because these foods were something they often ate, they could tell how much better it was. It didn¡¯t mean that the foods they had been eating were low quality, but still these were delicious enough to tell the difference.

    Because there were other dishes to taste, they used all their willpower to stop themselves from finishing the dish.

    ¡°Then, the next one.¡±

    The next dishes were the made using the ingredients from Shin¡¯s Item Box. Since it was forparison, the menu and cooking processes were the same.

    They cut the stuffed cabbage in two using chopsticks, then ate it.

    ¡°!?¡±

    In that moment, Shin and Tiera stopped moving.

    Their first thought was ¡®Is this really a stuffed cabbage?¡¯.

    ¡°What is this? To be frank, I can¡¯t think of anything besides how delicious this is. But if I were asked the difference, I can¡¯t exin it.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t know what to say besides delicious.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, delicious, delicious~¡±

    Yuzuha was the only one eating like normal. With dishes made of materials from either source, Yuzuha stuffed her mouth happily while smiling.

    In a sense, this might be the correct reaction toward the dishes.

    Shin had tried dishes using ingredients his Item Box the night he met Schnee again, but there wasn¡¯t any magical power leaking from the cards then.

    Was it because it was used with the regr ingredients? He wasn¡¯t as shocked as with this stuffed cabbage.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to be cautious when using the items in my Item Box. I don¡¯t think they were like this before though.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even the items from the manufacturing machines are more than enough. Did you notice any differences in the items recently added to your Item Box?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see any change among those items. But as times goes on, they might change, so I¡¯ll check those to make sure.¡±

    The number of the items in Shin¡¯s Item Box was huge. It would be impossible to test everything, so he would have to choose a small number of items and check them.

    After they finished their meals, Shin and the others came to the teleportation device room that was located next to the manufacturing machines¡¯ room. They intended to check on the guild houses¡¯ conditions.

    ¡°As far as I can tell, none of the devices are broken.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just in case, I asked Raster to check it, but I heard that there were no problems.¡±

    Raster was the support character who served under Cain, a member of Rokuten who was the architect. Because Cain helped build Tsuki no Hokora, Raster, as his follower, did the maintenance.

    If Raster said so, it would work without any problems.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s open the option menu¡­Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    Schnee approached Shin who voiced his doubt. Shin shifted the disy sideway to show Schnee the selection screen for teleport destinations.

    It disyed the names of the 1st through 6th guild houses. But if he tried to pick a destination, it made a muffled ¡°Beep¡± sound.

    This sound usually came out when one tried to use an item that was not avable or choose a ce that was impossible to transfer.

    It seemed like they couldn¡¯t transfer to any guild houses at their present state.

    ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°The equipment here is working, so something might have happened at the other guild houses?¡±

    ¡°No, what I am concerned about is that I¡¯m unable to choose Rashugum. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I can¡¯t imagine any problems in Rashugum, where Raster is doing maintenance.¡±

    ¡°But, it¡¯s hard to determine the cause of the problem. Please wait a moment. I will send a message to Raster.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. I¡¯ll fiddle a little too.¡±

    Besides specifying a destination from the option menu, there were times when it was possible by using the terminal. For the time being, he decided to check which ones were working.

    ¡°There is no problem in Tsuki no Hokora. No error from the transferring devices. So, there might be some problems at the destinations or¡­¡±

    While operating the terminal, Shin formed a hypothesis. If one had never been to the destination in this world, one wouldn¡¯t be able to use the items, skills, and equipment rted to teleporting.

    Since he came to this world, he hadn¡¯t been able to use message cards and lists as these were reset.

    If the reason he could transfer to Tsuki no Hokora was because he had visited before, everything would make sense.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have no choice but to go there.¡±

    ¡°If Shin¡¯s hypothesis is correct, there¡¯s no other way but to do that. Though Raster has been here, he can¡¯t use the transferring devices.¡±

    Schnee agreed with Shin. That was the only thing they could do now.

    In the game era, the support characters including Schnee, didn¡¯t have the crystal stones that granted teleportation ability. Therefore, Schnee hadn¡¯t registered the teleportation points at Rashugum even though she had been there.

    ¡°Our conversation is based on the fact that it is natural to use teleportation. I¡¯m scared as I¡¯m getting used to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how we are steeped in.¡±

    Tiera had a distant look and Shin responded to her with a big smile and a thumb up.

    ¡°Stop it, I almost nodded.¡±

    ¡°Your body is honest.¡±

    ¡°Uu, I can¡¯t deny it¡­¡±

    Tiera felt that if she was not steeped in this situation, she would not be able to rx.

    After that, they checked some more devices and items. As they got into it, they realized it was alreadyte, so they decided to stay the night in Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Sigh¡±

    While the moon was up high in the sky, Shin was sitting on the verandah at the back of Tsuki no Hokora. He held ¡ºTrue Moon¡», that had been broken from the battle with his support character, Girard.

    ¡°Well, what should I do¡­ hmm?¡±

    As he watched the moon, he sensed someone he knew very welling closer.

    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, I was just thinking of repairing ¡ºTrue Moon¡».¡±

    Shin stopped thinking for a moment as he was fascinated by Schnee in her nightwear, but he still managed to answer her somehow.

    Shin lifted up ¡ºTrue Moon¡» to show Schnee as she naturally sat down next to him.

    ¡°This is from the battle with Girard, isn¡¯t it? It looks the same as it was though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of repairing it several times.. But, how do I say it, I feel like something iscking. I could fix it right away, but my intuition as a cksmith tells me not to¡­ though, I don¡¯t know if my intuition is reliable or not.¡±

    Shin said to Schnee while putting a bitter smile on his face.

    It was about time to fix it, so he tried out during his free time today, but it didn¡¯t work out very well.

    All materials were prepared and Shin¡¯s skills weren¡¯tcking, since he was a master cksmith. Perhaps there was something else missing besides these.

    ¡°May I borrow it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Sure.¡±

    When Shin handed over ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Schnee held it in front of her chest.

    schneeinnightwear

    While Shin was wondering what she would do, he saw that ¡ºTrue Moon¡» gradually began glowing in Schnee¡¯s both hands.

    ¡°Wow!!¡±

    ¡ºTrue Moon¡» emitted light as if it were soaking in the moonlight. Shin was wide-eyed with surprise because of the light, but after a while, it stopped emitting a light.

    Itsted for only a moment, but Shin felt that it was much more longer than that.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, y-yes. Hey Schnee, what was that?¡±

    ¡°I poured my magical power into ¡ºTrue Moon¡». I felt I should do it. I don¡¯t know why, but I hope it¡¯ll help you, even just a little bit, Shin.¡±

    ¡°No, I have to thank you instead. I am sure that something missing was filled with this.¡±

    Shin said while looking at ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    Shin knew by intuition that what Schnee did wasn¡¯t anything wrong.

    At the same time, he understood three more things.

    ¡°It¡¯s notplete yet, but I know what I should do. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I am d to hear that.¡±

    Schnee looked very beautiful with a gentle smile on her face.

    Shin gasped at her beautiful smile. Her beauty attracted people, but it made her untouchable. Her beauty was something that couldn¡¯t be described with words.

    ¡°Well, what will you do after this, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°If it is fine with you, I¡¯d like to watch the moon with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, of course. ¡°

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°huh!¡±

    Schnee answered to Shin, and leaned her body against him.

    Shin felt a weight on his shoulder as Schnee rested her head while clinging to him.

    ¡°¡­Ah, Schnee-san? This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Please let me be like this for a moment.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    When Shin epted it, the weight on his shoulder increased.

    Maybe it was because Schnee leaned her whole body on Shin. The reason she didn¡¯t do so from the beginning was perhaps she was afraid of being denied or maybe she felt shy.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    They looked up moon in silence for a while.

    In the moonlit night, two shadows fell on the verandah.

    These two shadows cuddled together and remained together until they returned to their rooms.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 6: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    Vol. 6 Chapter 1 ¨C Part 3

    The following morning, Shin and the rest headed towards Kilmont. They took some time to say their farewells and give thanks to Hibineko and the others who fought in the battle of Balmel. That made them startter than the other adventurers and merchants. It also meant that their carriage ride was more spacious.

    ¡°It feels so slow now.¡±

    Tiera muttered while looking out the window.

    ¡°It¡¯d be inappropriate for us to go flying out of the city.¡±

    Kagerou, as a horse, pulled the carriage just as fast as the other carriages on the road. Tiera felt like they were traveling even slower, especially after their rushed ride to Falnido.

    ¡°You know this is normal, right?¡±

    ¡°I feel like everything is different now after meeting Shin.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words sank in, and Tiera didn¡¯t know how to take them.

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not normal.¡±

    Tiera nced over towards Shin, feeling a little dumbfounded. It was silly to think that a carriage going at such a ridiculous speed was normal. Shin nodded in agreement, holding tightly onto reins which was only decorative.

    They were heading towards Kilmont. Shin andpany¡¯s journey to meet Shibaid had only just begun.

    ¡°I guess there isn¡¯t much traffic. Maybe we can speed up just a little¡­ wait? A message from Wilhelm!¡±

    A message had arrived for Shin, amidst everyone¡¯s convoluted thoughts.

    Shin knew that Wilhelm wouldn¡¯t send him a message over nothing. Something dire must have happened.

    He immediately opened the message.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Shin? What is it?¡±

    Ignoring Schnee¡¯s concerned voice, Shin quickly took out an item card and attached it to the message card.

    He merely wrote ¡°Use it,¡± and immediately sent his response to Wilhelm.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    With Shin in a daze, Tiera and Yuzuha were also pressing him.

    With his brows furrowed, Shin told them what Wilhelm¡¯s message said.

    ¨DRashia had been stabbed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It happened on a beautiful day.

    Sister Rashia had woken up, starting the day as usual; she made her bed, prayed, and went to wake the children. There was much work to be done in the church.

    ¡°I¡¯m off now. Please look after yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    It was not unusual for a ceremonial asion to be held in the church. Thoria was supposed to be at the church to make funeral arrangements for the recently deceased.

    Rashia had nothing to worry about. It was just an ordinary day.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to begin the treatment. Please rx.¡±

    ¡°Thank you as always.¡±

    ¡°Please, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s part of my duty to serve themunity.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how much you¡¯ve grown Rashia. I¡¯m happy for the church that you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I owe much to Thoria, but I can only hope that I can repay my debts.¡±

    Rashia smiled towards an elderly woman from the neighborhood.

    She had gained considerable experience at the Wraith ins and her healing ability also rose greatly. She was also quite skilled in giving medical attention to those in need. Sometimes, she was even able to cure those who had given up.

    The issue with who would take over the responsibilities of the church was settled now. Everything was back to quiet. Or so she thought¨D¨D.

    ¡°May Ie in?¡±

    ¡°¡­Father Bulk.¡±

    The man stood at the entrance of the church. He and Rashia had argued heatedly over who would lead the church.

    Father Bulk took a handkerchief to his oily face, wiping off the sweat and revealing a crooked smile.

    ¡°Hello my child. I beg your pardon, but we¡¯ve got some matters of the church to discuss. Do you think you could excuse us?¡±

    The words that came out of his mouth were polite, but the elderly woman was clearly left without a choice.

    There was too much of a status difference between them; the father of the church and an elderly viger.

    The woman left the church and closed the doors behind her. Rashia blurted out.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with ¡®Hello,¡¯ shall we? Of course, I¡¯m here to continue our little chat from before.¡±

    Father Bulk feigned shock. His entire demeanor was condescending. This made Rashia uneasy and bitter.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain that I will be leading the church.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too soon to call the shots. Besides, there hasn¡¯t been a legitimate decree yet. Did you really think that you were in control? Well, that¡¯s just hasty and careless.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve already received word from the other Fathers, that it¡¯s not an issue. Of course, since there¡¯s quite distance from headquarter, the official documents will being in any day now.¡±

    ¡°¡®Any day now¡¯? What is that, tomorrow? Or the next day? I don¡¯t find it very reassuring that you don¡¯t have these details all in order.¡±

    His voice lingered in Rashia¡¯s ears, giving her shivers.

    What does he want? He¡¯s far too confident.

    ¡°Father. Is that why you¡¯re here? To tell me all of this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, heavens no child. This church will be mine eventually. I¡¯ve merelye to see that things are still as they should be.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you mean. Why would you say such a thing?¡±

    Father Bulk made it seem as if he knew something she did not.

    ¡°Your sheer arrogance. This is why we really need to stop letting things slide just because of hereditary reasons. You know absolutely nothing.¡±

    This time, Father Bulk became slightly more aggressive.

    ¡°Answer me. I¡¯ve obtained ¡¾Purification¡¿ so I should be the leader of this church ording to the rule.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t raise your voice. Why don¡¯t you show a little modesty? The Sisters in the headquarter are gentle you know?¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    The conversation was going nowhere.

    Rashia was ring at Father Bulk, when suddenly the door opened.

    ¡°Am Ite?¡±

    ¡°Yes you are, Eline! Because of your tardiness, I¡¯ve been through quite an ordeal. I encountered a golem during my trip, and¡­¡±

    ¡°Bulk-san, that¡¯s your fault. You are the one who said that you wanted to visit some ancient sites. I had my own matters to attend to, so please, do not yammer on about that anymore.¡±

    The man who stepped in wore a suit of armor.

    It wasn¡¯t unusual to see someone with blonde hair blue eyes from Bayreuth. His hair that came slightly below his shoulders was neatly tied back. He smiled, and looked like a picturesque knight in shining armor.

    However, Rashia saw him as anything but that. He was an intruder, for all she knew.

    ¡°Anyways. You know what to do, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the men outside filled me in. Is she the one we¡¯re taking?¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re taking the child of the beast. I understand the child¡¯s name is Mily, or something like that. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s in the orphanage. Bring her to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Father Bulkmanded with no hesitation.

    The man named Eline was headed towards the orphanage.

    ¡°Wait! What are you going to do with Millie!!¡±

    Rashia stood in his way, but Eline did not budge.

    ¡°Bulk-san. What should I do with her?¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish. The area is surrounded.¡±

    ¡°Then¡±

    It was a matter of seconds. Eline tilted his left hand, unsheathed his weapon and took the short sword.

    The speed was clearly not the capability of amoner. If this had worked, Rashia would have gone down in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Kya!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Except, it didn¡¯t. A clear barrier generated between Rashia and the short sword. A spark could be seen where the forces met, and Rashia was thrown back.

    The short sword fell to the ground with a ng.

    ¡°How interesting. You seem to have equipped a shield item of some sort. Even my sword couldn¡¯t stand against it. It¡¯ll be even more interesting to find out, if you made this item yourself, or if you received it as a gift.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Eline looked intrigued, but Rashia could only stare back with fear.

    She had no idea what had happened.

    Rashia was at level 151. She was quite strong as amon woman. Her kic vision was far from average.

    Yet, she could not have dodged Eline¡¯s attack on her own.

    After fighting alongside Shin and Wilhelm, she had grown ustomed to sensing murderous intent. Everyone -no matter how strong- should be emitting some sort of will. It could be murderous or violent. Either way, it was a guide for Rashia to use when dodging and defending herself.

    Yet here was this man, with neither murderous intent or animosity. To kill must be as natural as breathing for him. He showed no hesitation towards the act of killing. Here was true terror, in the form of a man.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you answer me?¡±

    ¡°N¡­.no.¡±

    ¡°Oh well. I guess I¡¯ll just have to find! Out!¡±

    Before he had finished his thought, he drew his other sword and ran towards Rashia. Yet again, Rashia¡¯s barrier stood against his force.

    However, unlike thest time with the short sword, sparks were flying more dramatically and the sword was struck deep in the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s much tougher than I had anticipated. What would happen if I hit repeatedly?¡±

    Eline couldn¡¯t hide his excitement. He was thrilled to have found a worthy opponent. He drew his sword again and again.

    With every strike, Rashia¡¯s barrier shrunk.

    ¡°Eline, stop horsing around.¡±

    ¡°But sir, I think I¡¯m close.¡±

    ¡°Just use that other thing. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°You leave me no choice. I¡¯ve already tested it on a monster. Let¡¯s see how you fare.¡±

    Eline turned his sword into a card. He reached in his pockets for a different one. It materialized into a 2 meter long giant knife.

    A single edge had to be longer than 15 cemels. The de shone bright red. The brim had the emblem of wings, and a giant fist sized jewel fit neatly.

    The onyx jewel was a stark contrast to the blood-red de.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she a beauty? I¡¯m afraid all I know is that her name is ¡ºExvaine¡».¡±

    Eline looked proudly at his possession.

    ¡°It¡¯s more than just a pretty face. Just look at this!¡±

    He seemed satisfied that Rashia couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of his weapon, as he grinned and thrust it upon her.

    You could hear the swish of the de cutting through the air as it left a red afterimage. It was almost a shriek as the sound of shattering ss pierced through the ears of those in the vicinity. The knife cut through the barrier like butter, shing Rashia¡¯s cheek. The de stopped at her neck.

    Rashia peered over at the deadly tool. Should Eline gesture his hand even the slightest bit, her head would be chopped off. Blood dripped down her face, and Rashia sat there shaking.

    ¡°So. Do you feel like answering my question now?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    She put all of her might into not screaming. She had lost all words.

    Eline looked smug. It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant expression. It was the face of a violent child. One that enjoyed picking off the legs and wings of a bug.

    ¡°No. Please. Leave us alone.¡±

    ¡®I will probably die.¡¯ Rashia was filled with sorrow at the thought.

    She stared into Eline¡¯s eyes. She knew that no matter what she had said, it was all up to his whim. That is why she felt resolute to not share any information.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. It¡¯s fine though. I¡¯m here on a mission anyways.¡±

    Millie and the other children were indeed in the orphanage. No matter what happens, Rashia must warn them of the dangers. She was about 10 steps away from an item that would heed them.

    Rashia was about to run for it, when the worst case scenario had unfolded. Luck was on Father Bulk¡¯s side.

    ¡°Shia-nee, I¡¯m done cleaning.¡±

    It was none other than Millie, who hade into the church building. She was alone. She must have finished her chores before the other children.

    ¡°Well what do we have here. She seems to be Millie-san. How convenient that the target came to us. Is this because I behave well everyday? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it must be God smiling down on us. Eline, you know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lord.¡±

    Eline and Father Bulk shifted their attention to Millie. At that chance, Rashia attempted to run to the organ, to activate the item hidden between the keys.

    However, Eline did not miss a beat.

    ¡°Are you going to do something? That¡¯s no good at all.¡±

    Eline stood between Rashia and the organ.

    ¡°Hurry up Eline.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t rush me, Father!¡± Eline blocked Rashia and inched towards Millie. It was then that a strong barrier burst between Millie and Eline.

    Eline could sense that this force was much more powerful than that of Rashia. He swung down his precious ¡ºExvaine¡».

    Except it was different this time. ¡ºExvaine¡» bounced off of the barrier with a jolt.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Eline¡¯s eyes were slits of rage. He took his weapon andshed out towards Millie. The barrier held up.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Eline put more might into his vicious attacks.

    Millie was crouched to the ground, and only a little crack appeared in her barrier.

    ¡°¡­Well what do you know. My High Human weapon doesn¡¯t seem to be doing its job.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Eline!¡±

    ¡°Oops. Just a slip of the tongue.¡±

    Rashia could not hide her surprise. A High Human weapon- one forged by the likes of God. It wasn¡¯t just that though. It was the fact that the little Millie even stood a chance. The item from Shin seemed like a simple ne. It was truly a God-given gift.

    ¡°This is a waste of time. Let¡¯s try this.¡±

    ¡°Agh!?¡±

    Eline took the ¡ºExvaine¡» and destroyed Rashia¡¯s barrier. She was thrown to the ground as the de was ced right at Rashia¡¯s neck.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    ¡°Millie, Millie, Millie. If you don¡¯t want her to die, please discard your barrier item.¡±

    ¡°No! Millie don¡¯t! Gah!¡±

    Eline shut Rashia up. She could no longer produce any words.

    ¡°S-Shia-nee¡­¡±

    Millie didn¡¯t know what to do. She stood helplessly, uttering Rashia¡¯s name.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to believe me. Then, how about this?¡±

    Eline briefly released Rashia from the holds of ¡ºExvaine¡», and effortlessly slid the red de into Rashia¡¯s right rib area.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Rashia didn¡¯t know what had happened, until the blood starteding out of her mouth.

    ¡°Shia-nee!!¡±

    Millie ran towards her.

    However, her barrier stopped her, because it knew how dangerous Eline was.

    ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done Millie. You can stop all of this right now, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­no¡­ Don¡¯¡­t¡­¡±

    The pain was excruciating, but Rashia didn¡¯t want Millie in the wrong hands. All that came out of her mouth though were shallow breaths and sounds.

    ¡°No! Release Shia-nee!!¡±

    ¡°All you have to do is unequip your barrier item. The more you resist, the more pain she will be in¡­.like this.¡±

    His tone was gentle, as Eline chanted spells into the ¡ºExvaine¡» still inside Rashia.

    The de turned red-hot.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±

    The burning sensation made Rashia cry out.

    Her scream was too much for Millie.

    ¡°Stop! Stop it¡­¡±

    ¡°Look. All you have to do is take off your item. Put it on the ground.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Tears dripping down her chin, Millie ced her ne on the floor. The moment her hand and the ne weren¡¯t touching, the barrier was released.

    ¡°That just took far too long. Off we go. Come.¡±

    Father Bulk shook his head.

    ¡°Please. Please help S-Shia-nee¡­¡±

    ¡°If youe quietly, she won¡¯t die. If you even let out a peep, who knows what will happen to your precious sister.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°This is why I hate children. Eline.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±

    Eline hit Millie¡¯s gut. She fell noiselessly. They had knocked her unconscious.

    ¡°We¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we clean up?¡±

    ¡°Leave it. But don¡¯t leave any traces.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Bulk carried off Millie, while Eline activated his clearing skills. He took ¡ºExvaine¡» out of Rashia.

    ¡°!?¡±

    She was in so much pain that all she could do wasy there quivering.

    Eline looked up towards the beautiful stained ss.

    ¡°¡­By the way. Another question: an adventureres here often, carrying a magic spear. What ss is this man¡¯s weapon in?¡±

    Eline was thinking of Wilhelm of course. He looked over at Rashia.

    There was no response. This was only natural. Even if she could, she had no will to respond to him. Her wounds were deep and painful.

    ¡°Ah. My apologies. I really ought to have asked beforehand. What a pity. Until next time.¡±

    Eline lowered his gaze.

    Father Bulk had already left with his men.

    ¨D¨DExcept, another presence had filled the room.

    ¡°What a lucky day indeed.¡±

    ¡°Whose blood is that on your sword?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s voice was cold.

    His hand squeezed ¡ºVenom¡» even tighter.

    ¡°I mean. I was having a friendly conversation with the sister. It really didn¡¯t pan out the way I wanted it to though. By the way, how did you get here? I thought I had activated my clearing skill here.¡±

    ¡°What did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°Why do people never answer my questions?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s got questions to answer.¡±

    ¡°My my. So hostile. Fine. I stabbed her. She doesn¡¯t have very long to¡­!¡±

    Wilhelm charged before Eline was finished.

    ¡ºVenom¡» had released a bright red light into the air.

    It was a single shot with all his might. But Eline took his ¡ºExvaine¡» and cut the ze. The two weapons¡¯ forces caused somerge sparks.

    ¡°What did I ever do to you?¡±

    ¡°A whole lot!!¡±

 Book 6: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    Vol. 6 Chapter 1 ¨C Part 4

    Eline dodged the repeated attacks.

    Wilhelm was an upper ss Chosen One. It seemed impossible, but it was as if Eline knew what his next moves were. Eline¡¯s face remained calm andposed.

    ¡°I believe your spear is ¡¶Legend¡· grade, possibly ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. I¡¯d love to have it in my collection.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s attacks became more heated. He didn¡¯t skip a beat with his repeated strikes. You¡¯d think that one hit would be able to pulverize a king ss Skull Face.

    Yet it was no match against Eline¡¯s ¡ºExvaine¡», or Eline himself. The fighter and the weapon that Wilhelm faced were the real deal.

    ¡°You¡¯re as good as I¡¯d heard. I wish that I had a little more speed on me. That¡¯s the one weakness when ites to equipping ¡ºExvaine¡».¡±

    ¡°Why, you little¡­!!¡±

    It was frustrating how Eline wasn¡¯t fully invested in thebat.

    Wilhelm had to switch tactics. Rather than waste energy on the repeated blows, he had to take a single shot. He stepped back to squeeze more power into his hands that held ¡ºVenom¡». However, this caused him to stop moving momentarily.

    Eline did not miss this chance.

    He went from defense mode to attack mode, thrusting ¡ºExvaine¡».

    ¡°Gah!!¡±

    Wilhelm brought ¡ºVenom¡» in front of him to take the red de on.

    The sheer mass of it took Wilhelm by surprise. He had not anticipated its weight, having seen Eline lift it so easily. Regardless of what Eline had said about his own speed, he was faster and more agile than Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm took some damage.

    He was blown back and mmed against the wall. He could feel the air being forced out of his lungs, as he let out a yelp.

    ¡ºVenom¡» had saved Wilhelm by intercepting the thrust of his savage opponent. Still, the damage was sufficient to make Wilhelm drop ¡ºVenom¡».

    ¡ºVenom¡»y there, with a crack in the center after shing with the mighty ¡ºExvaine¡».

    ¡°Oh dear. After looking around, I thought I¡¯d finally found something that I liked. Now it¡¯s damaged goods. I should have known it with a strong opponent like you.¡±

    Eline looked down at the item and shook his head after heaving a sigh.

    Maybe he was preupied with the weapon, but he didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world for Wilhelm, who was pushing the rubble off of himself.

    ¡°Grr.¡±

    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re fine the way you were. This spear is no good to me.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­are you here?¡±

    ¡°My client was looking for someone.¡±

    ¡°Looking for¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But we found the child. Oh, was this off record? My bad. It¡¯s fine though, my role here is done.¡±

    Eline answered Wilhelm cheerfully.

    Wilhelm wondered if there was something wrong with the man standing there.

    ¡°I have to go now or I could get into trouble. I¡¯d be happy if you could get your spear fixed, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me where you¡¯re going too.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re headed to the church headquarter. Pleasee if you want. My name is Eline Sperizer. You should remember that.¡±

    Then Eline turned and left.

    No one could ever forget his grin of pure evil.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°F-FUck!¡±

    Eline disappeared, and Wilhelm groaned as he clutched his left abdomen in pain.

    He knew that he had cracked a few ribs. On top of that, the fight had taken a tremendous toll on his body.

    Wilhelm had fought quite a few battles until now, and he was in shock. He had only taken one hit, yet, he was in considerable agony.

    Perhaps Eline was that skilled of a fighter, or his weapon was truly that potent. Regardless, that weapon was not normal.

    ¡°Rashia¡­¡±

    He forced himself to step foot in the church.

    Thoria should not be here today. Then it had to be Rashia who faced Eline.

    ¡°!?¡±

    He could smell the damp iron of blood. It was an eerie feeling for the scent to be wafting inside a house of God.

    Wilhelm looked about frantically, before his eyes rested on Rashia on the floor, her back in a pool of blood.

    This was enough to make him forget his own wounds.

    ¡°Rashia!! No, Rashia!! Wake up!!¡±

    ¡°Wi¡­¡±

    Rashia was barely conscious, as she feebly called his name.

    ¡°Please! Take this!!¡±

    He took out a card from his Item Box.

    It was a ss 5 Potion ¨C the highest-ss antidote that Wilhelm had ever possessed. This should do the trick, even for wound like hers.

    ¡°No! Why?!¡±

    He had given the potion to her. Yet, the wound was not healing itself.

    Wilhelm had not known. There was a restriction depending on the potion ss. A ss 5 Potion was only as effective as the healing abilities of the person in need of healing. Only at a ss 4 Potion or higher could an item heal a wound and enhance a person¡¯s vitality.

    That level of recovery item was not avable in any of the nearby markets. It was rare to even see a ss 5 Potion; the recovery item Wilhelm had.

    ¡°Damn it!!¡±

    Wilhelm could see that it was of no use. He immediately reached for the message card in his Item Box. There wasn¡¯t enough time to spare ¨C not even to write to another for help.

    He wrote to Shin that Rashia was stabbed.

    She had very little time left in this world.

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t help her. All he could do was pray to God that he¡¯d get a response, and to try to stop the bleeding.

    ¡°Wil¡­¡±

    ¡°I asked Shin for help. Just hold out a little longer.¡±

    Rashia didn¡¯t respond. She squeezed his hand and could barely get the words out.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I¡­could¡­n¡¯t¡­save¡­Mi¡­llie¡±

    I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t save Millie.

    She was losing consciousness as she repeated this over and over.

    Wilhelm bit his lips.

    He shouldn¡¯t have lost hisposure. He should have focused. He knew what he was up against. It didn¡¯t help at all that he was hot in the head.

    And he was even more helpless now.

    ¡°!¡±

    A message appeared in front of Wilhelm. All that was written was ¡°Use it.¡± Several item cards were also attached.

    Every card had the same image. Wilhelm took one in his hand.

    A long, thin ss jar appeared with a clear gold liquid inside.

    Wilhelm had no idea what it was, but there was no time. He trusted Shin, and gave it to Rashia.

    ¡°Mm¡­ah¡­¡±

    The results were astonishing.

    The bleeding had stopped and the wound was closing in on itself. Her pale skin regained color. Her face had been the picture of agony. Now it was calm and soothed.

    No one would have believed that she had been dying only a second ago. The only proof of the event was her torn clothes and the pool of drying blood.

    ¡°Eh? What¡­I..¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Rashia was fully recovered. She seemed dazed, as she looked around.

    ¡°How did I¡­!? Oh Wil! Where¡¯s Millie!? Where is she!¡±

    She frantically questioned Wilhelm. Even if the stab wound was gone, it didn¡¯t mean that she had recovered her stamina. She couldn¡¯t muster any strength in her arms.

    ¡°She was gone by the time I got here.¡±

    Rashia was losing her mind, and Wilhelm could only tell her the truth.

    He was familiar with the presence of every orphan in the church. He could not feel that of Millie anywhere nearby.

    ¡°No¡­Millie¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop crying and tell me what happened.¡±

    Wilhelm was losing his patience, and Rashia looked up towards him.

    ¡°She can¡¯t be dead. We have to get her back! Tell me!¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. ¡­she¡¯ll be alright, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they said they¡¯re headed back to the church headquarter. I doubt they¡¯ll get right to the killing. I also told Shin.¡±

    She nodded, as tears fell down her cheeks.

    Millie was taken. But Wilhelm was right. Millie was still alive.

    Neither Rashia nor Wilhelm knew Father Bulk¡¯s motives. It didn¡¯t matter anyways.

    Millie was a friend. She was family.

    If she needed help, they would help her.

    ¡°Wilhelm!¡±

    A loud shout was heard from the steps of the church.

    Wilhelm had managed to help Rashia sit in a chair. He turned to the source of the voice.

    ¡°About time.¡±

    It was Shin. He had Yuzuha on his shoulders. Schnee and Tiera followed behind.

    Shin also held ¡ºVenom¡» in his hand.

    ¡°I saw your message and sent you some items. Is Rashia¡­what is that blood?¡±

    He was bewildered by therge, dark red spot by the alter. It had to be at least a mel in diameter.

    He had only read the word ¡®stabbed¡¯. He had not anticipated that much blood loss from the message alone.

    ¡°You made it sound like she was just a little hurt. What in the world happened?¡±

    Shin looked to see that Rashia was okay. Then he asked Wilhelm.

    ¡°You have to ask her for the details. All I know is this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Millie was taken and Rashia was stabbed by an upper ss Chosen One. He had an unusual weapon too.¡±

    ¡°Is that why ¡ºVenom¡» is like this?¡±

    Shin held up ¡ºVenom¡», with a chip in it. The item¡¯s durability was reduced by a third.

    ¡°It was just one hit.¡±

    ¡°One hit?¡±

    ¡°One strike did this.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. That means that this is no simple kidnapping.¡±

    Shin thought about it. The weapon that was used against Wilhelm must be at least ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. It could also be ¡¶Ancient¡·. Otherwise, ¡ºVenom¡» wouldn¡¯t have be like this.

    ¡°Wil. Did you fight the blonde swordsman with the red sword?¡±

    Rashia had been listening to the conversation.

    ¡°Yes. I know you¡¯ve only just gotten up, but tell us what happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Rashia tried her hardest to tell them without getting emotional.

    ¡°I see. Then Millie shouldn¡¯t be in immediate danger. Father Bulk didn¡¯t care about this church at all. He was after Millie the whole time.¡±

    ¡°They must be after Millie¡¯s gift.¡±

    They agreed.

    Millie was a ¡®Hoshiyomi¡¯. She could predict the future. (T/N: Hoshiyomi or Star Reader)

    ¡°I know you already talked about this. This ¡®Eline¡¯¡­are you sure he called his weapon ¡ºExvaine¡», and are you sure he said it was a ¡®High Human¡¯ weapon?¡±

    Shin was more concerned with this than Millie after hearing Rashia finish telling them what had happened.

    ¡°Yes. The bracelet that I had received from you held him off until he used the red sword against me and the bracelet shattered. I believe Millie¡¯s item only had a crack in it towards the end, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin repeated her words in his mind. If he was right about his hunch, then Rashia¡¯s item couldn¡¯t have bought them any time at all.

    Even Millie¡¯s item would have broken eventually.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about Millie. Rashia, you need to rest now.¡±

    Shin brushed off Rashia¡¯s question, but she knew something was wrong.

    It wasn¡¯t possible for Rashia to understand, because she didn¡¯t know he was a High Human.

    Rashia looked dejected, but Wilhelm tried to reassure her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take over from now on. You have the other children here to protect. Tell Thoria to also be careful.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°It really wasn¡¯t your fault. You were up against some scary things. How could you have gone up against an opponent that even I couldn¡¯t handle?¡±

    Rashia had leveled up, but she was far from an upper ss Chosen One. Even if she had fought normally, she couldn¡¯t even have posed a threat against her foes.

    Perhaps there was some saving grace to her leveling up though. Because of that, her blood loss was minimized. It wasn¡¯t all hopeless.

    If Rashia had died, Millie would have been devastated.

    ¡°You need to get better. For Millie.¡±

    Shin who also joined the persuasion somehow managed to get Rashia to return to the orphanage.

 Book 6: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    Vol. 6 Chapter 1 ¨C Part 5

    ¡°What is it? Do you know about the weapon that guy used?¡±

    Wilhelm asked after they had cleaned up the bloody mess.

    He didn¡¯t bother to hide his anger anymore.

    Perhaps something snapped after Rashia had left the room.

    ¡°Calm down Wilhelm¡­I thought I had an idea of what we were up against, but now it¡¯s certain. What do you think Schnee?¡±

    ¡°The odds are stacked. I think we¡¯re both on the same page.¡±

    Schnee seemed to be thinking the same thing. While Shin didn¡¯t spell it out, she agreed with him.

    ¡°What is it then?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard for us when you¡¯re both in the know and we¡¯re not.¡±

    Wilhelm was impatient. Tiera also red at Shin, for leaving her out.

    ¡°Sorry. ¡ºExvaine¡» used to belong to a friend of mine. It¡¯s actual name is ¡ºRed Crystal Sword Exvaine¡». It¡¯s ancient grade¡­and it¡¯s a sword that I forged myself.¡±

    Shin sighed. If what Rashia heard was right, that a High Human made the weapon, then that must be the case.

    What made Shin even more sure was how he had never sold it to other yers.

    ¡°Wilhelm, I believe that you struggled due to one of the sword¡¯s abilities.¡± Shin began to exin.

    One. It increases damage against humans. Two. The de can decrease magic damage against it.

    While it doesn¡¯t have very many abilities as far as a high-ss weapon goes, originally it was meant to be ast resort weapon. Since ¡ºExvaine¡» itself has tremendous damage potential, Shin had figured that it didn¡¯t require any more abilities.

    ¡°Well of course I didn¡¯t stand a chance. It was forged by the ¡®Dark cksmith¡¯.¡±

    He must have remembered the battle earlier. Wilhelm furrowed his brow.

    ¡°I see. Eh? I thought the weapons forge can¡¯t be used other than the intended user?¡±

    Tiera blurted out after thinking about what Shin had said about Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡». While the circumstances were slightly different, she had the right idea.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. ¡ºExvaine¡» was handed to my friend Filma. Only she should be able to use it. Even if she were to give it away willingly, I doubt that she would be the kind of person that¡¯d attack a church. Schnee, when was thest time you spoke to Filma?¡±

    Filma is one of Shin¡¯s support characters.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t spoken since the cataclysm. That should be some 450 years or so.¡±

    ¡°¡­and you didn¡¯t think to tell me or look for her after all that time?¡±

    Shin was aghast at how calm Schnee was.

    ¡°Well, we live such long lives¡­ and when we¡¯re at the top of our respective races, time is just¡­our sense of time is so different and¡­ Other than looking for Shin, I had assumed that Filma was the type that wanted to live peacefully and live alone. I¡¯m terribly sorry, we never were heavily in touch either, and¡­¡±

    It¡¯s one thing if it¡¯s an important character like Girard or Shibaid. For other characters though, particrly those that were isted and not in a party, it was a different matter.

    Of course, if Filma hade across a clue about Shin, she would have contacted Schnee.

    Filma was an upper-ss lord, aka a High Lord. Since Schnee and Filma were simr beings with long lives, not hearing from each other for centuries was not unusual.

    ¡°Shin, I know I said this before, but for High Elves like master, 500 years is nothing. There are High Elves who nap for that long.¡±

    Tiera was the one that came to help Schnee who was under scrutiny. Tiera was quite young as an elf, so her sense of the surroundings ¨C or theck thereof ¨C was not as extreme as Schnee¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m at fault too.¡±

    When your lifetimests for thousands of years, there¡¯s no point keeping track of events. While there are those who live a very purposeful and meaningful 500 years, most do not.

    Either way, Shin has only been around for 20 years. He couldn¡¯t possibly fathom that sort of mentality.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. Do you know where Filma was headedst then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She was headed to the north. At least I think so. It¡¯s been such a long time though. Again, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t be. It¡¯s impressive that you even remember that detail.¡±

    Shin thought to himself ¨C ¡®I bet I wouldn¡¯t have.¡¯

    ¡°North though, huh. We don¡¯t have a decent map, so it¡¯s hard to say where.¡±

    ¡°I have a map.¡±

    Schnee reached into her Item Box and pulled out a map from her inventory. She ced it on the stool.

    You could see how vast the ocean was in the middle of the continent. This always gave an illusion that there were two continents. ording to Schnee, the north was called Est and the south was called Kern. Shin and his party were in Bayreuth. It was close to the southern end of Kern.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never actually seen a map of our continent that¡¯s so precise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen maps at the market, but never this good.¡±

    Wilhelm also couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. Shin also recalled the map he had bought in a shop.

    ¡°When you sell urate maps, other countries can use it to their advantage. It¡¯s difficult to make these too. This one was created by looking down from the Sky Castle.¡±

    ¡°I can see how looking down would allow such uracy.¡±

    Shin nodded. Using a guild house castle in such a way almost seemed like cheating.

    ¡°Does this mean that we have to go even further north in Est?¡±

    ¡°We might even end up in the north of Kern. Some truly believe that Est and Kern are two separate entities. Back when Filma had mentioned her journey, there was no such thing as Kern or Est.¡±

    People started calling the areas by those names almost 400 years ago.

    The map was made after Filma¡¯s disappearance. It¡¯s hard to tell how Filma understood the continental divide.

    ¡°So. Why did that bastard have your friend¡¯s sword?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no way to know unless we ask Filma or the sword¡¯s current owner. We can¡¯t let it be this way for long though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s attitude had sharply changed over the course of this discussion. His tone was more aggressive.

    He clenched hard at the stool that the map wasid upon. You could hear a faint crushing noiseing from within his hand. Wilhelm was more obvious with his emotions, but Shin was boiling up inside, although he appeared calm.

    ording to Rashia¡¯s story, it was unlikely that Father Bulk would kill Millie instantly.

    That didn¡¯t mean that Millie was safe though. In the worst-case scenario, Millie would be put through unbearable pain and suffering in order to make her cooperate.

    What¡¯s more, Eline was clearly abnormal. It pissed off Shin beyond anything, that someone could have the nerve to equip another person¡¯s weapon.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that he could let a person breathe, if they had taken another¡¯s weapon by virtue of murder.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Please. Please calm down.¡±

    Tiera gently touched Shin¡¯s left arm. Her voice quivered, and Schnee ced her hand over Shin¡¯s right hand.

    Yuzuha could also feel the tension in the air. She said nothing, and rubbed Shin¡¯s cheek slowly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one upset then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    Shin tried to breathe in deeply in order to slow his nerves.

    ¡°Sorry¡­we have to talk about how to get Millie back. Wilhelm, when you fought Eline, did he say anything about where they were headed?¡±

    Shin apologized and thanked the three, then asked Wilhelm.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to the Church headquarter. He told me to bring back ¡ºVenom¡» after fixing it. That bastard.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s bad mood worsened.

    ¡°Which means, that even if we can¡¯t catch up with them, an encounter is unavoidable at the Church.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not possible to catch up.¡±

    Wilhelm shut Shin down.

    ¡°What do you mean? I think it¡¯s entirely possible at our journey speed.¡±

    ¡°Eline disappeared after our battle. He didn¡¯t just disappear out of sight. I think¡­he ¡®teleported¡¯.¡±

    Wilhelm had actually witnessed Eline fade away. He would have recognized a magic skill ¡¾Hiding¡¿. It was nothing of the sort.

    ¡°¡¾Teleportation¡¿¡­really?¡±

    ¡°I think so. It didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to hide himself.¡±

    Shin mulled it over, as Schnee interrupted.

    ¡°It must be the difference in the magical current.¡±

    ¡°Magical current?¡±

    Shin nced over at Schnee over a concept he¡¯d never heard of.

    ¡°¡¾Teleportation¡¿ and ¡¾Hiding¡¿ rely on different magical currents. Wilhelm knows what ¡¾Hiding¡¿ feels like in the surrounding area. It must have been an unfamiliar feeling.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea. How does it feel different?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the person. There are those who are sensitive to magical currents and others who can¡¯t sense it too.¡±

    It was a different setting from the game. It must be simr to the concept of the arts ¨C something that only really exists in this universe alone.

    ¡°Then we have to head directly to the Church headquarter. Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Around here.¡±

    Schnee pointed at the map with her thin finger. It was in the center of Est.

    This meant that they¡¯d have to cross through Kern and stop somewhere in the middle of Est.

    ¡°This is going to take some time.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can reach out to Vizzy. We could borrow a dragon. That would dramatically decrease our travel time.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please do that.¡±

    Vizzy was a summoner and tamer, as well as a supporting character of Cashmere. (T/N: Changed Busy to Vizzy)

    Rumor had it that there were several dragons being trained at the castle. It could be their chance to save time.

    Thest message sent to Raster had no reply. They could also check in on that front.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s so busy that he just forgot?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Shin knew Raster well enough. He could picture that. Raster had that personality of often forgetting his environment when focused too much on a single task.

    In the real world, someone like him would be called a ¡®mechanic nerd¡¯.

    ¡°I knew this already but¡­he really is crazy isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t think about anything too hard.¡±

    Riding a dragon was the kind of thought that a yer would have. People who lived in this universe would never consider it as a transportation means.

    Aside from a few warriors in the Kilmont Sky Dragoon, it was a rare skill for anyone to possess. Riding a dragon was tremendously difficult.

    Wilhelm knew that Shin was an abnormal being.

    Still, as someone native, these weren¡¯t instinctive or natural thoughts. Tiera looked over at Wilhelm, dumbfounded, as she once used to be because of her culture shock from Shin.

    ¡°Our destination is set. Who knows what¡¯ll happen, but we have to prepare now. We have to get Millie back.¡±

    ¡°No need to say that twice.¡±

    Wilhelm headed towards Rashia to update her on their next moves.

    In the meantime, Schnee and Tiera went to go find food. Shin took the broken ¡ºVenom¡» and headed outside of the capital.

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    He was in the middle of a field, not too far from civilization, and made Tsuki no Hokora materialize. He had ced a hiding spell on it, to keep it out of people¡¯s sight.

    The furnace was already roaring. The necessary metals to enhance ¡ºVenom¡» were prepared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­which one¡­¡±

    Shin looked over ¡ºVenom¡».

    Enhancing ¡ºVenom¡» was different from the kinds of actions to take with Schnee¡¯s weapon, for instance. ¡ºVenom¡» required a higher status from its user. Certain conditions needed to be met for the spear to grow stronger.

    While the conditions weren¡¯t exactly clear, Shin knew that Wilhelm and ¡ºVenom¡» together satisfied anybination of terms.

    ¡ºVenom¡» was interesting, in that it had two possible paths ¨C ¡®holy¡¯ or ¡®demonic¡¯. It was a surprise how it¡¯d turn out.

    Shin instructed Yuzuha to step aside and got to work.

    Shin took the refined orichalcum and mithril ingot and ced it close by. He threw ¡ºVenom¡» into the fire.

    Even ancient grade metal stood no chance in this fire. ¡ºVenom¡» melted within seconds, bing a block of ingot.

    Shin thrust his hammer down.

    ¡°!!!!¡±

    With each heavy hammering, ¡ºVenom¡»¡¯s magic was being swerved left and right by Shin¡¯s overpowering magic. The entire workshop was full of sparks.

    When rebuilding a weapon from the ground up, all of the magic in a weapon needed to be exhausted.

    It all depended on the cksmith, how much magic could be drained and how much could be poured back in.

    The ingot that was once ¡ºVenom¡» would make any normal person fall with a single touch. Weapons that were heavily used were even more difficult to mold.

    ¡°!¡±

    After a few dozen hammers , the ingot began to change shape. Its red hue was fading as a silver gleam started to be more prominent.

    Shin smiled at the sight. The silver meant that the spear would be holy.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news.¡±

    He chuckled, and began to put more power into his arms.

    A high pitched banging of metal to metal echoed throughout the shrine. The ingot was turning brighter and brighter, and Shin¡¯s hammer was thrusting heavier and heavier.

    With thest hammer in, a final blow of force rippled from the metal to the surrounding area.

    Any normal cksmith would have had his arm explode from the might.

    It was but a breeze to a seasoned Shin, as he looked deeply into the ingot.

    All of its original magic was gone, as it started to emit a stronger radiance.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Shin was satisfied with his work, and reached over for the orichalcum and mithril. He ced them over the ingot and continued to hammer down.

    A different note could be heard with each bang. At first the metals made more of a grunting noise, but as they meshed into one, the tone became a clear ng and ringing tter.

    Shin was also more patient, more intentional with each thrust. The ingot was resistant at first and you could almost hear it. Eventually, it made no noise. It shook but seemed resigned and epting its own fate.

    ¡°!¡±

    Shin let out a sigh with the final blow.

    He lifted his hammer and looked down to see a single spear.

    The entire spear, up until the tip of the de, shimmered silver.

    A small cross shaved clear crystal was ced between the spearhead, embellished with a red marking here and there. This must be the remains of ¡ºVenom¡».

    Shin took the spear in hand and began to appraise.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Holy spear ¡ºBeinot¡»¡± Total score SS¡±

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°All bonus conditions met. Warrior equipped will be given the title ¡®Smiling Guardian¡¯.¡±

    Looking at the minute details, Shin¡¯s eyes stopped.

    The weapon in his hand should have been an upper mythology grade weapon. In fact, it had upgraded to a lower ancient grade weapon.

    He expected as much as far as the bonuses would go, but¡­

    ¡°I see. So this method also upgrades the weapon ss.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºMoon Destroyer¡», Wolfgang¡¯s ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» were all at their highest sses. There was no way to upgrade beyond higher ancient.

    Plus, ¡ºSwift Fang¡» was only welded for an ability upgrade. There was no way that it could also ss upgrade.

    ¡°Now it¡¯ll be a fair match with ¡ºExvaine¡».¡±

    Comparing weapons alone, ¡ºBeinot¡» was superior.

    Who knows how the battle will unfold, but Wilhelm and ¡ºBeinot¡» should be able to meet eye to eye with Eline and ¡ºExvaine¡».

    Shin quickly turned ¡ºBeinot¡» into a card and returned to the capital.

    Schnee was already done with her errands. Everyone was back at the church orphanage.

    ¡°Vizzy got back to me. The capital will draw too much attention. We have to meet somewhere a little more remote.¡±

    ¡°How long will we have to wait?¡±

    ¡°About an hour.¡±

    ¡°Then we can head there and wait.¡±

    Vizzy had things to do too. Even if Shin was the same rank with Vizzy¡¯s master, Cashmere, he couldn¡¯t get upset.

    Besides, riding a dragon would reduce their overall travel time by more than an hour.

    Wilhelm was thest one to join them. Shin and the party left the capital.

    They went out for some 20 minutes to the middle of a field with nothing in the way. They would wait for Vizzy there, and they had already checked that no one would bother them.

    Wilhelm had already received the ¡ºBeinot¡» card.

    ¡°¡­There.¡±

    Shin looked over. In the clouds, a small shadow appeared.

    He counted 5. They waited a bit longer as the shadows became clearer.

    ¡°Hey. Shin. The red one in the front¡­ that¡¯s an elder red dragon.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it doesn¡¯t look full-grown.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really not the point.¡±

    Shin thought that he was remarking on how small the dragon is.

    The elder red dragons that Wilhelm said were upper ss monsters in the dragon family. Inparison to normal red dragons, they had considerably higher battle specs.

    They grew to be about 20 mels, but the dragon in the front looked to be half of that.

    There were two dragons on each side of the red dragon, all with elder titles: a blue dragon and green dragon to its left and a white dragon and ck dragon to its right.

    They must also see Shin and his party.

    They gradually decreased in altitude,nding some 10 mels away from them.

    A woman wearing a robe swooped down from the elder red dragon.

    ¡°Hi~ long time no see~. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d reallye back~.¡±

    A woman walked towards Shin, speaking slowly.

    She was Vizzy Laurette, a tamer under Cashmere.

    Her semi-long golden hair had a slight tint of pink in them, and she looked into Shin¡¯s face with trademark High Pixie clear blue eyes. She couldn¡¯t be taller than 150 cemels.

    She appeared to be a beautiful little girl.

    ¡°You still talk like that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed really.¡±

    One of Vizzy¡¯s settings was to talk slowly.

    ording to Schnee, her personality had not digressed one bit.

    ¡°I heard that you needed some dragons~, so I brought you~ there babies~. They¡¯re small but~ very good at flying~.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Vizzy smiled, unlike her counterpart supporting character Berett, who was shy and reserved. Shin¡¯s memory did not fail him.

    They didn¡¯t have time to chit-chat, so each character began to maneuver a dragon.

    Vizzy rode on her elder red, as Schnee took the blue, Tiera and Kagerou took the green, Shin and Yuzuha took the ck and Wilhelm took the white dragon. Kagerou hid in Tiera¡¯s shadow, while Yuzuha dug deeper into Shin¡¯s jacket, peeking out just the face.

    With Vizzy leading, Shin and Schnee took her nks. Wilhelm and Tiera were behind Shin and Schnee, respectively.

    While they were all novices at riding dragons except for Shin and Schnee, each dragon understood words clearly. It was not possible for the dragons to fly in the wrong direction.

    Wilhelm and Tiera were reluctant, and ced all of their faith in their dragons.

    ¡°It¡¯s high¡­and it¡¯s cold¡­¡±

    Tiera, who had never had any experience with even the idea of flying, was shocked by the height and the ambient temperature.

    Magic only helped a little in terms of the wind or the cold air. She wasn¡¯t equipping very much either, and shivered.

    Kagerou didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the temperature, and peered anxiously at Tiera¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now I understand why Vizzy wears a robe¡­ Hm?¡±

    A message card appeared in front of Tiera.

    She opened it to see a fur robe card.

    ¡°USE IT!¡±

    Shin shouted back at her. It was hard to hear with the wind in her ears, but she waved back at him.

    She moved slowly in order not to lose her bnce, as a warm, thick, green outer garment appeared. She managed to pull it over herself despite the wind getting in her way.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    It was no ordinary outer garment. All of the cold difort vanished, and the icy wind was transformed into softness.

    Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t seem bothered by the cold either.

    Tiera nced over at Wilhelm, who had already taken the initiative to use his own cloak.

    Tiera had heard from Shin earlier, that they were meeting Shibaid at the dragon kingdom Kilmont. She recalled the power and aura of the High Dragnil.

    ¡°I don¡¯t belong here.¡±

    Every person that the party had encountered until now has been abnormally strong and powerful. Tiera understood her ce in the world, and felt discouraged.

    ¡°Gruu.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. We have to save Millie. I have to stop thinking about myself.¡±

    Tiera pat Kagerou on the head, and took in a deep breath to encourage herself.

    She had tamed Kagerou after all, and they had bonded in a way that they both knew exactly how the other felt. This was not an easy feat, even for extremely advanced trainers. Tiera didn¡¯t know that though.

 Book 6: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    Vol. 6 Chapter 2 ¨C Part 1

    The party cut through the wind and continued to fly.

    It had been a few hours since they left Bayreuth. They took breaks and continued their journey, making it past the Melt mountains before sunset

    They had to go around the mountains, and it took longer than if they had just gone straight through it. It was inevitable, since the dragons were not full grown and the party did not want to anger the Melt mountains¡¯ guardian, the Mist Garuda.

    The elder dragons that Vizzy brought had yet to reach adulthood.

    She had intended to bring adult elder dragons, but it was breeding season. It was not possible to remove them from Rashugum.

    That was why she had brought the younger ones, who weren¡¯t ready for breeding yet.

    Aside from their sizes, they weren¡¯t that different from the adults. However, their smaller stature made an impact on their flying abilities.

    They weren¡¯t as fast as the adults, nor could they fly very high.

    If the elder dragons were adults, it would have been possible to fly over the Melt mountains easily.

    There was a variation in the pack¡¯s colors, because there weren¡¯t enough green elder dragons ¨C the fastest ones. Aside from that, having a set of dragons with different specialties was better for an emergency.

    ¡°We should set camp here tonight.¡±

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯ll set up a ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll pitch a tent.¡±

    Shin took out a tent for camping from his Item Box.

    It wasn¡¯t a personal-sized tent, but for a party or a group. Since the tentes out fully assembled, there¡¯s no need for extra work.

    Still, some yers enjoy assembling tents during game y.

    The tent wasrge enough for a party of 6, the party limit, to the extent that they could all huddle up and sleep together. However, in this case the tent was divided into two sections. Men and Women.

    There was simple bedding provided inside, with adequate temperature control. Obviously magic was involved.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s from Berett.¡±

    A message arrived from Berett, as Shin set up camp. He had asked for more information about the church from the Golden Company that Berett managed.

    Shin looked over the information.

    The firm had a branch in the city of Sigurd, where the church¡¯s headquarter was based. Berett had ordered his workers to spy on the church¡¯s movements. So far nothing was out of the ordinary.

    The church had gained support from several different regions, after being involved in revival movements post ¨C ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±.

    There were many religions across Eltnia, like those who worshipped indigenous gods and heroes. Still, church followers made up the majority of the poption.

    The Pope was at the top, with several cardinals and priests below him, dispatched across Eltnia and its many smaller countries. Due to the volume of followers and the expansion of the church organization, Sigurd alone felt like its own city state.

    Of course, other countries did not approve of this way.

    That was why the church¡¯s knights acted like a standing army, clearing out the monsters in the area as a way of keeping bnce with the surrounding countries. Rumor has it, that there was even a special military forceposed of only Chosen Ones.

    Some individuals also possessed their own Chosen Ones.

    Perhaps Bulk and Eline¡¯s rtionship was just another form of that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re already there. Who knows what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    It was hard for Shin to decide whether Millie¡¯s abduction was Bulk acting out rashly, or the will of the church.

    He felt like it was probably the former, but when he also considered Millie¡¯s abilities, it was entirely likely that the church¡¯s upper echelon had their own personal agenda.

    Berett had already been notified that a child with special abilities had been abducted by a father of the church. It would take some time though for the details to be clear.

    They were up against the church though. It would be irresponsible to drag in those who were not involved to begin with.

    Was Bulk alone? Were there others? It was necessary to make it clear.

    Regardless of who was responsible ¨C whether it was just Bulk or a few others ¨C it had to be stopped. And it had to be stopped at all costs.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to know how Millie¡¯s doing, or how much the church really knows.¡±

    ¡°The inside of the church has more intense security than castles around here. Besides, on this continent, the church definitely has the most Chosen Ones. Even if we have friends in the Golden Company, it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡±

    If it were just a numbers game, the adventure guild had an advantage. However, the church had more Chosen Ones under itsmand that were free to do as they pleased.

    This force was quite potent, especially since the extent of each individual¡¯s abilities were unknown. The church could easily take over any of the countries in the vicinity.

    ¡°If all of the church is in on it, it means that we have to take everyone down¡­ that¡¯s annoying. Should we take them down all in one sweep?¡±

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be too many of them. Perhaps that would be easier for us to maneuver.¡±

    Shin was talking to himself, and Schnee responded while cooking.

    This was if the church was in on it, or if the upper echelon of the church had been a part of it. If this were the case though, the church would have to go down.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! Shin, I mean you guys, are starting to sound a little crazy!¡±

    Tiera had to intervene.

    Of course Tiera was upset about Millie.

    However, it was worrisome hearing Shin and Schnee practically dering war on the entire church.

    But of course, it wasn¡¯t as if Shin and Schnee were going to attack the church right now, at this instant. Still, it was nothing to joke about.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯d be easy for the two of you.¡±

    Unlike Tiera, Wilhelm couldn¡¯t hide the astonishment in the tone of his voice.

    Of course he was still bitter, but time had cooled down his temper. Inparison to before they had taken off, he had controlled his emotions much more.

    ¡°You too Wilhelm-san, please refrain from saying absurd things¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. If we¡¯re getting Millie back, the end result will be the same for anyone who gets in the way.¡±

    Wilhelm red towards Sigurd.

    Shin agreed.

    The only two that he knew would be a handful, were Father Bulk and his loyal pet Eline. Aside from those two, Shin andpany did not know; what other war potentials they had, why they were after Millie, and why they possessed Exvaine.

    One thing was for certain, and that was Shin and his party¡¯s purpose.

    They had to get Millie back. That was it.

    The enemy could be the whole church, or part of the church. It didn¡¯t matter. They knew what they had to do, and they had the strength to do it.

    Shin heaved a sigh like he was letting out all of the heat in his body. He loosened his shoulders.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like we need to make decisions right now. We should eat. Sorry Tiera.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t lost his cool, but he was aware that he was more aggressive than usual.

    He apologized to a concerned-looking Tiera and tried to focus on something else.

    ¡°But when master and Shin say such things, it¡¯s never to be taken lightly. Besides, dinner is served. Master, how did you do that.¡±

    Schnee had never stopped working throughout the conversation.

    Shin looked over at what Tiera was talking about. The table was set and the food was ready.

    ¡°Oh, this is nothing. Vizzy! Dinner¡¯s ready.¡±

    Schnee called on Vizzy who was tending to the elder dragons.

    Vizzy fed the 5 different colored elder dragons, and Shin and his party couldn¡¯t help her.

    The dragons each bit into their own pile of meat, that would havee from at least one cattle.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait~. Wow~. What a feast~. It doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re camping out~.¡±

    Vizzy walked towards Shin and the party, and smiled at the meal.

    ¡°Aw Schnee~ this is impressive. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re finally able to show off after all that practice while Shin was gone~.¡±

    She had known about Schnee leveling up at cooking.

    ¡°Vizzy, did you see Schnee often during that time?¡±

    ¡°Yes~. We cooked~ we¡¯d knit too~. By the way~ did she give it to you yet~?¡±

    ¡°Give what?¡±

    ¡°What do you mea~n!¡±

    Vizzy was cut off abruptly.

    Schnee had stopped her from finishing her thought by blocking her mouth.

    It was out of the blue, and Vizzy tried to get out of Schnee¡¯s hold. after all, she works for Cashmere in the Rokuten. She¡¯s much more adept than most upper ss Chosen Ones.

    Schnee however had been born and raised forbat. Vizzy¡¯s resistance was useless, given the ss difference.

    ¡°Mmmmm! Mmmmmm! Mmmm¡­.¡± Vizzy was growing weaker. She was out of breath.

    ¡°Um¡­Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Vizzy was about to say, but can you let her go now? She¡¯s starting to look a little limp.¡±

    Vizzy didn¡¯t look ¡®a little limp¡¯. The moment Schnee let go of her, she gasped for air.

    ¡°Ah, haaaa, Schnee that was heartless~.¡±

    ¡°You really should keep your mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°Really~? But you worked so hard¡ª Okayyy~. I won¡¯t say anything anymore~.¡±

    Schnee was raising her right arm with a gritty smile on her face, and Vizzy raised both hands as a gesture of surrender. Schnee was smiling, except she wasn¡¯t.

    Not only did this exchange ease the tension, but it left Shin aghast.

    Perhaps Vizzy understood what was at stake, and she was trying to lighten the mood in her own way¡­perhaps¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Once they were finished eating, they prepared for the journey ahead and went to bed. No one was on guard duty. They had set up both ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ spells, and no one stood a chance against this party.

    At the rate that they traveled, it was possible for Shibaid to join them and for the party to arrive in Sigurd by the end of tomorrow.

    Contact had been made with Berett already. If any new information were obtained through the Golden Company in Sigurd, it¡¯d be ryed to Shin promptly. While he doubted that anything new woulde up overnight, he still had the investigation continue.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The dawn came and the party was heading toward Kilmont.

    They had left early in the morning, so before noon, they were a field away from the royal capital of Kilmont.

    ¡°(I can see the capital. We can get off our ride soon. How about you?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m ready. I¡¯ll leave the capital now. Where should we meet?)¡±

    Shin and Shibaid weremunicating via Mind Chat, and had a meeting ce set. They would head back to Kilmont after getting Millie back.

    The elder dragonsnded a few kemels away from Kilmont.

    In the direction from Kilmont, a shadow was approaching.

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡±

    Tiera noticed the presence, and she tried to see more closely.

    ¡°It¡¯s Shibaid. I got in touch with him beforehand.¡±

    Shin told his party not to worry. They waited.

    Within 5 minutes, the shadow emerged.

    It was Shin¡¯s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku, covered in ck scales and kicking up the dirt as he trekked to meet Shin.

    His luggage must be in an Item Box. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Shin or Schnee, but he sped towards them at well past the speed of an upper ss Chosen One.

    He wore protective gear which was different to the full body armor he originally wore. Only parts of his body such as the hands, feet and waist were protected with armor.

    ¡°Am Ite?¡±

    ¡°No, we flew. It¡¯s no surprise that we couldn¡¯t meet at the same time. Sorry that we hurried you.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize. I could never stay still, hearing that those with a holy upation would bring harm to a small child.¡±

    Shibaid let out a fiery breath. In contrast to Vizzy, he scowled and showed his disdain clearly.

    Shibaid showed more enthusiasm than Shin and the party. It could be the mix of his personality and his upation ¨C a simr field ¨C as a holy knight.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met~. We should leave~. Oh, Shibaid is heavy~, so Schnee should ride with Shin~. Shibaid should~ride the dragon that Schnee¡¯s riding~.¡±

    For some reason Vizzy gave a thumb¡¯s up while giving out orders.

    ¡°I get it. Sorry Schnee.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not a problem.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    There was nothing to disagree with, so Shin epted it.

    Shibaid was heavy. It made sense to switch riders.

    If there was any confusion, it was the fact that Schnee should ride with Tiera, since they were the two lightest characters.

    ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine, but you should grab on tight.¡±

    Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin¡¯s waist, and held on tightly. Shin made sure that they were secure, and ordered his elder dragon to rise.

    If it weren¡¯t for the dire situation, the ride should have been enjoyable. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

    The 5 dragons leapt into the air. Shin and his party was now headed straight for Sigurd.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Meanwhile, the church had no idea that the world¡¯s most powerful ability holders were on their tail. Father Bulk had returned, and he was headed to one location.

    Eline followed behind him carrying Millie.

    The two were walking along a block that was not known to the public. Only powerful men within the church knew of its existence, such as a cardinal or an even higher status.

    It was an undisclosed location within the guild house Palmirack, used as a safe house or an experiment room.

    The building itself was sturdy and the walls and floors gave off heat.

    Doors would open on their own just from sensing a presence.

    Magic was abundant, authenticating individuals across several species.

    Spells were active in these chambers that were impossible to recast from before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty,¡± and the leaders of the church held their offices and slept in these halls.

    A portion of the equipment in Palmirack was functional, and in a way that people could utilize it.

    Father Bulk was walking through corridors that were divided into even smaller sections, where several clearances passes were necessary. Unlike the other areas with several rooms, they stopped at one room the size of an entire area. Beautiful decorations adorned the room where Father Bulk stopped.

    It was the room of the ¡®Holy Woman¡¯.

    ¡°Pardon us.¡±

    Father Bulk opened the door without knocking.

    For a personal room, it appeared very sparse. One look and you¡¯d think that it was a prayer room.

    It was about 25 mels by 40 mels. The ceiling was 10 mels high. The room was enormous.

    The floor in the center was a step higher than the rest of the room, giving off an even greater impression that this was a room for prayer.

    Except that there was a bed there. A thin cloth draped from above, surrounding this bed.

    You could see the shadow of a petite woman.

    ¡°Sorry, did we disturb you? How are you my dearest Saint?¡±

    ¡°¡­Your sarcasm is ill taken. Stop it.¡±

    Bulk bowed borately, and this was only making the Holy Woman more disgusted.

    Most people would have fallen in love with such a soothing voice, but the disdain was palpable.

    ¡°Well, well. It seems that I am truly hated. I figured you were lonely, so I brought you your own kind.¡±

    ¡°My own? ¡­! No!¡±

    The Holy Woman held her breath as she processed Bulk¡¯s words.

    Of course, she knew that he didn¡¯t mean her own species, when he had said her ¡®own kind¡¯.

    As a holy man, Father Bulk has swayed far from the righteous path. But he would never bring an outsider to a Holy Woman¡¯s room, just because they¡¯re the ¡®same species¡¯.

    Which meant one thing with regards to her special title.

    ¡°You guess it right.¡±

    The Saint¡¯s expression became grim as Father Bulk¡¯s words sank in.

    ¡°Eline.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Eline responded promptly.

    He calmly stepped forward towards the Saint and ced Millie on the floor, lifting her from his shoulders.

    ¡°Where did you take her from?¡±

    ¡°She was being kept at some church. They knew how special she is though, so it was a bit of a struggle.¡±

    Father Bulk spoke as if it were a matter of fact.

    However, the Saint knew that he was lying.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the same boat. Please be kind to her. You know how it goes ¨C unless she can control her powers, she will have horrid nightmares right? Besides, maybe if all goes well she can be your recement.¡±

    ¡°You monster!¡±

    The word recement triggered something in the Saint.

    Of course, she wanted out. But that didn¡¯t mean that she would sacrifice a small child for her own sake.

    ¡°If you do nothing, we¡¯d be forced to educate her. Who knows what will happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯ll take her.¡±

    The Saint had to bite her tongue to stop herself from all the profanities she wanted to spit at Father Bulk.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be going now. Please hurry so that she¡¯s useful soon.¡±

    Father Bulk thanked her half heartedly and left the Saint¡¯s room.

    Eline followed Bulk, leaving behind Millie and the Saint.

    ¡°¡®Useful¡¯!?¡±

    The Holy Woman squeezed her fist, fuming at the way Bulk had handled Millie like some sort of tool.

    She stood from the edge of the bed where she was sitting, and lifted the thin cloth to inch closer towards the unconscious Millie.

    She was no longer hidden by the cloth, and her physicality became more present.

    She was beautiful ¨C as beautiful as you¡¯d imagine any saint.

    Her marble skin, her silky white hair, her clear blue eyes.

    The face staring down at Millie was as beautiful as a doll, while radiating the warmth that a doll could not.

    This made the ck cor around her neck stand out even more.

    She was perhaps 16 years old. Maybe it was too soon to call her a ¡®woman,¡¯ but she was beyond the maturity of a little girl.

    She held the sleeping Millie into her arm. Millie¡¯s eyes opened, after feeling a warm body pressing against hers.

    ¡°Mmmm¡­?¡±

    ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    Her voice was so close, she realized that she was being held.

    It might have been due to her beastly instincts ¨C Millie twisted herself out of the Holy Woman¡¯s embrace. She looked around the room and realized that she was no longer at the church.

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°You are in the church of the fortress city Sigurd. This is a room that only Saints can be in.¡±

    ¡°This is a church too? Saints?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Saints. Those that have been approved by the church to aid in the works of miracles. However, I¡¯m a Saint only in name.¡±

    Millie looked around everywhere, trying to find an escape route. The Holy Woman was calm.

    She was so calm that it made Millie rx a bit.

    ¡°My name is Hermie Schultz. And you are?¡±

    ¡°¡­Millie.¡±

    ¡°Millie. Aren¡¯t you hurt? I understand that you were brought here against your will.¡±

    ¡°!? Shia¡­Oh no! Shia¡¯s going to die!¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words remind Millie of the circumstances by which she was brought here. Thest thing she remembers is Rashia in a pool of her own blood.

    ¡°Calm down. You can¡¯t do anything right now.¡±

    ¡°But¡­they were after me. Shia got hurt because I was¡­¡±

    Millie had heard Bulk speak, and she had pieced it together that she was to me for Rashia¡¯s injuries.

    Rashia had been there for her when Millie had no family. She had smiled at her.

    Millie couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Rashia¡¯s face, contorted in pain and sinking into a pool of blood.

    ¡°Was she special to you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then think about her very strongly.¡±

    As Hermie said that, she held Millie. Hermie¡¯s warmth made Millie forget her fears for a second.

    Millie closed her eyes tightly, and saw the image of Rashia, smiling and patting Millie¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­Yes. You don¡¯t have to worry. Your special person is safe.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hermie patted Millie¡¯s head, trying tofort her.

    When Millie looked up, she couldn¡¯t help but mistake Hermie for Rashia.

    ¡°I know you might not believe me, but your special someone is very safe. Yes¡­she¡¯s been helped by those with strong capabilities.¡±

    ¡°¡­Wil-nii and Shin-nii¡­¡±

    Upon hearing Hermie¡¯s words, Millie immediately thought of Wilhelm and Shin.

    Millie¡¯s chest was bursting with relief.

    Those two could save Rashia, Millie sincerely believed.

    ¡°Millie-chan? ¡­My, you must trust those people very much.¡±

    Millie had fallen asleep again. She had loosened up after beingforted. Hermie carried Millie to the bed, and stared at a point in the wall.

    It may have been a coincidence. Or she knew. She was staring in the direction that Shin and his party wereing from.

    She patted Millie¡¯s headed and heaved a sigh.

    Her eyes cast doubt and fear.

    ¡°If she trusts them, they must not be bad people.¡±

    Hermie knew that Rashia was safe, because of her title of ¡®Star Reader¡¯.

    While under normal circumstances, ¡®Star Readers¡¯ could only see very little of the future and randomly, Hermie had trained to target and specify what she wants to know.

    As a result, Hermie had seen a woman being treated for her injuries. She had linked her senses with that of Millie, so that she knew that the woman was Rashia. There were also two men there- Wilhelm and Shin.

    Hermie understood that Millie poured all of her faith into these two figures.

    Unlike Millie, Hermie only harbored fear towards these two strangers.

    The reason being that, both Wilhelm and Shin housed many species within themselves.

    An abnormal, unique kind of strength. Hermie had been subjected to and known so many strong men, that she was not quick to trust any anymore.

    She was particrly frightened of Shin.

    ¡°Is that really even a person?¡±

    She blurted out the question that no one could answer. Her words were absorbed into the memories of the wall. That was just how much power Hermie had gauged within Shin. With one nce towards Shin, Hermie had almost lost her consciousness.

    From observing Eline, who could even make light of upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ strength, she was able to grasp an understanding of Shin¡¯s mighty strength.

    ¡°Maybe they can¡­¡±

    It was frightening. But an overwhelming sense of wind of changepelled her.

    They will definitelye to take Millie back.

    Then, something else will happen. Hermie knew.

    She didn¡¯t have to read the stars. It was an intuition ¨C something even more unreliable. But she felt more sure about it.

    As she scratched at the cor around her neck, Hermie prayed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Shin and his partynded on solid ground after hours of flying.

    Their gazes were towards something far away ¨C the fortress city of Sigurd. With their abilities, they should be inside the citypounds within an hour.

    ¡°Should I wait here~?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If we were to look into the church and also look for Millie, how much time would that take¡­?¡±

    Since their ¡®map¡¯ abilities had been reduced to initial stage levels, it¡¯s hard for Shin to get a grasp of what Palmirack is like on the inside.

    It would be best to have options avable, but it¡¯d be cruel to have her wait forever.

    While Vizzy works for Cashmere as a member of the Rokuten, that didn¡¯t mean that she had to follow Shin¡¯s orders. Unlike Schnee and Shibaid, there¡¯s some inconsistencies with her loyalty.

    ¡°I want to finish them off here. That might mean that we¡¯ll need you. I don¡¯t want it to take that long, but I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be needing you. Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine~. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s much to do in Rashugum anyways~. Besides~, I don¡¯t think I can keep my nose out of this one~.¡±

    She might have a different master, but Vizzy¡¯s still good at heart. That¡¯s why she must have disagreements with Father Bulk and the church.

    The other issue was that Eline could probably ¡¾Teleport¡¿ outside of the church too. It was necessary to secure an exit n just in case.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry, but wait for us here.¡±

    They left Vizzy behind to care for the dragons, while Shin and the party headed towards Sigurd.

    Kagerou pulled on the wagon, and they zipped past the field. In the middle of the journey, the wagon slowed down a little to blend in with the other wagons lined up heading towards the city.

    A giant fortress wall surrounded Sigurd. The city surrounded Palmirack and built itself around it.

    Due to the geography, Palmirack was built on a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding buildings. It was considered to be an icon of the city.

    ¡°This is a lively city.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s stupid enough to cause trouble at the foot of the church. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s considered one of the safest ces in the continent.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also in the center of Est. People from all sorts of background gather from various ces. If it¡¯s a busy ce with little crime, of course it¡¯ll turn out lively.¡±

    Wilhelm and Schnee discussed the city, while Shin covered his face with his cloak and stared at Palmirack from beneath his hood.

    Palmirack was within Shin¡¯s radar, but he couldn¡¯t see inside.

    With his introductory map abilities, it was not possible to see the insides of Palmirack from the outside.

    The Rokuten¡¯s guild houses were always protected against internal scanner skills. That kind of defense mechanism could have inspired something here too.

    ¡°At the very least, we should head to the gold trade¡¯s branch. It¡¯s only been a day, but maybe they have some new information.¡±

    ¡°Right. Either way we need an info.¡±

    They asked for directions and headed towards the Golden Company. It was expected, but the firm was quite famous within Sigurd. The familiar gold sign from Balmel could also be found here.

    They called on the staff, showed them the seal and paperwork included in Berett¡¯s message card, and were weed inside. They left their wagon outside, and headed into the building.

    Once they were led into the branch¡¯s head office, one young elf waited for them.

    ¡°I was expecting you.¡±

    The youth bowed his head politely and introduced himself as Ertol Maik. Supposedly he worked directly for Berett.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been instructed by Berett-sama. I hear that you want more information about the church.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it can be anything you know.¡±

    ¡°Let me begin then.¡±

    It was not disclosed that Shin was a High Human.

    ording to Ertol, a saint called the ¡°Soothsaying Holy Woman¡± was sick and being treated by the church. While it might not be a direct cause, the upper echelon of the church was quite active here.

    Furthermore, within the church confines there was an area that only those appointed could walk freely. Security was quite extreme, so it was impossible to see the insides. It was a safe bet that anything hidden would be within this exclusive area.

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of misinformation floating about regarding the church. Many outsiders have attempted to infiltrate it, so the rumor mill must be generated by those who work for the church. We¡¯ve had a branch here for quite some time now, but the church is still a great mystery¡­¡±

    Anything fishy regarding the church could basically be traced back to a drunk bbering on about it, or another, even less credible source.

    ¡°Do you know anything about who¡¯s going to take over the Bayreuth churches?¡±

    ¡°No, we have no information on that. I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I¡¯m afraid that this is it.¡±

    There were probably 10, maybe even 20 upper ss Chosen Ones working with the church. Even if you wanted to break in, several upper ss Chosen Ones guarded the church at different locations. They needed to be careful.

    It was tricky to attack this fortress.

    Despite the Golden Company that had been built by the ¡°Golden Merchant¡± Reed, it wasn¡¯t as if it housed only upper ss Chosen Ones. It¡¯s a matter of what¡¯s more valuable: quantity or quality.

    (We¡¯re on our own, huh?)

    There was only so much action you could take in stealth as an upper ss Chosen Ones.

    However, that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case for Shin or his party. If Shin and Schnee in particr were to move stealthily, very few could catch them in this universe.

    ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll be on our own then.¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m terribly sorry for my inadequacies.¡±

    ¡°¡±No. Everything you¡¯re saying alludes to how this is a difficult task, even if we had time. With so many upper ss Chosen Ones guarding, it¡¯s not simple.¡±

    There was no point in ming Ertol over this matter. What little information he provided was useful. Shin continued to ask more general questions about the church.

    They would require further assistance from the Golden Company. For now, they headed towards the inn.

    The party looked for an inn that would also take their wagon. They walked around the city for 20 or so minutes and found a promising one.

    ¡°Wee! Wee to the Silver Desert!¡±

    They were certainly enthusiastic.

    Since Sigurd is a city where travelerse and go, many of the inns were restaurants on the first floor and rooms on the second.

    The one that Shin and the party stepped into fit the stereotype. Waitresses wearing frilly uniforms bustled in between busy tables.

    Of the many waitresses, one with semi-long hair approached Shin and the party.

    ¡°Wee. Will you be dining or spending the night?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be staying. We also have a wagon in the front.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone tend to it. How many are in your party?¡±

    ¡°Five. We also have a few contract beasts. Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Several of our guests are travelers with contract beasts. However, there¡¯ll be a separate fee for them. Is that alright?¡±

    They agreed, and took a room. The room was one big one for the whole party.

    They held a brief meeting in the room and left the inn.

    ¡°Alright. Like we nned, we¡¯ll be back before the sun sets. If anything happens, send a message card.¡±

    Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha went to see the church. Tiera, Kagerou and Shibaid went around the church to get more information. Wilhelm was on his own, doing his own bid.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha disappeared into a crowd.

    ¡°Tiera, shall we then?¡±

    ¡°S¡­sure.¡±

    Shibaid headed in the opposite direction from Shin. However, his unique appearance was well-known. He needed to change the color of his scales to red, and wear a fake horn.

    Tiera was a bit nervous, following Shibaid. Kagerou was as usual, hidden inside Tiera¡¯s shadows.

    ¡°I should be off then.¡±

    Wilhelm didn¡¯t even see the four of them off and went solo. He was cautious as to not walk too fast, and dipped into an alleyway.

 Book 6: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Shin and Schnee decided to go in head on.

    Palmirack was a guild house that emted a temple. Supposedly several travelers gathered there as a destination to train.

    The facilities were still around to do that, and regardless of being old or young, male or female, people came. Travelers and merchants also came to gossip, so the training grounds were always bustling.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it looks that different from before.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Even though the number of people there was different, it was simr to how Shin remembered the ce. The main difference was that there was someone collecting money from those who wanted to enter the training ground.

    ¡°But the map hasn¡¯t updated itself.¡±

    ¡°In order to know the interior, we¡¯d have to sneak in.¡±

    Shin had assumed that the map would change once they were closer to Palmirack. The map didn¡¯t budge. They were still able to ¡®map out¡¯ the area though, so it was possible to explore.

    While they wanted to barge in, Palmirack was a Rokuten guild house. You couldn¡¯t tell how functional its facilities were, and it was not prudent to try to break-in in broad daylight.

    Even Shin didn¡¯t know all that the building was capable of.

    On top of that, Palmirack was Cain¡¯s base ¨C he had several architecture-rted bonuses. Of the 6 guild houses, it was supposedly the most dangerous one. Shin had to be careful.

    Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha pretended to admire the building like tourists, as they circled and marked on the map the ces that looked easy to get in through.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high-level person there. She might be a high-ranking priest.¡±

    From straight ahead where Shin and Schnee were, a priest that looked different from the others headed towards them.

    It was a woman, with light green hair and brown eyes. Given her beautiful physical appearance and the thin pointy ears just barely visible through her long hair, one could assume that she was an elf. Her movements were graceful and at level 206, she was different from the average priest.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Hello.¡±

    The elf priest approached Shin, unlike the other priests who ignored them.

    ¡°Are you sightseeing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is our first time in Sigurd. We had been talking about stopping by here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. My name is Lilish. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me or any of the other priests.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. This is Yuki and Yuzuha. Thank you for your kind words. But, why are you talking to us? We¡¯re surrounded by other tourists.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you are with a High Elf.¡±

    Lilish¡¯s words surprise Shin.

    There¡¯s no way to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf just from looking. Yet, Lilish had correctly assumed that Schnee was a High Elf.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I rmed you. I¡¯m able to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf. It¡¯s hard to exin ¨C it¡¯s quite instinctive.¡±

    ¡°I see. I couldn¡¯t tell you the difference between those two, so I had thought that there might be some kind of distinction.¡±

    It¡¯s quite an impressive skill.

    He asked Schnee via Mind Chat, but even Schnee says that telling the difference just from looking is incredibly difficult. It¡¯s not as if you could tell the difference based on status or level, or aura.

    ¡°I have yet to meet anyone else who can do this.¡±

    Though elves were said to be quite sensitive, perhaps her sensitivities are unique.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anywhere you haven¡¯t seen yet, I¡¯d love to be your guide.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Aren¡¯t we in your way of work?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say that it¡¯s part of the job description to show the church to those who haven¡¯t seen it before. Besides, I love conversing with those who visit here.¡±

    Shin would have preferred to see around on their own, but he considered the idea of gaining new insight by talking to a priest.

    He asks about the church¡¯s history and other things, and ventures onto other topics of interest.

    ¡°Lilish, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, are you perhaps trained in the martial arts?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In case the civilians need protection. That¡¯s also part of the job description. However, the church also has their own guards. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I also have some training. I could tell that you don¡¯t make any unnecessary movements.¡±

    ¡°I see. But of course, it¡¯s expected of those who had fought alongside the Balmel guards.¡±

    ¡°¡­did you know about us?¡±

    Shin was taken aback and stopped.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m terribly sorry. Truth be told, I approached the two of you because you are you.¡±

    Lilish bowed down. She didn¡¯t seem to be dangerous.

    ¡°News travels fast.¡±

    ¡°But of course, it is known that if a Chosen One canmunicate through Mind Chat, distance is not an issue. Balmel is one of the important cities that protects the Sacred Land. We too, make efforts in order to gain new knowledge. Besides, as an adventurer who fought together with Princess Rionne to defend Balmel, Shin-sama is quite well-known. Regardless of being able to hear through Mind Chat, it would have reached my ears eventually.¡±

    Schnee nodded proudly.

    They had made some efforts to hide their faces when entering Sigurd, but they weren¡¯t using¡¾Hiding¡¿per se. Perhaps someone had seen them?

    ¡°I see. So then. What is your purpose? I don¡¯t want to waste your time if you¡¯re trying to convert us.¡±

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case, but it had to be said.

    ¡°No not at all. But of course, I would wee you into the church with all of my heart. This is a different matter. It¡¯s really not appropriate here. I¡¯d love to wee you to my chambers.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Shin decided that they¡¯d get more useful information if they followed Lilish, rather than saying no.

    This was the kind of action that could only be afforded by those with unbelievable status and skills. He knew that no matter what they¡¯d be able to get out of a sticky situation. After all, Palmirack was just a ¡®very strong building¡¯ that could easily be destroyed, if necessary.

    Schnee didn¡¯t argue either. She trailed one step behind Shin.

    Behind Lilish, they stepped through several doors and climbed down several flights of stairs. They were eventually at a corridor full of doors.

    ¡°Living quarters.¡±

    ¡°It seems that the priests sleep here.¡±

    While walking, Shin verifies lights and all of the utility functions were functioning.

    Lilish opened one of two doors that were side by side, and invited the two in.

    It was arge space. The size of a 2DK apartment.

    The kitchen was quite expansive, and this space was built with one bathroom and two smaller rooms.

    Shin and Schnee sat down after being asked to sit.

    Lilish brought out tea.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    He took a sip after saying ¡°Thanks.¡±

    It must have been harp tea. It had a soothing taste and scent.

    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to discuss a certain priest belonging to the church. I believe that when the ¡®Flood¡¯ in Balmel urred, a Chosen One of the church was separated. You must know of this by now.¡±

    Shin was reminded of what Rionne had told him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, if I¡¯m not mistaken, he left to escort someone. I also understand that the church overall frowns upon this matter.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. That should never be the case to begin with. But of course, we also had not anticipated such acts of barbarity.¡±

    It became clear that the incident at Balmel was beyond the imagination of Lilish and the church as well.

    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s the mastermind?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I understand that he¡¯s trying to ce the me on the others, but the person behind it all is Father Bulk Elbach. He¡¯s a member of the church here.¡±

    Lilish answers Schnee¡¯s question. But it was not as though Bulk had given the orders directly. He seemed to have prepared an escape route for himself.

    ¡°Bulk¡­I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you. Isn¡¯t this Father also involved at Bayreuth¡¯s church?¡±

    Shin was connecting the dots.

    ¡°Yes. I understand that Father Bulk¡¯s quite involved in a church in Bayreuth. Not just that, I believe that it¡¯s a church formoners, and not the elite. Why, do you know something?¡±

    ¡°No. I just wanted to make sure of something¡­ I¡¯ll exinter. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Shin-sama. Yuki-sama. I have a favor to ask of you. I need your help in capturing Bulk. I can reward you with anything within my capability.¡±

    ¡°Is this a personal request?¡±

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would be asking as a member of the church. However, there¡¯s a reason that I cannot do that.¡±

    Shin had assumed at first that she was asking on behalf of the church. He was wrong. This must have also been a reason they were invited to her private quarters.

    Schnee nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you have very good reasons. However, what will you do if we said no? There¡¯s also a chance that we will give you away.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I must ask you to stay in here for some time.¡±

    As Lilish said that, knights in armor came around Shin. There were three of them, armed, and ready forbat.

    He knew they were there, yet it was disheartening to know that this was why.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite violent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry. Ruining my name is a risk that I must take.¡±

    It seemed that there was trouble within the church as well. Shin could sense a certain desperation in Lilish.

    ¡°Let us tell you our side of the story. This is about Father Bulk, and the church in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please continue.¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression hardened at the mention of Father Bulk.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Father Bulk has kidnapped an orphan that the church was sheltering. One of the sisters got in his way and he had almost fatally wounded her. If she weren¡¯t treated on time, she would not be alive.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Lilish didn¡¯t know what she was expecting, but even this exceeded her wildest imagination.

    The knights in the back were also stunned.

    ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t know. Not much time had past between the orphan¡¯s kidnapping and now. She should be here; I should be frank. We are here to retrieve her. If you doubt us, then go find out the truth on your own.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ but wait, I have to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The orphan¡­does she have some sort of special title?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Few knew about Millie as a ¡®Star Reader¡¯. Yet, Lilish acted as if she knew about it.

    ¡°We want to take Father Bulk down because we are also trying to save someone. She also holds a special title.¡±

    ¡°Lilish-sama! That¡¯s too much information!¡±

    The knights raised their voices.

    Shin must not be an appropriate audience for this kind of confidential information.

    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t worry. We have no qualms with you. We both want something from Father Bulk.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If you¡¯d be so kind. Please, lower your swords everyone.¡±

    Hearing Lilish¡¯s words, the knights put their swords away.

    While not all of them look pleased, they seem to have rxed at least a little after hearing Shin¡¯s story.

    ¡°Either way, even if you need our help so desperately, isn¡¯t this a bit extreme?¡±

    ¡°I know. But we¡¯re running out of time. We need to save her, or her life is in grave danger.¡±

    ¡°Her life?¡±

    Given Father Bulk¡¯s past performances, it didn¡¯t seem too far-fetched. She wouldn¡¯t say anymore, but it felt like a big advantage for Shin and his party to have an insider in the church.

    ¡°Few people know this, but he is also a member of the Shiten(4 gods/4th god) cult. No. I suppose his heart is truly aligned to their cause. He uses his status as a church member and has secretly been wreaking havoc. Soon, he will participate in a ritual, in which the ones we want to protect will be sacrificed. We have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. That is why we are calling on you.¡±

    Father Bulk seemed to be participating in far worse deeds, behind a secret dark society.

    Shin wasn¡¯t too surprised. Even in the real world, there were those who believed in satanic rituals. But the thought of a living sacrifice definitely made him furrow his brows.

    ¡°A sacrifice seems especially violent. But what is this Shiten cult exactly?¡¯

    It was an unfamiliar word, and had a certain menacing ring to it.

    ¡°The Shiten cult is a cult that worships High Humans ¨C those that once ruled this continent.¡±

    ¡°High Humans, you say?¡±

    Shiten is written out as ¡®those that exist on this in¡¯.

    ¡°The Shiten are not bad on their own. There are six factions of High Humans. They merely train day and night, and sometimes they reveal the magic that they¡¯ve been able to create for the public.¡±

    ording to Lilish, the 6 factions of high humans were inspired by the actual high humans¡¯ second names ¨C Dark, Golden, White, Red, Blue and Silver. People trained in the arts of the faction that they were most likely to thrive in.

    To be specific, there were those that worshipped the ¡®Dark cksmith,¡¯ who trained in forging swords and others who practiced alchemy or magic, just as the ¡®Red Alchemist¡¯ would have, and so on and so forth.

    By training themselves in these ancient rituals, the Shiten would try to revitalize the lost arts and be the top of their faction on the continent.

    ¡°The problem is that in the past 100 or so years, a seventh faction has been invented. They have be indoctrinated, so that they truly and faithfully believe, that in order to be a High Human they must shed more blood. Perhaps the records of the High Humans¡¯ battles and sagas inspired them. Therefore, all over the continent, there have been violent deeds done and horrible, vicious attacks.¡±

    The 7th High Human faction was allegedly called the ¡°summit faction¡±.

    Even if the goal was to achieve something and be at the top, what they were doing was terrorism.

    The fact that he was being worshipped was disconcerting enough. The idea that there were those acting violently in his name made Shin seethe.

    ¡°The other factions deny any part of the 7th faction¡¯s activities. Yet they associate themselves as part of the Shiten, since they are a branch of it. The world views them all the same.¡±

    It¡¯s hard to get rid of any negative image. People seem to mix them up all the time.

    ¡°I think I understand. You had mentioned a living sacrifice earlier. How does that y in?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know enough about the details. However, the seventh faction takes those with special titles and abilities, thenpletes a sacrificial ritual. The more rare and unique the ability is, the more that these Shiten followers¡¯ status rank increase.¡±

    ¡°But this is the status within a cult. Is it really worth it to give up the advantages of being a part of the church?¡±

    The Church was quite influential on this continent. If word of this got out, Father Bulk would lose everything.

    He had gone through all the trouble to be a Father of the church. What could be so important, as to give it all up?

    ¡°We really don¡¯t know enough. However, if we wait any longer to find out, it could be toote.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Then enough chit-chat. We don¡¯t care what happens to Bulk anyways.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t care about the ritual. The takeaway point was how there were more people in need of their help.

    The moment Father Bulk was involved, it was likely that Millie would also be sacrificed next to Lilish¡¯spanion. Shin couldn¡¯t let that happen either.

    ¡°We need to discuss our n to save them. I need to understand how ¡®alive¡¯ Palmirack¡¯s functions are.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s functions? This is no secret that I¡¯m allowed to share with outsiders. However, this is a rare asion. Still, its functions are mostly dysfunctional as of now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Some of its item creation functions are still in ce, as well as detoxification and recovery, equivalence of ss 5. There¡¯s also a barrier to protect the building from surrounding monsters.¡±

    If Lilish¡¯s information was reliable, then Shin¡¯s concerns were included.

    The important sites had some security measures in ce, but it wasn¡¯t fortified. That, and upper ss Chosen Ones acted as security.

    ¡°I see. This is helpful ¨C thank you. Just to be sure though ¨C aren¡¯t there functions that only higher priests would know of?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually a Cardinal, believe it or not. The Pope is above me. There are no others.¡±

    He knew that she was a higher priest, but a Cardinal was unforeseen. There weren¡¯t that many cardinals either.

    ¡°I mean. If you¡¯re a Cardinal, can¡¯t you easily dismiss a mere Father?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Bulk seems to have an item on hand that makes it difficult to refuse him. He¡¯s ced this on ourpanion ¨C the Holy Woman.¡±

    Shin was taken aback. Such an item shouldn¡¯t exist in the game era.

    ¡°Please, Lilish-sama, are you sure that it¡¯s okay to share this with thesemoners?¡±

    ¡°I must. Otherwise they would be in grave danger. Shin-sama, please be careful. It¡¯s a ck cor, with gold writing on it. Once it¡¯s been ced on you, even if you don¡¯t want to, you will do as you¡¯ve been told. It could even kill you.¡±

    Lilish ignored her knights and continued.

    An item that ignores the will of the person wearing it. It seemed so surreal hearing of it, until he was reminded of a certain event from the game.

    ¡°Is it¡­ the ¡®Crying Marite¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama? What is it?¡±

    He was recalling the event from the fifth update, with the ¡®Crying Marite¡¯.

    There was a moment, when an NPC was forced to be an enemy. The NPC was wearing a ck cor.

    The yers found this turn of events to be quite unfavorable. It seemed unfair that even support characters could turn their backs on you because of a cor.

    Shin had also remembered how several of his allies became his sworn enemies.

    ¡°I get it now. I can¡¯t believe that item¡¯s still around. What a joke.¡±

    To return an NPC back to its conscious state from a zombie requires a special item. Since it¡¯s a limited item, Shin did not possess it in his Item Box.

    (So this means that that title is finally going toe in handy).

    He was referring, of course, to the title of ¡°Liberator¡± from back when he had won against the ¡®Origin¡¯.

    Everything happens for a reason after all.

 Book 6: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    Meanwhile, apart from Shin, Schnee and Lilish¡­

    Shibaid and Tiera were touring the inside of Sigurd.

    However, it wasn¡¯t as if they were simply walking about.

    ¡°As expected, there are a few Chosen Ones stationed in the major spots of the city.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°At first nce you might not spot them, but one or two of the guards on duty are clearly above average in terms of their movements. Look at the twoing in front of us. Can you see the guy on the right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­Um. Mitos Click. Level 201¡­ you mean him?¡±

    Tiera checked over the guards as she was told.

    She could only analyze as far as the guard¡¯s name and level.

    The fact that she couldn¡¯t see further than ¡®upation¡¯ was a clear sign that his status was superior. But it was hard for Tiera to tell if that was because of the difference in levels, or the fact that he was Chosen One.

    ¡°¡­what a surprise. You can actually see that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yes. I wasn¡¯t able to see his upation though. Was I wrong?¡±

    Shibaid could not hide his surprise at Tiera¡¯s observations.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not wrong. No offense, it¡¯s not that I looked down on you but it¡¯s a shocker that you, Tiera-dono, can tell a Chosen One¡¯s strengths despite your level difference. I¡¯m sorry if I offended you at all.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? No, there¡¯s no need to. I am weak when youpare me to everyone surrounding me.¡±

    Tiera stopped Shibaid from apologizing.

    Tiera was aware that she was less capable than others. From Shibaid¡¯s point of view Tiera and the Chosen Oneing from the front were simr in capability.

    As Shibaid had said, how she was able to discern the Chosen One¡¯s name and level, even Tiera didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Should we continue wandering the city then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯d be wise to have Sigurd mapped out. Once that¡¯s over, even if they were to escape from Palmirack to the inner city, we can easily follow them.¡±

    Given the current situation, the only way that someone could escape Shin and Schnee were if that person teleported or flew. Just in case though, it was necessary to map out Sigurd to understand its nooks and crannies. Since a support character¡¯s map could be shared with their master, with Shin inside Palmirack and Shibaid mapping the city, they could cover all of Sigurd.

    ¡°How far along are we?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say about 10% of the mapping is done. It takes quite some effort when you¡¯re up against a city this big.¡±

    ¡°Is ¡®mapping¡¯ considered to be a skill?¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t call it that. It¡¯s hard to exin though, let me see. I can see a slightly transparent map in my periphery, but I¡¯d have to show it for you to understand.¡±

    For Tiera, who doesn¡¯t understand game elements, it¡¯s difficult to even imagine the map. It¡¯s an otherworldly experience to try to picture something you¡¯ve never seen.

    ¡°If I could do it too, perhaps we could split into two and the task would be done quicker.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. Aside from filling up the map, information gathering is also our objective.¡±

    Even if Shin and the Golden Company were the main focus of this plot, Tiera and Shibaid still had roles as information gatherers.

    Besides, with the two characters¡¯ low stealth abilities they would easily give Shin and Schnee away. That¡¯s why it was better for them to be in public.

    ¡°Shibaid-san. Where are we now?¡±

    ¡°It seems this city has aplicatedyout. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a defense strategy for if this city were ever under siege.¡±

    Turning a corner was enough to bring a pedestrian into a totally new neighborhood. The stores were drastically different, and so were the people. Tiera was losing sight of herself.

    Although Tiera¡¯s directional senses is on the better side, Sigurd really tested her abilities.

    She questioned how the locals from Sigurd were able to get back to their homes.

    ¡°They designed this city quite well.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    For Tiera, it was so confusing that she assumed the architect was a mad man. Or mad woman.

    ¡°It might be hard for you to see, but there are several secret corridors here and there. I haven¡¯t gotten to all of them yet, and I have a good hunch that they all connect to Palmirack. I know that Shin had mentioned how all churches have secret passageways. This goes above and beyond that though.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s map was also ounting for the routes that you couldn¡¯t see from outside. If they¡¯re really all connected to the church, then there are several escape routes.

    ¡°Does that mean that it¡¯s easier to attack and defend the city?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also possible to wage wars and immediately safely return, before the enemy has a chance to respond. Theyout of this city is soplex, it would also be difficult to n your next move. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why Sigurd is considered to be such a stronghold. Guerri tactics would not work against the city¡¯s army and the Chosen Ones.¡±

    ording to Shibaid, the city that was seemingly built on top of another had multipleyers of defense strategies.

    The most disconcerting for Tiera was ¨C how many attacks did this city endure for these kinds of security measure toe into y.

    ¡°Who can me them. Following the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, riots got so bad they needed at least this to feel safe. Not to mention, they¡¯re right on the border with other countries that are constantly trying to expand. I¡¯m sure the majority of this city¡¯s poption is made up of war refugees, war veterans, and those who were forced to flee their homes.¡±

    ¡°I get it now. This city also tries to keep its residents safe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a roundabout way though.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s sights focused on something far away, as he recalled the battles after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.

    Shibaid himself was somewhat responsible for rounding up the neighboring Dragnil. He didn¡¯t know about the specifics of the churches here, but he could imagine that it must have been a simr ordeal.

    Kilmont had also thrived after taking in refugees.

    ¡°As someone a bit sheltered, I can¡¯t really rte to the disputes between men. When ites to the scourges between monsters of course, I have experienced that in Balmel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that today their biggest concerns are thieves. I hope that another big war doesn¡¯t happen for a while. It¡¯s nothing like the battles between monsters.¡±

    Shibaid had the air of someone who had seen it all.

    Tiera had once killed a thief. Based on Shibaid¡¯s mood, she assumed that it couldn¡¯tpare to what he had gone through.

    ¡°Well this is just depressing.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m d I heard it.¡±

    Shibaid had the weight of someone who had survived and seen war firsthand.

    It certainly was depressing. But there¡¯s nothing funny or hopeful about war to begin with.

    ¡°¡­were there really that many refugees?¡±

    ¡°No. But they weren¡¯t a rare sight. And there were those that came here for silly reasons.¡±

    Shibaid answered Tiera¡¯s abrupt question indifferently.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of someone moving to avoid a curse.¡±

    ¡°!? Errr, what curse was it¡­¡±

    ¡°This person had been cursed to attract high level monsters. There are very few of them. I¡¯ve yet to meet anyone like that person since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    Tiera was fast learning that there was someone else out there like her, with the ¡®cursed kid¡¯ title. She recalled her own experiences, and thought about how difficult that person¡¯s life must have also been. Shibaid didn¡¯t seem to be taking this matter seriously enough.

    ¡°What happened to them?¡±

    ¡°Oh? We asked the said person to cooperate with us to level up our own soldiers. We¡¯re very grateful.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Tiera might have already heard this one.

    The conversation was audibly shifting.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a difficult status to stomach. But depending on your outlook, it can be quite useful. In return for trying to find the cure, we had this person aid us in bringing monsters. Leveling up back then was a more efficient process. The soldiers were screaming with joy.¡±

    No. They were screaming because they were screaming.

    That was Tiera¡¯s initial reaction.

    He was Shin¡¯s follower after all. She should have known that he¡¯d think differently and go against presentmon sense.

    Still, it was a relief to hear that the cursed person was treated humanely. It could have gone either way.

    ¡°I knew that you and my mastere from the same path.¡±

    ¡°No. Not nearly as much as Schnee honestly.¡±

    Shibaid was quick to deny, after his thoughts ran to Schnee¡¯s intense training regimens.

    But from Tiera¡¯s standing point, Shibaid was just like Schnee for forcing people to beat high level monsters.

    (Is everyone near Shin like this?)

    When she thought about the other characters she hasn¡¯t met yet, she started to harbor deeper concerns.

    ¡°Alright. ytime is over. Tiera-dono I¡¯m sorry, but on the next corner let¡¯s make a right.¡±

    ¡°Is it time already?¡±

    They lowered their voices.

    Tiera instantly understood what he meant.

    Tiera was quite sensitive to others looking at her. It didn¡¯t take her long to realize that after leaving the inn, someone started following them.

    ¡°Tiera-dono, I think you¡¯re the specific target here. Can you think of any reason why?¡±

    ¡°No. This is my first time in Sigurd so I can¡¯t really think of anyone after me here. I don¡¯t even know that many people anyways.¡±

    Until recently, Tiera had been holed up in Tsuki no Hokora. On top of that, she was always in disguise, so she really couldn¡¯t think of why anyone woulde after her.

    After she finished saying ¡°I don¡¯t even know what many people¡­¡±, she felt a bit lonely.

    ¡°Through listening, it seems they are in the immediate vicinity too.¡±

    ¡°I think there are¡­4 of them?¡±

    ¡°No, 6, Tiera-dono. There are 2 who are keeping their cover quite well. I think that the 4 are the main muscle. The 2 are more like backup if things didn¡¯t go as nned.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell. Is it a skill?¡±

    ¡°No. To be honest, my detection skills are not that great. I couldn¡¯t possiblypete with Shin or Schnee on that front. However, I am able to detect a presence. They¡¯re doing a good job maintaining cover, but it is extremely difficult to hide murderous intent.¡±

    Shibaid is able to grasp the number of people in a party based on presence, not skill. Once you¡¯ve gained enough experience as a soldier, this was a logical forward step.

    Tiera still didn¡¯t understand the amount of presence that one could have.

    ¡°Given the number of people and their presences, I don¡¯t believe that they¡¯re simple thieves.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not to mention how they seem to have singled me out.¡±

    While they couldn¡¯t jump to conclusions that the assants will lead to Millie, it didn¡¯t hurt to find out directly from the culprits as to why they were targeted.

    Any bit of information could help at this stage. If they were from the city¡¯s underbelly, they could potentially obtain information from them.

    The two pretended that they didn¡¯t notice anything, and nonchntly turned the corner.

    They hade across an alleyway no wider than 2 mels.

    4 figures emerged from behind, as if they were waiting for the two to stumble in. Tiera turned to realize that 2 others wereing from the front.

    They seemed to have climbed the wall and circled around on the roof. They were much more agile than the average man.

    ¡°We should wait and see first.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The alley was dark despite it being the middle of the day. The wall was just the right height and ced at such an angle, that it would be hard to see what¡¯s happening in the alley.

    The truth was, the road was so bright that it¡¯d be difficult to see into the dark alleyway.

    Tiera and Shibaid were walking slowly, as they were being attacked from the front and back by two figures on each side. Yet, they could not be seen.

    ¡°? Whoa!¡±

    Because a suspicious object wasing towards Tiera she squinted her eyes, a throwing knife wasing her way.

    However, Tiera had known that there was malicious intent ahead of them, and so in response to the knife that produced a chime as it cut through the air, she wielded a short sword in her right hand.

    Without hesitation, Tiera relied on her short sword and sent the throwing knife flying elsewhere.

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Tiera having heard the assant was dissatisfied, also heard another sound, simr to sand crushed underneath one¡¯s feet. With that, beyond Tiera she could glimpse a slight fog of distorted reality.

    ¡°!!¡±

    She did not miss a beat.

    She took in a deep breath, and returning the favor she threw a knife of her own. She had it ready beneath her left hand, all while she brought the dagger in her right hand to about half way up her body.

    The knife that Shin had made for her was made out of steel and quite sharp. The knife went straight into the direction where there had been a bit of a mirage. A small thump could be heard as the knife struck something.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The thump was the quietest noise inparison to what would follow. You could hear a man groaning in pain and fall to the ground, causing dirt to fly up. What came into sharper focus was a man, lying on the ground with his hands on his leg. The thigh of his pants were a deep crimson red, where the knife had gone through. What was even more of a sight to behold was the other man lying in the background, with Shin¡¯s knife to his back. It seemed that the knife had gone straight through the thigh!

    But, that didn¡¯t stop the oing attack.

    A mirage appeared to being closer towards Tiera.

    ¡°Shh!¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    A short sword appeared out of thin air.

    Tiera looked closely at the de of the sword. She had determined where the swordsman was and had also deciphered that he must be right handed.

    In that split second, Tiera managed to draw her short sword and split the swordsman¡¯s sword in half.

    ¡°!¡±

    It was audibly clear that the only one left out of the four was taken aback.

    Tiera took a step towards this man. And with that step, powerful magic was flowing through her body. Tiera¡¯s body hastened, from the power of her magic. She understood where her opponent stood in rtion to his allies, stepped into his zone, and struck him with her left hand, which had also been strengthened by magic.

    She struck quicker than he could defend, prated his armor until his bare skin felt the thrust, and the man fell to the ground.

    ¡°Gah.¡±

    The man drew short breaths as he lost consciousness. His hand had covered where he was wounded ¨C which was in the middle of his gut. It was a critical hit.

    ¡°Phew.¡±

    Tiera made sure that no one was awake, as she went around to check on the others who had fallen. Tiera tried calming herself down, as she let her arms loose.

    You could look at Tiera and see that all her stats were average. Yet the damages that she inflicted didn¡¯t seem possible from her slender arms. However, she had managed tobine her magic into improving her bodily performances ¨C this was a technique thatbined the assets of the defensive martial arts ¡®operation¡¯ and applied the foundations of ¡®activity¡¯ and ¡®alchemy¡¯.

    While it wouldn¡¯t dramatically improve one¡¯s stats, it was enough to ce emphasis on specific body parts ¨C such as the hand. This improved closebat too ¨C something elves were notoriously weaker at.

    Schnee had been teaching Tiera, just in case.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    Tiera turned to see the two other attackers, their heads caught in Shibaid¡¯s arms. She had not cared for the two in the back, because even she had known about them. So Tiera had assumed that Shibaid would handle it. Still, it was a sight to behold and certainly one that raised a lot of questions.

    The attackers were struggling until Shibaid put a little more strength into his arms. They eventually ran out of air and lost consciousness. It really was a surreal scene to witness, with two grown men dangling from his arms.

    Tiera tried to go towards Shibaid, but immediately jumped back instead.

    ¡°¡­that was a close one.¡±

    A thin de had zoomed past her head.

    She had been able to understand that there were others in the vicinity. But had it not been for the fact that she had already warmed up with the other attackers, and how she had been informed of those in the distance, it¡¯s possible Tiera would have been killed at that moment.

    Tiera and Shibaid had both agreed that if they encountered any enemies that were beyond Tiera¡¯s skill levels, then Shibaid would take over. Shibaid would probably have been able to do something for Tiera just a second ago, had she not been the first to take a lead.

    Still, Tiera didn¡¯t want to be the damsel in distress.

    She turned towards where the de hade from. She could not find the de¡¯s owner. Given how there weren¡¯t any mirages either, their cover skills far exceeded that of the others from the pack.

    (They¡¯reing for me. But I can¡¯t see from where!)

    She knew that she would be under attack. Yet, she was totally at a loss at how to predict their move.

    She tried to snap out of it, as she began to move when suddenly, a red arm went whooshing past Tiera¡¯s head.

    ¡°!?¡±

    It was Shibaid¡¯s arm. And in his arm was another person, who was struggling to breathe.

    ¡°Fumu, that¡¯s a good reaction.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Tiera felt calmer once she confirmed that the attacker had lost consciousness.

    She turned around and realized that another man was dangling from Shibaid¡¯s other arm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to draw it out.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought that this was an opponent you would have considered ¡®more powerful than you¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    She tried to smile.

    Shibaid didn¡¯t bother asking ¡°what¡± she was used to and ¡°why¡±. He had his soft spots. He probably figured as much, after hearing so much about Schnee from Tiera herself.

    ¡°These men can take a break and nap. It¡¯s far too crowded here to question them.¡±

    With that, Shibaid cast magic onto the men and put them into a deeper slumber.

    It felt like they had already been damaged enough, that they wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up for a while. Still, it was better to be safe rather than sorry so Tiera didn¡¯t say anything.

    Shibaid took out a 2 mels long wooden box from his item box. He unequipped all of the men, tied their arms and feet together and threw them into the box. When he held onto the wood box on his shoulder, Shibaid also looked like a carrier, on his way to a delivery.

    In fact, many of the carriers they had passed carried luggage in a simr manner, so Shibaid would not stand out.

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s how we¡¯ll carry them.¡±

    Tiera had wondered how they would be able to carry 6 men. While they handled the men rather roughly, it really didn¡¯t make sense to show them any other courtesy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Shin seems to have found a clue. He says that he¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±

    ¡°I was really hopeful that he would go on and get Millie back in one go.¡±

    ¡°I mean, think about where we are. This is the base for High Humans. Even he would be cautious.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that big of a deal?¡±

    She only knew one base, and it didn¡¯t give her an appreciation of the bigger picture.

    Tsuki no Hokora was protected by a ¡°wall¡± and ¡°barrier¡±. Even Tsuki no Hokora was built out of the finest materials, had very little else going for it. There was no special defense mechanism in ce.

    ¡°Palmirack is definitely a different case. They¡¯ve built the kind of fortress that could withstand a party of upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ adventurers, and not only that, but annihte all of us if need be.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ right¡­¡±

    She tried her best to cough out augh.

    It was one thing to try to lure people into the center and trap them.

    He was right though ¨C it was a one of a kind fortress.

    ¡°Why would they build a city around it then¡­¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is not fully functional. I think that it¡¯s built in a way that the whole area can blow up from the center out.¡±

    ¡°I mean. High Humans are just insane, really.¡±

    Tiera mumbled, but she meant it in terms of Shin having nomon sense.

    She wanted to believe that even he was ¡®out there¡¯ amongst High Humans.

    Otherwise, she would go crazy too.

    (Listening to him talk, I had almost normalized the whole situation. No, I need to keep reminding myself that this is a little bit nutty. Although it may be toote for me¡­)

    Maybe it¡¯s both a good thing and a bad thing that Tiera didn¡¯t know how she had stopped ¡®acting and thinking¡¯ like a normal person for a long, long time now.

    Every day, people change and every person is allowed to change.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    (Still. Why were they after me?)

    Tiera could not stop thinking about the attackers in the box, while they walked back towards the inn.

    Tiera became well-known in Balmel. She was known at this point not only by soldiers and adventurers, butmon people as well.

    But she shouldn¡¯t know anyone in Sigurd.

    While she was in the storefront of Tsuki no Hokora, adventurers had told Tiera how there are some thieves who kidnap beautiful people. Perhaps that would be the case, if they also had the gall to attack a person apanied by a powerful Dragnil.

    If Tiera were a simple target, then they would havee for her when she was alone.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Oh sorry, I¡¯ll open the door.¡±

    Tiera went ahead towards the door and opened it. She had assumed that it would be a tad difficult, what with carrying a 2 mels wide wooden box on your shoulders and all.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all ourmotion. We¡¯ll head straight up.¡±

    Shibaid had caused quite a stir walking through the front with the box. Tiera went straight up to the waitress, who was immune to being phased by Shibaid, chatted enthusiastically and led Shibaid in.

    It was hard not to step aside for a beautiful girl like Tiera. All of the adventurersing from the front would move gracefully.

    ¡°We wait for Shin now.¡±

    Shibaid took a seat after putting the wooden box into a corner of the room.

    ¡°Are you going to leave the box like that?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. They couldn¡¯t even put a dent in the box.¡±

    It looks like an ordinary box, but go figure. There¡¯s some magic in its material.

    Tiera knew as much. She could sense the magic reeking out of it. In fact, it gave her the same sensation that the tree of life that grew in the middle of the garden where she had lived before.

    (No. It can¡¯t be.)

    The tree of life was vital to elves and high elves. Since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, these trees had be fewer and fewer in numbers. Even taking a single branch from the tree of life could be an act of war against elves.

    Yet, even someone whose master was Shin, would be hard to stomach, if they had cut down a tree of life for materials.

    ¡°What¡­is that box made of?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s from some of the leftovers when Tsuki no Hokora was being built. I believe it¡¯s from the trunk of the tree of life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    It was the impossible.

    It¡¯s not to the level of orichalcum, but the tree of life has the same amount of strength, and can even be used as a cure against curses and alchemy.

    ¡°H-How did youe across such a box?¡±

    Even asking the question is terrifying. She didn¡¯t know what to do if the truth was that the materials were extracted in an unpleasant way.

    ¡°I grew it. Before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, I grew it at the base that Hecate-dono guarded ¨C she was one of Shin¡¯s allies.¡±

    Shibaid looked nostalgic.

    Hecate¡¯s base was the ¡®5th Daze Garden Romenun¡¯. It was the site that Shin had once mentioned how Berett couldn¡¯t go near.

    ¡°Growing¡­a tree of life.¡±

    In contrast to the calm Shibaid, Tiera felt as if she was being tricked, and was growing livid.

    Only the head of the High Elves, or their sires, knew how to grow the tree of life. It was notmon knowledge.

    Hearing Shibaid spread lies like ¡®growing the tree of life to build a building,¡¯ was really upsetting. For elves in general, the tree of life was a symbol of their faith. The tree of life was also a part of the ritual for elves when their magic was mature. They were highly valued by elves, and even the leaves of the tree of life were treated with respect.

    There were also moments when the tree of life would serve useful purposes when equipped, such as for medicine. Other races outside of elves also regarded the tree of life with a moderate amount of interest ¨C although never as much as the elves.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to do these days.¡±

    ¡°Well of course. To even consider growing it is obscene.¡±

    Shibaid grinned. Shibaid must have found it hrious, because it was part of his story. But for an outsider like Tiera, it was impossibly foolish.

    ¡°I think that that¡¯s something that would improve if Shin stayed around.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that¡­.¡±

    As one of the Rokuten, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he knew the tricks.

    ¡°Even that has to wait until the current matter is settled. Shin and Schnee are here. Wilhelm-dono hasn¡¯t responded yet, which is disconcerting, but for now we should exchange information.¡±

    Shibaid went towards the entrance of the room, feeling Shin and Schnee.

    Eventually, Shin and Schnee arrived, with Yuzuha on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°¡­where¡¯s Wilhelm?¡±

    Shin looked around the room and asked.

    ¡°No. He hasn¡¯t responded either.¡±

    Shibaid was quick to send a message to Wilhelm after contacting Shin. It had been a few hours, and still no response.

    ¡°¡­could he be talking right now?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Messages aren¡¯t immediate like telepathy.¡±

    If he were in the middle of a conversation, he might not be able to open his messages.

    It was impossible to find out or wait, so they decided to go ahead and share information.

    ¡°Lilish says that the assants may be involved in some way with the present situation.¡±

    Shin added that bit after repeating everything Lilish had told him.

    He had also shared Shibaid¡¯s message with Lilish upon receiving. Lilish had been the one who had made the connection.

    ¡°It¡¯s still rming how they were only after Tiera. It¡¯s another thing if they¡¯re after Shin, but they came straight for us.¡±

    Shin nodded.

    It hasn¡¯t been long since Shibaid joined the party.

    Perhaps they can¡¯t tell that it is Shibaid, but regardless, if a new member joined the party, you would be more cautious beforeunching aggressivebat against them.

    Even if they had known that it was him, who would just attack without a better n?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what their motives are. It¡¯s possible that Wilhelm was also attacked.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. I doubt that he would lose easily, but I don¡¯t know what would happen if say, there were a hostage situation of some sort.¡±

    Schnee agrees with Shin.

    ¡°The elf that Shin met also knew that Shin was in Sigurd. Therefore, it¡¯s fair to assume that they know Wilhelm-dono is here too. We¡¯re losing time ¨C we need to head immediately to the church, and you need to get more information out of those attackers.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We should head out now.¡±

    Shibaid carried the box and followed as the rest of the party headed for Palmirack.

    They were concerned about Wilhelm as well, but if they are not responding then there¡¯s nothing more you can do.

    Normally, even if they are at a ce that hasn¡¯t been fully mapped, they should be able to seek out and feel the presence of certain individuals. Even that was difficult here because of Palmirack.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Perhaps it was because they had already attacked and failed. The route to Palmirack was quiet and peaceful. Once they arrived, a knight that was waiting invited them inside. They¡¯re brought into the living quarters. This knight was one of the three that had apanied Lilish. He must be a member of her guard.

    They continued to walk by other priests who would give frightened looks at the wooden box. They said nothing because of the church guard that walked alongside them. Perhaps they assumed that there was some official business.

    The other 2 guards waited outside of the room.

    ¡°Lady Lilish is waiting.¡±

    And with that, one of the guards opened the door.

    The 3 had already been briefed by Lilish.

    Perhaps they trusted Shin because of Lilish¡¯s faith in him. They did not look ill by the slightest, with Shibaid and Tiera also in the party.

    ¡°Thank you for your wait. These two are Shibaid and Tiera.¡±

    Shin introduces them.

    Shibaid had actually said his real name, but he looked too different from the ¡®real Shibaid¡¯. They assumed that he was one of Shibaid¡¯s fans, or someone with the same exact name ¨C nheless he was assumed to be a different person.

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°All in all there are 6 of them. There are 4 that are above average, and 2 that are Chosen Ones.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I have a room secured. Follow me.¡±

    She nodded, and led the party towards the back of the room. Then, she made a secret maneuver which opened up the floor to a secret passageway.

    (Cain loved stuff like this.)

    Shin reminisced fondly, looking down at the stairs that emerged.

    ¡°The rest of you, please wait.¡±

    ¡°No, I should go too. I don¡¯t n on getting your hands dirty, if I¡¯m involved.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t be pleasant.¡±

    ¡°I am used to it.¡±

    Lilish looked closely into Shin¡¯s eyes, after hearing him say that he was ¡®used to it¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Alright. The rest of you, please wait. Rick, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes mydy.¡±

    She hesitated, but agreed to letting Shin apany her. Lilish called on one of her guards, and they went down the stairs.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be gone long. They might have something up their sleeves ¨C be on guard.¡±

    There was no point in all of them going down. Schnee was told to wait.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Schnee looked deeply concerned, and Shin calmed her down.

    Perhaps she recalls the moment that Shin had be unrecognizable, and she didn¡¯t want to experience that again.

    ¡°Yuki. He says it¡¯s fine. Then it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Shibaid chimed in, and Schnee (Yuki) took a step back. With that, Shin turned towards Lilish.

    Shin and Shibaid continued after Lilish down the stairs. In a few minutes, there were no more stairs to climb down, and a door about 3 mels wide was visible.

    Lilish opened the door easily.

    There was nothing in the room.

    However, Shin could sense the presence of several, unforgivable traps that were ced all over the room. These traps, courtesy of Cain, were meant to kill.

    It seemed that Lilish and the church had been using this room as a torture chamber. It was also meant to be a room that would deter thieves from stealing. It was a trap room at its finest.

    During the game era, no one ever made it this far. Shin had never seen the traps go off.

    If the functions of this room were not disabled, they would have met a terrible fate.

    ¡°Here is?¡±

    It didn¡¯t hurt to y coy. Shin asks Lilish.

    ¡°We found this by ident one day when we were cleaning the room directly above it. I don¡¯t know why it exists.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the person who upied the room before you exin?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s useful, because this room doesn¡¯t allow any noise to leak. We generally hold our secret meetings here.¡±

    Shin responded to Lilish, saying ¡°I see.¡±

    He looked around at the room ¨C the traps in the room only went off once. It didn¡¯t seem though as if the person who hade into the room before had been the unfortunate sacrifice.

    ¡°Please let them out.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    They made sure that the doors were closed, and opened the wooden box. Shibaid turned the box over, as 6 grown men fell out one by one.

    It didn¡¯t seem that they were able to wake up, because of the spell cast on them.

    ¡°Restrain them.¡±

    One by one, Rick carried the men over and assembled them into a line. He put a cloth over their eyes, and made it hard for them to resist.

    Everything was ready.

    ¡°Shall we begin.¡±

    She nodded at what Shin said, and they used their skills to wake the men up.

    A few seconds passed, and one of the men woke with a groan.

    ¡°What¡­what¡¯s happening!?¡±

    He realized what kind of a situation he¡¯d woken up in, and started to show dismay.

    ¡°Be quiet.¡±

    Lilish orders the man to be silent. He stopped immediately.

    ¡°What do you n to do with us?¡±

    The man asked.

    ¡°Answer my questions honestly. If you are able to answer truthfully, we will not take your lives away.¡±

    Lilish spoke and with every word, the room was filled with more weight.

    The man wailed back,

    ¡°Do you know who our masters are?¡±

    ¡°No. So, will you answer our questions?¡±

    ¡°¡­..No. We¡¯d be killed anyways if we do.¡±

    The man thought about it, but chose to refuse. He was more frightened of the people he knew than Lilish.

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. You would have saved us a lot of time.¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression had not changed much. She raised her arm, and Rick came forward.

    ¡°What?! What are you doing!¡±

    The man could hear a footstep approaching him. He stepped back farther and farther, but Rick grabbed the man¡¯s face and activated his magic.

    ¡°!¡±

    The man raised a yelp, but fell back silent.

    Shin analyzed the situation and saw a ¡¾Sleep I¡¿ disy. It seemed that Rick had deployed some version of ¡¾Sleep¡¿. Normally it should have put one to sleep, but minor adjustments had been made, seeing how the man¡¯s eyes were open beneath the eye mask.

    Rick made sure that the man was asleep, and switched ces with Lilish.

    Lilish raised her hand in front of the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ugh¡­gah¡­¡±

    She was giving him a hallucination.

    ¡°Who am I?¡±

    ¡°G-Gilth, Barrot¡­.¡±

    ¡°Did I order you?¡±

    ¡°Ye¡­s¡­¡±

    ¡°What was the purpose?¡±

    ¡°Grab the¡­elf¡­.kill¡­thepany.¡±

    The man continued to answer faithfully, albeit a bit stuttered.

    ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Hallucination¡¿ as abo had made the man believe that Lilish was his boss.

    (I learned something new.)

    Shin and Shibaid watched silently, as Lilish continued her questioning.

    She was able to extract plenty more information.

    The 4 men who attacked Tiera were part of the guild ¡°Corrupt Gift,¡± an underworld society that had managed to gain middle-ss status. He had not known about the other two Chosen Ones ¨C they were a separate thing.

    They were told to bring back the ck haired elf.

    It was Tiera alright. There are not that many ck- haired elves.

    They knew that Tiera might be apanied. They were told to kill whoever was in the way, but did not know that it would be a strong warrior.

    They did not know who had requested the hit.

    They didn¡¯t know about Wilhelm either.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to gain anymore.¡±

    Lilish broke the skill and stopped her intense lines of questioning. She stood. For questions that the man did not know the answer, he remained silent. This meant that thetter half of the interrogation had a lot of awkward silences.

    They put the man back to sleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a simr deal with the other two.¡±

    ¡°Did the name of the guild ring a bell for you?¡±

    ¡°No, but it did confirm some of my spections.¡±

    Lilish had known that the ¡°Corrupt Gift¡± were associated with the Shiten. It was a guild that thrived on human trafficking, and rumor had it that a lot of the sacrifices that the Shiten made were people procured by the guild.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try another then.¡±

    They wake up another man.

    He did not seem confused, and things went rather smoothly.

    ¡°Please answer our questions. If you answer faithfully, then we will promise you your safety.¡±

    ¡°How kind of you,¡± the man snickered.

    Rick¡¯s brows furrowed at the sight, but Lilish ignored it.

    ¡°Will youply?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The man had said nothing. Perhaps that was enough of an answer.

    Rick approached the man, just as he had done earlier.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    The man let out a jeering cackle.

    Shin could feel his blood draining.

    The number 5 appeared above the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°!? Shibaid!!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Even before Shin had raised his voice, Shibaid had carried Lilish and Rick away.

    Shibaid had also felt the instinctual threat of the deranged man.

    They had deployed their skills as to be able to switch ces immediately. They took the lid made of the tree of life and hid behind it like a shield.

    Immediately, an explosion could be heard beyond their little hideout.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The explosion was quite powerful, and the wind caused by it blew Shin¡¯s hair back.

    There wererge hunks of flesh and blood all over the room.

    ¡°What in the world.¡±

    ¡°He set himself off.¡±

    Shibaid removed the lid, and saw that all 6 of their assants had been blown into smithereens.

    There were legs and feet, parts of torsos, organs,rge remainders of what used to be a head¡­ You could barely make out the two Chosen Ones. Some of the pieces that more or less carelessly remained intact were the other 4 men.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    While releasing his hold on Lilish and Rick, Shin swore at himself.

    The self explosion skill was not used often in the game. Few yers would even bother trying to acquire it. Shin of course was one of the few, but he had never used it to this day.

    Ever since it became a death game, the skill¡¯s very existence was erased from memory. The 5 that showed before the man, was the final countdown after he had initiated self destruction. The maximum amount of time that a person has after they¡¯ve decided to self destruct is 60 seconds. The shortest time otherwise should be 10 seconds. At 5 seconds, the remaining time appears over a character¡¯s head.

    They had just made it, but if it had just been Lilish handling the matter, they would have all been taken down.

    ¡°This is terrible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s to keep themselves safe. I can¡¯t believe that they even had an insurance n like this ready.¡±

    Shin scowled at the smell.

    Shibaid was right. They must have had some sort of order in ce, in case any of the members got caught and were to slip. In a way it was very standard practice for those from the underworld to not care for human life, and especially not for their own.

    ¡°But this is excessive.¡±

    ¡°We now know that the Shiten are involved.¡±

    Lilish showed resentment. Rick bit down bitterly at his lower lip.

    ¡°¡­We can¡¯t really do anything. Shall we go back up?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright to leave it like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The dead bodies tend to disappear over time.¡±

    While ying the game, characters are usually sent back to where the yer started. In this world, however, it seems they are used as a source of energy to maintain the facility. It went without saying that nobody wondered how Lilish knew such things.

    Shin opened the doors and the party went up the stairs.

    Once they returned to the room, Lilish was the first one to enter. Schnee¡¯s eyes stopped short.

    ¡°You¡¯re very early. What is the matter.¡±

    ¡°We got duped.¡±

    They exined the self destruction of the attacker, and everyone¡¯s facial expression was much more grave.

    ¡°What do you mean, self destruct?¡±

    ¡°It stops information from leaking, and they probably wanted to take us down with them.¡±

    yers typically use this skill for when they are trying to make ast stand as they have very little HP left. It¡¯s also useful as a distraction against arge crowd. The death penalty on a yer is a far greater toll however, and characters that self destruct will gain nothing, even after a boss or a guild battle ends.

    No one dreams of some day self destructing, to put it bluntly.

    ¡°When you do it, you die right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It ces others surrounding you at great risk as well.¡±

    ¡°What use is that?¡±

    Tiera was stunned. She couldn¡¯t rte to her attackers one bit.

    It was absurd that anyone would even consider acquiring a skill, knowing that using it would kill you.

    Even back when it was just a game, very rarely did yers learn this skill.

    ¡°That¡¯s how these guilds operate. And I think that¡¯s all the reason that I have to share.¡±

    There were several other, sickening events that were caused by these underground guilds, like assassinations and keeping a secret society thriving. But those were ill suited answers for Tiera.

    Shin didn¡¯t have a good response.

    ¡°Self destruction. I don¡¯t believe that it¡¯s a difficult skill to acquire. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s within their means, the society that we are up against, to teach each of their followers that skill.¡±

    ¡°I see it happen in fiction often enough. Those that are affected have nothing to protect them.¡±

    Shin tries to change the subject to lighten the mood.

    ¡°This is pointless. Yuki and I are going to look through the church. Lady Lilish, please act as naturally as you possibly can.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I help you with anything though?¡±

    ¡°No. If you or your guards do anything out of the ordinary Lady Lilish, it will be obvious and cause the church to be suspicious. It¡¯d be best for you to do as you always would. I¡¯m painfully aware that we may be toote.¡±

    Shin and Schnee are already recognizable. Shibaid carrying in the box was also a sight. It was obvious they were making a move.

    Since they lost their source of more information, Shin had to do something to get better traction.

    The guards were concerned if they were really able to get in without their help, but Shin was able to persuade them with his superior hiding skills, once he disappeared out of their sights and reappeared behind them.

    He had merely moved very quickly, but they assumed that it was a skill. Had Shin really wanted to, he could have truly disappeared. Showing off however was not necessary.

    Other than Shin and Schnee, Tiera would go back to the inn and Shibaid would protect Lilish.

    It seemed a bit risky to let Tiera go off on her own. However, Yuzuha and Kagerou would also be with her.

    Had Shibaid not been there, Kagerou would have also been able to help Tiera earlier.

    From now on, an attacker would always be knocked out, then stuffed into the wooden box, and carried discreetly by Kagerou.

    In case the enemies were to make any sudden movements, Shibaid had to stay inside Palmirack. That was a given.

    He¡¯s also a holy knight by profession ¨C this meant that he was a much better defender.

    Even with no equipment, he was able to draw out rare ss swords. By merely equipping the backup armor and weapons that Shin provided, Shibaid could take over all of Palmirack with rtive ease.

    They seemed prepared enough.

    ¡°The sun will set soon. We will act on our n once it¡¯s dark. Shibaid is here too, but please try not to leave your abode.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we cannot be of more use.¡±

    It¡¯s precisely the fact that they are involved in the church, that prevents them from further action. They told Lilish not to worry, as Shin and Schnee ventured into the church.

 Book 6: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    This happened before Shin and the others met with Lilish.

    Wilhelm was in a certain store in Sigurd.

    The store was small, barely lit, and reeked of tobo.

    Magical items of unknown usagey forgotten on the badly arranged shelves.

    ¡°Found you atst.¡±

    Wilhelm was slightly irritated. The informant he counted on had moved; finding the new location took longer than expected.

    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t give me that after showing up without an appointment.¡±

    The man who owned the store shrugged after hearing Wilhelm¡¯s words.

    In a ce like Sigurd, with a high flow of traffic, it was not odd for an informant like him to frequently change locations.

    ¡°It stinks here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you say before even greeting me? This incense was made in Hinomoto, you know?¡±

    Muttering about Wilhelm¡¯sck of understanding for Wabi-Sabi (The beauty of transience and imperfection), the bearded owner blew smoke from his pipe.

    What a pity for the incense.

    ¡°Jai. I¡¯m sorry but I have no time to enjoy stuff like that. Save it for after our business is done.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s scary. You¡¯re even more aggressive than usual¡­what happened?¡±

    The man, Jai Tret, felt that Wilhelm was different than normal. His aloof expression changedpletely when he posed the question.

    He too hails from the same orphanage, and left to adventure 5 years before Wilhelm.

    Now he¡¯s an active informant based in Sigurd.

    ¡°They kidnapped Millie. Bulk from the Church is the main culprit.¡±

    ¡°!?¡­You¡¯re sure of that?¡±

    Wilhelm exined the situation in detail to the stunned Jai. After he heard everything, Jai was rubbing his chin, deep in thought.

    ¡°Eline, huh. If he got involved, it means they¡¯re really ying for keeps.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Among the apprentices raised within the Church, Eline¡¯s the strongest. Using him is testament of how big this thing is.¡±

    Jai then added that when Eline moves the resulting damage is always massive, although it never reaches the public.

    ¡°Elinees from some small vige, but he has had extreme physical abilities ever since he was a brat, apparently. Bulk heard about it and took him in¡­and here we are.¡±

    When the Church ministers personally requested to take him in, Eline¡¯s parents happily entrusted him to them.

    In exchange for arge sum of gold.

    ¡°Misguided knowledge about the Chosen Ones, that was.¡±

    Eline, a Chosen One, possessed physical abilities far beyond his age; the vige treated him as a cursed child. Being smarter than other children became a burden to him.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about that bastard¡¯s story. What the hell does that change? You think I¡¯m going to shed a tear or something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, here¡¯s what I¡¯m getting at. Bulk took Eline back with him, and poured all his enthusiasm in educating him. Thanks to that, his intelligence spiked in a weird direction¡­now he can¡¯t be handled anymore.¡±

    ¡°Nothing I didn¡¯t know of yet.¡±

    They had met and crossed swords already. Wilhelm already knew that he wasn¡¯t sane.

    ¡°Just hear me out. I heard this information from one of my personal connections¡­our guy seems to possess a certain title.¡±

    ¡°What title?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going to be surprised. Eline was born with the title of ¡°Hero¡±, they say.¡±

    ¡°Whaaat?¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning of Jai¡¯s words right away.

    ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, but I never thought you¡¯d be the type to spout jokes like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that now. I did think it was a bad joke the first time I heard it too.¡±

    No one aware of Eline¡¯s true nature would ever imagine using such a word to describe him.

    The only thing about him that¡¯d fit the definition would be his appearance.

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a joke?¡±

    ¡°I have information that backs it up. That title is supposed to have the effect of strengthening your body.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure of that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He is unbelievably strong, that¡¯s true. That might be the reason why he tends to talk too much. Someone heard him let that slip out of his mouth. That someone has already been taken care of, though¡­only a few informants know of this.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re one of those few then. Is that really true? Sounds fishy to me.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s a fact that just knowing this stuff gets you erased!¡±

    It seemed like Jai wanted to imply he¡¯s too strong for that to happen to him.

    ¡°This piece of information alone is worth 100 Jul gold coins! I¡¯m only talking about it because it¡¯s you.¡±

    ¡°More like because Millie¡¯s involved, right?¡±

    Jai had once escaped a mortal situation thanks to Millie¡¯s predictions.

    Despite looking as suspicious as possible, he was someone who always did the right thing in such situations.

    ¡°Who cares about why. There¡¯s more important stuff to deal with right now. What you said removed all my doubts. Since Millie has been kidnapped, the Holy Woman¡¯s definitely involved in this.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Woman?¡­There are 3 women with that name now, aren¡¯t there. Considering Millie¡¯s abilities, it¡¯s about ¡®Prediction¡¯?¡±

    Wilhelm was aware of three of those Holy Women: the ¡°Sooth-Saying Holy Woman¡±, the ¡°Purifying Holy Woman¡± and the ¡°Healing Holy Woman¡±.

    Considering Millie¡¯s ¡®Star Reader¡¯ ability, the ¡°Soothsaying Holy Woman¡± is likely to be the connection.

    ¡°Bingo. They say thattely, the Soothsaying Holy Woman is feeling under the weather. Actually, it¡¯s because Bulk¡¯s manipting her though.¡±

    ¡°He can control a Holy Woman!?¡±

    ¡°I heard this from another source, but apparently in a certain cave you can find an item that grants control over whoever¡¯s equipped with it. It was found with other cursed gear and entrusted to the church to remove the curse, but they swapped it with a dud¡­and now Bulk¡¯s been using it.¡±

    Jai exined that a B-rank adventurers¡¯ party found it inside a yet to be cleared dungeon.

    ¡°Stay on your toes. If you end up having that thing attached, even you might not be able to fight it. They say that even some upper ss Chosen Ones fell under its influence.¡±

    Jai¡¯s serious expression as he spoke thisst warning was one Wilhelm had never seen before.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard enough. But there¡¯s something I just don¡¯t get.¡±

    Wilhelm had received important information, but there was one thing he could not understand.

    ¡°What¡¯s that now?¡±

    ¡°How do you know all this inside information? You just said yourself that the church erases anyone in possession of troublesome information, right?¡±

    Jai was not a Chosen One, unlike Wilhelm. No matter how good he was at hiding, he could not stay safe forever.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Church isn¡¯t a paragon of unwavering loyalty either. Even ignoring the Millie business, Bulk has his fair share of failures. There are people opposing him. Eline too, he might be an upper ss Chosen One, but because of Bulk he¡¯s a useless Church Knight. They¡¯d be happy to be rid of Bulk. And one more thing, the adventurer who found the maniption item is one of my best clients.¡±

    Jai exined how he had a solid source of information for the maniption item as well.

    Wilhelm could not know at this point, but that information hade from Lilish. She had disclosed it to the informants she could trust.

    Yet not even Lilish knew about the ¡°Hero¡± title, mainly because the source of the information had been erased.

    ¡°I see. So your connections prove useful¡­sometimes.¡±

    ¡°You could have spared me thatst word, damn you.¡±

    ¡°Who are these people opposing Bulk, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Fine, ignore me. They¡¯re the Holy Woman¡¯s personal guards, people indebted to her. Some of them are high-ranked too, so they know how Bulk¡¯s been handling her. If killing Bulk could dispel the item¡¯s effects, rest assured that he¡¯d be six feet under by now.¡±

    Not knowing how to dispel the effect of the maniption item, they can¡¯t make any moves. Capturing Bulk and interrogating or torturing him could be one way, but who knows what could happen to the Holy Woman.

    Bulk dies and the Holy Woman goes with him¡­would not be a happy ending.

    Jai also added that it¡¯d be hard to subdue him, having Eline as guard.

    ¡°The Holy Woman¡¯s being held hostage, pretty much. Some people have no choice but to obey Bulk¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°Can they be useful to him, though?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want the Holy Woman to be hurt¡­that¡¯s all he needs to say.¡±

    ¡°Tch, disgusting bastard.¡±

    Wilhelm clicked his tongue while making a distorted grimace. Jai was feeling the same as well.

    ¡°Wilhelm, what are you nning to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to the inn first. They¡¯ve never been more supportive, you see. The ones who went to the Church might even be back, with Millie in tow.¡±

    Thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Shin to pull it off made Wilhelm grin. Seeing Wilhelm like that caused a puzzled reaction in Jai.

    ¡°Who¡¯d think I¡¯d ever see you talking of someone with a face like that. Is it a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°Nope, but a monster through and through. I¡¯m warning you though, don¡¯t start getting curious.¡±

    ¡°Must be something else for you to say that. I¡¯d love to ask you to introduce us, but I¡¯ll stop for now.¡±

    Jai understood that Wilhelm wasn¡¯t joking and nodded strongly, albeit a bitically.

    Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Informants are sensitive to information that should be left alone. Though there are times when they get closer all the same.

    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s nothing to worry with a guy like that on your side, but let me tell you one more thing. If you n to mess with Bulk, other than Eline there¡¯s one more person you have to pay attention to.¡±

    ¡°The upper ss Chosen Ones are being manipted, right? But you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s only one more guy?¡±

    Eline is obviously dangerous, but the upper ss Chosen Ones are also a threat themselves. Based on Bulk¡¯s personality, Wilhelm struggled to imagine that he¡¯d only had Eline and one more person at his beck and call.

    ¡°There are other upper ss Chosen Ones, that¡¯s true. But this guy, like Eline, has abilities far higher than the others. The name¡¯s Konig Bolt, he¡¯s one of the top swordsmen of the Church. He¡¯s being manipted by that item though. If you can get rid of that somehow, you can avoid having to fight him.¡±

    Apparently he was one of Holy Woman¡¯s personal guards. He had probably been targeted because of his skills.

    Jai adds that he even owns legendary-ss equipment.

    ¡°This is all I can tell you. You better make good use of it.¡±

    ¡°You bet I will. I will definitely rescue Millie. And while I¡¯m at it I will settle the score with that twisted bastard.¡±

    ¡°Haha, good to hear that¡­counting on you.¡±

    Thest words Jai added were filled with his frustration for not being able to go help her himself.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Wilhelm visited another few stores, then headed back to the inn.

    It had taken him considerable time to find Jai¡¯s store, so when he looked up at the sky the sun was already descending.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Wilhelm walked on towards the inn, inplete silence. On the way he bought skewered meat from a street stall.

    He proceeded at a rxed pace, tasting the perfectly cooked meat in his mouth.

    Yet his feet were not heading towards the inn.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been following me for a while now. What do you want?¡±

    Wilhelm stepped into a deserted alley and interrogated the empty space before him.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    No answer to be heard, Wilhelm¡¯s eyes focused. He pointed the skewer he had in his hand towards the alley¡¯s darkness and shot it.

    Wilhelm¡¯s muscr strength shot the skewer through the darkness just like a powerful bow would have, sending it piercing the air towards its target.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    An instant before the skewer disappeared into the darkness, something emerged from it. Along with a sound of the wall being struck, the scenery of the dark alley appeared to distort slightly before Wilhelm¡¯s eyes.

    The distortionnds on the ground and turned into a person d in a brown coat.

    ¡°You are Wilhelm Avis?¡±

    ¡°What if I am?¡±

    ¡°A certain person wants to meet you. Allow me to apany you.¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t identify the person¡¯s expression or racial characteristics because of the hood. But the voice sounded like a man¡¯s.

    ¡°You really expect me to just follow you quietly?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take you by force¡­is something we¡¯re not strong enough to say. My apologies for following you. But refusing me will ultimately bring disadvantage to your side.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Wilhelm furrowed his brow after hearing the man¡¯s words.

    ¡°The person wanting to meet you is someone that detests people that abduct children.¡±

    ¡°¡­so not a servant of some pig-faced priest, huh.¡±

    ¡°If you visited Jai, you should already know. We are not so docile as to just obey without a word.¡±

    Wilhelm remembered what Jai said about the opposing faction. Judging from his words, it was probably this man who passed the information to Jai.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone I want to contact first though.¡±

    ¡°Apologies, but I can¡¯t allow that.¡±

    ¡°You need as many allies as you can, don¡¯t you? I can at least guarantee that there¡¯s no risk of betrayal.¡±

    ¡°It would inconvenience us for yourrades to be near. We could contact you like this just because you moved on your own.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°This is the only way to avoid being found out. That¡¯s all I can say for now.¡±

    These people would be inconvenienced by Shin and the others¡¯ presence, which may cause something to happen. At this point in time, Wilhelm did not have enough information to deduce what the reason could be.

    Following the man would likely mean not making it back at the time set with Shin and the others. This caused Wilhelm to reflect in silence for a while.

    (What will they do after failing to make contact with me?)

    Wilhelm¡¯s absence wouldn¡¯t cause a serious loss in fighting power. Just Shin, Schnee and Shibaid would be more than enough.

    Tiera herself possessed less fighting power than these three, but her partner Kagerou was more powerful.

    If something happened to Wilhelm now, from the timing they would surely think the Church was involved.

    (They would go after Bulk. If they go to the Church, there¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll bump into each other.)

    Considering Shin¡¯s party¡¯s abilities, they could very well rescue Millie without Bulk knowing.

    Directing their attention to Wilhelm instead of Shin¡¯s party would be good too.

    In addition, even if he was manipted, Wilhelm could not imagine Shin¡¯s party would be defeated.

    ¡°¡­where is this person that wants to meet me?¡±

    ¡°The Church¡¯s Headquarters. I will be your guide.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    As Wilhelm consented, the man moved to a corner of the alley and searched the ground. After a few seconds, his hands stopped moving, holding what looked like a handle-shaped object.

    The man tightened his grip on the object and the ground swelled up, revealing a pathway leading underground.

    ¡°This way.¡±

    Wilhelm followed the man down the underground passage. The 3 mels wide tunnel they entered continued in both directions.

    No light illuminated the dark corridor; when the man closed the entrance, utter darkness filled the surroundings. Only when the man lit thentern he was holding could they see several mels in front.

    The man proceeded without hesitation through the barely lit tunnel. He turned left at a crossroad, right at the next T-intersection.

    Wilhelm could not fully understand how theplicatedwork of paths was connected.

    The session of simr-looking paths coupled with the obstructing darkness would disrupt the sense of direction of any intruder.

    Even with Wilhelm¡¯s sharp senses, he lost track of how much time had passed since they entered.

    If he lost sight of the man, it would be very difficult to find his way out alone.

    Just as Wilhelm thought so, the man stopped in his tracks.

    The path that looked like it would continue forever had approached its end.

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    The man shone hisntern on a certain spot on the wall and pushed it. This caused the wall to slide and reveal a stairwayrge enough for one adult man to pass through.

    As Wilhelm proceeded to follow the man up the steps, he had already pushed the ceiling open and was checking the surroundings of the exit.

    What the underground tunnel led to was a tiny room. The two men exited it and found themselves in a corridor lined with gorgeous decorations.

    ¡°We¡¯re inside the Church?¡±

    Wilhelm had no recollection of the ce, but the scenery outside the windows allowed him to estimate his current whereabouts.

    It appeared they were inside one of the buildings at the edge of the Churchpound.

    ¡°There are paths leading to the Church strewn throughout this city. Although very few know that this is the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Just memorizing your way through it is pretty impressive.¡±

    ¡°After 30 years of exploration, I know it like the back of my hand. But enough idle talk, let us head to the person awaiting us.¡±

    Despite being inside the Church, there were few people in the surroundings. Wilhelm¡¯s detection ability barely perceived any human presence around them.

    As the two descended several stairs, proceeding as not to meet anyone else, they finally reached a corridor with doors on the left and right sides.

    Wilhelm was wondering what the doors concealed, but as the man proceeded straight without paying the slightest attention to the doors, Wilhelm gave up on his mental investigation.

    If it¡¯s unrted to Millie¡¯s rescue, then there¡¯s no point in knowing.

    He had received messages from Shin¡¯s party while moving, but chose not to open them in front of the man.

    After proceeding further down the corridor the two came upon a door clearly different than the others.

    Thevishly decorated door, which upied a whole section as a room, was also where the corridor came to an end.

    ¡°Wait here.¡±

    After saying so, the man knocked on the door with a peculiar rhythm, and the door opened by itself.

    It stopped after a few seconds, leaving an openingrge enough for one adult person to pass through.

    The man then stepped through the opening and Wilhelm followed after him.

    The room inside was quiterge, its floor rising higher in the back. It looked just like an altar, and Wilhelm was baffled and impressed at the same time that anyone would live in a room like that.

    ¡°Mdy Hermie. I have brought sir Wilhelm.¡±

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    The man had walked up to the canopy and reported Wilhelm¡¯s arrival, which prompted an answer from a crystalline voice beyond the heavy curtains.

    After a little while, the owner of the voice emerged from behind the curtains and showed herself.

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Hermie Schultz.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the ¡®Soothsaying Holy Woman¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I am often addressed thus, yes. However, such a pseudonym has barely any meaning at present.¡±

    Hermie¡¯s expression clouded. Wilhelm¡¯s eyes turned to the cor around her neck.

    Wilhelm assumed that the eerie-looking thing was the maniption item that Jai had mentioned.

    ¡°What did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°To return Millie.¡±

    With these words, Hermie opened the canopy¡¯s curtains wide, revealing a king-size bed and Millie sitting on it.

    ¡°Will!!!¡±

    Millie had known Wilhelm had arrived from his voice, and as Hermie opened the curtains she jumped up and ran to him.

    Her eyes brimming with tears, Millie grabbed onto Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm held her gently as not to hurt her.

    ¡°Will-nii, is Shia-nee¡­is Shia-nee okay!?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, she¡¯s as lively as theye.¡±

    Those words spread great relief in Millie¡¯s heart.

    She had heard from Hermie that Rashia was safe, but she could not erase all doubts until hearing the same from someone she trusted.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here, though? You were supposed to have been abducted by that Bulk bastard.¡±

    Why was Millie in a ce like that? Wilhelm inquired Hermie while patting the little girl¡¯s head.

    ¡°This girl and I share the same ability. Bulk ordered me to teach her how to control it.¡±

    Teach her how to control it. That alone wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    However, Bulk would never give her back just like that.

    ¡°Bulk ns to offer her as sacrifice. I suppose he only thinks of her ability as a way to raise her worth as sacrifice.¡±

    Hermie did not know what effect that could have on the ritual. She did not want to know either.

    If things continued on as they were, both her and Millie would not be able to escape Bulk¡¯s grasp.

    Having realized that, Hermie took the risky decision of ordering one of her men to bring Wilhelm there, in order to save Millie.

    ¡°Sacrifice?¡±

    Wilhelm was surprised to hear a word so foreign to him. He knew of the existence of the Summit Faction, but he thought they were terrorists that attacked without discrimination.

    After Hermie exined about the Summit Faction and their activities, faint blue veins could be seen emerging on Wilhelm¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°What insane bastards. But I still don¡¯t understand why you called for me. You should have known that I¡¯m not the only oneing to save Millie, right?¡±

    Wilhelm swallowed his anger and interrogated Hermie again. Why call him specifically, when calling Shin or Schnee would have resolved everything faster?

    ¡°I am aware that there are others trying to save Millie. But my ability allowed me to see only you and the female elf. And about her, all I could see was very rough and uncertain. Once, I saw you saving a woman called Rashia, and there was a ck-haired man with you¡­but I only saw him that time. My power has its limits, after all.¡±

    Hermie thus confessed her inability to see Shin, Schnee or Shibaid.

    Wilhelm knew how outside the norm those three were, so he did not find such a reason hard to ept. Difference in level and status, quality of weapons and armor, superiority of species¡­there were too many possible reasons.

    ¡°I see. Thinking about those guys, it¡¯s not strange that I¡¯m the only one you could see. Enough about them though.¡±

    That was all Wilhelm could say at that point.

    He too was simr to them as for being outside the norm, butpared to Shin and the others he still paled.

    ¡°Back to the topic, what do you n to do now? Even if Millie¡¯s safe, you¡¯ll still be sacrificed, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Thinking that it wasn¡¯t something to talk about then and there, Wilhelm returned to the topic at hand.

    ¡°I¡­I cannot escape.¡±

    Hermie spoke while shifting her gaze to the ground. Resignation was palpable in her words.

    Looking at the source for that feeling, Wilhelm spoke.

    ¡°The item that forces obedience upon those who equip it, huh.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°I heard from an informant. Looks like it¡¯s that cor?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. I have only received orders that prevent me from doing certain actions now, so I can move freely to a point¡­but if I receive the order, I can do the cruelest things without hesitation.¡±

    Hermie¡¯s pupils trembled while she talked, her fingers brushing against the cor. Wilhelm could not know what horrible things she had been forced to do until now.

    But judging from Hermie¡¯s pained expression, it couldn¡¯t have been anything pleasant.

    ¡°Are you conscious after you receive an order?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­vaguely conscious. I suppose I could say it feels like being in a dream.¡±

    Hermie exined how she wasn¡¯t fully conscious. Wilhelm thought that if she was, her emotional state now would be much worse.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do anything about that thing around your neck. Sorry, but I¡¯m going back with Millie.¡±

    ¡°Will-nii!?¡±

    ¡°That is fine. That is not why I had youe here, after all.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words made Millie raise her voice in disbelief. She was about to appeal to Wilhelm to save her, but then her eyes met Wilhelm¡¯s expression of suppressed regret.

    Hermie understood his feelings and nodded after hearing his words. The smile appearing on her lips was born from being genuinely happy that Millie would be safe.

    While feeling Millie¡¯s gaze, Wilhelm knew he was feeling irritated. There was something he didn¡¯t like about Hermie¡¯s expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that face?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The sudden question changed Hermie¡¯s expression from smiling to confused.

    Hermie thought that her release of the kidnapped Millie could have been considered suspicious by Wilhelm.

    She had expected the possibility of being asked if she was being manipted and was just trying to make them lower their guard.

    Fortunately that didn¡¯t happen: Wilhelm agreed to take Millie back without hesitation.

    Maybe because she had found some sce in that, Hermie could not understand Wilhelm¡¯s words immediately.

    ¡°It¡¯s the face of someone who doesn¡¯t care about themselves.¡±

    ¡°¡­if that¡¯s what you think, could you please hear my request?¡±

    As she understood Wilhelm¡¯s words, a thought formed within Hermie.

    Maybe she would be able to aplish the other objective for calling Wilhelm there.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Please, kill me.¡±

    ¡°Lady Hermie!?¡±

    ¡°Hermie-nee!?¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words were followed by shocked exmations from the guide and Millie.

    The real purpose of the man who brought Wilhelm to take Millie back was saving Hermie.

    Hearing the same Hermie ask Wilhelm to kill her would obviously cause him to raise his voice.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Even if I keep on living like this, I would just cause problems for many people. If I die and Millie disappears from here, Bulk¡¯s plot will fail too. Because of this cor, I cannot do it with my own hands, so¡­I beg of you.¡±

    ¡°That cannot happen!! Do you want the earnest efforts of all those trying to save you to be in vain!?¡±

    ¡°It will be toote if things continue like this.¡±

    Hermie¡¯s eyes were resolute as she stated so.

    ¡°What have you seen?¡±

    ¡°I h¡­gwah!¡±

    Hermie was about to start talking, when her face twisted into a grimace of pain. Through her fingers tightly holding her neck, Wilhelm noticed the words etched on the cor¡¯s light up.

    ¡°My¡­apologies. The cor prevents me from saying any more. But if things go on like this¡­the Eltnia continent will fall in ruin.¡±

    ¡°¡­.the Demon, huh?¡±

    Wilhelm guessed what Hermie meant to say through her fragmented words.

    He was gathering information on Bulk his own way too; his information sources were not limited to Jai.

    Among the pieces of information Wilhelm had collected, there were connections between Bulk and the Demon, albeit not confirmed.

    ¡°It is a very powerful one as well. If you understand me, please¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Wilhelm cut off Hermie¡¯s words while patting Millie¡¯s head, who was silently looking up at him.

    (I¡¯m not usually one to rely on others, but¡­)

    Wilhelm was a seasoned warrior too. The thing that Hermie talked about, something which could destroy the whole continent¡­he had felt, ever so slightly, traces of it ever since he arrived in Sigurd.

    It wasn¡¯t within Sigurd itself, but not too far from it, something of unknown nature was beginning to move.

    From that supposedly dangerous thing, however, Wilhelm could not feel any deathly presence.

    The reason was that until hearing Hermie¡¯s words, he did not perceive that sense of irritation as something concrete.

    But now he understood the reason. He felt that something evenrger than the menace Hermie spoke about was blocking it.

    There was only one thing he could think of.

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t kill you here, that enemy or whatever isn¡¯t going to aplish anything, you know.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure!? That is not something mere humans canpare to!¡±

    Instigated by Wilhelm¡¯sck of sense of danger, Hermie loudly let out her feelings.

    She could not express it in words, but Hermie had seen it through her ¡®Star Reader¡¯ ability. The massive shadow emerging from the ritual site, and the destruction in its wake.

    Hermie knew that even if she pleaded to the people trying to help her ¨C such as the man who guided Wilhelm ¨C to kill her, they would never consent.

    She had Wilhelme not only to entrust Millie to him, but also to ask him to kill her.

    ¡°If it was only me in Sigurd, it would have worked, maybe.¡±

    Theck of worry in Wilhelm¡¯s words clouded Hermie¡¯s expression further.

    There was a definite difference between Wilhelm and Hermie¡¯s reactions to theing danger.

    The cause for this difference was one simple thing. Knowing a certain person or not.

    Who could ever predict it?

    That the race talked about in myths was now here in this city?

    Who could ever predict it?

    That he and hisrades were already on the move?

 Book 6: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯d be very interested in hearing more about that.¡±

    The direct reaction to Wilhelm¡¯s words came from someone who wasn¡¯t supposed to be there.

    ¡°Hey there, good job in finding out that I was here.¡±

    Wilhelm cast a sharp nce at Eline. He had appeared with a timing that was too perfect.

    The spot Eline appeared from had no entrances or exits. Wilhelm had guessed that Eline had hidden himself or there could have been a secret passage.

    Wilhelm at first found it suspicious that Eline had not staged an ambush, but concluded that considering Eline¡¯s personality and abilities, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to not do something like that.

    ¡°I had Lady Holy Woman there predict it. She probably doesn¡¯t remember though.¡±

    Eline revealed the whole truth about his presence, with the same grin he had thest time they met in the church.

    His words surprised the source of the prediction, Hermie, the most.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be! I couldn¡¯t have predicted himing here, I¡­!¡±

    ¡°You did. But, you were told to forget about it. I was surprised to hear that you had seen Wilhelm in this city, though. Together with a rare creature like a ck-haired elf too. Bayreuth is quite far from here though, was it her ability that let you travel such a distance in this short time?¡±

    The maniption item could even modify memories.

    Eline¡¯s words and Hermie¡¯s expression convinced Wilhelm that it was the truth.

    At the same time, the anger he had suppressed welled up within him.

    Wilhelm could not forgive him for wounding Rashia and kidnapping Millie; on top of that, after witnessing how he toyed with Hermie, who was even ready to sacrifice herself, it would have been impossible not to be furious.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m going to tell you?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words implied the absurdity of such a question.

    Wilhelm told Millie to stand back and materialized ¡ºBeinot¡» from his item cards. His eyes did not leave Eline for a second.

    The rage burning within Wilhelm was about to rip through his body and erupt.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really care either way. What is that spear, though? It is truly beautiful!¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your damn opinion.¡±

    ¡°It is truly regretful not being able to share this emotion. I am in a good mood right now, so I will let it go. I am really d that you brought me such a spear. Who would think that you¡¯d have an even greater spear than the one fromst time? You should have wielded it earlier. Holding back is something really cruel to do.¡±

    Unlike Wilhelm, Eline¡¯s whole body expressed how good his mood was.

    His eyes were fixed on ¡ºBeinot¡», which Wilhelm was wielding. His expression was that of a child who had found a brand new toy.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pay you back forst time, here and now.¡±

    ¡°Haha, rather than paying me back, you should worry about having more to pay instead.¡±

    Eline¡¯s hand was already gripping ¡ºExvaine¡». His jovial expression did not hide the same contempt he had during his first bout against Wilhelm.

    His stance showed that after seeing ¡ºBeinot¡», Eline had understood that things wouldn¡¯t go likest time.

    Wilhelm too, however, was different fromst time. The weapon he was wielding was different, but more than that, his whole body was perfectly focused, without the slightest strain: his fighting stance showed no openings.

    The distance between the two contenders was roughly 10 mels. After making sure that the guide had made Hermie step back, Wilhelm pointed the tip of his spear towards Eline.

    ¡°Shaa!¡± (T/N: Literally ¡°Shii¡±. Something like a war cry.)

    Wilhelm took the first step.

    Wilhelm, whose speed was boosted by the support magic ¡°Ki Maniption* ¨C Kassen (Living Lightning)¡±, started his offensive against Eline. (T/N: Also tranted as Spirit Maniption)

    Eline¡¯s weapon might have been a High Human creation, but the range of attack for a great sword and a spear are very different. ¡ºBeinot¡» had encroached on Eline¡¯s attack range.

    ¡°I will not go down so easily.¡±

    Eline held his ¡ºExvaine¡» on the trajectory of Wilhelm¡¯s thrust.

    While a sword¡¯s middle part could be said to be its weak point, ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s abnormally high firmness managed to repel ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s strike.

    ¡ºVenom¡» would have caused him to suffer damage from this sh, but now Wilhelm was wielding ¡ºBeinot¡», the masterpiece Shin had crafted based on ¡ºVenom¡».

    Being the same grade as ¡ºExvaine¡», there was no decisive difference in performance between the two weapons.

    If a difference arose, it would be because of the user¡¯s skill and the weapon¡¯s attributes.

    After repelling Wilhelm¡¯s strike, Eline¡¯s ¡ºExvaine¡» parried ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s tip, which had changed its target to his feet.

    His body slid naturally, without opposing the force thrusting forward.

    Eline then moved one step forward, faster than Wilhelm could pull back ¡ºBeinot¡».

    After parrying one blow, Eline drew closer to Wilhelm, using ¡ºExvaine¡» as a shield.

    The distance between the two grew smaller and smaller.

    Wilhelm, however, would not make the mistake of entering into ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s attack range.

    One step before Eline¡¯s attack range. Just before stepping inside it, Wilhelm changed the pattern of his attacks.

    The methods of attack with the spear are the thrust, focused on one point, and the sweep, boasting a range far superior to other conventional weapons.

    The multiple thrusts that had been repeated until that point vanished in an instant, turning into a tinum circle, which attacked Eline the next second.

    ¡°Quite impressive!¡±

    After blocking the resulting blow, far heavier than the previous thrusts, Eline found himself forced to increase the distance.

    Looking at his feet would show burning tracks caused by his shoes grinding against the floor.

    The damage sustained was not much, but it was proof that it wasn¡¯t a blow that he could lightly parry on the spot.

    ¡°Very good. It appears I can get serious too.¡±

    Eline, once again, stepped forward with the intention of closing the distance that had formed previously. His speed was clearly differentpared to the movements up until a while ago.

    Eline too had reinforced his physical abilities with ¡°Ki Maniption¡±, as Wilhelm had done.

    Now the thrusts slicing through the air were not just parried, but knocked aside directly from the front by Eline¡¯s de. Because their basic stats were different, with the skill¡¯s physical boost Eline¡¯s STR was greater.

    Letting his sword arm¡¯s power take control, Eline was swinging the 2-mels long ¡ºExvaine¡» as if it was a long sword.

    A crimson arc is drawn in the air and ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s silver sh is repelled.

    Few weapons in the world could manage to withstand the attacks of Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºBeinot¡».

    If Eline¡¯s weapon had been a legend-grade at most, it could have been possible to push through thanks to the difference in weapon type.

    Eline¡¯s weapon, however, had a surprisingly high performance.

    Even under Wilhelm¡¯s frontal thrusts, it managed to parry all blows without even the slightest grinding sound.

    Eline¡¯s skills were undoubtedly top-notch. He could perfectly defend himself against the spear¡¯s continuous strikes with a weapon as unwieldy as the great sword.

    ¡°Tch, looks like the Hero title isn¡¯t just for show.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you knew? To challenge me despite knowing about that¡­you must have a death wish.¡±

    Eline responded thus to the words muttered by Wilhelm.

    ¡°I heard it increases your status, but I¡¯ll be damned if you aren¡¯t the least worthy of such a title.¡±

    The Title and character did not match.

    The character might not be Eline¡¯s fault entirely, but even so, a less fitting match would be difficult to find, or so Wilhelm thought.

    ¡°If you envy me, you should just say so. I am a Chosen One. For me to possess a special title like that could be said to be inevitable.¡±

    ¡°Hah, save the dream talk for when you sleep¡±

    The two contenders¡¯ des collided and made sparks fly.

    Even while taunting him, Eline had entered within range to attack Wilhelm. With the enemy so close, even Wilhelm could not continue his flurry of thrusts.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you think you were stronger simply because you have a new weapon? This duel will end just as thest one did!¡±

    As if in response to Wilhelm¡¯s earlier sweep, Eline suddenly changed ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s trajectory, which he had been swinging vertically until then.

    The swing, originally aimed at Wilhelm¡¯s head, changed directions towards his abdomen, with a sharp angle that a weapon as a massive as a great sword shouldn¡¯t be capable of.

    The strike, performed by drawing a sideways V in the air, was the sword art ¡°Aerial sh¡±.

    ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s deep red light bared its fangs, attempting to cleave Wilhelm apart.

    Before such a de, ordinary armor would be tantamount to nothing.

    That is the reason why it should be stopped not with armor, but with another weapon.

    Wilhelm, who attempted to parry the overhead blow with ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s handle, swiftly lowered his left arm and matched his spear¡¯s tip with ¡ºExvaine¡».

    As ¡ºExvaine¡» and ¡ºBeinot¡» shed, arger spark burst in the air.

    ¡°Gah¡­¡±

    ¡°My, I suppose it will not go just likest time, then.¡±

    The heavy blow forced his soles to grind against the floor, but unlike their previous bout, this time Wilhelm did not sufferrge damage of unknown origins.

    Wilhelm was safe because of the temporary physical boost provided by a skill and ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s sturdiness.

    Wilhelm had heard from Shin about ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s abilities. The damage of unknown nature that Wilhelm had suffered during their previous fight too was due to them.

    ¡°Looks like what he said was really the truth.¡±

    Wilhelm whispered so after confirming that there was nothing abnormal with his body.

    He did not doubt Shin¡¯s words, but he needed to see with his own eyes before finally epting the truth.

    Seeing Wilhelm withstanding his blow, Eline¡¯s smiling expression seemed to hide his intentions.

    ¡°For some reason, it seems like you know about my weapon. Since it is a High Human creation, I am not deeply familiar with its abilities yet. It appears there is more I need to ask you.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry. You won¡¯t have any use of it either way.¡±

    After saying so, Wilhelm¡¯s mouth formed a grin.

    Maybe because he was irritated by that attitude, the smile Eline was wearing on his lips changed in nature.

    ¡°That is fine, extracting information is not one of my duties after all. I shall grant you the opportunity of witnessing my true strength. I trust you will make this enjoyable.¡±

    His words had barely left his lips when Eline¡¯s body was enveloped in golden light.

    His shining figure was indeed reminiscing of a character from a heroic myth.

    ¡°¡­too bad he¡¯s like that inside.¡±

    Eline was wrapped in blinding light. Knowing about his character, however, prevented Wilhelm for feeling even a shred of divinity in such a view.

    The waves of power emitted by Eline were definitely growing stronger. However, despite their difference in status growing evenrger, Wilhelm¡¯s attitude did not change.

    ¡°You guys!! Stay back so you don¡¯t get involved in this!!¡±

    After warning Hermie and the others, Wilhelm brandished ¡ºBeinot¡» in a fighting stance.

    Without wasting time, ¡ºExvaine¡» drew closer.

    While not being as wide as a spear¡¯s, a great sword¡¯s attack range was longer than most weapons.

    Due to Eline¡¯s charging momentum and ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de length, Wilhelm felt as if the tip of the foe¡¯s de suddenly appeared before his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Wilhelm struck back that same tip, without a word. Holding ¡ºBeinot¡» near the tip, he counterattacked with the least movement possible.

    The strike had been performed with surprising reaction speed, and the small arc it formed repelled ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de.

    Wilhelm followed it by stepping forward. His left hand still held the spear¡¯s tip, while the right changed positions and lifted the end of the handle upwards.

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    The strike, aimed square at the chest, was avoided by Eline twisting his body out of the way. With his extended arm, he then forcefully swung ¡ºExvaine¡» wide.

    Even without Eline¡¯s full strength behind it, that sh would have been enough to cut Wilhelm apart.

    Judging it not necessary to parry, Wilhelm avoided it by crouching. At the same time, he quickly rotated ¡ºBeinot¡» and thrust it at Eline.

    After observing the sword cleave above his head , Wilhelm released a thrust with all his strength.

    The strike, enveloped in blue and silver light, stabbed Eline¡¯s chest with a speed that far exceeded his predictions.

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    The piercing strike that had left a blinding light effect on Eline was the spear and lightbination art ¡°Tetralight Firestreak¡±.

    After a strike performed with ¡ºBeinot¡», four spears of light followed by piercing Eline¡¯s armor.

    Yet Wilhelm¡¯s hands did not feel the sensation of pierced flesh.

    ¡°That kind of speed¡­it¡¯s not just an ordinary skill, is it.¡±

    ncing at the missing pieces of armor from his abdomen, Eline stopped smiling.

    Even though he barely parried it, the damage he received would have been enough to inflict a grave wound had he been hit squarely.

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who wasn¡¯t serious yet.¡±

    Wilhelm watched Eline with the vertically shed pupil of his left eye. It was the sign that the Dragnil blood flowing within Wilhelm had awakened.

    What had pierced through Eline¡¯s armor was not just the weapon¡¯s strength.

    Wilhelm had unleashed his trump card, the ¡°Evil Dragon Release¡±, which allowed him to use Lord and Dragnil powers at the same time, thus boosting his stats.

    ¡°That eye¡­I see, so you are a critical.¡±

    A streak of blood flows from Eline¡¯s abdomen.

    Even if slightly, Wilhelm¡¯s strike had managed to wound him.

    Without bothering to answer Eline¡¯s words, Wilhelm kicked the ground.

    The thrusts of his spear, infused with his whole body¡¯s power, moved at a speed iparable to the strikes Eline had previously parried.

    ¡ºBeinot¡», transformed in a silver blur, attacked Eline while piercing through the air with sounds akin to screams

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look down on me!!¡±

    Eline attacked back at the enemy spear, which looked like a blur.

    Even if Wilhelm¡¯s physical abilities had increased, it was not enough to determine who had the advantage.

    Crimson shes danced in the air.

    Silver and red. The two lights shed repeatedly between Wilhelm and Eline, creating innumerable sparks in midair.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.!!!¡±

    After a more intense sh between the des, the two contenders created some distance between each other.

    After a brief moment, they started their offensive at the same time.

    Wilhelm chose the spear and lightningbination art ¡°Thunderhowl¡±.

    Eline chose the sword and firebination art ¡°st Cross¡±.

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!¡±

    Their battle cries ovep.

    At this point, not only Wilhelm but also Eline could not afford to hold anything back.

    He who relents will lose. As both men knew it, the strength gripping their weapons¡¯ hilts was the maximum they could muster.

    ¡°Gh¡­! This, can¡¯t¡­!!¡±

    Eline voices his disbelief. ¡ºBeinot¡», which had turned into a silver sh of lightning before his eyes, was cutting down the blood-red fiery mes wrapped around ¡ºExvaine¡».

    ¡°Your mask is falling, false hero!!!¡±

    The sparks and mes emitted from their sh of strength were burning the floor and ceiling.

    A good distance behind Wilhelm, Hermie let out a scream.

    The bnce slowly changed. The sound of Eline¡¯s shoes grinding against the floor grew louder and louder.

    ¡ªI can cut through you!!

    With a sharp stroke, Wilhelm thrust ¡ºBeinot¡» forward.

    Their sh hadsted for roughly 15 seconds. The fiery mes, crushed under the lightning¡¯s pressure, disappeared in a thin mist.

    ¡°It¡¯s over!!¡±

    Eline replies quietly to Wilhelm¡¯s shout.

    ¡°Yes¡­it¡¯s over indeed.¡±

    As Eline finished uttering these words, Wilhelm felt a shock throughout his body.

    ¡°What¡­.the¡­.?¡±

    Alongside the shock, Wilhelm felt something entering his body, His experience told him it was a small de.

    What he didn¡¯t understand was who could have done it.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would just do nothing, did you¡­?¡±

    ¡°W-what¡­?¡±

    Wilhelm felt his hands losing their strength. ¡ºBeinot¡», which he was about to pierce Eline with, turned into a spark and vanished in midair.

    Eline, hisposure regained, motioned with his chin as if telling Wilhelm to look behind him, and thetter does.

    ¡°Da..DAMN YOUUUUUU!!!!¡±

    Wilhelm shouts loudly, trying to move his now powerless body.

    Before him stood Millie, with hollow eyes and a bloody knife in her hand.

    She hade closer to Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s sh and her arms suffered burns because of it.

    The knife had probably been poisoned, as not only his arms, but Wilhelm¡¯s whole body was gradually losing strength.

    Hermie¡¯s scream wasn¡¯t due to the effects of Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s battle.

    ¡°It looks like you gathered a fair share of information, but apparently it wasn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s possible to control more than one person at a time, you see?¡±

    Eline makes his revtion with a smile again stered on his face.

    Hermie and Millie are in the enemy¡¯s hands, the guide cannot be of any help in battle. Furthermore, Wilhelm was wounded by surprise. The situation was already desperate.

    ¡°Fighting you has been quite entertaining. It¡¯s a true shame that there won¡¯t be a next time, you know?¡±

    Eline¡¯s smile twists and warps. His expression didn¡¯t show a shred of heroic valor.

    His smile, an expression that normally gives positive feelings to others, had turned into a hideous mask that could only provoke disgust.

    In its eyes danced only the insanity of a life spent pursuing desire.

    ¡°Time to say our farewells. We shall make good use of your corpse.¡±

    Eline, showing no intention of capturing his prey alive, raised ¡ºExvaine¡» high, ready to give the final blow.

    ¡­.but his intentions would never be fulfilled.

    Just before his sword arm swung down, the room¡¯s door blew open with a booming sound.

    The solid door swung open in a V shape and flew towards Eline.

    ¡°WhaGHAH!!¡±

    What split the flying door in two and blocked Eline¡¯s eyesight was a fist d in a red gauntlet.

    That one blow crushed Eline¡¯s nose, smashed his chin and sank his face inwards.

    Where Eline was standing there was a ck-haired man wearing a ck long coat with red streaks.

    ¡°I made it just in time¡­or was I toote?¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm and Millie, Shin let out words filled with anger.

 Book 6: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    Around the time Wilhelm was heading over to meet Millie.

    Shin¡¯s party was inspecting the interior of Palmirack, as they were looking for a certain room.

    ¡°This one is closed too.¡±

    They were looking for Cain¡¯s ¨C Palmirack¡¯s master ¨C room.

    Cain was extremely fond of gimmicks, a passion reflected by the great number of hidden doors, passageways, and armories throughout Palmirack that would normally go by unnoticed.

    Among them was a hidden passageway that led to the room housing Palmirack¡¯s core. It was located in Cain¡¯s room, the room with the most dangerous gimmicks in all of Palmirack, as proof of its special status.

    But as long as they found the room, Shin¡¯s party would have broken through. Once inside the room they would fully activate Palmirack¡¯s core and take back control of Palmirack: Millie¡¯s location would then be crystal clear.

    Thus they kept searching for Cain¡¯s room, but the sheer number of closed partitions was making their search a difficult one.

    If they could find the passageway, they would have already entered the room and activated the core.

    ¡°Being a room of top importance, it¡¯s probably designed to not let anyone inside.¡±

    ¡°It could be. I¡¯m also concerned that Wilhelm¡¯s not answering our messages¡­let¡¯s look one more time. If we don¡¯t find anything, we¡¯re breaking through.¡±

    Shin nodded at Schnee¡¯s words and decided their next course of action.

    They didn¡¯t do so from the beginning because most of Palmirack¡¯s walls and partitions were made of chimeradite, a material with incredible properties.

    It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for Shin¡¯s party to simply break through, but destroying a 20-cemel thick chimeradite wall without anyone noticing would be impossible.

    An attack of considerable strength would be required, and the resulting sound and vibrations could alert the surroundings.

    If only a few people were present in the Church, it was possible for nothing to happen, but, unfortunately, many resided within Palmirack¡¯s walls, especially figures of high rank; like the pope and cardinals, priests in training and the senior priests instructing them. In addition, there were many knights stationed to protect the church.

    The priests in training were also in charge of cooking and cleaning, thus always on the move throughout the building. If loud sounds or vibrations urred, they would learn of it immediately.

    ¡°It¡¯s not here either.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party had moved past a hallway blocked by a dead-end, returning to the previous doorway, but found their progress once again opposed by a partition.

    Nothing else to do, they decided. We must break through.

    At first they sensed the surrounding presence, waiting for as many people as possible to be far from their location. At the same time Schnee activated ¡°Silent Domain¡±, a skill disrupting the surrounding sounds. The probability of anyone noticing sounds caused by them thus dropped significantly.

    Shin confirmed the skill¡¯s activation, pulled out a card from the item box and materialized it. From Shin¡¯s hands then appeared one katana.

    Resting within a candid sheath decorated with red petals was ¡ºHakuramaru¡», a katana of Ancient grade.

    Shin calcted the timing when the least people were in their surroundings and prepared to unsheath¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    As the skill activated ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s hilt became a blur and three silver streaks ran across the wall¡¯s surface.

    The katana martial skill ¡°Iai ¨C Hiengasane¡± (Iai ¨C Flock of Swallows) elerated the shes which drew an imperfect triangle on the wall.

    Without rxing his guard, Shin ced ¡ºHakuramaru¡» in its sheath and pushed the wall with his right hand, causing part of the shed partition to fall on the side opposite to Shin¡¯s party.

    The falling metal caused arge vibration upon hitting the ground.

    However, thanks to ¡°Silent Domain¡± the rumbling sound was not heard by anyone.

    Also because of the distance, the people present near Shin¡¯s party did notice the vibrations but did not make a ruckus about it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee passed through the opening in the wall and stepped into Palmirack¡¯s inner quarters.

    In the off-chance someone passed nearby, they put back part of the fallen partition where it originally was. After returning the wall to its former state, all light prating from outside was shut out, making it hard to see anything.

    Shin and Schnee both activated their detection skills to their maximum capabilities and proceeded quickly along the dark corridors. What they were wary of the most were the traps set around Cain¡¯s room.

    If Shin was registered as Cain¡¯srade there would be no obstacles, but if that had been revoked it would mean stepping foot in Palmirack¡¯s most dangerous trap zone.

    Shin, partly involved in the creation of the traps, absolutely did not want to fall victim to their effects.

    ¡°¡­.no traps, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do not perceive any danger either.¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceed onwards, with the utmost care possible. No matter how much they advanced through Palmirack, no traps seem to activate.

    Taking advantage of such an opportunity, they quicken their steps towards Cain¡¯s quarters.

    Even though the map function was unusable, he had visited that ce many times in the past. Shin proceeded with confidence and stopped before a certain door shortly after.

    Confirming the absence of any traps, Shin was preparing the keys, when a rattling sound reached his ears.

    ¡°The lock opened?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Schnee nodded to Shin¡¯s question.

    Putting strength in the hand holding the knob was enough for the door to open without any resistance. It appears that the lock had been disabled simply by Shin¡¯s presence.

    ¡°My registration¡­ is still active, then.¡±

    Shin still remembered that function. If someone registered in the system simply touched the knob, the door would open automatically.

    The room was as Shin remembered it: a round table and chairs, cupboards, kitchen and other furniture, in the same arrangement he was used to, lying quietly in the darkness.

    One difference was the dust piled on all of them. The room¡¯s environment control system was not active.

    Not only Shin, but any visitor could have understood that the room had not been in use for a long time.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go. The secret passageway is in the back.¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes.¡±

    After a brief pause in the silent room, Shin walked towards the back. Schnee followed after softly replying to him.

    The room in the back was only about 30 square feet: dustpletely covered the desk and chairs within.

    Shin drew closer to the bookshelves and pushed on the 4th book from the left of the 4th shelf from below. This caused the shelves to quietly slide to the left, showing a type of door that opened left and right from the center.

    That door too opened automatically as Shin went closer. It concealed a so-called elevator.

    The doors closed on their own after Shin and Schnee stepped past them; the elevator then started descending.

    After roughly 10 seconds of that floating sensation, the elevator stopped and its doors opened to a dimly lit hallway.

    One minuteter, Shin and Schnee had already reached Palmirack¡¯s center, the room housing the core.

    The room was shaped as a cube, with each side measuring 10 mels. At its center floated a ck sphere of 50 cemels of diameter.

    Innumerable geometric symbols were engraved on its surface, while streams of light ran periodically through the thin canals etched on the object.

    Those lights, however, were extremely faint.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Shin, after checking once again for the presence of the traps, walked towards the center of the room and the core.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°The core looks different from what I remember. The lights running on its surface used to be brighter and even though my data should still be registered, it won¡¯t respond to my presence.¡±

    Originally, the interior control menu was supposed to be disyed in midair whenever a member of the Rokuten approached. However, this was not the case this time around.

    ¡°Shin, there are traces of miasma in this room!¡±

    ¡°Miasma!?¡±

    As Shin walked forward for a closer examination, Schnee raised her voice suddenly, looking shocked.

    Surprised, Shin focused on his surroundings and felt the unmistakable nauseating presence of miasma.

    ¡°Are you serious? I hadn¡¯t noticed.¡±

    ¡°I suppose your resistance is too strong, thus its effects were nullified without you noticing. I do not possess a resistance as strong as yours, that¡¯s why I could notice, I think. Nevertheless, what could this mean?¡±

    Shin was now extremely resistant to all types of abnormal status effects. The miasma in the room was just enough to cause an ordinary person to feel sick, so it did not have any effect on Shin.

    Schnee¡¯s resistance, also because of her race¡¯s characteristics, was greatly inferior to Shin¡¯s, thus she could notice the miasma¡¯s presence.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s prating from outside.¡±

    ¡°A possibility is that the miasma mixed within the atmosphere umted over time, I suppose.¡±

    Miasma is present wherever living beings are. In a ce like the kingdom¡¯s capital, a mass of all sorts of entangled emotions, it was possible for miasma to umte without anyone knowing.

    Of course, even if such a thing had been done deliberately, it was not possible for it to umte enough to cause something serious. The quantity in that room was that small.

    Palmirack operated its interior by absorbing the surrounding magical power. Thus, while gathering magical power it had also absorbed the miasma mixed within it, or so Schnee thought.

    ¡°Could be. It¡¯s too little to be caused by a Demon.¡±

    Shin could not deny the possibility that after 500 years, some effect would be expected. He nodded while purifying the miasma.

    After the miasma disappeared, the lights streaking over the core regained their brightness. At the same time, the Palmirack control menu appeared before Shin¡¯s eyes.

    Without wasting a second, Shin searched all individuals present within Palmirack. Narrowing down targets using categories such as level, race and gender, he found only one applicable result.

    ¡°Underground, huh. There are 4 other responses nearby?¡±

    He found a response in one of the rooms underground. It was a rtivelyrge one.

    Together with the response thought to be Millie, there were 2 others in front and 2 behind her.

    ¡°¡­.!? This is¡­!!¡±

    Shin operated the menu to disy the room in question. The screen shifted to show Millie running, a ck de in her hand.

    Before her, Wilhelm was shing against a man with a red great sword. Millie was running towards Wilhelm, but her facial expression seemed tock focus.

    ¡°Schnee, we¡¯re jumping!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    This is bad.

    Shin felt it instinctively. He operated the menu at high-speed and activated the short-distance teleportation function within Palmirack.

    Shin and Schnee had been transported just in front of the room where Millie and the others were. Thinking it troublesome to open it, Shin let his strength take control and punched the door open.

    The doors opened in a V-shape and flew with a booming sound towards the man with the red sword

    Shin had found the location of the people inside the building with the menu and his detection abilities, while seeing the red sword was enough to let him understand that the man facing against Wilhelm was Eline.

    Shin flew into the room right after the door did.

    There, he found Wilhelm kneeling on the floor, with the knife protruding from his back, and Millie staring nkly at her bloody hand.

    To Shin¡¯s eyes as yer, Millie¡¯s status was clearly shown as ¡°Submission¡±.

    The visual seen in the core room and this status window were enough to let Shin know what had happened in the short time they employed to teleport.

    ¡°Wgwah!!¡±

    With the same skill-powered fists that had broken the door in two, Shin pounded mercilessly on Eline¡¯s face.

    Leaving the sensation of broken bones on Shin¡¯s hands, Eline spun in midair. After flying for several mel he crashed on a wall and slumped down on the floor.

    He would not die; the skill was used to prevent it.

    There were things Shin needed to ask: and no matter how enraged he was, he would never kill someone on the spot.

    It was apletely different question if being left alive would be pleasant for Eline, though.

    ¡°I made it just in time¡­or was I toote?¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm clenching his teeth and Millie¡¯s still vacant expression, Shin realized his voice was still imbued with anger. He grabbed ¡ºExvaine¡» with the hand that had sent Eline flying.

    ¡°Schnee, heal Wilhelm. I¡¯ll take care of Millie.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What shall we do about that?¡±

    ¡°Our first priority is this. I paralyzed him, so he can¡¯t use teleportation.¡±

    The skill Shin had used on his fists was the bare-handed martial skill ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡±.

    Amon element of RPGs and battle-focused VR games, this technique leaves the opponent with at least 1 HP.

    This technique also had the effect of paralyzing the opponent and preventing the usage of skills for a set time. Among simr skills there are ¡°Willow Throw¡± and ¡°Nonfatal de¡±, previously used against Barlux.

    Shin saw clearly from Eline¡¯s HP gauge that he barely had any left. Shin¡¯s attack hadnded cleanly. If it wasn¡¯t for ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡±, Eline would be mincemeat by now.

    After confirming that he had been inflicted with paralysis, Shin decided that they could ignore him for a while.

    Schnee nodded at Shin¡¯s words and cast healing magic on Wilhelm.

    Shin made sure Wilhelm¡¯s HP gauge was increasing and turned over to Millie.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Even with Shin standing before her, Millie didn¡¯t show any response. She simply stared nkly into space, hollow reflections filling her eyes. As the disyed ¡°Submission¡± status clearly showed, she had to be equipped with a submission item.

    Shin focused on observing Millie and noticed a kind of ck mist emanating from her right arm.

    ¡°Let me roll up your sleeves a little.¡±

    Rolling up Millie¡¯s right sleeve exposed a round item with the same golden characters present on Hermie¡¯s cor.

    Submission items were generally shaped like cors, but this allowed them to be equipped on the arms or legs of children like Millie.

    Even during the game, believing in stereotypes like ¡°cors are always equipped on necks¡± caused yers to be caught by surprise from time to time.

    Not knowing that the item would be effective even if equipped on someone¡¯s arms, Hermie and the others did not consider the possibility that Millie could have been manipted too.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to release you now.¡±

    Probably thanks to his ability as ¡°Liberator¡±, Shin knew how to destroy the item.

    Shin focused magic power on his left arm and grabbed the bracelet. The focused magic power scattered the ck mist away and the loud noise of something cracking could be heard.

    As Shin released his grip, the bracelet, now reduced to bits, vanished in a puff of smoke.

    As the ¡°Submission¡± status disy vanished along with the bracelet, strength left Millie¡¯s unconscious body. Shin caught her as she slumped to the floor, then faced towards Hermie.

    ¡°¡­..I will remove the cor. Pleasee closer.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Please.¡±

    Hermie was slightly wary of the man who had abruptly appeared in her quarters, but rxed after witnessing how he punched Eline, healed Wilhelm, and freed Millie.

    Hermie came closer and Shin stretched his magic-powered hand, just as he had done with Millie. The cor visibly cracked at Shin¡¯s touch, dissolving in the exact same way as Millie¡¯s bracelet did.

    ¡°It¡¯s really disappearing¡­¡±

    Unlike Millie, Hermie did not lose consciousness; She touched her neck where the cor used to be, as to make sure it was really gone.

    ¡°My name is Shin, the woman tending to Wilhelm¡¯s wounds is Yuki. Lilish requested our help. You are a Holy Woman, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. So you are the allies Lilish talked about¡­my name is Hermie Schultz. I am deeply grateful for your help.¡±

    ¡°We had our own reasons to do this, so please don¡¯t worry about it. Could I ask you to take care of Millie? I¡¯m afraid things will turn quite bloody from now on, thus, it would be truly helpful if you headed with Yuki to where Lilish is, mdy.¡±

    Shin spoke to her because he didn¡¯t think what would likely happen next was something for women to witness.

    While saying those words, Shin emanated apletely different aura than when he asked Hermie to take care of Millie. His expression and tone of voice were calm and collected, yet Hermie felt a chill so severe that her whole body trembled.

    ¡°¡­.Understood. I leave the rest to you.¡±

    Shin nodded and entrusted Millie¡¯s still unconscious body to Hermie.

    When he faced towards Schnee again she had finished healing Wilhelm, who had stood up and was recovering ¡ºBeinot¡».

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you saved me.¡±

    ¡°If Millie hadn¡¯t been manipted, victory would have been yours. I¡¯d have appreciated being contacted though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words turned Wilhelm¡¯s expression sour.

    ¡°Yeah, I messed up there. I wasn¡¯t focused enough on reporting the situation closely.¡±

    Hearing Wilhelm¡¯s words made Shin think that this world¡¯s Chosen Ones had abilities so great that it caused them to act without thinking too deeply at times.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t repeat the same mistake twice. Be careful in the future.¡±

    After saying this, Shin turned towards Eline, still knocked out cold on the floor.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to have a little chat. What are you going to do, Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who dealt the final blow. It¡¯s all up to you.¡±

    Wilhelm left everything up to Shin without hesitation because, from Eline¡¯s standpoint, that would be the worst oue.

    Wilhelm and Shin had been talking casually, but as soon as thetter turned his eyes on Eline, they disyed such an intense rage that you could almost see it around him.

    Hermie, who had moved close to Schnee, felt her own body tremble because of that pressure.

    The guide too almost jumped to protect Hermie after feeling the fierce aura Shin projected.

    ¡°You two shoulde this way. With them in that state, I think it is best to not stay here much longer.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. We are in your debt.¡±

    Schnee exited the room with Hermie and the guide, judging it wiser for them to leave after noticing the change in Shin¡¯s atmosphere. She contacted Shibaid and they headed to the room where Lilish was waiting.

    After confirming that the group of 3 left the room, Shin and Wilhelm walked closer to Eline.

    ¡°¡­¡­gh¡­..¡±

    Before Shin could do anything to Eline, they heard him emit a weak grunt. It appears that the upper ss chosen one¡¯s recovery ability Eline possessed had allowed him to regain consciousness.

    ¡°Hey there, are we feeling alright?¡±

    Shin spoke to Eline in an extremely casual tone.

    It would have looked like a conversation between close friends, had Eline¡¯s face not beenpletely rearranged.

    Despite being spoken to, Eline ¨C dripping blood from his nose and mouth ¨C was just trying to slowly stand back up, without saying a word.

    Shin waited for Eline to close his wounds with medicine before talking again.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I need to ask you. You¡¯re going to answer me honestly, yeah?¡±

    ¡°How dare you use an underhanded trick like a surprise attack¡­and to someone like me¡­!¡±

    Ignoring Shin¡¯s question, Eline let out a voice filled with anger.

    He seemed to think that he received an unexpected amount of damage just because he had been caught by surprise.

    ¡°Underhanded? I didn¡¯t expect to hear that from the man who had Millie do that ambush¡±

    ¡°I am a chosen existence. My actions are justly performed in God¡¯s name!¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see, talking will get us nowhere. Works for me.¡±

    Eline¡¯s words were those of a fanatic. Words of a man who believed himself to be just, without a shred of a doubt.

    For that very reason, Shin lost any scruples he might have had.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t resolve things peacefully through conversation, the only thing to do is let our fists talk, am I right?¡±

    Such words might suggest that Shin was thinking of finding a solution via dialogue, but of course that was not the case.

    The very moment he saw Eline, he had discarded all possibilities except physical nguage¡±.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Shin raised the ¡ºExvaine¡» he was still holding and threw it at Eline.

    Eline grabbed the weapon as it was flying towards him. Confusion was clearly present in his expression.

    ¡°You¡¯re giving me back my weapon? Are you looking down on me!?¡±

    ¡°Wrong word choice! I¡¯m not ¡°giving it back¡±, just ¡°lending¡± it to you for a while. It¡¯s not even yours to begin with.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words started bing rougher. He was different from the time with Girard: it was possible to sense his tone showed traces of cold cruelty.

    ¡°Come at me already. If you¡¯re even able to handle that weapon, that is¡±

    ¡°Damn youuuuu!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s utter arrogance pushed Eline to charge at him while raising an angry shout.

    His physical damage was far from recovered, but even so his speed was enough that it would be hard to react in time for anyone not an upper ss chosen one like him.

    Shin simply raised his left arm against theing de, slicing the air in his direction.

    It is not hard to imagine why Eline smiled at such a sight.

    ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s sharpness, Eline¡¯s own armpower, the weapon¡¯s own mass. It was normally unthinkable for a mere arm to do something against a blow resulting from thebination of these three factors.

    However, the crimson gauntlet equipped on Shin¡¯s arm squarely blocked ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de, which had cleaved through so many weapons.

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t be.¡±

    Shin did not budge an inch even after receiving the full brunt of Eline¡¯s blow. His arm did not move, nor did he show any expression of pain. He simply looked on at Eline, unfazed.

    Sparks had scattered from the gauntlet, but its surface didn¡¯t show the slightest mark. It was unscathed, much like its master.

    A full power blow blocked by a single arm. A reality that made Eline emit a raucous whisper.

    ¡°¡­..next.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Eline voiced his doubts at Shin, who looked as if he was waiting for his next move.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t all your power, was it? I¡¯m waiting. Show me your full strength already.¡±

    ¡°W-what!! You, you¡­!¡±

    Eline¡¯s fury had almost vanished, but Shin¡¯s look ¨C now mixed with pity ¨C stoked its mes high again.

    ¡°DON¡¯T LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEE!!¡±

    After instantly increasing the distance from Shin, Eline healed his damage with a skill, which he could finally use again. Without a moment of dy, he delivered another blow reinforced by an offensive skill.

    It was the sword and mebination skill ¡°Clear Bite¡±.

    A diagonal downward sh by a sword wrapped in white-hot mes and a diagonal upward sh with a de of pure fire attacked Shin from above and below.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s my line.¡±

    Even before a strike charged with all the strength Eline could muster, Shin did not draw. He crushed the de of fireing from below with a kick through his leg guards and blocked the deing from above with his gauntlet, once again.

    ¡°H-heh, this is noth¡­gwaaah!¡±

    Even if the de had stopped, the mes engulfing it did not.

    Eline was confident Shin would have been damaged after blocking the de the same way as he had done before, but was instead burned by the mes of his own de, reflected back at him.

    ¡°W¡­what is¡­going on¡­¡±

    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m going to tell you?¡±

    With these words, Shin pressed closer to Eline, without a sound.

    Shin¡¯s right arm shot towards Eline, as if with a roar.

    ¡°Aah!!¡±

    Eline barely managed to shield himself with ¡ºExvaine¡». The shock of parrying Shin¡¯s blow however, blew the great sword out of his hands.

    ¡°As I thought, you¡¯re not fit to handle it¡­I will face you from the front, fair and square. When you feel like talking, just give the signal.¡±

    Eline¡¯s expression was distorted because of the dull pain in his hands. Without a care for the man¡¯s state, Shin stepped right in front of him.

    An uppercut right into the sr plexus. Without a moment to react, Eline is thrown in the air.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Eline flies away, spitting blood, and crashed against the same wall he had been blown to before. The wall, built with special materials, sustains the impact of Eline¡¯s body and repels it back.

    Eline falls towards the ground, powerless.

    Before he can reach the floor, however, he is stopped by a crimson gauntlet.

    ¡°Gwooh!?¡±

    Another fist crashes into him.

    A flurry of fists and their afterimages do not allow Eline¡¯s body the sce of reaching the ground.

    Face, stomach, right shoulder, face, left body, right chest, face again.

    A series of blows which would have knocked out cold any average man, but that an upper level chosen one like Eline could sustain.

    Or rather, was made to sustain.

    ¡°Oh yeah. I¡¯ll heal before you die, so rest easy, ok?¡±

    After indirectly informing Eline that he will not be allowed to die easily, Shin continues his attack.

    The reason why Eline did not die even after such an amount of blows is simply ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡±.

    Thanks to the skill enveloping Shin¡¯s fists, even heart-rending blows or head-splitting attacks see their impact vanish right before it could prove fatal.

    Bones are shattered, organs are crushed, but death does note. It is not possible to die due to shock either.

    What increased Eline¡¯s misfortune even more was that Shin had a great quantity of recovery items with him. During the continuous attacks, a small bottle was thrown at Eline, who was in such a pitiful condition that it was almost a mystery how he could be still alive. The small bottle shattered as it made contact with Eline, its liquid contents spilling all over him.

    The next moment, Eline¡¯s battered body recovered almost instantly: it looked like someone had pressed the rewind button of a video yer.

    That was not something to rejoice about, though.

    A physical recovery also meant that the sensation of pain, paralyzed by the massive damage, returned as well.

    The recovery took a mere 2 seconds. Eline, still floating in midair, was again on the receiving end of a storm of fists.

    ¡°Bwaagh!¡±

    The words Eline was about to utter died in his throat. A cycle of destruction and recovery repeating again and again, truly an endless hell.

    Shin¡¯s face as he repeated his attacks waspletely void of emotion.

    He had ovee his anger, now no emotion could be perceived from his expression towards Eline.

    It was only a matter of time until Eline¡¯s heart copsed under this machine-like cycle of actions.

    ¡°Ghaah, sdob, sdop¡­¡±

    The flurry of fists stopped for a moment. Eline, slumped on floor, desperately tried to move his powerless body away from Shin.

    There was no trace of the earlier arrogance or anger in him anymore. As Shin moved but one step forward, Eline¡¯s body shook in an almostical fashion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear what you have to say then. Oh, any lies and I¡¯m going to kick it up a notch, ok?¡±

    Looking at his own blood dripping from Shin¡¯s fists, Eline nodded energetically. He had received the firstpletely one-sided beating of his life, which had pulverized any and all thoughts of rebellion.

    ¡°Number one. What did you n to do by kidnapping Millie?¡±

    Eline answered Shin¡¯s questions honestly.

    Bulk¡¯s objective was to bring Hermie and Millie to the location of a certain ritual and offer them as sacrifices. He nned to solidify his position in the organization that way.

    Eline confessed to not know the location of the ritual and that ¡ºExvaine¡» had been given to him by Bulk.

    Concerning the maniption item, it could control not only the actions but also the memories of the wearer. It cannot, however, alter existing memories, but only delete them.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Eline was speaking the truth.

    Even if his spirit had been broken, there was no guarantee he wouldn¡¯t lie. But when he blew Eline away with his fists, Shin had already used a mind interference-type skill.

    The skill caused Eline to not feel any desire to hide the truth or any sense or danger in saying everything he knew.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Wilhelm was standing behind Shin, silently listening to Eline answering Shin¡¯s questions. Wilhelm expected this kind of oue, that is why he left everything to Shin without a word.

    Wilhelm knew Shin was a High Human. Thus he also thought that he would likely know a mind interference skill, perfect for interrogations.

    He did not know if the skill had been used this time, but as Eline was coughing up the requested information, it did not matter if the reason was the skill or the beating he received.

    Wilhelm also realized that, considering Shin¡¯s personality, he would not have used a mind interference skill unless absolutely necessary.

    The current situation made it undoubtedly necessary.

    Shin¡¯s rush of punches made Wilhelm wonder if the man was still alive. Seeing Shin use healing medicine, however, cast away all unneeded worries.

    ¡°W-what will you do with me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Well, we got the information we needed. Next¡­you know, don¡¯t you?¡±

    We did what we had to, so you know what¡¯sing, right? Shin¡¯s expression towards Eline told a clear message.

    ¡°L-lord Bulk has probably already captured Lilish by now. If anything happens to me, who knows what they will do!! Not only to Lilish, but also the Holy Woman who left earlier!!¡±

    Eline suddenly raised his voice towards Shin. Talking about Bulk made him remember something he had forgotten.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to Lilish, you say?¡±

    Eline grinned at Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°They have chosen ones the same level as me with them! If you want to help them, do noty another finger on me!!

    Apparently Eline was nning to use the hostages as a shield to escape the current situation. If they could take Hermie and Millie hostage, he was sure it would be more difficult for Shin¡¯s party to move as they wanted.

    Eline¡¯s tough act was extremely ridiculous to Shin and Wilhelm¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, I surely hope for you they¡¯ve taken hostages.¡±

    Shin cast words filled with pity to Eline.

    Eline¡¯s smile stiffened when faced with Shin¡¯s nonchnt attitude.

    ¡°W-what are you saying. The Elf Tamer is going to the inn this very moment. The elf that was with you can¡¯t stand a chance against Konig¡¯s closebat prowess either. Will you act so tough even after they are captured?¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯s a big misunderstanding here¡­¡±

    Shin looked at Eline coldly and delivered a verbal coup the grace.

    ¡°¡­.when have I ever said that myrades are not with Lilish right now?¡±

 Book 6: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 6: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Will Shin and the others be alright?¡±

    After Shin¡¯s party left, Lilish¡¯s group was waiting in her room.

    In the current situation, even if they acted, they wouldn¡¯t aplish much. As it was unthinkable that only Eline was under Bulk¡¯smand, acting carelessly would have been dangerous.

    Waiting without doing anything, though, was painful not only for Lilish, but also for the knights at her side.

    ¡°Shin and Yuki will not have any trouble even if they face Eline head on. What we should worry about is the movements of the enemy¡¯s other troops.¡±

    Casting Lilish¡¯s worries aside, Shibaid leant against the wall of the corridor leading to the entrance. His words were filled with the absolute trust he felt towards Shin.

    Not knowing that Shin was a High Human, Lilish¡¯s group was probably worried at the thought of a head-on battle against Eline. Eline¡¯s fighting ability was just that great.

    ¡°Well then, it appears it is time for us to move too.¡±

    Less than an hour since Shin¡¯s party left, Shibaid spoke while staring at one point in the room.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a group of people walking in this direction. Judging from the fact that they are not hiding their hostile intentions, they must be Bulk¡¯sckeys.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words made Lilish feel more anxious.

    On her side there were 4 people, Shibaid included. Even if they were allpetent fighters, depending on the enemy numbers, they might be at an overwhelming disadvantage.

    Shibaid¡¯s party left the room, thinking it would be dangerous to fight inside. As they got out, there was a group of people heading towards them.

    Leading the group was none other than Bulk himself.

    ¡°Oh my, where are we going now?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere that may concern you, Father Bulk.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but I do have business with Lady Lilish. If you would kindly apany me, I am sure Her Highness the Holy Woman would be pleased as well. ¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­!¡±

    The sly grin formed by Bulk¡¯s lips made Lilish feel goosebumps.

    If it was possible, she would have crushed him to the ground, then and there. Her clenched fist and teeth expressed that wish very clearly to anyone who would look at her.

    Someone then put a hand on Lilish¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Lady Lilish, it appears you do not need to apany this charming fellow anywhere anymore.¡±

    ¡°But¡­could it be that¡­!!¡±

    Lilish, who had understood the meaning implied by Shibaid¡¯s words,pletely changed her expression.

    ¡°Yes, I just received contact from Yuki. They are heading here as we speak.¡±

    Shibaid nodded strongly, and not only Lilish but also the knights erupted in cheers. At the same time, their hostility flowed freely to the group blocking their way.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s with those looks? Have you forgotten what it means to defy me!?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget. Or rather, it¡¯s impossible for me to forget.¡±

    Lilish could not contain a chuckle, as her body was wrapped in highly dense magic power.

    Bulk, feeling the danger emanating from Lilish¡¯s clear intentions of attacking, drew his weapon and stepped forward.

    Those behind him also took out their weapons.

    ¡°Ko, Konig! Protect me!! You all too, step forward!!!¡±

    ¡°Konig? It can¡¯t be, you too¡­?¡±

    Looking at the knights before her, Lilish too said that name, with surprise in her voice.

    Konig was a knight that was dispatched to Balmel, and by that logic, he was not supposed to be here at Palmirack.

    ¡°Lady Lilish¡­I apologize..¡±

    ¡°Do not apologize. I am aware of the circumstances.¡±

    Konig, who had stepped forward as well, showed eyes clearly filled with regret.

    His struggle to stop the body that was moving against his will was palpable to Lilish, who was also well versed in the ways of fighting.

    His regret was felt by the people opposing him, as if it was their own.

    ¡°Flee, I beg of you¡­! Or I will cut you down¡­!¡±

    Konig¡¯s arms slowly reached the de at his waist. The brilliantly decorated weapon was the legend-ss magical sword ¡ºHaufer¡».

    ¡ºHaufer¡», unsheathed with a brilliant sound of metal, sparkled with an almost transparent silver gleam, in utter contrast with its owner¡¯s will.

    ¡°Is that a real magical de?¡±

    As he drew the magical de, an overwhelming pressure emanated from Konig¡¯s body, as if to crush his opponents. Despite his manipted state, his strength did not waver an inch.

    Lilish¡¯s party, who was prepared to fight, could not help stiffening before Konig¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Ha-hahaha. What happened to all your confidence and boasting?¡±

    Noticing Lilish¡¯s party¡¯s hesitation, Bulk had regained hisposure and was now jeering at them, standing right behind Konig.

    None of them, however, had lost to Konig¡¯s aura of pressure.

    ¡°Well then, I suppose we should start by stopping this man.¡±

    These nonchnt words were spoken by Shibaid.

    His equipment was the same as when he joined with Shin¡¯s party, light gear covering only part of his body.

    The only difference was the silver-colored gauntlet he was now wearing. Lines of ck mixed with silver grain covered the whole item.

    Shibaid had materialized one of his original pieces of equipment.

    ¡°Hmph. Konig is one of the most capable upper ss chosen ones. If I were you, I would not boast so quickly.¡±

    Bulk, enjoying the view of Lilish¡¯s party being pressured by Konig, bit back at Shibaid.

    To Bulk, it looked like Shibaid was just bluffing.

    ¡°You petty scum¡­do not think that you have angered only Lady Lilish.¡±

    As Shibaid uttered those words, the pressure bearing on Lilish¡¯s party suddenly vanished.

    Immediately after that, as if the pressure had simply changed targets, the knights standing before Bulk kneeled to the ground.

    They looked as if an unseen giant was pushing on them with all its weight.

    ¡°W-what the¡­gah¡­!¡±

    The sight of his knights groveling had shaken Bulk, who too was forced on his knees slightlyter.

    A pressure so strong, trained knights sumbed to it: it was impossible for Bulk to resist. He cried, lying on the ground like a ttened frog.

    Originally, techniques that pressure the opponent with one¡¯s aura or spirit did not have the effect of pushing the opponent down physically. The pressure was felt simply on an emotional level.

    However, in Shibaid¡¯s case it was slightly different.

    ¡°I have heard of all your despicable acts. You will not escape me.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s deeply resonating voice shook Bulk¡¯s eardrums. As if responding to his anger, the pressure emanating from Shibaid grew even more intense.

    At the same time, the floor around Shibaid started cracking.

    Shibaid¡¯s main job is Holy Knight. Its role is to be an iron wall, a shield to repel enemy attacks.

    If we were topare skills that attracts the enemy¡¯s attention and pressure enemies into submission. Shibaid boasts the best aptitude among all the support characters.

    Against enemies with great difference in abilities, it even manages to pressure them physically.

    ¡°The church headquarters¡­is vibrating¡­?¡±

    Konig, the only one of Bulk¡¯s entourage still on his feet, looked at Shibaid with disbelief in his eyes.

    Konig felt that Palmirack itself was resonating with Shibaid¡¯s anger.

    ¡°I know you are being controlled, Sir Konig. As I have no way to break that cor, I will have to be somewhat rough¡­I trust you will understand.¡±

    ¡°¡­I would rather be killed than for my de to y those without sin¡±.

    ¡°Your spirit is trulymendable.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words provoked an explosive eleration in Konig¡¯s movements. The afterglow following his de swings painted streaks of light in the air.

    As a weapon worthy of its ¡°Legendary¡± grade, ¡ºHaufer¡» sliced through the air with little resistance, aiming at Shibaid¡¯s neck.

    It all happened in an instant.

    Being controlled allowed Konig to perform a movement he would normally find difficult, a swing at his maximum speed.

    The de, however, was stopped right before meeting its target, by a silver gauntlet.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    A sharp metallic sound. It was ¡ºHaufer¡»¡¯s cry after grinding against the gauntlet.

    The shock of the impact and the difference in quality between the two weapons resulted in only ¡ºHaufer¡» to be damaged.

    A result which left Konig wide-eyed and speechless.

    Immediately after that, the gauntlet, which had stopped ¡ºHaufer¡», vanished in thin air, together with Shibaid himself.

    ¡°¡­..Go to sleep.¡±

    The instant those words reached Konig¡¯s ears, he was already drawing his de¡­only to be hit vertically into the air.

    Where Konig was standing just before, now stood Shibaid, his fist raised in the air. The armor which saved Konig¡¯s life so many times on the battlefield now bore a deep dent in the shape of Shibaid¡¯s fist.

    Konig, blown in midair by Shibaid, crashed against the ceiling with roughly the same speed as he had stepped in to swing his de.

    ¡°Gwah!!¡±

    A counter performed after blocking the opponent¡¯s attack.

    That single blow was enough for Konig¡¯s body not to follow its master¡¯s will anymore.

    Yet the emotion filling Konig¡¯s chest was not surprise.

    Towards the existence of an overwhelmingly powerful warrior, capable of dealing with upper ss chosen ones with ease, who did not ept or forgive evil.

    Towards the fact that a person like that appeared before him.

    ¡°I am¡­thank¡­ful¡­¡±

    After uttering these words, Konig lost consciousness.

    ¡°If you lose consciousness, you cannot move even under maniption, is that it?¡±

    Shibaid went closer to Konig¡¯s body and confirmed that all strength had left it.

    As he did not know how the control worked, Shibaid put restrains on him to be sure.

    ¡°I cahn¡¯t, beliive it¡­¡±

    Watching Konig be defeated so easily left Bulk bbergasted.

    The other knights too seemed to grasp just how dangerous an enemy Shibaid was, and they were desperately trying to crawl away to safety.

    ¡°Lady Lilish, could I ask for your help in restraining them?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Shibaid captured the higher-leveled knights, while Lilish took care of the rest. Bulk tried to flee too, but he was obviously captured as well.

    ¡°H-how dare you treat me like this!!¡±

    ¡°Your subordinate in the other room has been defeated already, did you know?¡±

    Bulk was cut off as he was trying to talk. Shibaid informed him about Eline¡¯s capture and Hermie and Millie¡¯s rescue.

    Bulk¡¯s expression was one of utter shock. Considering that Lilish¡¯s party turned against him, he realized that Shibaid must have been speaking the truth.

    They did not need to endure humiliation to protect the controlled ones any more.

    There wasn¡¯t a reason anymore not to oppose him directly.

    ¡°You have done as you pleased more than enough¡­¡±

    Probably because of the anger within her, a heat haze was surrounding Lilish as she walked towards Bulk.

    Her beautiful features hid a strong aura projecting a ¡°I will beat you till you¡¯re an inch away from death!!¡± vibe, was abundantly clear to anyone who would look at her.

    Her pressure was so fierce that even the valiant knights present stepped back.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t deserve to die in a ce like this!! Teleport!!!¡±

    Under the weight of Lilish¡¯s pressure, Bulk frantically chanted the keyword.

    It was the same teleport crystal stone that Shin had used before.

    ¡°No! Wai-¡±

    Bulk disappeared before Lilish could prevent it. It was as if he never was there in the first ce.

    ¡°Kh¡­! To think that he had a teleport crystal stone that was supposed to be lost¡­!¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression was distorted by regret. The other knights too were left stupefied by Bulk¡¯s sudden disappearance.

    Differently from Lilish, however, Shibaid showed no sign of apprehension.

    ¡°Do not fret, Lady Lilish. Bulk hasn¡¯t escaped us yet.¡±

    ¡°But he alreadypletely disappeared¡­¡±

    ¡°This building is the High Human¡¯s ¨C Cain¡¯s ¨C base. A crystal with such low purity can¡¯t teleport outside its walls.¡±

    ¡°I-is that really true?¡±

    ¡°I have lived my share, you see. I have had the chance to learn about this Palmirack from High Elves and High Lords. He is likely regretting trying to escape right now.¡±

    Shibaid nodded with confidence, which let Lilish feel at ease.

    Some timeter Lilish, who had reunited with Hermie¡¯s party, felt as if something akin to Bulk¡¯s screams reached her ears.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Yourrades?¡±

    ¡°Subduing Lilish¡¯s party while the main force is headed to the Holy Woman. That much is easy to predict. Thus we only needed to set a fitting opponent in wait for them.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous¡­Konig will be apanied by other upper ss chosen ones! No matter how strong yourrades might be, they too surely have their limits!¡±

    Konig, a warrior close to Eline in ability, was heading to Lilish¡¯s location. Shin did not know Konig very well, but he was not worried in the slightest about the possibility of Shibaid¡¯s defeat.

    ¡°If that Konig is close to you in terms of strength, as you say, then it will be child¡¯s y.¡±

    Even if there was another chosen one on the same level as Eline, Shibaid would not have trouble defeating him. It was a definite fact.

    Shin spared no expense to reinforce his support characters, hispanions were not to be trifled with.

    ¡°Well then, now that you know that there is no way left to stop us, let us talk about what to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    Shin walked closer to Eline, slowly. Thetter, remembering the punishment he had just received, let out a cry and tried to flee.

    No matter how much of an upper ss Chosen One he was, not enough time had passed for him to recover. The type of movement avable to him was on all fours at most.

    Maybe because all he had in mind was to run away as fast as possible, Eline crawled away with a speed Shin and Wilhelm did not expect. He could not truly escape, obviously. Shin gradually closed in on the distance between them.

    ¡°S-shit!! Why am I¡­why is this happening to a chosen existence such as I..!!!¡±

    As if he failed to grasp his current situation, Eline was muttering senseless words.

    Eline had advanced for several mel when it happened.

    His body started convulsing wildly, with jerky movements like a puppet with unoiled joints.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shin was puzzled at Eline¡¯s sudden strange movements.

    ¡°Aaah¡­gah¡­why? N-no¡­NOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    Eline screamed out of the blue.

    Perhaps he had been hiding something in card form, Eline was holding a short sword with a ck de in his hand. After that, right before Shin and Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, Eline stabbed himself with that same de.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    The sudden insane act stopped both Shin and Wilhelm in their tracks for an instant.

    The moment the de prated Eline¡¯s body, his HP gauge, as it appeared in Shin¡¯s eyes, instantly dropped to 0.

    Instant death.

    ¡°Gah¡­i¡­¡±

    Eline whispered something, spat blood and dropped to the ground. A mixture of fear and confusion remained on his face.

    ¡°Give me¡­a break¡­suicide all of a sudden? Is this a sick joke?¡±

    Unable to understand what had happened, Shin grimaced at the blood flowing from Eline.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure. That bastard sure didn¡¯t look like someone who was thinking of offing himself.¡±

    It was clear that it had not happened because of Eline¡¯s will. His movements, as if under someone¡¯s control, led Shin to think of a certain item.

    Shin drew closer to Eline and examined his neck, arms, legs. However, not a single submission item simr to Millie¡¯s could be seen.

    ¡°So, he wasn¡¯t controlled via an item?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it. Did he have any abnormal statuses?¡±

    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t look like he was affected by anything¡­¡±

    Shin checked Eline¡¯s general status disy, but found no trace of status abnormalities.

    He wasn¡¯t controlled by an item, nor under the effect of confusion or brainwashing. It was a very odd situation.

    (Could it be something I¡¯m not aware of? Or is there something I missed¡­?)

    As the game turned into reality, it was highly possible that something not existing before now did. However, it could simply be that Shin had forgotten about it.

    Even a long-time yer like Shin could not remember all events and in such detail.

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything rted, but it¡¯s probably better to check with Schnee too.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Well, it could be something I forgot about.¡±

    As Shin mentioned that Schnee and the others might know something about it, Wilhelm nodded in approval.

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising that there are things that even you don¡®t know. Anyway, he was raised by Bulk since he was a child. The Summit Faction likely did something to him, not that I pity him though.¡±

    Rather than an item, he could have been under the effect of magic. If that was true, that could perhaps also exin his contorted personality.

    Wilhelm, having heard of Eline¡¯s feats from Jai, did not have anypassion to spare.

    Memory maniption by an item could delete memories but it could not affect the person¡¯s personality. And Eline who actually used this type of item, said as such.

    Even after such a death, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t worthy of pity.

    ¡°We got the information, but I can¡¯t call this a pleasant way to close the curtains.¡±

    ¡°I feel the same. The body¡­I suppose we can leave it here.¡±

    This room too was inside Palmirack.

    As with the chosen one who exploded, after some time passed the corpse would be dispersed.

    The two removed all of Eline¡¯s equipment and items, searching for what could have been manipting him. Not even Shin knew of a way to preserve corpses, thus they left it to be dispersed.

    As Shin left the room with Wilhelm, a Mind Chat from Shibaid reached him.

    ¡°(Shin, we have subdued Bulk¡¯s subordinates who attacked us.)¡±

    ¡°(They came to you then, as expected. What happened to Bulk?)¡±

    ¡°(He ran away with a teleport crystal stone. However, the crystal seemed to be quite low in purity. He should have fallen in the maze section.)¡±

    ¡°(Please give me a second¡­yes, I found him. Leave the rest to me.)¡±

    Shin, who had activated Palmirack, could use part of its functions even without the control console.

    He used the search function he had previously used to find Wilhelm and confirmed that Bulk was moving within Palmirack.

    Even a teleport crystal stone of the highest purity would not allow instant escape if used inside Palmirack.

    Even Shibaid, whose fighting-oriented job did not grant especially high appraisal ability, understood that the crystal stone used by Bulk was a low purity one. Such a crystal stone would not allow the user to flee, but instead would transport him directly to the maze section, built for intruders.

    As he closed the Mind Chat with Shibaid, Shin called to Wilhelm, who was walking ahead.

    ¡°Listen, Wilhelm. It looks like Bulk ran away. I¡¯m going to go catch him, so go ahead and join the others.¡±

    ¡°He ran away? You don¡¯t need any help?¡±

    ¡°I already know where he is, so no problem. He can¡¯t get out, or rather, he ended up in the maze section we used for training. If we leave him there, he¡¯s going to die. We have information to extract from him too, so I¡¯m going to secure him.¡±

    ¡°Looks like his luck finally ran out, eh? I¡¯m going ahead then. Make sure you give him a good scare.¡±

    Wilhelm, with an evil grin, walked on through the corridor.

    After seeing him off, Shin used Teleport.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Aaaahh!! Eeeekk!! What, what¡¯s going ooon!¡±

    Forcing his pudgy body to an awkward run, Bulk cursed his fate.

    Bulk, church priest and central member in the Summit Faction at the same time. After gaining a pawn such as Eline, he had stained his hands in all sorts of evil deeds.

    Drunken by the vision of attaining High Human status, he had in not only monsters but also other humans.

    He was responsible for the death of many humans with special abilities, offering them in ritual sacrifice.

    After gaining control of the Holy Woman and the knight guarding her, thanks to an item obtained by chance, he even managed to control a girl with the ¡°Star Reader¡± title. In that moment, he thought that the whole world was moving to help him be a High Human.

    ¡°Shit!! Someone of my caliber is not supposed to end in a ce like this¡­..! Bwah!¡±

    Bulk was running frantically, but finally his unhealthy lifestyle caught up and his feet tripped each other up. He fell to the ground and, unable to break the fall, was struck badly all over his body.

    ¡°Gaah! Where is this ce supposed to be anyway! I used the teleport crystal, so why am I not outside!?¡±

    Bulk flew in a fit of anger while squirming because of the pain.

    He was supposed to have been transported outside Palmirack, but he found himself inside a dark cavern instead. The unexpected situation was already pushing Bulk¡¯s frail mind fortitude to its limits.

    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrrr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Eeep!¡±

    What eroded Bulk¡¯s spirit the most was the roaring cry which would sometimes resonate in the cavern. The cry, clearlying from a monster, wasing closer and closer to Bulk¡¯s position.

    He could not see where the corridor lead, no exit was in sight, nor were any of his guards escorting him.

    The increasingly louder roar was shaking Bulk to his core.

    ¡°Da-damnitall!!!¡±

    ¡°Yo¡±

    A hand touched Bulk¡¯s shoulder as he was about to run again. As Bulk turned around, his field of vision was filled with the figure of a man emerging from the darkness.

    This new surprise caused the already tense Bulk to utter an iprehensible scream: ¡°KWESDRFIGYYFIJIKIIII!!¡±

    ¡°Fijiki¡± is the only thing I could make out from that.¡±

    Bulk had jumped up, crashed back down, and was now looking up at the face of the young man who talked to him.

    ¡°W-what in zes is going on!! But no matter! You, take me out of here! Now! I am a church priest, you shall be amply rewarded.¡±

    Bulk, in a state of confusion because of the extreme situation, barked his orders without confirming the young man¡¯s identity.

    To such a Bulk, the young man talked with a smile and a menacing tone.

    ¡°Hahaha. Your face is the only joke we need here, pig bastard.¡±

    ¡°W-what did you say? I¡¯m a priest of the church, I said!!¡±

    The young man walked closer to Bulk while cracking his knuckles. The closer he came, the farther Bulk crawled.

    In that moment, Bulk finally understood that the young man had clearly hostile intentions.

    But it was far toote.

    ¡°I have a bunch of things to ask you. You better answer if you want to stay in one piece.¡±

    Eyes lit up in the dim darkness.

    Apletely artificial smile.

    Hostility so palpable that his instinct was screaming to run away.

    It was the manifestation of fear, a terror the likes of Bulk had never experienced before.

    Bulk had no room to crawl backwards anymore, and part of his clothes had started to be slightly damp. A faint scent of ammonia pricked the two men¡¯s noses.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start talking.¡±

    Bulk¡¯s screams resounded through the barely lit corridors.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Lilish¡¯s party had reunited with Hermie and Millie, led by Schnee, and was in a joyous mood.

    Lilish shed tears of happiness at the sight of Hermie¡¯s neck, finally free of the ck cor; seeing her in tears made Hermie cry as well.

    The knight cheered loudly, confident in Bulk¡¯s downfall.

    As Wilhelm arrived, Millie, who had been eagerly awaiting him, ran up to hug him.

    ¡°Oh, nice cheery mood here folks.¡±

    ¡°Here you are. Hey, it¡¯s still alive right?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet, nope. I doubt he¡¯ll be able to continue being a priest though.¡±

    Wilhelm sighed while talking to Shin, who had joined them with some dy. Millie was still stuck to him and wouldn¡¯t let go.

    The reason was an unconscious Bulk, carried by Shin¡¯s left arm.

    Seeing the priest with white eyes, drooling and sometimes trembling would have provoked the same question not only from Wilhelm but from anyone who witnessed it.

    ¡°Shin-sama? What did you¡­.¡±

    ¡°I just squeezed information out of him. I¡¯ll let the church decide what to do with him next.¡±

    Shin handed Bulk over to the guard knights and opened a Mind Chat with Schnee and Shibaid.

    ¡°(ording to Bulk, there¡¯s a high chance that Filma was captured by the Summit Faction. It looks like ¡ºExvaine¡» was given to him by someone iming to be from the Faction.)¡±

    The two¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing Shin¡¯s information. They could not remain indifferent after hearing that arade might have been captured.

    ¡°(Is there no information about the ritual site?)¡±

    ¡°(Someone was supposed toe pick him up. I know the date, but who knows what this messenger will do.)¡±

    ¡°(Any other clue?)¡±

    ¡°(Nothing. I had the impression that he doesn¡¯t know anything either. Looks like they deleted the important parts of his memories.)¡±

    Making Bulk sleep and using an item like the maniption cor on him wouldn¡¯t have been difficult. Lilish¡¯s method too would allow a simr result, if used with ill intentions.

    ¡°(Mind type skills are a real pain.)¡±

    Right next to the rejoicing Lilish group party, Shin¡¯s could not feel at ease.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After Shin and Wilhelm left, something started moving in the room where Hermie had been captured.

    ¡°Uuh..ghaah¡­¡±

    The figure awkwardly standing up was none other than the man who was supposed to have died on the spot after piercing his own chest, Eline.

    ¡°Kaah, he¡¯s finally dead!¡±

    Eline¡¯s smile was even more distorted than before. More than half of his face was covered with a tattoo of thorns.

    ¡°This guy¡¯s contortion was of decent quality, but it was pretty obnoxious.¡±

    Eline talked as if concerning someone else. To a third party¡¯s eyes, he would look like he had be someone else.

    ¡°Aaaah, having a body is really fantastic after all. Better not waste any more time here though, let¡¯s hightail it before that monster notices us.¡±

    The wordsing from his mouth clearly showed how the spirit inhabiting the body was no longer Eline.

    Something was controlling Eline¡¯s body. With a small chuckle, Eline¡¯s body vanished into the darkness as if melting in it.

    Nothing else was left.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Tiera, who was heading to the inn after parting ways with Shin, was suspicious of theck of any pursuers. She tried asking Kagerou and Yuzuha, but apparently there were no hostile presences in the surroundings.

    Tiera too was worried about Millie, but she knew well that with Shin¡¯s party heading to rescue her, there was nothing for her to do.

    Tiera climbed onto the inn¡¯s roof and stood gazing at Palmirack. She let slip a small grumble.

    ¡°They told me to stand guard from outside, but I can¡¯t see anything. Someone that could slip away from Shin and the others¡­who could ever do something like that?¡±

    She ended up wondering if she was really being of help to them.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou, who were on lookout, drew closer to her as to reassure her.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    ¡°Gruu¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Should something unexpected happen, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Tiera answered to the two and focused her sight on Palmirack.

    Her focus then paid off, as she perceived unrest among the spirits around Palmirack.

    Tiera followed their trail with her eyes and saw something fly from the roof of a building on the edge of Palmirack.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s excellent eyesight allowed her to recognize the flying figure as humanlike. However, there were two pairs of wings sprouting from its back.

    As far as Tiera knew, all Bird-type had just one pair of wings. None of the ones Tiera knew had two.

    In addition, those two pairs of wings were one bird-like and the other insect-like,pletely different types. It was clearly something abnormal.

    The fact that the figure looked almost transparent must have been due to a skill.

    ¡°What in the world is that shadow? Is there any skill we can use to track it?¡±

    Yuzuha activated a skill after Tiera¡¯s request. A bird-like something, melting in the moonlight, danced in the sky and flew after the shadow.

    ¡°Did something happen to Shin and the others¡­?¡±

    Tiera then was informed of Millie¡¯s rescue by ate message.

    The shadow she had witnessed.

    That very shadow would decide the next destination of Shin¡¯s party.

 Book 6: Side Story

    <h4>Book 6: Side Story</h4>

    ¡°Fumu¡­¡±

    ¡°Shibaid-dono, are you alright? You¡¯re not acting like usual.¡±

    He hade to Falnido¡¯s estate for Girard¡¯s funeral and also have a reunion with Shin. Shibaid was seated deeply in a chair, arms crossed, rxing himself.

    It was hard to tell if he was a human or beast, but as a Dragnil, it was clear to see that he was unsettled.

    He was acting so strange that Shumaya Uru Kilmont, envoy and representative of the emperor of the Dragon Empire Kilmont, began to get suspicious.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that I was a bit surprised. As an escort, it is quite pathetic of me to have worried our representative.¡±

    Despite saying so, there was no indication that Shibaid¡¯s mood had changed at all.

    Even if he wasn¡¯tposed, his emotions weren¡¯t necessarily negative ones, such as impatience or anxiety. Rather, they seemed to be something positive; it seemed like he was holding himself back from bursting out inughter.

    Shumaya smiled at Shibaid¡¯s answer.

    ¡°No no, on the contrary, I¡¯m pleased to see this different side of you, Shibaid-dono. So even the hero of the Dragon Empire is unable to conceal his joy.¡±

    The smile of the first imperial princess, who also served as the general of the imperial troops, was a rare urrence that few have seen.

    She had a human body with the wings, tail, and horns of a dragon. Emotions were more expressed on Shumaya¡¯spared to Shibaid¡¯s, whose head waspletely that of a dragon¡¯s. When she smiled, she squinted pleasantly with her jet-ck eyes and her crimson hair shook delicately.

    ¡°I still have some ways to go, thus I¡¯m still immature. No matter what I do I can¡¯t seem to control my emotions. The reason I¡¯m happy is that this is what we desire most.¡±

    In response to Shumaya¡¯s smile, Shibaid spoke with deep emotions.

    When he was with Shin he endured it, but now Shibaid rxed his tail, covered in distinct Dragnil scales, and it hovered just above the ground.

    If Shibaid had been a beast like Girard or Cuore, the tail extending from his back would have been fiercely wagging from side to side.

    For the Dragnil, however, to show emotion with one¡¯s tail was proof of being immature. So Shibaid earnestly minded his heavy tail.

    ¡°We, huh¡­So you mean to say it was the same for Girard-dono?¡±

    ¡°Ah, him. Without a doubt he knew this feeling.¡±

    The corners of his mouth raised as he dered this.

    He had been shaken when he received the news of Girard¡¯s death. However, looking at Girard¡¯s satisfied face in the coffin however, andparing it with what he¡¯d heard from Shin, he felt certain that Girard had left this world content.

    Maybe if he had been killed by some stranger from a far offnd, he may not be able to hold back the negative emotions. Girard had worried he might die without proving his loyalty. But during his illness, Shin had watched over him, and assured him he had already done so.

    It was exactly for this reason that Shibaid could enjoy the reunion with Shin.

    ¡°May I ask what is it that you desire most?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t discuss it. It¡¯s not something I need to hide, but neither is it something I can go about freely proiming to all.¡±

    ¡°I see. I began to think something auspicious had happened so that I need send a gift, seeing Shibaid-dono so joyed.¡±

    ¡°Your words are sufficient. It¡¯s about time for the conference. I need to head to the hall.¡±

    Failing to master his emotions meant he was still immature. While thinking that, he tried to distract himself by encouraging Shumaya to join him.

    ¡°Shibaid-dono never requests mypany. Maybe I¡¯ll go and attend to business as is expected of me.¡±

    As Shibaid stood up, Shumaya began to get ready.

    The countries outside Falnido, too, had seen much change since Girard¡¯s death.

    This included Kilmont, of which Shibaid had been its founder. In Kilmont not only the imperial family and soldiers who had met him, but also themoners were still mourning Girard¡¯s death.

    Girard and Shibaid had spent long years together on the battlefield following the High Human, both as friends and as rivals.

    Girard with his technique and speed, Shibaid with his strength and defense.

    They were different from one another, but it had happened often that they were an equal match as vanguards.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to fret about if those who scheme get caught.¡±

    Girard was the symbol of the beasts, and coincidently the deterrence towards troubling elements.

    There are people who hold contempt towards heroes that are loved by all. Girard¡¯s death seemed like it might unearth things long dormant. At the conference they were to discuss what to do about it.

    ¡°It will be fine. There is an official heir to be the bearer of ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». He¡¯s still young, but he seemed skilled enough to me. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Fumu. If Shumaya-dono saw him and thought so, one can rest easy.¡±

    Coming from the imperial family, Shumaya had judged many people, so Shibaid was relieved to know that she thought so.

    Even Shibaid, who had encountered people of all kinds, struggled to see through people¡¯s true nature.

    If other party was a warrior, he could identify their character even without a meeting on the battlefield; but not all were warriors.

    Shibaid acknowledged Wolfgang as a sessor from his warrior¡¯s intuition. But if he could just get Shumaya to agree, he would have peace of mind.

    In addition, Schnee had previously mentored Wolfgang on asions. If there was something to be concerned about, it was expected to had been addressed together with Girard.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready. Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    As a warrior and as a man, his skills could not be doubted. But what about as a statesman?

    In order to figure it out, Shibaid headed towards the conference with Shumaya.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It was the day after reconfirming the alliance between the two countries.

    Shibaid had taken to the sky in order to return Shumaya to the empire.

    He had heard that Shin andpany would return to Bayreuth temporarily, so in the meantime Shibaid will prepare for his own departure while they were there.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to fly like this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We can¡¯t fly with these wings of ours, after all.¡±

    Nodding to Shumaya, who flew alongside him, Shibaid looked down upon thendscape extending below him.

    Among the Dragnil there were some whose appearance were almost identical to humans and some whose appearance were close to dragons.

    Whether one had wings on their back was decided by birth.

    Despite that, no matter how big or small their wings, the Dragnil couldn¡¯t fly, as stated by Shibaid.

    They could p their wings, but gliding for a short amount of time was the limit of its use. This remained unchanged even after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯; yers and NPC alike were still unable to fly.

    If he were to fall from the wyvern he rode on, even if it was Shibaid, how could hee out unscathed?

    However, falling from an altitude of more than 1000 mels, the extent of damage received would be light for Shibaid. With his skills, strength, and equipment thing would turn out all right.

    ¡°A giant wyvern would be nice, though.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start with that. Those are for transporting materials in times of emergency. And, you¡¯re speaking strangely.¡±

    Shibaid was wary of Shumaya, whose behavior had changedpletely since they left Falnido; she was listless and spoke in a t voice. With no one around besides Shibaid, the real Shumaya hade out.

    Shumaya thought of getting on a giant wyvern so she would be able to bind herself to Shibaid during the confusion, but he had realized immediately what was going on. The first imperial princess of Kilmont was quite honest about what she desired.

    Even though he renounced the seat of the Dragon Emperor, there were none in Kilmont who didn¡¯t know of Shibaid¡¯s character and abilities; his reputation was immeasurable.

    If Shumaya could make him into her groom, the benefits would be numerous: a mightier army, increased support for the imperial family, strengthening ties with Schnee Raizar, etc. And if she could make it happen now, an extra benefit would be being affiliated with High Humans.

    ¡°Born with it or not, huh.¡±

    Surprisingly, if you traced Shumaya¡¯s desires, most of them were bound up with the interests of the empire. Such a behaviour of bouncing around usually turned into profits. Shibaid didn¡¯t know if the person in question was aware of it or not.

    In any case, Shibaid reciprocate to Shumaya¡¯s feelings towards him.

    Shumaya¡¯s father was the current Dragon Emperor, and thereby Shibaid¡¯srade in arms. Along with the empress, they were close friends who had experienced many battles together.

    He had also helped from time to time when she had been a child, so Shumaya was like a daughter to Shibaid.

    He was d that they were close when she was younger, but to be seen as a potential mate was a problem.

    ¡°We¡¯ll arrive at the castle soon. No more sulking about.¡±

    ¡°How presumptuous of you to say.¡±

    Shumaya drew her lips into a pout. Shibaid just gave a strained smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like that. I still have things to do ¨C still had, at least.¡±

    Shumaya noticed a change in Shibaid¡¯s voice. His eyes weren¡¯t there; they were looking at something far away.

    ¡°Shiba¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Wyvern over there, slow down!¡±

    Shumaya was interrupted mid sentence as they approached the castle; four wyverns approached them. They were Kilmont¡¯s Dragon Knights, charged with protecting the skies of Kilmont.

    ¡°My name is Shibaid! I have brought Lady Shumaya Uru Kilmont, the first imperial princess! Here is my proof!¡±

    Shibaid flew up to the knights and unfurled the banner of the imperial family.

    It was imbued with magic, and would respond to magical equipment carried by the Dragon Knights.

    ¡°¨D¨DAuthenticity has been confirmed. We apologize for the formalities.¡±

    ¡°Good. You men are the guardians of my country¡¯s skies! Continue on and return to your posts.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    At Shumaya¡¯smand the men saluted and flew off. The two watched as they flew away in perfect formation. By watching them one got a sense of the training the knights underwent.

    ¡°Hm? It looks like there¡¯s a wee party.¡±

    ¡°Wee party?¡±

    Following Shumaya¡¯s eyes, Shibaid looked at the castle and saw on the wyvern dock a group of people. At the front was someone Shibaid knew well.

    Once they hadnded safely that man approached them with a servant beside him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see both of you back. You returned earlier than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Father, what are you doing here?¡±

    The man Shumaya had just called father was unmistakably Zaikuin Baal Kilmont, Dragon Emperor. His body that rivals, or may even surpass, Shibaid¡¯s was covered in deep crimson scales, and his violet horns towered majestically above him.

    ¡°I had a feeling you might being back today. It seems there were no issues.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Girard-dono¡¯s descendants are distinguished individuals.¡±

    Zaikuin nods in satisfaction to his daughter¡¯s answer.

    Even though they were father and daughter, presently they were conducting what seemed to be a business-like report between an emperor and his retainer.

    ¡°If Shumaya says so, then I am sure there are no problems. We can talk about the detailster. Now it is time for you to rest after your journey.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡±

    Shumaya left the dock and made for the castle, and Zaikuin told the guards who had stood vignt behind them to withdraw. Knowing the emperor would be safe with Shibaid apanying him, they obeyed without a second thought.

    ¡°Now, before Shumaya gives her report, I¡¯d like to hear from you. You have time, surely?¡± asked Zaikuin; With his guards gone, he rxed his tone somewhat.

    ¡°Yes, I also have something to discuss with you, your Grace. I will set aside time tonight.¡±

    After a moment of slight surprise, the emperor nodded.

    It was just the two of them; there was no one to object to Shibaid ignoring the emperor¡¯s request.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It waster, at night. Shibaid had been brought to Zaikuin¡¯s private room.

    ¡°There is no need for formalities here. What did you want to discuss with me?¡±

    ¡°Before that. I apologize, but I¡¯d like to request the men hiding to leave the room.¡±

    ¡°¡­it seems it¡¯s something very important.¡±

    Zaikuin ordered the men hidden under the floor and in the ceiling to leave. Normally the emperor would never be allowed to be alone with an adventurer, but if it was the former emperor Shibaid, that was a different story.

    ¡°Now then. What on earth has happened? Does it have to do with Girard-dono?¡±

    Zaikuin¡¯s voice echoed throughout the quiet room. Due to Girard being the topic of discussion, the tone of his voice seemed to show worry for Shibaid.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about him. Girard passed away content and at ease. His face looked peaceful after he had gone.¡±

    ¡°I see. After I heard the news I thought it would be impossible, but I¡¯m relieved to know that he went without regrets.¡±

    Hearing what Shibaid said, Zaikuin let out a sigh of relief. He, too, had once fought side by side with Girard.

    Like Shibaid, although not to the same extent, they were both rulers, warriors andrades with a long-standing rtionship. He didn¡¯t want to imagine Girard suffering as he died.

    ¡°However, if it¡¯s not about Girard-dono, what is it you wish to discuss?¡±

    With the circumstances as they were Zaikuin believed it must have to do with Girard. He looked at Shibaid slightly confused.

    ¡°Let me apologize in advance for my bluntness. I will leave the empire. It doesn¡¯t worry me, but from now on it will be difficult for me to help you.¡±

    ¡°¡­so this means you don¡¯t n to return?!¡±

    Zaikun¡¯s astonishment was so obvious it could be seen clearly on his dragon face.

    Up until then Shibaid had worked in the heart of Kilmont. What he had just said, however, made it seem like he would leave and never return.

    ¡°Perhaps, a new High Human based had been discovered?¡±

    In the continent of Eltnia there were several bases the High Humans had left behind. Among them were the famed flying castle Rashugum and Palmirack, which now served as a stronghold of the church.

    However, with continental drift several bases had disappeared. The base of Shin, Shibaid¡¯s master the ¡®Dark cksmith¡¯, had yet to be found.

    Looking at the worried Zaikuin¡¯s face, Shibaid says calmly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Nor am I staying in Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Well, then why is it you need to leave? The only other thing I can think of would be demons. But I haven¡¯t heard any news since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that either.¡±

    ¡°So what then? You might as well just spit it out,¡± said Zaikuin, letting out a disgruntled sigh. He trusted Shibaid, so when there was no one else around, the emperor could let his manner slip.

    ¡°Apanion who I swore allegiance to has returned. Do you understand what I am hinting at?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t mean¡­!?¡±

    Zaikun¡¯s eyes opened wide. The pupils staring at Shibaid were filled with something beyond astonishment; there was admiration in them.

    ¡°It¡¯s certain. And sooner orter there will be others who¡¯ll notice. That¡¯s why I¡¯m informing you now,¡± said Shibaid, looking straight at Zaikuin.

    ¡°From now on, under no circumstances are you to confront our master. Should you do so, I will need to draw my sword against you.¡±

    Sitting before him was not an SS-rank adventurer, nor the founding Dragon emperor of the empire. It was a single warrior who had sworn allegiance to his master. It was written in his eyes: we may have fought many battles together, but oppose me and you will find no mercy.

    ¡°¡­I see. He truly hase back.¡±

    In the face of Shibaid¡¯s resolve Zaikuin was silent. After a few moments he exhaled quietly.

    It¡¯s not as if a farewell isn¡¯t sad.

    But Shibaid could see it in Zaikuin¡¯s expression; they had spent so many years together that the emperor understood how he felt.

    ¡°I am sorry. I can¡¯t just stand idly by, now that we have met once again.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. I¡¯m on your side. I would be d to have someone like you following me. Your master must be d as well. When we first met, you were always staring off into the distance. I knew that you were still longing for something.¡±

    ¡°Ha. Really?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? I suppose the person themselves never notices.¡±

    This bastard, chuckled Zaikuin.

    To Shibaid, Zaikuin¡¯s smile looked just as it had in the days when they had first met each other. It was his true smile, the one thaty beneath his emperor¡¯s facade.

    ¡°Shumaya will be very upset,¡± said Zaikuin with a sigh, as if to sweep away the tension.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s tough.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who would think that.¡±

    Shibaid frowned as Zaikuin shrugged off what he said.

    It was Zaikuin who knew that his daughter had feelings for Shibaid, but did nothing to stop it from developing.

    ¡°So, when will you leave? You¡¯ll allow us to send you off?¡±

    ¡°I have some assignments to take care of first. They shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±

    ¡°I see. It will be difficult to exin to the others, though. It¡¯s not as if I can tell them the truth, after all,¡± said Zaikuin, scratching his chin, his face filled with concern.

    A High Human had returned. Were the news to spread, many groups would begin to mobilize. The ck Faction of the Shiten cult would be overjoyed; they would certainly attempt to make contact with him.

    The news wasn¡¯t all good, however.

    There were fools who, notprehending the power of the High Humans, might seek to manipte them. And to most people, the High Humans were the stuff of legends; they thought of them as fairy tales, not understanding what was the truth and what was not.

    ¡°I expect nothing but your best to keep the secret. However, their time spent being anonymous won¡¯tst long. Schnee is already apanying him, and I¡¯ve heard there are others too. Even if I were to do nothing, their name will stille up.¡±

    ¡°So it is. Strong men are a ma for trouble. You¡¯re no exception.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Zaikuin seemed to want to say something to Shibaid who looked puzzled.

    ¡°I understand if you don¡¯t want to stay here. But for now, for old times sake¡­join me for a drink. For me this may be a time to mourn, but for you it will be a drink of celebration.¡±

    ¡°Fumu. Let¡¯s drink.¡±

    As Zaikuin brought a special bottle, Shibaid pulled out a treasured item from his Item Box.

    They may never meet again.

    Knowing it would be so, the two Dragonewts, one jet ck and the other crimson, raised their sses to one another.

 Book 7: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    In order to save Millie, the group rode the Elder Dragons to the Church¡¯s headquarters.

    There they met Lilish, cardinal of the Church. She requested Shin to capture Bulk, a fanatic follower of the ¡°Summit Faction¡±.

    Bulk had not only kidnapped Millie, but also imprisoned Hermie, a girl bearing the name of ¡°Holy Woman¡±.

    Shin¡¯s party, acting alongside Lilish, assaulted Palmirack -the facility serving as the Church¡¯s headquarters- and sessfully rescued both Millie and Hermie¡­

    ¡°¡­what will I do now, you ask?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We could save Lady Hermie thanks to you all. Once this information spreads, all the others who had to endure Bulk¡¯s arrogance will want to thank you.¡±

    About 30 minutes had passed since Hermie and Lilish had reunited.

    It was already well into the night.

    The guard knights ran off to convey the word of the Holy Woman¡¯s rescue, while Hermie and Millie were resting in another room, guarded by Wilhelm.

    Shin sent a message to Tiera, asking her toe to Palmirack.

    Shibaid, guided by a knight, headed to Bulk¡¯s room to collect any remaining submission items, like the ¡°Submission Cors¡±.

    Shin, Schnee, and Lilish were discussing the rewards in the room assigned to the female cardinal.

    Shin didn¡¯t wish for any reward; instead, he wanted to be considered a ¡°mysterious helper¡±, but Lilish wouldn¡¯t agree. She strongly argued that the others wouldn¡¯t agree either.

    Concerning the efforts spent on this operation, at that point in time the date had changed, thus it was 3 days in total. The only money spent was on lodging fees at the inn. There was no particr expense to be refunded.

    What Shin¡¯s party had done was simply infiltrate Palmirack and take down Eline and Bulk.

    Shin understood that it was the most important part, but for him it had been an easy feat; that¡¯s why there was such a difference of opinions between him and Lilish.

    Even if they were to receive a reward, something too generous would, on the contrary, make it difficult for them to ept it.

    Shin¡¯s name had already begun spreading because of the Balmel defense battle. If he was grandly awarded by the Church here, it would only invite greater trouble their way.

    It was toote to say things like ¡°I don¡¯t want to stand out¡±, but his honest desire was to avoid as many problematic situations as possible.

    ¡°I would really appreciate it if you kept my name hidden.¡±

    ¡°Your name? But to me this seems to be a great chance to gain recognition.¡±

    ¡°Our reason foring here was to save Millie, the rescue of mdy Holy Woman was¡­pardon my bluntness, but it just happened along the way. Besides, after knowing about what Bulk was doing, I¡¯m sure that anyone would have tried to do something, no matter what they could or couldn¡¯t do, without concern for what could be gained or lost¡­don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Any proper human being would have been disgusted at Bulk¡¯s actions.

    It was the same for Shin¡¯s party, which also happened to have the power to stop Bulk. That¡¯s all there was to it.

    ¡°At the very least, is there anything you need? I have asked for your help saying that I would give anything in return. After everything you have done for me, letting you go empty-handed would brand me as ungrateful.¡±

    ¡°Aaah, well, I didn¡¯t mean to say we wouldn¡¯t need anything, so please calm down.¡±

    Shin moved a step back from the slightly too close Lilish andughed wryly.

    Shin understood well enough that from the standpoint of someone who had been saved, not being able to express gratitude would be hard to bear. Shin was thus thinking about what to ask for as a reward.

    ¡°Is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There are 3 things we would like to request. First, we would like to collect any remaining cors like the ones used by Bulk. I would like to do so before they pass onto others¡¯ hands, to examine their structure and effects. We would then dispose of them ourselves, and if we cane up with an item to nullify their effects we will offer it to you too, of course.¡±

    Leaving behind items that grant the power to control others would eventually give birth to other Bulks. History itself tells how even holy men and women can sumb to desire.

    In addition, there was the necessity to research a method to nullify their effects, other than Shin¡¯s ability. In order to build and test a cor removal item, having the cor themselves was a prerequisite.

    The request to hand over items that instantly force others to obey one¡¯s will, would likely be a difficult decision for Lilish, thus Shin considered it a fitting reward.

    ¡°I see, even we are not immune to temptation after all. I shall entrust them to you, Shin-sama. Considering your actions until now, I am positive that you will never use them as Bulk did.¡±

    Contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations, Lilish epted his request with ease.

    ording to Lilish, Bulk supposedly had other allies within the Church; candidates for the position of ¡°next Bulk¡± were not scarce. Rather than risk keeping the items, letting a trusted person have them would be better.

    Lilish¡¯s trust towards Shin was deeper than he thought.

    ¡°I would truly appreciate it if you get in touch with us, the moment you seed in creating a cor removal item.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite a problem if I¡¯m the only one able to do something about them, after all.¡±

    Will it be possible to make them? How much time will it take? There were still too many unknowns in the equation, so the topic was closed by agreeing tomunicate whenever the desired effect was created.

    ¡°What is the second request, then?¡±

    ¡°The second is information. We would like you to tell us everything you know about the Sacred ce. If possible, we would be grateful if you contacted us whenever you learned something new in the future.¡±

    The Sacred ce still hadn¡¯t been researched enough, but if anything had been discovered already, Shin wanted to know in advance. The Church had a great number of believers, so in this head church of Sigurd there was likely a great concentration of information as well.

    Information about the Sacred ce was known only to the top members of the guilds; survey missions of its interior sometimes im the lives of an entire expedition teams. It was that dangerous a location. Information about it was more than worthy to be requested as a reward.

    ¡°We have documents with collected information about the Sacred ce. I shall have someone bring them to you. As long as it is within my capabilities, if any new informationes up, you¡¯ll be the first to know.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. Our third request concerns the ¡°Summit Faction¡±. We would like to ask you to find out more about the ritual site Bulk spoke of. It would be great to know where the faction¡¯s base is, but we are more worried about the ritual right now. Because there may be others other than Bulk bringing sacrifices there. ¡±

    The first priority for Shin¡¯s party was to investigate the Summit Faction, as the disappearance of Shin¡¯s support character Filma had not been resolved yet.

    It was Shin¡¯s 3rd request, but higher than anything else in priority.

    ¡°These are the rewards I am thinking about.¡±

    ¡°Are these three requests really enough? For us they would barely suffice to im we have repaid you¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought they were ratherrge requests, honestly. You don¡¯t need to feel so much obligation, you know?¡±

    Lilish was serious, yet somehow felt under pressure, so Shin tried to pacify her.

    ¡°No, that will not do.¡±

    Lilish, however, clearly expressed that Shin¡¯s words had not convinced her.

    ¡°Please listen. This rescue operation, if it wasn¡¯t for you and your party¡¯s cooperation, would have had no chance of sess. If we embarked in it by ourselves, most, if not all of us, would have been killed, Hermie and Millie would have been sacrificed, while I and the other women would have probably be their ythings.¡±

    Lilish spoke clearly and firmly. If Shin¡¯s party had not joined their struggle, that future would have been almost certainly inevitable.

    Wilhelm alone too, would not have been able to enter Sigurd before Bulk¡¯s entourage left the city.

    There would have been no one able to subdue Konig or Eline; in addition, with Hermie equipped with the submission cor, there was no possible way for Lilish to emerge victorious.

    There was even the possibility for the whole Church to fall under Bulk¡¯s control.

    Because of all this, Shin¡¯s appearance was a true miracle for Lilish; it wasn¡¯t strange that they saw it as a message from god.

    ¡°When I said I would give you anything, I included my own self. And this is why.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­however¡­¡±

    ¡°I said those words because I was ready for anything. Please understand.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see, so that¡¯s what you meant¡­¡±

    Shin fretted, expecting a phrase like ¡°I give my own body to you¡± toe out, but was relieved when it didn¡¯t.

    You saved my life, thus now I am yours. Amon urrence in some fantasy fictional works.

    Shin, however, was not the type of person to happily ept an offer like that.

    ¡°Allow us to ask for your help when something happens, then. We aren¡¯t omnipotent, after all. The first request can probably be taken care of easily, so for the time being we would be grateful if you could focus on locating the Summit Faction¡¯s base of operations and the ritual site Bulk talked about.¡±

    ¡°Understood, we will gather all the information we can. Whenever you may need our help, please say so without hesitation.¡±

    Shin told the enthusiastic Lilish to contact the Golden Company if they learned something. Lilish was surprised at Shin¡¯s connection to the Golden Company, but immediately nodded with a serious expression.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s all for now.¡±

    ¡°If that is really all, it would be no problem if you desired me too.¡±

    ¡°Er, I¡¯m not sure why we are going back to that topic¡­I will not, of course?¡±

    As the phrase he thought he had dodged came out of Lilish¡¯s lips, Shin¡¯s face muscles stiffened.

    ¡°The women alongside you are an Elf and a High Elf. Female Elves never join parties with men, unless they deeply trust and arefortable around them¡­and it seems they are with you, Shin-sama, so I thought you had that kind of rtionship. You like elves don¡¯t you? I¡¯m an elf too, you know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong!! Aaahhhhhhhh!!!!¡±

    So screamed Shin in the depths of his heart.

    Shin had no idea about the difficulties of female elves in joining parties with males. Knowing that someone aware of it would think he made himself an elf harem was a small shock.

    ¡°Anyway! As far as men are concerned, there¡¯s Shibaid too! Why do you pair only me with those two?¡±

    ¡°Just a maiden¡¯s intuition. Although, it is more than clear to whom Lady Yuki¡¯s affections are directed.¡±

    Lilish stated with confidence and a smile.

    Shin was quite troubled by her sudden change in personality. Lilish probably thought that continuing to discuss the rewards would have inconvenienced him. In other words, the serious discussions were over.

    ¡°I-Is that so¡­er, Yuki, why are you sticking so close to me¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡±

    Yuki ¨C the disguised Schnee ¨C had slipped very close to Shin, no one knew when. It wasn¡¯t clear if her answer to Shin¡¯s question was serious or in jest.

    ¡°Hehe, you two get along so well. I¡¯m envious.¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression while speaking to them was of someone enjoying a heartwarming scene.

    Lilish¡¯s warm look, so different than before, made Shin feel slightly ufortable.

    Only one thought came across his mind: ¡°What the heck is this situation?¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin andpany were discussing ¡°rewards¡±, Wilhelm was guarding Hermie, Millie and Konig, who were recently released from the submission type item, in the neighbouring room.

    Bulk was detained, however, he wasn¡¯t the only dangerous individual within the Church. There was no guarantee that individuals, who operate in a dishonest fashion, wouldn¡¯t move and take advantage of this situation.

    ¡°You should be able to go home soon, right?¡±

    ¡°Since Will-nii and Shin-nii is here, everything will be alright!¡±

    Millie was in high spirits: she was lying down, her head resting on Hermie¡¯sp, who was petting her softly.

    Everyone was safe and there was someone she could trust among those who came to her rescue.

    That someone, Wilhelm, was right next to her even now, so she had no reason to be worried.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    Wilhelm was looking intently at Millie, without speaking a word. He was observing her to find out if there was anything strange remains, while making sure she didn¡¯t notice and was unsettled by his observations.

    After all, Millie had been manipted by Eline and stabbed Wilhelm. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her heart to bear a deep wound because of it.

    However, asking Millie about Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s battle revealed that her memories stopped at the beginning of the fighting. It could be said to be rather fortunate.

    Eline had probably made preparations to use Millie whenever needed. This one time, that actually led to a positive result.

    ¡°Are you concerned?¡±

    ¡°¡­.well, yeah.¡±

    The question to Wilhelm came from Konig.

    Once Shin removed his cor, nothing restrained his actions. He thus returned to his original duty, Hermie¡¯s protection.

    His armor had been rendered unusable by Shibaid¡¯s attack, but his beloved de, the Legend-grade magical sword Haufer, rested at his side.

    Konig didn¡¯t know that the manipted Millie had stabbed Wilhelm, but knew that the cor had been equipped on her. He assumed that, like him, something had happened while she was under control.

    Wilhelm then inquired back.

    ¡°By the way, do you feel like your memories have been altered? It looks like memories while being manipted remain differently from person to person.¡±

    ¡°I remember very well. The cor¡¯s power was not used too often on me, even when I was being manipted I felt as if I was dreaming, everything was hazy.¡±

    Bulk often used Hermie to force Konig to do his bidding, apparently.

    Konig suggested that it was because when manipting others via the cor, it was not possible to give concrete, detailed orders.

    ¡°I see. Theck of consciousness also means that only simple actions can be taken.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an assumption, though. However, it is rather useful during battle. An order like ¡°strike with all your strength¡± will be executed even if it ends up costing your arms. During the battle with sir Shibaid, I performed a powerful blow I normally couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s also possible to order suicide attacks, the attacker has no regards for his own life.¡±

    ¡°The more I hear about that time, the more it makes me sick¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s expression was distorted by disgust.

    ¡°Some of those items leaked outside. Fortunately only a few did, but I¡¯d want them dealt with before they¡¯re used for ill intents.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I was wondering, though. If the person equipped with it dies, can the item be used on someone else?¡±

    If such a repeated use was possible, the usefulness of the item would increase even more¡­in the worst way possible. Wilhelm then asked Konig, as thetter was in the position to know.

    ¡°I have never heard about it being re-used. However, the number of items Bulk obtained and the number of times he used them do not match. This is just an assumption too, but repeated use after death could be possible.¡±

    ording to Konig, the number of women Bulk had submitted to his will was higher than the number of cors.

    Konig had learned the number of cors from Bulk himself. Bulk could have let down his guard, as Konig was under his control.

    ¡°A sack of shit through and through, I see.¡±

    ¡°I must agree. If only I wasn¡¯t controlled by that cor, I would have cut him down on the spot.¡±

    Konig was a knight firmly believing in the Church doctrine of protecting the weak.

    His strong sense of justice not only made him despise Bulk, but probably made him even unwilling to recognize his existence.

    ¡°However¡­I might have been manipted, but I have in others with my own hands.¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re feeling guilty? If you worry about that you¡¯re going to die soon too¡±.

    Wilhelm spoke rather bluntly to the tormented Konig.

    ¡°You say I shouldn¡¯t care about them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that nothing changes even if you do.¡±

    Konig¡¯s tone had grown fiercer. Wilhelm, however, continued talking without losing hisposure.

    ¡°Regret all you want, but the dead won¡¯te back to life. In the end, it all depends on the feelings of the ones still alive. If you worry about that and end up dying, the people you should protect will die too.¡±

    Hermie could be targeted again because of her abilities, as it had just happened. At such a time, were his sword dulled by doubts, it would spell death not only for Konig but for others as well.

    The loved ones of the people he killed might want revenge. He might be demanded to atone for his sins.

    However, those are natural consequences for his actions. There was nothing to do about it.

    The flow of time does not reverse; the dead do note back.

    That is this world¡¯s rule.

    In the world before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, it is rumored that a potion of resurrection existed. But that world is no more.

    (Maybe he could¡­no, this isn¡¯t something to think about)

    In Wilhelm¡¯s mind the silhouettes of a certain High Human and his two followers appeared.

    Shin and Schnee might know of a way to create such a potion, or even have one already in their possessions.

    He won¡¯t say a word about it, though. He had no proof, and even if such a thing was possible, Wilhelm doubted that Shin and Schnee would revive the people Konig killed.

    Resurrection of the dead. That was a heretical practice never to be attempted, it was burned within Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness.

    Wilhelm knew of someone who had attempted such practices, and how they brought destruction upon themselves.

    That is why he stopped thinking about it. Even in the Church, research concerning resurrection of the dead was a taboo among taboos. It was apletely lost miracle.

    After a long silence, Konig spoke again.

    ¡°That would be a problem.¡±

    ¡°You just have to find your answer fast, then. Most of the time, things like that happen whether you like it or not, after all.¡±

    ¡°Are you speaking from experience?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    Wilhelm dodged Konig¡¯s question and fell into silence.

    Konig, suspicious of such behavior, followed Wilhelm¡¯s line of sight and found a peacefully sleeping Millie.

    ¡°I see, so this is the man they call the ¡°Demonic Spear¡±.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Wilhelm scoffed lightly. His silhouette was, much like a knight¡¯s, one of a protector.

 Book 7: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°So this is Bulk¡¯s residence.¡±

    ¡°Yes. ess was restricted, so I do not know what¡¯s inside.¡±

    After listening to the knight¡¯s reply, Shibaid turned his eyes to the closed door.

    Priests are assigned private rooms, which was an ideal ce to act in secrecy, with no risk of being seen by others.

    Infiltrating an empty room seemed possible, but this room was inside Palmirack; it was no simple feat.

    The rooms were surrounded in Chimeradite, which made slipping past its walls, or unlocking its doors, extremely difficult.

    For that reason, even chosen ones could not easily enter the room and discover Bulk¡¯s secrets.

    ¡°I¡¯m opening it.¡±

    Shibaidid a hand on the door.

    He had received Shin¡¯s permission to unlock all doors; for a limited time, he could enter almost every room located inside Palmirack.

    Shibaid concentrated on his hand and the door opened with almost no resistance.

    ¡°!! Stand back, everybody!¡±

    Shibaid stepped in front of the knights.

    Intense miasma emanated from beyond the door.

    ¡°Th-this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te near! You may lose your sanity!¡±

    Shibaid had the sickly-looking knights move away from the door and stepped inside the room.

    Shibaid was now equipping his original weapon, the giant halberd ¡°cid Moon¡±. The light shining from its depletely purified the miasmaing from the room.

    After being upgraded by Shin, the weapons wielded by Shin¡¯s support character gained the ability to purify miasma.

    ¡°The miasma has been purified. You can go inside now.¡±

    After Shibaid¡¯s words reached them, the knights entered the room with wary steps. They were knights of the church, but that did not mean that they had high resistance to miasma.

    The miasma emanating from the room was so dense that simply looking at it caused a visceral sensation of impending danger. Not even upper ss chosen ones would have been able to withstand such a level of miasma.

    It was not something that knights, even if trained, could endure.

    ¡°Bulk was continuously immersed in that concentrated miasma? Yet.. it looks like it hadn¡¯t caused any mental deterioration¡­¡±

    Doubt arose in Shibaid¡¯s mind.

    Such a high concentration of miasma would undoubtedly lead to insanity. Despite that, Bulk had not shown the symptoms typical of those infected by miasma.

    What could it possibly mean?

    ¡°I see there¡¯s another room in the back.¡±

    Shibaid left the current room to the knights and headed to the room in the back. There he found scattered magic tomes, items and weapons with ceremonial decorations.

    Probably because of long-term exposure to miasma, they were all partially corroded or cursed; nothing was left in proper condition.

    In a corner of the room was a metal box equipped with heavy locks.

    Shibaid¡¯s appraisal skill let him see through the trap protecting the box.

    ¡°¡¾High-Poison¡¿ and ¡¾High-Confusion¡¿, is it. Quite a nasty little device.¡±

    Shibaid let out a sigh and touched the box.

    The trap activated and powerful status abnormalities reached towards Shibaid, to invade his body. Shibaid¡¯s equipment, however, made him immune to status abnormalities; he wasn¡¯t the least bit fazed by the trap¡¯s effects.

    Shibaid then crushed the box¡¯s lock, nothing more than a decorationpared to the trap, and opened it. Inside it he found 4 ck cors.

    ¡°Not enough.¡±

    Compared to the information Shin obtained from Bulk through torture under the name of interrogation, the number of cors were too low. Shibaid took the cors inside the box, turned them into cards and stored them in his item box.

    ¡°There should be another one somewhere¡­¡±

    Having confessed under the effects of Shin¡¯s skill, it was not possible for Bulk to have lied. The only possibility was that thest cor was hidden somewhere near by.

    ¡°It has to be inside this room.¡±

    With the knights¡¯ help, Shibaid searched every nook and cranny.

    Much like Lilish¡¯s, Bulk¡¯s residence too was equipped with a secret room. Shibaid, thinking that it was the ideal ce to hide something, operated the walls.

    A door opened with a dull sound, and at the same time a rotten smell was released.

    It was a stench strong enough to force the knights behind Shibaid to hold their noses. Even knights such as them, used to the smell of blood and guts permeating the many battlefields they experienced, grimaced at this stench.

    ¡°Sir Shibaid, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have a good feeling about this. We already know that there¡¯s a trap inside. I can go alone, but what will the rest of you do?¡±

    ¡°Please take me and one of my subordinates with you. To cower before a mere stench would be utterly shameful for a knight. I shall have the others check the room again for anything we might have missed.¡±

    The two knights with the highest level followed Shibaid. Advancing through the corridor caused the foul stench to gradually increase in intensity.

    At the end of the corridor they found a door. Opening it revealed a young girl, copsed on the floor.

    As Shibaid drew closer, he noticed long, slender ears poking out from her hair. Her HP had not decreased very much, but she was affected by several status abnormalities.

    The girl appeared to be unconscious as she did not move an inch.

    ¡°She¡¯s still breathing. Let¡¯s bring this girl outside first.¡±

    ¡°Roger that¡±

    Following Shibaid¡¯s decision, the knights ran out first, to call a healing specialist.

    Meanwhile, Shibaid materialized an elixir from his item box and poured it into the girl¡¯s mouth.

    After making sure that the girl had swallowed the golden liquid, Shibaid stood up.

    He contacted Shin via Mind Chat, then left the room while carrying the girl in his arms.

    The two met up and moved to a room with a bed.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s remove it.¡±

    Shin touched the neck of the girl, now lying on the bed. As it happened with Millie and Hermie, the ck cor shattered away.

    The girl, however, did not open her eyes.

    ¡°How horrible.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fully diagnose her situation. Could you exin?¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid¡¯s request. The weakening of the spirit due to miasma was highly likely to be the same as during the game era.

    ¡°I suppose this is a good asion. Listen up, everyone. This girl was exposed to dense miasma and is now in aatose state. I think she¡¯ll continue sleeping for at least 1 or 2 weeks¡­maybe even months.¡±

    ¡°What in the world happened to her?¡±

    ¡°When exposed to dense miasma, unless one has high resistance or regrly drinks potions to raise resistance, the spirit is weakened before the body. If nothing is done in time, there¡¯s a risk of never waking up.¡±

    Shin answered Lilish¡¯s question, recalling his knowledge from the game era.

    Miasma possesses negative effects other than the status abnormality and MP consumption. NPC¡¯s other than those belonging to the yers be unable to act.

    In case of yers or support characters, they are affected by negative status and stats reduction.

    In a game event Shin had experienced, where a miasma infection broke out in a city setting, the city¡¯s NPC shops, adventurers¡¯ guild, etcetera all stopped functioning.

    The scenario had them fall in aa because of the miasma¡¯s mind infection.

    Thanks to that, all miasma-rted events were always instantly cleared by yers who were already too powerful for guilds, before the situation became too dire. If that setting was still active, this girl too was probably in that situation.

    Shin had heard from Shibaid about the dense miasma concentrated in Bulk¡¯s room.

    Based on his knowledge of the game and the state of the room, that was the only likely exnation.

    ¡°Will this girl be alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Luckily, it seems she wasn¡¯t exposed to miasma for a long time. The body changes color when it¡¯s toote, so you just need a nce to know.¡±

    During the game era, the NPCs beyond salvation turned ck and were reced by another NPC the day after. That likely meant that they would never wake up again.

    ¡°Does anyone know this girl?¡±

    Everyone surrounding Shin shook their heads at his question.

    Schnee and Shibaid obviously didn¡¯t know her, nor did Lilish or the man who guided Wilhelm inside Palmirack.

    ¡°She was probably kidnapped, just like Millie. I will take care of her until she wakes up. Please leave it to me.¡±

    Lilish volunteered to help the girl, as she couldn¡¯t just leave an elf that was just like her.

    Freed from the shackles represented by Bulk, for the cardinal Lilish, taking care of one young girl was an easy task.

    No one could predict when the girl would wake from her slumber, so Shin¡¯s party heartily weed her proposal.

    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, but please take care of her.¡±

    After deciding to entrust the girl to Lilish, the group returned to her room. There was no reason for arge group of people to stay in a sick person¡¯s room.

    ¡°Here are the cors I¡¯ve collected¡±

    After leaving the room, Shibaid hands the collected cors to Shin in item card form.

    Since they could not proceed or even begin to examine the cors here, Shin casually gazed at the cor¡¯s design before putting it away in the item box.

    ¡°Was there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing stood out to me. But this kind of research is best done by Shin or Yuki.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll go search the room once Tiera joins us.¡±

    They asked Lilish to not allow anyone near Bulk¡¯s room, just in case. It was possible to physically separate it from the others, but as it would invite needless suspicion, they decided to leave things to her.

    Only Rokuten members and their subordinates can use Palmirack¡¯s functions. The support characters¡¯ faces and names were known, so spreading information about their usage privileges would end up revealing Shin¡¯s true identity.

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s really over?¡±

    As Shin was talking with Shibaid, Tiera made her entrance, escorted by the knights. In her shadow, dwelt Kagerou, while Yuzuha was attached to her arm.

    ¡°Yes, the rescue somehow ended in sess. However, we don¡¯t know the location of the ritual site. Anything happened on your end?¡±

    ¡°Nothing happened to me directly, but there is something that concerns me.

    ¡°Yes? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I saw a shadow fly away from the Church. Just to confirm, was there anyone with wings among the people you fought?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words made Shin cock his head and think. Having wings meant that the species had to be Beast, Dragnil, Lord or Pixie.

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen anyone like that. Have you, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone like that either. To begin with, everyone we fought has been captured. I do not think anyone escaped us.¡±

    Shibaid, who had moved separately from Shin, gave the same answer.

    ¡°Well, what I saw was a human-like shape with 4 wings. 2 bird-like and 2 insect-like. It was night so I couldn¡¯t see their face very well, but I had Yuzuha attach a mark to track where it was headed. Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha answered Tiera¡¯s question energetically. Shin received a ¡°I know!¡± message via telepathy. A truly unexpected hint had been found.

    ¡°Well done!! The more clues we have, the better!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to know I could be of help. I haven¡¯t been of much use at all this time.¡±

    Tiera spoke with a slightly somber tone.

    She was uneasy about the fact that since she had been targeted at the beginning, she hadn¡¯t contributed to Millie¡¯s rescue.

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s infiltration operation, Shibaid¡¯s defense operation¡­not her ability, but her stats made her somewhatcking for both categories.

    Kagerou could have been useful in defense, but Tiera was still inexperienced as a tamer and could not use its abilities to the fullest yet. She could not have dealt with the situation as swiftly as Shibaid.

    ¡°Asking you to keep watch was the right choice.¡±

    Elves are quite apt at scouting jobs such as hunter or shinobi. Furthermore, the tamer job covered several roles, production, battle, scouting, etcetera; this depended on the tamed monster.

    Tiera¡¯s monster, Kagerou, was of considerable high level and also proficient in detection and infiltration abilities.

    As tamers are affected by the monsters theymand, Tiera¡¯s detection ability was now boosted for a limited time.

    It was a preparation done as a mere precaution, but it yielded an unexpectedly great result.

    Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s detection abilities were also fairly high, of course, and could be expected to be very useful.

    ¡°They said a messenger woulde, what shall we do about that?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about how to deal with the messenger first. In the end, we can chase down the target marked by Yuzuha whenever we want. We know that it flew away from the Church, but we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s going to the ritual site. If it¡¯s Bulk¡¯s messenger, it¡¯s certain to lead us there.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question basing himself on the information obtained from Bulk.

    ¡°The messenger was supposed toe ¡°pick up¡± Bulk, so they would surely head to the ritual siteter. If we can catch it we can learn the location of the ritual.¡±

    Alongside with a lot of other information.

    ¡°(The messenger is supposed toe 2 days from now. As long as there is a possibility that they captured Filma exists, we cannot take this lightly. We¡¯ll use mind-type skills.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. What shall we do with Lilish?)¡±

    ¡°(If I say that I¡¯ll morph into Bulk with an illusion-type skill, she won¡¯te with us.)¡±

    Shinmunicated the n to Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat.

    The great sword supposed to be in Filma¡¯s possession, Exvaine, was here.

    Consequently, it was more likely that Filma was not captured, but instead being manipted. Even now at an unknown ce, she could be doing others¡¯ bidding.

    This event had been caused by Bulk¡¯s and a few others¡¯ lust for power. That is why Shin decided not to dispose of the other people of the Church. However, the ¡°Summit Faction¡± was different.

    Those who hurt innocent people and treat life as a tool do not deserve any pity.

    (The world might have changed, but these kinds of people don¡¯t learn new tricks, do they?)

    What Shin had remembered was the battle against yers called PK¡¯s.

    There were no benefits. It was a war. A massacre, where lives were expendable as if they were disposable items.

    It was a battlefield filled with grief, hatred and insanity.

    The sensation Shin felt now was familiar.

    ¡°(What should we do if the enemies equip items that make them immune to status effects?)¡±

    ¡°(Nothing to worry. I can bypass the ¡°Age of Gods Earring¡±¡¯s defense now.)¡±

    Shin answered Shibaid¡¯s question with confidence.

    The effectiveness of mind-type skills depends on the user¡¯s INT.

    The mind-type skills used by Shin, who had surpassed the limit, were now capable of prating the defenses of even items which granted immunity to status effects.

    The only situation where they could fail was if the target equipped multiple essories of the highest rank, such as the ones Shin and Schnee had.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    As he was speaking through Mind Chat, a faint voice reached Shin¡¯s ears. He turned in Schnee¡¯s direction.

    His eyes found her holding the right sleeve of his clothes, a worried look on her face.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Er, what¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Shin, your face just now¡­was kind of scary.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­was it showing on my face that much?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin touched his own face and felt that it was indeed pretty stiff.

    Shin knew from experience that if he wasn¡¯t careful, thinking about the PK¡¯s would cause his emotions to be visible on his expression.

    He was not thinking about things that Schnee should worry about, but Shin regretted having saddened her. Shin knew what worried Schnee the most.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of things you need to worry about, Yuki. It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°If so, I¡¯m d.¡±

    Shin replied with a cheerful tone, to dispel Schnee¡¯s worries. Shin¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t forced, so Schnee, relieved, let go of his sleeve.

    On the other hand, Shibaid and Tiera motionlessly watched the scene that had just transpired.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard to join the conversation when you two fly in your own world all of a sudden, you know.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I understand Yuki¡¯s worries, but I would prefer you would save such gestures for when you¡¯re alone together.¡±

    Tiera was almost rolling her eyes at the couple, while it was not clear if Shibaid was reproaching them or giving advice.

    Shin and Schnee hade back to the real world because of their words, only to be struck by another unexpected ambush.

    ¡°(Kuu! Scent of peaches! Kiss her? Kiss her?)¡±

    ¡°Peach-colored atmosphere¡± was a truly fitting description. Yuzuha had talked all of a sudden, fortunately not via words but Mind Chat.

    ¡°Hahaha, no, I¡¯m sorry. And no Yuzuha, no kissing!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin, however, replied through his normal voice.

    Hearing these words, Schnee could guess what Yuzuha had said, and her whole face was stained red.

    ¡°(Shin, what in the world is wrong with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha asked me if I was going to ¡°kiss her¡± via telepathy! Ah, darn, I spoke out loud¡­)¡±

    Shin exined what happened to Shibaid via Mind Chat. Thetter then understood the situation, but behind him stood Lilish¡¯s group, who was unable to use Mind Chat.

    Shin¡¯s sudden ¡°no kisses¡± deration attracted their res towards him.

    ¡°Excuse me, Shin-sama? You said something about kissing¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, of course not. I did say ¡°missing¡± though, maybe you heard wrong?¡± (T/N: ÖÎ°K Chiyu: Healing, but the words are omitted thus changed to missing. And ¤Á¤å©`Chiyu: Kissing, they are said the same way in japanese.)

    ¡°But just now, I¡¯m sure that¡­¡±

    ¡°Surely just your imagination, mdy.¡±

    Shin tried desperately to change the subject.

    Kissing and missing, it would be pretty hard to mistake words like these, but not impossible. They dide out of the blue, though.

    Shibaid whispered a word of advice to Yuzuha.

    ¡°Yuzuha. Please save such words for when there is no one else around. Timing is an important factor as well.¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha cocked her head to one side, apparently finding it a concept difficult to grasp.

    ¡°Shibaid! Hey! What kind of advice is that!?¡±

    ¡°You see, such things should be allowed to proceed while they can.¡±

    ¡°¡­.where¡¯s the serious atmosphere from a few moments ago¡­?¡±

    Their serious discussion had been blown away by Yuzuha¡¯s one line.

    ¡°How can I say it, Shin¡¯srades are all pretty peculiar.¡±

    Tiera spoke with a small wryugh, while looking at Shin and his party.

    Having lived together with Schnee, Tiera knew more than the average person about Rokuten and its members. She felt that the other members she hadn¡¯t met yet would surely be out of the ordinary.

    ¡°Not exactly, Ms. Tiera. Remember that you too are one of thoserades.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin pointed out that Tiera seemed to consider herself as not included in the ¡°peculiar¡± group.

    A remark that painted a shocked expression on Tiera¡¯s face.

    When Shin asked Tiera to act on her own, they exined to Lilish that Kagerou was a monster that possessed abilities on the same level as an upper ss chosen one. There was no way for Tiera, the mistress of such a monster, to be a normal person.

    From Lilish¡¯s party¡¯s standpoint, Shin and Tiera were in the same category.

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you that shocked?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to be on the same level as you. A normal person might think I¡¯m incredible, but Shin, you guys are on a whole different level.¡±

    From someone at level 1, both level 150 and 255 appear equally high-level.

    Yet from Tiera¡¯s standpoint, who had barely reached level 150 without reincarnation, a level 255 with reincarnation bonuses possessed power far beyond hers.

    In addition, Tiera was a high-level user thanks to Kagerou. To be considered on the same level as Shin, who could take down Kagerou by himself, isn¡¯t something she could simply agree with.

    From Shin¡¯s standpoint, however, Tiera was incredible enough; she had tamed the divine beast Gruefago without fighting, after all.

    ¡°You would make us lose face, if you were able to match us so easily. But you are still growing, in more ways than one. You¡¯ll be much stronger.¡±

    ¡°I do think that I grew a little stronger, but I honestly can¡¯t imagine matching you all in strength. All this time I¡¯ve been admiring master and Shin, but I can¡¯t even jest and say ¡®I¡¯ll be as strong as you one day¡¯¡±

    Tiera replied with a sigh to Shin¡¯sment concerning her future growth.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue this conversation another time. First, let¡¯s do everything we can till the messenger arrives. Yuki and I will go search Bulk¡¯s residence. Shibaid, go help Lilish. Tiera, please keep an eye on Millie. ¡±

    Shin stopped the conversation for the time being and gave orders to Shibaid and the others.

    Lilish was now going to arrest the people who had colluded with Bulk, so Shibaid would act as her escort. He asked Tiera to look after Millie because he felt it would not be good to have Hermie, the one venerated as Holy Woman, continue to act as caretaker.

    The two nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°¡°Understood.¡±¡±

    Lilish, who had been listening too, nodded in agreement.

    With Shibaid on her side, even if the opponent was an upper ss chosen one there would be no trouble. Her confidence was reinforced by having witnessed his fighting prowess not long ago.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Millie sent to Vizzyter. Can you ry this to Wilhelm too?¡±

    Shin whispered to Tiera as to avoid being heard by Lilish.

    He wanted to send Millie back as soon as possible, also to soothe Rashia¡¯s worries, who was waiting in Bayreuth. However, if it was at all possible, he wanted to keep the fact that they rode Elder Dragons to Sigurd a secret.

    Vizzy, support character of Rokuten member Cashmere, had tamed the Elder Dragons, and Shin could use it freely. If this information spread, trouble was very likely to arise.

    That is why he whispered to Tiera the message to be ryed.

    ¡°Understood. Don¡¯t worry about it¡­ Anyways, you be careful too, Shin.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go perform our search now. If we find anything, we¡¯ll reportter.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. We shall go remove all the infection festering within the Church.¡±

    Lilish had already investigated before hand, in order to stand against Bulk; her eyes now burned with red-hot mes.

    This was expected. Not too long ago they were not able to deliver a crushing blow to the other party. Now, they are able to pass judgement on those people.

    There was no reason not to be fired up!

    Shin caught himself thinking that Lilish¡¯s smile was almost scary.

 Book 7: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Here we are.¡±

    Shin and Schnee parted ways with Lilish and were now in Bulk¡¯s residence.

    Shibaid had already purified all the miasma, so it looked like any other room.

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s honed detection-type abilities, however, revealed the presence of miasma-emitting items -miasma stones- scattered throughout the room.

    ¡°I see, all these miasma stones exin why Bulk was like that.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Bulk¡¯s body was actually in a really nasty state. The miasma¡¯s corruption had entered its final stage.¡±

    During Bulk¡¯s interrogation, Shin found out that more than half of his body had already turned ck. If this was still the game era, he would have been far beyond salvation.

    ¡°In a state as advanced as that, I bet he barely felt pain anymore. Looks like he himself hadn¡¯t realized it, though.¡±

    That time, Bulk wasn¡¯t paying the slightest attention to his own body. Even seeing its ckened appearance solicited no reaction in him.

    It appears that another effect of miasma contamination is the loss of the ability to perceive such abnormalities.

    It would be impossible for anyone to not notice the oppressing miasma leaking out every time the room¡¯s doors opened.

    ¡°These are all the ones in this room, then.¡±

    ¡°Adding the other room and the hidden room, it¡¯s be a considerable amount, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Schnee spoke while looking at the small mountain of miasma stones in the center of the room.

    The stones, each half the size of a fist, were 11 in total. Arge number for just one room.

    ording to Shin, even just one stone would have been enough to fill the room with miasma.

    ¡°With so many stones, even if Palmirack¡¯s functions worked, purification would be pretty difficult.¡±

    ¡°That could have been their goal.¡±

    Even if Palmirack was not fully functional, the miasma umted near its core was a very small quantity. That influenced the purification mechanisms Palmirack was equipped with.

    The walls of Chimeraditeposing Palmirack are abination of several different structures.

    The walls of all rooms and corridors are made in Adamantine mixed with Chimeradite. In certain locations the walls were built by also using Mithril, which can easily transmit the effects of magic. If it detects the presence of miasma, it will automatically perform a purification on the miasma.

    The Orichalcum used to coat the walls also possessed the ability to purify miasma, thus Palmirack itself made it difficult for miasma to umte within its walls.

    However, if arge quantity of miasma was created in one spot, like this time, purification would be difficult even if all functions were alive. Schnee¡¯s prediction had fully hit the mark.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else worthy of note here. Let¡¯s go to the next room.¡±

    Afterpleting their investigation of the first room, Shin and Schnee moved to the next.

    Roughly the same number of miasma stones had been ced in the adjacent room as well. They could imagine how the room must have looked dark and stagnant because of the miasma.

    ¡°By the way, could you gather any information from Bulk?¡±

    ¡°He believed himself to bepletely sane, but his memories were full of holes. He remembered about the ritual and the sacrifices, but the couldn¡¯t say anything specific about the headquarters or the other central members. He remembered that a woman with blonde hair was supposed toe for him, but couldn¡¯t even remember her name.¡±

    Shin had used a mind-type skill while interrogating Bulk. He could force him to confess the information he knew, but in the end what he could gather was not much.

    Shin didn¡¯t know if it was because of the miasma¡¯s effects or some other factor, but it appeared as if he had made preparations not to leak any information in case something happened to him.

    There was not, however, the possibility that he had been controlled via an item or skill.

    The reason being that he was talking about his ridiculous desires fluently. Maybe it had to be expected, but he had solid foundations for his current state.

    ¡°The man who was with him¡­Eline, was it? It didn¡¯t seem like he had been subjected to the miasma.¡±

    ¡°He was an upper-ss chosen one after all, I guess he had high resistance? He had decent items too, and his weapon was ¡ºExvaine¡» after all. I do think he was subjected to other things, though.¡±

    It might not have been Filma¡¯s original weapon, but ¡ºExvaine¡» was a powerful sword. Compared to other weapons of lower level, it might have helped resist the miasma¡¯s effects.

    Thinking about how perverse Eline¡¯s personality was, however, suggested that it might have been formed by the explosivebination of Bulk¡¯s education and the miasma¡¯s corruption.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve checked this room too. For a leading member of the Faction, there isn¡¯t anything of value here.¡±

    Bulk¡¯s residence was impregnated with miasma, yet nothing of importance was found except the miasma stones.

    Considering that things rted to the Faction were not hidden, but simply not there, one could start doubting that Bulk¡¯s assertion of being one of the Faction¡¯s central members.

    ¡°Maybe he was simply deluded that he was a lead member, or it was an illusion induced by the miasma.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. He was just a kidnapper after all.¡±

    Bulk was a pawn, used for gathering sacrifices through his position as priest. That was Shin and Schnee¡¯s theory. But even if it was the truth, Bulk¡¯s acts forbade any pity.

    ¡°Next is the hidden room, then.¡±

    ¡°If anything is to be found, I suppose it will be there.¡±

    Shin activated the room¡¯s controls and opened the doorway to the room.

    He then grimaced at the foul stench emanating from it, much as Shibaid had done.

    ¡°¡­.this is far beyond being just ¡°stinky¡±.¡±

    ¡°What an awful smell.¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded through the corridor, enduring the nauseous odor. After reaching its end they opened the door without hesitation.

    ¡°Sttered blood doesn¡¯t go away, does it.¡±

    ¡°So it seems.¡±

    When they visited the assassin several days before, Lilish told Shin about how corpses disappear. He thought that their blood would vanish as well, but one look at the horrible state of the room made him change his mind.

    The floor, the walls, even the ceiling were stained with what appears to be blood.

    ¡°But even so, Schnee¡­does this look like a drawing to you too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite disturbing that it was drawn with blood.¡±

    Shin and Schnee were looking at the drawing of a snake coiled around a half-broken mask, which upied an entire wall.

    Maybe because it had been painted with blood, the impression it gave to the viewer was a gruesome scene.

    ¡°I feel like I have seen this before¡­¡±

    ¡°This is the emblem of a dark guild. If I remember correctly, it was quite arge organization.¡±

    Shin, his head cocked to one side, was trying to grasp an elusive memory. Schnee answered with confidence.

    The ominous drawing before their eyes was not apletely new sight.

    ¡°Do you know the name of the guild?¡±

    ¡°The guild is called ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±. It¡¯s famous for epting any request if the reward is adequate. On one hand, they undertake even criminal acts such as assassination and thievery, on another, they will take down other dark guilds or catch criminals if rewarded amply enough; in a way, they can be useful to society. That¡¯s why all countries have a difficult time dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°I see, a true jack of all trades. I feel I heard that name somewhere before.¡±

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s because it stems from a PK guild from the game era. It was formed by members of guilds you crushed, Shin.¡±

    ¡°That exins it.¡±

    Schnee had pronounced thest sentence with a slightly stiff expression, but Shin¡¯s answer was short. Compared to Schnee, his tone of voice was much more casual.

    The actual problem was that, looking at the picture, Shin simply thought that he had seen it somewhere before. The reason for this was he didn¡¯t feel it was worth remembering PKs after cutting them down.

    PKs simply caused damage to other yers, without a reason or a cause. Shin spared the least amount possible of his resources for such people.

    He hated them. He resented them. But he never thought of keeping in mind the PKs he killed or the PK guilds he destroyed.

    Even if he were questioned about feeling remorse after taking people¡¯s lives, or how he could forget about people he killed, Shin would not care in the slightest.

    There were some yers who felt guilty about killing PKs, but Shin could not understand that sentiment.

    ¡°Even if they were offered heaps of money, gathering sacrifices would be too much even for them, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°It is said that if the reward is enough, they will undertake any mission, no matter the content. Rather, there is the possibility that they are actively involved. Those who share a connection with yers can cause the spread of miasma, and there were also quests where if the yer didn¡¯t stop it in time a Demon would appear. On the contrary, it is also possible to lead things to failure. In the past, I have participated in an expedition to bring down a group who tried to do just that, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°That really happened? Well, the ones I crushed were all yers, so there¡¯s no doubt that are support characters such as you exist. If there is game era knowledge, it¡¯s possible I suppose.¡±

    Quest disruption by PKs happened during the game era too. Causing the birth of powerful Demons was possible.

    There was the impression of a slight discrepancy with the Summit Faction¡¯s goals, but considering the miasma found in Bulk¡¯s quarters, it could be concluded that the organization had its share of internal conflict.

    ¡°I suppose Bulk must have acted on his own too, for his personal agenda. A reason to conclude as such, was that he was secretly connected with the underground guild ¡°Immoral Sacrifice¡± too, after all.¡±

    ¡°That guild could be no more now. After all, ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± does not tolerate multiple contracts with other guilds.¡±

    Schnee had heard that in the past, someone who had a contract with Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow had bound a contract with another dark guild, thus causing that guild¡¯s annihtion.

    For Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow, contracting another guild means that its own strength was being doubted. Needless to say, the contractor had been targeted too.

    ¡°As expected of a major organization. That¡¯s some grand scale nning.¡±

    Shin spoke with a sigh. There was nothing tough about.

    ¡°So there aren¡¯t any clues here either?¡±

    ¡°What we have now is only the shadow Tiera saw and the messenger Bulk talked about, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing, I guess. Let¡¯s focus on the day after tomorrow first.¡±

    Shin decided to make preparations in order to gather as many clues as possible.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and Schneepleted their investigation of Bulk¡¯s residence and returned to Lilish¡¯s room.

    Shin thought he would find someone inside, but maybe because their search ended rather quickly, no one was there yet.

    Shin ran a search using Palmirack¡¯s functions and found that Tiera, Wilhelm and Millie were in the same room.

    Lilish and Shibaid were on the verge of breaking into one of the rooms in the residential section. It looked like they had already captured several rooms. They were likely fighting against Bulk¡¯s allies.

    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s doing fine for now.¡±

    ¡°Shibaid is with Lilish too, so I doubt anything bad could happen.¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement to Schnee¡¯s words and headed to where Tiera and the others were.

    As Shin and Schnee entered the room, Millie noticed and ran up to them.

    ¡°Shin-nii!!¡±

    ¡°Hey there, good morning. How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°All good!¡±

    Shin caught Millie as she jumped to him and checked her status. Her HP and MP werepletely recovered and she did not appear to have any status conditions.

    The status screen can not show everything, but at the very least she had no visible aftereffects.

    ¡°Have you heard from Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Millie nodded, smiling. Tiera, walking behind Millie, nodded too after meeting Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose then. After all, Rashia and Thoria must be worried sick.¡±

    Shin spoke while patting Millie¡¯s head.

    They had previously contacted Vizzy to let her make preparations, so they could leave right away.

    They asked Vizzy to protect Millie until Shin¡¯s party had stopped the ritual.

    Wilhelm with his powered-up equipment, Vizzy and the Elder Dragons she had gained control of, even if enemy hands approached them again, they would not go down easily.

    ¡°Are you departing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are people worried about Millie. They deeply regretted not being able to protect her, you see.¡±

    ¡°I understand. It is best to hurry, then.¡±

    Hermie showed a relieved smile after speaking. Hermie had been used in the past for the abilities granted by her title, so she was d to know that Millie, who shared the same title, was cherished.

    ¡°We have already made the necessary preparations. We were thinking of leaving now, actually.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin nodded at Hermie¡¯s words and faced towards Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm too could use the item box, so he could leave right away without needing time to prepare. Millie had been kidnapped with only the clothes she had on, so she obviously had no luggage to speak of.

    They decided to wait for Shibaid toe back and leave once they were all together.

    Shin¡¯s party left Sigurd momentarily, to see Millie and the others off.

    The carriage they rode on zed through a wastnd heading to the meeting point with Vizzy at a slightly ridiculous speed due to the power of Kagerou¡¯s pulling.

    Normally the carriage would be shaking violently, but the shock absorbing mechanism equipped on the carriage¡¯s cabin worked perfectly, preventing the passengers -especially Millie- from feeling sick.

    ¡°Will, Will!! Look outside! It¡¯s like we¡¯re flying!¡±

    ¡°Easy now, or you¡¯ll fall from your seat.¡±

    Millie¡¯s eyes were sparkling looking at the scenery breezing past them much faster than in a normal carriage, and Wilhelm cautioned her. She was not being careful about her foothold, so a stronger shock could have sent her flying out of her seat.

    ¡°Some things don¡¯t change no matter where you go, huh.¡±

    Shin felt as if he was looking at a kid excited to be riding a train and let that remark slip. Even when he had gotten used to the game world, he would sometimes remember the real world.

    ¡°Did you recall something about your homnd?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Tiera asked the question as Shin was gently looking at Millie.

    ¡°You looked like you were thinking about something far away. Usually people think of their homnd when they look like that, no?¡±

    ¡°I really looked like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t apply to everyone, but¡­I get the feeling I was right this time, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well, not too far from the truth, let¡¯s say.¡±

    Tiera asked for confirmation and Shin replied after some thought, his head cocked to one side.

    One could say it was his homnd, but strictly speaking it really wasn¡¯t. Since it was in another world.

    ¡°I was thinking of the past though, that¡¯s for sure. I was thinking that kids act the same everywhere, you see. I¡¯ve seen children act the same way as Millie, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I see, there was a time when ¡°things like these¡± were normal, then.¡±

    Tiera assumed that Shin was talking about the world before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±. She imagined that there once were carriages this fast running through city streets.

    ¡°Children don¡¯t change, no matter the times we¡¯re in. Yes, I can see that.¡±

    ¡°The things we do are pretty much the same, after all. Hunt monsters, forge weapons or armor, create buildings, do research, go on adventures, or do battle. Some people y dirty, others work diligently. We¡¯re all living beings, there aren¡¯t many differences.¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, the ystyles¡­the ways to live were too many to count. All yers had a different one, and this world was no different.

    ¡°A world packed with High Humans like you, right? I don¡¯t even want to think about it.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, there weren¡¯t many at my level. Including me, there were only 6.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s insane that there were even 6! I¡¯m really d I wasn¡¯t born in that era, for sure!¡±

    Wilhelm says so light-heartedly with his legs crossed and back leaning on the carriage¡¯s wooden partition.

    The carriage was protected from outside noise via magic, making its interior quiet; everyone could hear the others talk.

    Almost all members knew that Shin was a High Human, so they could talk without reserve.

    The only person who wasn¡¯t told this information was Millie. However, she said that she realized it the first time she met Shin, surprising the whole party.

    ¡°Shin is, kinda, amazing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a whole other level of ambiguity. Come to think of it, you told Schnee that I would be back soon. Did you see that in the future?¡±

    ¡°You see, I saw Schnee hugging someone, all happy. I felt all warm in my chest, so it had to be something good.¡±

    Millie had predicted that after Schnee told her that she was waiting for her master, apparently.

    Her ability at the time was still unstable, but for some reason that time she felt a strange confidence, so she told Schnee about it.

    Everyone nodded at Millie¡¯s words. Starting from Wilhelm, however, all members reacted to a different part of her recollection.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­but still, hugging, huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°I heard something simr too¡­so she hugged him, is that so.¡±

    ¡°What a mysterious ability¡­master, you really hugged him?¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Schnee likes Shin very very much!)¡±

    Wilhelm grinned, Shibaid nodded, Tiera inquired seriously. It was a side of Schnee they had some difficulty imagining, so their interest shifted away from Mille¡¯s ability.

    The only salvation was that Yuzuha¡¯s telepathy had reached only Shin.

    ¡°W-what is it with you all? That¡¯s not the part that needs to be talked about here!¡±

    This agitated response came from Schnee, who was holding the carriage¡¯s reins and could not participate in the conversation.

    Only Yuzuha knew that when Shin and Schnee had met again, she had hugged him without thinking, but now the truth had been revealed to all.

    It was quite a surprise for everyone that the usually straightced Schnee they knew had been so forward.

    ¡°We¡¯re talking of a noble High Elf who never had romantic rumors about her, after all. A passionate hug, is it? Truly forward indeed.¡±

    ¡°I see, I wasn¡¯t aware but you didn¡¯t miss your chances to act. Very good, very good I¡¯d say.¡±

    Looking at Schnee abandon her coachman role and unusually panicked, Wilhelm and Shibaid¡¯s expressions became sympathetic.

    Even though they had just met, the two poked fun at Schnee justmunicating through their eyes and facial expressions.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t deny it, so¡­it¡¯s true?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s reaction was slightly different. She understood from Schnee¡¯s reaction that what Millie said was true, and at the same time she felt a certain uneasiness in her chest.

    Tiera didn¡¯t know of the ¡°bed sharing incident¡± or the ¡°moonlight encounter¡±, so she couldn¡¯t decide if Schnee¡¯s feelings towards Shin were born from loyalty or affection¡­or rather, she purposefully put off such a decision, but the present situation made things very clear.

    But what was the feeling of uneasiness in her heart? Tiera couldn¡¯t understand.

    She had been exiled from her vige before ever experiencing such feelings and lived at the Tsuki no Hokora since then; she did not have a name for what she was feeling right now.

    ¡°You better go easy on Schnee, or she¡¯ll make you regret itter, you know?¡±

    ¡°To be able to poke some fun at Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s very own Schnee Raizar is something that will happen only this once in my lifetime. I can¡¯t let this chance go.¡±

    ¡°I was certainly not poking fun at her. I simply found all this heartwarming.¡±

    ¡°You two are going to pay for this¡­!¡±

    Behind Shin, who was sitting with his back to the coachman seat, Schnee uttered these words with a menacing tone. Her embarrassment was so strong that even her long ears were all red.

    Wilhelm and Shibaid¡¯s grins widened even more.

    Shin, on the other hand, was unsure about what to do. Tiera was slightly annoyed.

    Crying ¡°kuu, kuu¡± and ¡°gruu, gruu¡±, the two divine beasts adjusted the carriage¡¯s course, which had lost its coachman¡¯s control, and brought it forward to its destination. Inside the carriage, however, confusion reigned supreme.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Here, we¡¯ve arrived. Come down quickly, everybody.¡±

    The chaotic atmosphere had to be endured for a few minutes. Thanks to Yuzuha and Kagerou, they arrived at the meeting point without trouble.

    In order to wipe away that awkward atmosphere, Shin urged the passengers to go down quickly.

    Both Wilhelm and Shibaid knew when to stop, so they promptly obeyed.

    ¡°Fufu, fufufu. You will be repaid for this favor very soon.¡±

    Behind Shin, the still flushed Schnee had made her decision.

    Having had little to no experience of being made fun of in the past, the damage she sustained seemed to be quite high.

    ¡°Go easy on them, OK? Besides, well¡­ even embarrassed like that, you were pretty cute, you know?¡±

    ¡°EH!? Ah, er, thank you¡­very much¡­¡±

    Shin tried to console her with words he wasn¡¯t used to saying, and the effects were greater than he expected.

    Seeing Schnee go all red, he was struck by her cuteness again.

    ¡°Er, aren¡¯t you¡­used to hearing things like this?¡±

    ¡°It depends on who says them¡­if it¡¯s the person I l¡­ I like, of course¡­ of course I¡¯d be happy¡­¡±

    Schnee red at Shin while her voice trailed off to a whisper. Another cute expression, and Shin couldn¡¯t help but pat her head gently.

    ¡°!!¡­umm¡­.*cute noise*¡­..¡±

    That sudden gesture made Schnee let out a little cry. Shin¡¯s hands stroked her hair gently, expressing the master¡¯s feelings to hispanion.

    ¡°Ah¡­.I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Shin realized what he was doing and pulled back his hand with a surprised expression. The warm emotion that had sprung forth in his heart had guided his hand.

    A feeling that Shin had once experienced, but then lost. The feeling of deep affection towards someone else.

    Shin himself was a bit surprised by his own heart¡¯s transformation.

    There were, however, other things to make sure first.

    He stole a quick nce at Schnee¡¯s expression, and found it frozen in what seemed like ecstasy.

    Shin sighed with relief that, at least, she wasn¡¯t in a bad mood.

    ¡°Ah¡­.er, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!? What is it!?¡±

    ¡°Well, er, nothing. My hand kind of moved by itself¡­¡±

    ¡°No, well, I didn¡¯t dislike it, so¡­¡±

    Are you a teen again!?! Is what Shin wanted to say to himself right now. That¡¯s how awkward their conversation was. Not that he didn¡¯t enjoy it, though.

    Shin felt clearly how his emotions were changing.

    ¡°Shin-nii, Schnee-nee, do you have the hots?¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin and Schnee were still lost in their own world when a childish voice called to them. They looked at the source of the voice and found Millie staring at them.

    ¡°The hots?¡±

    ¡°Eeeheh!? Ah, yeah, Millie, didn¡¯t you go on ahead with the others?¡±

    ¡°They told me toe call you, since you¡¯re sote.¡±

    ¡°I see. We¡¯reing, so go on ahead.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­.but you have the hots?¡±

    ¡°Enough about that!¡±

    Shin tried to change the topic, but it didn¡¯t work on Milie.

    Millie¡¯s face as she was running back to Wilhelm, as expected, had a big grin.

    ¡°¡­.it looks like we should hurry ahead.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. But please, wait just 20 seconds.¡±

    Schnee felt that she was still red, so she and Shin got down from the carriage after she had calmed down a little.

    ¡°My my? There¡¯s something interesting going on here, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    Shin and Schnee joined the others, only to find Vizzy also looking at them with sympathetic eyes.

    Among those present, only Tiera -who was carrying Yuzuha- looked at the twoters with different eyes.

    Shin had almost reached the limits of his patience and darted a look at everyone present.

    ¡°Guys, if you don¡¯t cut it out already you¡¯ll make me angry, all right?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop the jokes for now. We¡¯ll have to be sharp and focused for what¡¯sing, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we can say that there¡¯s less pressure on our shoulders now.¡±

    A state of prolonged emotional tension often invites unwanted idents.

    Shibaid and Wilhelm know that from experience; their poking fun at Schnee served to ease the whole party¡¯s tension too.

    Of course, they couldn¡¯t deny that there were other reasons too.

    ¡°Agh, you people are just¡­ anyway. We will deal with our mission as soon as we can, so please take care of Millie in the meanwhile.¡±

    ¡°You just leave it to us! We¡¯ll do our very best!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to let them have their way again.¡±

    Vizzy stood proudly, while Wilhelm expressed his strong conviction. With the Elder Dragons¡¯ assistance on their side too, they couldn¡¯t be defeated easily.

    Vizzy called the Elder Dragons, and as Wilhelm turned away from Shin¡¯s party, Millie suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Millie?¡±

    Shin called to the Millie, still not moving an inch, but received no response.

    Shin was looking at Millie with suspicion, when suddenly her body was covered in a faint light. Millie¡¯s magic power was astir.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shibaid too, like Shin, noticed Millie¡¯s unusual state. Schnee reacted by analyzing the young girl.

    ¡°I suppose this is the ¡°Star Reader¡± title¡¯s activation.¡±

    ¡°The title, you say?¡±

    Tiera, not being able to understand the situation, did not know what to do.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, it¡¯ll be over soon.¡±

    Only Wilhelm seemed to know what was happening to Millie, thus he told Shin¡¯s party not to worry. True to his words, Millie returned to her normal self in less than a minute.

    ¡°¡­.Will-nii.¡±

    ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°A woman with red and purple hair and the man who kidnapped me.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s expression turned sour at Millie¡¯s words.

    ¡°Millie, you mean Eline?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­he was strange.¡±

    ¡°In what way was he strange?¡±

    ¡°He was the same, but¡­different.¡±

    The whole party contemted Millie¡¯s riddle-like words.

    Shin further asked what she meant, but Millie couldn¡¯t exin well and would simply repeat how ¡°He was the same, but¡­different.¡±

    ¡°Will-nii.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Will-nii, you should go with Shin-nii. I think it¡¯s better that way.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be in danger?¡±

    No one doubted Millie¡¯s -a Star Reader¡¯s- words.

    But it would be meaningless if Millie was in danger because of that. That¡¯s what spurred Wilhelm¡¯s question.

    ¡°I¡¯m all right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it. I¡¯ll do as you say then.¡±

    Wilhelm, as if he had lost to Millie¡¯s insistent look, agreed to her request.

    There would be less protection for Millie and the church, but he decided to trust Vizzy and the Elder Dragons with that.

    ording to this world¡¯smon sense, 5 Elder Dragons -albeit small- counted as a small army already, so there would be nothing to worry in most cases.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for your message then~¡±

    ¡°Do your best, everyone!¡±

    With the ones carrying Vizzy and Millie leading the rest, the 5 Elder Dragons flew off in the sky. Shin and the others waited until they couldn¡¯t see them anymore, then returned to the city of Sigurd.

    ¡°Well, we have some time to kill, and the first thing we should make sure that the news of the fall of Bulk¡¯s faction don¡¯t spread.¡±

    As they crossed the gate into Palmirack, Shin contacted Lilish and used an illusion magic.

    If word of Bulk¡¯s defeat spread, the messenger wouldn¡¯t appear.

    Lilish too was cooperating as not to allow any information leak, but the disappearance of the priests colluding with Bulk would certainly cause suspicion.

    For that reason, Shin re-created the figures of Bulk and his allies via illusions, to show them leading their normal everyday lives.

    Bulk¡¯s clique wasn¡¯t one to appear in public often, so Lilish agreed too that the trick would work for a few days.

    ¡°In any case, I didn¡¯t think it would be so difficult to gather information.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not even one of the priests allied with Bulk knew anything¡­¡±

    Shin sighed after interrogating thest captured priest. Schnee, who had apanied him, was impressed by the enemy¡¯s information management.

    They had questioned the priests about the messenger who was supposed toe meet Bulk, but most of them had never even seen her. It couldn¡¯t have been a cognitive impairment caused by the miasma; the messenger had surely used some form of camouge.

    ¡°With things as they are, we have no choice but to leave the matter to chance.¡±

    ¡°It also depends on who we have to deal with¡­but there seems to be no other way.¡±

    Neither Shin nor Schnee believed that the messenger could have been an honest person. Also considering what Tiera had witnessed, there was a high probability that the messenger was not a human, but a demon.

    Fooling humans using High Humans as lure¡­it was not beyond the scope of what a Demon would do.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, I see. Let¡¯s decide our roles for the day.¡±

    Shin and Schnee returned to the room assigned to them within Palmirack and begun their discussion with Shibaid, Wilhelm and Tiera, who were waiting for them.

    The result was that, using illusion magic, Shin would take Bulk¡¯s role, Schnee Hermie¡¯s and Tiera Millie¡¯s. Wilhelm and Shibaid would standby, ready to stop the messenger in case she tried to flee.

    Kagerou, as usual, would be in Tiera¡¯s shadow.

    Yuzuha would not participate in the fighting, in order to continue tracking the target.

    ¡°All right. Then all that¡¯s left is see what our opponent does.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party thus started the operation to rescue Filma.

 Book 7: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡±

    It was two nights after they saved Millie.

    Shin, muttered something under his breath, while confirming that someone was approaching Palmirack using the map function.

    It was clear the individual, most likely the messenger, was airborne, based on the angle and the speed at which they were approaching. Either they were riding a monster that could fly, or they had the ability to fly on their own.

    Shin hid himself on the roof of Palmirack, keeping his line of sight pointed in the direction the messenger wasing from.

    Eventually, Shin could make out a dark shadow. Luckily, there were no clouds that night, and the moon and stars kept the area visible.

    The shadow which was a speck gradually grewrger, and within a few minutes became clearly distinguishable.

    ¡°(I can see a shadow of a person, I think it¡¯s the messenger. They¡¯vee solo on a bug-type monster. Since the messenger is wearing a mantle with a hood, I can¡¯t confirm their appearance.)¡±

    Shin shared this information with Schnee and Shibaid through Mind Chat. This was passed onto Wilhelm and Tiera as well.

    However, a few minutester.

    Something unexpected was disyed on Shin¡¯s map.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to im that these are rted¡­¡±

    Over 100 red markers were approaching from the rear of the messenger¡¯s marker. You could say that it is impossible to conclude that this had nothing to do with the current situation.

    Shin ryed this information to Shibaid. He responded with ¡°I shall intercept them.¡±

    Truth be told they could intercept them with a wide-range magical attack, however, that would surely cause tremendous amount of noise and vibrations to ur. Considering howte in the night it was, this would potentially cause citizens in Palmirack to panic.

    Shibaid could probably handle the monsters, by drawing them in the same way Shin once did at Balmel.

    It could get out of hand, thus, it had been decided that Wilhelm would apany him.

    Just in case, Lilish¡¯s aids would also act as backup.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t an average messenger¡± Shin mumbled this when he saw the figures be clearer as they approached.

    After some preparations for battle were made, the messengernded on the roof of Palmirack.

    ¡°Wee. We were expecting you.¡±

    Due to an disguise technique, Shin altered his voice, and spoke to the messenger. Both his voice and appearance are identical to Bulk¡¯s. When seen by another person, they should not see anything but Bulk.

    The messenger seems to have been fooled and thought Bulk hade to greet them. She flipped her hood off and revealed her face.

    ¡°Greetings, I seem to have troubled you. They are the sacrifices?¡±

    A blonde-haired woman replied in a somewhat unnatural voice while straddling the bug-type monster, ¡°Megrade¡±. A bug-type monster with 6 thin wings and a body simr to a centipede. It¡¯s level on average is 700.

    No one would object calling her a ¡°Beauty¡±, she is a woman who posses such an appearance. However, her expression was nk. It was as if she was looking at Schnee and Tiera, but at the same time not at all.

    ¡°We are ready for you. Pleasee in.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. We¡¯re moving immediately.¡±

    ¡°At least have a drink.¡±

    ¡°No. Hurry up.¡±

    She didn¡¯t show any behavioural thoughts, the woman urged instead. She didn¡¯t seem to want to waste her time at all.

    Shin signaled to Schnee and Tiera to head towards the woman. Schnee was approaching slowly with Tiera.

    Appearing to be manipted, they were walking at a slow pace, they were good at acting.

    However, when the distance between the woman and Schnee¡¯s group was less than 20 mels, the silence was suddenly broken.

    ¡°!!¡±

    Words could not express the shrieking of the Megrade, who jerked its neck like a snake. On Shin¡¯s map, the marker showing the Megrade turned red representing a foe.

    The Megrade stopped shrieking, and without any hesitation, turned towards the direction of Tiera and ejected a purple liquid out of its mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to take action!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    The moment the Megrade had turned towards Tiera, Schnee understood it¡¯s intentions and immediately picked her up and moved from their current location.

    Within seconds, the location that the two had been was covered in the purple liquid, and this initiated Palmirack¡¯s defense mechanism.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how we were exposed, however, it looks like we have no choice but to fight. Hey, you over there!! Either surrender quietly or fight, make a decision now¡±

    ¡°Did Bulk fall. How pitiful. You guys will be sacrificed by yours truly!!¡±

    While the woman shouted that, she gestured at the excited Megrade. In that moment, it was hard to believe that the Megrade had be docile given it previous actions.

    ording to Shin¡¯s analysis, the woman¡¯s name was Amre Zig. She was a level 181 tamer. However, there was also information listed that would normally not be associated with a human¡¯s status.

    ¡°Do it!!¡±

    The Megrade moved based on Amre¡¯smand.

    The monster raised half of its 7 mels body, perpendicr to the ground. By doing so it can determine its prey.

    The Megrade that Amre rode was twice as small as the one Shin was used to. It was also a lower level than the full-grown monster, at only 504.

    Even then, the giant fangs attached to its head and its legs, which has a de-like tip, holds enough power to tear through a person.

    Even a seasoned warrior¡¯s body would be paralyzed, faced with this poison- spitting beast.

    However, that didn¡¯t apply to Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°Oraa!!¡± *battle cry*

    The Megrade intends to trample on anything that approaches it from the front, and Shin chose to attack the Megrade head-on.

    He held the materialized¡ºKakura¡» in both hands, and by swinging the sword towards the heavens, it skims the surface of the earth.

    Shin was going to be swallowed whole. But, along with the sound of carapace bursting open, the Megrade¡¯s head was sent flying into the sky after one blow from¡ºKakura¡».

    Half of the Megrade¡¯s face had blown off, but bug-type monsters tend to have very good regenerating skills. It didn¡¯t die immediately.

    While it made an intermittent odd cry, it tried to stab Shin with the remaining fangs.

    ¡°As one would expect, its tenacious.¡±

    Shin swung ¡ºKakura¡» as he dodged the monster¡¯s fangs.

    ¡ºKakura¡» was d in the skill ¡¾Dust Bomb¡¿, abat skill from the hammer arts system. When it made contact with the torso that was on the ground, a 1 mel wide explosion urred, centered around it.

    The Megrade was split in half, and it still wouldn¡¯t die, shriveling with a yelp.

    ¡°Tch*smacks lips*, Megrade, do what you¡¯re told!!¡±

    The Megrade had taken on a considerable amount of damage. It did not ept Amre¡¯s orders and with half of its body, it swayed back and forth. The half with the face turned towards Tiera.

    It stopped only for a moment, before the monster shook off Amre and headed straight towards Tiera.

    ¡°Grrrrrrrrraaaaaarrr!!!¡±

    Schnee and Tiera raised their weapons in preparation, but someone else had reacted quicker. It was Kagerou, jumping out of Tiera¡¯s shadow, in his true form, giving the Megrade a one-sided beating.

    Kagerou¡¯s ruthlessness wasid bare for everyone to see. He thrusted the ws on his right foreleg into the remaining portion of the Megrade¡¯s head.

    The ws only prated through the shell, and because of this the Megrade was writhing in pain. Kagerou then poured an electrical attack through the monster¡¯s wounds, burning it from the inside.

    Sparks were almost leaking out of the monster, and you could see the Megrade¡¯s HP going down.

    The Megrade struggled, but unable to escape Kagerou¡¯s other leg holding it down, the monster was pegged. Within a minute, the HP had gone down to 0 points.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    As Kagerou took down the Megrade, Schnee had cut off its other half into pieces and submerged it in ice. Tiera used her arrows to take down the escaping Amre, following that Shin restrained her.

    Amre herself did not have highbative capabilities, thus, she did not put up much of a resistance.

    ¡°Let me go!!¡±

    ¡°That is not up for discussion. Without fail, we will get you to confess information about the faction!¡±

    An interrogation wasn¡¯t necessary for Shin. However, the moment he tried to invoke a skill from the mind system, miasma began to pour out of Amre¡¯s body.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA this way I too, will¡­¡±

    Moving faster than Shin could purify, the miasma was able to draw itself closer to Megrade¡¯s corpse.

    With a blink of an eye, the miasma made contact with the corpse and permeated its interior. This brought about a transformation.

    ¡°Gruu!?¡±

    Kagerou had sensed danger and jumped backwards. A few seconds after jumping backwards, the Megrade¡¯s body, that should have been a corpse, started to move.

    As the head was regenerating, it made a vicious beating sound, *thump* *thump*. At the same time the dismembered body starts to piece itself together. And the ice covering the surroundings gradually starts to develop cracks.

    ¡°!!¡±

    A strange noise echoed throughout the surroundings.

    The monster molted out of its shell, as arger, stronger looking shell emerged.

    ¡°Could that be the skill ¡®Invade¡¯?¡±

    The monster¡¯s fate had been altered by the miasma.

    Shin had known that the skill had a simr effect on golem-type monsters such as gargoyles. However, it seems to affect even the corpses in this world.

    It is a phenomenon not seen in the game era. Normally monsters¡¯ corpses transform into drop items.

    After molting, the figure of the Megrade had be somewhat ferocious. From Shin¡¯s memory, the Megrade in front of him was still smaller than a matured one. However, looking at it gave one the impression of a rather intimidating monster.

    ¡°So this one¡¯s a mummy. You know, I doubted it when I nced over the status. s¡­¡±

    Shin sighs after observing the pinned down Amre, who was a mere shadow of her former self.

    Amre¡¯s status. Her name, her level, and her upation were listed. It didn¡¯t look too different from ordinary humans. But the name field was slightly different.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the name listed was ¡°Ghoul Invade¡±. With that appended to the name column, it was definite proof of a monster afflicted with miasma.

    ¡°So in this world, even people turn into monsters, huh?¡±

    Undead monsters, such as ghouls, aren¡¯t rare in THE NEW GATE.

    There are a few strong undead monsters, but often times even newbies can take said monster down.

    Apparently, ording to the game¡¯s exnatory text, the undead were originally human bodies buried after being killed by monsters. They were exposed to miasma, and started to move on their own.

    Shin couldn¡¯t grasp how Amre had ended up that way, nor how she had retained her own will after her death.

    One thing was for sure. If Amre was an abomination caused by man, that meant that the Summit Faction was seriously out of line.

    ¡°Shin! How the hell is it stronger! What is that!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the miasma! Kagerou! Make sure Tiera stays away from it!¡±

    At the same time Tiera shouted, the revived Megrade began to move. It was still split in two, but the half with the head, likest time, was focused in the direction of Tiera.

    Following Shin¡¯s orders Kagerou wedged himself between Tiera and the Megrade.

    Being obstructed twice, the Megrade loathed Kagerou. It howled, and in response to this Kagerou growled with no intentions of backing down. Kagerou¡¯s horn lit up as power starts to umte inside. Shin understood his intentions.

    ¡°I entrust Tiera to you!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t feel like waiting for the opponent to make its move.

    Using his movement skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, he headed straight towards the Megrade who was facing Kagerou and Tiera.

    There¡¯s no need to go easy on a monster afflicted with miasma.

    Like an afterimage, Shin arrived at the Megrade and didn¡¯t even give it time to ¡®defend,¡¯ as he drew¡ºKakura¡».

    He unleashed hisbatposite skill, ¡¾Shining Roar¡¿, abination of hammer arts and light magic.

    ¡ºKakura¡» absorbed all of the light, and grew to twice its thickness.

    With one stroke against the Megrade, the light surrounding ¡ºKakura¡» invaded the Megrade¡¯s body. A secondter, ¡ºKakura¡» itself crushed the shell.

    The Megrade¡¯s shell started to form cracks, with ripples originating from where the de made contact. Within a minute, the whole body was soaked in light inside and out.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The light from thebination skill was a high-level purification light for cleansing demons.

    Ordinary monsters aren¡¯t affected and it is useless in personal battles, but they were up against a transformed monster that had afflicted with miasma. This was a fatal attack.

    There is also additional damage due to using ¡ºKakura¡». And no matter how much a monster is strengthened by miasma, it wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s blow.

    The Megrade¡¯s body quivered as if it was paralyzed. Any immobile giant monster is a sight to behold.

    Shin lowered ¡ºKakura¡» onest time at the Megrade¡¯s head, and because of the purifying light, the body turned to ashes and dust.

    ¡°Is Schnee the only one left¡­yep, she¡¯s finished too¡±

    The other half of the body trapped in ice was going rampant.

    That alone should have been intimidating, but Schnee was simply following Shin¡¯s lead- keeping the monster immobile before giving it its final blow.

    A lower half of the body noodling about was nothing for Schnee. Shin didn¡¯t need to help at all.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We got nothing out of it though¡±

    Shin had remembered how Amre was before the skirmish. She didn¡¯t act like the party had gained any new information.

    If anything, the Megrade should offer some hints and clues.

    Recalling the memory of when Schnee and Tiera had approached the Megrade, the Megrade had acted terrified.

    Perhaps just as Kagerou used to be skeptical of Shin and Schnee, the Megrade must have sensed the imminent power of Schnee.

    Then, why did it go after Tiera?

    (Is there a something we are not aware of?)

    There are certain upations that are more susceptible to attacks from monsters afflicted by miasma. Tiera had once admitted how she was hiding something from us. Maybe it¡¯s relevant.

    Shin didn¡¯t want to force it out of her. Eventually, Tiera would tell them. There was no need to get her to talk.

    Even if it was a naive thing to do.

    ¡°¡­How¡¯s Shibaid doing¡±

    Shin decided to check on him via Mind Chat.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°We should start our battle soon¡±

    Shibaid having been informed by Shin of the approaching enemy presences, Wilhelm and himself started to mobilize. In his hand, you could see his weapon ¡ºcid Moon¡» glisten from the moonlight.

    Shibaid also had a map of his own, sparkling red with enemy markers. There must have been at least 200 foes.

    Shibaid decided to analyze the monsters in his periphery.

    The majority of the monsters were undead, such as Ghouls or Rupt Raptors.

    The monsters¡¯ levels ranged, from high level monsters at around 500 to some as low as 50.

    About 40 monsters were above level 400. There were other monsters in the 300s range. Many of the monsters were under level 100.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s have the monster¡¯s focus their attention on me.¡±

    At less than 300 mels between Shibaid and the monsters, Shibaid activated ¡¾Shura¡¯s Madness¡¿an aggro skill. (T/N: Aggro Skill, it is to lure monster by getting them to focus on user using the skill.)

    An invisible wave overwhelmed the monsters, as their cloudy eyes were all forced tond on Shibaid and the monsters faced his direction.

    ¡°arsa¡­sk!! -daggd!?¡±

    The monsters were being taken over, as they twisted and turned, grunting and groaning, all together a surge of rumbling noises rushed towards Shibaid.

    Even in the gaming world, few heroes can stand in front of a group of monsters, much less in front of a hoard with several over level 100. The survival instincts in people are triggered, when they are in front of arge number of physicallyrger beings, all making noise so loud that you want to cover your ears.

    Even in the gaming world, it¡¯s easy to be scared. So in this world, where this was a reality, your fear should be just as real.

    Even a Chosen One would stand down.

    However, the one confronting these enemies is a subordinate of the Dark cksmith, Shibaid Etraku.

    Unless they were up against this number, their auras were very oppressive. On top of that, as if responding to the challenge, Shibaid¡¯s aura was intensifying.

    ¡°? ? ?¡±

    At that moment, the intensifying aura heavily affected the monsters¡¯ momentum.

    The front row of Rupt Raptors and Ace Jackals, the faster monsters, all went limp, taking down other monsters behind them.

    Therger monsters with the charging abilities were not able to avoid the medium sized monsters in their way. They were also trampling over the smaller monsters.

    Many monsters were trying to run away, frightened of the effects and overwhelmed by Shibaid¡¯s aura. The lower-level monsters were heavily affected, while the higher level monsters were all agitated.

    ¡°That should have thinned the crowd out¡±

    After confirming that 30 of the low-level monsters had disappeared, Shibaid took off in a sprint.

    He¡¯s much slower than Schnee or Girard, but that was a matter of battle style. Shibaid did not have to rely on speed.

    ¡°Haaaaa¡­.¡±

    He breathed out, charging at the array of monsters, waving¡ºcid Moon¡»fiercely. The tip of the spear was channeling a white me, which blew out 5 mels wide.

    Abatposite skill ¡¾White Haze¡¿, the mixture of me magic and spear arts.

    The fire encased the axe portion of the halberd, the de width easily exceeded 30 cemels.

    Shibaid dodged all long-distance attacks against him, and encroached closer and closer to the monsters.

    ¡°Ngrrr!¡±

    With all the momentum put into one step, the ground starts to fissure. At around the same time he let out a battle cry, the holy halberd¡¯s de encased in me drew an arc in the air.

    The me¡¯s heat and cleansing powerspounded its damaging effects, turning all of the monsters within its reach into ash.

    For undead monsters, me attacks are one of their weaknesses, with holy and light being the most effective.

    On top of that, Shibaid had used a skillparable to that of Shin¡¯s, which cleansed the undead.

    The aggro skill lures the monsters, and as they draw near they are burned to ashes. The undead monsters didn¡¯t stand a chance against Shibaid¡¯s physical strength,bined with a superior weapon, and effective skill.

    ¡°Ha!!¡±

    With one swing, two, then three.

    Moonlight illuminates the ck canvas of the night, while a white me draws arcs.

    The smaller and medium-sized monsters were reduced to ashes with a single blow, now only therger monsters remain.

    Even therger monsters with higher endurance had just barely survived fatal blows, with their limbs burned off after one strike. Following that their head would fly off after the next strike.

    Shibaid had smartened up, knowing that therger bodies couldn¡¯t stand the repeated attacks from underneath. The undead were being sliced into bits with a swing from Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡».

    However, he couldn¡¯t keep assaulting the monsters on the ground, as there was a shadow that was floating in mid-air.

    A rotting pumpkin, a Jumpkin, floated above.

    ¡°Yhallhooolll!¡±

    The hole of the monster¡¯s mouth released a soprano voice, giving us the impression of a young boy.

    Listening to the pitch of the voice gave off an off putting feeling, and yet nothing seemed to be out of ce. On top of that the Jumpkin looked like a Halloween pumpkin.

    ¡°Now its flying types, eh?¡±

    Shibaid mumbled to himself, as several other flying monsters approaching from the rear of the Jumpkin.

    There were undead monsters immune to physicalbat, such as a Ghosts, spectre-type monsters.

    These monsters often attack using ck magic skills that give status abnormalities, and by default they are always flying. This made it difficult tond a hit on these monsters, and the yers hated it.

    About 30 monsters were afloat.

    The issue wasn¡¯t fending them off, but rather how they were going to take up more time inparison to monsters bound to the earth.

    ¡°Ha!!¡±

    Dodging the magic raining from above, Shibaid jumped up. Underneath, you could see the ground he leapt from was caved in. The magical attacks against him were wide range, but Shibaid was used to acting as the party¡¯s shield. This was a piece of cake.

    A blue wall of me is spread out in front of him, despite this, Shibaid thrusts his me encased weapon into the crowd of monsters.

    There were no other monsters left in the sky, after the white me engulfed the surrounding.

    Shibaid made use of the force from swinging ¡ºcid Moon¡» to adjust his position in mid-air. What awaited him below was ws and fangs onnd, but what awaited them too was a halberd d in mes.

    The de¡¯s first round of attacks burned and split a giant-type undead cyclops. The heat caught up and burned what was left of the body.

    The monsters didn¡¯t seem to care that one of their kind was burning to the side. They came after Shibaid with murder in their eyes.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    As Shibaid prepared forbat in the air and on the ground, in the corner of his eyes, the ghosts in the sky were being pierced by a ray of light that looked like a spear.

    Shibaid instantly knew that the ray of light was caused by aposite skill using spear arts and light magic, ¡¾Shooting Star¡¿.

    It was a highly effective skill against the undead, and had two uses. It could be either thrown like a javelin or made to radiate the light to the surroundings for use in closebat.

    At the end of Shibaid¡¯s gaze, he caught a glimpse of Wilhelm holding his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» proudly.

    But Wilhelm also knew, that time was of the essence.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no need to waste time¡±

    While carefully surveying his surroundings, Wilhelm watched the monsters disappear as they are pierced using the skill from earlier.

    There really wasn¡¯t a reason for concern, but it would be catastrophic if these monsters were to breach Sigurd.

    Not just that, but spending too much time here was not a good idea either. In reality it was more for the peace of mind.

    Shibaid could take on therger groups of monsters, while Wilhelm concentrates on surveying the surrounding area for any remaining enemy presences.

    Sigurd was once an area gued by war. ces like those, tend to be breeding grounds for the undead.

    It¡¯s entirely possible that more undead would rise, due to suchrge numbers of undead concentrated in one location.

    In the time it took Wilhelm to get rid of one monster, Shibaid had already taken on more than 10 ghouls and skull faces.

    However, they were reviving themselves at an rming rate, even for Wilhelm he had never experienced such a thing. On top of that the strength of the individual monsters were on a whole different level.

    ¡°This is out of the norm. The undead are rising too quickly¡±

    At the corner of Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, he saw the tempest like destruction that Shibaid created. As he witnessed this, he started to run.

    Even for and that was war torn for a long period of time, it was unusual for so many undead to be awakened.

    By all ounts, and Wilhelm¡¯s experience, something was very wrong. There were monsters that were tamed by riders, as well as monsters that were following suit.

    Considering this kind of man power was at Bulk andpany¡¯s disposal, it was clear that the interior of Sigurd was stained with blood.

    ¡°What? What is that presence?¡±

    Wilhelm could sense a little bit of a distance away, beyond 30 or so monsters in a cluster, something in the shrubs.

    Something was lurking.

    He felt it, and knew it.

    He had to go there.

    He couldn¡¯t exin himself, but Wilhelm was encroaching closer and closer towards this presence within the forest, ying one monster at a time that was in his way.

    The forest was dim; there weren¡¯t many ces the moonlight could reach.

    A silhouette in the shape of a man was being lit by the moonlight.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Long time no see. It¡¯s been a few days right¡±

    Wilhelm was on guard, as he saw Eline Sperizer¡¯s face. He was supposed to be dead.

    Eline smiled. There was no mistaking him.

    It was the man that Wilhelm had once fought.

    ¡°What luck. Meeting again in a ce like this¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He smiled, not even holding a weapon. It was as if he wasn¡¯t even aware of the epic battle happening a few feet away from the shrubs and greenery.

    It was odd, and anyone would vouch by that statement. Even now, Wilhelm could hear the echoes of battle.

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet. What is the matter?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, have you forgotten me already? But of course, I¡¯m¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not Eline¡±

    Wilhelm cut him off.

    Even if they had only had one encounter, Wilhelm had fought with every strength of his body. A skilled warrior like Wilhelm would never forget or misinterpret a presence like that, one he had fought against for his own life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. Who are you?¡±

    He readjusted his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» in his hand.

    ¡°Eline¡± silently looked at Wilhelm, before bursting out withughter.

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±

    His voice was eventually louder and louder, and within seconds he was showing signs of a maniac.

    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t attempt to do things I¡¯m not used to. I was outwitted in seconds!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t even try¡±

    ¡°But honestly, I thought I did a decent job. Just to be clear though, tell me what I did wrong.¡±

    The man that stood there was still a mystery, despite just being outed.

    ¡°He was rotten, but unlike you he could not use his body to emit miasma.¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course. I guess my precision was not urate enough. I am not there yet for sure¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Wilhelm was silent in front of theughing mad man.

    This man was clearly delusional and abnormal, but Wilhelm couldn¡¯t just let him go either. He was waiting for a chance to strike, but he couldn¡¯t.

    The miasma from this man was stinging Wilhelm¡¯s skin.

    He had a simr aura to the Skull Face Lord, which he had once seen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sullen. I came to see you specifically.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea who you are though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cold. Well, to be honest, I came to pick you up. It doesn¡¯t matter how you feel about me.¡±

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    Pick you up. It was the kind of wording you¡¯d use to express camaraderie. Even then, Wilhelm hadn¡¯t a clue.

    The problem wasn¡¯t even there ¨C the problem was how there was no way that this kind ofpany could elicit wee.

    ¡°We¡¯re out of manpower. We need what we can use¡±

    He grinned, and continued.

    ¡°You came to me because you felt like you were being called on, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too. I was the same, and I think you¡¯re also considering listening to what I tell you to do, right?¡±

    Wilhelm listened without saying anything. On any other asion, he¡¯d have a mouthful of words to throw back.

    The man was right. Despite what his mind told him, his heart disagreed.

    ¡°Gr!!¡±

    Wilhelm tried to fight his own will from within, when a pain surged through him.

    It was painful from the hip down. It was exactly where Millie had struck him with the short sword.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    The pain was bing worse. In proportion to the rising impulse boiling within his body, Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness was fading.

    A ck powerful fog was gaining control from the waist, spreading through the rest of the body slowly with pain and terror.

    ¡°Yes. Stay as you are and WHOA!¡±

    As Wilhelm was ready to sumb, his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» suddenly started to beam with light.

    The spear that had been improved by a High Human was no joke. The fog was almost maically being repelled by the holy light of the divine spear.

    ¡°What! ¡ºBeinot¡» can do this!?¡±

    Even divine weapons didn¡¯t possess such special abilities.

    At least, as far as his knowledge goes, only ¡ºBeinot¡»can do such a thing. Even if they could mildly deter darkness, it just meant that the weapon was ¡®fairly strong¡¯. Not like this.

    ¡°Ugh! Man, nothing goes my way!¡±

    The man had encountered a technical issue, and he had to also bear in mind the weapon in Wilhelm¡¯s right hand.

    Momentster, the same mist that had shrouded Wilhelm was sprouting out of Wilhelm¡¯s hand; the hand that held ¡ºBeinot¡».

    ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s light defused at least half of that darkness. But it was not enough for the other half to cling tightly onto Wilhelm.

    As the darkness did its job, the man reached into his pockets for a single item card. He threw it at Wilhelm, but more at his weapon.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m using an item!¡±

    The card was thrown with enough might, that while in the air the card materialized a long thin cloth. This clothnded on ¡ºBeinot¡», wrapping around it, absorbing the weapon and covering itpletely.

    The man had thrown a ¡®cloth of weapon binding¡¯. This item weakened the effects of a weapon. It targeted all weapons unconditionally, even divine weapons.

    If the owner of the weapon was aware, he or she could remove the cloth from the weapon. The situation was less than ideal as Wilhelm was unconscious. ¡ºBeinot¡» lost its glow with each wrap around it.

    ¡°Jeez, that was close¡­¡±

    The man grew a little tired, taking ¡ºBeinot¡» away from a helpless Wilhelm. The man smiled at theckluster and dull ¡ºBeinot¡», about 70% of it covered in cloth.

    ¡°Wow, I mean. Aside from how it looks this is barely a ¡ºBeinot¡». No wonder the light it produced was strange. Well this is a cool find.¡±

    For the man¡¯s safety, he had to expended a reasonable amount of miasma, his source of power, when dealing with ¡ºBeinot¡». And yet, knowing that, he still poured an equal amount of miasma into ¡ºBeinot¡».

    The inscription on ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s surface melted and burned the man¡¯s hands heavily. He seemed at lost at what to do, yet he continued pouring miasma.

    The silver glow of the spear turned a vivid onyx. The inscription on the surface had also turned into a bloody crimson.

    It was the hell spear ¡ºVakira¡».

    Even among the darkest weapons, this one was more powerful, and one of the few that were d in miasma.

    The man spun the spear in his hands once, and the cloth around it faded away before hitting the ground.

    Wilhelm remained standing silently in the background, covered in dust and dirt.

    ¡°Well they should be done kidnapping the Holy Woman by now, right? So, I should head home¡­ wow, I almost thought that that was the Dark cksmith. But, it seems the rumors differ reality.¡±

    Based on the clothing and the armament, he was inferring that Shin was a High Human. He had also thought Shin was the Dark cksmith based on his features.

    However, his behaviours at the time differed from what he heard from hisrades.

    ordingly, NPCs outside of yers were treated as mere objects. That, and there was no hesitation killing people. The cksmith¡¯s eyes were ice-cold. He also had murderous intentions with every action. None of this was like Shin today.

    If Shin was the person the man heard about, no one would survive in Palmirack except the Rokuten and their subordinates.

    ¡°So are you the ¡®Blue Trickster¡¯ or the ¡®Golden Merchant¡¯? Well, I doubt that you¡¯re always wearing that but¡­¡±

    The names were derived from the colors that the Rokuten¡¯s members were d in, but that was not necessarily a rule of thumb.

    Thus, the man made the second mistake of thinking Shin is Cain or any other member of Rokuten.

    Either way, all evidence pointed to how at least one of the Rokuten members hade back. It made no difference who.

    Just one of the Rokuten could decide the victor of a war.

    After discerning the location of the Megrade, the man and Wilhelm vanished without a trace, unbeknownst to everyone.

 Book 7: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ck, ck, ck.

    Someone¡¯s heels echoed through the quiet church halls.

    A smaller figure masked in a hood was walking down a path.

    This figure eventually stopped in front of one of several simrly shaped doors. This was the room that Hermie rested in.

    The door was open, and a man wearing armor was lying face down on the floor. He was unconscious.

    ¡°Pardon my intrusion.¡±

    The voice of a young boy echoed. Or a young girl with a low voice. The voice¡¯s gender couldn¡¯t be identified just from listening to it.

    There was a casualness to the hooded figure¡¯s gait, as if one were walking into the room of a close friend. Inside of the room, several others were unconscious, with no outside wounds. They were breathing with a stable rhythm, much like being in a deep sleep.

    ¡°Are you resting? I guess you¡¯re resting? Then off I go.¡±

    The hooded figure confirmed that everyone in the room was asleep. They headed further in, to see another door inside. This door was opened, and a young girl was asleep next to two soldiers.

    ¡°Found you.¡±

    The figure made sure that the girl sleeping near the bed was Hermie. As a hand reached out from the cloak towards Hermie, the sound of a gust of wind could be heard.

    ¡°Whoops.¡±

    The cloaked figure grabbed the flying dagger between their fingers, without even ncing at it.

    ¡°Now now, color me surprised. You are still awake?¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±

    The knight who stood up while uttering these words was Konig.

    He had forced his unstable body to stand, just barely. Blood was dripping from his mouth because he had bitten his lips to maintain his consciousness.

    ¡°Oh yes, I didn¡¯t introduce myself, did I. Good evening, sir. My name is Milt, I¡¯m a member of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±. I havee here to borrow Mdy Hermie. Any resistance is futile, so it will be easier for you to stay quiet, you know?¡±

    ¡°Enough mockery!!¡±

    Milt¡¯s introduction barely finished when Konig unsheathed his de and attacked. The upper-ss chosen one stepped in forcefully, with speed unimaginable for the heavy armor he equipped.

    Milt¡¯s speed however, exceeded his. The intruder¡¯s body appeared to lean just slightly, yet Konig¡¯s strike was avoided with ease.

    Konig¡¯s sword shed repeatedly through the small room, yet he didn¡¯t even manage toy a finger on Milt, almost as if the unwanted visitor was but an illusion.

    ¡°Impressive attacks, as expected from an upper-ss chosen one.¡±

    Miltmented with nonchnce while avoiding Konig¡¯s attacks. Even against an upper-ss chosen one such as Konig, his opponent did not show the slightest agitation.

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Konig was swinging his sword despite drowsiness and powerlessness -of unknown origins- that were attempting to take over his body, while Milt seemedpletely unaffected.

    Who would emerge victorious was painfully clear.

    ¡°Yet, it¡¯s a shame. This isn¡¯t quite enough to stimte my appetite. I don¡¯t have much time to waste either, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave soon.¡±

    After speaking, Milt suddenly vanished from Konig¡¯s sight; the invader had sneaked closer to Konig¡¯s chest, to deliver a blow that the drowsy Konig had no hope of parrying.

    Milt¡¯s palm strike struck squarely against Konig¡¯s armor, and the resulting shock burst throughout the knight¡¯s body.

    ¡°Gwah¡­gh¡­¡±

    Konig¡¯s breathing was momentarily stopped by the impact that propagated through his armor. The knight then copsed to the ground and would not stand up again soon.

    It was not a blow that would have normally defeated him, but the abnormal statuses that crippled Konig prevented him from defending against it.

    ¡°Okay then, now that there¡¯s no one in my way, I can get back to work.¡±

    Milt made sure that Konig was out ofmission and lifted the sleeping Hermie.

    After setting up a certain mechanism, Milt left the room and headed towards Palmirack¡¯s entrance.

    While walking through the empty corridors, Milt talked out loud.

    ¡°This was even too easy¡­since this ce was reactivated it means one of the Rokuten came back, so why was it so easy?¡±

    For an infiltrator, nothing is more wee than ax security. Milt, however, seemed to be nothing but dissatisfied.

    ¡°The only member of the Rokuten involved in the Death Game should have been Shin, but I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯d let normal people inside Palmirack without doing anything¡­but there¡¯s no way one of the other 5 came. And if Shin hade here, it¡¯d mean that he died¡­but I just can¡¯t ept that someone killed him¡­¡±

    Milt kept walking on, while voicingint afterint.

    The present Palmirack had lowered security, in order to prevent danger for the people of the Church. Thanks to that, nothing would happen even if Milt simply walked out like this.

    Milt had not actually ¡°infiltrated¡± Palmirack either. The Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow member had just walked through the front door, undisturbed.

    ¡°Aah, I want to meet Shin¡­if only he was here, I would be fulfilled even without having to do stuff like this¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s words sounded like those of a maiden in love, or a boy dreaming about his hero, but hid something close to obsession within them.

    Milt kept walking on towards the main entrance.

    Listening to the sound of explosions in the distance, the intruder disappeared in the darkness once again.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shibaid was the first to notice the anomaly.

    After exterminating the undead monsters headed towards Sigurd, he searched the nearby presences and realized that Wilhelm¡¯s was nowhere to be found.

    Shibaid¡¯s perception radius was smaller than Shin¡¯s or Schnee¡¯s, but still much wider than an average chosen one. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t find any trace of Wilhelm¡¯s presence, no matter how much he searched.

    He went to the location where Wilhelm was supposed to be, but could not find any clue.

    Something must have happened to him¡­it was just a matter of time before Shibaid reached this conclusion.

    ¡°(Things are taken care of on our end. How¡¯s the situation there?)¡±

    ¡°(The monsters have been exterminated. But something strange is going on.)¡±

    Through the well-timed Mind Chat, Shibaid informed Shin about Wilhelm¡¯s disappearance.

    Thanks in part to the improvement of his weapons, Wilhelm¡¯s power had increased further after meeting Shin. He was a warrior who had survived many deadly battles, he couldn¡¯t have been defeated by monsters of this level.

    After taking care of the consequences of their battle in the surroundings, Shin and Schnee joined Shibaid and investigated the surroundings.

    Yet no matter how much they sharpened their focus, there was no trace of Wilhelm in their field of perception. They too headed to the ce where Wilhelm was supposed to be, which Shibaid had already inspected, but could not find any traces of theirrade either.

    ¡°No sign of major fighting¡­can we then exclude the possibility that he fought someone and was taken away?¡±

    ¡°If the opponent was from the Summit Faction, it is possible that Wilhelm was prevented from resisting by means of a hostage. Alternatively, a Mind-type spell could have been used on him.¡±

    With information as scarce as it was, specting had its limits. The group was then joined by Tiera and Kagerou, who did not possess perception abilities as strong as Shin and Schnee and had gone looking for clues by foot.

    ¡°Have you found anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, there¡¯s no presence in the surroundings after all. What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I couldn¡¯t find anything decisive, but there is one intriguing ce.¡±

    ¡°An intriguing ce?¡±

    Tiera responded to Shin¡¯s question with a brief silence. After letting out a small sigh, she answered.

    ¡°Follow my lead, I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    Tiera said just that and proceeded to give orders to Kagerou. The ce they headed to, at a speed matched to Shibaid, the slowest member of the party, was an apparently ordinary grove.

    From Shin¡¯s standpoint, he couldn¡¯t sense anything unusual within the surroundings. It was the same with Schnee and Shibaid, in fact, their eyes gave off an expression of being utterly confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    Tiera descended from Kagerou and walked towards the center of the woods. Kagerou grew smaller and walked near Tiera¡¯s feet.

    A few steps behind Tiera and Kagerou, Shin¡¯s party too entered the woods.

    After walking for several minutes, they reached a clearing. Tiera stopped just one step before entering it.

    ¡°Is this the ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You might find it hard to believe, there was an extremely powerful Demon here until moments ago.¡±

    ¡°A Demon?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression turned sour after hearing Tiera¡¯s words. Schnee and Shibaid reacted the same way, especially thetter; his battlefield had been the closest, after all.

    However, no matter how high Shibaid¡¯s level and stats were, his enemy detection radius was not as wide as Shin or Schnee¡¯s. If the enemy had used skills such as ¡¾Hiding¡¿, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Shibaid not to notice anything.

    ¡°Could this Demon, have done something to Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°If so, it must have been a considerably high-ranked individual. Possibly even a Named One.¡±

    ¡°Yes, in that case it could have infiltrated here unnoticed.¡±

    Among the Demons with high rank, there were some that could match Schnee and Shibaid.

    That considered, it wasn¡¯t improbable that Wilhelm had been taken away with little or no resistance.

    ¡°Er, do you really believe me?¡±

    Looking at Shin¡¯s party trusting her words without question, Tiera voiced her surprise.

    ¡°Huh? Why should we doubt you? You¡¯re not the type to spout lies or jokes in a situation like this, are you?¡±

    ¡°But it was just a feeling¡­I have no proof or anything.¡±

    ¡°That may be so, but we at least trust you. That¡¯s why we believe you, even without proof.¡±

    Shin answered firmly to Tiera¡¯s whispered doubts.

    In this world, after all, unexinable phenomena such as magic and skills existed inrge number. It wouldn¡¯t be incredible to be able to perceive miasma or Demons somehow. In addition, elves and pixies possessed a sixth sense, or intuition, known for its sharpness.

    The target of such sharpness differed from person to person, but it was likely that Tiera¡¯s upbringing had made her sensitive to malice and ill intentions.

    ¡°It¡¯s faint, but I feel something close to lingering miasma here. What about you all?¡±

    ¡°I cannot feel anything.¡±

    ¡°I feel something different from miasma. But I don¡¯t think it is something malicious.¡±

    Havinge closer, Shin and Schnee perceived a lingering presence.

    Shibaid looked puzzled.

    ¡°It seems that you are perceiving different things.¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m feeling is probably something simr to what Tiera felt. I wonder what Schnee is feeling, though.¡±

    Shin had experience with miasma, so he was sure of what he had felt. He had no idea, however, of what the ¡°something different from miasma¡± Schnee felt could be.

    ¡°At the very least, it is not miasma. A peculiar item, maybe¡­by the way, Shin, you had powered up Wilhelm¡¯s weapon, didn¡¯t you? Couldn¡¯t it be that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I changed Wilhelm¡¯s weapon to ¡ºBeinot¡», but did it have an effect like that?¡±

    Shin tried to recall ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s characteristics.

    True to its ¡°Holy Spear¡± moniker, ¡ºBeinot¡» was highly effective against the undead. It could affect Demons too, but just enough to be considered an added bonus.

    It definitely did not have anything that could leave miasma behind this way.

    ¡°If anything, its grade changed.¡±

    ¡°The grade?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it went one grade up, from Mythology to Ancient. That could be the reason, I don¡¯t know the details though.¡±

    Even so, there were no other clues leading them further as of now.

    The party split to inspect the surroundings once more, but could not find anything; only time passed.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve looked all over, but there really isn¡¯t anything here, huh.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything either.¡±

    ¡°Nor have I.¡±

    ¡°Nor I. There¡¯s no trace of fighting, so either he was captured or they used hostages. Those are my guesses.¡±

    Shin, Tiera, Schnee and Shibaid reported their findings after regrouping.

    What they discovered was just the absoluteck of any clues.

    ¡°Nothing to do here, let¡¯s go back for now. It would be pointless to stay here longer, and I have a bad feeling¡­¡±

    Ever since Millie¡¯s abduction, they were always reacting to the enemy¡¯s initiatives.

    That was probably why Shin felt that this ordeal was far from over.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What the¡­!¡±

    ¡°W-what!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden shout startled Tiera.

    He had noticed Palmirack¡¯s abnormal situation as soon as they returned.

    ¡°Sleeping drug. It has been vaporized to affect the whole structure.¡±

    Schnee identified the anomaly quickly, though it was already toote.

    ¡°Shit, they really were here too!¡±

    As Shin used Pamirack¡¯s functions to run a search, as expected, he found no trace of Hermie.

    ¡°Our information was leaked?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. As far as we know, no one was under control, but¡­¡±

    What Shin¡¯s party imagined first was the ck cor used to control Hermie.

    While waiting for the messenger, however, they had made sure that there was no one equipped with it. No one was afflicted with abnormal statuses, so it was improbable for someone inside to be under enemy control.

    If the leak had been on purpose, however, the cors had nothing to do with it. They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of the presence of other ¡°Summit Faction¡± members within Palmirack.

    ¡°Well, I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that it wasn¡¯t poison. Let¡¯s blow away the drug first of all.¡±

    Using a wind-type skill, Shin drove away the sleeping vapors hanging in the surroundings. It wasn¡¯t something that caused any physical burden, so the affected people were simply sleeping. It was night, a time when people normally spent sleeping, so there hadn¡¯t been any particrmotion. Maybe only the risk that the people who fell asleep in the corridors or on the floor would catch a cold.

    ¡°Lowering the security came back to bite us, I see.¡±

    ¡°But unless you did that, it would not have been possible for so many people to live in the Church.¡±

    Shin scratched his head at the situation, but Schnee replied that there was nothing he could do about it.

    The actual problem was that it was impossible to host suchrge numbers of people of the Church, even just in Palmirack¡¯s surface floors, while keeping its security systems 100% active.

    To leave the systems active he would need to either register all inhabitants as guests, thus not targeted by the security system, or send them all out.

    In the Church there were more than 1000 people, from the Pope to the apprentices. It was impossible to register all of them as guests.

    Shin¡¯s party then headed to Hermie¡¯s quarters, in search of clues.

    ¡°Even Konig was affected¡­but wait, his sword is drawn.¡±

    Shin realized that among all those who fell asleep, only Konig managed to resist.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to search this ce. Schnee, please go check on Lilish.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will bring her here once she wakes up.¡±

    Schnee left for Lilish¡¯s quarters.

    Shin then entrusted Shibaid and Tiera with removing the status ailments and headed to Konig.

    ¡°Hey!! Wake up!! What happened here!?¡±

    Shin removed the sleep status from Konig and tried to shake him awake. Thanks to the resistance owed to his status as upper-ss chosen one, Konig woke up as soon as the status ailment was removed from him.

    ¡°Sir¡­Shin? W-where is Lady Hermie!?¡±

    As soon as he regained his senses, Konig jumped up and checked the surroundings. As he saw Shin in front of him, he asked about Hermie¡¯s whereabouts.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we just got here. The messenger was a monster too, so we couldn¡¯t obtain any real information.¡±

    ¡°The messenger was a decoy, then¡­gah,how could I have let this happen..!¡±

    Konig¡¯s fist clenched at the thought of his failure.

    ¡°This mark is Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow, isn¡¯t it.¡±

    Shin examined the mark left in Hermie¡¯s room and identified the culprit. It was the same mark as the one they found underground.

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond doubt. Hermie¡¯s kidnapper stated so as well.¡±

    ¡°Did you see the culprit?¡±

    Konig¡¯s words captured Shin¡¯s full attention.

    ¡°A while after I started feeling strange, a hooded figure appeared in the room. The mantle and hood prevented me from seeing their face, but he called himself Milt.¡±

    Konig gave Shin all the information he could remember. The intruder was of short stature, with a voice that could have been both a man or a woman¡¯s. Konig, -though he had been in poor condition- also noted that the cloaked figure had avoided all his blows with ease.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can remember.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. I feel like I know this person.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    It was Konig¡¯s turn totch on Shin¡¯s words. Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow was a famous organization, but its members were shrouded in mystery.

    ¡°I remembered. Small, voice of unclear gender, fighting prowess superior to upper-ss chosen ones, the sleeping medicine used here and the name Milt¡­I¡¯m positive I know who it was.¡±

    It was a coincidence that Shin remembered.

    Most of the PKs that Shin had cut down either had eyes filled by hate and resentment or distorted smiles, expressions averted from reality.

    Among them, the woman called Milt always had a strangely amused smile on her lips.

    She was famous ever since the time when THE NEW GATE was just a game.

    She was the type that found endless pleasure in duels to the death, who felt truly alive only at death¡¯s doorstep.

    She publicly stated how she would fight anyone strong enough, no matter if they were people or monsters.

    That did not change even after the start of the Death Game; even if her way of thinking and ystyle were more and more shunned, she was a deviant who would often barge in the front lines during boss hunt quests.

    She would never actively hunt weaker yers, and while fighting she would always honestly cooperate with the main party. She was famous in certain circles as she would escape as soon as the fighting ended.

    Milt¡¯s style was to use anything and everything that could be used. She was especially talented in the use of poisons, both for battle and for escape.

    She became involved with Shin in the time he was called ¡°God of Death¡±; it was at his hands that she had fallen.

    That was everything Shin knew about Milt.

    (¡­Was she the kind of person to assist a kidnapping, I wonder?)

    What Shin felt after remembering about Milt was doubt.

    Her abnormal conduct was something that made her position slightlyplex too.

    She did not assault, rob, or ughter yers for fun, as most PKs did. Maybe she had participated in such activities unbeknownst to Shin, but he had at least never heard such rumors.

    A PK unlike any other PK, that Milt was assisting in kidnapping¡­there was something off about it.

    ¡°Please tell me, what in the world is she?¡±

    ¡°¡­simply put, a fiend for battle. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate before cutting someone down, but as far as I know she wouldn¡¯t engage in something so bothersome as kidnapping. ¡±

    Shin exined about Milt to Konig taking care to avoid any game-rted jargon.

    Shin remembered that her STR stat was at least above 700, while -possibly as a trade-off for this- her VIT was barely above 300. Her stats distribution was not focused on a single stat, but certainly highly skewed.

    ¡°If what you say is true, sir Shin, then it¡¯s understandable how she could be part of Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow. That guild often receives requests from kingdoms all over to exterminate powerful monsters or dangerous criminals. Cooperating with the Summit Faction is probably to fight against stronger enemies, I¡¯d wager.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±

    Konig¡¯s words were perfectly logical. If there was the possibility to fight against powerful opponents, regardless of ¡°good¡± and ¡°evil¡±, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Milt to participate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget her train of thought for now. We¡¯ll have to face her when we go rescue Hermie anyway, let us focus on finding out where Milt went first.¡±

    Shin set aside his doubts and changed the topic.

    If what happened that night was all connected, Wilhelm was likely to be in the same location.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume she headed to the Summit Faction¡¯s base.¡±

    Shin heard Lilish¡¯s words and turned towards her, then noticing how she was still unsteady on her legs.

    ¡°That was quick¡­are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I was forced into slumber, so I am still a little unstable, but that¡¯s not a problem. Concerning the destination, we have more or less pinpointed the location.¡±

    While investigating Bulk, they had found miasma-filled ces which were likely to be used for the ritual.

    ¡°Could you tell us?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will. Let us go to the table.¡±

    As the current room only had a small table, they moved to the adjacent one.

    There Lilish pulled out an item card and materialized it on the table.

    What appeared was a map depicting a region with Sigurd at its center. While the area it showed was not veryrge, its level of detail was on a whole another level than the map Shin had bought in Bayreuth.

    ¡°We think that there are 3 locations likely to be used as ritual sites.¡±

    After saying so, Lilish ced two ck stones on the map. One was on a mountain north-west from Sigurd, the other on a forest area in the south-west.

    ¡°Thest remaining ce is beyond this map, on the coast south-east from Sigurd. We have confirmed that in all of these locations there is a cave leading underground.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that miasma is umting there?¡±

    Shin, thinking that there were many caves other than those three, expressed his doubts aloud.

    ¡°These three locations were all theatre ofrge-scale conflicts in the past, which saw a great number of casualties. They are also reported to be locations where Ley Lines gather. We specte that they might be plotting something by using these two elements.¡±

    ¡°I see. Yuki, Shibaid, do these locations tell you anything?¡±

    Shin requested their opinion as they had traveled through manynds for years.

    ¡°As Lady Lilish said, these three locations have indeed hadrge conflicts with numerous casualties. Especially the south-east coast and the south-west forest also sawrge appearances of undead monsters. I have never heard anything in particr about the north-east mountain, however.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I share her opinion on the coast, but have never heard much about the forest. As for the mountain, I have visited in the past to exterminate the ¡±Dragon do¡± that had appeared there. If I remember correctly, part of its body had undergone metamorphosis¡­possibly due to the effects of miasma.¡±

    Adding the two opinions together, it was concluded that all three locations could be ces where miasma gathered easily.

    The Dragon do Shibaid spoke of was, after all, a type of Undead dragon.

    At the same time, Shin also asked Yuzuha via Mind Chat if she knew anything about the three locations.

    ¡°(Kuu, Yuzuha doesn¡¯t know¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha, who had barely ever left her shrine, did not have any information about the three locations.

    However, in addition to Yuzuha¡¯s tracking, and the clues on hand, they are able to decide on a n of action.

    ¡°(Well, that¡¯s not really unexpected. Rather than that, what does the tracking technique you used on the figure who flew off from the church say?)¡±

    ¡°(Over there.)¡±

    As she spoke via Mind Chat, Yuzuha pointed her front right paw forward.

    ¡°Schnee, do you know what direction Yuzuha is pointing at?¡±

    ¡°¡­.It appears to be south-east.¡±

    It was vague, but in the same direction lied one of the locations Lilish had suggested. As they had a few other clues at the moment, this was their greatest one.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s head to the coast then. Our foes can teleport and tame flying monsters, so the distance shouldn¡¯t be a problem for them.¡±

    Also taking Yuzuha¡¯s opinion into consideration, Shin decided to make the southeast coast their destination.

    He thought about splitting the group for the search, but among the Demons there were also some Schnee and Shibaid could not handle alone.

    Including the presence of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±, which also counted the former yer Milt among its ranks, Shin decided it would have been unwise to split their forces.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to leave right away, but let¡¯s wait for everyone to wake up first.¡±

    ¡°I agree. This sleeping drug affected all present despite therge size of the area. It could have caused other ailments on some.¡±

    The drugs used by former yers are more powerful than what is in cirction now. Even if no one was in risk of dying, there could have been affected subjects who continued sleeping.

    However, it was already midnight; as they couldn¡¯t simply go wake everybody up, the group decided to wait until morning.

    They also had to prepare supplies for what would be a long journey, as well as find the detailed route to the coastal cave.

    ¡°(Kuu¡­Sleepy¡­)¡±

    ¡°Even Yuzuha is at her limits, huh.¡±

    ¡°It is reallyte, after all. Let¡¯s leave preparations for tomorrow morning and go rest ourselves.¡±

    Schnee made her proposal while looking at the drowsy Yuzuha.

    No matter how high one¡¯s abilities might be, fatigue is inevitable. There was not enough time for a full rest, but there was no need to stay awake either.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Lady Lilish, you and your men should rest too. Even if we stay up thinking now, we would only grow more tired.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­right. To be perfectly honest, I don¡¯t feel too well.¡±

    Checking the route wouldn¡¯t have taken much time. Considering Lilish¡¯s poor condition and the damage Konig sustained, they decided to rest too.

    Shin¡¯s party too headed for some usable empty rooms. Afterying Yuzuha on a bed, Shin lied down himself.

    ¡°Milt, huh¡­¡±

    After whispering the name of the woman he had fought to the death before, Shin closed his eyes. What he pictured were her strangely warm smile and the other ferocious smile, which pulled the edges of her mouth so high that she looked like a different person.

    If she had been sent from ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± to the Summit Faction¡¯s aid as abatant, it would almost definitely turn into a fight to the death.

    In that case, Shin could end up having to kill the same person twice.

    ¡°That¡¯s a twist of fate I don¡¯t need at all¡­¡±

    After this whisper, Shin fell into slumber.

 Book 7: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    The next morning.

    Shin¡¯s party verified that all those affected by the sleeping drug had woken up, they then promptly began preparations for departure.

    After buying the necessary supplies and checking the route, the group climbed onto a carriage.

    The party heading to the coastal cave included 5 people and 2 animals: Shin, Schnee, Shibaid, Tiera, Konig, Kagerou and Yuzuha.

    Lilish also wished to go, but as she did not possess enough fighting power to protect herself, unlike Tiera, with her contracted partner Kagerou, and the upper-ss chosen one Konig, she remained in Palmirack.

    From a fighting power standpoint Konig couldn¡¯tpare to Shin¡¯s party, but as he would have followed them to the cave anyway, they decided to move together from the start.

    ¡°In any case¡­¡±

    Noticing Konig¡¯s fascinated expression, Shin talked to him.

    ¡°Hm? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well, it¡¯s about this carriage¡­how does it work? It¡¯s running so fast yet I cannot feel a single vibration. I was prepared for the fatigue traveling for long hours would have caused, and yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    In this world, the technology to stop horse carriages from vibrating was still underdeveloped; the faster the carriage went, the stronger the vibrations became.

    Being forced to withstand such vibrations for long hours would cause more fatigue than Shin imagined.

    Before, when they had epted an escort mission for merchant carriages to Beirun, the merchant dwarf Nack had modified the carriage in order to minimize the vibrations and also adjusted the driving speed to not make the carriage shake too much.

    ¡°This carriage is somewhat special. An acquaintance of ours modified it, that¡¯s what made this possible.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. Well, I must say I¡¯m happy I predicted wrong. At this pace, we will arrive sooner than expected.¡±

    Konig surely wished to rescue Hermie as soon as possible. His eyes were fixed on the direction the carriage was proceeding towards.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty, friend.¡±

    ¡°I know. Looking at the scenery flying by so quickly helped me calm down too. If the carriage ran at normal speed, I would probably have jumped off and started running by myself.¡±

    This carriage was being led by the divine beast Kagerou, after all; it would definitely be faster than Konig running. From Shin¡¯s standpoint he still wasn¡¯tpletely calm, but his impatience wasn¡¯t showing on the surface, at least.

    ¡°We will probablye to face enemies equal or superior to you, sir Konig. They might serve as nothing more than a cebo, but I prepared a piece of equipment for you. Please do use it.¡±

    Alongside these words, Shin passed an item card to Konig.

    What materialized was an amulet-type essory, which was endowed with resistance to status ailments and the ability to nullify instant death attacks once.

    ¡°Can I really have this? Surely it must be precious to you?¡±

    Konig did not understand the amulet¡¯s abilities just by looking at it, but he could clearly feel the magic power emanating from it, which prompted his question to Shin.

    Even Konig, who did not possess the ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ skill, could understand how Shin¡¯s equipment was out of the ordinary.

    It was obvious that, considering where they were headed, Shin would not pull out just an ordinary amulet.

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth that much, really, so please don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a kind of insurance, in case anything happens.¡±

    As Shin exined the effects of the amulet, Konig was greatly surprised, but that was obvious too.

    An amulet with such powers could very well be a national treasure in this world, after all.

    ¡°I knew you were out of the ordinary, but who in the world are you people, really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just normal adventurers. As you know, magical items can be found in dungeons. We have explored many of those, so we had plenty of chances to find such items; that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°Being able to explore such dungeons already puts you leagues above the average person, though. You must be chosen ones, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Well, something like that.¡±

    Shin gave a vague answer andughed wryly.

    Items with powerful abilities couldn¡¯t be found in low-level dungeons, naturally. If one wanted items that satisfied the needs of a chosen one, exploring dungeons of rtively high difficulty was necessary.

    The adventurers thus needed to be adequately skilled.

    Such skill was beyond the scope of a normal person who just umted level ups.

    Shin casually handed around items that couldn¡¯t be bought with money; it was not strange for Konig to start being wary of him.

    ¡°Rather than that, I¡¯ll borrow your weapon for a little while, sir Konig.¡±

    ¡°By the¡­! When did you..?¡±

    What Shin had casually lifted was the sword Konig had at his waist, ¡ºHaufer¡». Shin calmed Konig down, who had not realized that his weapon had been taken away, and activated a skill.

    After adding limited-time stats increases and magic skills, Shin returned ¡ºHaufer¡» to its owner.

    ¡°¡­I noticed my sword sparkled, but what did you do?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t power it up properly in a carriage, so I just attached a couple of bonuses. If you focus, you will be able to use physical boost skills and magic skills.¡±

    ¡°¡­..you used an item, then?¡±

    ¡°Having more power at your disposal will only help, won¡¯t it?¡±

    Shin answered the question with another question, trying to avoid answering.

    Their departure had been rushed, so they didn¡¯t have time to power up properly, that was all. It was just a temporary boost, as there was the risk of being attacked during travel.

    Among Shin¡¯s possessions there also were weapons stronger than ¡ºHaufer¡». But their stats requirements were rather high; Konig would only be able to handle a few of them.

    Changing weapons without much thought would cause its handling prowess to decrease, in total opposition to the intended results; thus, this makeshift boost was all he nned to do until they could properly rest at night.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it a bit better tonight, so for now please make do with that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you speak as if this was something very simple, but I can feel much more magic power from the sword¡­¡±

    Konig looked on in bewilderment at his faithful sword and the unusual aura it emanated.

    ¡°Our opponents are skilled professionals, after all. We have to be prepared too.¡±

    Knowing well that he would probably be riddled with questionster, Shin used skills without reserve.

    One reason was not letting Konig die, of course, but the first priority was raising the sess ratio of Hermie¡¯s rescue as much as possible. Holding back and then not being able to save her would have been a pathetic ending.

    Shin¡¯s party was strong, but its members were very few, after all.

    They had skills topensate for their numbers, but that couldn¡¯t be said to be the best solution to perfectly carry out their mission.

    Facing an enemy of unknown size while scouting them, engaging in battle, and performing a rescue operation all at the same time, would easily create openings in their defenses.

    One reason to let Konig join their party was to at least partly cover for such a weakness.

    ¡°How are we going to move once we reach the destination?¡±

    After they finished making preparations and sat down for a meal, Konig asked this question.

    As the carriage was proceeding at high speeds, the coachman, Schnee, could not leave her position to join the discussion.

    ¡°First, I aim to infiltrate the location without being seen. Yes, it¡¯s important to stop the ritual, but the first priority is to free the sacrifices. Before anything else, I¡¯d like to avoid any conflict.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, without the sacrifices the ritual can¡¯t proceed either.¡±

    Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s proposal.

    That was the simplest and quickest way to put a stop to the enemy¡¯s ns.

    ¡°It would help if we knew the cave¡¯s internal structure. It¡¯s a natural cave, so I doubt any maps exist¡­but most of all, we have no idea of the enemy¡¯s numbers.¡±

    ¡°Should Shin and I go inspect first?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s better, yes. I don¡¯t honestly want to waste even a second, but acting on impulse and messing up would be worse. It¡¯s kind of frustrating, though.¡±

    Shin nodded at Schnee¡¯s words. In any case, risks remained. They could not decide which strategy had higher risks.

    ¡°Thus all we can do is wait.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We would only be in Shin and Yuki¡¯s way, after all.¡±

    Even if apanied by Kagerou, Tiera¡¯s low stats and Shibaid¡¯s vanguard-type job made them ill-suited to infiltration missions.

    They were both fully aware of this, and agreed to stand by without a word.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the only way.¡±

    Konig too, despite his frustration, agreed to wait.

    They continued discussing and decided what their next general ns would be, after which Shin started reinforcing their weapons.

    ¡°Well then, time to start.¡±

    He materialized a portable furnace from an item card and infused it with magic.

    Doing so caused a violet me to appear in the middle of the furnace.

    ¡°The color¡¯s different. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been different since then.¡±

    The me used to be red during the game era. The first time he tempered a sword at Tsuki no Hokora aftering to this world too, the me¡¯s color was slightly violet.

    It had been a very small change, though, so Shin just thought it was an effect of the world not being a game anymore. Even if he focused, the color was the only change he could perceive.

    He tried holding a random sword over the fire, to be sure, but nothing unusual happened. The magic that reached Shin¡¯s hands through the de was the same one he was well familiar with. Nothing felt off.

    ¡°Shin? Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, nothing.¡±

    After confirming that the color was the only change, Shin thrusted Konig¡¯s ¡ºHaufer¡» into the fire.

    After a few seconds, ¡ºHaufer¡» glowed red-hot within the purplish mes.

    It wasn¡¯t normally possible to work on a Legend-grade weapon with just a portable furnace. Shin¡¯s magic power and the specially-made furnace, while they couldn¡¯t go as far as to let him temper it into another weapon, allowed him to power it up.

    ¡°Do you mean you can modify Legend-grade weapons too? I heard that even skilled dwarves have difficulty with it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Chosen ones aren¡¯t bound bymon sense, after all. But all I can do is reinforcing it, mind you.¡±

    Shin made sure to point out that he can only modify Legend-ss weapons, not forge them.

    Shin already knew that Rionne¡¯s Legend-grade greatsword, ¡ºMuspelm¡», was considered a treasure of imensurable worth in this world.

    Considering Konig¡¯s personality, it was hard to imagine that he would talk about Shin to just anyone, but Shin made the decision of limiting the information he would give the knight.

    ¡°Even just being able to reinforce an already powerful Legend-grade weapon is a precious ability, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also useless without anything to use it on, though.¡±

    As Shin said, in a world where even Rare and Unique grade weapons were scarce, he had few chances to use this ability of his.

    It was like a chest of treasures¡­without a key.

    ¡°Well, here you go. I could increase the sword¡¯s strength and sharpness and added an effect that amplifies the effects of the user¡¯s magic. Adding the limited usage effects I added before, it¡¯s be quite the nice trump card, I would say. Please do check if it feels weird in any way.¡±

    Shin then handed the reinforced ¡ºHaufer¡» to Konig. Two new emerald-green lines adorned the sword¡¯s silver de.

    ¡°¡­Truly impressive.¡±

    Konig muttered while looking at ¡ºHaufer¡».

    He then firmly held the de¡¯s grip and, after moving a few steps away from Shin and the others, swung the sword lightly. The magical de drew a silver streak through the air as it cut through it with a sharp sound.

    Konig nodded appreciatively, then returned to his stance and swung the sword in session.

    What school were those movements from? Following ¡ºHaufer¡»¡¯s flowing movements, silver streaks of light illuminated the darkness.

    ¡°Impressive indeed. I feel nothing unusual.¡±

    After performing several sequences of sword techniques, Konig expressed his admiration to Shin.

    ¡°Good to know. Next up is the armor, take it off, will you?¡±

    Konig, who had kept ¡ºHaufer¡» equipped expecting to test it in actual fighting, was still wearing his armor too.

    He nodded at Shin¡¯s invitation and a secondter his armor sparkled and gradually vanished turning into an item card.

    It was different than using the menu during the game era; in the game, the transformation would only take an instant.

    It was very simr to the phenomenon Shin had seen during the battle against Barlux. But he was notpletely positive that a card had been used at that time.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, has that armor received any special treatment? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen an armor turn into a card in this manner.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I have heard that this is a technique developed by people who are attempting to resurrect the technology to transform equipment instantly, which wasmon before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯. It appears that technicians from the red and ck factions coborated and made it usable normally.¡±

    As it was a battle gear-rted technique, the factions strong in cksmithing and alchemy likely focused all their knowledge to bring it back.

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s notplete, so there¡¯s a slight time loss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It removes the chore of taking off equipment every time though, so I find it really valuable. There are however few cksmiths, alchemists, or wizards that can apply this treatment. Mine was performed by a high-rank alchemist of the Church, but it was not an easy feat at all.¡±

    While listening to Konig, Shin materialized the armor once more. He did not ce it into the furnace, however, but ced his hand on it to inject magical power within it.

    Shin used ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ on the armor while powering it up, but maybe because the technology used in it did not exist in the game era, he could not analyze it in detail.

    (Maybe this is something simr to an Art?)

    Shin barely knew anything about the Arts.

    He had returned to Bayreuth after the battle with Girard, but he had been teleported to the sacred ce Kalkia right away. There he joined the Balmel defensive battle, followed by Millie¡¯s kidnapping.

    There was no time to ask Schnee or Shibaid to teach him about them.

    ¡°¡­.now it¡¯splete.¡±

    After increasing the armor¡¯s sturdiness and its stats, albeit slightly, Shin turned the armor into a card and gave it back to Konig.

    Konig equipped it once more and checked how it felt. The size had not changed, so he moved around a little to see how much his physical abilities would power up.

    ¡°We have an early start tomorrow too. Better go rest now.¡±

    ¡°Should someone stand guard?¡±

    ¡°I doubt most monsters could elude our divine beasts¡¯ eyes.¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou¡¯s danger perception abilities were much higher than average security items. The possibility of being attacked by surprise was extremely low.

    In addition, the carriage had been modified before departure, in order to be used as a simple base of operations.

    If someone was resting inside, the carriage was protected by a ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and a ¡¾Wall¡¿ that only field bosses could break through. Plus, even when sleeping, Shin and Schnee¡¯s danger perception abilities were almost fully active. It was safe to say that a surprise attack was impossible in that situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. It¡¯s more likely for the monsters themselves to turn tail and flee. They would probably be scared and not get closer even if they are asleep.¡±

    Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s words too.

    After finishing dinner, the group headed back to the carriage to sleep.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    In a dark room, a single faint light was flickering.

    In the center of the 20 mels square room were a magic circle 15 mels wide and a barrier enveloping it. On the magic circle about 20 people could also be found, men and women ranging from children to adults.

    ¡°Damnit!! Let me out!! Let me out of here!!¡±

    Someone¡¯s scream echoed through the room.

    Those inside the magic circle who could still move began to desperately hit the circle¡¯s barrier. Most of them were men, but among them some held children or women in their arms.

    None of them carried anything resembling a weapon, nor did their clothes look like what someone who battles for a living would wear.

    Indeed, all those inside the magic circle were perfectly average civilians.

    ¡°Hey now, you¡¯re at it again? It¡¯s like you enjoy it even¡­¡±

    Among the desperate shouts, a jaded voice echoed outside the circle.

    Illuminated by the light emanating from inside the circle, the silhouette of the owner of the voice emerged from the darkness.

    The face that appeared once belonged to the man called Eline.

    ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t this aura I feel Adara¡¯s? It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°Will these even be enough?¡±

    The man who was called Adara answered. It seemed like that was his original name.

    ¡°Many drops make a shower, as the humans say. Well, this is something of a pastime for me, if I can get something from it, wonderful, but that¡¯s about it. It is truly moving to see others act to save their loved ones, after all. ¡±

    ¡°Because the following despair will just taste better, right? You¡¯re the same as always, Scoruas.¡±

    In the upper section of the room, shaped like a gallery on the stage below, Adara spoke to the silhouette grinning before him, Scoruas.

    Scoruas was a man with features much like a handsome prince¡¯s. His white hair and red eyes, illuminated by the room¡¯s lights, had something that attracted others¡¯ attention. If he ever joined a party, there would be no doubt that he would garner the attention of many noble maidens.

    That is as long as they were not aware of the personality of a man who found delight in the anguished screamsing from the floor below.

    ¡°Our masters might be different, but we both serve the same Miasma Lord. I thought you would share this emotion with me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a parasite-type, you¡¯re a created-type. Our births are different, so our likes and dislikes are too, I guess? If the mutant-types saw this stuff they¡¯d gobble them all up right away, you know?¡±

    All demons were under themand of one of the three Miasma Lords, the strongest among the Grand Duke ss of demons.

    All demons, from the moment of their birth, acted with the goal of resurrecting the Miasma Lords, using human despair and grief as fuel.

    However, demons with especially strong personalities would distort even this imposition.

    Adara and Scoruas were such demons; their strong personalities allowed them to break off the yokes that once restrained them.

    ¡°I understand that kind of thinking, though. I would like a bit more cooperation, to be honest. My subordinates haven¡¯t awoken yet, and it appears that Magnamuc* has been erased too.¡±(T/N: Changed from Magunumuku)

    Scoruas talked while shrugging his shoulders. He didn¡¯t appear to feel the least bit of rage towards theirrade¡¯s demise.

    ¡°Hm? Didn¡¯t it infiltrate some country somewhere?¡±

    ¡°The same country where the man you have with you was.¡±

    While saying so, Scoruas pointed at something behind Adara¡¯s back. It was Wilhelm, standing expressionless.

    His right hand gripped the hell spear ¡ºVakira¡».

    ¡°Bayreuth kingdom, was it? I don¡¯t think the rabble there could have defeated someone of that level, though.¡±

    ¡°It looks like the closer princess wasn¡¯t around, but it looks like there was a skilled fighter we don¡¯t know about. Someone good enough to y him without creating the slightestmotion.¡±

    Despite the fact that more obstacles appeared before them, Scoruas¡¯ expression remained serene. After all, having no worthy opponent to face was a source of boredom for him too.

    ¡°Well then, looks like we¡¯re almost finished here.¡±

    Scoruas cast a nce to the floor below. Something was changing within the magic circle.

    The bodies of the people who weren¡¯t beating on the barrier, copsed on the ground or became unconscious, started to emit light.

    ¡°Ah, aah..my¡­my child¡­!!!¡±

    The voice of the man holding a child rose above the others.

    The baby was unconscious, barely breathing. The body had turned into a globe of light and disappeared.

    In the arms of the man remained only the tiny clothes the baby was wearing.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    All witnesses to the baby¡¯s transformation began to pound on the magic circle¡¯s barrier with more intensity.

    Some were pounding so fiercely that blood started dripping from their fists, but even so they did not let up.

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Goddamnit!! Don¡¯t go away, noooooo!!!¡±

    No matter how powerful their blows were, however, the barrier did not budge.

    It was a barrier that only someone on Wilhelm¡¯s level could have broken through, after all. For average citizens without any special power, there was nothing they could do.

    ¡°Aaaah, AAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡±

    One by one, the prisoners fell to their knees, screaming.

    In their arms rested only the bones of those they had tried to protect with their lives.

    ¡°BEEEEEEAUTIFUUULLLL!!!! That expression, that moment when hope turns into despair! This is art, yes art! These howls, this anguish! Delicious!! Such delicacies!!¡±

    Scoruas spread his arms wide and cheered loudly.

    It was a one-man standing ovation, after he had seen a memorable show.

    What he was ecstatically watching, though, were thest moments of people who had lost the will to live, between tears and sobs, drenched in fresh blood.

    As it had happened to their loved ones, they too turned into light and disappeared.

    As all its prisoners vanished, a small part of the magic circle glowed red. It was a minuscule change, small enough that it could be considered just imagination.

    ¡°Good grief.¡±

    Adara shrugged his shoulders while looking at Scoruas, his expression still filled with twisted joy.

    Adara could understand why Scoruas did what he had done, he just personally found it pointless.

    Looking for more worthy sacrifices would be more effective. That was Adara¡¯s line of thinking, and also why Hermie had been kidnapped.

    ¡°Hmm? Ooh. I see it was worth it to bring him here.¡±

    Adara felt that the aura behind him had changed and turned around; as before Wilhelm was standing, motionless. The hand gripping ¡ºVakira¡» was doing so much more tightly, while the mist enshrouding him would turn sometimes red and evaporate, only to return shortly and repeat the process. It appeared as if the mist itself was burning.

    Wilhelm was in a manipted and unconscious state, but he had nevertheless reacted to the gruesome scene that he had witnessed.

    It was clear proof that Wilhelm was fighting against Adara¡¯s control.

    ¡°Nice, nice, that¡¯s how I want you to be. How many more will die before you point that spear at me?¡±

    Despite the possibility of the maniption breaking off, the expression on Adara¡¯s face was of twisted joy, much like Scoruas¡¯.

    Not caring about how many would die for the sake of their pleasure was a trait the two demons had inmon. Even if their likes and dislikes were different they were still both demons, the same type of creature.

    Even if the yoke restraining them had been removed, their first priority had not changed. The difference was in the process towards achieving that goal.

    It takes many forms. For Adara, the endless thirst for stronger opponents, so strong it almost exceeded the Miasma Lord¡¯s resurrection as priority. For Scoruas, the ¡°pointless¡± staging of shows of despair and the superiority felt towards its ownrades.

    In fact, Scoruas did not even recognize the existence of his fellow demons, unless they were Duke ss or Grand Duke ss, like him. Magnamuc, a Count ss, was treated like an expendable pawn.

    ¡°Oh my, is that him rebelling to your control? Quite an energetic boy, isn¡¯t he.¡±

    In the magic circle, figures covered in ck cloaks were leading humans inside, roughly the same number as before.

    Scoruas moved his look away from that operation and looked at Wilhelm.

    ¡°How many times have I told you? It¡¯s all about quality. Don¡¯t you try to steal him though, am I clear?¡±

    ¡°I would never do something so petty, my friend. I am interested in the taste of his despair, though¡­¡±

    Scoruas licked his lips. All demons fed on humans¡¯ negative emotions, but among them Scoruas possessed exceptional hunger.

    It was difficult to define the quantity of food like ¡°human¡¯s negative emotion¡±, but still it was not something that could be consumed without limit.

    The quantity of energy that could be absorbed and stocked depended on each demon¡¯s level, rank and individual characteristics.

    Scoruas was one of the Grand Duke-ss demons that boasted the highest capacity for energy absorption.

    ¡°Looking at him reminds me¡­what happened to the ghouls headed to Sigurd? You were there too, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Scoruas inquired, his expression genuinely looking like he had forgotten everything about that until now.

    He hadn¡¯t supported Hermie¡¯s kidnapping directly, but it was Scoruas who sent the monsters to Sigurd.

    ¡°Ah, they didn¡¯t actually do anything. They got stomped out by the guy in the ambush who had transformed into the priest.¡±

    Adara spoke casually, with no regard to their fallenrades. It was not even clear if there was any sense of camaraderie among them.

    ¡°I put a little trick inside the Megurade I sent with them too, how did that go?¡±

    Powering monsters with miasma was an easy feat for a demon. They could turn monsters more obedient and resilient.

    Scoruas knew that no average chosen one could have matched Megurade¡¯s vitality and offensive ability. He had predicted that even if it couldn¡¯t destroy Palmirack, it would haveid waste to at least half of the city.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the powered form¡­I didn¡¯t watch until the end because I could have been found, but it was dangerous. They were apanied by a divine beast! It¡¯s as strong as me and you, possibly more, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    While talking, Adara¡¯s smile twisted even more than when he was talking about Wilhelm. It was almost strange that he didn¡¯t confront the monster then and there.

    ¡°¡­.oh, another thing. There were some powerful people there too, but I knew one of them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting. Who was that?¡±

    ¡°Schnee Raizar. You¡¯ve heard of her too, haven¡¯t you? She was under a High Human once.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she was there? I did hear that Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, now that you mention it. I thought it had been wiped off by someone. After all, there are some nasty demons that even she couldn¡¯t deal with by herself. And I bet plenty have a bone to pick with her.¡±

    ¡°Haha, like you¡¯re one to talk.¡±

    Adara replied, always a grin on his face.

    He and Scoruas were not enemies at present; demons generally allied with other demons if they served the same Miasma Lord. They were also never in good terms with demons serving other Miasma Lords.

    Scoruas had actually yed several Marquis and Count-ss demons who served a different Miasma Lord.

    When monsters are subjected to miasma, they can transform into demons, albeit rarely. Ever since the game era, that type of demon is called mutant-type.

    The demons Scoruas had in were indeed followers of the mutant-type Miasma Lord.

    Of course, doing so would create hate and resentment among other mutant-type demons; Scoruas had already been targeted several times.

    ¡°That¡¯s thest thing I want to hear from you. Aren¡¯t all other Grand Dukes the same? Demons with strong individuality, like you and me, don¡¯t care in the slightest. What I kill are those boring things which can only follow their instincts.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. Well, I just wanted to say that Schnee Raizar and her party mighte here, so keep it in mind.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Hehe, Schnee Raizar¡­what will your despair taste like¡­?¡±

    ¡°You really never change, do you¡­I¡¯m going back to my room, contact me if anything happens.¡±

    Adara retreated back to the room assigned to him, leaving the drooling Scoruas behind. Wilhelm followed him, inplete silence.

    After some time, screams filled the cave again.

 Book 7: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°I have a question, does anyone know where exactly the coastal cave is supposed to be?¡±

    A few days had passed since they left Sigurd.

    While driving the carriage and using the skill ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to see the road ahead, Shin looked at the coastline and asked this question to the other passengers.

    The map only offered vague indications about the ce, so Shin asked for more precise directions from Schnee or Shibaid, who were likely to know.

    ¡°They of thend looks different from thest time I came. There should be a crag in the vicinity.¡±

    ¡°I remember it too. I cannot see any crags around here though¡­¡±

    Shibaid and Schnee, who were also using ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to inspect the surroundings, gave their answers.

    Shin too was looking intently, but he could only see the coast extending further, with no trace of any ce resembling a cave entrance.

    ¡°Can you remember if there was anyndmark?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say I do.¡±

    ¡°Nor do I. Nothing stood out in particr.¡±

    ¡°¡­.by the way, when did youst see it?¡±

    Shin expressed this question after remembering the two¡¯s longevity.

    ¡°I think it was roughly 300 years ago.¡±

    ¡°As for me, it was probably 400 years ago.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.¡±

    Hearing this, Shin reflected that the cave as a whole could have very well disappeared.

    Onnd, in the seas, in the skies; monsters were everywhere in this world. There were more than enough monsters capable of destroying caves as well.

    Even without monster intervention, it wouldn¡¯t be weird for the cave to disappear naturally and the geography to change, after 300 whole years.

    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha, what response are you getting?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s close, but something¡¯s weird.)¡±

    Shin asked Yuzuha for help, trusting her tracking technique, but received an unclear answer.

    After inquiring further via Mind Chat, Shin learned that Yuzuha could detect the presence nearby, but couldn¡¯t tell in which direction.

    It seemed Yuzuha couldn¡¯t express herself well because of her young age; Shin arrived at the conclusion that something was interfering with her tracking ability.

    ¡°(What do you think about what Yuzuha said?)¡±

    ¡°(A possible cause is miasma. After all, it can disrupt people¡¯s senses, so it could be influencing Yuzuha¡¯s skill negatively.)¡±

    Shibaid spected that the cause was miasma. High-level Demons are more resistant to magic skills, so Yuzuha¡¯s skill could have been affected too.

    ¡°(I agree. Yuzuha¡¯s powers have not fully matured yet, and there¡¯s a possibility of a barrier being erected around the ritual site.)¡±

    Schnee expressed a valid point of view too.

    The demons and the faction members would likely try to eliminate the smallest chance of being found. It was natural to think that they had set up concealment mechanisms to distance people and keep the location hidden.

    ¡°The demons must be close, no doubt about it.¡±

    Tiera spoke while Shin and Schnee werepletely silent, talking through Mind Chat.

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°The demons¡¯ miasma is slightly different from the one born from human emotion. It¡¯s something I felt when I directly faced with a demon, so I am positive of it.¡±

    ¡°This means that there¡¯s a high chance of this being the right ce. That already is great news. Let¡¯s try running along the coast, first. I will go to the left, you take the right, Yuki.¡±

    After listening to Tiera, Shin voiced his thoughts.

    ¡°Understood. We can cover considerable distance even in a short time, so¡­let¡¯s run for 30 minutes, and if we don¡¯t find anything wee back here, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°That sounds good. We aren¡¯t certain that the cave lies alongside the coast, after all.¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee¡¯s proposal.

    If Shin and Schnee ran at their full speed, they could easily outmatch even a sports car. They cannot perform detailed inspections while running, but their boosted dynamic vision would not miss something asrge as the entrance to a cave.

    Even if it had been concealed, Shin and Schnee both have skills to detect traps set by scouting units as well as hidden doors. It would be easier, on the contrary, to find if something had been tampered with.

    ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t be of much help in a search like this.¡±

    Konig¡¯s tone was slightly frustrated.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be back in under one hour, even if we can¡¯t find anything. We are already close to the ritual site, so there¡¯s the possibility of being attacked; please keep watch.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Be careful, then.¡±

    The carriage was stopped just before the coast, then Shin and Schnee ran off in opposite directions.

    Shin was running at a certain distance from the waves, sand rising up in his wake.

    The seaside scenery continued unchanging, while on the other side trees and nts were blowing past him.

    ¡°No difference in the response?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Shin talked to Yuzuha, riding on his shoulder, while trying to detect any suspicious signs. He had brought her along to check if the response would change along the way.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re getting farther either?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? It kind of feels like we¡¯re getting farther¡­kind of feels like it¡¯s the same¡­¡±

    The disruption was still having effect, apparently.

    Judging from Yuzuha¡¯s words, Shin thought that there might be nothing in this direction, but he decided to keep going forward some more, to be sure.

    ¡°Kuu!! We¡¯re far now!!¡±

    After roughly 10 minutes, Yuzuha spoke up. The change in the response caused by the increased distance could not be disrupted, apparently.

    ¡°So Schnee had the right direction. Let¡¯s go back, hold on tight!¡±

    Shin rushed back, kicking up storms of sand behind him. Supporting Yuzuha, dragged and blown around by the wind pressure, with his left arm, Shin retraced his steps to the starting point.

    ¡°Kuu!! So fast!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to inspect the surroundings now!! And I¡¯ll go faster still!¡±

    Shin had already confirmed that there was nothing to note on the path, so he increased the speed of his return.

    As the sand made it hard to run, he proceeded where the terrain was harder. While running, he contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

    ¡°(Shin here. It looks like the direction you took was the right one. As I ran, the enemy¡¯s response grew farther. There¡¯s the possibility of the enemy being on the move too, so better pay attention to the sky too.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. If they have been moving, I will track them down.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m counting on you. I¡¯ll tell Shibaid and the others to head your way. Contact me if anything happens.)¡±

    Shin then closed the Mind Chat for the time being.

    To track down someone without being noticed, Schnee¡¯s job, ¡°Kunoichi¡±, is the ideal one. Itbines mobility, secrecy and a rich variety of tracking skills.

    Even if she were to be found out, defeating Schnee and the reinforced ¡ºBlue Moon¡» she was equipped with was a feat for few. Even if she were to face an opponent stronger than her, she had the right skills and items to ensure she could escape.

    ¡°The problem is how many demons we¡¯ll have to deal with.¡±

    After informing Shibaid of the situation via Mind Chat, Shin thought about the enemy forces.

    Demons be more and more human-like the higher their rank is, and their power grows ordingly. Judging from the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack, it was safe to assume that there was at least one Duke or higher ss demon.

    Duke ss demons possessed intellect on par with humans. They would not appear by themselves without making contact with other demons, as it would happen in a game.

    As there were former yers too, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they cooperated with other demons, based on the information they had acquired.

    ¡°If they still operated per the game¡¯s settings, we¡¯d only have to deal with the one Tiera saw¡­based on what Schnee said, it seems the demons became active recently, so maybe the ones active are still few?¡±

    At the very least, Shin was positive that the three demons called Lords had not awakened. The Miasma Lords release intense miasma around them from the very moment of their awakening, then start immediately raising their armies.

    During the game era, Shin had seen several guilds pooling their forces to fight against the Miasma Lords¡¯ armies¡¯.

    If such a thing had already happened, the continent he was in now wouldn¡¯t have been left intact.

    There was the possibility that they had awakened in other continents, but the Golden Company¡¯s Berett wouldn¡¯t have forgotten to mention something so important; it was a possibility they could rule out.

    ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t do anything if we don¡¯t find the entrance first.¡±

    Shin saw the carriage rushing on the beach and stopped thinking for the moment.

    He caught up to the carriage, avoiding the sand it was kicking up in its wake. While running alongside it, Shin waved to Tiera, the current coachman.

    ¡°Eh!? You¡¯re back already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting on.¡±

    Shin casually replied to the surprised Tiera and hopped on the carriage.

    The carriage was running at high-speed despite the difficulty of the terrain, but inside no vibration could be felt, a quiet in deep contrast to its wild run. Its speed capabilities were so incredible that, at this point, the only thing the carriage had inmon with other simr vehicles was the shape.

    ¡°OK, things will get serious now. Tiera, let me check, you are equipping your essories, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Armor, weapons, everything is powered up as much as my stats allow, right? Well, I¡¯m the weakest of the group, so I understand if you¡¯re worried.¡±

    The party didn¡¯t know exactly how powerful their opponents would be this time, and Tiera¡¯s level had increased, so her equipment had been renewed.

    She wore a corset-like leather armor with a dark green jacket draped over it, brown hot pants andbat boots adorned with silver feathers. On her arms, arm protectors made with lustrous beast skin were equipped.

    The added bonuses had boosted Tiera¡¯s stats much higher than before.

    Tiera was a bit concerned that the current equipment emphasized her chest area more than the old one, but it was the best piece of equipment she could wear at the moment, so she couldn¡¯t reallyin.

    Her weapons too, obviously, were different.

    Despite this equipment power-up however, she couldn¡¯t help thinking about that her own abilities were much lower than the others.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Among high-rank demons, there are plenty that even chosen ones have no hope of defeating. I told Schnee to not fight unless necessary because there is the possibility she might lose too.¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice was a whisper when he mentioned the part about Schnee.

    ¡°Master could¡­lose?¡±

    Tiera was watching forward, but couldn¡¯t help turning a surprised look towards Shin.

    Schnee, after recovering ¡ºBlue Moon¡», her exclusive weapon, was much stronger than any average boss monster. She could also use the magic skills for wide-range destruction, now that their usage limitations had been partially lifted. It was hard to think of someone less fitting for the word ¡°defeat¡±.

    Even so, demons are not to be underestimated.

    ¡°Well, with me and Shibaid around too I doubt we¡¯ll easily fall in that much danger. We have Kagerou too.¡±

    Saying this, Shin looked at Kagerou, who was pulling the carriage.

    In a way, Shin had something much more dangerous than Kagerou or the demons resting on his shoulder, saying ¡°kuu kuu¡±¡­but no one seemed to worry for now.

    ¡°Sir Shin, if you have returned it means the enemy response is on Lady Yuki¡¯s side?¡±

    Konig waited for Shin and Tiera to finish their conversation before talking. He had already heard from Shibaid the reason for the carriage¡¯s wild speed, so he was not concerned.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the ritual site, but we will definitely find the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack.¡±

    ¡°I see, hopefully she¡¯s all right.¡±

    Konig whispered the words to himself.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°(Schnee here. I found the entrance to the cave.)¡±

    It happened less than 5 minutes since they started running.

    The awaitedmunication came from Schnee.

    ¡°(Great! What does the entrance¡¯s surroundings look like?)¡±

    ¡°(I cannot tell clearly without going closer, but it¡¯s bizarre. It is not concealed in any way, there aren¡¯t any of the usual traps that signal the presence of intruders, nor anyone standing guard. I checked with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, so I am positive it leads inside.)¡±

    The joy of the discovery did notst long. After hearing Schnee¡¯s words, Shin wondered if it wasn¡¯t a totally unrted, normal cave.

    But the information he received after that cated his doubts.

    ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ was originally used to detect buried items and ore, but it could be adapted to search for hidden underground pathways and maps never visited before.

    That was how Schnee could inspect the cave¡¯s interior.

    ¡°We found the enemy¡¯s hideout. It looks like the response¡¯s target was heading back to base, then.¡±

    After listening to Schnee¡¯s report, Shin ryed the information to the other members in the carriage.

    Konig was surprised at how easily they performed long-distancemunication, but he seemed to know about Mind Chat, so he nodded in agreement.

    Few adventurers are capable of using Mind Chat, but it wasn¡¯t unusual for Shin¡¯s party to be able to, or so concluded Konig.

    ¡°Are you sure about that!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, from Yuki¡¯s observations, I think there¡¯s no mistake. So please¡­stand back a little.¡±

    Shin answered after pushing back Konig, who had unconsciously walked up a bit too close to him, a terribly stern look on his face.

    Considering that there was a yer among the enemies, they couldn¡¯tpletely discard the possibility of an illusory trap that could deceive even Schnee; but if such a thing happened, they¡¯d just have to praise the user¡¯s skill.

    The work of an artisan who poured everything into trap making is something that not even those with scout as main job can see through easily.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there are traps set around the entrance, but just in case, in a little while we¡¯ll get off the carriage and walk. Konig, please take this.¡±

    Shin materialized a green cloak from an item card and passed it to Konig.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A magic item specialized in concealment effects. Please be aware that in exchange, its defensive capabilities are almost non-existent.¡±

    The item Shin had materialized was made with the thread produced by thervae of the monster Mirage Butterfly, its name ¡°Cloak of Hidden Threads¡±.

    The cloak was made with the threads of a monster which couldn¡¯t even be spotted without high level enemy detection or presence detection skills. True to such origins, simply wearing the cloak would render the user indistinguishable from their surroundings.

    The equipment worn under it could be detected via sound or vibration, but if the enemy relied on visual information, it would have been difficult to find.

    The carriage was stopped after a while and the party descended. Before starting to walk, Shin handed the same cloak to Tiera.

    ¡°This is yours. Kagerou¡­doesn¡¯t need it, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Kagerou can hide by himself, after all.¡±

    ¡°Gruu.¡±

    As they looked at Kagerou, he growled once, then slipped into the shadows. As Tiera said, there was nothing to worry about.

    Shin and Shibaid could also take care of it by themselves.

    ¡°Yuki should be in the woods up ahead. Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    For added security, Shin increased their stealth capabilities with the skills ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿. Walking on the sand would leave clear footprints, so they walked on hardened ground, far from the sea.

    At this point, one could worry about the carriage¡¯s tracks; but maybe because the speed it moved at was not something normal for a carriage on sand, they were impossible to distinguish. It looked like the sand it kicked up in its wake had covered the tracks.

    After storing the carriage and hiding the tracks left by its weight, they were done.

    (I guess I should run a check.)

    To be sure, Shin activated his full range of detection-type skills on the surroundings: ¡¾Search¡¿, ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, and trap detection skills.

    He couldn¡¯t find any sign of traps or monsters, but he felt a certain chill in the air.

    Something not caused by a skill, a sensation he couldn¡¯t quite put into words.

    (I can¡¯t make it clear, either because it¡¯s something caused by a technique different than a skill, or my ability isn¡¯t high enough.)

    Yet again, the concern that upied his thoughts so often surfaced to mind.

    No matter how high his stats might be, fighting in a game would not allow him to hide his presence or detect others¡¯ presence like real masters can.

    As for Shin, the only moment when he can do it is when engaged in a battle to the death with other humans.

    For monsters¡¯ presence, he can only rely on skills.

    ¡°Once this is over, I have to train again thoroughly¡­¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure why he thought something like that at a time like this. But he felt that he couldn¡¯t just leave things the way they were.

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡±

    Inside ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿, normally all sound is canceled, but it is also possible to prevent all inside sound to leak outside. Nothing prevented normal conversation while inside the area of effect.

    ¡°Now then, the woods where Yuki is waiting should be in sight any moment¡­over there?¡±

    Looking at Schnee¡¯s response as disyed on the map, Shin changed directions and proceeded. After five minutes, trees started appearing here and there, and around ten minutester, they arrived in an area of thick vegetation.

    ¡°There she is.¡±

    Schnee too, had detected Shin¡¯s presence, so she had sent them a signal from the woods. Members of the same party could still see and hear each other, even if others couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Did anything happen before we arrived?¡±

    ¡°No, no one came out or went inside. The entrance is over there.¡±

    Everyone looked in the direction Schnee pointed at.

    ¡°I see, so this is why we couldn¡¯t see it. Maybe it¡¯s an entrance they aren¡¯t aware of? It does look like they¡¯re using the coastal cave though.¡±

    ¡°That would exin why no one is standing guard.¡±

    What the party was looking at was the sea. But Shin and Shibaid could see a cave entrance, of roughly 3 mels, under the water.

    As Schnee said, there was no sign of guards or traps.

    ¡°Er, all I can see is the sea¡­?¡±

    ¡°Same for me.¡±

    ¡°It looks like the entrance is underwater. It¡¯s located around 20 mels from the coastline, no mistake. In that exact point, the sea bes suddenly much deeper. Rather than entrance, I supposed it¡¯s better to call it a 3 mels hole.¡±

    Shin rted what he had seen to Tiera and Konig, whocked the ability to see through water.

    No one woulde swimming or fishing in a beach infested by monsters, so normally it would have probably never been found.

    ¡°Under the sea?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The regr entrance is probably somewhere else. This is clearly a hidden entrance, perfect for our infiltration n.¡±

    If Shin¡¯s prediction was correct, it was a great stroke of luck for the party. Finding a route the enemy wasn¡¯t aware of didn¡¯t happen often.

    ¡°But could the enemy really be unaware of it? They probably thoroughly searched the area that they¡¯re going to use as a base¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree with her.¡±

    Tiera and Konig voiced their opinion.

    ¡°Yuki is inspecting the interior of the cave with a magic skill. It looks like the water will gradually recede as you proceed inside. We also have the means to fight underwater, so don¡¯t worry. Rather, you¡¯re already pretty much ready, Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what ¡°it¡± was for.¡±

    Tiera seemed to realize something after hearing Shin¡¯s words. As they were going to a location near the sea, a certain enchantment was ced on her equipment.

    ¡°What is this ¡°it¡±, Lady Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Among all armor enchantments, there¡¯s one that changes the armor¡¯s shape, to allow the user to act underwater. It¡¯s attached to Tiera¡¯s armor, and I checked that it was working.¡±

    There are skills that boost the user¡¯s movement underwater, but in case the user is wearing heavy full-body armor, they aren¡¯t exactly useful.

    The user would not have difficulty swimming, but simply sink.

    As long as the skills are active, the user wouldn¡¯t drown. But that¡¯s the whole extent of what they can do.

    Even if the user was wearing light gear, stat debuffs would be applied to movement, attack and defense.

    That is what would happen if one acted underwater with above-ground equipment in THE NEW GATE.

    In order to swim like a fish, specific preparations and training were required; first of all, applying the enchantment ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ to the equipment.

    ¡°Along with the shape, do mass and defense power change as well?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s often more skin exposure, in your case, Konig, a special membrane with the same defense power and durability as your armor would envelop your body, so there¡¯s no actual change of defensive power. As for the mass¡­well, it bes absurdly lighter. I don¡¯t really know the reason why, though.¡±

    To put it simply, armor enchanted with ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ would turn into swimwear.

    A defensive membrane would then cover the exposed parts, protecting the user from enemy attacks.

    In this state, attack speed with weapons would be nearly the same as onnd, so it was possible to fight as well as on ground, after getting used to it.

    Those who be used to fighting underwater can swim freely, like penguins or even mermaids.

    However, a problem that during the game era could be exined with ¡°that¡¯s just how it works¡± can¡¯t be taken care of so easily, now that the game has be reality. Why does armor turn into swimwear only? What happens to the mass? Shin had no exnation to offer.

    Incidentally, the type of swimwear the armor changes into is decided automatically when the enchantment is ced on the armor, and randomly too.

    There were myriads of possible results; most of them were orthodox types, the risqu¨¦ ones were so rare they were considered jokes.

    ¡°Generally, the armor changes into swimwear as one enters the water. It¡¯s also possible to change shape at will. I can exin more once the enchantment is ced on your armor, Konig.¡±

    ¡°By the way, what is this ¡°swimwear¡± you mentioned? Equipment for underwater use?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, something like that. It looks like in clothes, though.¡±

    ¡°Clothes? Hmm¡­the world of skills isplex indeed¡­¡±

    Konig didn¡¯t seem to understand well what the words ¡°clothes to use in water¡± meant. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you wear it. This enchantment can be applied immediately, so please stay still for a moment.¡±

    Having said this, Shin applied ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ to Konig¡¯s armor, which shone brightly and transformed into a pair of swimming trunks. Only ¡ºHaufer¡» didn¡¯t change shape and was resting at Konig¡¯s waist as before.

    ¡°Th, this¡­does this really have any defensive power!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was the one to propose this, so I¡¯ll show you in practice; please try to sh me.¡±

    ¡°I, I see.¡±

    Shin changed his equipment¡¯s shape. His swimwear was simr to what an athlete would wear, tightly fitting and with little water resistance.

    As Shin put his arm forward, Konig -with some hesitation- did as he was told, and lightly swung ¡ºHaufer¡» towards Shin¡¯s arm.

    Before colliding with Shin¡¯s arm, however, it was stopped by something; the de could not reach the skin.

    ¡°I see, despite how it may look, there¡¯s no reason to worry about defense.¡±

    Konig tried on his own arms, verifying again the presence of the protective film.

    ¡°Shin and I shall go on a first inspection. We have to factor in the underwater sea currents as well, there could be unexpected dangers.¡±

    Schnee talked when she had judged Shin and the party¡¯s preparations to beplete.

    As they had already discussed what to do beforehand, no one had objections to raise.

    ¡°I¡¯m going first. Keep watching the surroundings and follow me.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    As Schnee stepped on the beach, her equipment changed shape.

    The white sunlight was now shining on her candid skin.

    Schnee¡¯s swimsuits shape was a light blue bikini and a pareo, covering her left leg up to the knee. The pareo was longer on the left leg¡¯s side, while the right leg was almostpletely bare.

    They were on a mission in enemy territory, to rescue the victim of kidnapping, so no one¡¯s eyes were overly stolen by the elf¡¯s swaying chest.

    (If only the circumstances were different, I¡¯d have enjoyed a swim in the sea¡­)

    You sted demons¡­! With this slight feeling of resentment, Shin dove against the waves under water.

    Schnee followed him immediately.

    They could see several mels ahead, thanks to the water¡¯s transparency. It was Shin¡¯s first time swimming after the game had be reality, so he took his time to get used to the water.

    (Nothing feels off, for now.)

    He had fought several times in his current body, and he had be quite apt at controlling its strength too.

    He didn¡¯t feel like he was borrowing someone else¡¯s body and could swim as easily as he could during the game era. It was not a mysterious sensation as the one born by magical power, so he assumed it was him getting used to the body.

    ¡°No problem breathing either. Schnee, can you hear me?¡±

    After activating ¡¾Dive X¡¿, Shin talked to Schnee.

    It was a support skill for underwater movement, which if leveled up would lessen the negative stat changes derived from underwater action. It made it possible to breathe and talk too, thus allowing normalmunication.

    At low levels it would onlyst for roughly 10 minutes, but at the highest level, X, it allowed the user to spend a full day in water, without breaks.

    ¡°Yes, it looks like we can talk normally too.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words reached Shin¡¯s ears. No noise disturbed them, it was just like speaking on ground.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    After confirming that the skill was working properly, Shin and Schnee headed towards the entrance of the cave.

    There was no sign of human or monster presence in the surroundings.

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t anything around here¡­¡±

    ¡°This utterck of defenses almost makes me think that they could be trying to lure us in¡­¡±

    Shin acknowledged Schnee¡¯s concern and used ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, ¡¾Search¡¿, and ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ to inspect the interior of the cave more deeply and widely.

    However, there was no sign of an ambush. The terrain itself was not suitable for ambushing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go a little bit further, if there really is nothing dangerous we¡¯ll call the others and proceed together. We have no way of knowing if they are aware of our movements or not, after all. Let¡¯s keep our eyes peeled and go on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way, I suppose.¡±

    There was no end to their suspicions, so they decided to cast them away for the moment. Using precious time and risking putting Hermie in more danger was definitely not worth it.

    The two entered the cavern and proceeded, wary of any traps.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone.¡±

    ¡°It appears they haven¡¯t noticed us yet.¡±

    After roughly 10 minutes, Shin and Schnee had reached a small clearing in the cave, which housed a smallke. The path they had followed ended at theke, but ording to the map the body of water did not lead outside the cave.

    Judging from the light shining on the water and the response from ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, one person was in theke, where the water was more shallow.

    Shin, who had entered theke without noise, activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and poked his head from the surface of theke.

    There he found several globes of light floating above theke and, with her back to Shin, a woman submerged in water up to her hips.

    The light globes were produced by the Light-type magic skill ¡¾Instant Light¡¿. It was a skill to create simple shining globes with no offensive or defensive capabilities, used often when exploring dark caves.

    The woman was naked from her waist up. She was rather short, with white hair. Her body could not be defined easily too; it¡¯s like a thin boy or a petite girl.

    Seeing her, Shin had a hunch and used ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¡°Milt ¨C Level 255 ¨C Conjurer¡±

    ¡°Affected by : ¡¾Charm X¡¿, ¡¾Sleep VIII¡¿, ¡¾High Confusion IX¡¿¡±

    (Just as I thought¡­but what¡¯s going on here¡­?)

    Not even Shin could have predicted the status ailments.

    First of all, the ¡¾Sleep¡¿ status would force the affected to sleep, preventing any movement.

    Yet Milt was moving normally, as if nothing was affecting her.

    Shin, however, was notpletely unfamiliar with such a state.

    Cardinal Greyl, who had warped Shin and Rionne from Bayreuth to the Sacred ce, was affected with ¡¾Charm¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿ in the same way.

    The cardinal had managed to operate the console even in such a state. Apparently, even under the effect of such status conditions, one¡¯s consciousness partly remained.

    Shin thought that the same thing was likely happening to Milt now.

    That considered, what was the next step to take¡­? Shin reflected.

    Milt was Hermie¡¯s kidnapper. There was no doubt that she was a member of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±.

    Unmistakably, she was to be considered an enemy.

    Additionally, she did not have anything equipped now; her defensive powers were at their lowest levels.

    If Shin attacked her by surprise, he would have certainly been able to finish her.

    ¡°(It¡¯s Hermie¡¯s kidnapper, correct? Do you think we can subdue her now, without causing amotion?)¡±

    ¡°(We could probably capture her, but she¡¯s a former yer too. Is it possible to use Mind Chat even under paralysis?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, it¡¯s possible. If we leave her asleep, we could make sure she never contacts her allies, though.)¡±

    ¡°(The problem is, she¡¯s already affected by ¡¾Sleep¡¿. Since she can move in that state, it¡¯s probably impossible to keep her asleep. It would be difficult to keep her unconscious too. If she can use Mind Chat, restraining her would be meaningless. Which means¡­)¡±

    ¡­.the only way is to kill her.

    Without voicing this thought, Shin looked again at Milt.

    Schnee looked at Shin, but with an uneasy look in her eyes.

    (This is a situation impossible in the game, and I have no solution¡­then, why do I feel that there¡¯s still time¡­?)

    Such an inexplicable sensation left Shin uncertain on how to move for several seconds.

    Killing her was only in case she was an enemy. However, Milt was clearly not lucid, so Shin couldn¡¯t decide to regard her as an enemy.

    ¡°¡­..who goes there?¡±

    Just a few seconds had passed. As if she was waiting for that moment, a soprano-like voice resounded in the space previously dominated only by the sound of water.

    Milt¡¯s red eyes were unmistakably looking at Shin and Schnee. Yet even if they were looking in their direction, her gaze seemed to be lost in space.

 Book 7: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡­.eh? You¡¯re¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin was surprised to hear his name from Milt¡¯s lips.

    His face was visible only from the eyes and above. ¡¾Analyze¡¿ couldn¡¯t be used when the target¡¯s face wasn¡¯tpletely visible.

    Milt was one of the top yers among those caught in the death game. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to identify Shin via ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but it was a mystery how she had found out it was him before even trying that skill.

    ¡°(I will deal with her. I don¡¯t know if Milt noticed your presence too, but it¡¯s best if you stay hidden.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood¡­her spirit¡¯s condition is abnormal too, please be careful.)¡±

    Shin nodded without turning back and emerged from the water as naturally as he could, in order to keep Milt¡¯s focus on him.

    His eyes never left Milt.

    ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±

    ¡°I have practiced spirit techniques focusing on the water element, after all. My Undine is a dear friend, and you were underwater. I don¡¯t think I need to exin further.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a technique that wasn¡¯t in the game¡­no, I should stop thinking in these terms.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what spirits were. He discarded that opinion, reminding himself to stop thinking with a game-like frame of mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you understood so quickly. I too have something to ask you, can I? I didn¡¯t contact the others, so rest easy.¡±

    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that grand. What do you want to know?¡±

    Milt¡¯s expression became stern after Shin¡¯s question. After staring at Shin for several seconds, she spoke.

    ¡°Are you really Shin?¡±

    ¡°At the very least, I think I am. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be enough proof, but I remember the battle when I cut you down.¡±

    Shin talked about his final battle with Milt. Some of the information he mentioned was only known to them.

    ¡°I see, you really are Shin¡­but if you are in this world, then it means you died? Did someone kill you? Or was it a monster?¡±

    ¡°No one killed me. I was pretty surprised myself when I got here.¡±

    ¡°I bet. I waspletely lost too, at the beginning.¡±

    Shin continued the conversation while studying Milt¡¯s reactions. Time passed, but no other presence was entering his field of perception.

    Rather, Shin noticed that Milt¡¯s way of talking had changed. Her polite speech was gradually turning into a somewhat childish one.

    ¡°You came here to destroy the ritual, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide it. I¡¯m sure you did. The Shin I know would never ignore something so cruel. Because Shin is scary¡­.and¡­.kin¡­d¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­..Milt?¡±

    Shin called to Milt when her words started to sound feverish. She had been talking happily until a moment ago, but her expression had gradually turned into a grimace of pain.

    ¡°Ah, aaah¡­Shi¡­n¡­? It can¡¯t¡­be¡­.I¡¯m, dea¡­..d¡­? Aaah¡­Shin¡­Shinshinshinshinnn!!¡±

    Milt started moving while repeating Shin¡¯s name.

    Creating ripples in the water, she moved next to Shin in an instant. Even if her mental state was abnormal, her physical body remembered her movements and reproduced them perfectly.

    A deranged smile was on her face.

    ¡°I felt something was off¡­so I was right.¡±

    After muttering a curse, Shin prepared to fight back. He caught her right hand, which was aiming for a palm strike, with his left hand, then stopped her left knee strike with his right hand.

    Milt, thus unable to move one arm and leg, tried to kick Shin with her right leg. Shin let go of her limbs and dodged the kick aimed at his chin.

    He had cast ¡¾Cure¡¿ to heal her status ailments, but ck mist had covered the attacking Milt¡¯s body; the magic skill had not affected her.

    However, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Cure¡¿ had dispelled most of the ck mist. Using it one more time would have likely generated the desired effects.

    Possibly because of the mist¡¯s disappearance, Milt¡¯s expression started to seem confused. She had put distance between them, as if scared by something, and started to attack randomly, like aplete beginner.

    Shin drew closer to Milt, while nullifying the continuous magic attacks with his innate resistance.

    ¡°I wan¡­ted..wanted¡­to see yo¡­.where¡­.fight¡­sleepy¡­scary¡­¡±

    The wordsing out of Milt¡¯s mouth were scattered, broken. Shin thought she was reliving memories of the death game.

    His assumption came from the knowledge of her reason for being so obsessed with fighting.

    ¡°¡­.am I, alive? I will, wake up? No¡­.if so¡­then¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s next words cleared all of his remaining doubts.

    ¡°Someone, please¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­kill, me.¡±

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    Milt¡¯s words left her lips as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Shin refused her.

    He stopped both of her arms with his right hand, then grabbed her head with his left hand.

    ¡°Come back to normal already!¡±

    The skill he used blew away all the mist haunting Milt¡¯s body.

    He had infused more magic power in this second ¡¾Cure¡¿, which easily blew past the mist¡¯s resistance and healed Milt¡¯s status ailments.

    Milt¡¯s status was now normal. However, possibly because of the mental burden, she had lost consciousness.

    Shin couldn¡¯t leave her lying naked like that, so he materialized a mantle andid it on her.

    ¡°If even someone her level ended up manipted, there are demons on a whole other level than the one in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°A Duke ss, maybe? Or even¡­¡±

    ¡°Could be a Grand Duke.¡±

    Milt¡¯s stats were high enough that, with the right equipment, she could fight toe to toe with Kagerou. Being a poison user, she had trained her resistances to status ailments too.

    Despite that, she had been affected by powerful status ailments.

    Whoever had put Milt under their control was someone with abilities equal or superior to hers.

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    While Shin and Schnee were talking, Milt mumbled softly.

    As she slowly opened her eyes, maybe because she noticed the presence of people in the vicinity, she looked towards Shin.

    ¡°Eh¡­Shin¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­.eh? Shin!? Why!? Aaah! Why am I naked?!?¡±

    Milt fully regained consciousness, slightly panicking after noticing her state. She apparently had no recollection of recent events and was rightfully confused, voicing questions such as ¡°Where am I!?¡± or ¡°Why is my body all sticky!?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­.anyway, let¡¯s calm down, OK?¡±

    ¡°Shin, why are you naked too¡­? C-could it be that you have taken advan¨C?!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t!! And look better, I¡¯m wearing a swimsuit! I¡¯m not naked!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Milt¡¯s words, whacking the girl looking up at him, wrapped in the mantle, over the head.

    ¡°Hitting her on the head in her current state would be too much, I think¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nah, no problem if it¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­you¡¯re merciless¡­¡±

    Shin looked over at Schnee, showing her that there was nothing to worry about, then turned to Milt again.

    Milt had somewhat calmed down, thanks to Shin¡¯s chop, and focused on understanding her current situation and whereabouts.

    ¡°So have we calmed down now?¡±

    ¡°My head hurts, though. But thisck of mercy is just like you, Shin. First of all, could you tell me what I was doing here, and naked?¡±

    ¡°Before that, tell me how much you remember. You just jumped at me, you know. Well, I guess you could wear something first.¡±

    Shin demanded an exnation from Milt, arguing that he had the right to ask first.

    Milt put some clothes on, finally looking presentable, and started talking while massaging her head.

    ¡°¡­..and that¡¯s all I can remember. It¡¯s all blurry after that¡­I felt my consciousness return fully when I saw your face in front of me.¡±

    Milt exined how she had joined ¡®Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡¯ in her search of strong opponents; she had visited this cave in an escort mission for the Summit Faction, but then her memories became muddled.

    She had surely met someone, but couldn¡¯t remember who it was.

    ¡°I see, they basically did what they wanted with you.¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­I have no excuses.¡±

    Milt¡¯s head hung in shame for letting something like that happen to her.

    Having fallen to someone¡¯s maniption had hit her deep.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re going to rescue the person I kidnapped, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, along with someone else though.¡±

    ¡°Could you take me with you? I have to put an end to what I caused, with my own hands.¡±

    Her tone of voice was calm, but Shin felt that Milt was angry.

    She had a peculiar code even in her PK days; she would only start a fight to the death if the opponent agreed to it. Even if she had been manipted, she probably didn¡¯t want to me others for something she had done.

    ¡°More fighting power is always wee, but there are people close to the girl you kidnapped on our side, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Or rather, that means I should do it even more. I only kill when I am attacked with killing intent, or the opponent agrees to a duel to the death. I dislike and have no intention of assisting kidnapping or ckmailing. I had no control over what I did this time, but it doesn¡¯t change that it was me. I have to make amends.¡±

    Milt¡¯s expression stiffened.

    Shin saw it and thought that she wasn¡¯t trying to deceive them.

    ¡°(Schnee, what do you think?)¡±

    ¡°(At the very least, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s acting. Because her contract spirit seems to have cated too. It was probably concerned about its master¡¯s abnormal state.)¡±

    After hearing Schnee¡¯s opinion via Mind Chat, Shin thought that it could be a good idea to bring Milt along.

    It would mean to add a former enemy among their ranks, but Shin knew Milt¡¯s personality; he was sure that even if they didn¡¯t bring her along, she would act on her own.

    ¡°Got it. You cane with us, and it¡¯ll be a great help if you cooperated with us. But only if you don¡¯t act on your own ord. If you stand in the way of our objectives, then I really won¡¯t have any mercy.¡±

    ¡°I know that well. Fighting against you is an extremely charming prospect, but I couldn¡¯t enjoy it in this situation.¡±

    Milt seemed to understand that she wasn¡¯t actually trusted and nodded with conviction.

    ¡°No need to be charmed. We¡¯ve wasted enough time, let¡¯s go back for now. You have ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ attached, yes?¡±

    ¡°No problem, look.¡±

    Milt answered Shin¡¯s question and transformed her equipment.

    Her battle wear, oriental styled with a great amount of skin exposure, changed shape adhering to Milt¡¯s body.

    ¡°A school swimsuit¡­but why¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s transformed swimwear left Shin at a loss for words. Like a good student, she even had ¡°Milt¡± printed on the swimsuit¡¯s chest area.

    Re-attaching the enchantment ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ as many times as needed would allow the user to pick their favourite type of swimsuit.

    For that reason, during the game era very few wore swimwear considered ¡°for fetishists¡±, like school swimsuits or string-type swimwear.

    ¡°Hehehe, I will let you know that this shape grants a 10% speed boost to underwater movement!¡±

    ¡°Who even programmed this¡­¡±

    Shocked and defeated to learn of this surprising bonus, Shin swam back at high speed, his party in tow.

    ¡°I might as well introduce you, she¡¯s more or less my former support character, Schnee. She¡¯s strong, but don¡¯t get any weird ideas.¡±

    Thinking it weird to not do their introductions, Shin decided to do it first.

    ¡°And this is Milt. She¡¯s an advanced yer they used to call ¡°Milt the Poison Lolita¡± during the game era.¡±

    ¡°Po, poison Lolita¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey!! What kind of introduction is that!? I didn¡¯t choose to be this short anyway!¡±

    Shin had exposed Milt¡¯s nickname in apletely casual manner.

    Milt¡¯s height was the same as her real body, 145 cemel.

    She had apparently used her real self¡¯s face in the game, with her still innocent-looking features, more on the cute than the beautiful side.

    However, her body was a junior high school student¡¯s at most. It would be a bit of a stretch even to think of her as a high schooler.

    One of VR¡¯s characteristics was the inability to change significantly not only one¡¯s facial features, but also one¡¯s physique.

    ¡°She got that nickname because she looks like a lolita and is a poison user. They also called her stuff like ¡°Mini Berserker¡±.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always something saying how short I am ! My main job is conjurer after all, and I might be small but I¡¯m not t!¡±

    Saying so, Milt pushed up her chest with her hands.

    The swimsuit, which was already considerably stretched, changed shape under Milt¡¯s hands.

    Her chest had been ¡°touched up¡± to the point that one could imagine she had went a little overboard when creating her avatar. Such symbols of maternity was already quite prominent in their natural state, but now they looked slightly lewd.

    Added to Milt¡¯s looks, this Lolita + Big breasts + School swimsuitbination created a very ¡°dangerous¡± view.

    ¡°If you have time to act silly, then speed up. And once we get onnd, stop messing around.¡±

    ¡°First you reveal my nicknames, but then you ignore me, huh¡­reminds me of how cold the old Shin was.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. Do you feel any change in your condition, by the way?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m alright. Even if I was under control, I was practically sleeping. My head doesn¡¯t hurt or spin. No problem even I¡¯m poked fun at, like you just did.¡±

    Milt had noticed that Shin had tried to annoy her on purpose and stoppedining.

    She didn¡¯t look like she was forcing herself. Her HP and MP had not changed either and her status showed aplete recovery.

    ¡°Anyway, I have to apud yourck of any reaction after seeing this physique of mine. And I thought that this kind of body would be more popr with boys than my real life one.¡±

    What a shame¡­so muttered Milt, in a manner that made it hard to tell how serious she was.

    Shin didn¡¯t find Milt unappealing either. But he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to react to nudity or sexiness in a situation like that.

    ¡°You¡¯re a mystery as usual.¡±

    ¡°A woman of mystery, that¡¯s who I am.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t puff up your chest dressed like that. We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the light filtering from above the water. The three had reached the shore in a few minutes.

    ¡°Sir Shin, who is this person?¡±

    Their return had been slightlyte, but the party hade back safely. Noticing the added presence of Milt, though, spurred the question from Konig.

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯ll exin, so please listen until the end.¡±

    As Milt would join their entourage, her true identity had to be revealed.

    Milt, above all, was Hermie¡¯s kidnapper. If they hid the truth now, and it was revealed by a turn of eventster, things would likely take an unfortunate turn, so it was decided to reveal the truth now.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    After the exnation, Konig remained in deep silence.

    He had grabbed his de¡¯s hilt as he heard the neer¡¯s name, but somehow Shin managed to exin to the end.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember anything?¡±

    After a long silence, Konig asked a question with a calm tone.

    From Konig¡¯s viewpoint, as one of the victims and Hermie¡¯s personal guard, simply hearing ¡°she was manipted, there was no other way¡± was obviously not enough to convince him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t make any excuses about that. But I too resent having been used that way. Shin saved me after all, so I want to show my gratitude. I know my words are less than convincing, but at least I am confident I could match a divine beast in battle.¡±

    Milt spoke while looking directly at Konig. Her eyes expressed that she had no intention of backing out.

    ¡°I knew it would turn out like this¡­¡±

    Shin had expected this development, so he carried Konig away, without missing a beat.

    ¡°Sir Shin, I do not mean to doubt you, but will this really be all right?¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean. But it would not be wise to act separately. You also know how strong she is, right?¡±

    Konig was not in prime condition at the time, but Milt had easily bested him. Her stats were also higher than his.

    Even using Shin¡¯s map and detection abilities to the fullest, it would have been difficult to find Hermie, who was not a member of their party or a support character.

    The cave interior, which was mostly artificial, was quiterge, even considering only the extent they were aware of. They had to look for Hermie while avoiding traps and enemy eyes, definitely not an easy feat.

    Even if they let Milt go, if she was found Shin¡¯s party¡¯s freedom of movement would be limited as well; and if a Grand Duke-ss demon was among the enemy ranks, they would have to go confront it.

    Considering that there were also chosen ones among the enemies, there was nothing to lose in having as much fighting power as possible.

    ¡°Well, if we used one of these we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about betrayal.¡±

    With these words, Shin pulled out one of the Submission Cors retrieved from Bulk¡¯s room.

    ¡°Guh.¡±

    Konig let out a frustrated grunt.

    He too knew that Milt¡¯s eyes were not lying.

    Besides, he probably would not want to use the Submission Cor on someone who wasn¡¯t some despicable viin, but had just been manipted.

    ¡°¡­.I suppose there is no other way.¡±

    Konig cast away his personal feelings and agreed.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Milt. My race is High Pixie and I¡¯m a Conjurer. This is my dear Undine friend, her name is Nel. Anyway, everyone is so strong here! Why don¡¯t we fightter?¡±

    Milt introduced herself to the party while Shin was away. Although thest part was unnecessary.

    After that, they heard from Milt all the information she remembered about the cave¡¯syout, to specte where Hermie was held and the ritual would take ce.

    After all party members reviewed their roles, the party started moving.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°To think that it¡¯s possible to speak underwater.¡±

    Tiera muttered thisment while swimming next to Shin on their way towards the cave.

    Her swimsuit was a brilliant green bikini, and a ne imbued with the skill ¡¾Dive V¡¿ floated above her chest.

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m using the same skill too, I have no idea how it¡¯s possible to talk underwater though.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no air forming around our mouths either, so it¡¯s a mystery how we can breathe too. Well, thanks to this we can move through the water, so I suppose I¡¯ll just ept not understanding how it works.¡±

    The whole party was heading towards the underwater cave¡¯s entrance.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou were in tow, dog paddling behind them.

    They passed theke where Shin and Milt met and proceeded forward, wary of any traps or guards.

    As long as Shin and Schnee made full use of their detection skills, only an exceptionally intricate trap could slip through their vignce.

    ¡°There are a lot of dwellings and storage rooms in the shallow areas. I guess the more important parts are deeper?¡±

    ¡°Probably, yes. I remember I went down a fair distance. Even though this isn¡¯t their headquarters, the Summit Faction is arge organization. They even reinforced the cave¡¯s walls to prevent them from crumbling easily.¡±

    ¡°I should have guessed. When there are many holes, all it would take is just one earthquake to wipe it off the map.¡±

    The walls were bumpy and uneven, but the path was wide enough for 4 adults to walk side by side.

    There also were manyrge hall-like clearings, personal rooms, and storage rooms; if they had built so many without reinforcing the walls, they would have definitely crumbled sooner orter.

    Shin¡¯s party proceeded deeper and deeper while checking the map for the room they were looking for. Since they searched each floor they visited, their progress couldn¡¯t be very fast.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Roughly 1 hour since they started their descent, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up arger clearing in the map.

    It was farrger than the rooms used as storage rooms. It appeared that there was something in the back of it, but ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ couldn¡¯t scan the roompletely, so it was only partly disyed on the map.

    ¡°Could it be the ritual site?¡±

    Schnee whispered softly.

    ¡°It could be. What do you say, Milt?¡±

    ¡°I think you guessed right. I do remember it was arge room.¡±

    It was possible for Hermie to be imprisoned near the ritual site; Shin and the others proceeded downwards, while searching the surroundings even more carefully than before.

    ¡°¡­..Shin.¡±

    As they were descending, Shibaid called to Shin, who was walking next to him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It certainly looks like there are Grand Duke-ss demons here.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t pick up anything in my detection range, though¡­?¡±

    ¡°I can feel their fighting spirit. This stale, foul feeling¡­it¡¯s a ¡°War God¡±-type, no doubt about it.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s eyes were fixed in one direction as they walked, his words filled with conviction.

    Shin asked Schnee with his eyes, but she shook her head.

    As Schnee had previously felt something other than miasma, Shibaid had probably felt something the other party members couldn¡¯t.

    There was no proof for his words, but no one doubted Shibaid. Konig and Milt knew that it was not odd for those who dedicate themselves to battle to be able to feel the presence of other powerful warriors.

    Tiera also did not say anything, probably because she too possessed a simr unique sense.

    ¡°A solo type, maybe. Hopefully there aren¡¯t raid types then.¡±

    The humanlike demons called ¡°War God¡±-type,pared to raid-types, had fixed conditions to defeating them, so it was not impossible to take them down even when fought for the first time.

    They were still powerful enemies, but considering the expected spent time and sustained damage to defeat them, they were still easier targets than others.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost at what could be the ritual site. Let¡¯s continue talkingter.¡±

    The whole party shut their mouths at Schnee¡¯s warning.

    The detection fields did not pick up anything in particr.

    With Shin and Schnee leading, the party headed towards the ce thought to be the ritual site.

    ¡°Kuu! This ce is yucky!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!!¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly became agitated. Their whole bodies¡¯ fur stood up, as if they were trying to intimidate something.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡±

    Yuzuha answered Shin¡¯s question, expressing her thoughts while stumbling on her words.

    ording to her, this location was a node of Ley lines, but because of the miasma their original function was inhibited.

    ¡°You can feel it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as the ce I was before, it feels sick here, kuu¡­¡±

    The clearing seemed absolutely normal, but they soon realized that there was a veryrge magic circle drawn on the ground. The material reinforcing the walls and ground was clearly different from the other rooms too.

    Apparently, this magic circle was part of what was negatively influencing the flow of the Ley lines that Yuzuha had talked about.

    ¡°The stench of blood is strong here, after all. Who knows what gruesome things they have been up to in here¡­after all they did to us, let¡¯s show them what our craft can do.¡±

    In case they couldn¡¯t find Hermie, the party retraced part of the magic circle, in order to prevent it from activating.

    Shin was not familiar with magic circles sorge as to epass a whole floor, so Schnee directed the operation.

    ¡°Okay then, time to see what¡¯s ahead.¡±

    After the modification of the magic circle waspleted, the party assembled before the door leading beyond the ritual site.

    It was a heavy door 4 mels high and 3 mels wide. It was locked as well, but before Shin¡¯s party the lock was no different than a toy.

    Shin and Shibaid pushed open the door, which clearly had to be guarding something important.

    Maybe because it had been used with care, the door opened without so much as a sound. The scenery behind it, however, was something no one could have expected.

    ¡°Are you kidding me..¡±

    Shin unconsciously muttered under his breath.

    Before their eyes lied a gigantic crystal, roughly 10 mels tall. Its transparency was so high that it looked like artificially polished ss.

    Because of that, the thing¡­rather, the living being inside the crystal could be clearly seen.

    ¡°Is that¡­Filma?¡±

    Schnee whispered the name of the person in front of her eyes.

    It was, without a shred of a doubt, Shin¡¯s 2nd support character, Filma Tolmeya.

 Book 7: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    Filma Tolmeya.

    Shoulder-length hair with a color between red and violet, the same color as the eyes of this High Lord.

    However, that color could not be seen now as her eyes were closed.

    Maybe because of her race¡¯s longevity, or the special effect of the crystal might have possessed, she did not look at all different than how Shin remembered her, despite the fact that 500 years had passed.

    Her chest, on par with Schnee¡¯s, and the magical armor adorned in ck and violet around her waist were shining as they did in the past.

    ¡°This is a crystal of¡­Drop of Erathem?¡±

    Shin gazed at the crystal entrapping Filma, an expression of utter surprise.

    In the game, he thought it was a simple magic crystal, but after using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ he had realized it was actually an ancient-ss material named Drop of Erathem.

    ¡°Does this mean that she was hit by a burst of magical power of insane proportions?¡±

    Depending on the size, this material would be polished and used as a weapon. If one ended up trapped in it, not even Filma could have broken out by herself.

    Considering the fact that her appearance hadn¡¯t changed and that¡ºExvaine¡» no longer recognized Filma, the original owner, Shin spected that the Drop of Erathem¡¯s magical power had cast a strong seal on Filma.

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s therade we weren¡¯t able to contact.¡±

    Shin answered with a nod to Konig¡¯s question.

    In this state, it was obviously impossible tomunicate.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. The demons started being active recently, right?¡±

    ¡°So it seems. We don¡¯t know if it was because they couldn¡¯t act, or they simply didn¡¯t.¡±

    Shin answered Milt¡¯s question based on the information he had gotten from Schnee.

    ¡°Do you think that this could be rted somehow?¡±

    Milt spoke while pointing at the crystal which imprisoned Filma. It appeared that Milt too felt somethinging from it.

    ¡°¡­.it¡¯s possible. Same for the miasma too, but a crystal asrge as this found on top of the Ley line¡­it wouldn¡¯t be weird for a connection to be there, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t think there were any quests where you could find Drop of Erathem near Ley lines either.¡±

    Drop of Erathem would form in locations where magical power umted. ces like Ley lines, where energy would always flow, were not suitable.

    ¡°Regarding miasma and Ley lines, though, something simr happened in another ce.¡±

    Shin remembered what happened at the shrine where he met Yuzuha. What Shin now knew is that the demons had a certain reason to meddle with the Ley lines.

    ¡°(Kuu, I feel something powerful from under that rock. But that rock is yucky too.)¡±

    Thanks to her deep connection with the Ley lines, Yuzuha could apparently clearly feel the power sealed under the crystal. She did not seem to know what a crystal was. Even such a precious item was a rock in Yuzuha¡¯s eyes.

    The usually curious Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t move from Shin¡¯s shoulder this time.

    ¡°Hey Shin, just what is this¡­?¡±

    Tiera drew closer to Shin, who was lost in thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s a peculiar item called Drop of Erathem. I¡¯ve never seen one thisrge, though¡­¡±

    Shin gave a simple exnation to Tiera, who looked at the crystal as if she saw an incredible thing. Even after hearing Shin¡¯s words however, her expression remained clouded.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The magic power trapped here¡­it¡¯s tainted. Uugh¡­why¡­is this¡­¡±

    Shin was concerned as Tiera¡¯s behavior was rather unusual.

    As if answering his doubts, Tiera put her right hand over her mouth and sat down. She held her own body with her left arm and, while it was shaking violently, tears started falling from her eyes.

    ¡°Wh-hey Tiera! What happened to you?¡±

    Thinking that Tiera¡¯s sudden change had been caused by a Mind-type skill, Shin quickly checked her status. There was no change, however, nothing to exin why Tiera had suddenly burst into tears.

    ¡°Tiera, please be strong. You must not lend them your ears.¡±

    Schnee had noticed Tiera¡¯s abnormal state, ran close to her and spoke to her in a calm, clear tone. She took Tiera¡¯s head and turned it towards her, looking at her straight in the eyes.

    ¡°Master¡­this is, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°What have you felt?¡±

    ¡°I heard¡­screams. ¡°Stop it, please save me¡­¡±. And another voice who heard them, andughed¡­¡±

    Tiera stringed words together, her body stiff, immobile.

    Noticing the unusual situation, Shibaid and Konig too stopped searching the surroundings and listened to Tiera¡¯s words.

    ¡°Sch¡­Yuki, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I suppose she heard the voices of the people that were killed here.¡±

    Schnee spoke as she was calming Tiera, focusing on listening to their surroundings.

    Elves had sharp senses, which apparently included their sixth sense as well.

    ¡°I cannot speak in detail, but Tiera¡¯s sixth sense is more sensitive than other elves. I am not particrly sensitive to such influences, but still I can hear whispers. I suppose that a great number of people have been killed here.¡±

    Schnee, her brow furrowed, caressed Tiera¡¯s back.

    ¡°The presence that permeated the other room seems to be focused in this crystal. The magic circle that we changed before contained this mechanism too.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­even I feel there¡¯s something wrong with this crystal. It could be the central point that¡¯s casting an influence on the Ley lines.¡±

    Listening to Yuzuha and Schnee, Shin started viewing the crystal¡¯s brilliance as something ominous.

    ¡°I suppose it is best not to touch it without the necessary preparations?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You can feel why if you go closer, the miasma stench is overwhelming.¡±

    Shin entrusted Tiera to Schnee and walked closer to the crystal, then nodded at Shibaid¡¯s words.

    The crystal wouldn¡¯t originally be affected by the miasma, but if thetter¡¯s density was high, things would be different.

    ¡°If the Ley lines are tainted the miasma must be connected to it, I suppose it¡¯s better to purify it?¡±

    Shin recalled the ck mist that enveloped Milt¡¯s body during their battle. He now understood that the mist too was a kind of miasma.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Please¡­.! This is too cruel¡­¡±

    Yuzuha howled, her fur straight, and Tiera pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.

    ¡°Konig, I give you my apologies. We came here to save Lady Hermie, so giving priority to arade of mine could be truly disrespectful¡­but please, allow me to solve this situation first.¡±

    ¡°¡­no, you do not need to apologize. Please do as you wish. If I overlooked something like this for her own sake, my Lady would not forgive herself, even if we could save her.¡±

    Shin mentioned his proposal to Konig, thinking that thetter would probably be opposed.

    Contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations, Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s proposal after just a brief silence.

    ¡°Are you sure? The demons could notice our presence.¡±

    ¡°If it happens, it happens. I am Lady Hermie¡¯s personal guard, but I also am a knight. I have a duty to protect the people. I do not possess any special sense, but I too feel something abnormal emanating from this crystal. They can¡¯t be possibly plotting anything good with something like this. To save many, sacrificing the few is sometimes¡­necessary.¡±

    He could not ignore such a source of misfortune for the sake of Hermie herself.

    Konig spoke frankly, but Shin felt that he was forcing himself.

    ¡°Understood. I shall begin, then.¡±

    Shin gave a small nod towards Konig and cast the Divine-type skill ¡¾High Cure¡¿ towards the crystal. It was the superior version of the ¡¾Cure¡¿ skill he had used on Milt, and it could heal multiple status ailments at once.

    As it had happened to Milt, the miasma was overwhelmed by the light that Shin released and grew thinner.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s thicker here¡­then how about this!¡±

    Shin decided that using only one hand would have taken too much time, so as he kept casting High Cure with his right hand, he raised his left hand towards the crystal and cast the Divine-type skill ¡¾Purification¡¿.

    The lights emitted by the two divine skills shone bright, as if filling the whole underground space.

    In response, the miasma was pulsating in an eerie manner as if to resist the light.

    Shin felt the rising of resistance, also increase the magical power in his both hands; the light emitted grew stronger.

    Roughly 5 minutester, the miasma had apparently finally reached its limits, and melted away in midair.

    The crystal, free of the miasma¡¯s clutches, regained its original brilliance, and the whole party sighed in relief.

    ¡°The miasma vanished, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay. No one is suffering anymore.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha replied to the words muttered by Shin.

    The miasma that had tainted the crystal seemed to bepletely gone.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin, while looking at the crystal, raised his voice.

    The crystal¡¯s surface was being gradually enveloped in red light.

    ¡°¡­did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. The light covering the crystal is the lighting from the magical power of the person trapped inside.¡±

    Shin was concerned, but Tiera, who hade next to him, spoke with conviction.

    Tiera continued by exining how highly dense magical power appeared as if shining.

    ¡°I believe that as Filma was inside the crystal for a long time, the affinity between her magical power and the crystal grew. As the miasma disappeared, it became easier to see.¡±

    Schneepleted Tiera¡¯s exnation. Elves have high magic perception abilities, so they quickly realized what was happening.

    After calming down, Shin could also faintly feel the presence of Filma¡¯s magic power.

    ¡°Shin, you sure have moments of panic sometimes. You didn¡¯t understand right away because deep down you are really angry that your support character was used like this, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±

    ¡°In this world, NPCs are people too after all. To be angry because the support characters, or should I say people, that you care so much about have been used is perfectly normal, I think.¡±

    Being a former yer herself, Milt understood what he felt. She nodded and whispered ¡°That¡¯s the Shin I know¡­¡± with a smile.

    ¡°You never change, do you¡­¡±

    His head now cooled off, Shin sighed. He knew full well that he was mentally under pressure.

    ¡°No one would feel nothing after seeing othersy hands on one¡¯spanions.¡±

    Schnee spoke as if to defend him, but Shin silently shook his head.

    ¡°No, that waspletely unexpected, but I should have at least inspected a little more. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Shin regretted the false step he took. No matter what happened, he had to keep his cool.

    ¡°(Kuu? It¡¯sing!!)¡±

    ¡°Whoa! What? What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Just when he regained some calm, Yuzuha suddenly shouted from Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    Paying no mind to Shin¡¯s surprise, Yuzuha headed straight to the crystal.

    ¡°Kuu~~, Kuuh!¡±

    Yuzuha flew to the point where the crystal made contact with the ground and growled. Just then, a light glowing in golden and silver hues sprang forth, to be absorbed by Yuzuha¡¯s body.

    The light wrapped around Yuzuha, and after several seconds it disappeared,pletely absorbed by her.

    ¡°Yuzuha? What just happened..?¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Yuzuha, Power UP!)¡±

    Yuzuha sat straight and howled. Shin looked at her closer and noticed that she had grownrger, her tails increasing from 3 to 6.

    Apparently, she had regained part of her strength.

    ¡°(Did your powere back because what was tainting the Ley lines disappeared?)¡±

    ¡°(Yep, I guess!)¡±

    ¡­her intelligence hadn¡¯t changed much, it seems.

    ¡°Well then, this isn¡¯t like Yuzuha¡¯s power up, but let¡¯s free Filma.¡±

    Standing next to the cheerful Yuzuha, Shin activated ¡¾Crafting¡¿, a skillmon to all production-rted jobs.

    All production-rted jobs require learning this skill, which is exclusively used to craft Drop of Erathem.

    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±

    After saying this, Shin touched the crystal. As he activated the skill, a rainbow-colored light spread from Shin¡¯s hands, gradually covering the crystal.

    After the crystal had been sufficiently covered, Shin grabbed it. His fingers prated the hard crystal quickly, as if it was made of y.

    Shin focused more strength on his fingers and pulled. With a sharp, clear sound, the crystal cracked.

    ¡°Looking at Shin work, you¡¯d think the Drop of Erathem was soft.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s actually a material that not even Ancient-ss weapons can chip¡­wait, what¡¯s happening now?¡±

    Shin voiced his surprise while he was trying to turn the crystal into an item card.

    The crystal in his hands suddenly floated in midair, as if responding to it, the giant crystal imprisoning Filma also floated upwards.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha was looking at the scene, puzzled but without feeling any particr sense of danger or trying to run away.

    The crystal shone more brightly, then broke up as if it was liquid, turning into 5 globes of light.

    Filma, maybe due to the effects of such a phenomenon, floated in midair, enveloped in silver and red light.

    Shin was increasingly wary of this phenomenon he had never seen before.

    ¡°What¡¯s this!?¡±

    One of the five globes of light was absorbed in Filma¡¯s body. Among the remaining four, three moved respectively towards, Schnee, Shibaid, and Tiera.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The globes showed no sign of stopping, so the 3 readied their weapons. Additionally, Kagerou stood before Tiera as to protect her.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    The globes would not stop, so the three swung their weapons. Yet the globes simply passed through them, to be absorbed within their bodies. Tiera¡¯s globe even passed through Kagerou.

    As the globes prated them, Schnee¡¯s, Shibaid¡¯s, and Tiera¡¯s bodies started glowing.

    Schnee emitted a silver and blue glow, Shibaid a silver and ck one, Tiera a mixture of silver, green, and yellow. After several seconds, all the lights disappeared together.

    ¡°Are you alright¡­.w-whoa!¡±

    Shin was rushing to the three¡¯s side as the globes of light were vanishing, but as the light holding Filma in midair vanished too, he rapidly changed directions to catch her as she was falling. He caught her in his arms, then looked back at Schnee and the others.

    ¡°¡­this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    Their expressions showed surprise, but not pain or difort.

    ¡°What happened? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I cannot feel anything wrong with my body. How should I say it¡­my stats increased.¡±

    ¡°The same goes for me. My stats have increased as a whole.¡±

    ¡°Ehm, yes, I think the same happened to me too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin too was surprised to know about their stats increase.

    In THE NEW GATE, the only way to increase stats was to level up, perform reincarnation, or use stat-up items.

    Stats would also increase thanks to titles, but there were few ways to permanently increase stats.

    The Drop of Erathem were also supposed to be items unrted to stat increases.

    ¡°I suppose this means that it happened to Filma too, as she was in the same state as you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very possible. I can¡¯t detect any other change in particr. How is Filma¡¯s condition?¡±

    Schnee inquired about Filma¡¯s condition, whom Shin was still carrying in his arms. As if to answer her, Filma moved slightly and opened her eyes.

    What her deep red and violet eyes -the same color as her hair- saw was Shin¡¯s face.

    ¡°¡­.Master? Eh? What? Why?¡±

    Still drowsy, Filma saw Shin¡¯s face in a blur.

    It took a little for her to recognize him, but when she did she instantly recovered from her half asleep state and looked around frantically, while still in Shin¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Ah! Schnee! Please tell me what¡¯s going on!!¡±

    Filma shouted after seeing Schnee.

    The fact that she was still holding onto Shin was proof that she was still confused.

    ¡°First of all, can you stand?¡±

    ¡°Er, yes, I think.¡±

    Seeing Filma this meek was unusual in Shin¡¯s eyes. In the game, he had set her personality as frank and open.

    ¡°But more than that!! Someone exin!!¡±

    Filma apparently came back to her senses and raised her voice again.

    Shin thought that it was pretty unusual for Filma to act like that.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I see, now I¡¯ve grasped the situation.¡±

    As the party exined their mission to rescue Hermie, Filma nodded in understanding.

    Together with the oral exnation, they exined to her what they didn¡¯t want Konig to know via Mind Chat.

    They only gave her a very basic exnation for the moment, nning to go in more detailter.

    ¡°I will help too, then. I¡¯ve awakened and there¡¯s nothing wrong with my body, so I¡¯m returning to the battlefield right away.¡±

    Filma announced her return as if it was apletely natural development. She had checked her condition, but didn¡¯t find anything unusual. Her stats, however, had increased as expected.

    The one globe not absorbed by anyone had returned to the crystal, so Shin turned it into an item card and collected it.

    ¡°And now that we¡¯re all set, pull that out Shin,e on.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Shin, acting as if he was pulling it out from his chest pocket, took a card out of the item box and gave it to Filma.

    As Filma materialized it, a deep red greatsword with a 2 mels de appeared.

    It was a double-edged sword; the deep red at its center would gradually grow fainter towards the edges, turning silver on the de itself. Bright gemstones shaped like square pyramids were embedded on the base of the de, from which originated geometrical patterns which decorated the whole body of the weapon.

    The de was roughly 15 cemels wide, sopared to a wide greatsword like Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡», it seemed very thin.

    It was Filma¡¯s main weapon, the superior ancient-ss greatsword ¡ºRed Moon¡».

    ¡°This is the sword I¡¯m mostfortable with after all¡­but wait, it¡¯s more powerful than before?¡±

    ¡°Well, lots of things happened while you weren¡¯t around. I¡¯ll tell you moreter.¡±

    ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s go and save that poor Hermie, shall we?¡±

    As should have been expected, Filma didn¡¯t appreciate at all the enemy¡¯s ways, so she was more than eager to act right after joining the party.

    ¡°¡­.in the end, we basically have more fighting power now?¡±

    Too many unexpected developments had left Konig unable to keep up; all he managed to mutter was this onement.

    He didn¡¯t react to Filma shouting Schnee¡¯s name, so he had probably not heard it or not recognized it.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better not to think too hard about it. We ended up using a lot of time for this unexpected event, so let us leave other exnations forter.¡±

    ¡±Yes, that¡¯s¡­right. We should think about rescuing Lady Hermie right now.¡±

    Shin started walking away, and Konig followed while shaking his head.

    ¡°Hey Milt! Get a move on or we¡¯ll leave you behind!!¡±

    ¡°Yeees,ing!¡±

    Milt was crouching where the crystal was, but she stood up and joined the party after Shin¡¯s call.

    ¡°What were you up to?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if there was no way to know why the Drop of Erathem was on top of the Ley line¡­well, I¡¯m bad at Analyze-type skills, so I didn¡¯t understand much though.¡±

    Milt¡¯s job was a pure fighting one. She barely learned any Analyze-type skills.

    ¡°It is unnatural for it to be here, yes.¡±

    ¡°Could they have brought it here from somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most eptable exnation, I think.¡±

    Drop of Erathem like the one that had trapped Filma only formed as a product of natural magic power.

    Not even demons or High Humans like Shin, could create Drop of Erathem artificially.

    The demons had only tainted the crystal with miasma, through the magic circle in the other room, and used the magic power within it.

    Shin possessed a creation machine that allowed him to create materials, but he couldn¡¯t create arge crystal like the one that had imprisoned Filma.

    ¡°They might have used it after they found it by chance. In the end, all they could do with it was ce it here though.¡±

    Drop of Erathem were so hard that only cksmiths or alchemists of the highest level were able to craft with it. The fact that they left Filma inside it instead of controlling her through the Cor of Submission was proof that even the demons couldn¡¯t do anything to it.

    The number of the support characters expressed the order they had been created during the game. Filma was number 2.

    As she had been created roughly at the same time as Schnee, her stats were slightly superior to Girard¡¯s.

    If she had been under enemy control, they would have had to deal with her as soon as possible.

    ¡°Well, we should ask that to the person directly involved. We will have to meet them one way or the other, after all.¡±

    It was no more than a hunch, but Shin felt that it would definitely be reality.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time as Shin¡¯s party departed from Sigurd, in the room within the cave where Hermie was held.

    Standing guard were Wilhelm, brought there by Adara, and 2 of the Summit Faction¡¯s most capable soldiers.

    Wilhelm stood with an expression void of all emotion, it was unclear if he was conscious at all. Even if he was aware of his surroundings, it was not possible for him to think of something by himself.

    What he was now was just a doll that would attack anyone who came too close without permission.

    ¡°¡­.why is this happening¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re a Holy Woman.¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm, Hermie let out a weak whisper. The answer came from Scoruas, who was standing near Wilhelm.

    ¡°You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Scoruas, it is an honor to meet you.¡±

    Scoruas introduced himself with affected politeness. Hermie, feeling an endless indescribable something hidden behind his smile, felt a chill down her spine.

    ¡°Where is this ce..?¡±

    She was supposed to be sleeping in her quarters in Palmirack, but when she woke up she found herself in apletely different room. The room was adequately furnished and allowed her to rest without problems. Yet at the same time, it made her feel severely cold chills.

    Knowing that Eline, the head of Bulk¡¯s followers, had been defeated, and all other coborators had been caught one after the other, Hermie thought all danger was over. She would have never imagined something like the current situation could happen.

    ¡°It would be meaningless to tell you. There is something I wish to show you, so I will have youe with me.¡±

    Saying this, Scoruas pulled out a ck cor.

    The cor, which looked an even darker ck than before, was burned into Hermie¡¯s memories.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!!¡±

    ¡°You know this well, don¡¯t you? I don¡¯t know how you removed the previous one, but this new cor is a bit special. I think it will fit you wonderfully.¡±

    Scoruas equipped the cor on Hermie without even giving her the chance to resist.

    ¡°Uuh¡­aaah¡­¡±

    The very instant the cor was attached to her neck, all strength abandoned Hermie¡¯s body. Her body, which was attempting to resists, suddenly became immobile; it didn¡¯t obey her will anymore.

    ¡°This way, then.¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    She could not refuse the satisfied-looking Scoruas¡¯ gesture of invitation. Untied to her will, her body followed Scoruas. Somehow, it seemed that only her mouth was still under her control.

    Probably because they had been ordered to guard her, Wilhelm and the 2 other guards followed as well, in total silence.

    After they walked for roughly 10 minutes they arrived in arger area and Scoruas stopped.

    ¡°Come, in front of me.¡±

    As Hermie stepped forward, she noticed something shining in the corner of her eye. She was standing in what seemed to be a gallery for spectators, above arge magic circle with several people standing in it.

    What she had noticed shining was the magic circle drawn on the floor of the room below.

    The people inside the magic circle were trying to leave, but the barrier erected at the circle¡¯s edges prevented them to.

    ¡°What are¡­you¡­¡±

    ¡°This is all in preparation for your turn.¡±

    Hermie couldn¡¯t understand the situation, but Scoruas forced her to keep looking below.

    Then, after less than one minute, something changed. The people inside the magic circle started glowing, one by one, and disappeared.

    Their screams echoed through the room, striking Hermie¡¯s ears.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it beautiful? The light that flickers when human life expires¡­the screams that adorn it too, they are soforting.¡±

    Scoruas spoke with nothing but glee on his face, with a tone of voice that showed he truly enjoyed what they had seen.

    ¡°I cannot believe it¡­! Don¡¯t you have any regard for life!?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, It¡¯s nothing more than manure that increases by itself. Or good soil to grow miasma. Did you know? Humans are the living beings that create the most miasma in this world.¡±

    Scoruas, who found even Hermie¡¯s angered voice pleasant, answered her in a somewhat bored tone.

    He then grabbed Hermie¡¯s face and pointed it to the people gathered below.

    ¡°Guuh!¡±

    ¡°Look very well. Everyone here has been gathered for you, you know?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    His face still in a smile, Scoruas kept Hermie¡¯s face pointed downwards with his right hand and, with his left, pointed at the sources of the continuous screams.

    ¡°As we have the honor of her highness the Holy Woman¡¯s presence among us, we had to prepare a fitting wee, right?¡±

    Behind his smile clearly lied malice.

    ¡°All the people suffering before you here¡­they suffer because of you.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­saying¡­¡±

    ¡°That they wouldn¡¯t have suffered if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±

    Scoruas whispered in Hermie¡¯s ears. As if in response, Hermie¡¯s cor gave a dull glow.

    ¡°Because of you.¡±

    ¡°Because of¡­me¡­¡±

    Scoruas¡¯ words were impressed in Hermie¡¯s consciousness.

    ¡°They are suffering.¡±

    ¡°Those people¡­are suffering¡­¡±

    Emotions, like thick mud, flowed into Hermie¡¯s defenseless heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­my¡­fault¡­¡±

    The whispers of demons lead human hearts astray. That effect was boosted by the cor, its influence stronger than normal.

    ¡°Did you think that you could have saved someone by bing a Holy Woman? You, who can only watch these people suffer before you, without doing anything? Did you seriously think you could do something?¡±

    ¡°I, I did¡­I wanted¡­to be useful to¡­some¡­one¡­¡±

    ¡°Yet you can¡¯t do anything, can you. Manipted, kidnapped, just waiting to be helped. I wonder how many sacrificed themselves to rescue you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    After each of Scoruas¡¯ words, Hermie¡¯s heart cried in despair.

    There are people who were hurt, who suffered, to save her.

    Hermie knew well that it was the truth, so she couldn¡¯t deny Scoruas¡¯ words.

    ¡°Look, they are angry at you.¡±

    The screams were caused by the despair born from their unescapable situation, but Hermie, under the influence of the cor and Scoruas¡¯ whispers, heard them as voices of resentment and insults towards herself.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t, mean to¡­¡±

    ¡°You did not realize it yourself? Oh mdy Holy Woman, I must bow before you.¡±

    Acting like he could not believe what he just heard, Scoruas put his hand on his forehead in an exaggerated gesture.

    Hermie felt that even those movements were ming her.

    ¡°St¡­stop.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying. They are dying for you, you know? Seeing them off is your duty, is it not?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true, I did not wish for any of this!¡±

    ¡°Regardless of what you wish or don¡¯t wish, all people involved with you end up suffering¡­or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Gh¡­¡±

    Hermie could not say anything to Scoruas¡¯ words.

    She tried with all her might to string the words together, but they dissolved into mist before taking shape.

    ¡°To bring temporary sce in order to cause suffering around you. That¡¯s the kind of existence you are.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­aaah¡­¡±

    Hermie¡¯s sight trembled.

    Because of the cor and the miasma¡¯s effects, her thoughts broke and scattered into thousands of pieces, while her guilt towards the people before her and the disgust towards her own self grewrger andrger.

    The feelings lying deep within Hermie¡¯s heart grew stronger, along with her despair.

    ¡°Oh my, looks like it was more effective than I thought. What a splendid result.¡±

    Hermie fell to her knees, whimpering. She didn¡¯t see Scoruas anymore, looking down at her. Crushed by self loathing and despair, her heart sank into darkness.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hermie had been corrupted by Scoruas¡¯ malice, to the point that she was incapable of any reaction, but Wilhelm simply stood there, without moving an inch.

    As before, no clear consciousness inhabited his eyes. His utterck of any sign of life could have made him pass for an extremely intricate doll.

    Gradually, the human sacrifices¡¯ screams vanished; even if he had been ordered to guard Hermie, Wilhelm was just standing in ce, motionless.

 Book 7: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    ¡°OK, now that we¡¯ve decided on a course of action, let¡¯s get moving. There¡¯s no time to waste.¡±

    Saying so, Shin looked towards the entrance.

    They used the only entrance into the room where Filma was held. As their first objective was to rescue Hermie, they no longer needed to stay there.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. I wonder if there are any secret passages in this room? Like an emergency escape route¡­maybe it¡¯s better to destroy them if we find any.¡±

    ¡°I tried searching too, but couldn¡¯t find anything. What about you, Yuki?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything either. The sacrifice room is next anyway, maybe they limited the number of entrances to prevent unexpected visits?¡±

    Shin and Schnee inspected the surroundings again before answering Milt¡¯s question. As they confirmed there wasn¡¯t anything worth noting in the room, they decided to leave.

    Upon leaving, Shin closed the door and attached one of his specially made locks. Now it could only be opened either by injecting a specific amount of magic power or by forcing it open.

    ¡°OK then, for our route¡­above us, there¡¯s a passageway other than the one we took.¡±

    Shin spoke while pointing at the upper part of the room, which looked like a space reserved for spectator seats.

    ¡°The passageway leads to a seating area to watch the area below. There¡¯s also a ratherrge room on the other side too.¡±

    ¡°That makes it sound like a boss room.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can also feel Wilhelm¡¯s presence from that room.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma¡¯s words and shared what he had detected.

    The map showed 5 dots in therge room past the passageway. Alongside one of them Wilhelm¡¯s name was disyed.

    ¡°If Wilhelm is there, it¡¯s possible that Hermie is close too.¡±

    ¡°But if they¡¯re gathered in the same ce, there must be something behind it.¡±

    Everyone seemed to share Schnee¡¯s and Filma¡¯s predictions, so there was no objection to start moving again right away.

    The spectator seats were at a height far beyond the abilities of a normal person, but Shin, the rest of the Tsuki no Hokora team and Milt reached them easily with 1 jump.

    The problem was only Konig¡¯sck in jumping power, but it was solved quickly.

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­.no, he¡¯s a divine beast after all. There is no other way.¡±

    Tiera spoke to Konig in an apologetic tone, but he replied seriously and nodded.

    Just as he thought that he would climb the rope that Shin hung down from above, Kagerou jumped upstairs¡­with Konig in his mouth.

    Tiera or Shin wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but for the moment it seemed that letting Konig ride on his back was not a possibility.

    The image of Konig talking seriously while in Kagerou¡¯s mouth and Tiera riding Kagerou would have been very surreal if one didn¡¯t consider the context.

    The slightly bizarre atmosphere that formed was then broken by a serious question from Milt.

    ¡°¡­.I feel something evil from the next room.¡±

    Her eyes were fixed towards the passageway leading deeper into the cave.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s more than clear.¡±

    Shin understood the meaning of Milt¡¯s words.

    Probably because of theck of any lighting, the farthest part of the passageway was pitch ck. The evil presence Milt talked about emanated from the deepest reaches of the corridor.

    There was nothing visible to their eyes, but they could still feel an unpleasant sensation crawling on their skin.

    ¡°I feel sick¡­the miasma is too thick.¡±

    Tiera was holding herself up, barely managing to stand straight. Her sharper senses were not working in her favor this time.

    ¡°There are demons ahead.¡±

    ¡°A presence this strong could mean that they¡¯re of Grand Duke ss too.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If we don¡¯t take back Hermie before they get serious¡­the situation could turn really ugly.¡±

    Using presence detection, Shin had the most urate detection range of the group.

    The map disyed to Shin¡¯s eyes showed Wilhelm¡¯s name among the marks present in the room beyond the doorway. Wilhelm¡¯s mark was colored green, which meant ¡°neutral¡±.

    There was another green mark besides Wilhelm¡¯s, then 2 red ones.

    Thest remaining mark was colored red and ck.

    ¡°I detect the presence of one demon. There are 3 human presences, Wilhelm included. One of those is probably Hermie, I think.¡±

    If it was Hermie, her name should have been disyed too, but it wasn¡¯t. So Shin rted it as a simple hypothesis.

    ¡°Could they be manipted as I was?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say. It previously happened that the markers stayed green until we were attacked.¡±

    As Shin replied to Milt, Konig interjected.

    ¡°Should we wait?¡±

    ¡°Considering Hermie¡¯s rescue, that¡¯s probably a good idea, but I think it would be bad to just wait like this.¡±

    What Konig said was not wrong. Waiting until the demons created an opening and using it to steal back Hermie would have been the best course of action to prioritize her rescue.

    However, in the same way as he felt there was still time when he faced Milt, Shin felt confident that letting the demons go here would have put them at a fatal disadvantage.

    Shibaid turned towards him and asked.

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it also happened when I met Milt before¡­I have a strangely sharp hunch. Something makes me feel that waiting here is definitely not a good idea.¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s probably the effect of ¡¾Intuition¡¿. I have had simr experiences in the past. We must go then.¡±

    ¡°I agree. The ¡¾Intuition¡¿ of those with high abilities is often correct.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree too.¡±

    Shibaid and Schnee, who had fought in this world, as well as the former yer Milt all agreed with Shin. They all possessed the skill ¡¾Intuition¡¿, so they knew where he wasing from. While she kept silent, Yuzuha also expressed her agreement.

    ¡°I wanted to prioritize Lady Hermie¡¯s safety, but if it means for more danger I shall be prepared.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s also better not to stay long in a ce filled with thick miasma like this.¡±

    ¡°Gruu.¡±

    Konig, Tiera and Kagerou did not pose any objections either and looked at Shin, their weapons in hand.

    ¡°First, Yuki and I will try to grab Hermie before the enemy notices us, then it all depends on what happens next. The demons are probably of Named ss. Myself, Yuki, Shibaid, and Filma will deal with them. Sir Konig, I want you to take Lady Hermie to safety. Tiera, you will take care of the remaining forces with Yuzuha and Kagerou.

    ¡°Hey? What about me?¡±

    ¡°Milt, I¡¯d like you to take care of Wilhelm. He¡¯s probably in the same state you were before. One-on-one is what you¡¯re best at, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I don¡¯t know what this Wilhelm guy looks like.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem¡­this is him.¡±

    After giving each member their orders, Shin pulled out a photo from the item box.

    ¡°Oh, a screenshot. OK, got it.¡±

    The photo was a materialized screenshot. In the game it would be saved in data, but in this world one just needed to think ¡°take a screenshot¡± and, with a small MP expense, a photo would be created.

    Shin had found out about this as he tested all sorts of things when he taught ¡¾Purification¡¿to Rashia.

    ¡°Is everyone ready? ¡­.let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin made sure everyone was prepared and led the party forward.

    At his waist hung one of the katanas he tempered while creating ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    Both the sheath and the de were pure white. It alsocked any decoration, and while resting inside the sheath it looked like a wooden sword like those used for practice. It was a superior ancient-ss katana, ¡ºMoonless Sky¡».

    Shin cast the magic version of ¡¾Hiding¡¿on the whole party; they walked through the darkness, invisible.

    To Tiera and Konig, who did not possess¡¾Night Vision¡¿, Shin had used an item that temporarily granted simr effects.

    They walked onwards slowly, checking for any traps, then Shin noticed a small light peeking through the darkness. He focused and found that the light source was set next to the door.

    ¡°Looks like we reached our destination.¡±

    A heavy door stood before them, dimly lit within the darkness. They drew closer to examine it, but apparently it wasn¡¯t armed with any traps.

    ording to Shin¡¯s map, in this room were Wilhelm, Hermie, a demon, and two other humans. Maybe because of the now reduced distance, Hermie¡¯s name was now disyed.

    Shin saw through the door with ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and found Hermie sitting down in the center of the room, with a white haired man-looking demon standing before her.

    Wilhelm and the two other humans, possibly guards, stood like statues at the edges of the room.

    ¡°The demon and Lady Hermie are too close¡­..hm?¡±

    Shin was reflecting on a situation that made it hard to act, when the white-haired demon moved.

    His right hand, enveloped in miasma, was drawing closer to Hermie¡¯s head.

    The thickness of the miasma was easily visible even inside the dimly lit room. Seeing the sludge-like substance, Shin unsheathed¡ºMoonless Sky¡»before even thinking.

    ¡°Sssh!¡±

    A sh hissed through the air, following the arc drawn by the de.

    The long-distance powered sh emitted by the Katana martial skill¡¾Void Cutter¡¿cut through the door that separated the corridor and the room without resistance. Slicing through the air instantaneously, it shed off the demon¡¯s right arm.

    ¡°What!? M-my arm!?¡±

    As the demon¡¯s shocked voice reached his ears, Shin kicked the door down and barged into the room.

    ¡°You¡¯re finis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not so fast!!¡±

    The demon squarely blocked Shin¡¯s next sh, aimed at his left arm.

    It was not visible on his clothing, but he seemed to have something equipped there. With a sharp sound and sparks flying about, the de sank into the left arm.

    What was surprising though, was that the de stopped before severing the arm.

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    Before Shin could ready the next strike, the demon expelled miasma from his whole body.

    It was the same as the miasma that was wrapped around his right arm, clearly a different color from normal miasma.

    Before touching the miasma, Shin withdrew ¡ºMoonless Sky¡»and put some distance between himself and the demon.

    ¡°Damn, I couldn¡¯t reach her.¡±

    Shin nned to step back while carrying Hermie with him, but the demon was in the way and he couldn¡¯t reach her.

    The miasma hadn¡¯t touched her directly, but maybe because of its influence Hermie¡¯s expression was distorted, in pain.

    One step behind Shin¡¯s exchange with the demon, Schnee and the others also made their move.

    Shin¡¯s sudden attack had left his allies surprised too. Their reactions were mainly two: Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, and Milt immediately analyzed the situation and followed suit, while Tiera and Konig stopped in their tracks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Filma and Shibaid entered the room right after Shin. Schnee used ¡¾Hiding¡¿and, without a word, erased her presence.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Gruah!¡±

    ¡°!! Sir Konig, let¡¯s go!!¡±

    ¡°Kh, we¡¯re one step behind¡­?¡±

    Tiera followed after Yuzuha and Kagerou¡¯s instigation. Konig, who had regained his senses after Tiera¡¯s call, moved inst.

    ¡°Well now, talk about unexpected. I knew you woulde sooner orter, but this is some incredible speed.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your predictions.¡±

    Probably because he had ovee the shock of losing an arm, the demon spoke in a petnt tone, a jaded expression on his face.

    Behind such a behavior, however, he paid close attention to Shibaid and Filma, who hade in after Shin.

    ¡°Wow, stronger than I thought!¡±

    ¡°Are they chosen ones too!?¡±

    Wilhelm and the other humans near the walls had moved, probably. Shin heard the voices of Milt and Tiera, who had begun fighting behind him.

    ¡°My my, what argepany. It¡¯s a shame that we aren¡¯t ready to wee you yet.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back as soon as we do what we have to. No need to bother.¡±

    Wielding ¡ºMoonless Sky¡»and not lowering his guard one second, Shin faced off against the demon.

    To his right stood Filma, ¡ºRed Moon¡»in hand, to his left Shibaid with ¡ºcid Moon¡»; both of them pointed their des at the demon.

    ¡°Oh dear, what impatience. Well, since you came all the way here and all, allow me to introduce myself. ¡±

    Saying so, the demon ced his left arm on his chest in a showy gesture and struck a pose.

    ¡°I am named Scoruas, one of the Grand Dukes and a follower of Miasma Lord Meahelga.¡±

    After his introduction, Scoruas red at Shin¡¯s party, as a predator eyeing his prey.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have no intention of doing the same.¡±

    ¡°That is fine. I am not interested in you after all, but in thedy next to you.¡±

    Scoruas looked towards Filma.

    ¡°It is a honor to meet you, Lady Filma Tolmeya. For you, who I could not touch inside the Drop of Erathem, toe meet me on your own, is truly convenient for me. I heard Schnee Raizar would be present as well, but I suppose I will keep that enjoyment forter.¡±

    Filma¡¯s eyebrows moved at Scoruas¡¯ words. They could be interpreted as if she was nothing more than an appetizer before Schnee, and she couldn¡¯t help being affected by them.

    ¡°So you think that if I just came out you could do anything you please with me? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re looking down on me a bit too much, you know?¡±

    ¡°I apologize if I offended you. But yes, as you say, watching you sleep within the crystal was enjoyable in itself, but humans shine the most through their emotions, after all. I just can¡¯t wait to see how delectable the taste of your despair is.¡±

    Maybe because he felt he had nothing to hide, Scoruas answered Filma¡¯s question in apletely casual tone.

    His lustful eyes did not leave Filma one second.

    ¡°(It looks like we don¡¯t even exist in his eyes.)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s just perfect. If he creates an opening for us it¡¯ll be easier to rescue Hermie.)¡±

    While talking with Shibaid via Mind Chat, Shin was thinking of a way to draw Scoruas¡¯ attention away from Hermie.

    As the invisible Schnee was drawing closer to Hermie, Shin gradually shifted his position too.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s here.¡±

    As if answering Filma¡¯s whispered words, a vibration shook the entire room.

    ¡°The room¡¯s shaking?¡±

    ¡°An earthquake, now!?¡±

    Milt and Tiera both focused on the possible danger, the first while parrying ¡ºVakira¡» with her twin swords, the second while shooting the two humans¡¯ legs with her arrows.

    ¡°(This is bad, Schnee!! Hurry!!)¡±

    While charging at Scoruas, who was still focused on Filma, Shin called to Schnee via Mind Chat.

    Schnee heard Shin¡¯s words and moved towards rescuing Hermie. Before she could do it, however, a shadow broke through the ceiling andnded right between Hermie and Schnee.

    Without losing her pace because of the unexpected situation, Schnee swung her ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    ¡°That won¡¯t work!!¡±

    As if Schnee¡¯s movements were visible, two longswords swung towards her. The deep green double-edged long swords shed with ¡ºBlue Moon¡», sending sparks flying all around.

    ¡°Gah! This isn¡¯t an elf¡¯s muscle power!!¡±

    His swords in a cross, the shadow¨CAdara shouted whileughing.

    Maybe because he wasn¡¯t in his original form, he was being slightly pushed back. ¡ºBlue Moon¡» was also eating into the longswords he wielded.

    Even though his appearance was not his true one, he was still a demon.

    Maybe because of a special ability of his, suddenly two swords just like the ones he was wielding floated in midair. Their des then pointed at Hermie.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m about to say, right? Don¡¯t you move either, big guy. She can die right now for all we care, you hear?¡±

    The arrival of the second demon had made it more difficult for Shin¡¯s party to move.

    Using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to examine their new opponent only confirmed how powerful he was.

    ¡°How underhanded.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s praise for demons like us. But instead of saying that withdraw your weapon already, you didn¡¯t even drop an ounce of strength!¡±

    While speaking, Adara infused more strength in his arms. Adara¡¯s longswords and ¡ºBlue Moon¡» were still in a sh of sparks, but Adara was being pushed back.

    As she had moved on the offensive, Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿ had already disappeared.

    ¡°If you cast a single wound on her, I will cut you down here and now.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow, so scary. Who¡¯s threatening who now?¡±

    Adara jeered with unchangedposure.

    ¡°Well, that could be fun too.¡±

    It happened just as the des floating in midair received Adara¡¯s orders and moved to pierce Hermie.

    ¡°Waah!! Shin, dodge!!¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    One second after Milt¡¯s call, a jet ck sh flew through the room.

    ¡°GWAAAAHHH!?!¡±

    And one more secondter, Adara¡¯s scream filled it.

    The sh had squeezed through the space between the members of Shin¡¯s party and hit Adara. As he was still parrying Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡», he had no way of defending himself.

    ¡°What the hell!? My strength is leaving me!¡±

    Adara had been blown away; his stomach was pierced by a jet ck spear adorned with designs resembling running blood. The spear, which pulsated as if alive, was ¡ºVakira¡», the weapon Wilhelm was supposed to be equipped with.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness was confined to the deepest reaches of his heart.

    In a drowsy state, as if it could fall into slumber any moment, it respondedzily to a voiceing from somewhere.

    (So sleepy¡­)

    His consciousness was about to fallpletely. It would be a sleep he would never awaken from.

    The surroundings were enveloped in deep darkness, a ckness that seemed as if it could devour everything.

    ¡ª¨C!! !?!

    (Shit¡­what now?)

    Just ignore it. That¡¯s what he thought to do, but every time he heard that voice, Wilhelm¡¯s spirit was shaken.

    It was desperately trying to stop Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness from sinking.

    Like a single thread hanging within the darkness, it kept Wilhelm tied, keeping him from crossing thest line. As if it was telling him to listen to the voice.

    (Aaah¡­I¡¯m¡­I am¡­? Who am I¡­?)

    The first thing he thought about was his name. The symbol expressing his identity. His title.

    But it wouldn¡¯te out.

    As if something was preventing him to, something was trying to remove his consciousness.

    (What am¡­what am, I¡­?)

    In that utter darkness, Wilhelm stirred. But his arms and legs wouldn¡¯t answer hismands.

    Moving even just one arm felt as if he was sinking in mud, with weights attached all over his body.

    ¡ª¡ª!?!

    (Damn, can¡¯t hear¡­)

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was failing to hear something very important.

    (Why is it so hard to move¡­what is this¡­?)

    Wilhelm grew more and more irritated towards his unresponding body.

    He felt a certain disgust, as if some unknown force was doing what it pleased with him. That emotion, rising from his chest, fueled his rebellious spirit.

    At the same time, his hazy consciousness became clearer and clearer.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ªme.

    (Not yet¡­it¡¯s not enough¡­)

    As if crawling in the darkness, Wilhelm tried to rouse more strength in his body, which he still couldn¡¯t feel clearly.

    It wouldn¡¯t normally be possible to visualize one¡¯s body when in a state of mere consciousness, but for some reason Wilhelm was in the darkness, stark naked.

    He opened his eyes only to find utter darkness before him. He could barely see 1 mel in front of him.

    Yet Wilhelm understood clearly that he himself was now existing there.

    He felt as if he was holding something. Looking down towards his right hand, he found his partner, morphed into something ominous.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t help but speak those words aloud.

    His beloved spear, which Shin had forged anew, was supposed to be Holy Spear ¡ºBeinot¡»with its tinum-like sparkle. What his right hand was holding, however, was a jet ck spear enveloped in a dark purple aura.

    Geometrical symbols of unknown meaning decorated its surface, dyed in a blood-red hue.

    ¡°Hell Spear¡­ Vakira?¡±

    For some reason, the name of the spear surfaced in his mind. It was a name Wilhelm didn¡¯t remember ever hearing before.

    ¡ª¡ª-ll me.

    ¡°¡­.I can still hear it.¡±

    He could understand that the sound whispered near his ears was someone¡¯s voice. But he couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying.

    ¡°Tch, I can¡¯t make it out!¡±

    Wilhelm voiced his frustration.

    No matter how much he tried, the voice would always vanish just before he could understand it.

    And every time the voice vanished, the feeling of missing something important grew more and more within him.

    The direction the voice came from was not fixed and seemed irregr. He didn¡¯t know where to move, his frustration only increasing.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling sick¡­where the hell am I, anyway.¡±

    Wilhelm suppressed the growing feelings in his chest and tried to regain his cool.

    Nothing positive would happen if he acted out of frustration in a situation he didn¡¯t fully understand.

    His consciousness had returned enough to be able to think in this manner.

    ¡°I have a weapon, I don¡¯t know where I am. What was I doing beforeing here, anyway?¡±

    Wilhelm searched his memories while analyzing his current situation.

    But no matter how much he tried to recover his past memories, nothing woulde out.

    What he could barely visualize was himself fighting against a monster. He was defeating undead monsters, when he felt something and entered some woods, where he met something.

    His memories from then were hazy. He felt like he had seen some sort of light.

    ¡°It¡¯s too fragmented. And I can¡¯t even remember my own name yet¡­what the hell¡¯s going on.¡±

    Even if but a fragment, his memory of fighting against monsters was clear. However, he couldn¡¯t remember anything about the most important thing, himself.

    ¡°¡­.hm?¡±

    Just then, Wilhelm felt his right hand vibrate.

    He tried raising his right arm slightly, and noticed that ¡ºVakira¡»was slightly trembling. Part of the weapon¡¯s deep purple aura was burning red, asionally emitting sparks.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now¡­?¡±

    Wilhelm let out a hoarse grunt. Because the right arm grasping ¡ºVakira¡»was not the one he recognized as his.

    The arm was covered in scales, his nails were sharper too¡­just like a Dragnil¡¯s.

    ¡°No, wait, this can¡¯t¡­I¡¯m supposed to be a Lord.¡±

    ¡°(That is both right and wrong.)¡±

    ¡°!?! Who is this?¡±

    Wilhelm didn¡¯t expect his mumbling to receive a reply, and instantaneously pointed Vakira at the direction the voice came from.

    ¡°(Hey there, me.)¡±

    ¡°¡­..?¡±

    That casual greeting hade from a Dragnil-like man.

    ¡°(Hey now, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t recognize me? Well, normally we wouldn¡¯t ever speak face-to-face like this. It¡¯s really amazing though¡­weapons made by a High Human can even pick up people¡¯s emotions, huh.)¡±

    The man kept talking to Wilhelm, who furrowed his brows.

    When he heard the words High Human, the silhouette of a man appeared in his mind.

    ¡°Answer me.¡±

    ¡°(I told you, didn¡¯t I? I am ¡°me¡±. In other words, I guess I could say I¡¯m another you? But no, not a split personality or something. I am power itself, one of the powers you possess. I gained this form because of the High Human¡¯s techniques and the feelings poured by the brats in your spear.)¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you going on about?¡±

    ¡°(Its form is different now, but ¡ºBeinot¡» can only be created by infusing people¡¯s hopes and prayers. There were ridiculously pure prayers imbued in the Venom spear you used before. Incredible how so many could be gathered in it, really.)¡±

    ¡°Prayers¡­?¡±

    The man continued talking nonchntly.

    Brats, prayers, Beinot. Every time one of those words reached his ears, Wilhelm was reminded of people connected to him.

    ¡°(I¡¯m surprised how the brats don¡¯t get scared of a face like this, really.)¡±

    ¡°What? What¡¯s that, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°(Acting all rough like that is just a way to attract attention. Well, maybe half of it is the honest you though. You make others dislike you on purpose to not let them see the more important sides of you. That¡¯s also the reason why you rarely go to the orphanage.)¡±

    ¡°Orpha¡­nage¡­? Gah!!¡±

    ¡°(Remember. You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you? That¡¯s the ce where you first became a ¡°person¡±.)¡±

    In reaction to the word ¡°orphanage¡±, a storm of memories and shbacks burst inside Wilhelm.

    ¡°Gh¡­aah, shit¡­¡­..I remembered.¡±

    Wilhelm, who had been holding his head, looked again at the man. As if those words were the key to open thest lock, all his memories hade back.

    ¡°(That¡¯s good. We can¡¯t stay here long, after all.)¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°(Just look behind me.)¡±

    With some suspicion, Wilhelm looked beyond the man¡¯s shoulders. There he saw an even deeper patch of darkness, shaped like a hole.

    Wilhelm had been looking towards the man all this time, but only now realized its presence.

    ¡°(You don¡¯t need me exining, right? If you fall here, you¡¯re not going back anymore.)¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I figured as much.¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m telling you because you almost fell in. You have your spear to thank for that. The prayers inside it kept you out.)¡±

    ¡°They kept me, huh¡­and? Your role was also to wake me up?¡±

    ¡°(No, what I have to do is to teach you how to use the power. Because even though you¡¯re a ¡®Critical¡¯ and all, you don¡¯t even use half of it. That¡¯s why you were done in by some untransformed demon.)¡±

    The man shrugged, almost disappointed.

    ¡°There¡¯s power in me that I¡¯m not using yet?¡±

    ¡°(You can use maybe one-third of it now. Usually one has 2 species bonuses, but a ¡®Critical¡¯ has 3, even 4. Yours are especially powerful too. But that¡¯s one reason why you¡¯re not using your powers to the fullest. Your evil eye¡¯s ability of gathering magical power to increase your physical abilities too, you aren¡¯t using it efficiently at all)¡±

    You¡¯re too sloppy, the man said.

    The man spoke normally of things Wilhelm waspletely unaware of.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know why you know all that, but maybeter. If you¡¯re another me, then tell me. How can I use that power?¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s simple, you just need to ept me. The body knows how to use that power. You just need to realize itter.)¡±

    ¡°You¡­? I don¡¯t think I ever denied my Dragnil powers.¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s not what I mean. I told you, right? You can probably use one-third at best. If you fully manifest your Dragnil powers, you won¡¯t get away with just your eye changing a little.)¡±

    The man meant that Wilhelm would be closer to a Dragnil.

    ¡°(You still fear your power. They call you a ¡®Critical¡¯, but you¡¯re afraid you might be a ¡®Miscl¡¯*, something that could lose control any moment.)¡± (T/N: a hybrid species)

    ¡°Tch, looks like you really are me¡­can¡¯t hide anything, huh.¡±

    ¡°(Well, yeah. I know what happened to make you think like that too. But I can tell you for sure, that you¡¯re not. You¡¯re not a fake like that.)¡±

    The man¡¯s words brimmed with confidence.

    ¡°¡­.really now.¡±

    ¡°(Really. And so. Use everything you can. This world is jam-packed with strong people. If you keep fearing you¡¯ll just lose it all.)¡±

    The man didn¡¯t specify what exactly.

    It was something he didn¡¯t need to express in words.

    ¡°(Come on, make your decision already. Keeping you here isn¡¯t hard, but the flow of time here is different. They don¡¯t have much time left.)¡±

    ¡°What does that mean.¡±

    ¡°(Can¡¯t you hear a voice?)¡±

    ¡°A voice?¡±

    Wilhelm could think of one thing only.

    ¡°(Listen well. You should be able to hear it. It should be more than enough to light yourself on fire, I¡¯m sure.)¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡ª¨CSave me¡­or, rather¡­kill me.

    What are you saying?

    Wilhelm was about to ask this question, but his words died halfway.

    He heard it. All too clearly.

    It was a faint voice, an extremely weak tone, as if it was going to disappear any moment.

    ¡°Tch! So this is what it was! Do it already!!¡±

    He knew that voice.

    They only spoke a few times. But Wilhelm knew her.

    The girl with the same power as Millie. The power that caused her to be targeted by Bulk, and now she was begging him to kill her¡­it was that girl¡¯s voice.

    ¡°(That¡¯s what I was waiting for!!)¡±

    As if he was waiting for nothing else than those words, the man standing before Wilhelm started glowing bright red, gradually losing shape. As if trembling in the wind, it entered Wilhelm¡¯s body.

    ¡°GH¡­.WOOOOOHHHHH!!!!¡±

    At the same time, power burst forth from deep within him.

    Was this the feeling of having molten iron poured into your veins? That¡¯s how powerful the scorching heat rushing through Wilhelm was.

    Feeling this burst of power, the geometrical patterns running on Vakira¡¯s surface started shing.

    ¡°Give me¡­a¡­break..¡±

    His clenched teeth produced a grinding sound.

    That woman is saying the same thing as before¡­anger was building inside him.

    ¡°Saying I¡¯m going to die, kill me, so easily¡­¡±

    The words that escaped his mouth expressed bitterness towards his other self, who had offered no exnations, and anger towards the resignation to despair in the voice that had reached his ears.

    ¡°GIVE ME A DAMN BREAAAAKKKKK!!!!¡±

    The red-hot blood coursing through his body made Wilhelm roar.

    As if in answer, Vakira¡¯s shing turned into a glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

    As if pushed by the light, Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness suddenly returned.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 7: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    Wilhelm¡¯s change was first noticed by Milt, who was crossing des with him.

    ¡°Hey, that weapon is ¡ºVakira¡», right? Since when did it have effects like those?¡±

    She did not expect a reply. But she couldn¡¯t help trying to speak with him.

    The dark purple aura enveloping ¡ºVakira¡» had already turned mostly red.

    Milt didn¡¯t know what it could mean, but her intuition told her that it wasn¡¯t something to fear.

    While twisting her body to avoid the iing thrusts, she parried with a sweep.

    Her hands gripped her subweapons, fit to fight in such a narrow environment: the Mythology-grade twin des ¡ºMirbal¡».

    In the dim darkness of the room, ¡ºVakira¡»and ¡ºMirbal¡» shed and generated sparks.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist felt such a burning hot de. I see, you¡¯re resisting, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    His burning willpower was transmitted through the de. His spear technique grew sharper with every blow.

    That was not something a controlled puppet could aplish; it was the expression of a powerful self-consciousness.

    Fighting, nothing more, nothing less¡­Milt, who fought to the death for no other goal than the fight itself, could feel it.

    ¡°Hey, tell me your name.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡», once again aimed to pierce Milt¡­stopped in mid thrust.

    The violet aura enveloping ¡ºVakira¡»was now no more; a red aura had burned to cinders not only the weapon¡¯s aura, but also the one surrounding Wilhelm.

    ¡°¡­Wilhelm¡­Avis.¡±

    In stark contrast with the searing hot aura, the answer came from a rather calm voice.

    Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, hollow and staring into nothingness just moments ago, now hosted a clear willpower.

    ¡°Shht¡±

    With a faint whisper, Wilhelm swung ¡ºVakira¡» so as not to hit Milt.

    This strike dispelled the remaining aura, which dissipated in midair.

    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t even need to face you?¡±

    ¡°No, I have to thank you. Sorry to end this halfway, but there¡¯s something I have to do first. If you want to continue, let¡¯s do it another time.¡±

    While answering Milt¡¯s question, Wilhelm readied ¡ºVakira¡» into a stance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be d to, if we have the chance¡­..what?¡±

    Milt had but an instant to savor the anticipation for another battle. It felt as if a question mark appeared above her head.

    The reason was that Wilhelm¡¯s stance was not in preparation for thrusting, but for throwing his spear.

    ¡°You will pay¡­¡±

    The instant his stance waspleted, a sharp glint sparked in Wilhelm¡¯s eyes.

    The cid atmosphere of moments ago vanished into thin air, substituted by an eruption of rage.

    It was intense enough for Milt to feel goosebumps.

    Wilhelm¡¯s eyes were directed beyond Milt, towards Shin and the others.

    ¡°¡­for screwing with me!!!¡±

    ¡°Waah!! Shin, dodge!!¡±

    Milt caught on what Wilhelm was trying to do and immediately shouted.

    At the same time as Milt¡¯s warning, Wilhelm¡¯s hand blurred and Vakira flew through the air, leaving afterimages trailing in its wake.

    As if answering its wielder¡¯s will, ¡ºVakira¡»charged forward towards its target, without the slightest bend in its course.

    ¡°Gwoooohhh!!!¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡»had turned into a ck sh, piercing Adara, who had been locking swords with Schnee; he was blown away.

    ¡ºVakira¡» stood straight through his stomach, its red glow burning brighter and brighter.

    ¡°What the hell!? My strength¡¯s leaving me!¡±

    Possibly because he had been taken by surprise, Adara¡¯s face was a mask of pain, as he tried to pull ¡ºVakira¡»out.

    ¡°Ggh, damnit!!¡±

    The paining from the hand grabbing ¡ºVakira¡»contorted Adara¡¯s expression even more.

    Milt¡¯s eyes and ears felt the sound of the red aura eroding Adara¡¯s hand, a sound as if something was burning.

    ¡°Transforming my spear was a big mistake.¡±

    After throwing ¡ºVakira¡», Wilhelm walked closer to Shin and the others.

    At the same time ¡ºVakira¡» glowed even brighter, enveloping Wilhelm¡¯s body with a crimson aura.

    ¡°Ggh, gwaaahhhh!!¡±

    Adara understood that wasting more time would be dangerous and forcefully extracted ¡ºVakira¡»from his body, attempting to destroy it with his des still floating in midair.

    But before he could, Wilhelm said just one word.

    ¡°Return.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    That very instant, ¡ºVakira¡»vanished from midair, as if made of mist. The next instant, it was safely in Wilhelm¡¯s hands.

    Thanks to Adara being blown away, Schnee could rescue Hermie.

    Holding his hands over Hermie¡¯s cor, Shin inquired to Wilhelm.

    ¡°Wait a second now, I don¡¯t remember ever adding a function like that?¡±

    ¡°That blonde guy there had the brilliant idea of messing with it. Now he knows how brilliant of an idea that was though.¡±

    Wilhelm answered Shin while readying ¡ºVakira¡»in a stance again.

    Shin had already seen through that the weapon that stabbed Adara was ¡ºVakira¡». His surprise was due to the fact that instantly returning to the wielder¡¯s hands via vocalmand was an ability that ¡ºBeinot¡»gained only through an event.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it became ¡ºVakira¡»¡­anyway, being able to use both abilities is pretty close to cheating, I say.¡±

    Other than its own basic abilities,¡ºBeinot¡»also had increased damage against demons and undead. But it wasn¡¯t a significant increase.

    On the other hand, ¡ºVakira¡»could absorb miasma to raise the user¡¯s stats. It was a weapon effective specifically towards miasma, so the increase was much higher than ¡ºBeinot¡».

    ¡ºVakira¡»was wrapped in miasma, but did not generate it. It only looked like it did, as it kept gathering nearby miasma.

    Its ominous appearance and the fact that it requires miasma when forging it made its abilities not known; even some yers would have the wrong idea about it.

    It was clear to anybody that its abilities were best used with demons as opponents.

    Demons, essentially a mass of miasma, were nothing more than easy prey for ¡ºVakira¡».

    ¡°Oh my, you look quite pathetic now.¡±

    Scoruas spoke to the copsed Adara. While he himself was unharmed, he had just witnessed an attack that blew hisrade away. Nevertheless, he had not lost hisposure.

    ¡°What else could I have done? It was all timing. But hey, they¡¯re taking off your cor too, see?¡±

    The tone of Adara¡¯s answer did not show signs of pain either, despite the wound he had just suffered.

    ¡°You¡¯re still pretty damn confident, huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, rest assured that I¡¯m surprised. I went and turned it to the negative side, but I see it¡¯s totally on ¡°this¡± side, huh? The weapons humans make are always so interesting!¡±

    Adara¡¯s stomach alreadycked any trace of damage. Being a high-ss demon, his recovery speed was also off the charts.

    ¡°And now they got our hostage¡­sacrifice too. They know of this ce too. Guess it¡¯s time to end this, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. With all the people present here, we can make some very good soil.¡±

    Adara proposed abandoning the cave in a casual tone, and Scoruas approved just as nonchntly, apparently without giving it serious thought.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. ¡°All the people present here¡±, he said.¡±

    ¡°Well, if they enter theirplete form, we¡¯ll end up buried alive deep underground. They¡¯ll grow to considerable size so they won¡¯t die, but normally we¡¯d be either crushed to death or suffocate, I guess.¡±

    Shin answered Filma¡¯s words and entrusted Hermie to Konig, who hade after defeating the guard.

    Tiera, who had defeated the other guard, and Milt too were in a battle-ready stance.

    They did not know the actual depth of their position, but it was surely deep enough that the 10-20 mels within the scope of a upper-ss chosen one¡¯s abilities wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Shin never had the chance to try nor did he ever think to, but if they were buried under great quantities of soil, he was not sure he could survive.

    There were skills to dive underground, but they were earth-type skills that only allowed digging 1 or 2 mels; it would have been nothing more than a gamble.

    ¡°Oh my, you saw through us already. We are roughly 100 mels underground, after all. Not even a chosen one could¡­gh!! I do not mind you resisting, but you should listen when someone speaks!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s strike interrupted Scoruas¡¯ speech.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. Just looking at your faces makes me want to throw up.¡±

    Scoruas had parried ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s thrust with his left arm, but Wilhelm continued to attack without giving him pause.

    ¡°Shin!! You can cut them down like nothing, can¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to give priority to healing Lady Hermie, though. This cor is much more dangerous than the one I saw before. I couldn¡¯t destroy it right away, so I have no idea how it¡¯s affecting her spiritually.¡±

    Shin did not mean to waste time talking either. The eerie miasmaing from Hermie¡¯s cor emanated much higher danger than the one he removed at the church.

    At the church it only took him an instant to remove it, but now it was taking considerable time.

    Even if temporarily, he had turned his back on the enemy. But between Shin and the demons stood Filma and Shibaid, ready to battle and not leaving a single opening.

    ¡°What? All the more reason to finish off these bastards and focus on the healing!¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s words Wilhelm spat out words seething with rage. As if agreeing with him, ¡ºVakira¡»burned brighter.

    ¡°Yeah, I just needed time to destroy Lady Hermie¡¯s cor. We don¡¯t need to listen to them anymore.¡±

    ¡°That is a problem. We need you all to die here, after all. Oh, I will be taking Lady Schnee and Lady Filma with me, so please do not worry. ¡ª¨COh?¡±

    As he was talking, Scoruas¡¯ sight left Shin¡¯s party and focused behind them.

    ¡°¡­.this presence¡­¡±

    The smile finally left Scoruas¡¯ expression. His confidence was no more.

    ¡°¡­..Adara, the situation has changed. We must kill her. Cooperate.¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s weird for you to be this tense.¡±

    ¡°Just look at her and you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    Saying this, Scoruas motioned towards Tiera.

    ¡°¡­.ah, now I get it. Yeah, can¡¯t leave this one alive.¡±

    Apparently understanding without the need for further exnations, Adara muttered these words and raised his speed.

    In the same way as Scoruas, he rushed towards Tiera with enough power as to crush the ground beneath his feet, paying no attention to Shin or anyone else.

    Their eleration was enough to leave behind afterimages. But Shin and the others wouldn¡¯t be ovee so easily.

    ¡°Hey now, what¡¯s the rush? Don¡¯t you dare ignore me now.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this after all that bragging, you know.¡±

    Wilhelm stopped Adara, while Shin blocked Scoruas.

    Then, as if creating multiple walls, Schnee, Filma and Shibaid stood beside them, ready to assist at any time.

    ¡°¡­.eh? Ah¡­¡±

    On the other hand Tiera, who had been targeted all of a sudden, let out a raucous whisper. She had been swept by a killing intent and crushing pressure the likes of which she had never felt before.

    ¡°Grururu¡­¡±

    ¡°Kufuuuh!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s body couldn¡¯t move, but Kagerou and Yuzuha, their fur standing up, stood in front of her as to protect her. Looking at their backs, Tiera copsed to her knees due to the overwhelming pressure.

    ¡°Are you okay? Do you recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­ye..s..¡±

    Milt helped Tiera stand, as she couldn¡¯t support herself.

    She seemed to have trouble breathing, but had not lost consciousness.

    Having enough mental strength not to faint under the effect of the killing intent of Grand Duke-ss demons was a feat in itself.

    ¡°Move.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm answered the demons¡¯ words with taunting smiles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just crush them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Deciding that trying to break through would take too much time, Adara and Scoruas decided to return to their true forms.

    ¡°As if we¡¯d let you!¡±

    Close to the demons now attempting their transformations, Shin materialized an item from the item box. It was the crystal stone he once used in front of Tiera.

    ¡°Facing demons underground, you think I didn¡¯t make my preparations!?¡±

    Shin poured magic power in the crystal, without hesitation.

    As the magic skill engraved on the crystal activated, the surrounding scenery warped; the next instant, everyone present in the room was now outside, on a wide open in.

    They were now on the ins connecting the sacred ce Kalkia and castle town Balmel, near the woods where Shin and Rionne once lit a bonfire.

    Shin, having heard about the demons from Schnee after being blown to Kalkia, had marked the location, in case they would have to fight demons above a certain rank.

    He had already verified that these ins were scarcely visited by humans, as they were often traversed by monsters because of the ¡ºFlood¡».

    ¡°Where is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter. Sir Konig, please take Lady Hermie away from here. And take this.¡±

    Even if her cor had been removed, Shin did not want Hermie to stay in the battlefield.

    For added safety, he handed Konig a substitute-type item that would absorb damage inflicted to them, a monster repellent item and a barrier-creating item. After going a certain distance, they nned to use the ¡°Cloak of Hiding¡± to conceal themselves.

    ¡°You¡¯re always pulling surprising stunts, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°I had heard about the demons from Schnee, you see. It was like an insurance, but now we can fight to our hearts¡¯ content, right?¡±

    Wilhelm looked very surprised by the development, but Shin answered him casually.

    In fact, Grand Duke-ss demons were not considered exterminated even if their human forms were defeated. There were exceptions, but very few.

    Most Grand Duke ss demons achieved their true form by cutting off the head of their human form.

    That was one reason why Shin had targeted Scoruas¡¯ arm.

    Before the party now stood the two demons in their true forms.

    ¡°Hey hey, I wasn¡¯t expecting this. Where are we anyway?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Our target is still here with us.¡±

    Without paying the slightest attention to Hermie¡¯s entourage leaving the scene, Adara and Scoruas looked down at Tiera.

    Adara¡¯s transformation was a giant human-like figure. It was a type also called ¡°War God¡±: its appearance was human-like but it had 4 arms and 2 faces. It was roughly 25 mels tall and wore armor resembling a Chinese general of old. It wielded two long swords, a battleaxe and a mallet.

    As it resembled a human in appearance, it was also rtively easier to think of a way to fight it.

    On the other hand, Scoruas was more difficult. It was a Chimera-type, which made it difficult to imagine what it was originally.

    Its face was sharp and angr, as if crustacean shells formed an eel-like head. On both sides of the head there also were horn-like objects pointing forward.

    Its upper body was human-like and covered in scales, just like Magnamuc; from where his right arm would be sprouted three octopus-like tentacles, while in ce of the left arm he was equipped with two crab-like pincers.

    The lower body seemed like a mixture between a horse and a tiger¡¯s. It would take some effort, but by imagining the front part as the horse¡¯s and the back part as the tiger¡¯s, it could almost look like a nightmarish centaur. Counting the horse and tiger limbs, it had 6 legs in all.

    ¡°Yuzuha, I leave Tiera to you. Tiera, stay close to Yuzuha and assist us. They will probably target you, so put enough distance between you and them. And equip this!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°U-understood!¡±

    While giving directions, Shin threw a defensive item at Tiera. Among all present, Tiera was the only one at danger of instant death.

    ¡°This is getting pretty fun!! Shin, who will deal with who?¡±

    Excited at the appearance of such strong opponents, Milt had already put away the twin swords ¡ºMirbal¡» and drawn her main weapon, a low rank Ancient-grade poleaxe ¡ºBreogand¡», with its de wrapped in pale blue mes.

    Just its handle was as long as Milt was tall; at first nce, no one would think that it was a weapon she could wield.

    Shin knew, however, that all yers who underestimated her that way had been split in two.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­Scoruas is probably a raid type. Schnee, Kagerou and I will deal with him. Filma, Shibaid, Wilhelm, Milt, go get Adara. Tiera, Yuzuha, prioritize evasion and give us assistance. The enemy¡¯s strong, never let your guard down!¡±

    As if in unison with Shin¡¯smands, the sounds of Scoruas and Adara¡¯s approaching footsteps grew louder. The teleportation had put some distance between them, but for the two giants it was a trivial problem. Shin and Schnee used stat boost skills on the whole party, which then split into two teams.

    ¡°First of all, we¡¯ll separate them! Kagerou, stand in front!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    If they were close, the two enemies could have helped each other. Shin tried to stop that as first priority.

    Standing behind Kagerou, who had returned to his original form, Shin hid from Scoruas¡¯ sight and released all ¡¾Limit¡¿.

    At the same time as he ran behind Kagerou, Shin cast ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to conceal himself and charged towards Scoruas at maximum speed.

    ¡°Time to fly!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s unforeseen full-power kick struck Scoruas¡¯ human-like part, in what would correspond to the pit of the stomach.

    Barehanded and windbination skill ¡¾Raging Arrow¡¿.

    The mercilessly delivered kick was something beyond this world¡¯s nature.

    Along with the sound of the thunder, the 25 mels tall giant was sted high in the air.

    After a few seconds Scoruas crashed back down into the ground, creating a small crater and raising arge cloud of dust.

    The total distance the demon flew before crashing down was easily over 800 mels.

    The part kicked by Shin showed an abnormal wound; it wasn¡¯t clear if it had been struck or gouged.

    The attack¡¯s power was so impressive that even Adara, who had not been affected, stopped in his tracks. At the same time, the copsed Scoruas was still under attack.

    ¡°¡­¡­fall.¡±

    A clear voice resounded through the battlefield. Following it, blue lightning bolts poured down from the sky.

    Lightning magic skill ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿.

    The storm of lightning strikes which had burned to ashes the swarm of monsters that attacked Balmel, without a shred of pity, doused Scoruas¡¯ entire body in mes.

    In the game this magic skill couldn¡¯t be used in boss battles, but probably because his appearance seemed to be formed mostly by water-element monsters, Shin saw Scoruas¡¯ HP gauge decrease significantly.

    They had already caused damage for 10% of the total, in just 2 blows.

    Scoruas was a Raid-type monster. Originally he would be fought by several parties at once, each one shaving his HP little by little. Considering that, this damage was almost unreal.

    ¡°Let¡¯s crush him right away and go assist the others.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Gruaah!¡±

    The High Human Shin, High Elf Schnee, and divine beast Kagerou headed towards Scoruas.

    The difference in fighting power was crystal clear. Thus started the hunt for the Grand Duke.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 7: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Phew! Shin sure showed him who¡¯s boss! But we won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    Milt spoke while looking at Shin¡¯s entourage running off in the distance. She couldn¡¯t helpughing after witnessing the brutal feat of a Raid boss being kicked in the air.

    ¡°That was one hell of a first move. Let¡¯s take this guy down before they finish the other off. No holding back!¡±

    Holding ¡ºVakira¡» with one hand, Wilhelm released his inner power. As his other self had said, he understood how to control or release his power, without the need to be taught how.

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s heartbeat grew stronger and louder. An aura started flowing out of his body, dragon-like scales surfaced on his chest. His left pupil split vertically, while de-like translucent horns grew on his head.

    The aura, the scales, and the horns were all colored deep red.

    ¡°Fwooooh¡­.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really interesting, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    In this world, Wilhelm¡¯s new appearance was nothing but abnormal, but Milt simply smiled, enjoying the show.

    Looking at Milt and Wilhelm, who had not lost their will to fight after seeing Adara¡¯s true form, but instead be more enthusiastic, Shibaid and Filma smiled too.

    ¡°Hmm, the morale¡¯s pretty high.¡±

    ¡°Of course, after seeing something like that¡­it¡¯s been awhile since I faced something this big, I¡¯m going to get serious too, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, you hear?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. There¡¯s a clear difference in ability between us and the monster, after all.¡±

    Their tone was casual, but their expressions were as serious as they could be.

    A Grand Duke-ss demon would normally be faced by several yers together; the frontline with STR and VIT over 700, the rear guard with INT over 700.

    No matter how well-equipped the party may be, it was not an opponent 4 frontlinebatants, 1 assist unit and a beast could normally handle.

    ¡°I will attract the enemy¡¯s attention! Attack at will!!¡±

    ¡°Now this brings back memories!¡±

    ¡°The shield role is yours!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going down!!¡±

    In response to Shibaid¡¯s call, Filma, Wilhelm and Milt rushed towards Adara. A hastily formed party wouldn¡¯t make cooperated y possible. For that very reason, Shibaid decided to leave the decision to each member¡¯s prior battle experiences.

    ¡°Impressive that you think you can match me with so few numbers. I could rout you here and now, but unfortunately I have no time to waste with the likes of you.¡±

    While deftly parrying Milt¡¯s ¡ºBreogand¡», Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», and Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡» with his long sword, Adara kept his eyes on Tiera.

    Their opponent was a giant over 20 mels tall. If he proceeded ignoring them, Shibaid¡¯s party, which was less than 10% his size, couldn¡¯t stop him easily.

    ¡°What you want to do matters not at all. Your center of attention will be me..¡±

    Holding ¡ºcid Moon¡»in his right hand and ¡ºGreat Shield of Collision¡»in his left, and also equipped with his original Dragon gear set, Shibaid stood between Adara and Tiera and used the Taunt skill ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿.

    ¡°What are you looking at!!¡±

    ¡°Hngh, I¡¯m being dragged¡­! So you chose to face me from the front? Interesting!!¡±

    Adara was forced to change the target of his sights from Tiera to Shibaid.

    Different from ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿and its wide area of effect, ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿targeted only one monster, making the user the target of all of its actions.

    It affected physical and magical attacks, sight, and ¡°hate*¡±, making it a necessary skill to have for shield-role yers when fighting bosses such as Adara. (T/N: I think this refers to ¡°aggro¡±)

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to praise you if you can withstand this!!¡±

    The battle axe and mallet swung down towards Shibaid. The weapons themselves wererger than Shibaid himself, their mass more than double his.

    Facing a blow that would definitely rend the earth, Shibaid simply readied his great shield in a stance, without moving an inch.

    ¡°May the duel begin!!¡±

    An instant before receiving the attack, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿. An emerald-green lightpletely enveloped Shibaid¡¯s body, which was then struck squarely by Adara¡¯s attack.

    A shock reverberated in the surroundings, shaking the ground around them and even creating a depression; shockwaves from the attack were released in all directions.

    However, Shibaid stood unharmed and the ground crushed under his feet.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    The surprise came from Adara. The battle axe meant to sweep off his enemy¡¯s torso, the mallet meant to crush his enemy to a pulp simply touched Shibaid and would not budge.

    The mallet appeared to be stopped by the shield, the battle axe by the armor; but looking closer, it became clear that they had both been stopped by the emerald light, and did not even brush against Shibaid¡¯s equipment.

    ¡°NGWAAAHHH!!!¡±

    With a chilling war shout, Shibaid moved one step forward and swung his shield. That simple motion was enough to knock away both Adara¡¯s battle axe and mallet.

    ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿too was an indispensable skill for a shield role.

    It allowed the user to nullify all damage from any attack and inflict knockback that forced the attacker to retreat temporarily.

    It was effective for 10 seconds the first time it was used in a battle; after that, its duration and cooldown time depended on the damage that the blocked attack would have inflicted.

    It was more effective the stronger the opponent was, and conversely less effective against weaker opponents. It was a perfect skill for boss battles.

    ¡°He¡¯s open! Charge!¡±

    Milt and Wilhelm attacked Adara, who had lost his bnce because of ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿.

    Filma, thanks to her long-standing rtionship with Shibaid, went closer to Adara, avoiding the range of his attack, as soon as she saw Shibaid hold up his shield.

    ¡°We might be small, but you¡¯ll pay for underestimating us so much!¡±

    An arc-like swing from below by ¡ºRed Moon¡». The deep crimson sh left a clear slice wound on the left leg of the demon Adara, who was still reeling backwards.

    From the sh wound on the demon¡¯s leg spilled out thick, mud-like blood. From the wound, crack-like effects spread all over the leg.

    The Sword-type martial skill ¡¾Bloody Torment¡¿.

    Not only is its attack power high, it also slows the target¡¯s movements and actions.

    Adara, with one leg nearly paralyzed, saw his stance copse even more.

    Milt and Wilhelm wouldn¡¯t let such a chance pass by.

    ¡°aasssh Nooovaaaaa!!!¡±

    Milt swung ¡ºBreogand¡» down on Adara¡¯s leg, aiming at the wound Filma had just created.

    The skill she used was the Axe-type martial skill ¡¾sh Nova¡¿.

    It was a skill which made use of centrifugal force to focus on dealing damage only, without additional effects.

    Also thanks to the cut that Filma had opened on Adara¡¯s leg, ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s giant de destroyed the part of the leg guard it hit; the wound couldn¡¯t be ignored anymore.

    ¡°EAT THIIIISSS!!¡±

    And then, with perfect timing, Wilhelm jumped in.

    ¡ºVakira¡», wrapped in the Spear and Lightningbination skill ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿, went to stab the base of Adara¡¯s arm, the one wielding the long sword.

    This attack, aiming at a spot not covered by Adara¡¯s armor, easily pierced his defenses, allowing ¡ºVakira¡»to unleash its abilities to the fullest.

    ¡°Kh, again!?¡±

    A blow from ¡ºVakira¡», a weapon demons have terrible affinity against, damaged Adara and at the same time greatly lowered his attack and defense stats.

    It also exponentially increased Wilhelm¡¯s stats.

    Of course, normally¡ºVakira¡» doesn¡¯t have impressive attack power. It might be a weapon specialized towards demons, but its wielder was still just one person. If a boss that had to be defeated by several parties together could be crushed by less than one full party, the game would lose meaning.

    ¡°WOOOOOOHHHH!!!¡±

    Deep crimson lightning bolts swirl around ¡ºVakira¡». It looked like a giant beast¡¯s jaw.

    The crackling sound of thunder sounded like a bestial roar, bent on ripping off the demon¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Gwoooooohhh!!! Don¡¯t¡­.get¡­.cockyyyyy!!!!!¡±

    Adara had beenpletely on the defensive until now, but he was still a Grand Duke.

    His primal roar, loud enough to silence ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿¡¯s crackling, spread through the surroundings together with a physical shock.

    The beast¡¯s howl caused its 3 attackers¡¯ danger detection abilities to sound the highest alert.

    A pitch ck aura emerged from Adara¡¯s body, turning him straight back on his feet against allws of gravity.

    ¡°I¡¯LL CRUSH YOUUUUUUUU!!!!¡±

    What followed was a crushing attack by the demon¡¯s 4 weapons simultaneously. The attack¡¯s power was clearly much higher than before; Adara aimed to strike its 4 opponents at the same time.

    However, all attacks focused on Shibaid because of the effects of ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿.

    4 attacks that would each rend the earth and create fissures lunged at Shibaid.

    ¡°I will not let you!¡±

    Tiera, who had been looking for an opening in the demon¡¯s defenses, judged it the best time to shoot her bow.

    She was holding the ¡ºSpirit Tree Resonance¡»bow, a weapon that manifested its full powers when wielded by specified Jobs.

    The flying arrows sparkled with the lightning strikes they carried. Shot after a brief pause, Tiera¡¯s arrows pierced the battlefield. They were faster and stronger than the one she had shot at Balmel.

    Tiera had shot three arrows. Adara had employed all of his weapons to attack; also because of the arrows¡¯ speed, he could not defend himself against Tiera¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Gwaaaahhh!!¡±

    The arrows turned into streaks of light and struck Adara¡¯s head, exactly as targeted. One of the three pierced Adara¡¯s right eye, causing a burning silver-colored sh to pour out from the wound.

    ¡°Ghaah! As I thought, you are¡­!!!¡±

    Because of Tiera¡¯s attack, one of the long swords Adara was holding stopped its assault towards Shibaid, as if it had lost all its power.

    Then, as if his arm had been paralyzed, the sword fell from Adara¡¯s hand and nted itself into the ground.

    ¡°Hmm? What is this power?¡±

    Shibaid knew well how strong a Grand Duke-ss demon was, making what was happening before his eyes all the more unnatural.

    Even if Tiera¡¯s attack caused status abnormalities, it was too early for its effect to appear, and its power was too high.

    Shibaid¡¯s calm assessment of the whole situation made him notice this abnormality right away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going too!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s attack and Adara¡¯s slower reaction, Filma and Milt caught up. Milt stopped the long sword while Filma blocked the battle axe.

    Both their weapons were heavy types. Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, they drew arcs in the air.

    ¡°Superior Dunk!!¡±

    ¡°Impact sh!!¡±

    Among sword and axe skills, these two martial skills prioritized concussion over shing power. The skills ripped through Adara¡¯s arm and knocked his attack out of trajectory.

    The remaining mallet strikended, but Shibaid¡¯s shield withstood the impact without a flinch.

    ¡°What¡­? It¡¯s too light.¡±

    The power was definitely there; Shibaid could also clearly feel the vibrationsing from his shield, and the pressure he felt was definitely a high-ranked demon¡¯s. However, thanks to his rich experience in battling monsters, he could feel that there was arge gap between the crushing sense of intimidation Adara emitted and his actual fighting power.

    Monsters dubbed ¡°Solo-type¡± were indeed monsters one could defeat individually. Such a name, when applied to bosses, sometimes gave the false impression that they weren¡¯t really strong.

    But that was just a misunderstanding caused by this title.

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± raid bosses were loosely ranked by difficulty level.

    The ranks were 5 in total: bosses that low-level and mid-level yers could handle were rank 1.

    Bosses that a party of high-level yers had a 70% chance of defeating were rank 2.

    Bosses that even several parties of well-equipped high-level yers had but a 30% chance of defeating were rank 3.

    Bosses that parties of high-level yers with exceptionally high stats could face, but would never be sure of defeating were rank 4.

    Lastly, monsters of nearly invincible strength, or rather set by the creators as ¡°Fight me if you dare¡± bosses were rank 5.

    ¡°Grand Duke ss demons should be at least rank 3.¡±

    Shibaid whispered to himself.

    Rank 3 monsters were the greatest quarry a single yer could defeat. Because of this status, rank 3 monsters were also called ¡°Solo-type¡±.

    Not even Shin, in the game era, could say with confidence that he could defeat a rank 4 on his own. In the case of rank 5, luck was heavily involved too.

    Most Grand Duke ss creatures were rampaging monsters of terrible strength in the game era as well. It was not rare for them to be rank 4, with some rare examples going as far as rank 5.

    Even if they were rank 3, it absolutely did not mean that they would be weak opponents.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suck up that miasma!¡±

    Ignoring Shibaid¡¯s doubts, the battle¡¯s situation changed.

    Wilhelm, who had not participated in the defense against Adara¡¯stest assault, took advantage of the opening after Adara¡¯s attack and jumped in close to the demon.

    His ¡ºVakira¡»struck without hesitation, almost as if he was aware of Adara¡¯s poor condition.

    The greatest reason for Adara¡¯s weakness was indeed ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s presence.

    ¡ºBeinot¡»had changed into ¡ºVakira¡»because of Adara¡¯s miasma. Because of this, it had especially good affinity with the demon¡¯s miasma.

    Its miasma capacity, conversion rate, and absorption rate were much higher than normal when facing Adara.

    These values were more than double or triple the original stats.

    ¡°Show me all your poweeerrrr!!!!¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡» was enveloped in a burning red color, brought forth by Wilhelm¡¯s willpower.

    The fiery iron-melting mes turned ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s tip red hot.

    Spear and mebination skill¡¾Crimson Lotus Fang¡¿.

    Armor had no meaning before this blow. ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s de easily melted the demon¡¯s defensive gear, delivering its burning heat through it.

    The demon¡¯s weakening, induced by the miasma absorption, proceeded alongside Wilhelm¡¯s power-up.

    The power-up Wilhelm was receiving was far higher than he expected, but he did not falter.

    He knew. He understood what ¡ºVakira¡»was causing and why the others¡¯ power was overflowing as well.

    The words of someone not present at the moment reached Wilhelm¡¯s ears.

    ¡°RRAAAHHHHH!!!¡±

    Wilhelm grabbed ¡ºVakira¡»as it stabbed the demon¡¯s body and forcefully performed a sweep.

    Wilhelm¡¯s reinforced muscr strength allowed him to force ¡ºVakira¡», while wedged in the demon¡¯s arm, to execute an arc-like motion, thus driving its heat further and shing half of the arm.

    The heat caused the blood to evaporate, as ¡ºVakira¡»continued to devour Adara¡¯s miasma.

    Every time the spear pierced Adara¡¯s armor and body his abilities decreased, while Wilhelm¡¯s increased further.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a weapon made to fight demons, is it normal for it to be this effective? Do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°The¡ºVakira¡»I know doesn¡¯t have this kind of insane ability.¡±

    Filma and Milt too, who had directly crossed des with the demon, noticed how Adara was clearly bing weaker.

    Judging from how the battle was going, they realized that the cause was Wilhelm¡¯s weapon, but they couldn¡¯t help wondering why the weakening and power-up it was causing were much more impressive than what they remembered.

    ¡°Well, we can always ask after we¡¯ve taken him down.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry up Shin and the others wille back too. They left this to us, we better do a good job!¡±

    Even if they had doubts about the situation, there was no time to slow down their attacks.

    Even weakened, the giant demon¡¯s mass and muscr strength were a menace just by themselves.

    They couldn¡¯t let down their guard until they hadpletely defeated him.

    They could see Adara¡¯s HP gauge through¡¾Analyze¡¿. Around 50% remained.

    One arm had be powerless because of Tiera¡¯s attack, while another had been deeply cut by Wilhelm.

    They were both right arms, thus leaving the demon¡¯s 2 left arms as the only ones usable.

    If Adara tried to change location, Tiera¡¯s arrows and Shibaid¡¯s shield would stop his progress.

    With no way to go, and his attacks forcefully directed towards Shibaid, it was obvious that he couldn¡¯t defend himself at the same time.

    Taking advantage of these openings, Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», and Milt¡¯s ¡ºBreogand¡»mercilessly beat Adara¡¯s whole body.

    Filma, who had improved her abilities and stats by fighting alongside Shin. Milt, who had made her name famous as battle maniac. Wilhelm, who had gained his true power as a ¡®Critical¡¯.

    Their attacks caused Adara¡¯s HP to decrease faster and faster.

    In addition to their attacks, Tiera¡¯s arrows (boosted by Yuzuha¡¯s support) continued to pierce the demon.

    Every time the arrows hit, Adara¡¯s body was bathed in silver light.

    In the same way as Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», every time a silver sh burst the demon would lose his power.

    ¡°Gah¡­kuuh¡­agh¡­¡±

    Adara, overwhelmed by the damage sustained, fell down to one knee. Wilhelm, his bodypletely enveloped with aura, jumped the highest he could and brought down his weapon.

    ¡°HURRY UP AND DIE ALREADY!!!!¡±

    Adara was already covered in wounds. There was not enough strength in him to block Wilhelm¡¯s full-power attack.

    Wilhelm threw ¡ºVakira¡», now morphed into a crimson sh, towards the demon.

    The spear shattered his forehead guard, tore his flesh, and crushed his bones, pulverizing Adara¡¯s head from the mouth upwards.

    Filma and the others could see that the demon¡¯s HP gauge had reached zero.

    Yet Adara did not fall. Even with his head lost, the remaining mouth still moved.

    ¡°So¡­It¡­ends¡­heeeeeere¡­for meeeeeh¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    A second after Milt and Wilhelm expressed their disbelief, Adara¡¯s body copsed.

    Not only his body, but his gear too gradually turned into a thick goo-like liquid. Milt and Wilhelm stopped in their tracks.

    ¡°Buuut¡­juuuust disaaaappeeeearing liiiike thiiiissss¡­iiiiisn¡¯t likeeeee meeeeeeh¡­¡±

    Shibaid and Filma reacted instantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s noooot ffffuuunnnnn!!!!¡±

    At the same time of Adara¡¯s scream, his now liquid body lunged towards Tiera.

    It was the demon¡¯sst resort; while moving, his body was slowly disappearing from the edges.

    But beforepletely disappearing, it wanted to swallow Tiera and take her with him.

    ¡°No, Yuzuha! Leave me and run!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Tiera realized that she was the target and urged Yuzuha to flee.

    In response, as if refusing Tiera¡¯s request, Yuzuha focused more power in her four limbs and cried.

    ¡°It¡¯s still a bit too early to give up!¡±

    As Tiera and Yuzuha were talking, Filma and Shibaid reached them.

    Shibaid stood between what had be of Adara and Tiera, while Filma took a stance behind him, thrusting ¡ºRed Moon¡»towards the sky.

    ¡°You shall not pass!¡±

    With a bold shout, Shibaid firmly nted his ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»into the ground.

    At the same time, the air before Shibaid trembled. A transparent, hexagonal barrier formed as to separate the space between Adara and Shibaid.

    It was one of the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»¡¯s abilities, the creation of attack-repelling barriers.

    It was originally an ability intended as anti-air, but it was sufficiently useful against Adara¡¯s straight rush.

    ¡°It won¡¯tst long!¡±

    ¡°I just need 5 seconds!¡±

    Judging from the liquid nature of the monster, it was only a matter of time before it crossed over the barrier.

    Filma answered Shibaid while focusing her magic power in her de.

    ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s de, held up high towards the heavens, started shining with a deep red light, which seemed to rise higher and higher.

    ¡°Orrahhh!!¡±

    Trying to stop the advance of the thing which Adara had be, Wilhelm performed a long-range skill. A lightning re and raging mes struck the demon and managed to slow his progress for a few moments.

    ¡°Milt, Wilhelm, get away from there!! You¡¯ll burn up too!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s a huge one! You get away too!¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Milt caught on what Filma was about to do from Shibaid¡¯s shout and urged Wilhelm to move too.

    Perceiving the magic power umting within ¡ºRed Moon¡», Wilhelm clicked his tongue but made use of his boosted physical abilities to the fullest and distanced himself.

    ¡°Now!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!!¡±

    After Filma¡¯s signal, Shibaid dispelled his attack-repelling barrier. Like a flood no longer blocked by a dam, the turbid stream Adara had turned into grew closer.

    ¡°This is the end!!¡±

    As if exchanging ces with Shibaid, Filma stepped forward and swung down her¡ºRed Moon¡».

    Deep red streaks of light seared the earth, as if tracing the shing motion.

    Sword and Firebination skill ¡¾Shiden* ¨C Kagutsuchi¡¿. (T/N: Shiden means Ultimate, remember when Girard used Zekka in his final duel against Shin? That¡¯s a Shiden-ranked skill)

    This skill, christened with the name of the mythological god of fire, unleashed heat worthy of its godly origins.

    The ground under the turbid stream rose up in mes.

    From the spot¡ºRed Moon¡» had been swung, the light disappeared for an instant, but in the next instant roaring mes scorched the earth, with speed higher than the pitch ck stream¡¯s advance. The moment the light soaring in the sky had wrapped the ck goo within itself, it had turned into hellfire.

    ¡°Aaah!!¡±

    Even if she was at a fair distance from the attack and Shibaid was shielding her, Tiera couldn¡¯t help but yell.

    Her skin had not been burnt by the heat. Nor had she been blinded by the light.

    But she couldn¡¯t restrain her voice after feeling the sheer intimidation contained in that attack.

    ¡°So this is the strength of a High Human¡¯s follower¡­damn near unbelievable power¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a skill thatbines sword and me techniques. You can¡¯t use it without a specificbination of user and weapon¡­both of them must be of the highest grade.¡±

    Watching the torpid stream engulfed by the mes, Milt answered Wilhelm¡¯sment.

    The game¡¯s exclusive special effects were a sight to behold too, but the scenery before Milt¡¯s eyes now was something more divine and much more powerful.

    A holy me purifying corruption. That was what it suggested to the imagination.

    After the light grew dim, only the torn ground and a mineral emitting a red brilliance remained.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 7: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 7: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Just what¡­power is that¡­?¡±

    Scoruas, still reeling from the kick he had received, whispered his astonishment while pulling up his body, scorched by lightning and mes.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering too. Do you know anything?¡±

    While perceiving the energy from the other battle, Shin answered to Scoruas¡¯ mumbled words.

    As the lightning stopped, Shin kicked the ground and closed in on the demon.

    His right hand wielded ¡ºMoonless¡», the left one the newly unsheathed ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡». Its grade was superior ancient, simr to ¡ºMoonless¡». In this world, it was a masterpiece among katanas, regarded as a ¡°sword of the gods¡±.

    ¡°ThiSs poWeErr¡­are yOu rEeAlly hUmaN?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? In any case, you¡¯re going to die here, so you¡¯re fine not knowing, right?¡±

    Shin answered Scoruas while cutting through the octopus tentacles that stretched towards him.

    The tentacles were hard enough that Legend-grade weapons would simply bounce off them, but, before Ancient-grade weapons, they were as helpless as regr octopus tentacles.

    With ¡¾Limit¡¿ released, Shin¡¯s muscr strength was unbound, which, coupled with the des¡¯ sharpness, sliced through the tentacles like a hot knife through butter.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a little bonus too.¡±

    After shing 3 of the tentacles in half, Shin activated the me and Windbination skill¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿.

    What appeared was a ball of fire with a 1 mel diameter.

    The balls of fire quickly became 10, then 20, then rained on Scoruas¡¯ face.

    ¡°GwAAh?? nOT onLy pOweR, bUt MagIC toOo!? ¡±

    Scoruas tried to parry the fireballs with his pincer-like arms.

    The fireballs exploded as soon as they touched the pincers, thus inflicting damage to the monster¡¯s shell. Thepressed air within the fireballs was also carried by the st, sending its vibrations to the enemy¡¯s shell.

    As the directed sound waves hit the shell, they gradually caused cracks to appear on its sturdy surface.

    ¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿was a skill that caused damage both by sound waves and explosions, useful for damaging a monsters¡¯ hard skin and armor.

    The endless flood of fireballs crushed Scoruas¡¯ pincers and scales, which were starting to fall off.

    Continuous casting of this skill was a feat that not even several magicians could perform, even when taking turns casting.

    It only became possible when one managed to cast it without chanting, possessed enough magical power, and high enough stats.

    ¡°As expected of a Grand Duke, you¡¯re pretty sturdy.¡±

    This fierce attack would have turned a normal field boss to ashes, but Scoruas¡¯ HP had barely decreased.

    Protecting himself with his pincers helped too, although Scoruas¡¯ defensive power was originally very high.

    With his previous kick, Shin had nned to crush the demon¡¯s organs. However, Scoruas¡¯ stomach was now only slightly dented and had already recovered to the point that it couldn¡¯t be said to have been sunk in.

    Shin¡¯s main priority had been to create distance between the two demons, but to withstand an overlimit kick showed that Scoruas¡¯ defenses were quite impressive.

    ¡°The scales form ayered armor, I see.¡±

    Shin formed his guess while looking at the scales still falling from the demon¡¯s body. New scales were created where fallen ones used to be, hiding the demon¡¯s skin from sight.

    ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t just lock you down.¡±

    The newly formed tentacles knocked down ¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿before Shin¡¯s eyes.

    The 3 tentacles, huge inparison to the demon¡¯s body, moved all around and hit all the fireballs, barely missing any.

    The few fireballs left were blocked by the pincers.

    The recovery ability probably extended to the whole body, as the demon¡¯s lower body also began to move again.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    Shin, while keeping the magical skill active, rushed towards the horse legs that were trying to move.

    The trunk-like legs were nothing more than a target for Shin. He closed in and swung his swords down, attempting to cut them off in one fell swoop.

    The legs, however, noticed the sudden change before Shin could get close enough.

    Octopus-like tentacles began sprouting from the horse legs¡¯ surface.

    Every tentacle was roughly 15 mels long and as thick as a big rope. The tips were armed with knife-like shells, but the most notable thing was their massive numbers. The octopus leg-like appendages, easily numbering over 100, chased after Shin just like tentacles hunting their prey.

    ¡°Quit sprouting bizarre stuff!¡±

    ¡°dO noT thINk I wIlL juSt SIT BaCK aNd do NOThINg!!¡±

    Shin put some distance between him and the demon, all the while cutting down tentacles. After roughly 10 mels, the tentacles stopped their pursuit.

    In their ce, huge tentacles came crashing down on Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Shin swung¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡»in a cross, which was enough to blow away 3 tentacles sprouting from Scoruas¡¯ right arm.

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    The left arm¡¯s pincer came on the offensive as well. It was not impossible to sh it, but if he remained in ce he would have been thrown back.

    As Shin jumped to dodge it, he felt a stronger gaze pointed towards him.

    Shin faced upwards and found Scoruas, with his mouth wide open and pointed at Shin. Arge amount ofpressed water was already present inside the mouth.

    ¡°Kaaahhhhh¡­.¡±

    It was highly pressurized water breath ¨C a wide range attack sea-dwelling monsters excelled at.

    But it could not be unleashed.

    ¡°GRUAAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    Kagerou had circled around the demon, jumped on its back and sank his ws on Scoruas¡¯ head.

    Returning to his original form, Kagerou had jumped while using¡¾Hiding¡¿, attacking Scoruas from his blind spot.

    After Shin had kicked Scoruas away, Kagerou had hid on Shin¡¯s shadow.

    Streams of water burst through the gaps of the demon¡¯s closed mouth. By forcing Scoruas¡¯ mouth to close just before the shot, the breath attack was unleashed within the demon¡¯s mouth.

    The leaked waterstreams cracked open whatever ground they touched, proof that the attack¡¯s power was not to be underestimated.

    ¡°YoU FiLThy BeASt..!!!¡±

    Scoruas was now rampaging, trying to shake Kagerou off his back. He tried to reach around his back with his tentacles, but Kagerou had enveloped his whole body in lightning, thus burning the tentacles and preventing them from wrapping around him.

    Scoruas was a rank 3 boss, but close to rank 4.

    Inparison, the Gruefago -the ordinary monster version- was roughly in the middle of rank 3.

    Kagerou, however, was a mutated species, and his rank was more or less the same as Scoruas¡¯.

    His physical abilities were more than enough to cause damage to the demon.

    ¡°GHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Kagerou, his battle instincts nowpletely released, unleashed a roar that boomed throughout the surroundings. His lightning-d blow easily crushed Scoruas¡¯ scales and sank into the demon¡¯s flesh.

    The divine beast then attacked the pincers¡¯ base with his fangs, causing cracks to open on the monster¡¯s carapace with a loud creaking sound.

    ¡°Kagerou! Get away!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice resounded through the battlefield.

    Scoruas was freed from Kagerou¡¯s attacks, but his relief was short-lived; secondster, the demon was once again under attack.

    Just as his attention was drawn to his back, crescent-moon-shaped des of ice targeted him from the front. The des were thin and almost invisible to the naked eye.

    The des were roughly 1 mel long: if they could be caught, they looked extremely fragile.

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Scoruas tried to crush them with his tentacles, but felt that each de was imbued with magical power; he then quickly jumped away while using his shell-d left arm as a shield.

    ¡°My arM¡­is FReeZiNG¡­¡±

    The ice des did not cause much damage. Yet each spot they touched froze instantly, in a 2 mel radius.

    The chilling air affected not only the surface, but also deep within the carapace, robbing Scoruas of his mobility.

    ¡°I apologize for beingte.¡±

    ¡°We were all waiting for you.¡±

    Because of his physical abilities, Shin always struck first. In this situation, separating the two demons was of the utmost priority, so it was not a real problem.

    ¡°It looks like they are struggling less than expected. They might really defeat the enemy before we join them¡±

    ¡°Fantastic news. That Adara demon wasn¡¯t that strong, then?¡±

    ¡°It appears that Wilhelm¡¯s spear and Tiera¡¯s arrows had a greater effect than expected. They were much more powerful than I expect them to be.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s intriguing. We¡¯ll have to ask them after we take care of this one.¡±

    Shin and Schnee drew closer to Scoruas, all the while conversing in a perfectly usual manner.

    ¡°The tentacles always get in the way. It¡¯ll be easier to use this too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow it, then.¡±

    Shin passed a card to Schnee, who materialized it.

    What appeared in her left hand was a short sword with a transparent emerald-green de and dainty decorations. The de part was roughly 60 cemels long.

    The name of this superior Ancient-ss weapon was ¡ºSuirentou ¨C Kabutohana¡».

    ¡°Here Ie.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s silhouette vanished in thin air. Moving quickly and gracefully as if dancing, leaving after-images in one¡¯s wake was a Kunoichi¡¯s specialty. It was fruit of thebination of the movement-type martial skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿.

    While the tentacles unsessfully tried to halt her advance, Schnee carved Scoruas¡¯ front left leg with her des. The weapons she wielded were both of Ancient grade; the carapace¡¯s defense power was nothing before them.

    At the same time, she had activated the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Pomegranate Burst¡¿.

    Scoruas¡¯ front left leg, struck by a storm of blue and green shes, had already lost half of its functionality.

    ¡°It won¡¯t go like before this time!¡±

    Shin was running towards the demon¡¯s front right leg.

    His attack was straight from the front; ¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡»repeatedly unleashed cross-like shes.

    It was the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Brilliant Void Cross¡¿.

    The Light and Dark elemental des felled the tentacles and carved cross-shaped scars on the demon¡¯s body. Scoruas¡¯ front right leg lost all of its functions roughly at the same time that the left one was crushed by Schnee.

    ¡°ThIS iS¡­ABsUrD¡­hOw coUld I¡­¡±

    Because of the damage to the legs and Kagerou¡¯s lightning attack received from behind, Scoruas was now slumped forward. Before his eyes stood Shin and Schnee, both with weapons at the ready.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with abination attack.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The magical power focusing in their weapons caused even the atmosphere to emit a sharp, grinding sound.

    The concentration was so dense that all that Scoruas¡¯ pupils could register was a violet and blue shing light.

    ¡°ThIS lIGht iIIiiSS¡­!!!¡±

    Scoruas could not finish his sentence before the sh reached its target.

    Cooperation-exclusive skill ¡¾Decapitation Spark¡¿.

    It was a crushingly heavy sword sh,ing from a gigantic de-shaped energy, extending from ¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    What they had unleashed was a single sh. A single cleave that cut through the arms Scoruas had raised to defend himself, his harder-than-steel carapace andyers of scales, as if they were nothing.

    The de descended as mercilessly as a real guillotine.

    The skill, possessing power unimaginable in the game era, cut Scoruas¡¯ head off in one fell swoop.

    ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee readied their des before the skill ended.

    Their opponent was a Grand Duke; even if its HP had be 0, they doubted it would just die like that.

    Scoruas¡¯ gigantic body was run through by sword shes, which crossed in its center and divided the demon¡¯s body in 4 parts.

    It was defeated, without a shred of a doubt; after some time, the demon¡¯s body turned into particles and started disappearing.

    ¡°How could I lose so easily¡­? Just who are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°You only have your head left, but you can still talk? Well, there¡¯s no reason for me to tell you though.¡±

    Scoruas¡¯ sliced head had started speaking. It was a mystery where the voice came from, but its distorted tone had returned to a more human-like one.

    ¡°Someone who could subdue Schnee Raizar and a divine beast¡­haha, now I see, you are a hi¡ª¡±

    That was everything Scoruas managed to utter. It appeared he could not maintain his existence anymore; his head also turned into particles and disappeared.

    Items such as jewels and metals were the only things left where Scoruas¡¯ body had been.

    ¡°Demons drop items in this world?¡±

    ¡°The demon we defeated at the king¡¯s castle did not drop anything, though.¡±

    On closer inspection, the dropped gemstones were all Unique ss. The metals too were rare kinds, such as Orichalcum and Mithril.

    Shin assumed that the items the demon created within its body were expelled when the demon passed, thus appearing just as dropped items would.

    They did not seem tainted by the miasma, but to be sure Shin purified them before converting them into cards and storing them in the item box.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s rejoin the others.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they needed help after all.¡±

    Adara was nowhere to be seen. While Scoruas was disappearing they perceived arge quantity of magical power and turned around, to find a deep red sh of light rising in the distance, signaling the conclusion of the conflict.

    The effect suggested that ¡¾Kagutsuchi¡¿had been activated.

    The group of 3 quickly started on their way back and re-joined with Shibaid¡¯s entourage.

    ¡°You wrapped things up pretty quickly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line, honestly. I thought your party would have needed more time, Shin.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were answered by a disappointed-sounding Filma.

    Based on the monsters¡¯ shapes, Adara was much easier to fight than Scoruas. Thetter would take longer to fight because of his many unpredictable attack patterns. Scoruas was also slightly higher than Adara in terms of level of ability.

    If both groups stopped the enemy while continuously adding damage, normally Filma¡¯s group would have finished their opponent sooner.

    ¡°We had the chance to power up a little, you see. Let¡¯s talk moreter.¡±

    In order to regroup with Konig¡¯s entourage, which had gone a safe distance from the battlefield, Shin materialized the carriage from a card.

    A short while after the group¡¯s carriage departed, Konig¡¯s marker appeared on Shin¡¯s map.

    The ¡ºCloak of Hidden Threads¡»Konig was wearing was something Shin had lent him, so he would not be hidden from Shin¡¯s sight.

    Maybe because he had noticed the cloud of dust raised by the carriage headed in their direction, Konig had stopped moving.

    Shin left the reins and waved in Konig¡¯s direction, who unequipped his cloak.

    ¡°Apologies for the wait. We¡¯re going back to Balmel, so please get on board.¡±

    ¡°I have a mountain of things I¡¯d like to ask¡­but first I suppose I shall do so.¡±

    Konig was carrying Hermie on his back. She had regained consciousness, but her expression was still somber.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°I am fine, thank you. I humbly apologize for all the trouble I caused you.¡±

    ¡°No, we made some unexpected findings on our own, so please do not worry.¡±

    If Hermie and Wilhelm hadn¡¯t been kidnapped, Shin¡¯s party would not have rushed to their location. In that case, Scoruas¡¯ n could have been sessful.

    For Hermie and the worried Lilish it was an unfortunate turn of events, but Shin was d they could crush the demons¡¯ ns. Of course, he kept such an opinion to himself.

    ¡°We will depart right away.¡±

    The group nned to head towards Balmel, then travel by sea to a town close to Sigurd,stly reaching Sigurd with the carriage.

    Reasons for this route were also that the carriage alone would have taken too much time and Vizzy¡¯s dragons could not carry all of them.

    It would have been possible if they rode separately, but they were not in a rush like before, so Shin decided not to reveal to Konig that they can ride dragons.

    After they reached Balmel, Shin¡¯s party went directly to check the ship¡¯s timetable. They also had to stock up on food.

    Konig also left to send a message to the Church.

    Hermie, who was not feeling too well, stayed in the inn, with Wilhelm as her guard.

    ¡°I apologize to have you stay back for someone like me¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s brow furrowed after hearing such self-deprecating words. Hermie had spoken unusually belittling herself on the carriage as well.

    In the beginning he thought she felt down for having been kidnapped, but even so, her voice and expression were far too dark. It felt as if she was rejecting everything about herself.

    Wilhelm thought about what the reason could be.

    ¡°Did those bastards say something to you?¡±

    Scoruas, Adara, the Summit Faction members. Those were the possible answers.

    ¡°I am¡­.no, because of me, many people were sacrificed.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I seem to remember them saying something like that. But it¡¯s nothing for you to worry about, is it?¡±

    Wilhelm spoke lightly, as if it wasn¡¯t anything important enough to be burdened by.

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­!! All those people, they..¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save them either. Even Shin and the others didn¡¯t make it in time. Also, you can¡¯t fight. The moment they got caught by those bastards, it was obvious that they couldn¡¯t be saved. They were doing that stuff even before kidnapping you too.¡±

    Hermie couldn¡¯t possibly be the reason why they were sacrificed.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got enough free time to think nonsense like ¡°it was my fault¡± or whatever, think about what you can do from now on instead. There might be other people captured in that cave, after all.¡±

    ¡°Concerning that, Konig, who canmand the Church¡¯s knights, is contacting the Church. Once he knows the reason, His Holiness the Pope will surely authorize them to act¡­¡±

    Hermie answered Wilhelm¡¯s words. The destruction of one of the Summit Faction¡¯s bases was surely advantageous for the Church. There was no reason to hesitate.

    ¡°Is there anything I could do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. They call you Holy Woman, though. I don¡¯t know what you can or can¡¯t do, but if you just say something, there are plenty people who can achieve something better, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Holy¡­Woman¡­.am I really worthy of such a name¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­before we talk about who¡¯s worthy or not, I don¡¯t even know why they call you that.¡±

    Wilhelm knew that those called ¡°Holy Women¡± existed, but did not know why that was.

    Excluding Konig, among the current members the only ones that maybe knew were Schnee, Shibaid, and possibly Milt.

    In answer to Wilhelm¡¯s admission of not knowing the reason for that title, Hermie started talking in a feeble tone of voice.

    At first, people found her creepy. Someone from the Church heard rumors about her and came to pick her up, she learnt how her power can help others. With time, they started referring to her as Holy Woman.

    Hermie narrated her story, sometimes finding that the words died in her throat and wouldn¡¯te out.

    ¡°People treated you like a creep, and still you think about helping them, that¡¯s really something.¡±

    ¡°If I was asked why I did, it would be difficult to give a clear answer. Maybe¡­I wanted to prove that even someone like me can be useful to others.¡±

    ¡°And isn¡¯t that good enough? They call you Holy Woman because there are people that were saved by you, right?¡±

    ¡°Is what I did, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they call a question with no answer. Maybe even if you weren¡¯t there they would have gotten by somehow, or maybe an even worse tragedy would have happened. In the end, we can only do what we believe in.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words might have sounded banal, but they were the truth. To know all consequences one¡¯s actions could bring was something not even a Star Reader could do.

    ¡°Besides, a certain High Human said that even he can¡¯t save everyone. In other words, it¡¯s not possible even for a living legend. Just give up.¡±

    During their serious conversation, Wilhelm mentioned it as if there was nothing they could do.

    ¡°A certain High Human¡­?¡±

    ¡°Once I was trained by Schnee Raizar, see, and she told me so.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so. All the more reason to do our best, then.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if she had believed Wilhelm¡¯s words or not, but she showed a different smile from before.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. It¡¯s going to get busy now too. You better rest up while you can.¡±

    ¡°I will. You really are the person I was told about¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? You were told about? By whom?¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words provoked a clearly annoyed look by Wilhelm.

    ¡°Let us just say that children watch the people around them more than we think.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Wilhelm clicked his tongue, a grimace on his face. Seeing this, Hermie let out a chuckle.

    The group would now cross the sea towards Sigurd.

    To their ears then echoed a distant sneeze.

 Book 8: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin¡¯s shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head.

    Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well.

    ¡°Yourpanion does not seem to be feeling well.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s saying she¡¯s OK, though. It doesn¡¯t look like she has a fever either, so I¡¯ll just keep an eye on her for now.¡±

    Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm¡¯s care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel¡¯s Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd.

    Many of the ships leaving Balmel¡¯s port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est). Travel bynd would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city bynd.

    Using the dragons to travel by air was ast resort, so the party would not use them this time.

    ¡°So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?¡±

    At Schnee¡¯s question, Berett lowered his head apologetically.

    ¡°I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild¡¯s ships are all out. There is, however, one ship heading towards Est. It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships. What do you say?¡±

    It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people. A rtively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett¡¯s introduction the party would have been able to board it easily.

    ¡°Using Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s introduction or revealing our members¡¯ identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps.¡±

    An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status. Using Hermie¡¯s name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship. But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible.

    An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation.

    Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they nned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable.

    ¡°The ship¡¯s departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t have a lot of time to waste, so that¡¯s perfect.¡±

    ¡°I will contact youter about the current avable cabins.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer a private one. There are some members that wouldn¡¯t like their faces to be seen.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please wait a while.¡±

    Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper. He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company¡¯s logo and sealed it with wax.

    ¡°Please show this to the captain. I will let them know.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, and sorry for the trouble.¡±

    ¡°It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans. Do not worry.¡±

    Berett¡¯s smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure. There wasn¡¯t the single trace of malice within it.

    Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin¡¯s entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items. Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera¡¯s shadow.

    Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets¡¯ hustle and bustle.

    ¡°As expected of a town based on trade, there¡¯s so many people here. They also look pretty happy too, it¡¯s a relief to see.¡±

    ¡°A relief?¡±

    Filma¡¯s words caused Tiera¡¯s puzzled question. After a chuckle, Filma answered.

    ¡°I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters. At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic.¡±

    There was no sorrow in Filma¡¯s tone.

    ¡°As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then. But the present was born on the efforts of many people. Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect.¡±

    Shibaid, who was apanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild,mented with a smile.

    Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet.

    ¡°Yes, I feel that clearly. Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid. You¡¯ve be more perceptive, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, there¡¯s someone else with them. But I didn¡¯t do it for a particr reason. I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous.¡±

    ¡°And what would you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m speaking from past experience. Try to think about it and you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at herst question.

    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a troublemaker now. Well, I¡¯ve gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I¡¯ll admit.¡±

    Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him.

    ¡°Come on, both of you, that¡¯s enough. Since we¡¯re out in town and all, why don¡¯t we check out the stores?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. We have the list of what we need, so let¡¯s wrap that up quickly. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±

    Filma weed Tiera¡¯s proposal, while Shibaid gave a wryugh. He didn¡¯t want to fight either, after all.

    Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs.

    ¡°Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?¡±

    ¡°More or less. I¡¯ve been trained by master, after all. How about you, Filma?¡±

    ¡°I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste. So, the choice of the groceries is up to you.¡±

    Shibaid wasn¡¯t one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera.

    The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid.

    ¡°We really bought a huge amount¡­will you be all right?¡±

    Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying therge bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns.

    ¡°No need to worry, he¡¯s not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I will ce them in the item box as soon as we reach a ce without people around.¡±

    Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty.

    ¡°By the way, Tiera, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your reason for traveling with Shin?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I have been wondering that too. And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too.¡±

    Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera.

    ¡°Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to. Crowded ces are the best to talk about secrets.¡±

    In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what. Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around.

    ¡°Shin and Schnee are close to me, that¡¯s why I want to know.¡±

    Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin¡¯smand, was part of the entourage.

    Tiera understood that they didn¡¯t just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously.

    ¡°I understand. Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me.¡±

    Tiera than exined briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse.

    ¡°¡­.I see. It¡¯s true that the ¡°Cursed Gift¡± was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything.¡±

    ¡°Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn¡¯t?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of ¡¾Purification¡¿.

    ¡°I knew that Shin had learned it though. I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but thest part was done by Shin alone, so I don¡¯t know the details. It wasn¡¯t a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it. I think it¡¯s simr for the other people we know too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called ¡®Sacred ces¡¯. It was not something to spend effort to learn.¡±

    ¡°What can I say¡­it¡¯s incredible.¡±

    The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine.

    Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, understood Tiera¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise at the sudden question.

    ¡°I mean, you thought you wouldn¡¯t ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single exnation. I honestly doubt that you aren¡¯t the least bit interested in him, with all that happened.¡±

    Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t help pointing it out.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerated to call him ¡°a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair¡±, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, um¡­of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!¡±

    ¡°Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn¡¯t it? Elves don¡¯t seem to like that too much though. But do you really feel only gratitude for him?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­um¡­.¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t find the words to answer Filma¡¯s dead serious look. But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself.

    ¡°Filma. It¡¯s not proper to poke about in people¡¯s love affairs.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll stop now. But Tiera, let me say just one thing.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    Filma wasn¡¯t grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to make your feelings clear. If you do after you feel regret, it¡¯s toote.¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know this is none of my business.¡±

    ¡°¡­no, honestly speaking, I can¡¯t find the answer yet myself.¡±

    Tiera spoke with a small, wryugh.

    Filma was looking at her with a kind smile.

    (I wonder what Shin¡¯s answer will be, then.)

    That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°First, we¡¯ve secured a means of transport.¡±

    Shin¡¯s entourage, back from the Golden Company, exined to the others about the ship to Sigurd.

    Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening.

    ¡°When will we depart?¡±

    Konig asked.

    ¡°Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel. How were things on your end?¡±

    ¡°I contacted the Church. As I said before, they shoulde meet us at the town called Leshelle.¡±

    Konig nodded to Shin¡¯s inquiry.

    Most members of the grouping to meet them, however, would be heading to the ¡°Summit Faction¡± base.

    The group,posed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop. It was a strategy possible only because Shin¡¯s party had defeated the more powerful demons.

    ¡°Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You¡¯ll have to work hard volunteering for a while.¡±

    Milt¡¯sints were quickly shut down by Shin.

    Even if she had been manipted, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie. For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period. Starting, of course, from this base capture mission.

    ¡°Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let¡¯s go rest.¡±

    As no one had anything in particr to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms.

    The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie.

    The bright and cheerful Milt had be good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room. Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera¡¯s shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient.

    ¡°Anyway Yuzuha, you¡¯re still sick?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Monsters get sick too, huh. It¡¯s not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be¡­¡±

    Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right.

    Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin¡¯s eyes opened earlier than expected. The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm.

    ¡°I think this happened before¡­Yuzuha, is that you?¡±

    After confirming the situation with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him.

    She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form. But her appearance was not the ¡°small girl mode¡± Shin knew.

    She looked like she could be in her early teens. Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves. Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlighting in through the window.

    Her ears and tail were the same as before.

    ¡°Your feeling sick was because of this, then.¡±

    Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand,id a nket over her. As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­.where?¡±

    Staring at where Shin¡¯s arm used to be, Yuzuha¡¯s hands fumbled around in the now empty space. Maybe because she wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, she hadn¡¯t noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away.

    Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents.

    As she clumsily propped her body up, the nket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure.

    Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold. Shin picked up the fallen nket and wrapped Yuzuha with it.

    ¡°¡­.here.¡±

    Yuzuha didn¡¯t even nce at the nket; with a mumble, sheid her head on Shin¡¯sp and quickly slipped into slumber. Her expression was one of simple bliss.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going back to sleep!?¡±

    It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all. Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn¡¯t happen this time.

    Yuzuha¡¯s clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out.

    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on, first.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Your looks, I mean. Is it because your power returned?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m still not used to it, so this is my limit for now.¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too. Arge quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded.

    Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more.

    ¡°Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin¡¯s question.

    Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed. It was a perfect poker face.

    Shin checked Yuzuha¡¯s status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too. Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength.

    ¡°I guess we should let Schnee and the others know. Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin.

    After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat. He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid.

    Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell herter.

    ¡°Ooh, you really got stronger.¡±

    Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha¡¯s new level.

    ¡°I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually.¡±

    Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha¡¯s final form.

    ¡°Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset.¡±

    As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliablepanion she could be.

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s particrly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure.

    Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor. It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nheless.

    Shin was walking next to Wilhelm.

    ¡°Hermie seems to feel a little better, right.¡±

    ¡°So it seems. But why are you asking me?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now.¡±

    Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm¡¯s direction more often than before. It wasn¡¯t hard to think that something must have happened. Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection.

    ¡°We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Looking at her tells me something else, though.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Shin felt that it wouldn¡¯t be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic. They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship¡¯s sails.

    Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships.

    ¡°It¡¯s really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?¡±

    Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port.

    ¡°Thergest one, over there. I confirmed it yesterday, so there¡¯s no mistake.¡±

    Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships. It was clearlyrger than the others around it, looking like it could carry arge quantity of goods.

    ¡°It looks like there are people on board already. Shall we go too?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything else to do anyway, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question and started to walk towards the ship. As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers¡¯ check came up to them.

    It was arge, muscr man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second.

    ¡°Do you n to board the Mediel?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?¡±

    The man¡¯s intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor.

    Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett. The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents.

    ¡°¡­yes, this will do. Wee aboard the Mediel. Shall I guide you to your cabins?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too.

    The ship¡¯s cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin¡¯s request for a private cabin had been granted as well.

    Following the muscr man, Shin¡¯s party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door.

    The cabins were divided between men and women. Hermie was camouged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others¡¯ eyes as much as possible.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll go see the ship.¡±

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship. They checked the ship¡¯s interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers.

    After they checked most ces they had ess to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart. More time had passed than expected.

    Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner.

    ¡°Finally, my sister¡¯s sickness will be healed!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too.¡±

    The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant. As the ship was veryrge, they had already seen several passengers apanied by servants.

    They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly.

    Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister. Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl¡¯s voice was brimming with joy.

    ¡°It was really hard to find it¡­aah!?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­.?¡±

    The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving. Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face. She looked like she was in her early teens.

    The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels. Her me-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature. Her ck, clear eyes looked straight at Shin.

    ¡°Mdy?¡±

    Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai. She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, ck with patterns drawn in orange lines. On her shoulders she worerge protective tes called ¡°Osode¡±, while her chest was protected by a rtively small breast te.

    Her height was probably close to 170 cemels. Her waist-length ck hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail.

    ¡°Do you have business with these gentlemen?¡±

    The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply ck as her hair. Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It appears I was a little too excited. I didn¡¯t catch their presence. My apologies, fellows. I didn¡¯t pay attention, kindly forget about this.¡±

    ¡°Er, yeah¡­¡±

    After the woman¡¯s question, the little girl apologized to Shin.

    Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl¡¯s words, because the woman¡¯s eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous.

    ¡°Ehm, so, I will take my leave.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a good trip to you.¡±

    Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee¡¯s room.

    As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there.

    ¡°Where are Hermie and Konig?¡±

    ¡°Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig¡¯s taking care of her.¡±

    Shin¡¯s question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a ss of water. The horse carriage hadn¡¯t made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down.¡±

    Schnee added to Milt¡¯s words.

    ¡°Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing in particr. There weren¡¯t suspicious passengers either.¡±

    Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn¡¯t anyone hiding in ces such as the ship¡¯s hold. In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates.

    After briefly talking about the party¡¯s next ns, all members went on their separate business.

    Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ming too.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin. Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual.

    Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery.

    ¡°Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up.¡±

    ¡°It feels really nice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something there!¡±

    Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something.

    Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to.

    ¡°Oh, Hero Dolphins.¡±

    ¡°As colorful as usual, too.¡±

    What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters.

    Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, ck or pink.

    They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn¡¯t attack unless provoked.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rare. There¡¯s a gold one.¡±

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s true.¡±

    Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, ck and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship. It was really rare to witness a golden one.

    ¡°It¡¯s shining much brighter than the others.¡±

    ¡°Its power should be about the same though.¡±

    If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others. It was said that if a yer found one, their luck would increase.

    ¡°Hm? Hey, Tiera, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater.

    ¡°Nothing, I just realized that now we aren¡¯t touching the ground with our feet¡­¡±

    Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy.

    ¡°We won¡¯t sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you.¡±

    A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by arge marine monster, it wouldn¡¯t sink easily.

    ¡°I know that in my head, but I won¡¯t calm down until I get used to it, I guess.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t something that could change instantly.

    After contemting the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    The sea travel proceeded smoothly; except a brief stop at a port town, nothing worth mentioning happened.

    The only thing notable was that they met the young girl and her attendant a few more times. As it was inconvenient to not know each other¡¯s names, they briefly introduced each other.

    The young girl with the unique speech style was Kujou Kanade, a level 159 Archer.

    The samurai-like woman¡¯s name was Saegusa Karin, a level 221 Samurai and Kanade¡¯s escort.

    Even without fighting, Shin felt that those two had strength surpassing their ages. They could even be Chosen Ones.

    ¡°The weather¡¯s pretty bad today.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you can feel a storm brewing.¡±

    Whispered Shin, while looking at the cloudy sky. Kanade nodded in reply, Karin was standing next to her too.

    It was almost dusk, but the setting sun was hidden by thick clouds.

    ¡°You two are headed to Hinomoto, was it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed we are.¡±

    ¡°I too would like to visit it if I have the chance, what kind of country is it?¡±

    Shin thought it was a good chance to ask about Hinomoto. Both the country name and the two women¡¯s names reminded him of Japan.

    ¡°It is said that Hinomoto came to be when, at the time of the natural disasters, inds detached from the continent were conquered by several groups of people. At present the two representative families of Kujou and Yaejima rule over its eastern and western regions.¡±

    The guilds that Gaien -the Dragnil Shin met during the escort mission to Beirun- talked about apparently only ruled over parts of the country.

    ¡°I see¡­oh? Lady Kanade, you are a Kujou too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I am indeed. I might look like just a little girl, but I am one of the Kujou, the rulers of east Hinomoto.¡±

    ¡°Mdy, you are aware that we should not mention such things in public.¡±

    Kanade¡¯s words were met with a reprimand by Karin.

    ¡°I know that full well, but we do not need to fret if it¡¯s them.¡±

    For some reason, Kanade seemed to ce some trust in Shin¡¯s party after a few conversations. He didn¡¯t feel Karin¡¯s piercing look anymore either.

    Incidentally, Shin had to address Kanade politely because not doing so would have attracted intimidating looks from Karin.

    ¡°It¡¯s a country overflowing with nature.¡±

    ¡°It reminds me of my homnd. But is it alright for ady of such a household to leave the country? Having just Karin as an escort seems odd too, to be honest¡±

    ¡°In truth, I left the country in secret. The situation is¡­ratherplex.¡±

    ¡°For a member of the Kujou house to be an adventurer is unheard of, after all.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. You know well there was no other choice, Karin, that¡¯s why you apanied me. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, that is correct, but¡­¡±

    Judging from Karin¡¯s grim expression, one could assume that the plex situation¡± Kanade mentioned could not be solved without leaving Hinomoto.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. We obtained what we were seeking after all. We just need to return now.¡±

    Ships for Hinomoto leave from the port Shin¡¯s party will disembark at.

    ¡°It started raining.¡±

    They expected it to rain, considering the amount of clouds in the sky. What they didn¡¯t expect was the force with which the rain battered the ship, and the sudden increase of the wind.

    Just seconds after the first raindrops, an incredible deluge started pouring down, followed by powerful gusts of wind that stirred the sea.

    Around the same time, a group of monsters entered Shin¡¯s perception field. They were closing in on the ship at an rming speed.

    ¡°Monsters. They¡¯reing straight towards this ship.¡±

    ¡°Is that true? Karin, can you feel it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception field was quiterge, thanks to thebined use of skills. Shin didn¡¯t know the range of Karin¡¯s field, but it would likely take a little more time until she could detect the monsters.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will believe me or not, but I detect 10 units, and quiterge ones at that.¡±

    While exining to Kanade and Karin, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

    Schnee and the others had also detected the monsters¡¯ arrival; she replied that Filma had gone to talk with the captain.

    Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera were also headed to Shin¡¯s position.

    ¡°Mypanions wille soon. Lady Kanade, what will you two do?¡±

    ¡°If they are headed towards the ship, barricading ourselves in our cabin will do little good. Fortunately, I have some skill with the bow. I shall lend you my aid.¡±

    ¡°I too offer what little strength I have.¡±

    Kanade pulled out a card from her drenched kimono and materialized it.

    The next instant, the middle Legend-grade bow ¡ºFiery Diamond¡»appeared in her hand.

    It was arge weapon, close to a longbow size, which came apanied with the quiver. Its long range was its major characteristic.

    Karin materialized her battle gear as well; her left hand was holding a katana with a red sheath.

    It was the middle Legend-grade ¡ºVermilion Orchid¡», a fire elemental katana.

    ¡°Did we make it?¡±

    ¡°Just in the nick of time.¡±

    ¡°T-too fast¡­¡±

    Shin had just drawn his¡ºKakura¡» when Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera arrived on deck.

    At Tiera¡¯s feet were both Kagerou and Yuzuha. They were all members capable of defense and long distance attacks.

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Lady Hermie is in her room. For added safety, I had Milt and Konig stay with her. Filma went to speak with the captain, and Schnee wille after bolstering Lady Hermie¡¯s defenses.¡±

    Milt, a water spirit user, was a powerful ally on the seas.

    ¡°Have you noticed anything?¡±

    ¡°The monsters appeared roughly at the same time as when the weather turned rough. From that, I suppose that they are either serpent or mollusk types.¡±

    Shin quickly answered Wilhelm¡¯s questions with his hypothesis.

    There are monsters that influence the weather when they appear. The types of monsters mentioned by Shin often cause storms with theiring.

    ¡°Esteemed passengers! We shall deal with the situation, please return to your cabins!¡±

    Maybe they heard from Filma, or detected the presence themselves, but the crew members came to advise Shin and the others to take shelter.

    The crew probably also acted as a monster protection team; they were carrying bows, rods, harpoons, and other weapons.

    ¡°We shall help too.¡±

    ¡°But sir¡­.!? I understand. Thank you for your assistance!¡±

    The crew members were reluctant at first, but changed their mind after seeing Shin¡¯s party¡¯s postures and equipment.

    The ship, battered by the waves, made it difficult to stand straight. While it also depended on the opponents, the more numbers they had the better their chances would be.

    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±

    Moments after Shin¡¯s warning, the seawater swelled greatly. Then, from the raging sea emerged the silhouettes of several monsters.

    ¡°Gale Serpents!¡±

    The monsters appeared from the sea and red at the ship were Gale Serpents, also called ¡°Dragon of the Seas¡±. Part of the dragon category, this monster favored attacks such as water breath, roar, and tackles.

    Its level usually ranged from 500 to 600, but facing it in an unstable battlefield such as the sea made it more powerful than the level indicated.

    ¡°What numbers!¡±

    ¡°And just when we needed to return to Hinomoto¡­!¡±

    Kanade and Karin reacted with frustration at the sight of the Gale Serpents, emerging one after the other. No matter how sturdy the ship was, under the attacks of 10 Gale Serpents it was inevitable for it to sink, or so they probably thought.

    In fact, the crew members that came on deck also stood still, pale after seeing the monsters.

    ¡°Wilhelm, Tiera! Don¡¯t let them get any closer! Shibaid, block their long-range attacks!!¡±

    While shouting these orders, Shin let his¡ºKakura¡»sh.

    The Mallet and Windbination skill ¡¾Bestial Drive¡¿ created a fierce gust of wind which blew away the rain and wind with a single hit, while also crushing the head of one of the Gale Serpents surrounding the ship.

    Even among the battering wind and rain, the sound of the skill¡¯s impact boomed clearly through the deck and the ears of everyone present.

    In the span of a few seconds, the Gale Serpent with the smashed cranium gradually sank below the waves.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    After Shin¡¯s attack, Wilhelm threw his Hell Spear ¡ºVakira¡»and Tiera started shooting arrows.

    The Gale Serpents, stopped in their tracks by the sudden fall of theirrade, tried to avoid the attacks¡¯ trajectory with agility ill fitting their huge bodies.

    Their response, however, had been too slow; the Gale Serpent closest to the ship was hit by an arrow on one eye and by ¡ºVakira¡»on its body.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    The monster did not die on the spot, but unleashed a scream like grinding metal and copsed among the waves.

    ¡°You are far from the average traveler, I see.¡±

    Not just the monsters were surprised by Shin¡¯s movements. While aiming an arrow at a Gale Serpent poking its face from below the water, Kanade talked to Shin.

    Shin replied that he was just amon traveler and focused again on his perception field. The Gale Serpents were swimming around the ship, alternatively getting closer and farther.

    ¡°Is it just me, or is the ship shaking more and more?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably caused by the monsters.¡±

    Karin also felt something was off, and agreed with Shin¡¯s observation.

    ¡°Tch, the bastards went underwater and won¡¯t show up anymore!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Shin!! The ship isn¡¯t going to turn over, is it!?¡±

    Even if she hade closer, Tiera¡¯s voice was almost drowned out by the ever stronger storm¡¯s howling winds. Her concern was well ced, as even the crew members could barely stand without support, that¡¯s how violently the ship was shaking. They all grabbed handrails or sail masts, sticking their weapons on the floor to keep standing.

    Only Shin and Shibaid still managed to stand straight.

    ¡°Shin! Looks like they¡¯re going to attack!¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words made Shin look all around himself, only to find 9 Gale Serpents emerging from the waves, open their jaws wide and point them at the ship.

    ¡°A breath attack, huh. Shibaid, take care of the ones in front. I¡¯ll handle the rear.¡±

    While sprinting through the shortest path on the ship, Shin pulled out the same shield Shibaid had equipped, the¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡». Then, he activated a fully-powered anti-air barrier.

    A barrierposed of interlocked hexagons appeared in midair and repelled the Gale Serpents¡¯ water breath.

    ¡°Shit, the rain and wind make it hard to aim¡­¡±

    Shin unleashed several magic attacks while holding up the barrier, but because of the storm rocking the ship and the distance between him and the targets, none reached their intended destination.

    Even bow users such as Tiera and Kanade could not reach the monsters with their attacks.

    Seeing this, Yuzuha made a proposition.

    ¡°Should I support?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Shin earnestly asked for help.

    ¡°I should have lowered the numbers more with the first attack.¡±

    Fighting on a ship during stormy weather was even harder than Shin had expected.

    The clouds kept the sunlight from filtering through, making the surroundings constantly dark. The rocking ship made it hard to stand, but they had to fight off the monsters and protect the ship at the same time.

    Shin¡¯s party would survive even if the ship sank, but they couldn¡¯t save all the crew members and passengers. If things continued like this, their situation would get worse little by little.

    Shin regretted choosing the wrong skill for the first attack.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Yuzuha cried and activated a skill, which caused the rain and wind to temporarily weaken.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to hesitate anymore. Yuzuha, cover me!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Taking advantage of the instant the breath attacks stopped, Shin leapt from the ship.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    He turned back to see Kanade and Karin, hanging onto the ship handrails, looking at him. They had left the front to the reinforcements and rushed to his aid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go falling into the sea!¡±

    Thinking that he didn¡¯t need any help, Shin gave a short warning and kicked the sea.

    ¡°What in the¡­!?¡±

    Apanied by Karin¡¯s exmation of surprise, Shin rushed towards the Gale Serpents while causing bursts of water.

    As long as the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Water Passage¡¿was active, one could fight using water surfaces as footholds.

    The first monster Shin targeted was the one hit in the eye by Tiera¡¯s arrow. Shin swung ¡ºKakura¡»from the monster¡¯s blind spot and chopped off its neck.

    ¡°One down!!¡±

    At the same time, Shin spun and kicked the Gale Serpent¡¯s fallen head sending it crashing into the next Gale Serpent.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    As the Gale Serpent lost its bnce, Shin activated the Light-type magic skill¡¾Avraid Ray¡¿. Thanks to the weakened storm, the light ray pierced two serpent heads.

    ¡°Two down!!¡±

    There were 7 remaining Gale Serpents.

    As Shin was searching for the next monster, an explosion echoed from the front of the ship.

    In the dim darkness, a silver sh reverberated.

    Looking at the map, Shin could verify that, among the 5 serpents in front of the ship, 3 had already disappeared. As Shin expected, the reinforcements had arrived.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this once and¡­.hm?¡±

    As he was about to say ¡°for all¡±, Shin detected that something else wasing closer.

    2 new signals were closing in on the ship, much faster than the other Gale Serpents.

    ¡°(Schnee! Shibaid! Two moreing!)¡±

    While taking down another serpent, Shin informed Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat about the two iing monsters.

    ¡°(We have sensed them as well. Who would have expected such an assault though.)¡±

    ¡°(Indeed, were we not on board, the ship would have sunk by now.)¡±

    Shin received a somewhat jaded response via Mind Chat. The location made it difficult to fight, but they did not feel particrly cornered.

    With Schnee and Shibaid on deck, the ship would be sufficiently protected.

    ¡°They split, huh.¡±

    The new monsters¡¯ signals separated along the way; they were now heading one towards the front and one towards the back of the ship.

    The sea swelled even higher than before, sending water spraying all around and revealing the silhouette of a Gale Serpent almost twice the size of the previous ones.

    ¡°I see, the Queen and King showed up.¡±

    Even before using¡¾Analyze¡¿on the new monster, clearly different from the 10 Gale Serpents which appeared before, Shin had seen through its identity.

    ¡°Gale Serpent Queen ¨C Level 702¡±

    The monster¡¯s details appeared at the same time as Shin¡¯s words.

    As expected, the monster name included the word ¡°Queen¡±. The King was likely headed to the front.

    Many monsters had ¡°King¡± or ¡°Queen¡± in their names, and most of them were escorted by monsters of the same species.

    ¡°I guess they built a nest around here.¡±

    It was confirmed that monsters too, had the notion of territory. Considering their ¡°King¡± and ¡°Queen¡± names, these monsters were probably a couple. If so, the serpents that attacked the ship first could have been their children.

    ¡°Why did theye and attack the ship I wonder. There should be plenty of other prey.¡±

    Maybe they were chased by a bigger monster, or wanted to practice hunting. Shin couldn¡¯t know what the reason was, but in any case, what they had to do didn¡¯t change.

    The prey retaliating against the hunter was also a fact of nature.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t let you sink this ship.¡±

    Shin ran towards the Queen.

    He was about to strike it with¡ºKakura¡», while avoiding the breath attacks it unleashed, when the sea showed an unnatural movement.

    The rumbling sea created a gigantic wave between Shin and the Queen, forcing them apart.

    Then, as if in response to the giant wave, a series of 60 cemels long harpoon-like jets of seawater shot towards Shin.

    ¡°¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿, huh? Sorry, that won¡¯t work on me.¡±

    Shin made thences,ing at him from all sides, focus on one point, then leapt away.

    As it used real seawater, this ¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿had a higher number ofnces, power, and resistance to magic than an ordinary one, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop Shin.

    With one swing of¡ºKakura¡», Shin blew past the barrage of waternces created by ¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿. It wasn¡¯t necessary to deal with all of them.

    ¡°Sorry to do this when you just arrived, but¡­¡±

    Shin dodged a newly unleashed water breath, shed through the giant wave and closed in on the Queen.

    He then held ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s hilt with both hands, gripping it forcefully.

    ¡°The curtains are already closing!!¡±

    With a shout, Shin pounded ¡ºKakura¡»into the Queen¡¯s cranium. With a thunderous sound that silenced the winds, the Queen¡¯s skull visibly caved in.

    The power of the attack strengthened by the Mallet skill ¡¾Fierce Impact¡¿was not something even a Queen could sustain.

    It was a superior species, with a shell that acted as a helmet, so its head was not crushed to bits. The shock did not kill it on the spot; the Queen¡¯s body swung down to sea level, floating powerlessly on the waves.

    ¡°W-What in zes is going on!?¡±

    Kanade, who had been watching Shin¡¯s battle, lost her bnce because of the sudden shaking. Shin looked back and saw the shadow of a Gale Serpent beneath the ship.

    ¡°Trying to sink the ship now? You got a good beating, time to retreat.¡±

    Of course, Shin would not let the monster seed.

    Shin immediately dove underwater to punch away the Gale Serpent before it could tackle the ship

    Thanks to the marine environment, however, the serpent was not killed right away and slithered away from Shin.

    ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t work as well as aboveground.¡±

    This was Shin¡¯s first underwater battle aftering to this world. The response he felt on his fists was also lighter than usual.

    ¡°The currents are a pain too.¡±

    He had to move while kicking the water to prevent his body from being dragged away. The invisible water currents were swirling all around Shin.

    In an underwater environment, without a solid foothold, even Shin who still retained his memories of his experiences during the game era had to focus at all times or he would lose track of the direction he had to face.

    Shin returned temporarily to the sea surface, and jumped in midair while kicking up jets of seawater.

    In the same instant, he saw Kanade as she was about to jump into the sea.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!?!¡±

    Following Kanade, Karin jumped into the water too.

    Shin then noticed that the ship was severely tilted. He wanted to chase Kanade and Karin right away, but couldn¡¯t leave the ship like that.

    As Shin tried to get closer to the ship with the Movement-type Martial skill¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, the seawater around the bottom of the ship suddenly froze.

    The ice spread as to cover the ship, acting as a floating tube with the surrounding seawater.

    The waves were still tall, but not enough to knock over the ship now supported by the ice. Unless the frozen surface was crushed, the ship would not sink.

    ¡°I see they¡¯re almost done too.¡±

    From his position in midair, Shin saw Filma unleash crimson sword shes towards the King and felt positive that the battle would be over soon .

    ¡°Then I will¡ª¨C!?¡±

    Shin turned to quickly chase after Kanade and Karin, when a breath attack was unleashed in his direction. It was from the serpent that he had failed to defeat just before.

    ¡°I¡¯m busy enough already!¡±

    Shin kicked the air to dodge the breath attack, then pointed a finger towards the Gale Serpent, which was preparing another water breath, to activate a magic skill.

    A light blue beam froze the Gale Serpent along with the surrounding water, instantly creating an ice pir.

    It was the Light and Waterbination skill¡¾Freezing Ray¡¿.

    This beam of light, characterized by high activation speed and freezing properties, froze the Gale Serpent until deep within its body.

    Secondster, the frozen pir broke off inrge and small blocks of ice.

    ¡°It made me waste too much time¡­they¡¯ve already gotten far.¡±

    Shin checked for Kanade and Karin¡¯s signals and fell down to the water while grumbling. The two women had been swept away farther than he had expected.

    ¡°(Schnee, I¡¯m going to pick up two women that fell into the sea. Can I leave the rest to you?)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. We will eliminate the remaining monsters very soon. Be careful.)¡±

    Shin exchanged a Mind Chat with Schnee and kicked the water. Gaining distance by moving through the air, he rushed on the seawater while jumping to avoid the waves.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left.¡±

    Kanade and Karin were apparently trapped in a sea current and were moving towards the edge of Shin¡¯s perception field.

    They were probably getting swept away by the current. Their signals were moving in a fixed reaction, but the trajectory was highly unstable.

    ¡°If I chase after them like this, we won¡¯t be able to return to the ship.¡±

    Shin considered their movement speed and the distance to the ship, then reached a conclusion.

    Kanade and Karin were in the perfectly opposite direction to the ship. The ship would disappear from his perception field before he reached the two women¡¯s signals.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Hermie and the others, but I have to go.¡±

    The option of prioritizing the return to the ship and abandoning the two women did not exist for Shin.

    During the sea trip, they had exchanged words several times. He couldn¡¯t think of them as strangers and leave them alone anymore. For this reason, Shin decided to prioritize rescuing them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Karin first.¡±

    Since she had jumped into the seater, Shin managed to reach Karin first.

    Shin deactivated¡¾Water Passage¡¿as he hit the water and dove into the sea. He proceeded while cutting through the currents swirling around him and caught Karin as she was being tossed about by the waves.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much time left.¡±

    Shin cast¡¾Dive X¡¿on Karin and sped up.

    Shin was holding her torso with an arm and keeping her still, but there was no response from Karin. Considering how much time had passed since she had jumped into the sea, it was not possible for her to be still breathing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I came to rescue them and they¡¯re both dead¡­!!!¡±

    With a shout, Shin charged through the water. As soon as Kanade entered his sight, he drew the white-sheathed katana ¡ºHakuramaru¡»from the item box and swung it vertically very quickly, easily oveing the water¡¯s resistance.

    Katana and Waterbination skill ¡¾Deepwater Cleave¡¿.

    As if tracing the sh itself, the sea was cleft in a V-shape.

    Shin, carrying Karin over his shoulders, jumped in midair and kicked the horizontal sea surface.

    In the air, Shin kicked again. He rushed towards the center of the sliced V, towards Kanade.

    ¡°Here too?¡±

    Shin, with ¡ºHakuramaru¡»in his mouth, carried Karin with his right arm and Kanade with his left. Before the cleft seawater returned to its original state, he kicked against the horizontally sliced sea surface. After jumping back in midair, Shin activated ¡¾irvoyance¡¿and looked around.

    As he was focused on chasing the two women, He didn¡¯t know where he currently was. He looked around to see if there was anynd in the surroundings, and found a promising shadow on the right.

    ¡°Hang on, please!!¡±

    Shin ran as fast as he could.

    A mad rush straight towardsnd, leaving water spouts in his wake.

    Maybe because the rain clouds had not reached this stretch ofnd, the waves near the coast Shin reached were very calm.

    Shin reached the sandy beach, quicklyid the two women down and checked their breathing and pulse.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me.¡±

    They were both in a state of cardiac arrest.

    Trying to suppress his growing impatience, Shin thought of a way to solve the situation.

    With¡¾Analyze¡¿, he saw that both women¡¯s HP were slowly reaching zero. The decrease speed was more or less the same, but Karin seemed to have incurred damage somewhere, as she had 10% less HP.

    The only solution Shin came up with at the moment was to cast¡¾Heal¡¿and then perform CPR on both.

    He first performed CPR on Kanade. Even if slightly, she had jumped into the sea earlier than Karin. As she was younger, Shin decided that she was the more urgent case.

    ¡°Cough! Cough!!¡±

    ¡°Great, one¡¯s done!!¡±

    With relief at a resurrection quicker than expected, Shin put Kanade in a morefortable posture and made her spit out the water.

    He then left her and performed CPR on Karin. It didn¡¯t go as well this time, so Shin, relying on a hazy memory, tried to perform a heart massage.

    ¡°¡­.h¡­n¡­? What¡­are you¡­?¡±

    Shin was too focused to hear what Kanade was saying.

    Was her breathing adequate? Was the heart massage¡¯s strength and rhythm correct? Was there still time for her toe back to life?

    That was all Shin could think about.

    ¡°Kah!! Cough!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s emergency procedure seemed to have worked, as Karin sprang back to life as well.

    Looking at Karin spitting out the seawater, Shin let out a shout and, at the same time, felt all his strength leave his body.

    ¡°So this is what it means to be scared to death¡­¡±

    Shin mumbled after a deep sigh. Life support procedures are not to be made while relying on hazy memories.

    Karin¡¯s breath had stabilized and she had woken up, so Shin told the two women to rest while he went to gather dry wood.

    It apparently had not rained in their location, so he was able to quickly gather a good quantity of dry wood.

    At the same time, Shin looked for any huts or caves where they could rest.

    ¡°Oh, this ce looks just right.¡±

    It was at a fair distance from the ce they came ashore, but he found a naturally formed cave. It was also deep enough that, even if it rained, they would be protected.

    Shin ced the dry wood in the item box and returned to the beach.

    ¡°There¡¯s a cave over there. I think it¡¯s better to move before the sun sets, but can you walk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all right, but I suppose that Karin would still have trouble walking.¡±

    The two women had fallen into the sea at roughly the same time, but Karin was more exhausted.

    Shin had cast healing magic at the time he performed emergency procedures, so their HP was recovered, but both of them were not in good condition. Recovering HP did not mean that one¡¯s condition returned to normal as well.

    The sun was already setting over the beach, so after asking permission, Shin carried the still exhausted Karin on his shoulders.

    Kanade had recovered enough to be able to walk without problems, so they walked towards the cave at a pace rxed enough not to tire her.

    As they arrived at the cave, Shin let Karin down and prepared to light a fire.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use a small Fire spell and¡­OK, it lit up. Lady Kanade, please use this to warm¡­¡­what-are-you-two-doing?¡±

    What Shin saw when he turned around was Karin, stripped of her armor and wearing only her kimono.

    Her wet hair, sticking to her cheeks, and half exposed chest emitted, in total contrast with their current situation, an aura of sensuality. Karin was apparently the type that looks leaner when clothed.

    Judging from the situation, Kanade had probably removed her armor.

    ¡°I certainly can¡¯t leave her in those drenched clothes. It is quite unbing to show skin in front of a gentleman, but warming Karin up takes priority.¡±

    ¡°Definitely. Then allow me to offer new clothes, a towel, and a cloth for her to lie on.¡±

    In a situation like this, Shin wouldn¡¯t just keep staring at Karin. Prepared for the fact that he might be interrogated about itter, he materialized several items from cards.

    The mantle Shin took out for Karin to lie on possessed an HP recovery effect. He didn¡¯t know if it could help relieve her exhaustion, but it was still better than nothing.

    ¡°From the number of cards you possess, I am more positive that you certainly are not an ordinary traveller.¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, I suggest that you rest for now. You must be fatigued too. I will stand guard, so please try to rest.¡±

    Shin¡¯s clothes were generally equipped with an underwater mode too, so they weren¡¯t wet at all. He hadn¡¯t lost much energy.

    ¡°Atchoo!¡±

    Kanade¡¯s sneeze, echoed within the cave, as she warmed up beside the fire. No matter how close she was to the fire, as drenched as she was, her body couldn¡¯t not feel cold.

    Shin told Kanade to also change into another kimono and went outside.

    While they were changing, he used a monster repellent item to prevent monsters and wild animals froming closer to the cave.

    Some monsters coulde closer despite the item, so for added security Shin set some traps that would damage them the instant they stepped into the cave.

    ¡°You may return!¡±

    Shin returned inside the cave to find a changed Kanade and Karin sleeping, wrapped in a nket.

    First, Shin tied the ends of a rope to two short daggers and stabbed them in the cave¡¯s walls, to hang the wet kimonos from this improvised clothesline.

    ¡°We are in your debt.¡±

    ¡°As they say, when in trouble people should help each other. Lady Kanade, you should also sleep a little. Are you not tired?¡±

    ¡°However¡­¡±

    ¡°I will stand guard. First priority is recovery now.¡±

    Kanade¡¯s eyelids were already closing. She was probably at her limit.

    ¡°I will repay you for everything one day¡­¡±

    Shin made sure that Kanade started sleeping too and sat down near the fire.

    (Even if they almost drowned, their fatigue is too much for someone who simply fell into the sea. Is this normal when someone nearly drowns? Or not?)

    This was the first time Shin had seen someone nearly drown before his eyes, so he didn¡¯t know if their condition was normal or not. But more than 10 minutes had passed between when they fell into the sea and Shin began emergency treatment on them.

    He didn¡¯t know how long they had been in cardiac arrest, but Shin thought that the possibility of not saving them must have been higher.

    (Both of them are probably Chosen Ones. Maybe when stats and level are high, at times like this the survival rate increases too?)

    While dwelling on such thoughts, Shin waited for them to wake up. Until then, he decided to try contacting Schnee.

    ¡°(Shin here. Can we talk now?)¡±

    ¡°(Are you alright? Here the storm passed and the ship departed again. Are the people who fell into the sea safe?)¡±

    The Gale Serpents must have been exterminated. Other than Shin and the two women, no one else fell into the sea, fortunately.

    Shin exined their current situation and told Schnee to give priority to protecting Hermie.

    ¡°(Understood. Please let us know your location once you know where you are. Let¡¯s choose where to meet then. Also, Yuzuha is quite restless, could you summon her by your side?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(She seems to feel down because although you had left those twodies in her care, they fell into the sea.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah¡­.I don¡¯t think that was Yuzuha¡¯s fault in any way. Anyway, I understand.)¡±

    Shin confirmed his understanding of what Schnee rted.

    Rather than falling, Kanade had thrown herself into the sea, so Yuzuha didn¡¯t have to feel responsible. Yet Yuzuha herself certainly didn¡¯t think so.

    Shin contacted Yuzuha via Mind Chat and called her with a Tamer skill.

    ¡°Kuuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel so down, that wasn¡¯t your fault Yuzuha.¡±

    Yuzuha cried weakly, and Shin patted her head while talking.

    For Shin too, it was aplete mystery as to why Kanade had leapt into the water like that.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Hmh¡­¡±

    The two women woke up roughly 2 hourster.

    Karin woke up first, then Kanade a littleter.

    Perhaps because their bodies had rested, or because of the equipment¡¯s effects, their conditions had improved greatly.

    ¡°I offer you my most heartfelt thanks for saving my mistress¡¯ life.¡±

    ¡°I do too. If you weren¡¯t there, we would be sleeping among fish and seaweed.¡±

    ¡°It would have felt bad to just abandon you, that¡¯s all. Rather than that, it¡¯s almost time for dinner.¡±

    Both had lowered their heads in thanks, but Shin replied that such excessive politeness was not needed, and handed them arge bowl instead.

    He had made some stew while they were sleeping. It was simple ¨C he just cut the ingredients and let them boil in the roux he materialized from a card.

    ¡°Allow me to thank you again..¡±

    ¡°And this is quite the delicacy too. I feel my whole body getting warmer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple dish, I just cut the ingredients, boiled them, and put in some seasonings.¡±

    While saying so, Shin poured himself another bowlful. Yuzuha, of course, had her share too.

    The two women were surprised at first by Yuzuha¡¯s presence, but understood when Shin exined that he could call her because they were bound by a contract. Apparently, users of a simr technique were also in Hinomoto.

    After the meal, they decided to talk a while before sleeping.

    ¡°First, tomorrow shall we see if we can find a dwelling or some sort around here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Without knowing where we are, we can¡¯t decide where to go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, at the very least I know in which country we are.¡±

    Shin interrupted the women¡¯s conversation. He had seen a particr mountain when he had exited the cave.

    ¡°Is that so. Tell us then, where are we now?¡±

    ¡°Hinomoto, your homnd.¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin. May I ask how you know?¡±

    ¡°When I went outside, I saw the sacred Mount Fuji. Is it not Hinomoto¡¯s symbol?¡±

    Shin, who had heard this piece of information in Balmel, had understood right away where they were.

    Sacred Mount Fuji was a map added in the 5th update, ¡°Banquet of des¡±. It had been reproduced with such precision that it was almost identical to the real Mt. Fuji, so Shin understood at a nce that what he saw was Mt. Fuji.

    ¡°Indeed it is. In such a case, we can have a rough idea of our current location?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If we are in Hinomoto, we can find a way back.¡±

    Shin thought of heading to a certain port town and meeting with Schnee and the others.

    Kanade and Karin¡¯s equipment had not been lost, so they did not need to be apanied.

    ¡°Now that we have a destination, there is something I need to ask, Lady Kanade.¡±

    Also thinking of Yuzuha, Shin decided to ask the question right away.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you jump down from the ship? I am sure you knew it would put you in mortal danger.¡±

    Shin had a few theories about the reason, but nothing more.

    Kanade appeared to hesitate, but maybe thought that she couldn¡¯t keep silent either, so she nervously started to speak.

    ¡°In truth, the medicine we had obtained for my elder sister had been blown away by the wind. I always kept it with me in order to not lose it, but that proved to be my undoing¡­I owe you both an apology.¡±

    Saying so, Kanade lowered her head towards Shin and Karin. She knew it was dangerous, but moved without thinking.

    ¡°Even so, in the end only this much remained.¡±

    What Kanade was holding were green colored leaves with a hint of red.

    The name of the nt was ¡°Mimic Dead Snake Grass¡±. As the name suggests, it was a nt that looked very much like ¡°Dead Snake Grass¡±, but was apletely different species.

    Shin had seen the nt name disyed via¡¾Appraisal¡¿and felt something was off, but couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, so he urged Kanade to continue.

    ¡°My sister has contracted quite a unique disease you see. She doesn¡¯t have much time left anymore. This medicinal herb can specifically cure it, but it cannot be found in our country, nor did any merchant have it. We had finally managed to obtain some.¡±

    A unique illness, a specific medicine, Dead Snake Grass¡­Shin triedparing the pieces of information found in the conversation with his own knowledge.

    ¡°However, this much can only prolong her life a little longer¡­¡±

    ¡°Mdy¡­¡±

    Karin tried to console the downhearted Kanade. The country¡¯s merchants had done everything they could too.

    (I think I¡¯ve already heard about this¡­a quest, maybe?)

    Shin took a thinking pose and opened the menu via mental control. Inside the menu, he picked the ¡°Event History¡± option.

    This mode allowed Shin to browse, in detail, the past events he participated in during the game era: the contents, the item rewards, and other information.

    Among them, Shin looked for events that required Dead Snake Grass.

    (There¡¯s just one¡­did I hit the jackpot?)

    Among the events that required Dead Snake Grass, only one was rted to a sickness.

    In the events guilds could participate in during the game era, there was one that involved concocting medicine for a viger.

    It was mainly aimed at yers with alchemist jobs, but Shin took it for the rewards.

    (Now I¡¯m not sure if I should say it or not though.)

    Shin looked at the event details and grimaced, careful not to be noticed by the two women.

    If the illness was the same as the one he looked up, Kanade¡¯s Mimic Dead Snake Grass would have no effect at all.

    Not knowing the sister¡¯s symptoms, though, he could not talk lightly. Even if he talked now, he would just dash their hopes of prolonging Kanade¡¯s sister¡¯s life.

    ¡°I apologize for the depressing story. We should go to sleep to be ready for tomorrow. We will watch the fire tonight, so please go ahead and sleep sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°My mistress and I will take turns standing guard. Please rest well sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you¡­¡±

    ¡°It must have not been easy to pull us up from the sea. You must be weary too. I assure you, we are better trained than the average person, we shall not sumb to mere monsters.¡±

    Kanade smiled, full of confidence.

    Shin was not excessively tired, but realized that even if he insisted he was fine, they would not be convinced, so he decided to rest.

    Around 20 minutes after Shin went to rest, Kanade and Karin headed towards the entrance of the cave.

    Shin, who stayed awake in case of an emergency, noticed it and checked the surroundings just in case, but did not perceive signals of monsters or the like.

    (¡­someone¡¯s crying?)

    In the silent night, except for the sound of bonfire, the sound of someone crying reached his ears.

    ¡°¡­but why¡­!!¡­..a little¡­.more and¡­.help¡­.my sist¡­..this can¡¯t¡­.¡±

    It was Kanade.

    She must have kept it all inside while she was talking to Shin.

    She had left her house, her country, to save a person¡­and just when she thought she had achieved her goal, the Gale Serpents attacked.

    Without enough medicine left to save her sister, it was natural to feel like crying.

    Furthermore, Kanade was still a child. It wouldn¡¯t be weird for her to feel heartbroken.

    ¡°(Kanade, crying¡­sad?)¡±

    ¡°(Well, who wouldn¡¯t¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha had heard too. Shin patted her head lightly, telling her not to mind and go to sleep.

    (If I could¡­.leave her alone, I wouldn¡¯t be concerned like this¡­)

    Sighing at himself for not being able to cut her off as someone he had no rtion to, Shin decided to help the two Hinomoto women.

 Book 8: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    The next day, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat after breakfast.

    ¡°(¡­and so, I¡¯m going to help them for a while. I¡¯m sorry, but please take care of Hermie and the others.)¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t be, we¡¯re just waiting for the ship to reach port here. I doubt that the ship will be attacked again like yesterday after all.)¡±

    Shin told Schnee that he was going to help Kanade and entrusted Hermie and the others to her. Even if they were subjected to an attack of simr magnitude, they had enough fighting power to withstand it, so he wasn¡¯t particrly worried.

    Shin ended the Mind Chat with Schnee and spoke to Kanade.

    ¡°Lady Kanade, about what we talked about yesterday¡­could you tell me the name of the herb you went looking for?¡±

    ¡°This? It¡¯s called Dead Snake Grass. Depending on the concoction, it can be a potion, or so they say.¡±

    Hearing the name of the herb, Shin was more and more confident that the situation could be just like the quest he remembered.

    ¡°¡­I apologize in advance for such a personal question, but could you tell me in detail what symptoms your sister has? Ever since I saw that medicinal herb, something was bothering me, and I finally remembered what it was. I might be able to help in curing your sister¡¯s sickness.¡±

    As Shin finished his sentence, Kanade and Karin looked at him with astonishment.

    ¡°I am nothing but thankful for such a proposal, but are you sure? We essentially fled from the main house, I doubt we can properly reward your assistance.¡±

    ¡°I realize this might seem suspicious, but there is nothing in particr that I want. A friend of mine lost her life because of a sickness, so I am weak to such circumstances.¡±

    The shadow of Marino, Shin¡¯s passed girlfriend, appeared in his mind. He also thought that he being too kind, but he couldn¡¯t ignore a situation like this after all.

    ¡°I see¡­.to be frank, we would grasp at any straw in our current situation. We dly ept your offer.¡±

    Maybe because she felt something in Shin¡¯s expression, Kanade spoke about her sister¡¯s symptoms after a few moments of silence.

    Karin had probably felt how serious Shin¡¯s expression was too, as she did not even try to stop Kanade.

    A few minutester, Kanade stopped talking. What Shin heard was extremely close to the quest he had remembered.

    ¡°I see¡­this is difficult for me to say, but if what I know is true, the medicinal herb you have will be of little use.¡±

    ¡°!? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin, please do exin!!¡±

    Shin calmed down the surprised women and proceeded to exin.

    ¡°Lady Kanade, you think that those leavese from Dead Snake Grass, correct?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I do, but from your words, I suppose you mean that this is not the case?¡±

    ¡°I do not know if you have been deceived or the person who sold it to you did not know either. But that is Mimic Dead Snake Grass, not a medicinal herb but a poisonous one. If you doubt me, please have someone with the skill ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ examine it.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    Yes, Dead Snake Grass was an herb used to make grade 4 potions, but Mimic Dead Snake Grass was nothing but a toxic herb, which would inflict the status ailment Poison III to anyone unfortunate enough to ingest it.

    ¡°The merchant who sold it to us said it was Dead Snake Grass, without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°The appearance is almostpletely the same, after all. The base of the leaves, here, is colored purple, isn¡¯t it? The real one is red though.¡±

    Looking at the exnation disyed by ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, visible only to Shin, he exined the difference between Dead Snake Grass and its Mimic counterpart.

    ¡°How can this be¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin. Do you have any idea where we can find a recement?¡±

    ¡°I have some myself, but not enough to make medicine with. I could ask some acquaintances, but is it really not possible to find within Hinomoto? I heard that it should grow spontaneously near the peak of sacred mountain Fuji.¡±

    Shin mentioned his game knowledge as if he had heard it from someone.

    In the quest history page, one could find the locations items had been retrieved in as well.

    As the geography was now different, most information was not useful anymore, but if the location corresponding to the original map was still there, there was still a chance.

    However, Kanade¡¯s answer was not a hopeful one.

    ¡°That is indeed so, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°The peak of Mt. Fuji is a forbidding area, which does not allow human presence. It is shrouded by mist at all times, which sways the senses not only of humans but of monsters too. In olden times, many brave warriors challenged the peak, but none returned. Even now it is one of the most perilous zones of Hinomoto, where no one dares go to.¡±

    Karin exined the current status of Mt. Fuji¡¯s peak for Kanade. But when Shin had looked at the mountain he had seen the peak too, without any mist, so he felt somewhat doubtful.

    ¡°If from afar, looking at the peak is possible. No one knows the reason why though.¡±

    Kanade answered while shaking her head when Shin revealed his doubts. Shin could not remember any quest corresponding to the situation the two had described.

    ¡°In any case, it seems that the only way of saving Lady Kanade¡¯s sister is to go to Mt. Fuji. That mist you speak of intrigues me too, so I suggest we pass by it on our way back.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying now? To willingly go to a ce none have ever returned from is pure folly. I am thankful for your concern about our circumstances, but do not be hasty. I do want my sister to heal, but I would never just send you to your death so easily.¡±

    Shin¡¯s casual proposal had prompted Kanade to stop him sternly. Her eyes showed how she couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to go, and if it looks like things won¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll give up. If we could at least get rid of the mist we wouldn¡¯t get lost. I will contact my acquaintances about it too of course.¡±

    In the game era, the monsters on Mt. Fuji were around level 500. Their unique characteristic was that the level increased together with the altitude. The boss monster was a phoenix-type residing on the peak, Kagutsuchi.

    This was an important monster, as it dropped an item essential to learn the skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Kagutsuchi¡¿, which Filma had used in the battle against the demon Adara.

    At the very least, the typical monsters wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    What Shin was concerned about was the presence of unique monsters such as the Skullface Lord, which he had encountered in the past at Wraith ins. The situation was different now from that time, but as a phenomenon not present in the game era, it was still on his mind.

    ¡°Mdy, I propose that we at least try to go there. From the battle on the ship, we clearly know that sir Shin¡¯s fighting prowess is out of the ordinary. There might even be the chance to break through the mists.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I would be the first to request for his help if it was possible¡­but are you really sure? Your party¡¯spanions are not with you now, are they?¡±

    Kanade and Karin, who had traveled alone until now, knew well the dangers of adventuring solo.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried as to protest against Kanade¡¯s words. She might look like a baby fox, but her fighting capabilities were far above the average monster. In addition, Demon Foxes excelled in illusion magic. There was a high probability that she could do something about the mists said to sway human senses.

    ¡°I have my partner here, so I¡¯m not really on my own. She might not look it, but she is pretty strong too.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, if it is the partner of a formidable warrior such as you, I should not judge her by her youthful looks.¡±

    Even while saying so, Kanade was eagerly stroking Yuzuha¡¯s fur.

    ¡°By the way, when we were on the ship I remember she used a powerful magic spell. If I didn¡¯t witness it with my own eyes, I would doubt that such an adorable creature could perform such a feat.¡±

    Karin was just looking at Kanade at first, but probably lost to the temptation and started stroking Yuzuha too. Cute things were their weak point too it seemed.

    The group left the cave and walked along the coast. After roughly an hour, they reached a small fishing vige.

    There they asked about their current location and the directions to Mt. Fuji, and once again departed on their journey to the sacred mountain.

    ¡°How is your condition, you two?¡±

    Just after they lost sight of the vige, Shin inquired to hispanions.

    ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary. Rather, I must say I feel even more lively than usual.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to report either. Is something the matter?¡±

    Shin wondered if they were tired, as they had taken turns standing guard the night before, but the answers he received were very reassuring.

    Looking at them, he didn¡¯t feel they were putting up a facade either.

    ¡°Well, walking at this leisurely pace is nice too, but considering yourdy sister¡¯s sickness, I think we should speed up a bit. Judging from our battle on the ship, I don¡¯t think either of you are average adventurers; if we raise our pace a little, we can shorten the travel time considerably.¡±

    ¡°You had seen through us, after all. Yes, while not as far removed as you are, neither I nor Karin are simple adventurers.¡±

    ¡°People such as I and Mdy are called ¡°Returned Ancestors¡± in Hinomoto. Sir Shin, I assume you are familiar with the term ¡°Chosen Ones¡±?

    As expected, they were both Chosen Ones.

    When they introduced themselves to Shin they both mentioned to be rank C, but other than their levels, the weapons they equipped were of Legend grade.

    They also carried equipment that required stats impossible to achieve only through level up, so he was sure they had to be Chosen Ones.

    Judging from their speech and equipment, it was not difficult to imagine that they came from a household of high rank.

    ¡°You too must be a Returned Ancestor, I suppose. I have the ability to read others¡¯ level and job type, but in your case the information I see does not match your actual abilities at all. For someone with your strength to be under level 200 sounds like a joke.¡±

    Kanade could use ¡¾Analyze¡¿, apparently. Shin¡¯s status was modified by skills, so for Kanade, who had seen the battle on the ship, it must have seemed unnatural.

    ¡°To tell the truth, there are skills that allow you to hide your status. In the guild of the country where I registered as an adventurer, I was told that there are few people of high level with an appearance close to mine. When appearance and actual ability do not match, in some cases unnecessary trouble urs. That¡¯s why I¡¯m hiding it.¡±

    Shin had until now taken part in the extermination of the irregr Skullface monster, the ¡°Great Flood¡± at Balmel, Hermie¡¯s rescue at the Church..all events that would attract a great deal of attention, so he wasn¡¯t sure anymore that hiding his status served any real purpose.

    ¡°Indeed. An adventurer¡¯s ability cannot be judged by appearance, but those who will judge a book by its cover can be found everywhere¡­¡±

    ¡°We are sometimes treated lightly as ¡°just a woman and a kid¡± as well, so we understand how you must feel.¡±

    ¡°So you had a simr experience toody Kanade.¡±

    They looked like sisters with a wide age gap, after all. People probably thought that even if they could fight monsters, they could only defeat small ones.

    ¡°Just punishment was administered to anyone who acted improperly towards us. Mainly by Karin though.¡±

    ¡°It was troublesome to see how many uncouth people there can be.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine.¡±

    From Kanade¡¯s words, Shin had imagined that Karin wouldn¡¯t keep quiet if someone had dared to look down on them.

    His prediction seemed to have been correct; Karin looked sour as she was recalling such situations.

    ¡°By the way, are there guild branches in Hinomoto? It ispletely separated from the maind after all.¡±

    Compared to the maind, Hinomoto was just a small ind country.

    Shin was wondering how many branches the guilds had located in it. Kanade, as a good representative of one of the ruling houses of the country, answered after pondering for a few moments.

    ¡°Certainly there are. Hinomoto¡¯s government structure however, is slightly different from countries; because of this, guilds are only present inrge cities.¡±

    ¡°There are guild branches in the city at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Sir Shin, do you have business with them?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing in particr. If there are guilds, in case of necessity we could sell materials to obtain funds for our journey, so I wanted to make sure it was possible, that¡¯s all.¡±

    The reward Shin had obtained after Balmel¡¯s ¡°Great Flood¡± had been split with Schnee and the others, with everyone managing their part on their own. Shin was carrying a considerable amount, so there was no risk of finding himself without funds for the road.

    There was always the possibility of sudden expenses though, so he wanted to know if there were guilds to change materials into money.

    ¡°Now that Shin¡¯s doubt has been cleared, let us depart soon. Fortunately, the path is simple enough that we run little risk of losing our way.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Kanade was in the lead, with Karin and Shin in tow. As expected of Chosen Ones, their running speed was faster than a horse¡¯s.

    As they could always see their destination, Mt. Fuji, in the worst case they would pass through the forest, but the rtively well-maintained road was naturally easier to run on.

    Shin¡¯s entourage of three thus kept running towards the mountain, while surprising passing travelers and carriages with their speed.

 Book 8: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Shall we seek an inn in this town to spend the night?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright? You looked pretty exhausted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, rest assured. Perhaps I felt a bit too excited.¡±

    While they took breaks every now and then, the group had run for almost a full day, so Kanade¡¯s voice was not as energetic as it was in the morning. Karin, who was probably more experienced, looked just a little tired.

    ¡°Let us look for the best inn avable. Any fatigue left would weigh upon us tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll go gather information, so please wait in that tea shop, have something to drink and rest.¡±

    Shin pointed at the first tea shop he had seen in town and invited his twopanions to rest.

    ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    ¡°I am thankful for your concern.¡±

    Shin watched them enter the tea shop, then headed to the first item store he found. The range of goods avable was one rank above the store he visited in Bayreuth. Even if some products were the same, their quality was higher here.

    ¡°This must be the artisan blood in me boiling¡­¡±

    From the oriental patterns of its equipment to its name, Hinomoto really resembled Japan. Maybe because of that, like a Japanese artisan, Shin was also very particr about the quality of items.

    However, Hinomoto¡¯s towns were not only simr to what one could see in history-themed TV series, as Shin had imagined, but there were also Western-style buildings.

    Shin thought that maybe the ce they had visited was special, but Kanade had said that it was not the case.

    The oriental-style and western-style architecture mixture was jarring, but no one other than Shin seemed to pay any mind.

    The citizens of Hinomoto didn¡¯t seem to find this kind of scenery unusual at all.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like one is better than the other anyway.¡±

    It might look unusual, but it wasn¡¯t inconvenient.

    Shin picked up several items and headed to the register. While paying, he asked for any inn rmendations.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. Oh, and I¡¯ll have a dango.¡±

    Shin finished his shopping and joined Kanade and Karin. The seat next to Karin was open, so he sat down and ordered a dango for himself too.

    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the inn called ¡°Kasumitei¡±, located down this road, has a fairly good reputation.¡±

    After a short break, they headed to the inn rmended by the clerk.

    Kasumitei was a historical inn built in traditional Japanese-style architecture.

    Lodging for one night cost an expensive price of 5 gold Jul coins, but the services provided well justified the price. Shin¡¯s entourage spent the night and departed again for Mt. Fuji the next morning.

    The 2nd day after they started their journey to Mt. Fuji, they arrived at therge forest area surrounding the mountain, Aokigahara.

    (From now on, we can¡¯t just go forward normally¡­)

    Aokigahara was, as its name suggested, a map modeled after the Aokigahara ¡°Sea of Trees¡± around the real Mt. Fuji. In the forest, the yers¡¯ map function is severely limited: leaving it without marking one¡¯s progress or using special guide items was extremely difficult.

    By the way, it is also possible to reach Mt. Fuji without going through Aokigahara.

    ¡°Let us camp near the forest for today. There¡¯s something abnormal about it.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, you perceived it? This forest is indeed different from any other. For some unknown reason, it¡¯s almost impossible to feel the presence of monsters when within. Entering and leaving it is possible once one is used to its geography, but I hear that many have fallen victim to surprise attacks by monsters in it.¡±

    It seemed that the feature of monster signals not appearing on the map was still present.

    To lose your way inside the forest, be ambushed by monsters, ande back dead was one of themon patterns of return from Aokigahara.

    ¡°What shall we do? Go around the forest?¡±

    ¡°No, that will not be necessary. I have an item to let us pass through.¡±

    Kanade had been thinking of challenging the mountain already, but only as ast resort.

    For Shin it would have been a reckless n, but considering her reasons, it was noughing matter.

    After taking a brief rest just before Aokigahara, they proceeded into the forest, with Shin in the lead and Karin taking the rear.

    The map disyed at the edge of Shin¡¯s field of view became smaller and monster signals disappeared.

    However, it was still possible to to use various detection skills at the same time, a technique avable in the new world, so they ran no risk of being ambushed.

    ¡°I say, we are proceeding with impressive ease.¡±

    Kanade made her surprisedment as they were following the light showing them which direction to take, disyed by the item ¡°Wings of Beckoning¡±.

    Any monsters drawing closer would flee after Shin sniped them with a shot of killing intent, so there was not any actual fighting either.

    ¡°I think that is better though?¡±

    Shin thought that the fewer obstacles they had the better, as he replied to Kanade. He wasn¡¯t hoping to find any obstacles, naturally.

    ¡°That is obviously true. But while things had been going all too well, we found an unexpected obstacle right at the end¡­so I can¡¯t help but think that this might be the signal that something will happen¡­¡±

    ¡°I see what you mean¡­or rather, I feel that what you said just now raised a g¡­¡±

    ¡°A g? I don¡¯t see any gs?¡±

    ¡°Not an actual one, I¡¯m referring to words or actions that decide things that will happenter. Doesn¡¯t it happen sometimes? Before going to a battlefield, whoever says ¡°Once wee back, I will do this or that¡± will have a high chance of dying for example¡­¡±

    Shin used amon example of Death g to exin.

    ¡°Hmm? I cannot say I ever heard of such a thing. Have you, Karin?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I think I have heard something simr once from Sir Kankurou. When one goes to battle, one should never talk about what they want to do after returning. Promises of marriage are especially taboo¡­¡±

    An honest to goodness death g.

    Shin thought that this Kankurou person could very well be a former yer.

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    ¡°One of the greatest samurai in Hinomoto. He was alive since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, a true living testimony of that age, we could say. He¡¯s an extremely strong warrior.¡±

    Hearing that he had been alive since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, Shin thought that he could have been someone¡¯s support character.

    As far as Shin knew, former yers only appeared after the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±. There might be exceptions, but Shin knew most of the advanced yers caught in the death game, especially if they were samurai like him.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet¡ª¡±

    Shin stopped while he was expressing how he would have liked to meet him one day.

    Herees the result of the gs¡­a signal wasing closer to them.

    ¡°Sir Shin? Why have you stopped all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the obstacle that Lady Kanade mentioned ising. We have 12 signalsing from behind. And they¡¯re not monsters.¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s words Karin drew her weapon. Slightlyter, Kanade did too.

    The 12-strong group heading straight towards Shin was using both the magic and martial versions of ¡¾Hiding¡¿. That was the reason why Karin, second only to Shin in signal perception, had not noticed their presence.

    ¡°Allow me to confirm, do you know of any ninja equipment-d group that would attack you?¡±

    ¡°¡­.not exactly, but we have been attacked in the past by a simr group. They were clothed like bandits though. We were attacked during our travels, after all¡­we heard that such ruffians aremon outside Hinomoto.¡±

    Shin asked Karin too; apparently their attackers until now were not anything special in terms of equipment or ability, and they had never been attacked by a clearly bizarre group such as this.

    It was difficult to decide whether or not the earlier attacks were connected to the group currently closing in.

    ¡°I see we cannot make the situation clear. Let us go ahead and ask them.¡±

    ¡°But they are four times our numbers, are they not?¡±

    ¡°Well, just wait and see. Lady Kanade, please hide yourself for a while.¡±

    After saying so, Shin used illusion magic and ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to hide Kanade and Karin from the ninja group closing in on them, recing them with illusions.

    He then had Yuzuha hide traps in the trees and bushes nearby, then waited for the group to arrive.

    The group of ninjas reached Shin¡¯s location roughly 3 minutester.

    Despite their looks, their jobs were not all the same: 8 ninjas and 4 hunters. Their average level was a little over 200.

    ¡°I know you are hiding. I just want to talk with you, could you show yourselves?¡±

    The group seemed to be already aware that they had been found. The 4 hunters came before Shin.

    ¡°Hand over the women.¡±

    ¡°What if I refused?¡±

    ¡°You will die.¡±

    As they said so, the men threw knives painted in ck towards Shin.

    Then, with purposefully dyed timing, the ninjas behind them threw their kunai towards Shin.

    ¡°Too slow.¡±

    Shin dodged the flying knives and kunais; in exchange, his right hand was holding a throwing knife imbued with paralysing properties. He pulled out a simr knife with his left hand and threw them at the 2 opponents closest to him.

    ¡°Guuh!¡±

    2 ninjas fell to the ground at the same time groaning. They fell from a tree, but considering their level they would not die from that level of damage.

    Among the remaining six, four had already been caught by Yuzuha. She had paralyzed them with lightning magic and caught them.

    ¡°So now there are the trap victims left.¡±

    Thest 2 had lost consciousness because of the traps that Shin had Yuzuha set up. They could do little before the mind and negative statusbination trap.

    ¡°Well, honestly, I didn¡¯t expect things to be over so soon.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t weird for Kanade and Karin toment about the situation in this way.

    The ninja job specialized in assassination attacks and was an advanced scouting job. It was normally unthinkable for not only their ambush to be seen through, but also for them to fall so easily to a counterattack.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s tie them up and see what they have to say. We should be able to gather some information.¡±

    As their opponents were ninjas, Shin had Kanade and Karin wait while he walked closer to one of them. He was just a few steps away when he suddenly stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Shin felt not a look, but a feeling of something pointed towards him, and his eyes narrowed.

    There was nothing on the map. His skill-enhanced perception field, however, showed the signal of someone boosting their own magic power at the entrance of Aokigahara.

    Shin used ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and focused. He found a man d in equipment many levels greater than the group that attacked them, raising his hands towards Aokigahara. Countless fireballs were floating around him.

    ¡°Yuzuha!! Come back!!¡±

    Shin swiftly called back Yuzuha and ran towards Karin and Kanade. He broke open the bushes they were hiding behind and grabbed them.

    ¡°What is going on??¡±

    ¡°Si-sir Shin!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please keep quiet for a while!!¡±

    Ignoring their questions, Shin started dashing away to put as much distance possible between them and that ce.

    After Yuzuha caught up andnded on his shoulder, he elerated even more.

    ¡°I have a question!! Do you know anyone who could shoot countless fireballs at once!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what is going on, but I know someone who would be capable of that!!¡±

    ¡°Anyone that would target your life, Lady Kanade!?¡±

    ¡°None that I know of!!¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, sir Shin!! Please let us down!!¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit more patience!!¡±

    While conversing loudly with the two, Shin expanded his perception behind him. The fireballs were flying towards the location Shin had been attacked.

    After a few instants, the booming echoes of consecutive explosions rocked the forest. The vibrations shook the ground under Shin¡¯s feet.

    ¡°The group that attacked us is probably dust and ashes by now.¡±

    ¡°The explosion just now¡­was an attack?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Countless fireballs stormed the location we were in just now.¡±

    The explosions and vibrations had let Kanade and Karin realize the situation. Kanade looked at the billowing smoke, furrowing her brow.

    ¡°So their objective was to block our progress and serve as target for the attack.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. It was already nned for them to be defeated. I don¡¯t think¡­anyone is chasing us now. It would be difficult.¡±

    Even before verifying the results of the attack, the caster had left the entrance of Aokigahara.

    Shin¡¯s perception field registered one signal only, moving away from Aokigahara at high speed. A Chosen One, probably.

    ¡°They attack enemies by using their allies as targets¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lady Karin, do you have any idea who they could be?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly¡­but I know of a family under themand of the west¡¯s Yaejima house, the Rokuhara. They have a family of ninjas at theirmand, and rumor has it that if their master wills it, they will use whatever method possible in order to assassinate their target.¡±

    Karin repeatedly states that it was only a rumor.

    Regardless of the truth, orck of it behind the rumor, Shin felt that this mission had suddenly evolved beyond a simple herb-picking quest.

    ¡°It will be better to pay attention to such ambushes too from now on. Let us proceed towards Fuji for now. At least, I doubt we will be attacked again soon.¡±

    Maintaining a high level of alertness towards his surroundings, Shin quickly started to head toward the mountain again. Once they exited Aokigahara, it was a straight path to Mt. Fuji.

    In the town at the foot of the mountain, they stayed in the inn with the highest security, with one person awake to stand guard.

    ¡°Just to be sure.¡±

    Without Kanade and Karin knowing, Shin activated the skill ¡¾Wall¡¿.

    That night, however, no assants appeared; Shin¡¯s entourage left for Mt. Fuji at dawn.

    As they were already at the foot of the mountain, it didn¡¯t take long until they reached it.

    ¡°It looks like the mists start appearing in the middle of the mountain.¡±

    Shin voiced his thoughts while looking up at the mountain.

    Just as Kanade had said, ashen mists invisible from a distance could now be seen hanging on the mountain. It would be difficult to proceed without some sort of countermeasure.

    ¡°What do you say? Can you do anything?¡±

    As they arrived at a distance dozens of mels from the mists, Kanade asked for Shin¡¯s opinion, a mixture of expectation and concern in her voice.

    ¡°Seeing through them isn¡¯t a problem. To know if we¡¯d get lost or not, we have to go inside first.¡±

    Shin replied while looking towards the other side of the mists.

    He asked for Yuzuha¡¯s thoughts via Mind Chat, and she replied that the mists had the same effect as monsters¡¯ illusion techniques. It was a pretty powerful one too apparently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to go inside first. I will decideter if it¡¯s possible to pass through or not.¡±

    ¡°What if you can¡¯te back anymore?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we spend some more time inspecting the mists from outside first? We wouldn¡¯t be able to help you after all.¡±

    They probably found his proposal reckless. Kanade and Karin cautioned Shin to be more careful.

    ¡°I will tie one end of a rope to my body, and you will hold the other end. Like this, if anything happens you can pull me out. I¡¯m going to check only if it¡¯s possible to pass without getting lost, so I don¡¯t n to go in too deep, it should be all right.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose this method could work?¡±

    ¡°If we were to get pulled inside ourselves, we would have no choice but to let go of the rope though¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, just let go. I will handle things on my own.¡±

    It would be different if he had no idea about what could happen, but thanks to Yuzuha¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ Shin knew there would be no problems, so he told Karin that they could let go of the rope.

    The two women were still not entirely convinced, but they decided to trust Shin¡¯s promise of not doing anything reckless, and firmly held onto the rope.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then. Please wait a while. Yuzuha, stay on the lookout.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried in reply and Shin turned around to head inside the mists. At his level of ability, seeing through such visibility-limiting mists was not difficult at all.

    ¡°Monster signals are¡­few, but they are there. If it¡¯s the same as it was in the game era, even those two would be fine by themselves.¡±

    Shin walked as much as the rope allowed, then looked towards the peak of Mt. Fuji.

    Most signals he could perceive were repeatedly moving and stopping, typical signals of ordinary monsters.

    ¡°This feeling¡­is not normal. Why is Kagutsuchi not there, anyway?¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception field extended until the peak. What he perceived there gave him concern.

    On the peak, he felt a small signal and a veryrge one. In the location where normally Kagutsuchi used to be, he didn¡¯t feel anything.

    Both signals were standing firmly on the peak, not moving an inch.

    As they weren¡¯t on the map, he couldn¡¯t see the color of their markers; thinking about it from a game perspective, he decided they probably were boss monsters, present in ce of Kagutsuchi.

    ¡°The medicinal herb is supposed to be near the peak, so we have to get closer in any case¡­I don¡¯t suppose they¡¯ll just ignore us if we do.¡±

    If the monster was still the Kagutsuchi Shin knew, there were ways to pick up the Dead Snake Grass without being noticed.

    It was impossible to know, however, what kind of perception ability the monsters now residing on the peak had. Some bosses did not attack unless challenged, but Shin was having a hard time deciding on whether to bring Kanade and Karin with him or not.

    If the mysterious ninja squad had not attacked them he would have left them outside, but he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of the fireball shooting man trying something again.

    Would it have been better to keep them within his sights, or to give them a defensive item and have Yuzuha guard them? While pondering this dilemma, Shin returned to where he had left them.

    ¡°How was the situation inside? It does not appear like there were any serious problems?¡±

    ¡°There is nothing in particr limiting movement inside. Rather than that, something else intrigues me.¡±

    Shin informed Kanade and Karin about the unmoving signals on top of Fuji.

    ¡°I assume they are the monsters ruling over Fuji.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see¡­I find it peculiar that there are two though.¡±

    ¡°Legend says that a divine de rests on the peak of Mt. Fuji. Could they be there as its protectors?¡±

    A legendary weapon in a ce where no one dares tread¡­a prettymon tale.

    However, as far as Shin knew, no hidden weapons such as the one Karin mentioned was supposed to be found on Fuji¡¯s peak.

    ¡°We have no intentions of fighting, so it would be ideal if they left us alone, but there¡¯s the possibility that they won¡¯t. I could go on my own, but the possibility of an attack like the one before is still present¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it possible for our senses not to be swayed by the mists, like yours, sir Shin? If so, we could use it to hide our presence.¡±

    ¡°I also thought about doing that, but I don¡¯t know how these mists confuse human senses. If we moved together, I could pull you forward if need be.¡±

    If they didn¡¯t move, they wouldn¡¯t get lost either. If they simply focused on defending themselves, Shin could take them back after the fighting ended.

    It was difficult to decide which method was safer.

    ¡°Mdy, I propose we follow sir Shin. I shall handle any monsters that attack us.¡±

    ¡°We would make Shin worry, but waiting here is a possibility to consider too, is it not?¡±

    ¡°I am ashamed to admit that I could not perceive the magic attack that targeted us before. If something simr were to happen, I could not handle it by myself. It seems to be possible to perceive enemy signals even within the mists, so I think that the chances of being ambushed are lower there than here.¡±

    All possible developments considered, Karin proposed to Kanade to go inside the mists with Shin.

    ¡°You are quite correct too. O Shin, could you allow us to apany you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We will avoid confrontations with monsters and use the shortest route avable.¡±

    Shin nodded to Kanade¡¯s question. Just in case, he lowered his ¡¾Limit¡¿ to level II, bringing himself to a status close to the time of the Death Game.

    They would stay away as much as possible from the bosses. In order to lower the chances of being found, they decided on the simple strategy that two would wait just before the herb¡¯s location, and then they entered the mists.

    ¡°I cannot say I enjoy this kind of progression.¡±

    ¡°We cannot tie each other with the rope after all. Please have patience.¡±

    In the mist, the three humans walked while holding hands. Shin was the lead, Kanade in the middle, and Karin took the rear. Because of this, both of Kanade¡¯s hands were upied.

    Kanade, forced in the same situation as a child holding hands with her parents so as not to get lost, was understandably a little vexed.

    ¡°Just a little more patience.¡±

    ¡°Please do not worry. If any monsterse out, I will be your shield.¡±

    ¡°O Karin, that is not what I am talking about.¡±

    It seems that Karin thought that Kanade was concerned by the fact that if monsters attacked, she couldn¡¯t wield her weapon.

    It¡¯s true that it couldn¡¯t be pleasant to walk in an area where monsters could appear without being able to wield a weapon, but Shin thought that Kanade was really meaning something else.

    ¡°Oops, a monster is heading towards us. This way.¡±

    Shin perceived the monstering closer and headed to a nearby crag. A few minutester, Kanade and Karin perceived the monster¡¯s signal too and hid in the rocks¡¯ shadow.

    After a few more minutes passed, the ground started to shake slightly.

    Heavy, rumbling steps gradually closed in on the crag where Shin¡¯s entourage was hiding.

    (Must be a golem.)

    The monster walking towards them with booming footsteps, possessing arge body measuring over 4 mels of height, was the Bullrock Golem.

    Its appearance was simply roughly carved rocks assembled together to vaguely resemble a human shape, while its head resembled a bull¡¯s. As its rock-solid looks suggested, its physical attacks were extremely powerful.

    Its level was in the range of 400-500; being hit by the metal bat-like rock b it wielded would have meant sudden death even for frontline jobs, depending on the equipment. Basically, the apex of focusing on physical attacking.

    Except in dungeons, it usually appeared on mountains and within mines.

    Its perception skills are very low: as long as one didn¡¯t make loud sounds or attack it, it was easy to avoid.

    The Bullrock Golem which hade closer to Shin¡¯s entourage disappeared again in the mists, without showing any signs of having noticed them.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right now. Let¡¯s go on.¡±

    After making sure that the Bullrock Golem was far enough, Shin stood up.

    The three kept climbing the mountain at a fast pace, while avoiding all monsters.

    After roughly 2 hours, they arrived just before the peak.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin, who was in the lead, noticed that the mists disappeared at a certain point of the path leading to the peak.

    ¡°Sir Shin, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the mists disappear a bit further ahead.¡±

    ¡°Could it be?¡±

    Kanade reacted to Shin¡¯s words. Looking at the peak from below, it looked shrouded in the mists like the rest of the upper side of the mountain.

    What Shin noticed was that inside the mist there was a perfectly clear location.

    ¡°I see, if we proceed onwards we won¡¯t be hidden anymore.¡±

    Shin stopped a step before the end of the mists and guessed the reason why the mist would let up there.

    ¡°To not let any intruders in, I see.¡±

    ¡°(Kuu, there¡¯s, something.)¡±

    They were being watched.

    Shin immediately noticed that several sets of eyes, which were not even trying to hide their powerful presence, were pointed at them.

    Yuzuha¡¯s ears perked up and she looked towards the source of these signals.

    ¡°We are being watched, are we not?¡±

    ¡°To think that such a powerful intimidation was possible by simply looking¡­¡±

    Kanade and Karin had also realized that someone was watching them.

    Karin, with a stern expression, touched her de¡¯s hilt, but Kanade seemed overwhelmed by the watcher¡¯s aura.

    ¡°Will you wait here?¡±

    ¡°No, I believe it is best to proceed together. I think they know that there are three of us. If we separate, they might be even more alert. I don¡¯t feel hostilitying from them. We did note to fight, so I think it¡¯s best not to provoke them.¡±

    Karin spoke with a very serious expression, and Kanade nodded.

    Shin and his entourage proceeded upwards, alert of their surroundings. After roughly 30 minutes, they reached what looked like a small shrine.

    ¡°Sir Shin, I feel a bizarre presence.¡±

    ¡°Therger monster¡¯s signal is right before us, isn¡¯t it.¡±

    The map clearly showed the monster¡¯s signal, but what they could see was just rocks, the ground, and some nts. The smaller signal was deep within the small shrine.

    As the three stopped, their ears picked up the sound of two hard objects rubbing against each other.

    ¡°Ah, so this is the source of the signal.¡±

    Shin looked towards the origin of the sounds and nodded, seemingly understanding what its source was. His materialized ¡ºKakura¡» was still hanging from his hips.

    ¡°Shin, isn¡¯t this dangerous¡­?¡±

    ¡°Mdy, if anything happens, I will buy time for you to escape.¡±

    Inplete contrast to the impressed tone of Shin¡¯s words, Karin and Kanade turned pale and prepared to run away at any time.

    Their reaction was very natural, as on top of the shrine were 8 gigantic snake heads, bent forward and ring at them.

    The snakes¡¯ mouths wererge enough to devour an adult human in one bite.

    3 of the 8 heads hade closer, and the sound of the air hissing in their mouths reached the party¡¯s ears.

    What they thought was a boulder was actually the snake¡¯s body.

    ¡°Eight-headed Orochi¡­isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s not a monster that¡¯s supposed to dwell in these parts though. ¡±

    ¡°How can you be so calm?¡±

    ¡°Just as Karin said, I feel no hostility. If it wanted to attack us, it would have done so before we noticed its presence.¡±

    The marker on the map was the green of neutrality. This eight-headed Orochi was not doing anything in particr and simply kept looking at the 3 humans and the fox.

    ¡°(Very, interested?)¡±

    ¡°(Looks like it. It surely doesn¡¯t look like it wants to battle.)¡±

    Maybe also because Shin and hispanions were not wielding their weapons, the Eight-headed Orochi did not seem to be particrly wary of their presence.

    It simply continued to stare at them, as if to look deep into their hearts.

    ¡°Do we have guests? Yachi, do not look at them so much, you¡¯ll scare them. Step back a little.¡±

    The moment Shin thought to say something to it, a female voice was heard from within the shrine.

    In response to the voice, the snake slowly drew back its heads, which rested back on its body.

    After a few moments, they could see someone emerge from the shrine.

    ¡°We must have surprised you. If you don¡¯t try anything funny, you will not be attacked. Be at ease.¡±

    From the shrine emerged a beautiful maiden d in a tinum armor with blue borders.

    Her ck hair, extending until her hips, glistened in the sunlight. Her right hand held a helmet, her left a katana.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºOne of the Five Supreme des ¨C Munechika ¨C Level 929¡»

    ¡°¡­.our apologies. We were just at a loss of what to do.¡±

    Shin, after staring nkly for an instant at the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿, muttered an apology.

    ¡°Hum. Generally, people either wield their weapons, thinking they will be attacked, or flee, but you are clearly different. What is your goal?¡±

    Munechika spoke to Shin without showing any wariness of them herself. Her sharp look though, made Shin feel as if he was under interrogation.

    ¡°We came to look for an herb called Dead Snake Grass, as we heard it grows on the peak of this Mt. Fuji.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Indeed, it does grow here.¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Kanade could not help but gulp after hearing Munechika¡¯s words.

    Shin¡¯s information was more than 500 years old. Relying on it and going to Mt. Fuji to find Dead Snake Grass was partly a gamble.

    ¡°Could you possibly share some with us? We have no intentions of harming you. As soon as we gather some Dead Snake Grass, we will be on our way.¡±

    ¡°It is not something of great value to us. Letting you have some is not a problem.¡±

    Munechika¡¯s words seemed to imply something else. Her eyes were aimed at Shin.

    ¡°T-then we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°However. This area is under our rule. If you want to take away something from here, you will have to give something in return.¡±

    Munechika cut off Kanade¡¯s words and spoke clearly.

    ¡°¡­what do you desire¡­?¡±

    Shin, feeling Munechika¡¯s eyes on him, inquired her intentions.

    Munechika was an NPC/Monster implemented in the 5th update ¡°Banquet of des¡±¡¯ main event, ¡°Trial of the Noble Sword¡±.

    The event consisted of defeating the human form of certain weapons; once defeated, one would obtain the original weapon. In her case, as the name suggested, the Ancient-grade katana ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» would be avable for use.

    As the grade suggests, it was one of the weapons with the highest attributes in THE NEW GATE.

    Its gender when facing it was random; it was impossible to know if it transformed into male or female before fighting it.

    Incidentally, when Shin fought it during the game era, it was a slim, handsome young man. Every single time.

    ¡°An unused weapon can only rust. Finally, someone worthy matching des against has appeared. I ask for a duel.¡±

    ¡°¡­.what would happen if I refused?¡±

    ¡°I would not allow you the herbs. Do not fret, I do not ask for a duel to the death. I will hold back. I promise to stay my de if it would inflict a fatal wound.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help reacting to Munechika¡¯s words.

    Their genders were different, but Shin had fought against Munechika not once, but multiple times during the game era. Munechika¡¯s fighting power was so high that not even a fully maxed Shin could win.

    His stats and equipment were not as good as they were now, and he tasted defeat many times.

    He managed to win only once, by a stroke of luck, just before the event ended.

    ¡°¡­¡­Lady Kanade, Karin, please stay back so as not to be involved in the fighting. Yuzuha, I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin carefully checked for the presence of any attackers, then told the two women to stand away.

    For added safety, he asked Yuzuha to watch over them.

    ¡°Your presence is different now. Better than I expected.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen plenty of times already because of you. This time, you won¡¯t say that I won out of luck.¡±

    Shin drew out a card and materialized it.

    ¡°Fallen? But moreover¡­.that is¡­?¡±

    ¡°I cannot lose with this. No need to hold anything back.¡±

    What Shin was holding while he made his deration was ¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    He won¡¯t use ¡ºKakura¡». Or better said, he can¡¯t. ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s attributes were not high enough to withstand Munechika¡¯s weapon.

    The ¡¾Limit¡¿ was still II. If Eight-headed Orochi also attacked, he would need to go at full power, but this was just a duel, so he chose to face it in the state he could control best.

    ¡°To think there still were such weapons in this world¡­but now is not the time to talk.¡±

    Munechika wore the helmet she was carrying in her right hand and gripped the hilt of the katana she held with her left.

    Munechika herself drew the weapon which could be described as its clone: ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡».

    ¡°Here Ie.¡±

    As the words left her lips, Munechika stepped right before Shin¡¯s eyes.

 Book 8: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    The distance between the two was roughly 10 mels. For a boss monster on Munechika¡¯s level, a distance like that meant nothing. Her de drew an arc while closing in on Shin, which he countered with his ¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    Two silver lines shed in the space between the two opponents.

    ¡°Karin, could you see what just happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to admit, but all I saw were after-images. But, aside from that, Mdy, it¡¯s dangerous, so please stand back a little more.¡±

    Karin tried to pull back Kanade, who had be excited at the sight of the two warriors¡¯ rapid sword shes.

    Battles between opponents of high abilities were dangerous to watch, if one were too close.

    Karin, who understood the power of the strike they just witnessed, was sure that they needed to stand further back or they would not be safe.

    ¡°Good response, and enough muscr strength to withstand my de I see.¡±

    ¡°I have trained you know.¡±

    ¡°Show me your technique then.¡±

    After Shin¡¯s casual retort, Munechika crouched, as if sliding on the ground. At the same time, a sword sh flew at Shin from the lower left.

    Shin, who had been observing Munechika¡¯s movements while standing still, parried the attacking de with ¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    The two des grinded against each other,unching sparks all around.

    ¡°Not bad at all.¡±

    With a slight smile on her lips, Munechika deftly handled her repelled weapon.

    Sustained by a strong sword arm fitting of a level 900, a storm of sword slices attacked Shin like a silver torrent.

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Shin parried the shes with his ¡ºHakuramaru¡», each powerful enough to rend the ground.

    The continuous sound of shing metal continued to reverberate in the surroundings. However, the shes were so fast that, to Kanade and Karin¡¯ ears, they arrived as one continuous sound.

    Each time the des shed, the silver torrent produced fiery red sparks, while the ground around Shin was cleaved by traces of sword slices.

    (She fights differently, after all.)

    Shin analyzed Munechika¡¯s fighting style as he repelled her attacks.

    Not all weaponsbeled with the name ¡°katana¡± were the same length. Those like ¡ºMikazuki Masamune¡» had des roughly 80 cemels long. On the other hand, the category of katana ¡ºHakuramaru¡» belonged to had des 70 cemels long.

    Munechika¡¯s fighting style focused on attacks from a distance, taking advantage of the difference in length of the des.

    Even just 10 cemels felt much longer from Shin¡¯s point of view during the battle.

    Each of the female Munechika¡¯s attacks were heavy, but generally she was more focused on quantity.

    The male Munechika that Shin had fought in the past was more focused on the power behind each attack, using a fighting style focused on high attack power.

    He, or she, had been programmed based on the movements of masters of the sword; Shin remembered that they were much stronger than their level implied.

    ¡°So you can match this too. But is defending all you can do?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I wille very soon!¡±

    Shin parried the opponent¡¯s de with more intensity than before. He couldn¡¯t go as far as throwing Munechika off bnce, but he seeded in creating space between them.

    Taking advantage of that space,sting less than an instant, Shin slipped closer.

    Partly in retaliation towards Munechika, Shin closed in the distance between them in one breath. In the opposite fashion from before, ¡ºHakuramaru¡» turned into a silver sh and attacked, only to be stopped by Munechika.

    ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s de was shorter than ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», and the difference in their materials made ¡ºHakuramaru¡» lighter too. On the other hand, this allowed it to be swung deep into the opponent¡¯s space with higher speed.

    ¡°Ssshh!!¡±

    Munechika tried to step back to gain distance and space. Shin however, stepped in even faster.

    The scene of a few seconds ago was repeated, but attack and defense had switched ces.

    ¡°Hnng¡­!¡±

    Munechika grunted while parrying Shin¡¯s blow. She had barely managed to parry Shin¡¯s sh, which was faster than she had expected.

    ¡°As expected of you!¡±

    Shin¡¯s attacks were fast indeed, but barely failed to reach Munechika.

    Munechika, despite her inferior speed, could keep up with Shin simply thanks to her ability with the sword.

    Maybe because of the way she had been programmed, or how much she had honed her skills in 500 years, Munechika¡¯s ability was higher than Shin¡¯s.

    Shin¡¯s fighting style with the katana was born from the teachings he received from someone who actually practiced swordy -not Kendo- during the game era. He honed it during the Death Game and all the way to the present.

    He had made it faster, stronger, more efficient.

    Honing his skills in actual battle gave Shin a new strength impossible to attain through simple training.

    However, Shin had no particr talent in martial arts.

    In many battles, he woulde on top thanks to his higher stats; he had received teachings for less than a year, and even though it had been an intense period, he was far from those who could be called masters of the sword.

    ¡°To think you could do so much! Interesting!¡±

    ¡°Honored to satisfy your expectations!¡±

    Shin¡¯s shes, most of which followed a straight path, were systematically parried by the arc-like motions of Munechika¡¯s sword.

    The deflected shes failed to affect Munechika, carving the rocks behind her with their aftershocks instead.

    In just a few seconds, they had already shed more than 10 times, but both warriors were still unscathed.

    The cycle of attack and defense seemed like it would continue unchanged, but Shin suddenly changed his attack pattern.

    From a distance ideal to attack with¡ºHakuramaru¡», he pushed even closer.

    ¡°Hmh!?¡±

    The same moment Munechika noticed his advance, Shin¡¯s right leg leapt forward.

    Faced with a sudden kick, Munechika used her left arm to stop it.

    The sound of shing metal echoed, as Munechika slid 10 mels backwards, leaving two straight tracks on the ground.

    ¡°Who would expect a kick at that moment? Unpredictable fellow.¡±

    ¡°Relying too much on weapons would leave one defenseless if without one.¡±

    Shin¡¯s fighting style was never reliant on the katana. He had strictly practiced physical skills, especially in case he had been disarmed and lost his weapons.

    It was also possible tobine this style with swordy.

    ¡°You figured that even if we kept crossing swords, nothing would change, right?¡±

    ¡°You found me out. As far as technique is concerned, I am a step below you after all.¡±

    ¡°To realize the level of one¡¯s technique is not something bad¡­¡­that is fine. It¡¯s been a long time since I crossed swords properly. I shall bring you the Dead Snake Grass, wait a moment.¡±

    She was satisfied, or so it seemed. Munechika casually sheathed her sword, so easily that it caught Shin by surprise.

    Even if it was just a skirmish, he thought that even if skills weren¡¯t used, a fiercer sh of swords would have been inevitable.

    ¡°Er¡­we are finished?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that will do. I haven¡¯t had a worthy opponent for 100 years after all. And if we continued any more, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back.¡±

    Munechika spoke with a smile. Maybe because the battle¡¯s excitement still lingered in her, she emanated an aura so bewitching that it was hard to imagine that she was a transformed weapon.

    ¡°I understand, if so I will dly ept your kindness.¡±

    Perceiving the aura and presenceing from Munechika, Shin took a step back. A duel was one thing, but if they fought seriously, the surrounding geography would change greatly.

    ¡°Here, this is what I promised.¡±

    Munechika returned around 10 minutester, holding a more than a sufficient amount of Dead Snake Grass in her hands.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°If you have the chance,e again. I wish to speak to you some more.¡±

    ¡°I see. We are hurrying right now, but one day I will.¡±

    Shin rejoined Kanade and Karin, and together they quickly descended Mt. Fuji.

    Kanade was happy and excited, the Dead Snake Grass in hand.

    In apletely different fashion, Karin was staring at Shin¡¯s back while he kept walking straight ahead.

    Shin, feeling her eyes fixed on his back, wondered what reaction she would show.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Aftering down from the mountain, they meant to return straight to the Kujou house to deliver the medicine to Kanade¡¯s sister¡­but it was not to be.

    Maybe because of the trying schedule of their journey, or because obtaining the Dead Snake Grass had relieved her, as they reached the foot of the mountain Kanade was unsteady on her feet.

    ¡°Let us go back to town and find an inn first.¡±

    ¡°My apologies¡­¡±

    They could not make her walk any more, so Shin carried Kanade on his shoulders.

    Yuzuha hopped down from Shin¡¯s shoulders and walked on the ground alongside them.

    After a few minutes of walking, the sound of Kanade¡¯s sleeping breath reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°She fell asleep. Fortunately it does not seem she has a fever, she must have been very tired.¡±

    ¡°She had been tense all this time, so that¡¯s likely. At Mt. Fuji she had been red at by Orochi too, so she was probably at her limit mentally as well.¡±

    During the descent from Mt. Fuji, Shin learned that Kanade could not see Eight-headed Orochi¡¯s level.

    It was not a mystery why: Orochi¡¯s level was 833, enough to match a Grand Duke-ss demon.

    With the ability to perceive an opponent¡¯s power, but utterlyck the power to defeat them, Kanade must have been unconsciously tense.

    Add the appearance of an opponent at a totally different level like Munechika, and it was no wonder that her tension had reached maximum levels.

    This also exined her unusual tone when she joined in Shin and Munechika¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°Our first priority is to recover our strength, right. I will stand watch, so please rest Karin. You were tense too, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Even if their levels of strength were different, Kanade and Karin¡¯s positions were almost the same. On the contrary, it could be said that Karin¡¯s duty of protecting Kanade had probably made her feel even more pressure.

    ¡°I am deeply thankful for your consideration. I am embarrassed to admit that I am not perfectly calm right now. The battle between sir Shin and Munechika¡­even just one aftershock could cause grave injuries, but I was filled with emotions I can¡¯t describe¡­I suppose I am not normal.¡±

    Karin voiced her inner thoughts, her cheeks slightly flushed.

    As far as Shin could see, she was not unwell like Kanade. Being a samurai like him, she must have felt something special.

    As they arrived in town, the group headed straight for the inn.

    It was the same inn they used before heading for Mt. Fuji, and Yuzuha could stay the night inside too.

    They paid for one night and went to their rooms.

    ¡°Is yourpanion ill? If necessary, we can call a doctor.¡±

    The inn owner noticed the sleeping Kanade and asked out of worry.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I think she is just tired because of the trip. If her condition worsens, we will bring her to the doctor ourselves.¡±

    Shin refused politely so as not to offend the owner,id Kanade down in her room, and let her sleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m in the next room. Let us watch over her, and if she feels better we will depart. Make sure you rest well too, Karin.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Shin turned his back to Karin and headed to his room. Using his detection skills to the maximum, he thoroughly checked the surroundings.

    He had not felt the presence of anyone following them. The map did not show any red markers either.

    If enemies did not clearly show hostility or attack, however, they were not regarded as such. Markers could not be trusted too much.

    ¡°Yuzuha, do you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Kuu¡­no, nothing.¡±

    Yuzuha closed her eyes and perked her ears up, but apparently did not feel anything either.

    It was already dusk.

    Shin hesitated to leave the two women alone to go eat outside, so he decided to lie on the bed for a while.

    Their inn was a high-quality one, so the bed was bothrge andfortable.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask anything in the end.¡±

    Karin¡¯s silhouette appeared in Shin¡¯s mind.

    Ever since they started descending Mt. Fuji, Shin felt Karin¡¯s eyes on him¡­

    Maybe it was because of Kanade¡¯s poor condition, or that the timing wasn¡¯t right, but it was a mystery to Shin why Karin hadn¡¯t said a word on their way back from the mountain.

    As if to interrupt these thoughts, while he was sprawled out on the bed, Yuzuha jumped up to dive straight on his chest.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Oof!!¡±

    She had turned again into young girl mode, so her dive forced a whimper out of the rxed Shin¡¯s mouth. Thest time she had turned into a girl Shin had her put clothes on, so at least this time it wasn¡¯t a naked dive.

    Thebination of Yuzuha¡¯s shrine maiden robe, with its vivid contrast between red and white, and her shoulder-length silver hair and silver tail attracted Shin¡¯s attention. There were 6 tails poking out of her crimson skirt. He began to wonder where and how they were attached to her body.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why the sudden jumping?¡±

    ¡°Shin, all mine¡±

    Yuzuha answered in the slightly disconnected way that she had started talking in after taking this form.

    Usually she would cuddle up in a ball on the side of the bed, but now she rested her head on Shin¡¯s chest and closed her eyes.

    When Shin was traveling with Schnee, Tiera, and Kagerou, Shin and Yuzuha slept in the same room, and sometimes she would sneak in the same bed as him, half-asleep.

    It didn¡¯t happen anymore after Shibaid joined them, but apparently it was because she was holding back.

    (She might look grown up, but inside she¡¯s still a kid. Well, this situation is barely eptable though¡­)

    It could be excused when she was in little girl mode, but now that her looks were those of a teenager, soon this behavior couldn¡¯t just be called ¡°adorable¡±.

    If she grew any more, it would be difficult to just y with her as a ¡°little sister¡±.

    (¡­.little sister, huh¡­)

    Yuzuhay still on top of Shin, probably asleep. Shin found himself thinking of his little sister in the real world. As if triggered by that, he started recalling many other memories of his former world.

    His parents, his grandmother, his other siblings. His high school friends, his university circle members. The faces that appear and disappear in his mind are, for some reason, all smiling.

    ¡°¡­..atchoo! Hey Yuzuha! Don¡¯t poke my nose with your tails! Your fur! Up my nose!!¡±

    The mncholic mood was destroyed by Yuzuha¡¯s sudden attack.

    The ends of her wagging tails were poking Shin¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    ¡°No kuu-ing now, littledy. What¡¯s with you all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°You think, strange things.¡±

    Yuzuha retorted while puffing up her cheeks. Her tails¡¯ movements were meant to pull Shin¡¯s attention back to her apparently. She hadn¡¯t fallen asleep after all, and was not happy being ignored.

    Shin¡¯s hands moved to calm her down, but were caught by her tails and brought over her head.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I just remembered some things¡­so, should I pat your head now?¡±

    Shin gently caressed Yuzuha¡¯s head, thinking that she was still a little kid after all.

    ¡°Kuu¡­.¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s tails zipped up, down, left, and right.

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but think she looked like a puppy dog. It was a really soothing view.

    ¡°¡­..crap, I got too rxed¡­I¡¯m getting sleepy.¡±

    Shin was also rather exhausted, so loosening his nerves let a powerful drowsinesse over him.

    Because of a past habit, he instantly casted a barrier-type skill to secure the safety of the room.

    ¡°Kuu? Shin, sleep?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Yuzuha¡­we should get something to eat¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t, no good.¡±

    Saying this, Yuzuha returned to her fox form.

    Yuzuha had grown due to her stat increases, and was now around 1 mel in length.

    ¡°Ah¡­..this is¡­.bad¡­..¡±

    Shin was struggling against his heavy eyelids, but Yuzuha¡¯s fluffy fur gave him the coup de grace. Before her warmth and soft touch, it was only a matter of time before Shin drifted into slumber.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°¡­..mwah?¡±

    The next day, Shin woke up a bit before dawn.

    Yuzuha, in beast mode, was sleeping next to him, her tails resting on Shin¡¯s chest and stomach.

    ¡°Aah¡­yeah..I fell asleep.¡±

    While enjoying the tails¡¯ softness, Shin recalled what happened the previous evening. I must have been more tired than I thought, he said to himself while getting up and stretching.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry, did I wake you?¡±

    Yuzuha had felt Shin¡¯s movements and opened her eyes.

    One hour after the sun rose, he felt people moving in the next room.

    Kanade looked like she felt much better, and Karin was relieved too.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go ahead and bring the medicinal herb to your sister then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let us make haste!¡±

    Completely recovered after one night of rest, Kanade ran off ahead of the group.

    Behind her, Shin and Karin started running too.

    ¡°Please do not push yourself too hard, Mdy.¡±

    Karin was worried because of what had happened the day before, so she warned Kanade.

    Kanade regretted having worried her, so she replied ¡°I know.¡±

    The group proceeded on their way while taking breaks whenever needed. On the way, Shin used his detection skills to check the surroundings for threats.

    To be robbed by thieves just after they obtained the Dead Snake Grass would have been a bad joke.

    They would probably not be attacked in a ce where people could see, but to be sure he chose to stay alert.

    Maybe thanks to that, they could reach Kujou territory without any enemy attacks.

    ¡°From here, it would take maybe only another half day.¡±

    ¡°Are you not pushing yourself? Are you not doing anything unusual?¡±

    ¡°I am not. I am alright. We¡¯vee all this way, I will not copse right at the end.¡±

    While taking a break at a tea house along the road, Shin¡¯s party discussed the route to their destination.

    Kanade¡¯s jinx was that obstacles would always appear right at the end.

    The mysterious attackers, the encounter with monsters that shouldn¡¯t have been there¡­all the events that had happened in the few days since they met Shin were all nothing tough about.

    It was natural for Shin to be especially careful.

    ¡°We still don¡¯t know anything about those assants, we can¡¯t let our guard down.¡±

    ¡°I have also pondered about them. If they attacked knowing that I am a Kujou, the main family could be on the move too.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that something happened while we were outside the country?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say. But we will know once we return.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what had be of Kanade¡¯s position within the main house, but imagined that they would be able to gather some sort of information.

    Shin himself nned to go on his way after he had seen them off at their destination. His face was already known though, so even if he parted with them, there was no assurance that he wouldn¡¯t be involved again.

    ¡°Well, we are almost there. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    The group departed again, with Shin in the lead.

    As Kanade had said, after half a day the castle¡¯s mainpound came in sight. It was unmistakably a Japanese-style castle.

    A group d in armor stood on the path to the castle.

    ¡°Are those the castle soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Their g¡¯s emblem¡­they¡¯re from the Toudou family.¡±

    ¡°Kankurou, then. Toshiro could be there as well.¡±

    Kanade and Karin seemed to know the emblem depicted on the soldiers¡¯ gs and were not worried by their presence.

    Shin also heard a name that was not new to him, so he was relieved and decided to ask about them.

    ¡°Do you know them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, not only them, but we have part of our soldiers patrol the territory. Thanks to that, damage and casualties due to monsters and thieves are kept to a minimum.¡±

    The soldiers they had met were apparently on their way back from a patrol.

    ¡°But because of that, there are a few branches of adventurers¡¯ guilds.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Quests for adventurers to take¡­especially ones about exterminating monsters that would offer high rewards¡­well, those monsters are eliminated by the patrolling soldiers. Their average level is 200, so they can handle any monster except extraordinarily powerful ones. Because of that, few in this country aim to be adventurers. Of course, there are powerful warriors belonging to Hinomoto¡¯s adventurer guilds though.¡±

    Karin brieflymented that she was very surprised after leaving the country.

    Some people even called Hinomoto a ¡°country of demons and barbarians¡±.

    Even in Balmel, a fortified town always under the threat of the ¡°Flood¡±, the average level of the soldiers was less than 150. Only a few elites went above 200, so Shin understood the reason behind that name or the people that didn¡¯t know it.

    ¡°Hinomoto believes strongly that national matters should be handled within the country. We do not have arge territory like the maind after all. Our country should be handled by ourselves, and we do.¡±

    Hinomoto was also said to be safer than the maind.

    As they were talking, they caught up with the group of soldiers. The rear troops noticed Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°I am the first-born daughter of the Saegusa family, Saegusa Karin. I apany Lady Kanade of the Kujou. Who is leading this toon?¡±

    As Karin introduced herself, the troops hesitated for a moment, then divided in two perfect lines, showing two men in the center.

    Shin used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to disy the names and levels of the men that were slowly walking towards them.

    One was Yaejima Toshiro, a level 190 samurai. He looked in his early twenties, ck hair with white streaks and brown eyes, a proud-looking young man.

    In contrast to the lead-colored armor the other soldiers wore, his was navy blue. His social status and standing were probably different.

    The two katanas hanging from both sides of his waist suggested he was a two-sword style user.

    The other man was Toudou Kankurou, a level 255 samurai and a man between 50 and 60 years of age.

    His hair was white and his forehead wrinkled, but his sharply straight posture and stance did not show signs of old age. His eyes were thin almost to a slit, his expression soft and gentle.

    He clearly stood out among the armor-d soldiers, as he was wearing a dark green robe and deep blue, almost ck,rge-fitting trousers called hakama.

    Shin understood the reason why he wasn¡¯t wearing armor. His hakama trousers¡¯ stats were higher than the soldiers¡¯ armor. What caught his attention even more was the katana hanging from the old man¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Lady Karin, noble Kanade. I heard you had left Hinomoto, but I am d to see you are safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°It brings me joy to see you in good health too, Kankurou. Are you returning from a patrol?¡±

    The man Karin called Hinomoto¡¯s strongest warrior started talking to Kanade in a soft tone.

    ¡°Yes, we have just in a monster that was reported to be difficult to subdue. Noble Kanade, if you have returned, does it mean that you have obtained the medicinal herb?¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s expression shifted from smiling to serious. He knew the reason why Kanade had left Hinomoto it seemed.

    ¡°Yes, we have obtained a sufficient amount. How is my sister¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Progressively worsening, albeit slowly. But there should still be time. We shall lead the way, yourpanion is¡­..!?¡±

    Kankurou talked while shifting his eyes towards Shin. While talking, his expression clearly showed that he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.

    ¡°Lord Kankurou, do you know this man?¡±

    ¡°N-no, I¡­my apologies. He simply resembles someone I used to know.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, please do not worry.¡±

    Kankurou shook his head to Toshiro¡¯s question and apologized to Shin.

    Shin thought that his reaction was somewhat exaggerated, but has nothing to inquire further, so he did not say anything in particr.

    ¡°This man is sir Shin. He assisted us in retrieving the medicinal herb. I shall lead him to the mansion. Lord Kankurou, Lady Kanade, please head to Lady Haruna¡¯s quarters.¡±

    ¡°To the mansion? Hm, can he be trusted?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Karin looked straight at Kankurou and nodded.

    ¡°Ifdy Karin says so, then there should be no problems.¡±

    ¡°Sir, are you certain? At times like these, it is not advisable to wee strangers of unknown background¡­¡±

    ¡°Toshiro, we bear arge debt of gratitude to Shin. I do not know what happened, but I personally vouch that he is no enemy sleuth.¡±

    ¡°¡­..if Lady Kanade speaks thus, then¡­¡±

    Toshiro seemed dissatisfied with Kanade¡¯s answer, but presented no objections. But, it could be said that in exchange for that, he red at Shin sharply.

    ¡°If so, I would say we simply part ways here. My work is finished here, these gentlemen are surely more than suitable to guard you. If something is going on, it is not the best time to let someone suspicious in after all.¡±

    He did not have to receive rewards or something simr either. It was not necessary to let him into the residence no matter what.

    ¡°After all you have done for us, to just send you back empty-handed would be more than ungrateful for us. At the very least, I wish you to spend the night here.¡±

    ¡°I shall lead him to the residence assigned to the Saegusa family. I understand well Toshiro¡¯s concern. I will be responsible for sir Shin¡¯s actions.¡±

    ¡°Hg,dy Karin, you do not need to go as far as guarding this man, I could do that-¡±

    Toshiro objected at Karin¡¯s intentions of taking responsibility for Shin.

    ¡°Toshiro, I doubt it is wise to continue raising objections. Lady Karin is one of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten, I am sure there is no need for concern.¡±

    ¡±That is true, but¡­¡±

    Karin apparently held a title Shin was not aware of. The name suggested it was given to the most aplished warriors of Hinomoto.

    ¡°Let us be on our way then. Sir Shin, I thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.¡±

    ¡±Ehm¡­yes.¡±

    Kankurou gave a slight bow and headed towards the castle alongside Kanade.

    After a while, Shin and Karin went to the castle town and entered the castle¡¯s perimeter.

    In the same way as Toshiro, the gate guards were not pleased with allowing Shin inside, but thanks to Karin¡¯s intervention there was nomotion.

    ¡°It¡¯s really huge.¡±

    ¡°There are many facilities within the castle after all.¡±

    The Kujou castle was surrounded by moats, with the main castlepound at its center. The castle perimeter contained training facilities, a smithy, and many residences.

    Itsrge size was the most remarkable feature. It was muchrger than the Japanese-style castles Shin knew.

    It looked like the castle contained a town, separated from the castle town, outside its walls. Around the mainpound, there was another set of walls and gates.

    The two walked down paths impossible to navigate without a guide, then arrived in front of one of thergest residences.

    The gate guard hurriedly came towards them, but thanks to Karin they could pass without a hitch.

    The guard seemed more surprised at Karin¡¯s sudden return than Shin¡¯s presence though.

    ¡°I apologize for the disturbance.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t, the guards seemed overjoyed too. They must love you and respect you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Ourdy is kind to everybody, all the vassals love her.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were answered with pride by Midou Chiyo, a woman serving the Saegusa house. She was Karin¡¯s caretaker, and undoubtedly the happiest person to see Karin return.

    ¡°Enough about me, where is father?¡±

    ¡°He is already waiting inside the residence.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Sir Shin, I ask you to join me for a brief introduction.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin and Karin entered the residence, led by Chiyo.

    ¡°Ourdy Karin and sir Shin have arrived.¡±

    Chiyo announced their arrival in front of the room¡¯s sliding doors.

    After hearing the response Chiyo opened the doors, showing a man sitting cross-legged in the center of the room and a woman at his side.

    The man had arge and muscr physique, which clearly showed through his kimono. A man shaped like a rugged boulder, or so Shin thought. The woman was sitting next to him with a proper posture, smiling gently. She was of short stature herself, but next to the man she looked even smaller.

    ¡°Father, mother, I have returned.¡±

    ¡°Wee back. I have heard what happened to a degree. It appears you found what you were looking for.¡±

    ¡°Yes, now we only have to wait for the medicine to be made.¡±

    The man Karin called father exchanged brief words with her, then turned towards Shin.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. I am the 3rd head of the Saegusa house, Saegusa Kuyou. This is my wife, Kayo.¡±

    ¡°My name is Shin. This is Yuzuha, we are bound by a contract.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin sat in proper posture next to Karin and introduced himself. Yuzuha was sitting on a cushion next to him.

    ¡°I was told you lent your aid to our daughter anddy Kanade in their search. Also that you attempted to leave without epting any reward. You are aware of whatdy Kanade was searching for, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Only that it was an ingredient for herdy sister¡¯s medicine.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. The results are yet toe, but if Lady Haruna were to be healed, we would owe you a great debt. But even if it were not so, to save others from peril for nothing¡­that spirit is something I admire. You are wee to stay in our residence not just one day, but for a brief period if you please.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°Father, sir Shin has saved mine anddy Kanade¡¯s life, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I aming in!!¡±

    The brief greeting between Shin and Kuyou ended, and just as Karin was about to exin in detail what happened, suddenly Kanade opened the sliding doors and came inside.

    ¡°¡­dy Kanade. I thought you headed to the residence?¡±

    ¡°I gave the Dead Snake Grass to the concocter. There is nothing more for me to do. I wanted to tell my sister that we have all ingredients for the medicine, but we cannot be sure until we see it is really effective¡­father is busy in some meeting, so I came here first.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kanade. I understand your worry, but please do calm down.¡±

    Kuyou said that she was not acting properly for a Kujoudy, but Kanade pouted and retorted.

    ¡°I cannot help this. At least between us, please forgive my behavior.¡±

    Kanade¡¯s worry wouldn¡¯t disappear unless the medicine showed to be effective and her sister healed after all.

    Kuyou understood her feelings and did not reproach her further.

    ¡°Anyway, what were you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I was going to ask about sir Shin. There was a bit of amotion before you entered the castle it seems.¡±

    ¡°I have learned the reason why the atmosphere within the castle is not good. It is no wonder that Shin would be viewed with suspicion.¡±

    Kanade had heard from Kankurou what happened as they headed together to the castle.

    ¡°Father, Mdy, I still have not heard about that. Could you please inform me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see.¡±

    ¡°Ehm, I apologize for interrupting, but is it alright for me to listen to such circumstances?¡±

    Shin interjected while Kuyou was speaking. He felt that it was not something for an outsider to hear.

    ¡°That is quite all right, it is nothing more than a rumor after all. People speak about this throughout the castle town. It is but a rumor concerning suspicious movements of the Yaejima house, rulers of the west. Originally we have fought for the rule over Hinomoto: no matter the credibility of the rumor, orck thereof, people cannot help but be worried. However, as far as I know, the current head of the Yaejima family is close friends with lord Kujou Tadahisa, head of the Kujou family anddy Kanade¡¯s father. I very much doubt that the rumor is true.¡±

    ¡°If something was going on, it could be the Ichinose.¡±

    After Kuyou spoke, Kayo participated in the conversation for the first time.

    ¡°The Ichinose?¡±

    ¡°That family has always been very concerned with the changes in bnce of power between east and west, until a while ago they were talking about the unification of Hinomoto after all. About the session matter too, they even went as far as saying that since Karin isn¡¯t here, she should be removed, you know? Truly, nothing but disrespectful!¡±

    ¡°Mother, please calm down. But I understand, so that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    Karin calmed down the irritated Kayo and nodded in understanding of the situation.

    Apparently Toshiro had suspected Shin of being sent by the Ichinose.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they¡¯ve done anything yet. There are nothing but rumors at the moment, so we are gathering information. By the way, I personally am more interested in Shin, can you tell me more about your journey?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course. We met for the first time on a ship, while we were heading back to Hinomoto.¡±

    Kayo changed the subject, expressing high interest in Shin.

    As he was thinking about how to respond, Kanade anticipated him by narrating how they first met.

    ¡°¡ª-then he saved us when we fell into the sea¡­by the way, what was the thing he did that time?¡±

    ¡°What thing, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Karin, he was kissing you and fondling your breasts, was he not?¡±

    ¡°W-what!? Sir Shin!! What did you do to me while I was unconscious!?¡±

    Kanade¡¯s words caused Karin to spring up and cover her chest with her arms. She quickly moved away from him towards the wall, using a cushion as protection.

    ¡°Ooh, do let us know more.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is indeed very interesting.¡±

    At the same time, Kuyou unleashed a powerful aura of intimidation, while Kayo¡¯s smilepletely left her lips. Shin¡¯s expression became stiff under the influence of a pressure ignoring levels and stats.

    ¡°No no no it¡¯s not what it seems! I acted like that as I feared thatdy Karin¡¯s breath and pulse had stopped! I assure you I was not thinking of anything improper!! Lady Kanade, please do not use words that could be misunderstood!!¡±

    Shin tried desperately to defend himself from the damage caused by Kanade¡¯s explosive words.

    Shin exined how the kiss was to re-start Karin¡¯s stopped breathing and he wasn¡¯t fondling her breasts, but using cardiac massage to make her heart beat again, recalling the limited knowledge he could muster.

    That¡¯s how terrifying Kuyou and Kayo¡¯s atmosphere appeared to Shin. This was what they called ¡°irrational fear¡±, probably.

    ¡°Hmm, so it was all to save my daughter, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. These actions are to be performed as quickly as possible. I am not a true expert, but I thought that there was no time to think about that. I assure you, I absolutely assure you that I had nothing improper in mind.¡±

    ¡°I vouch for him as well. I woke up first, and remember how Shin was desperately trying to help Karin.¡±

    Shin told Kanade ¡°Say that first, will you!?¡± in his mind, but he refrained from voicing his thoughts in front of Kuyou and his consort.

    ¡°In that case, I must give my thanks to sir Shin then. If it weren¡¯t for you, both my daughter anddy Kanade would have drowned in that storm.¡±

    ¡°I am just d the circumstances are clear now.¡±

    Shin, freed from the parents¡¯ intimidating aura, wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Their presence was even more overwhelming than a boss monster.

    Karin, who had moved away from Shin, sat back next to him after hearing his exnation. Her face was bright red.

    After that they talked about how they climbed Mt. Fuji and arrived back at the castle, when Chiyo came in to announce that Kanade¡¯s entourage had arrived to pick her up.

    ¡°The meeting is finally over then. I shall go now. I will see you tomorrow.¡±

    Kanade said so and returned to the castle. She had arrived suddenly, dropped a powerful bomb and caused amotion, so after her departure the residence felt extremely quiet.

    ¡°Well, we have talked long enough. Let us offer you a meal.¡±

    After dinner, Shin was informed that the bath was ready, so he went to the bathroom as instructed.

    After Shin left for the bath, Kuyou, Kayo and Karin remained in the residence to talk.

    ¡°In any case, was there really a person like the one Lady Kanade described on top of Mt. Fuji?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I believe that if they did not just match their skills, but fought to the end, only sir Shin would have survived. He called the giant snake ¡°Eight-Headed Orochi¡±, but I do not know the woman¡¯s identity. To be honest, I am not sure if she was human or not.¡±

    The tone of the conversation was nowpletely serious. Kuyou himself could not neglect to ask about important information such as what the Mt. Fuji mists were hiding after all.

    ¡°The monster legends say devoured entire countries, and a girl who tamed it¡­if they will not leave the mists, I assume it will be wise for us not to bother them either. I think lord Tadahisa will summon you tomorrow: be sure to let him know as well.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Kuyou, in the role of head of the house, gave Karin specific orders.

    Even now there were people attempting to enter the mists, albeit few. If, by chance, they reached the peak and instigated those dwelling on it, there was the possibility to cause massive damage and casualties.

    Kuyou was sure that Tadahisa would understand the risk after hearing about the journey from Kanade, but he opted for added safety.

    ¡°Are the difficult topics finally over?¡±

    ¡°They are. Today was quite a surprising day though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. To think that Karin would bring a man in the house! And that they even kissed already.¡±

    ¡°M-mother! Please do not bring that up again!¡±

    Karin hurriedly tried to put a stop to the return of that embarrassing topic.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it very important? With you away from Hinomoto, I had to refuse all invitations of marriage interviews. Isn¡¯t it time to think about settling down? So, what do you think of sir Shin? He seems polite, and is quite able with the sword too, isn¡¯t he? I don¡¯t think he would be a bad marriage prospect.¡±

    ¡°Hmgh!! That is all too sudden to talk about!!¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s right! We barely know each other too!¡±

    Both father and daughter objected to Kayo¡¯s sudden marriage talk.

    Kuyou was simply against the idea, but Karin¡¯s words seemed to suggest that things could be different if they came to know each other better.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be totally opposed to it, are you. I see we need to know more about sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°Mother! I beg of you, please do not do anything weird!¡±

    ¡°Kayo! M-marriage! It¡¯s too early!¡±

    Such conversations continued in the residence while Shin was in the bath.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    The next morning.

    Shin was swinging ¡ºKakura¡» in the garden in front of the room assigned to him.

    The reason was that he had painfully learned the limits of his technique during the battle against Munechika.

    ¡°I know that I can¡¯tpare to a master, but¡­¡±

    Shin was aware that he did not possess a natural talent for the sword. Even so, he could improve with effort. Imagining an enemy standing in front of him, he was sometimes dodging, sometimes swinging down ¡ºKakura¡» in slow motion. It was a training method he learned from the person that taught him the sword.

    ¡°Fuuuuh¡­¡±

    This training¡¯s movements might be slow, but they ced a burden on the body. He had lowered his stats on purpose, so¡ºKakura¡» weighed heavily on his whole body.

    Sweat dripped down Shin¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°¡­.I focused too much.¡±

    Shin noticed that Karin¡¯s presence was close, stabbed ¡ºKakura¡» in the ground, and took a deep breath. The shirt he was wearing as a training suit was drenched in sweat.

    ¡°I apologize for disturbing your training.¡±

    ¡°No, I had lost track of time, so it¡¯s good that you came.¡±

    Karin looked apologetic, but Shin replied that there was nothing to worry about.

    She hade to call him because the meal was ready.

    Shin wiped his sweat, changed and had his meal; as he finished, someone knocked at the Saegusa gate.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    The visitor was a messenger from the Kujou house.

    Shin, led by Karin, went to the mainpound of the Kujou house, castle Kujou. Yuzuha was left at the Saegusa residence.

    In the residence where he was led to, Shin found Kanade, Kuyou, and Kankurou waiting.

    Kanade had pleaded for Shin to stay because she was grateful to him, but also because she knew he would have been summoned for an inspection.

    Kanade herself exined so when she went to meet Shin along with their guide.

    Some timeter, a man appeared and sat on the seat reserved for the person with the highest standing. The man had shaved hair, thick eyebrows, and a katana scar in the middle of his face. His physique was not bulky, but well trained.

    The man was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa.

    ¡°Raise your heads everyone.¡±

    All the guests present had bowed their heads when the man appeared, and now raised them back. Shin had followed the others¡¯ example as well, and calmly raised his head again.

    ¡°Your name is Shin, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The deep voice addressing Shin echoed.

    ¡°First of all, I must give you my thanks. I am grateful for everything you have done from the bottom of my heart.¡±

    Seeing Tadahisa thank and bow his head, Shin and all vassals present-except Kankuro- were restless.

    For the head of the house to bow his head to a stranger was something normally unthinkable.

    ¡°Thanks to the medicine, concocted with the herb we could obtain through your assistance, my daughter has dramatically recovered from her illness. The doctor says that as long as she recovers her strength, she will be able to return to her normal lifestyle.¡±

    ¡°Ooh!!¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s words now caused a new type of restlessness among those present. The vassals had not been informed yet, apparently.

    Kanade¡¯s sister must have been really loved by her subordinates; some vassals could not resist and broke out in tears.

    ¡°Sir Shin, I wish to express my gratitude to you somehow. Is there anything you wish?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not wish for anything in particr. If I had to ask for something, it would be for a roof to use until myrades arrive here.¡±

    ¡°Hm, exactly as I heard from Kanade, you truly have no material desires.¡±

    ¡°I had nned to part ways as soon as we arrived in thisnd after all. As you may have heard, a person dear to me died because of an illness. I helped just because of that, you do not need to worry about me.¡±

    The conversation between Tadahisa and Shin caused whispers among the vassals.

    Shin talked while recalling the historical dramas he had seen. He thought he might have said something disrespectful, but could not think of anything in particr.

    ¡°If so, you may continue to lodge in the Saegusa residence. Kuyou, Karin, I entrust him to you.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Kuyou and Karin lowered their heads after receiving Tadahisa¡¯s order. They were not surprised, probably because it had already been decided who would have taken care of Shin.

    ¡°Personally, I would dly wee you to serve in my household though. I have heard of your prowess with the sword. You and yourpanions as well. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Sir, my physical abilities are all I have, there are many much more skilled than me with the sword. I have no intention of serving anyone.¡±

    No matter how promising the conditions might be, entering into someone¡¯s service was not an option for Shin. He stated his refusal clearly.

    ¡°Then, could I ask for the chance to match my strength against yours?¡±

    As the conversation between the two had died down, Kankurou suddenly joined in. His expression was as peaceful as always, but his aura suggested he was trying to find out more about Shin.

    ¡°Oh, now this is unusual, for Kankurou to spontaneously speak in a situation like this.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of myck of manners. There is, however, something that drew my interest.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, sir Shin, what do you say? I shall prepare a separate reward for this.¡±

    ¡°¡­.there is no need for rewards. If I am allowed to speak my mind frankly, there is something that drew my interest as well, and wished to ask for a match myself.¡±

    This match had no particr merit for Shin. But even so, he epted Kankurou¡¯s plea.

    Shin himself was interested in something about the man.

    ¡°How should we set the victory conditions?¡±

    ¡°Both have said to be interested in something about the other. I say we continue until that something is grasped.¡±

    After changing locations to the soldiers¡¯ training area, Shin and Kankurou faced against each other, surrounded by soldiers and vassals.

    Considering that they were both Chosen Ones, the spectators to their match gathered at the edges of the training area.

    As he had done before the battle with Munechika, Shin set his ¡¾Limit¡¿ to II.

    ¡°Shall we take the first move?¡±

    Kankurou took the initiative. With a step as light as if he were simply going on a walk, he reduced the distance between himself and Shin in an instant. He was wielding a special wooden sword made for Chosen Ones.

    Kankurou¡¯s swing was parried by Shin with the same wooden sword ¨C after which, he took a step back.

    ¡°As good as expected.¡±

    Saying so, Kankurou changed the arc his wooden sword was drawing in the air into a thrust and aimed it at Shin.

    The wooden sword, attacking again without the slightest dy, gave Shin the impression that it had a will of its own.

    ¡°I have taken the first strike, but I shall let you have the first question.¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Shin in a calm tone that hardly matched their ferocious sword shes.

    ¡°I will go straight to the point then. How did you acquire the katana at your waist?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you must be a connoisseur to pick this up. I have received this from the former lord, its name is¡­¡±

    ¡°¡ºck Moon¡», isn¡¯t it? The stronger version of ¡ºRipple de¡», with all capacity points used in erging the attack range.¡±

    ¡°!!! So you really found out¡­!¡±

    As Shin talked about the sword in detail, the speed of Kankurou¡¯s swing increased. His smile now was different than the usual, he seemed to be enjoying the situation.

    From the speed of his swings and the impact created from their skirmish, Shin thought that Kankurou was the person with stats closest to his among all the people he had met until now. At the very least, his stats were much higher than Rionne¡¯s.

    They were still lower than Munechika, the boss of Mt. Fuji, but other than his technique, his experience in fighting other humans was incredibly rich. Shin had not felt much difficulty in fighting Munechika, but against Kankurou he felt it vividly.

    Shin had heard from Karin that Kankurou was a powerful warrior born before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±. He had undoubtedly experienced many battlefields.

    ¡°To think that you would know so much. Nowadays, such details are known only by me and the former lord¡­no, now that I think about it, there was someone else too.¡±

    Kankurou spoke while knowingly adding pauses between his words.

    ¡°The Dark cksmith¡­the man that forged my beloved de would naturally know such things.¡±

    The words hinting at Shin¡¯s real identity were spoken at the same time of a more powerful sh of the two men¡¯s swords, and did not reach anyone else¡¯s ears.

    As their swords were still locked, Kankurou asked Shin.

    ¡°Well, sir Shin. May I ask something too?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the name Jinkurou?¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes, I have. As a samurai myself, we went along rather well.¡±

    Jinkurou was the name of the guild master of a Japanese-style guild during the game era, ¡°Kachou Fuugetsu¡±. As they were both samurai, he and Shin were well acquainted.

    More than anything, he was the person Shin had given ¡ºck Moon¡» to. He would never forget him.

    After hearing all that, Shin remembered Kankurou.

    As Schnee was Shin¡¯s main support character, Kankurou was the first name toe up when mentioning Jinkurou¡¯s support characters.

    Kankurou¡¯s species was High Lord. He had survived the age of natural catastrophes and was a living witness of its history, the same as Schnee.

    ¡°I was under themand of that person. Thus sir Shin, I know very well who you are. I remembered your face, yes, but considering the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora, sir Girard¡¯s death, sir Shibaid¡¯s departure from the empire¡­it could not be just someone acting like you.¡±

    Thinking of Kankurou¡¯s expression when he first saw Shin, it was clear that he had figured out his identity from the start.

    ¡°Lord Jinkurou gave me this before passing away. Sir Shin, why have you returned?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly returned¡­to be honest, I would also like to know the reason why I am here.¡±

    Shin knocked away Kankurou¡¯s diagonal sh and answered with a sigh.

    ¡°Is that so. It could be that there is something you yourself do not know, sir Shin¡±

    ¡°Something, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes, did you know, sir? The people that served those once called yers forget those they served after a certain time passes.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin¡¯s sword arm slightly trembled after hearing Kankurou¡¯s words. He forcibly parried it thanks to his stat advantage, but could not deny to be shaken.

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Memories, they grow fainter and fainter. Or rather, I should say that one does not focus on them anymore. The memories do not fade away, but the loyalty, affection, everything previously felt bes of little to no importance. I too must say I am subject to this. I would have never thought of serving the Kujou house in the period following Lord Jinkurou¡¯s departure.¡±

    Kankurou spoke matter-of-factly, but with a tinge of sadness.

    The sound of their shing swords became slightly fainter.

    ¡°Why did you tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°I had the chance of meetingdy Schnee around 50 years ago. I thought she would be in the same situation as me. Her feelings towards you, however, seemed unchanged. Wondering about it, I went to meet others that were in your service, sir Girard and sir Shibaid. But the result was the same.¡±

    No one had lost their feelings towards Shin¡­.as he spoke about this, Kankurou¡¯s eyes gleamed with jealousy.

    ¡°In my travels outside Hinomoto, I had the chance of meeting others who served ¡°Rokuten¡±. Their lifestyles might have been different, but all of them were invariably loyal to their masters. That might be tied to the reason why you returned, sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin. Please, do reward their loyalty. That is all I wanted to say.¡±

    As he stated these words, Kankurou stopped swinging his sword.

    Shin followed suit and stopped his sword arm as well. This unexpected truth had left his expression sour.

    ¡°Let us conclude the match here.¡°

    ¡°Yes, let us. You have really surprised me though. I had never heard of any of this before.¡±

    ¡°I doubt anyone would realize it, without being aware as I was¡­.but rather than that, I shall keep your identity hidden for now. Revealing it could cause unneeded trouble. You have no intention of openly stating it, do you? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would be a great help if you did so.¡±

    Shin headed towards Tadahisa while talking with Kankurou. He was feeling conflicted within.

    They received words of praise from Tadahisa for their battle, then Shin left the Kujou house.

    Karin, who was walking next to him, spoke first.

    ¡°Sir Shin, during the battle you were talking about something with sir Kankurou, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well¡­I thought I had seen the katana at his waist somewhere before. But I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°What katana did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°The ¡ºRipple de¡», a katana with the effect of extending the range of its shes. Sir Kankurou said that it was its enhanced version. I was really surprised¡­what did he say its name was? Maybe ¡ºck Moon¡»?¡±

    Shin had no intention of talking about his conversation with Kankurou, so he decided to talk about his katana while avoiding the subject.

    ¡°They say that no other katana in Hinomoto can surpass it. It is indeed a sword among swords, some even call it a divine de. Lord Kankurou said that the legendary Dark cksmith forged it, but because of that, there have also been troubles.¡±

    ¡°Trouble you say? Yesterday I heard about some session problem, is that rted maybe?¡±

    ¡°Lord Kankurou said that he should soon hand it down to the next generation¡­they say that the greatest sword arm in Hinomoto will inherit it. Of course, lord Kankurou excluded.¡±

    Karin added that the title ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten¡± is given to the best katana users of Hinomoto. Shin had heard this term from Kankurou before.

    Among those awarded with the title, their position was designed with the term 1st seat, 2nd seat, and so forth. Currently, Kankurou was the 1st seat, while Karin was 3rd seat.

    ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten¡± was a title given to those excelling in the use of the katana, so there were lower members of the Brave Ten that were more powerful than their superiors, if total fighting prowess was considered.

    The separation between higher and lower members was around seat 5. But even among them, Kankurou was a special case.

    ¡°He is famous for episodes of bravery such as charging by himself into an enemy battalion and cutting down 1000 enemies for example. From his silhouette wielding the ck-sheathed white katana ¡ºck Moon¡», some call him the ¡®White Haired Sword Demon¡¯.¡±

    ¡°White Haired Sword Demon, huh¡­¡±

    Once one bes famous, such nicknames cannot be avoided apparently.

    Shin, whose nickname of ¡°Dark cksmith¡± had spread far and wide, could understand.

    ¡°Who is the favored candidate at present?¡±

    ¡°The 2nd to 4th seats are evenly matched for now. As defeating someone carrying a seat would let you make your name known, I have been challenged several times.¡±

    Karin looked at the sky, as if she was remembering a distant memory, and sighed. It was a rather troublesome situation for her it seems.

    As the news of her return to Hinomoto spread, such duels would probably increase once again.

    As the two arrived at the Saegusa house while talking, something flew towards Shin.

    ¡°Kuu!!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa there, what¡¯s wrong Yuzuha?¡±

    What had flown toward Shin¡¯s chest was Yuzuha in fox mode. Her fur was wet for some reason.

    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s no good little Yuzuha. I have to wash you¡ª-oh,dy Karin, Lord Shin. Wee back.¡±

    Chiyo came out of the residence after Yuzuha, carrying a brush.

    ¡°What were you doing Chiyo? This poor thing is all scared.¡±

    ¡°My, I was just giving it a bath.¡±

    ¡°What are those suspicious hand movements¡­?¡±

    Chiyo replied, surprised and hurt to be used, but Karin looked with worry and voiced her concern.

    The fingers of the hand not holding the brush were repeatedly bending then extending again, at very high speed.

    Shin also agreed that hands didn¡¯t move like that when giving baths.

    ¡°(The hands, the haaaands!)¡±

    ¡°Calm down Yuzuha. Well, I¡¯ll do the rest. These things should be done by the one she is bound to via the contract after all.¡±

    Shin made his proposal while calming down the almost weeping Yuzuha. He felt things could turn ugly if he let Chiyo handle it.

    ¡°Oh no¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Chiyo¡­why do you look so desperate.¡±

    Chiyo looked thoroughly disappointed, and Karin talked to her with a tired sigh. Judging from Karin¡¯s expression, Shin imagined that simr episodes had happened before too, andughed wryly.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin and the others were engaged in this smallmotion, in the Kujou residence all vassals except Karin were assembled.

    ¡°Thus, Kankurou. I trust you will exin why you requested a duel with that man.¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s aura was not as peaceful as when he met Shin, but was instead strongly intimidating.

    In a way, Tadahisa¡¯s daughter Haruna owed her life to Shin, and Kankurou had challenged him to a duel in that situation. Anyone other than Kankurou would have been thrown out of the residence.

    ¡°Yes. There was something I absolutely had to confirm. I am deeply thankful for your permission.¡±

    Kankurou replied to Tadahisa in his usual calm and collected tone.

    He had made such a proposal out of confidence; Shin would not be angry over something like that, as Kankurou well knew.

    ¡°Both his appearance and aura closely resembled a friend of myte Lord Jinkurou, so I suspected he might be that very friend¡­and I was right.¡±

    ¡°A friend of your former lord¡­judging from how he fought, that is not surprising.¡±

    Tadahisa included, all vassals present nodded.

    Many of those who witnessed the battle watched Shin with a bitter expression as he not only parried, but even easily beat back Kankurou¡¯s attacks.

    Even among the experienced ranks of the Kujou house, few could take Kankurou from the front in training. The speed at which Shin and Kankurou crossed swords exceeded their abilities.

    ¡°He is quite a unique young man, at that level of skirmish it is still possible to talk. This and another reason, a more important one.¡±

    ¡°And what would that be?¡±

    ¡°That young man will definitely serve no one. If anyone among those present here was thinking of putting him in his service, it is not advisable to use coercion. In the worst case, all of Hinomoto could crumble.¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s words caused surprise in all present, because of how great the consequences could be. Some of them looked jaded, thinking that it was some bad joke.

    Even if his sword arm was on par with Kankurou, it was overly exaggerated to put him above the whole country of Hinomoto others thought.

    ¡°¡­.I do not think you would joke in a situation like this.¡±

    ¡°Lord Tadahisa, you have met Schnee Raizar and Girard Estaria in the past, yes?¡±

    ¡°I have, before bing head of the n.¡±

    ¡°You do know how powerful they are, do you not?¡±

    ¡°I have been witness to a battle where Schnee Raizar participated. Her annihtion of a swarm of monsters by herself was truly impressive, even terrifying. I do believe her power surpasses human ability. It is certainly not folly to think that she could take down an entire country.¡±

    Maybe because he was recalling that past episode, Tadahisa¡¯s already strict expression had be even more bitter. He had been witness to Schnee destroying a whole swarm of monsters without receiving a single wound.

    ¡°Sir Shin¡¯s power is on the same level¡­no, even superior to theirs. I might have some advantage over him with the use of the sword, if he fought with all his means there would be no way of stopping him. If he fought seriously, simply stalling him for a few minutes would be a great sess.¡±

    ¡°You would go so far?¡±

    ¡°Without a doubt. Lord Tadahisa, you know of the High Human legends, yes? The vast majority of those legends as they are narrated today is true. As they say, the world before the Dusk was popted with warriors so powerful it was uparable to the world now. In the same way, sir Shin cannot be contained in our current parameters andmon sense. Lost skills, hidden arts¡­I doubt he knows only 10 or 20 of those. Fortunately, his personality would not let him draw the sword unless something really serious happened; as long as we treat him normally, there is no concern of provoking his anger.¡±

    The words of Kankurou, the man considered Hinomoto¡¯s strongest even before the Dusk, were nothing tough at. His expression did not contain the slightest hint that he could have been joking.

    For a while, no one spoke a word.

    No one could take the situation lightly after hearing such serious words from the 1st seat of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten.

    Shin was not to be touched. This conclusion was already set in stone.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time that Shin¡¯s party arrived in Kujou territory, in a certain residence, two men and one woman were talking.

    The higher seats were upied by arge Type Bear and a beautiful woman emanating a certain decadent atmosphere.

    The other man, d in ck robes, was kneeling before them, his head down.

    ¡°So you failed. They shouldn¡¯t have had high defenses against magic though¡­did they have some countermeasure?¡±

    ¡°No, but a man was traveling with them as well. It appears that he detected the danger.¡±

    The man d in ck reported on what had happened.

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡°An adventurer called Shin. He is bing more known recently for greatly damaging a swarm of monsters that attacked a city in the maind. He is a Returned Ancestor, without a doubt. ¡±

    Rumors of Shin¡¯s feats in Balmel were spreading wider than he thought. Information regarding powerful ones spread without their knowledge, as always.

    ¡°I tried observing him while blending into crowds, but he is surely dangerous. His appearance is that of a good-natured man, but the stench of bloodys heavy upon him. He is closer to us.¡±

    The man in ninja clothes slightly trembled as he spoke. His unique senses as an inhabitant of underground society had made him feel how dangerous Shin can be via his smell.

    ¡°Oh my, the great Kai, the Rokuhara¡¯s number one man, fears some adventurer?¡±

    The woman next to the man sitting in the higher seat spoke in his ce. As she slightly turned her neck sideways, her long white hair and animal ears rustled.

    Behind the woman, six white furred tails, extending from her behind, were moving gently.

    ¡°If I am allowed to stake my life on the line, I shall take him.¡±

    ¡°Do not fret, it is still not the right time to use your life. If we cannot eliminate the sessors of the Kujou house, it is all meaningless.¡±

    With a chilling tone, the man sitting on the higher seat curbed the words of the man called Kai.

    His body, 2 timesrger than the average Type Bear, and the scars carved on it, reinforced his intimidating aura even more.

    Kai bowed even more deeply after hearing his words.

    ¡°Tamamo. Can¡¯t your techniques do anything? If they enter the castle, we cannot act easily.¡±

    ¡°Lord Juugo, I will dly lend you my power.¡±

    Tamamo showed a bewitching smile while leaning coyly towards the man. Her smile had charming properties, and was influencing both Juugo¡¯s and Kai¡¯s thoughts, little by little.

    If she hadn¡¯t, they would never think that her 6-tailed appearance, impossible for a Type Fox, was normal.

    ¡°Heh, after the death of their precious daughter, the Kujou house won¡¯t be able to keep their peace. The sister is not long to this world either, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the illness will surely im Kujou Haruna¡¯s life very soon. I would have loved to eliminate the first born brother too, but regretfully there are no chances of getting close to him.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start from the closest targets. Hinomoto cannot stand divided forever.¡±

    Juugo¡¯s eyes began to sparkle with something resembling madness.

    Tamamo and Kai both noticed, but said nothing.

    Sparks of fire began to smolder within Hinomoto¡­

 Book 8: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    The day after the visit to Kujou Tadahisa.

    Shin had been swinging ¡ºKakura¡» since early morning, with his ¡¾Limit¡¿pletely removed.

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    His abilities were nowpletely unrestrained, but he was obviously careful not to damage the surroundings.

    If he used his full strength it would be more difficult to control himself, but as long as he rxed it was easy enough. His ¡¾Limit¡¿ had also been removed when he fought Barlux, Bayreuth¡¯s guild master, after all.

    Little by little, he put more strength into his swings, carefully monitoring any changes. He still couldn¡¯t grasp itpletely, but between understanding and not understanding how to control the de, a small difference in power was born.

    At that moment, he wasn¡¯t thinking if, in the future, he would have had to hold back his strength at full release mode.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it time?¡±

    Shin had told Yuzuha to check the time so he could put things in order and change before breakfast.

    ¡°Ehm, you maye out, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­..so you noticed.¡±

    Shin spoke towards the edge of the veranda, and an embarrassed Karin showed herself.

    ¡°I did all I could not to bother you¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I just noticed that you were there, you didn¡¯t distract me.¡±

    Just like the time before, Shin had noticed that Karin was close. And just like the time before, she had been careful not to bother him.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s still early for breakfast though?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, I was just curious to see what kind of training you did. After all, your match yesterday against sir Kankurou was truly impressive.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. I didn¡¯t do anything special though¡­by the way, what did you think of my fighting style?¡±

    Shin was concerned about it, so he took advantage of the opportunity to ask Karin¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°What I think?¡±

    ¡°My sword arm, I mean. I have to admit, I have received some training in the art of the sword, but most of it is self-taught.¡±

    As a yer, Shin was more than powerful enough.

    However, in a sword fight with no stats differences, he would not have matched Kankurou or Karin, who had spent much more time honing their technique.

    The basis of Shin¡¯s strength was not only his extensive experience in battles against monsters and other humans, but also the great variation of magic spells and skills at his disposal.

    His job did not have any weapon limitations, so he could use many main weapons: swords, spears, bows, etc.

    This is because he generally battled solo. He would quickly change weapons to strike the opponent¡¯s weak points and conduct the fight in his favor.

    Some think that mastering one type of weapon would make one stronger, but Shin did not choose that path.

    To learn without being taught, and increase one¡¯s ability by leaps and bounds¡­Shin had not been blessed by such an overwhelming form of talent.

    In a way, it could be said that Shin¡¯s sword was the fruit of his great talent in studying.

    ¡°¡­.I think it would be presumptuous and arrogant of me to talk, but¡­well, something that concerned me was your body¡¯s movements.¡±

    ¡°My movements?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In the Saegusa style handed down in my family, we focus our whole body in each swing of the de. A precise, flowing sh, under the full control of our will, is considered the apex of the Saegusa style. Inparison, your de seems to waver, following your body¡¯s movements. I suppose you probably did not make your body remember each technique¡¯s form, but only fought in actual battles?¡±

    ¡°Amazing, that¡¯spletely true.¡±

    After being taught the sword, Shin spent little time training. Most of his technique had been honed on the battlefield. After all, since he was within a game, even if he didn¡¯t perform the best, most ideal movements, as long as the system judged it effective he could cause damage.

    Soon Shin¡¯s movements became more refined, and he stopped caring about the techniques¡¯ form.

    ¡°Sir Shin, your physical abilities are exceptional. Slight unsteadiness has never been a problem, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°But from here on out, I can¡¯t keep saying that, can I.¡±

    In the current world, the old damage judgement system is gone. The slight unsteadiness that Karin pointed out would influence the damage inflicted.

    ¡°Here on out?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t have my body be in control forever.¡±

    He had no intention of defeating any master of the sword, but simply bing able to fully handle his own power.

    Since he felt he was not using his strength properly, Shin wanted to perfect his control over his power, now that he had the time.

    ¡°Well¡­if you would be satisfied with me, I could teach you some of the basics. You will stay in our house until yourpanions arrive, so I think it could be useful to you.¡±

    ¡°I would be more than grateful, but is it alright to teach an outsider?¡±

    Shin cast doubt to Karin¡¯s sudden proposal.

    ¡°I believe that you would not use my teachings for any wrong purpose. What sir Shin needs now is understanding and control of his physical abilities. I would not impart to you teachings concerning our school¡¯s techniques, and doubt anyone would be outraged at just some private lessons. I teach the basics at other dojos too, after all.¡±

    No, someone probably would¡­thought Shin. Though to be trained by the 3rd seat of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten was something he hadn¡¯t even hoped for, so he chose to not worry about small things.

    ¡°Well then, let us start training right after breakfast then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    After breakfast, the two moved to the Saegusa dojo. The ce Karin led Shin to was a quiet dojo: apparently the lessons for their students were held in another one.

    Shin lowered his stats with ¡¾Limit¡¿ and had Karin point out where he wascking. Probably because he had been self-taught for a long time, Shin had more weird quirks than he thought.

    ¡°You use many other weapons other than the katana, I think that is one reason too.¡±

    Karin exined that using many weapons had created a hotbed for the birth of quirks in his fighting style.

    ¡°Kuaaa¡­¡±

    Yuzuha yawned as she watched over the two.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One evening, a few days after Karin had started giving private lessons to Shin.

    Sitting on the veranda outside the room assigned to him, Shin was listening to Schnee¡¯s report.

    ¡°(¡­.I see. So there weren¡¯t any major troubles after that.)¡±

    ¡°(Yes. We could escortdy Hermie safe and sound. For safety, Wilhelm is with her, but I¡¯m sure she will be alright unless something extraordinary happens.)¡±

    Milt had been sent to attack the Summit Faction base, so only Wilhelm had remained to guard Hermie. He was the one she had opened her heart to the most during their travels, so excluding battle prowess, he was the best choice.

    ¡°(That¡¯s reassuring. Nothing in particr is going on here at the moment, but I have a few concerns. Don¡¯t let your guard down when youe, just in case.)¡±

    ¡°(I know. See you soon.)¡±

    Shin cut the Mind Chat after Schnee¡¯sst words, spoken with a cheerful tone. It also depended on the winds, but their arrival to Hinomoto would be about one weekter.

    Shin gazed at the sky, thinking that it would be nice to use this opportunity to do some sightseeing in Hinomoto. A beautiful full moon was hanging in the darkness.

    ¡°A garden in the moonlight¡­not bad at all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful moonlit night.¡±

    Shin had talked to himself, but he heard someone answer. He had noticed it already, so he wasn¡¯t surprised; it was Karin, wearing an indoor kimono. Her silky ck hair gleamed in the moonlight.

    ¡°Father gave me some good sake, so I thought of bringing you some.¡±

    Karin was carrying a tray with a bottle and small cups.

    ¡°I see. We have a beautiful moon out too, let¡¯s enjoy some moonlight sake then.¡±

    Shin was not a big drinker in the real world, so this was his first time to enjoy the tradition of drinking sake while gazing at the moon.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, thanks.¡±

    Before Shin could take the bottle to pour himself a cup, Karin did it for him. There were two small cups, so she would probably drink too.

    After she poured the sake for him, Shin did the same in return.

    It was probably ¡°THE NEW GATE¡¯s¡± type of sake. Its sweet aroma reminded Shin of the Ginjo style of vor.

    Recalling how he had tried it at a gathering in university, Shin put the cup to his lips, feeling a faintly sweet aroma and a firm, clean taste. Shin was not an expert by any means, but thought it was really delicious.

    The moonlit sky seemed to make the sake even more pleasant. Maybe it was also because a beautiful girl like Karin was pouring it too.

    ¡°So beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Yes!? Ah, er, that¡¯s right! The moon is really beautiful!¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Karin¡¯s surprised reaction made Shin turn to look at her, but she was looking straight at the sky.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all¡­.¡±

    She seemed really nervous. The graceful, elegant demeanor she had until a moment ago had gone away somewhere.

    ¡°Does it have anything to do with the two people behind the pir?¡±

    ¡°¡­..so you had noticed.¡±

    ¡°Well, I think it would be harder not to¡­¡±

    Shin had detected that, at the edge of the veranda just behind a corner, Kuyou and Kayo were hiding. Kuyou¡¯s eyes emanated a faint killing intent. Anyone who had experience of battle would have realized.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­actually, mother told me to get to know you more.¡±

    ¡°Know me more?¡±

    The sake served the purpose of facilitating conversation, probably.

    ¡°I wonder why, did I do anything disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, actually¡­.what I¡¯d like to know is¡­.what food you like, what things you like, what kind of¡­.women you like.¡±

    Thest words left Karin¡¯s lips in a whisper.

    ¡°Aaah¡­I see, that¡¯s what it is? She wants me to do a marriage interview?¡±

    Why would Karin¡¯s mother Kayo ask her daughter to gather that information? Shin had guessed the reason, but avoided saying it outright.

    During his stay in the Saegusa house, Shin had had the chance to learn more about Hinomoto¡¯s warrior families.

    As it had been the case with Kayo, Hinomoto women tended to marry young, and it was not strange to give birth in theirte teens.

    For someone like Karin, who was female and part of the Brave Ten, it would be natural to have a fiance.

    The Saegusa house however, ced a great focus on battle ability: Kuyou wouldn¡¯t approve of acking candidate, but to find someone that he, 2nd seat in the Hinomoto Brave Ten, would ept was a difficult feat.

    ¡°Mother, well, she said that sir Shin would surely pass¡­¡­.and father also seemed to ept¡­.¡±

    It seemed that thanks to his duel with Kankurou, Shin had satisfied their expectations. Judging from Karin¡¯s words, Kayo was the main instigator behind it all.

    ¡°Did he really ept? The killing intenting from him is getting gradually stronger¡­¡±

    Kuyou¡¯s killing intent was gradually growing as time passed. Even if he had epted, his feelings as a father were a different thing.

    ¡°Well, you see¡­I am really sorry, but I already have a fiancee. I¡¯m afraid I cannot ept that proposal.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­..? Oh, I see. Of course! A man like you would surely have at least one fiancee!!¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s reply, Karin opened her eyes wide for an instant, then showed an exaggerated reaction.

    She was partly surprised, partly relieved¡­mixed feelings swirled inside her, and for Shin it was difficult to read her expression for a while.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing up something so weird. It¡¯s a beautiful night, and I almost ruined it.¡±

    ¡°Personally, I feel honored to have you serve me sake.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    Karin bowed, then walked away in Kuyou and Kayo¡¯s direction. Their presence disappeared too, probably thanks to Karin.

    ¡°Marriage, huh¡­¡±

    In the former world too, there existed the concept of marriages focused on households or bloodlines, but Shin had never had anything to do with such things.

    If Karin had really fallen in love with him, it would be understandable for them to talk to Shin about marriage, now that he knew about the Saegusa house¡¯s circumstances. Shin, however, had no recollection of any episodes that could have turned her ¡°like¡± into ¡°love¡±.

    There were happenings that might have made her think of Shin that way, like when he performed CPR and a cardiac massage on her.

    ¡°It¡¯s too early for a student like me to think about that¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s original ¡°status¡± was university student. Marriage wasn¡¯t something too far off in the future, but still it didn¡¯t feel realistic yet.

    ¡°¡­.sigh¡±

    After leaving Shin, Karin shoved Kuyou and Kayo in their bedroom, then returned to her room.

    Her body, which felt strangely heavier than usual, lying in the futon, she stared at the ceiling.

    ¡°A fiancee¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s battle prowess is extremely high. Outside Hinomoto, he could be a very sessful adventurer.

    Karin knew that Shin¡¯s name was actually starting to be known.

    Tadahisa had forbidden anyone to forcibly pull Shin to their side, but in case of mutual affection there would be no problem.

    ¡°I should be happy that a troublesome thing has been taken care of, and yet¡­¡±

    Karin had always focused on swinging her sword, without caring to practice bridal duties. She had left Hinomoto as an adventurer, so she could cook and sew to an extent, but Karin had never considered the possibility of marriage.

    ¡­.at least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be.

    ¡°¡­..sigh.¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t stop sighing after going back to her room.

    Maintaining one¡¯s condition was also a warrior¡¯s duty. Yet after talking with Shin, she found herself unable to.

    She knew what this feeling was.

    The identity of the weariness enveloping her body. It was ¡°loss¡±.

    A sensation felt after losing something of importance. A sensation simr to powerlessness.

    That was strange, though. She hadn¡¯t lost anything.

    ¡°Beautiful, huh¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were looping inside Karin¡¯s mind.

    Looking at Shin, it was clear enough that those words had not been directed at her. Despite that, she was almostically surprised by them.

    Her face still felt flushed.

    At the same time, she could feel a clenching pain, deep in her chest.

    Karin knew this sensation too.

    ¡°Am I¡­.attracted to sir Shin¡­?¡±

    She had seen him for the first time on the ship they had boarded to return to their homnd. She understood he was a man of great ability, but he was still just another passenger.

    As they talked, she simply had the impression that he probably wasn¡¯t a bad person.

    She was surprised at his strength during the battle against the Gale Serpents.

    Then, after diving into the sea to follow Kanade, when she regained consciousness the first thing she saw was Shin¡¯s back.

    ¡°It was really big¡­¡±

    Karin could faintly remember when he was carrying her. Shin was of rather lean build, but his back was bigger andrger than she thought, and she didn¡¯t feel uneasy at all when leaning against him.

    Then, he helped them look for the medicinal herb for Lady Haruna; on top of Mt. Fuji, he stood fearlessly before a giant 8-headed snake monster, and won the herb with his sword.

    Karin remembered the burning sensation in her chest as she watched Shin face the female warrior d in tinum armor.

    However, she thought that it was a sensation born from watching two powerful warriors engage in battle¡­

    ¡°To fall in love while watching him cross swords in battle¡­there¡¯s something wrong with me.¡±

    She was starting to worry about her sensitivity. She had been focused on the sword all her life, that¡¯s true, but even so that was too violent a beginning.

    Something else that could have triggered it all¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She came up with something else.

    The decisive episode that made her think about Shin.

    Karin lightly passed her fingers on her lips.

    ¡°The kiss.¡±

    Shin had desperately exined that he had done that to save her, and Karin did not doubt his words.

    But it was still true that she had been kissed. And ording to Kanade, he had touched her breasts too.

    She knew she was more developed than other people her age. She also knew that when she was out adventuring with Kanade, men would often gaze at her chest.

    She felt nothing but disgust then, but in Shin¡¯s case the disgust disappeared.

    Rather, she even¡­

    ¡°Aaaah!! What am I thinking about!?!¡±

    Karin couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice.

    Her heartbeat was getting annoyingly noisy. Her thoughts refused to be put in order.

    The more she tried not to think about it, the more Shin¡¯s silhouette upied her mind.

    The slightly silly expression he had when they first met.

    The brave expression he showed when he blew away the Gale Serpent¡¯s head.

    His kind expression when he was worrying about her.

    His serious expression while he swung the sword.

    ¡°To realize it after being turned down¡­there really is something wrong with me¡­¡±

    She would barely sleep that night.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    3 days after Karin talked about marriage to Shin, a letter was delivered to the Saegusa house.

    Chiyo, who had received it, said it hade from the Kujou.

    ¡°It¡¯s for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,dy Haruna expressed the wish to meet you. The sender isdy Kanade.¡±

    I am aware of the rudeness of my request. But could you make it possible to meet my sister once¡­was the content of the letter.

    Considering Kanade¡¯s personality, she would rather show up personally to talk about it, but as she had been absent from Hinomoto for a long time, she likely had been caught by a servant on her way out.

    ¡°Lady Haruna is a very reasonable person. She surely would not think well of requesting the person she owes her life to toe visit her. But just ending things with a thank-you letter isn¡¯t something that she¡¯d ept either.¡±

    Shin had already received a letter of gratitude for the assistance he had lent.

    It was rich in old-fashioned expressions and hard to read, but her feelings of gratitude were clearly expressed.

    ¡°I have already been thanked by lord Tadahisa too, I don¡¯t think she should concern herself with it though¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also unusually stubborn you see. Sir Shin, wouldn¡¯t you givedy Haruna a chance to express her thanks?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have much to do until myrades arrive after all. If she will be relieved, then it¡¯s fine for me. To be honest, I¡¯m the one feeling nervous though¡­¡±

    Kuyou wrote the letter of eptance and handed it to the waiting messenger.

    They would go visitdy Haruna the following day.

    ¡°Ehm, I think it is best to review the visit protocol¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±

    As they were walking towards the Kujou residence, Shin talked to Karin, but received an awkward reply.

    The day after their marriage conversation, Karin was too restless and they couldn¡¯t continue their usual training.

    Now, after a few days had passed, she seemed more calm.

    By the way, Yuzuha had stayed back at the residence.

    As they arrived to the residence where Haruna was said to be, they showed the gate guard the proof of passage they had received with the reply to their letter.

    The proof of passage had half of a seal;bined with the other half, which the gate guard had, it matched perfectly and emitted a faint glow. In order to avoid counterfeiting, a magical defense mechanism had been ced on it as well.

    As they were waiting for someone to guide them into the residence, Kanade herself appeared.

    ¡°I thank you foring. Come in, this way.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kanade. The noble daughter of the Kujou house should not behave like that in public!!¡±

    Ady in her 40s, who arrived right after Kanade, reprimanded her. She was Kanade¡¯s tutor and her name was ¡°Ei¡±.

    ¡°I apologize for my rudeness. I shall apany you inside. Only several days have passed since ourdy Haruna rose from her sickbed, thus I pray you not to tire her too much.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Ei bowed deeply to them, and Shin nodded in reply. Her illness might have been cured, but Haruna had been sick in bed for a long period, naturally they did not want to be a burden to her.

    After they walked for awhile, Ei stopped in front a room with a veranda. Kanade, who had gone back before them, was already inside.

    Ei kneeled on the floor and called to who was beyond the sliding doors.

    ¡°Lady Haruna. Lord Shin and Lady Karin have arrived.¡±

    ¡°Let them inside.¡±

    After Haruna¡¯s reply, Ei opened the sliding doors. Shin and Karin were encouraged to go inside andplied.

    ¡°Let me thank you foring all the way here to visit me.¡±

    Alongside Kanade, in the room there was another young woman, adorned in a gorgeous kimono.

    Shin¡¯s attention was caught by the woman¡¯s captivating waist-length ck hair and her eyes, ck like polished obsidian gems.

    Her facial features were very Japanese-like, with a reserved kind of elegance typical of traditional Japanese beauty.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around like that, have a seat. You shouldn¡¯t make my sister wait.¡±

    ¡°You have even less restraint than usual I see.¡±

    There was no doubt that the youngdy before them was Haruna.

    As Shin sat on the cushion prepared for him, Haruna adjusted her posture, then deeply lowered her head to him.

    ¡°I wish to give you my deepest gratitude for saving my sister and her friend¡¯s lives. Thanks to you, the illness afflicting me has been cured as well. I shall never forget the debt of gratitude I owe you for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°Raise your head, please. I simply followed my heart. Your feelings of gratitude have already reached me very well.¡±

    Shin felt a bit uneasy, doubting that it was proper for the daughter of the family¡¯s head to bow like that to a mere adventurer.

    He appreciated her gesture of thanks, of course, but being treated so formally had the inverse effect of making him nervous.

    Being born and raised in modern times, Shin found Haruna¡¯s reactions exaggerated.

    ¡°I also wish I could show my gratitude to you somehow¡­¡±

    ¡°No, please, you really should not concern yourself with that. Er¡­oh, yes! Seeing Lady Haruna smile would be more than sufficient!¡±

    ¡°My smile?¡±

    ¡°I do not know how you normally are, of course, but your expression now is, how should I say¡­stiff,dy Haruna. I do not need things or glory, nothing like that, but if possible, I would like to see a more cheerful expression from you.¡±

    Shin went with an idea that had suddenlye to mind, but while talking he was almost annoyed with himself at that totally out of character request.

    He knew that when he would recall his actions and wordster, he would want to kick himself.

    ¡°I say, I also love my sister¡¯s smile very much.¡±

    Saying so, Kanade hugged Haruna.

    ¡°I do not know how valuable my smile can be, but I shall not refuse such a request. I have not had much to smile about after being bedridden, so I hope it is not too awkward.¡±

    While caressing Kanade¡¯s head, who had jumped on herp, Haruna replied to Shin. Her words gave him a small relief.

    Haruna¡¯s expression as she cuddled Kanade appeared as if illuminated by sunlight.

    ¡°¡­.lending my help has been worth it.¡±

    Thanks to the warmth he felt from looking at Haruna cuddling Kanade, Shin¡¯s uneasiness was gone too.

    After exining briefly what had happened in their travels, they excused themselves from Haruna¡¯s quarters. The tutor Ei had reminded them not to stay too long after all.

    Karin had not spoken much, but apparently she had already met and talked with Haruna, whom she counted as a close friend.

    ¡°I have been steadily recovering, but everyone¡¯s such a worrywart.¡±

    ¡°I heard you have been bedridden for a long time, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    After consoling the disappointed-looking Haruna, Shin stood up. Haruna didn¡¯t want to see them go yet, but there was nothing else they could do; A presence was clearly sending a ¡°It¡¯s time to let thedy rest¡ª¡± message from outside towards Shin, probably Ei.

    ¡°I shall take my leave then. Please take care not to push yourself too much, as you just recovered.¡±

    Realizing again how loved she had to be by those around her, Shin bid farewell to Haruna.

    ¡°Will it be possible to meet again? I am eager to know more about the world outside Hinomoto.¡±

    ¡°I am imposing in the Saegusa house until mypanions arrive, so it will be possible until then. Although I fear the vassals will be opposed to the household¡¯sdy meeting a mere adventurer like me.¡±

    ¡°It will be wise to do it without creating any unpleasant rumors, by having someone else with you during the visit, I think.¡±

    The Kujou house was the ruler of east Hinomoto. If people started rumoring that its first-born daughter was intimate with an unknown adventurer, Haruna¡¯s reputation was more at risk than Shin.

    Karin thus suggested that they avoided meeting by themselves.

    ¡°I understand, but it is truly regretful.¡±

    ¡°s, it is how Shin and Karin said. Now that you have recovered, the storm of marriage proposals will start again too.¡±

    Shin thought that Kanade¡¯s prediction was surely on the spot.

    Her household and appearance were excellent, talking to her showed a person with a serene personality, clearly quite intelligent too. With so many excellent conditions all together, there will surely be multitudes of men willing to marry her.

    As she had just recovered, it was likely that no such topic had been mentioned to her, but sooner orter they surely would. It wasn¡¯t something Shin could do anything about.

    ¡°Well then, if there will be the chance, let us meet again.¡±

    ¡°Thank you again foring.¡±

    ¡°Yes,e again!¡±

    Ei, who was waiting outside Haruna¡¯s quarters, led them back to the entrance gate.

    ¡°Thank you very much for sparing your precious time for Lady Haruna today.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, a mere adventurer like me was unworthy of such honor.¡±

    Normally, an attendant would apany guests from the small gate in the hedges surrounding the residence until therge gate at the entrance of the Kujou estate, but this time Karin assumed that role.

    Even if it was a person they owe great gratitude to, they wouldn¡¯t let strangers walk on their own around the mainpound after all.

    While thinking about this, Shin realized that since he had entered the Kujou domain, every time he left the Saegusa residence he was apanied by someone.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s obvious.¡±

    He whispered this to himself and looked towards therge gate, when he saw someone other than the guard before it.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°Sir Kankurou¡­you have business withdy Haruna as well?¡±

    Kankurou, who was dressed the same way as when he fought Shin, shook his head.

    ¡°No, I simply had some free time, so I was taking a walk, and I perceived your presence. I do not have very much time, but would you join me for some conversation?¡±

    ¡°No problem for me, but what about you Karin?¡±

    ¡°That is fine for me too. I see sir Toshiro is here too, what about you?¡±

    ¡°I do not have any pressing duties either.¡±

    In the direction, Karin looked at stood Yaejima Toshiro. He was not wearing armor, but only grey and deep green formal wear.

    ¡°However, if time allows it, I would like to ask sir Shin for a match.¡±

    ¡°A match?¡±

    Ever since they first met, when Shin was with Karin and Kanade, he hadn¡¯t felt any amitying from Toshiro. What he felt almost made him feel like he was considered an enemy instead.

    He was slightly surprised, then, to be challenged to a duel in such a direct manner.

    ¡°I have heard the rumors. You are receivingdy Karin¡¯s teachings in the way of the sword, yes?¡±

    ¡°There are such rumors?¡±

    Shin raised his eyebrows at Toshiro¡¯s words.

    Karin was the Saegusa family¡¯s first-born daughter and the 3rd seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten. If word of her teaching a stranger the art of the sword spread, it would definitely cause amotion. Shin would have hated to return Karin¡¯s favor with trouble.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I spoke about it with anyone though.¡±

    ¡°I have not heard a word of it either. By the way, Toshiro, recently you seem to strangely disappear rather often, don¡¯t you?¡±

    After hearing Karin and especially Kankurou¡¯sments, Shin casted a suspicious nce at Kankurou, thinking that he might have been spying on them.

    ¡°I just heard it fromdy Chiyo! I was told not to say it to anyone else, nor have I any intention to!! I am just all too env-ahem!!!¡±

    The more they talked, the more Shin¡¯s opinion of Toshiro changed.

    ¡°Ehm¡­sir Toshiro?¡±

    Karin looked puzzled at Toshiro, she didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his affection for her yet.

    ¡°In any case!! I shall put you to the test and see how much your skills have grown!!¡±

    ¡°My apologies. Toshiro is infatuated withdy Karin, and you see¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, I kind of realized it too.¡±

    ¡°T-that has nothing to do with this!!!¡±

    Toshiro yelled at Kankurou and Shin¡¯s whispered conversation.

    ¡°?¡±

    Karin, who had not heard the conversation, looked even more confused.

    Shin thought that maybe, this Yaejima Toshiro wasn¡¯t a bad person.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    As they did not have anything urgent to do, Shin and Karin followed Kankurou to the Toudou house¡¯s dojo.

    It was a separatepound, used only by Kankurou, Toshiro, and a few others.

    In the same way as the Saegusa house, the dojos were separated between teaching use and personal use.

    ¡°Some wish to focus on personal training without being bothered by their surroundings. This dojo is also used sometimes for matches such as this.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I suppose they don¡¯t want to be seen.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, that would be better.¡±

    Shin and Toshiro then both wielded wooden swords.

    As Kankurou had told Shin on their way to the dojo, Toshiro was close in level to the Hinomoto Brave Ten. The aura Shin felt emanating from Toshiro convinced him that it had to be the truth.

    While they were talking, Shin regarded Toshiro as a guy he couldn¡¯t help but like, but now the man before him was nothing but a proud swordsman.

    ¡°Here Ie.¡±

    With this short deration, Toshiro stepped forward. Without any pre-emptive movements, he closed in on Shin as if sliding on the ground.

    Toshiro¡¯s sword arm might have seemed to be moving leisurely, but an instantter it was already prating Shin¡¯s space.

    ¡°Shah!!¡±

    Shin swung his sword in response to Toshiro¡¯s strike. The sh of the two wooden swords produced a dull sound that echoed through the dojo.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Looking at the two fighters, Kankurou was deep in thought, his chin resting on his hand. He felt that Shin¡¯s movements had be much sharperpared to when they fought a few days before.

    (¡­.he¡¯s already changed so much?)

    Even more so than Kankurou, Shin was surprised at his own movements.

    Karin¡¯s teachings resulted in Shin eliminating unnecessary motions from his movements.

    They didn¡¯t do any training for actual fighting, she had just observed him swinging his sword and re-enacting skills with his body movements.

    ¡°I see you have grown damn well already.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised myself.¡±

    Shin was so surprised by the results that he answered exactly what he was thinking.

    Toshiro¡¯s first strike was meant to be a test; the second and third strike that followed were much heavier and faster.

    They might have been inferior to Kankurou¡¯s, but most Chosen Ones would have had trouble parrying them.

    Shin, however, deflected them all with ease.

    It was also thanks to the speed boost granted by his high stats, but more than anything, his body felt really light.

    He had not changed the ¡¾Limit¡¿ on his status, but he felt the distance linking each one of his strikes had shrunk. The speed of his swings had increased. Each strike¡¯s weight had changed too.

    ¡°To think that it can all change this much.¡±

    He might have felt the change more clearly thanks to his high stats.

    Even so, the clear results showed that, he had to admit, his former movements were riddled with unnecessary motions.

    The sound of the impact between the two men¡¯s wooden swords grew progressively louder, the pause between shes shorter.

    (sh downwards from the right, then sh up right away from the left¡­no, stop halfway and thrust forward!)

    Shin dodged, parried, blocked the wooden de attacking him.

    The two des shed again, this time locked, grinding against each other.

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Toshiro tried to push forward by pressing his weight into the sword, but, after a brief moment, suddenly retreated.

    His rapid movements gave the illusion that the floor under Toshiro had slipped away. The distance he had retreated was the exact distance needed for the tip of his sword to reach Shin.

    The de formed an arc in mid-air and swung down, aimed towards Shin¡¯s left side.

    ¡°Not so fast!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t dodge or parry, but stepped in closer to Toshiro before his blow couldnd. He charged forward, with the intent of shoving Toshiro away.

    ¡°Guh!!¡±

    Toshiro probably judged he couldn¡¯t make it in time; he pulled back his sword at the same time as Shin¡¯s tackle.

    Shin elerated his charge against the swing while Toshiro was retreating. Naturally, the former won.

    Toshiro avoided the fate of losing bnce and falling down, but because of that he couldn¡¯t defend himself against Shin¡¯s following attack.

    Toshiro tried to twist his body to avoid Shin¡¯s wooden sword aimed at his neck.

    Shin, ready to intercept such struggle, brought down his sword on Toshiro¡¯s neck, then stopped just as the de touched it.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    Toshiro regained his bnce and questioned Shin.

    Shin answered while looking not at Toshiro, but the dojo entrance.

    ¡°Someone ising. Two people.¡±

    ¡°Hm, looks like it.¡±

    Kankurou had also perceived it, and nodded at Shin¡¯s words. Karin too felt the new presence, and turned to look in the same direction as Shin.

    After a little while, two men appeared at the dojo¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°Did we interrupt something?¡±

    ¡°Brother! Why are you here!¡±

    Toshiro yelled to one of the two men, who looked apologetic.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, his name was Yaejima Shiden, a young man in histe twenties.

    He had ck hair mixed with white, red eyes, and was around the same height as Shin, about 180 cemels. In contrast to his soft speech and gentle expressions, both his arms and legs were very thick; to Shin they looked like bundles of steel.

    His job was samurai and his level, quite high, was 238.

    ¡°I thought that you would be here Toshiro. I have sir Tadahisa¡¯s permission to move within the castlepound. Lord Kankurou, I am d to see you too. Lady Karin, I see you have returned from the search for Lady Haruna¡¯s medicine.¡±

    ¡°I am d to see you in good health, sir Shiden.¡±

    ¡°It has been a long time.¡±

    Kankurou and Karin each answered the man¡¯s greetings. Obviously enough, the three all knew each other.

    ¡°Sir Kanezuka, I trust you are well too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    After greeting Shiden, Kankurou spoke to Kanezuka Araki.

    He was a man between histe thirties or early forties. He seemed to be of rather short stature, maybe because he was standing next to Shiden.

    His job was cksmith, as manifested by the very developed muscles on his arms. His level was 166. His grey hair was cut short, his ck eyes fixed on Kankurou¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡».

    ¡°This man is sir Shin, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me, but why do you know my name?¡±

    Shiden looked at Shin and inquired about his identity. His expression was very serious as he did so.

    ¡°I have been informed that you have assisted in the search for the medicinal herbs to curedy Haruna¡¯s illness. Oh, I have yet to introduce myself, have I. I am the first-born of the Yaejima house, Yaejima Shiden.¡±

    ¡°Er, as you already know, my name is Shin.¡±

    He was apparently aware of Shin¡¯s status as guest, and had been informed about what Shin looked like.

    ¡°What brings you here today then? As sir Shiden came in person, I can imagine what the matter might be though.¡±

    ¡°I think many are aware of the whispers that there are suspicious movements in the west. I would like to say that they are all groundless rumors¡­but I received a report that the Ichinose house, one of our vassals, is making suspicious moves. I came to inform sir Tadahisa that our Yaejima house, along with 3 other houses, are investigating this matter at the moment.¡±

    After Shiden finished talking, Toshiro interjected.

    ¡°The Ichinose house!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that house always sought to unify Hinomoto. But would they move only by themselves, I wonder?¡±

    Kankurou, after pondering for a moment, voiced his doubts.

    ¡°Our investigation being still underway, I cannot say anything yet. However¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ehm, excuse me!¡±

    Shiden and Kankurou were continuing to discuss the matter, ignoring the surprised Toshiro, when Shin interrupted them.

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Sirs, please, you know you can¡¯t talk of such delicate matters with an outsider like me around!¡±

    Kankurou looked at Shin as if he had a question mark over his head, without the slightest concern on his expression.

    ¡°I have heard from sir Tadahisa anddy Haruna that you are a man worthy of trust, sir Shin. You have no intention of talking about this to anyone, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Shin regarded this excessive trust with suspicion.

    ¡°Sir Kankurou says that you are someone that can be trusted. I have no reasons to doubt you. Moreover, sir Shin is someone even sir Kankurou said he cannot win against¡­I would never want such a person to think of us as enemies. I know sir Kankurou¡¯s strength very well after all.¡±

    Both the eastern and western families trusted Kankurou¡¯s word apparently. The reason for this trust came from Shiden¡¯s own experience. No one would want to turn a powerful warrior into an enemy for no reason after all.

    ¡°I see that you have crossed swords with Toshiro too. How did my brother fare?¡±

    ¡°He was quite strong, I think. I wonder if it is wise to trust so easily though.¡±

    ¡°I have heard the sound of your swords shing. Your sword swings straight and true. Sir Kankurou¡¯s words and the sound of those sword shes, as a samurai myself I cannot mistrust you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin was somewhat at a loss for words.

    He had heard that masters couldmunicate without words, through their fists or their des.

    During his battle against Girard, Shin had understood his feelings. But that time, his mental state was in a kind of extreme condition, and he managed to do it because he knew his opponent very well.

    To understand someone he never met before only through the sound of sword shes was something utterly impossible for Shin.

    ¡°You are trusted, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°Well, it is better than to be suspected.¡±

    Araki spoke to the speechless Shin. His expression told him to ¡°stop sweating the small stuff.¡±

    ¡°By the way, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, right. I¡¯m Kanezuka Araki, a cksmith. Today I came here to admire sir Kankurou¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡».¡±

    ¡°Yes, here you are.¡±

    Kankurou nodded, took ¡ºck Moon¡» from his waist and handed it to Araki.

    Araki sat down on a corner of the dojo and, using a cloth to be sure not to touch it directly, stared intently at ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s de.

    The user limitation had been removed apparently.

    ¡°What is he doing?¡±

    ¡°I am coborating with sir Kanezuka in order for him to forge a divine de like ¡ºck Moon¡». I suppose you have heard that I am looking for someone to inherit ¡ºck Moon¡», yes?¡±

    ¡°Only in passing. I know thatdy Karin, my host, is a candidate too.¡±

    ¡°At present, ¡ºck Moon¡» is the only katana bearing the ¡°divine de¡± moniker. I do not know who will inherit it, but there have been squabbles about it¡­if it will be kept by the eastern or western forces. Of course, it will be the side the inheritor belongs to, but many worry that it could tilt the bnce between the two forces.¡±

    It might be just one de, but it was not to be underestimated.

    The stat bonuses given from the katana to the owner were high, but the long-range attacks it could unleash, paired with high stats, could easily surpass average skills in power.

    ¡°Thus I thought that having another divine de could be a solution, but apparently even for sir Kanezuka, Hinomoto¡¯s finest cksmith, forging an Ancient-grade katana is no easy feat.¡±

    He observed ¡ºck Moon¡» to find hints, researched documents and oral traditions and continued to forge, through a process of trial and error.

    ¡°Do you know what the materials are? It¡¯s quite difficult to obtain them.¡±

    ¡°We have some of the materials left by lord Jinkurou. We don¡¯t know, however, how more than half of them should be used. I am aplete novice in the cksmith profession after all.¡±

    Shin whispered to Kankurou, who he thought would be knowledgeable in the art of forging. Shin thought that it would have been a very difficult, if not impossible, feat; as expected, sess seemed very far.

    ¡°Personally, I hoped we could receive some words of advice¡­¡±

    Kankurou, who knew of Shin¡¯s real identity, hoped that Shin, a cksmith himself, could offer some advice.

    Looking at Araki¡¯s bloodshot eyes, Shin had already understood that he was close to a dead-end.

    ¡°If I just said something out of the blue, would he believe me? He looks like a hardcore artisan type, I doubt he¡¯d pay any mind to a youngster like me.¡±

    ¡°Those of rtively high social status already know that you are a Returned Ancestor, what the Adventurers¡¯ Guild calls Chosen Ones. Because of this, I think he will listen to you, at least a little. Even the tiniest hint would suffice.¡±

    Kankurou wasn¡¯t ordering Shin to show all his skills and knowledge as a cksmith.

    It would be far too easy if it was possible to forge an Ancient-grade weapon only after hearing some advice.

    Looking at Araki, desperately trying to draw the tiniest bit of information from ¡ºck Moon¡», Shin felt solidarity as a cksmith. Thus he decided to give him some help.

    ¡°I might be able to say something if I saw him forging. cksmithing techniques vary greatly from school to school, and the methods I know are influenced by one¡¯s ability. I would at least be able to understand if there are techniques that could be used in this case.¡±

    ¡°Let us do just that then.¡±

    Kankurou went closer to Araki and exined the situation. Araki looked at Shin first with surprise, then with a re so sharp Shin felt like he could be sniped down any moment. After staring at Shin for several moments, Araki gave a small nod.

    ¡°¡­..you¡¯re knowledgeable about cksmithing?¡±

    Toshiro, who had been excluded by the recent developments, asked Shin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do anything special, but I might be of some help.¡±

    Shin¡¯s techniques were instinctive, born from his experience during the game era. It was difficult for him to exin crafting processes with words, so he decided to think after looking at Araki¡¯s forging first.

    Shin was capable of forging strong weapons not only because of his technique, but also because of his magic powers, so he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure he could be of help.

    ¡°Our match ends here then.¡±

    ¡°Is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about what that man said about bnce or whatever. But sir Kanezuka is betting his own life on the order he received. Holding you back here would mean being in his way. Who could do something so uncouth?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see.¡±

    He was more reasonable than expected. Despite his frustration, he managed to keep his feelings under control.

    Shin¡¯s opinion of Toshiro changed yet again.

    ¡°What will you do now brother?¡±

    ¡°Return to the Yaejima house of course. I have duly delivered father¡¯s message to sir Tadahisa and could also observe your growth. I could say that my objectives are fulfilled.¡±

    Shiden, saying that his duties were over, went towards the castle town with the Kujou soldiers waiting outside the dojo.

    Shin¡¯s group of 5 moved to the smithy.

    Kanezuka Araki was the chief cksmith of the Kanezuka school; they would use his personal facility this time. It was equipped with the highest quality furnace and tools.

    They arrived at a smithy equipped with a single furnace. It was not very wide, and apparently had been built with the sole purpose of forging the divine katana.

    Araki told his disciples to not get close and beckoned Shin to enter.

    The other 3 were told to wait outside. The smithy is a territory with the sole purpose of passing down cksmithing techniques. When forging weapons, only the cksmith and those in the same field were allowed inside.

    ¡°I will forge trying to create the divine katana. When I finish, tell me what you thought.¡±

    After saying only that, Araki started swinging his hammer.

    Shin was looking at him silently, and realized that Araki used next to no magic power when swinging his hammer.

    As he had expected, the magic power contained in the katana came only from the materials and the slight quantity present in the surrounding atmosphere, the moment the hammer hit the materials.

    The speed at which the mass of iron changed shape was also much slower than that of Shin. Araki appeared to be using skills, but they weren¡¯t at the level of Shin¡¯s, who could make ingots change their shape at will.

    Looking at the way the man crafted, Shin estimated that Araki¡¯s crafting level was around VII. If he could use the same techniques as Shin, he could easily create Mythology-grade weapons.

    Shin, however, had heard that Araki¡¯s masterpiece was a Legend-grade weapon. The reason was the way he forged. If one focused only on the ability to strike iron, the stats of the produced weapon can only go so high.

    Shin didn¡¯t know if the Legend-grade weapon Araki had forged was Higher or Lower, but to forge that sword without using magic, as Araki did, would have been impossible, at least in the game era.

    (Either he¡¯s a genius, or it¡¯s a product of his life-long focus on cksmithing and techniques¡­possibly both.)

    Some use the expression ¡°to breathe life in one¡¯s work¡±, but in Araki¡¯s case saying ¡°to pour one¡¯s own lifeblood in one¡¯s work¡± would have been more urate.

    The energy and aura he infused in every swing of the hammer was so powerful, one would think that he was shaving away his own lifespan to do so. ¡°To work as if possessed,¡± an expression that fit him perfectly.

    After the whole process ended, what remained was only to polish the de.

    He would leave this work to an expert polisher.

    After the polishing waspleted, a katana with a beautiful de was born.

    Its appearance was average, but its grade was middle Unique. For Shin, to be able to forge such a de from imperfect materials made him understand how Araki forged a Legend-grade weapon.

    ¡°¡­.I failed.¡±

    Araki spoke with a sour expression.

    He was aiming at forging a de on par with the Lower Legend-grade katana ¡ºck Moon¡». Considering this, he had not only failed to reach the peak, but didn¡¯t evene close to the foot of the mountain. Araki¡¯s expression remained sour not only because of the katana¡¯s quality.

    ¡°What do you have then?¡±

    ¡°A few things concerned me. I would like to ask you a few questions first, if that¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°As long as you won¡¯t ask me to teach you my secret techniques, say anything you want.¡±

    ¡°I will, then. First, why don¡¯t you pour magic in the katana?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Araki¡¯s eyes became slits after hearing Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°If a cksmith pours magic power into the katana, its sturdiness and sharpness increase. As far as I know, there is no other way to forge a katana of Legend grade and above.¡±

    ¡°Just honing one¡¯s skill of striking metal is not enough, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is also not enough to simply pour in magic power. It¡¯s difficult to put in words, but one must first pour magic in the hammer, then pour it into the katana as the hammer strikes it. That¡¯s a very general way to exin the process. To be perfectly honest, being able to forge a Legend-grade katana in this situation makes you, sir Kanezuka, truly exceptional.¡±

    Without a certain level of cksmithing skills, of course, one could not forge good weapons, no matter how they poured their magic.

    But if one considered only the ability in manipting magic power, Pixies and Elves would have been more apt at cksmithing.

    ¡°¡­.that is probably a technique that was lost before being handed down. I hear that when Hinomoto was still engulfed in the mes of war, there were many more skilled cksmiths than today. There were also weapons with much higher quality than the present ones as well.¡±

    Many techniques had been lost during the war apparently.

    cksmithing techniques never left their respective schools after all. If a whole school disappeared during the war, their techniques refined through the generations would vanish alongside them.

    ¡°I would never have thought to hear about one of the lost secret techniques¡­I swear on the honor of the Kanezuka that I will speak of this to no one.¡±

    ¡°Sir, I have no intention of keeping techniques hidden; as long as you do not mention that you heard it from me, that is enough. It¡¯s a technique that existed in the past, so someone, somewhere, could revive it at any time, or rather, it could be still alive somewhere.¡±

    It would be not be strange if someone like Kankurou, formerly serving a yer, could use it.

    Shin also felt that Araki¡¯s seriousness and focus were not inferior to theirs.

    ¡°It would be hard for me to exin in detail with words, so I think it will be faster if you just watch me. May I borrow your tools?¡±

    ¡°¡­.use anything you need.¡±

    Practice more than theory, watch and learn. Techniques such as those could not be exined fully just through verbal exnations and theory.

    That is why Shin decided to show his craft.

    He only performed several strikes, using the ¡°Tamahagane¡± steel he found in the smithy. Before it could be calledplete Shin heated it into the furnace, hammered it and gradually formed the katana¡¯s shape.

    He was infusing his magic power in the hammer, so after every strike sparks of different colors burst from the Tamahagane.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Araki stared at Shin¡¯s movements, not missing the slightest motion. The aura he emitted was as if he was swinging the hammer together with Shin.

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯ve finished. Now it only needs to be polished.¡±

    The de had beenpleted, at unnatural speed. Shin could havepleted it to the point that it didn¡¯t need polishing, but that would go beyond simply being a capable cksmith, so he didn¡¯t go that far.

    Through the work of the same polisher who had handled the katana that Araki forged before, Shin¡¯s katana gained its shine. It was a middle Unique-grade, the same as the katana that Araki had just forged.

    ¡°You forged this on purpose¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s just a coincidence. But it¡¯s better for us. I would like you to see what¡¯s different between them, but would it be alright if the katana you forged before became unusable?¡±

    ¡°¡­.that is fine. Let me see just how worthy it is.¡±

    Shin took his newly forged katana and held it still, with the de pointing upwards.

    He told Araki to stand back, then swung the katana that Araki had forged onto the de he had made.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Araki looked wide-eyed at the result.

    The katana Araki had forged, which Shin held firmly in hand, had been cut off in the middle. The katana Shin was holding still, on the other hand, did not have the slightest cut.

    ¡°To be of the same grade, and yet be so different¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Kanezuka, you arrived to this level without using magic. I am sure you can forge much superior katanas. The weapons called ¡°Magic Swords¡± are called such because magic envelops their des.¡±

    After saying so, Shin handed the de he had held still to Araki. As Shin had said, its de was covered in faint magic power.

    ording to the game rules, Unique-grade weapons could not really be called ¡°Magic Sword¡± or ¡°Magic Katana¡±. It was probably because Shin had forged it, that the katana now in Araki¡¯s hands had specs worthy of the ¡°Magic¡± moniker.

    ¡°A true Magic Katana, huh¡­it is true that both the katana I forged once and ¡ºck Moon¡» have magic power shrouding their des. I felt something different than just a Magic Katana from ¡ºck Moon¡» though.¡±

    ¡°I think that the materials might be the reason. I used Tamahagane as the material this time, so only the katana¡¯s specs as a weapon increased. But I have heard that different materials can add all sorts of effects. I don¡¯t know what that means in detail though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Young man¡­no, sir Shin, I owe you very much. If you need my help in anything, just say the word.¡±

    ¡°First of all, as I said before, I would like you to keep the source of all this information a secret. Other than that, there is nothing I need at the moment.¡±

    He had been seen by several Kanezuka disciples, so he knew of the possibility that they would guess that the information came from him.

    He didn¡¯t think that Araki would bber about Shin being the source, but he wanted to be sure.

    ¡°You may pass this technique to anyone you deem worthy, sir Kanezuka. It is not something I obtained on my own after all.¡±

    ¡°Is that really alright?¡±

    ¡°Even if I hid it, someone might be spying, and it was a techniquemonly used in the past after all. I just hope that the katana built this way will be used to protect others.¡±

    Katanas were nothing more than tools. Depending on the user, they could be des of protection or of ughter.

    Shin gave some more pieces of advice to Araki, who said he would forge another de, then left the Kanezuka residence.

    He returned with Karin and Toshiro. Kankurou had been called by Araki and stayed back in the Kanezuka residence.

    ¡°¡­.did you teach him something?¡±

    ¡°I told him about some techniques I know. The divine katana¡¯s creation will progress a bit, I think.¡±

    Toshiro inquired about what had happened in the Kanezuka residence while they were going back to the Saegusa house.

    ¡°Uhm, I have heard that such techniques are kept secret though.¡±

    ¡°I do not belong to any particr school or tradition, so I do not have any intention of keeping techniques for myself. Though, I would not spread them to just anyone.¡±

    Karin still flushed slightly when talking to Shin, but he tried to talk with her as normally as he did before.

    ¡°I have never seen sir Kanezuka make that expression before though. It must have been quite an impressive technique.¡±

    ¡°¡­.is that so? I couldn¡¯t tell, to be honest. I just meant to give him some advice, but then I saw him swing his hammer so intensely¡­as a cksmith myself, I couldn¡¯t stop at just a word or two.¡±

    Shin could have given a usible exnation, but chose not to.

    For someone who had seriously trained in the art of cksmithing, the techniques that Shin acquired through the game would seem like cheating. That was partly why Shin respected the cksmith Kanezuka Araki, who had reached that level of skill while being a normal person.

    ¡°What are you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Just an adventurer and a busybody, nothing more.¡±

    ¡°I, I think he¡¯s a good man¡­¡±

    ¡°What the¡­ggh¡­.¡±

    Karin¡¯sment following Shin¡¯s words made Toshiro¡¯s teeth grind. He must have realized that Karin looked quite different from the usual.

    ¡°Then, can I ask something too?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°Sir Toshiro, you belong to the Yaejima house, correct? I have heard that the Yaejima are a great n ruling over west Hinomoto. If so, why do you stay alongside Kankurou, a servant of the Kujou house?¡±

    Shin felt this after hearing about the two forces ruling over Hinomoto.

    Shin, who had studied Japanese history in school, for a second thought that he might have been a hostage, but Toshiro seemed far too free to be one.

    ¡°I am one of sir Kankurou¡¯s disciples. He¡¯s a man who imparts his teachings without care for social status, and lord Tadahisa gave his approval as well.¡±

    However, if the Yaejima house did something to stir conflict in Hinomoto, Toshiro¡¯s life would be forfeit.

    ¡°I believe that neither my father nor my brother would ever do something so foolish. But if it ever happened, I would simply offer my life.¡±

    Toshiro spoke every word with conviction, without turning away his eyes.

    If they were nning something, having him go on a rampage within the Kujou house would be an ingenious n.

    In case of real danger, one might suddenly hold on to dear life.

    Shin, however, did not think Toshiro capable of any such things. That could be said of everyone following Kankurou, too.

    In Hinomoto, there was a trust that went beyond reason. That¡¯s what Shin felt looking at Toshiro.

    After Shin left, in the smithy where now the furnace did not burn anymore, Araki and Kankurou were talking.

    ¡°Did sir Shin say anything helpful for crafting a divine katana?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can tell you because I feel you know already¡­but he imparted to me one of the techniques that had been lost in history.¡±

    Thanks to his experience as a support character, Kankurou knew of such techniques, even without detailed exnations from Araki.

    ¡°With this, I will probably get closer to the divine katana, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±

    Kankurou noticed that Araki¡¯s expression looked even more bitter than usual.

    The cksmith¡¯s reply arrived in a feeble tone.

    ¡°The divine katana is not something I can forge. Not only me, but no other cksmith in Hinomoto could I fear.¡±

    ¡°And for what reason would that be?¡±

    ¡°Probably¡­no, definitely, sir Shin knows techniques we do not possess. And not only one or two¡­sir Shin would surely be able to forge a de on par with ¡ºck Moon¡». I heard he¡¯s a samurai, but I know that he is not a man on the side of those who ¡°use¡± weapons. He¡¯s someone who ¡°makes¡± them.¡±

    Araki, thanks to a life spent crafting weapons, understood.

    During the game era, in fact, Shin¡¯s nickname was ¡°Dark cksmith¡±. The other Rokuten members also had aliases such as ¡°Red Alchemist¡±, ¡°White Cook¡±, and ¡°Golden Merchant¡±.

    They all came from the fact that, like Shin, their true nature was that of ¡°creators¡±.

    ¡°Even among Returned Ancestors, only very special individuals could manage it. He might think he was only forging something simple, but his craft was so refined that I clearly understood how I could neverpare with him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. In that case, we can not postpone the inheritance ritual any more than this.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Discounting the miraculous birth of a Returned Ancestor extremely specialized in cksmithing, I conclude that the divine katana could not be forged even 100 years from now. It would be pointless to dy the inheritance further.¡±

    Araki gave his conclusion with an expression void of spirit, as if what possessed him had now left him emptied.

    Then, without thinking, his hand grabbed his hammer.

    ¡°Oh, even if you reached the conclusion, you temper swords again?¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Araki as if to a young warrior focused on his harsh training.

    ¡°Because I could catch a glimpse of the peak. Even if I know that I will never be able to reach it, I cannot stop climbing¡­that¡¯s what a cksmith is. Haha, to think that I would be a challenger again even at this age¡­I would have never expected it, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Araki lit the fire in the furnace, with apletely serene expression on his face.

    ¡°Well well, looks like I need to thank sir Shin again.¡±

    After this, the sound of hammered iron echoed from the smithy for a while.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 8: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°(Schnee here. I have arrived at the town ruled by the Kujou. But, where are you at Shin?)¡±

    At noon the day after Shin taught Araki about infusing magic power when forging, Shin received a Mind Chat from Schnee.

    ¡°(I will exin the situation ande meet you. Please wait near the castle gates.)¡±

    Shin thought that they would need more time, so he was a little surprised. He exined the situation to Karin, who was coaching him as usual, and headed to the gates.

    Once he passed the gate, Shin found Schnee, wearing the equipment she had used in Falnido. As soon as she noticed Shin¡¯s presence, she ran up to him smiling.

    Her tail, provided by the transformation set, swayed left and right.

    ¡°You arrived quite fast. Where are the others?¡±

    Schnee was waiting beside the gate by herself. The other members were not present.

    ¡°I came ahead of others. You would get involved in all sorts of unnecessary troubles on your own, after all. Filma and the others agreed too.¡±

    She hade by crossing the sea with ¡¾Water Passage¡¿. The wind and waves meant nothing to her.

    Shin was a little hurt at thisck of trust.

    ¡°¡­looks like I need to reconfirm what everyone thinks of me.¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s cry sounded like she was saying ¡°That¡¯s not how it is?¡± to Shin.

    Truthfully, he had climbed Mt. Fuji and his identity had been found out by Kankurou, so the situation could not be called exactly peaceful, so Shin could notpletely deny Schnee¡¯s words.

    ¡°You are Saegusa Karin, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your name isdy Yuki, is that right?¡±

    The two women had barely met before, but they remembered their respective names and faces.

    They seemed to be talking in a friendly way, but there was a certain tense atmosphere between them.

    From Schnee¡¯s conversation with Shin, Karin had instinctively perceived that the woman harbored some affection towards the man.

    Schnee, on the other hand, found that Karin¡¯s expression while looking at Shin was different from before, and now contained a sort of affection.

    ¡°You have taken good care of Shin. Now that we are reunited, we will stay at an inn in town.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for concern. Since you came all this way, please stay at my residence until your otherpanions arrive.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    Schnee was trying to take Shin out of the Saegusa house, while Karin was trying to keep him in.

    Shin was unsure about what to do with the two women and the figurative sparks darting from their eyes.

    He knew that a careless intervention would have made him the new target of their battle, but he couldn¡¯t leave things like that.

    ¡°(Yuzuha, help!)¡±

    ¡°(Impossible.)¡±

    Shin pleaded to Yuzuha for help, but her refusal came instantly. She knew how dangerous the situation was.

    ¡°H-hey, Yuki. Even if I were to leave the residence, I think we should at least thank the master of the residence, don¡¯t you agree? Even after that, it would not be toote to leave, right?¡±

    Shin gathered his courage and spoke to Schnee.

    It didn¡¯t have to be decided then and there whether he would leave the residence or not.

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s true. Understood.¡±

    Schnee nodded, then they returned to the Saegusa house.

    Kuyou would not be back untilte at night, so Kayo weed them in his ce.

    ¡°Oh my, what a beautifuldy. Being Shin¡¯spanion, I imagined you would be his lover.¡±

    ¡°It is true that she is my fiancee, but there are otherpanionsing. She is Yuki, she just arrived before them.¡±

    ¡°My name is Yuki, pleased to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I am Kayo, wife of the head of the Saegusa family. If your otherpanions are not here yet, please stay in our house.¡±

    Schnee had greeted Kayo politely, and was invited to stay in their residence together with Shin.

    ¡°It would not do to impose for such a long¡ª-¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s life has been saved by him, this is barely enough to express my gratitude.¡±

    Kayo¡¯s words were spoken with apletely innocent tone: it was difficult to think that she was the same person that tried to make a couple out of Karin and Shin.

    Her feelings of gratitude towards Shin were genuine. Shin too, through his experience staying in the Saegusa house, had no reason to doubt that. Kayo would sometimes show a humorous side, but deep down she was an honorable person, who would not leave debts of gratitude unpaid.

    ¡°¡­..understood. Allow me to be your guest.¡±

    ¡°I am d to hear that.¡±

    After a brief exchange, Schnee agreed: the twopanions and their fox would stay in the Saegusa residence together.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The situation evolved that very night.

    ¡°The inheritance ritual?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was supposed to be postponed, but we have decided to hold it 10 days from now.¡±

    At dinner, Kuyou mentioned that a formal match would be held to decide the inheritor of the divine katana ¡ºck Moon¡». The Hinomoto Brave Ten would gather at the Kujou residence and engage in battle until one victor remained.

    For a tournament battle there would be onepetitor without an opponent, so Kankurou would participate and allow his opponent to pass if they had shown a sufficient degree of ability. Kuyou also added that several candidates had already expressed that they would not participate.

    Kankurou¡¯s species was one of long life expectancy, but most Hinomoto citizens were the opposite. They must have thought that even if they inherited ¡ºck Moon¡», they would not fight with it for long.

    Kuyou, though, hoped Karin would do her best in the tournament.

    Kuyou was the 2nd seat of the Brave Ten. He might not match Kankurou in ability, but his sword arm was not to be underestimated.

    His advanced age, however, meant that he was long past his physical peak. Thinking about the future, he decided to leave room for the younger generations.

    ¡°Tomorrow the notice will reach all the territories. It¡¯ll be like a festival.¡±

    When events like this are held, all sorts of kiosks and stalls are set up, creating a festival-like atmosphere. It¡¯s one type of entertainment.

    Ordinary people can¡¯t watch the formal matches. The battles¡¯ results are announced immediately, and they say that some people bet on predictions of the results.

    As it can serve as stress release for the citizens, many lords turn a blind eye.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a shame that we can¡¯t see it though.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so would youe too, sir Shin? I could reserve seats for you.¡±

    ¡°No, I would prefer not to stand out, so allow me to decline.¡±

    Receiving special treatments would not be an advantage for him. He knew that because of his match against Kankurou, he was already talked about.

    ¡°Hmm. If you came, I¡¯m sure that Karin would truly give her all though.¡±

    ¡°F-father!? What are you saying!?¡±

    Karin¡¯s face grew bright red after Kuyou¡¯s words. Maybe because he now knew that Shin wasn¡¯t interested, Kuyou teased Karin from time to time. It was never in bad humour though, just a kind ofmunication between father and daughter.

    To see that reaction from Karin after refusing her put Shin in a tight spot though.

    The next day, news about the formal matches had already spread throughout the castle town, and part of the town was already in a festive mood.

    Spectators from the houses serving the Kujou already started gathering.

    Shin proposed to go walk around the castle town because of the asion, and Schnee agreed to apany him.

    Karin wanted to join them too, but Kuyou brought her to the dojo to practice for the formal matches.

    Shin changed and waited at the gate for about 15 minutes, when Schnee arrived.

    ¡°¡­.Kimono and animal earsbination. Fantastic.¡±

    ¡°(Schnee, so pretty!)¡±

    Shin let out a mumbledment, charmed by the sight of Schnee in a kimono. Yuzuha cried in agreement.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee looked at him, slightly puzzled. Her dog ears shook.

    She was wearing a brilliant blue kimono with a design of scattered white petals which stressed its elegance.

    As they walked side by side, her hair tied behind her head would sometimes show her pale neck, a sensual glimpse inside her neat appearance.

    ¡°No, nothing. The kimono looks very nice on you, and¡­well, I-I was charmed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh, thank you.¡±

    Schnee smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed. Needless to say Shin was charmed again.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t been to the castle town since the day I first arrived here.¡±

    While walking through the town, Shin was surprised at how bustling it was. The first time he came, he barely had time to look around, since they went straight inside the castle walls.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want people looking at me suspiciously, and I used all the free time I had for training.¡±

    The Saegusa residence was located inside the Kujou castle walls. The mood inside was not so light as to allow him to take walks at leisure.

    He knew there was someone watching over them, but Shin decided to use this opportunity to look around a typical Hinomoto town.

    He knew that wearing adventurer clothes would have made him stand out, so he changed into something fitting of Hinomoto.

    Shin was wearing a traditional garb, deep green in color. It was a verymon attire in Hinomoto. The colorbination was pretty somber, so Schnee¡¯s brilliant elegance stood out even more next to him.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s make the best of this opportunity and enjoy the festival.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±

    The festival meant a great number of stalls. The two walked around at leisure, stopping at Hinomoto¡¯s characteristic stalls.

    The people around them looked bright and cheerful. Shin didn¡¯t know how far the rumours of the west¡¯s suspicious movements had spread, but the people were in a truly festive mood, as if they wanted to dispel those ominous whispers.

    ¡°(By the way, do you know anything about the Five Supreme des?)¡±

    Shin recalled his encounter on top of Mt. Fuji and inquired to Schnee via Mind Chat. Looking at a stand selling swords had reminded him of Munechika.

    He had already talked to Schnee about his battle with Munechika, but had forgot to ask her if she knew anything.

    ¡°(I¡¯m afraid I have never heard of that name. If they appeared in town they would certainly cause a bigmotion, so, like the Munechika you met, maybe they dwell in uninhabited locations? Their usual stance is to wait for thoseing to challenge them after all.)¡±

    ¡°(Now that you mention it, that¡¯s true. She looked like she was protecting something, and there might also be a reason why Kagutsuchi wasn¡¯t there anymore.)¡±

    Shin nodded, thinking that Schnee might have had a point. There was also the possibility that Kagutsuchi was inside the small shrine on the peak, after all.

    As Schnee had answered, anthropomorphized des such as them did not go around searching for challengers.

    It was a theory based on the game era, thus they couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, but if there weren¡¯t any rumors about them in 500 years, it was likely to be as Schnee said, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°Well, no need to think about that. Oh, sir, you have some nice goods here.¡±

    Thinking that it was not a topic to bring up while enjoying a festival, Shin changed the subject by talking to the owner of the stall they happened to be in front of.

    The 40-something man, wearing work robes, sold all sorts of essories.

    ¡°Er, Shin?¡±

    Schnee was a bit confused by Shin suddenly striking a conversation to the store owner, but Shin signaled to her to wait a moment.

    ¡°Oh! You have a good eye, young man! I made all of these with my hands, carefully picking what materials to use! They¡¯re a wee bit more expensive than the other shops around here, but the quality¡¯s guaranteed!¡±

    As the man had said with a tone full of confidence, the essories here were of higher quality than the simr ones sold in the nearby stalls.

    Shin picked one of the disyed items.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I¡¯ll take this.¡±

    ¡°You really have keen eyes to go and pick that one. But it¡¯s a bit more expensive than the others, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I think this one fits mypanion best.¡±

    Saying this, Shin looked at Schnee. The stall owner followed his eyes and nodded as in agreement.

    ¡°Haha!! I see! For that beauty over there, this one fits the most indeed! Okay then, normally I¡¯d ask 5 gold jul, but I¡¯ll let you have it for 4.¡±

    ¡°Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°essories like this can end up standing out even more than the one who wears them, but yourpanion is not inferior in terms of presence! She¡¯s fitting to wear it. I like her!¡±

    The stall owner was rather pleased.

    Shin thanked him and paid, then turned again towards Schnee.

    ¡°And so, will you wear this?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, is it really ok for me to?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re not allowed to refuse. Please do!¡±

    ¡°¡­.understood.¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the sudden present, but she was certainly happy.

    What Shin had chosen for her was a two-pronged hairpin with a transparent blue pearl as decoration. From the base of the pearl hung a flower-like ornament made in silver.

    Schnee removed the simple pin she was using to hold her hair and reced it with Shin¡¯s present.

    ¡°How¡­how do I look?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s was slightly embarrassed as she asked her question.

    ¡°Just wonderful, If I say myself, miss.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would have looked so beautiful myself.¡±

    The words popping up in Shin¡¯s mind were all too simple: ¡°it looks good¡± and ¡°pretty¡±.

    Those who had witnessed their purchase at the stall looked at the two with celebration (20%), envy (50%), and jealousy (30%) in their eyes. The two quickly left the scene and mingled among the crowd.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so many people would be looking at us. I was focused and didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    When Schnee reced her pin, they heard voices from the crowd and realized they were the center of attention.

    ¡°(Shin, charmed. Focus, scattered.)¡±

    ¡°Mmgh!¡±

    ¡°The stand owner was rather loud, too. I suppose he meant to attract customers too.¡±

    ¡°I see. Using you to promote himself¡­he¡¯s got guts! But good choice!¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°(We lost Shin.)¡±

    Shin spoke with conviction, but Schnee wasn¡¯t sure if he was angry orplimenting her. To her it seemed obvious that they would attract attention.

    Yuzuha was kind of annoyed at this Shin, though.

    ¡°Hm? What?¡±

    He pretended not to hear Yuzuha¡¯sstment.

    epting that they couldn¡¯t avoid the fact that Schnee attracted people¡¯s attention, they resumed their walk. As they were passing through arge avenue, they heard amotion from the front.

    They looked beyond the crowd with a skill and found arge horse carriage slowly proceeding in the middle of the street. In Hinomoto, horse carriages were probably the main means of transport.

    Among the voices they heard, some were mentioning the name ¡°Ichinose¡±.

    Inside the carriage was arge bear beast, a female beast next to him, with a human man sitting across from them.

    ¡°Schnee, can you see?¡±

    Shin asked hispanion. Schnee felt that Shin¡¯s mood had changed and looked towards the carriage, understanding what he meant to say.

    ¡°Yes, it appears it was true that something is going on.¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha, the only one incapable of using¡¾Through Sight¡¿, couldn¡¯t follow.

    ¡°Ichinose Juugo, Rokuhara Kai, no problem here. But that Tamamo is different. She¡¯s not human.¡±

    ¡°Tamamo?¡±

    Yuzuha reacted before Schnee could. Still in fox mode, she spoke not via Mind Chat but through her voice.

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I think, I¡¯ve heard the name.¡±

    Yuzuha tried to remember, but then whimpered as she ultimately couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Well, we know that things probably won¡¯t end peacefully.¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s species was White Tail. Like Yuzuha, it had a human form, but it was without a doubt a monster.

    As far as they could see, however, the other passengers of the carriage -Juugo and Kai-had no status ailments.

    ¡°They¡¯re not being controlled¡­I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Certainly doesn¡¯t look like it, they¡¯re not affected with ¡¾Charm¡¿.¡±

    Seeing a monster mingling among humans was a bad sign, but they couldn¡¯t do anything at the moment.

    Shin knew that certain monsters, like Yuzuha, coexisted peacefully with humans.

    ¡°We can¡¯t confirm anything now, so I¡¯ll talk with Karinter. There are more important things to do now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Shin talked while looking away from Juugo, and Schnee nodded in response.

    On Shin¡¯s map, there was a symbol heading in a straight line to the Kujou mainpound, ignoring people and buildings. It was a neutral green color, but the fact that it was hiding its presence was terribly suspicious.

    ¡°At first nce, it does not seem too fearsome, but what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go after it. It would be great if it was just a spy, but for it toe right after seeing that White Tail¡­I have a bad feeling about this. I¡¯m sorry to say this during the festival.¡±

    ¡°We looked around a bit, and you gave me a present. It¡¯s enough.¡±

    Schnee understood that it could be troublesometer to ignore it, so she had no objections. Thanks to the present, her mood was perfectly happy too.

    From the symbol¡¯s movements, they predicted that it was moving on the rooftops: Shin and Schnee then went to a solitary alley and used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to conceal themselves.

    They didn¡¯t change their clothes, but Schnee reced the hairpin with the original one.

    As they followed the symbol, they saw a group d in very simr clothing as the ninja squad that had attacked Shin before. Ninja clothing often have simr designs, so at first nce it isn¡¯t possible to distinguish them.

    ¡°Hm? This isn¡¯t the way to the mainpound.¡±

    Shin was following the ninja group, but realized that they were not heading towards the mainpound. The most important building in that direction was the residence where Haruna was resting.

    ¡°Their target isdy Haruna!?¡±

    The first ninja group had targeted Kanade and Karin. It would not be strange if they targeted Haruna, a daughter of the Kujou house like Kanade.

    Shin¡¯s prediction was correct: the ninja group drew their weapons and a 3-cemel wide spherical object, then prated the residence without a sound.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let even one run away. We¡¯re hunting them down.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    One of the group pointed a de at Ei, who happened to be passing.

    Before the weapon could strike her however, Shin appeared behind the attacker and struck him down, burying him underground.

    At the same time, he released an aura of crushing intimidation towards the other invaders, to oppose their infiltration of the residence.

    ¡°W-what!? S-sir Shin!?!¡±

    ¡°I will exinter. I¡¯ll go crush the attackers, please gather everyone in the residence and protectdy Haruna!¡±

    ¡°!! Understood!! Intruders here in the residence!! Come out, men!!!¡±

    Ei was wide-eyed in her astonishment, but quickly grasped the situation and loudly called for help.

    They probably had a fixed protocol for emergency situations: less than 30 seconds after Ei¡¯s call, armored men came out in a rush.

    ¡°No need to capture them alive¡ªcut them down!¡±

    As soon as themander-looking man spoke, the men around him assumed the look of warring demons.

    Shin thought that they might have had a difficult time against the enemies¡¯ smokescreens, which had the effect of causing poison and paralysis, but the residence¡¯s soldiers dealt with them without trouble.

    Some men matched the intruders¡¯ des within the smokescreens, then countered and sliced the enemies¡¯ necks.

    Othersunched their spears to pierce the intruders¡¯ torsos.

    Others would face intruders, protected by their ninja des and gauntlets, and cleave them in half, protective gear and all: the difference in fighting power was overwhelming.

    Maybe because of Haruna¡¯s presence, it appeared that seasoned veterans had been stationed there.

    Some of the intruders with higher levels had been defeated by Shin and Schnee, so the attack by this mysterious group was quelled in an instant.

    ¡°We thank you for your assistance.¡±

    ¡°I have had the honor of meetingdy Haruna once. I could not stand by and ignore these people¡¯s foul ns. I must ask though, would you not have wanted to capture at least one alive?¡±

    ¡°Preservingdy Haruna¡¯s wellbeing is of higher priority. In Hinomoto, no assassins that knew their sender¡¯s identity would ever operate like this.¡±

    Some would even allow themselves to be captured, then use skills to explode within enemy lines. Even if captured, they wouldn¡¯t leak information and could cause damage and casualties, so they were always cut down on the spot.

    After Shin and Schnee exined why they were tracking the attackers, Karin arrived. She had apparently rushed there as fast as she could, so her breathing was slightly ragged.

    ¡°Lady Haruna!?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯spletely safe and sound.¡±

    Shin felt that this information had arrived too quickly, but chose not to say anything.

    Because even after the battle ended, the man he thought to be themander of the residence¡¯s soldiers kept his eyes on Shin, without letting his guard down one second.

    Shin had exined that their presence was a coincidence, but themander was still wary of them.

    It certainly wasn¡¯t pleasant to be doubted, but for men in charge of security as they were, keeping the stance of never letting one¡¯s guard down was important.

    ¡°What about the intruders?¡±

    ¡°We have dealt all of them. We could not find anything to determine where they came from.¡±

    They had already checked if there was any information to be extracted from the corpses. They only used equipment and tools that could be found pretty much anywhere.

    Shin heard that it was not possible to find out where the ninjas hade from by using the ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill. He talked about what happened to Karin, then Shin, Schnee, and Karin returned to the Saegusa house.

    ording to Kuyou, despite the attack on Haruna¡¯s residence the inheritance ceremony would be held without dys.

    ¡°I think they will increase security though.¡±

    Few ruffians would think of targeting the Kujou, but still few was not zero. It was an unavoidable fate for such arge n.

    No matter the era, there are always those dissatisfied with the people governing.

    In Hinomoto there existed an organization specialized in assassinations, which would target anyone upon request.

    Shin heard about such criminal groups in the maind too, so he wasn¡¯t surprised.

    Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked about Ichinose Juugo.

    ¡°Sir Juugo, huh. You have heard that the Ichinose family holds the ideal of an unified Hinomoto, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard it mentioned¡­¡±

    ¡°After the Kujou and the Yaejima divided the country under their respective rule, for a while the Ichinose showed intentions of bing independent. The Yaejima and other houses of the west restrained them, but it looks like the current head is nning something. We have received reports that soldiers in the Ichinose domain are on the move. They might be nning to do something during the inheritance ceremony.¡±

    ¡°And it will be held even if you know that?¡±

    ¡°Expert warriors from all over Hinomoto will gather for the inheritance ceremony. Average soldiers wouldn¡¯t hold a candle to them. Even if something happened, it wouldn¡¯t even be a battle.¡±

    In the past, during a simr ceremony, someone had simrly nned dirty deeds. ording to Kuyou, the plot had been squashed immediately.

    They were not acting out of arrogance, but excessive security would be a burden. They had no proof that the Ichinose were really plotting something after all.

    Just in case, Shin decided to tell them about Tamamo.

    ¡°Hmm, I never heard that sir Juugo had a female partner.¡±

    ¡°Really. I only saw this with a skill, so I have no actual proof of her presence, but I am sure that I did not see wrong. I thought that it would be better for you to know.¡±

    ¡°I am grateful for your advice. I will try to look into this too.¡±

    Kuyou did not doubt Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Oh, on a different subject, is ¡ºck Moon¡»usable by anyone? I heard that certain high-grade weapons choose who can equip them, so this was on my mind.¡±

    ¡°You are truly knowledgeable. I heard that once there was such a limitation, but not anymore.¡±

    Having stats higher than a certain level or ignoring the decrease in the weapon¡¯s power due to insufficient stats would allow anyone to wield it.

    After talking with Kuyou, Shin gave four cards to Karin, who was walking beside Schnee.

    ¡°Sir Shin? These are¡­¡±

    ¡°Please keep them with you, just in case. After what happened today, I have a bad feeling.¡±

    ¡°¡­..understood. I will definitely return them to you.¡±

    Karin checked the cards¡¯ illustrations, then held them against her chest while nodding. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The next instant, a severe chill ran down Shin¡¯s spine. What he saw after slowly turning around was Schnee smiling and looking at them.

    ¡°(Just in case! Just in case, okay!? I don¡¯t have any weird intentions!!)¡±

    ¡°(Oh my, I haven¡¯t said anything, though?)¡±

    Schnee¡¯s smile was terrifying. As they say, eyes can speak as clearly as the mouth¡­but in Schnee¡¯s case it was not only her eyes: her Mind Chat, expression, and presence all showed how bad her mood was.

    Shin, almost panicking, shook his head left and right and exined himself frantically. He could have given the cards to Karin in secret, but the situation would have turned even worse, or so he instinctively felt.

    ¡°Kuu kuu¡­¡±

    While looking at the three, Yuzuha cried as if saying ¡°there we go again¡­¡±.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    5 days after Schnee¡¯s arrival.

    Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Kagerou also arrived at Shin¡¯s location.

    As they had now be arge group, they thought of moving to an inn in town, but after Kayo¡¯s plea, it was decided that they would all stay at the Saegusa house.

    They nned to stay in town until the inheritance ceremony was held, so that time limit was the condition. They could not impose on the Saegusa forever after all.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened! Aah, we sent Schnee first for nothing!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You were always traveling as 3 people or more, right? So I thought to let you two stay by yourselves for a while. I should have told Schnee to take it more seriously.¡±

    Filma sighed, looking disappointed. She had no intention of hiding her n apparently.

    ¡°It was Filma that proposed Ie here first, to be clear.¡±

    ¡°Just what do you have in mind!?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she waited 500 years. Is it bad for Schnee to have a good time once in awhile? Or do you have some other maiden in mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, but the situation here isplex and¡­ but if we really were by ourselves, I cannot say that nothing would have happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t deny that?¡±

    All party members knew of Schnee¡¯s affection towards Shin. If they had stayed in an inn by themselves, the chances of something happening between them was not zero.

    Shin had expressed his ns to return to his original world, but it was not something he wanted to achieve no matter what.

    Only the gods would know if he would be able to dodge Schnee¡¯s approach.

    ¡°I think I know the kind of person I am. I couldn¡¯t say that I would never go with the flow in such situations¡±

    Shin was not insecure or undecided, but his will wasn¡¯t unshakable steel either.

    ¡°Oh, now that¡¯s a good thing to know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nning something again, you¡¯ve got it written all over your face¡­¡±

    ¡°Definitely not a wholesome n.¡±

    ¡°She never learns, does she.¡±

    ¡°Hey!! Shibaid, you too!?¡±

    Shibaid spoke through a sigh, probably tired of their conversation.

    ¡°So, when will that inheritance ceremony thing start?¡±

    Shin had already informed Shibaid and the others of the inheritance ceremony. Also because the divine katana Shin had crafted was the final reward, Shibaid was interested in the oue.

    ¡°5 days from now. I¡¯m sorry to say this after you just arrived, but some trouble happened. A battle might break out.¡±

    ¡°Eh, what? I heard that Hinomoto¡¯s a peaceful ce though?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to hear the word battle. She had heard about how safe and peaceful Hinomoto usually was.

    Shin exined about the circumstances.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand. Why are they so fixated on uniting the country?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Even if they did so through military power, it¡¯s not like governing it would be any easier. What do you think Shibaid?¡±

    It was not exactly like Japan¡¯s Warring States period, but as Hinomoto was now in a simr situation, Shin asked for Shibaid¡¯s opinion, who had participated in the founding of the Empire.

    ¡°Without understanding the head of the Ichinose family, I cannot say anything. Such things change depending on who is leading the various groups. In the era after the natural disasters wrecked thend, many countries were founded, but each underwent a different fate.¡±

    ording to Shibaid, several countries had tried invading others hoping to unify the continent under their rule.

    The areas where monsters spawned and the natural barriers formed by mountains, however, led to the current situation. Despite this, some countries still haven¡¯t given up their ambitions apparently.

    Some countries governed while thinking of their citizens¡¯ well-being, others had be military states, so it was not possible to give one single answer.

    ¡°Well, I have just heard that the Ichinose are acting suspiciously, but I don¡¯t know anything decisive. It would be great if nothing happened, but please stay alert.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood.¡±

    Both Filma and Tiera nodded to Shin¡¯s words.

    In the end, the identity of Haruna¡¯s attackers was aplete mystery.

    Shin, however, did not think that Juugo, Kai, and the monster Tamamo would simply sit back and do nothing.

 Book 8: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    The inheritance ceremony.

    As the name suggests, this ceremony seeks to determine the person fit to inherit the relics passed from generation to generation in Hinomoto.

    This time, the relic to be inherited is the divine katana ¡ºck Moon¡», a national treasure of Hinomoto.

    The challengers are the valiant warriors whose names are included in the Hinomoto Brave Ten.

    Excluding the 1st seat and current owner of the katana, Kankurou, and those-such as Kuyou- who declined to participate to give the opportunity to the new generations, the participants are 6.

    The 3rd seat, Saegusa Karin.

    The 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden.

    The 5th seat, Kujou Akitaka.

    The 6th seat, Ichinose Juugo.

    Lastly, the twin sibling swordsmen: the 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa and the 9th seat Tsuguho.

    ¡°The formal matches will start now. Show your prowess in battle and prove your worth as rightful sessor of the divine katana!¡±

    The participants silently nodded to Kujou Tadahisa¡¯s words.

    The first round was 3rd seat Saegusa Karin VS 9th seat Shijou Tsuguho.

    With ck hair tied behind their head and a sharp piercing look, the two female warriors even shared a simr physique. Without a word, they headed to the center of the arena, then took their respective stances.

    Both used the ¡°Seigan¡± stance, holding their swords at waist height, the de pointed at the opponent¡¯s eyes.

    Their aura, one with their weapon, exuded a certain refinement that would cause all spectators to feel chills down their spines.

    ¡°Fight!¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    As the signal of the start of the battle was sounded, the two duelists¡¯ silhouettes blurred, the arcs drawn by their wooden des in mid-air crossing each other.

    Both contestants performed one single swing.

    They now stood in the opponent¡¯s starting point, as if they had switched ces, their backs facing each other.

    A few seconds pass, then the wooden sword fell from Tsuguho¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Match finished! The winner is Saegusa Karin!¡±

    The battle was decided in an instant.

    Tsuguho¡¯s strike had barely scraped Karin¡¯s shoulder, while Karin¡¯s strike had cleanly hit Tsuguho¡¯s right arm.

    3rd seat and 9th seat. They were respectively in the higher and lower positions in the hierarchy.

    Even if they were both part of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, the difference in ability was evident.

    ¡°I could not reach you, after all.¡±

    ¡°You have improved again.¡±

    Karin expressed praise for the dejected Tsuguho. The Tsuguho Karin knew wouldn¡¯t have been able to touch her shoulder.

    ¡°No, I still have much to learn. I will keep improving and temper myself again.¡±

    Because of her youth and straightforward personality, Tsuguho showed both frustration and peace of mind at the result.

    The two bowed to each other and left the arena.

    The 2nd round was 5th seat Kujou Akitaka versus 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa.

    They were both young, but in Tsugumasa¡¯s case it was more evident.

    Compared to Akitaka¡¯s virile looks and well-built physique, Tsugumasa appeared very young and physicallycking.

    Even without considering their difference in ability, Tsugumasa appeared childish before his opponent.

    However, the two swordsmen were unconcerned about being young. Beyond the impression given by their appearances, the shing of their swords¡¯ auras was stinging the spectators¡¯ skin.

    ¡°The rumored genius swordsman, huh. This is our first bout face to face, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I have often heard rumors about you too. I am eager to see how much my de can match yours.¡±

    After a brief exchange, they took their stances.

    Akitaka used an upper stance, while Tsugumasa a lower one.

    ¡°¡ª-fight!!¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Just like the first round, their des also pierced the air at the same time as the start signal. The difference was the loud shing sound produced by the wooden swords, which repeated 3 times.

    Each fighter had drawn three arcs in mid-air. Akitaka and Tsugumasa¡¯s wooden swords were grinding against each other, sending wooden fragments dancing around.

    ¡°To be so skilled at such a young age. I¡¯m looking forward to your future.¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you very much!¡±

    In contrast to Akitaka¡¯s confident tone, Tsugumasa raised his voice loudly while charging at him again.

    Akitaka parried each and every attacking from Tsugumasa, attacks different than what was taught at the dojo.

    Even though he was constantly attacking, Tsugumasa¡¯s expression gradually contorted. It was the result of both duelists understanding the extent of their respective abilities during the first exchange.

    Tsugumasa¡¯s sword arm was fast, its patterns difficult to read. Despite being just over 16 years old, his sword arm was worthy of being called genius: Akitaka acknowledged it too.

    However, it was not enough.

    He might have been able to match an ordinary soldier or a swordsman with some skill, but to reach Akitaka, strictly trained as the Kujou family¡¯s first-born son, Tsugumasa needed experience in actualbat ¡ªespecially against opponents stronger than himself, which he severelycked.

    ¡°Ssshh!!¡±

    The connecting point between two shes.

    Akitaka did not miss the small gap in Tsugumasa¡¯s barrage created by his impatience.

    Akitaka¡¯s wooden sword blew Tsugumasa¡¯s away. Tsugumasa¡¯s weapon spun in mid-air, thennded behind him.

    ¡°Match finished!! The winner is Kujou Akitaka!¡±

    Kankurou announced the winner.

    The two duelists assumed a proper stance and bowed silently.

    ¡°Good fighting style. Let us battle again one day.¡±

    ¡°Yes, absolutely.¡±

    After nodding at each other, Akitaka and Tsugumasa left the field.

    The 3rd round was the 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden, versus the 6th, Ichinose Juugo.

    Different from Karin and Tsuguho or Akitaka and Tsugumasa, this time the spectators felt prickled by the turbulent auraing from the contestants.

    While they both held wooden swords, the tension hanging in the atmosphere was as if they were using real swords.

    ¡°You¡¯re even more intense than usual.¡±

    ¡°I might be a servant of the Yaejima, but today I fight as a swordsman. I will not hold anything back!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I too would hate to make people think that I didn¡¯t give it my all.¡±

    As in response to the murderous intent emanated by Juugo¡¯s sword, the aura of Shiden¡¯s de grew sharper and sharper as well.

    Differently from the two previous duels, which contained a certain pure aura, the current contestants seemed to be participating in a duel to the death.

    They both took upper stances, sharing also the trait of holding the sword slightly bent to the right.

    ¡°¡ª-fight!!¡±

    The signal of the start of the duel echoed throughout the surroundings.

    The beginning of this match is very different from the two previous bouts.

    There was no sh of swords, thought to start as soon as the signal was sounded: the two contestants did not move an inch. They both stared at each other, their bodies moving ever so slightly, searching for something in their opponent.

    The Yaejima house, rulers of the west, and the Ichinose studied schools of swordy which shared the same roots. Because of this, they could both predict what the opponent¡¯s moves would be.

    The wooden sword¡¯s angle, leg motions, the position of the center of gravity, how to use space in battle¡­everything.

    They could predict the opponent¡¯s strike from looking at their movements, thus mentally preparing how to counter.

    If the tip of Juugo¡¯s sword was slightly lowered, Shiden took half a step backwards.

    If Shiden stepped in range, Juugo lowered his center of gravity.

    Though it was not visible to the eye, the small, almost imperceptible movementsprised a formidable series of exchanges taking ce between the two of them.

    Those gathered for this ceremony were warriors capable of such feats.

    ¡°The contestants with the least difference in rank. Will sir Juugo match sir Shiden though I wonder?¡±

    ¡°Now, Tsugumasa. Don¡¯t speak out of line.¡±

    Shiden¡¯s strength was known throughout Hinomoto. His title of 4th seat in the Brave Ten was not for show.

    Juugo was the 6th seat, but the fact that there was arge power gap between the seats smaller and bigger than 5 was also well known.

    ¡°Hmph, as I thought, I am not one to y reading battles.¡±

    ¡°Saying that means that you could lose winning battles, you know?¡±

    ¡°None of¡ª¨Cyour business!!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if he had talked before moving, or vice versa. That¡¯s how quickly Juugo had stepped in, close to Shiden.

    The movement itself reminded of the 1st round of Karin versus Tsuguho, but the speed was definitely higher.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shiden, who had sparred against Juugo in the past, was taken aback by his opponent¡¯s speed. He blocked the swinging sword with his, but was pushed back.

    Juugo was a bear-type beastman, and the wooden sword he wielded was thicker, in ordance with his build. However, it simply added mass and could not fill the gap in their muscr strength.

    Juugo¡¯s swing, however, had enough power to cause Shiden¡¯s feet to sink into the ground for blocking it.

    ¡°Gh¡­! How heavy¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­so this is all you can do.¡±

    His voice now filled with self-assurance, Juugo withdrew his sword and, at the same time, moved behind Shiden¡¯s back. Before Shiden could react, the tip of Juugo¡¯s sword had been thrust at his neck.

    ¡°Match finished!! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!¡±

    The inferior in rank bested the superior.

    It was not something unheard of, but those that knew of Juugo¡¯s abilities were astonished of the performance he showed in the battle.

    Bear-type beastmen generally focused on power rather than speed. Even considering that Juugo was a Returned Ancestor, the speed at which he had moved behind Shiden¡¯s back had been excessively fast.

    ¡°Hmm, it does not look like you used status boosting herbs or magic.¡±

    Considering the possibility of foul y, Kankurou viewed him with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but there was no sign of boosted stats.

    Thanks to the game¡¯s system still existing, any status boosts via herbs or other methods would be discovered immediately.

    ¡°I never neglect my training. That produced results, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Well, there is nothing I can say to that.¡±

    Kankurou knew, however, that there were things that his ¡¾Analyze VIII¡¿ could not disy, based on the target¡¯s status.

    They had performed tests to prevent illegal activities, but despite the suspicion aroused by Juugo¡¯s exceptional increase in ability, there was no concrete proof to denounce it.

    The matches continued: the remaining three contestants would fight until one was left standing.

    Because of her high rank in the hierarchy, Karin was treated as seed.

    The 4th match was Akitaka and Juugo. But exactly as it happened to Shiden, Akitaka could not adapt to Juugo¡¯s movements and suffered defeat. There was a clear difference between the Juugo of the past and present.

    Juugo, after all, was one of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten. Even without this mysterious increase in power, he was a warrior of considerable power.

    The formal tournament reached the final match.

    Karin and Juugo faced each other.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cfight!¡±

    After the signal for starting hostilities, Juugo moved first. He swung down his sword with the power that had overwhelmed Akitaka.

    Karin reacted by striking the side of Juugo¡¯s de with hers, to deviate it from its course. She could not parry the full power of the swing, however, and slightly lost her bnce.

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Juugo followed with another attack, a storm of air-rending blows which Karin withstood with her solid guard.

    Watching Akitaka¡¯s match made her understand that she was at a disadvantage in terms of strength and choose a strategy of looking for an opening.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, daughter of the Saegusa. Staying on the defense will not make you win.¡±

    ¡°I have no intention of losing, so no need for concern.¡±

    Juugo talked to Karin during his barrage of attacks, but she replied without changing her expression. It could be said that she was forcing herself, but she kept a poker face, not wanting to show any weakness.

    ¡°Heh, impertinent little girl.¡±

    As the words left his mouth, Juugo¡¯s silhouette disappeared. Karin however, could react to his strikeing from behind.

    ¡°I have seen this already.¡±

    The speed was unthinkable for the past Juugo. But in terms of speed, Karin still had a chance of winning.

    She parried the swinging de while spinning and thrust her de at Juugo¡¯s stomach while moving to his side.

    ¡°As expected from the 3rd seat, I should say.¡±

    Karin¡¯s strike was supposed to have struck its target, but Juugo had parried it while jumping to the side.

    He was superior to Karin in both speed and power. It was now clear to everyone watching.

    From then, the match became -while not overwhelmingly one sided- a clearly unbnced one.

    Karin withstood Juugo¡¯s fierce attacks and used any openings to counter.

    Juugo dodged her counters and resumed his storm-like barrages of shes and thrusts.

    The match continued for 20 minutes, when finally, Karin¡¯s wooden sword was broken by Juugo, who thrust his at her neck, ending the match.

    ¡°¡ª-match finished! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!¡±

    The two contestants bowed to each other and left the arena.

    The winner was now decided, leaving only the conferment of the divine katana.

    Ichinose Juugo was the head of the Ichinose family, recently subject of suspicious rumors; his victories in the matches, however, meant that he was to receive the divine katana.

    ¡°Ichinose Juugo, I confer to you the divine katana. Come forward.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» would be presented by its current wielder, Kankurou.

    Juugo epted the katana with both hands and¡­

    ¡­.proceeded to unsheathe ¡ºck Moon¡», then and there.

    ¡°¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿!¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was swung down and unleashed a red sh.

    The long range sh created by the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿, powered by ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s effects, turned into a crimson killing de.

    The target of the sh was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa.

    ¡°Hmgh!!¡±

    While all stood frozen by the unexpected happening, a shadow leapt between Juugo and Tadahisa to stop the flying sh.

    ¡°You could parry that?¡±

    ¡°Well well, now I would have never expected you to take such a direct approach here.¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Juugo with a jaded expression, holding his short sword in a backhand grip.

    ¡°There is no better opportunity. With that de you could only stop me one more time. Do not stand in my way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannotply. Allow me a question instead, how did you think you could escape this ce, after everything you did?¡±

    ¡°As I am now, that much is nothing.¡±

    Juugo put something in his mouth after talking. The next instant, a white, bright aura rises from his body.

    ¡°Sir Juugo. That cannot be¡­!?¡±

    ¡°So you know of this. You must also know that you cannot stop it then!!¡±

    Juugo¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡» turned into a blur. A red sh appeared in midair, causing severe damage to all who were charging towards him, weapon in hand.

    Akitaka and Shiden suffered wounds on their arms, their katana broken. The same had happened to Tsuguho and Tsugumasa.

    Kuyou and the other Brave Ten who had avoided the sh hesitated to attack, as they knew of ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s abilities.

    In such a situation, Karin charged in to attack from behind, a step after the others.

    Her speed was much higher than what she had shown during the match.

    ¡°Nngh!!¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s dark de shed against the white de of Karin¡¯s katana.

    Even when shing against ¡ºck Moon¡», which could slice even Legend-grade weapons in two, Karin¡¯s katana did not suffer even a single scratch.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be!?¡±

 Book 8: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    Vol. 8 Chapter 4 ¨C Part 2

    ¡°Lord Kankurou!! I will deal with him!!¡±

    Karin was wielding a katana of the Ancient grade, like¡ºck Moon¡»: ¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    ¡ºck Moon¡», crafted as a test de when creating ¡ºTrue Moon¡», was a weapon with high specs. However, ¡ºHakuramaru¡» had been upgraded by Shin and possessed abilities high enough to match it.

    ¡°This weight!? Just what is going on!?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would answer?¡±

    Karin chose to mock the growling Juugo.

    The weight of Karin¡¯s shes was growing not only thanks to the status boosts provided by ¡ºHakuramaru¡».

    The status boosts were also provided by another card that Shin had given her, the Morning Star Hairpin. It was an Ancient-grade item which boosted STR, VIT, and DEX.

    After hearing the rumors concerning the Ichinose, Shin had made Karin get used to the item while receiving her training, so she wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by the status boost.

    Karin stepped back for a moment, then used her speed to go back on the offensive.

    ¡ºck Moon¡» and ¡ºHakuramaru¡» shed again, scattering sparks all around.

    ¡°A katana that does not suffer damage even if struck by the divine katana. So you did not leave Hinomoto simply to go looking for herbs!¡±

    Karin did not answer Juugo¡¯s frustrated shouts. Wondering if he expected her to deliberately divulge where the de hade from, she added power to her grip.

    Every time the two des crossed, sparks danced around the two warriors.

    The tournament¡¯s arena was already nearly destroyed by the long-range shes Juugo would sometimes unleash. The ground was carved, the buildings cleaved from front to back.

    The soldiers who had rushed to the location because of themotion could only stand and watch the formidable exchange of blows.

    The people around them had prioritized their safety, so no one wounded was present, but there was no one that could join in Karin and Juugo¡¯s battle. Their physical abilities were not sufficient, but more than that, they had no weapons capable of matching them.

    It did not mean, however, that everybody simply stood there wringing their hands.

    ¡°¡¾Shadow Bind¡¿!¡±

    ¡°¡¾Arc Bind¡¿!¡±

    Amidst the nging sounds of the crossing des, clear voices resounded. At the same time, a shadow writhed at Juugo¡¯s feet, and a chain of light reached down from the air.

    ¡°Nngh!?¡±

    The binding spells had been cast by Kayo and Haruna. Hinomoto favored directbat strategies, but magic was not in disuse.

    Juugo, locked in battle with Karin, had reacted to the spells, but could not avoid thempletely and was affected by the binding.

    One chain of light and three shadow bindings were clinging to Juugo¡¯s body. Two of the shadow bindings already showed cracks.

    The light chain was almost shaken off.

    ¡ºck Moon¡»did not have any particr special features, in fact it was almost featureless, but being an Ancient-grade weapon, it could somewhat influence magic skills in its natural state.

    ¡°That was not something to try here, was it.¡±

    Karin slipped in close to the restrained Juugo.

    Focusing on the binding chains had created a decisive opening.

    ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s de cut through Juugo¡¯s abdomen in a rising diagonal sh. The cut sliced across his chest, above his heart, and through his shoulder.

    The samurai job usually does not possess DEF bonuses.

    Generally, average defense gear is mere paper before Ancient-grade weapons, but the participants to the formal matches wore nothing but formal wear.

    Even for a Returned Ancestor, one sh would prove fatal.

    ¡°Gwaahh!!¡±

    Juugo fell down backwards, screaming in pain. The spraying blood doused Karin and the arena.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¨Ca¡ª¨Cn¡ª¡ª¡±

    The sound he whispered as he drew hisst breath failed to form into words, remaining just vibrations in the air.

    ¡ºck Moon¡» fell from Juugo¡¯s now powerless hands. The conclusion had arrived suddenly and unexpectedly.

    That too was one of the possible ways for a battle between masters to end though.

    Considering the weapon¡¯s power, it was impressive that the beastman¡¯s abdomen had not been sliced in half.

    ¡°Sir Juugo. Was this world so unbearable for you to live in?¡±

    Kankurou whispered while picking up ¡ºck Moon¡» and returning it to the sheath.

    No answer would, however, return.

    (The mes of war, once again¡­)

    Juugo¡¯sst thoughts, who failed to form into words, had reached Kankurou.

    ¡°In any case, what caused sir Juugo¡¯s incredible strength?¡±

    ¡°That is a forbidden medicine that shaves away one¡¯s own lifeforce. However, I do not know the reason behind his power before using it. Maybe he knew of a reinforcement method unknown to us.¡±

    Kankurou answered Toshiro¡¯s doubts about Juugo¡¯s strength. It was another question they could not know the answer to now.

    ¡°Rather,dy Karin, that¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Report!!! A messenger just came in saying that arge battalion of Ichinose soldiers has invaded our domain!!¡±

    A soldier hade shouting in the arena, as to interrupt Kankurou¡¯s question.

    ¡°Ichinose soldiers? Is this true?¡±

    ¡°Yes! We have confirmed the presence of an estimated 5000 soldiers and several 3-mel tallrge beasts. The beasts appear to be monsters, but they do not seem to be attacking the Ichinose troops.¡±

    Tadahisa had interrogated the soldier, whose words in reply left all present with troubled expressions.

    The country of Hinomoto typically had few Tamers, and even fewer could controlrge monsters as the ones reported.

    Furthermore, the Ichinose house was known for valuing individual strength. They would focus on improving themselves rather than learning to tame monsters.

    Because of this, they could not help but doubt the report stating that there were monsters among the troops.

    ¡°Truly bizarre. Are those troops really from the Ichinose?¡±

    Kuyou expressed his doubts that the described troops really belonged to the Ichinose house. No one else had said it, but everyone had thought the same question.

    ¡°Are there any known characteristics about the monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, their bodies are colored differently, but their appearance is unmistakably that of the demon fox species. The number of tails is different for each unit, usually 4 or 5.¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s pretty clear.¡±

    After hearing about the monsters¡¯ characteristics, Kankurou seemed to have reached a conclusion.

    ¡°Kankurou, do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes. During the past unification wars, there was one member of the demon fox species who tried to take control of Hinomoto. It happened more than 100 years ago, so I suppose few remember it anymore.¡±

    ¡°The disaster-bringing demon foxes spoken about in the chronicles¡­I thought they were extinct.¡±

    Tadahisa replied to Kankurou¡¯s words.

    Among everyone present, only Kankurou was alive at the time, but those events had been reported in chronicles.

    ¡°It could be a survivor, or someone with a different goal. The mastermind then had 7 tails, with 6-tailed foxes at its service.¡±

    ¡°How much difference does it make?¡±

    ¡°Against the beasts mentioned in the report, the Brave Ten would be enough. Against a 6-tailed one, at least 3 would be necessary. Against a 7-tailed one, I and 6 other people on my same level could maybe win. In the past battle against one of those, 4 of us died.¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s words caused everyone present to swallow their breath.

    4 people out of 6 died, 4 people as strong as Kankurou, whose ability was unmatched in Hinomoto. It meant clearly that even if the Brave Ten fought all together, they would not stand a chance.

    ¡°Is there a possibility that such powerful beasts are being kept out of battle for now?¡±

    ¡°I could not rule it out. In the previous conflict, we were attacked from the front, but if they know that, they could be using a feint to strike from the rear. But this is also just a guess.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. In any case, we must do something. Everybody¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Report!!! We received an emergency report of arge army of monsters approaching the Futaba and Shijou domains!!¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s orders were interrupted by another soldier who rushed into the arena.

    A shiver of unease ran through everyone present.

    ¡°3 locations attacked at the same time¡­are the monsters demon foxes?¡±

    ¡°The reports tell of 6-tailed demon foxes leadingrge numbers of monsters. There is one fox per group, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Kuyou. You said that the demon fox woman who was with Juugo disappeared, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Tadahisa had already been informed of Tamamo¡¯s disappearance.

    ¡°The name is different, but a demon fox capable of transforming into a human¡­is likely connected to the past disasters. The units leading the monsters are probably high-ranked ones, close to the mastermind. If they knew that we would gather here, they might have chosen to strike this location.¡±

    The 6-tailed monster that, as Kankurou said, 3 of the Brave Ten would be necessary to fight. The possible presence of a 7-tailed monster loomed in everyone¡¯s minds.

    ¡°Would it be impossible to stop a 6-tailed beast without the Brave Ten?¡±

    ¡°I would not say impossible. But considering that together with the 6-tails, other monsters are also present¡­¡±

    There is no telling of how much damage and casualties there would be.

    ¡°¡­.there is no other way out. The Brave Ten will have to be split.¡±

    Even if concerned with the possible existence of a 7-tails, Tadahisa chose not to abandon the other domains.

    To the Shijou domain would go the 10th seat, Futaba Akara, Kujou Akitaka and Shiden of the great n of the west, the Yaejima.

    To the Futaba domain, the Shijou house¡¯s Tsugumasa and Tsuguho with Karin.

    ¡°What shall we do if a 7-tails appears?¡±

    ¡°Survive as long as you can. I will not allow you to die in vain.¡±

    The possibility of a 7-tails appearing in the Kujou domain, the most prosperous in Hinomoto, was not low.

    Even so, Tadahisa spoke without hesitation.

    Even if the 7-tails appeared and the Kujou domain ravaged, every house¡¯s bloodline would still survive. For the Yaejima, Toshiro would stay.

    ¡°All of you, to your duties!! Give it your all!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!!¡±

    After Tadahisa¡¯s order, all reinforcements headed to the domains they had been assigned to.

    The ones who remained made preparations to attack the approaching Ichinose Army,posed of soldiers and monsters.

    ¡°Lady Karin. Could that katana be¡­¡±

    ¡°It is as you imagine, sir.¡±

    ¡°I see, there is one more thing I must thank him for then.¡±

    He did not say the name outright, but Kankurou had realized who had given ¡ºHakuramaru¡» to Karin.

    ¡°Karin. I am going to send people too, but if you see sir Shin on the way, please ask them to lend us a hand. If they helped us, we could even take down a 7-tails.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Karin nodded to Kuyou, then ran off.

    Tsuguho and Tsugumasa followed after her, taking recements for their broken katana from the Kujou armory.

    ¡°Lady Karin, who is this Sir Shin that Sir Kuyou spoke about?¡±

    Tsuguho asked about the name she heard in Kuyou and Karin¡¯s conversation,pletely new to her.

    ¡°He helped us during our search for the medicine to curedy Haruna. He¡¯s someone Sir Kankurou says to be stronger than himself. Hispanions are very skilled warriors as well. If we could obtain their assistance, as father said, even a 7-tails would not be a threat.¡±

    ¡°Such a person is in the city now!? Please do tell me what he looks like. I will go look for him too. If he helped us, the casualties would surely decrease.¡±

    Tsugumasa¡¯s expression lightened up after hearing Karin¡¯s confident words. In the west, only Shiden knew of Shin at this point.

    ¡°We cannot spend too much time looking for him though.¡±

    ¡°Father said that he would send people from the Saegusa house to look for him. Our first priority is the reinforcements to the Futaba domain. Let¡¯s just look around us carefully as we go.¡±

    After these words of caution to Tsuguho, Karin raised her running speed.

    Running on the rooftops, they cross the main avenue in a huge leap.

    Karin said to look for Shin only if they could, but her eyes darted everywhere to find him.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While the inheritance ceremony was being held, Shin and Schnee were looking at the results posted in the main avenue.

    ¡°The higher ranked seats won in the first two matches, I see. In the third¡­Ichinose won, hmm.¡±

    Looking at the results, Shin thought that something might have happened. The results for the 4th match, posted shortlyter, reinforced his suspicions.

    Because Juugo had defeated two superior Brave Ten members in a row, Shiden and Akitaka.

    ¡°Unexpected results?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as far as I¡¯ve been told, the two that lost to that Ichinose Juugo are both ranked higher than him. His opponents should have been stronger.¡±

    Shin answered Filma¡¯s question about Juugo, who he had seen in town before.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s intriguing for sure.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he took some kind of boosting device? Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I think Kankurou would notice something like that though. But seeing that the matches are continuing, I suppose they didn¡¯t find any trace of foul y.¡±

    Shin took the dango offered by Schnee and waited for the results of the next match.

    Most matches until now had been brief, so he expected the next results toe soon too.

    Shibaid and Tiera were also looking at the result postings, while munching on dango.

    ¡°I expected it all tost longer, but it¡¯s been surprisingly quick.¡±

    ¡°It depends, but¡­ Ichinose¡¯s movements were probably different than what his opponents expected. Kuyou also said that there¡¯s a clear difference in level between them, so I guess they got caught by surprise?¡±

    Shin tried to put together a usible exnation. If the cause was Juugo¡¯s real ability, then the items he had entrusted would not be needed.

    ¡°It¡¯s taking longer this time.¡±

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s true. It¡¯s already been a while, though.¡±

    Shibaid talked while looking in the direction of the arena, as the results from the 4th match onwards did not arrive.

    20 minutes had passed already. The other people around them seemed to be thinking the same thing: voices of expectation and curiosity about the results reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    Shin checked the map and saw two light dots repeatedly getting closer and farther from each other. The battle seemed to be still going on.

    Shin looked away from the map after confirming just that.

    ¡°Oh, the results are out¡­!? Ichinose won, huh.¡±

    Many in the surrounding crowd expressed their disappointment at the result. As they lived in Kujou territory, they probably wished for Karin¡¯s victory.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like a good sign.¡±

    ¡°I agr¡­.bingo. Something¡¯sing.¡±

    ¡°Something ising?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll reach your perception field in a minute or so, Schnee. It¡¯s monsters and arge crowd of people. Seems like we can¡¯t take it easy anymore, folks.¡±

    Shin talked while looking towards the opposite direction of the results¡¯ postings board.

    As he had predicted, after about 1 minute an army-like group entered Schnee¡¯s perception field.

    At the same time, they heard the sounds of something crumbling and a cloud of dust arose from the arena.

    ¡°Kuu! Kuu kuu!!¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    As to sound the rm to the already alert group, Yuzuha started barking all of a sudden.

    After they calmed her down, Yuzuha said that a powerful force was drawing closer to Mt. Fuji.

    ¡°(Something bad!! There!!)¡±

    ¡°(Something bad? A demon?)¡±

    ¡°(No. But the presence is nasty!!)¡±

    Yuzuha talked frantically while beating on Shin¡¯s shoulders.

    Yuzuha¡¯s unusual behavior made Shin think that she had perceived a special opponent, so he looked towards the direction she mentioned. He could not detect anything in his range, but Yuzuha seemed absolutely sure that there was something.

    ¡°The Kujou soldiers are on the move. Perfect, someone that should know what¡¯s going on ising. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Karin was not by herself, so Shin told Schnee and the others to wait and jumped on a roof. He was looking towards Karin, hastily moving on the rooftops like him.

    Two other people were following her.

    ¡°Sir Shin!!¡±

    ¡°You seem in a rush, did something happen?¡±

    Karin was relieved at seeing Shin.

    He already had an idea of what could have happened from the sounds and clouds of dusting from the arena, but seeing that ¡ºHakuramaru¡» was dangling at Karin¡¯s waist, his suspicion became certain.

    ¡°I am really d I could meet you. There is something I must ask you.¡±

    Karin talked about the reports she had heard in the arena.

    ¡°I see, the Ichinose. Tamamo was not there, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if possible I would like to request you and yourpanions¡¯ assistance¡­¡±

    ¡°No problem for me, but let me talk about it with mypanions first. There¡¯s something that concerns me. I will catch up with youter.¡±

    The Futaba domain Karin mentioned was close to Mt. Fuji. Shin was concerned about the monster forces drawing closer to it, but he could not put Yuzuha¡¯s words aside.

    The direction was the same, so Shin decided to solve Yuzuha¡¯s concern, then join Karin¡¯s reinforcements.

    ¡°I heard what happened. Listen up, everyone.¡±

    Shin reported what he heard to Schnee and the others. He used ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿ to soundproof the area around them, so the surrounding crowd did not hear anything.

    ¡°Monsters, is it. Could the ¡°bad thing¡± Yuzuha talked about be the now disappeared Tamamo?¡±

    ¡°Could be. I¡¯m going there. I would like to ask you all to go to each domain as reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°I will go to the Futaba domain. Once things have been taken care of, I wille to Mt. Fuji.¡±

    Schnee chose the location close to Shin¡¯s, without hesitation. As she boasted the highest speed in the group, she could act faster than anyone else regarding the matter of Yuzuha¡¯s worry, the most unpredictable element.

    ¡°I shall stay here. It is shameful to say, but I am the slowest among us.¡±

    As Shibaid expressed his intention of staying, Filma made her decision.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to the Shijou territory with Tiera then. If we physically reinforce Kagerou¡¯s legs, we¡¯ll arrive there quickly.¡±

    ¡°Un-understood!¡±

    Shibaid also had concerns. He mentioned the reason for staying behind is his slow movement speed. However, with Filma¡¯s cooperation they avoid getting Tiera involved in a war between humans.

    If the Ichinose soldiers had started their march on their own free will, a different kind of battle than the simple survival against monsters would take ce.

    It was also different than fighting thieves or bandits. It would be true war, a bloodbath, multitudes of people killing each other.

    Shibaid and Filma thought that Tiera, who had only experience fighting monsters, should not be exposed to a war between thousands of people just yet.

    ¡°Things might turn harsh here, but will you be alright, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°I have experienced this type of battle plenty of times. I do not know if theye of their own will or are being manipted, but if it¡¯s thetter I will save as many as possible. I despise this way of doing things, after all. If theye at me with intent to do battle, however, I will have to react ordingly.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s statement implied that he would not hesitate to cut his opponents down, would their actions demand it.

    ¡°That is perfectly fine. Everybody, we¡¯re off!¡±

    With Shin¡¯s words as a signal, the party of four (plus one fox) set on their respective tracks.

 Book 8: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    The first one to reach the battlefield was, obviously enough, Shibaid.

    The Kujou soldiers were in formation, ready to meet the Ichinose-monster allied army.

    Alongside the Ichinose troops there were 6 monsters in total. They included 3 Green Tails around level 500 and 3 Yellow Tails around level 400.

    There were no other monsters to be seen, maybe because they were acting alongside humans.

    ¡°It does not seem like they are being manipted either.¡±

    Shibaid, who had survived countless battlefields, knew very well the taste of the air on the field of battle. He had cut down manipted soldiers, and those who were fighting on their own will.

    Because of this, he instinctively felt that the Ichinose troops were not manipted when he looked at them. He also confirmed it with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    They appeared to be in the typical excited frenzy soldiers felt before battle, but no one was affected by status ailments such as ¡¾Charm¡¿ or ¡¾Confusion¡¿.

    ¡°Are they possessed by the battle?¡±

    Shibaid whispered after looking over the troops. They were a mixture of many different races and species, but they had one thing inmon.

    No one young was among them. Even Elves and Lords, who typically did not change much as they aged, looked like they had already passed middle age.

    Among the others, there were many who appeared to be in their early elderly years. Their eyes, however, sparkled bright with the intent to battle.

    Shibaid was reminded of berserker warriors who would not stop fighting until theirst breath.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    He saw one man from the Kujou camp head towards the Ichinose troops. He was carrying a katana, but no armor.

    It was an unthinkable thing to see on the battlefield, but Shibaid knew who the man was.

    ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s strongest swordsman, huh.¡±

    The man¡¯s name was Toudou Kankurou.

    As Kankurou was walking towards the Ichinose army, a man on horseback, d in superb-looking armor, galloped closer to him.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite arge entourage you came with. Unfortunately, we received no announcement of your visit.¡±

    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t. This is war.¡±

    Kankurou knew the man well: he had once been appointed battalionmander in the Ichinose army.

    ¡°Why are there monsters with you? Are they not beasts to be defeated?¡±

    ¡°Who knows what those creatures think? They have their own ns too, I assume. Nothing that concerns us.¡±

    The man answered clearly and boldly. He did not seem to be lying.

    Kankurou thought that they were allied probably just because they shared simr goals.

    ¡°Why would you do something like this?¡±

    ¡°We were born among the mes of war. Withrge battles ceasing to exist, some of us simply pass away in silence. But we wish to die on the field of battle! We will not just wait to pass away in our beds!¡±

    ¡°You n to kindle the fires of war in Hinomoto for such a reason?¡±

    ¡°You mayugh and call us foolish. All who came here today are such fools. Battle-crazy fools who cannot ept these times of peace.¡±

    The man thenughed. A pure, clearugh, without a shade of doubt in it. A ferocious smile on his lips.

    The men behind him shared the same expression.

    ¡°The Ichinose house originally formed and grew from a gathering of such people. If not now, then in the near future, but this day was inevitable. Personally, I thought I was going to find some understanding from you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest idea of what you mean.¡±

    ¡°In Hinomoto, no man has seen as many battlefields as you, killed as many as you have. O ¡°White haired sword demon¡±. I give thanks to the heavens that myst battle will be against you.¡±

    The man held up his spear, readying for battle.

    His fighting spirit and murderous intent mingled together, prickling Kankurou¡¯s skin.

    ¡°¡­.so this is a warrior¡¯s way of life?¡±

    ¡°Hah. Nothing more thancency.¡±

    The man¡¯s lips sealed shut after those words.

    We shall speak through our des now, is what his eyes expressed..

    ¡°So be it then. I, Toudou Kankurou, shall be your opponent in this final battle!¡±

    Before men who viewed death as a righteous boon, Kankurou¡¯s atmosphere changed.

    Waves of murderous intent silently spread throughout the battlefield.

    ¡°Here Ie!!¡±

    Although pressured by Kankurou¡¯s murderous intent, the man unleashed a thrust enveloped in violent winds.

    A single sharp thrust, which did not betray the man¡¯s old age. It was his coup de grace, a powerful blow which had felled many an opponent in the past.

    This time, however, his spear¡­did not meet its target.

    ¡°Won¡­derful¡­¡±

    As the man fell from his horse and into the ground, the tip of his spear, which had been cut off and blown away, stabbed the ground beside him.

    The arc ¡ºck Moon¡» had drawn in the air disappeared, the metal sound apanying the katana¡¯s return to its sheath was overwhelmed by the trampling sound of the approaching cavalry troops.

    The men rushing on their horses, the men marching on the ground, no one bore expressions of sorrow on their faces. Their expressions well fit battle-crazy warriors, as the man had called them.

    ¡°Well well, to face such numbers of soldiers ready to die will be quite troublesome.¡±

    The Kujou soldiers were not weak by any means. But against soldiers who do not fear death, or rather, soldiers heading towards death, even the most powerful soldier will be burdened with exhaustion.

    For Kankurou, it was a group he could easily defeat, provided he had the time.

    However, considering the possibility of the 7-tails¡¯ presence, he wanted to avoid both using too much time and exhausting his troops.

    ¡°Let me offer my assistance then.¡±

    Kankurou was pondering how to break through the situation, when a Dragnil carrying a ck halberd appeared before him.

    The fighting spirit he emitted casted an overwhelming pressure on the surroundings.

    ¡°Well now, you are sir Shin¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Kankurou. I shall participate in this battle.¡±

    ¡°My, it is a true honor to fight side by side with one of sir Shin¡¯spanions.¡±

    Kankurou naturally knew of Shibaid and his position in Shin¡¯s service. Kankurou had witnessed him fight during his travels in the continent.

    ¡°I believe you have more speed than me, sir Kankurou. I will hold the soldiers back, I ask you to deal with the monsters.¡±

    ¡°That is a very wee proposal. I shall go hunting then, please wait a while.¡±

    Kankurou nodded at Shibaid¡¯s proposal and quickly ran off.

    He was running among thousands of troops searching for just a few monsters, but his expression was not clouded.

    ¡°Be ready.¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s path was opened by streaks of red shes, created by the same skill Juugo had used, ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿.

    Its power, however, was much different. Maybe because of his stats, or because of his expertise. The army was torn apart, as the armored men and horses on Kankurou¡¯s path were cleaved in two.

    ¡°It¡¯s the de demon!! The de demon ising!!¡±

    Crimson sh. That was another name for Kankurou on the battlefield.

    His sword arm alone could decide the fate of a battle. That was the symbol of Hinomoto¡¯s strongest swordsman.

    ¡°Do not enter the path of his sword!! Surround¡ª¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon.¡±

    A captain-looking man tried to give out instructions, as Kankurou¡¯s shes cut through the army¡¯s formation.

    But before he could finish barking his orders, Kankurou appeared behind him.

    At the same time, the man¡¯s body was ran through by the same crimson shes.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The man¡¯s torso, cut off from the rest of his body, slowly fell to the ground.

    His dying expression, much like the spear-wielding man Kankurou had cut down before, seemed satisfied.

    ¡°So strong¡­¡±

    ¡°A truly worthy opponent!!¡±

    The army was losing its officers one after the other, but its morale was not falling, instead rising even higher. A phenomenon that normally would never happen when facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent.

    Kankurou, slicing through the enemy formation, now pointed his de at one of the monsters, a Green Tail. The monster was swinging its tails towards Kankurou.

    Before a beast so huge one had to look up to see properly, Kankurou swung ¡ºck Moon¡» without a word. The monsters¡¯ tails, sweeping through the surroundings-Ichinose soldiers included- were sliced away.

    The instant after, the Green Tail wailed in pain, Kankurou was at its feet, the monster¡¯s blind spot, holding the sheathed ¡ºck Moon¡» at his hip, ready to attack.

    ¡°First one.¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was unsheathed, once again crimson shes flew.

    One sh was enough to cut off the Green Tail¡¯s head: soon after, the beast¡¯s huge body, muchrger than a horse¡¯s, crumbled to the ground, causing a small tremor.

    A cloud of dust rose, the soldiers stopped in their tracks for a moment. But even that would not stop them. As their actions showed, they did not count on the monsters from the beginning.

    ¡°Are you looking for a ce to die? The country and age might not be the same, but those who live by the de all share the same destination, don¡¯t they.¡±

    Shibaid quietly whispered while sweeping away those who aimed to strike Kankurou from the back.

    Even if he was not using any skill, the soldiers around Shibaid were blown away as if an explosion had gone off right next to them.

    In the 500 years of Shibaid¡¯s life, he met many who thought of nothing except how to die.

    Girard, who had battled and died at Shin¡¯s hands, was not too different, a berserker who only thought about himself.

    One of the destinations of those who live by the de was now spreading before Shibaid.

    Witnessing his formidable sweeps, many soldiers recognized Shibaid¡¯s great ability and gathered around him.

    While silently countering their assaults, Shibaid shot a skill towards one of the Yellow Tails.

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» was held high, then came crashing down.

    Spear/Windbination skill ¡¾Storm Hammer¡¿.

    Differently from Kankurou¡¯s ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿, the spherical hurricane born from ¡ºcid Moon¡»¡¯s tip blew the soldiers far away, carved into the ground and through the battlefield, also damaging those outside the skill¡¯s range.

    The hurricane, ravaging the battlefield in a fan-like shape, imed the lives of 2 Yellow Tails, which happened to be close to its path. At the same time, Kankurou finished off his second Green Tail.

    Then, among the chaotic ranks of the Ichinose soldiers, the Kujou troops finally arrived.

    ¡°To battle!!!¡±

    The cavalry broke through the enemy troops, then the foot soldiers struck the separated groups of enemy soldiers. Their well-nned movements were the clear sign of the strict training they went through.

    Corpses piled upon corpses on the reddening ground, riddled with broken weapons and crushed armor.

    In such a scenery, the two oldest veterans of the battlefield simply continued to swing their des in silence.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The second to arrive to the battlefield was Schnee.

    After joining with Karin, Schnee separated from Shin -who was heading to Fuji- and went on to ambush the monsters approaching the Futaba domain from the rear.

    After self-introductions, Schnee had exined that she would fight alongside them.

    When Shin said that Schnee woulde with them instead, Karin was not exactly convinced, but after hearing that there was something unusual going on at Mt. Fuji, she did not inquire further.

    ¡°Well then, as we discussed, I will take the first move.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    After this exchange with Karin, Schnee raised a hand in the direction of therge monster army.

    They were about 1 kemel from the monsters. Tsuguho and Tsugumasa furrowed their brows, wondering what Schnee was nning on doing, but the next instant the twins¡¯ expressions were filled with surprise.

    ¡°Woooh!! W-what¡¯s that!?¡±

    Tsugumasa let out an exmation, startled by the cold wind that had suddenly started to blow.

    His eyes were fixed on the ins before his eyes, now covered in tinum white ice.

    ¡°Lady Karin, just who is she¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡ª-an ally. You do not need to think any deeper than that for now.¡±

    Karin gave a matter-of-fact answer to Tsuguho¡¯s question, pronounced with a mixture of fear and awe.

    She was not as surprised because, during the battle on the ship leading to Hinomoto, she had been witness of Schnee¡¯s crushing victory over the Gale Serpents.

    The skill Schnee used was the Water-type magic skill ¡¾Cocytus¡¿, a spell with a wide area of effect.

    It was not magic exclusive to battles against guilds like ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿.

    However, its caster was Schnee, who had undergone a power-up during Filma¡¯s rescue. The spell¡¯s power was something beyond the imaginations of Karin and the others, who were running beside Schnee.

    Naturally, she had adjusted the spell¡¯s effect in order not to cause damage to the Futaba forces.

    ¡°With this, the enemy army¡¯s rear has been taken care of. Let us go assist those fighting on the frontlines. I will take that White Tail.¡±

    ¡°Regarding that one, we could¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I believe it is best if it is you who informs the Futaba soldiers that we came to help,dy Karin. I do not wish to cause confusion in their ranks. My apologies, but now let us prioritize a speedy extermination of the monsters.¡±

    Karin realized that it would be faster and more people could be saved if Schnee used her magic, rather than if Karin¡¯s group of three went around ying monsters.

    However, due to the abrupt use of ¡¾Cocytus¡¿, a considerable amount of confusion was produced on the frontlines.

    Just like what Schnee said, if the messenger announcing that reinforcements arrived was between Karin, one of the Brave Ten, or a nameless adventurer, there would surely be different reactions.

    The present problem was that the frontlines were already engaged in a chaotic battle. It would be difficult even for Schnee to eliminate only the enemy monsters.

    ¡°¡­.Understood. I leave that to you then. Please be careful.¡±

    The Futaba soldiers were not weak troops that would be trampled without resisting, but they were in severe numerical disadvantage.

    Karin, who had heard the approximate numbers of the monster units, feared that they would bypass the Futaba troops and directly invade the towns.

    Because of this, she swallowed her pride and agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Schnee replied to Karin with a small nod and headed in a different direction. Using the frozen monsters as footholds, she closed in on the White Tail, which was heading for the frontlines.

    ¡°Too slow.¡±

    Schnee unsheathed ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and released a skill.

    It was the Water/Katanabination skill ¡¾Frozen White Arc¡¿.

    A tinum white sh sprang forward from ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    The crescent moon-shaped de of ice, which had frozen even the arm of raid rank 3 demon Scoruas, cut off 2 of the White Tail¡¯s tails: the monster had reacted at thest moment at Schnee¡¯s slight killing intent.

    The tails froze in midair beforending, while the freezing affecting the other tails was expanding towards the monster¡¯s legs.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    A scream, which failed to be words, made the surrounding air tremble.

    The White Tail wildly swung its remaining tails, attacking humans and monsters without distinction.

    ¡°¡­.just what is this supposed to be?¡±

    Schnee whispered while looking at the White Tail, which had lost all reason because of the pain and anger.

    Based on level and monster rank, the White Tail before her was supposed to be the peak of its kind. But in actuality it didn¡¯t match such a description at all.

    The monster was simply iling wildly and did not show any trace of intellect, which should increase as the monster¡¯s level did.

    Not all monsters were like that, but as far as Schnee knew, the intelligence of Demon Fox monsters tended to increase along with their level.

    ¡°I suppose Yuzuha¡¯s ¡°hunch¡± is right on the money, huh?¡±

    Schnee stood on the monster, now with neck and tails cut off, and looked towards Fuji.

    However, thatsted no longer than a few seconds, she immediately nced at the battlefield once more and pointed her de towards the monsters.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Filma and Tiera, riding on Kagerou¡¯s back, arrived in Shijou territory at the time Schnee¡¯s group had started fighting, when Shibaid and Kankurou had finished exterminating the Ichinose troops and monster army.

    Akara, Akitaka, and Shiden, who were also headed towards the Shijou territory, had not arrived yet.

    Even if they were guests in the Saegusa house, Filma and Tiera had not even met the Saegusa heiress, let alone knowing anyone from the Futaba or Yaejima.

    Because of this, even if they knew that there were othersing that way, they did not go talk to them.

    For Filma they would have only been in the way, and Tiera was not certain that they were heading to their same destination.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s smokeing from behind the defensive walls¡­¡±

    The soldiers seemed to be fighting back the invaders, but part of the frontlines appeared to have been breached. A 6-tailed Demon Fox monster was sweeping through the soldiers.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take down the one with 6 tails, so please take care of the small fry, Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll draw them away as much as I can.¡±

    After their conversation, Kagerou charged headfirst towards the monsters¡¯ pack. Casting a wall of thunderbolts in its path while charging through with his huge body, Kagerou reduced the monsters to ashes in an instant.

    ¡°Okay then, my turn!¡±

    Using the recoil from Kagerou¡¯s braking motion, Filma jumped high in the air. Bathed in the sunlight, the unique armor covering only her chest and waist area ¨C named ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡»- gave a dull gleam.

    On the surface of ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡»a geometrical pattern emerged. The pattern was painted with two pigments of purple. Purple that was almost ck, and purple that had a brilliant reddish tint.

    These patterns, which made it seem as if wings had grown from Filma¡¯s back, were proof of one of the armor¡¯s abilities, magic power release.

    This allowed the user to consume MP and use magic power as a booster or thruster, thus achieving higher speed.

    After using it, it was no longer possible to perform quick changes in direction and its MP consumption was high, so it was a function no one used. ording to Shin however, it was simply an ability that ¡°chose its users¡±: the right person would surely be able to tame it.

    As she ran freely through the air, almost like she was really flying, Filma readied her ¡ºRed Moon¡» .

    The soldiers around the fox were just surrounding it while limiting its movements. As no one was especially close to the monster, the timing was just right.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this all of a sudden, but you¡¯re out.¡±

    upied with the human soldiers, Filma attacked the demon fox from the sky, which became its blind spot. She came down with the momentum of a falling star.

    No one managed to react in time. Both the soldiers and the demon fox stood still before the raging me falling from the sky.

    The soldiers increased their distance because of the heat levels, while the fox wailed loudly because of the strike that had pierced its body.

    ¡°W-what!? What the he¨C!?¡±

    The soldiers who regained their bearings after the sudden fireball attack raised their voices. But they couldn¡¯t finish their sentences.

    Inside the me that had in the fox, a shadow was moving.

    ¡°Something¡¯sing out¡­¡±

    The more the shadow came closer, the more it looked human. In the end, the mes split as of their own will, and from the fire whirlpool appeared Filma.

    Despite being in the middle of searing hot mes, neither her skin nor her armor showed any burn marks.

    Emerging from the mes in that manner, the soldiers both feared Filma and were charmed with her beautiful appearance.

    The armor she was wearing could hardly be said to be battle-oriented. No one, however, felt like pointing it out.

    It looked good on her, and from the patterns rising from it, anyone would understand that it was no ordinary armor.

    ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me for snatching your little prey, yes? ¡ªhm? Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°EH!?! No, well, we were struggling in fact, you saved us. May I ask who you are though?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m reinforcements. My buddies are rampaging over there, but don¡¯t attack them by mistake, okay?¡±

    Filma pointed towards therge monster army.

    What the soldiers saw when they turned was arge wolf-like monster routing the other packs of monsters. In addition, the person riding it was releasing attacks like shes of light.

    ¡°Are you, allies?¡±

    ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯m reinforcements? Okay then, I¡¯m going that way so I leave this to you. It¡¯s the ce you live in, you better protect it well.¡±

    After saying all that, Filma gracefully leapt towards the masses of monsters.

    The monsters turned to ck ashes as her waves of mes spread at unbelievable speed.

    Looking at this, the soldiers even started thinking that the demon fox they had been fighting until then maybe wasn¡¯t that strong.

    ¡°Filma is really amazing¡­in a totally different way than master.¡±

    Tiera felt somewhat at a loss for words, looking at Filma¡¯s performance of leaping over the monster hordes and attacking the demon fox.

    Tiera¡¯s head was filled with questions, like what were those wing-like things that sprouted on Filma¡¯s back, what was up with her armor, which barely covered anything¡­but for now she put them away and shot her bow.

    Her enemies were monsters: there was no need to hesitate.

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than before, after all.¡±

    Maybe because of the fragments absorbed within her body when Filma was freed, Tiera felt that her bow had be very light. If she infused just a bit of magic power in it, her arrows pierced through monsters with much more speed and power than before.

    In the Balmel battle, she only managed to shoot arrows with Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s help, but now she could could fly with just her strength, and with more power than before.

    Combined with her original abilities, Tiera¡¯s fighting power had increased exponentially.

    ¡°GRUAAAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    As if encouraging her sniping, Kagerou roared. A mad dance of thunderbolts erupted in their surroundings, turning monsters into ashes.

    Because of this overwhelmingly superior presence, even the monsters heading towards the Shijou city now proceeded more slowly.

    In addition, the demon foxmanding them was now gone. The monster army was on the verge of copse.

    ¡°I was worried that they would think we were enemies, but it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re going to attack us.¡±

    Tiera looked in the direction of the fighting soldiers and felt a little relieved.

    She was a bit apprehensive when Filma had charged into the demon fox like that.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Just after this brief relief, Tiera prepared another arrow to shoot, but something other than monster corpses entered her line of sight.

    That mostly torn and eaten thing she saw was a human corpse.

    It was not the first time for Tiera to see a dead body. But the sight of that body, ravaged and destroyed to the point that it barely retained its original shape, was horrifying enough to make her swallow her breath.

    ¡°¡ª-I¡ª-I won¡¯t allow any more of this!!!¡±

    Tiera inhaled briefly, then looked straight at the scenery before her eyes.

    Maybe because the soldiers¡¯ numbers were too few, she understood that some monsters had entered the town. But that would end now. Filma had crushed the monster¡¯smander, and Kagerou was lowering their morale with its intimidating aura.

    To lower casualties as much as possible, Tiera aimed at the units with higher levels.

 Book 8: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s with these numbers?¡±

    Shin had parted ways with Schnee and headed towards Fuji, but the formation of demon foxes he found around the mountain made him raise a brow. Almost all units were around level 700, with 6 or 7 tails. For Shin it was nothing special, but for this world it was close to a natural disaster.

    Such monsters were now surrounding Mt. Fuji. They were also clearly expressing hostile intentions.

    ¡°Kuu!! Tamamo, not here!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, I can¡¯t pick up any presence that could be hers. What¡¯s this about, anyway? There are the 8-headed Orochi and Munechika on top of Fuji. No matter how many boss-level monsters you gather, with their fighting power they¡¯re just going to get annihted.¡±

    The gap between the level 900 Munechika and the level 700 demon foxes was just toorge. That¡¯s what their difference in fighting power meant.

    Because of the demon foxes¡¯rge numbers, Munechika could maybe suffer some injuries, but if they fought they would be surely exterminated.

    Despite that, the demon foxes were unmistakably heading towards the mists covering the mountain.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Among the demon foxes climbing up Mt. Fuji, Shin detected a small presence moving up as well.

    It was not being attacked despite being right next to the demon foxes, so it was likely to be an ally.

    Shin thought it could be Tamamo, and asked Yuzuha for confirmation, but she denied that possibility.

    ¡°Yuzuha, I¡¯m going to see this sneaky one before dealing with them. What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I feel a bad presence from there. Yuzuha, go there. Shin, go to Fuji.¡±

    After a short pause, Yuzuha turned to a direction different than the mountain.

    ¡°Will you be fine by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Yuzuha!!¡±

    Yuzuha hopped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder, transformed into little girl mode, and puffed up her chest.

    Shin would have been worried until a while ago, but her level was now higher and her control over her powers were much better.

    Shin looked at Yuzuha, who was looking back at him with straight and honest eyes, and nodded.

    ¡°¡ª-got it. Take these with you, just in case.¡±

    Shin took an essory that would take damage instead of the user and items to heal status ailments from the item box.

    Yuzuha took them, put them in her robes, then ran off in fox form.

    ¡°OK, time to do my part.¡±

    After whispering to himself, Shin went on his way.

    While concealing his presence with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, Shin drew closer to the dot moving among the demon foxes.

    When he came close enough to see, he spotted a man d in ck ninja wear head to toe.

    The name disyed via ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was Rokuhara Kai, the man who was with Juugo.

    Shin jumped in front of Kai and deactivated ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    ¡°!?! You are the man from that time¡­!?¡±

    Kai reacted to Shin¡¯s sudden appearance by drawing his ninja de. He was clearly wary of Shin after recognizing him.

    ¡°Do you mean, the time at Aokigahara?¡±

    ¡°Who can say!¡±

    Before even an attempt to conversation was made, Kai casted a magic spell towards Shin.

    What flew towards Shin was the me-type magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿. It was a basic offensive magic, widely used by beginners and experts alike.

    However, magic used by a ninja like Kai, whose job leaned more towards physical attacks, could not work on Shin.

    The ¡¾Fireball¡¿ flying towards Shin vanished into nothingness just before hitting him.

    ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to know why you are doing this.¡±

    ¡°¡­.to once again spread the mes of war in Hinomoto.¡±

    ¡°¡ª-I¡¯m surprised to receive an answer. But why? I hear that there is much to lose in the mes of war. What would you gain in doing this?¡±

    Shin did not expect any answers, but as he received one instead, he expressed another doubt.

    ¡°¡­..Hinomoto has had continuous conflicts, all within this small ind country. One needed to be strong, lest everything be taken away from them. Because of that, in those times everyone was strong. But now the people forgot those times of war, and became weak. The Brave Ten as well, none of them can even match sir Kankurou now, they are just brats with nothing more than their Returned Ancestor status going for them. If peace continues on like this, Hinomoto will eventually grow weak.¡±

    ¡°As someone who saw the continent¡¯s adventurers and soldiers, I can tell you that Hinomoto soldiers are clearly stronger than them.¡±

    Shin said what he honestly thought. Even in Balmel, a city exposed to the dangers of the Flood¡¯s monster hordes, the soldiers¡¯ quality was lower than Hinomoto.

    ¡°It is not enough for soldiers to be strong. The lords governing its domains, the soldiers serving under them, the people inhabiting itsnds¡­all of them need to be strong, or a small country like Hinomoto has no future.¡±

    ¡°Even so, is setting monsters on the people an eptable way? It would just cause a burden on those precious soldiers and citizens.¡±

    ¡°If they fall because of something like that, it means that they were worth that much in the first ce. This was one of the truths in the era of wars.¡±

    ¡°You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes.¡±

    Based on his experiences until now, Shin thought that Kai¡¯s race was Human.

    Humans have short life spans. No one from this race could have witnessed the age of wars and still be alive.

    ¡°Because they showed it to me.¡±

    ¡°They ¡°showed¡± it?¡±

    ¡°The one who controls these beasts did. They seem to have different goals, but no matter if we are being used or not, our wish will be fulfilled.¡±

    Kai spoke while pointing at a Blue Tail among the demon foxes surrounding them.

    Shin never heard of abilities allowing the user to see the past, but before that, he could not know if the past Kai saw was the truth or not.

    ¡°I will not ept a unification scared of sacrifices. Hinomoto will be a strong country only if the truly strong rule over it.¡±

    ¡°The man called Ichinose Juugo is already dead. Even so, do you continue?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would stop now?¡±

    ¡°I suppose not.¡±

    Kai¡¯s killing intent grew more intense. In response, Shin¡¯s hand reaches to the katana ¡ºMoonless¡» at his waist.

    ¡°¡­..I did not think it would be possible to talk like this. Are you sure it was fine to leak all that information?¡±

    ¡°It makes no difference. Dead men tell no tales.¡±

    ¡°That man might be you though, you know?¡±

    ¡°That is fine too. The strong live, the weak perish. That is all.¡±

    Even his own death was an eptable oue. Kai¡¯s eyes as he said so were straight and true, despite the haziness within them.

    ¡°¡­were the days of peace so painful?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin¡¯sst words were the only ones Kai did not reply to.

    Wielding his ninja de, Kai disappeared into the shadow of a Red Tail.

    The monsters surrounding Shin were 3 Red Tails and 3 White Tails. The former were around level 600, thetter level 700: all boss-ss monsters.

    There were also other monsters of the demon fox species, but except those heading towards Shin, they were all proceeding towards the peak.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±

    Shin spoke in response to Kai¡¯s silence. The echo of these words was so cold, it would have ran chills down the spines of whoever heard them.

    Shin then unsheathed ¡ºMoonless¡» while shifting his line of sight to the right.

    As he drew a silver arc in the air with the de, a sound of shing metal followed and 3 kunai fell on the ground, split clean in half.

    Even if he had concealed himself, Kai¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿ was inferior to Shin¡¯s perception abilities.

    ¡°Did you think you were hiding?¡±

    Shin¡¯s line of sight uncovered Kai¡¯s position.

    Because Kai felt a chill down the back of his spine he turned towards the origin of this savage thirst for blood. Even though his facial expression became stiff, it also changed into a smile.

    ¡°What I sensed that time was no lie, I see.¡±

    Even if he had epted death as positive, some things could not be ovee.

    The stench of blood Kai had sensed from Shin was not something that would emanate from someone who only battled against monsters.

    It was proof that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people.

    Kai looked downward towards the rattling sound that had reached his ears. He found his right arm, the one holding his de, shaking.

    The demon foxes around Shin too, intimidated by his killing intent, could not move.

    Even the other demon foxes heading towards the peak turned towards Shin, their bodies trembling.

    ¡°Heh, this is how true war must be.¡±

    Kai pulled out a round pill from his robe and swallowed it, then charged towards Shin.

    Kai¡¯s after-images split and attacked Shin.

    It was a techniquebining high-speed movement and illusions, by using the skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿. The round pill allowed Kai to move at a speed easily surpassing the average Chosen One.

    Thisbination, which Schnee often uses too, served to enhance all of Kai¡¯s techniques, also taking advantage of his boosted physical abilities.

    However¡ª-.

    ¡°A ninja should never attack from the front,e on.¡±

    Before Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», it was all meaningless.

    No matter how deftly Kai hid within the illusions, Shin¡¯s eyes could see through them. Attacking him from the front was a poor strategy, no matter how boosted Kai was by the round pill.

    In the blink of an eye, Shin closed in on one of Kai¡¯s copies: it was the real one.

    Even if wide-eyed in surprise, Kai tried to dodge with all his might. Maybe because of his long experience in battle, his body moved before he could think.

    Thanks to this, the air-rending sh performed by ¡ºMoonless¡» stopped at slicing the ninja¡¯s left arm off.

    ¡°I alone am no match, I see. ¡ª-Attack!!¡±

    After Kai¡¯s order, the demon foxes, frozen still because of Shin¡¯s killing intent, started moving. They targeted Shin with fangs and ws, taking advantage of theirrge bodies.

    They had already understood, from watching the exchange between Kai and Shin, that magic would not work.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way.¡±

    The White tail and Red Tail¡¯s ws were approaching Shin from both the left and right side. Shin responded indifferently by swinging ¡ºMoonless¡».

    Two silver shes run through the air. As they disappeared, the HP of two demon foxes reached zero.

    Their heads and front legs fell to the ground secondster.

    Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Beast Hunt¡¿.

    Thanks to the skill¡¯s increased damage against animal-type monsters such as the demon foxes, two units fell with ridiculous ease.

    Shin lightly swung ¡ºMoonless¡», still not stained with a single drop of blood, and spoke.

    ¡°I will cut down everything. Give up.¡±

    In the space of one single breath, Shin yed the White Tail approaching from behind. He then took the killing intent he had been focusing on his surroundings to intimidate the monsters and released it to the fullest, without limiting it.

    His opponent being shifted from humans to monsters, his intent also shifted from defeating to killing.

    Differently from a bandit or ruffian, in Shin¡¯s eyes Kai was acting with a clear objective.

    He seemed to have been influenced by something, but as also disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿, he was not underplete maniption.

    He did not know what the reason was, but Shin felt that for both Kai and Juugo, deep down their own will was behind their actions. After his conversation with Kai, Shin¡¯s supposition turned into certainty.

    If their will desired war and killing though, for Shin there was no other choice.

    Excluding the monster¡¯s involvement, amotion like this would have happened sooner orter.

    For the present Hinomoto, their position was that of heretics. Their ways and thoughts would never be understood.

    Even if in a contorted form, their love for their country was at the heart of it all.

    That too was a way of thinking. But no matter what their reasons were, Shin would not ept Juugo and Kai¡¯s way of doing things.

    And thus, he cuts.

    The killing intent emanating from his body, as chilling as a deathly cold breeze, spoke to those facing Shin, telling them to prepare to die.

    ¡°After a life spent in the darkness, for myst opponent to be someone of such might¡­I am thankful.¡±

    A smile widening on his lips, Kai leapt and ran through Shin¡¯s killing intent.

    Normally he could have closed the distance in an instant. However Kai¡¯s body, although boosted by the round pill, could not keep up with his mind.

    Shin was looking in Kai¡¯s direction, but did not move a step.

    He held ¡ºMoonless¡» straight in front, its tip pointed forward, quietly staring at Kai. There were no openings in his stance.

    ¡°Gwah¡±

    As he was running towards Shin, Kai¡¯s legs creaked. His long battle experience told him that something was wrong with his bones. Then, as if provoked by that, his legs and arms produced strange noises.

    ¡°I see the recoil hase.¡±

    Shin said while looking at Kai.

    After looking at Kai¡¯s status disy, Shin had guessed what the pill Kai swallowed had to be.

    Shin¡¯s decision of cutting down Kai was out ofpassion: having him destroy himself would have been too pitiful of an ending.

    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since Ist saw someone use a forbidden drug.¡±

    ¡°But even if I did, look at me now.¡±

    What Shin called forbidden drug was actually an item with the official name of ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±.

    Using it would instantly raise all stats by several stages, but in exchange HP would decrease at a fixed rate, the yer dying after a few minutes.

    In addition, recovering lost HP or reviving right after dying was not possible: as penalty for dying, the yer would also be forcefully transported to their hometown.

    In the game, it was an item used only in battles between yers.

    Even if one defeated a boss using it, the system would prevent any EXP or loot gain, so the yers that just enjoyed adventuring did not even know of its existence.

    ¡°This is the end.¡±

    Kai¡¯s HP was already close to zero. Even in such a state, the techniques he unleashed were not weakened in the least.

    The ninja de¡¯s attacks continued. Kai¡¯s katana, painted ck to be used in stealth missions, was met by Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡».

    The tinum and gleaming ck weapons crossed paths. Shin and Kai stopped moving, their backs to each other.

    ¡°Im¡­pressive¡­¡±

    After this onest word, Kai fell. The katana he still held in his right hand had its de cut in half.

    ¡°¡­can¡¯t say this feels right.¡±

    When Shin turned around, Kai had already drawn hisst breath.

    Looking at his somehow pleased-looking expression, Shin scratched his head, perplexed.

    Possibly finding an opening in his now rxed guard, Shin was attacked by a mass of me and ice. However, it was enough to attract his attention. The attack was canceled by his magic resistance.

    ¡°So it¡¯s not like he was inmand, huh. You should at least know thatying a hand on me or Fuji would be the end of you though.¡±

    As he finished talking, at Shin¡¯s feet lied the corpses of 1 Red Tail and 1 Blue Tail. His opponents were now only monsters, so he swung his sword without the slightest hesitation.

    Shin directed his perception towards Fuji and noticed a dot of light moving rapidly around the demon foxes. It was Munechika.

    As the small dot came closer, the big ones would disappear. The speed at which they were annihted was overwhelming: the 8-headed Orochi did not even move from the peak.

    ¡°There are still plenty of them; guess I¡¯ll lend a hand.¡±

    Shin started hunting down the demon foxes from the direction opposite to the dot he thought to be Munechika.

    After less than an hour, most of the demon foxes that had gathered on Fuji had been exterminated.

    As Shin took down thest unit, the sparkle of tinum armor appeared before him.

    ¡°So it was you, Shin.¡±

    What appeared was the katana and person carrying the name of One of the Five Supreme des ¨C Mikazuki Munechika. As she was battling, she was wearing her helmet, but not her flowing ck hair nor her armor were stained by enemy blood.

    ¡°I see you did not have trouble either.¡±

    ¡°Monsters of that level are nothing to me. Curious to see you appear at the same time as the monsters¡¯ assault though. Do you know something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much in detail, but I¡¯ll tell you all I can.¡±

    Shin briefly exined about Juugo, Kai, Tamamo and the n they had put into action.

    After he finished talking, Munechika thought for a while, holding her fingers to her lips, then she looked towards the peak of Fuji.

    ¡°The demon foxes¡¯ goal for attacking was probably what we are protecting on top of the mountain. Not only the demon foxes, but many of Hinomoto¡¯s monsters with a certain degree of intellect came to attack Fuji.¡±

    ¡°Is there something of much importance there? I did think it was strange that the mountain¡¯s master Kagutsuchi wasn¡¯t there, but¡­no, I do not mean to pry. You don¡¯t need to answer.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I know that. I suppose I could tell you. Because your partner, the Element Tail, probably noticed already.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You knew Yuzuha was an Element Tail?¡±.

    Shin was also surprised that Yuzuha apparently knew the reason behind Kagutsuchi¡¯s absence, but Munechika¡¯s knowledge of Yuzuha¡¯s species was even more astonishing to him.

    ¡°The energy of the Ley lines has a peculiar aura. I heard from Kagutsuchi that Element Tails have the ability of influencing Ley lines, as well.¡±

    Judging from Munechika¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t look like Kagutsuchi had been in.

    Just like Yuzuha, it was apparently possible tomunicate with it. During the game the battle would always start without any actual conversation, so Shin found it a bit surprising.

    ¡°Well, this is not the time to stand around chatting. Go to your partner. And one more thing, you haven¡¯t forgotten the promise to return to me, have you? I cannot im to be patient, I will wait for only 10 years at most.¡±

    ¡°I will go now then. Rest assured, I have no intention of making you wait that long.¡±

    Shin replied thinking that for an impatient person, that was a pretty long time span.

    Strictly speaking, Munechika was like a spirit hosted within a sword, so there was no concept of lifespan for her, or so Shin reflected.

    ¡°I am looking forward to it then.¡±

    Shin thanked Munechika, who told him the direction Yuzuha was in, and headed off.

 Book 8: Chapter 4 (5)

    <h4>Book 8: Chapter 4 (5)</h4>

    While Shin was talking with Munechika after the battle, Yuzuha was running over the ins, at thergest size she could currently take.

    She was already considerably far from Fuji. Even though she still wasn¡¯t in her perfect form, the Element Tails¡¯ proverbially high physical abilities were serving her well enough.

    ¡°¡­..there.¡±

    Yuzuha was looking towards a forest located from the path leading to Fuji.

    The nasty presence she had felt while traveling with Shin was getting closer and closer.

    She had already perceived the being behind this presence. It too should have noticed Yuzuha¡¯s approach.

    The owner of the presence was deep in the forest and not moving. It appeared to be waiting for Yuzuha.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Thinking that it was even better if it didn¡¯t run away, Yuzuha proceeded into the forest, mindful of any traps.

    After a few minutes, she arrived in an open area without any trees.

    It was an area roughly 50 mels wide, where only 10 cemels tall grass grew.

    In that deserted ce, there was one shadow other than Yuzuha¡¯s. Long white hair reaching to the ground, gently flowing in the wind. A woman was standing there, alone.

    Perfectly proportioned features that 10 people out of 10 would surely describe as beautiful, animal ears of the same color as her hair. As she was loosely wearing her kimono, her bountiful breasts and the captivating whiteness of her thighs sometimes peeked from her clothing.

    On her back, from her waist sprouted 6 white tails, softly swaying left and right.

    The woman¡¯s name was Tamamo.

    ¡°Kuu! Found you!¡±

    Yuzuha was growling, her fur standing because of the auraing from Tamamo, whose appearance made her look like a person from the Fox Tribe.

    Yuzuha knew that Tamamo wasn¡¯t actually a person from the Fox Tribe. No member of that species would have 6 tails.

    ¡°Hehe, and I was here wondering who wasing¡­it was the Element Tail after all. My, you look quite weakened, though.¡±

    Inplete contrast with the hostility Yuzuha openly disyed, Tamamo¡¯s expression showed her confidence.

    As the strength of a demon fox was disyed by the number of tails, Yuzuha was suspicious of the fact that the 6-tailed Tamamo was acting on her own.

    Among the demon foxes on Fuji, there were ones with 7 tails as well.

    Normally, those would be themanding officers.

    ¡°Kuu, you give, bad aura.¡±

    Yuzuha spoke while taking human form.

    ¡°Bad aura, hmm. Could it maybe be¡­.this!?¡±

    A ck ball of fire shot out of Tamamo¡¯s hand. Yuzuha dodged it instinctively and looked at where the ball of firended. She saw the ground dyed in purple where the ck mes burnt the grass.

    Something different from miasma was tainting thend. Yuzuha understood it through her intuition.

    ¡°You!! Inside, different! This person, container!¡±

    ¡°So YoU CAn UndERstaND ThAT mUCh. YeS, thIS BODy iS VErY vERy GoOD!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s voice was gradually distorting. The sounds it emitted, which could barely be understood as words, were human speech no more.

    Yuzuha¡¯s eyes saw the pitch ck silhouette of another demon fox rise behind Tamamo.

    The contour of this figure was blurred here and there, but it was obviously a demon fox.

    When Yuzuha had seen Tamamo, together with Juugo, in Kujou territory, she had not perceived this presence.

    Furthermore, Yuzuha knew of only one thing who matched this presence.

    ¡°Disaster-bearing Demon Fox, Tamamo. The corrupted form of an Element Tail, who possesses other people.¡±

    ¡°Kah KAh! THaT Is ME iNDEed. We mEEt LiKE tHIs fOR ThE FiRSt tIme, yEs. O eSTeEmEd ¡°pROgENItoR¡± oF aLL uSs eLEMeNt tAiLs!¡±

    Knowledge of each other came out of their mouths. But only a handful in this world couldprehend what was said.

    In the game era, Tamamo was just an event boss and the Element Tails were hidden bosses that only a handful of advanced yers knew of.

    There was a clear gap in their strength, but the yers did not know that there was a clear difference in the strengths of these individuals.

    Even if the yers did not know, the difference in strength was certainly there. Consequently, Yuzuha and Tamamo were personally aware it was so.

    ¡°Kuu! Why you do these things!¡±

    ¡°ThAt¡¯S a cURiOUs tHInG To aSk. I cAMe tO THis wORLd To bRinG fOrTH dISAsTEr! To kIlL aNd To dEsTRoY iS My rEAsOn fOr eXIStINg! aFTeR tHEsE lONg yEArS, YOu hAve fORGoTTen eVeN tHAt?!¡±

    The ck shadow trembled, the demon fox possessing Tamamo roared.

    To invade cities and bring terror to the people. To be defeated by yers, to be reborn, to do so again.

    That endless cycle is what let Tamamo be Tamamo. It was somethingpletely natural, as natural as people breathing.

    However, now that the world had be reality, it was nothing more than a curse imnted in the cycle of life.

    ¡°Kuu, that is not necessary now¡±

    ¡°I cARe nOTHinG aBOut tHat. I SHAalL fULFiLl mY eXISTenCe. THIs bOdY haS aLREaDy lOst aLl seNSe oF seLf. IT wAs bETRraYEd, It hATed, It oFfeReD itSeLF To Me. ITS bEAUty liES oNly in itS aPPEAraNCe nOw.¡±

    ¡°¡­.kuu.¡±

    Yuzuha cried with mncholy while looking at Tamamo.

    The manipted woman was smiling. Tamamo said that it did not have a sense of self anymore, but that expression seemed to convey that she had no regrets.

    Yuzuha thought that a great many people would have been charmed by her, if it weren¡¯t for the red tears flowing down her cheeks.

    ¡°If you wish to stop me, use your strength to annihte my body. O progenitor of the Element Tails, surely you can!!¡±

    The ck demon fox returned inside the woman¡¯s body. Then, the six tails stood up, swaying as always, and became covered in ck mes.

    Yuzuha understood that the woman¡¯s negative feelings fed Tamamo and increased its power.

    ¡°Hnn!!¡±

    As if in response to Tamamo¡¯s grunt, the tails attacked Yuzuha.

    The 6 tails, spreading in a fan-like motion, moved as if they had individual will and surrounded Yuzuha, as to cut off any possible escape route.

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    Yuzuha responded by casting a magic spell with quick activation. She then enveloped her own tails in different magic spells, repelling Tamamo¡¯s tails, half of which had turned into ck mes.

    The most effective tails were the ones wrapped in light-type magic and divine-type magic.

    ¡°¡­.you can sleep, now. You don¡¯t have to, fight.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails repeatedly went on the offensive, while Yuzuha only defended herself.

    Maybe because of the demon fox¡¯s higher pressure, the attacks that Yuzuha couldn¡¯t fully defend herself from ripped Yuzuha¡¯s shrine maiden clothes.

    ¡°You understand too, do you not?¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails increased after this question.

    Suddenly, 2 tails madepletely of ck mes had appeared. They were attached to her waist, just like the others.

    ¡°Juugo and Kai have died?¡±

    Tamamo whispered with an expression mixed with envy and sadness.

    Their rtionship consisted in using each other, but it was not maniption via Tamamo¡¯s infusion of power.

    The power Tamamo had given them returned to its owner, making it even stronger.

    Yuzuha now faced even fiercer attacks: she countered 6 tails with her own and 1 with the mes she spewed from her mouth.

    However, she could not counter thest one and tried to avoid it with a jump, but the ck mes managed to singe Yuzuha¡¯s body.

    ¡°If you will do nothing, then die!!¡±

    The 8 tails attacked again. If they hit directly, they would cause considerable damage even to Yuzuha. Before the attack, the item Shin gave her activated.

    A transparent membrane appeared all around Yuzuha and stopped Tamamo¡¯s attack.

    ¡°A barrier¡­but I know well, that it won¡¯tst long!!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails repeatedly struck the barrier. Exclusively, as the tails made of ck mes hit it, tiny cracks start appearing on its surface.

    Yuzuha could not see the barrier¡¯s resistance decreasing. But the gradually increasing cracks showed that its limit was now close.

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    The sound of the cracking barrier canceled Yuzuha¡¯s cries.

    Just like snakes eyeing their prey, the ck me tails pierced the ground where Yuzuha was.

    ¡°¡­.you¡¯re finally getting serious.¡±

    As if in response to Tamamo¡¯s whispered words, the ck mes were repelled away.

    The ck mes and dust of clouds were mixed together in the air, within that mixture several silhouettes could be seen.

    Yuzuha had transformed into the Adult form of an Element Tail with 9 gently swaying tails.

    ¡°I cannot return for long, you see.¡±

    Silver waist-length hair, transparently violet eyes, animal ears of the same color of her hair standing briskly up.

    Along with a breathtaking beauty that would charm anyone who saw her, Yuzuha -who had regained her original powers- quietly stared at Tamamo.

    ¡°Is hastening your death important too?¡±

    ¡°That is my only desire. Come on, o originator, wielder of powers the legends sing of!! Show them to me!!¡±

    After Tamamo¡¯s scream, the 8 tails once again targeted Yuzuha. Their power and momentum were at their highest.

    ¡°¡­.you poor thing.¡±

    Yuzuha whispered as the 2 ck me tails and 6 tails enveloped in ck mes approach her with frightening speed. Following her whisper, her silver tails became shes of light and pierced the space between the 2.

    A sh of silver and ck, with thetter as the loser.

    The ck mes scattered and vanished, the tails were torn to shreds.

    Tamamo had 8 tails, Yuzuha 9. Along with the 8 tails who won the sh, the unattended 9th tail closed in to Tamamo.

    ¡°Gwaaahhh!!!¡±

    Tamamo crossed its arms in defense, but it made little difference before an attack that tore to shreds tails filled with power. Tamamo wasunched into the air.

    Both arms were torn and severed from Tamamo¡¯s body, its insides broken and ripped.

    It seemed like a lie that until a few instants ago, Yuzuha was locked in defense. That¡¯s how overwhelming her superiority was.

    This was temporary for Yuzuha, but her original power was clearly above Tamamo.

    ¡°¡­.kh¡­¡­kh¡­.¡±

    Tamamo came crashing down on the ground and was now lying face up. The only sound to be heard was her ragged breathing.

    She was not dead yet, but her body was on its final throes. Even if left alone, it would havested a few minutes at most.

    As she was looking at Tamamo, a golden me appeared over Yuzuha¡¯s head.

    Tamamo was roused as her line of sight got fixed onto Yuzuha¡¯s figure. The mere sight of that divine me would be enough to bring anyone to its knees, due to its imensurable heat.

    ¡°¡­.you may pass on now.¡±

    A few secondster, apanied by Yuzuha¡¯s words, the golden me swallowed Tamamo.

    Tamamo¡¯s body turned into molten ashes in seconds.

    The veryst instant, her expression seemed to sketch a smile.

    ¡°Phew¡­¡±

    The mes disappeared as Yuzuha breathed quietly. Nothing but a scorched ground remained, where Tamamo¡¯s body used to be.

    After the mespletely disappeared, a silver light leaked from Yuzuha¡¯s body.

    Her body progressively returned to the teenager-like form it had until a few moments before, just like a video yed in reverse.

    ¡°Kuu¡­..¡±

    She then returned in fox mode and plopped down on the ground.

    Even if she had regained some of her powers from the location where Filma had been trapped, it was still notplete. Focusing her strength to return to her adult form would onlyst for a few minutes.

    Furthermore, even if she temporarily regained that form, she could not retrieve the memories and knowledge amassed throughout the years.

    It was a sort of ace up the sleeve to use in emergency situations.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    As she closed her eyes to recover her strength, Yuzuha felt a familiar presence approaching.

    She slowly tried to stand up, then remembered something and fell down again.

    ¡°!? Yuzuha!?¡±

    The approaching presence was Shin.

    As soon as he saw Yuzuha lying on the ground, he rushed to her with enough speed to leave behind after-images. He gently picked her up in his arms and checked her condition.

    ¡°Her HP and MP don¡¯t seem to have decreased much. The item¡¯s broken, she seems to be powerless¡­what crazy things did you do?¡±

    Yuzuha had barely received any damage, but the recoil of returning to her adult form had robbed her immature body of its energy.

    ¡°Defeated, Tamamo.¡±

    ¡°Still you went too far!! What would happen if you died¡­.?¡±

    Yuzuha judged that what she did was something bad. As she couldprehend from Shin¡¯s voice that he was really worried. To tell you the truth, she actually had enough energy left to stand and walk.

    Oblivious of Yuzuha¡¯s actual condition, Shin gently held her in his arms.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Wrapped by the warm sense of security provided by Shin¡¯s arms, Yuzuha emitted a small cry.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The invasion of several domains acted by the Ichinose soldiers and monsters had been on arge scale, but it had been suppressed before it causedrge damage.

    Special mention should be made to the reinforcements sent to the various regions.

    Toudou Kankurou, 1st seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, and the ck-scaled Dragnil who performed actions on par with him.

    Saegusa Karin, Shijou Tsugumasa and Tsuguho, also from the Brave Ten, and the silver-haired Elf who appeared with them.

    The red-haired Lord who fought the monsters attacking the Shijou domain even earlier than the Brave Ten, along with the huge wolf-like monster and the ck-haired Elf.

    After showing performancesparable with the Brave Ten, they all simply vanished without a word after the battle.

    Many tried looking for them, obviously, but for some reason no one seemed to remember what they looked like.

    Among Hinomoto¡¯s soldiers, some rumor that they were spirits of the age of wars, who appear when the country is in peril.

    In reality it was all due to concealment skills. The only ones capable of remembering were the few who met them and spoke face to face. And these few too were ordered by their superiors not to speak about these reinforcements to anyone else.

    These mysterious helpers were now in front of the gates of the Saegusa house. They did not have much luggage with them but were all equipped for traveling.

    Shin¡¯s group had no more reason to stay with the Saegusa.

    They had no pressing reason to go anywhere, but as the battle ended, they decided it was the right timing to depart.

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±

    Along with the Saegusa house members (Karin, Kuyou, Kayo, Chiyo), Kankurou too hade to see Shin¡¯s party off.

    ¡°Must you truly depart? We owe you the gratitude of saving Hinomoto from the mes of war. If only we could express our thanks somehow¡­¡±

    Karin, reluctant to see them go, had the proud ¡ºck Moon¡» at her waist.

    As Juugo¡¯s foul y was discovered, thest remaining contestant, Karin, was chosen to be the divine katana¡¯s sessor.

    ¡°You are already keeping the ¡ºHakuramaru¡» matter a secret for me. I thank you too for your cooperation, sir Kankurou. If word spread that I had that katana, the country itself coulde after me.¡±

    Shin replied to Karin and bowed his head to Kankurou.

    Ancient-grade weapons were sought after by anyone, individuals and countries alike.

    Shin had given ¡ºHakuramaru¡» to Karin as he feared something would happen during the inheritance ceremony, but he did not regret that choice.

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was a katana tempered by Shin. Average weapons would not be able to match its de.

    To all who saw that Shin was in possession of ¡ºHakuramaru¡», they exined that he was traveling to return it to its rightful owner, clearly stating that it was not possible to obtain it from Shin.

    Kankurou had concluded by stating that Shin was to be treated with maximum courtesy, so there was no particr attempt at negotiation.

    ¡°We have not been able to thank you properly for Lady Haruna¡¯s matter either, though. Is there really nothing we could do?¡±

    ¡°I discussed this with everyone else too, but there is nothing we require at the moment. Thus, if in the future we will need help or assistance, please lend us your aid. I am sure there could be matters, besides war, that we cannot solve on our own.¡±

    Shin answered clearly to Kuyou¡¯s question and its serious tone. In case of necessity, having human connections would surely help.

    ¡°In that case, we shall do our utmost when that timees. I look forward to our next meeting.¡±

    ¡°We will be counting on you then.¡±

    Schnee and the others too bid their farewells, and the party left the Kujou domain.

    ¡ª¡ªtheir destination was Hinomoto¡¯s sacred mountain, Fuji.

 Book 9: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    After quelling the revolt in Hinomoto, Shin headed towards the Sacred Mountain Fuji to fulfill his promise with Mikazuki Munechika, one of the Five Supreme des.

    Once outside Kujou territory, Shin¡¯s party proceeded to their destination with a horse carriage. Running on foot would have been faster, but they didn¡¯t have any particr reason to hurry.

    They were traveling at a lower speed than when they had traveled to the Futaba and Shijou territories to suppress the revolt, but their carriage was still much faster than average.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cso why does this Supreme dedy, with a name that screams nothing but danger, want to talk to you?¡±

    Filma asked Shin, who was sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat.

    In the game era, support characters could not fight the Five Supreme des, so not only Filma, but also Schnee and Shibaid didn¡¯t know how powerful Munechika was.

    However, hearing from Shin about her level and equipment, they could measure the level of danger she posed.

    Above level 900 and equipped with Ancient-grade gear. Even for Schnee and the others, who possessed overwhelming strength by this world¡¯s standards, she was not an opponent they could afford to face without preparation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason why, to be honest. But she¡¯s been around ever since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, she could have something important to say, no?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t there be any danger?¡±

    ¡°We talked and crossed swords in a match, but there was nothing particrly suspicious. Even if she was hungry for a serious battle, she was keeping herself under control.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question while remembering how Munechika had withdrawn her wooden sword before gettingpletely serious.

    It could not be said that she did not desire to fight, but Munechika was not the type to only talk via battle.

    Even if Karin and Kanade had visited her by themselves, she would have probably requested something else in exchange for the herb, or nothing at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking just in case, but she isn¡¯t going to say she fell for you like Karin did, right?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Filma, the arranged marriage thing was something Karin¡¯s mother pushed by herself¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard that already. But her eyes were those of a maiden in love, you know? You aren¡¯t going to tell me that you had no idea now, are you?¡±

    ¡°I kind of¡­noticed, yeah.¡±

    Any normal person would have noticed if she expressed it that clearly. Shin was no exception, but at the same time he found it strange.

    ¡°Karin¡¯s behavior changed after I refused the arranged marriage thing. I don¡¯t really understand why that happened. Why do you act like you¡¯re in love after you¡¯ve been refused? Isn¡¯t it the opposite usually?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it.

    ¡°I bet she didn¡¯t realize her feelings untilte. She had this ¡°I live for the sword¡± aura and all.¡±

    ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t get it after all.¡±

    Shin knew how it felt to like someone, but he couldn¡¯t understand Karin¡¯s circumstances.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about past things. So, what kind of person is this Munechika?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know her well myself. The first time I met her was¡ª-¡±

    Shin talked about how he brought Karin and Kanade to the peak of Fuji and how he fought Munechika for the medicinal herb.

    ¡°She was strong.¡±

    ¡°Yes, as Yuzuha said, her sword arm was something else. I couldn¡¯t win in a pure match of sword skills. If everything was allowed though, it would be different.¡±

    Shin talked while remembering his match against Munechika. If he could use magic and skills, there was no way he could lose.

    ¡°Hmm, yes, an unshackled Shin would surely find a way to win, even if inferior in sword ability.¡±

    ¡°Shin never loses after all.¡±

    In contrast to Shibaid¡¯s rational analysis of Shin¡¯s strength, Schnee retorted as if she found the very consideration of Shin losing preposterous. She looked so adamant that Tiera couldn¡¯t help reacting.

    ¡°Ehm, master¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­ahem. We¡¯re almost at Fuji.¡±

    After coughing to change the subject, Schnee noted they had reached their destination.

    Fuji stood imposingly before the horse carriage..

    As always, a thick fogid heavily all around the peak.

    ¡°I heard that the fog doesn¡¯t disappear, but the woods appear to be pretty quiet.¡±

    Tiera whispered after looking at the mists, then the forest.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re close to the World Tree forest. I suppose mysterious forces are at work.¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question while looking at the forest extending at the foot of Fuji, just like Tiera.

    ¡°I heard there are high-level monsters around here too, but is it true?¡±

    ¡°On average monsters are at level 500, the same as before. But the Eight-Headed Orochi on the peak is a whole other category. Level 833.¡±

    Shibaid grumbled after hearing Shin¡¯s reply.

    ¡°It might be lower than Munechika, but still it¡¯s not an opponent we can underestimate.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to fight, so I think it will be all right. When I visited Fujist time it wasn¡¯t belligerent either.¡±

    Some heads looked at Shin with curiosity, others were even sleeping: it looked like each head had a distinct personality. It was a powerful monster, but as Shin had only seen such behavior, to him it seemed more cute than dangerous.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start climbing. We don¡¯t have to worry about the monsters with the members we have here, but don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take the lead going up.¡±

    Schnee was walking in the lead, with Shin and the others behind her. Looking at the party from above, Tiera was in the center, Shin on the right, Filma on the left and Shibaid took up the rear. Yuzuha was riding on Shin¡¯s left shoulder.

    With Kagerou around, there was no need to focus on protecting Tiera, but they assumed that formation naturally.

    Tiera equipped a bow as main weapon. Taking a formation focused on rear support had be almost second nature for Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°We¡¯re entering the mists.¡±

    The group prated the area hidden by the fog, their formation unbroken.

    Differently from when Shin hade with Karin and Kanade, they didn¡¯t move stealthily this time; but thanks to Schnee¡¯s precise guidance, they passed the fog area without encountering any monsters.

    Maybe because it had sensed the approach of Shin¡¯s party, after emerging from the mist they found Orochi¡¯s heads awaiting them.

    ¡°H-huge¡­¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the monster¡¯s towering figure. Just likest time, Eight-Headed Orochi was looking at Shin¡¯s group with curiosity.

    Maybe because they were many, or because it had felt their high levels, this time all 8 heads were fixated on them.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I feel no intimidation or hostility from it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose we do not need to be wary.¡±

    Schnee and Shibaid rxed their stances after looking at Orochi.

    ¡°Rather, I¡¯m more concerned about over there.¡±

    Differently from Schnee and the others, Filma was looking towards the interior of the small shrine.

    A few moments after herment, something sparkled from within the shrine.

    ¡°You came earlier than expected, Shin.¡±

    ¡°I said I would not make you wait.¡±

    The source of the light was the armor Munechika was d in. She was walking towards the party, holding her helmet with her left hand.

    ¡°There is no need to act so formal, considering our rtionship.¡±

    Munechikaid a hand on Shin¡¯s shoulder, her faceing closer to his. Surprisingly close.

    ¡°Well¡­I only remember we crossed swords once, that¡¯s it.¡±

    Shin had no idea why she would act so intimate with him, and squeezed out a response despite his confusion. He had recently assisted her in defeating the demon foxes, but he didn¡¯t think that was enough to cause her to act so affectionately.

    ¡°Ah, now that I think about it I had not talked about it yet. ¡°You made me fall a lot, I won¡¯t let you say that I won by chance¡±¡­you said things like these before ourst match, right? After you left, I thought about those words. It took me a few days, but I clearly remembered.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you recalled the memories from the game era?¡±

    It was something from more than 500 years before. It wasn¡¯t something one would normally remember.

    ¡°It would probably be impossible without some trigger. I did not think I could recall them so clearly either.¡±

    Munechika exined how she had not recalled just by looking at him during their match. Shin¡¯s words were what acted as trigger.

    ¡°That day, I said that I wanted to talk to you again¡­maybe because I had unconsciously remembered.¡±

    ¡°How much do you know of me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know a lot about you personally from the start. But I remember how burning hot your de was when we fought, you know?¡±

    The hand resting on Shin¡¯s shoulder moved towards his face.

    ¡°There are people other than you that defeated me. But no one challenged me as many times as you did. The more I remembered, the more my chest felt hot and¡­well, isn¡¯t this quite uncouth of you?¡±

    Munechika¡¯sst words, directed at the person who had suddenly appeared before her, were spoken as her shoulders dropped.

    The person cutting in the progressively decreasing distance between Shin and Munechika was Schnee.

    ¡°My apologies, but it will be a problem if youe any closer to Shin.¡±

    ¡°A problem, hmm. Don¡¯t you mean to say that you¡¯d be envious?¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Munechika¡¯s taunting words were met by a sharper look from Schnee.

    ¡°Okay, okay, stop, stop I say! Schnee, you calm down too, she¡¯s not serious anyway. Munechika, enough with the jokes!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you know how it is. I had just put a hand on your shoulder, but I felt such a fearful look from over there¡­of course I would want to tease a little. And now your formal tone disappeared too, right?¡±

    ¡°Give me a break¡­¡±

    Shin sighed, his hands on Schnee¡¯s shoulders to calm her. He wholeheartedly wished for them to stop making the mood dangerous.

    ¡°Well, I have to say she¡¯s pretty different from what I expected.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is not what Shin¡¯s words suggested.¡±

    Witnessing the scene, Filma and Shibaid were puzzled.

    They had confirmed her level and were positive that she had to be really strong. But the feeling of intimidation often associated with powerful warriors was nowhere to be found, hence theirments.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin? I think you should have taken your hands off by now.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, aah! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Shin looked in front of himself after hearing Tiera¡¯s remark, only to find Schnee frozen in ce,pletely red.

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s not, a problem.¡±

    Maybe embarrassed to be seen blushing like that, Schnee mumbled while keeping her head down.

    ¡°Haha, you folks are never boring to look at.¡±

    ¡°And whose fault is it? Well, let me hear the rest of the story.¡±

    ¡°Apologies, it had been a while since I had so much fun. Let us get to the point, Shin. I believe I know both your original fighting power and personality. As such, there is something I wish to ask of you.¡±

    Munechika was smiling at the start, but as she approached the heart of the topic her expression turnedpletely serious.

    ¡°Is that something mypanions can hear too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, not a problem. After all, as youmand an Element Tail, you are notpletely unrted to this.¡±

    Munechika spoke while looking at Yuzuha. Hearing that it was something rted to Element Tails, Shin imagined it was rted to Ley lines.

    ¡°Come. There is something I wish to show you.¡±

    Following Munechika, who had turned around, the group entered the shrine.

    After about 5 minutes, a red light entered their field of sight.

    ¡°This is Fuji¡¯s original master, Kagutsuchi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Looking at the source of the light, everyone became speechless.

    The red light came from a phoenix-shaped red crystal.

    The crystallized Kagutsuchi, wings spread as if protecting something, emitted a red light that brightly illuminated the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°In the past, miasma seeped in the Ley lines. In order to restore bnce to the Ley lines, it turned like this. Despite the appearance, Kagutsuchi isn¡¯t dead. You cane out now! These people aren¡¯t dangerous!¡±

    Munechika shouted towards the crystal. Shin was wondering what she was doing, when something moved from the shadows behind the crystal.

    A small creature the size of a fist jumped down from the crystal, pping earnestly its small wings, andnded on Munechika¡¯s head.

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Bad! Land on my shoulder, not my head, how many times have I told you?¡±

    Spreading its wings dering its presence on Munechika¡¯s head was a little bird with red plumage.

    It was a bit big for a baby bird, but it was like a slightlyrger chick painted red, very fluffy-looking.

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°¡°Wee, o fellow Element Tail¡± is what it said. 2 times.¡±

    To Shin¡¯s party it only sounded like it was crying, but ording to Yuzuha the two ¡°Pii¡± had said the same thing.

    ¡°You understand what it says?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    Yuzuha exined that maybe because they both can influence Ley lines, they can alsomunicate.

    ¡°It might look like this now, but this is Kagutsuchi. At least, a part of it.¡±

    ¡°It can do something like that?¡±

    ¡°It retains little strength, though. It can justmunicate, that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Pii! Pii!¡±

    The baby Kagutsuchi poked Munechika with its rounded beak. Munechika didn¡¯t look like she was hurt in the least.

    ¡°I know. More than that, what happened to Tssugu and Mitsuyo? We should talk to them too.¡±

    It appeared that Munechika also understood Kagutsuchi¡¯s speech.

    The names mentioned by Munechika, Tssugu and Mitsuyo, were the names of Supreme des like her.

    ¡°There are others from the Five Supreme des?¡±

    ¡°Only two, though.I¡¯ll exin. ¡ª¨CHere they are.¡±

    2 silhouettes appeared from the corridor next to the crystallized Kagutsuchi.

    The first was an old man probably over 60 years old, judging from his appearance.

    His slicked back hair was a silvery grey. He was observing Shin¡¯s party while stroking his unkempt beard, but did not show a single opening. He wore samurai-like protective gear on his shoulders, legs and around his waist.

    The other sword was a young girl in herte teens who, like Munechika, wore armor on her whole body, helmet excluded.

    She was not very tall and looked rather thin as well. Her twin pigtails and pretty features made her seem very cute, but her sharp, cold stare destroyed this impression.

    Despite looking young, she seemed eager to fight; her yellow-bordered ck armor had a design different from Munechika¡¯s.

    ¡°Hoho, we just came because of Kagutsuchi¡¯s call, who knew we had guests too.¡±

    ¡°Munechika? You allowed people here without our permission?¡±

    ¡°Because it involves Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna. And suppress that killing intent a little, Mitsuyo. If they were dangerous, whether I was here or not, Kagutsuchi wouldn¡¯t havee out, would it?¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    Right after her appearance, the young girl created a tense mood. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed her name as Oodenta Mitsuyo.

    The old man who appeared with the girl was Juzumaru Tssugu.

    Mitsuyo¡¯s level was 908, Tssugu¡¯s 941. Both their names came from the swords they were based on.

    ¡°Look at the Element Tail on this man¡ª¡ªon Shin¡¯s shoulder. No Element Tail would ever follow someone who disrupted the flow of the Ley lines. They are the people I talked about before, that we could request to help us. Further, in regards to Shin, this is not your first time meeting him. Mitsuyo, you even lost to him once. Try to remember.¡±

    Munechika had already talked about Shin¡¯s party to them, apparently. She looked at the Element Tail as Munechika said and, with a growl-like grumble, suppressed her killing intent.

    Munechika¡¯sst words, however, prompted her to look at Shin even more sharply.

    ¡°As they do not have impure thoughts, they might indeed be worthy of trust. Kagutsuchi said the same too, so I¡¯ll believe that. But there is one thing that I cannot just ept. I have lost!? What exactly do you mean!?¡±

    ¡°Do not raise your voice, Mitsuyo. Good grief, the only one among us who did not lose is Tssugu.¡±

    ¡°An old man like me? It is true that I can count the times I lost on the fingers of one hand¡­hmm. Young man, try to show me your killing intent.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was dumbfounded at the sudden request to release his killing intent.

    ¡°You see, this old man here is bad at remembering names and faces.¡±

    ¡°I see, I understand then. Here I go.¡±

    Shin looked at Tssugu with some killing intent. Other than Tssugu¡¯s reaction, Mitsuyo too opened her eyes wide.

    ¡°Hoho, I see, I see. I felt this killing intent a very long time ago. I did not lose, but I did not win either. I don¡¯t remember killing you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I felt I couldn¡¯t match you and ran away right away.¡±

    In the battles against the anthropomorphized swords, if moving was possible fleeing was possible too, as the swords could not leave a specified battle range.

    Losing to a weapon and dying would naturally mean to receive a penalty for dying, so many yers fled rather than risk it. Few managed to flee sessfully, though.

    ¡°Kahah! That was some mighty fine running!¡±

    In the game era, Shin had managed to obtain four of the Five Supreme des.

    He had obtained ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»shortly before the event ended, and time ran out on ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡». The ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡»Shin now carried was something he had obtained in a revival event.

    Judging from the three swords¡¯ conversation, they did not have memories of the revival event.

    ¡°What! You say you defeated me, and you didn¡¯t defeat Tssugu!? Beat us all properly!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I barely managed to take Munechika down before time ran out. I could have fought a few times, but there wasn¡¯t enough time.¡±

    Mitsuyo, dissatisfied that the person who had defeated her didn¡¯t defeat Tssugu, a Supreme de like her,ined to Shin.

    Shin had attempted to study his attack patterns, like when fighting a boss, but he didn¡¯t have enough time to carry it out.

    Considering his stats and equipment at the time, even if he had plenty of time it would have probably been difficult. Shin did not yet possess his current power.

    ¡°So, did you remember? Mitsuyo.¡±

    ¡°Hngh, well, I think we fought before¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo nodded while mumbling something. She did not mention having lost, but frustration was clearly visible on her expression.

    ¡°But! Maybe that happened in the past, but it doesn¡¯t mean he must be strong now too. It happened 500 years ago, after all.¡±

    ¡°I made sure to check that by crossing swords with him. His sharpness increased and I didn¡¯t feel impurities that would lead him to be contaminated by miasma. If anything strange had happened to Shin, I doubt they would just sit by and do nothing too.¡±

    Munechika answered Mitsuyo¡¯s remark by looking over towards Shin¡¯s group.

    What her eyes found were a slightly blushing Schnee, silently observing Filma and Shibaid, then Tiera, who was intently trying to keep up with the conversation.

    ¡°Ehm, so in the end, what is it that you want us to do? You said I¡¯m not unrted?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault that we were not exactly of the same page on my side.¡±

    ¡°Well, if Munechika says there are no problems, then I believe so too. Mitsuyo, you should stop sulking.¡±

    Next to the apologizing Munechika, Tssugu nodded in eptance. At the same time, however, he added an unnecessaryment, met by an angry shout by Mitsuyo.

    ¡°Who¡¯s sulking!?¡±

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°Hnngh¡­.I get it. Go on.¡±

    Because of baby Kagutsuchi¡¯s reproach, Mitsuyo reluctantly urged Munechika to continue talking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue, then. What I wished to request to Shin and his group was to help us look for two of our fellow Supreme des.¡±

    ¡°All 5 swords¡­no, 5 people¡­aren¡¯t here?¡±

    Shin had not expressed it in words, but was wondering why only 2 of them, Mitsuyo and Tssugu, hade out.

    The answer was, because they were not there in the first ce.

    ¡°I think that your Element Tail probably knows. It happened roughly 500 years ago, when the crust shifted. In that period, miasma suddenly seeped into the Ley lines.¡±

    Munechika exined that the demons probably did something when the Ley lines were in a state of chaos.

    ¡°Great multitudes of monsters appeared, peculiar areas formed too, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. We were dragged in it too.¡±

    The contamination of Ley lines and corruption of Sacred ces via the miasma was also an event in the game era. In the game it was sufficient to defeat the monsters and demons causing the phenomenon, but in this world things would not be that simple.

    The territory around Fuji repeatedly moved up and down because of the crust shifts, causing the Five Supreme des, normally always apart from each other, to gather in one ce.

    Munechika continued by recounting how, thanks to Kagutsuchi¡¯s power, they managed to restore bnce to the Ley lines, but then the incident happened.

    ¡°The Ley lines were supposed to have calmed down, when suddenly thick miasma entered them. To restore them again, Kagutsuchi took this current form, but Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna were swallowed by the miasma and disappeared.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­it¡¯s true that Yuzuha also suffered because of the miasma, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuu, maybe it happened, all around the world.¡±

    Yuzuha, who like Kagutsuchi used her powers to suppress the crust shifts, talked with some restlessness in her voice.

    ¡°In that case, however, I can¡¯t just ept it easily. Do you have any clues?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t exactly do nothing all this time. We Five Supreme des can sense each other¡¯s presence. It took a while because of the miasma, but we have found the general location they should be in.¡±

    Munechika answered Shin¡¯s doubts. That information was more than what he expected.

    ¡°Let me ask just for confirmation, but it wasn¡¯t possible for one of you to go meet them, or rather, bring them back?¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be asking you if we could!!¡±

    ¡°Easy, Mitsuyo. Don¡¯t start biting at any chance you get. I understand what the boy means, though. We cannot, however, move beyond a determined radius. You know what I¡¯m talking about, don¡¯t you boy?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see, that¡¯s why you said that the Supreme des, which would normally never be together, have gathered.¡±

    The Five Supreme des not being able to move beyond a certain radius was one of the event¡¯s rules. Unrted to the developers¡¯ intentions, this had been applied to the current world too, as Shin understood from Tssugu¡¯s words.

    ¡°Fuji is also different from the game era. We are bound to thend. Because of that, we cannot go look for Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna. But because we are bound to thend, we could gather together because of thend¡¯s movements. If we had been suddenly released from such bonds, we probably would not havee all the way to the region ruled by Kagutsuchi. In that case, no one could have protected this ce: Fuji would have be a den of monsters. Whether it was fortune or misfortune, in the end, I cannot say.¡±

    Tssugu spoke while fiddling with his unkempt beard.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say, that is true.¡±

    ¡°Well in any case, we can only do what we can now. Apologies for cutting in. Munechika, continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so¡­we have more or less traced Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna¡¯s location. We would like to ask you to go pick them up.¡±

    ¡°I see. I understand that it¡¯s something you can¡¯t ask to the people here.¡±

    The Five Supreme des were opponents that even Schnee and the others would have a rough time facing one-on-one.

    Now that Shin had renewed their equipment and they had powered up they might be able to go toe to toe with them, but for Shin¡¯s former support characters, as they were in the past, it would be a very dangerous battle.

    At the same time, for the denizens of the current world it was a nearly impossible request.

    Even former yers that could get on par with them were limited in numbers.

    ¡°I would cooperate if we know the location, what do you think everybody?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, Shin.¡±

    ¡°What Schnee said.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if miasma is involved I couldn¡¯t leave it alone.¡±

    ¡°I too think it¡¯s better to ept it.¡±

    ¡°Kuu! Go!!¡±

    The whole party answered positively to Shin¡¯s question, albeit with different reasons.

    Kagerou would follow Tiera, so everyone agreed naturally.

    ¡°It¡¯s decided then. The closest one first¡­no, which one should be picked up the soonest?¡±

    Shin changed his question halfway through.

    If they were corrupted by miasma, it was better to prioritize whichever was tainted more.

    ¡°That I do not know. I was thinking of having you go toward the closest one.¡±

    Munechika stated again that all they could tell was the general distance and direction.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. Where is the closer one, then?¡±

    ¡°Closer, well, it¡¯s in the depths of the dungeon below this very mountain. I suppose that saying ¡°secret dungeon¡± will make it easy for you to understand.¡±

    ¡°Fuji¡¯s¡­secret dungeon?¡±

    Munechika¡¯s words took Shin by surprise. He had heard rumors of a hidden dungeon beneath Fuji, but no one had actually ever gone there or even seen it.

    There was also the possibility that whoever found it had hidden it.

    ¡°You were a yer, so you should know that much, no?¡±

    ¡°So the rumors were true. But then you could go save¡ª-oh, I see. The dungeon is considered a different area.¡±

    ¡°Correct. It lies at our very feet, yet we could do nothing¡­that was truly vexating.¡±

    Just like Munechika as she spoke these words, Mitsuyo and Tssugu¡¯s expressions became clouded too. Their pain of not being able to go save theirpanions was clear even if they didn¡¯t put it in words.

    ¡°Got it. The depths of the dungeon, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As long as my and Kagutsuchi¡¯s perceptions are not wrong, Yasutsuna is somewhere in the lower floors of the dungeon. The hidden dungeon too, however, is affected by the miasma. It could be hidden somewhere, so if you go to the deepest part but still find nothing, we will have to think about what else to do.¡±

    The Fuji dungeon was originally under Kagutsuchi¡¯s control, so it knew of its internal structure, albeit notpletely.

    However, they could not discard the possibility that it had been warped by the miasma: thus even Kagutsuchi¡¯s usually energetic ¡°pii!¡± cries now sounded like a feeble ¡°pii¡­¡±.

    ¡°Roger. This time, we¡¯ll have to explore as if we wanted to map the whole dungeon. If we use detection-type skills, it might take some time but it¡¯s possible, after all.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for burdening you with this. If I could go personally, I would be able to detect a more precise position.¡±

    Munechika stated that if they could get closer to the target, the precision of their detection would increase too. If only they could bring Munechika, who was bound to the present location, with them¡­ thinking this, a question popped up in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Say, Munechika. Your original form is the sword ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», right?¡±

    ¡°That it is. The sword I carry is, while very simr to it, a fake. Even so, its stats and effects are the same. If I release my human form, the real sword appears. That¡¯s my original form¡±

    ¡°Pretty much as I expected. Then I ask, can the one I have take human form?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡±

    Shin took an item from the item box. The item was one of the Five Supreme des, ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡».

    ¡°Why do you have something like that!?¡±

    ¡°Why of course, 500 years ago you won against me. There¡¯s nothing strange in you having it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to say something a bit weird, but I was thinking if this couldn¡¯t be used as a substitute.¡±

    If Munechika and the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» in Shin¡¯s possession were one and the same, Shin thought that maybe thetter could enter the dungeon in ce of Munechika, who couldn¡¯t move from Fuji.

    If the consciousness dwelling within this ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» also wished to save herpanions, that is.

    ¡°I see. It is true that if I am bound to a master, I can go where the master goes. But my master now is Kagutsuchi, so I cannote alongside you, Shin. Further, I cannot perceive any aura from the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» you hold. Even if it is the same sword as I am, the moment it became the possession of a yer, it probablypletely became just a weapon.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­if you coulde with us, we would be able to move with more precision, is what I thought.¡±

    ¡°Wait, though. That line of thinking could hold some truth.¡±

    ¡°It could? What do you mean?¡±

    Shin was about to put ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» back in the item box, as it didn¡¯t look like it could be of use, but Munechika stopped him. She was looking at ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», now in card form.

    ¡°Can you let me have that for a moment? There is something I wish to try.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Munechika received the item card from Shin and materialized the de. She then closed her eyes to focus.

    ¡°¡­hmm, as I thought. Rejoice, Shin. It appears I can apany you.¡±

 Book 9: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    Roughly 3 minutes had passed.

    Munechika opened her eyes and made this deration.

    ¡°Er, what does that mean exactly?¡±

    ¡°This sword does not host a consciousness. But I can transfer mine into it. Leaving my original form here.¡±

    ¡°Is it alright to do something like that?¡±

    Listening to Munechika¡¯s exnation, Shin was reminded of a videogame¡¯s VR technology.

    To leave the real body behind and move with only one¡¯s consciousness as a VR avatar was simr to Munechika¡¯s proposal of transferring her consciousness to another sword, he thought.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t it dangerous to do something like transferring your consciousness?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem like there would be any trouble. Because this too is ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡». I know that even before trying.¡±

    Munechika firmly nodded to Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s questions.

    ¡°Let me confirm, just in case. What would happen if you were defeated after transferring your consciousness?¡±

    ¡°If the host disappears, my original form would simply awaken. Of course, my original form would be defenseless while my consciousness is transferred elsewhere, though.¡±

    ¡°What if the host was contaminated by miasma?¡±

    ¡°I would not be able to transfer my consciousness anymore, or I would be trapped by it, I suppose. I cannot say with certainty unless that actually happens.¡±

    What she knew was simply that she could transfer her consciousness into Shin¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡». That even after transferring her consciousness she could detect Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna¡¯s presences. Lastly, that if the host body was broken her consciousness would return to the original one.

    Shin tried to ask her the tricky question of how she could know all that, but Munechika simply replied ¡°somehow¡±.

    ¡°This is just a hypothesis, but the sword you hold is also me, in a way. I do not know if we can consider it and me as one and the same, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to consider it as something born from myself.¡±

    ¡°In other words, there are multiple containers for you?¡±

    ¡°That could be a way to put it. To inhabit them, though, I would need permission from the holder. I could not inhabit just any unknown stranger¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡».¡±

    To inhabit a weapon, first it was necessary to align one¡¯s wavelength with it, exins Munechika. She could not just inhabit any weapon as she pleased.

    ¡°It¡¯s turned into something huge.¡±

    Tiera was listening silently, but in the end blurted out ament. Filma nodded in agreement.

    ¡°To inhabit other bodies with one¡¯s consciousness¡­anthropomorphized weapons sure can do amazing stuff.¡±

    ¡°We are aware that we are unusual beings. We can also alter our appearance to a degree.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we might be weapons but we also host a soul. I don¡¯t imagine such bizarre creatures exist anywhere else.¡±

    Munechika spoke seriously, while Tssugumented whileughing.Their reactions were different, but they both seemed toprehend what kind of beings they were.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why the sudden silence, Shin?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to ask something else. Could you inhabit this weapon even if it had been reinforced?¡±

    ¡°Reinforced?¡±

    ¡°Yes, being an event item it doesn¡¯t have many capacity slots, but ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»can still be reinforced. I thought that since we¡¯re going to use it, it¡¯d be better to boost it up while we¡¯re at it.¡±

    Shin thought that if the weapon Munechika carries in human form has the same stats and effects as her original form, if the original weapon was powered up maybe the human form would be strengthened as well.

    ¡°Wait just a moment there. You are aware that ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» is one of the Five Supreme des, right? Maybe Munechika recognized your ability, maybe you¡¯re an incredible guy, but don¡¯t just say you can ¡°reinforce¡± it so casually!¡±

    ¡°No, I mean that it¡¯s not a proble¡ª-don¡¯t re like that, please.¡±

    Shin could onlyugh wryly before Mitsuyo¡¯s using stare.

    ¡°Calm down, Mitsuyo. That¡¯s true, something unexpected might happen, I cannot refuse to be reinforced. I do not know what would happen if you fiddle with my main body, but I have no objections. As long as I can keep my form as the weapon ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», being reinforced is not a problem.¡±

    ¡°I see. The sun will set soon, so we will leave the exploration for tomorrow and do the reinforcing today. Do you have any requests in what way you would like to be reinforced, by the way?¡±

    Weapon reinforcement contained many options: sturdiness boost, attack power increase, attack range extension, element attachment, etcetera.

    The times a weapon could be reinforced too had different patterns: depending on the strength of the effect applied, many different ones could be added, or it was also possible to focus on a single element.

    Based on how it was reinforced, a weapon could change to the point of bing like apletely different one.

    ¡°Hmm. Personally, I would favor sharpness and sturdiness. Because the ideal katana never breaks, never bends, and slices well. Besides, adding unique effects could make me feel weird when I return to my original body.¡±

    ¡°I see, roger then. I¡¯ll use the clearing in front of the shrine for a while.¡±

    After obtaining permission, Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora. Shin headed straight to the smithy, but for some reason, behind Shin¡¯s group, the 3 Supreme des and the baby Kagutsuchi were following.

    ¡°Wait, why are you alling?¡±

    ¡°What? Is that a problem or something?¡±

    ¡°Well now, is that not the ce where weapons, what we would call a part of ourselves, are tempered? It is not something we can see every day. It is not strange for our interest to be piqued. Or are women forbidden to enter a smithy?¡±

    Depending on the age, some locations were forbidden to women. Munechika¡¯s question to Shin was probably because she knew this fact.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t particrly care about things like that. I understand Munechika, but I didn¡¯t think that Mitsuyo and Tssugu, and even Kagutsuchi woulde.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to boast, but we are not weapons that average cksmiths can handle. I cannot deny I am interested.¡±

    Tssugu spoke with an innocent smile.

    In the game era, Shin had very rarely let others see him work in the smithy.

    The residential area and smithy of the Tsuki no Hokora weren¡¯t essible to any yer outside the Rokuten members; keeping one¡¯s ideas and methods hidden was alsomon practice.

    Furthermore, having people watching made him feel a little awkward too.

    (Maybe because of the people present, it feels pretty different from the time at Falnido.)

    Probably because of the presence of Munechika¡¯s group, weapons with a consciousness, it was different from having Girard¡¯s attendants or Tiera watching. Shin felt a kind of nervousness he couldn¡¯t quite put into words.

    Munechika especially, waspletely serious. Even the baby Kagutsuchi resting on her head, which would normally brighten the mood, had a deadly serious expression now.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m starting.¡±

    With these words, Shin started the fire in the furnace.

    He checked the appearance of the magic power-imbued mes, impossible to generate in reality, then took out ingots of Orihalcum and Scarletite from the item box.

    He ced them in the furnace and waited several minutes. A mineral sparkling with a mix of silver and red was formed.

    ¡°Is that¡­¡±

    Mitsuyomented, impressed.

    ¡°Something we call Chimeradite.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it hasn¡¯t be a weapon yet, but I already feel a peculiar intimidation from it¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it something you can use without problems?¡±

    Tssugu and Munechika both stared intently at the Chimeradite ingot, after feeling its magical power.

    ¡°No problem at all. I have already used ingots like this to reinforce weapons.¡±

    Shin understood their feelings, now that the world had be reality. Normal minerals do not possess magical power, and even unique minerals for cksmithing would not emit unusual magical energies like Chimeradite does.

    ¡°I will focus on tempering now. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to answer anything even if you ask me, so please keep it in mind.¡±

    Everyone in the smithy felt the atmosphere changed after Shin spoke these words using a serious tone.

    ¡°¡ª-I¡¯m starting.¡±

    Shin first took ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» out of the item box and removed its hilt from the de. Holding it with tongs, Shin heated the de over the furnace, turning it gradually whiter.

    The magic power-imbued mes depended on the magic power of the cksmith that had ignited them. Because of this, they could have various effects, depending on the cksmith¡¯s will.

    This time the weapon was gradually reaching the most suitable temperature for reinforcing it.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    After about 20 seconds, Shin silently removed the de from the furnace and ced it on top of the Chimeradite ingot atop the anvil.

    The white hot de, with the sharp side pointing down, cut through the Chimeradite like a knife through butter. When the de reached the center of the ingot, Shin lowered his hammer.

    ¡°¡­.hnngh!¡±

    The hammer swung down on the ingot.

    Every time the hammer struck, a long, bright sound of struck metal echoed in the smithy. At the same time, like ripples in ake, the magic power imbued in the hammer spread through the ingot and the de.

    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s this magic power¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, now this is impressive.¡±

    Looking at Shin performing cksmith work, feeling the echoing sounds and the magic¡¯s ripple, Mitsuyo and Tssugu couldn¡¯t help but to voice their surprise and admiration.

    Munechika simply stared at Shin, without a word.

    ¡°As usual, Shin is really amazing when he does cksmith work.¡±

    ¡°Of course he is, cksmith is his second name after all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. His strength stands out more, but originally this is what Shin is best at.¡±

    Following Tiera¡¯s words, spoken while her body trembled because of the ripples of magic power, Filma replied jokingly, while Schnee did with pride.

    ¡°It looks like it will beplete soon.¡±

    Shibaid, who had been nodding silently,mented too.

    As Schnee and the others turned their eyes back on Shin, the Chimeradite on the tip of Shin¡¯s hammer had be very small, as it had been gradually absorbed into the de, and had mostly disappeared.

    ¡°Shhh!¡±

    The metallic echoes resounded one more time, stronger than before. With thisst blow, the Chimeradite waspletely absorbed by the de.

    Supported by the tongs, the de was not touching the anvil and was held in midair. The silver aura surrounding the katana was clearly denser than before the reinforcement.

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯splete.¡±

    With a small sigh, Shin reattached the hilt to the de.

    The katana¡¯s appearance had barely changed, but he understood that its attack power and resilience had grown by 20%. The name had also changed to ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡».

    ¡°Here we are. Just in case, check if everything¡¯s all right.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will¡­it¡¯s all right.¡±

    Munechika closed her eyes holding the sheathed ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», then nodded with conviction. A small grin on her lips suggested her excitement.

    ¡°I will try to transfer my consciousness right away. Mitsuyo, take care of my body.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Here I go.¡±

    Munechika¡¯s body glowed silver, then after a few seconds turned into light itself, vanishing in the air. From inside the light, a katana just like ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» before the reinforcement appeared.

    As Mitsuyo grabbed the katana that appeared in midair, it fell in her hands, as if it had lost whatever was supporting it.

    On the other hand ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» was floating, in the same position as when Munechika was holding it. At the same time as Mitsuyo had grabbed the materialized ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» started to glow.

    Silver light gathered around the reinforced katana, gradually forming a human-like silhouette.

    After a while, it morphedpletely into a human.

    ¡°¡­.phew, looks like there really are no problems.¡±

    ¡°Er, what?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo, Tssugu, why are you surprised? Hmm? Shin, you all too?¡±

    Not only Mitsuyo and Tssugu were surprised to see Munechika as she appeared again in human form.

    Their reactions, though, were a mixture of awkwardness and looking pointedly at Shin.

    ¡°If no one talks, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to react.¡±

    ¡°Well, er¡­yes, I think it¡¯s faster if you take a look yourself.¡±

    Shin materialized a hand mirror from the item box and gave it to Munechika.

    Even if still puzzled, Munechika took it in her hands.

    ¡°Oh? I see, so this is the reason.¡±

    Looking at herself in the mirror, Munechika nodded in understanding.

    ¡°What!? Is that it!?! Why are you more beautiful than before anyway!?¡±

    Mitsuyo loudly voiced what everyone other than Munechika was thinking.

    Munechika was already considerably good-looking, but her beauty seemed to have been upgraded too.

    Her waist-length ck hair had acquired an even shinier gloss, making her pale skin stand out even more. Her well-defined eyes expressed a proud elegance blooming from her beauty.

    It seemed that even her chest, pushing up her armor, had be more ample than before.

    ¡°It looks like being reinforced also influenced my appearance.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Munechika!! Why are you so calm and collected!! This is just weird!! Not only did you get prettier, but your curves improved too!?¡±

    She might be a weapon, but now she was a woman. She apparently harbored the desire to be prettier, so Mitsuyo questioned Munechika.

    ¡°Wait, Mitsuyo, that¡¯s not something I can answer. Shin, do you know what could have caused this?¡±

    Shin was the author of the reinforcement, but even he could not exin this phenomenon.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. If you transfer your consciousness to a reinforced weapon you can be more beautiful¡­I had no idea this would happen!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you put in even more effort because Munechika is a beautifuldy?¡±

    ¡°He-hey now, Tiera! Stop saying things that could cause misunderstandings. I really, really don¡¯t know why this happened!¡±

    Shin desperately exined himself to Tiera¡¯s suspecting gaze.

    Next to her, Schnee was looking at him with eyes clearly saying ¡°that¡¯s not the case at all, is it?¡± To Shin, this was the bigger menace.

    ¡°This too must be a feat the ¡°Dark cksmith¡± can do, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°It could be. The quality has improved after all, it would be difficult to say they are unrted.¡±

    In contrast with themotion that broke out on Shin¡¯s side, Filma and Shibaid nodded to each other in understanding, while Yuzuha and Tssugu were simply impressed.

    ¡°Kuu, Shin, amazing!¡±

    ¡°Amazing indeed. Even more than expected.¡±

    ¡°Anyway! The reinforcement isplete! Tomorrow morning we¡¯re exploring the dungeon. Let¡¯s get some rest!¡±

    Shin shouted to forcefully end the conversation.

    Tiera also let it go, maybe because she didn¡¯t feel like pressing him further. Schnee sighed in relief.

    ¡°Yes, Shin is right.¡±

    ¡°But I just can¡¯t ept it.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, Mitsuyo is a bitcking in that kind of growth after all.

    ¡°¡­.what did you say?¡±

    ¡°Hoho, my my, so scary.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s killing intent leaked towards Tssugu¡¯s s direction.

    She still seemed dissatisfied, but had not forgotten their primary goal. She knew that today they wouldn¡¯t push themselves into exploring the dungeon. That¡¯s one reason behind her reactions.

    ¡°Tomorrow, then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do the necessary preparations.¡±

    After seeing Munechika¡¯s group off, Shin called Filma and Shibaid.

    He meant to let the other members rest first, but as they were interested, Tiera and Yuzuha remained too.

    Only Schnee, who understood the situation, went to make preparations for dinner.

    ¡°Do you still have something to do?¡±

    ¡°I already had Schnee do it, but please look at this.¡±

    Shin pulled out ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from the item box and showed it to the two.

    ¡°¡ºTrue Moon¡» was broken!? Who the heck did you fight against?¡±

    Filma looked at ¡ºTrue Moon¡», her eyes wide open in surprise. She knew well how sturdy it was, so she couldn¡¯t believe that it had been broken.

    ¡°Could that be¡­¡±

    ¡°Shibaid can probably guess the cause. This happened when I fought Girard and it shed against ¡ºCrushing Moon¡».¡±

    Shin exined how he tried to fix it multiple times, and how he felt that a piece was restored when Schnee poured her magic power in the katana.

    ¡°Schnee and us, meaning it¡¯s the number of those who serve under you?¡±

    Shibaid made his guess after hearing that 3 pieces were missing.

    The pieces Shin vaguely felt to be missing and the former support characters who had not poured their magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡» were the same number.

    ¡°Probably. That¡¯s what I felt when Schnee infused her magic power in it. If this wasn¡¯t tied with my support characters, then I would have no idea what else it could be.¡±

    ¡°Pour magic power in it, right? Let¡¯s get it done then.¡±

    After listening to Shin, Filma received ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from him and closed her eyes to concentrate. As she did so, the glow emitted by ¡ºTrue Moon¡» changed from violet to red.

    As the red light was absorbed by ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Filma let out a sigh.

    ¡°My part is done. This sure takes a good chunk out of you.¡±

    ¡°Then my turn is next.¡±

    Shibaid took ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from Filma and concentrated. The katana started glowing in a ck light mixed with silver.

    The light shone a little longer than Filma¡¯s, but when it disappeared Shibaid too let out a small sigh.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it as Filma did. But my magic power is definitely within it too now. There¡¯s only one remaining now.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still someone?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words provoked a question from Tiera.

    Schnee, Filma and Shibaid, then Girard. With so many powerful members already present, she was surprised that there was still someone else.

    ¡°A party could contain up to 6 members, after all. Shin had 5 support characters. Thest one is a girl called Sety. She was born a bitter than us, so she was like a little sister. You can¡¯t get ahold of her now, right?¡±

    The Sety Filma talked about was thest one of Shin¡¯s entourage. Support character no. 5, High Pixie Sety Lumiere.

    Different from the closebat-type Filma and Girard, the wall-type Shibaid and the all-rounder Schnee, she was a rear support type mainly specialized in magic.

    ¡°Yes,pletely lost. I don¡¯t have a single clue.¡±

    Shin answered making a gesture of surrender.

    Just like Filma, Sety was acting freely on her own. She had not be famous like Schnee or Shibaid, so they did not have any idea where she could be.

    ¡°Shibaid, haven¡¯t you or Schnee ever managed to reach her?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t. Just like with you.¡±

    Shibaid looked at Filma with a certain tired annoyance in his eyes.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it, could I?¡±

    Like Filma, she might be in need of help, so Shin had already made a search request to the Golden Company through Berett.

    ¡°Either she¡¯s stuck somewhere like Filma was, or she has no intention of answering, I guess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­but isn¡¯t there also the possibility that she¡¯s sleeping?¡±

    Filma added one option to the possibilities Shin thought about Sety¡¯sck of a response.

    ¡°Sleeping? Ah, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Long-living species such as Elves and Pixies sometimes slept for dozens of years at a time. It was one of the game¡¯s features. There also was a quest about waking up a NPC Pixie, so it wasn¡¯t impossible.

    ¡°That makes it hard to join with her, though.¡±

    ¡°Right. We found Filma purely by chance too. For Sety, all I know is that she could maybe be in a faerie vige.¡±

    Faerie viges, home bases for Pixies, existed in several locations. Some were open to contact with the outside world, while others weren¡¯t; if Sety was in one of thetter type, it would have been difficult to look for her.

    The barrier protecting faerie viges was something not even Shin could detect without being very close.

    ¡°If she is in one of the viges thatmunicate with the outside world, there would be at least some informationing in. But only those with high rank know the location of those sleeping, supposedly. We can only go directly and make sure.¡±

    ¡°In any case, we can just wait for information from Berett. If we don¡¯t learn anything by the time this mission is done with, I¡¯m nning to go to Garden first. ¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid. After meeting Girard again he was always involved in some trouble and had not had time, but he knew that he needed to make the time for this.

    Inside it there should be Oxygen and Hydro, a High Pixie-High Lord duo serving under the Red Alchemist Hecate.

    They were both research maniacs who would not take a step outside for years at a time, hadpletely different attitudes depending if they were interested in something or not¡­when Shin heard of the characteristics Hecate had created them with, he couldn¡¯t help being perplexed as to why she would create them like that.

    ¡°Those two, if we¡¯re lucky, are just immersed in their research. I looked at it from far away, but Garden didn¡¯t appear to be damaged.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to object to that line, but I really can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I understand that I should be worrying, really.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were said in a joking manner to hide his worry, but Shibaid and Filma did not understand them like that.

    They could not imagine Oxygen and Hydro, inside Garden, to be in any sort of trouble.

    Shin only knew them from the game era, so he did not know how their personalities were now that the game had be reality. Looking at Filma and Shibaid¡¯s reactions gave him an idea though.

    If they didn¡¯t change from the game era, they were likely still pursuing their research: they could probably even say that they didn¡¯t notice the Dusk of Majesty had happened.

    Abundant food and supplies, ample research material and facilities,bined with the high protection of being a Guild house. They had all they needed to shut themselves in it, so Shin wasn¡¯t too worried either.

    If they used the items within Garden, they could even deal with the powerful poisons surrounding it. Shin thought that they could havee out if they wanted.

    ¡°Well, no use talking about that here and now. Let¡¯s settle this Supreme des business first.¡±

    Their opponent was someone that, based only on strength, could rival Schnee.

    As Shin¡¯s party was superior both in numbers and ability, they had no risk of losing, but it was already a situation that was not present in the game. To be ready for any situation, he decided to review items and equipment before sleeping.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s recover our energy with Schnee¡¯s dinner now. We can really look forward to her cooking.¡±

    Everyone present knew of Schnee¡¯s cooking skills.

    As they entered the dining room, the food was already ready, while the table was being prepared.

    ¡°And¡­why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Because Kagutsuchi said it wanted to eat here. The High Elf there gave us her permission, by the way.¡±

    Mitsuyo answered Shin¡¯s question while pouting.

    She was looking at the baby Kagutsuchi, sitting in the middle of the table.

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s saying, I shall grant you the honor of feeding me.¡±

    ¡°Very high and mighty, but still a chick¡­¡±

    These words would feel appropriate if said by Kagutsuchi¡¯s original form, but the current fluffy chick had little authority to show. They had no reason to chase it out, however, so Schnee made dinner for Mitsuyo too.

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Truly a delicacy. You have my praise¡±, it said.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m honored.¡±

    Kagutsuchi cried while pecking happily at the food, and Schnee answered with a smile.

    Kagutsuchi was not the only one lost in the pleasure of Schnee¡¯s food. Mitsuyo too, who had apanied Kagutsuchi and sat at the table almost against her will, had been relentlessly and silently serving herself since the start of the meal.

    Looking at the smile her lips formed, there was no need to ask for her impressions.

    The dinner with such unusual guests continued: after it ended, Kagutsuchi and Mitsuyo returned to the small shrine.

    After dinner all members proceeded to their respective rooms and prepared for the next day.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­..kuu.¡±

    After everyone else had fallen asleep, Yuzuha cried softly on the bed.

    She was remembering Filma and Shibaid pouring their magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    Shin said that there were 3 pieces missing: after Filma and Shibaid, just another one.

    Even in its broken state, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» was a superior Ancient-grade weapon. If more magic power than just thest missing person¡¯s part was poured in, it could surpass any other existing weapon.

    Even if her knowledge was still limited, the Element Tail Yuzuha knew that.

    What Yuzuha was concerned about was whether ¡ºTrue Moon¡» had capacity for her to pour magic power in or not.

    Being his partner, Yuzuha also wanted to be of help to Shin. But if ¡ºTrue Moon¡» didn¡¯t have room, there was nothing she could do.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    I want to be stronger. So Yuzuha thought.

    If she recovered all her powers and used all of her knowledge, she might be able to do something.

    These were the thoughts that started to sprout in Yuzuha¡¯s mind.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time, Tiera was still awake.

    Sharing simr emotions as Yuzuha, she was thinking of Filma and Shibaid.

    ¡°¡­..haah.¡±

    She could only sigh.

    She had be unmistakably stronger. Yet she was still far from matching Schnee and the others. Even if she poured magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡»like them, the resulting boost would surely be minimal.

    ¡°I¡¯d¡­.hate that¡­¡±

    Her thoughts spilled into her words.

    Tiera was aware she was the least powerful of the current members.

    But even so, she wanted to be useful to Shin.

    Tiera couldn¡¯t yet decide if that desire came for the gratitude to him for dispelling her curse or for another feeling that was slowly taking shape within her.

    She hated not being able to do anything though.

    ¡°I want to¡­be stronger¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to be a burden.

    She didn¡¯t want them to keep looking out for her.

    She knew that it was an arrogant wish, but as of now they were not on equal standing.

    I want to stand¡­at his side.

    ¡°¡­haah.¡±

    Her feelings were strong. But reality wasn¡¯t that easy.

    The difference in strength was overwhelming, she did not know what she should do.

    But even so, her feelings remained.

    ¡°Sniffle¡­¡±

    It would take a while before she could sleep that night.

 Book 9: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Hey, Tiera. You don¡¯t look too well, is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just had some trouble sleeping.¡±

    The next morning, Shin and Tiera bumped into each other as they left their respective rooms, and Shin inquired about Tiera, who looked less lively than usual.

    Her answer also felt less energetic than normal.

    Shin thought she might have been sick, but Kagerou, ever present at Tiera¡¯s feet, did not seem to be worried.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ would not disy small changes in one¡¯s condition, but, if Tiera had been pushing herself, Kagerou would have reacted in some way, so Shin chose not to pursue the matter any further.

    Tiera headed to the bathroom before breakfast. When she came back, she looked the same as always.

    ¡°And¡­you¡¯re here in the morning too.¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes were pointed at the fluffy, red ball of feathers, baby Kagutsuchi, as he spoke. Roasted fish just out of the oveny on the te before the bird.

    As Shin and the others started eating, baby Kagutsuchi started pecking away at the fish too.

    The fish was much more than baby Kagutsuchi¡¯s size seemed to allow, but baby Kagutsuchi ate until the fishbones had been picked clean.

    Baby Kagutsuchi gave a small cry while patting its stomach, which had be rounder than before.

    ¡°Truly a delicacy, he says.¡±

    Mitsuyo tranted Kagutsuchi¡¯s cry while she was eating in a slower, more polite manner.

    ¡°Kuu, ball of feathers, acting so high and mighty.¡±

    ¡°PYO!?¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t appreciate Kagutsuchi¡¯s attitude, fox-mode Yuzuha tried to push down its head with her paws.

    Surprised, Kagutsuchi dodged the sudden attack at thest second and raised its small wings to intimidate the opponent.

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    A bizarre battle had broken out in the middle of the table.

    ¡°What are those two doing?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? ying with each other as entities rted to the Ley lines?¡±

    Watching the fight out of the corner of their eyes, the group continued eating their meal.

    The bout between Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha was concluded with a lightning bolt from Schnee.

    ¡°By the way, Mitsuyo, are you Kagutsuchi¡¯s caretaker?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to say no, but yes, I pretty much am. In theory, it¡¯s a task that rotates between Munechika, Tssugu, and me. But rather than that, that¡¯s a rather familiar way of addressing me, without honorifics or anything. It is true that we requested for your help, but it¡¯s quite irritating to be treated as inferior.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry. A long time ago, when I was discussing battle strategies with myrades, we called you without honorifics, so¡­¡±

    Having been programmed with the movements of martial arts masters, the Five Supreme des were not opponents beginners or yers with just some experience could hope to handle. But as they were ultimately programs, even their refined movements contained patterns.

    At the time, Shin studied these movements and snatched victory by a hair. As they had met and fought many times, he ended up talking to her with familiarity.

    ¡°You look younger than the other two, so maybe he felt closer to you?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Filma!¡±

    Shin reprimanded Filma because Mitsuyo seemed to be sensitive about her appearance. But Mitsuyo herself did not seem to care much.

    ¡°¡­..well, that¡¯s fine. I remembered you after all, so I¡¯ll let you call me as you like. I¡¯ll address you the same way though. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. call me what you want.¡±

    ¡°By the way, there was something I wanted to confirm, may I?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°What you did to Munechika yesterday, can you do it to other Supreme des too?¡±

    Mitsuya probably referred to Shin¡¯s reinforcing of the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»he possessed.

    ¡°I can do the reinforcement itself. But in regards to ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡», I acquired it in a slightly different way, so I don¡¯t know if the consciousness transfer can be done.¡±

    ¡°I see. If you can, then it¡¯s alright.¡±

    Mitsuyo did not add anything after that. ¡°Lend me your reinforced ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡»¡±, or ¡°I will being with you¡±¡­Shin was expecting a development like this, so he was a little taken aback.

    After breakfast, Shin and his group headed to the shrine. At the entrance, Munechika and Tssugu were already waiting.

    ¡°Sorry, did we make you wait?¡±

    ¡°No, we just arrived as well. Then let¡¯s enter the dungeon immediately. I shall show you to the entrance. Follow me.¡±

    The group followed Munechika inside the shrine.

    When they arrived in front of the crystallized Kagutsuchi, Munechika turned around.

    ¡°We will be transported to the dungeon from here. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Anytime you want.¡±

    Shin nodded firmly to Munechika¡¯s final confirmation.

    As they had little information about the dungeon, they could not prepare for specific situations. Shin¡¯s item box, however, included enough supplies to handle any kind of situation.

    Concerning recovery items, each member¡¯s item box had been provided with a sufficient quantity.

    Tiera couldn¡¯t use the item box, so she carried items in card form in a pouch at her waist.

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°Kagutsuchi wishes you fortune in battle too. Come back in one piece, you hear.¡±

    Munechika replied in a clear, powerful tone to Tssugu and Mitsuyo, who would stay in the shrine to protect it, and baby Kagutsuchi, who couldn¡¯t fight for itself.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Her answer did not contain the slightest hint of worry.

    ¡°Kuu¡­.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Yuzuha. You¡¯re the only one that can help with Ley lines right now.¡±

    Because of Shin¡¯s group¡¯s entrance into the dungeon, the miasma that had swallowed Dojigiri Yasutsuna could have had unfathomable effects on the Ley lines inside the dungeon.

    Because of that Yuzuha, who, like Kagutsuchi was capable of influencing Ley lines, would stay outside.

    Influencing Ley lines was also possible inside the dungeon, but rather than inside a warped dungeon, staying in Kagutsuchi¡¯s shrine would allow them to influence the Ley lines from a safe location.

    Shin promised the unhappy Yuzuha to brush her aftering back, then walked towards Munechika.

    ¡°I shall start the transfer then.¡±

    As Munechika¡¯s spoke, the scenery before Shin and his group blurred.

    Compared to teleportation using the crystal stone or the one at Bayreuth, the transfer waspleted after a slight feeling of intoxication.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±

    The instant after they transferred, a sauna-like heat attacked the party. Sweat would start trickling even without doing anything in particr.

    For a dungeon located in a natural cave, its insides were extremely wide. 2 parties could be formed within it without problems.

    Thanks to the wide space, it was not necessary to pay special care to the fumes of hot steam spouting from the walls, boulders, and ceiling.

    Because of the white steam generated in the already humid cave, the temperature was very high. The steam could alsoe from the floor too, so they had to proceed with care.

    Shin was protected by powerful gear, but he didn¡¯t feel like trying to see what would happen if he was hit.

    ¡°Uuh, I feel sick¡­¡±

    Different from Shin, who was disconcerted by the heat and humidity, Tiera was holding her hands over her mouth, unsteady on her feet.

    Shin had just felt a slight disorientation from the transfer, but the effects appeared to have been greater on Tiera. The sweat on her forehead was not just from the heat.

    Next to Tiera, Kagerou was crying out, worried.

    Schnee cast ¡¾Heal¡¿ on the pale Tiera and gently rubbed her back.

    ¡°I too felt a kind of intoxication. Let¡¯s take a small break, just in case. Tiera, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I feel much better already.¡±

    Herplexion seemed to look a bit better, perhaps because of Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿.

    After generating a barrier skill to guarantee their safety, all party members took a rxed posture.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t feel like that when we used the crystal stone. Munechika, do you know what the reason could be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but it could be the miasma. Even a weapon like me felt a little uneasy. I imagine that human types like you are more heavily affected.¡±

    Everyone thought that the cause could be the miasma, but no one knew why Tiera was the only one to show such a strong negative response.

    For 15 minutes they talked while waiting for Tiera to recover.

    Tiera announced that she felt better, and Schnee also confirmed that she had recovered enough, so the group resumed the exploration of the dungeon.

    Fuji¡¯s secret dungeon was officially named ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±.

    ording to Munechika, as the name suggests many fire-elemental monsters dwell in it; without resistance to fire, just being inside the dungeon would gradually sap one¡¯s energy.

    ¡°We could cut off the heat with a barrier, but moving will be troublesome.¡±

    Dungeons where simply walking makes your HP decrease are truly harsh.

    As Shin¡¯s experience told him, item usage increased and in some cases, MP management became more difficult too. There were possible countermeasures, but if one wasn¡¯t of high enough level struggling was inevitable.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what could happen, better be fully ready.¡±

    Shin took 7 cards out of the item box. They were all the same: when materialized, a bracelet adorned with red gems appeared. It was the ¡ºEnra Bracelet¡», an essory that nullified fire-elemental damage.

    ¡°To think that it would affect even me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in human form, so I suppose the item identifies you as human too?¡±

    Shin answered to the surprised Munechika. It was possible to apply external options to weapons, so that might be the reason why this was possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s fantastic that not only it stops damage, but blocks the heat too. If our hands slipped because of the sweat it would be a problem.¡±

    Filma spoke while lightly wielding her sword. In the game, sweat wouldn¡¯t weaken the weapon¡¯s grip, but now that was a factor to think about.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it a bit of shame for you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    Filma seemed to havee up with something and whispered it into Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°If the heat continued, the sweat would have made Schnee¡¯s clothes see-through¡­right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridic¡­.wait, they don¡¯t work like that, probably.¡±

    In the game, armor would not get ripped or broken even if drenched or attacked. But things were different now.

    Schnee was now wearing Ancient-grade gear hand-made by Shin, the ¡ºMoonlight Silver Maid Uniform¡». Whether it would be see-through or not was unknown, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it stuck to her skin and entuated her curves.

    ¡°Anyway, jokes at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°This much wouldn¡¯t shake you, would it Shin? Besides it helped you rx, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if I had been nervous, I don¡¯t think this would have helped.¡±

    ¡°Filma, don¡¯t trouble Shin too much.¡±

    Maybe tired of the exchange, Shibaid lightly rebuked Filma.

    Even while joking, neither Shin nor Filma neglected to be wary of their surroundings.

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly rxed even in this situation. No, I suppose it¡¯s normal for Shin¡¯s party to be like this.¡±

    ¡°Having a sense of tension is important, though. We just entered into the dungeon. If we were tense all the time, we wouldn¡¯tst until the end.¡±

    After the start of the Death Game, Shin explored dungeons alone most of the time.

    Compared to that, having Schnee and the others with him made the current situation much easier to handle. At the very least, he felt rxed enough to roll his eyes at Filma¡¯s jokes.

    ¡°Okay then, looks like we have to wee our first guest soon.¡±

    Shin detected an enemy presence and announced it to Munechika and the others. The simple map disyed 5 red markers.

    Parts of the cave¡¯s walls and ceiling were red hot, so illumination was guaranteed to a degree, but they could not at all say that there was enough visibility.

    Shin used a magic skill for lighting and prepared to confront the enemy.

    ¡°As expected, they¡¯re fire-elemental.¡±

    Appearing before Shin¡¯s party was a group ofrge monsters and smaller ones.

    The first type were 2 roughly 4-mel tall golems which looked like they had been made with the cave¡¯s boulders, named Sledge Heat. The second, 3rge spiders about 1-melrge, with hair like mes, were called Molten Spider.

    The Sledge Heats were walking closer, shaking the ground with their steps. Above them, the Molten Spiders were looking down at Shin¡¯s group while crawling on the ceiling.

    The Sledge Heats¡¯ levels were 434 and 422, the Molten Spiders 369, 366 and 361.

    ¡°A small test to start with I guess. Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s call, Shibaid, Filma, and Munechika stepped forward.

    The all-rounders Shin and Schnee could have gone forward too, but the frontlines would have be too crowded, so this time they stayed with Tiera in the rear guard, whichcked numbers. Kagerou was Tiera¡¯s exclusive protector.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to suppress them first. Shibaid, everyone, take care of any monster that sneaks through!¡±

    After giving hismands, Shin used the water-type magic skill ¡¾Ice Bullet¡¿.

    The magic skill caused several ice shards the size of a fist to appear around Shin and Schnee.

    Using the shards, floating thanks to their emissions of cold air, Shin aimed at the Heat Sledges, while Schnee sniped the Molten Spiders.

    The shards, flying at a speed exceeding Tiera¡¯s arrows, pelted the Heat Sledges and Molten Spiders like bullets from a machine gun.

    Their offensive power was too high for the monsters: the Sledge Heats broke down in pieces, while the Molten Spiders retained little of their original form.

    ¡°¡­.listen, you two. If you don¡¯t hold back a little, we won¡¯t have anything to do here.¡±

    ¡°No wait, they were too frail, seriously. I thought that monsters in a secret dungeon would have a bit more backbone.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess this is the obvious result though.¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s and Shin¡¯s magic power is so high that the monsters became nothing but shooting targets. Normally ¡¾Ice Bullet¡¿ doesn¡¯t have this kind of power either¡­¡±

    Tiera put away the arrows she had prepared andmented while looking at the frozen and shattered monsters.

    Once squeezed, the fragments broke down in small crystals. They werepletely frozen and became brittle too.

    ¡°Anyway, did it have the effect of freezing the opponent?¡±

    ¡°It should have, at least a little. High magic power can amplify added effects. Depending on the opponent, wouldn¡¯t it be the same even if Filma or I had shot them?¡±

    ¡°Shin and Schnee¡¯s stats are high all around, after all. As we just saw very clearly.¡±

    Shibaid suggested an answer to Tiera¡¯s doubts about the magic¡¯s power.

    In the end, that result had been caused by the difference in stats with the opponents. Golems like the Sledge Heats have low resistance to magic. The Molten Spiders were justpletely inferior opponents for Shin and Schnee.

    Inversely, it would have been absurd if a clean hit from Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t kill them on the spot.

    ¡°How very reliable.¡±

    Witnessing the group proceeding while instantly sweeping away any monster they came across, Munechikaughed wryly.

    Maybe because the rule of ¡°weaker monsters appear in the beginning of the dungeon¡± remained, all monsters appearing were under level 500.

    Monsters of that level would fall after one hit of Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic.

    Rarely, some monsters would escape their magic attacks, albeit never unscathed: they would then fall prey to Tiera¡¯s arrows.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even feel like I¡¯m fighting, but my level keeps going up¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all low-level units for us after all. By the way, how are your stats?¡±

    Shin inquired to the surprised Tiera.

    Schnee and Filma had already reached the upper limit and their levels wouldn¡¯t increase anymore.

    But Tiera was different. Leveling up increased her stats further.

    Her parameters¡¯ values did not increase greatly, but she was undoubtedly growing stronger.

    ¡°Hmm, when I absorbed that light I told you that each parameter grew by about 200, right? Since then, I grew 11 levels, my status¡¯¡­decks? (DEX) and¡­ants? (INT) grew by about 40, the rest by about 20. I also learned some skills. But is it normal to learn them so easily¡­?¡±

    In the mysterious ce where Shin¡¯s party reunited with Filma, Schnee and everyone else received a stat increase. On the other hand, only Tiera can level up.

    ¡°Seriously? Your growth rate increased too. Your skills as well.¡±

    Apart from the boost granted by the resurrection bonus, level up boosts were not as big as yers believed. The increases Tiera reported, however, were muchrger than what Shin knew.

    In addition, Tiera had received thergest among the boosts granted by the light all members had absorbed.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I wonder if we have been influenced somehow as well.¡±

    ¡°Schnee and the others can¡¯t level up anymore after all. It¡¯s not a bad effect though, so isn¡¯t it fine like this? To be stronger at a faster rate than normal is a good thing, I think.¡±

    Shin did not absorb the light, but he felt that Tiera¡¯s absorption of one of the lights, despite her not being one of his support characters, must have had some meaning.

    The world was infested with powerful monsters. There was nothing to lose in bing stronger.

    ¡°Well, bing stronger is a good thing, of course. It¡¯s just a little scary that we don¡¯t know what that was. I know it sounds ungrateful since I¡¯m enjoying the bonuses that light granted me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, judging from your words, haven¡¯t you simply received the Ley lines¡¯ blessing?¡±

    Munechika, who had been silent until now, suddenly voiced her opinion.

    ¡°The Ley lines¡¯ blessing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Their size may vary, but Ley lines are spread throughout most of the world. People, monsters, nts, animals, all sorts of creatures¡­their magic power and things like fragments of their consciousness seep into those Ley lines. Maybe because of this, the so-called heroes or saviors of each species sometimes are granted boons by the Ley lines. We call that ¡°Blessing of the Ley lines¡±.¡±

    ¡°Who knew something like that existed¡­but looking at Schnee and Shibaid, I can see that.¡±

    Shin was surprised to learn somethingpletely new to him. But he could agree with part of the exnation.

    ¡°I can see why too, rted to master and the others, who are in a High Human¡¯s service. I don¡¯t understand why I would be blessed, though.¡±

    ¡°I do not know that either. As Kagutsuchi said, blessings are not given only following people¡¯s will. Tiera, your species is Elf, thus animals¡¯ and nts¡¯ will might be rted as well. It is not something bad. It is a precious blessing, it will not hurt you to ept it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. But in that case, I¡¯d think Shin would have been blessed too.¡±

    ¡°In my case, being someone from the distant past, maybe I was grouped together with the other yers?¡±

    Shin knew that High Humans were partly treated as a myth, so the thought that he hadn¡¯t been treated as an individual, or was outside the circle eligible for blessings. The definition of blessing was ambiguous too, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.

    ¡°OK, looks like we can¡¯t take it easy anymore.¡±

    Shin spoke looking forward, as to signal the end of the conversation. Tiera followed him, raised her head, then, dumbfounded, whispered.

    ¡°What is¡­that¡­?¡±

    Before Tiera¡¯s eyes flowed a stream ofva. The cave was wider still, so a path was present, but an even fiercer heat awaited Tiera and the party.

    ¡°If Shin hadn¡¯t given us those bracelets¡­I get cold sweats just thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Without fire resistance, just going closer to this would kill you.¡±

    Tiera swallowed her breath, and Shin agreed with her statement. In the game era HP would just decrease at fixed intervals, something that seemed an extremely small obstacle now.

    Around Shin and the group the temperature was kept at the level that would make one sweat a bit after doing some exercise.

    Though, that was all due to the ¡ºEnra Bracelet¡». The temperature reached by hot steam was nothingpared tova.

    Shin knew well that they were proceeding at a distance that, in reality, would be prohibitive without heat-resisting clothing.

    Once again, Shin felt how incredible items were.

    ¡°By the way, what would happen if we fell into theva?¡±

    The doubt suddenly surfaced in Shin¡¯s mind. In the game, status permitting, it was possible to dive in poisonous swamps orva pools, something absolutely impossible in reality.

    ¡°If we equipped gear protecting the whole body, we could move freely until the endurance pointsst, I think.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second, don¡¯t tell me that someone tried it?¡±

    Shin had just mumbled his doubt, but Schnee heard and replied about what would happen. Hearing the answer, Shin couldn¡¯t help but being surprised at the recklessness of whoever provided this piece of information.

    ¡°That person was wearing full-body Legend-grade armor. Maybe because of the magic power, nova prated inside the armor, apparently. It started melting after 30 minutes or so though.¡±

    ¡°Was that person alright?¡±

    ¡°It was a Chosen One with high defensive power, if I recall correctly. In your case, Shin, you¡¯ll be OK even if it touches your skin, I think. After all, you have higher defense than a dragon with its scales.¡±

    ¡°Even if I know that it¡¯d be OK, I definitely don¡¯t want to try it.¡±

    Shin shook his head firmly: touchingva with his bare hands was something he would never want to do.

    At the same time, he thought that he was well beyond human limits. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of high defense.

    ¡°Does that mean that Chosen Ones like us wouldn¡¯t be cut even if sliced by a de?¡±

    Shin asked the question to Schnee as they were crossing theva stream.

    Ever sinceing into that world, Shin hadn¡¯t received any real damage. Even when he faced Girard, an attack pierced his armor and caused damage, but he hadn¡¯t sustained any actual wounds.

    ¡°It depends, but generally that¡¯s correct. Even if a de is pressed against the skin, people of our level wouldn¡¯t be injured by a normal de. It wouldn¡¯t even cut a little. If we did so with the intent of cutting, we would be able to, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why the needle pierced when I made the guild card.¡±

    Shin remembered when he bled in order to create his guild card. If his high defensive power prevented him from being injured, a powerful weapon would be needed to make him spill blood.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue this conversationter. Looks like there¡¯s a monster inside theva.¡±

    Shin detected a presence while walking over theva and directed the party¡¯s attention to it.

    ¡°Eh, are you serious¡­?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s question was born out of her difficulty of believing Shin¡¯s words, as nothing but molten rocks floated before her.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably protecting its body with magic power, or something simr. Monsters don¡¯t always fit the ¡°animal¡± definition, after all.¡±

    Creatures that would never exist in reality or defy thews of physics often appear in games. These monsters are born from the mysterious energy called ¡°magic¡±.

    Shin and Schnee are used to such beings, and did not show any particr surprise. The less knowledgeable and experienced Munechika and Tiera couldn¡¯t help being somewhat nervous.

 Book 9: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ¡°A monster dwelling in a liquid that melts even iron. I heard about such creatures from Kagutsuchi, but it is curious indeed.¡±

    ¡°This is nothing special, pay attention to theva and it¡¯s the same as any other monster out there. Besides, if it¡¯s a fish type it¡¯ll be really delicious.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I am relieved to hear that. I shall make sure to cut it ready to be served, then.¡±

    With a smallugh, Munechika readied her de.

    Each party member proceeded forward, their weapons at the ready. After about 5 minutes, a fish fin-looking object emerged from the molten stream.

    The object, which emitted a metal-like glimmer, was about 1 mel long.

    ¡°A Kiral Laava, huh. Judging from the fin, it¡¯s probably 4 mels long. If it jumps in the air, it will shoot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ from its mouth, so be careful!¡±

    Kiral Laava was an orca-type monster.

    It attacked in mainly 3 patterns: tackles using its massive body, fang attacks, or fireballs. As it dwelt withinva, fire-elemental attacks had little effect and it was also resistant to physical attacks.

    What made it most troublesome was the fact that it attacked in groups.

    ¡°There are 4 of them, I see. I¡¯m going to lure them out, attack them then!¡±

    Shibaid, the tank, swiftly attracted the Kiral Laavas¡¯ attention with taunt skills.

    2 of the 4 Kiral Laavas jumped in midair, while the other 2 charged towards Shibaid.

    The 2 that jumped in midair, uncaring of the possibility of hitting their fellow monsters, shot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ at Shibaid.

    ¡°This much is nothing!¡±

    Shibaid held the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» in front and ran forward towards the ¡¾Fireball¡¿ attacks and the Kiral Laavas. The very instant before shing against the monsters, he activated the Shield-type martial skill ¡¾Eclipse Fall¡¿.

    An emerald green, 3-mels wide transparent shield was formed with ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» at its center and blew away the charging Kiral Laavas as well as the fireballs.

    Shibaid had the lowest AGI among all the support characters, but he was still faster than the average Chosen One. As the one tasked with stopping enemies, his STR was very high.

    His body¡¯s build was good and, in addition, his main job was Holy Knight. No matter how huge the Kiral Laavas were, Shibaid would never lose in a sh against them.

    The orca monsters were thus blown back, their boulder-like scales shattered to pieces.

    The 2 monsters that had shot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ attacks were still descending and couldn¡¯t assist theirpanions.

    ¡°Yes, as expected.¡±

    Being blown in midair, the monsters werepletely open except the front, from where they could shoot ¡¾Fireball¡¿. Not missing this opportunity to strike, Filma closed in to cut down the monsters still floating in midair.

    Momentster, Munechika shed the de of the katana she wielded and, like Filma, cleaved the Kiral Laava in two with one sh.

    The monsters sliced in two squirmed for a few seconds, but quickly stopped moving.

    ¡°The rest are fleeing, I see.¡±

    Probably judging that they had no chances of winning against Shin¡¯s party after seeing theirpanions defeated so easily, the other 2 Kiral Laava disappeared into theva stream.

    Shin looked at their markers on the map: they were moving away, as to go far from the river.

    ¡°This river doesn¡¯t have only one course then?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The two monsters that fled just now were swimming in a ce that clearly wasn¡¯t this river. There¡¯s probably a passage leading to some other location hidden by thisva stream.¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question by exining the Kiral Laavas¡¯ movements.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why they don¡¯te out. Swimming away inside that makes them really hard to chase down¡­not that I want to fight them.¡±

    ¡°After all, the monsters are usually hard to fight. I thought we would have to battle them until the end, but I guess that even at that level they run, huh.¡±

    The Kiral Laava¡¯s level was 500 on average.

    At that level, as far as Shin knew, most monsters fought until the bitter end. He thought they would attack again, so their escape caught him by surprise.

    ¡°The less fighting, the better. We¡¯re almost in the middle of the dungeon, the miasma¡¯s effect is getting stronger too. Be careful everyone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the real thing is starting now.¡±

    After Munechika¡¯s remark, Shin and the others focused anew.

    They had all noticed how their surroundings changed as they proceeded through the dungeon. Unnatural ck dots had started appearing on the rocks.

    When Shin tried throwing a pebble at them, the pebble turned ck the instant it struck the ck dot, then shattered.

    ¡°They¡¯re clearly tainted.¡±

    ¡°Yes, this aura is miasma, without a doubt.¡±

    Munechika agreed to Shin¡¯s assertion. Part of the dungeon turning ck was one of the game¡¯s unchanged features.

    As they proceeded towards the depths of the dungeon, Shin¡¯s detection picked up monster presences yet again. The detected units were 6, but their movements were clearly erratic.

    ¡°There are monsters up ahead, but there¡¯s something odd about them.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Their presences get closer, then get farther again. I think that the monsters might be fighting among themselves.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, monsters fighting monsters over territory is not that unusual, though.¡±

    Munechika casted her doubts after hearing Shin¡¯s exnation. Monsters also had enemies among their own, and sometimes would fight each other while ignoring the yers.

    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, monsters inside dungeons never fight among themselves, do they? The monsters that dwell inside dungeons, even if their forms are different, are said to be of the same tribe.¡±

    Schnee answered Munechika in ce of Shin, who was at a loss for words.

    Monsters only fought each other in the field outside. Monsters inside dungeons, different from the ones scouring the fields, were not hostile to other monsters.

    Shin¡¯s knowledge, however, was limited to the game mechanics; he could not give a definite answer.

    ¡°Even species that battle each other outside cooperate inside dungeons. Considering this, that is an unusual phenomenon indeed.¡±

    ¡°In any case, we will encounter them if we go on like this. Let¡¯s go see with our own eyes.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party proceeded while erasing their presence and gradually came to hear shing noises. There was a boulder ideal to use as hiding spot, so they peeked forward from behind it.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    What they saw was a giant scorpion-like monster, with half of its body painted ck, named Schuberc, and a creature that looked like several monsters forcefully fused together.

    ¡°That¡¯s a Chimera Invader.¡±

    The aberration born from monsters corrupted by miasma was the Chimera Invader.

    Created from the fusion of monsters tainted by miasma, its horrific appearance was disliked by female yers.

    ¡°What is that¡­supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°You know that monsters transform because of miasma, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have heard as much from Kagutsuchi. It is my first time to see one in the flesh though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the fusion of such monsters. Though, I have no idea why it turned into a form that makes it harder to move.¡±

    Chimera Invaders did not have a fixed form, but changed based on the fused monsters.

    The Chimera Invader fighting against the Schuberc was mainly formed of Kiral Laavas; from the right side of its abdomen sprouted a Golem-like arm, next to its dorsal fin there was the face of a dog-like monster, snake tails poked out next to its mouth, 8 spider-like legs from the left side of its abdomen.

    Its fusion was so chaotic it was almost impossible to describe.

    The creature¡¯s fighting style did not possess the slightest regrity.

    It deftly jumped using the golem arm and spider legs, struck the Schuberc with the snake tails, spewed fire from the dog-like face, faked a tackle then punched with the golem arm¡­it waspletely unpredictable.

    The biggest problem was that every time the Chimera Invader struck, the miasma¡¯s corruption on the Schuberc¡¯s carapace increased in intensity. If things continued like this, the Schuberc would also turn into an Invader and would be assimted by the Chimera Invader.

    ¡°The more monsters it assimtes, the more the level and fighting power of the Chimera Invader increase.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of it before it assimtes the Schuberc.¡±

    The whole party nodded to Shin¡¯s words and stepped forward.

    First, Shibaid activated ¡¾Eclipse Fall¡¿ and charged towards the monsters.

    The two beasts, which were locked in a clinch, were blown away together and forcefully separated.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suppress their movements. Munechika, the Schuberc is yours. Let¡¯s take down the Chimera!¡±

    As Shin gave his instructions, globes of light appeared around him. The light bullets shot at high speed crushed the Chimera Invader¡¯s golem arm and ripped through its spider legs.

    Twisting its body, the monster tried to distance itself from the group, but the light bullets that had initially missed performed sharp turns in midair and shot the beast down.

    The Light-type magic skill Shin had unleashed, ¡¾Ray Stinger¡¿, was originally anti-air magic. Hitting the Chimera Invader, which only iled in one direction, was not difficult.

    ¡°Ssshh!¡±

    Munechika¡¯s battle against the Schuberc waspletely one-sided too.

    There was a difference in level and stats between them, but more than anything the sharpness of the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», as tempered by Shin, was something to behold.

    Schuberc swung down its massive pincers, only to see them cut off by ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡». The katana¡¯s cuts were so sharply clean, it was even possible to see the cross-sections of the monster¡¯s insides.

    ¡°If I get used to this, I¡¯ll probably find my original weaponcking.¡±

    Cleaving through the tail that had attempted a surprise strike from above, Munechika closed in on the Schuberc.

    Insect-type monsters had high lifeforce. Simply cutting away parts of their body was not enough to weaken them.

    The Schuberc came charging at Munechika, trying to blow her away.

    Before its sturdy carapace-d body could sh with Munechika¡¯s body however, her de -unsheathed as she leaped in the air- sliced through the monster¡¯s head.

    The Schuberc, now with half of its body cleaved in two, stoppedpletely after twitching for a few instants.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s group has finished too I see.¡±

    As Munechika turned around, Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡»shed through the Chimera Invader, pinned to the ground by the light bullets shot by Shin and Schnee.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Even if torn apart, however, the Chimera Invader did not die. Its abdomen, now split in two, squirmed forward and attacked Shin¡¯s group again.

    ¡°I was ready for this!¡±

    Tiera had been warned that the Chimera wouldn¡¯t die easily and quickly struck down the right abdomen with a thunderd arrow, as it leapt through the air avoiding the light bullets.

    Her arrows, expressing how much stronger they had be since Balmel, caused the abdomen to explode as soon as they pierced it.

    The remaining left abdomen was burned to cinders by Filma¡¯s follow-up attack.

    As the Chimera Invader turned to dark dust in the air, the tension within Shin¡¯s group slightly eased.

    ¡°Still as tough to kill as always I see. Anyway, your arrows¡¯ power sure is something, Tiera. Its weak points should be only Light magic and Divine magic, I thought¡­?¡±

    ¡°Even if you ask me¡­for the record, I am barely capable of attaching skills to my shots. The lightning before was thanks to the bow you gave me, and Kagerou.¡±

    Thanks to the boost granted by the light she absorbed, or maybe because of level-up bonuses, Tiera had learned several skills. However, her ability to attach magic power to her bow had not grown so conveniently.

    The mystery of her high damage remained, but it was useful nheless.

    ¡°Anyway, from here onwards it will probably be infested with Invader-type monsters.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of those, then¡­honestly speaking, they are pretty disgusting.¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s clear dislike of Invader-type monsters.

    ¡°Some change their forms even without being Chimeras. Plus, they be stronger and cause weapons to be worn more quickly¡­a bonus we really don¡¯t need.¡±

    While it was harder to notice with Ancient-grade weapons such as the ones Shin and his group had, Legend-grade weapons risked being consumed if these monsters were engaged in long battles.

    ¡°Munechika, do you know how far Yasutsuna still is?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still some distance. Definitely in the lower area though.¡±

    Kagutsuchi had told them how many floors the dungeon was supposed to have. Shin¡¯s group was now in the floor acting as a border between the middle and lower area.

    The miasma¡¯s effects were apparently stronger in the lower area: as Shin¡¯s group proceeded, all the monsters they faced were of the Invader type.

    In some cases Chimera monsters appeared in groups, making their pace slower than what it was in the middle area.

    ¡°If we go on like this, it¡¯ll be night when we arrive in the lower area. It might be dangerous to spend the night in an area where Chimeras appear frequently, so how about we return to the slightly safer middle area and rest there?¡±

    ¡°Agreed, our pace is extremely fast already. We don¡¯t need to fret.¡±

    Shin proposed to rest in the middle area, where the miasma¡¯s influence was smaller; Munechika was the first to agree followed by everyone else.

    The area that wasn¡¯t subject to visible effects of the miasma was the upper one, but going all the way back there would consume too much time, so they decided to take a brief rest, with someone standing guard.

    Even if physical abilities increase through level up, the mental side is different. Going without rest for extended periods of time would decrease concentration.

    ¡°I¡¯ll activate ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ just in case, so I think we will be alright. If anything happens, wake me up.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Take a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Unless something extraordinary happens, Shibaid and I can take care of anything in seconds.¡±

    The shifts would be 2 hours long, with the first one being Shibaid and Filma. The next would be Shin and Schnee, then thest Munechika and Tiera.

    Shinid out some simple tents within the barrier skill¡¯s area, where they would rest.

    Munechika, being a weapon, did not particrly need to rest, but said she would contact Kagutsuchi during her rest time.

    It happened 4 hours after the rest time started, during Munechika and Tiera¡¯s shift.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, there is something I would like to ask you, if that is alright with you.¡±

    ¡°Me? Ehm, what is it?¡±

    Munechika talked to Tiera after making sure that Shin and the others were sleeping.

    Tiera had not the slightest clue about what Munechika would want to ask her, so she could only tilt her head with curiosity.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, you are not just a normal Elf, are you?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Tiera found herself unable to answer Munechika¡¯s question, as her body stiffened. Her reaction clearly showed that she felt those words could be true.

    ¡°From you, I feel energies different than your partner¡¯s, the Gruefago Kagerou. One of those is something I know well, something close to the power of the Ley lines. I would assume that you are some sort of priestess? One with very high ability too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Tiera remained silent to Munechika¡¯s questions. What that silence meant was assent.

    ¡°To avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I do not mean to interrogate you. I simply wanted to tell you that those like me, familiar with the power of the Ley lines, could detect that in you, that is all.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right. You asked when we were alone so that Shin and the others wouldn¡¯t hear, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct. All I know about priestesses is what I heard from Kagutsuchi. But I understand that priestesses are worthy of admiration and respect, as I know that their existence is kept hidden.¡±

    ¡°¡­..thank you very much. Outside my family, only master knows that I am a priestess.¡±

    Tiera answered in a feeble voice, holding Kagerou -now in wolf cub mode- in her arms. In answer to his worried cries, Tiera caressed him gently.

    ¡°Well, I suppose you have your reasons and circumstances. For a priestess to leave the ce where she should be and participate in battle is unthinkable, after all.¡±

    ¡°I do possess the abilities of a priestess, but strictly speaking am not one anymore. Even using the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ Shin gave me to see my status, the Priestess job is not disyed anymore.¡±

    Tiera spoke with a mixture of sadness and loneliness in her voice.

    ¡°Besides, someone else took my ce. In the vige, they probably think I¡¯m already dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see. I apologize for making you recall such painful things.¡±

    ¡°No, I also thought I should say it. But I can¡¯t juste out with it¡­¡±

    Tiera herself thought that Shin and the others probably thought something was off with her. Her high growth at level up, skill acquisition, absorption of the Ley lines¡¯ energy, the miasma-purifying effect attached to her arrows.

    More than anything else, the fact that she controlled a Divine Beast, a creature which would coborate with people, but never form a contract with them.

    Someone legendary like Shin was an exception, but Tiera thought that she didn¡¯t possess much power herself.

    Kagerou said he wanted to repay her for the kindness received in his younger days, but Tiera felt that there was something else to it.

    ¡°I will keep what we talked about tonight within my heart. I understand it is not my ce to say, but please do not torment yourself too much.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡±

    After Tiera¡¯s words of gratitude, silence filled the surroundings. They exchanged small talk every now and then, until their shift ended too.

 Book 9: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    The next morning, when all members awoke they ate a small meal and resumed their exploration of the dungeon. Since they already knew the route, they quickly arrived at the point they had stopped at the previous day.

    Maybe because they had in all monsters they encountered the day before, they did not find many this time.

    ¡°Good, we¡¯re going to finish this today.¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement to Shin¡¯s words.

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, the same skill he had used during the exploration of the Summit Faction¡¯s base, gradually filled the unexplored areas of the map. The skill¡¯s range was reduced because of the miasma¡¯s effects, but its waves of magical power did their job effectively.

    The group proceeded while making sure that the map was being updated. Naturally, the Invader-type monsters roaming the dungeon would sometimes attack.

    They were, however, struck down by Shin, Schnee, and Tiera¡¯s magic and finished off by Filma, Shibaid, and Munechika¡¯s attacks. Before this simple but overwhelming power, they were all crushed with barely any chance to resist.

    As their opponents were often close to level 600, Tiera¡¯s level increased in an interesting way today too.

    ¡°To think that I¡¯d reach level 200¡­I¡¯m starting to feel sorry towards the people that level up seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Yes, this looks a bit like power leveling, but you¡¯re not leeching off us by any means, so I don¡¯t think you should worry about it. You¡¯re damaging the Chimeras without a doubt too, I mean you even felled one in a single blow just now. This might sound weird, but this is a good hunting area for you, Tiera.¡±

    As Shin said, Tiera¡¯s arrows were extremely effective against miasma-tainted monsters. The damage was considerable too, but also the fact that Invader-type monsters were paralyzed after Tiera¡¯s arrows struck them, dulling their movements.

    Against Chimeras and their unpredictable movements, Tiera¡¯s arrows were incredibly useful.

    Even Shibaid, who had not spoken much since they entered dungeon, mentioned how she was a true asset to their fighting capabilities.

    ¡°As Shin said, we are having an easier time thanks tody Tiera. There is nothing you need to be concerned about.¡±

    ¡°Er, thank you, very much.¡±

    As they descended further through the dungeon¡¯s lower area, the space became gradually narrower.

    ¡°Looks like Yasutsuna will be in the lower area¡¯s boss room, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. As we said before leaving, we also think that the possibility of Yasutsuna being in the deepest part of the dungeon is high. Even now that we are in the lower area, I feel its presenceing from below. I do think that prediction is correct.¡±

    Munechika agreed with Shin¡¯s thoughts as they walked through a corridor.

    The ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± were structured like a reverse pyramid: the lowest floor consisted of just the boss¡¯ chamber.

    Yasutsuna was far stronger than the dungeon¡¯s boss, so it would not be strange for it to be in ce of the boss.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like the miasma is growing thicker? I¡¯m starting to feel kind of sick.¡±

    On their way down, only Tiera seemed to perceive a change in the miasma in the atmosphere.

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any particr difference. But Tiera is sensitive to miasma, better use some countermeasure. Materialize this card from the ones I gave you.¡±

    During their exploration of the Summit Faction base too, Tiera had shown to be sensitive to things difficult to determine and identify, such as miasma and the voices of the dead.

    Considering this, Shin pulled out a card from the item box and showed it to Tiera.

    ¡°Schnee and everyone else as well, please materialize one of these and swallow it. I don¡¯t know if it will affect you Munechika, but try just in case. This allows you to act even within thick miasma for one hour. We don¡¯t know what awaits us down here, so let¡¯s take it regrly.¡±

    What was materialized was a round white pill less than 1 cemel in size.

    Named ¡±Miracle Drug of Holy Skies¡±, it was an essential item when exploring areas infected with miasma for an extended time.

    Swallowing the pill prevents miasma-caused status ailments for 1 hour. Depending on its usage, it could also serve as a means of attack.

    Shin had prepared it for added safety when he heard that the miasma was powerful enough to swallow even an Ancient-grade weapon.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible, I feel better already. Is this what you were throwing at the Chimeras?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. In case of emergency, just throw one of these at the enemy. If it¡¯s an Invader-type, this pill alone can cause serious damage.¡±

    Shin had prioritized making arge quantity of them, so he did not have time to test their effectiveness before: that¡¯s why he tested them directly on Invader-type monsters.

    Shin had a natural high resistance to miasma, so swallowing the Miracle Drug of Holy Skies wouldn¡¯t change his condition much. But he confirmed with Schnee that the pill was effective, so he told Tiera to swallow it right away.

    ¡°This too is effective even on me. Asdy Tiera said, incredible indeed.¡±

    Munechika was even more surprised than Tiera. Her true form was a weapon, but she was subjected to the effects of miasma like any other person.

    Swallowing the pill, however, allowed her to suppress such symptoms, just like the other members of the group.

    ¡°It is truly helpful to be able to fight without worrying about miasma after all.¡±

    Munechika thought that depending on the situation she might not have been able to assist them in fighting, so she was relieved.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for it to affect you too, Munechika. Oh, looks like we reached our destination.¡±

    Normally, Shin¡¯s group would find stairs leading to the lower floor at this point.

    The corridor they were following though, led to a giant door decorated with a painting of arge bird-type monster, probably Kagutsuchi.

    Two candle stands were erected at the sides of the door: they had surely been burning for a long time, but ck mes still danced on them.

    Large gates were always found before boss chambers, like a sort ofndmark. In game terms, it was a way to show that a powerful enemy awaited.

    In the current real world though, it intimidated and pressured any visitors. It silently warned them that they needed to be prepared to die if they wanted to go past it.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯m opening it.¡±

    After making sure that everyone else nodded in response, Shin pushed the doors.

    The thick door had some resistance at first, but after moving it a little it naturally openedpletely. The scenery inside, apanied by the doors¡¯ metallic creaking sounds, slowly showed itself to the eyes of Shin and his group.

    ¡°What an impressive wee.¡±

    Before he activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Shin noticed several shadows.

    A pack of Ogres, all with bodies mostly painted ck. Their appearances showed that they were not regr Ogres, but a mix of different species, such as High Ogres and Warrior Ogres.

    Behind all the Ogres stood a unitpletely different from the rest.

    The first thing that came to Shin¡¯s mind after seeing it was ck Oni.

    It was twice the size of the other Ogres. Its torso was naked and adorned with powerful muscles which were like an armor protecting the monster.

    Its body was fully tainted ck with miasma: only its eyes shone bright red.

    From the forehead of a face which could be described with the word Oni, the demon of Japanese folklore fame, sprouted a pair of horns.

    The lower half of its body was covered by a yellow and ck striped cloth.

    The beast¡¯s single piece of clothing, reaching until its ankles, was ragged and ripped, maybe because of the miasma.

    ¡°¡­.Shin, it¡¯s holding Yasutsuna in its right hand.¡±

    Munechika spoke while keeping her feelings suppressed, looking at the katana the monster was wielding in its right hand, swirling with a ck aura.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes opened wide one instant, then his look became even sharper.

    The katana¡¯s de was severely damaged, even cracked in parts. Rust could be seen in the joint between the de and the hilt, its decorations-which surely were a work of art-discolored and indistinguishable anymore.

    Its state was so horrible that one wouldn¡¯t even wonder if it still cuts or not. Could it even be called a weapon now?

    It was as good as dead as a katana. Its Ancient grade was the only thing that kept it from breakingpletely.

    ¡°What is that¡­.!? What the hell is that!?¡±

    Deep, menacing words, very different from the usual, came out of Shin¡¯s mouth. He felt clearly what Munechika was feeling, as one of the Supreme des herself.

    The hand holding Munechika¡¯s sword was slightly trembling.

    Seeing herpanion being treated that way would undoubtedly rouse her anger.

    ¡ª¡ª ¡°Ogre Invader ¨C Level 723¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed the ¡°Invader¡± word. Shin wasn¡¯t really concerned with it until now, but this time it really grated his nerves.

    Maybe it was because Shin knew that the katana had a consciousness, or maybe because of his contact with Munechika and the others. Shin himself was surprised at how much the sight of the ravaged ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» made him furious.

    In the current world, It was the first time for Shin to see a weapon corrupted by miasma at this point.

    He couldn¡¯t exin why, however, the scenery before his eyes disgusted him so much.

    As Shin¡¯s party entered the room, the doors behind them closed. But neither Shin nor Munechika, nor anyone else, cared about something like that.

    ¡°I will kill the Ogre without breaking ¡ºYasutsuna¡». I¡¯ve been in the rear guard until now, but I¡¯m going forward this time.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I find that repugnant as well.¡±

    ¡°Definitely, it¡¯s just disgusting.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma replied to Shin¡¯s announcement, spoken in an unusual tone of voice because of his anger.

    Munechika, Tiera, and Schnee did not speak, but all shared the same sentiment.

    ¡°¡­.I am thankful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. As a cksmith, I cannot allow something like that. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt so disgusted.¡±

    As if corresponding to Shin¡¯s thoughts, the de of the katana he was wielding, ¡ºMoonless¡», emitted a dull glow.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take care of the other Ogres. Shin,dy Munechika, the boss is yours.¡±

    Schnee told Shin and Munechika to go forward.

    If it was just about defeating the boss, Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, anyone of them would have sufficed. Tiera too, with Kagerou¡¯s support, would have been able to damage it.

    But that was not the most important part.

    Defeating it was just a prerequisite. More importantly, facing that boss here and now was something Shin and Munechika had to do, as a cksmith and as a sword, or so judged Schnee.

    ¡°Help it as soon as you can.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!! Let¡¯s go, Munechika!¡±

    ¡°Yes! You shall taste the de of Mikazuki Munechika!¡±

    Shin and Munechika kicked the ground to jump high in the air towards the boss, which was standing idly behind the monsters¡¯ group.

    They ignored the pack of Ogres in the middle of the room and attacked the boss right away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the state the weapon is in. Even if the boss attacks with it, don¡¯t sh with it too hard!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    The very moment theynded, Shin attacked the monster¡¯s upper body, Munechika the lower body.

    A simultaneous strikeing from both right and left.

    An average Ogre would have been sliced in three without even being able to react, but this Ogre was the secret dungeon¡¯s boss.

    The boss naturally reacted, parried Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡»with Yasutsuna while retreating, then dodged Munechika¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» by raising its legs in the air.

    Parrying Shin¡¯s blow in that state, however, was not a good idea.

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡» was pushed back, knocking the monster off bnce, easy prey for ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡»¡¯s following attack.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    The de, aimed at the monster¡¯s legs, changed direction in a sharp angle and cut through the Ogre¡¯s left arm.

    The boss¡¯ left hand had been cut off, forcing it to retreat further while screaming in pain. Its right hand, though, still gripped ¡ºYasutsuna¡» firmly.

    Even if it was an Ancient-grade weapon, Shin didn¡¯t know how much durability remained in it. Because of this, when the boss took a stance to parry with ¡ºYasutsuna¡» Shin held back on his attack.

    He had not inflicted great damage, but instead noticed something.

    ¡°This response¡­it still has some durability left.¡±

    Maybe because of his cksmith skills, Shin understood indirectly that ¡ºYasutsuna¡» retained more durability than what its appearance suggested.

    While its appearance made it seem like less than 10% remained, actually the katana still retained at least 30% of its durability.

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s still at around 30%. At the very least, it won¡¯t break after just parrying an attack. If it¡¯s necessary, we can cross swords with it without worrying.¡±

    ¡°It is a relief to hear that. But attacks from an enemy of this level will not hit, and I have no intention of spending time on fighting it.¡±

    After understanding that ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s durability, their greatest concern, was not at risk, Shin and Munechika¡¯s movements improved.

    Even if they defeated the boss, but ¡ºYasutsuna¡» broke, they didn¡¯t know if they could fix it. They could not be cautious enough.

    But things were different if the katana¡¯s durability was not in danger.

    The Ogre Invader became much more vignt towards the two as it distanced itself from them. Was it because it felt that Shin and Munechika¡¯s hesitation had disappeared?

    ¡°Too slow!¡±

    Shin and Munechika spoke at the same time.

    Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, the two warriors stepped right next to the boss in a sh.

    Even if powered up by miasma, for Shin and Munechika, the Ogre Invader was a clearly inferior opponent. Without any reason to hesitate to attack, they would never struggle against it.

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Shin¡¯s de struck the monster¡¯s left arm and leg¡­

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Munechika¡¯s sh cut through the monster¡¯s right arm; all its limbs were thus cut off and blown away.

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡», finally freed, was still in midair when Munechika safely caught it.

    ¡°We have no use for you anymore. Die already!¡±

    Its left leg cut off, the monster copsed on the ground, but Shin¡¯s de struck relentlessly.

    A white visual effect signaled the activation of a skill: three de streaks were drawn in midair.

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Continuous Flower Wheel¡¿.

    An upward sh, a downward sh, another upward sh. The first sh originally served to knock the opponent¡¯s weapon upwards, while the other two would strike directly. The boss was already off bnce even before receiving the first blow, so it had no way of dodging any of Shin¡¯s blows.

    Shin¡¯s shes cut the monster¡¯s head and torso in two.

    No matter how much its Invader transformation progressed, being cut into so many pieces prevented it from recovering or resurrecting. As its HP reached 0, the monster¡¯s body crumbled away in dust.

    ¡°The others are already finished I suppose?¡±

    Even if they were fighting the boss, Shin and Munechika were not attacked by its Ogre minions. The reason was that Schnee and the others had already done away with all of them.

    The floor of the boss¡¯ chamber was littered with the rods and great swords previously held by the Ogre monsters.

    ¡°I see you have finished too. How is Yasutsuna¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Its durability is alright at least. But it¡¯s corrupted by miasma, so I have to take a closer look before I can say if it¡¯s safe or not.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee and looked at ¡ºYasutsuna¡»in Munechika¡¯s arms. It happened the next instant.

    ¡°Kh¡­looks like it was too early to rx¡±

    ¡°!? Hey, what¡¯s going on!?¡±

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡», now held by Munechika, emitted a turbid aura. The tainted substance wrapped around Munechika¡¯s arm, as if it possessed a will of its own.

    Munechika grimaced, as if she had received damage, and ¡ºYasutsuna¡» fell from her hands.

    ¡°Ggh¡­the source of the miasma that corrupted the cave was Yasutsuna itself it seems.¡±

    After these words, Munechika fell to her knees. Even if ¡ºYasutsuna¡» was no longer in her hands, the miasma did not leave her arm.

    ¡°Wait just a second. I¡¯ll dispel it right away.¡±

    Shin took Munechika¡¯s hand and activated the skill ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿. It was a skill to purify miasma, necessary when facing Demons or visiting locations affected by miasma.

    The transparent light that appeared at the same time of the skill¡¯s activation caused the miasma enveloping Munechika¡¯s arm to vanish. Even so, Munechika¡¯splexion was as sickly as before.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°I apologize. I did not think that Yasutsuna had been so¡­¡±

    Munechika was looking at ¡ºYasutsuna¡», stabbing the ground before her. Its appearance was nothing but a katana on the verge of breaking.

    As Shin touched ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s hilt, the turbid aura that attacked Munechika appeared again. Yet as it touched upon the gauntlets equipped by Shin, it disappeared as if blown away.

    It was a secondary effect of the ¡ºHades Gauntlets¡» Shin had equipped.

    Powerful Ancient-grade equipment would not be tainted easily, even if it came into contact with miasma.

    Ancient-grade gear, especially if crafted by a high-level cksmith like Shin, could dispel miasma via simple contact if it was in perfect condition.

    That is the reason why Shin could hold ¡ºYasutsuna¡» without being affected in any way.

    ¡°As I expected, this equipment prevents it from affecting me. Then, how about this?¡±

    Shin activated ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ on the ¡ºYasutsuna¡» he was now holding. Doing so dispelled the miasma lingering in the katana¡¯s de.

    Yet as Shin deactivated the skill, miasma started creeping out of the de again.

    The only part of the katana that did not leak miasma was where Shin was holding it, as it was under the effect of Shin¡¯s ¡ºHades Gauntlets¡».

    If Shin released ¡ºYasutsuna¡», the hilt would also probably start leaking miasma.

    ¡°It won¡¯t work even if you keep casting skills? Is destroying it the only way out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Either I keep casting ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ and the miasma disappears or we have to destroy ¡ºYasutsuna¡» itself. Honestly speaking, I cannot decide.¡±

    Even under Munechika¡¯s imploring gaze, Shin did not answer with hopeful predictions or change the subject.

    Different from de and weapon analysis, miasma was a field he knew very little about. Shin had no idea about what move he could make.

    Schnee was the same: the only way she could think of was purifying the miasma.

    In the case that miasma kept appearing even if ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ was cast, they always stopped it by destroying the source of the miasma.

    ¡°Ehm, could I?¡±

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    Among the silence the group had fallen into, Tiera timidly raised her hand and spoke.

    ¡°Well, first I would like to confirm something withdy Munechika¡­this room is directly above a Ley line, correct?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Why do you¡­no, let us set that aside. Yes, we are above a Ley line, no mistake about it.¡±

    ¡°Then it might be possible. I cannot say for sure though.¡±

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    Tiera, after receiving Munechika¡¯s confirmation, moved closer to Shin and put her hand over his and ¡ºYasutsuna¡».

    ¡°In my vige, there is a method of purifying miasma handed down through the generations. Shin, please keep casting the skill, I¡¯ll try doing most of the work.¡±

    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me¡­.don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t my first time.¡±

    With a calm expression, Tiera nodded, a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

    Her eyes looked straight at Shin.

    ¡°¡­..got it. I believe in you. Munechika, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°She is trying to save one of mypanions. There is no other way.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Schnee, everyone, please stay alert of the surroundings just in case.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Schnee and the other members readied their weapons and focused on the surroundings. Miasma could sometimes give birth to demons, so they could not afford to lower their guard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start now.¡±

    Tiera whispered softly.

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s purification thus began.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª.¡±

    What Shin heard was a clear and serene melody, a chant not spelt with words, rising from Tiera¡¯s lips.

    Its echo had a mysterious charm to it, enough to make Shin almost forget that they were in the depths of a dungeon.

    As the melody started, Tiera¡¯s body started glowing. Her ck hair flowed as if blown by a breeze, brimming in a transparent light.

    The light emanating from Tiera¡¯s body affected Shin too, as she had put her hands over his. The transparent light started enveloping Shin¡¯s body as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡±

    Shin let out a small exmation. Something warm and cold at the same time, an indescribable sensation, permeated him.

    There was no change to his status, and excluding that curious sensation, nothing was happening to him.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    What changed was ¡ºYasutsuna¡». The miasma leaking from the de started squirming and writhing.

    It really looked as if it was suffering, so Shin became more alert.

    Coursing through Tiera and Shin¡¯s hands, the light came into contact with the miasma.

    It was rejected once, as if their contact caused a violent reaction, but the second time it overcame the miasma and enveloped the whole de.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cn¡ª¡ª. ¡ª¡ª¨C.¡±

    As the light and the miasma shed, the rhythm of the melody sang by Tiera was disturbed. Large sweatdrops formed on her forehead and her expression was twisted in pain.

    But even so, Tiera continued to sing the melody.

    ¡°Hm¡­.?¡±

    Shin was thinking of a way he could help Tiera.

    The suddenly, his eyesight shook violently.

    A forest.

    A human-like silhouette, copsed on the ground.

    Someone kneeling down next to it.

    Ple¡­¡­se¡­¡­¡­..! ¡­¡­¡­An¡­¡­!!!¡­¡­¡­se!! I¡¯m¡­¡­.don¡¯¡­¡­..ave¡­.me¡­¡­..one!!

    Broken images appeared before Shin¡¯s eyes, a voice of someone not present reached his ears.

    The visions that appeared before his eyes were out of focus, the silhouettes that appeared in them dark and blurry.

    The voice was disturbed by noises, all he could make out were broken pieces of words.

    Shin was still confused by what was happening when, as abruptly as they began, the visions and sounds ended.

    ¡°Ugh¡­.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Before he realized, the light had disappeared and Tiera copsed.

    Shin held her body from falling, instinctively.

    Tiera, breathing heavily, slowly stood back up, supported by Shin¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Now it, should be alright, I think.¡±

    ¡°¡­.so it looks like.¡±

    The purification seemed to have been sessful: even if Shin released ¡ºYasutsuna¡», its de did not exude miasma anymore.

    Shin looked at Schnee and the others, wondering if they had experienced the same thing he did, but their expressions did not show any confusion. Did only he and Tiera see those visions?

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s grab Yasutsuna and exit the dungeon. We can¡¯t talk at leisure here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, no objections here. Will Yasutsuna be alright?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say anything before I take a closer look. It¡¯s not broken and it doesn¡¯t look like its durability decreased, so I want to say that it¡¯s OK, but¡­I can¡¯t yet.¡±

    Munechika looked at ¡ºYasutsuna¡»with concern.

    Their objective was nheless achieved, so after making sure that there were no other sources of miasma in the boss¡¯ chambers, Shin¡¯s group exited the Depths of Hellfire.

 Book 9: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    Shin and his party left the dungeon and returned to Fuji¡¯s shrine. Mitsuyo, who had been sitting waiting for them, came running as soon she saw the group.

    ¡°That was pretty quick. Did something happen?¡±

    Maybe because she had noticed Munechika¡¯s sicklyplexion, Mitsuyo seemed to think that some ident happened.

    ¡°Something happened, that¡¯s for sure. For starters, we recovered Yasutsuna.¡±

    Shin answered somewhat awkwardly, then showed ¡ºYasutsuna¡», which had not been changed to a card. The miasma had vanished, but the katana¡¯s hilt and de were still in terrible condition.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­that¡­?¡±

    The sight of ¡ºYasutsuna¡» left Mitsuyo speechless.

    ¡°It was already in this state when we found it. The miasma has been purified, but I don¡¯t know what happened to its consciousness. Maybe Kagutsuchi could know something?¡±

    ¡°This way!¡±

    Mitsuyo grabbed Shin¡¯s hand and ran off. Transparent teardrops flowed from her eyes.

    As they moved from the dungeon portal to the crystallized Kagutsuchi¡¯s chambers, Yuzuha, who had probably detected their arrival from the sound of their footsteps, came running to meet them, baby Kagutsuchi and Tssugu in tow.

    ¡°Lord Kagutsuchi, Yasutsuna is¡­.Yasutsuna is¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo ran up to Kagutsuchi, but words wouldn¡¯t leave her throat.

    Looking at Mitsuyo¡¯s tearful expression, Kagutsuchi and Tssugu¡¯s expressions both darkened.

    ¡°Calm down, Mitsuyo. What happened?¡±

    ¡°I will exin. Please look at this first.¡±

    Shin came forward from behind Mitsuyo and showed ¡ºYasutsuna¡».

    ¡°I see, so this is how it is.¡±

    ¡°Pii¡­..¡±

    ¡°Kuu, all worn out.¡±

    They all understood right away the reason why Mitsuyo was crying.

    For Mitsuyo and Tssugu, Yasutsuna was one of their few brethren. Seeing it in such a state was more than enough cause to be emotional.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know in what state Yasutsuna¡¯s consciousness could be right now. I thought that maybe Kagutsuchi could know.¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°He says he wants you to show him the katana closely. Right, please ce it on that pedestal there.¡±

    Tssugu tranted Kagutsuchi¡¯s message. After Shin did as he was told, Kagutsuchi touched the de with its small wings.

    ¡°Piyo! ¡­..pii.¡±

    ¡°Is that really so!? No, but at least there is still hope¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Kagutsuchi was quiet for several minutes, then cried loudly. The words Tssugu spoke in reaction contained both relief and discouragement. Mitsuyo, eyes looking down to the ground, was silent.

    ¡°Yuzuha, what did it say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very, exhausted. Like this, the consciousness will, fade away. But there is still, a way.¡±

    ¡°And what is this way?¡±

    ¡°¡­..another one. With a container to transfer its consciousness to, it could be saved.¡±

    Tssugu spoke in Yuzuha¡¯s ce. The consciousness hosted within the weapon should be able to transfer itself.

    ¡°Another one? Aah, so that¡¯s wha¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Please!! Give us your ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»!!¡±

    Tssugu seemed to be uncertain about making the request or not, but Mitsuyo shouted in his ce.

    She ced her hands on the ground and lowered her head, prostrating towards Shin.

    ¡°Wait, what are you doing!? I knew that you¡¯d ask me to give it to you! I¡¯d never say no in a situation like this!¡±

    Shin spoke while urging Mitsuyo to raise her head.

    ¡°But Ancient-grade weapons are rare items that could be impossible to find anymore. A cksmith like you surely knows how much they are worth. Even so, you would give it away?¡±

    Mitsuyo was aware how much Ancient-grade weapons were worth. She thought that no samurai or cksmith would ever part ways with one.

    ¡°I know that it¡¯s precious. But honestly, right now I¡¯m using it only as a collector¡¯s item. Besides, I¡¯m someone who can reinforce ¡ºMikazuki Masamune¡», not your average cksmith¡­if I need an Ancient-grade weapon, I can just forge myself a new one. I forged this one too, you know?¡±

    Shin talked while pointing at the weapon he had at his waist. Resting in its sheath was a genuine Ancient-grade katana, ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡°If possible, let us do it right away. Please look and see if you can.¡±

    Shin put his materialized ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» on the pedestal where he had ced Yasutsuna.

    The baby Kagutsuchi already started spreading its wings.

    ¡°Pii¡­.¡±

    Kagutsuchi carefully examined the two des for several minutes, then cried softly and shook its head. Shin understood what it meant even without Mitsuyo¡¯s trantion.

    ¡°No!! But why!?¡±

    ¡°Piyo¡­¡±

    ¡°How can this be¡­¡±

    Baby Kagutsuchi said something else, and both Mitsuyo and Tssugu lowered their heads.

    ¡°What did Kagutsuchi say?¡±

    Looking at Kagutsuchi¡¯s gestures, anyone would have understood that Shin¡¯s ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» couldn¡¯t be used. The reason was still unknown though.

    ¡°This katana is filled with your magic power, so it apparently can¡¯t be used as a container. Like Munechika, its original body is separate, so the only thing possible is transferring its consciousness for a time¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. So what we would need is a ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» without anything unnecessary mixed in it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly¡­but where could we find something like that!?¡±

    Mitsuyo, unable to restrain herself, struck the pedestal. Maybe because of her power, the struck pedestal crumbled.

    Only part of the pedestal crumbled, so Yasutsuna was still safe. She had not lost control at the point of endangering it too.

    ¡°Shin, can¡¯t anything be done?¡±

    The question hade from Tiera. Shin turned towards her, to find Schnee and the others looking at Shin too.

    ¡°¡­there is one thing, that could be attempted.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, Mitsuyo let out a rather dazed reaction. All present eyes focused on Shin and his serious expression.

    Then, Shin spoke clearly.

    ¡°To forge another ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡».¡±

    ¡°You can do something like that?¡±

    Tssugu was surprised by Shin¡¯s words, but couldn¡¯t hide the skepticism in his eyes. Creating Ancient-grade weapons was truly difficult after all, that¡¯s why they were so precious and rare.

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I am notpletely confident. ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» is an event-only item, so its creation recipe doesn¡¯t exist. So I have to start from zero and do trial & error from there. But I have recipes for other Ancient-grade weapons, which I can use as reference; it should help things to a point. Moreover, excluding the fact that it¡¯s filled with my magic power, we have the real thing here. If I analyze this, I should be able to forge something simr right away.¡±

    During the time he was holding Yasutsuna, Shin had already analyzed itsposition to a degree.

    As he had perceived Yasutsuna¡¯s remaining durability just by shing against it, until now phenomena unexinable only with the words ¡°it¡¯s thanks to the skills¡± had happened, time and again.

    Shin wondered what the reason could be, but there was no point in worrying about that now.

    ¡°This is my first time, so I don¡¯t know how much time it could take. First, give me a few days for analysis and trial creation.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be of assistance to you for that, so I suppose we will wait while thinking of any ideas.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we are not weapon specialists, we wouldn¡¯t know what could be useful after all.¡±

    Shin proceeded to materialize Tsuki no Hokora right away and go to the smithy.

    Filma and the others, while looking for anything that could prove useful, stood guard at Fuji and its surroundings alongside Mitsuyo and Tssugu.

    Schnee instead set out with Tiera for some special training.

    ¡°Well then, let us start from grasping your physical abilities, improved by the recent level ups. It will be better to examine your skills, yes?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­well, m-master, I am sure I could do that by myself, there is no need for you to bother¡­¡±

    Tiera slowly backed from Schnee while saying this. The sweat forming on her forehead clearly showed her current state of mind.

    ¡°What are you saying now? There are many things that need to be ascertained. Let us start with a simple sparring match.¡±

    ¡°Eeek!! Master, wait!! Please waaaaaiiitttt¡­..¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice trailed as she was dragged away. Shin and the others silently prayed in their hearts for her safe return.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Time to start, then.¡±

    Shin was in the smithy and started with Yasutsuna¡¯s analysis.

    First he detached the de from the hilt, separating them. Then, with a small palm-sized hammer, gently struck the de. High-pitched metallic sounds rang through the smithy. After hearing the sound resounding through his ears, Shin proceeded to the next activity.

    He extracted several ingots from the item box, putting them close to ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» , one after the other. Some of the ingots sparkled when close to the katana.

    ¡°No durability recovery made me suspicious but as I thought, there really is a small ratio of Scarletite.¡±

    The sparkle of the ingots allowed Shin to know what minerals were used in the de and their approximate quantity. Finally, he ced ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» on his hands and closed his eyes.

    This series of actions, unchanged from the game era, allowed one to obtain a creation recipe.

    There were several ways to acquire a weapon recipe: the main methods were buying it, obtaining it from someone, finding it in a dungeon treasure chest, or analyzing the weapon to create it by oneself.

    Mysteriously enough, as Shin closed his eyes the weapon¡¯sposition and materials gradually appeared in his mind. In the game era, the recipe would have appeared before his eyes, so it seems that things had changed somewhat.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s still full of holes. Though understanding 60% of an Ancient-grade weapon¡¯s recipe so quickly is a sess in itself I suppose.¡±

    Analyzing a weapon can not provide aplete recipe. The recipe¡¯s holes need to be filled through trial & error.

    It¡¯s a long, grueling task, which requires the patience of repeating the same steps many times and the financial leeway of using up many items and precious minerals while looking for the correct ingredients¡¯ ratio.

    ¡°Orichalcum¡­.60%¡­no, 62% maybe? Adamantine is¡­.20%¡­.no, 30¡­change the values and¡­¡±

    Shin was throwing ingot after ingot in the furnace, mumbling to himself in the process.

    The minerals used were created in Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s generator. The ingots in the item box were permeated with Shin¡¯s magic power, so they could not be used.

    Shin kept following the recipe, filling its holes with his intuition and experience.

    Two hours after starting, he finally reached thest step beforepletion, the final stage.

    Shin materialized a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» from the item box. The gemstone, transparent yet shining with the seven colors of the rainbow, appeared in Shin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°As I thought, swords and katana need a coating treatment.¡±

    The ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» was an indispensable item when creating Ancient-grade weapons. Depending on the treatment used on it, the weapon¡¯s status changed.

    An external coating would make the weapon physical-focused, using it as core or center would make it magic-focused, if it was melted with the other ingredients the weapon would turn out bnced between both.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡» and Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» were bnced, while Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡» and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» were physical-focused.

    Shin submerged the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» in a special liquid. As he did, the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» melted within the liquid, which assumed rainbow-like colors.

    ¡°¡­.looks like it¡¯s working fine.¡±

    After saying this, Shin took thepleted de and soaked it into the liquid. The liquid¡¯s sparkle changed, as if absorbed by the de: soon after, it returned to its original color.

    After confirming that the sparkle had vanished, Shin removed the de from the liquid and wiped it with a cloth.

    As if tempered by this action, the de now shone with a dull sparkle.

    The first test creation had beenpleted.

    ¡°¡­.no good.¡±

    Shin looked at the de and let out a sigh. As to confirm his words, the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna ¨C Dull¡».

    He had followed the recipe, so it was at least recognized as a Yasutsuna. But the word ¡°Dull¡± after it negated everything else.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s to be expected for the first test to go like this¡­hmm? The door¡¯s open!¡±

    The knock at the door came with perfect timing. The door between the smithy and the residential space wasn¡¯t locked, so after Shin¡¯s words the door slowly opened.

    Then Mitsuyo came inside.

    ¡°¡­.did something happen to Yasutsuna?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, don¡¯t worry. Kagutsuchi said it wouldst for at least a month too.¡±

    Shin was relieved to hear those words. Thinking that it would be best to start working as soon as possible, he had not confirmed how much time he had.

    ¡°I see. So do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t want to bother, but¡­is work going well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at around 60% for now. I have a general idea now, so all that¡¯s left is minor adjustments. Though, that¡¯s what takes the most time.¡±

    What mineral was used, and in what quantity. Adjusting this was the mostplex part.

    Regarding the crafting process, weapons of the same type shared many simr points. It was thus much quicker than finding the correct ratio of used minerals.

    ¡°I will definitely craft it within the allotted time. So please give me a little more time.¡±

    Shin did not actually know if it was possible to re-create the same weapon in this world. Even so, he made his statement. It was to make Mitsuyo feel better and also a little for his own pride.

    ¡°¡­.okay, I won¡¯t doubt you anymore. I¡¯m going then.¡±

    Mitsuyo turned around and put a hand on the handle of the smithy¡¯s door. Her expression had no trace of the mistrust she felt at the time of their first meeting.

    Just before closing the door behind her, Mitsuyo turned around and whispered softly.

    ¡°Do¡­do your best.¡±

    The door closed as Mitsuyo¡¯s whisper trailed off.

    Shin had already turned his eyes back to test creation #1, so maybe she thought he hadn¡¯t noticed.

    The smithy, however, was not particrly noisy. The words of encouragement whispered by Mitsuyo duly reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°¡­.let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Feeling even more eager than before, Shin first melted test creation #1 in the furnace.

    The special furnace built in the Tsuki no Hokora melted the weapon, which despite being a test creation, was still an Ancient-grade one, and returned the materials used in the craft as ingots.

    Only one third of the materials used could be retrieved, but it was still better than nothing. The item box and Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s warehouse still contained a great quantity of materials, but Shin had no idea when they could re-stock them.

    Crafting test creations requiredrge quantities of materials. Repeating to himself to save as many as possible, he once again took ingots in hand, to craft the next katana.

    He finally seeded in re-creating ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» two weekster.

    ¡°I¡­I did it.¡±

    After a never-ending session of trial creations, Shin finally seeded in creating a satisfying result. He hadn¡¯t received Kagutsuchi¡¯s confirmation yet, but Shin¡¯s intuition told him that it was perfect.

    If someone unaware of the circumstances saw this silhouette,ughing holding a katana up high, they would surely think Shin was at its mental limits though.

    ¡°Ehm, are you alright¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so sleepy I could die¡­¡±

    Schnee hade to check on him, at the best time, and voiced her worry. Shin then changed fromughing eerily to wobbling, unsteady on his feet.

    Bags were clearly visible under his eyes; he had been pushing himself as much as he could.

    ¡°First, show this to Kagutsuchi. It should, work out.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I understand very well, so please rest!¡±

    Schnee epted ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», but couldn¡¯t bear watching Shin like that and urged him to rest. Maybe because of her words, or because the tension within him had eased afterpleting ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», Shin fell asleep instantly.

    ¡°Shin, you really work too hard¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee¡¯s whisper had reached Shin¡¯s ears or not.

    His head buried in Schnee¡¯s chest, who had quickly moved closer to support him, Shin was already sleeping peacefully. He had kept crafting, neglecting to eat and sleep, so he was not likely to wake up soon.

    ¡°¡­..good night.¡±

    With a small smile, Schnee stood there for a while, affectionately embracing Shin.

 Book 9: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    ¡°Hngh¡­?¡±

    Feeling the warmth of sunlight, Shin opened his eyes. He understood right away that he was in his room, inside of Tsuki no Hokora.

    As he pulled himself up, he noticed something silver next to him.

    ¡°Schnee¡­wait, why?¡±

    Seeing Schnee, sleeping while lying on the bed, fully woke up Shin.

    His memories before falling asleep were hazy. He rememberedpleting ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», but he couldn¡¯t remember what happened after. He only remembered the feeling of being buried in something soft.

    After a few minutes of racking his brain, he managed to recall having entrusted the katana to Schnee.

    ¡°What happened then?¡±

    He was concerned whether ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» could be used as a container. Shin¡¯s senses deemed it perfect, but he couldn¡¯t be sure unless Kagutsuchi confirmed it.

    As there was no other way, he decided to wake Schnee and ask her.

    ¡°Schnee, wake up, Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­.n? ¡ª¡ª!?¡±

    Schnee woke up as Shin called her name and shook her shoulders. She emitted a half-asleep mumble at first, but after noticing Shin was awake she sprang up to her feet.

    ¡°Ah, er¡­.how are you feeling!?¡±

    ¡°Just fine, so please calm down. How long was I asleep?¡±

    Staying in the smithy for a long time, Shin had lost track of time. Gradually, he wasn¡¯t able to tell if it was morning, day, evening, or night anymore.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, you have been sleeping since yesterday morning, so one full day, I¡¯d say. Kagutsuchi said that the katana you made can be used as a container. They should already be starting the transfer of consciousness.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.aaah, that was hard!¡±

    With a big sigh, Shin dropped back down on the bed.

    Thanks to Schnee telling him what he wanted to know, Shin felt as if arge weight had been removed from his shoulders. As he was now, he couldn¡¯t craft a better version of that katana.

    Focusing sopletely on cksmithing made him realize that there were parts of the cksmith skill that he hadn¡¯tpletely mastered.

    ¡°It¡¯s just time for breakfast. Will you eat too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. I¡¯m actually starving.¡±

    Shin nodded while passing a hand over his stomach.

    He hadn¡¯t noticed how empty his stomach was while crafting, but now hunger was attacking him in full force. His stomach would start growling very soon.

    Shin and Schnee moved to the living room and found Mitsuyo putting tes on the table. As her eyes met Shin¡¯s, she looked away for some reason.

    ¡°Er¡­good morning¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡ª¨Cgood morning.¡±

    After that curt greeting, Mitsuyo disappeared into the kitchen. Shin¡¯s head was full of question marks because of this reaction.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she pretty different than the usual?¡±

    ¡°Is she? To us, it doesn¡¯t look like she changed much though.¡±

    Schnee tilted her head to the side, not understanding what Shin could be referring to.

    ¡°Ah, Shin! Did you rest enough?¡±

    As Mitsuyo left the room, Tiera came into the living room from the kitchen. The tes she was carrying contained bacon and scrambled eggs.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t see Shibaid and the others, though¡ª-¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re with Kagutsuchi, to see the consciousness transfer process. Mitsuyo is helping with preparing breakfast. They should finish any moment, I think.¡±

    Shin asked while looking around the living room and Tiera replied. She then added that Yuzuha was assisting the process, so she was with them too.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry for having you do everything here, but can I go there too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if Mitsuyo helps.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take Shin there then.¡±

    Shin and Schnee headed to Fuji¡¯s shrine, as Tiera saw them off with a smile.

    After crossing several forks in the path inside the shrine, they arrived in a room roughly 20 square melrge.

    On the pedestal in the center of the roomy two ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»; the one Shin¡¯s party had recovered from the dungeon and the one he crafted.

    Baby Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha were on the pedestal too. Around the pedestal stood Filma, Shibaid, Munechika and Tssugu, silently observing the process.

    ¡°Piyo¡ª¡ª-!!!¡±

    The process seemed to be reaching its conclusion. As baby Kagutsuchi cried loudly, a faint light rose from the tattered ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡». As the small light left, the katana quickly deteriorated and turned into a lump of iron, as if the flow of time around it had suddenly elerated.

    The light slowly floated in midair and was gradually absorbed by the ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» Shin had crafted.

    ¡°Piii¡ª-yo¡ª¨C¡±

    As the light was fully absorbed by the new katana, Kagutsuchiy down, visibly exhausted. Its ball-like fluffy body was rolling back and forth on the pedestal.

    ¡°Kuu, you worked hard.¡±

    As to praise it for a job well done, Yuzuha supported Kagutsuchi¡¯s body to prevent it from rolling around. They didn¡¯t appear to be on especially good terms before, but maybe they found something inmon.

    ¡°Thus, was it a sess?¡±

    ¡°Pii¡­.¡±

    Just as Kagutsuchi cried in reply to Tssugu¡¯s question, something changed.

    The new ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» rose in midair and shining with light. As the light dissipated, a ck-haired young man in armor appeared in its ce, with ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» hanging at his waist.

    The handsome young man and his straight, proud posture exuded the atmosphere of a natural born warrior.

    ¡°Yasutsuna!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hm? Munechika and Tssugu? This is¡­hm, who are those people? What happened to lord Kagutsuchi?¡±

    The young man Yasutsuna opened his eyes after hearing Munechika¡¯s call. He seemed to be perfectly conscious. After confirming Munechika and Tssugu¡¯s presence, he cast a sharp nce in the direction of Shin¡¯s group.

    His worry about Kagutsuchi signified that his memories, up until being swallowed by miasma, were intact too.

    ¡°Calm down, Yasutsuna. These people are our saviors, they put forth their utmost efforts to save you.¡±

    While calming Yasutsuna down, Munechika exined how Shin¡¯s group explored the dungeon to retrieve him, how Shin attempted and seeded in crafting an Ancient-grade weapon to save him.

    ¡°Is that true!? I might have been ignorant of it all, but how could I act so disrespectfully to my saviors! My deepest apologies¡­!¡±

    After hearing the exnation, Yasutsuna bowed his head energetically. Maybe a symbol of his serious personality, his body was angled in a perfect 90 degrees bow.

    ¡°Lord Shin, Lady Schnee, Lady Filma, Lord Shibaid, noble divine beasts. I offer you my most heartfelt gratitude for assisting me and my fellows in this endeavor. If you were ever in need of my strength, please do not hesitate to say the word.¡±

    Yasutsuna spoke fervently, his head still bowed.

    At that same time, Tiera and Mitsuyo entered the room.

    ¡°I see everything went well, I¡¯m relieved.¡±

    ¡°¡­good grief, don¡¯t make people worry like that.¡±

    The sight of the young man she had not seen before made Tiera realize that Kagutsuchi¡¯s process had seeded. Next to her, a sullen-looking Mitsuyo let her sharp tongue loose.

    ¡°I am sorry, Mitsuyo. I am perfectly fine now. You aredy Tiera I suppose. You have my gratitude for everything you have done for us.¡±

    ¡°I am just d you are safe and sound.¡±

    Yasutsuna spoke to both neers with a smile. He had heard all the names of the members of Shin¡¯s group, so by elimination, he had guessed that the person next to Mitsuyo was Tiera.

    ¡°By the way, Munechika, I don¡¯t see Kunitsuna.¡±

    ¡°Because Kunitsuna is not here. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but you two were swallowed by miasma. We¡¯re going to go rescue Kunitsuna next.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so. That time¡­¡±

    Apparently, Yasutsuna still retained memories of that moment. He then spoke with a saddened expression.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±

    ¡°Do not fret. You have just transferred to a new body, you surely are not familiar with it yet. You have to start from mastering your new body.¡±

    Yasutsuna offered to help, but Tssugu dissuaded him. Having just transferred his consciousness, he couldn¡¯t move his body as freely as before yet. Tssugu rted Kagutsuchi¡¯s message, that he needed time to familiarize himself with it.

    ¡°Hmm, it is true that it still feels unnatural. I suppose I would weigh you down if I came with you as I am now.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m going with them next time.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s announcement was followed by Yasutsuna¡¯s dejection.

    ¡°What are you saying? The one going will be me again, obviously.¡±

    ¡°Munechika, you touched Yasutsuna when he was still tainted by the miasma and are not in your best condition, right? We know that my ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo¡» can be reinforced too, so I will go.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s question to Shin a few days before had been caused by her consideration of the possible effects of miasma.

    She knew that miasma could taint weapons, so she had been waiting outside the dungeon in case something happened to Munechika and she had to be reced.

    ¡°Kh, now you said it¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, this old man will¡­¡±

    ¡°You stay quiet, Tssugu.¡±

    ¡°My my, they can¡¯t take a joke, can they.¡±

    Tssugu¡¯s proposal was met by razor-sharp looks from the two, which gave him cold sweats. Taking a couple steps away from them, he mumbled ¡°S-So scary!¡±.

    ¡°Er¡­.Kagutsuchi seems pretty tired too, why don¡¯t we go eat for now?¡±

    Shin¡¯s proposal directed the group¡¯s eyes to Kagutsuchi, lying on the pedestal as before. They couldn¡¯t just leave it there, so they decided to continue the conversation after breakfast.

    Tiera had been a little intimidated by Munechika and Mitsuyo¡¯s aura though.

    ¡°So, which one will it be?¡±

    After breakfast, the two finished their discussion and went to see Shin. Though, looking at Munechika¡¯s regretful expression and Mitsuyo¡¯s beaming smile, already gave away the answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m going. I¡¯m sorry for my impudence, but I would like you to reinforce ¡ºOdenta¡».¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s expression turned serious as she made her request, her head low.

    Munechika was still slightly affected by the miasma, but if she transferred her consciousness to ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», Munechika would be even stronger than before; in addition, Tssugu ¨C Fuji¡¯s most powerful warrior ¨C was still present. Now that Yasutsuna was back too, Fuji would have been safe even without Mitsuyo.

    ¡°Got it. I more or less grasped how to do it thanks to Munechika, so just wait a while.¡±

    Shin did not have any objections about reinforcing ¡ºOdenta¡» either. He proceeded straight to the smithy to begin the reinforcement.

    Mitsuyo transferred her consciousness to the ¡ºOdenta¡» now in its Shinuchi form.

    Mitsuyo, enveloped by light, took human form again. She appeared to have grown a bit.

    Her hair was now tied in a ponytail, her appearance resembling a youngdy who still retained traces of childishness but was one step from bing an adult. Depending on her behavior, the impression she gave could changepletely.

    ¡°W, why¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo, however, had not grown as much as she hoped. With a hand over her chest, she seemed to be conflicted.

    Shin¡¯s ears caught the words she was mumbling to herself: ¡°It¡¯s bigger, sure¡­.it¡¯s bigger, sure, but¡­!¡±

    Maybe because of her physical growth, her armor had grown in size as well, its design changed too.

    Munechika¡¯s armor was very practical, one a general of the Japanese middle ages would wear; in contrast, Mitsuyo was something closer to the cosy one could find at a convention.

    The upper half of the body was sturdily protected, but the lower half was something akin to a skirt; her greaves guarded only her shins and knees. Her rather long socks extended just above her knees, thus charmingly showing her thighs.

    ¡°Let me say this to avoid any misunderstandings. I didn¡¯t design your appearance or design of your armor, okay?¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­I know that!! My abilities have definitely increased, I¡¯m really thankful! Thank you very very much!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help a wryugh after Mitsuyo¡¯s somewhat desperate words of gratitude. He then left the smithy and headed to Tsuki no Hokora, trying to calm Mitsuyo down as they went to join Schnee and the others.

    ¡°Hmm, I see everything went well.¡±

    ¡°I see, Mitsuyo changed just like Munechika did.¡±

    Tssugu and Yasutsunamented on the sight of the grown Mitsuyo. The preparations seemed to be alreadyplete.

    ¡°I suppose you expected something different, did you Mitsuyo? I have to say, your armor¡¯s shape changed very much.¡±

    ¡°The childishness that bothered her seems to be gone, so I do think what you said isn¡¯t warranted, lord Tssugu. Hmm, your armor certainly became very¡­interesting.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be like this either, my legs exposed and all!!¡±

    Mitsuyo noticed that herpanions were looking at her legs and tried to hide them as much as possible by stretching the cloth.

    Her cheeks were flushed out of embarrassment.

    ¡°But is that not a good result? Even without the adult charms Munechika possesses, with that appearance you will surely attract sir Shin¡¯s att¡ªwhoops!¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s ¡ºOdenta¡»was swung before Tssugu could finish the sentence.

    ¡°Tssugu, what might you be saying, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Just a joke, dear. You look very different from before, now sir Shin surely won¡¯t think of you as a child.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry, Yasutsuna. I leave the protection of Fuji to you and Munechika.¡±

    ¡°Whoa!? M-Mitsuyo, please calm down!! I apologize, lord Shin. Could you please assist me in soothing her!?¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s face hadpletely lost all expression after Tssugu¡¯s repeated jest. Yasutsuna, who was next to her, hurriedly pleaded for Shin¡¯s assistance.

    Mitsuyo¡¯s eyes did not show the slightest hint that she was joking, so Shin grabbed her from behind to restrict her movements.

    ¡°Wait wait wait!! Don¡¯t go attacking our biggest defense here!¡±

    ¡°Kh, let me go, Shin!! I can¡¯t cut Tssugu down like this!!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t cut him down anyway!¡±

    ¡°There are things you can say and things you cannot¡­.wait, where are you touching!?¡±

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    Shin was focused on trying to calm Mitsuyo down, but his face was suddenly attacked by her cranium.

    ¡°E-even if I¡¯m wearing armor, don¡¯t just go and touch a woman¡¯s chest!!¡±

    Shin backed away in a hurry, as Mitsuyo shouted at him, her arms crossed on her chest.

    Shin didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of doing that. Touching her chest over the armor wouldn¡¯t have made him feel the slightest sensation, as he almost wanted to point out.

    ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know too¡­¡±

    Shin could not find any other answer to Schnee¡¯s weary question.

    After themotion was finally resolved, The group descended from Fuji, sent off by Kagutsuchi, Tssugu, Yasutsuna, and Munechika.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Once the group passed the forest and reached a roadrge enough for carriages, Shin materialized their horse carriage from the item box.

    They then headed due north, relying on Mitsuyo¡¯s detection ability.

    Yasutsuna had been found very close, in Fuji¡¯s secret dungeon. However, ording to Munechika and Mitsuyo, things were different for Kunitsuna.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The nights have been getting rather cold.¡±

    Tiera and Shin remarked at how the temperature had dropped as they headed north. Fuji¡¯s shrine, despite being on top of the mountain, was not too cold.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s simr to Tohoku or Hokkaido.¡±

    ¡°Tohhok? Hokado? What are you talking about?¡±

    Mitsuyo had heard the words mumbled by Shin, so she inquired their meaning as she was looking at the scenery. Tiera also looked towards Shin.

    ¡°They¡¯re ces in the ind country where I used to be. It gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south. It¡¯s a country simr to Hinomoto.¡±

    He would be troubled by further questions, so Shin gave a very general description of Japan. He added that he didn¡¯t know exactly where it was, to sway the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Hinomoto gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south, yes. I just heard though, I¡¯ve never seen it with my own eyes.¡±

    Mitsuyo told how most things she knew came from Kagutsuchi¡¯s knowledge. Being bound to a specific area meant that she couldn¡¯t travel freely.

    ¡°I want to see that snow you talked about too. By the way, master¡¯s false name is Yuki, a word for snow, right? Is there some connection?¡±

    As if she had suddenly recalled something, Tiera asked her question.

    ¡°The name Schneees from a word that means ¡°snow¡± too. I¡¯m not sure of the exact origin though.*¡±

    Shin had not exined to Tiera in detail about support characters, so he answered as if he had heard it from Schnee.

    As he answered, Shin noticed how Schnee, who was sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat, reacted through her ears perking up every now and then. He and Tiera were inside the carriage, so their voices would surely reach Schnee¡¯s ears.

    Noticing Schnee¡¯s reactions sparked a me of trickery in Shin¡¯s heart.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why master often uses ice magic?¡±

    ¡°She started by training in water magic, which is connected to ice, and lightning magic, after all. Raizar alsoes from a word meaning ¡°thunder¡± it seems. I know it¡¯s weird for me to say it, but isn¡¯t it a beautiful name? I think it matches the color of her hair and eyes.¡±

    Shin nced towards Schnee as he answered Tiera¡¯s question. Her ears had stopped moving, but in exchange had turned bright red all the way to the tips.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I think it¡¯s wonderful to have a name with such meaning.¡±

    Tiera was facing towards Shin, so she hadn¡¯t noticed the change in Schnee¡¯s condition; while slightly puzzled at the grin on his face, she agreed with him.

    ¡°Hmph¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    The other party members showed different reactions to the scene.

    Expressing frustration after understanding what Shin was looking at was Mitsuyo, her consciousness transferred into the newly crafted ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡». Her expression clearly showed how she found the situation quite unpleasant.

    In contrast, Filma was thoroughly enjoying it all.

    She was sitting next to Schnee and fully understood Shin¡¯s intentions; after he finished talking, she gave him a thumbs up, making sure only he could see it.

    Shibaid was watching the whole scene with a somewhat jaded expression: finally Yuzuha, her ears pointed at themotion, was curled into a ball on Shin¡¯sp.

    (T/N: When Shin exins about the origin of Schnee¡¯s name, in Japanese he actually says ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you exactly read it, originally it¡¯s ¡°Schnii¡± or ¡°Schnee¡±, implying that Schnee¡¯s actual name is a deformation of the German word, not exactly the word ¡°Schnee¡± itself. It would beplicated if not impossible to exin it properly in English, especially since Schnee¡¯s name has been tranted like this, so I cut Shin¡¯s line short.)

 Book 9: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s s-so cold¡­¡±

    ¡°Put this on.¡±

    Shin took out a fur-lined coat and gave it to the shivering Tiera. On the other side, Yuzuha cuddled closer to her to warm her up.

    Thanks to Kagerou¡¯s limitless energy, the horse carriage kept running onward, at a speed surpassing even that of a car. Because of this, they had already traveled a considerable distance.

    ording to Mitsuyo, they had already covered half of the distance from Fuji to Kunitsuna¡¯s location.

    As they proceeded northward, they began to see traces of snow two days after leaving Fuji. Now, a silvery white world spread all around them and the scenery around the carriage became visibly different three days after their departure.

    They couldn¡¯t even see the bare ground because of the snow, but Kagerou had no trouble proceeding.

    ¡°To think that we had to turn the carriage into a sled¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like our destination will be covered in snow.¡±

    Shin had moved to the coachman¡¯s seat and exchanged words with Schnee. Both were wearing heavy, furry coats and thick trousers. They also wore gloves and anti-freezing boots, making them well-equipped for the cold from head to toe.

    No matter how resistant the body was to the cold, even if it didn¡¯t hinder movement, the feeling of being cold would remain.

    Schnee imed to be perfectly alright in her normal clothing, but the other party members protested that just looking at her made them cold, so she wore thicker clothing too.

    Furthermore, to ride through snowyndscapes without any countermeasures for the cold would make them look unusual in any strangers¡¯ eyes; especially Filma with her high ratio of exposed skin.

    The inside of the carriage had been remodeled and was warmer than outside, but because of the materials used it still felt chilling. For these reasons Tiera, Filma, and the others wore warmer clothing too.

    On the other hand Shibaid, who equipped a low-quality full body armor to hide his identity, simply wore a coat over it.

    Mitsuyo, being a weapon, said she would not need anything, but Shin and the others forced her to change her attire and wear a coat. A kimono and winter coats would be an absolute mismatch.

    ¡°Oh, a pack of Snow Fangs¡­just ran off.¡±

    A group of white wolf-type monsters appeared in Shin¡¯s detection range, but ran off scared of Kagerou¡¯s presence. Their course until now had been a continuous series of such events, as Shin¡¯s party proceeded straight ahead towards their destination, without the smallest skirmish.

    ¡°Mitsuyo, is this the correct direction?¡±

    ¡°Yes, straight ahead. Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Looks like we need to pass through a forest. Everyone, we¡¯re getting off for a while.¡±

    The carriage stopped just before the forested area and the party started walking.

    Because of the heavy snow, the party proceeded at a rtively slow pace. From the depths of the forest, from inside the snow, monster eyes were fixated on them. They seemed to understand that they would be no match for the group: after a short nce, they all quickly left.

    Among them, certain presences kept following them at a distance.

    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re maintaining a circle surrounding us. Their presence suppression and coordinated movements are far too good for mere robbers.¡±

    Shin and Schnee, while continuing to walk on, verified the numbers of the group chasing after them.

    Filma, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo acted naturally, but were ready to draw their weapons at any time.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t supposed to be any viges around here, right?¡±

    Tiera, being sensitive to other people¡¯s gazes, also noticed that they were being observed. Speaking without letting her breathing be irregr, she tightened the grip on her bow.

    ¡°There might be something near our destination. Or maybe they¡¯re just a band of thieves. We¡¯ll see when we get there. If we keep going forward like this, there¡¯ll be some reaction sooner orter.¡±

    Reassured by the optimistic Shin, the party continued to walk through the pathless forest.

    Their surrounding continued for about another 15 minutes: as they arrived close to a mountain, an arrow struck the snow next to Shin¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Looks like they won¡¯t let us go any further.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, if they¡¯re thieves they will just taste our des.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hear what they have to say first. One of them is getting closer.¡±

    After trying to make the hot-blooded Mitsuyo cool down, Shin faced towards the approaching presence.

    What appeared from between the trees was a young girl, dressed in ck and red ceremonial garb, which Shin felt he had already seen before.

    She was also wearing an overcoat on her robes.

    Well-defined facial features and animal ears on her head. The young maiden¡¯s ears, colored light brown like the hair tied behind her neck, pointed straight up because of her nervousness.

    ¡°That¡¯s an ¡°¡ºImmacte Robe¡», isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s my first time meeting an Onmyoji here.¡±

    ¡°As I thought, you are not simple travellers who got lost in the forest.¡±

    The young girl wearing ck priestess clothing seemed to have heard Shin talking to himself and replied, her diffidence clearly expressed in her tone of voice.

    ¡°¡ª¡ªRindou Suzune Level 210 Onmyoji¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed the girl¡¯s information. Based on their level, she was probably the most experienced in the group surrounding them.

    ¡°We came here to find a certain katana located somewhere ahead. We have no hostile intentions towards you all. Won¡¯t you let us go?¡±

    ¡°A katana? ¡­ah!? Do you mean that your target is that? In that case, we cannot let you pass.¡±

    For reasons unknown to Shin and his party, Suzune took an enchanted charm from inside her robe and assumed a fighting stance.

    Her reaction told Shin and the group that trouble was brewing.

    ¡°A fighting stance so suddenly? That¡¯s quite aggressive of you.¡±

    ¡°I had predicted that someone woulde for Onimaru. But as long as we stand, you will not do as you please!!¡±

    Suzune¡¯s tone became more and more belligerent. Having clearly heard her say the name Onimaru, Shin realized they wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid having to deal with her.

    The surrounding circle gradually grew smaller and smaller. Figuring it was the only way, Shin talked again to Suzune.

    ¡°You, could you be from ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡±?¡±

    ¡°Do not feign ignorance. Who else would wear robes such as these!?¡±

    ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡± was the name of a guild in the game era, hence Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°I just wanted to make sure. If I was wrong, it¡¯d cause trouble. Let me ask one more thing, then: is Kuchinashi still around?¡±

    ¡°!? How do you know that name!?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s expression became even sharper because of her heightened surprise and caution.

    The name Shin had mentioned, Kuchinashi, was the name of ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildmaster. She was one of the yers who had died during the Death Game, so Shin mentioned it thinking that it might be connected to the present situation.

    Judging from Suzune¡¯s reaction, it was clear that she at least knew the name.

    ¡°For now, we will not go any further than this. In exchange¡­yes, please report that the master of ¡°Demi Eden¡± hase with his entourage.¡±

    After finishing his request, Shin took his hand off the hilt of his weapon, showing hisck of hostility. He wouldn¡¯t go as far as put the weapon away, though.

    ¡°¡­.fair enough. Ayame, you were listening, right? Go!¡±

    ¡°Should I?¡±

    ¡°I request you to, by my authority.¡±

    Following Suzune¡¯s order, one of the units surrounding the group left towards the direction Shin¡¯s party was headed in.

    ¡°Is it okay to just let her go?¡±

    ¡°The Kuchihashi I know wouldn¡¯t resort to violence. Let¡¯s just take a short rest.¡±

    ¡°¡­.if you say so, then all right.¡±

    Mitsuyo saw Shin rx his stance and sighed; she had grown tense for nothing.

    ¡°Let me make some tea, so that we don¡¯t get too cold.¡±

    Schnee proceeded to take a teapot and teacups from the item box.

    Suzune was surprised to see that, but Schnee paid no mind to her and went on to create an oven with earth magic, then lit a fire to boil water.

    Shin took out a table and chairs and the whole party sat at leisure. Only Tiera was still a little tense.

    ¡°What is wrong with you people¡­¡±

    Suzune looked absolutely perplexed at the group¡¯s nonchnce, despite the fact that weapons were still pointed at them.

    ¡°I said that we have no intention of fighting, didn¡¯t I? Do you guys want a cup too? I bet the cold is chilling you too.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Who would ever ept that offer!?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s retort was almost a roar; she probably thought they were making fun of her.

    After about 30 minutes of waiting, the girl called Ayame returned.

    ¡°¡­.Really? Understood. Thank you.¡±

    Ayame rted her report without letting Shin and the others hear. Suzune thanked her and let her go back to her post.

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi will see you. Come with me.¡±

    Her dissatisfaction clearly visible on her face, Suzune turned her back to Shin¡®s group and ran off.

    ¡°Looks like she¡¯ll be our guide, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean thatdy Kuchinashi crossed ¡°over here¡± too?¡±

    ¡°Judging from their reaction, looks like she did. Kuchinashi is a high elf like you, Schnee, so even if she arrived here 100 years ago, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to still be alive.¡±

    Shin and the others talked between themselves while following Suzune. She was clearly used to traveling through the forest, as she chose the easiest courses to proceed on.

    As they emerged from the forest, the scenery changedpletely.

    ¡°What is¡­.this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Looks like the guildhouse never changed.¡±

    Shin reacted inly to Tiera¡¯s utter surprise at the view before them..

    What surprised Tiera so much was that, signaled by a Torii gate, there seemed to be an invisible wall, beyond which the scenery changedpletely.

    There was not a single trace of snow in the area beyond the Torii, which instead showed an idyllic spring-like scenery.

    Production facilities could be seen such as fields and rice paddies, then buildings reminiscent of smithies too. Thanks to it being located at a slightly higher altitude, Shin and the group could see a shrine¡¯s main building and prayer hall in the distance.

    ¡°Mitsuyo, what¡¯s Kunitsuna¡¯s direction?¡±

    ¡°Straight this way. Beyond therge building over there.¡±

    Mitsuyo replied while pointing towards the shrine. Shin thought at first that the presence of the guildhouse in the direction they were heading could have been a coincidence, but now changed his mind.

    At the very least, Suzune must have known something.

    ¡°I see the entrance is still the Torii.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re also dressed the same as before.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma casuallymented after seeing the guildhouse. All of Shin¡¯s support characters, Schnee included, knew the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse from the game era.

    ¡°Kuu, shrine, good.¡±

    Yuzuha, whose territory once hosted a shrine, seemed happy at the sight.

    As the group followed Suzune through the gate, the stinging cold instantly turned mellower. The winter wear worn by Shin and the group was excessive now, so they all took off their heavy coats and other gear, returning to lighter attires.

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi awaits here. Be sure to show proper respect.¡±

    Suzune had led them to the shrine¡¯s prayer hall, as Shin thought she would.

    Only its external appearance was that of a prayer hall, though: the interior waspletely different. Being a guildhouse, it contained several facilities such as warehouses, and of course traps to hinder monsters and enemy attacks.

    Even under many pairs of watchful eyes, Shin did not miss this opportunity to map the interior of the building.

    After turning several corners, following a maze-like course, they arrived in the room farthest from the entrance, the guildmaster¡¯s quarters.

    Suzune spoke to the priestess in charge of security, and after a few seconds of silence the door opened.

    The room, decorated with Japanese-style ornaments and objects, was immersed in silence. The footsteps and rustling of clothes Shin and the party caused echoed louder than normal.

    The room¡¯s owner was sitting at a small table, apparently engaged in battle against paperwork.

    ¡°Wee. I thought it was someone pretending to be you at first, but I see we have the real Shin here. I¡¯m d to see that your support friends are well too. Two of them I¡¯m not familiar with though.¡±

    So spoke the woman as she wrapped up the paperwork: Kuchinashi, former yer and guildmaster of ck Priestess Shrine.

    Her waist-length red hair gently waved as she stood up. Eyes ck like the night, resembling obsidian gemstones, looked straight at Shin from behind under-frame sses.

    Looking at her, Shin thought that while she was originally pale-skinned, herplexion was somewhat sickly.

    ¡ª¡ª¨CKuchinashi Level 255 Purification Priestess

    The information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was just as Shin remembered.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I did not think I would have the chance of meeting you again. Did you lose some weight?¡±

    ¡°I believe that¡¯s where you ask ¡°Aren¡¯t you more beautiful than before?¡±, instead.¡±

    Kuchinashi raised her eyebrows and rebuked Shin. Her expression showed that she hadn¡¯t expected Shin to notice.

    ¡°Anyway, I know it¡¯s strange for me to say this, but was it alright to let us inside? I think that you know me from when I was in a rather dangerous state¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­concerning when Ist saw you. But I knew that deep inside you, there was no hate.¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s judgment had been caused by her seeing Shin before and after the change.

    ¡°Even if you were an impostor, if you meant to harm me within the guildhouse, you¡¯d need to at least be on par with Schnee, as far as fighting prowess goes. In the current world, it¡¯s pretty impossible for many people of that level to be in the same party. They would be famous in a sh too. And well, my woman¡¯s intuition told me so too.¡±

    Raising her index finger in a told-you-so gesture, Kuchinashi chuckled.

    Guildhouse masters¡¯ abilities were powered up inside their guildhouses. Kuchinashi had realized that this Shin was not an impostor thanks to the name and level disyed by her reinforced ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    Facing a fully prepared guildmaster inside their guildhouse would be very difficult without arge difference in stats.

    ¡°So, I heard that you¡¯re looking for a katana?¡±

    Shin knew Kuchinashi and what kind of person she was, so he briefly exined that one of the Five Supreme des was supposed to be in the area.

    ¡°I see¡­when I saw the name of the ponytail girl I had a hunch, but in this case, I¡¯ll tell you what I know. In short, we know where it is. But some time ago we made a series of mistakes and¡­were now undecided about what to do. Now that you¡¯re here, though, we should be able to solve this.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to us. By the way, the girl that guided us here seemed to know about Onimaru too.¡±

    Suzune had mentioned Onimaru¡¯s name, showing great hostility towards Shin. Maybe she was connected somehow.

    ¡°Suzune, right. OK, I¡¯ll exin about her too, so will you stay and listen?¡±

    Kuchinashi motioned to Shin and the others to sit down and ordered the priestess outside to bring something to drink.

    After the priestess brought tea with sweets and left, Kuchinashi started talking.

    ¡°First, we confirmed the presence of ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡», one of the Five Supreme des, around 5 years ago. It was in the depths of ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, a dungeon that appeared close to our guild house. It¡¯s a dungeon with an entrant limit, only 4 people are allowed inside at the same time.¡±

    In the game era too, dungeons that could be explored only by obeying specific conditions (limits on party members, weapons, etc) existed. The dungeon where Onimaru was located appeared to be of this type.

    Kuchinashi continued by saying that when the ck Priestess Shrine members explored the dungeon, they didn¡¯t know about Onimaru¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Shin, do you know the word ¡°Chosen One¡±?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it refers to whoever has a resurrection bonus, right? The stats change from person to person though.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. The members who explored the dungeon that time were all Chosen Ones. The War Priestess Kotone, especially, had STR and DEX over 700. It was supposed to be a party of considerable fighting power, and yet¡­¡±

    Despite this, only one member returned alive.

    ording to the survivor, although they suffered casualties they managed to defeat the boss that wielded Onimaru, but the boss¡¯ corpse released a ck mist-like substance, which swallowed both Onimaru and Kotone.

    ¡°After that, I chose other members and had them inspect the boss room again; they reported seeing Kotone, Onimaru in hand, standing in the middle of the room. It looks like she has been made part of the dungeon and acts as its boss now. When they tried to talk to her, they were attacked.¡±

    Kuchinashi had ordered the scouting members toe back as soon as anything happened, so they retreated right away.

    Defeating her could probably bring her back to her senses, but because of thebination of Kotone¡¯s abilities and Onimaru¡¯s stats, no one could best her.

    Kuchinashi could be considered an advanced yer, but because of therge difference in equipment, she didn¡¯t have enough confidence to step up to the challenge.

    Furthermore, there was also the possibility that what happened to Kotone could affect Kuchinashi too, so many were against the idea of the guildmaster facing Kotone in person.

    ¡°Some members tell me that they would like to try to face her, but only 3 of them could be suitable, ability-wise. Suzune, the girl who guided you here, is the most able of the three. Suzune is also Kotone¡¯s younger sister, so she trained desperately to hone her skills, in order to save her..¡±

    ¡°I see. When we were surrounded, she was the only one to show a kind of excessive reaction¡­so that was the reason.¡±

    Freeing Onimaru meant defeating Kotone. Shin¡¯s party, ignorant of her circumstances, could have dealt with Kotone thinking she was just a monster.

    Shin thought that Suzune¡¯s concern about this risk had been expressed through her reaction.

    ¡°This is all the information I can tell you. And so, there is something I would like to ask you to do, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°To recover Onimaru and save Kotone, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly, but I would also like you to bring Suzune with you. She is one of the Chosen Ones with the highest abilities here and can also use ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿, so I am sure she can prove herself useful for the rescue.¡±

    Being an Onmyoji, she could prove herself useful in various ways,manding spirits both to locate enemies and in battle. Kuchinashi reassured Shin that, at least against the monsters in the dungeon, she wouldn¡¯t be a burden.

    ¡°If possible, I would like for all 4 members to be from my group though.¡±

    Shin, obviously, then the all-purpose type Schnee, Mitsuyo from the Five Supreme des, then Tiera, who seeded in purifying Yasutsuna. These would have been the best members.

    ¡°I thought that the Supreme de counted as weapon, though.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I wonder. I don¡¯t know how that works either. If Mitsuyo is not counted as one of the 4, we can take Suzune with us. After all, someone under foreign control could wake up if a family member calls to them. Thinking about our current situation, I don¡¯t think that things like that can be disregarded.¡±

    Shin was experiencing a real world created exactly like a video game after all.

    No one can tell what might or might not happen. Thus a miracle like that was very possible.

    ¡°Let us verify if Suzune cane with you or not first then. If it¡¯s possible, we can discuss how to work togetherter.¡±

    Kuchinashi called to someone outside the room, ordering them to lead Shin¡¯s group to the dungeon.

    The priestess in charge of guiding them, Ayame, exited the guildhouse grounds via a Torii gate located opposite from the one Shin¡¯s party used to enter.

    Taking a long time just for a confirmation seemed pointless, so they started running and arrived at the dungeon in about 15 minutes.

    In the middle of the forest lied a run-down fort. Possibly to contain the effects of the miasma, the trees all around the fort were tied together with votive rope and blessed charms were attached to their trunks.

    ¡°If you enter the fort and proceed straight you will find the entrance to the dungeon.¡±

    Ayame informed the group in detail about their destination and they headed towards the entrance.

    In order to check what Mitsuyo would be ssified as, Shin, Schnee, Tiera, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo tried to enter the dungeon together.

    ¡°¡­.doesn¡¯t look like there are any problems, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it appearsdy Mitsuyo is not counted as a person.¡±

    Shibaid looked around and answered Shin¡¯s question.

    They were 5, Mitsuyo included. Yet the dungeon supposedly identified them as 4 people and 1 weapon.

    ¡°So this means that we can take Suzune with us too. Well well, let¡¯s see what happens next.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself as they traced back their steps out of the dungeon.

    The entrance to ¡°Cadaver Realm¡± remained fully open, as if inviting Shin and the party inside.

 Book 9: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    After confirming the dungeon¡¯s situation, Shin and the party quickly returned to the ck Priestess Shrine guildhouse.

    ¡°We can bring her. I¡¯d like to talk about how we¡¯re going to work together then.¡±

    Until now, Shin had been fighting with Schnee and Shibaid,panions he knew very well, and Tiera, who solely focused on rear support, so they never practiced seriously how to fight as a team.

    Munechika and Mitsuyo were originally veterans of closebat, so they found it simple to fight alongside others. Shin also knew their fighting styles well, so coordinating with them was not a problem.

    The new member, Suzune, was an Onmyouji, a rather tricky job.

    They needed to know her fighting style, what she could do and what she couldn¡¯t, before starting the exploration.

    ¡°I know. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Kuchinashi gave orders to summon Suzune, and after a few minutes a knock was heard at the door. After obtaining permission, Suzune stepped inside.

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi, if you summoned me here does it mean that I am allowed to apany them?¡±

    Suzune saw the members present in the room and understood the reason behind the summoning. Kuchinashi nodded and started talking.

    ¡°Correct. I will have you go with them. But you are forbidden from acting on your own.¡±

    ¡°I know that well, you do not need to tell me.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, what is the youngdy who tried to sneak inside just 8 days ago saying now?¡±

    Suzune answered with a grimace, but Kuchinashi¡¯s retort struck her down. She had already once done what she was being warned of.

    While listening to their conversation, Shin regretted a little to have decided so quickly.

    He understood her tendency to run ahead on her own for her sibling¡¯s sake. But to act on one¡¯s ord in a dungeon would cause trouble to all other party members.

    Thinking that he had to make that clear, Shin focused even more and prepared for the discussion.

    After doing introductions, Shin inquired about Suzune¡¯s fighting style.

    ¡°In general, I use one spirit each for attacking and defending. I can also use enchanted charms for support.¡±

    ¡°Also, she can also perform ¡°Spirit Possession¡± for a short time.¡±

    ¡°Ldy Kuchinashi!!¡±

    ¡°I understand that you¡¯d rather keep your trump card hidden, but he already knows pretty much all Onmyoji skills, dear. It¡¯s pretty much pointless to hide.¡±

    Kuchinashi put a hand on Suzune¡¯s shoulder, advising her to give up, much to the young girl¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°Eh, you aren¡¯t a samurai?¡±

    ¡°Kuchinashi is the one who told me about them though. I use a katana in closebat, but I can also use magic on par with a mage. You can count on me when the need arises.¡±

    ¡°What!? What are youdy Kuchinashi, they are Chosen Ones too?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s disbelief was very natural: what Shin had just inly stated was something next to impossible in the current world. She, however, quickly realized what it had to mean.

    ¡°Well, something like that. Schnee over there is a jack of all trades like Shin too. Mitsuyo is a closebat type, as you can see by her appearance. Tiera, you¡¯re a Hunter, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, to be precise I¡¯m a Tamer. This is my partner, Kagerou.¡±

    ¡°Growl.¡±

    As they were indoors, Kagerou came out of Tiera¡¯s shadow in wolf pup mode.

    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre though, I never heard that it was possible to tame divine beasts.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the stats¡­¡±

    ¡°Er, he¡¯s a good boy, you know? He won¡¯t get angry even if you do this.¡±

    To Kuchinashi¡¯s surprise and Suzune¡¯s caution, Tiera picked up Kagerou with her left hand and, with her right, moved its front right paw up and down.

    Thinking that she was going to y with him, Kagerou licked Tiera¡¯s cheek.

    Appearance-wise, Kagerou was just like any puppy dog.

    ¡°Your party members are outside the norm as usual, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a sufficient exnation though¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s smart and understands perfectly what we say and mean. I personally mainly support with my bow. Though, I also have some skill with short swords and hand-to-handbat.¡±

    Tiera described her abilities with humility, but as she had undergone Schnee¡¯s training, she couldn¡¯t possess just ¡°some¡± skill.

    ¡°There is onest thing I need to confirm.¡±

    ¡°What might that be?¡±

    Shin waited for the moment when the conversation ended to talk.

    In contrast to the peaceful mood, his expression was now deadly serious as he looked at Suzune.

    Suzune unconsciously took a step back and returned Shin¡¯s stern gaze when she noticed his stare.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the current boss of the dungeon is Suzune¡¯s elder sister, Kotone. I mean to save her and will move with the intention of doing so. But if it bes impossible to save her, can you swear that you will not stand in our way?¡±

    Shin did not ask Suzune if she can kill Kotone or not. He didn¡¯t want to force her to kill a family, and there was arge difference in fighting power between Kotone and Suzune.

    He thought that either he or Schnee would give her the final blow, in that case.

    Hence the question. If it turns impossible to save Kotone, do you swear that you will not attack us from behind?

    ¡°¡­.I swear. I will not stand by and watch my sister turned into a monster by the miasma.¡±

    Suzune waspletely silent for a few seconds after Shin¡¯s question, then answered, her pupils trembling slightly.

    There was still doubt in her heart. So the answer suggested, but Shin replied that he understood and closed the conversation. They would know if Suzune was truly prepared or not only when that moment came.

    There was meaning, however, behind asking such a question at that time.

    Shin couldn¡¯t know what would happen if she had to face her own sister¡¯s death. But it was important to think about it now.

    If Suzune had to face such a situation unprepared and ended up not being able to move because of indecision, her life would be in danger.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s do a sparring match on the training grounds then.¡±

    In order to change the mood, Shin spoke in an overly bright tone.

    The group headed to the facility¡¯s training grounds, led by Kuchinashi. The priestess posted before the guildmaster¡¯s quarters also came with them, as an ¡°escort¡±.

    After several practice matches, performed in order to grasp each other¡¯s prowess, the group called it a day.

    The next day, the group gathered all information they had about the dungeon and prepared rations and equipment.

    As it was possible to use the cheat-level useful ability called Item Box, the preparations wereplete in a sh.

    They used the remaining time to rest at leisure, to prepare for the exploration starting the next day.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re off. If anything happens on your end, just send a message.¡±

    ¡°Shin, please take care of Suzune.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi!?!¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just understand like that!¡±

    Suzune had somehow be a teasing target, and as such reacted to Kuchinashi and Shin¡¯s exchange.

    Mitsuyo and Tiera looked at the three, silently wondering what they were doing.

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling less nervous now, aren¡¯t you? Kuchinashi¡¯s worried too, you know.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you found me out.¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­I understand. I will be careful.¡±

    Suzune was aware that she was feeling nervous, so she looked the other way, her cheeks flushed.

    ¡°Kuu, standby, again¡­¡±

    Yuzuha muttered a lonely sigh while looking at the three.

    The guild was equipped with countermeasures against monsters and miasma, but there was no Kagutsuchi there.

    Because of that, if anything happened Yuzuha and her ability to influence Ley lines was vital.

    ¡°Sorry, Yuzuha. I¡¯m going to make it up to you when Ie back.¡±

    Shin made a promise to Yuzuha, thinking that this time brushing wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°Take care. Come back soon, kuu.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I await good news.¡±

    Sent off by Yuzuha, Kuchinashi, and the escorting priestess, Shin¡¯s group stepped inside ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, just like Fuji¡¯s ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, was a cave-like dungeon full of craggy rocks and boulders.

    The greatest difference was itsck of steam and heat waves.

    The cave¡¯s walls and ceiling were studded with bright gemstones, so lighting and sight were assured too.

    ¡°There¡¯s better visibility than I expected.¡±

    Shin and Mitsuyo acted as the group¡¯s front guard, while Suzune and Tiera were in the center and Schnee took the rear.

    Suzune activated her spirits as soon as they entered the dungeon. A doll-like spirit around 30 cemels in height floated near her shoulders, while a spirit like a wolf made of origami was next to her feet, keeping track of the surroundings.

    About 5 minutes after they entered the dungeon, Shin¡¯s detection field reported the presence of monsters.

    The cave was 6 mels wide and 5 mels tall, posing no problems for battle in a team of 4.

    The first encounter was with bat-like monsters, always present in cave dungeons.

    The monsters¡¯ name was Edge Shade.

    Its appearance was like darkness in a bat-like shape, with a glowing red core located on the forehead. Itsrge wings spread to almost 1 mel and its level was also rtively high at 422.

    The monster possessed two main methods of attack: sh-like attacks with wings or spells causing abnormal statuses,unched while flying over the yer¡¯s head.

    Its HP was rather low, but unless they were defeated through a spell with wide area of effect they could prove to be troublesome opponents.

    ¡°It¡¯s not in Invader form. I heard that the whole dungeon is heavily affected by miasma though?¡±

    ¡°It does look like a normal dungeon for now. I suppose it was a darkness-type dungeon originally. The gemstones that sometimes drop are all of the darkness type, and Edge Shades only appear in locations with strong darkness affinity.¡±

    Dungeons could have several affinities. ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, through its name and interior, was a clear example of a fire-type dungeon.

    ¡°Theck of miasma influence is intriguing, but in any case we need to defeat them to proceed. There¡¯s a lot of them too, as usual¡­I¡¯ll wipe them out myself.¡±

    There were members with low resistance to status effects in the current party, namely Suzune and Tiera, so Shin decided to eliminate the monsters with magic.

    The spell he chose was one often used against darkness-type monsters, the Light-type magic skill ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿.

    As he activated the spell, light started gathering on Shin¡¯s palms.

    After the light formed a full globe, Shin shot the light bullet towards the monsters¡¯ pack.

    The light globe aimed straight at the center of the pack, releasing a white visual effect soon after. The transparently white light spread for about 5 mels, erasing the Edge Shades in its wake.

    The light gradually grew fainter and disappeared, but its effects remained: the Edge Shades that charged in before the light disappeared were also erased.

    The light would persist for 5 seconds: Shin, who had noticed another pack of Edge Shades beyond the ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿, shot another light bullet, which took care of the new pack.

    A decent quantity of drops and treasures piled up before Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°Item drops¡­.? Wait, this didn¡¯t happen in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, right?¡±

    In dungeons, monsters disappear immediately after being defeated and drop items at a set rate.

    Shin heard that this rule remained in the current world, but asked confirmation from Schnee about it not happening in Fuji¡¯s dungeon.

    ¡°Kagutsuchi said that it was because of the miasma. I¡¯m sorry, I heard it while you were focusing on crafting, so I forgot to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Aah, I see. Well, nothing changes anyway. It doesn¡¯t really affect us now whether items drop or not.¡±

    Shin started to not really care, as he was not expecting anything from item drops.

    As their exchange ended, Suzune started talking.

    ¡°There were no drops here before either. This is just my opinion, but I think that the miasma might be concentrated where my sister is.¡±

    ¡°Miasma concentrated? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I heard from the survivor that this dungeon¡¯s original boss was a menace because of its numbers. Meaning that each unit¡¯s strength was not much. As such, I doubt it could generate miasma forever: after my sister defeated it, there was not enough miasma to taint both my sister and the dungeon at the same time.¡±

    Shin nodded in deep thought as he listened to Suzune¡¯s theory.

    Maybe for the sake of preserving the game¡¯s bnce, in ¡°THE NEW GATE¡±, in case of bossesposed of many units, each unit¡¯s strength was not very high. There were also exceptions, but they mainly consisted in the defeated units turning into a boss, not to fight both at the same time.

    ¡°My sister is a very strong Chosen One. The stronger one¡¯s will is, the harder is it for miasma to taint it. In order to keep her as a boss in ce of the defeated one, there wasn¡¯t miasma to be spared to affect the dungeon too.¡±

    ¡°I see, you might have a point. In that case, if we could get rid of the miasma somehow it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to save Kotone too, I suppose.¡±

    Shin had seen monsters changed by miasma, but had never known of them bing dungeon bosses. If there was a chance to save Kotone though, he wanted to prioritize it above anything else.

    Shin¡¯s group quickly recovered some of the treasures, then proceeded onwards.

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±¡¯s structure contained the corridor Shin¡¯s group was located in andrge hall-like clearings, about 50 mels wide. The halls were connected by a series of corridors like the one Shin and the others were exploring.

    Watched from the side, it would likely resemble an anthill.

    Everyrge hall was connected to many corridors, so choosing the wrong path would make it difficult to return to the surface.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure that you know this already, but don¡¯t use too much magic power so early, okay?¡±

    Just as Shin thought they were advancing smoothly. Suzune¡¯s reprimand came after Shin defeated a 20-strong pack of ck Hounds, wolf-like monsters, in their fifth hall after entering the dungeon.

    ¡°Er, what exactly do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I was watching you fight from behind you, but you¡¯re always using skills and never arts. You use skills even in closebat, so if you keep using spells like crazy you¡¯ll run out of magic power in no time.¡±

    Shin was lost, unable to grasp what she meant, and Suzune continued. She was worried about his pace of magic usage.

    ¡°I see. But I get back the magic power used via natural recovery, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Whaat? You¡¯re a Human, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re not a Pixie or an Elf, so if you keep using magic like that there¡¯s no way for natural recovery to catch up to your magic consumption. In dungeons, using skills against bosses or strong enemies only and dealing with weaker enemies with arts, to save MP, is the basic among basics. I thought you were using only skills on purpose during practice, but¡­this isn¡¯t your first dungeon, right?¡±

    The ratio of magic power recovered naturally depends on one¡¯s max MP.

    In terms of races, as Suzune stated Pixies and Elves recovered faster, while Dwarves and Dragnils were slower. Humans and Lords were around the middle, while Beasts changed widely depending on their species.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s alright, so please rest easy. You didn¡¯t know that when someone has high basic magic power, they also recover more? Besides, there are also skills to increase recover ratio quantity and speed.¡±

    The people Shin had met until now also used skills in rapid session, so he hadn¡¯t noticed how peculiar his usage was.

    In addition, another fundamental problem was that Shin couldn¡¯t use arts. Maybe because they were techniques unique to this world, he didn¡¯t seem to be able to learn them as he wanted.

    ¡°Just how much magical power do you have? Then, maybe your main job is actually Mage?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, my main is Samurai, sub is cksmith. I¡¯m going to take care of the small fry from now on, so you keep your magic usage to a level you can take back with natural recovery, Suzune.¡±

    ¡°I will, thank you very much. ¡ª¨Cjust for confirmation, is everyone else in your group like you?¡±

    With a sigh, Suzune stopped supplying magic power to her wolf-like spirit. The spirit changed back to its enchanted charm form, then Suzune put it back in her robe¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination. At the very least, the members here now won¡¯t do something stupid like running out of magic power, rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you say there are no problems, then fine.¡±

    Suzune looked towards Schnee after Shin dodged the question, but didn¡¯t press further.

    ¡°You two, chat time is over.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s voice called to them. A new monster wasing towards them.

    They didn¡¯t fail to notice the enemy¡¯s arrival, though, so they quickly prepared for the encounter.

    ¡°Skullface, huh. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°It looks much more mellow thanst time. Its equipment is different too.¡±

    Shin mumbled something at the sight of the monster and Schnee alsomented, with a somewhat nostalgic tone of voice.

    The time when Shin found Yuzuha and also when he reunited with Schnee, he had encountered arge quantity of Skullfaces. That was the reason why they had left a particr impression on him.

    The newly appeared monsters were Skullfaces of Jack, Queen, and King variety.

    As Schnee mentioned, normally they equipped European-style armor, long swords, kite or tower shields, but these wore gear reminiscent of Oriental warriors. Their weapons were spears, katana and nagamaki-like weapons: they also had changed following the armor¡¯s example.

    The area Shin¡¯s group had reached was directly after one of the halls and was the size of arge field. It was more than 2000 mels long, with the ceiling at about 10 mels height.

    It was a wide enough area for even the Skullface Kings¡¯ gigantic bodies to move at ease.

    Seeing the Skullfaces advance towards them in formation, as if they were in wait, made Suzune¡¯s hand unconsciously reach for the spirit charms in her pocket.

    ¡°Okay then, their equipment is a bit different than the usual; because of their current armor ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿ won¡¯t have much of an effect. Me and Mitsuyo are going to cut them down, you three give us support.¡±

    ¡°My turn, finally. I was starting to get rusty since you destroyed all monsters in a sh with your magic.¡±

    Mitsuyo unsheathed ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡», her eyes glimmering with fighting spirit.

    Until this point, they had dealt with all monsters through Shin or Schnee¡¯s magic and Tiera¡¯s arrows. Mitsuyo, while keeping alert, had just been spectating and was rather fed up with it.

    ¡°We have to let you move a bit after all. Don¡¯t go overboard, okay?¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯ll be enough to qualify for a warm-up.¡±

    Leaving her words trailing behind her, Mitsuyo instantly sped up.

    It happened the instant after she leaned forward. Only Shin and Schnee could see it; even the Chosen One Suzune could only see Mitsuyo¡¯s silhouette blur and then simply vanish.

    The Skullfaces, naturally, could not register her movements.

    Before the Skullface realized anything, Mitsuyo¡¯s sword arm blurred.

    A silver arc-like sh passed through the armor-d body of the Skullface King which happened to lead the group.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    An instant passed, and both the King and its heavy gear turned to pieces.

    Its de, taller than Mitsuyo herself, and its intricately decorated armor too were cleaved in half. The core inside had also been cut in two.

    Leaving the pieces of its armor behind, the King disappeared.

 Book 9: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Wow, so fast.¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help but voice her thoughts about Mitsuyo¡¯s impressive speed. She was simply amazed that there was someone else capable of attaining a speed on Shin and Schnee¡¯s levels.

    Munechika was fast too, but very few in the current world were capable of such movements.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a speed humans can achieve.¡±

    Suzune, who was next to Tiera, spoke her opinion too, but her voice contained more concern than awe.

    Suzune¡¯s sister, Kotone, was in possession of Onimaru. She was afraid that because of this, she would be able to move like Mitsuyo.

    Mitsuyo¡¯s current abilities were the result of Shin¡¯s reinforcement, but as Suzune did not know this, she couldn¡¯t help but look sour.

    ¡°As expected of a Supreme de. These monsters mean nothing to her.¡±

    Unaware of Suzune¡¯s feelings, Shin swung his ¡ºMoonless¡». He wasn¡¯t using his full power, but nevertheless unleashed sword slices on par with Mitsuyo¡¯s, which cut effortlessly through the Skullfaces.

    When Shin had battled a Jack-grade unique monster with a rather low-grade type of katana, he had spent considerable time on a single unit. Now that his weapon was an Ancient-grade one, even Kings could be defeated with one or two sword strokes.

    The monsters could have tried to parry with their weapons, or rely on their armor, but Shin¡¯s sword could not be stopped.

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Shin cut down a Queen as he stepped next to her, then sliced through another as he returned his de to the sheath.

    A King unleashed a sh attack from behind the Queens, caring little about hitting itspanions in the process, but Shin repelled it and even knocked away the monster¡¯s katana.

    Shin¡¯s de then pierced the monster¡¯s wide-open abdomen; its core was still disappearing when the katana moved to the next foe as if dancing.

    Thanks to the guidance received from Karin, Shin¡¯s swordsmanship had improved greatly. Because of this, the speed at which he defeated the monsters was not inferior to Mitsuyo, who had spent her life pursuing the path of the de.

    Suzune rubbed her eyes while looking at Shin, as if she had seen something incredible.

    ¡°This is weird¡­Shin¡¯s movements seem like a blur¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had been routing the monsters until now, but with the emergence of a group of Skullfaces, Suzune thought that the rear guard¡¯s turn had finallye and took a fighting stance.

    Compared to Shin¡¯s party, the Skullfaces were not high-level monsters. Suzune was wary of the additional power the ck Lacquer gear could have given to the monsters.

    As the monsters¡¯ grade increased, their gear¡¯s stats would too, as would their skill with their weapons.

    They were not monsters one could look down on as mere Undead anymore.

    The way to fight them was radically different than the beast monsters who normally appeared in the area.

    Despite all this, Mitsuyo and Shin were exterminating the Skullfaces with inhuman speed. It was a cakewalk not unlike all their previous encounters.

    The monsters¡¯ armor turned to shreds like paper. Their spears and des snapped and blew away like twigs. Levels and grades meant nothing. Ending each battle unscathed was the norm. Shin and Mitsuyo continued to bury one Skullface after another, as if they were racing to see who defeated more.

    Less than 10 minutes after the battle started, all Skullfaces had been brought down.

    ¡°Closebat battles take more time after all. I guess I¡¯ll blow them away with magic next time.¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s best, yes. They were so pathetic, I feel even less satisfied after fighting.¡±

    ¡°Ah, er, you two, that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help a wryugh as she saw Suzune looking bbergasted at Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s exchange.

    Tiera had witnessed Shin and Schnee¡¯s battle styles, so she understood well how Suzune had to be feeling.

    ¡°I finally understand the reason why Lady Kuchinashi was not worried at all¡­¡±

    Suzune let out an exhaustedment. As a Chosen One herself, she was baffled to see movements far exceeding what Chosen Ones could do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell that you can move like that too?¡±

    ¡°Master probably can, but it¡¯s impossible for me.¡±

    Tiera firmly shook her head at the thought of beingpared to them. Kagerou, the divine beast lying as always in Tiera¡¯s shadow, would be a challenging fight for Shin. Inparison to Shin, though, Tiera was like an average person.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s power is far beyond our reach. This is still far from him fighting seriously.¡±

    ¡°You mean that he¡¯s holding back¡­.?¡±

    To Schnee¡¯s answer and smile, Suzune could only react with a long sigh. At the same time, a sort of feeling of security spread in her chest.

    If people as strong as Shin and Mitsuyo were avable, it was highly likely that they could restrain Kotone even if she went on a rampage.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going. Different types of monsters will start appearing on the next floor, so be careful.¡±

    After Shin¡¯s words of warning, the party advanced through the dungeon.

    Their exploration of ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± required mapping the whole dungeon, so it took a long time, but this time they had the map provided by ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s scouts. They knew that both Onimaru and Kotone were in the deepest part of the dungeon, so as soon as they found stairs or passageways leading further down the dungeon, they took them without hesitation.

    ¡°Hm? Everybody stop!¡±

    As they were walking down a corridor, Shin suddenly told the party to stop.

    Mitsuyo had apparently predicted Shin¡¯s order, so she stopped right way. Suzune and Tiera stopped after a few moments.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°There are monsters right in front of the exit of this corridor.¡±

    Shin had detected the monsters¡¯ presence clearly. Mitsuyo simply nodded in agreement, without showing any particr reactions.

    ¡°They¡¯re not many, maybe 3 at most.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s a high chance to be ambushed. Schnee and I will take the lead this time while concealing our presence. Mitsuyo, everyone, pleaseeter.¡±

    Shin left Tiera and Suzune in Mitsuyo¡¯s care, then alongside Schnee concealed his presence with ¡¾Hiding¡¿. As they carefully proceeded through the corridor and into the following hall, 2 monsters appeared before them.

    ¡°Nues, huh. The monsters are all Japanese-style because we¡¯re in Hinomoto?¡±

    Shin recognized the monsters even before using ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    Monkey head, tiger body, a snake as a tail; that was the monster Nue. It was a dangerous opponent, known for its venomous ws and tail snake, high attack power and speed.

    ¡°The ones in front are a decoy it seems.¡±

    ¡°Perfect for an ambush, I guess.¡±

    Above the entrance connecting the corridor and the hall, hidden from view of whoever entered the hall, another Nue was lying in wait. It was a mystery how it had sensed their arrival, but it was apparently ready to stage a surprise attack on Shin¡¯s party.

    It probably nned to take out the rear guard or give them status effects via surprise attacks, probably to defend itself against its weakness, long-range attacks like magic spells.

    ¡°Schnee, please take out the one above. I¡¯ll handle the ones in front.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As per Shin¡¯s orders, Schnee ran up the hall¡¯s wall.

    Many monsters were difficult to ambush while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but Nue was not one of them.

    In addition, Schnee¡¯s main job was Kunoichi. She enjoyed added bonuses from concealment-type skills, preventing her from being noticed even by monsters with high detection abilities.

    Schnee moved behind the Nue, which was waiting immobile, its ws firmly grasping the wall. Her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» struck swiftly, without hesitation.

    The de, d in blue light, cut through the Nue¡¯s neck without dy. The monster¡¯s head fell shortly after.

    Schnee confirmed the disappearance of the monster¡¯s body and turned her eyes to Shin, in the exact moment when ¡ºMoonless¡» sliced through the other two Nue¡¯s bodies, cutting them cleanly in half.

    The Nues¡¯ monkey faces showed how they had failed to understand what just happened.

    As the two monsters disappeared, fur and fang-like items remained in their ce.

    ¡°Anyway¡­did Nues always n ambushes like this in dungeons?¡±

    Monsters never positioned themselves near the entrance of corridors or halls. It was a fact, ever since the game era.

    ¡°They were originally monsters skilled in ambushes, so I do not think it is too strange.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. I still can¡¯tpletely shake off the feeling I had in the game era.¡±

    Suzune, who only knew the current world, remarked with a slightly pungent tone that it was normal to expect attacks from any direction in dungeons.

    ¡°I have barely explored any dungeon you know.¡±

    While replying with what sounded like just an excuse, Shin wondered if he shouldn¡¯t pick a random dungeon to explore at leisure.

    There were many differences from the game era that he hadn¡¯t felt yet. Even though he had Schnee to ask for confirmation, like this time in some cases the game¡¯s experience still influenced his thoughts.

    ¡°By the way, your first dungeon was ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°That was a hidden dungeon, so it didn¡¯t have many floors and it was alsopletely corrupted by miasma. Instead, here the effects of the miasma might be strong in the deepest floor, but around here it¡¯s like a normal dungeon, so this might be my actual first time.¡±

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, however, did not possess many floors either. Shin predicted that the area still resembling a normal dungeon would be over soon.

    As if to confirm his prediction, the monsters around floor 20 and beyond stopped producing item drops.

    ¡°So the area under the effects of the miasma starts here.¡±

    ¡°The appearance is the same, but the atmosphere here does feel ominous.¡±

    Tiera looked at the surroundings, a grimace on her face. Shin also felt his skin tingling.

    ¡°I feel the same. Let¡¯s proceed with caution.¡±

    As they started noticing traces of miasma corruption on the walls and ceiling, suddenly Kagerou jumped out of Tiera¡¯s shadow and started howling loudly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what, but looks like there¡¯s something lurking ahead.¡±

    Kagerou went as far as showing himself to warn them. Shin and the party advanced with extreme caution, knowing that the possibility of danger was high.

    After around 10 minutes, Shin¡¯s nose picked up a smell he had never felt before then.

    ¡°¡­.hey, could it be that Kagerou warned us about this smell?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it. We should still be far, but it¡¯s a really foul stench.¡±

    Tiera answered Shin¡¯s question, her face again distorted in a grimace, but for different reasons than before.

    Near the stairs in front of Shin¡¯s group, which were leading to the lower floor, a terrible stench filled the air. It was different from the smell of rot, but in the same way it caused nausea and vertigo to the party.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about foul odors like this.¡±

    ¡°This is weird. I never heard anything either.¡±

    Schneemented on the situation, her eyes semi-closed in disgust. Suzune answered her, tears in her eyes.

    Shin was barely affected because of his high resistance, but it seemed that the extent of the effects varied from person to person.

    ¡°Let¡¯s retreat for now. There¡¯s not only the awful smell in the air, but also poison, I think.¡±

    Shin stopped in his tracks to talk.

    Maybe because they had only breathed a little quantity, or there was just a small quantity of poison in the air, no one had been affected by status abnormalities yet.

    ¡°Poison you say!?¡±

    Suzune covered her mouth with the sleeve of her priestess robes and stepped back.

    Even among Chosen Ones, few possessed resistances as high as Shin and Schnee. If they ended up being paralyzed, they would be at the monsters¡¯ mercy, so they were much more wary of status effects than Shin and the others.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay if we are this far. I¡¯m going to do some countermeasures now, so calm down.¡±

    After reassuring Suzune, Shin pulled out 3 cards from the item box and gave one each to Suzune, Tiera, and Mitsuyo.

    What materialized was a rhombus-shaped pendant the color of amber.

    ¡°This is ¡ºWorld Tree¡¯s Amber¡» and ¡ºGranite Ring¡», I gave them to you to increase your resistance to all status effects, but not by much. But with this you can have strong resistance against poison and paralysis.¡±

    He could have given them an item that nullified status effects, but Suzune wouldn¡¯t be able to equip it.

    Tiera was the same; if the reason was thought in game terms, it was because theycked the stats to do so.

    When Shin was in Balmel he tried the same thing with Hibineko and Shadow, but they couldn¡¯t equip it either. Shin knew more or less the extent of their status, so Shin thought that the reason had to be insufficient stats.

    Before entering ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, Shin had given Schnee an ¡ºExcelsior Ring¡» which, like his ¡ºHades Ring¡», prevented status ailments.

    A certain ¡°trouble¡± happened when he gave her the ring, but now the silver jewel, decorated in blue, hung from Schnee¡¯s neck, dancing on her chest, tied to a thin white chain.

    ¡°For some reason, the smell doesn¡¯t bother me as much either.¡±

    Saying so, Suzune slowly stepped forward. Thanks to the pendant, her expression changed from crying to only slightly grimacing.

    Afterpleting the countermeasures, the party proceeded towards the depths of the corridor.

    What they found next was a hall where several swamps of a forbidding poison-like liquid were formed. Purple smoke rose from the swamps, which was thought to be the source of the awful stench.

    ¡°Growl¡­¡±

    Kagerou, who was next to Tiera, growled faintly and submerged again in her shadow. Even if he would not be affected by status ailments thanks to the item, the foul odor must have been too much for his sensitive nose.

    He would be out again right away in case of battle, so Shin decided to proceed.

    The party proceeded by making use of the small space avable between the poison swamps.

    At the same time, they detected the presence of something within the swamps.

    ¡°There are monsters inside the swamps. They¡¯re scattered all over. Stay on your toes, just in case.¡±

    Tiera reacted.

    ¡°Yes, I bet there are. But what do you mean, just in case?¡±

    ¡°Well, situations like these are when Schnee shines. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave it to me.¡±

    Smiling in response to Shin¡¯s proud statement, Schnee stepped forward.

    ¡°I will use a magic spell with a wide area of effect, so please do not move unless necessary.¡±

    After warning Suzune and the others, who had no idea about what she was going to do, Schnee slowly raised her right hand.

    ¡°Ooh, you sure are something too.¡±

    Mitsuyomented, impressed, about the quantity of magic power that was being gathered. She didn¡¯t know about Schnee¡¯s fighting ability yet.

    Behind her, Suzune whispered her honest thoughts, her face tense.

    ¡°¡­..we have another monster here. What¡¯s up with this party, seriously?¡±

    After several seconds, Schnee lowered her right hand and a crackling sound, like breaking ss, resounded at her feet.

    Suzune looked at the ground and noticed a white mist arising from the terrain, which had changed color because of the poison swamps. From the cold sensation arising from the ground, she understood that it was chilled air.

    The crackling sound was produced by the freezing of the ground and the swamps.

    The whole hall was being enveloped in extremely cold air, with Schnee at its center.

    ¡°With this there should be no risk of being attacked from the swamps.¡±

    The freezing reached deep within the swamps, so the presences Shin had felt seemed to have been frozen too. The map still disyed them, but their hostility markers had disappeared.

    ¡°From here, we might encounter things we have no information about.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if they detected our presence and are changing the dungeon¡¯s interior because they feel in danger? We are a presence that puts their survival at risk after all, so it wouldn¡¯t be weird for them to react, I guess?¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be said that miasma possessed a will of its own, but if presences that could purify it, like Shin and Tiera, were close, it was possible that it tried to resist. Because of its corruption of Kotone, it was also possible that it acquired some degree of intellect, or so continued Mitsuyo.

    ¡°Another possibility is the presence of someone else acting as the brain.¡±

    If thick miasma was present, there was always a possibility that it had given birth to a demon.

    Shin mentioned that it was worth considering that someone could stand in their way as they tried to rescue Kotone.

    With renewed caution, the party proceeded through the hall to the floor below.

    The following hall was also riddled with poison swamps, which Schnee froze before they passed.

    ¡°Hey, we haven¡¯t encountered a single monster for a while, is this normal?¡±

    After they passed the 7th hall, Mitsuyo asked her question while looking around.

    As Mitsuyo had stated, the party had not encountered any monsters since the poison swamps. Shin¡¯s detection field did not register any monster presences either.

    ¡°No, monsters always prowl in dungeons. Even if their numbers are reduced, they start appearing from the walls, from the ceiling, even from nothing. Even if they are all exterminated, after awhile they start appearing again.¡±

    Shin answered while ncing at the walls and the ceiling.

    This was something he had already verified. Even if all the monsters in a dungeon were defeated, they would either break in through the walls, the ceiling, or even the floor, or magic power would concentrate in one point and create one. It was the same in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± too, so it had to be one of the world¡¯s rules.

    ¡°Could they be gathered somewhere?¡±

    ¡°They could have formed a train, as a trap or something. Or maybe something is attracting the monsters on purpose.¡±

    The word ¡°train¡± refers to the situation when a yer flees, drawing more and more monsters which eventually be a pack. Therge group of monsters chasing the yer is reminiscent of a train, hence the term.

    Trains were usually caused by yers¡¯ actions, but in THE NEW GATE they also happened for other reasons.

    Monsters that called upon reinforcements when receiving damage, because of traps or other causes, received damage and called for help. The summoned monsters would also receive damage from the trap and call for help themselves, increasing the numbers more and more.

    Even outside on the field, rival groups of monsters could continually call for help while fighting, thus causing a train.

    This ¡°automatic train¡± phenomenon was thought to be a bug at first, but was then found out to be intentional. In a dungeon, where escape routes are limited, it wasn¡¯t any different from a monster house.

    Monster groups prowl through the dungeon, attacking yers on sight. Even if it looked like there weren¡¯t any monsters in the surroundings, lowering one¡¯s guard would be a huge risk.

    ¡°The dungeon is changing, so both are possible. If we find a train, isn¡¯t it better to retreat for a time?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Even if we find a train, all we have to do is take them all down. Considering the level of the monsters around here, our killing speed is higher than whatever momentum they might have.¡±

    The dungeon indeedcked in escape routes, but that also meant that the directions the monsters would attack from were limited too.

    With party members like Shin and Schnee, clearly stronger than the monsters, trains were nothing more than a way to umte experience points.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to pay special attention whenever we arrive in a ce with many entrances and exits.¡±

    Halls not only had stairs leading to the lower floor, but were also connected to many big and small corridors. In halls with many corridors, there was the risk of being attacked from all directions, thus the party had to be especially careful.

    Shin¡¯s group proceeded through several more halls.

    ording to the information provided by Kuchinashi, they were supposed to be less than 3 floors away from the bottom, but even then monsters were still nowhere to be seen. There were only a few units acting on their own; even the monsters which usually appeared in groups were on their own, apparently separated from the herd.

    ¡°They¡¯re all packed together one step before thest floor, huh.¡±

    Shin stated this observation, with a tone both jaded and annoyed, on the floor above the boss¡¯ chamber. He had picked up arge number of monster responses at the edge of his perception field.

    ¡°It¡¯s really a pain if there are so many.¡±

    Mitsuyo agreed, her shoulders dropping in dejection.

    The floor where the monsters were lying in wait, being thest floor before the final one, was rather small and narrow. It was surely filled with monsters to the point of barely leaving any room to stand.

    Shin thought that it would be great if they just fought and defeated each other like that.

    ¡°This is¡­pretty incredible.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s perception field also detected the monsters, and the High Elf¡¯s brow furrowed at their numbers.

    ¡°They¡¯re way too many for a skirmish before the boss, seriously. It would take forever if we knocked them down little by little in closebat¡­Schnee and I will blow them away with arge-scale spell, you snipe any survivors Tiera. Mitsuyo, Suzune, I want you to watch our backs and be wary of any surprise attacks.¡±

    ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll have much to do, but leave it to me.¡±

    Tiera knew that dodging Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic barrage was no easy feat. She nodded as she pulled an arrow from the quiver.

    ¡°Not having many long-range attack methods is something this party has to work on, I guess. I¡¯ll take the rear this time too, but rest assured that anyone ambushing us will be cut in half.¡±

    ¡°Going overboard like that is kind of concerning too¡­but I¡¯ll make sure I fulfill my role.¡±

    Mitsuyo and Suzune also had their weapons at the ready.

    After making sure that everyone was prepared, Shin stepped into the corridor leading to the floor below.

    Maybe because of the high-density monster group awaiting them, a foul stench, a mix of blood and beastly odors, leaked from the other end of the passage.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s show them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Monsters were closing in on the group like a torrent of water breaking through a dam.

    Quick four-legged monsters led the pack, insect-types crawled on the ceiling, and flying types swooped through the space between floor and ceiling.

    Behind them, monsters such as Ogres and Nues could be spotted too.

    Towards the phenomenon that could be aptly described with the words ¡°monster wave¡±, Shin and Schnee calmly raised a hand, their palms facing the horde.

    Magic power focused on their hands through their arms, and a bluish-white globe started forming in the center point between their palms.

    ¡°¡¾White Cannon¡¿!¡±

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s voices resounded at the same time. The moment they pronounced the spell¡¯s name, the globe elerated instantly, flying towards the monsters.

    Leaving after-images as it shot forward, the white globe sped through the center of the corridor.

    The flying-type monsters probably thought they could easily dodge it, and just tilted their bodies slightly as they kept flying.

    After the globe¡¯s passage, however, even apparently untouched monsters burst into mes, instantly turning into ashes.

    The burning speed was so fast that rather than ¡°going up in mes¡±, it looked like they were crumbling from the edges.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    Suzune couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise and incredulousness at the extent of the spell¡¯s power. It wasn¡¯t only the monsters flying close to the globe that had disappeared.

    Thebination-only skill ¡¾White Cannon¡¿ was a white globe of light with an invisible damaging aura all around it. An aura of scorching, searing hellfire.

    The aura normally had a small area of effect, but the two casters¡¯ magic power had expanded it to an extremely wide range.

    The invisible mes had filled the whole corridor, not leaving any room for escape, not even on the floor nor on the ceiling.

    The monsters had fallen in utter confusion, as some tried to avoid the impending destruction as others kept pressing forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel sorry for the monsters¡­¡±

    ¡°Growl¡­¡±

    Tiera and Kagerou looked at the screaming monsters with mixed feelings.

    ¡°Tiera, Suzune, close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The light globe continued onwards, incinerating the monsters in its wake. As it reached the end of the corridor and the hall, Shin gave this order to Tiera and Suzune.

    They didn¡¯t understand what Shin meant, but both had a bad feeling about it and immediately closed their eyes.

    It happened the next instant.

    Upon reaching the hall, the globe unleashed all the energypressed within itself.

    A pure white me zed through the hall, reaching all the way to the corridors. The magic barrier Shin put up in protection turnedpletely white, and then not a single monster was in sight anymore.

    As the mes died down, Shin released the barrier. As he did, the heat wave he had blocked blew past him, towards the rear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s cool down a bit.¡±

    Shin used a water spell to bring down the temperature in the burning hot corridor and hall.

    After the torrid air had changed to a cool breeze, Shin and Schnee proceeded forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Eh, yes, okay.¡±

    Still affected by witnessing ¡¾White Cannon¡¿ and its power, Suzune replied with a shrill tone of voice.

    When the mes had begun to decrease, Suzune opened her eyes a little; even after witnessing the party¡¯s fighting style throughout the dungeon, the scenery before her eyes left herpletely speechless.

    ¡°For Shin and the others, that¡¯s just normal¡­¡±

    Tiera had felt Suzune¡¯s shock and tried to calm her down, putting a hand on her shoulder. She then added ¡°I got used to it already¡±, and Suzune felt again that Tiera was a person on ¡°her side¡± of the world.

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on our goal, together.¡±

    Behind Shin and Schnee, the two girls felt a curious sense ofmunity between each other.

 Book 9: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    Shin briskly walked forward, unaware of what was happening between them. As they entered the hall, they noticed that, just like the corridor, part of the floor, ceiling, and walls had melted.

    Shin cooled down these parts with a water skill and secured a path to walk on.

    ¡°OK, the real thing starts now. Are you ready?¡±

    Before the heavy door signaling the entrance to the boss¡¯ chamber, Shin stopped and asked this question to Suzune. Beyond the door awaited Kotone and Onimaru.

    ¡°I can go anytime.¡±

    Suzune once again evoked the spirits she had returned to the charms and nodded.

    She now had summoned a floating straw doll type, a wolf type, and a warrior type wielding two katana.

    ¡°I¡¯m opening the door.¡±

    Shin ced his hands on the door and pushed. After moving it a bit towards the interior of the room, the door opened the rest of the way by itself.

    The room beyond was a veryrge hall. Swords, katana, spears, and other weapons were stabbed on the floor, walls, and ceiling, to the point that it was almost difficult to find somewhere to walk on.

    In the back of the hall, only one ce was not stabbed with weapons, a kind of stage marked with tatami mats. There stood a single silhouette: the boss.

    ¡ª¡ª-¡¾Rindou Kotone Level 255 War Priestess¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª- Affected by ¡¾Miasma Corruption ¨C Large¡¿

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the silhouette¡¯s identity. As expected of the boss: even if the dungeon had changed, its location had not.

    ¡°¡­.Sister.¡±

    Suzune mumbled under her breath.

    Sitting on the tatami, with katana in hand, her eyes staring into the void, this was how they found Suzune¡¯s sister, Kotone.

    She did not appear to have transformed, unlike the Ogre boss in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±.

    Her priestess robes were torn and tattered, revealing her still white skin; her arms and legs did not appear to have changed shape either. If it wasn¡¯t for the aura emanating from her body, she would appear to have been just wounded in battle.

    ¡°Pull yourself together!! She¡¯s heavily corrupted by miasma. There¡¯s no time to space out.¡±

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    As Suzune renewed her focus, the color of the magic power enveloping her spirits became more entuated. The spirits had been reinforced by the additional magic power poured into them.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    Maybe because she had detected the increased magic power, Kotone¡¯s eyes went from staring into nothingness to looking at Suzune. At the same time, the atmosphere in the whole room felt as if it was rumbling.

    ¡°Her aura changed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like she¡¯s ready to throw down too.¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee and readied his ¡ºMoonless¡». The aura emanating from Kotone clearly expressed hostility.

    Probably in response to this change, the weapons stabbed into the ground, walls, and ceiling one by one floated in midair, gathering before Kotone with sounds of shing metal.

    In a few seconds, a cracked skull-like creature of steel was formed.

    ¡ª¡ª-¡¾Mad Sword Legion Level 811¡¿

    Mad Sword is a monster formed by swords possessed by hateful emotions. When many of them gather in one ce, Mad Sword Legion is born.

    The highest risk it represents is that its level depends on the number and quality of the weapons that form it. The higher the quality of the weapons forming it is, the higher its level is.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t a Skullface Bushido supposed toe out here?¡±

    ¡°The boss changed, so the monsters changed too, I guess. This one looks stronger.¡±

    As Mitsuyo stated, Mad Sword Legion was far stronger than the unique samurai-like monster Skullface Bushido.

    As they had not received any information about the Mad Sword Legion, Shin thought that it was probably born after the scouts¡¯ inspection.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!!¡±

    A few seconds after Schnee¡¯s warning, Mad Sword Legion shot the floating weapons like bullets.

    Shin, Schnee, and Mitsuyo repelled them with their own weapons, while Tiera dodged riding on Kagerou. Suzune had the warrior spirit counter the attack.

    Both the parried weapons and the dodged weapons, after stabbing the ground, returned to Mad Sword Legion.

    ¡°There¡¯s a fair number of Mythology-grade weapons in it. There could be even some Ancient-grade ones too.¡±

    Shin¡¯s assessment was based on the weapons thrown at them. As proof, the katana of Suzune¡¯s warrior spirit, the weakest member among them, was very close to breaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright! I just need to pour some more magic power and¡­¡±

    It can go back the way it was. That is what Suzune meant to say, but her words died in her mouth.

    She had not lowered her guard. She had not neglected to be wary.

    Her focus, however, swayed for an instant. In that opening, less than one second long, Kotone -who was supposed to be standing behind Mad Sword Legion- was in front of Suzune.

    She had moved instantly thanks to the Movement-type martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿.

    Her stats as a Chosen One, the bonuses granted by equipping ¡ºOnimaru¡», and the stat upgrades caused by the miasma, Kotone was much faster than Suzune remembered.

    In the blink of an eye. There was no more fitting expression for Kotone¡¯s movements.

    When Suzune realized what was going on, ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡» had already been drawn from its sheath, its de closing in on Suzune¡¯s neck.

    ¡°!?¡±

    I¡¯m going to die¡ª-

    The moment Suzune instinctively closed her eyes, the sound of shing metal reached her ears.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed that the scouts managed to flee.¡±

    When Suzune opened her eyes, a ck coat was fluttering in front of her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!! Call to her!!¡±

    Shin shouted while blocking ¡ºOnimaru¡» with ¡ºMoonless¡».

    Kotone¡¯s equipment appeared to be only the closebat weapon ¡ºOnimaru¡». Thus, Shin was wary of her, thinking that she wouldn¡¯t just stay behind Mad Sword Legion.

    Shin, who had reinforced the Supreme des Munechika and Mitsuyo, knew that his ¡ºMoonless¡» was superior as a weapon.

    However, the miasma-possessed ¡ºOnimaru¡» did not seem to be losing durability, even if locked in a sh against ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡ª¡ª¨C¡¾Rindou Kotone level 904¡¿

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed information different from before. A yer¡¯s maximum level was 255; barring special exceptions, only monsters could exceed it.

    Apparently Kotone now possessed properties both human and monster-like.

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Mitsuyo attacked Kotone, who was trying to push Shin down, from behind. She had also promised to do whatever she could to save Kotone, and swung ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡» after activating the skill ¡¾Nonfatal de¡¿.

    The sh of des resounded again; it was the sound of Mitsuyo¡¯s katana being repelled.

    Kotone, who had been wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» with both hands, switched the grip to her right hand, picked up another sword with her left hand and parried Mitsuyo¡¯s strike with it.

    ¡°Shin!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡±

    Having switched to a one hand grip, Kotone¡¯s strength wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» weakened.

    Shin had continued locking swords with Kotone to give Mitsuyo the chance to attack her by surprise; but as now it was not necessary anymore, Shin activated a skill.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of your weapon first.¡±

    A powerful shock burst between the shing ¡ºMoonless¡» and ¡ºOnimaru¡».

    Shin had activated the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Empty Strike¡¿. This skill had the effect of blowing away the opponent¡¯s weapon, rendering it temporarily unusable.

    The force of the impact generated between the two katana blew away Kotone¡¯s ¡ºOnimaru¡». As a secondary effect, the movements of the arm Kotone used to wield ¡ºOnimaru¡»became more sluggish too.

    ¡°You¡¯re mi¡ªwhat?¡±

    Shin had rapidly closed in on Kotone, but detected a wave of hostility approaching and swung ¡ºMoonless¡» down on the spot.

    The hostility hade from part of the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion. Apparently the monster could control its weapons separately too, so it had sent some weapons to assist Kotone.

    ¡°And it was so close! These things are so irritating!¡±

    Mitsuyo too, like Shin, was sweeping away the weapons attacking her.

    ¡°It¡¯s attacking us while dealing with Schnee and the others at the same time, huh. I wonder if having good weapons increased its intellect too?¡±

    The monster carefully separated its weapons to avoid Schnee¡¯s magic, deftly moving itsrge body.

    As it was not onerge unit, but something made of many small ones, its attack patterns were infinitely varied.

    Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks were destroying its weapons, so the monster was less than half the size it was in the beginning, but it would still take some time before it could be defeated.

    ¡°Sister¡­¡±

    Suzune didn¡¯t seem to know what to say to her sister, who was controlling the multitude of weapons in midair.

    If Shin hadn¡¯te between them, she could very well be dead by now. Kotone might have been affected by miasma, but seeing her beloved sister almost murder her had shaken Suzune deeply.

    ¡°I told you there¡¯s no time to space out!!¡±

    ¡°Aah!!¡±

    While still pointing ¡ºMoonless¡» towards Kotone, Shinnded a chop on Suzune¡¯s head. The sudden blow caught her by surprise.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you not to be shaken, but focus on the battle while there¡¯s still hope.¡±

    ¡°W-what are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Just look at her face.¡±

    Shin¡¯s de pointed at Kotone, who was wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» and another sword she picked up; more precisely, at her left eye. Transparent tears were flowing from it.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t crying or anything when we came in here. She might still be fighting against the miasma. Don¡¯t give up.¡±

    Shin then readied ¡ºMoonless¡» once again and charged against Kotone.

    Possibly taking advantage of Shin leaving her side, the weapons in midair flew toward Suzune, but were knocked down by Mitsuyo, who hade closer to her.

    ¡°Leave this to me!¡±

    Reassured by Mitsuyo¡¯s words, Shin attacked Kotone.

    Kotone used her right hand¡¯s ¡ºOnimaru¡» and the katana in her left hand to block Shin¡¯s shes. Probably because of the difference in weapon level, however, the left hand¡¯s katana snapped after the second sh.

    ¡°¡ª-!!¡±

    Kotone stepped back and flung the broken katana at Shin, then grabbed one of the other ones dancing in midair. The new weapon exuded an aura clearly different from the others around it; it was the Ancient-grade katana ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡».

    ¡°As I thought, there were Ancient grades too.¡±

    Shin swept away Kotone¡¯s iing sh and thrust his left arm forward.

    At the same time, he activated the Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Water Mirror Impact¡¿, aiming at Kotone¡¯s chest.

    Not even the greatest Chosen One could move quickly if they had trouble breathing. Such a thought prompted Shin¡¯s attack, but Kotone managed to parry at thest second, using ¡ºOnimaru¡».

    ¡°What?¡±

    Weapons with thin des like katana couldn¡¯t avoid suffering damage after blocking attacks with the body of the de. Unless the katana was especially sturdy, it was a defense method to avoid at all costs.

    For ¡ºOnimaru¡» it was possible, but even so it couldn¡¯t be safe to block one of Shin¡¯s attacks like this.

    Shin was wondering the meaning of this when he saw Kotone¡¯s expression warped in pain. The miasma surrounding ¡ºOnimaru¡» grew thicker, and despite Shin not doing anything, a fragment of the katana was broken off.

    ¡°Damn, it did it on purpose!?¡±

    When he first saw ¡ºOnimaru¡», Shin was bothered by the fact that it looked pristine and unaffected by miasma. In ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, the boss¡¯ ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» was in awful condition.

    Kotone¡¯s actions just now suggested that Shin¡¯s theory, ording to which ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s good condition was an obstacle for the miasma, could very well be true.

    Ancient-grade weapons are originally resistant to miasma. It would not be strange for the Five Supreme des gathered around Kagutsuchi to be even more resistant.

    ¡°What happens if we purify the miasma without damaging the katana?¡±

    Shin attacked Kotone again. While swinging his ¡ºMoonless¡», he activated a Katana-type Martial skill.

    ¡°How about this!¡±

    ¡ºMoonless¡»unleashes a powerful sh of silver light; the miasma wrapped around ¡ºOnimaru¡» was blown away and, at the same time, Kotone¡¯s body visibly lost its strength.

    The silver sh, caused by the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Cleave Omen¡¿, had the same effect as ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿. Once it shed with ¡ºMoonless¡» as it was shrouded in the skill, the miasma enveloping ¡ºOnimaru¡» would temporarily lose its effects.

    Shin once again knocked ¡ºOnimaru¡» away from Kotone¡¯s hands, then parried her left hand¡¯s ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» with ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ hilt.

    Before ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», now flying through the air, returned to Kotone, Shin struck it twice.

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Fang Cry¡¿.

    The V-shaped shes struck ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» cleanly, and the katana¡¯s body broke in three fragments.

    Shin had no time to be surprised by the katana¡¯s unexpected frailty, because the broken ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» instantly turned into sand and disappeared. Bing part of a monster¡¯s body had likely consumed most of its sturdiness as a weapon.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª-!?¡±

    Immediately after Shin¡¯s destruction of ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», an unnatural sound of shing metal came from Schnee¡¯s direction.

    Shin nced in that direction and saw that part of the weaponsposing Mad Sword Legion¡¯s body was behaving erratically, as if it had lost control.

    The ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» Shin had destroyed was probably one of the weapons near Mad Sword Legion¡¯s core.

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t let you go.¡±

    Kotone had attempted to flee, taking advantage of the small opening born from Shin¡¯s destruction of ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», but Shin pinned her down to the ground. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay still here for a while. Just a little patience is all I need.¡±

    As Shin spoke these words, a seven-colored globe of light appeared over his head.

    The red of me skills, the blue of water skills, the brown of earth skills, the green of wind skills, the yellow of lightning skills, the white of light skills, the ck of darkness skills. The globe¡¯s colors expressed the elements of all magic spells.

    ¡°¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿¡±

    Beams of all the colors of the globe extended towards Kotone and ¡ºOnimaru¡».

    The beams, moving as to avoid Shin, wrapped themselves around the possessed priestess and her katana.

    In this condition, they would temporarily be unaffected by outside attacks, but could not move in any way. This did not change even if the target was tainted by miasma.

    Depending on the caster, the target could break free right away, but if Shin was the caster, even the over-level 900 Kotone could not move.

    Divine-type magic was not included, but maybe because the skill included 7 magic elements, it managed to suppress miasma as well.

    ¡°If only it was faster, though¡­¡±

    Shin stopped pinning down Kotone and stood up while mumbling to himself.

    ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ was an extremely useful skill, but the beams of light it released were much too slow; they would definitely miss if used by themselves.

    Because of that, in the game era the quick ¡¾Shadow Bind¡¿ and ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿, whichbined both speed and strength, were both used more often.

    Shin made sure that Kotone couldn¡¯t move and asked Mitsuyo to recover ¡ºOnimaru¡», which was lying on the ground at a small distance.

    Thanks to ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ sealing the miasma and the effects of ¡°Miracle Drug of Holy Skies¡±, nothing happened even if Mitsuyo touched ¡ºOnimaru¡».

    Turning towards Kotone, Shin saw that Suzune was desperately calling to her.

    ¡°OK, thest nuisance is that guy then.¡±

    Shin looked towards Mad Sword Legion, which had be much smaller due to Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how much of a will the main Mad Sword Legion had, but it looked like it was frantically trying to avoid Schnee, Tiera and Kagerou¡¯sbined attacks.

    If Schnee and the others used their full power, they would have defeated it long ago.

    It was still alive thanks to its particr multi-unit structure and because they were fighting in a closed space, so Schnee and the others didn¡¯t use wide-range attacks, out of concern of hitting their allies too.

    Now that they had captured Kotone, though, Shin wanted to start the purification immediately, so he did not feel like shaving off the monster¡¯s body little by little.

    ¡°Schnee! Protect everyone but me!¡±

    Schnee nodded to Shin, and he picked the skills he wanted to use.

    ¡°¡¾Continuous Casting¡¿, ¡¾Gun Fire¡¿!!¡±

    The skill he used first allowed to cast the skill used after it as long as MP allowed; this time, Shin chose the me-type Magic skill ¡¾Gun Fire¡¿.

    A great number of fireballs formed around Shin, then shot one after the other towards Mad Sword Legion.

    The size of each fireball was about 15 cemels; as they were not very fast, the weapons floating in midair could easily avoid their trajectory.

    Just as it looked like they passed by without doing anything, the fireballs suddenly burst, scattering small 5-cemels fireballs all around.

    The fireballs exploded all together, filling the space with smaller fireballs and turning the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion into ashes and dust.

    It was an attack that targeted friend and foe indiscriminately, but the ice barrier Schnee created prevented their allies from taking damage.

    The Mad Sword Legion, the number of its weapons already reduced by Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks, now saw all its weapons destroyed; like ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» before, they turned into dust.

    All that was left were the bound Kotone and ¡ºOnimaru¡».

    ¡ºOnimaru¡» was tended to by Mitsuyo.

    ¡°Tiera! The purification, please!¡±

    Tiera hurried to ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s side after hearing Shin¡¯s shout.

    ¡°¡­.you should hold her hands.¡±

    Tiera whispered this piece of advice to Suzune as she passed next to her and Kotone, then started ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s purification.

    Differently from the ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± boss, this time Kotone had to be purified too: thus this time Shin would use ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ on ¡ºOnimaru¡», while Schnee did the same to Kotone.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C¡±

    The miasma shrouding ¡ºOnimaru¡» gradually disappeared. At the same time, a strained voice leaked from Kotone¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Sister! Kotone!¡±

    Kotone winced in pain, and Suzune kept calling her name desperately. She was trying to break free, but Shin¡¯s ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿pletely sealed her movements.

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯s over.¡±

    After some time, Tiera announced she had finished, while wiping sweat from her brow. She was steady on her feet this time: the purification had been less taxing than the previous one.

    ¡°The rest is up to you, Shin. Please.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Tiera passed¡ºOnimaru¡»to Shin, who gave it a long, careful look.

    Its durability had decreased by about 20%, butpared to Dojigiri it had suffered surprisingly little damage. Shin concluded that the situation wasn¡¯t as critical asst time.

    Shin rted ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s state to Mitsuyo, and her expression softened with relief.

    ¡°Okay then, you¡¯re next.¡±

    Shin entrusted ¡ºOnimaru¡» to Mitsuyo and turned towards Kotone. He didn¡¯t know how the miasma had affected her, so she was still bound.

    Shin asked Suzune to step back just in case and checked Kotone¡¯s condition.¡¾Analyze¡¿ didn¡¯t disy her as boss anymore. The miasma¡¯s corruption seemed to be no more as well.

    Possibly because she had lost consciousness, her eyes were now closed.

    ¡°At first nce, it doesn¡¯t look like there are problems.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any miasma anymore, so I think you can release her now.¡±

    Tiera, the most sensitive member to miasma, gave her approval too, so Shin followed her proposal.

    ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ caused Kotone to float in midair, so Shin prepared to support her as not to let her fall to the ground.

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Kotone mumbled, maybe the impact of falling into Shin¡¯s arms had woken her up.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­.I¡­am¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sister!! Koto!!¡±

    Having heard her sister¡¯s voice, Suzune rushed to her side, opposite to Shin¡¯s. No one felt it was appropriate toment about how Suzune changed the way she called her sister.

    ¡°It¡¯s me!! Suzune!! Do you recognize me!?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I do.¡±

    She appeared to have fully regained her senses as she talked with Suzune: a kind smile appeared on Kotone¡¯s lips, to Suzune¡¯s relief.

    ¡°Can you stand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my body is sti¡­¡±

    ¡°Sti?¡±

    Kotone was hiding her face out of embarrassment, and she stopped talking mid-sentence.

    Shin inquired what was wrong, and Kotone¡¯s body started shaking.

    ¡°W-w-why am I dressed so shamefully!?¡±

    She apparently had not yet noticed the state her clothes were in.

    While she was bound the beams of light hid it, but now that they had disappeared, it was clear that her priestess robe was so torn and tattered that it could hardly be called clothes.

    Her current state was thus even more seductive than being naked, prompting Kotone to try desperately to twist her body to hide it.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­w-why!?!¡±

    Maybe it happened because temporarily, she was ssified as monster.

    Or maybe twisting her body gave the coup the grace. Kotone¡¯s robe turned into sand and vanished, just like Mad Sword Legion did.

    What was left was just Kotone herself, in her most natural state, still held by Shin.

    Shin quickly looked away, but he couldn¡¯t avoid to see Kotone¡¯s ample bosom and curves, which upied his field of view before he looked elsewhere.

    ¡°Use this!¡±

    Schnee rapidly pulled out new clothes and covered Kotone with them.

    ¡°Anyone, please, switch with me!¡±

    Shin had turned his neck all the way away in reaction to the sudden situation, but was close to his limits, so he asked for help.

    Thanks to Schnee, the front side of Kotone¡¯s body was covered, but her back was still bare. He didn¡¯t notice it when she was still clothed, but now that she was naked the sensation of touching her skin was transmitted vividly to his hands.

    Shin let Suzune, who was in front of him, support her sister and immediately backed away.

    ¡°Shin, we have to talkter.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯d prefer to solve this peacefully.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s smile was scarier than the miasma right now.

    Despite their mission being aplished, Shin somehow didn¡¯t feel relieved at all.

    The group had seeded in saving Kotone and recovering ¡ºOnimaru¡», so they headed to the exit of Cadaver Realm. Kotone still couldn¡¯t move well, so she was transported by one of Suzune¡¯s spirits.

    ¡°Anyway, good thing the contents of the item box were safe.¡±

    Kotone¡¯s clothes had crumbled to dust, but now she had changed to clothes she had in her own item box. A rare urrence for an inhabitant of this world, Kotone possessed one too.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for¡­showing you¡­something so shameful¡­¡±

    Kotone¡¯s face was fiercely red as she answered. She would sometimes peek at Shin, then hide her face out of shame.

    ¡°Ah, er¡­.I think it¡¯s better to just forg¡­whoops!¡±

    He meant to say ¡°forget it¡±, but was interrupted by the sudden attack of a flying spirit. After dodging it, Shin noticed that Suzune was ring at him with a certain amount of killing intent in her eyes.

    She was walking next to Kotone, hidden from Shin¡¯s view, but moved between them with frightening speed.

    ¡°If you even whisper the fact that you saw my sister naked, I¡¯lle for your head.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying a word¡­hey, I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to¡­¡±

    Shin answered with a small sigh.

    The reason why Suzune was so belligerent was that Kotone, after realizing she had been seen naked by a man,mented that ¡°I can¡¯t marry anymore now¡­¡± and asked Shin, the cause behind it all, ¡°won¡¯t you take me as your bride?¡±.

    Maybe because she had seen the exchange between Shin and Schnee, while still being embarrassed Kotone showed what appeared to be a teasing side. Suzune, however, didn¡¯t take it as a joke and became extremely wary of them.

    The two priestesses were orphans and were each other¡¯s only blood rtive. Even if she felt gratitude towards Shin, she wouldn¡¯t ept that her sister married him just because he had seen her naked.

    ¡°I¡¯m never letting you marry my sister!!¡±

    ¡°Wait!! I told you that I don¡¯t have the least intention of doing that from the beginning, didn¡¯t I!? I¡¯m getting scary looks already, so don¡¯t say that!!¡±

    Even if Kotone had been serious, Shin wouldn¡¯t have epted. He was instead worried that Suzune would cause an even biggermotion.

    ¡°You truly are very nice people.¡±

    Kotone looked at Shin and Suzune¡¯s exchange with a peaceful expression on her face.

    ¡°If you think so, then please do not trouble Shin too much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just happy that he reacted like that even to someone like me.¡±

    Kotone honestly lowered her head in response to Schnee¡¯s rebuke.

    Kotone was aware that, having been corrupted by miasma, she would be shunned. Her expression was somewhat shadowed too.

    ¡°Well¡­in small doses, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°You will forgive me?¡±

    When Shin saw Kotone naked, Schnee was the one to exude the most frightening aura. Kotone had noticed it, so Schnee¡¯s reaction surprised her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have him spoil me too a bit in return.¡±

    Kotone was perplexed for a moment by Schnee¡¯s reply, said with a very serious tone, thenughed softly.

    ¡°Hehe, then I think I¡¯ll tease him a little more.¡±

    Afterward, Kotone faintly said ¡°You would touch even a body as tainted as mine?¡±, so Shin¡¯s position became even more difficult.

    ¡°No, well, it¡¯s not tainted or anything, isn¡¯t it? The miasma has been fully purified, you are totally pure, Kotone. That was something like force majeure¡­or so I¡¯d like you to think.¡±

    Shin looked distressed, as Kotone was looking at him with imploring eyes, transparent teardrops glistening from their edges.

    Looking at her expression, Shin even ended up thinking that she could be serious.

    ¡°What, my sister isn¡¯t enough for you!?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you in favor or against it?!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help pointing out the inconsistency in Suzune¡¯s angry words.

    ¡°I see you get along well with Suzune.¡±

    ¡°He does!? Sister, are you sure you aren¡¯t still sick somewhere?¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen you express your emotions so openly in a long time.¡±

    Saying this, Kotoneughed softly.

    ¡°Kh, my back feels targeted¡­¡±

    Throughout this conversation, an extremely annoyed aura emanated from Tiera and Mitsuyo, in the rear of the group.

    Even if it happened coincidentally, it was a fact that Shin saw Kotone naked, so he took her teasing in stride.

    Mitsuyo and Tiera¡¯s annoyed mood was, however, clearly visible on their faces, and Schnee¡¯s smile,pletelycking any intimidation, was the scariest one.

    (Why isn¡¯t there a teleportation point in the boss room, just like the game¡­?)

    Shin ended up wishing that feature remained.

    Shin knew it would just postpone the problem, but he wanted to escape the current situation as soon as possible.

 Book 9: Chapter 3 (5)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 3 (5)</h4>

    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s been tough, in more ways than one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, it was tough for sure.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party managed to exit the dungeon with barely any monster encounters and returned to the ck Priestess Shrine guild house.

    Having learned of Kotone¡¯s return, many priestesses gathered in the guild house.

    Shin¡¯s party, on the other hand, was in the guildmaster¡¯s room, reporting in detail what had happened in the dungeon.

    ¡°It looks like Kotone managed to maintain her consciousness thanks to Onimaru. On the physical side too, abnormal incident like mutated or missing body parts did not ur either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m having her checked here too, just in case. I was worried because she was imprisoned for 5 years, but thankfully the doctor said that there¡¯s nothing wrong with her.¡±

    There were many methods of healing in the world, but Arts such as ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ or Potions were not present everywhere. ck Priestess Shrine members also possessed medical techniques not relying on such methods.

    Suzune had apanied Kotone to take her tests, so she was not in the room either.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like you to tell me the reason not to dispel Onimaru¡¯s bind.¡±

    After the report about Kotone ended, Shin asked this question to Mitsuyo.

    In the dungeon, the purification had beenpleted and Shin thought that Onimaru Kunitsuna would now be alright; yet for some reason Mitsuyo said to wait before releasing the bind, and the katana was still restrained.

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it. If possible, I actually wanted to bring it back like this.¡±

    ¡°No, if there are any problems I¡¯m not going to force you, you know.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that you or the others did anything wrong. As we are both Supreme des, we canmunicate through our consciousness, and I¡¯ve already verified that Kunitsuna retains it.¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s stopping you?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯ll let Kunitsuna answer that.¡±

    Mitsuyo didn¡¯t want to answer herself, apparently, so she handed Onimaru, still affected by ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿, back to Shin.

    There was nothing dangerous behind it though, or so Mitsuyo said.

    ¡°¡­.okay, I¡¯m removing the bind then.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s behavior gave Shin a bad feeling about it, but there was no reason to keep the katana bound.

    Once freed, Onimaru shed and assumed human form. It was a female type, like Munechika and Mitsuyo.

    Her appearance was about 20 years old. Her eyes were still closed, so they couldn¡¯t tell what color they were, but her shoulder-length hair had a beautiful ck luster that did not lose to Munechika¡¯s.

    Onimaru was what one would call a traditional Japanese beauty. Within her ck hair, two of her bangs -one on the left and one on the right of her face- were bright red. Looking at them, Shin pictured an Oni¡¯s horns.

    She was wearing a hakama, but her shoulders and torso were also protected by pieces of armor, forming a rather unusualbination. ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡» was firmly equipped at her waist.

    Once she opened her eyes, red pupils -different from any other Supreme de- looked straight at Shin.

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am one of the Five Supreme des, Onimaru Kunitsuna. Allow me to offer you my gratitude for everything you have done for me.¡±

    Kunitsuna then politely bowed her head.

    Shin had been prepared for anything to happen, so he felt slightly disoriented.

    ¡°I would also like to inquire something. Who matched des withdy Kotone among you? Other than Mitsuyo.¡±

    ¡°That would be me.¡±

    ¡°Aah! So it was really you, sir!!¡±

    Shin replied, and Kunitsuna walked closer to him, a full smile on her lips. Mitsuyo had stepped in between them, but Kunitsuna dodged her instantly. Shin was surprised by the agility of her movements, but then Kunitsuna took his hands in hers, ced them on her chest and said something he couldn¡¯t have predicted.

    ¡°I beg of you, please be my master!¡±

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    Shin needed a few seconds before he could grasp the meaning of Kunitsuna¡¯s request.

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    As Shin and the others were frozen in ce by Kunitsuna¡¯s words, Mitsuyo -who had expected them- gave her a light whack over the head. As Kunitsuna¡¯s grip on Shin¡¯s hands weakened, he took the opportunity to step away from her.

    ¡°Mitsuyo, please exin what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Exactly what you heard. Basically she wants you to be her¡­Onimaru Kunitsuna¡¯s wielder.¡±

    Shin asked Mitsuyo, not Kunitsuna, for an exnation, and Mitsuyo obliged with a sigh.

    As he heard her reply, Shin finally understood why Mitsuyo didn¡¯t want to remove Kunitsuna¡¯s bind.

    ¡°No one has ever been so rough with me¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about now!?!¡±

    With no regard for Mitsuyo¡¯s rebuke, Kunitsuna looked straight at Shin. To Shin, her eyes appeared to be almost sparkling.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an interesting girl if I ever saw one.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. If her body is a weapon, however, to seek the most able wielder is certainly not a problem.¡±

    ¡°You two over there, don¡¯t talk like this doesn¡¯t concern you. If we¡¯re talking about wielders, you two are perfectly good candidates too.¡±

    Shin scoffed and replied to the honestly impressed Shibaid and Filma. In regards to ability, all of Shin¡¯s support characters, Schnee included, possessed more than enough to qualify.

    Incidentally, Schnee was whispering ¡°there¡¯s no way Shin will ept¡±.

    ¡°Lady Kunitsuna, I am truly sorry, but I have decided that the weapon I wield is ¡ºTrue Moon¡». Thus I cannot be your wielder.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so. That¡¯s a sh¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Good, Kunitsuna¡¯s nonsense is now over, so let¡¯s get on with the discussion.¡±

    Mitsuyo interrupted the disappointed Kunitsuna and urged the group to resume their talks. It was a fairly crude treatment, but probably as they hadmunicated earlier too, this result had been predicted.

    ¡°You¡¯re cruel, Mitsuyo.¡±

    ¡°I told you this would have happened. So, what are we going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Next, hmm. Well, we did everything we had to.¡±

    Shin continued saying that they could go straight back to Fuji, but Kuchinashi stopped him.

    ¡°If so, won¡¯t you join our celebrations?¡±

    ¡°Celebrations?¡±

    ¡°There have been casualties among us, but Onimaru was finally recovered from the dungeon and Kotone returned safe and sound. Furthermore, our greatest concern, the miasma, has disappeared. We had to borrow your strength, but it is a great result for us. Everyone didn¡¯t show it, but ever since Kotone¡¯s group failed their mission, the mood had been pretty quite dark, or rather hopeless, I¡¯d say. So, to wipe it awaypletely, I thought of organizing a celebration.¡±

    If the valiant warriors who had lent a hand to this sess were absent from the celebration, the festive mood would be partly tarnished. Kuchinashi thus requested the presence of Shin¡¯s party in the celebrations.

    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d like to avoid having my name and face became more well known.¡±

    ¡°I heard what happened in Balmel. To be brutally honest, I doubt there¡¯s any meaning in hiding now. On the contrary, if they knew that ¡°that famous¡± Shin had done it, everyone would just nod and ept it.¡±

    ¡°Did it really spread that much? Trying to avoid all possible trouble, I haven¡¯t visited the adventurer¡¯s guild once after leaving Balmel.¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s argument about it being toote was reasonable too.

    On the other hand, going around defeating small fry and clearing miasma-infested dungeons was very different. Shin knew that it was impossible to keep people from talking, but he still wanted to make an effort toy low.

    ¡°Half truth, half exaggerated rumors, though. But even the exaggerated rumors mention things that you could do easily Shin. After all, people of the right trade could track you down right away anyway.¡±

    ¡°Nothing I can do about that, I guess. A number of people saw us head north, so if they gather information they¡¯d easily start thinking that we¡¯re suspicious, too.¡±

    Their movements had not been perfectly concealed by any means, so Shin decided to ept the situation, as sooner orter he¡¯d be discovered anyway.

    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t hide anything and openly say that I did it then. We¡¯ll probably be involved in all sorts of things from now on too anyway, so it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll be at the center then Shin.¡±

    It will be unavoidable for the party members to receive attention too, but Kuchinashi promised to make sure the information spread with Shin at its center.

    ¡°Then, about our gratitude, I mean the reward¡­¡±

    ¡°Reward? We never talked about that, did we? We came of our own will, and you also let us enter into the normally inessible ck Priestess Shrine territory too.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group wished to recover Onimaru. Kuchinashi and her followers wished to save Kotone.

    The method to aplish their objectives was the same, so they cooperated.

    Shin and Kuchinashi had a friendly rtionship, so it was just a matter of form, but since their agreement had been such, Shin was puzzled.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do, though. You saved one of our preciousrades, but we let you go without any reward¡­that would be dishonorable. There are those who know that we tried and failed to clear the dungeon. We need to at least a put on ¡°performance¡± to show that we paid you adequately for your work. Something we both agreed upon, based on a formal contract. Of course, I will keep the fact that we know each other hidden.¡±

    ¡°If that piece of information spreads too, some people coulde here, hoping to reach and use you through me.¡±

    ck Priestess Shrine was not governing their territory through their strength alone; they had been entrusted with it through a pact with the Kujou house. Even so, they still had frictions with neighboring territories and could not disregard the diplomatic rtions with them, sighed Kuchinashi.

    The saving grace was that, as ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s role could not be performed by anyone else, they weren¡¯t normally bothered by their neighbors.

    It was the burden due to being the host of many priestesses, as Kuchinashi hinted.

    ¡°Well, for the reward, just something formal is fine. But don¡¯t go using us for your diplomacy now.¡±

    ¡°I know that. I¡¯m not that ungrateful.¡±

    Afterward, they talked about the formal reward and the group¡¯s lodging, then Shin¡¯s group left the room.

    Kuchinashi was apparently sure that they wouldn¡¯t fail the mission; a few hours before the banquet, Shin knew that she had prepared two rewards: one in case Kotone had been saved and another one in case only purification had been possible.

    The hectic preparations continued; being the main event, Shin and Shibaid were forced to wear elegant kimono, to their extreme displeasure. Then, their femalepanions appeared.

    ¡°Oooh¡­as expected, priestess robes look good with ck hair.¡±

    They were wearing white and red, traditional priestess robes, different from the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s typical uniforms.The first to appear dressed in this outfit was Tiera.

    Her golden eyes and the silver streaks in her hair were unusual elements considering the attire, but her long ck hair perfectly fit the priestess robes.

    Her lightly flushed cheeks, maybe out of embarrassment from being the center of attention, added even more charm to the whole, at least ording to Shin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stare so much now.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. But it looks good on you, you can¡¯t me me for looking a bit, no?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine¡­I¡¯m just the opening act for master and the others, anyway.¡±

    While fiddling with the silver tips of her hair, Tiera looked towards the door she hade from.

    The next ones toe out were Kotone and Filma.

    The ck-haired, ck-eyed Kotone was exactly what Shin pictured from the word priestess. Her delicate gestures,bined with the robe, gave a perfectly graceful impression.

    On the other hand, Filma¡¯s stance was almost too proud; she almost looked like a foreigner doing cosy.

    ¡°How do I look? Not too bad, right?¡±

    Used to Filma¡¯s usual armor and its high skin exposure, Shin and Shibaid thought that the priestess robe and its low ratio of exposed skin made Filma look more seductive.

    ¡°Hmm, as they say, beauties are beauties no matter what they wear, but this is a prime example indeed. I get an impression pretty different than the usual.¡±

    ¡°Your usual colors are red and purple, so the red hakama looks really good on you. And like Shibaid said, there¡¯s a curious gap¡­¡±

    Kotone inquired as well.

    ¡°If I may ask too, what do you think of me?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯d be hard pressed to find words other than ¡°it looks good on you¡±¡­you are exactly what I picture when I imagine a priestess, you see.¡±

    A beautiful ck-haired, ck-eyed priestess. The impact of her coy look was imensurable.

    ¡°We¡¯re here too, if you care.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, why are you wearing priestess clothes too? Well, no, you look good, of course¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s attention had been upied by Filma and Kotone, when Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, also wearing priestess robes, called to him from behind.

    They normally wore armor, but picturing different clothes in mind could let them change to a degree, they said. Because of the asion, they decided to wear priestess robes too.

    Maybe affected by the colors of their armor, the sleeves of Mitsuyo¡¯s robe had ck and golden patterns, while Kunitsuna¡¯s were red and ck.

    ¡°We thought to entice lord Shin with our charms¡­but I see we have many fierce rivals.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. And that¡¯s not how it is anyway.¡±

    Kunitsuna held her hand to her cheeks, looking troubled, while Mitsuyo pouted and looked away. The Five Supreme des were truly a trove of strong personalities.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. The main event is starting.¡±

    Filma called for Shin¡¯s attention. As he turned back, Schnee appeared too.

    Schnee had also changed from her usual clothing to a priestess robe; she came walking calmly into the room, her silver hair flowing while following her movements.

    Like Tiera and the others, she had applied some make-up after taking a bath, making her smile, a normal sight for Shin, even more bright than usual.

    ¡°¡­.beautiful.¡±

    A single word escaped Shin¡¯s mouth.

    He could have talked forever, just piling up words of praise. But he felt that it would be all unneeded.

    That¡¯s how much he had been charmed by her.

    ¡°I knew it¡­that¡¯s how it always ends.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Along with Tiera¡¯s dejected words, Shin feels a jolt hitting his legs. Back from his charmed trance, Shin looked at his feet and found Yuzuha, in her usual priestess robe, puffing her cheeks. She was still kicking Shin with her thin legs.

    ¡°Yuzuha, ignored, no good!¡±

    Aftering back from the dungeon, Shin had been busy talking with Kuchinashi and preparing for the celebrations, thus he had found no time for Yuzuha; she thought he had forgotten his promise.

    Her growth should have increased her mental age too, but now Yuzuha was back to being a little girl. Maybe she was only acting more mature.

    ¡°I worked hard, here! Praise!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry, so stop sticking to my face! I can¡¯t see in front!¡±

    Yuzuha, still in human form, jumped on Shin¡¯s head, covering his face.

    It was a surprise attack using her over level-600 physical abilities to the fullest. Being still under the effect of Schnee¡¯s charm, Shin couldn¡¯t have avoided it.

    When Shin managed to get Yuzuha off him, his hair had be a mess.

    ¡°¡ªthen, this happens?¡±

    ¡°You had her stay back a lottely, after all. You could treat her specially at least today.¡±

    Schnee smiled at them.

    The celebrations¡¯ banquet hall was already crowded with priestesses.

    Shin and the group were led to the main guests¡¯ seats; Yuzuha, still in human form, took position on hisp.

    She grinned proudly while holding his arms,ughed and talked excitedly. After growing up, her expressionless face had apparently vanishedpletely.

    ¡°So lovely, may I pet you?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, you may! Shin pet too!¡±

    Her tone was smug, but the fox ears on her head twitched happily. Their movements clearly showed how she wanted to be petted quickly, making Yuzuha even more adorable.

    In the main guest seats, Shin was sitting in the seat of honor, with Schnee, Tiera, Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, Filma and Shibaid sitting on the left side. Kagerou was next to Tiera.

    On the opposite right side sat Kotone, Suzune and Kuchinashi.

    The priestesses¡¯ eyes were concentrated on Shin¡¯s group: the mysterious fox girl being cuddled on Shin¡¯sp, between two beauties such as Schnee and Kotone, attracted the most attention.

    ¡°Now, let us begin!!¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s words brought total silence into the hall. She had used a Wind spell to carry her voice throughout the venue.

    The eyes of all present went from Shin to Kuchinashi.

    ¡°I am sure many of you already know about Kotone¡¯s return. She was saved from the dungeon we have had trouble clearing, Cadaver Realm. Now I will introduce to you the adventurers who saved Kotone and cleared the dungeon.¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s hand pointed towards Shin and hispanions.

    As they previously discussed, the members who actually went into the dungeon -Shin, Schnee, Tiera and Mitsuyo- stood up. As they did, thunderous apuse filled the hall.

    Shin was surprised by the intensity of the cheering; he did not expect for the response to be so big.

    ¡°Everyone already knows about your feats in the battles in Balmel.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly a ¡°set-up¡±, but Kuchinashi had apparently already given some information to the priestesses. Shin felt that it had spread all too fast though.

    In addition, the words ¡°That¡¯s the shing Hammer¡­¡± that sometimes reached his ears enhanced his bad feeling.

    ¡°Ehm, I keep hearing the words ¡°shing Hammer¡±¡­what does that mean?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s Shin¡¯s ¡°new¡± nickname. He shes monsters apart with dull weapons, so people started referring to him as ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡±.¡±

    ¡°Oof¡­¡±

    Shin felt a dull blow in his gut, knowing how this nickname had spread without his knowledge. What kind of name is shing Hammer¡­ he couldn¡¯t help but sigh to himself.

    ¡°Tonight we celebrate Kotone¡¯s return, the conquest of the dungeon and these brave adventurers!!¡±

    Kuchinashi spoke again after the apuse died down.

    There was no toast; after another brief apuse, all participants freely started to enjoy food and beverages.

    ¡°Here you are.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±

    Noticing that Shin¡¯s ss was empty, Kotone raised a bottle of Sake to offer him.

    Schnee too was paying attention to serving him, but as Shin held his ss with his right hand, Kotone was closer.

    ¡°You even have my sister serve you¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m forcing her to!!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how others saw it, but Kotone had served him out of her own free will.

    ¡°Shin, feed me, feed me!¡±

    Completely unaware of Kotone and Schnee¡¯s small war and Suzune¡¯s pestering, Yuzuha kept ordering what she wanted to eat.

    Shin felt bad about leaving Yuzuha back oftentely, so he prioritized feeding Yuzuha over eating himself.

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it. Here, say aah!¡±

    ¡°Yummy~¡±

    Shin used a pair of chopsticks and brought Yuzuha¡¯s order to her mouth. Yuzuha took a big bite and showed arge smile.

    Shin had younger siblings in the real world; heughed wryly at Yuzuha¡¯s spoiled attitude, but followed her orders to the letter.

    ¡°My, how cute.¡±

    Looking at Yuzuha fed by Shin, Kotone squirmed.

    ¡°Then, I suppose I shall do it to Shin.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin¡¯s chopsticks were busy with feeding Yuzuha. Seeing this, Schnee quickly used hers to pick food from a te and carry it to Shin¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Here, say aah.¡±

    ¡°Sure, aah¡­¡±

    Schnee started it herself, but couldn¡¯t help blushing a little.

    Shin noticed it and became nervous. The food she had brought him, though, was very delicious.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°My my, there¡¯s no space to fit in between those three, is there.¡±

    ¡°She might be a monster, but she looks just like a child.¡±

    Looking at Shin and those around him, Filma and Shibaidughed and drank merrily.

    Since they didn¡¯t participate in the dungeon mission, they wondered whether they should participate in the celebrations, but Kuchinashi overwhelmed their objections, saying that it was always a party.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you go to lord Shin¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Me? Well, even if I went¡­¡±

    The question to Filma had been asked by Kunitsuna, who was looking at Shin too. He had refused to be her wielder, but as her savior, she addressed him with ¡°lord¡±.

    In reaction to her question, Filma tilted her ss in her hands, a troubled expression on her face.

    ¡°Schnee and I, we have a different stance towards Shin¡­we feel different things.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I thought that conquering the strong and being served by the beautiful was a gentleman¡¯s way of life. It appears thatdy Schnee anddy Tiera fancy lord Shin.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, anyone would see Schnee does.¡±

    Tiera took another swig,ughing heartily.

    ¡°For Tiera, it looks too early for you to say so, though.¡±

    ¡°Women are more sensitive about this stuff¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo and Munechika are a bit dull, though. Their way of thinking is more simr to a man¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Kunitsuna, don¡¯t just insult so casually!¡±

    Mitsuyo, sitting beside Kunitsuna, couldn¡¯t let those words go without reacting. I know that much too, her pouting lips expressed.

    ¡°Hmm, as they say in Hinomoto, three women together make a ruckus¡­I see it¡¯s true even with weapons.¡±

    Looking at Kunitsuna and Filma teasing Mitsuyo, Shibaid whispered this to himself and poured himself another ss.

    ¡°My, you won¡¯t ask about my feelings, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°You are a High Lord, but your heart is simr to a Type Cat¡¯s. Even if I asked, you would not say what you really feel. We arepanions under the same master, I do not need to be a woman to understand.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, so that¡¯s what you say to me, huh.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words and look seemed to see through Filma; this time it was her lips¡¯ turn to pout.

    ¡°There is no need for reservation between us, is there. Lady Kunitsuna, you do not need to hold anything back with Filma. She¡¯s not the type to be concerned by things like that, so speak to her freely.¡±

    ¡°I shall do as you say, then.¡±

    ¡°Do let me add one thing, though. I heard you asked Shin to be your master, but I tell you that asking us will give you the same result. Because we have received our weapons from Shin.¡±

    Shibaid had heard about it from Schnee, so he made sure Kunitsuna let go such thoughts. As Shin had said, Shibaid and the others had more than enough ability to wield Kunitsuna.

    ¡°Oh my, did you find out I was aiming at you? Lord Shin has unfathomable prowess, but the same can be said for you all. It might be a strange thing to say but,dy Schnee included, I feel that you all exceed the limits of strength an individual can hope to attain.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all part of serving a High Human. I wouldn¡¯t lose to any average warrior.¡±

    ¡°Truly. Were the master to give the order, the servant needs to be able to overthrow even a divine beast.¡±

    Despite her yful tone, Kunitsuna¡¯s speech was serious; Filma and Shibaid gave their answers, each with a slightly different atmosphere.

    Only Mitsuyo, who had stayed with them for a certain time and was following their exchange, noticed this small change.

    ¡°Kunitsuna, enough with your jokes.¡±

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t go any further. I apologize, I am afraid I overstepped my bounds.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It happened a lot in the past.¡±

    In the period when the High Human¡¯s abilities were still unknown, the number of reckless yers who had faced Shin to test his strength was not small.

    As Shibaid and Filma were with him during such battles too, they were sensible to the gaze of who wanted to estimate their strength.

    In Kunitsuna¡¯s case, they felt how she was also wary of them, so they released some of the pressure they were keeping suppressed.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to celebrate. Let¡¯s enjoy the rest of the banquet.¡±

    They all nodded to Shibaid¡¯s words.

    Forgetting about time passing, all present enjoyed the party.

 Book 9: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    Once the banquet drew to a close, the main guests -Shin and his group- went to their assigned rooms inside the guildhouse. They had one room each, but as expected Yuzuha slipped into Shin¡¯s room.

    ¡°I guess I got a little tipsy.¡±

    Yuzuha had curled up into a ball on the bed as soon as they entered the room, and Shin left to take a walk in the guildhouse to sober up.

    Shin knew Kuchinashi and her guild from before, so he was also familiar with the structure of the guildhouse to a degree. Given his familiaritybined with the map, he wouldn¡¯t lose his way.

    Even if he bumped into other guild members, his name and face were already well known, so as long as he avoided any ces where only guild members were allowed, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems.

    ¡°Hm? This presence is¡­¡±

    Following the presence disyed on the map, Shin arrived in a part of the guildhouse resembling a garden.

    The square-shaped garden was about 20 mels wide. The walls hid it from the rest of the building, so it was well suited to practicing with weapons and techniques.

    It was already well into the night; the moon and stars were shining gently on the garden¡¯s grass and flowers.

    ¡°So it was really you, Tiera.¡±

    He had felt her presence already, but as the map showed, there was already someone in the garden.

    The moonlight was shining on Tiera¡¯s silhouette, alone in the darkness of the night. She was looking at the sky, still d in the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet.

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t change yet? ¡­..Tiera?¡±

    Shin called to Tiera, who was still looking up to the sky, a distant look in her eyes, but received no response.

    Shin felt something was off, and called her again; Tiera then finally moved.

    Slowly, she raised her arms, then opened them wide. As she did this, she lightly spun on her feet.

    Afterward, without stopping, she continued dancing, as if she was ying with some invisible creature.

    ¡°Is this Kagura¡­the dance offered to the gods?¡±

    Priestess robes, a silhouette bathed in the moonlight that felt almost otherworldly, movements apparentlycking any regrity.

    Looking at Tiera¡¯s flowing ck hair, Shin was reminded of the Kagura, a dance offered to the gods of Shinto shrines, which he had seen on TV in the past.

    That Kagura dance was very slow-paced, but he felt that Tiera¡¯s dance shared a simr atmosphere. Her expression also suggested that she had fallen into a sort of trance.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Without realizing it, Shin had lost track of time, absorbed in Tiera¡¯s dance.

    How much time had passed? As if repeating the first movements in reverse, Tiera lowered her arms while spinning, then stoppedpletely.

    She was looking at the sky again, just like she did when Shin had arrived. Her position and posture were also identical; if Shin had not seen her dance, he would think she had just continued looking at the sky all the while.

    If something had changed, it was the moonlight, which seemed to shine on Tiera more brightly than before.

    ¡°The stars are really beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh¡­yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±

    When had she noticed him? Tiera turned towards Shin and talked to him.

    Tiera¡¯s faint smile gave her an almost mystical aura. As if the person Shin was now looking at was someone else.

    ¡°Shin, did youe to look at the stars too?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to feel the night breeze a bit. And¡­I didn¡¯t mean to peek, but I saw your dance. I¡¯m not going to ask what it was, nor will I talk to anyone about it, so rest easy.¡±

    He was a little undecided first, but Shin then opted to tell her the honest truth.

    Shin had decided to wait until she said the word before he talked about her circumstances. Thus he told her that he had no intention of inquiring any further.

    ¡°I see. But, I think that it¡¯s alright if it¡¯s you, Shin. It could even be that I called for you.¡±

    Tiera walked towards Shin, smiling to tell him that there was nothing to worry about. At the same time, she said something cryptic.

    ¡°You were calling? Can I ask what that means?¡±

    ¡°Wait just a little more, please. Or I can¡¯t exin well enough.¡±

    Tiera extended a hand towards Shin¡¯s cheeks while speaking. She touched him gently, as if handling something broken.

    ¡°Tiera¡­no, you are¡­¡±

    The feeling Shin had of something being off grewrger andrger. What he thought was just his imagination became reality.

    With eyes that seemed lost into space, she looked straight towards Shin. He returned the look, trying to grasp what was hidden deep within her eyes.

    Her eyes were golden, but also contained hues different from the color yellow. What her slightly transparent pupils reflected was the ck-haired man he always saw in the mirror¡­? Not this time.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Not him, someone wrapped in mist, was looking back at him. As he tried to uncover the identity of that mysterious figure, something soft and warm touched Shin¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Hnn¡­..mmh¡­..nnh¡­¡±

    What had touched Shin¡¯s lips was Tiera¡¯s. All his focus was concentrated on her eyes, and he hadn¡¯t noticed hering closer and closer.

    Her hands, which had been gently caressing his cheeks, were now holding them firmly. A passionate kiss, unthinkable for the usual Tiera, united the two together.

    A single teardrop escaped Tiera¡¯s eyes as they were kissing. Her expression, differently from before, was both earnest and charming.

    ¡°!!¡±

    The sudden event had stopped Shin¡¯s thought process, but after a few seconds it started again.

    Thinking that this could not be allowed to continue, he put his hands on Tiera¡¯s shoulders and tried to break free.

    ¡°Hn¡­?¡±

    Fortunately, his hands touched Tiera¡¯s shoulders just as she had pulled back slightly to breathe. That moment, the light of reason returned to Tiera¡¯s eyes.

    She seemed to bepletely unaware of what was happening and just stood there, frozen. Before her eyes, however, was a long thread uniting Shin and Tiera¡¯s lips.

    The thread shining in the moonlight was a product of Shin¡¯s, or Tiera¡¯s, or both of their saliva.

    ¡°Ah¡­? W-why¡­.?¡±

    Tiera seemed absolutely confused and would just repeat ¡°why?¡± over and over.

    If this was daytime, her violently blushing face would be clearly visible.

    ¡°I-I¡­did I really¡­Shin¡­?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say what she did. Or rather, she couldn¡¯t.

    Her hands, holding Shin¡¯s face.

    A distance so close they could feel each other breathing.

    The thread hanging between their lips.

    Adding all of these elements, it was more than clear what had just happened.

    ¡°Ni¡­.¡±

    ¡°Tiera, first of all, hear me ou¡­¡±

    ¡°NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Upon reaching the apex of confusion, Tiera could not hear Shin¡¯s words and ran away as fast as she could. Just like a veteran ninja, she deftly slipped away from Shin and ran off, totally oblivious of her priestess robes.

    Her screams echoing through the guildhouse, Tiera ran through the corridors at a speed that would make the average Chosen One grow pale. In just a few seconds she had turned the corner and disappeared.

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    Considering what happened, Shin couldn¡¯t just go after her and just stayed behind; for a while, all he could do was just stand there, dumbfounded.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next morning, Shin took Yuzuha to the breakfast hall, rubbing his still half-closed eyes.

    Still sleepy, Yuzuha held onto Shin¡¯s hand, almost dozing off while they walked.

    In the guildhouse, breakfast was served at a specific time; Shin¡¯s group would eat it alongside the other members.

    As he was heading towards the hall, Shin met Filma and Tiera. Filma greeted him as usual, but Tiera turned violently red as soon as she saw Shin and hurried on towards the hall.

    ¡°¡­.hey, Shin. Something happened to Tiera yesterday, right?¡±

    Filma could not fail to notice Tiera¡¯s crystal clear reaction. She could not let it go either, so she pressed Shin, smiling.

    ¡°Something happened, yeah you can say that. But I can¡¯t wrap my mind around it either. I wanted to ask her about it yesterday, but she ran off before I could.¡±

    ¡°You did something to make her run away, right? Something so embarrassing that she turned red like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m the bad guy! I don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on either!¡±

    Filma¡¯s face wasing closer and closer, but Shin pushed her away.

    As it wasn¡¯t possible to ask Tiera about what happened, Shin could think of only one person to ask for help. But in that case, he had to exin what happened the night before.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just let this go, though¡­I¡¯d really rather not, but I¡¯ll go talk with someone who might know what happened. I¡¯ll leave Yuzuha to you.¡±

    Shin entrusted Yuzuha to Filma and headed to Schnee¡¯s room. When he passed in front of the room assigned to Schnee, he had felt her presence inside.

    When Shin knocked on the door, Schnee came out right away; she was about to go out too.

    ¡°Shin? I don¡¯t see Yuzuha with you, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you about Tiera. There¡¯s still some time until breakfast, will you hear me out?¡±

    ¡°Something happened, I suppose. Doe in.¡±

    Shin followed Schnee inside. The room¡¯s interior was very simr to Shin¡¯s room, with just the furniture¡¯s cement being a little different.

    Shin sat on a cushion and told what happened the night before.

    About Tiera¡¯s dance, about her looking like a different person, about the person looking at him from within her eyes. Finally, about the kiss.

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°She regained her senses halfway through, though. Looked like she didn¡¯t remember what happened, and because of that she ran off before I could ask her anything. I thought you might know something, so¡­¡±

    Shin talked while avoiding to look straight in Schnee¡¯s eyes.

    Schnee¡¯s intimidating aura had vanished on their way back from the dungeon, but her mood didn¡¯t seem to have improved much.

    ¡°I see, I understood the situation. I cannot talk in detail about this if Tiera isn¡¯t here too, but I can say that at the very least it isn¡¯t something bad. You could say it¡¯s rted to Tiera¡¯s unique nature.¡±

    ¡°Well, just by looking at her you can tell that she¡¯s not a normal Elf. I imagined she came from a special lineage, or something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a wrong way to see it. Let us let Tiera talk about it herself. Of course, the decision to do so or not rests upon her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I¡¯m just relieved that it isn¡¯t something dangerous.¡±

    Shin drew a sigh of relief. It doesn¡¯t look like Tiera was possessed by something, at least.

    Together with the relief, Shin felt his stomach rumble, in perfect time for breakfast.

    ¡°Shall we go get breakfast, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­but, before that¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? Eh? What?¡±

    Shin had turned around to exit the room, but Schnee grabbed his hand and made him turn back towards her.

    Shin looked timidly at Schnee, fearing that the time for the explosion of her umted stress hade. But Schnee¡¯s expression seemed to contain somethingpletely different from his predictions.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just let this go without saying anything¡­do you think that I wouldn¡¯t feel anything after what you just told me?¡±

    ¡°Aah, er, well¡­I don¡¯t, that¡¯s why it was a bit difficult to tell¡­¡±

    Even if he knew what he had to do, actually doing it was a different matter altogether.

    Curiously enough, Shin clearly understood that Schnee was pouting, from her expressions and her gestures.

    ¡°Considering what happened with Kotone too¡­Shin, you have too many ¡®openings¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Shin could not say anything back, except apologies. Schnee never came off so strongly in front of others.

    ¡°If you really feel sorry¡­¡­¡­p-please hug me.¡±

    After a few moments of silence, Schnee opened her arms and spoke.

    ¡°Ehm¡­is that, enough?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like to be always left out.¡±

    Schnee moved her arms up and down a little while talking. That movement was remarkably simr to Yuzuha¡¯s ears during the banquet, urging Shin to hurry and pet her.

    Feeling embarrassed after making such a clear request, Schnee closed her eyes, but her cheeks had turned bright red.

    Shin finally embraced her gently.

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    The instant he hugged her, Schnee¡¯s body twitched. Then, with some hesitation, she wrapped her hands around Shin¡¯s torso.

    The embrace had probably taken away her nervousness, because she started hugging Shin tightly.

    A faint, sweet scent reached Shin¡¯s nostrils. At the same time, a warm, soft sensation spread on his arms and chest.

    ¡°It¡¯s so strange¡­I feel so peaceful now.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­that¡¯s good.¡±

    Looking at Schnee¡¯s serene expression, Shin breathed a sigh of relief.

    The ¡°incident¡± wasn¡¯t over yet, however.

    ¡°Please, hold me tighter.¡±

    Schnee looked peaceful at first, but after some time she expressed her desire for Shin to embrace her with more strength.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure about how to control his strength, so he hugged her just a little tighter. With Shin¡¯s current muscle strength, even a little difference should have let her feel a significant difference.

    ¡°More¡­more, please¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t nearly enough for Schnee, though. The tighter he held her, the more she pleaded him to.

    Schnee wasn¡¯t an average elf either, so using more strength wouldn¡¯t hurt her. But it wasn¡¯t possible for nothing to have changed.

    Because of their tight embrace, the two soft mounds on Schnee¡¯s chest changed shape, the sensation pressing even more clearly on Shin¡¯s chest.

    In addition, looking at Schnee rubbing her face on his shoulders was robbing Shin of his capacity of rational thinking at rming speed.

    ¡°Do it¡­.more¡­.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t look at Schnee¡¯s face. The words she sultrily whispered to his ears sounded almost like pillow talk.

    A warning saying ¡°It¡¯ll be bad to go any farther than this here!¡± resounded in Shin¡¯s head. But despite his thoughts, his body wouldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Schnee¡­.¡±

    Shin¡¯s feelings overcame his reason.

    Shin¡¯s hands caressed Schnee¡¯s back, and her body responded by trembling slightly, and then¡ª-

    ¡°(You guys, meal time is ending!!)¡±

    ¡ª-Filma¡¯s voice resounded in their heads.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The sudden call caused both Shin and Schnee to leap away from each other.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Shin, who had his back to the door, suffered a spectacrly clean hit on the back of his head. He didn¡¯t receive any actual damage, but was struck by a certain self-loathing, wondering what he was even doing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got a little, carried away¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I was the same, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop¡­¡±

    Their mood had gotten over both of them. Shin and Schnee apologized to each other and headed directly to the hall, after telling Filma that they would be there soon.

    ¡°Ehm, Ms. Schnee? May I ask why we are holding arms?¡±

    ¡°Let me linger, just a little bit. I¡¯ll have to say it because you don¡¯t seem to realize it¡­but there are too many beautiful women around you, Shin. For me, it means never being able to rx, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gathering them or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Keep more distance from them then.¡±

    Probably because they were alone walking through the corridors, Schnee protested towards Shin while holding his arm.

    Thinking that it was pretty daring behavior for Schnee, Shin searched the nearby presences, but found out that, miraculously, there was no one in the path ahead. Schnee had probably verified this before Shin.

    Shin could, of course, forcefully break free of her hold. The soft sensation pressed on his arm, however, won over him.

    ¡°Am, I, clear?¡±

    ¡°G-Got it¡­¡±

    Shin cowered before Schnee¡¯s pressure. He understood what Schnee was feeling, so he had nothing to object.

    Satisfied of Shin¡¯s answer and nod, Schnee released her hold and walked on. Shin followed her as he wiped his cold sweat.

    The breakfast hall was next to the previous night¡¯s banquet hall.

    When they arrived, they found that the other party members had all already started eating. More than half of their tes¡¯ contents had already disappeared.

    ¡°Oh, that was fast¡ªI see Schnee¡¯s in a pretty good mood, did something happen?¡±

    Filma talked as they took their seats. The second part was spoken in a whisper to Shin, so that Schnee, sitting on the other side of the table, wouldn¡¯t hear.

    ¡°Well, I asked what I had to. Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yes! W-what is it¡­?¡±

    Shin stopped Tiera, who had stood up with food remaining on her te, before she could slip away.

    No matter if she wanted to talk or not, he wanted to tell her about what happened the night before.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to exin clearly about what happened yesterday. Please wait in your room.¡±

    ¡°Ehm, er, yes, ok, I got it.¡±

    Shin watched as Tiera awkwardly left the room, then ate his breakfast.

    Filma and the others, who did not know what happened, were puzzled by this exchange, but did not say anything. Tiera¡¯s behavior was clear proof that something must have happened.

 Book 9: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    After breakfast, Shin and Schnee went to Tiera¡¯s room.

    As they knocked, Tiera timidly opened the door, as bright red as she was in the hall.

    ¡°Shin and¡­master? You don¡¯t mean that¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Er, yes, we do.¡±

    Tiera seemed to be thinking of something, as seeing Schnee behind Shin surprised her.

    ¡°We came to talk about what happened to youst night. Won¡¯t you hear us out?¡±

    ¡°¡­.okay. Come in.¡±

    With a serious expressionpletely different to when she opened the door, Tiera let the two inside.

    Shin then told Tiera about everything he saw and heard.

    ¡°I see¡­.so that¡¯s what happened to me¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard from Schnee that it¡¯s probably not something bad. That¡¯s all I came to say.¡±

    ¡°Wait. The chance is right, it¡¯s time for me to talk about what I¡¯ve been hiding.¡±

    Shin had stood up after he finished talking, but Tiera stopped him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself, all right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s time I stop hiding things from you and the others after all.¡±

    She probably felt bad about it. In a way, Tiera felt relieved that she could finally talk.

    ¡°Munechika also told me that it¡¯s something certain people can perceive easily. Mitsuyo might have felt it too.¡±

    ¡°Really? Well then, I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Could you please call Filma and the others too? They¡¯re your followers after all, I want to talk about it with everyone.¡±

    Shin agreed to Tiera¡¯s proposal and told Filma and the others toe to Tiera¡¯s room.

    After a few minutes, in addition to Filma and Shibaid, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna arrived too. Shin asked Tiera if it was alright for them to hear too, and Tiera replied that since she had talked about it to Munechika, it was not a problem for Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna to know too.

    ¡°I have no intention of stringing you along, so I¡¯ll say the most important thing first.¡±

    Tiera took a deep breath and started talking, her expression suggesting the importance of the decision she had made.

    ¡°I am a priestess of the World Tree. In a n that has the unique ability tomunicate with the Sacred Tree, which has its roots in the Ley lines and miasma purification, I am a particrly special existence¡­no, I was.¡±

    ¡°Was? You mean that you aren¡¯t anymore?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words were ultimately in the past tense.

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t be called a priestess of the World Tree as I am now. Well, that title itself, ¡°Priestess of the World Tree¡±, is something unique to the vige I used to live in, though.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how those with the same powers as hers were called elsewhere, added Tiera.

    ¡°The vige that was created when elves gathered around the Sacred Tree, a pseudonym for the World Tree, is the ce I was born. My n, the Lucent n, was originally a n with especially sharp senses for magic. The n members with the highest magic senses were chosen as priestess. I think that by now, the next priestess probably already assumed her duties. That¡¯s what I meant when I said I ¡®was¡¯.¡±

    Even among the n, not all members couldmunicate with the World Tree. At the time, Tiera seemed to possess the highest potential of all the n members.

    ¡°At the beginning, I just had very sharp senses for magic, but gradually my ability specialized inmunicating with the World Tree, so now I¡¯m a little more sensitive than the average elf. They used to say I have talent, but in the end if they¡¯re not close to the World Tree, priestesses can¡¯t use much power. The miasma purification I used was possible just because the depths of the dungeon were close to the Ley lines too.¡±

    Tiera stated that her sensitivity towards the Ley lines was a remnant ability of her connection with the World Tree. She could use the miasma purification technique only because it was close to the Ley lines.

    ording to Tiera, she had powered up too when Filma was freed because she had fulfilled her duty as priestess, or so she thought.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s how it is. I did feel some sort of aura from you.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that the other Supreme des felt it too.¡±

    Mitsuyo nodded in understanding and Kunitsuna, holding her chin, stated her conclusion.

    ¡°Munechika had asked me about this too. She also told me to be careful, as those with power to influence Ley lines could find out about me.¡±

    Without any more reasons to hide it, Tiera also talked about her exchange with Munechika.

    ¡°Kuu? Purification?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe you already heard about it, but Tiera purified both Dojigiri and Onimaru¡¯s miasma.¡±

    Shin exined briefly about Tiera¡¯s purifications to the puzzled Yuzuha.

    ¡°Tiera, amazing! Kuu¡­¡±

    Yuzuha praised Tiera, the tails poking out of her priestess robe and her ears twitching. Even for Yuzuha, what Tiera did was worthy of praise.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for cutting in. Is what you said the reason behind your fast growth or the fact that Scoruas and the demons targeted you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the growth, but that¡¯s probably it for the demons. The World Tree purifies the impurities of the earth, which makes it a natural enemy of the demons. Those human-like demons probably felt the remains of the World Tree¡¯s powers still lingering within me.¡±

    ¡°Its power is still inside you?¡±

    ¡°Because I used tomunicate with the World Tree very frequently. In order tomunicate more deeply, part of priestess¡¯ magic bes simr to the World Tree¡¯s magic. Only part of my hair turning silver could have been caused by the World Tree¡¯s magic power influencing the curse. It wasn¡¯t caused by miasma, but the World Tree¡¯s magic power reacts strongly to impurity and curses.¡±

    Tiera continued talking while fiddling with her silver bangs.

    However, because of the World Tree¡¯s great powers, Tiera¡¯s position as priestess changed drastically after she received the ¡°Cursed Gift.¡±

    ¡°The priestess, a cleanser of impurity, ended up being cursed. It was an unprecedented situation.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s expression darkened as she was reminded of her past.

    ¡°But, it¡¯s weird you know, even after receiving the ¡°Cursed Gift¡±, I couldmunicate a little bit with the World Tree. It was different from before though, it was like listening in to someone else¡¯s conversation. I can still remember it clearly.¡±

    Tiera added that themunication was usually just a hazy exchange of thoughts, which wouldn¡¯t express clear words or symbols. The priestess¡¯ task was to trante such unclear thoughts for people to understand.

    ¡°I think I heard fragments of words. Though, I don¡¯t remember what they were.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind to focus on something like that, after all.

    ¡°Hey, Tiera. What does it actually mean tomunicate with the World Tree? Is it just a trantion of the World Tree¡¯s thoughts? That¡¯s not all it is, right?¡±

    Shin tried to shift the topic so Tiera wouldn¡¯t focus too much on her expulsion from the vige.

    ¡°It also depends on what you are good or bad at, but it¡¯s possible to control the weather in a limited range, create barriers, scry far away locations, and all sorts of things. It varies a lot from person to person. I heard that one of the past priestesses could even predict the future.¡±

    ¡°¡­.it¡¯s kind of simr to the ¡®Star Reader¡¯ title.¡±

    What the words ¡°predict the future¡± reminded Shin of were Millie¡¯s words, which predicted Yuzuha¡¯s danger. The World Tree could probably grant this ability even without a title.

    ¡°What were you good at, Tiera?¡±

    Hearing that abilities depended on individual talent, Filma asked Tiera about her particr talent.

    ¡°My talent was spirit channeling¡­to temporarily bring back the spirits of the dead. I¡¯m not sure if I could actually do it though.¡±

    During channeling, she would be almostpletely unconscious, so she could only learn the results from others.

    Tiera added that one of her most important duties was to channel past priestesses to borrow their powers and to recall the spirits of those who died from idents or disease, so they could say theirst words to their loved ones.

    ¡°So you were channeling someone that time? It did feel like it wasn¡¯t actually you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see clearly, but when your face came closer, I saw someone else in your eyes, looking at me. Well¡­I didn¡¯t feel any hostility though.¡±

    ¡°She came in for the kiss, after all¡­she wouldn¡¯t if she was hostile, right? But it really is weird¡­why kiss?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me! But she was crying too. Well, Tiera was the one actually crying, but those tears were caused by that person¡¯s emotions, no?¡±

    Shin took advantage of Filma¡¯s interruption to express one of his doubts.

    It was difficult to talk about the kiss itself, but he could probably get away with the current flow of the conversation.

    ¡°One possibility is that you simply mistook who you saw. Or it was someone you know. I¡¯m sorry to say, though, but that person is probably already¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s not something you need to concern yourself with.¡±

    Tiera hid her face apologetically, but Shin replied in the most cheerful way he could.

    Channeling a spirit meant that the target had to be already dead. Tiera had exined that it was not possible to call upon the spirit of someone still alive.

    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre though. My ability shouldn¡¯t work away from the World Tree. Why is this happening even though I¡¯m not a priestess?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you only think it shouldn¡¯t work, and it actually does. Could it be possible?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but¡­like this time, maybe it happened already and I just don¡¯t remember.¡±

    It was difficult to detect when Tiera¡¯s ability manifested.

    Even if someone was channeled through Tiera, as long as that person didn¡¯t do something unusual, it would be difficult to notice.

    ¡°You can¡¯t use that power by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I could if the World Tree was close. But I can¡¯t even feel its presence around here. I tried in Tsuki no Hokora too, but never seeded.¡±

    Tiera answered negatively to Mitsuyo¡¯s totally reasonable question.

    ¡°Schnee, do you have any idea what this could be?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, nothing unfortunately. At least, I have never witnessed something like what Shin talked about.¡±

    Even Schnee, who had lived with Tiera, answered contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. While master trained me and taught me about the store in the beginning, she normally was busy somewhere else, so even if my ability had manifested she wouldn¡¯t have been there to see it.¡±

    Tiera saw Shin thinking deeply and mistakenly thought he was dejected, so she hurried to defend Schnee.

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, no, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not feeling down or anything. I was just thinking that if it didn¡¯t happen in Tsuki no Hokora, it must have been caused by youing here.¡±

    Even close to Bayreuth -where Tsuki no Hokora was located- there was Yuzuha¡¯s territory, which had decently sized Ley lines.

    That territory had been tainted by miasma, but the mutated monsters had been defeated by Shin before Tiera coulde close. Furthermore, the miasma had already disappeared along with the monsters.

    Because of that, Tiera -who couldn¡¯t leave Tsuki no Hokora- did not have the chance to go to such an area, as it happened this time, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°Is this ce that special? I know it¡¯s weird that it¡¯s full-blown winter outside while it¡¯s spring in here, but being a guildhouse, it¡¯s understandable.¡±

    ¡°The earth has been revitalized thanks to the Ley lines. It¡¯s probably due to the power of this guildhouse. Nothing of this degree happened at Fuji after all.¡±

    Tiera presented a theory in response to Filma¡¯s question. Elven senses were even capable of perceiving the earth¡¯s activities.

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­Schnee, can you feel it too?¡±

    ¡°My senses are not that sharp. I can feel something through nts, that¡¯s it. I think this is also rted to Tiera¡¯s natural abilities.¡±

    Schnee exined how elves¡¯ senses depended on the individual too. Senses as sharp as Tiera¡¯s were notmon by any means, apparently.

    ¡°There might be something else, something that not even Tiera herself is aware of.¡±

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    Something other than her natural abilities as priestess. Tiera tilted her head, failing to understand what Schnee¡¯s hypothesis could mean.

    ¡°What about miasma purification? Isn¡¯t that something you do through the World Tree¡¯s powers?¡±

    Shibaid, who had been silently listening finally spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s the correct way of doing it, originally. But when the World Tree¡¯s power isn¡¯t enough, I use the Ley lines¡¯ power. I revitalize the remaining power in the Ley lines and amplify it within my body. Then I use it against miasma, to make them cancel each other, pretty much.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it looked like it was taking its toll on you.¡±

    Tiera exined that the thicker miasma is, the more there is, thus the greater the burden on the purifier. With the World Tree¡¯s assistance, the amplification would be done by the tree itself.

    ¡°Is that something we can¡¯t do? It would be ideal if we could split that burden, I think.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s Shin and the others, I guess I can say it¡­that¡¯s something only those belonging to a lineage of priestesses like me can do, or so I heard. It¡¯s something different from a skill, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t teach it.¡±

    Tiera answered Shin¡¯s question by exining that it was something tied to one¡¯s bloodline. As it was not a skill nor a title, it was probably something unique to this world.

    ¡°Hmm, wait, now that I think about it, there were skills¡­rather, abilities that we couldn¡¯t use, abilities limited to NPCs in certain quests¡­can anyone remember?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I have heard about that before¡­what was it again¡­?¡±

    ¡°It was miasma rted, right? I remember it was something about defeating people that adored demons.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma tried to recall what Shin was referring to.

    ¡°Quest¡± was just a single word, but its contents were not only numerous, but also diverse. It was difficult to recall a specific one right away.

    ¡°The content is a bit different, but could it be the ¡®Seven Sages¡¯ Bloodline?¡¯ I remember that it featured a n with a special bloodline that hunted demons. I think there was also something rted to purifying miasma.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yes! Yes, that¡¯s it.¡±

    Shin felt the haziness disappear from his memories.

    The ¡°Seven Sages¡¯ Bloodline¡± quest Schnee mentioned had the yers assist NPCs, set as descendants of the first 7 species that appeared in the world, in their battles against demons.

    Working together with the NPCs, who possessed skills effective against miasma and demons -difficult foes for even advanced users- the yers had to locate the origin of the miasma and defeat the demon that appeared with it.

    Quests were categorized by level of difficulty; clearing one would allow the yer to try others with higher difficulty. The rewards, naturally, would increase in level too.

    ¡°There was a quest like that, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you getting lost in your memories like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see, there was this really annoying elf¡­this one time I carried her like a doll while I went charging against the demons. My stats were already maxed out when that quest appeared, and the NPCs weren¡¯t much help in battle. The main thing was to fight while protecting them, really. Honestly, I could have crushed the enemies with sheer power at that point, even without the NPCs around.¡±

    While Shin¡¯s actions were possible in a videogame setting, during the death game or in the current world, he wouldn¡¯t act in such a dangerous manner now.

    Of course, at the time he was criticized by other yers too, who called his behavior ¡°totally absurd¡±.

    ¡°Well, that has nothing to do with this. If it¡¯s as Schnee said, Tiera could be a descendant of the Seven Sages¡¯ bloodline. The demons could have felt the World Tree¡¯s power and the Seven Sages¡¯ aura, or both. Both their natural enemies¡¯ abilities together¡­it was a great threat to the demons.¡±

    The high-ranked demons Scoruas and Adara¡¯s atmosphere had changedpletely when they saw Tiera; it wasn¡¯t something that could be exined simply with the words ¡°natural enemy¡±.

    The way they changed was as drastic as a change in eye color.

    ¡°In this case, we need to power up Tiera¡¯s equipment more, to prepare for whatever may happen. Your level increased too, so you should be able to equip weapons and armor of higher quality.¡±

    ¡°The equipment I¡¯m borrowing now seems high-level enough already, though¡­¡±

    The equipment Shin lent to Tiera was worth a small fortune in this world. Hearing that Shin wanted to power up such luxurious gear, Tiera¡¯s expression stiffened.

    ¡°Oh no, please, that¡¯s just the start. Depending on the method, I bet you could even equip Mythology-level gear. If you tell me the exact numbers, I can give you much better stuff even within the same grade.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit scared to equip it¡­but yes, please do.¡±

    Tiera nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal, albeit with some hesitation.

    In order for Tiera to continue traveling with Shin and the group, improving her equipment was absolutely necessary. Shin¡¯s group was overpowered and d in Ancient-grade gear, after all.

    She didn¡¯t know how strong she would ultimately be, but if she had a chance to improve, she wouldn¡¯t let it go.

    ¡°We kind of trailed off in the end, but I¡¯ve said all I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°World Tree Priestess¡­I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this world, but I guess I have to think again.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so many, mysteries¡±

    ¡°Mystery, hmm¡­well, I suppose it is a mystery.¡±

    After his casualment, Shin noticed that Tiera sighed while looking at him and Yuzuha.

    Schnee was an Elf like her and was already aware of her circumstances, but maybe Tiera feared that we would act differently after knowing the truth, or so Shin thought.

    After revealing a secret, no matter what it was, one was always worried about how others would react.

    ¡°OK, now we know about Tiera¡¯s situation. Thanks for telling us. Even if you¡¯re a World Tree Priestess, I have no intention of changing how I act towards you, so there¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°¡­.o, ok. Thanks.¡±

    Shin stated his intentions in a slightly rough manner, but everyone nodded.

    Looking at them, Tiera choked a little and thanked them, tears welling in her eyes.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go back to the topic of Tiera¡¯s equipment. I¡¯ve been choosing it until now, but I¡¯m sure you want to start deciding by yourself, right? With higher stats, you have more options about what to equip. Come with meter.¡±

    ¡°OK, certainly.¡±

    Tiera equipped bows and daggers until now, but the range of avable equipment is far wider. Tiera¡¯s main job, Tamer, allowed her to use also whips, rods and throwing weapons.

    The range of avable equipment is small at low levels, but at her current level Tiera should be able to have more choices.

    ¡°What are you going to do, everyone?¡±

    ¡°Can Ie with you? I¡¯m curious to see what equipment Tiera will choose.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together then.¡±

    Mitsuyo was apparently interested to see what weapons and gear Shin possessed. The other Supreme de, Kunitsuna, had something to do with Kotone.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll just kill time until Tiera decides her new equipment, then. We¡¯ll have to stay here until the day after tomorrow to check on the progress, after all. I guess I¡¯ll take a look around the guildhouse, maybe.¡±

    Filma said she would look around the guildhouse while waiting; today, she nned to visit the buildings other than the main one.

    ¡°I have been asked to lead a training session. If anything happens, just contact me.¡±

    Shibaid wielded a halberd, so he was asked to impart training to the priestesses, who used simr long weapons.

    ¡°Got it. Schnee, Yuzuha, what about you?¡±

    ¡°Move, body! y, snow!¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll keep an eye on Yuzuha.¡±

    Yuzuha had returned to her expressionless face, but pointed excitedly at the silver-colored forest. Schnee then proposed to apany her.

    Via Mind Chat, she also told Shin that she¡¯ll make sure Yuzuha doesn¡¯t run too wild.

    ¡°OK, free time until noon then.¡±

    Thinking that everyone needed free time once in a while, Shin and the others went their respective paths.

    ¡°If we want to choose items, we need the Tsuki no Hokora. Let¡¯s ask Kuchinashi, just in case.¡±

    Shin¡¯s item box contained arge quantity of weapons and gear, but it had few choices for Tamers. He then decided to open Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s warehouse.

    ¡°My, curious to see you three together.¡±

    Kuchinashi was surprised to see Shin, Tiera, and Mitsuyo visit her room.

    ¡°Yes, we thought that sometimes it¡¯s good to just act on our own like this.¡±

    ¡°I thought that Schnee would never leave your side though.¡±

    Kuchinashi teased Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re together all the time, you know. Today I¡¯m having her watch over Yuzuha.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s feelings towards Shin were apparently crystal clear. If Yuzuha hadn¡¯t said she wanted to go y, Schnee would have probably joined Shin and the others too.

    ¡°So, what brings you here today?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to pull out Tsuki no Hokora, so I thought of asking if there is a wide space without people around. I wouldn¡¯t want to surprise anyone, pulling a building out of thin air.¡±

    Different from the former yer Kuchinashi, the ck Priestess Shrine members would never think that it was possible to carry buildings like that.

    They could have asked other priestesses too, but Shin¡¯s group knew only very few of them, namely Kotone and Suzune. Even if the priestesses knew about them, they couldn¡¯t say the opposite.

    In Kuchinashi¡¯s case, they didn¡¯t have to exin things in detail for her to understand.

    ¡°I know just the right ce. If you¡¯re going there though, would you mind if Kotone and I came along?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, what do you say, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Shin and Tiera had no objections to Kuchinashi¡¯s request.

    ¡°Can we call Kotone first then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right, but what are you nning? If you¡¯re going to call Kotone, does it mean you want me to temper her weapons?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t want for you to strengthen our weapons¡­but if you helped us more, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d start to rely on you too much.¡±

    Shin asked the question in a casual tone, but Kuchinashi¡¯s expression as she replied looked grim.

    ¡°Some other trouble, then?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. Let¡¯s continue the conversation in the Tsuki no Hokora, with Kotone too. The soundproofing here is good, but I want to keep the risk of leaks as low as possible.¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s words, which suggested that she did not want even herrades to know, were slightly different than what Shin had expected.

    What she was going to talk about must have been something only a few in ck Priestess Shrine knew.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s something really serious. I see, let¡¯s go right¡­wait, let¡¯s call Kotone¡¯s first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call her right away, so please wait just a moment.¡±

    A few minutes after Kuchinashi gave the order, Kotone joined with the group. Now she was wearing, unlike the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet, the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s usual ck robes.

    ¡°You called for me, mdy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we were waiting for you. We¡¯re leaving right away, so please act as an escort.¡±

    Whenever the guildmaster goes anywhere, generally one or more guild members act as an escort. Kuchinashi called Kotone also for her to take this role.

    Shin and the others did not know what Kuchinashi wanted to tell them, but since she called Kotone, it was likely that thetter already knew, or Kuchinashi thought it was something she could tell her.

    Kunitsuna, who had some business with Kotone in the morning, was with her too, but that was not a problem so Shin didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Shall we go then. I¡¯ll lead the way, follow me.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group followed Kuchinashi through the guildhouse. Strangely enough, they didn¡¯t meet anyone else on the way to their destination.

    The ce Kuchinashi led the group to was a thicket located right across the barrier delimiting the guildhouse¡¯s territory. The woods appeared to slip through the barrier, but actually the trees were simply growing on both sides of the barrier.

    ¡°No one will see us here.¡±

    Shin and Kotone ttened the ground in a clearing without trees, then Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°We can talkter, so do what you nned on doing first, Shin.¡±

    Judging from Kuchinashi¡¯s words, it wasn¡¯t something they could expect to wrap up quickly.

    The equipment selection could be der, so Shin thought of just collecting the gear first, and went to the storeroom with Tiera.

    Kuchinashi and the others said they wanted to take a look around, so Shin allowed them to, albeit with limitations.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what this ce was. I never saw this door open since I came here, so I was kind of curious.¡±

    Tiera nodded knowingly when she saw which door Shin stopped in front of. She had wondered before about that eternally locked door, which Schnee had never opened either.

    ¡°It gives off a kind of eerie feeling, but is it really safe?¡±

    Mitsuyomented as Shin was opening the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s Shin¡¯s weapon storeroom, so there could very well be things that shouldn¡¯t be allowed out in the outside world. Shin can even use cursed weapons without problems, right?¡±

    ¡°Ldy Kuchinashi! Do not leave my side!¡±

    Kotone, shocked to hear the words ¡°cursed weapons¡±, swiftly stepped in front of Kuchinashi as to protect her.

    ¡°Stop talking like this is a den of monsters or something¡­Kuchinashi, Kotone, the contents of this room can¡¯t be touched anyway, so don¡¯t worry about touching them by mistake.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes shot a re as he exined one of the limitations affecting the warehouse.

    ¡°A room chock full of Ancient-grade and Mythology-grade weapons is pretty much a den of monsters, though¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just high-quality weapons, all right? Kotone, I¡¯m telling you that no one¡¯s life is in danger.¡±

    ¡°I have my concerns about your word choice, sir Shin¡­however, is it really alright for us to enter a ce that might contain cursed weapons?¡±

    Still worrying about the fact that Shin considered legendary weapons as nothing more than high-spec items, Kotone posed a reasonable question.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, nothing happens as long as you don¡¯t equip them. Plus, if anything happens with one of the weapons here I will take responsibility and melt it down.¡±

    Shin replied with a grin, but at the same time a ¡°thud¡±-like sound was clearly heard from inside the storeroom.

    ¡°H-hey, Shin. I¡¯m sure I just heard something move from inside just now¡­?¡±

    ¡°I heard it too¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t worry so much. Some cursed gear was probably a little scared, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Can you imagine, a cksmith that can scare weapons¡­?¡±

    ¡°As a weapon myself, I can¡¯t reallyugh at that.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡±

    Tiera and Kotone flinched after hearing the noise from inside, but Shin reassured that there were no problems.

    Kuchinashi sighed in disbelief, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna knitted their brows.

    Ignoring Kuchinashi¡¯s, Mitsuyo¡¯s, and Kunitsuna¡¯s reaction, Shin finally opened the doors.

 Book 9: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 9: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    What the doors opened to reveal was, as Kuchinashi had said, a seemingly endless line of weapons, starting from Rare and Unique up until Mythology and Ancient grade.

    ¡°Eh¡­we have to go in here?¡±

    ¡°W-Wow¡­.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with your reactions?¡±

    Shin was perplexed by Tiera and Kotone¡¯s reactions. For him, the room where he stored his items and gear was nothing more than that, just a storeroom, thus he didn¡¯t view it as a dangerous ce at all.

    Such a reaction, however, was unique to him: being used to the ce, he had not noticed the heavy aura outburst that hade from inside as the doors opened.

    At the same time, the magic power enveloping the weapons started to leak out too.

    It wasn¡¯t something visible to the naked eye, nor did it have any particr effects. But after feeling it, Tiera and Kotone¡¯s expressions warped all too clearly.

    ¡°To be able to act so nonchntly in the middle of this aura¡­is something to be expected from you, I should say.¡±

    Kuchinashi had felt it too, and couldn¡¯t help butughing wryly at how little Shin¡¯s behavior had changed.

    ¡°I can feel the presence of weapons just like us¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not part of the Five Supreme des, but¡­long swords, spears, there must be several of them.¡±

    Kunitsuna and Mitsuyo felt the presence of weapons that, like them, had turned into human form during events.

    ¡°Shin, is this ce really safe!? Is it!?¡±

    Tiera, sensitive to magic as usual, had felt the dense magic power filling the room and quickly moved behind Shin¡¯s back. She must have felt in danger, as she grabbed his sleeve and wouldn¡¯t let go.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, honestly. When we were in Bayreuth, Yuzuha came inside here too, you know. Her tails¡¯ fur stood straight up though.¡±

    ¡°I-If so, I guess it¡¯s okay¡­h-hey, don¡¯t just walk away without saying a word!!¡±

    Thinking that he couldn¡¯t convince them just talking, Shin walked deeper into the room.

    He had moved without saying anything, so Tiera -who was still grabbing his sleeve- almost fell forward.

    Mitsuyo followed Shin without a word.

    ¡°Uuh¡­I feel chills down my spine¡­¡±

    ¡°The name den of monsters wasn¡¯t so wrong after all.¡±

    ¡°You just need to not pay any mind to it, and it¡¯ll be ok. Kuchinashi, everyone, what will you do? It won¡¯t take a long time though.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take on your invitation. Come on, let¡¯s go, Kotone.¡±

    ¡°Eh! Ldy Kuchinashi!¡±

    Kotone seemed to be still unsure, but Kuchinashi stepped in without the least concern. Together with Kunitsuna, she ignored all defensive gear and essories and went to look at weapons such as sacred swords and spears.

    As for Shin, he picked up gear and essories that Tiera could equip and turned them into cards. Taking advantage of the asion, he also took some useful tools and items and chucked them into the item box.

    ¡°OK, I got what I was looking for. Anything caught your interest, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, actually, this one here.¡±

    Tiera was pointing towards a ring with a 1-cemel pale green amber embedded within.

    The amber emitted a clear glow, very close to a gemstone. In its center, was a seed of some nt.

    ¡°I see, the ¡ºCdon Amber Ring¡».¡±

    Cdon Amber was an item obtained when refining amber via alchemy. The resin used for cdon amber was extracted from the World Tree.

    It was an item perfectly fit for a World Tree priestess such as Tiera.

    ¡°Anything else? I think there are some more items rted to the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°Anything else¡­no, nothing in particr. I wasn¡¯t actually looking, but I just had a feeling about this.¡±

    ¡°I see. So let¡¯s put that among the candidates too, then do the rest outside. Kuchinashi, it¡¯s time to¡­wait, what are you looking at?¡±

    When Shin turned to look at Kuchinashi, he found her staring intently in a certain direction.

    She was looking at gear used for offense; swords, katana,nces, gauntlets, etc.

    In the storeroom all items were separated by category, but only here different types of weapons were gathered together, so they stood out.

    ¡°Shin, let me ask one thing, these weapons are for sealing, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. I don¡¯t actually need them, it¡¯s more of a collection than anything.¡±

    Saying so, Shin took in hand one of the katana Kuchinashi was looking at.

    Its official name was Sealing de ¡ºKusabimaru¡».

    Kusabimaru, a katana 60-cemels long, waspletely white. Its de, hilt, handle and sheath were all the color of snow.

    One other thing made it differ from normal katana: transparent spheres were set on both edges of its hilt. It was a characteristic typical of sealing weapons, and was present in all of them.

    The material used to forge these weapons was an alloy; Magic Steel mixed with a small quantity of Orichalcum and Mithril. A particr forging technique would then be used to create the pure white katana ¡ºKusabimaru¡».

    Shin called it a collection because these weapons only found their use in specific events and were normally not useful.

    If they were used against normal enemies, 3 shes against a level 100 Golem would reduce their durability to 0, thus there was no point in using them.

    ¡°Was something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, well, you see? I wanted to talk to you about something concerning sealing weapons, and here I find a whole collection of them, so I was just thinking, look how things happen¡­¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s expression was an indescribable blend of relief and disbelief.

    ¡°Something concerning sealing weapons? These ones are for exclusive use in that event, you don¡¯t mean to say that it appeared?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. But, I don¡¯t mean to say that something has to be done right now. I wanted to tell you everything after Tiera¡¯s business was over, but will you listen to me first?¡±

    ¡°I prefer to hear the bad news first, so that¡¯d be better for me. What do you say, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I agree. Since I have new equipment to choose from, I don¡¯t want to do it while worrying about what might happen next.¡±

    Tiera also said she wanted to listen to Kuchinashi¡¯s story first, so they all went to the living room for the moment.

    On their way, Mitsuyo pulled on Shin¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°Wh-¡±

    ¡°Sssh. Shin, it looks like she¡¯s going to say something really important, but is it OK for me and Kunitsuna to be there too? We can¡¯t normally move from Fuji, so I doubt we can be of any help, you know?¡±

    Shin turned around to talk, but Mitsuyo put her index finger over his mouth and whispered.

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m sure. Kuchinashi knows about the Five Supreme des, and I exined too. She would have talked at another time if she didn¡¯t want you to hear. Besides, I already have an idea what she¡¯s going to say, and I think it¡¯s something you should hear too.¡±

    ¡°Really? Well, if you say so.¡±

    The group arrived in the living room as this exchange ended.

    Tiera served tea for all and, after a moment¡¯s rest, Kuchinashi started talking.

    ¡°Well then¡­Shin probably guessed already, but what I¡¯m going to talk about now is one of the game¡¯srge-scale quests, ¡®Seven Deadly Sins¡¯.¡±

    ¡°So that was really it¡­this is going to be a pain in the neck.¡±

    The ¡°Seven Deadly Sins¡± quest Kuchinashi mentioned consisted in discovering and sealing, within a set time period, 7 darkness-colored orbs that appeared all over the world.

    The orbs fused with monsters in the field or dungeons, forming bosses rted to the seven deadly sins. The fusing was limited to animal monsters with a connection to each of the sins.

    Once the bosses were defeated the orb would appear; stabbing it with a sealing weapon would count as sealing it.

    The weapon used to seal the orb would then signal the general location of the other orbs, so if a yer managed to find one, finding the others was only a matter of time.

    yers who found many orbs would receive rare items from the game¡¯s management, so many yers participated in this regrly held quest.

    ¡°Do you mean to say that a monster fused with an orb has been found?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. They lost sight of it afterward though.¡±

    The monster had been found by a former yer who had participated in the quest in the past, so there should be no mistake, Kuchinashi added.

    ¡°Does the adventurers¡¯ guild know about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course I told them. Adventures ranked C and above should have been notified already. The discovered monster is called Ursine Sloth, level 115, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Sloth, is it. When was it found, more or less?¡±

    ¡°About one year ago. I don¡¯t know exactly how the situation is now, that monster¡¯s only talent is hiding, after all. Even when it was found, it ran off somewhere and they lost it right away.¡±

    The monsters governing the seven sins would get gradually stronger over time.

    When the monster reaches the level limit, the deadly sinspatible monsters increase by one, and all monsters¡¯ level grows by 100.

    Finally, if the monsters reach level 700, they will transform into devils*. (T/N: the word used here is ™Ä§, which generally means demon/devil; I (tentatively) used devil because the word we trante as demon (ÕÎÄ§) is different, using the kanji for miasma and monster)

    Devils, differently from demons, lived in all sorts of ways and did not necessarily attack yers or inhabited areas. Their fighting prowess was, however, very high; if the seven devils gathered, then, they would cease acting independently and start attacking people all together.

    If that happens, the only way to ovee them is for guilds to coborate in fighting them.

    ¡°In this world there are no ranks or anything after all. Even if they knew that the seals are broken, no one would just go hunt the monsters.¡±

    The seal on the orbs would break one by one.

    If the fused monsters were found quickly, even low and mid-level yers had a chance of cing in the higher ranks, so whenever this quest appeared yers rushed to search for the monsters and the orbs, which led to a quick resolution.

    Because of these reasons, in the game era monsters had turned into devils in very few asions.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only participated the first few times, so I don¡¯t really know it well. Do you remember how often the orbs¡¯ seals broke?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either, actually. In the game, it was one or two weeks, but I have no idea if that still applies here.¡±

    If the frequency was the same as the one Kuchinashi recalled, all seals would be long broken, but there were no signs of devils attacking. Kuchinashi thus did not know how much time remained before the next seal broke.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just stay still without preparing any countermeasure, so I wanted to ask you to make us some sealing weapons, to be ready whenever one of those monsters was found. We¡¯re researching them too, but skills can¡¯t be obtained as easily as before now and raising them takes a long time too, so results are hard to produce.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case, I¡¯ll forge some for you. I have the recipes and materials after all.¡±

    Shin would have to give them many weapons made by himself, but sealing weapons could not be used normally anyway, so there was no risk involved even if they were to leak. Forging them was notplicated either.

    ¡°Aah¡­I know that I should be d that you¡¯re going to help us, but if things proceed so smoothly, I can¡¯t help being afraid that something bad is going to happen¡­¡±

    ¡°The deadly sins are an unknown for me too after all. I know more or less how they fight, but I have never actually faced one. If we can do something to prepare before the actual fighting begins, we should definitely do it.¡±

    It would be difficult to assist in the search for the orbs. But, unlike the game era, Shin could not just treat the matter as something unrted to him and move on.

    In the current world, the number of casualties would be the number of deceased. A number which could include people Shin knows. The enemy being an unknown existence in Shin¡¯s eyes was just a small part of the reason why he would help.

    ¡°This all I wanted to ask of you. I¡¯m sorry for taking your time.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m d you told us about that. After all, there are still plenty of things I don¡¯t know about this world. I¡¯ll be grateful if you let me know about any such dangers emerging in the future too. I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to help though.¡±

    ¡°For me, just having a connection with you is more than enough.¡±

    After conversing a bit more, Kuchinashi left with Kotone.

    ¡°OK then, next we just have to choose Tiera¡¯s equipment. Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, will you stay with us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the reason why I tagged along in the first ce, I¡¯m curious to see what equipment will fit her.¡±

    ¡°If that is alright with you, I would like to stay too, yes.¡±

    Kunitsuna¡¯s business with Kotone had already finished, it seems.

    Tiera, concerned about the dangers implied by what Kuchinashi told Shin, made a different proposition.

    ¡°Er, before my equipment, I think we should tell Master and the others¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter, don¡¯t worry. Besides even if I didn¡¯t, if Schnee and the others found a deadly sin monster they¡¯d go and defeat it right away.¡±

    During the game era Schnee and the others had hunted the deadly sin monsters too, so they were aware of the threat they represented. If they found one, they surely wouldn¡¯t let it escape.

    Except for Schnee and Yuzuha, everyone was inside the ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡± domain, so there were very little chances of encountering one now.

    Just in case, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

    ¡°OK then, back on topic, let¡¯s do this equipment selection. I tried picking up the highest quality gear between what Tiera can equip with her current stats. The equipment belonging to a gear set will make your appearance changepletely, remember. In some cases the resulting appearance is a bit¡­peculiar, but¡­well, try them on. ¡±

    Saying so, Shin handed the cards to Tiera.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll try them one by one then.¡±

    As Tiera took the cards in hand and concentrated, a blue light enveloped her figure, and the next instant her attire waspletely different.

    It had happened with Barlux too; when the inhabitants of this world use this equipping shortcut, this phenomenon happened.

    ¡°Aaah! Hey!? W-what¡¯s this??¡±

    As soon as she took a look at her new clothes, Tiera blushed and tried to cover her chest with her arms to hide it from the others¡¯ eyes.

    Her current attire included a blue feathered decoration on her head and only a patterned tube top on her upper body. On her lower body, she was wearing light brown bikini pants and a pareo that barely covered her hips.

    In addition, she was wearing sandals made of animal leather and a golden ring as an armband. Two daggers rested at her waist, as well as a bow and quiver on her back.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Forest Maiden gear set. They also call it the Amazoness series. It¡¯s got good stats and effects, but looking like that, I thought you wouldn¡¯t wear it.¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know it looked like this!!¡±

    Tiera was pulling on the pareo with all her might, trying to hide her exposed skin as much as possible.

    The skimpy pareo, however, could barely hide her bikini pants. That attempt at hiding thus only increased the sensuality of her current looks.

    ¡°Wait a second now, the gear¡¯s design is disyed on the item cards¡¯ front, right?¡±

    As Shin said, the other not-materialized cards clearly disyed how the items would look on their front sides.

    This feature was present not only for equipment, but items and materials as well.

    ¡°Uuh, why is something like this here¡­I can¡¯t wear it in public, can I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the 2nd best set among the ones I picked, and I did tell you about the appearance thing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Tiera was probably still shocked, or maybe had not picked up on Shin mentioning that some sets could have ¡°peculiar appearances¡±. He hadn¡¯t said anything about skin exposure though.

    Having focused mainly on stats and effects, Shin ended up picking sets with shy or risque appearances too.

    ¡°So¡­what are you people doing?¡±

    Shin and Tiera¡¯s exchange was continuing under Mitsuyo¡¯s cold gaze.

    ¡°My, could it be that we are in the way?¡±

    On the other hand, Kunitsuna was grinning, thoroughly enjoying the situation.

    ¡°Hey, wait. This was just something unexpected, I didn¡¯t have any weird intentions.¡±

    ¡°Really now¡­that¡¯s not how it looked to me¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo spoke with a perfectly t tone. Her eyes were not filled with anticipation as moments ago.

    ¡°Well, putting looks aside, even I can see that it¡¯s really high-quality equipment.¡±

    ¡°M-Mitsuyo! Please don¡¯t pull on my clothes!¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit. It feels like fabric to the touch, but even if I pull it as hard as this it doesn¡¯t even look like it¡¯ll rip¡­isn¡¯t this too tough for Legend-grade equipment¡­? Kh, look how big they are anyway¡­I can¡¯t believe it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Mitsuyo was supposed to be admiring the equipment, but Shin felt that herstment was directed at something else. She had been pulling on Tiera¡¯s tube top, but then her eyes seemed to lose all traces of light.

    ¡°My my, looks like a weird switch was flipped here.¡±

    Kunitsuna chuckled apologetically, but still smiled. She had no intention of stopping Mitsuyo, it seemed.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re going to take it off! It¡¯s reallying off!?¡±

    ¡°Er, first of all Tiera, let¡¯s go back to your previous equipment. Mitsuyo, you calm down now.¡±

    Shin had regained hisposure while the two were bickering and told Tiera how to solve the situation.

    As Tiera¡¯s equipment turned back the way it was before, Mitsuyo¡¯s hands now grabbed thin air.

    ¡°Eh!? What did I do!?¡±

    ¡°Did it concern you that much?¡±

    ¡°¡­..you wouldn¡¯t understand, Shin. I can¡¯t expect to grow physically and when I go back to my main body I¡¯ll turn back into my smaller form! Let me dream a little, at least now!!¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s emotions were still fluctuating violently.

    ¡°I guess¡­I can¡¯t understand that, yeah.¡±

    Looking at what Mitsuyo was staring at, Shin understood what her concern was. But Shin, as a man, could notprehend a woman¡¯s feelings concerning chest size.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s see the next one.¡±

    Feeling that delving further into the topic would just lead to danger, Shin urged Tiera to try the next equipment set.

    ¡°O-OK. I¡¯ll take a good look at the design first this time.¡±

    Tiera checked the design disyed on the card¡¯s front side, then changed her equipment.

    The new equipment set was a red hairpin, a deep green shirt and mantle, which concealed her whole body, ck pants and boots: as far as skin exposure was concerned, it was theplete opposite as the Forest Maiden set.

    This ¡°Heat Haze¡± gear series, oncepleted, granted the added bonus of making it more difficult to be found by the enemy. Its appearance allowed the wearer to blend in with the surroundings, working a bit as optical camouge.

    As weaponry, it included a Kukri knife on the left side and a knife case with 4 throwing knives on the right.

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange de. I do not see a bow, though.¡±

    ¡°Because this set is made to sneak close to the enemy and attack by surprise. You can hide right away and run easily when needed. You can equip a bow with it too, I think.¡±

    Shin exined in response to Kunitsuna¡¯sment.

    Tiera moved her arms and legs a bit, to see how easy it was to move with that equipment.

    ¡°This is pretty good. I¡¯ll keep it as a possible choice.¡±

    After trying some more sets, Tiera decided to pick two and use them alternatively depending on the situation.

    One was the first she picked as a possible choice, the Heat Haze set. She chose it because its in appearance would make it easy to conceal herself and, against powerful enemies, she could hide and avoid being targeted.

    The second was a set called ¡°Bow Princess¡±, focused on sharpshooting. It contained a silver circlet, armor fully covering the chest and gauntlets protecting the arms; on the lower body, armor resembling a mixture between a skirt and leg armor and knee-high boots.

    The weapon was the ¡ºEmerald Dazzle Bow¡». It was an exquisitely crafted item, whichbined usability with decorations meant to represent wind and wings.

    The set¡¯s greatest characteristic, however, were the 4 long rhombus-shaped half-transparent shields that extended over the wearer¡¯s back. They were a bonus granted when the Bow Princess set waspleted and parried enemy attacks autonomously.

    This defense was a countermeasure meant to cover the fact that equipping the Bow Princess set meant not being able to equip closebat weapons

    ¡°Why does this Bow Princess set change your hairdo too?¡±

    ¡°The Bow Princess set is said to be based on the equipment a person called Bow Princess actually used. If she had her hair like that, maybe it changes automatically?¡±

    After equipping the Bow Princess set, Tiera¡¯s hair had been tied in multiple braids behind her head. Her normally waist-length hair now barely reached her shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought this time and again after joining you, but what¡¯s with your weapon crafting abilities, Shin? This is something beyond what humans can do¡­¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo, I¡¯m telling you this because I think you have memories of the world before, but I¡¯ve been living since before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±. I had obtained these techniques and knowledge then. The people alive before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡± call that period ¡°Game Era¡±.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that if you hone your skills that long¡­.you can reach these levels?¡±

    Mitsuyo was recalling her memories of that era deep within her trembling pupils.

    Memories of the game era were still alive within her. She hadn¡¯t remembered about Shin until Tsugu pointed it out, but she had absolutely not forgotten.

    ¡°¡­.I see, now I remember. A samurai who used magic and wielded weapons with incredibly high quality¡­that was you, lord Shin.¡±

    Kunitsuna, who had been listening to Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s conversation, nodded in understanding.

    ¡°The former world was filled with such techniques¡­I¡¯m kind of envious of Shin and the others.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t act as freely as we can now though.¡±

    What Shin used, in a way, was a hidden technique.

    ¡°A while ago, I was in pretty much the same situation too.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I was afflicted by something called ¡°Cursed Gift¡±, and couldn¡¯t go outside the Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    Tiera exined briefly about her former circumstances.

    ¡°Something like that happened¡­so that¡¯s why you travel together now.¡±

    ¡°Now I understand too.¡±

    Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna seemed to think that Tiera traveled with Shin because of the gratitude she owed him.

    The next moment, taking advantage of the situation, Kunitsuna whispered something to Tiera, making sure Shin couldn¡¯t hear.

    ¡°Considering the situation, Shin would be the prince that came to rescue you? What do you say about that?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Ah, well, that¡­I¡¯m, not fit for him, I mean..there¡¯s the master, and¡­¡±

    Kunitsuna¡¯s whisper had Tierapletely confused. Shin could have listened to what they were saying if he wanted, but he felt the mood wasn¡¯t right and did not activate the ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill.

    ¡°How about being his number 2 from the start, then? I¡¯m notpletely ignorant about this world either. There is no rule stating that it has to be only one person, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Kunitsuna did not state clearly what did not have to be only one.

    For Tiera, though, she was being clear enough. Tiera, struggling to find words to answer, turned beet red.

    ¡°If you keep whispering in front of me, I can¡¯t help but be curious¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a conversation between women. Men should be quiet and wait.¡±

    Mitsuyo had no intention of allowing Shin to join in.

    Shin continued just looking at them, wondering about the situation. He wasn¡¯t sure when they had be friends, but now they all spoke to each other with familiarity.

    Maybe thinking that it would be bad to make Shin wait too long, Tiera and the others finished their conversation after a few minutes. Tiera¡¯s face was bright red up to her ears.

    Kunitsuna was smiling, warmly watching over Tiera, but Mitsuyo was looking at her with some envy.

    ¡°Mitsuyo, we did what we had to, it¡¯s time for us to go. We have to let these two spend time alone now.¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes, I know that already.¡±

    Mitsuyo sighed and nodded to Kunitsuna¡¯s words. Her expression, though, clearly showed her discontent.

    ¡°Even if you say so, we did what we had to do too¡­¡±

    They had listened to what Kuchinashi had to say and selected Tiera¡¯s equipment, so there was no more reason to be in Tsuki no Hokora. Saying so, Shin looked towards Tiera, who was looking at Shin too, like she had something to say.

    ¡°Look, Tiera has something to tell you. You better listen to her well!¡±

    ¡°H-Hey!¡±

    Mitsuyo pped Shin¡¯s back and left Tsuki no Hokora, dragging Kunitsuna behind her.

    ¡°They went away for our sake¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, Mitsuyo did look different from the usual.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the door Mitsuyo closed as she went out. He thought he heard someone shouting ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot!!¡± beyond the door.

    ¡°¡­so, you have something to tell me? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­it¡¯s something personal, so I didn¡¯t say it when Master and the others were present too. Shin, do you remember what happened when we purified ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course¡­do you mean, if I saw anything then?¡±

    The voice he heard. The scenery he saw. Shin thought that she had to be referring to that.

    ¡°So you saw something too. I¡¯ll say it too, so could you tell me what you saw?¡±

    ¡°OK. I saw someone copsed in a forest, and a woman shouting something next to them. I don¡¯t know if the copsed person was a man or a woman, but I¡¯m pretty sure that the person shouting was a woman. I couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying though.¡±

    He had no reason to hide anything, so Shin stated everything he saw. It was not a lot of information, either.

    ¡°I see¡­so you saw something different from me.¡±

    Tiera nodded in understanding.

    ¡°What you saw is probably what happened when I was exiled from the vige. The person copsed was¡­my mother.¡±

    Mother. When Tiera pronounced this word, her eyes became tinged with sadness.

    What Shin had seen was Tiera¡¯s past.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, then.¡±

    Tiera felt that the mood was turning dark, and spoke in a bright tone to change it.

    What Tiera saw was a woman lying on the ground and a man embracing her, in some sort of back alley.

    The scene ended when the man embracing the woman was about to cut down another man with his katana.

    Unlike Shin, she had not seen fragments of the scene; it had been disyed rather clearly to her eyes.

    ¡°His mouth was moving, so I think he said something. But I couldn¡¯t hear the words, or any other sound, so I don¡¯t know what he said.¡±

    As Tiera finished to talk, she suddenly mumbled. She looked down, hesitation in her expression.

    Shin guessed what Tiera was not sure if she should say or not, so he decided to say it himself.

    ¡°The man you saw was me, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes. But I don¡¯t know if it was really you. Because¡­ that Shin, looked like apletely different person.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice was trembling slightly. Even if it was just a vision, it had made her feel something.

    ¡°I see. I kind of expected it, but you saw that moment then.¡±

    The scene was when Shin had lost his beloved.

    It was also the moment when the yer called God of Death was born.

    ¡°I can¡¯t forget that. I suppose we saw each other¡¯s most painful memory, then.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I think you¡¯re right.¡±

    The memory of losing an irreceable person. It was branded in his memory so vividly that just hearing some details about the situation made him recall it very clearly.

    ¡°¡­listen, Shin. Are you¡­ alright?¡±

    ¡°Alright? What do you mean?¡±

    Tiera spoke without changing her worried look.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what emotion had prompted Tiera¡¯s inquiry.

    ¡°When we epted that escort mission, we were attacked by ruffians, right? Do you remember that, er, I hugged you after we defeated them?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t forget an experience like that.¡±

    Shin replied while scratching his cheek to the blushing Tiera.

    Since it happened just after the battle ended, it had left an impression on him. He couldn¡¯t forget the softness of Tiera¡¯s breasts either.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to remember it in detail!! You just need to remember it a little!¡±

    Tiera, getting even redder, shouted to Shin as he was relishing the memories. Her blushing was back in full force, reaching again up to her ears.

    ¡°What I want to say is the reason why I did that!¡±

    ¡°What reason was there?¡±

    Shin remembered that Tsubaki too, who was with them at the time, thought it strange. Since he couldn¡¯t talk about something like that with Gaien around, he had left the topic for another time, then forgot about it.

    ¡°¡­. T¡­ That time, the aura around you was really scary. Not as much as what I saw during the purification, but I felt that it was not good for you to release that kind of aura. So I took what I thought was the best course of action at the time¡­I was really embarrassed, you know.¡±

    After taking a small deep breath, Tiera exined the reason why she hugged Shin at that time.

    Holding her right hand over her mouth in embarrassment, she looked up towards Shin with slight irritation. Maybe because she was still red, she looked more adorable than scary.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it was. Thinking about it, I get the feeling that I had returned to my old self a bit that time.¡±

    Thinking back about that moment, Shin spoke while staring at the living room¡¯s ceiling.

    ¡°That was the first time I killed someone aftering here. Maybe that triggered it.¡±

    ¡°The first time¡­ aftering here?¡±

    Tiera showed concern and confusion because of the words Shin uttered so casually.

    Something in how the words sounded told her that he didn¡¯t mean that it was the first time he killed someone aftering to Bayreuth.

    Shin had literallye from another world; that had been his first killing in this world.

    ¡°Yes, now that I think about it¡­of all the members now, you¡¯re probably the only one who doesn¡¯t know. You told me your secret too, and I think it¡¯s the right timing to talk about myself. Yuzuha is still a child mentally, so I¡¯ll tell her another time, though.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The reason why you felt something fearful from me. Imagine that Schnee, in order to crush the people rted to this reason, didn¡¯t tell me any information about my formerpanions, prepared to take any punishment for it.¡±

    ¡°M-Master did something like that!?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her shock after hearing Shin¡¯s words.

    Schnee, who never concealed her affection towards Shin, deliberately hid information important for him? Tiera couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°¡­.hey, is that really something alright for me to know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide whether to listen or not. It¡¯s something in the past anyway. In the end, what Schnee feared would happen to me after knowing that didn¡¯t happen either.¡±

    Shin replied with a calm tone.

    His past sensations didn¡¯t disappearpletely. As Tiera had felt, the emotions of the time when he was called God of Death still remained within Shin.

    There was nothing to worry about now, however, just because he reminisced a bit about the past. Something that could influence him would only be meeting with the enemy who murdered Marino, nothing else.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The decision was up to Tiera. She was silent for a few moments. Her eyes closed, she seemed to be deep in thought.

    Her silence continued for a few more seconds.

    Looking straight into Shin¡¯s eyes, Tiera answered.

    ¡°¡­please tell me. I want to know more about you.¡±

    ¡°Got it. It¡¯ll be a bit of a long story, but please listen.¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s answer and started telling the story.

    ¡ª-The story of the conquest of many dungeons.

    ¡ª-The story of the death of many PKs.

    ¡ª-The story of he who was called both Hero and God of Death.

    ¡ª-The story of one man.

 Book 10: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    After their journey to recover for the Five Supreme des in the ind country of Hinomoto, Shin¡¯s party returned to ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse.

    Shin and Tiera shared part of their memories when they purified one of the Five Supreme des, ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»; this spurred Shin to decide to talk about his past to her.

    Tiera spoke while looking straight into Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­.tell me. I want to know more about you.¡±

    ¡°Got it. It¡¯s going to take a while, but please hear me out¡ª-at the time, I still didn¡¯t know how evil people could be. I didn¡¯t know that you could lose something important all of a sudden.¡±

    Shin continued talking while also looking straight into Tiera¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What I¡¯m going to tell you happened before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±. When we used to call this world a ¡°game¡±.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One year passed since the MMORPG ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± had been transferred to virtual reality.

    What was supposed to be a game had be reality. There were two big changes that had affected the game.

    Logging out was not possible and death in the game meant death in real life.

    Very few could handle this absurd situation with a cool head.

    It was said that the chaos and confusion caused more than 500 casualties, but no one could understand if that figure was high or low.

    It all happened suddenly, but fortunately -if one could say so- the yers¡¯ stats had not been reset.

    The stats and levels the yers had spent long hours raising, powerful equipment and rare items, guildhouses, methods of contact with friends, all of those remained.

    Hoping to put an end to the death game, one man was, today too, challenging a dungeon.

    ¡°Rrrraaahhh!!!¡±

    A crimson sh lit up the darkness of the dungeon, following the man¡¯s war cry. It had been created by the swing of his de.

    The de pierced the void, severing the right leg of the giant-type monster Gigantes Moss.

    Having lost everything below the right thigh, the gargantuan monster fell to the ground. Its body extended for more than 5 mels and was studded with rocks and boulders, which caused a small tremor as the monster tumbled down.

    The shaking ground limited the yer¡¯s action and prevented him from continuing the attack.

    ¡°30% HP left. About time it changes attack patterns.¡±

    The man mumbled to himself while keeping the copsed monster within his field of view.

    His name was Shin.

    His opponent was the boss monster that awaited yers in the deepest reaches of the dungeon.

    As Shin had predicted, the monster¡¯s HP gauge had fallen into the red zone of less than 30%, causing certain changes in Gigantes Moss¡¯ body.

    From the base of its 2 battleaxe-wielding arms, a new set of arms grew out. At the same time, the ceiling of the boss chamber crumbled, bringing a longsword and a spear to the room below.

    ¡°So that¡¯s your game.¡±

    After calmly concluding that the change was a physical one, Shin activated a magic skill.

    ¡°Just in case, I better check if your weak points changed.¡±

    Magic skills of all seven elements struck the monster after Shin spoke.

    Bullets of fire and water, spears of light and thunder, and ws and fangs of wind and earth.

    Seven spells that were usually cast on their own struck all at once. Too much for even the now four-armed Gigantes Moss to handle.

    Shin had activated the skill ¡¾Magic Boost¡¿, to increase the offensive power of his magic, and the 7-typebination magic skill ¡¾Elemental st¡¿.

    It was abo attack used to determine the monster¡¯s weakness while inflicting a certain degree of damage at the same time.

    Depending on the elemental properties of the monster the spell is used on, it might end up healing them, but Gigantes Moss suffered damage. Based on the differences of inflicted damage, it was clear that the monster was strong against fire and wind but weak against thunder and darkness.

    The problem was that the damage itself was infinitesimal.

    ¡°No changes in weak points, I see. Magic defense shot up though.¡±

    Gigantes Moss was originally a monster strong against magic attacks.

    For Shin, continuing this one-sided attack from a distance was not impossible, but because of the monster¡¯s increased defensive power, triggered by the HP loss, even Shin¡¯s spells could not inflict decisive damage.

    The only method left was closebat.

    ¡°Well, so be it. I wasn¡¯t thinking of whittling you down from a distance anyway!¡±

    While keeping the monster busy with multi-hit magic spells, Shin grasped his trusted weapon, the katana ¡ºTrue Moon¡». The skill activation caused the de to emit increasingly bright red ripples, before being covered in darkness. The next moment, deep red lightning shot forward.

    Triplebination skill ¡¾ck Flower sh¡¿.

    Using the magic barrage as cover, Shin drew closer to the monster in a sh and circled behind its back.

    Thanks to the high speed movement made possible by thebination of Movement-type skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿, the Gigantes Moss lost sight of Shin.

    Another probable cause was its limited movements, caused by the loss of its right leg. The monster, ignoring the spells striking its body, looked for Shin with its eyes.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Shin focused without letting out a word, then swung ¡ºTrue Moon¡» down on Gigantes Moss¡¯ back.

    The de, d in scorching hot darkness, rent the monster¡¯s rock hard skin. Immediately after the sh, thunder struck the same point.

    Gigantes Moss lost its bnce and fell forward from the blow.

    The monster tried to counterattack, screaming in pain, but its movements were even more stiff because of the short-term paralysis caused by the thunder element from the attack. The desperate attempt to attack made the monster fall to the ground again.

    Shin would not let such an opportunity go. He had instead predicted the situation, and struck the monster from behind again.

    It would not take much time for Gigantes Moss to be back on its feet. But Shin moved behind the monster and activated another skill much faster.

    ¡°This is the end!¡±

    An orange-colored aura now enveloped¡ºTrue Moon¡»; it was the Sword-type Martial skill ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿.

    Many Katana-type and Sword-type skills could be used as long as one wielded a ded weapon. Using Sword-type skills with a katana would cause their offensive power to drop slightly, but Shin focused more on skill effects, so he had stopped using only Katana-type skills even when wielding a katana.

    The strike, aimed at the monster¡¯s weakpoint -the back of its neck- saw its damage increase thanks to a critical hit. The skill¡¯s effects also allowed Shin to continue a one-sided offensive.

    It was just a matter of time until Gigantos Moss¡¯ HP reached zero.

    ¡°Ngh! I shouldn¡¯t be tired, but my shoulders feel stiff!¡±

    With a yawn, the tension left Shin¡¯s body.

    After defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon, Shin returned to the entrance. He had been fighting in the dungeon since the morning, and when he went outside, he realized that the sun was setting already.

    Physical exhaustion existed as part of the system, but it was alreadypletely recovered.

    Rather than that, he felt more mentally tired.

    Even if the avatar was fully recovered, the mind of the yer controlling it was not.

    Death in this world meant death in real life. ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± was now a death game, there was no turning back after dying.

    No matter if the opponent was a boss monster or some small fry from beginner-oriented areas, the yer¡¯s life was on the line in every fight. It was obvious that long engagements would cause mental distress.

    ¡°Phew. With this, about half of the dungeons are left.¡±

    The condition for clearing the death game ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± was to defeat the boss monster in thest dungeon, ¡°Gate of the Otherworld¡±. It wasn¡¯t a certainty that they would be freed from the game or not, but all yers made that their objective for now.

    In order to enter the final dungeon, one was first required to clear a series of other dungeons. Clearing them would unlock sealed areas, allowing the yer to get gradually closer to the final dungeon.

    At the start of the death game, all yers had been gathered in ¡°Kalkia¡±, one of the hometowns, and could only move in its surroundings.

    Shin¡¯s map had already registered most fields¡¯ geographical data. Looking at the map revealed that around half were disyed as transparent, which meant impossible to travel to.

    The unlocked fields were proof of the courage and sacrifice of those who, like Shin, had cleared dungeons. It had already taken 4 months to reach this point.

    ¡°I can still do it alone. But the second half won¡¯t be that easy¡­¡±

    Shin sighed, then checked the items dropped by the monster. In some cases, items useful to clear the next dungeon could be found.

    The items dropped were rare, but Shin¡¯s equipment had higher specs, so they were of little use to him.

    ¡°¡­.nothing special this time.¡±

    His hands stopped scrolling the disy and closed the menu screen. The items, other than equipment, did not seem like they could be particrly useful in the next dungeon.

    Proceeding from the dungeon to the teleport point, Shin handled any attacking monster with just one hand, then looked up to the sky. The clear, cloudless sky brightened his spirits, if just a little.

    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s back! How did it go?¡±

    Once he returned to Kelgunsk, one of the hometowns, Shin was greeted by voices impatient to see him back. He had not hidden the fact that he had gone out to clear a dungeon, so they had likely obtained the information from somewhere.

    ¡°Finished without problems. We can go to the next field now too. I¡¯m sure you know already, but be extra careful if you proceed. The dungeon boss changed in a way I never saw before after all.¡±

    Shin answered while looking at the emblem engraved on the gauntlet worn by the young High Beast man he had be acquainted with a long time ago now, Lao.

    The emblem, depicting a lion crushing a long sword with its teeth, symbolized the guild with the most clout at the time, ¡°Savage Lions¡±. Shin remembered that the guildmaster was a lion High Beast.

    ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯m not part of the Savage Lions¡¯ Explosive Legs corps for nothing. If worstes to worst, I¡¯ll just hightail it out.¡±

    Lao chuckled heartily, his cat-like ears pointing up, as he spoke, then disappeared into the bustling crowd.

    The Savage Lions guild wasposed of the Explosive Legs corps, who handled scouting and information gathering, and thebat-oriented Explosive Fists corps.

    As fas ar Shin knew, Lao was a warrior not inferior in any way to the captain of the Explosive Legs corps.

    Shin had no idea why such a person was awaiting his return though. He thought it was a job one of his subordinates could easily do, but would not stick his nose in the affairs of other guilds.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll take a walk in the city.¡±

    Thinking that he couldn¡¯t just stand around the teleport point like that, Shin headed towards the city. Maybe because he just returned from putting his life on the line to clear the dungeon, looking at the town scenery made him feel relieved.

    ¡°Oh, ain¡¯t that Shin. How did things go in the dungeon?¡±

    Shin was stopped by the voice of the man behind the counter of a skewer stall. It was a yer who had purposefully created an elderly avatar and role yed as a street vendor.

    His tone was overly familiar partly because of his character, but also because Shin often frequented the stall.

    ¡°Hey there. A new area has been unlocked. You could get more types of ingredients soon.¡±

    After the start of the death game, when new areas were unlocked, items and equipment thought to be still not implemented in the game were discovered. Among them there were materials of excellent quality, and Shin too had gathered some.

    ¡°Well now, ain¡¯t that some real good news. Here, this is on the house for the hero that braved a dungeon all on his lonesome.¡±

    ¡°Please stop it with the hero talk, sir.¡±

    Shin grabbed the skewer the man offered to him, with an embarrassedugh. He knew the man would not have epted no as an answer.

    Hero was the word some yers used when referring to Shin. At the start of the death game, the yers noticed that their levels, stats and equipments had not changed, so they immediately went to look for advanced yers. They thought that the cooperation of advanced yers was vital in order to clear the dungeons.

    It did not take long for them to find out that a certain advanced yer surpassing all the others was still logged in.

    A member of Rokuten, the guild said to be the strongest, and a cksmith that created equipment of the highest quality.

    Shin¡¯s existence grewrger among many yers, who found hope in him.

    His power, imensurable strength that no one could even get close to, did pose the problem that other yers would just be in his way, but it was a small one: everyone had great expectations for Shin.

    Cooperating with other advanced yers, Shin had cleared beginner-level dungeons in a sh, moving on to mid-level ones. The speed at which he moved was more than enough to increase others¡¯ expectations.

    Shin managed to clear even advanced dungeons on his own, which other high-level yers had trouble with.

    The dungeon Shin cleared that day too had been too much for other advanced yers. It would not have been so if all advanced yers were logged in, at present Shin was the pir of dungeon clearing.

    Because of this, people used to honor him and call him ¡°Hero¡±.

    ¡°First they get expectant, then disappointed, all on their own¡­now there¡¯s jealousy and envy mixed up in it all, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s what anymore¡­¡±

    Yes, people ¡°used to¡± honor Shin and call him ¡°Hero¡±.

    After starting to challenge advanced dungeons, Shin¡¯s clearing speed visibly fell. As the dungeons rose in difficulty the monsters within them grew stronger, the traps and gimmicks became moreplicated, making them more dangerous.

    Even for Shin, clearing advanced dungeons -transformed in unknown ways by the death game- at the same speed as low-difficulty beginner level dungeons was not possible.

    There were yers, however, that did not understand this. Or rather, did not ¡°want¡± to understand this.

    Shin¡¯s clearing speed was falling because he was taking it easy. He didn¡¯t actually want to clear the dungeons.

    Groundless rumors such as these started circting around 2 weeks after Shin started facing the advanced dungeons.

    The ¡°expectations¡± many yers had towards Shin.

    The yers who purely thought that Shin could do it, that felt a ¡°trust¡± equal to ¡°expectation¡±, yers who truly knew Shin, were very few.

    The ¡°expectations¡± of the many yers other than these were just them running away from their responsibilities and pushing them onto Shin, thinking that they didn¡¯t need to do anything, he would take care of it all somehow.

    ¡°Tch, must be easy for him since he¡¯s the only one with good equipment¡±

    These words reached Shin as he was walking and eating the skewers.

    He could find the source at the edge of his line of sight. Without moving his eyes, Shin noticed a yer d in low level armor, leaning against a wall in a back alley. Level 40 was really low.

    Shin immediately understood that he was a beginner.

    ¡°You think I can give gear to just anybody, huh? Materials don¡¯te free, dammit.¡±

    Shin walked on, ignoring the man, then spat out his honest thoughts when he saw his favourite sweets shop in the distance. The words he mumbled were not heard by anyone, soon lost in the noise of the crowd.

    As Shin was a cksmith, many came to him to ask for equipment. However, he was always rather strict in whom to give weapons to.

    One reason was what he had muttered, that materials were not free. But the first reason was something else.

    That was the existence of PKs, yers who had not stopped killing other yers even after the start of the death game.

    If he just gave out weapons easily and they reached PK hands, unfortunate casualties would increase.

    For this reason, Shin supplied weapons only to a very limited range of yers: guildmasters and party leaders. That was only temporary, however; he would lend gear, not give it away. If a PK had mingled among them, Shin would take the gear back.

    From the standpoint of ordinary yers, however, it only looked like he was stingy with his gear.

    It would have been impossible for Shin to craft gear for everyone after all. Despite this, there were rumors that he and other powerful yers wanted to monopolize equipment: Shin was rather sick of the situation.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, meow? Shimeow, you look down, meow¡±

    Exhaustion requires sweet things. Shin was looking at cakes, trying to forget the rumors, when the owner of the ¡°Lucky Cat¡± sweets shop, Catnip, called to him.

    Cat like-speak was an unspoken rule of the ¡°Type Cat Language Research Association¡± guild, apparently. Shin remembered refusing other acquaintances to call him ¡°Shimeow¡±.

    Catnip was Human, but thanks to an equipment set called ¡°Beast Transformation¡± cat ears the same color as her orange hair sprouted on her head, as well as a cat tail, poking out of her miniskirt. She was a catgirl maid with high skin exposure, like you would find in a maid cafe.

    All other clerks in the shop wore the same attire. Catnip was 160 cemels tall. Her clothes fairly exposed her bust, so from the height of Shin¡¯s eyes it was hard not to look.

    ¡°Ah, nothing, I just came back from defeating a dungeon boss. That¡¯s the reason, probably.¡±

    ¡°You pushed yourself too hard again, meow? You¡¯re too reckless, Shimeow.¡±

    While Catnip¡¯s speech style did not make her sound serious at all, her expression was very much so.

    ¡°I know that. But if I don¡¯t do this, we can¡¯t hope to clear any time soon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in caring so much about what others say¡­but you¡¯re so serious in a weird way, Shimeow. I suppose I meown¡¯t have a choice¡­Shimeow, present for you.¡±

    Catnip took out a card from her bosom. Item boxes could be used from anywhere, as soon as one focused, but Shin had never seen any yer using it from that position. To him it looked simply like the card hade out of the cleavage of Catnip¡¯s ample bust.

    ¡°Me-meow!! Catnip¡¯s specially made cookies, meow! Eat¡¯em up and cheer up, meow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯d be happier if you gave them out more quietly, though¡­also thinking a little more about where you take them out of.¡±

    ¡°Did I do something bad, meow?¡±

    Catnip was puzzled to see Shin sigh. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°People are looking at us weird. But maybe you did it on purpose?¡±

    Her silhouette might be just an avatar, a temporary figure, but she was still a very pretty girl and would thus attract attention.

    Most avatars were made bybining given elements together. It was something typical in many games, and of course did not mean that the yers¡¯ real appearance was anywhere close the avatar¡¯s.

    In contrast with such mass-produced avatars (albeit therge quantity of sample elements made it quite rare for two avatars to be 100% the same), some yers used avatars reflecting their real appearance and figure.

    Catnip was one of them.

    The so-called ¡°Full-scan Avatar¡±, real and fake at the same time, also presented the risk of the yer being identified in reality. Most of such yers, however, used the game as a tool to spread their poprity.

    As far as Shin knew, such famous yers had been scouted by corporations and debuted as idols. Catnip openly said that she aimed to do the same.

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± the male:female yer ratio was 7:3 or even 8:2; a truly pretty girl like Catnip was highly popr among all female yers.

    She was as famous as a real idol among male yers. She had a fan club, though unofficial, and a slew of devoted fans.

    Actually, even now Shin was being targeted by several hostile yers. Several dots on the map had turned to the red color of hostility.

    He felt bad for Catnip, who was worrying about him, but he prayed that no unnecessary trouble came up.

    ¡°Shimeow was my first, after all. You¡¯re special, meow.¡±

    Catnip held her cheeks with her hands, blushing.

    Momentster, Shin felt fierce killing intenting from the people looking at him. That was still supposed to be a game, but for some reason he felt something akin to an aura.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to create even more misunderstandings¡­if I get ambushed it¡¯s your fault, Catnip.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t think of anyone that could beat you, Shimeow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a game after all, if you find a hole in the system you could probably even beat more advanced opponents, and¡ª-¡±

    Shin stopped halfway through his sentence. Catnip had closed his mouth with one of her slender fingers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I wouldn¡¯t forgive even you if you made Marino sad, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Beat¡± was a word that, depending on the situation, could also mean ¡°kill¡±. It wasn¡¯t a problem before, but now things were different.

    Catnip gave a stern warning to Shin for alluding to his own death, even speaking without the usual cat-like style. She didn¡¯t like to hear anyone talk like that, even if they were joking.

    ¡°Ah¡­..I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°If you understood, then go home, meow. Today¡­hehe, something good might happen, meow.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say your expression doesn¡¯t make me worry¡­¡±

    Quickly shifting out of her serious expression, Catnip was now grinning. It was clear enough that she was plotting something, but she surely wouldn¡¯t talk even if cornered.

    Shin had a bad feeling about herst words, but left the store after buying some sweets toplement the Catnip cookies he had received.

    Going back to the teleportation point, Shin headed to a different location: his home, Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Wee back. You have guests.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s usual greeting was a bit different this time. The ¡°guests¡± Schnee mentioned were people allowed to enter the residential area of Tsuki no Hokora even if Shin was not present.

    At present, there was only 1 person with such privileges.

    ¡°Ah, Shin¡­er, wee back¡­¡±

    The guest noticed Shin¡¯s return and greeted him from the kitchen. It was Shin¡¯s lover, the female yer Marino.

    As she turned towards Shin, her two waist-length ponytails drew a brown arc in the air. Her sky blue eyes looked at Shin, with some hesitation.

    Shin was slightly curious about her unusual behavior, but his attention was soon captured by her attire.

    ¡°¡­.nice.¡±

    ¡°Shin? What happened?¡±

    Marino shouldn¡¯t have heard what Shin whispered, but she was slightly blushing as she asked that question.

    A white blouse and a blue skirt with a yellow checkered pattern. A short mantle covering her from the shoulders to her back was Marino¡¯s usual look. As she was cooking, however, she had taken her usual mantle off and was wearing a red apron.

    ¡°Ah, er, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m home. You were cooking?¡±

    Shin, entranced by the apron-d Marino, hurriedly replied. She tilted her head at his reaction, a bit confused.

    (I wonder how can a single apron make her look so cute?)

    Maybe because he wasn¡¯t used to seeing girls wearing aprons, or maybe because it was Marino. Shin concluded that it was probably thetter, and was about to talk to her again, but Marino spoke first.

    ¡°Ah, ehm¡­.wee back home.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, er, I¡¯m home?¡±

    Shin thought that they had just had that exchanged seconds before, when Marino said something unexpected.

    ¡°A-a-a-are you going to have a bath first? Or dinner first? O-o-or!! M-m-me!?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin needed a few seconds to grasp the situations. Despite having said the line herself, Marino was zing red and frozen in ce out of embarrassment.

    She looked quite different from her usual cheerful self and extremely lovely. Then Shin remembered Catnip mentioning that ¡°something good would happen¡±.

    ¡°¡­.hey, is it OK if I choose you, Marino?¡±

    Shin found himself giving this answer.

    ¡°¡­¡­.yes.¡±

    What came back from her was a whispered consent.

    The moment he heard that, Shin put his right hand on her cheek, turned her face towards him and pressed his lips on hers.

    Engaging in R-18 actions was a taboo within ¡°THE NEW GATE¡±. But after the start of the death game, there was no management or GMs to stop any transgressors.

    Because of the system, it was not possible to engage in ¡°advanced¡± acts, intercourse included, but for yers in a rtionship or married, kissing was an important act to confirm their reciprocal affection.

    ¡°¡­.hah.¡±

    Maybe because she had been holding her breath, Marino inhaled deeply when Shin released his hold on her. Her face was bright red, beyond the possibility of making any excuse.

    ¡°Anyway, why did you say something like that? I enjoyed it very much, but were you always this forward?¡±

    ¡°I was really embarrassed too, you know!! Don¡¯t look at my face!! Don¡¯t looooook!¡±

    Still blushing fiercely, Marino pushed Shin to make him look the other way. She pushed her face against his back, making sure that he couldn¡¯t see it even if he turned his head.

    If another person was looking, they would simply think that their flirting was continuing.

    ¡°¡­.did you calm down?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­but you¡¯re too unfazed, that¡¯s kind of annoying.¡±

    After around 5 minutes, Marino¡¯s voice was back to its usual tone, even if it sounded muffled because her face was still buried in Shin¡¯s back.

    ¡°So let me ask again, why did you do something like that? Was today a special day or something?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. A little before you came back, Catnip contacted me, saying that you were tired. I also thought that I wanted to do something for you, since you looked kind of downtely. Then Catnip said that¡­.a-any man would love that¡­so¡­¡±

    Marino started blushing again. Because of one of the game¡¯s effects, steam started rising from her head.

    Shin thought he heard a cat-like voice chuckling in his head.

    ¡°I see¡­that exins Catnip¡¯s evil smile.¡±

    Shin did not neglect sending his gratitude to Catnip, in his heart.

    ¡°So¡­do you really feel better because of that?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking? I feel a whole lot better. Now if Marino hugged me, that¡¯d be just perfect.¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Ah, ah¡­.alright already! I c-came all this way, I¡¯m not going to pull back!¡±

    Shin had said that half as a joke, but Marino reacted more positively than he expected. She hadn¡¯t really calmed downpletely, it seems.

    Marino spread her arms wide, as if saying ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are!!¡±.

    (¡­..I could go like this, but maybe I should wait and¡­)

    Shin, feeling mischievous, slipped behind Marino without a sound. She had closed her eyes and had not noticed his movements.

    ¡°¡­..?¡±

    Feeling that she had already waited long, Marino opened her eyes: that moment, Shin hugged her tight from behind.

    ¡°Hyah!?¡±

    Marino ended up flinching from the surprise.

    ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°Uuh, you meanie¡­¡±

    Keeping that stance, Shin sat on the chair behind him. Marino was on hisp.

    ¡°This is so embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Marino is going to spoil me today, after all. I¡¯m going to enjoy myself today, to my heart¡¯s content.¡±

    ¡°Why do you talk like that!? Aaah, don¡¯t blow in my ears!!¡±

    ¡°It was on purpose, of course.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even mean¡ª-aah, no, I¡¯m weak there¡­ you¡¯ll pay for this¡­¡±

    For the following 30 minutes, the distance between the two was zero.

 Book 10: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°OK then, what¡¯s on today¡¯s menu?¡±

    ¡°Ox hamburg steak, soup, and sd. There¡¯s bread and rice too, but which do you want, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll have rice, I guess.¡±

    Maybe because Shin had ¡°bothered¡± her while she was cooking, Marino was now slightly cold towards him. He had offered to help, but was turned down sharply.

    Still, she was continuing to cook for him, so she was probably not really angry.

    Now they only had to wait for the steak to finish cooking, so Shin waited quietly.

    Marino¡¯s cooking skills were still low, but Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s kitchen had cooking skill bonuses and also shortened cooking times. Because of that, even Marino could make sufficiently delicious food.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Marino came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with the hamburg steak still sizzling on its iron te. The rice and soup were steaming too.

    After Marino had removed her apron and sat down, Shin took fork and knife in hand and set to eating.

    Shin cut the steak, revealing its juicy insides and spreading its delicious aroma further in the room. It was a rather high degree of realism for a game. It could be said that the level of realism had increased even more after the start of the death game.

    ¡°It¡¯s really great that they implemented the sense of taste too. It would be pretty sad if this just refilled the stomach bar.¡±

    Good food gives energy needed for tomorrow. Eating tasteless food items day after day would get one¡¯s spirits down soon.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Marino? Is there sauce on my face or something?¡±

    Marino was contemting Shin¡¯s face as he happily ate his meal. Shin felt his nerves calm down thanks to the peacefulness of that atmosphere.

    ¡°No, I was just thinking that you really look happy when you eat¡­that¡¯s all.¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression also showed how Shin eating her handmade food made her happy.

    ¡°Eating good stuff would make anyone look like that, no?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel this happy if it was anyone else.¡±

    Marino directly conveyed her feelings to Shin.

    For Shin, eating while she was looking so intently was a little awkward, but saying that would turn Marino¡¯s mood sour again, so he refrained.

    It wasn¡¯t too much of an annoyance since Marino was the one looking, actually.

    After a while, Marino started eating her part too. Shin asked for seconds of rice and soup, then after the meal they sat together on the sofa.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back to the usual Shin.¡±

    Marino talked while leaning on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°¡­.did I look that horrible?¡±

    Shin felt the same as always, so his reply contained some surprise.

    ¡°When you think too much or hit a dead end¡­your face gets gradually tenser and tenser. Your eyes get so sharp too. That¡¯s how you were until just now.¡±

    Marino herself was concerned that mentioning this too much would have ended up burdening him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much on your own¡­I end up getting down too just by looking at you.¡±

    ¡°You can say it anytime, you know? I can¡¯t notice it myself, well in fact I didn¡¯t, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Choosing the right timing is not easy¡­a long time ago, I messed up while trying to do that.¡±

    Marino replied while wrapping her right arm around Shin¡¯s left. Normally Shin¡¯s attention would focus on the softness of her feminine parts, but this time he was more concerned about her looking down.

    ¡°In real life, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I was yelled at, like ¡°what the hell do you know about that!?¡±¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Marino rarely talked about real life, but evidently she felt like she could now.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll take a slower pace with the dungeon crawling. That will help in the long run, and I won¡¯t worry you either.¡±

    Frustrated at his inability of saying something better to ease her mind, Shin tried to sound as cheerful as he could.

    Even without physical fatigue, mental strain could cause failures at important times. Shin would hate to make Marino worry because of things that normally would never happen.

    ¡°This could dy our return to the real world though, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Your safety is a lot more important than that, Shin.¡±

    Marino smiled faintly.

    ¡°Hey, Marino, the dungeon clearing has reached a good point now, so can I go with you tomorrow?¡±

    Because of her rtively low stats, Marino worked in a church in the first hometown, Kalkia. The city also housed an orphanage, used to give shelter to very young yers. Since Marino worked in the orphanage, Shin had helped modifying it, so now it was a structure different from the average.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, but it¡¯ll probably be boring, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s OK. After all, I just want to look at you working.¡±

    Shin grinned and looked at Marino. His tone was a teasing one, but his expression was very serene.

    ¡°Aah, if you make a face like that I can¡¯t even stay angry, can I?¡±

    Marino seemed unsure whether to get angry or to calm down because of Shin¡¯s conflicting words and expression, especially becausetely Shin always seemed down.

    ¡°Hm? Did I make a weird face?¡±

    ¡°Aah, if you don¡¯t know then never mind. Rather than that, if you¡¯reing too you¡¯re going to help me with the kids, ok? They love games too, so it¡¯ll be easy for you, I bet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be OK with the boys, but the girls are all yours. Our philosophy towards ying games is totally different after all.¡±

    Shin knew out of experience that most female yers, like Marino, preferred to focus on cooking skills,municating with tamed monsters, and knitting, all skills he had barely touched.

    Because of that, he wasn¡¯t able to keep a conversation with them at times. Not even Shin was knowledgeable about all sorts of skills and items.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to talk to them first. OK, let¡¯s get to bed soon to be ready for tomorrow. I¡¯ll clean up here, so why don¡¯t you get a bath first, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I will, thanks. Oh, I got some cookies and madeleines from Catnip¡¯s shop, should we bring them to the orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. The kids will be really happy.¡±

    Shin left the rest to Marino and went to the bath.

    Dipping in the hot water-filled bathtub filled him with an inexplicable feeling of liberation.

    ¡°The high level of realism can give a lot of trouble, but I really am thankful that they replicated this feeling too¡­¡±

    It might be strange to say, but even if one¡¯s body was dirty or smelled the game gave no penalties, nor did bathing increase the avatar¡¯s specs. Even so yers, especially female ones, wanted to bathe regrly.

    In real life, only particr hot springs gave considerable effects, but in this world bathing after a battle seemed to give an even greater feeling of relief.

    ¡°Life itself feels cleaner after a bath¡± was a very apt way of putting it.

    Shin got out of the bath, gulped down a bottle of milk from the fridge, said goodnight to Marino, and proceeded to his bedroom.

    He had to be more exhausted than he thought, as his consciousness slipped away as soon as he lied on the mattress.

    ¡°Mwaht?¡±

    Some timeter, Shin woke up and felt something strange on his right arm.

    He looked at it and found Marino, wearing pajamas, snugly gripping his arm, sleeping peacefully.

    ¡°Ah¡­..well¡­.whatever.¡±

    The option of carrying her back to her room did not emerge in Shin¡¯s half-asleep brain.

    They were lovers since before the death game and now, at least ording to the system, they were husband and wife. Was there anything wrong with sleeping in the same bed? It was easy to ept the situation.

    Shin thought that he might as well go all the way, removed the right arm that Marino was grabbing and hugged her with both of his arms.

    Relishing in the happiness blooming in his chest, Shin fell again into slumber.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The following morning, Shin woke up after feeling something tremble. Something was moving in his arms.

    ¡°¡­.hn?¡±

    Like the day before, he looked in the direction of the noise and found Marino, blushing fiercely. Shin had apparently woken up because of her attempts to slip out of his embrace.

    ¡°Ah, ah, er¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­..morning.¡±

    Words wouldn¡¯te out of the embarrassed Marino¡¯s mouth, so Shin thought he should say good morning, for the moment.

    ¡°G-Good morning¡­sho¡­so, why are you hugging me?¡±

    Shin smiled gently because of Marino¡¯s cute stuttering and replied.

    ¡°You slipped under the covers yesterday, so I used you as pillow.¡±

    ¡°I-I-I guess I was half asleep and g-got the wrong room¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife, at least ording to the system, so isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing!! Aaah, I bet you looked at my dumb sleeping face too¡­¡±

    Marino must have been really embarrassed, as she covered her face with her hands and squirmed after Shin freed her from his hug. Her bellybutton was in in sight because of her wriggling.

    ¡°Sleeping face? Haven¡¯t we both seen each other¡¯s a lot already?¡±

    ¡°Today was not OK! Not after the dream I had¡­I bet I looked so dumb¡­¡±

    Shin only remembered seeing her smiling peacefully. Marino would probably not believe him, though.

    ¡°I see, I see, a dream¡­what kind of dream was it?¡±

    Shin decided to press further.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I?¡±

    ¡°I CAN¡¯T SAY IT!!!¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    After firmly nting an uppercut on the grinning Shin¡¯s chin, Marino rushed out of the room.

    Left alone, Shin reflected that he might have gone too far, while massaging his unhurt chin.

    ¡°My deepest apologies. I teased too much.¡±

    ¡°You think that if you apologize like that I¡¯ll forgive you, right.¡±

    Shin lowered his head at the breakfast table, but Marino¡¯s reply was just jaded. Shin knew from experience that honestly apologizing was the quickest way to obtain Marino¡¯s forgiveness.

    Marino, of course, had already seen through Shin¡¯s attempt.

    ¡°OK, OK. In exchange, you¡¯ll have to work plenty today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I shall work my hardest, ma¡¯am!¡±

    ¡°Enough already! Eat your breakfast,e on!¡±

    Spurred by Marino, Shin rushed through his morning meal.

    He would ask what to do at the orphanage on the way there. There was nothing in particr they had to bring with them.

    ¡°Have a nice day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±

    After greeting Schnee, Shin and Marino teleported to Kalkia.

    Walking through the crowd, Shin felt several pairs of eyes on him. His equipment was different, but evidently his face was recognized by many. He did not mind anymore, but when going into town this happened often.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s big sis Marino!¡±

    They heard a boy¡¯s voice when they arrived at the orphanage. Two boys came running towards them from the square next to the orphanage. Both wielded sponge des, equipment that did not cause damage.

    Both kids were around 150 cemels tall and looked like elementary or junior high school students.

    Their faces still looked childish, probably because they hadn¡¯t edited their avatars. Setting avatars to automatic mode would make their appearances change ording to one¡¯s age.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this person?¡±

    ¡°Your boyfriend??¡±

    ¡°His name is Shin, he will help me today.¡±

    Marino introduced Shin to the boys, ignoring the boyfriend suspicion.

    Shin had already visited the orphanage several times, but had not met the two boys before.

    ¡°I know you can see it with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but I¡¯ll introduce you just in case. The boy with ck hair is Ryohei, the one with brown hair is Teppei.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you¡±

    ¡°Nice to meetcha!¡±

    Ryohei greeted Shin a bit timidly, while Teppei sounded more energetic.

    ording to Marino, sometimes they hunt low level monsters in the forest, apanied by an advanced yer. Because of their natural ¡°vigor¡±, they are a bit infamous as the orphanage¡¯s troublesome duo.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Emil?¡±

    ¡°Inside! Luca is crying again, you know.¡±

    Marino asked about the yer that managed the orphanage and said she would go greet them as she went inside the orphanage.

    ¡°Hey, hey, mister! Have you ever been to the frontlines of conquered areas? Big sis Emil says it¡¯s dangerous and won¡¯t let us go!¡±

    ¡°If you want to go, you have to raise your levels some more. Or you¡¯re going to die even if you get grazed by a punch, kids.¡±

    ¡°Teppei, you can¡¯t go. You¡¯d run off and get killed right away.¡±

    After Shin¡¯s answer, Ryohei added a snarkyment, while shrugging his shoulders.

    ¡°Whaaat!?¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t beat me even once, you have no chance!¡±

    Apparently Ryohei was higher than Teppei in the orphanage¡¯s hierarchy.

    As the kids forgot about him and started y fighting, Shin looked around, thinking about what he could do.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    He then found a small shadow at the edge of his line of sight. Looking towards it. Shin noticed the face of a very young girl subtly peeking from behind a tree.

    The moment her eyes met Shin¡®s, the little girl quickly retreated behind the tree. But, poor thing, she couldn¡¯t hide her animal ears and the Type Cat-like tail. Both seemed to be monitoring Shin¡¯s presence.

    Shin held his chin with one hand, acting deep in thought. And slowly moved closer to the tree. He would stop when the girl peeked, then move again when she hid.

    (She¡¯s not afraid of me, is she.)

    The girl should have noticed Shin¡¯s approach, but did not try to run away. He thought that she was wary of him because they had never met before, but that did not seem to be the case.

    Her slightly spacing out expression kept poking out and hiding again. Soon enough, Shin reached the tree behind which the girl was hiding.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    ¡°¡­.good morning.¡±

    Shin tried a greeting, which was returned by a whisper. It wasn¡¯t clear if the girl really wanted to hide or not, as only her face came out of the shade when she looked at Shin.

    She was leaning forward, so her shoulder-length hair hung in the air.

    ¡°Er, I think this is the first time we meet. My name is Shin, I came to help Marino. What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Luca.¡±

    ¡°Luca, I see. Well, nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡±

    Luca nodded slightly and stepped out of the shade. Her height was about 110 cemels. Her animal ears, the same color as her hair, sometimes flicked and moved.

    Because of the game¡¯s systems, the avatar¡¯s height was based on real life height. Shin thought that she was a bit too small, as in a bit too young, to y a game like that.

    ¡°Ah! Luca! Teach was looking for you!¡±

    Shin looked back and found Teppei and Ryohei, along with Marino and another person, a woman wearing sister-like clothing.

    After hearing Teppei¡¯s voice, Luca flinched and hid behind Shin. Her hands, gripping her sleeves, were trembling.

    ¡°Teppei, you¡¯re too loud. You¡¯ll scare Luca away.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±

    Teppei apologized right away: he had no intention of scaring Luca.

    ¡°So you were here, Luca. I was looking for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Luca replied while looking at Marino, who had caught up to them.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the orphanage first. Ryohei, Teppei, you two especially!! You haven¡¯t prepared to leave with Garozzo, right!? Quit standing around and go get ready!! Move it, brats!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!!¡±

    After getting yelled at, the boys sprinted back to the orphanage, as ordered by Emil, the orphanage¡¯s supervisor. A very beautiful woman, she had waist-length light blue hair and emerald-like eyes.

    Her nun-like attire made her look like a devout believer at first nce. Her personality and speech, however, were quite far apart from themon idea of a nun.

    Emil¡¯s speech was coarse and she was rather quick with her hands. On the other hand she was very reliable and caring towards the people around her.

    Looking at her taking care of the orphanage kids, Shin thought she looked more like a tough mother than a nun.

    He never said it to Emil herself, of course; it would only make Emil¡¯s basic equipment, a nail bat, cry for blood. It was not a weapon feared not for the damage it caused, but for its horrifying look.

    ¡°Marino, you and Luca take care of the usual work.¡±

    ¡°OK, leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Luca, you better do what Marino says, got it?¡±

    ¡°Ok, got it.¡±

    The ¡°work¡± was handling requests given by NPCs. It was a precious source of ie for the orphanage, since many of its yers could not go out in the field and hunt monsters.

    Marino had already done them many times, so it was unlikely that she needed help.

    Luca also firmly nodded to Emil¡¯s words.

    ¡°Guess I should go over there?¡±

    Shin looked towards the square where Teppei and Ryohei were y fighting before. A group of boys with sponge des were waiting.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got our spunky brats to take care of. They have energy to spare after all. Let¡¯em go wild enough to make them stop thinking of sneaking outside. I¡¯ll be the coach.¡±

    Shin visited the orphanage irregrly, so Emil decided what task to give him each time. Naturally, most of the time it was taking care of the kids.

    The only rule was for Shin to not go hunting or to use skills to gather items or Geyl.

    ¡ª-If you have to go hunting for the sake of the orphanage, take a rest instead.

    ¡ª-Rather than that, make sure the kids can go back to the real world as soon as possible.

    That was the opinion of Emil and all other orphanage coborators.

    They had epted that Shin would sometimes give them a hand, for a change of pace.

    ¡°OK, today your opponent is me. Don¡¯t hold anything back!¡±

    It was not the first mock battle for Shin and the boys: they charged at him without hesitation.

    Ryohei and Teppei, who were supposed to prepare to leave, mingled among the other boys at first, but Shin quickly flicked them back towards Emil, who grabbed them by the neck and took them away.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s about it.¡±

    About 2 hours after the battle between Shin and the spunky army started, the little valiant warriors clearly showed signs of exhaustion, some lying down on the ground.

    This exhaustion had no visible gauge, like HP or MP. yers with high HP or VIT would not get tired as easily, so it was said to be a hidden stat.

    Exhaustion caused several demerits; attack power and movement speed decreased, while received damage increased. It could be healed via recovery magic, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem, but the only user present at the moment -Emil- did not do anything, so the square looked like a battlefield of fallen soldiers.

    ¡°Crap, you¡¯re too strong¡­!¡±

    ¡°Adults can¡¯t fight seriously against¡­kids¡­!¡±

    The unperturbed Shin was met with praise andints from the kids, but they were all too tired toplete their sentences.

    ¡°Got it, brats? Out there it¡¯s packed with dangerous monsters that would send even battle maniacs like him flying. Don¡¯t you ever dare go out on your own!!¡±

    ¡°Got it¡ª!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d die for sure¡­¡±

    The kids¡¯ answers were really exhausted too, to the point that one would wonder how much they had really understood of what Emil said.

    ¡°OK then, Shin, your next job is¡­.hm?¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Emil stopped halfway through her sentence and looked towards the door leading to the garden; Luca was peeking from behind it. Next to her, Marino wasughing, a bit awkwardly.

    ¡°She did that this morning too¡­is Luca always like that?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not really? She¡¯s always scared shitless of people she sees for the first time, especially guys like you. She came here only a while ago though, so there¡¯s still plenty we don¡¯t know about her.¡±

    Emil then added ¡°Never seen her like that¡± and motioned at Marino and Luca toe closer.

    ¡°See, Luca, let¡¯s go?¡±

    Thanks to Emil¡¯s gesture and Marino¡¯s encouragement, Luca finally came out of her hiding spot behind the door. While walking, though, she skillfully hid behind Marino and stared at Shin at the same time.

    ¡°Er, we meet again.¡±

    ¡°Um.¡±

    Shin spoke to Luca, a bit awkwardly, and for some reason she stopped hiding behind Marino and grabbed Shin¡¯s trousers.

    ¡°Ah¡­er, what is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, seems she took a liking to you. Pretty rare.¡±

    Shin was even more confused because of Luca¡¯s behavior, while Emilmented with a grin.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Shin, Luca?¡±

    ¡°¡­.looks like my brother.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Marino¡¯s answer to Luca¡¯s words was somewhat dry.

    Shin wondered why, when he received a voice chat message from Emil.

    ¡°(Luca¡¯s brother is already dead.)¡±

    Luca, originally, was only logged in because her brother needed a certain number of yers to create a guild.

    Learning that she was only 5 years old, Shin understood the circumstances. Even elementary school students yed VR games now, but he couldn¡¯t imagine that a girl of pre-school age would want to y a game where PKs existed.

    In the small time until she logged out, however, the world had changed.

    Her brother and hisrades had departed, leaving Luca in a field for beginners, to nevere back, as Emil exined.

    ¡°(How old was her brother, by the way?)¡±

    ¡°(He had just entered junior high, it seems)¡±

    ¡°(¡­I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or not.)¡±

    You look like my junior high school brother ¡ª-having simr height or facial features would be one thing, but if their mentalities were simr it would be pretty shocking for Shin.

    ¡°We might as well have Shin take care of Luca today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice idea. Here!¡±

    Emil apparently came up with the idea on the spot, but Marino caught on immediately and put Shin and Luca¡¯s hands together.

    Luca¡¯s hands were soft and very small, even more so whenpared to Shin¡¯s.

    Rather than holding hands, it looked like Shin¡¯s hands were wrapped around Luca¡¯s. Shin realized again how young she was.

    ¡°OK! Today you can count on me!¡±

    ¡°¡­.ok.¡±

    Luca¡¯s hands gripped Shin¡¯s tightly.

    Shin, Marino, and Emil smiled at her reaction.

 Book 10: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    The scene was avishly decorated room. In this exaggeratedly luxurious chamber, two young men could be seen.

    One sat on an ornate chair, a ss of wine in hand. His intricately decorated clothing suggested that he was a member of monarchy or nobility, and on his hand was a ring with arge ruby sparkling.

    A longsword with a gemstone-studded scabbard was propped against the man¡¯s chair. An expert would have noticed that it was the unupgraded version of the Ancient-grade weapon ¡ºExcalibur¡».

    The man¡¯s name within the game was Aldo.

    ¡°So, where¡¯s that guy fighting now?¡±

    ¡°It appears that as of yesterday, part of the Houzand continent has been liberated. At present, roughly 40% of the continent has been liberated.¡±

    The other man answered, while kneeling before the first. Based on his dark green hooded mantle and easy-to-move-in boots, his job appeared to be a hunter rather than a magician.

    His name within the game was Robin Hood.

    ¡°Tch, his clearing speed really dropped this past month. What¡¯s he wasting time for? He¡¯s supposed to be a maniac whose only talent is ying games!!¡±

    Aldo shouted while pounding his fists on the chair. His brownish blonde hair became slightly disheveled.

    ¡°Considering the increase in difficulty, I would not consider it to be strange that his clearing speed decreased, sir.¡±

    ¡°yer skill means being able to do something about that, right!? Hmph, even with all the money and time they waste, this is all they can do, I suppose.¡±

    Aldo clearly looked down on yers. The reason was that he was not a ¡°pure¡± yer himself.

    The avatar Aldo used had been created and provided by the management. It used data from an event monster, Arthur Pendragon.

    Its stats were 800 on average, and its equipment -while of basic rank- was all Ancient-grade.

    It was somethingpletely excessive for a THE NEW GATE beginner.

    (Thest dungeon too was usually conquered only in parties¡­ he really has no idea how incredible it is to clear it solo.)

    Robin mumbled to himself. Having yed normally, he fully understood how incredible Shin¡¯s feat of clearing the dungeon on his own was.

    Unlike Aldo¡¯s avatar, Robin¡¯s avatar was an ordinary one. He had focused his stat points on AGI and DEX and specialized in reconnaissance. His fighting style was mainly attacking from a distance with his bow and poison.

    Even so, while he could sneak into dungeons, he did not think of challenging bosses. He had no chance of winning.

    ¡°Hey, Hagiwara!! Are you listening??¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, my apologies. I am. However, even if we wanted him to hurry up, it would be all for naught if he ends up dying.¡±

    Robin gave a serious answer, keeping his annoyance at being called with his real name to himself. Aldo insisted that they should just push him harder, but anyone would understand that such a method would not increase the dungeon clearing speed.

    Aldo and Robin¡¯s rtionship, simply put, was that of superior and subordinate in apany.

    Aldo was the son of a patron of THE NEW GATE, who provided the game¡¯s management with capital. Thus, Robin was once again forced to listen to Aldo boast about the avatar that the management had prepared for him.

    Aldo had overheard Robin talk to other yers about the game in thepany and coerced him into bing his attendant.

    Robin never regretted his carelessness more than that time. How liberating would it be if it was only the death game trapping him. His stress level was high enough to make him think such ridiculous thoughts.

    ¡°Hmph. Bring him here then. If he¡¯s a gamer, I¡¯m sure dangling some kind of clearing reward in front of his eyes will make him work harder.¡±

    ¡°Would it not be easier for us to just let him proceed as he wants?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of waiting. I want to return to the real world. Do you know how many months have passed since this situation started!? I can¡¯t even enjoy a woman with this body. The alcohol just gets you halfway drunk, and the cigarettes are terrible too. Who could put up with this crap!!¡±

    Aldo became irritated while talking, and pounded on his chair again.

    Robin gritted his teeth, barely managing to avoid shouting, ¡°You go and clear dungeons too then!!¡± to the man on the throne, and let out a small sigh without Aldo noticing.

    ¡°I will try to talk to him, but please remember that I can¡¯t do anything if he refuses.¡±

    ¡°Do SOMETHING! Or you¡¯re getting demoted! No, fired!!¡±

    ¡°U-understood, I will go convince him!!¡±

    Robin left the room, cursing andmenting his rtionship with Aldo under his breath.

    He wanted nothing more than to tell Aldo to go do it himself, but he could not afford to go against him now. In the real world, Aldo was a high-ranked executive whose word had great importance within HR, while Robin was nothing but a rank-and-file employee.

    Surviving in this world was important, but so was keeping his career in the real one.

    He had a family to sustain; for their sake, Robin had no choice but to swallow his pride.

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing I can do about this¡­¡±

    Robin had heard much about Shin, who stood on the frontlines of dungeon clearing.

    In the first month after the Death Game began, it was even possible to visit Tsuki no Hokora, but now, it had changed locations and no one knew where it was. The only options were to find him in a city and talk to him, or to ask an information broker.

    ¡°I want to see Rie and Emi¡­¡±

    Whispering the names of his wife and daughter, Robin¡¯s silhouette was lost within the town¡¯s crowds.

    On the other hand, Aldo was now alone in the room, still indignant.

    He gripped his wine ss with a bit more strength, and shattered it. Thanks to the room¡¯s self-cleaning function, the spilled wine and ss fragments sparkled and disappeared.

    ¡°Shit!! And after I managed to use my connections to y easily!! What the hell¡¯s this death game!!¡±

    Aldo still didn¡¯t regard the game world as reality. Despite his high level stats and equipment, he had left dungeon clearing and boss fighting to others, so he had no idea that fighting on the frontlines meant to stake one¡¯s life.

    He had only ever fought low-level monsters, such as slimes and goblins. Because of the stats difference, even if he received an attack, the damage would be zero, while the damage he inflicted waspletely overkill.

    Such one-sided beatings would have never made him think that the risk of death was very real.

    ¡°Okay then, what to do until hees back¡­ hm?¡±

    Out of the blue, a bell signaled the arrival of guests. The maid he had created as a support character had already gone to greet them.

    Aldo¡¯s menu disyed two individuals.

    One was a savage-looking man in dark brown armor. The armor and its decorations were riddled with cuts and damage that increased his wild appearance even more. His hair and beard were unkempt. He looked just like the boss of a band of thieves or mercenaries.

    The other was a handsome-looking man in silver armor. With blonde hair tied behind his head, and with features normally only seen on TV or in magazines, he has the appearance of a knight,pletely contrasting with hispanion.

    Looking at their strangely realistic faces, Aldo thought that they might have used the full scan avatar feature, which replicated the yers¡¯ real appearances.

    No matter how one looked in real life, however, they wouldn¡¯t stand out much in the game world. Handsome or beautiful characters were a dime a dozen, to the point that some yers even deliberately twisted their looks.

    The menu screen disyed names, levels, and jobs of the two men.

    ¡°Garga and d? Never heard of them before. Both level 255. Jobs are Magic Swordsman and Dragon Knight, huh? They seem to have pretty good gear, I guess they¡¯re game maniacs too.¡±

    yers could pay real money to obtain equipment, but such gear came with the penalty of never matching the yers¡¯ level and stats.

    Aldo¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿, also provided by the management, showed that neither Garga nor d¡¯s equipment had such penalties.

    (¡°Shall I let the guests inside?¡±)

    ¡°I guess they¡¯ll suffice in killing some time. Yeah, let them in.¡±

    Aldo chose ¡°YES¡± from the ¡°Authorize entrance? YES/NO¡± window that appeared on his menu. A short whileter, the two guests entered the room led by the maid.

    ¡°I thank you for allowing us to visit you. My name is d, pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±

    ¡°Garga.¡±

    ¡°No need for useless greetings. What do you want?¡±

    Aldo replied in rude manner to d¡¯s smiling greeting and Garga¡¯s cold self-introduction. It was hardly proper behavior to wee guests, but d did not seem offended in the least.

    ¡°I saw Mr. Robin leave here with a rather serious expression, you see. I was wondering if we could assist you, good sir.¡±

    ¡°You should have just asked Robin then.¡±

    ¡°I thought talking with the person giving orders would be quicker. Besides, I might be more useful in case of secret orders, you see.¡±

    A friendly grin appeared on d¡¯s lips.

    Secret orders. Aldo¡¯s eyes narrowed at these words.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be rmed. I apologize for gathering information without permission. But myrade and I share the same goal as you.¡±

    ¡°My goal?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. You wish to go back to the real world quickly, yes? And for that, you want that man, who¡¯s taking his sweet time, to hurry up. Am I wrong?¡±

    Aldo did not think it strange that another man thought the same thing as himself. On the contrary, he thought that it was absurd that other yers didn¡¯t say anything to Shin.

    Hearing the words ¡°go back to the real world¡±, Aldo was now convinced that he understood the reason why d had shown up.

    ¡°And you people are able to do that?¡±

    ¡°We can. We have reached a rather high level, if I may say so, and therefore if we contact him as ¡°dungeon clearing partners¡±, I doubt he will ignore us. And if he does, we have other ways to force him to listen to us. Garga here is an expert in such methods.¡±

    What d alluded to were unsavory methods. As Aldo nced at Garga, thetter cracked a slight grin.

    ¡°I¡¯m a specialist in that field. Plenty of experience, yeah?¡±

    Garga¡¯s expression brimmed with confidence.

    Normally Aldo would not have had the guts to dirty his hands with illegal activities, however having been trapped and unable to log out for such a long time, what little patience he had quickly ran out.

    Aldo thus nodded without hesitation, sparing no thought to the fact that this would pass the burden to someone else.

    ¡°Leaving this to just Robin will aplish nothing so I¡¯ll be counting on you two as well. And so, what do you want from me?¡±

    Even if their goals were the same, Aldo didn¡¯t believe the two guests wouldn¡¯t ask for a reward.

    The two guests¡¯ smiles widened at his words.

    ¡°Please let us take care of the dungeon clearing affair. As for the reward, I would like you to procure some weapons. Of course, that is after we seed in spurring that man to action.¡±

    ¡°Hm? You have yours already, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It is embarrassing to admit, but there are few cksmiths capable of forging rare weapons. And that man is the most skilled of them all. I also do not have a death wish. I apologize for such a rude request, but could you please ept it?¡±

    d gave a courteous, deep bow, which pleased Aldo very much.

    ¡°So be it. But it will only be done if you seed, remember that.¡±

    ¡°I am very grateful. We will act right away, so if you will excuse us.¡±

    d bowed again, then headed towards the exit of Aldo¡¯s home.

    ¡°Wait! I have not heard that man¡¯s request yet. I don¡¯t want to listen to any illegal requestster. So, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, me.¡±

    Garga turned only his head back and smiled defiantly.

    ¡°I just want to fight against Shin. Not his current half-assed and cked self, but when he¡¯s really serious..¡±

    Garga said nothing else and followed d outside.

    ¡°¡­.tch, creepy fellow.¡±

    Garga¡¯s smile had given Aldo chills.

    Outside Aldo¡¯s home, d quickly hid his face with a helmet. Garga then caught up to him.

    ¡°Hah, to think that he¡¯ll let us handle the case with an exnation like that. Having a superior like that would surely be tough on the subordinates.¡±

    ¡°Damn right.¡±

    d knew about the rtionship between Aldo and Robin. They had visited while Robin was absent precisely because he had collected this information.

    His words of understanding towards Aldo¡¯s plight concealed d¡¯s disdain for the man. Garga also shared simr sentiments.

    ¡°That Aldo too, if he acted himself, the dungeon clearing would surely be at least a bit faster. That avatar is such a waste on him. If only there was an avatar exchange function avable, I¡¯d make very good use of it.¡±

    ¡°Right, the guy inside is total shit. Nothing remotely interesting ¡®bout him.¡±

    Someone with a powerful avatar, equipped with Ancient grade equipment, that had not participated in clearing any dungeons.

    For yers who were earnestly striving to clear the dungeons, Aldo was an infuriating existence.

    He could have at least been more helpful with clearing the dungeons that were currently being conquered.

    Instead, Aldo spent his days doing nothing, entrusting even the smallest tasks to Robin.

    d had concealed his feelings in Aldo¡¯s presence, but he despised him. Garga, on the other hand, found him utterly boring.

    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re going to use him, the dumber he is, the better.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, for your actual job.¡±

    d was a scammer in real life. Because of this experience, he knew that Aldo nned to use him and Garga.

    I would never be cheated, I could never be used by others. d had seen through the fact that Aldo was rife with such groundless confidence.

    ¡°Well then, time to start then. My just duty is to set him free, after all.¡±

    ¡°As creepy as always, man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeking your approval.¡±

    With those words trailing behind, d disappeared into the bustle of the city.

    ¡°Haha, a High Human¡­! I hope this will be a lot of fun¡­¡±

    Garga then walked away, in a different direction than d.

    Unbeknownst to Shin, ominous shadows were drawing closer.

 Book 10: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    Shin had been tasked with caring for Luca; they knitted and took naps together, surprising everyone around them with how well they got along.

    Marino and Emil would sometimes drop in to check on them, but Luca was never unmanageable.

    Although she was a bit shy at first, by the afternoon she hadpletely opened up to Shin.

    ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s pretty surprising.¡±

    Holly, a female yer, expressed her surprise upon seeing Shin interact with Luca. As one of the advanced yers who coborated with the orphanage, she was also on friendly terms with Shin. Soft-spoken and serene, she was especially popr with the younger children.

    ¡°Eh? What is?¡±

    ¡°Well, kids like Luca are pretty hard to care for if you¡¯re not used to it, you know? Especially for a man, like you. Or so I thought anyway.¡±

    It was now an hour past noon, signalling nap time for the children.

    Lying down together with them, Shin watched over the sleeping Luca.

    ¡°Yeah, that could be because I have a little sister too.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry into your real life circumstances.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I have two brothers, one older and one younger, and a little sister. Looking after our little sister is our duty, right? My brothers and I took turns taking care of her. Compared to Luca, however, my little sister was quite the handful as she was always wandering off.¡±

    Perhaps due to simr ages, Shin¡¯s little sister was most attached to their little brother. Despite that, Shin was rtively experienced in taking care of children because of her.

    ¡°You said it before, right? That your brothers never yed THE NEW GATE?¡±

    Marino, who was caring for the other children, noted that she had heard about the topic before.

    ¡°My little sister did. But luckily she wasn¡¯t involved in this mess.¡±

    ¡°If she had, I bet you would have rushed to look for her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure she could survive easily, so I wouldn¡¯t really be worried.¡±

    ¡°Is she really strong too?¡±

    ¡°Frankly speaking, yes, very much so. Not only are her level and stats high, but she also has high movement speed.¡±

    Shin¡¯s little sister also yed THE NEW GATE, and because of her ability, had be rather famous. The two siblings had kept their distance within the game, so few knew of her connection to Shin.

    ¡°She can make even you say something like that? Is she as powerful as my husband?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well you could say that I¡¯m biased since she¡¯s family, but my sister is probably superior, as far as yer skill is concerned. Though, Shadow¡¯s yer skill is amazing too.¡±

    Shadow was Holly¡¯s husband and also famous for his skill.

    Shin¡¯s words surprised Marino.

    ¡°Better than Shadow? Your little sister is amazing too, then, in a different way from you. Are your other brothers this special too?¡±

    ¡°No, they don¡¯t even y THE NEW GATE, after all.¡±

    All of Shin¡¯s siblings loved videogames,ics, and animation, but his oldest brother was busy with work and did not partake much in such pastimes anymore. Shin¡¯s little brother likedics more than videogames, so the only one to y the same games as Shin was his little sister.

    She wasn¡¯t that interested inics or animation either. Even within the same family, likes and hobbies were all different.

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Shin looked back towards Luca, who shifted slightly in her sleep, and realized that her right hand had somehow started gripping his left. She was still asleep though.

    ¡°Looks like she wants to keep you close even while sleeping.¡±

    ¡°My, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t escape easily, big brother.¡±

    Marino smiled and Holly lightly teased Shin.

    With an embarrassedugh, Shin¡¯s gaze turned towards the hand Luca was holding. He could have escaped her grip all too easily, but he did not feel like moving away anytime soon.

    ¡°Holly and I will take care of the other kids, so Shin will stay with Luca. Is that ok?¡±

    ¡°Of course. And Shin, when Luca wakes up, be at her side, ok? This morning she threw a fit because you weren¡¯t there.¡±

    This was what Teppei and Ryohei had mentioned when Shin and Marino arrived at the orphanage.

    Luca had lived alone for about 2 months after her brother and his party disappeared. There was no one she was familiar with among the people around her, so she was deeply afraid of losing someone she knew, as Emil had told Shin in secret.

    Emil had slept with her the previous night, but had woken up early to prepare the children¡¯s food, leaving Luca alone in the process. There was no one with her when she woke up, so Luca started loudly crying.

    ¡°OK, got it. If I have to go somewhere, I¡¯ll let someone know first.¡±

    There were other yers in the orphanage other than Emil, Marino and Holly. Shin was acquainted with them all, so he wouldn¡¯t have trouble calling someone if necessary.

    The game world did not require using the toilet so unless there was an emergency, Shin would have no trouble staying with Luca until she woke up.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll leave her to you then.¡±

    ¡°Take good care of her, all right?¡±

    Shin watched them head off, then looked again at Luca¡¯s face and her hand, still holding his. He then added a little more more strength in his grip.

    As if in response to that, Luca¡¯s expression became more serene.

    Luca opened her eyes around thirty minutester. Naptime was always half an hour, so apparently her body had memorized it.

    She was still in a daze at first, but when she saw Shin next to her, she felt slightly embarrassed to have her sleeping face exposed, despite her very young age.

    ¡°Afternoon is free time, right? What do you want to do?¡±

    Making children work too much felt wrong, so either mornings or afternoons in the orphanage were always free activity times. Today, they all did as they pleased after waking up from their afternoon nap, given that they had already worked in morning.

    Incidentally, the energetic group Shin had ¡°fought¡± in the morning would help with simple jobs in the afternoon.

    ¡°I want to take a walk.¡±

    ¡°Outside then? Well, staying cooped up inside all day would be boring after all.¡±

    The orphanage was pretty vast, but even going slowly it would only take a minute to walk ap around it.

    In town, it was generally not possible to reduce yers¡¯ HP and kill them. But as was the case with everything else, there were exceptions due to which the orphanage made sure that when the children ventured outside, they were always apanied by someone who could hold their own in battle.

    ¡°No good?¡±

    ¡°No, a change of pace would be nice, after all. Wait a moment, let¡¯s try asking Emil.¡±

    Shin contacted Emil via chat, and was asked to do some shopping as well. He agreed and raised a thumb in Luca¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Luca raised her little thumbs, excited.

    Thanks to the item box, there was no need to physically carry things. If anything happened, Shin could react immediately, so there would be no problem.

    Shin heard from Emil that the other children would stay within the orphanage grounds, so he and Luca left right away.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going out?¡±

    The two bumped into Marino as they were opening the orphanage doors. Shin exined that he was going out for a walk with Luca and to do some shopping.

    ¡°She¡¯s always been insidetely, now that you mention it. Yes, I also think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    Marino agreed with a smile, when Luca suddenly grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Luca?¡±

    ¡°Marinoe too?¡±

    Marino looked at Shin, silently asking him if something had happened.

    Shin shook his head.

    ¡°Hmm, okay, I¡¯ll ask Emil. If she allows it, I¡¯lle with you guys.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    Unlike Shin, Marino was one of the orphanage¡¯s central members because she often helped out there. She couldn¡¯t just leave without a word.

    Marino went quiet for several seconds to use the chat, then raised her thumb just like Shin had previously done.

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Luca repeated the same gesture again.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go. Luca, don¡¯t let go of Marino¡¯s hand, okay?¡±

    Shin had Luca take Marino¡¯s left hand, so she would not get lost in a crowd.

    ¡°The other hand is yours then, Shin.¡±

    In response, Marino put Luca¡¯s right hand on Shin¡¯s.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay!!¡±

    With both her hands being held, Luca beamed with joy. Shin and Marino smiled at each other.

    After leaving the orphanage, the trio first headed to the grocery street to procure meat and vegetables. The street was crowded with yers who had agricultural jobs, offering the products they grew to other yersing to buy ingredients for dinner.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cyes, please give me the usual. Ah, but I need one more of that meat.¡±

    Shin had been entrusted with the shopping, but Marino carefully selected what to buy. She always shopped like this for the orphanage, so the store owners treated her with familiarity and also responded well to her bargaining.

    ¡°Big sis Mari, wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your bargaining skill already active when you start shopping? You¡¯re also using a real negotiation skill.¡±

    Shin and Luca were impressed by Marino¡¯s skill.

    ¡°¡ª-agh, I can¡¯t just say no to you, can I! Consider this a thank you for always buying my goods! I¡¯ll give them to you for 70. Now get lost!¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    ¡°By the way, are those two with you, missy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are, why do you ask?¡±

    The owner looked at Shin and Luca, then grinned and whispered to Marino.

    ¡°Well ya see, shopping while holding hands with a kid¡­ doesn¡¯t that resemble a couple of newlyweds? You¡¯re gonna make single dudes like me green with envy, darnit!¡±

    ¡°N-Newlywhat!? What are you saying!?¡±

    Marino stuttered in response, unable to say the full word.

    ¡°Anyone would think so, littledy. But yeah okay, enough jokes for today.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just joke about things like this!!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t really hate it though, didja. You were grinning, missy!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Marino abruptly hid her mouth with her hands. Incidentally, Shin heard everything.

    He came closer, thinking it was time to lend Marino a helping hand, when the owner¡¯s expression turned deadly serious.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an information broker or anything, but you¡¯re a precious customer, so I gotta tell ya. Make sure the little girl don¡¯t hear.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin gently pressed his hands on Luca¡¯s ears, who had tilted her head after hearing the man¡¯s words.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be quick. They say that a bunch of PKs started being active againtely. Ever heard of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow?¡± Even some advanced yers have fallen victim to them. We¡¯ve been told to keep alert.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name, yes. Their members all have pretty high stats, or so I heard.¡±

    ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± wasposed solely of PK yers.

    The yers who were only acting out that role in the game and had no intention of truly killing had long left the guild. The ones who remained were actual murderers.

    The guild that killed yers for fun had now turned into a true assassins¡¯ guild.

    ¡°I have no idea what they¡¯re thinking, but some of em¡¯ even target small kids. Which yer¡¯ orphanage has a whole bunch of. Better stay on your toes, ya hear me?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for giving us such important information.¡±

    Marino thanked the concerned owner.

    As the man had said, the orphanage was a prime target, because of the weakness of the yers inside and the grave consequences such an act would cause. It was also a fact that there were those who preyed on the weak with no particr reason.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, missy. It¡¯d be really sad for a face I know to disappear¡­ah, you can let her go now.¡±

    After the owner¡¯s words, Shin took his hands off Luca¡¯s ears.

    ¡°You finished talking?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sorry for covering your ears all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°¡­.no, I have been defaild*¡­you must take responsibility!¡±

    (T/N: defaild* Defiled was misspelled on purpose, Luca is supposed to not know what she¡¯s saying)

    To Shin¡¯s apology, Luca put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest in protest. The gesture itself was quiteical, inplete contrast with the very serious tone of her objection.

    ¡°Hey hey man, what are you teaching to a little girl like that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Like I would!! Really though, where did you learn that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Teppei said it¡¯s a good thing to say to boys. It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s better not to use those words much.¡±

    ¡°? ¡­.okay.¡±

    Luca didn¡¯t actually know the meaning of what she had said, so she honestly nodded.

    ¡°Well then, guess I¡¯ll have a little ¡°talk¡± with Teppei once we get back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Better inform Emil too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling, but not happy¡­?¡±

    Marino and Shin¡¯s lips were smiling, but their eyes weren¡¯t, which confused Luca quite a bit.

    ¡°Hahaha, nothing to worry about, Luca.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to take care of everything. OK then, shopping¡¯s done, so let¡¯s go for a little walk. Have a nice day, sir.¡±

    ¡°Sure, you lot take care!¡±

    They bade farewell to the shop owner, then Marino held Luca¡¯s hand as the trio walked on.

    As Kalkia was one of the hometowns, yers had set up all sorts of shops.

    Commodity stores with healing medicines and everyday goods, open-air stands with handmade equipment, eateries with waiters running around taking orders. The great variety of shops and people made it entertaining just to look at them.

    Luca, happily walking between Shin and Marino, enjoyed the sights too.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been out a while already, better go back.¡±

    Fun times go by quickly. When Shin checked the time, it was already past 4 in the afternoon.

    THE NEW GATE included a season system too; seasons would change roughly each month. The current season was autumn, so the sun would set early. It was already noticeably darkerpared to noon hours.

    ¡°We go back, already?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If it gets dark everyone will worry.¡±

    Luca seemed disappointed, so Shin promised that he would take her on a walk again.

    When they returned to the orphanage, the children who had left to help with work hade back too. Some girls who noticed Luca¡¯s return invited her to y with them.

    Marino would often sleep over at the orphanage, but because she would stay at Shin¡¯s ce for a while, Marino went to report to Emil.

    Waiting for Marino toe back, Shin was at the orphanage¡¯s gates, lost in thought while looking at the sky.

    There, one man approached him.

    ¡°Excuse me sir¡­could you tell me if you really are Mr. Shin?¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes, I am, and you are?¡±

    Shin turned towards the man. He quickly activated¡¾Analyze¡¿, which disyed the man¡¯s name as d, his level 255.

    ¡°My apologies. My name is d. I hoped to visit Tsuki no Hokora and happened to see you here, so I took the liberty to approach you directly.¡±

    d¡¯s polite speech and demeanor did not seem particrly suspicious.

    ¡°Is that so. What exactly brings you to me then?¡±

    ¡°I am actually in the middle of clearing another dungeon, and the area before the boss contains some very powerful poison. I thus wanted to ask if you possibly could share some recovery items. The parties involved in this clearing effort areposed of members from the guilds ¡°Savage Lions¡± and ¡°Yatagarasu¡±, led by Lao of the Explosive Legs corps. I have heard that you are acquainted with Lao, so if necessary you could contact him.¡±

    The strength of the poison probably made it impossible for the yers to cure it fully using their skills.

    Shin asked about details of the area and quickly figured out what the man was referring to.

    ¡°That must be Bloodred Poison. It¡¯s true that very few yers in the whole game can recover from that, I think it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Bloodred Poison was a particr negative status with far worse effects than normal Poison. yers with INT less than 900 could only mitigate its effects through skills. This status alsosted for a considerably long time, so defeating a boss while under its effects was hardly doable.

    ¡°Understood, I will prepare some recovery items for you, but wouldn¡¯t it have been faster if Lao just sent me a message via chat?¡±

    ¡°Lao is now heading to the dungeon. He did not want to burden you, but the other leaders decided that prolonging the mission would be difficult because of scarce resources and the members¡¯ morale diminishing. As such, I have been entrusted with delivering the message.¡±

    Lao said that he would have contacted Shin if the current dungeon clearing mission failed, at least ording to d.

    He had approached Shin now probably because there was a high chance of failure at present.

    ¡°I shall take my leave then. I thank you for your assistance.¡±

    Just as d had turned to leave, Marino came out of the orphanage.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, Shin.¡±

    ¡°No, you came just at the right time.¡±

    Shin weed Marino with a smile.

    ¡°Er, did I interrupt you?¡±

    ¡°Please do not worry, as I was about to leave. Farewell, then.¡±

    d gave a small bow and left.

    ¡°Tch, I had heard of her, but¡­what¡¯s with that woman!?¡±

    After leaving Shin, d slipped in the crowd, then quickly turned into a back alley.

    He couldn¡¯t help blurting out his annoyance and was relieved to see that no one was around to hear.

    ¡°Filthy yer trash parasitizing Shin¡­should just go die already¡­¡±

    d continued cursing with a menacing tone that he hadpletely concealed when talking to Shin.

    A member of Rokuten, the strongest guild, and the only yer who had achieved max stats.

    d could barely imagine how much time, money, and dedication it took to achieve such a level.

    ¡°Aah, but to cleanse the trash heaping around him is my noble duty. Gahaha, it¡¯s supposed to be a chore, so why do I feel so excited?¡±

    Shin was a yer that d admired. The glorious sight of Shin sweeping through the opposing team by himself in a guild vs guild battle had moved d¡¯s heart, despite the fact that it was just a game.

    When he first started ying he focused on raising his level and stats, but now that his avatar was stronger, he only spent his efforts on things rted to Shin.

    ¡°The strongest shine the most when they are alone at the peak. The cursed star that shines the brightest within Rokuten¡­I shall bring back your true brilliance.¡±

    An insaneugh echoed in the alley, without reaching any ears.

 Book 10: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    ¡°Hey, who was that person?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? He¡¯s from a party that¡¯s currently clearing another location. It¡¯s a bit of a nasty ce, you see. He came to request some recovery items. I know the leader, so I¡¯ll ask him for details.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re making a weird face.¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression had drastically changed; she now looked concerned as she stared in the direction d had gone.

    ¡°Something wrong with that man?¡±

    Assessing Marino¡¯s gaze, Shin guessed that d was the reason of her worry.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but, he was ring at me with a really cold look.¡±

    ¡°He red at you?¡±

    Shin frowned. He could not think of a reason why anyone would resent Marino.

    Despite it being widely known that she worked in the orphanage everyday, there were whispers that she received preferential treatment as Shin¡¯s lover. Such groundless resentment was already a thing of the past.

    ¡°I guess we should be careful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯d do anything in these parts though.¡±

    In the city, a yer¡¯s HP could not reach zero under normal circumstances. No matter how high another yer¡¯s stats or what skills they used, it would be impossible for them to kill a yer within a city.

    In the game, some burr yers targeted stores, but it was only stores set up outside of the protected city limits by yers such as Shin. The town was a safe location for all yers.

    ¡°Normally, yeah. There haven¡¯t been any monster invasion eventstely, so I¡¯m a bit worried. During such events, even in the city¡­¡±

    It¡¯s possible to kill.

    He didn¡¯t say it outright, but that was what Shin feared the most. Monster invasion events were the reason why towns were not absolute safe havens for yers.

    During an invasion event, if the town defenses were breached and the monsters prated inside, the rule preventing yers¡¯ HP from being reduced below a certain threshold value was removed. In other words, during such events, it was possible to PK even in town.

    It was a fact that becamergely known after the invasion event that happened two weeks after the start of the death game. This event had generated several casualties.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, don¡¯t worry. Even if an invasion event starts, we just need to make sure the town¡¯s defenses hold up.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    After the first invasion event, many yers and guilds invested heavily in protecting the towns. Clearing dungeons was, of course, important, but without a ce to return to, it was ultimately meaningless.

    Thanks to the upgraded town defenses, monsters had sessfully invaded towns only during that first event. It was not strange for Marino to say that there was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you, Shin. You¡¯re clearing dungeons by yourself, so no one would be there to help in case it was necessary.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m always making sure it¡¯s safe enough to go on. I didn¡¯t max my stats for nothing, ya know?¡±

    Not even Shin would go face bosses without scouting first. Based on the strength of the Gigantes Moss, thest boss he fought, he answered rather optimistically that there were no problems yet.

    ¡°Even if you say so, I¡¯m still worried! Listen well now, in the next dungeon, and the one after that, and the one after that too, you absolutely muste back safe and sound, okay!? If you die I¡¯m joining you as soon as I can, got it!?¡±

    On the other hand, Marino was dead serious. She grabbed hispel and looked straight into his eyes, while hers brimmed with tears.

    ¡°O-okay, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to die either. I¡¯ll alwayse back!¡±

    Struck by Marino¡¯s seriousness, Shin made his promise. Hearing her say that she would join him in death, he couldn¡¯t ignore her plea.

    After Shin confirmed the promise, Marino slowly backed away from him, albeit still pouting and angrily ring at him.

    ¡°You mustn¡¯t die, okay? We¡¯re all going back together, all right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. I keep my promises.¡±

    ¡°¡­no matter what, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we made some good friends after all. It¡¯ll be nice to meet in real life too.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    Apparently satisfied with Shin¡¯s answer, Marino affectionately squeezed his hands tightly.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Relieved to see Marino smile, Shin started walking again. With fairly bad timing, though, the silhouette of a person appeared before them.

    ¡°Found you atst. I am truly sorry, but could you spare some time for me?¡±

    ¡°¡­you are?¡±

    Protecting Marino behind his back, Shin confronted the man.

    ¡°My name is Robin. I came with a request for you, Sir Shin.¡±

    The yer who introduced himself as Robin bowed his head to Shin.

    ¡°A request? What is it?¡±

    ¡°I know this will be really rude of me to say, and I apologize in advance. But could it be possible for you to increase the speed of your dungeon clearing?¡±

    ¡°My dungeon clearing?¡±

    Robin raised his head, showing his distressed expression. Seeing this, Shin sensed something different from this manpared to other yers who had irresponsibly urged him to hurry up in clearing the dungeons.

    ¡°Wait a minute!! Shin is doing his best, you know!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Marino. He seems different from the others so far.¡±

    Marino had witnessed such scenes many times in the past and was ready to fly off the handle at the man, but Shin talked her down, continuing to talk with Robin.

    ¡°Believe me, I am going as fast as I can¡­did something happens?¡±

    ¡°My¡­superior in real life told me to make you hurry up. I¡¯m truly sorry, I know very well that the dungeon clearing parties are staking their lives, but if I oppose him my real life will be in jeopardy¡­to be honest, I can¡¯t stop worrying when I think about how my family might be doing right now. My superior told me to urge you, and won¡¯t listen to reason¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    There were other yers with situations like Robin. Shin was still a student and did not have a family to nurture.

    Even so, thinking about his life after returning to reality worried him. While trapped in this world, there was no way of knowing how the real one was changing.

    Because of this, Shin could understand Robin¡¯s feelings, at least to an extent.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. As I already said to others, there are new traps and unknown monsters in the dungeons that weren¡¯t there before. Boss fight patterns are changing too. I¡¯m trying to clear them as fast as I can, but it¡¯s just not possible to proceed as quickly as I could with beginner or intermediate level dungeons.¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes, of course. I¡¯m sorry for approaching you out of the blue like this.¡±

    Uttering these final words, Robin left. His distressed expression persisted until the end.

    ¡°Will that person be okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been four months since we were trapped in this world¡­ There are a plenty of people like him who are worried sick about the real world.¡±

    There were no counselors or simr professions in this world. Some people stood back up on their feet, supported by others, while others fell into despair.

    ¡°There are many like him who want nothing more than to return to the real world and then there are people like PKs, who want to stay here forever.¡±

    Marinomented with a difficult expression as they went back.

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­well, everyone¡¯s different. What else can we say.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­you¡¯re right. Everyone has different circumstances¡­¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression was still clouded, but a bit clearer than before.

    After returning to Tsuki no Hokora, Shin took a bath, as per Marino¡¯s suggestion.

    Dipping in the hot bath gave him some relief. He felt that it wasn¡¯t an illusion and closed his eyes.

    While Shin was in the bath, Marino prepared dinner. The menu was white stew and sd.

    She deftly cut the ingredients and brought them to a boil, disying the skill of someone used to cooking.

    ¡°Going back to reality¡­huh¡­¡±

    Focused on cooking, Marino spoke her thoughts out loud. In reaction to hearing her own words, her movements came to a halt.

    ¡°Huh¡­? What was I¡­thinking about?¡±

    What she had heard were her own words, but she felt like they hade from somewhere else.

    When she realized the truth, she also fully noticed her real feelings. When she heard about the PKs, she was supposed to be angry. But at the same time, she thought ¡°Yes, I can see that¡±.

    ¡°This is weird. Why do I¡­.¡±

    Marino knew that, like the PKs, she also harbored a certain dislike towards the idea of returning to reality. In fact, Robin¡¯s desire of returning had not moved her heart in the slightest.

    ¡°This is just strange. I wanted to go back too, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Too weird. This couldn¡¯t be.

    The emotions swelling in her own chest confused Marino.

    That very moment, something disrupted her field of sight.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    She thought she heard a thud-like sound, from far away.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Her body wouldn¡¯t move.

    Just like a sudden scene change, she saw the floor, the racks, then her own arms dropping down.

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    Then, she finally understood what was happening to her.

    She had forgotten a long time ago and tried not to think about it since.

    She thought that things would continue like this forever.

    ¡°So¡­ Time¡¯s almost up.¡±

    The end was drawing near. The time limit drew closer.

    ¡°A little more. Just a little more¡­¡±

    She tried to move her arms.

    They moved, as if it was a dream that they didn¡¯t just moments ago. She could now stand by herself. It was another attack, probably.

    ¡°¡­I have to tell him. I can¡¯t cause any more problems for Shin.¡±

    Words which didn¡¯te from her heart. The words of a good girl who always did what she was told.

    Disappointing the person who loved her was terrifying.

    But all she could leave him with were items and equipment; she felt that she had no right to be with him, that Shin would probably leave her. A girl with just a little time left to live¡­was nothing more than dead weight.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to leave him¡­¡±

    Even if her mind understood, she couldn¡¯t ept it.

    Marino¡¯s reason and emotionspletely opposed each other.

    ¡°I finished bathing!¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice reached her.

    Hearing the voice of her beloved, Marino made her decision.

    After bathing and eating dinner, there was not much to do.

    For entertainment and ways to kill time, THE NEW GATE only offered some minigames, the chance of listening to the in-game local news, which consisted of an indistinguishable mess of lies and truth, or just checking the information exchange bulletin board.

    Just as Shin finished browsing the bulletin board he always checked, Marino entered his room.

    There were many other rooms and plenty of beds avable. Despite that, the two would sometimes sleep together, so it was not strange for Marino toe in.

    ¡°¡­.Marino?¡±

    However, Shin noticed that there was something unusual about her.

    Marino, now in pajamas, hesitatingly sat down on the bed. She took Shin¡¯s big pillow and hugged it tightly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling sick?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay now.¡±

    I¡¯m okay now. Shin felt something off with those words. He imagined that what had happened on their way back from the orphanage still upied her thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed soon, what will you do?¡±

    ¡°I will too. We have to work hard¡­tomorrow too, right?¡±

    With a slightly forced smile, Marino slipped under the covers. When Shiny next to her, she timidly gripped his arm.

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    It was not strange for her to cuddle like this. But this time she seemed tense, unnatural.

    ¡°Can we¡­talk a little?¡±

    Marino spoke while pressing her face against Shin¡¯s arm.

    She was going to talk about something very important. Shin quietly consented.

    ¡°¡­Shin, do you think you want to go back to reality soon?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah¡­I think that I want to go back. But, though I know it feels wrong to say, I also think that my current lifestyle is pretty fun. We don¡¯t know who we are in the real world, and¡­I mean, I¡¯m not asking for you to tell me. But in the real world I couldn¡¯t sleep with you. So while deep down, I feel that I want to go back, a part of me also enjoys this life.¡±

    Shin could feel like this because his level and stats weren¡¯t reset, and because of the items and equipment he had retained.

    ¡°¡­..yeah.¡±

    Marino trembled a little to Shin¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Life for me feels really fulfilling now. I wake up in the morning, work, prepare dinner. You return and I wee you back home¡­I sleep feeling your warmth close to me. Such a life makes my heart beat faster¡­gives me happiness¡­everyday.¡±

    Marino¡¯s grip tightened. It felt like she would not let go anymore.

    ¡°Hey, Mari¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Shin.¡±

    Marino stopped Shin mid-sentence and raised her head.

    She had probably been crying as there were traces of tears. It silenced Shin.

    ¡°My real name¡­is Masaki Rino. I¡¯ll turn 19 this year.¡±

    During their whole time together, Marino had rarely talked about her real life circumstances.

    She didn¡¯t have to say that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it for Shin to understand. He knew her well enough to.

    That is why he felt he had to ask, after Marino suddenly revealed such information.

    ¡°¡­is it okay for me to know?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I want Shin to remember.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯d also like you to remember my real name. I¡¯m Kiritani Shinya, a 21-year-old university student¡­¡±

    Shin also revealed his real name. He hadn¡¯t said it in a long time.

    ¡°I said it at the orphanage too, but when the death game ends, why don¡¯t we all meet up and go out drinking or something? We could book Holly and Shadow¡¯s ce or something.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, I¡¯d love to.¡±

    Marino was now smiling next to him, but there was something strange with her today.

    Shin had made herugh many times before, that¡¯s why he knew.

    Her words suggested that they would never meet in real life, that their rtionship was limited to this world.

    ¡°Marino¡­no, Rino. Can you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The real me¡­is sick. The doctor said that it¡¯s a disease with no known cause or treatment.¡±

    Marino exined that the reason why her time within the game was limited and she never spoke about real life was because of this. She did not know when her condition would worsen, so she thought it would not be good to get too close to other people.

    ¡°Why did you get closer to me, then? I know this is just a virtual world, but you did tell me a lot about yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I wonder why?¡±

    Her voice felt calm now. Even if her words were in question form, she seemed to know the answer already.

    ¡°I can say this now, but¡­at first, I had no intention of getting too involved. There was no way I could get a boyfriend in real life, so I wanted to try what it felt like being in a rtionship, even if virtually. You¡¯re the first one that approached me in this world, so I chose you. That was the only reason, really.¡±

    There was no real reason. So said Marino, but her sighs made it also feel like she was just trying to convince herself.

    ¡°Yes, that was the only reason, and yet¡­¡±

    The words expressed her feelings of surrender towards what had happened against her will.

    ¡°Talking, adventuring, winning and losing with you¡­before I realized it, I was always thinking about you. I didn¡¯t realize that I was falling in love, until a nurse pointed it out. I have never even met you in the real world, and yet¡­¡±

    Marino said that she really didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°The me in the real world could die at any moment. I sometimes wondered what would happen to the me here if the real me died. Then once, I wondered¡­how good would it be if time just continued on like this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t. If I die in the real world, the me here will just disappear. I know it. Despite that¡­I can¡¯t help hoping. My attachment to the real world, my desire to go back, is very weak.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin did not say anything. He had plenty of reasons to want to return to the real world.

    But he could understand Marino¡¯s feelings. Shin also found the current world pleasant to be in after all.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to tell you that I¡¯m sick, but I ended up bbing about stuff I didn¡¯t even¡­I guess I¡¯ll go sleep in the next room tonight.¡±

    Maybe she felt bad towards the now silent Shin. Marino got out of the bed and headed towards the door.

    But he would not let her go.

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    Shin firmly grabbed her thin arms and pulled her towards him. He pulled her rather abruptly, so Marino¡¯s body fell towards him, putting her in his arms.

    ¡°Er, ehm¡­¡±

    Marino was confused by the sudden development. She didn¡¯t understand what Shin¡¯s actions meant.

    ¡°I¡¯lle to you.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Even in the real world, I¡¯ll stay with you, Rino.¡±

    In the original world, Shin was just a university student. He couldn¡¯t cure Marino¡¯s disease.

    There was but one thing he could do: to be by her side.

    Not out ofpassion. Not out of pity.

    He wanted to be with her. Even if there was little time left for her, he wanted to spend it together.

    Nothing more, nothing less.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you, until the end.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how Marino would react to his words.

    Logical or not, those were Shin¡¯s real feelings.

    ¡°But I¡¯m¡­a real burden of a woman, you know? I¡¯m spoiled, Shin¡­Shinya, if you talk with other girls I get jealous right away. I also don¡¯t have much time left to live. Don¡¯t you understand that I¡¯m going to die, leaving nothing but my selfish feelings? You¡¯ll just waste time with me, Shinya¡­¡±

    Responding to Shin¡¯s deration, Marino nervously listed off all of her faults.

    Despite her words, however, her arms were now around Shin, her forehead pressing against his chest. Movements that expressed her intention of never letting him go. Shin responded by gently patting her head.

    ¡°Hey, should I believe your words or your actions?¡±

    ¡°¡­You know it already. Dummy.¡±

    Marino raised her head a little and replied while ring at Shin. The room was barely lit, but Shin did not fail to notice Marino¡¯s flushed cheeks.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, I can¡¯t be sure though, hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­tease. And I was so decided and all.¡±

    Still ring, Marino went silent for a few seconds, then whispered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be separated from you. Not in this virtual world, nor in the real one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I promise. Even if this world ends, I wille meet you, Rino.¡±

    The two then slept together in the same bed.

    Wrapped in a peaceful sense of happiness.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    The monsters were restless.

    On the other side of the mountain facing the hometown was an area yers rarely set foot in.

    In this area characterized by nothing but its vastness, all sorts of monsters had gathered without fighting one another.

    Snake-type monsters. Tiger-type monsters. Bird-type monsters and humanoid-type monsters as well. There were even Chimera-types, fusions of several monsters.

    Normally, such a high density of monsters would cause a reduction in numbers as they attack one other. However, a certain yer¡¯s presence prevented this.

    Atop this area¡¯s highest hill stood a lone yer.

    This yer, Hameln, sighed while looking down on the monsters.

    ¡°So this is the maximum that low-grade items allowed me to gather. Causing an artificial invasion event is difficult indeed.¡±

    Even while uttering such a line, his charming features showed the mischievous smile of a boy who had just performed a sessful prank.

    Hameln was 170 cemels tall and had typical Pixie tattoo-like marks on his face. He wore a gentleman-like attire, adorned with essories here and there,plete with white gloves and a long stick held in one hand. The top hat on his headpleted his gentleman-like appearance, but his demeanor was contradictory to that of any true gentleman.

    A pack of monsters of all types. Controlling it in order to unleash it on a hometown was not something a sane person woulde up with.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Just as Hameln pondered over his next course of action, he noticed that a monster icon disappeared from the map.

    Two icons were breaking through the monster horde. Considering that the level of the gathered monsters was 300 at most, it was something any somewhat experienced yer could have done.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably thinking that they¡¯ve found a nice hunting ground? Or perhaps they havee to exterminate the monsters because they consider them dangerous.¡±

    Hameln activated ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿.

    His now expanded field of sight revealed a man wielding a ive with a 1-mel long de and another brandishing a broadsword with a very jagged de, severelycking in practicality.

    The former, who was wearing silver armor, was named d. Hameln¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿disyed his job as Dragon Knight.

    Thetter, wearing brown armor, apparently possessed higher stats; only his name, Garga, could be disyed.

    ¡°Oh my, he noticed me from such a distance?¡±

    Hameln was genuinely surprised at feeling Garga¡¯s eyes on himself.

    It was well-known that some yers sometimes felt mysterious sensations unexinable by reason, such as ¡°I felt someone watching me¡± or ¡°I can feel someone¡¯s killing intent¡±.

    To be able to pinpoint the direction after only being in the line of sight for about 10 seconds, however, was something pretty exceptional.

    Still in Hameln¡¯s field of vision, Garga grinned. They adjusted their course towards the hill Hameln was on, blowing away the monsters in their way like pebbles.

    ¡°Heavens, their course changed. Maybe they¡¯re the same type as I am?¡±

    Hameln grimaced,menting the development of the situation.

    The instant Hameln saw Garga¡¯s smile, he felt that deep inside they were very simr.

    He felt more displeasure rather than familiarity toward Garga, a perfect example of the inability to tolerate someone just because of how simr that person was to oneself. In short, it could be said that those who were very simr in this regard abhorred one another.

    With this ambiguous sensation in his heart, Hameln observed as Garga drew closer to his position.

    ¡°Hey there. Gotta thank you for not hightailing it.¡±

    ¡°No need for thanks. I simply wished to confirm something.¡±

    After roughly five minutes, Garga had reached Hameln¡¯s hill.

    Some timeter, d reached as well. They had arrived at different times, although neither showed signs of exhaustion.

    ¡°You¡¯re slow, man!! Raise the pace, will ya??¡±

    ¡°Dragon knights are meant to be with dragons¡­please don¡¯t ask for the impossible.¡±

    d darted an annoyed nce at Garga¡¯s mocking tone. As he had implied, Dragon Knights could show their full capabilities only when apanied by their dragons. In fact, when they were by themselves their stats decreased.

    Naturally, it would have been very difficult to catch up to Garga, who had superior stats and equipment.

    ¡°Haha, ah, apologies for all the ruckus man. Let me tell you straight out, we didn¡¯te to fight or anything. Though it looks like doing so could be fun.¡±

    ¡°I will take that as apliment. Now then, what brings you here?¡±

    Hameln, who was just observing the two in silence, finally prompted Garga to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯re the tamer who uses monsters to attack people outside of towns, right? There¡¯s something ya gotta help us with. This guy here will tell you all the juicy details.¡±

    ¡°First you leave me behind and now I have to do all the exining?¡±

    d voiced his dissatisfaction, but Garga, looked in the opposite direction while ignoring him.

    Hameln, thinking that the newly-arrived duo was a pretty hriousbination, was holding back hisughter.

    ¡°Gentlemen, please continue your bickeringter. So, what exactly did you want from me? Though, I can feel that you probably share the same sentiments.¡±

    ¡°My apologies for showing you such an embarrassing scene. We wish to request for you to use monsters to attack a certain town. I am sure you have also grown bored of crushing small settlements, yes?¡±

    I see, they sure did their homework. Hameln was honestly impressed to hear what d already knew about him.

    With the items Hameln could find, there was a limit to the amount and levels of monsters he could gather. He enjoyed observing how people fought against adversities andtely often thought about wanting to cause something more spectacr.

    ¡°I must admit, that is quite the enthralling proposal.¡±

    ¡°I am truly happy to hear such words.¡±

    ¡°With my current gear, however, all I can procure are monsters such as the ones you broke through just now. To attack a hometown fortified by yer defenses, their fighting power is severelycking.¡±

    Just based on the level, as soon as advanced yers joined in the fray, the assault would be quelled in no time. It was also clear by how easily Garga stomped through the monster horde earlier.

    ¡°The only reason for that, though, is item quality. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure how you know that, but yes, you are correct. Just as average iron cannot create Ancient-grade weapons, high-grade items are necessary in order to produce good results. Well, quite obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Some low-grade items were sometimes necessary, in a ¡°secret trick¡± sort of way, but generally if one wished to have rare gear and skills, equally precious materials or items were needed. Those, however, were extremely rare and difficult to obtain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We havee to meet you precisely because there is something we would like you to take a look at.¡±

    d shed a very confident smile to Hameln. It was meant to show friendliness and affability, but Hameln simply found it very suspicious.

    ¡°What will you do after making me cause a monster attack? It depends on the town too, but I¡¯m sure you are aware that most of them are heavily fortified and defended.¡±

    ¡°We know, to an extent, what the conditions for the start of a monster invasion event are. Mr. Hameln, we wish for you take part in it and take control of the monsters.¡±

    Hameln¡¯s eyes narrowed. Using monsters to attack cities was something he was very interested in too.

    Many yers theorized about the conditions for the creation of such events, hoping to defend their bases better, but they had not been fully revealed.

    ¡°To be honest, I am more interested in these conditions than the items¡­but I suppose I will not ask. I would like to know your goals though. Some are interested in the invasion itself, but you two do not look like you would care for that.¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed, our goals are different. Well, we both have different ones, actually.¡±

    PKs using invasion events to hunt for yers rarely sharedmon goals. What they had were only their respective desires.

    For d, it was the desire of getting rid of the ¡°yer trash¡± around Shin.

    For Garga, it was the desire of dueling strong yers to the death.

    Some just wanted to go on a rampage, while others still treated the current situation as a game, engaging in very dangerous endeavors.

    ¡°I see. I used to think of myself as someone pretty strange, but I see that I have goodpany.¡±

    Hameln spoke without breaking his smile.

    ¡°It is quite normal to use whatever means possible in order to achieve one¡¯s goal. Is it not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what they call being loyal to your desires for me.¡±

    Neither one of the three cared in the slightest about the possible victims. Even while thinking that the other two were abnormal people, they could keep cooperating. Likely because they did not have any interest in each other.

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. Unleashing a monster attack on a town where a High Human resides sounds quite appealing. So, about the items and the day of execution?¡±

    ¡°It will depend on your monsters. How much time do you need to gather them?¡±

    d inquired as he handed the item he had brought to Hameln.

    ¡°With this item, I certainly should be able to gather monsters of a rtively high level. I would need about one week.¡±

    Hameln made his decision after observing the item given to him, the ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡». The ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡» was dropped by Queen Rafflesia, a Trent-type advanced monster. Queen Rafflesias were monsters of considerably high levels in the 800-850 range and attacked in circr patterns using their roots and vines.

    Huge flowers, roots and vines attacking in waves, branchesshing from the stem. It was difficult to decide whether it was a flower or a tree, but on the other hand it was undoubtedly a level 3 monster that yers needed extensive skill to defeat.

    The ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡» could be used to create the ¡ºTempting Beeswax¡» and ¡ºHungry Beast Ambrosia¡» items using a Tamer skill. The former allowed one to temporarily control monsters, while thetter, once materialized, allowed one to attract monsters up to level 700.

    ¡°One week, is it. Can we set it for 10 days from now then? Even if we know the conditions, we cannot just do it anytime we want.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Hameln nodded while pondering what could be involved in these conditions. There was too little known information, though, preventing him from reaching any conclusion.

    ¡°You are interested in the conditions, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, but I suppose it is better not to ask.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, we came to you to seek your cooperation, after all. Telling you won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You would reveal it so easily?¡±

    Hameln thought it to be very important information and was puzzled to see d agreeing to talk about it so easily.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. It¡¯s just a matter of time until they are found¡­no, I should say that while they are not made public, some yers already found out.¡±

    After this premise, d started talking.

    The monster invasion event creation condition, as far as d knew, was either that the number of yers in a town, or the number of yers going outside from a Hometown, had to exceed a certain value.

    The more yers that were in a town, the greater the event manifestation probability, as well as monster numbers and levels would increase.

    The progress of the dungeon clearing had spread the yers wide, so the first condition had be difficult to fulfill, thus decreasing monster invasion events. When they manifested, it was always because of thetter condition.

    ¡°Hmm, I see. I can understand the first, but the second seems rather difficult to find to me. Did you find the answer on a stone inscription maybe?¡±

    When game events ended, stone inscriptions with their creation conditions appeared as unique items. Some recurring events, like monster invasions, were exceptions to this rule, but from d¡¯s exnation Hameln supposed that it was the reason.

    ¡°Yes, it is exactly as you guessed. It seems that it is dropped rarely, in areas seldom frequented by yers. ¡±

    ¡°Not even major guilds are aware?¡±

    ¡°Those, other than us, in charge ofrge numbers of people¡­like prominent members in major guilds probably know already. The stone inscriptions do note in singles after all. With many people the probability of finding them rises as well. We too are employing spies to prevent information leaks, but there is no way of absolutely preventing information from spreading, thus I suppose it is better to consider it to be already known. Even if it was, there might be several reasons why such information is not revealed atrge.¡±

    Knowing the conditions could have made it possible to prevent the event from manifesting. But no guilds had ever shown such intentions, nor was such information ever revealed publicly. At most, there were some unreliable rumors, nothing else.

    Major guilds had their own philosophy. This is what Hameln gleaned from d¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hehe, humans are truly never boring. Yes, I shall lend you my help. Arge-scale monster invasion in a hometown, used by PKs to infiltrate the town. I do feel like I am going to see something unprecedented.¡±

    Just imagining it all was beyond exciting. Noticing that d and Garga were grinning just like he was, Hameln¡¯s smile widened.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A few days after their meeting with Hameln, d and Garga went to visit Aldo.

    Aldo¡¯s home was located in Kalkia; it had not been just a coincidence for Robin to meet Shin on thetter¡¯s way back from the orphanage.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to see that guy again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because thanks to the items Shin gave us, another dungeon has been cleared. After all, that too is one of our aplishments.¡±

    ¡°Even if Shin didn¡¯t do it himself? Will the man really ept this?¡±

    ¡°He will. These kind of people just love to interpret things in the way most benefiting to them.¡±

    It¡¯s just hrious how ridiculously dumb they are. After adding thisment, d knocked on Aldo¡¯s door.

    Aldo¡¯s home, located in what could be called a quiet, luxurious neighborhood, was a mansion that towered above even the other high-end homes of the area.

    The same maid NPC that had weed themst time appeared. Aldo seemed to be at home; soon after the maid went to report their arrival, they were allowed inside.

    ¡°Any developments?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just a few days ago, we have obtained his cooperation and another dungeon has already been cleared. As proof, there is the public statement from the Savage Lions, one of the guilds which was already involved in the clearing.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh, you surely produce results quickly. Unlike that Robin.¡±

    Aldo was alone in his home. d had nned to just take his reward and leave the rest for a time when Robin was not present, but now decided to take the chance to do it all, grinning deeper.

    ¡°Thank you very much. Thus, I must ask¡­knowing full well that this might sound impudent, I would like to receive the promised reward. I promise, of course, to continue pouring everyst effort into dungeon clearing.¡±

    ¡°So be it. You showed results, I suppose you deservepensation.¡±

    With an arrogant attitude, Aldo took a bunch of cards from his item box and flung them at d.

    d barely managed to catch the flying cards. The cards¡¯ holder name had been erased, so they did not bounce away when he caught them.

    Looking at their names, d was very surprised.

    ¡°¡ºExcalibur¡», First Rate Potions and Ethers? These would be worth a fair amount of money. Are you sure you can give them to us?¡±

    d had gathered information about Aldo, but would have never thought that he would give Ancient-grade weapons away.

    ¡°Even in heaps, this world¡¯s currency is worthless. I have too many of those items too. Use them well.¡±

    Aldo could not see what there was to be surprised about and d thanked him with a wry chuckle. This man really did not understand anything.

    ¡°We shall strive to do our utmost. By the way, I do not see Mr. Robin anywhere. Is he at work?¡±

    ¡°What is your business with that useless fool?¡±

    ¡°Well, as he apparently hasn¡¯t produced results yet, I was thinking of having him help us.¡±

    ¡°What could a man who can¡¯t even call someone even do?¡±

    Aldo¡¯sck of any expectations from Robin was evident.

    ¡°I heard that he has contacted Shin, but has been refused. As an apology, I was thinking of having him approach the man again. Not for a cooperation request from the clearing team, but because the life of someone dear is in danger. That would surely spur him to clear dungeons even faster. Things would be much easier for us too if he was mentally cornered enough to get rid of his hesitations.¡±

    d exined his n of using Robin to further press Shin, without his smile ever leaving his lips.

    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re some viin.¡±

    ¡°My deepest gratitude for such praise.¡±

    ¡°That works for me. His uselessness has started to be unbearable after all. Do as you please.¡±

    Aldo mercilessly cut off Robin, as if ordering a broken tool to be disposed of.

    Witnessing such a disy of humans being objectified, d thought that this man must be seriously mentally cornered, and put away the other lines he had prepared to convince him.

    ¡°Thank you very much. Then I shall start preparations immediately.¡±

    After expressing their thanks to Aldo, the two returned to the hometown.

    ¡°Are we going to wait for that Hood guy now?¡±

    Garga, who had not spoken a word during the meeting, finally talked to d with a tone full of despise.

    ¡°Yes. He should be at his limits, so we have to make sure he acts on the designed day. I am sure he is desperate himself, so I don¡¯t think it will be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Amazing how you get all these ideas though. I have it easy since all I have to do is watch, but it¡¯s a pain for sure.¡±

    ¡°Despite that, you are quite helpful.¡±

    ¡°If your n works out, I can fight him going all out, that¡¯s why. If you fail, I¡¯ll crush you, end of story.¡±

    Garga clearly stated that his reason for cooperation was only theirmon goal.

    d responded by looking at Garga with a somewhat bored annoyance.

    ¡°You cooperate because we share the same goal, I know that already. But there is one thing I must say.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that now?¡±

    Garga snapped back and d looked at him again, this time with a stone-like expressionless face.

    ¡°If he goes all out on you, you¡¯re going to die, you know?¡±

    d expressed his, albeit twisted, absolute trust in Shin and his abilities.

    If the n seeds Shin will likelye to kill the perpetrators, d and Garga, without hesitation. That eliminated any chance of Garga winning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be trying to kill him. Nothing strange about getting killed.¡±

    Garga smiled broadly, expressing how he would enjoy that too.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    The day before d¡¯s meeting with Hameln, Robin wandered aimlessly through Kalkia at dusk as Aldo¡¯s words continuously echoed in his mind.

    If you can¡¯t produce any results, you¡¯re fired.

    It was something Aldo could do. After all, Robin had witnessed it in the past.

    Despite that, Robin didn¡¯t do anything for the man about to be fired. He could not do anything, afraid he too would meet the same fate.

    When the timeses for me to be fired, no one will mourn for me, just like that time, Robin thought.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Robin.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Who are you?¡±

    Robin had been walking with his gaze down, in desperation. A man¡¯s sudden approach made him suspicious.

    ¡°My name is d. I was actually requested by Mr. Aldo to urge a yer named Shin to quicken his dungeon clearing. I learned that you were given instructions to do the same thing, so I was thinking that we could work together.¡±

    d exined the situation in a polite, courteous tone.

    Maybe d too was an employee of the samepany? Robin briefly pondered over this, but he didn¡¯t want to think about it any deeper.

    ¡°You too¡­terrible, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±

    It was really terrible. How many times he had wondered, if only my boss wasn¡¯t someone like that¡­

    ¡°You seem quite distressed, is something the matter? You do not appear to be affected by status ailments, though.¡±

    Despite d¡¯s worried question, Robin turned and walked away.

    ¡°¡­Please, leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. You¡¯ll be discarded like this, you know? Here and in reality as well.¡±

    Robin abruptly turned around.

    ¡°Have youe tough at my misery!?¡±

    His honest feelings erupted out. His voice was louder than expected.

    ¡°Absolutely not. In fact, I truly respect you for what you must have been through until now. I have a proposal, Mr. Robin, so would you hear me out? If you ept, I can erase the source of your troubles and dispel your worries, you know?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    It took a moment for Robin to understand what d meant.

    Erase the source of his troubles.

    That meant¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯ll kill him for me?¡±

    Robin¡¯s words clearly included a hint of hope.

    ¡°No, but¡­he¡¯s strong. His avatar contains a cheat, coded in by management¡­most of his stats are over 800. His equipment is full of Ancient-grade gear too, stuff that you rarely get even if you pay. There is also barely any chance to kill him since he is always cooped up at home¡­¡±

    ¡°There is¡­a chance.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    d put a hand on Robin¡¯s shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Robin stood still for several seconds.

    ¡°If you help me, I will erase him without fail. One of myrades is in the same ss as he is, you know. Excluding differences in stats, a greenhorn with a strong avatar is no match for someone who has actually fought in this world. You understand, don¡¯t you? I heard that he doesn¡¯t even remember all of his skills, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, that¡¯s right. He hasn¡¯t even fought properly here.¡±

    He can kill? That man?

    Without Aldo around, Robin would not be forced to pester Shin. There was no need to kowtow to anyone. No need to run errands for others. No need to be mocked for ying a game. To run around everywhere looking for items. To venture into dangerous areas. To be avoided by the yers working at the frontlines to clear dungeons.

    If they returned to reality, Robin would surely be fired if Aldo was around. He would be fired without a just cause, so he would not receive any retirement bonus either.

    ¡°If so¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Isn¡¯t it an attractive proposal?¡±

    d¡¯s voice easily slipped into his ears.

    Attractive. Yes, it was very attractive. Even if it was a demon¡¯s whisper.

    ¡°¡­what do you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Just something, yes, something very simple.¡±

    d¡¯s lips emitted a clear, brightugh.

    His smile was evil in a way Robin had never seen in his life.

    ¡°I want you to do just one thing. If you can do just that, myrades and I will handle the rest.¡±

    Smiling throughout, d told Robin what he wanted him to do.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª-¡±

    Robin was shaken by what d told him.

    ¡°One person will be erased. What, you thought you could keep your hands clean?¡±

    ¡°But¡­that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You just have to bring them. There is no need to hurt the child. I¡¯ll say it again, you just have to bring them. That will be enough.¡±

    d¡¯s gentle voice continued.

    ¡°Myrades and I will do everything. You simply have to call one person. Is that a sin? The person you call will just walk into something unfortunate. We will be the ones to act. You will share none of the me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not to¡­me..?¡±

    A false pardon.

    Robin did not want to look at reality. He did not express his doubts.

    ¡°Yes. You wish to return to the real world, free of concerns, right? You wish to meet your family, don¡¯t you? Won¡¯t you help us then, just a little?¡±

    I want to see my family.

    That thought made him decide.

    For the current Robin, nothing except his family really mattered.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The morning following the night Shin slept while embracing Marino. Shin woke up feeling someone wiggling in his arms.

    ¡°¡­..ah.¡±

    As he opened his eyes, Shin found Marino¡¯s face right before his, at breathing distance.

    Noticing that Shin was awake, she tried to retreat.

    Before she could, though, Shin¡¯s arms moved. He hugged Marino tightly before she could jump out of the covers. Holding the back of her head, he pulled her towards him.

    ¡°Eeh!? Hey, wait, mmhn!?¡±

    Without letting her resist, Shin went in for a kiss. After a moment, Marino stopped resisting.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    After the kiss, Marino seemed to lose all of her energy and just stared into space. Seeing her so defenseless, Shin thought to y a prank on the girl, but she returned to her senses before he had a chance to do so.

    ¡°W-Whuat are you doing, all of a sudden?¡±

    Marino was not only stuttering but also out of breath, her cheeks flushing red.

    ¡°What? You wanted to kiss, right? So badly that you tried it while I was sleeping.¡±

    ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­it couldn¡¯t be helped! I was looking at you sleep and couldn¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Marino spoke while poking Shin¡¯s chest. Shin, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t stop grinning.

    ¡°No problem then. At least none for me. Rather, you can continue. Snuggle all you want.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!!¡±

    Shin opened his arms to encourage her, but Marino scampered out of the room. Shiny down again, thinking that he probably teased her too much.

    What Marino had said the night before about her illness was on his mind.

    In reality, they were probably sleeping in a hospital bed. If anything happened, the doctors and nurses would likelye running. Marino was already sick, so she would be assisted even more.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what continuously sleeping could do to the body. It was possible that Marino¡¯s life expectancy was constantly shortening. Thinking about it, he felt an urge to immediately look for a new area and clear it.

    ¡°¡­.calm down. Rushing ahead without thinking is the worst choice in a dungeon.¡±

    Shin jumped up from the bed and took a deep breath. Even during the game, he had sometimes picked the wrong skill and died just before clearing a dungeon. In this world, that would be utterly reckless to do.

    Shin reprimanded himself not to lose his cool, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling restless. The life of the first person he had ever loved was at stake. He could not manage to staypletely calm.

    Then, he heard someone knock. As Shin responded, the door opened a little.

    ¡°Breakfast is ready.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ming.¡±

    Shin apologized to the still blushing Marino and stood up. When he passed by her, he stroked her hair without thinking.

    ¡°Ehm, what?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, just felt like stroking your hair.¡±

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s fine, then.¡±

    Marino looked embarrassed but also a little happy.

    Looking at her, Shin felt his restlessness dissipate.

    (I have to make it in time.)

    On the other hand, his drive was even stronger.

    I will return alive with Marino. Such emotions burned brightly within Shin¡¯s heart.

    The heart could influence the body. Even though Shin¡¯s body was supposed to be mere data, he now felt pumped and full of energy as if it had been strengthened.

    ¡°H-Haven¡¯t you had enough? You¡¯re patting me too much!¡±

    ¡°Hey, it feels really good to touch, so¡­¡±

    He felt uneasy, but also stronger, thanks to her.

    He could only do everything in his power now.

    ¡°Ok then, time for breakfast!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go off by yourself!¡±

    Shinughed wryly as Marino hurried after him.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ¡°OK, shall we go? ¡­is what I want to say, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Meow? What¡¯s wrong, meow?¡±

    Shin¡¯s words elicited a response from an all-too-sweet female voice.

    After breakfast, Shin was all ready to go to a dungeon, but he wasn¡¯t alone; Catnip was standing next to him. She was wearing her cat ears maid costume, just like she did at the shop.

    The only difference from her normal shop attire was the Baghnakhs equipped on her hands. Because of Catnip¡¯s appearance, these tinum gray-colored ws looked just like a cat¡¯s. Their grade was middle Mythology, theirpletely not cute name being ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡».

    ¡°So, what¡¯s with the getup?¡±

    ¡°Shimeow, you¡¯re going to a new dungeon, meow? I want toe with you, meow!¡±

    As yers unlocked new areas, they would be the first to add those locations to their maps. As some time had already psed since Shin had liberated this area, a good degree of additional exploration had already urred.

    Since Shin hadn¡¯tpletely explored the area he had unlocked, he had to fill in his map with information purchased from information brokers. Using information provided by those yers who had fully explored the region, Shin had apletely updated map of the area.

    ¡°Er, yes I am going, but¡­were you waiting for me all this time?¡±

    The daily activities of yers varied depending on their mood. Shin was proactive in clearing areas, but even he would not visit them every day. Even if one waited beside the teleport point, there was no guarantee of meeting.

    ¡°Marimeow told me. She said that you¡¯d definitely go to a dungeon, so I¡¯ve been waiting since this morning, meow.¡±

    Marino hadpletely seen through Shin¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°You keep saying things like that, and your fanclub will start sending assassins after me¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe, meow! No blushing, meow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not joking, you know?¡±

    Shin subtly tried to make Catnip aware of the presence of the fanclub members behind her, but to no avail. Was it on purpose or was this just how she was? Catnip was smiling broadly, but Shin couldn¡¯t help feeling tense.

    ¡°¡­.ok, setting aside whether or not we are going together for a moment, why are you the only one here? What happened to your usual party members? They wouldn¡¯t like to know that you areing with me by yourself, which is frankly quite scary too.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­actually, when they went looking for ingredients the other day, they were attacked by PKs, meow.¡±

    As far as Shin knew, Catnip¡¯s area for collecting ingredients was close to the hometown. It would have been a big risk for the PKs too.

    Shin remembered what he had heard from the grocery stand owner; PKs had started bing more activetely.

    The other people in the store did not seem to notice, but Shin switched to chat and ryed this information to Catnip.

    ¡°(Sorry, meow¡­I got a little scared. But like I said now, I¡¯m going to avoid going outside as much as possible now. But if I do that, we¡¯ll run out of ingredients, meow¡­so please let mee with you. Think of it as helping me out, meow.)¡±

    ¡°(If that¡¯s the reason, no problem at all.)¡±

    Exploring areas was not necessarily any less dangerous than venturing into dungeons, but considering the known monsters¡¯ levels and the field¡¯s conditions, there would be no problems in bringing Catnip along.

    Shin, too, had not always explored alone, even after the death game started.

    The only problem could be that Shin and Catnip had different goals.

    ¡°(I mainly explore unmapped areas, though. You¡¯re going to collect ingredients, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be prudent to go with some other yers?)¡±

    ¡°(Not really, meow. In the unmapped area now, there is a ce I used to frequent before the death game, meow. I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s changed neow, but I might be able to find the items I¡¯m looking for there, meow.)¡±

    If the area was as she remembered, Catnip¡¯s knowledge would surely help Shin. If the area had changed, they would simply proceed as in exploring a normal unmapped area.

    ¡°(Anyway, staying by your side is the safest route, meow. With your support characters, you could flip any boss on their backs, meow.)¡±

    ¡°(Why would I even flip them on their backs!? Well yes, I suppose I could protect you without a problem, but¡­)¡±

    Catnip was an advanced yer herself; she wouldn¡¯t just be riding Shin¡¯s coattails.

    ¡°(Your store is an oasis for all yers after all. I¡¯d be happy to contribute too. OK, I was thinking of leaving right now, what will you do?)¡±

    ¡°(I can go anytime too, meow. The party members know already, so no worries, meow)¡±

    Shin nodded, albeit wondering if they were really convinced of Catnip¡¯s need to apany Shin alone.

    Being seen teleporting together would surely spark a never-ending series of trouble, so Shin said that he would wait at a specific ce and teleported to Tsuki no Hokora first. They also decided on a time, to avoid missing each other.

    In Tsuki no Hokora, Shin added four of his five support characters to the party.

    High Lord Filma and High Dragnil Shibaid in the front, High Elf Schnee as mobile unit. Lastly, the High Pixie Sety in the rear. Girard possessed a fighting style simr to Catnip, so Shin decided to let him hold the fort this time.

    After checking the members¡¯ equipment and items, Shin set the AI strategy to focus on defense. The AI could not makeplicated decisions like yers would, so this setting was for insurance.

    ¡°As long as I make sure our HP doesn¡¯t go below a certain level and they support us, we should be OK. All frontline members can use taunt skills too.¡±

    If necessary, Shin would have his support characters use their aggro-gathering skills and act as decoys while he and Catnip would flee. That was one reason to bring them along. Shin had never used this strategy before, but many yers were saved because they used it

    He had no intention of stepping in overly dangerous areas, but anything could happen in an unmapped zone or dungeon. One could never be too safe.

    ¡°OK, It¡¯s about time.¡±

    Shin went again to the hometown, then teleported to the area for the exploration.

    The teleport point reminded him of a stone cathedral, it was an orthodox type. In order to avoid inconveniencing the other yers, Shin waited for Catnip a short distance away.

    About 5 minutester, exactly at the specified time, Catnip teleported in.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, meow.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t wait long, really. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin and Catnip headed towards an unmapped zone. The thick woond area outside the teleport point made it difficult to observe one¡¯s surroundings. Shin decided to have Schnee go on ahead to scout the road as they proceeded.

    ¡°How is it? We just arrived, but is it as you remember?¡±

    Shin asked while checking his detection skills.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell yet, meow. But the atmosphere of this woond is the same, meow.¡±

    The cathedral-like teleport point was exactly the same as she remembered, Catnip added.

    ¡°¡­.Schnee has already found monsters. A level 388 Sneak Boar. That¡¯s exactly the type you mentioned, Catnip. This info hasn¡¯t been released to the public yet.¡±

    Shin checked the information received from Schnee through the menu. Information about monsters appearing in unmapped areas was publicly avable, but the Sneak Boar was not listed in it.

    ¡°Really, meow? But I knew about that, meow. It¡¯s a rare monster that¡¯s not found easily, meow.¡±

    ¡°I see we can expect great things from you, miss Catnip.¡±

    Overconfidence was a taboo, but knowing what monsters could appear would let them prepare with suitable countermeasures.

    ¡°I hope the monster I¡¯m looking fores up too, meow.¡±

    Shin ambushed the Sneak Boar, quickly felled it, and checked the item dropped.

    Catnip was looking for Sugar Unicorns, monster that dropped sweet-type items.

    If she could find some she could make new creations for her store, so Catnip eagerly searched for the monster.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, you did say that you would have be a pastry chef if you hadn¡¯t be an idol, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup, meow. I think it¡¯s nice to have a lot of dreams. I¡¯m also doing my best, meow.¡±

    Catnip flexed her muscles, a proud look on her face. She was probably trying to show her biceps, but her thin arms just made her pose look cute.

    ¡°What about you, Shimeow? Is there something you want to do, meow?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­I¡¯m in university now, but I¡¯m not exactly striving for this one thing I want to do¡­I like games, but if I was asked if I wanted to make one, I¡¯d probably say no¡­¡±

    ¡°I see, meow. What about Marimeow? Has she ever talked of such things?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­..well, Marino¡­¡±

    ¡°I know about her disease, meow.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was not sure how to reply. Catnip surprised him and said something unexpected. Shin was so stunned that he froze for an instant.

    ¡°Only people very close to her know, meow. As far as I know, only I, Holmeow and Milmeow know about it.¡±

    More people knew about Marino¡¯s condition than Shin expected. Incidentally, Holmeow was Holly, but Shin didn¡¯t know who Milmeow was.

    ¡°I just heard about it recently, though.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, meow. Some things are difficult to say to those truly dear to you, meow. Marimeow was really worried, thinking about if and how to tell you.¡±

    Some things were easier to say to other girls or adults. Catnip added this conclusion.

    ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, meow. Shimeow, not being the first shocked you, meow?¡±

    ¡°Gh, right where it hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°But not telling was the right choice, meow. If you knew right away, you would have rushed in the dungeons without thinking about your safety, meow.¡±

    Catnip looked straight at Shin, not smiling anymore.

    ¡°¡­.I can¡¯t deny that.¡±

    yers were now used to the situation and could retain a certain calm in their hearts. But that was not the case in the early stages of the death game. Obsessed about returning to reality, some yers relentlessly urged Shin to clear the dungeons.

    Thinking back on that period, Shin realized that Catnip¡¯s guess would very likely have turned true.

    ¡°Things were really hectic then.¡±

    ¡°Yup, meow. When I opened my shop, some told me that I was being disrespectful, meow.¡±

    Doing things unrted to going back was ¡°evil¡±. Such a mood reigned over the yers at the time.

    ¡°Few say that now, though. A few days ago I had someonee up to me and say it¡­but he had hispany¡¯s boss here, who keeps nagging him about that. Looked like he had it pretty tough.¡±

    ¡°The people that rely on others without doing anything themselves either shut themselves in their homes or just wait, meow. But havingpany rtions reflected in-game is just the worst, meow¡­¡±

    Shin had no intention of answering to the summon, but feltpassion towards Robin¡¯s situation. After hearing about the man¡¯s circumstances, Catnip¡¯s expression turned sour.

    ¡°Hmm? Catnip, there¡¯s a monster pack ahead.¡±

    Trying to return the conversation to the right track, Shin opened the menu and saw a message about the appearance of a monster pack,posed of 4 units. Maybe thanks to Catnip¡¯s earnest wishing, it was a pack of Sugar Unicorns.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your new creations, Catnip.¡±

    ¡°Meow!? Did you find them, meow?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re 4 in all. Let¡¯s catch them all.¡±

    Shin ordered Schnee to standby and changed equipment in order to boost item drops.

    The card he pulled out changed to a ck bow with thunder-like decorations. It was the Ancient-grade longbow ¡ºSurging Thunder Bow¡». Its shots consumed MP, and one could adjust the attack power by regting how many MP were consumed.

    The finely crafted arrows were imbued with lightning, the target hit had a high of probability of being subjected with the Hi-Paralyze status.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stop their movements. You give the final blow, Catnip.¡±

    ¡°Leave¡¯em to me, meow.¡±

    Shin ordered the support characters not to interfere and prepared to fire ¡ºSurging Thunder Bow¡».

    A half-transparent blue line appeared in his line of sight; it was a support function for aiming.

    Then, Shin activated the Bow-type Martial skill ¡¾Multi Arrow¡¿. Blue lines stretched towards each of the 4 Sugar Unicorns.

    As Shin released the bowstring, lightning-like arrows zig-zagged through the trees, towards their targets. Splitting in midair, they all cleanly struck the monsters.

    Without wasting time, Catnip jumped towards the copsing monsters.

    The ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡» Catnip equipped emitted an orange glow.

    ¡°¡¾Greedy w¡¿, meow!¡±

    Orange-colored arc-like effects extended from ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡»¡¯s four ws.

    Unable to dodge, the Sugar Unicorns were crushed by Catnip¡¯s 4-hit consecutive attack and vanished.

    ¡°Item drop increase, meow!¡±

    Catnip¡¯s words confirmed that ¡¾Greedy w¡¿¡¯s effect had activated.

    Most weapons had skills with Greedy in their names, which had the chance of increasing item drops from defeated enemies.

    ¡°Looking good, meow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Hopefully we can find the dungeon too.¡±

    The duo continued to explore the area¡¯s unmapped parts. They met monster packs several more times after the Sugar Unicorns.

    ¡°Shimeow, isn¡¯t there something strange here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. The monster encounter rate is too high.¡±

    After the game had be VRpatible, a toorge number of monsters would be impossible for yers to deal with, so the number of monsters appearing in a designated area had been reduced. Because of this, it was rare to encounter several monster units in less than 5 minutes.

    ¡°Could it be an event, meow?¡±

    ¡°There was no announcement, though. I would understand if they were bug-types, but¡­¡±

    Bug-based monsters like ants and bees would appear in great numbers close to their nests. But the monsters Shin¡¯s party had been fighting were mostly animal or human-like.

    ¡°I have a bad feeling about this. It¡¯s dangerous to go on when we don¡¯t know what could happen. Let¡¯s go back for now.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, meow.¡±

    As they turned back, carefully checking monster presence in the surroundings, Shin¡¯s map showed a yer icon.

    ¡°Catnip, stay alert. There¡¯s a yering this way.¡±

    ¡°I see it on my map too, meow. They¡¯re alone, meow?¡±

    A single icon was heading towards them. It proceeded straight on, ignoring the monsters around it.

    It was probably using a concealment-type skill or item. Shin prepared for a confrontation and switched weapons to his ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    ¡°My my, I am sorry, did I make you wait?¡±

    After about 1 minute, a yer appeared before Shin.

    It was a young man with gray-silver hair and dark purple eyes. His waist-length hair was tied behind his neck. He talked to Shin with a pleasant expression and an innocent smile.

    ¡ª¡ª-Hameln ¨C Level 255 ¨C Tamer

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ saw through the concealment skill and revealed the man¡¯s name.

    ¡°Do you have business with us?¡±

    Shin asked the question while keeping a hand on ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s hilt. He alsomanded Schnee and the others to be ready to battle.

    Hameln was infamous for being a MPK ¨C a PK that used monsters. He was said to possess very high stats.

    During a guild¡¯s PK extermination in the past, it was said that he had killed the whole group of yers that hade to hunt him down. It would be foolish not to be cautious when such a person appeared.

    ¡°Oh, I would have never thought of seeing you in these parts, so I came to give you some advice, being the worrywart I am.¡±

    ¡°Advice?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Right now, groups of monsters are advancing towards all hometowns, to invade them. Trouble could arise if you don¡¯t go back right now, you know?¡±

    Shin and Catnip¡¯s faces grew very tense due to the unexpected information. But if something like that was to happen, it would have been announced.

    ¡°¡­.despite that, I haven¡¯t heard anything from my acquaintances.¡±

    Even saying so, Shin felt that it was more likely to be not a bluff, but the truth.

    Hameln was a MPK, a specialist in gathering monsters. Shin knew about Tamer skills to an extent, but notpletely. It was usible enough that Hameln could orchestrate a mock invasion event with items or skills that Shin didn¡¯t know about.

    ¡°The chaos and panic prevented them from contacting you, I suppose. A short while before the invasion started, some PKs have been rampaging within major guilds, you see. Haha, I too wish to go see if the defense lines will hold this time.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m interested in seeing how you will act. Whether you will defend the town, go hunt the PKs, or prioritize your loved ones¡¯ safety. Which will you choose, sir hero?¡±

    With the same innocent smile, Hameln asked his question to Shin.

    ¡°Shin, I¡¯ll handle Hameln, you go back to the hometown!¡±

    ¡°Catnip?¡±

    Catnip dropped her cat-like speech and urged Shin to return quickly, while ring at Hameln.

    ¡°This guy alwayses out after things have already started happening. He wouldn¡¯t lie about the invasion, Kalkia¡¯s already under attack!!¡±

    ¡°But even so¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is not a normal event!! There¡¯s Marino in Kalkia. The orphanage¡¯s kids too. Set your priorities straight!!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say anything back.

    He can¡¯t protect everything. If he doesn¡¯t focus on what he really wants to protect, he risks losing everything.

    That was something Shin learned during the death game.

    ¡°(¡ª-I¡¯ll leave Schnee and the others here. Use them as decoy if necessary.)¡±

    Shin rted this to Catnip via chat, to not let Hameln hear, and poured MP into a crystal. Thanks to its effect of transporting the yer to the nearest teleport point, Shin vanished.

    ¡°Hmm, he prioritized his loved ones, as expected. Well, this is entertaining too.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t try to stop him? Must be feeling very confident.¡±

    Catnip, in her fighting stance, asked the question to the pondering Hameln, his chin resting on his hand.

    ¡°Dear, I do not have the slightest intention of doing anything to you either. I like Lucky Cat¡¯s sweets too, after all.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get in the way of business then!¡±

    Catnip kicked the ground and closed in on Hameln, swinging her ws. Hameln stopped her wind-slicing strike with his stick.

    ¡°My apologies. Watching people fight against absurd situations is what entertains me the most, you see.¡±

    ¡°Sicko!¡±

    Continuous blows from both hands. Surprise strikes, kicks. Catnip¡¯s relentless attacks were stopped by Hameln spinning his stick, sometimes parrying, sometimes deflecting,posure never leaving his face.

    Pixies did not have exceptional STR or AGI, but Hameln possessed high stats thanks to the resurrection bonus, enough to bridge the stat gap between Pixies and Humans, Catnip¡¯s race.

    Catnip was not weak by any means, but the game system all too evidently expressed their difference in ability.

    ¡°Oops, I see that his support characters are on a whole other level. It would be a bit too tiring to face you all, thus I suppose I will take my leave. I came to replenish on items, after all. Let us meet again, then.¡±

    Hameln used a summoned monster as a shield against Schnee¡¯s attack from the rear and promptly left.

    Catnip tried to chase him down, but was deterred by smokescreens and other summoned monsters. Schnee and the party, following Shin¡¯s orders of protecting Catnip, did not follow Hameln but fought against the monsters.

    ¡°Please, make it in time¡­¡±

    After defeating the monsters, Catnip headed to the teleport point with Schnee and the other support characters, praying.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    It happened just after Marino saw Shin off and started helping at the orphanage.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you apany me.¡±

    ¡°No, escorting is one of our duties. Nothing to worry about.¡±

    As the person in charge had forgotten to stock up on ingredients, Marino brought Luca, who had begged to tag along, with her to town.

    Being escorted by Shadow, Marino shopped around while holding hands with Luca. Though, the shopping itself did not take much time.

    ¡°Go for a walk! Walk!¡±

    Walking outside the orphanage was thrilling for Luca. It also helped that Shadow had the good idea of taking a slightly longer route.

    ¡°(It would be nice to let the other kids go out too, other than when they help out with our jobs)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s true. Most of the kids secretly y together outside anyway)¡±

    Marino noted while chatting with Shadow that only the smaller children like Luca needed protection. Since there were so few of them now, it wouldn¡¯t be too troublesome to organize supervised outings for them.

    Just as Marino thought of inviting other children next time, the rm signaling a monster invasion red throughout Kalkia.

    ¡°Looks like monsters areing. Let¡¯s hurry back to the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Luca, that¡¯s all for today¡¯s walk. Let¡¯s go back to the orphanage before the scary monsters arrive, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The guilds are protecting the town.¡±

    Marino tried talking as brightly as she could tofort Luca, who was frightened by the rm. All defenses, since the first failed monster repulsion, had seeded. Thanks to such results, the nearby yers were not too shaken.

    ¡°See, the people around us are also calm, right? Let¡¯s go back to everyone now.¡±

    Marino tried to walk as calmly as possible, so Luca would not panic. Even then, she had to periodically slow down at times after noticing her pace had started to quicken.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I would like a word with you¡­¡±

    Then, as if aiming for that timing, Robin appeared.

    Afraid of the slowly approaching Robin, Luca hid behind Marino.

    ¡°We¡¯re in an emergency situation. Save that forter. ¡±

    Shadow stood between Marino and Robin. He red at Robin sternly, ready to react in case of any suspicious movements.

    ¡°I have no business with you. I came to talk with the youngdy. Please stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°I refuse. There are monsters approaching the town right now. Everyone¡¯s returning to their homes. Come again after the threat passes.¡±

    Shadow spoke with a firmer tone. He would not allow any exceptions.

    ¡°I have to take the girl with me. You¡¯re in the way!!¡±

    Robin suddenly shouted, spread his mantle and threw a ball the size of a golf ball.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Without losing his cool, Shadow pierced the flying ball with a knife.

    The ball was easily severed in two, emitting arge quantity of white smoke at the same time, making it impossible to see.

    ¡°Shadow!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I can see. Please look after Luca.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Marino gripped Luca¡¯s hand again. Being a seasoned fighter, Shadow would not be confused by a mere smokescreen. Or so Marino had assumed, when suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Marino quickly turned around, only to find a pair of glowing eyes just beyond the smoke. Judging by the height and size, they couldn¡¯t belong to a yer.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Marino was standing there in a daze when Shadow¡¯s scream of pain reached her ears. Looking in his direction, Marino saw something cut through the fog and blow Shadow away.

    ¡°Monsters!? The defenses have been breached!? Tch, I¡¯ll hold them back here, take Luca and run!!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!!¡±

    Since Marino could not use ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, she was unable to see what was going on due to the smoke. However, hearing the sounds of shing des and seeing the light of the sparks through the smoke, she could guess.

    Not much time had passed since the rm was sounded, but one could hear screams and monster roars in the distance.

    As the chat system was restricted during invasion events, Marino could not contact Shin for help.

    ¡°Marino¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shadow is strong, he won¡¯t lose to some monsters. It¡¯s dangerous here, so let¡¯s go back quickly.¡±

    Marino beamed the best smile she could muster at Luca and started walking away. Luckily she found a building¡¯s wall, so they could proceed along it to an area unclouded by the smoke.

    ¡°OK, we¡¯re finally in the main stre¡ª-!?¡±

    After desperately running through the back alleys, they arrived in therge street Marino often passed.

    What she saw there however, was a scenerypletely different from the one she was used to.

    ¡°What is¡­this¡­¡±

    Most of the stores and stalls that lined the street were engulfed in mes. The screams of fleeing people could be heard everywhere.

    Some buildings were partially destroyed due to the fighting, while the undamaged ones were struck by yers being flung around.

    ¡°We have to get away¡­¡±

    Borderline paralyzed, Marino¡¯s body could move only because of the warmthing from Luca¡¯s hand.

    I can¡¯t let go of her hand. I have to protect her.

    Such feelings supported her trembling knees.

    ¡°Just a little more, be patient dear.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Holding Luca¡¯s hand, Marino continued walking along the walls, careful not to let the monsters spot her.

    However, on a battlefield where monsters and yers were engaged in furious battle, it was impossible to pass by unnoticed without stealth abilities.

    A sudden explosion shook the building next to her; it had been caused by a 5-melsrge dinosaur-like monster, which had smashed through the building to reach the main avenue.

    Marino instinctively protected Luca with her body.

    Fragments of the destroyed building rained all around them. These fragments were of unknown materials and could have much more offensive power than one would expect. One of them, unfortunately, ended up striking Marino¡¯s back.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Thanks to an item she received from Shin, Marino¡¯s HP did not decrease. But due to the difference in mass between Marino and the fragment that hit her, they both were flung into the air spinning across the ground several times before stopping.

    ¡°Lu¡­ca¡­¡±

    Marino stood up right away and searched for Luca.

    In this world, as long as an avatar still had HP left and was not affected by status conditions, even if struck by an attack that would normally cause arge wound, it could still move.

    Marino looked at her surroundings and found Luca who, like her, was trying to stand back up.

    It was too soon to feel relieved though.

    Luca had already been caught by Robin, who had appeared out of nowhere.

    Marino thought she managed to lose him but Robin, who had a scouting-type job specialization, had easily tracked them. His expression was eerily cold and distant, ill suited considering the current situation, with monsters rampaging around town.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made me waste enough time.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­.?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re protected by Shin¡¯s items. Because you won¡¯t just follow me quietly, I had to resort to this, you know?¡±

    His former polite speech was no more.

    He had apparently discovered the fact that Marino had received a protective item from Shin.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want the girl to be hurt¡­you know what to do, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes. So let her go right now!!¡±

    Marino removed the protective item and put it on the ground. Robin took the item and tied Marino up.

    ¡°Ma, Marino¡­¡±

    The freed Luca, while afraid, stretched a hand towards Marino. But Robin had loaded Marino on his shoulders, far from Luca¡¯s hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Go back to the orphanage Luca!!¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Robin¡¯s paralyzing poison robbed Marino of her ability to move.

    Carrying Marino on his shoulders, Robin looked at Luca.

    ¡°Give Marino back.¡±

    ¡°If you want her back, tell the yer called Shin toe to this ce.¡±

    Robin threw a small piece of paper to Luca.

    Luca desperately lunged at the piece of paper, to prevent it from flying away. When she finally managed to grab it, Robin and Marino had already disappeared.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What the hell is going on here?!¡±

    In front of the chaos of roaring monsters and screaming yers, Aldo stood dazed and confused. As he rarely left his home, he had no idea why there were monsters rampaging in the town, nor why the yers were taking damage. Actually, few yers knew the town defense corps had been attacked by PKs and that non-event monsters had infiltrated the town.

    ¡°S-Shit!! What equipment should I use!?¡±

    Thanks to his avatar¡¯s abilities, Aldo could tell the monsters¡¯ names and levels. With his high stats and powerful gear, it would not be too difficult for him to protect himself.

    Due to hisck of knowledge of the game, however, he didn¡¯t know what weapons or effects would be useful. It took him around 10 minutes to realize that the basic equipment of Arthur Pendragon, the basis for his avatar, was the strongest avable.

    When he finally finished equipping it and started thinking about what to do next, something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Hyah!?¡±

    His home¡¯s ceiling suddenly copsed. Something must have fallen on it. The booming sound and the falling debris made Aldo scream in surprise.

    ¡°Hey there. Still alive?¡±

    ¡°A person!? W-what? What are you doing, you bastard!?¡±

    Realizing that the person speaking to him was one of the two visitors who hade to his home just a couple days before, Aldo forgot the terror he had just felt and furiously yelled at the man.

    He had no idea what the man was thinking, but to think that he would do something so insane.

    ¡°What am I doing? What any other PK does, man.¡±

    Paying little attention to the destruction, Garga walked closer to Aldo, a savage smile on his face.

    ¡°What are you saying?! What¡¯s going on here?!¡±

    ¡°Hey now, are you for real? You didn¡¯t see the monsters busting through town? You were holed up in your house in this situation? Just because you have ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ up¡­man, you¡¯re so done.¡±

    While looking at the man with contempt, Garga lifted his main weapon, different from the one he had carried during his visits to Aldo¡¯s home.

    It was the lower Ancient-grade ¡ºGiant yer¡», a battleaxe with a ck handle and me-like patterns.

    It was a weapon that increased in power therger the difference in stats between the user and the target: a weapon designed to literally y those greater than the user. The stronger the opponent was, the more powerful it became. However, because it did not work on those weaker than the user, it could easily lead to a disadvantage if it wasn¡¯t used with attention.

    For the current situation, however, there could be no better weapon.

    Aldo, who was a total beginner with nothing but high stats going for himself, could never hope to match someone who, despite his stats being lower, had grown stronger through PvP battles.

    ¡°In order to get here, I had to deal with many persistent and hard-to-kill monsters, so I¡¯m feeling damn stressed right now. Your avatar is better though, so I really hope you¡¯ll let me have some fun!¡±

    As he finished uttering these words, Garga attacked the armored Aldo with his battleaxe. Thetter did not expect in the least to be attacked and received the blow squarely, without defending in any way.

    With a metallic sound, like iron pipes striking against each other, Aldo flew across his home, bursting through the wall andnding on the adjacent block¡¯s moat.

    ¡°Gh¡­what are¡­you¡­¡±

    Thanks to his stats and equipment the blow wasn¡¯t fatal, but the suddenness of the situation had left Aldo unable to think straight. He tried to push the rubble away and get up, only to notice a de swinging down towards him.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    A critical hit, and Aldo¡¯s helmet was removed from his head. Overwhelmed by confusion, Aldo didn¡¯t even realize that his head waspletely uncovered now.

    ¡°Hey, hand over all your items, now. It¡¯d be a shame to have them all disappear, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    Aldo¡¯s mouth could only utter ame reply. Garga hit the man¡¯s dazed face with a strong punch, to help him regain awareness of the situation.

    ¡°Hyeeh?!¡±

    Grasping the situation, Aldo quickly scattered the items in his possession.

    ¡°T-This is all I have! It¡¯s all here!! So please don¡¯t¡ª-¡±

    ¡°No more use for you then.¡±

    Garga stepped on Aldo to keep him pinned to the ground, then swung down his axe.

    ¡°NO¡ª¡±

    Leaving no time forst words, the booming strike wiped out Aldo¡¯s upper body. After a few moments, his lower body disappeared too.

    ¡°So pathetic it was almost depressing.¡±

    Receiving a blow from ¡ºGiant yer¡» on his helmet-less head was enough to ensure that Aldo would die. In THE NEW GATE, critical parts like the neck and the heart were set as the yers¡¯ weak points. The head and heart were especially weak; hitting them could cause instant death.

    Garga confirmed that Aldo had disappeared from under his feet and rxed his stance, sighing.

    Before the instant death strike brought Aldo¡¯s HP to zero, the damage caused by previous strikes was not too high. The avatar¡¯s stats should have been high enough for any mid-level yer to not be killed so quickly and easily.

    While he was not expecting much, Garga still felt his frustration mounting.

    ¡°¡­hmm, might as well add some more reasons here to fuel him up.¡±

    Garga¡¯s lips formed a grin, with an evil streak that would have made anyone present shiver.

    After collecting the dropped items, Garga checked the direction and started moving towards the orphanage.

    Shin reached the orphanage around the same time Luca did.

    Seeing Luca teeter back on her own, Shin felt even more worried. The monster invasion event limited chat use temporarily, so he still didn¡¯t have a grasp on the situation.

    ¡°Luca!¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­Shin!!!¡±

    Luca¡¯s eyes were filled withrge tears. Shin grabbed her as she was about to fall, and the little girl broke out in tears.

    Hearing her cry, Emil rushed out of the orphanage.

    ¡°Luca!!¡±

    Seeing that she wouldn¡¯t stop crying, Emil¡¯s expression became clouded.

    Shin had a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s go inside. Thanks to your barriers the monsters haven¡¯te inside, Shin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go, Luca.¡±

    Shin took Luca in his arms and was about to walk towards the orphanage, when Luca -who had regained someposure in her sadness- thrusted a piece of paper in front of Shin¡¯s eyes.

    The piece of paper she had gripped desperately, so as not to lose it, showed the coordinates of a location within Kalkia.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    ¡°They took Marino away¡­all because I said I wanted to go on a walk¡­!!¡±

    Luca kept crying, her face warped by the tears. Despite her young age, she was tormented by the guilt of having caused Marino¡¯s kidnapping.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ll go save her. Luca, you wait here with Emil and the others.¡±

    Shin wiped Luca¡¯s tears and entrusted her to Emil.

    ¡°Marino¡­will be okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, leave it to me.¡±

    Shin shed the biggest smile he could, so that Luca would not worry. After patting her head, he turned his back to her and walked away.

    As soon as he exited Luca¡¯s field of view, the mild expression peeled off Shin¡¯s face. More than someone who was going to save somebody, he looked like a man who was going to start a massacre.

    Shin started running towards the location signaled by the coordinates, the anger he felt clearly visible on his face.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    About 10 minutes after Shin¡¯s departure, Garga arrived at the orphanage.

    Holding ¡ºGiant yer¡» high, he maintained his running speed as he raced along the roof-tops and jumped up.

    ¡ºGiant yer¡»¡¯s de, boosted by the eleration, was then swung down on the orphanage¡¯s barrier.

    The skill-boosted blow made the barrier shudder. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ could withstand most blows without problems, but a strike from an advanced yer wielding an Ancient-grade weapon would not leave it unscathed.

    Each blow triggered a counter of magic attacks, but Garga swept them away with his battleaxe. As the barrier was located within the city, the magic attacks¡¯ power was limited too.

    ¡°Damn, this is one tough barrier!! But¡­ There we go!!¡±

    ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ finally started showing cracks; seeing concrete effects of his attacks, Garga shouted in joy.

    ¡°Maybe High Humans aren¡¯t that good at defense?¡±

    THE NEW GATE included few defensive skills, and normally offensive skills tended to have higher proficiency levels.

    The skill Garga used had the effect of causing additional damage to barrier skills or armor. If one kept attacking and no one reinforced the barrier, it would eventually break down.

    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡±

    ¡°Whaat?¡±

    Garga turned towards the voice and saw a woman.

    ¡°Whoa, now you look pretty strong, don¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could not disy her stats. Garga, though, possessed a rare ability. By looking at the yer¡¯s stance, he could determine their fighting prowess. This unusual talent was what allowed him to survive for so long.

    ¡°You¡¯re on the High Human¡¯s side too?¡±

    ¡°You mean Shin, yes? What are you trying to do anyway?¡±

    Saying so, the female yer -Holly- took out her short wand. In an instant, she activated a defensive skill and created offensive magic on standby in mid-air.

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re fast. A normal yer needs more time to activate so many skills¡­you¡¯re VRpatible, yeah?¡±

    Garga mentioned the term used to refer to those who adapted to the rtively new VR environment faster than its creators expected. It was not a discriminatory term, but since such yers could activate skills faster than others and control their avatars more efficiently than average yers could, some whispered behind their backs that they were cheaters.

    Garga did not mean to discriminate. In fact, his tone betrayed his heightened expectations. Holly responded by unleashing her magic; fire bullets, wind des, and more flew towards Garga.

    Garga dodged the ones which would explode, thus creating arger area of effect, and knocked away the single-target ones with his battleaxe.

    ¡°A magician attacking from the front!? Now this is fun!!¡±

    Holly unleashed several magic spells in a wave-like formation, and Garga gave up on dodging, instead charging straight towards Holly.

    He activated a skill that enveloped his body in a red aura and gave him an explosive eleration.

    Axe-type Martial skill ¡¾Dreadnought¡¿.

    This skill prevented all damage to the user for a few seconds while they were moving, making it one of the most dangerous among all charging-type martial skills.

    It was often used in party battles to blow away the opposing front lines and attack the rear.

    ¡°Haahaa!!¡±

    Garga charged close to Holly, repelling her magic attacks, and swung his axe down.

    For Holly, an experienced rear fighter, Garga¡¯s skill was nothing to be surprised about.

    Rear line fighters who could use powerful magic were, along with healers, the first targets in party battles. Thus, they were well aware of the skills used to break through the front lines and attack them. ¡¾Dreadnought¡¿ was especially famous for its effect, and several countermeasures existed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that too many times already!¡±

    The instant the battleaxe was supposed to rend Holly¡¯s body, her figure smoothly -but very quickly- bent and moved away.

    She did not move far enough to escape the battleaxe¡¯s range, but the blow that was supposed to crush her just blew her away.

    Holly spun in mid-air andnded gracefully; her HP had been reduced by about 10%. Normally, one third should have been shaved off.

    ¡°You¡¯re good. Haven¡¯t seen many rear fighters like you.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be happy even if I¡¯m praised by the likes of you.¡±

    The skill Holly used was the Wind-type Magic skill ¡¾Feather Step¡¿, which generated wind around the user¡¯s body, to raise movement speed and lower received damage. It allowed acrobatic movements, but few managed to master it.

    ¡°Why not? Gotta eptpliments when you get¡¯em!¡±

    Looking genuinely excited and happy, Garga swung at Holly again.

    In response, Holly created an elemental wall of ice and earth to stop Garga, increasing the distance between them in an instant. Her wand, pointed at Garga, emitted a thin purple bolt of lightning.

    In the short time Garga would have needed to break down the wall, she had prepared the most powerful spell at her disposal.

    ¡°Blow him away!!¡±

    Thunder erupted from the wand.

    Garga was rushing towards Holly, but had jumped to the side when he saw her wand light up.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    The thunderbolt was supposed to blow past him, but changed directions in midair, following the man.

    Garga barely managed to block it with his battleaxe. Despite managing to defend himself from Holly¡¯s powerful strike, he wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. He did not think that Holly had used a wall-type obstacle just to prepare an easily detectable attack with some homing properties from the front. His battle instinct told him not to let his guard down, and it was right.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    The second after Garga parried the purple lightning, thunder struck from above. That was the magic skill used by Holly.

    ¡°Kah, you really are tough!¡±

    Not caring about his diminished HP, Garga charged towards Holly again. He had lost a mere 30% of his total HP.

    Garga was a heavy fighter type, focused on STR and VIT. He was thus prepared to counter light and thunder magic, which excelled in speed.

    ¡°¡­.!!¡±

    Even if her enemy was drawing closer, Holly kept calmlyunching magic spells. A closebat bout between a mage and a magic warrior, however, would have a clear victor.

    Even if she was VRpatible, using attacks focused on speed meant that each blow was light. Some of the most powerful spells needed time to be charged.

    Garga had seen through this, so he gave up on using skills and simply charged forward, ready to take damage.

    Despite the barrage of spells, Garga swung the battleaxe, destroying Holly¡¯s wand; however, its de didn¡¯t stop there. Along with the wand, the axe tore through her robe and rent her body asunder.

    ¡°Darling, I¡¯m sor¡ª¡±

    Holly¡¯sst words were silenced by the booming sound of the second swing of the battleaxe.

    The first swing had cleaved Holly¡¯s torso in two, while the second had crushed her head. The second blow was a critical hit with instant death properties.

    Within the smoke and dust, a small white visual effect sparkled. When the view became clear again, nothing remained.

    ¡°OK then, next up the kids and the guards¡­hm?¡±

    Garga was nning to bring down the entrance and break in, but looking at his map made him furrowed his brow.

    The internal structure of all buildings, except public ones and the ones he was affiliated to, could not be seen from outside. The interior of buildings was treated like a different area.

    The only way to see inside the buildings was to actually go inside and map them.

    The map did not disy any yers, the buildings simply stood silently. All Garga could hear was the asional scream or noise of crumbling buildings.

    ¡°I see, so that woman came out alone to buy them time to flee.¡±

    If they really meant to defeat him, it would be ridiculous not to confront him in a group.

    ¡°Sure pulled the wool over my eyes. Guess I¡¯ll just go back to d and¡ª!?¡±

    A shadow suddenly appeared right behind Garga as he was about to turn back. The de swung by the silhouette cut through his armor, but Garga managed to jump out of the way before receiving damage.

    Garga still had not regained his bnce, but the silhouette continued to attack fiercely. With a sound effect like shearing through the air, the attacker¡¯s de rushed towards Garga.

    ¡°Wooohhh!!!¡±

    Garga, while using hs battleaxe as a shield, released the me-type magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿towards the ground, using the wind caused by the st to gain distance from his opponent.

    A few secondster the ck-haired man, Shadow, appeared from the smoke and dust. His armor was in pieces, his HP less than half. Proof that he had broken through the monster hordes to get here.

    ¡°What¡¯s this now? We¡¯ve got a parade of interesting people today!!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Garga was overjoyed to witness the arrival of another strong fighter, while Shadow prepared his weapon, nothing but wrath on his face. The hate seething within hadpletely changed the usually mild-mannered man.

    ¡°YOOOOOUUUU!!!!¡±

    Shadow¡¯s daggers swung at the same time as he screamed. It was a continuous attack based on the ninja¡¯s superior speed and was boosted by skills. The advanced yer¡¯s attacks targeted Garga¡¯s weak points as if sucked in by them.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re way sloppier than I expected.¡±

    The light streak-like shes were blocked by Garga¡¯s weapon and armor. He had regained his bnce and now faced Shadow head on; receiving his blows diagonally cut their offensive power by half. It was an alternative use of the skill ¡¾Parry¡¿, used to deflect attacks.

    Garga¡¯s armor was inferior to his battleaxe in grade, but it still was a high quality item, dropped by monsters in a dungeon. As long as he didn¡¯t receive it head on, it would not be destroyed by a single blow.

    ¡°WOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me¡­? I said, YOU¡¯RE SLOPPY!!¡±

    Shadow attacked while howling like a furious beast, and Garga roared back.

    Shadow¡¯s attacks were fast, but nothing more; because of the fury clouding his judgement, theycked all the technique they originally had.

    As a PK that had fought other yers to the death many times, Garga would not overlook such a thing. He blocked the shes with his gauntlets, let the armor¡¯s defensive power take the less powerful blows and drew closer to Shadow.

    Garga kicked the ground to elerate, then delivered not a swing with his trusted battleaxe, but a shoulder tackle making full use of his high STR and VIT. An orange-colored effect enveloped his body.

    Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Shoulder Bomb¡¿.

    It was a counter-type skill often used by yers who, like Garga, focused on defense more than speed.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Shadow was wary of the battleaxe, but in his enraged state he had failed to consider the possibility of a full body tackle. The dagger he instinctively pulled up as a shield was blown away by Garga¡¯s armor, leaving Shadow¡¯s torso open to the vicious blow from Garga¡¯s armor-d shoulder. Shadow was blown away several mel, crashing into the orphanage¡¯s wall.

    The reinforced wall cracked and partly copsed, as clear proof of the power of Garga¡¯s tackle.

    ¡°G¡­wah¡­¡±

    Shadow, crawling on the ground, desperately tried to stand again. Because of ¡¾Shoulder Bomb¡¿¡¯s effect, however, he was now affected with paralysis and could not even stand.

    His anti-status effect equipment, along with his armor, had their durability reduced to zero by Garga¡¯s attack and disappeared. His HP was now less than 20%.

    ¡°The mage woman that was here before you was so much better.¡±

    His words got a reaction from Shadow. With an expression that in the real world would have likely been shedding tears of blood, Shadow reached towards his dagger with his barely moving arms.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got more killing intent at least. If you had fought me together, it would have been fun, I bet.¡±

    Sighing at this lost opportunity, Garga raised his battleaxe while looking at the writhing Shadow. Even ifmenting in pain, the killing intent had not vanished from his eyes.

    Garga never spared promising yers, even if there was hope for a future bout. Even if fighting at full power would have proved an enjoyable experience, if they couldn¡¯t escape their fate at the time, he delivered the coup de grace without hesitation. That was one of the rules he imposed on himself.

    ¡°So long.¡±

    The battleaxe came down.

    The dully shining de was about to sever Shadow¡¯s neck¡ªwhen, with a nging sound, it was knocked away.

    ¡°What the?¡±

    He looked at Shadow closer and noticed a half-transparent film covering his body.

    ¡°Tch, it¡¯s over then. Earlier than I expected.¡±

    The film was a town-only automatic skill that prevented all damage to yers, ¡¾Law of Order¡¿. The fact that it was active again meant that the monster invasion event had ended.

    Garga only realized when he saw it that he couldn¡¯t hear the monsters roaring anymore.

    ¡°Guess I got too much into it. Well, nothing else I can do now.¡±

    Even Garga couldn¡¯t hurt other yers now that the hometown had recovered its functions. There was no point in staying there anymore, so he left.

    With Shadow¡¯s eyes full of killing intent fixated firmly on his back, Garga left while grinning evilly.

 Book 10: Chapter 2 (6)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 2 (6)</h4>

    Upon hearing that Marino had been kidnapped, Shin rushed straight to the specified location.

    He didn¡¯t even spare a thought about the monster invasion event being a coincidence or not.

    Using one of the monsters prowling the streets as a foothold, Shin jumped on the roof of a building. Any bird monsters trying to blow him away would get swept away with skills, but Shin ran forward without even ncing at the items they dropped.

    What filled his heart and morphed his expression was worry.

    The piece of paper Luca had showed coordinates and Marino¡¯s condition. What worried Shin was that Marino¡¯s life was in danger.

    The paper said that Marino was affected with ¡°Bloodred Poison¡±. If that was the truth, he had to reach the specified location as quickly as possible.

    Unlike a normal Poison status, which would leave at least 1 HP, the Bloodred Poison would continue consuming the yer¡¯s HP until it was healed or enough time passed. The continuous damage it caused was also much higher than regr Poison; with Marino¡¯s HP, she would not survive long.

    ¡°Please let me make it in time¡­¡±

    Even though Kalkia was a medium sized hometown, it was rather wide. There were houses for tens of thousands of yers, after all. With monsters in the way, not even Shin could traverse it quickly.

    He had shortcut skills to speed up movement, but because of the restrictions imposed by the invasion event, they could not be used at the moment.

    ¡°Out of the way!!¡±

    A dinosaur-like bipedal monster, Dynorex, poked its face in from the main road, but Shin blew its head away with a punch and secured a path. While the monster dposed in a myriad of polygons, Shin had already shifted his attention elsewhere.

    ¡°HYAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    That moment, several silhouettes appeared from behind the monsters, targeting Shin.

    The assants were not one or two. It was clearly an organized group of PK¡¯ers aiming to kill Shin. All of them, shing twisted grins and readying their weapons,unched magic spells.

    ¡°Tch, of all the times¡­!¡±

    Shin ignored the spells that would be automatically erased and rendered the PKs powerless with non-lethal skills.

    There were also advanced yers among them, however; many of them could not be stopped with just one blow. Shin would have never sumbed to them as long as he was careful, but he did not have a single second to waste.

    ¡°Better enjoy the party while itsts!!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up¡­I said get out of my way!!¡±

    Shin had no time to deal with the PKs, but now even the monsters were gathering around him.

    One on one, it would have been nothing to worry about, but if attacked in swarms like that, even Shin could not solve the situation quickly.

    With both monsters and yers attacking, the buildings crumbled because of the fighting. Magic arrows and bullets flew in from everywhere.

    Each one of them seemed to exist just to be an obstacle on his path.

    ¡°OUTTA THE WAY!!¡±

    Warmth, kindness, and hope gradually slipped away.

    In their ce, worry, fear, and rage gradually filled his heart.

    Just as if another person began to inhabit his body, the more time passed, the more the person called Shin changed.

    All obstacles between him and his destination were an eyesore. An irritation.

    His emotional change influenced his body too.

    Blow away the rubble with magic and create a path¡ªjust as Shin formted this n, a PK appeared before him.

    Shin could not react because of the now narrower field of view, but his body instinctively swung ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    ¡°Gah!!¡±

    ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s de struck the PK¡¯s chest, as if drawn towards it. It crushed the PK¡¯s armor and pierced through to his back. A critical hit. The PK¡¯s HP dropped to the red zone.

    It wasn¡¯t an instant death sh, but because of lingering damage the PK wouldst only a few more seconds. But despite being in mortal danger, the PK did not recover or leave and continued grappling with Shin.

    ¡°Haha, now you¡¯re a murd¡ª¡±

    Unable to finish his sentence, the PK exploded in a shower of polygons.

    But there was no need for him to finish his sentence. The word he had been about to pronounce was ¡°murderer¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­screw off.¡±

    Shin regained his bnce in midair andnded on a building.

    He had taken a life. A human life.

    But aftermitting one of the so-called taboos for humanity, what Shin found himself saying¡­were not words of regret.

    ¡ªWhy are you in my way?

    I did what I could to avoid killing you, but you came to die regardless.

    ¡ª-what will you do if I amte because of you?

    ¡ª-what will you do if I get there and nothing is left?

    Dead yers leave nothing behind.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Fear¡ª-the strongest emotion that Shin felt in this world was fear.

    Many had high expectations of him. He was afraid of betraying them.

    He fought with yers other than himself. He was afraid that misusing his power could end up with him killing others.

    Monster attacks decreased his HP gauge. He was afraid to see death creep closer and closer.

    What was now filling Shin¡¯s chest was the fear that Marino would die because she was involved with him. It terrified him more than betraying or killing someone, more than his own death.

    ¡°Guess I¡­don¡¯t need to hold back anymore, right?¡±

    Even if he held back, trying not to kill the PKs, they would use that against him. If he missed and hit a monster, he would have to defeat that monsterpletely too. Both monsters and PKs were trying to kill him without a care for his thoughts.

    ¡°You¡¯reing to kill me, so I can kill you too, right? There¡¯s no reason to leave PKs alive, is there?¡±

    These questions served the purpose of removing Shin¡¯s self-imposed bonds and worked as an ultimatum to the PKs.

    What returned to him were not words, but des ready to kill.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    The approaching de was met by Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    After a very brief resistance, the PK¡¯s longsword snapped. ¡ºTrue Moon¡» did not stop, cutting through the opponent¡¯s armor and cleaving it in two along with the body it adorned.

    ¡°Khah¡­.¡±

    The PK, his body severed in half, left a gutturalugh behind as he vanished in a burst of polygons.

    Shin looked at his arm, which had swung the de to the end, and thought.

    ¡°Yeah, this way is definitely faster.¡±

    He finally felt free from the annoyance he experienced before and hopeful about making it in time. There was no trace of guilt in him for the life he had just taken.

    Humans are not shy of sacrificing others for the sake of their loved ones.

    The people present there were also unworthy of any pity or pangs of conscience, even if they were sacrificed.

    ¡°(Don¡¯t get in my way. If you do, you die.)¡±

    A single phrase to express everything Shin felt.

    Cutting down the PKs that, relentless, came to attack him, Shin checked the shortest path to his destination. He released a magic skill that traveled on a straight path and rushed behind it, as to chase it.

    No matter who or what blocked his path, he would sh, crush, break, and kill. For Shin, the PKs were now equal to the monsters invading the hometown.

    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±

    Faster, faster.

    Using the wind caused by the magic skill¡¯s sts and the enemies¡¯ attacks, Shin elerated towards the destination. His avatar could not exceed the current speed, but using other elements allowed him to go faster.

    His feelings towards killing had changed, but his concern was notpletely dispelled.

    Maybe because he now knew about her illness, he couldn¡¯t stop picturing a suffering Marino in his mind. He kept trying to ignore such thoughts as he pushed forward.

    About 20 minutes after he left the orphanage, Shin arrived at the specified location. It had taken him around two times the normal time to reach it.

    There he found three people. Robin, d¡­and Marino.

    ¡°Did I¡­make it in time¡­?¡±

    Maybe she had recovered with items or skills, or she wouldn¡¯t have any HP left. The status ailment appeared to be still affecting her, as Marino¡¯s status clearly showed the words ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿. She still had about 40% of her HP.

    After confirming Marino¡¯s condition, Shin stopped for a moment. He made sure that no one was hiding nearby to ambush him and activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿, preparing to rescue Marino.

    Just then, however, d pulled out his de and pointed it at Marino¡¯s neck.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there!! Come out!!¡±

    Robin, who was next to him, shouted. They had sensed his approach, apparently.

    ¡°I-If you don¡¯te out, I don¡¯t know what will happen to her!!¡±

    As to stress Robin¡¯s words, the tip of d¡¯s sword pressed harder on Marino¡¯s skin. Marino¡¯s HP, which were already lower than half, decreased a little more.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin felt something ck and thick, like tar, swell in his chest.

    It was different from the feeling of cutting down the PKs and monsters standing in his way. It was something clearer, a vivid desire for murder.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here!!¡±

    After activating several magic skills, Shin appeared before d.

    ¡°Yes¡­now I¡¯m finally free of him!! Now I just need to go back to the real world and everything will be alright!! Hahaha!! Hahahahaha!!!¡±

    In utter contrast with the expressionless Shin, Robin was rejoicing. Shin did not know what was the reason behind this outburst of happiness, but it was hardly the time to think about that.

    Marino, immobilized by paralysis, implored Shin to forget about her through her expression. But he would never grant such a request.

    ¡°I came, just like you wanted. Now let Marino go.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!! Now you just need to clear the game and everything will end!! Go back to clearing dungeons!! Noooo!!!¡±

    Robin¡¯s clearly abnormal reactions started to concern Shin. Responding emotionally would be meaningless in cases like this.

    Shin turned his eyes towards the smiling d.

    As he did, d put a hand on Robin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Sir Robin, please calm down, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yes, I got it¡­¡±

    d appeared to be superior in the rtion between the two; Robin quieted down like a put out fire.

    ¡°What¡¯s your goal?¡±

    ¡°My goal, you say. Let me see. I suppose it would be this very situation.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin was confused, but d retained his smile.

    ¡°You are strong. Among the yers present in this world, you are worthy of the title of strongest. Despite standing on such a peak, you would have me allow such trash to associate with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    He was basically saying that Marino was useless for someone like Shin.

    d¡¯s gloating expression clearly showed that he fully understood how these words disgusted Shin. Shin could understand such a way of thinking.

    ¡±I couldn¡¯t care less about your selfish nonsense! Give me back Marino!¡±

    Shin ran forward even before finishing his sentence. He ignored the obviously inferior Robin and targeted d, whom he believed to be the main culprit.

    At the same time, the ground around the spot where Marino was lying swelled upwards, forming a barrier as to protect her and projecting spikes made of soil in four directions at the same time.

    The branch-like protruding spikes knocked d¡¯s -who had quickly dodged- sword away and pierced Robin -who failed to react in time- in the right shoulder and left thigh.

    Shin had activated the Earth-type magic skill ¡¾Earth Branch¡¿, which was usually created around the user, around Marino instead.

    Shin had not gone closer right away after being called out because the skill required a certain time before activating when used at long distances.

    After temporarily separating the two from Marino, Shin went on to attack d. He could not rest easy after just knocking his sword away.

    There should not be any other yers in hiding, but Shin focused on the grip on ¡ºTrue Moon¡», thinking of getting rid of such a troublesome opponent as soon as possible.

    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re skipping the hostage anding straight at me?¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s charge from the front, d took out another sword. That same moment, a shadow appeared above Shin.

    The creature that had pulled in its wings and suddenly started descending was an Elder Green Dragon. At level 701, it was a monster only advanced yers could dare to face.

    d¡¯s main job was Dragon Knight. It was unusual for him to be fighting without a dragon, but it appeared that he had kept him on standby at a certain distance.

    Shin nced at the flying dragon and concluded it wouldn¡¯t be a threat. Based on the speed of its fall, Shin would lock des with his opponent faster.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» swung towards d. But an instant before their des shed, a yellow effect enveloped d.

    The effect that struck ¡ºTrue Moon¡» emitted a loud, hard sound and shattered. Thanks to that d could block Shin¡¯s weakened blow without losing his bnce, albeit while carving a track on the ground with his feet.

    ¡°YOU¡­!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice brimmed with anger. He noticed that the shattered effect came from the item that originally protected Marino. The item that Shin had given to Marino for self-defense now sparkled on d¡¯s neck.

    ¡°As expected of a High Human. I would have been in real trouble if I had used my normal weapon.¡±

    d then jumped away from the sh. Shin tried to reduce the distance again, but the flying Elder Green Dragon unleashed its wind breath to oppose him.

    As monster breath was an attack that possessed both physical and magical properties, even with high magic resistance Shin could not fully negate it. The damage itself was minimal, but the breath blocked his sight and made it difficult to attack.

    In addition, there was something else clearly bizarre about d.

    (This is weird. Why does he have two of them?)

    Shin was looking at the weapon d was wielding.

    In THE NEW GATE, some items had limitations in the number that yers could equip at the same time. The sword that d equipped on each hand, ¡ºExcalibur¡», was one of them; a yer could only equip 1 at any given time.

    ¡°Never mind that now.¡±

    It was not the time to think about that. What was needed now was to cut down d as soon as possible.

    Ancient-grade weapons had far higher durability than others, so destroying them would prove difficult. Shin activated another magic skill.

    The thundernce and light bullets,unched with no chanting and thus little to none preparatory movements, left afterimages in the air.

    It was a blow that d could not avoid as long as he hadn¡¯t focused heavily on AGI. It weakened as it closed in on d, however, and ultimately took off just 10% of his HP.

    ¡°You raised your resistance with items, huh?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Thunder and light cannot be dodged easily, so I prepared adequate countermeasures.¡±

    He had not been affected by the thunder skill¡¯s paralysis either. He had prepared countermeasures against status ailments too, evidently.

    ¡°Haha! To cross swords with the strongest is not bad at all either!¡±

    After nullifying Shin¡¯s magic, d leapt in the air and rode on the Green Elder Dragon¡¯s back. As dragon rider, he could unleash the full potential of his job, dragon knight.

    d and the Green Elder Dragon¡¯s stats rose, as the emerald-colored de of light ¡¾Effect de¡¿ appeared around ¡ºExcalibur¡»¡¯s de. It was an effect that extended weapon reach if the yer used weapons other than long ones while riding.

    ¡°Here I go!¡±

    He had probably used a skill. Everytime d swung his de, emerald green shes flew towards Shin. Shin nned to blow them away with ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and shoot down the flying opponent with magic.

    Thunder and light could not cause decisive damage, so Shin shot fire-elemental magic towards the sky. He let his MP do the talking and shot bullets of fire in all directions.

    Hebined fast and slow bullets in order to fill d¡¯s surroundings with a barrage of fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite haphazard.¡±

    Looking at the balls of fire gathering all around him, d chuckled dryly.

    Because of the dragon¡¯srge body, he needed a wide enough space to maneuver. Expecting this, Shin ced his fire bullets at an altitude slightly higher than d and his dragon¡¯s current position.

    An advanced dragon such as the Elder Green Dragon would not flinch even if hit by fire bullets. But because of Shin¡¯s high INT, the offensive power of each bullet was ridiculously high.

    d did not try to force his way through the fireball hail, as he probably understood that if even just one hit the dragon¡¯s wings, they would crash immediately. Even a powerful dragon cannot fly freely once its wings are rendered useless. In that case it would simply turn into arge target.

    ¡°Time to die.¡±

    All fire bullets were detonated at the same time. They did not strike directly, but the swelling st they caused ravaged d and his dragon. At the same time of the explosion, Shin ran towards Marino.

    While riding the dragon, d¡¯s movements were severely limited even within the st. In this situation, he could not act quicker than Shin as thetter went to heal Marino¡¯s status condition.

    The most important thing was to rescue Marino, not defeat d.

    Ignoring Robin, who had been blown away by the st of wind caused by the explosion, Shin rushed towards Marino.

    The moment before he could touch Marino, held in a slightly higher position by ¡¾Earth Branch¡¿, Shin saw her disappear and be reced by a scorched Elder Green Dragon.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin swallowed his breath. He had an idea about the phenomenon he had just witnessed, however, and immediately checked his map. Marino¡¯s response came from next to d.

    ¡°¡¾Position Shift¡¿, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    From the smoke caused by the explosion appeared d, in tatters, carrying Marino at his side.

    ¡¾Position Shift¡¿ was a skill exclusive of Tamers and Dragon Knights, which allowed the yer to swap locations with their monster partner. It was also applicable to party members, but Shin had not thought that d and Marino could have formed a party and gritted his teeth at his own carelessness.

    ¡°Making her join my party was child¡¯s y. It is not time for games anymore, though. The finale is upon us.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason why we took a hostage, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°You want me to hurry up with the dungeon clearing, right?¡±

    Hearing what Robin had said, Shin thought that the reason must have been that.

    ¡°Haha, oh please. If we just meant to urge you to act quicker, there would be no point of doing this here and now. As for the hostage-taking too, luring a yer outside the Hometown would allow us to attack them without restrictions too.¡±

    ¡°What do you want, then!?¡±

    ¡°I said it right at the start. To take out the trash. But just assassinating her would have risked to simply depress you, so we created a bit of a show. I know how attached you are to this woman. If she was killed in front of your eyes, what would happen to you, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±

    The tone of Shin¡¯s words was chilling.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! That¡¯s the real you. Not soft or dull, but a de sharpened to perfection. Yes, that¡¯s the face I wanted to see!!¡±

    d¡¯sugh almost sounded insane.

    Marino opened her mouth, as if trying to say something, but could not utter anything because of the paralysis still affecting her.

    ¡°Yes, this is the finale!!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t!!¡±

    As d raised his sword, Shin activated a magic skill. He had prepared more than one before the conflict.

    Blue mes raged up from the ground and surrounded Marino.

    ¡°Gwah!!¡±

    Burned by the mes suddenly appearing at his feet, d let Marino go. Shin noticed it and immediately ran to her. Marino¡¯s HP were already below 20%; there was no more time.

    Because of the passage of time, Marino¡¯s paralysis was almost gone; she stood up and ran towards Shin too.

    The mes were now gone. Being in d¡¯s party and considered an enemy of Shin¡¯s, Marino had been damaged too. Shin had chosen the magic considering this possibility too.

    ¡°SHIN!!¡±

    ¡°MARINO!!¡±

    ¡°Kah!!¡±

    d chased after Marino. But Shin¡¯s eleration, even if not boosted, would let him reach her first.

    No one could get in the way now. Not monsters nor PKs.

    He would protect Marino and defeat d. Tell Luca that Marino was all right, so she wouldn¡¯t worry.

    That¡¯s what Shin thought. That¡¯s how it was supposed to go.

    If only Marino still had some time left.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Marino uttered a soft sigh. Like a marite with her strings cut, she copsed on the ground. Her hands fell too, unable to grab Shin¡¯s.

    ¡°It appears that this was inevitable.¡±

    d had been the first to reach Marino. His burnt hands had not let go of ¡ºExcalibur¡», and its de had pierced Marino without the slightest hesitation.

    Shin¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    Marino¡¯s avatar, even if pierced by ¡ºExcalibur¡», still existed. Strangely enough, even after being struck by an Ancient-grade weapon, she still had HP left.

    ¡°Did you do something? But as long as things are like this, it matters little.¡±

    Shin was now closer to Marino, but not close enough to be next to her in one leap.

    In front of his eyes, d mercilessly thrusts¡ºExcalibur¡»again.

    To his surprise, however, the sword could not pierce Marino.

    ¡°!? This can¡¯t be!¡±

    Maybe because of the impact, Marino¡¯s body shook every time d struck it. His sword, however, was repelled each time, with a metallic-sounding effect.

    Immediately after d had started attacking, the words ¡°CONNECTION ERROR¡± appeared over Marino¡¯s avatar.

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    Apparently not seeing the newly disyed words, d continued thrusting obsessively.

    ¡°STOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!¡±

    With a scream, Shin¡¯s sword attacked d. Even if his sword wasn¡¯t actually hitting her, in Shin¡¯s eyes d was cruelly skewering Marino¡¯s body.

    Swung with enough power to break it, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» shed against ¡ºExcalibur¡» with a high-pitched sound.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Because of its stats, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» could not go as far as shattering ¡ºExcalibur¡». The offensive power of this attack, however, could not be merely blocked; d was thrown backwards by the impact, sent crashing into a nearby building.

    ¡°Marino!! Hey, Pull yourself together!!¡±

    Shin chose to go to Marino instead of continuing to attack d. When he held her, her eyes opened just slightly and met his.

    Something was off. Shin was right in front of her, but Marino didn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­I¡­¡±

    She appeared to still be conscious; while her eyes swayed left and right, she was trying to say something.

    ¡°Aah¡­so this¡­is it¡­¡±

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­so¡­sorry¡­.sor¡­¡±

    ¡°Why!? Why are you apologizing!!¡±

    Marino¡¯s lips continued uttering broken apologies. Not wanting to know what they could mean, Shin held Marino more tightly. She would not answer anymore, however.

    ¡°Finally¡­I¡­decided¡±

    A hazy expression on her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home¡­¡±

    Marino continued.

    ¡°Every¡­one¡­toget¡­her¡­not¡­game¡­.real¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.Marino?¡±

    Marino¡¯s words, spoken while she was looking at something not of this world, finally trailed away.

    ¡°Hey, answer me.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back together, right!?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Luca is¡­yeah, Luca¡¯s crying. She¡¯s crying a lot, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­answer me already¡­.!¡±

    Marino did not respond. It was as if she had frozen after uttering herst words and did not move an inch anymore.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot be detected. Please verify connection.¡±

    An emotionless system message was returned instead.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot be detected¡ª¡ª¡±

    Shin could not understand what the system message meant.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot¡ª¨C¡±

    No, he didn¡¯t want to understand.

    ¡°ERROR. yer¡ª¨C¡±

    Because that¡­

    ¡°ERROR¡ª¨C¡±

    Meant nothing but¡­.

    ¡°ERR¡ª¨C¡±

    Marino had died.

    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UUUUUUPP!!!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s emotions had crossed the limit.

    If he didn¡¯t let out such overwhelming feelings, he could go crazy.

    yer output not detected. That meant that there were connection troubles or the yer had died in the real world. Looking at how Marino acted until a moment ago, it was too convenient to consider a broken connection as the cause.

    ¡°Haha, well, it did not go exactly as expected, but I suppose that was fate.¡±

    The sound of falling rubble reached Shin¡¯s ears. If Shin had looked in the direction of the sound, he would have seen d standing back up. As price paid for receiving ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s attack, he had lost an arm.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was waiting for those eyes. People with something important to protect¡­they are so frail. Now, this very moment, you are perf¡ª¡±

    Without waiting for d to finish talking, Shin¡¯s sword arm moved. Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ he moved instantly next to d and shed towards his neck.

    d could not even react to Shin¡¯s movements.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Surprised by the metallic sound ringing near his neck, d stood dumbfounded, as Shin silently brandished his ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    shes like shes of light struck sudden death points such as forehead and heart, while others were aimed at d¡¯s legs to stop him from moving.

    All of them, however, were repelled by the skill protecting the hometown. Not even Shin could do something in such a situation.

    ¡°Ku¡­hahaha. Looks like time¡¯s over. I¡¯m looking forward to your future feats.¡±

    Even after being blown away by the impact, d left these words before teleporting away.

    Shin looked at him leave, then sheathed ¡ºTrue Moon¡». After a few moments, he let out a small sigh and turned towards Marino.

    ¡°¡­.sorry for dropping you.¡±

    Shin hugged Marino again and apologized. His expression was no more filled with bloodlust and now looked peaceful.

    Before his unnatural smile, a new message appeared.

    ¡°F-type Avatar number 193405. Will you acquire? YES/NO¡±

    In the death game, empty avatars were apparently treated as items.

    Shin read the message and slowly chose YES. Marino¡¯s body turned into a card and was deposited in Shin¡¯s item box.

    Shin teleported to an area with a hill with a nice view. It was a small area Shin had obtained ownership of in an event.

    ¡°You liked this ce, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    Flowers of many colors bloomed on the hill.

    The sky over the hill was clear and sunny throughout the day, the weather there would never be cloudy or rainy.

    Shinid Marino¡¯s avatar card down in a spot perfect for resting in peace. He activated a skill and the card sank into the ground, with a small gravestone being formed in its ce.

    The skill used by Shin was usually used by Tamers to make graves for their monster partners.

    Monsters did not die if their HP reached zero, but in certain events parent monsters would give birth to progeny and die.

    That was the only reason skill existed, and many yers ignored it even did.

    Shin could have kept the card with himself, but chose not to.

    Not cremation, not burial. Carrying a body with him seemed wrong to Shin, even within a game.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin stood before Marino¡¯s gravestone. Despite the warm wind blowing around him, Shin felt cold to the core.

    The cold had probably frozen even his tears, who wouldn¡¯t flow no matter how much he waited.

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯lle to see you.¡±

    After an unspecified amount of time, Shin whispered.

    We will be together even after the death game. Even if that wish could not be granted, he will make herst wordse true.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Marino¡¯sst words. Shin didn¡¯t know who she had said them to. Even so, he wanted to make them be reality.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    After serenely whispering again herst words, Shin¡¯s expression changedpletely. Or rather, all emotion disappeared from it.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone in the way.¡±

    Obstacles to the path leading back to reality. Obstacles to those who lived their lives earnestly.

    ¡°So please give me just some time.¡±

    Shin¡¯s equipment changed. From anti-monster equipment to anti-yer equipment. To equipment meant to kill.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promise after I erase them all.¡±

    Shin turned his back to Marino¡¯s grave.

    Maybe it was a coincidence that the teleportation point to the Hometown, hidden by trees, was now in the shade. Or maybe it reflected the state of mind of its owner.

    Shin¡¯s silhouette as he teleported, his facial features twisted in a grimace, made it seem like he was disappearing into total darkness.

 Book 10: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    This monster invasion event created more casualties than any previous such event.

    Starting with PKs disguised as town defense corps, it culminated in an invasion of monsters with much greater numbers and levels than usual.

    Thanks to the efforts of many yers, the assault could be dealt with in a rtively short time, but many yers with production-rted jobs as well as those who had chosen to stay in the city had lost their lives. Many yers just stood speechless before the stores and homes that were reduced to piles of rubble.

    The bad news, however, continued.

    A high-ranked member of the guild that was in charge of the town¡¯s defenses had been killed by one of the PKs that went on a killing spree during the monsters¡¯ rampage. There were also many casualties among the members closest to the guildmaster, meaning that the clearing of the dungeons would surely go slower.

    Both production-type and fighting-type jobs had suffered imensurable damage.

    And the same thing happened at the orphanage too.

    Because of the barrier¡¯s destruction thanks to Garga, the orphanage had lost its protection and had been severely damaged due to the battles between yers and monsters.

    Emil¡¯s expression after returning from the temporary shelter was dispirited. The children, too, stopped in their tracks as they arrived on the premises.

    ¡°Holly¡­¡±

    Despite knowing how futile it was, Emil looked for Holly, who had remained behind to buy time for her and the children to escape, and stepped closer.

    Soon, she found a man leaning against one of the orphanage walls ¨C Shadow.

    ¡°Shadow!! You¡¯re safe! I was worried, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Even after the monsters had been wiped out, Emil could not make a chat connection with Shadow.

    Shadow barely nced towards Emil, but showed no other response.

    ¡°Did Holly¡­die¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­.yeah.¡±

    His answer left no doubts. Emil could not say anything more.

    Even though she had already a suspicion of Holly¡¯s death before asking Shadow, she still had to ask to make sure. When a yer in the friend list died, their names changed from white to semi-transparent.

    ¡°Shadow? Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±

    Emil tried to stop Shadow, who stood up and started walking away, silently. He was clearly very different than usual.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°Hey, listen when¡ª-¡±

    Emil grabbed Shadow¡¯s shoulders as he walked away and forcefully turned him towards her. The sharpness of the light in his eyes, however, left her speechless and unable to move.

    Emil herself was apetent fighter. She had fought alongside Holly and Shadow before and knew the severe expression he had when fighting.

    However, she had never seen an expression like this on his face before.

    The chill she felt while looking at him froze her.

    ¡°¡­.take care of the kids.¡±

    Saying only this to the immobile Emil, Shadow left in the opposite direction of the children.

    His ragged equipment and unstable pace, coupled with the atmosphere surrounding him, made him seem like a ghost.

    ¡°¡ª¨C¡±

    Chilling whispers came out of Shadow¡¯s mouth.

    Unable to say anything or think of any other response, Emil could only watch him leave.

    ¡±(I¡¯m going to kill him, no matter what.)¡±

    As he walked away, Shadow left a short message, filled to the brim with fierce killing intent, which to Emil felt more like a roar.

    After burying Marino, Shin teleported back to Kalkia and went to check on the orphanage. The barrier he had put up to protect it would have easily stopped the monsters that invaded Kalkia; it was supposed to be one of the few safe locations in the city.

    What he was greeted with, however, were the cries of the children in front of the broken down building.

    ¡°The barrier¡­is gone?¡±

    Shin had a bad premonition because of this anomaly and examined the partly destroyed building. Doing so, he then found Ryohei and Teppei sitting against a door.

    ¡°Ah, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    The ever-energetic Teppei looked nowpletely spent. Shin looked from Teppei, looking down quietly, to Ryohei, who, in a barely audible tone, whispered: ¡°Ms. Holly¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Where¡¯s Shadow?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. He¡¯s not here, at least.¡±

    Shin simply repeated, ¡°I see.¡± He then opened the orphanage¡¯s door. There, he saw Emil along with the older children trying to calm down the endlessly crying younger ones.

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    Emil noticed Shining in and quickly approached him. Maybe because of the heavy atmosphere the orphanage was enveloped in, her expression looked tense too.

    ¡°You¡¯re all right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­kind of¡±

    She had reached him, but seemed to not know what to say.

    ¡°I heard¡­Holly died.¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah. You¡­well, I don¡¯t know what to say..¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about choosing words, please. She didn¡¯t have much time left anyway.¡±

    If the kidnapping incident didn¡¯t happen, Marino might be still alive. There was the concrete possibility that a major stress had caused the attack.

    It was pointless to think about that now, though. Even if yers who died in the death game would wake up in the real world, this didn¡¯t include Marino.

    This kind of small hope didn¡¯t exist either. Her death was something definite.

    ¡°¡­.where¡¯s Luca?¡±

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s over there.¡±

    Emil pointed at Luca, sitting and hugging her knees. When she noticed Shining closer, she clearly gasped and ran up to him.

    ¡°Marino!?¡±

    Luca¡¯s gaze looked to Shin and then to the rest of the room, probably looking for Marino.

    ¡°¡­..sorry.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Luca stopped. She didn¡¯t understand why Shin was apologizing.

    Shin had no intention to hide anything, though. He knew that telling a small child like Luca about Marino¡¯s death was cruel, but he didn¡¯t want to lie.

    ¡°I¡­couldn¡¯t protect Marino. Marino¡¯s¡­..she¡¯s not with us anymore.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking Luca in the eyes. She was silent for a while.

    As she understood Shin¡¯s words, however, tears filled her eyes.

    ¡°Marino¡¯s¡­not with us?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t see her anymore¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah.¡±

    Shin answered in a soulless voice. Every time he did, Luca¡¯s expression twisted more.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    The moment tears filled her eyes, Luca¡¯s rejection of being separated spilled out.

    Not a momentter, she started crying loudly while calling Marino¡¯s name. Her voice was so loud, so filled with sadness, that the other crying children were surprised and stopped crying.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t know how to console poor Luca, who was wailing while still hugging him.

    He had failed in his promise of protecting Marino, but Luca didn¡¯t me Shin.

    Luca¡¯s tears and crying contained nothing but sheer, utter sadness.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s whisper was drowned out by Luca¡¯s wailing.

    He didn¡¯t move until Luca, tired of crying, fell asleep.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Are you going?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please take care of the children.¡±

    Shin ced Luca on a bed, then told Emil that he wouldn¡¯t be visiting the orphanage for a while.

    Emil didn¡¯t try to stop him: she just looked on at him, worried.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s fine for me to say something like this, but don¡¯t you go die. I¡¯m sick of seeing people I know disappear.¡±

    Shin smiled to reassure Emil and turned his back to the orphanage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to die¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-I¡¯m going to kill.¡±

    Hisst whisper did not reach anyone¡¯s ears.

    As he left the orphanage, Shin entered a deserted alley and concealed his figure with a long hooded robe. It was the superior Ancient-grade ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡», with all bonus points spent on concealment.

    Just like the name indicated, it looked just like a tattered old robe, but it had the effect of making the wearer undetectable by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ or other search-type skills, as long as the wearer had 100 or more DEX than the caster.

    If Shin wore it, the number of current yers who could detect him could be probably counted on one hand.

    Hiding within ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡», Shin silently proceeded through the alley.

    After about five minutes, he came upon a wooden door. It looked like a restaurant¡¯s backdoor, a perfectly normal sight for a back alley. Using an appraisal skill on it, however, revealed that it possessed a sturdiness unthinkable from its appearance.

    Shin opened the door, which was actually made in a material sturdier than even Orichalcum, to enter in a dimly lit bar with soft music ying in the background.

    The bartender was a man around 40 years old with ash gray hair slicked back. The atmosphere in the bar was calm and collected. The bartender was just as Shin heard and was the information broker he was looking for.

    At a nce, the interior looked like a famed bar only true connoisseurs would know, but most clients were hiding their features with masks or capes. There was no board outside to signal the presence of a bar either.

    This was a bar where all guests shared amon goal.

    ¡°Gimlet.¡±

    The bartender came closer to his seat and Shin ordered a cocktail after cing a coin on the counter.

    The bartender took the coin, looked at the red coin under it, then at Shin again. After staring at the new visitor for a few seconds, he took out lime and a bottle of gin to start preparing the cocktail.

    While the bartender was preparing the drink, Shin received a voice chat call.

    ¡°(Are you a hunter? Or a hound?)¡±

    The call hade from the bartender in front of him.

    ¡°(Hunter.)¡±

    Shin answered the question in one word.

    ¡°(¡­your name.)¡±

    ¡°(Shin.)¡±

    The bartender¡¯s shaker stopped for a second, only to move again immediately, as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. Here¡¯s your gimlet.¡±

    The bartender, who had prepared the drink in silence, offered the ss to Shin.

    A piece of paper could be seen poking out from the coaster under the cocktail ss.

    Shin downed the drink and took the piece of paper. Pretending not to notice the bar¡¯s upants eyes on him, he quickly left.

    Shin exited the alley and arrived into a crowded street, then entered the first eatery he could find, ordered something, and finally opened the piece of paper. The piece of paper was wrapped a small, 1-cemel square card that contained a set of coordinates pointing to somewhere in Kalkia.

    ¡°It disappears after you open it, huh.¡±

    Shin memorized the coordinates, but before he could discard the piece of paper, it had already vanished in a myriad of tiny polygons. The small card was still in his hand. While honestly admiring the intricacy of that method, Shin checked the presences in the surroundings, but did not find any relevant responses. No one was tailing him, apparently.

    Shin wolfed down the food he had ordered and immediately headed for the location pointed out by the coordinates.

    The location, near a teleportation point, looked just like any other two-story general store.

    Shin knew, however, that the appearance was just camouge. The store was lined with items, but other than the clerk no one was inside.

    Shin took a random item and brought it to the register. When he paid, he handed the card to the clerk too.

    ¡°¡­.please go inside.¡±

    The clerk was surprised an instant after seeing the card and reading Shin¡¯s name, but quickly returned to his former nk expression.

    Shin proceeded in the back of the store, as the clerk had told him to. The corridor led to a room used for negotiating with customers. The clerk silently pushed a table aside and lifted arge floor tile, which revealed a set of stairs leading downwards.

    ¡°Please proceed by yourself.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Shin acknowledge the clerk¡¯s statement and descended the stone stairs.

    The barely lit stairs formed a spiral; following them for a while led to a sturdy-looking door just like the one at the bar¡¯s entrance. Shin touched the handle and the door opened surprisingly easily.

    All the yers in the room beyond the door expressed their surprise at Shin¡¯s arrival, either through their expressions or gestures.

    ¡°So you came too.¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking what to do, a man wearing the same tattered cloak spoke to him.

    Shin turned towards this familiar voice and found Shadow. Shin had heard from Emil that he had gone missing after the monster invasion event. Finding him here meant that the reason behind his disappearance was the same.

    ¡°I imagined you would be here.¡±

    Holly had died to buy time for the orphanage children to escape from the PKs¡¯ attack. It was not strange then for Shadow to be here, a base of the PKK guild ¡°Avidya¡±.

    When ¡°Avidya¡± was first formed, it was apparently amunity for yers whosepanions had been killed by PKs to exchange information, but now it wasposed of members who exchanged information and raised funds and others who actively hunted down PKs; a guild specialized in tracking and killing PKs.

    As long as one followed the two rules: no betrayal and no hesitation of getting one¡¯s hands dirty, anyone -women and children included- was allowed to join.

    Of course, there were yers who, like Shin, belonged to other guilds too.

    The yers who had created a guild with close friends, but were now alone, were many too.

    As yers could not belong to more than one guild at the same time, they were not official members but assisted the guild with information gathering, fundraising as external supporters, or as field troops.

    The question the bartender asked Shin meant if he was a Hound (rear support) or Hunter (field trooper).

    Whether one was allowed to join the guild or not, however, depended on the guildmaster¡¯s judgment. If a yer was refused they would never receive any information from ¡°Avidya¡±, no matter how much they pleaded.

    ¡°If you ever get information about a man named Garga, tell me.¡±

    Shadow spoke with a hate-drenched tone Shin had never heard from him before.

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I will have my revenge.¡±

    In the guild, yers used their information, money or fighting power as currency to have others exact revenge for them or to obtain information on who they wanted to take revenge on.

    Advanced yers like Shin and Shadow would surely join the field troops. Even if facing against opponents they didn¡¯t know or never met before, as long as they were PKs they would swing their des without hesitation.

    ¡°Then if you learn anything about a man named d, please let me know.¡±

    Shin¡¯s informationwork had not found anything about d¡¯s whereabouts.

    PKs were originally all experts at hiding. d was especially skilled; when Shin had met him in front of the orphanage d had mentioned the name of the Savage Lions¡¯ Lao, leader of the Explosive Legs corps, but thetter said that he knew no d.

    Apparently traitors had infiltrated the ¡°Savage Lions¡± and Lao was now busy with finding the rotten apples.

    ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re the new guys the guildmaster talked about?¡±

    After talking with Shadow, Shin was thinking of asking around for the method to gather information, when a man with ck bandages covering most of his face approached him.

    Shin immediately activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but because of the building¡¯s restrictions the skill did not disy any information. The store apparently also functioned as guild house. In a guild house, all skills other thanbat ones had their usage restricted.

    ¡°¡­.yes, no mistake about that. Should we say our names?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we don¡¯t use character names here. Members generally identify themselves using numbers. I¡¯m called Six, I¡¯m kind of in charge of the field troops. Your number will be One, the guy there gets Three. Use that from now on.¡±

    ¡°Do the numbers mean anything?¡±

    ¡°This is where field troopers gather. Numbers here obviously mean power rankings, right? ¡­well, normally I¡¯d have you show me how good you are, but you two are pretty famous. Especially this guy here, I bet it¡¯s rare to find yers who never heard of you.¡±

    The man speaking to Shin and Shadow had clouded eyes, but it did not seem to be because of greed or other desires. Based on what he said, he seemed to know about Shin too, despite the ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡» concealing him.

    ¡°My face is hidden, though.¡±

    ¡°You said your name to the bartender, didn¡¯t you? He¡¯s our guildmaster, Garanagal.¡±

    The guildmaster himself was in charge of evaluating new members.Thinking about it, the bartender¡¯s piercing gaze had that much intensity in it.

    ¡°There must be a One and Three already, no? If you keep changing names every time someone new joins, no one will know who¡¯s who anymore.¡±

    ¡°No worries there. The rankings don¡¯t change easily, and if they do we get noticed. One and Three were empty slots anyway. There are plenty of our members who went to attack a PKir and never came back, after all.¡±

    The two empty slots apparently belonged to two members who had left this world. Before doing so, however, they had apparently taken down a great number of high-ranked members of the PK guild ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±. Six added that while they had failed in ying the guildmaster, the guild¡¯s scope of activities will likely decrease.

    ¡°So where can we get information about PKs?¡±

    ¡°Ask the woman over there. Her name¡¯s Calmia.¡±

    Six pointed at a woman wearing a light purple veil and Arabian-like clothing, who smiled as Shin and Shadow looked at her. Among all the yers wearing equipment geared towards fighting other yers, the high skin exposure of her attire stood out exceptionally.

    On the table in front of Calmia was a crystal sphere the size of a bowling ball, which made her look like a fortune teller.

    ¡°I know little of the rules here. If you say we are field troopers, does it mean we¡¯ll move following your orders?¡±

    ¡°Nah, that only happens when there¡¯s arge-scale battle. Generally we move in small numbers to surround and beat down small groups, but that¡¯s what the members with low fighting prowess do. For guys like you, others would just be in the way, I¡¯d wager. Our Two, Four and Five are the same too.¡±

    In simple terms, do as you like. Shin wondered if it was okay for the rules to be so loose, but it was the best situation he could have hoped for. He could leave the information gathering to them and just go around cutting down targets.

    As Shin was pondering such thoughts, Six formed a fist with his hands, which seemed to shake slightly.

    ¡°All strong yers went to capture dungeons and won¡¯t cooperate with people like us. I don¡¯t mean to say that I¡¯m happy about your misfortunes, but I am excited that strong people like you joined us. Now I can finally¡­have my revenge too.¡±

    Six¡¯ voice was trembling too. Looking around, Shin saw other yers exhibiting simr reactions.

    In this world existed an absolute standard of strength, the yer¡¯s stats. This meant that strong yers were untouchable by many others, a source of endless frustration for weaker ones.

    Shin nodded to Six and, together with Shadow, went to Calmia¡¯s table.

    ¡°You¡¯re the new One, then. Six probably told you, but my name is Calmia. I organize all the information the hounds send us. If there¡¯s anything you want to know, just ask.¡±

    Calmia¡¯s calm, poised tone matched her alluring avatar very well. She had apparently been allowed to join Avidya thanks to her information management abilities.

    Sometimes she would also use her good looks to infiltrate enemy territory. Of course, for someone with little fighting power like her to prate PK-controlled areas meant that there was no guarantee she coulde back alive.

    ¡°Differently from the much rarer hunters, there¡¯re plenty of substitutes for the hounds. Plus there¡¯s no such things as truth serums in this world, so unless I talk, there¡¯s no way to know the information I hold. I would die before spilling anything, of course.¡±

    Calmia¡¯s smile vanished from her lips when she answered Shin¡¯s question if it wasn¡¯t dangerous for an information broker to join infiltration missions.

    Others could fill in Calmia¡¯s function. Even if she disappeared, there would be no real damage to the organization as long as she didn¡¯t spill anything.

    Depending on the situation, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to be expendable. It was clear that she, too, was prepared for the worst.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re done with the self introductions, I¡¯d like to know about PK locations. ces where a lot of them gather are preferable. If you have a list, give me one and I¡¯ll just start picking them off from the top.¡±

    ¡°¡­I suppose I should have expected that you¡¯d say something like this.¡±

    PKs usually held bases outside hometowns. Because of that they often fought against monsters and had high levels and stats. Shin inly stated that he wanted to face and defeat multiples of such opponents at the same time, which prompted Calmia¡¯s incredulous reply.

    ¡°After I start hunting I won¡¯t be able toe back here for a while. How can we keep in touch?¡±

    ¡°Just register me as a friend and call me through private chat. I¡¯ll attach the list to a message card and send it to you. What is your friend there going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go with Shin. Garga and d were together, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. There are several witnesses¡­no, I suppose I should say victims. We have the information. They belong to the guild ¡°Ouroboros¡±. It seems that Garga is one of the top members of the guild. d¡¯s an expert in sneak attacks, on the other hand. Cheating and luring others, apparently sometimes he doesn¡¯t even get his hands dirty.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see.¡±

    Shin would have wanted such information earlier, but it was toote to think about that now.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Shin, will you lend me a hand?¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s the one that attacked the orphanage, after all. I meant to hunt him down after I was done with d.¡±

    d was a higher priority, but Shin thought that Garga required more caution. He had destroyed his barrier, after all: Shin expected that he would be stronger than d, who he had faced in battle.

    ¡°These two are rather famous, but we don¡¯t have much useful information about ¡°Ouroboros¡± itself. I¡¯ll tell the Hounds to gather information about them as top priority. Also, this is the list of PK guilds¡¯ bases and members that we are aware of at present. You two will probably be all right, but not everything will be as the list says, so make sure you stay sharp all the time..¡±

    ¡°We know that well. We won¡¯t let even one escape.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all going down.¡±

    ¡°I was talking about your own safety¡­.but I guess that¡¯s toote.¡±

    Shin and Shadow thought that Calmia meant to say not to let a single PK escape, and replied ordingly. Hearing such replies, she couldn¡¯t helpughing bitterly.

    We are valuable advanced yers for Avidya. She wouldn¡¯t want us to die easily, or so Shin thought.

    After leaving the store Shin and Shadow checked the list right away. They would crush PK bases starting from the closest one and proceeding in order.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. Will you change weapons?¡±

    ¡°No, please just give me a boost. The only weapon I¡¯m going to use is this¡­the weapon I got from her.¡±

    Shin proposed to offer Shadow a stronger weapon, but thetter refused with a stiff expression. Even if it could lead to his death, he didn¡¯t want to use any other weapon.

    ¡°Please take this, then. It will surelye in handy when fighting against Garga.¡±

    Shin gave Shadow an armband decorated with red gemstones, which had the effect of preventing instant death by leaving the wearer with 1 HP if they were hit with a blow that would reduce their HP from more than 30% to zero.

    The item would just prevent death when arge amount of damage was inflicted in one blow and would not prevent instant death caused by blows to the head or heart, which ignored remaining HP.

    Shin would have preferred to give Shadow items that prevented instant death in all its forms, but he could not equip them because ofcking stats. THE NEW GATE¡¯s system allowed yers to avoid idental death more and more as their level increased.

    Shin made sure Shadow equipped the armband, then they headed to the first location reported by the list.

 Book 10: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    It happened one night.

    In the guildhouse of the PK guild ¡°Liberacion¡±, a boy and a girl were surrounded by guild members.

    The boy had a horn sprouting from his forehead and scales on his skin, while the girl had peculiar patterns on her body; judging from such visual traits, the boy was a Dragnil and the girl a Pixie.

    While venturing outside looking for ingredients, they were suddenly surrounded by yers and caught with no room to escape.

    Now, in the area built within the guildhouse, the boy -called Masakado- was forced to fight against monsters. His opponent was a level 398 bug-type monster, a Stag Mantis, which was a cross between a stag beetle and a mantis, boasting four scythes and a pair of pincers.

    Masakado¡¯s level was over 200, but he had already resurrected a few times, so his stats were, on average, just a bit higher than 300. These were numbers rather worrying if facing against a Stag Mantis.

    Even more worrying was the fact that the key to draw out his power as a Magic Swordsman, his sword ¡ºRune de¡» had been snatched by the PKs. His sub job was Fist Fighter, but the most he could do now was avoid the monster¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°Come on,e on! Run faster or you¡¯re gonna die!¡±

    ¡°Serves ya right for acting all cool trying to protect the girl!¡±

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have a winner pretty soon!¡±

    The PKs watching the fight from outside the arena yelled and jeered.

    As long as the girl who was with him, Hmee, was taken hostage, Masakado could not try anything. The only way out avable to him now, was defeating the Stag Mantis.

    ¡°Shit!!¡±

    Masakado swore and leapt away. Less than one secondter, a scythe about the same size as he was, pierced the ground where he had been standing.

    Bug-type monsters excelled at physical attacks and defense. Masakado, as he was now, would surely be killed if he received even just a few blows.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!? ¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    Hmee was trying to say something, but the gag on her mouth prevented her from formting actual words.

    ¡°Why did this¡­¡±

    The long game of tag against the superior monster had started shaving off Masakado¡¯s powers of concentration. When would it end? Even if he really defeated the Stag Mantis, would they be saved?

    He was supposed to be thinking of a way to rescue Hmee and escape, but his overworked mind ended up thinking of thingspletely unrted.

    He was almost at his limit. Masakado started thinking of ast resort attack on the Stag Beetle.

    ¡°¡ª-eh?¡±

    In front of Masakado¡¯s eyes, Hmee floated in midair. Precisely speaking, the PK that had captured her thrown the bound girl in the ring.

    Hmee¡¯s body struck the ground, rolled a few times and stopped. The Stag Mantis was right next to her.

    ¡°You bastards!!¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon boy, go save her or she¡¯ll be in danger!¡±

    ¡°Damn you¡­!!¡±

    Masakado jumped at the Stag Mantis. The monster¡¯s attention was focused on Hmee, so Masakado¡¯s jumping kick hit its head cleanly, causing the monster to stagger.

    However, Its HP barely decreased and the monster soon regained its bnce.

    ¡°Gah!?¡±

    The back of the monster¡¯s scythes, which it had swung wide to get rid of the annoyance that had hit it,nded squarely on Masakado¡¯s abdomen. Due to the differences in physique and stats, Masakado was blown away. He crashed against the ground, his body grating against the floor of the arena.

    The HP gauge disyed at the edge of Masakado¡¯s line of sight had decreased by around 30%. In addition, the status disy indicated he had been poisoned.

    ¡°¡ª¨C! ¡ª¨C!!¡±

    Hmee tried to shout again. Uncaring, the Stag Mantis raised its four scythes in her direction.

    The female pixie was a Mage with low defense. If she was struck by all four scythes, her HP gauge would surely be annihted.

    ¡°Damn you¡­look at meeeeeeee!!!¡±

    Masakado used a taunt skill to force the monster to turn towards him. However, the Stag Mantis had already started its attack motions, and did not even look at him.

    A few more seconds and Hmee would die. He wouldn¡¯tst much longer either. Just as a feeling of hopeless surrender was about to envelop Masakado¡¯s heart¡­

    ¡°¡ªthat wasn¡¯t a bad choice.¡±

    The voice of a man, a voice he had heard before, suddenly resounded. At the same time, the guildhouse shook violently.

    ¡°Woooohhh!?!¡±

    ¡°What!? What the hell¡¯s going on!?¡±

    The vibration, strong enough to lift the ground up, caused confusion among the PKs.

    A pale blue ball suddenly appeared in the center of the arena; the next instant, thunder and lightning ran across the ring.

    The booming thunderp caused Masakado¡¯s sight to go ck. It was the rare visual status effect caused by strong shing of light or thunder, ¡¾Blind¡¿.

    No matter how much he squinted, Masakado could not tell what was happening around him. The PKs¡¯ screams, however, echoed clearly in his ears.

    ¡°Shadow, please take those two.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Hey, stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The confused Masakado was forcefully grabbed by someone. There were two people next to him apparently. Judging from their conversation, a man called Shadow had just lifted Masakado on his shoulders.

    Masakado instinctively fought back when he was grabbed, but stopped moving after Shadow dashed away. The speed at which he moved, far higher than Masakado¡¯s, would have caused him to fall if he struggled.

    Shadow moved one step forward, paused for a second, then dashed away again.

    Several secondster, he leapt high in the air.

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    He heard ament right next to him. He could swear it was Hmee¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    After theynded, Shadow urged them to stop struggling and jumped even higher. As with the first jump, theynded somewhere high and then jumped to a farther high ce.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to heal you. Quiet.¡±

    Masakado nodded quietly. He was saved from certain death at the ¡°hands¡± of the Stag Mantis. He did not know what Shadow and hispanion had in mind, but he had no reason to oppose them.

    The status effect ¡¾Blind¡¿ disappeared and Masakado could finally see again; he immediately looked around for Hmee.

    ¡°You¡¯re safe¡­I¡¯m d.¡±

    Hmee had just been freed from her mouth gag. The man that was now untying the ropes binding her hands was probably Shadow.

    He was a young man d in ninja-like equipment. Masakado¡¯s ¡¾Analyze V¡¿ barely revealed any information about him, but judging from his earlier movements, he was surely an advanced yer.

    ¡°Use this and go back to town.¡±

    Shadow threw a crystal to the two. Masakado frantically caught it and realized it was imbued with teleportation magic.

    ¡°I-is it really alright? This looks really expensive¡­¡±

    For Masakado and Hmee, who had been robbed of their possessions, it was a very wee gift.

    Teleportation magic had ranks too; the low rank allowed teleportation from outside fields and town buildings, the middle rank able from dungeons too, and the high rank also allowed from unique locations. The ranks were signaled by colors: low rank was brown, middle rank silver, and high rank golden.

    There were some areas where teleport crystals could not be used, but the ce where they were now was just a field. Using a golden crystal would be nothing but wasteful.

    To teleport from a field to the town, a brown crystal was more than enough. Crystals imbued with high-rank teleport magic were rare, so for Masakado it must have looked terribly valuable.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be in our way if you stay. Shut up and go. We can¡¯t save you again if theye after you.¡±

    Shadow then quickly dashed back to the PK guildhouse.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Hmee, finally free, pointed at the guildhouse. The structure was still being rocked by explosions, bursts of light zing all around it, illuminating the night sky to the point that it was as bright as noon.

    Human silhouettes could be seen jumping out every once in awhile. They were holding brown or golden crystals, suggesting that they were trying to teleport away.

    Not one of them, however, managed to sessfully make their escape.

    One was burnt to a crisp by a blue me that zed through the guildhouse walls, another was skewered by a ck spike arising from the ground, others suddenly turned into ice statues and shattered.

    Masakado, or maybe Hmee, held their breath. They had been told to return to their town, but the scenery of the guildhouse being destroyed and the PKs vanishing before their eyes froze them where they stood.

    If the guildhouse looked like that from outside, things had to be even more chaotic inside.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Suddenly, darkness enveloped the two. They took a few seconds to notice that there were no more explosions or bursts of light from the guildhouse.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Finally, light descended again.

    A pir of light,rge enough to cover the whole guildhouse, and powerful enough to blow away the surrounding trees and rocks.

    ¡°Is that¡­a skill¡­?¡±

    Masakado had difficulty believing that there existed a skill that could produce such immense power. He could barely make out the shadow of the guildhouse, but that too disappeared soon.

    As the light pir vanished, literally nothing stood in its wake.

    Buildings vanished when their durability ran out. Everyone knew that much, but seeing something disappear without a trace like that filled them with something akin to horror. Needless to think how the PKs inside must have felt.

    ¡°Hey¡­someone¡¯sing.¡±

    Hmee pointed at two human silhouettesing their way. One was the man that had saved them, the other was a yer that Masakado and Hmee both knew.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­Mr. Shin¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I mean, he should be¡­¡±

    Few did not know Shin¡¯s name, his face, and reason behind his fame.

    Masakado and Hmee had been saved by Shin already in the past too. They knew that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to unleash utter destruction like that.

    Looking at the ce where the guildhouse once was, only a scorched patch remained. The scene they had just witnessed clearly showed what had happened there.

    Shin had exterminated the PKs, all the yers inside the guild. That was something the Shin that Masakado knew would have never done.

    Masakado and Hmee didn¡¯t know what had happened to Shin. As such, they didn¡¯t understand.

    They neither knew the reason why he was there, nor why his equipment was different.

    Or why his expression seemed void of all emotion, an expression they had never seen before.

    ¡°Ah, er, Mr. Shin¡­?¡±

    Shin must have noticed their presence, but did not react to them in the least. Masakado gathered his courage and spoke to him, but there was no answer. Not even a nce in his direction.

    Shadow, walking next to him, did not say anything either.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin and Shadow kept walking away; Masakado could not say anything more.

    ¡°What in the world happened to him¡­.?¡±

    Masakado¡¯s confused words were lost in the night, not reaching Shin¡¯s or anyone¡¯s ears.

    That night, 24 yers disappeared from THE NEW GATE¡¯s world.

    It was the start of an unprecedented cleansing that raged on with storm-like fury.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again. Your achievements are getting more and more talked about, you know.¡±

    Calmia chuckled while looking at Shin.

    Almost one month had passed since Shin started his PK hunt. Even if he had kept his identity and figure hidden, the news that Shin was going around killing PKs spread quickly.

    The pace was too fast, the massacre too one-sided. Too subtle for a major guild, while for a smaller guild not suffering any casualties would have been impossible. On the other hand, some yers whispered that a certain person had not shown themselves in the dungeon clearing frontlines recently.

    As Shin¡¯s disappearance and the start of the PK hunt happened roughly at the same time, the rumors eventually became that Shin had started performing a ¡°PK cleansing¡±.

    The rumors became more and more believable as witnesses, rescued by him, started reporting what they saw.

    ¡°They¡¯re more on their guard now. It¡¯s a pain.¡±

    ¡°Is that something the man who crushed dozens of PK guilds would say? Thanks to your rampage, it¡¯s been a mess here these days, everyone crying andughing¡­¡±

    Normally, avenged yers would not show their emotions openly, out of respect for others whose aggressors were still unpunished. But now, the numbers were too great, as were the expectations for the future, so Avidya¡¯s guildhouse looked more or less like a banquet hall.

    They praised and hailed Shin as a hero for destroying PK guilds with his powerful skills.

    Others, like Shadow, did their part too, but the scale of destruction caused and people killed were too different for them to be mentioned.

    ¡°There are some yers who disapprove of your ways though. I don¡¯t think the major guilds will actually move, but they might attempt something, so be careful.¡±

    Calmia looked worried. Shin nodded without any particr change in his expression.

    Yes, even if he was killing PKs, murderers, his actions were judged in many ways.

    Many said that revenge was meaningless, that he would just be the same as them, they lost their respect for Shin. Some of them started calling him ¡°God of Death¡±.

    ¡°No problem. The onlyrge guild remaining is ¡°Ouroboros¡± anyway. I won¡¯t let the smaller ones go though, I have no intention of stopping now that I¡¯vee so far.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I can give you this information then.¡±

    ¡°Atst¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, atst we have found Ouroboros¡¯ hideout. Garga has been seen too. d doesn¡¯t seem to be around though. Based on the information we have, he hasn¡¯t returned to the guild and is acting on his own.¡±

    Shin remembered d¡¯s gloating expression. It was still etched clearly in his memories.

    Maybe he was observing Shin from afar. That¡¯s how deep the obsession he felt emanating from d.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if d will be there, but it seems that they will have arge gathering three days from now. You¡¯ve been destroying PK guilds one after the other, so they might be meeting to develop countermeasures. The most skilled PKs still alive will likely be there, do be careful.¡±

    ¡°Got it. But having targets gather like that is pretty helpful for me. Being ambushed by high-ss PKs would be pretty nasty.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay? Some people try suicide attacks against PKs, but if everyone did that no one would be left¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as admirable as that. That¡¯s thestrge-scale PK guild; I¡¯m going to make it leave the stage with a bang.¡±

    Shin spoke what he truly felt.

    He had no intention of losing his life while killing the PKs; he loathed the idea of dying alongside them even more than being killed by them.

    He would use all means avable. Only the PKs needed to disappear. That was the method Shin adopted.

    ¡°Maybe I should keep this for myself¡­but in a way, I feel like I have to tell him, hmm¡­¡±

    After obtaining more details, Shin left Avidya¡¯s guildhouse and went to the meeting point with Shadow.

    Unlike Shin, Shadow was hell-bent on killing Garga, even at the cost of his own life. Shin thus was thinking of carrying out the next mission alone.

    ¡°¡­no, that won¡¯t work.¡±

    No matter how much he thought, the conclusion he reached was always to tell Shadow.

    If Shin hadn¡¯t lost Marino, he might have tried everything he could to stop Shadow.

    Shin¡¯s position, though, was the same as Shadow¡¯s. To exact vengeance with your own hands. No one could stop that feeling.

    Even if death would follow vengeance, they would not stop. The opinions of others meant nothing. It was only about what the person themselves thought, that was the only question.

    ¡°It¡¯s snowing.¡±

    Shin looked up at the sky and saw pure white snow starting to fall.

    When Shadow heard about Garga¡¯s whereabouts, a twisted smile appeared on his lips.

 Book 10: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Things under your nose are the hardest to find, as they say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The hometown¡¯s underground¡­they said it would be made into a dungeon in the next update. I didn¡¯t even think that it actually existed.¡±

    Shin and Shadow were walking in arge space located under Kalkia. It was not an underground waterway. Instead, it was a series of small and big rooms connected by corridors of various sizes.

    Ouroboros¡¯ hideout, as Calmia¡¯s informationwork had found out, was in this underground space.

    Being a section still not implemented in the game, there were no bosses or monsters roaming about, nor any treasure chests or traps.

    The entrance wasn¡¯t easy to find either, so it would be difficult to find if one wasn¡¯t aware of its existence.

    ¡°Looks like they bothered setting up some traps though.¡±

    Shin and Shadow passed without activating traps that would have likely meant sudden death for yers with stats around 400. During their PK guild extermination missions, they had gained deeper knowledge of anti-yer traps.

    The two proceeded through the corridors with silent footsteps. The information they had only covered the entrance and a bit farther. It was possible for monsters and traps to be present in the depths of the underground space.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s there.¡±

    They spotted a humanlike silhouette in the corridor ahead. Shadow hid, just in case, while Shin moved closer to check it.

    The silhouette¡¯s name was disyed in red characters; definite proof that it was a PK. Next to the name, there also was a snake biting its tail -Ouroboros¡¯ logo- clearly visible.

    The PK wasing from underground and heading outside, unaware of Shin¡¯s presence. When the PK passed next to him, Shin ced a tracker, usually used with monsters, without being noticed.

    The guild¡¯s executives, with the guildmaster above all, had to be eliminated first.

    When guild members died, the guildmaster alone would be notified of their demise immediately. Other members could also know if they looked the dead member up, so being noticed early would increase the number of escapees.

    In unusual groups, like PK guilds, the guildmaster often had particr charisma, so if they escaped there was the risk of them creating a simr organization again.

    Shin and Shadow kept exploring further, putting tracking markers on PKs as they passed them.

    ¡°There are more and more people around here. Looks like we hit the jackpot, but they¡¯re acting strangely.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, looks like they¡¯re fighting.¡±

    On Shin¡¯s map, the markers in one specific section were moving wildly.

    There was some kind ofmotion going on, even in the few seconds that Shin looked at the map, several marks symbolizing yers had disappeared.

    At first they thought that another member of Avidya had attacked the hideout, but the other members were hunting down PKs that didn¡¯t belong to any guild or survivors from guilds they had crushed.

    Even if they did attack, Shin would have been informed beforehand.

    ¡°Could there have been a mutiny or something?¡±

    ¡°Could be. It happened in other guilds, after all.¡±

    Most PKs sharedmon interests or ways of thinking. But because of that, in some cases they could turn their des against their ownrades.

    Among all PKs, some had lost to hopelessness after Shin and Shadow started their hunt, while others had gone on rampages in their own guilds.

    ¡°We¡¯ve infiltrated easily enough, but a careful guildmaster might manage to flee.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s split up. Use themotion as a lure and look for whoever is the guildmaster. I¡¯ll go that way, you take the opposite direction, Shin.¡±

    Shadow proposed to go in the direction of themotion.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I went that way?¡±

    If the guildmaster was there, Shin could blow him away along with the fighting PKs with his magic.

    ¡°No, if the guildmasteres to quell themotion, I¡¯ll ambush them. It would be a lot worse if they avoided themotion and left here. If it¡¯s about chasing people, you are faster and have a wider detection field too.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much time for debate. Shin had no reason to stubbornly oppose Shadow¡¯s proposal, so he nodded and ran off.

    A few minutes after separating from Shin, Shadow reached the location where the PKs were fighting. He used all the concealment-type skills he could to make sure he was not found.

    He had used the support items Shin had given him along with everything his Ninja job had, so the fighting PKs had not noticed his approach at all.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­why¡­¡±

    Hidden in the shadows, Shadow observed the fighting going on in front of him.

    He wouldn¡¯t interfere. Having the PKs kill each other would make his burden lighter, after all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go shitting your panties there,dies.¡±

    The speaker was the cause of themotion. With a sigh, the man swung his giant axe. Thanks to thebination of centrifugal force and his own muscles, the sword-wielding fighter he opposed was cleaved in two along with his weapon.

    ¡°This is thest major guild. If you don¡¯t do something, the High Human wille get you, ya know? So why do I have to hear people talk about running away?¡±

    The man¡¯s name was Garga. The despicable man who murdered Holly. An opponent to kill at all costs.

    Every time Garga swung his battleaxe, the PKs surrounding him disappeared. Shadow did not let his emotions take over and attack. That had caused him to fail previously.

    ¡°(Shin, I found Garga.)¡±

    Shadow connected a chat to Shin and surprised himself by how calm he sounded.

    ¡°¡­..really..¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, I¡¯m sorry but let me do this. If anything happens, the rest is up to you.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­¡­¡­)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t answer. Shadow knew, however, that he wouldn¡¯t give up on finding the enemy toe to his location.

    ¡°I¡­I have to kill him.¡±

    Shadow quietly breathed out.

    Unlike the time when rage and hate had clouded his mind, he was now coolly analyzing Garga¡¯s movements.

    ¡°You all sound pretty damn boring now!!¡±

    Another one, another PK left this world. Be it saints or vicious criminals, all yers disappeared the same way when they died. Nothing remained.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shadow kept observing Garga.

    While fighting, Garga would sometimes turn his back to Shadow. Every time he did, Shadow registered a red effect blinking on Garga¡¯s neck.

    That was the sign meaning an attack would result in instant death. It appeared when the system judged the opponent to have shown an opening, an effect of the Ninja skill ¡¾Blink of the Death God¡¿. ¡°Opening¡± stood for theg time after attacking or activating a skill, when the yer was defenseless and attacks could hit more easily.

    The blinking light was reflected in Shadow¡¯s eyes several more times, but he did not move.

    Advanced yers would sometimes show openings on purpose, and ¡¾Blink of the Death God¡¿ could not differentiate between voluntary and involuntary ones. A yer that had just gained the skill would rely too much on it and attack, only to be counterattacked.

    The possibility of Garga having noticed his presence was low. But Shadow, who had fought against him, knew how honed Garga¡¯s battle instinct was.

    Thus he waited for the best chance to strike.

    ¡°You want to go down fighting, don¡¯t you. Why run when someone stronger ising to get you, then!¡±

    The number of PKs fighting against Garga could now be counted on one hand. With another couple swings from his battleaxe, they would all probably disappear.

    Shadow attacked when Garga had raised his axe to cut down thest remaining PK.

    ¡°¡ª¨C!!¡±

    As if he appeared out of thin air, Shadow snuck behind Garga. The de in his hands precisely aiming for the man¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ngh!?¡±

    Garga reacted to the silently approaching de in a surprising way. The attack hade from his blind spot, but despite that, he jumped in the other PK¡¯s direction, barely escaping the clutches of certain death.

    Shadow¡¯s de had shed Garga¡¯s neck, but thanks to thest-second dodge he had managed to keep his head attached to his body.

    In real life such a cut would have severed an artery, but the result in the game was only a loss of around 10% of Garga¡¯s HP. The ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ status inflicted by Shadow¡¯s dagger, however, gnawed at Garga from within.

    Before confirming the consequences of his attack, however, Shadow had concealed himself again.

    ¡°¡­this wasn¡¯t one of the people here.¡±

    Garga had an idea of who could have so splendidly enacted the Ninja hit-and-hide strategy.

    ¡°Ooh, yeah, now I get it. I did hear that there was a fierce ninja with the people going around killing PKs.¡±

    Garga shed a vicious smile. He bashed the other PK, who was scampering away, with his battleaxe and examined his surroundings.

    He couldn¡¯t use recovery items. If he tried to, Shadow would strike when the opening generated.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    In the nowpletely silent room, only the sound of something burning could be heard.

    Then the sound of something suddenly falling.

    ¡°!!¡±

    Garga reacted instantly. The moment he looked at the direction the sound came from, something glinted in the darkness.

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    The sh,ing from the opposite direction of the sound source, grazed Garga¡¯s legs and vanished.

    Garga could only see the effects of the attack. shes that appeared out of nowhere, as if they hade from another dimension, were Shadow¡¯s trademark in THE NEW GATE.

    ¡°Damn, can¡¯t really see shit..!!¡±

    Attacks that made full use of movement skills, concealment skills, and Ninja abilities. That was the true nature of the advanced yer called ¡°Shadow the Shadowless¡±.

    From the legs to the neck, to the arms, then to the neck again.

    The never-ending storm of swords shed against Garga¡¯s armor in bursts of sparks. The speed-based attacks were light, however, and could not exceed his defense.

    On the other hand, Garga could not find a target to attack. However, he did not just stand around and be attacked; he managed to block the shes at thest second.

    Attacking deactivated concealment skills. Even the most experienced yers could not avoid a certain timeg after the attack before activating concealment skills again. Normally the opponent would detect them as target after the first attack.

    This did not affect Shadow, however. His mental operations were faster and smoother than most yers. He attacked and disappeared immediately, almost as if he was on autopilot.

    Shadow¡¯s continuous attacks had not caused serious damage to Garga, but the ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ status he had inflicted at the start was eating away at Garga¡¯s HP gauge, as thetter could not recover.

    Shadow was not targeting critical spots, but also parts that would dy Garga¡¯s movements, such as joints and openings in the armor. When the opponent was starting to get used to such attacks, Shadow would strike critical spots again.

    The incessant attacks continued. Finally, Shadow¡¯s de stretched towards Garga¡¯s neck again, but thetter did not defend himself.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The de reached the man¡¯s neck, but was repelled without cutting anything. Because of this development,pletely different to what had happened until now, Shadow¡¯s rhythm was disrupted for a moment.

    ¡°RRAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Not Garga¡¯s axe, but his fist lunged at Shadow. Protected by a gauntlet and boasting high STR, it was a fearsome weapon by itself.

    ¡°Sssh!!¡±

    Having been seen, Shadow could not disappear again; he readied again the repelled de in a battle stance and parried the attack.

    Sparks flew between the gauntlet and the short sword. Shadow didn¡¯t oppose the force pushing him back and put distance between himself and his opponent.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally out in the open, huh. Totally different fromst time though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Garga¡¯s tone was impressed, but Shadow silently took out an item.

    The item¡¯s name was ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±. Shaped like a round pill, it boosted the user¡¯s stats immensely but, in exchange, would soon take their life.

    The time limit changed based on the user¡¯s HP, but not even Shin could fight for long after using it. Shadow even more so.

    Now that he could only confront Garga head on, he would use any means avable.

    If he had fought alongside Shin, he probably would not have needed to go so far. He was throwing away his life. Shadow himself understood that much.

    He could not have done that, though. It would have meant nothing if he didn¡¯t defeat the opponent before him, Garga, with his own two hands.

    In his heart, Shadow whispered an apology. Then, he swallowed the ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡ª¡ª!!!!¡±

    The moment he felt the item started being effective, Shadow charged towards Garga.

    Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t think Shadow would attack from the front, or maybe because his speed was more than expected.

    Takenpletely by surprise, Garga barely managed to repel the de aimed at his neck and swung his battleaxe in response.

    The repelled shortsword struck Garga¡¯s chest, making sparks against the armor; Garga¡¯s breastte was damaged but could not be pierced.

    The battleaxe cut through the air, aimed at Shadow, who used his shortsword to forcefully change the attack¡¯s trajectory.

    A feat of strength only possible thanks to the item¡¯s boost; now Shadow¡¯s STR was not inferior to Garga¡¯s.

    Garga pulled back his battleaxe while parrying Shadow¡¯s follow-up attacks with his gauntlet, then used the axe to push against him.

    Shadow stopped attacking and attempted to increase the distance between them, but a sudden chill running down his spine made him give up on this too. He could not ovee the battleaxe¡¯s momentum and used his shortsword to sh against it.

    ¡°You got good instincts.¡±

    Garga¡¯s smile suggested that he knew what Shadow tried to do. Based on his avatar¡¯s stats, it was easy to imagine that many yers until now had tried to best Garga using speed.

    Shadow guessed that the chill he felt was caused by Garga¡¯s countermeasure against speed-based yers.

    ¡°See if ya like this, then!!¡±

    Garga held his battleaxe with his right hand and spread the palm of his left hand. An instantter, a battleaxe just like the one in his right hand appeared in Garga¡¯s left hand as well.

    Using that opening, Shadow made use of Garga¡¯s power to increase the distance between them. At the same time, he threw the shortsword he was holding at Garga.

    Garga tried to knock the projectile down, but the shortsword changed directions in midair, dodging the battleaxe and aiming for his neck.

    Garga flexed his neck, however, the flying de passed right next to it and ended up stabbing the ground.

    The Throwing and Windbination skill ¡¾Trick Throw¡¿ allowed one to change the direction of the thrown weapon in midair. Garga had guessed how many times the direction could change during flight.

    After throwing the shortsword, Shadow quickly materialized twin swords. Wielding these weapons with boosted AGI at the expense of durability, he attacked Garga again.

    This time Shadow did not attack from the front, but unleashed attacks from many directions, using the walls and even the ceiling as foothold. Making use of the Movement-type skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, he increased the unpredictability of his attacks.

    Shadow had little HP left; the time left for him was probably less than one minute.

    But even in such a situation, he did not lose his cool. Aiming for the instant he could deliver the final blow, he used everything he could in the room as footholds for his movement and attacks.

    A frenzied run that, in such a confined space, made it look like he could control space.

    The light streaks drawn by the twin des in mid-air surrounded Garga like a barrier.

    ¡°¡­ooh.¡±

    Shadow ran. The sounds grew smaller and smaller.

    ¡°Ooohh!!!¡±

    Shadow jumped. The flowing scenery became slower and slower.

    ¡°Oooohhh!!!!¡±

    Shadow shed. The cuts on Garga¡¯s body gradually increased.

    ¡°OoooOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Shadow roared, following the emotion bursting from within.

    A roar that ultimately turned into a scream, as Garga¡¯s armor saw its durability decrease exponentially.

    ¡°What the hell got into you all of a sudden!?¡±

    Even Garga could not help being shaken by Shadow¡¯s sudden eleration.

    The ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±, in exchange of the ultimate price it required, granted the user an explosive stat boost. Added effects, such as the ones yers normally used, were nothing inparison.

    Normally it would not be possible to use it to the fullest. In this moment, however, a power that yers would subconsciously limit was under Shadow¡¯splete control.

    A force of desperation, thatsted only dozens of seconds. Shadow used that fleeting time to decide the oue of the battle.

    Garga could not keep up with Shadow¡¯s movements anymore. Shadow first concentrated on his opponent¡¯s right leg, to restrict his movements. The moment Garga lost his bnce, Shadow went for his neck.

    ¡°Nnghh!!¡±

    Maybe it happened because Shadow had already targeted his neck many times. Garga had predicted such an attack and raised his battleaxe in defense.

    The twin swords had low durability from the start: shing against Garga¡¯s battleaxe, the armor shattered them.

    ¡°Kh!?¡±

    ¡°Out of time, huh?? You¡¯re outta luck too!!¡±

    His weapons crushed, Shadownded and remained immobile for a moment. Garga¡¯s battleaxe rose again, towering behind his back.

    Shadow wasn¡¯t sure whether his armor could withstand such an attack. There was no time to dodge it by sidestepping either.

    Garga was sure to have imed victory. The small opening birthed by such confidence was exactly what Shadow was waiting for. The shortsword he had thrown previously was stabbing the ground at his feet.

    ¡°And now¡ª-¡±

    Shadow was kneeling, his back facing Garga. He quickly took the short sword and jumped backwards.

    Charging backwards at your opponent was an absolutely reckless move, but Garga¡¯s battleaxe managed to react. Because of the unexpected movement, however, it did not seed in splitting Shadow apart.

    Shadow¡¯s back shed against Garga¡¯s armor. The next instant, Shadow stabbed his own chest with the shortsword.

    The de pierced Shadow¡¯s body and continued towards Garga¡¯s chest armor.

    Normally, it would have been repelled. But the umted damage created a different result.

    The shortsword¡¯s de pierced the sturdy armor and stabbed the flesh it protected. A little, just a little more, and it would reach the heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s over!!!¡±

    The de still stabbed, Shadow activated a skill.

    It was the Sword and mebination skill ¡¾Purgatory Thrust¡¿. A de of fire formed from the shortsword, filling the distance from the de¡¯s tip to the heart, extending out of Garga¡¯s back.

    Critical hit. An absolute instant death attack, ignoring remaining HP.

    ¡°Hah, not¡­ba¡ª¨C¡±

    Garga¡¯s body turned into polygons and scattered before he could finish hisst sentence.

    Shadow kneeled down, the shortsword still lodged in his chest. Because of thest skill he used, he barely had 5 seconds left.

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    A strengthless groan escaped his lips.

    His love burnt, his hate exasperated, his sadness fed him to keep him going. But the conclusion he reached was just the reality that he had killed people.

    He had his revenge. His mission wasplete. Nothing remained in his chest, however.

    He did not think that revenge was a fruitless thing.

    It was not fulfilling either, though.

    ¡°Shadow!!!¡±

    Five seconds until the me of Shadow¡¯s life flickered away. Thest person to call his name was the man who shouldered the same pain as he, the friend that had walked down his same path.

    ¡°Shin.¡±

    He had reached the end first. Because of that, Shadow thought that he had to tell him.

    Maybe Shin would reply that he didn¡¯t want to hear that from him. But Shadow felt that he had to be the one to say it, because he was in the same position, because his words could maybe reach Shin¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­end¡­like..th¡­¡±

    Shadow saw Shin run to him as if through a cracked lens. He couldn¡¯t feel his body anymore. The end hade.

    Had his words reached him? The vanishing Shadow could not know.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Out of my sight.¡±

    Shin received Shadow¡¯s message about Garga as he was blitzing through the guild, still concealed by the robe. Everytime he found a PK he judged if they could be the guildmaster or not, then purged them one by one.

    Since fighting had broken out within the guild, finding the guildmaster had be the top priority.

    Before Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡», average weapons and armor meant nothing.

    Some PKs had formed a party and confronted him, but the frontline members¡¯ swords, spears, armors and shields were torn apart as soon as they entered Shin¡¯s range, together with any other equipment on them.

    The rear lines¡¯ mages, too, saw their spells nullified as they themselves were burned to a crisp by magic. Arrows and other projectiles could not ovee Shin¡¯s Ancient-grade gear; here, too, magic annihted everything in its wake.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°I d-don¡¯t kn¡ª¡±

    The PK¡¯s head flew from his neck before he could evenplete his sentence.

    Shin continued to search for the guildmaster, employing his detection abilities to the fullest.

    Garga was for Shadow to take his revenge. Shadow would probably manage to kill him, even if it meant his own life. Sharing his same emotions, Shin knew that well.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Shin loudly clicked his tongue. He was irritated at himself for letting Shadow go.

    He understood Shadow¡¯s feelings so much that it hurt. The hate burning the flesh, the sadness twisting the mind. Their feelings towards the target of their revenge could not be described in just a few words.

    At the same time, though, he couldn¡¯t help but think if it was really a good idea to let him go on his own.

    Based on the information he had, Shadow had about a 30% chance of winning. If he used a certain item, 80%.

    But in thetter case, even if Shadow won the chance of his death was 100%.

    ¡°¡­.damn it.¡±

    That was Shadow¡¯s battle. If Shin got involved, even if anyone would say that it was to save Shadow¡¯s life, for Shadow himself he would just be in the way. If their positions were reversed, Shin too would scream at him to stay out of the way.

    Even so¡­even so. Even if he had chosen the path of revenge, even if he killed without hesitation, he could not be indifferent to arade¡¯s death.

    ¡°Found you!!¡±

    Shin had headed to the area with the highest number of responses within his detection area. Before him now stood Ouroboros¡¯ guildmaster. Apparently trying to flee, they were advancing in the direction opposite to Shin¡¯s position.

    Shin didn¡¯t know where the border between the underground space and the guildhouse was, but as he was not using teleport crystals, it appeared that they were still inside the guildhouse.

    Normally it was possible to teleport freely from a guildhouse, but when attacked by enemies the teleport function was turned off, to make it impossible to run away immediately. The remaining options were just two: to escape or to beat back the enemy.

    Always concealed, Shin activated ¡¾Enchant ¨C Magic Boost¡¿ and jumped over the group¡¯s location. Without an instant of hesitation, he fired the spell.

    ¡°Die.¡±

    ¡¾Elemental st¡¿, a spell including seven different elements.

    mes, water, earth, wind, thunder, light and darkness all bared their fangs at the running PKs.

    Some were burned to ashes, others were skewered, swallowed or torn to shreds.

    Utter, unbridled destruction. The group Shin attacked was not allowed the slightest chance to counterattack, struck by apletely one-sided attack that reduced it literally to nothingness.

    Shin checked that there were no survivors, then started running again. He used ¡¾Ki Maniption¡¿ to boost his physical abilities and traversed the guildhouse in an instant.

    ¡°Shadow!!!¡±

    He frantically charged in the room where Shadow¡¯s response was. Garga¡¯s response was no more.

    The kneeling Shadow turned his face towards him. Something bright was trickling down it.

    Shin saw that his few remaining HP were decreasing and felt that Shadow hadpleted his revenge. He quickly understood that Shadow had used the ¡ºMiracle Drug of Blinking Life¡».

    Shadow looked at Shin with eyes that looked like dying mes. His lips moved as he tried to say something.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­end¡­like..th¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t finish the sentence.

    Shadow burst into a mass of polygons before Shin¡¯s eyes. The twinkling shapes were so bright and beautiful it was difficult to imagine that they meant someone¡¯s death.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin understood what Shadow was trying to say and fell silent.

    As Shin had been thinking about Shadow, Shadow too had been probably thinking about him.

    ¡°Hyaaahh!!¡±

    ¡°¡­..tch.¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue as his silhouette became a blur.

    Even if he felt down, his de would not be dull. The PK that had attacked him from behind turned into a mass of polygons as he touched the ground, unaware that he had been cut down.

    All yers were supposed to be the same when they died. Thest moments of that PK, though, looked like tainted poison in Shin¡¯s eyes.

 Book 10: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    After bringing down Ouroboros, Shin returned to Avidya¡¯s headquarters.

    As he entered, the eyes of all present turned to him. While there were some individual differences, most gazes were still turbid and sullen, but much less than they were a month before.

    ¡°Wee back. I see you¡¯ve kept your word.¡±

    Calmia¡¯s tone seemed brighter than usual.

    ¡°Not exactly, our side suffered losses too.¡±

    ¡°¡­.so that¡¯s why he¡¯s not there by your side.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he spoke, but Calmia stopped breathing for a second before talking. She didn¡¯t know about Shadow¡¯s death yet, apparently.

    Probably because they had heard the conversation, the surrounding people started whispering among themselves.

    ¡°Did he get his revenge?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he looked really satisfied.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good, then. That¡¯s the reason we all gathered here, after all.¡±

    Calmia looked sad, but relieved at the same time. Avidya was a guild formed by members that swore to exact their revenge. Even if they died in the process, as long as they had achieved their goal, guild members would praise them rather than mourn their loss.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Calmia asked Shin after taking his hand. Her expression suggested that she was worried about him. From her hand, however, no warmth could be felt.

    ¡°When the person next to them falls, some stop going forward. There is not much I can do, but consoling such people is one of my duties.¡±

    Shin understood well enough what Calmia meant by ¡°consoling¡±. She ¡°could not do much¡± because of the restrictions imposed by the game.

    ¡°No problem. Shadow carried his convictions through to the end. I¡¯ll just do what I set out to do.¡±

    Shin¡¯s hand, that Calmia had ced against her ample bust, was pulled away with enough strength as to not seem unkind. Even though his beloved, Marino, was no longer with him, he didn¡¯t feel the urge to approach other women.

    Shin lightly red at Calmia, who quickly apologized.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I bothered you. You probably don¡¯t know, but Ouroboros was responsible for my little brother¡¯s death too. I¡¯m really thankful to you for what you have done. This is pretty much all I can do to express my gratitude.¡±

    Shin now understood the reasons behind her actions. Although her hands were pushed away, Calmia looked straight at Shin, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re just using each other. There¡¯s no need to express gratitude or anything.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I want to.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression was still unchanged, but Calmia smiled at him. Shin clicked his tongue and turned away.

    ¡°Well, I suppose we went off topic a bit too much. I have something to tell you today.¡±

    ¡°You should have said that first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was honestly shocked by what happened to Shadow, and I wanted to give my thanks to you for avenging my little brother.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. So, what do you have for me?¡±

    Calmia¡¯s expression turnedpletely serious when she answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°We are still in the middle of investigating d, but we found Robin in the process. The priority¡¯s lower than d¡¯s, but you were looking for him too, right?¡±

    After starting the PK hunt, Shin¡¯s hostility had focused so much on d that he had almost forgotten about him. After hearing Robin¡¯s name, the aura enveloping Shin suddenly changed.

    Despite being inside a game, several members felt this abrupt transformation and flinched.

    ording to Avidya¡¯s research, Robin did not belong to any PK guild, so it was clear that he had not killed any yers yet.

    Robin had kidnapped Marino and handed her to d though. Because of this, he was one of the people Shin wanted to take revenge against.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go right now. Where is he?¡±

    The wordsing out of Shin¡¯s mouth soundedpletely different from before. His expression didn¡¯t change, but his tone now sounded much darker and fiercer.

    ¡°Calm down. The hounds are keeping track of him, so if something happens I¡¯ll know right away.¡±

    Shin learned of Robin¡¯s whereabouts from Calmia, materialized his katana and left the guildhouse.

    With his figure concealed, Shin walked through dimly lit streets and back alleys, like a wandering ghost, like a god of death.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Guided by the information obtained from Calmia, Shin arrived at a woond area to the north of Kalkia. The woods were quiet, the low-leveled monsters within prowling about silently.

    It was a location that rarely saw strong monsters and did not have any particr events associated with it, so it only contained a few lodges and nothing more.

    ¡°Robin is apparently using the third lodge as his base. No one knows what exactly he¡¯s doing though, as he never leaves it.¡±

    ¡±I see. I¡¯ll go by myself, please stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no one in Avidya that would get in your way now. Just let me stand by here, in case anything happens, all right?¡±

    Saying this, the Hound concealed himself. Shin¡¯s detection field registered his presence, but there was no need to point that out. Shin turned his back to the man and headed towards the lodges. The area was outside any hometown, making buildings and yers susceptible to attacks.

    In Shin¡¯s map, the yers inside the lodges were showed clearly. They were not friends or support characters however, so their names were not disyed.

    The Hound¡¯s information was surely correct, but to bepletely sure Shin started from breaking down the ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ erected around the lodge.

    ¡°Type V, huh. I guess it¡¯s enough for a ce like this, but it¡¯s still too frail.¡±

    Shin¡¯s hands did not need to reach ¡ºTrue Moon¡», hanging from his waist; his left hand cut through the air in a rough motion and, with the sharp sound of ss breaking, the barriers protecting the lodge were destroyed.

    A yer from the neighboring lodge, rmed by the sound, came out to see what was going on.

    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Taking my revenge, you got a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°¡­..leave my lodge alone, all right?¡±

    Maybe because he had sensed the aura Shin emitted, the yer who hade out trembled and quickly turned back to his lodge after meekly voicing his request to Shin.

    The yer in the lodge on the opposite side had probably heard this exchange, because he closed the windows without the smallest protest.

    Looking at the map, Shin noticed that a yer was exiting the lodge on the side opposite to where Shin was.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Without saying a word, Shin moved his right hand through the air and struck. The lodge crumbled on the yer who had attempted to escape.

    Shin walked closer to the wrecked lodge and found Robin under a fallen log.

    ¡°Y-You are¡­¡±

    Robin had likely realized that the man standing before him was Shin. His expression warped with fear.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m here for, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I-I had no other choice!! I would have been ruined, you know!! I have a family to raise in the real world. That man was the only one I could trust to change things!!¡°

    ¡°First of all, where is d?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question utterly ignored Robin¡¯s desperate excuses. Robin had cooperated with d, so he might know about his whereabouts.

    ¡°I d-don¡¯t know anything¡­I haven¡¯t met that man¡­d, since then. He won¡¯t answer my contacts either¡­we were never close anyway. He just u-used me!! I¡¯m a victim here!!¡±

    Seeing that Shin did not move an eyebrow while listening, Robin hurriedly changed the subject. His eyes darted everywhere, frantically looking for a way to escape.

    The weapon at his waist was still in its sheath, untouched. Shin, however, could kill Robin faster than thetter could take out a crystal and teleport away.

    Either Shin allowed him to go or someone else had to act as a decoy while he escaped. In all other cases, this was the end of the line for Robin.

    ¡°You have no idea where d could be?¡±

    ¡°I, I, I didn¡¯t know something like that would happen!! He didn¡¯t tell me that he would kill her!! We even had recovery potions for the status ailment!! If you would have just epted¡ª¡±

    Robin¡¯s excuses stopped abruptly, followed by the acute sound of a katana resting again in its sheath.

    Judging from Robin¡¯s behavior and the current situation, it was clear that he had indeed only been used.

    If so, there was no point in leaving him alive another moment. With his head detached from his torso, Robin disappeared in a burst of polygons, but Shin didn¡¯t spare a nce and turned away from the pile of rubble that used to be Robin¡¯s lodge.

    As Shin was leaving, a bright voice, in strident contrast with the location, stopped him.

    ¡°So the rumors were true! You¡¯ve be pretty good at cutting people down.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin turned towards the voice without a word. There he found a petite, young-looking girl with short white hair and big, round eyes.

    She was wearing an oriental garb with rather high skin exposure. This stressed the mounds on her chest, which were already too pronounced for her physique. However, what stood out the most was the giant poleaxe, almost as long as the girl was tall, wielded by her tiny hands.

    Shin didn¡¯t need to cast ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to know who this uniquebination was.

    ¡°Milt.¡±

    ¡°Long time no see. When was thest time we met, three months ago maybe?¡±

    Milt approached Shin with a friendly smile.

    Milt herself was a PK, but a rare case; she was not included in Avidya¡¯s target list. The reason was that she killed only in self-defense or during duels to the death that both parties agreed to.

    She was treated as a PK because, if her opponent agreed to fight to the death, she would kill without any hesitation.

    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were looking for d, so¡ª¡±

    Milt stopped halfway through the sentence; Shin had closed in on her in a second, grabbed her by the neck and pushed her down to the ground, ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s cold de on her neck.

    ¡°If you know anything, talk.¡±

    ¡°Ha, haha! The Shin I see now will be OK, I guess¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t leer at me like that. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    Milt let go of her poleaxe and raised both hands. When Shin withdrew ¡ºTrue Moon¡», she let out a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve looked everywhere too, but he won¡¯t be found easily. Because he probably has no intention of attacking anyone now. It¡¯s not possible to catch him in the act again.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    ¡°Well, he managed to warp his greatest prey with his own hands, after all. He¡¯s not going to risk killing others and have their deaths overwrite that experience.¡±

    Milt talked of something Shin could notprehend. To burn people¡¯s deaths into your memory was already far too depraved for him.

    ¡°d was obsessed about you more than anything. He¡¯s likely been observing you and gloating, I guess. You¡¯re in a state close to what he called ¡®the ideal¡¯st time we talked after all. He¡¯d probably be d even if he¡¯s found and killed by you.¡±

    ¡°Disgusting bastard.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand people like that, you know.¡±

    Milt¡¯s shoulders dropped as she talked. Shin had no intention of understanding either, so he urged her to continue.

    ¡°d¡¯s keeping track of your movements. His main job, Dragon Knight, is one that stands out easily, but his sub is Ninja. He switched main and sub job now, to hide better. Ninjas have the best concealment abilities among all scout-type jobs, after all. He¡¯s using all sorts of items and equipment to hide, so he won¡¯t be easy to find.¡±

    ¡°You mean that he¡¯s watching now too?¡±

    ¡°Probably, with binocrs or something like that. Well, that would mean the n I thought about would work though.¡±

    Milt spoke inly. Shin tried to extend his detection field to the max, but could not find any yers other than Milt and the lodge yers whose presence he had confirmed before; no trace of d.

    As Milt had said, if he was using items and skills specialized for seeing long distances, it could be possible to observe locations even from outside detection fields.

    Milt¡¯s theory was not too bizarre after all; it could not be discarded as improbable.

    ¡°What¡¯s your n, then?¡±

    ¡°For me to join up with you. I¡¯m pretty strong myself, but still nothing specialpared to you. If he sees someone like me getting all close and personal¡ª.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯lle to stop it, huh.¡±

    ¡°Bingo. Shin stopped hunting PKs to flirt with some broad. d wouldn¡¯t stand for that, I¡¯m positive.¡±

    Milt¡¯s n was to use d¡¯s obsession against him, to lure him out in the open.

    ¡°Won¡¯t he be more alert if you¡¯re involved?¡±

    Unlike Marino, Milt could fight. If that was the case, d might not think that Shin had given up on fighting for flirting.

    ¡°I was good friends with Mari, actually. We never really talked about it, so it¡¯s not strange for you not to know.¡±

    ¡°You¡­and Marino?¡±

    Shin furrowed his brow at Milt¡¯s words. He had never heard anything of the sort from Marino.

    ¡°Yes, it happened by chance, because our situations in real life are pretty simr. We couldn¡¯t say anything openly¡­but we talked a lot just between the two of us. Mari was sick, wasn¡¯t she? In real life, I¡¯m actually stuck on a hospital bed too¡­but the only other one who knows about this is Lucky Cat¡¯s Catnip.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    Catnip knew about Marino too. The ¡°Milmeow¡± she had mentioned before was Milt, then.

    ¡°d had researched Mari thoroughly. I don¡¯t know how he found out, but he knew about the connection between us. He asked me about her himself, so there¡¯s no mistake about that¡±

    Milt knew so much about d because she had used the PK¡¯s informationwork, not the normal yers¡¯ or the revengers¡¯. The PKs were wary of her though, so she could only obtain limited information. Shin¡¯s PK hunt had caused serious damage to thework.

    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t find it too weird for me to take Mari¡¯s ce then. It could provoke him even more. I don¡¯t dislike flirting in public, so there¡¯s that too.¡±

    Saying this, Milt tried wrapping her arm around Shin¡¯s, but thetter stepped back to avoid her approach and thought about what to do.

    Avidya¡¯s hounds hadn¡¯t found any useful information about d. It was originally difficult to retrieve information about PKs not belonging to any organization. He could have asked Calmia could act as his partner in this operation, but in a dangerous situation, she couldn¡¯t protect herself.

    ¡°If it means hunting him down, I can do this.¡±

    Shin concluded that it was worth trying even if the n would turn unsessful and agreed to Milt¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°OK, I don¡¯t mean to ask for this in return, but I have a request too. May I?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°After d is taken care of, I want you to fight me. To the death.¡±

    Shin peered at Milt with surprise and suspicion in his eyes.

    Milt said ¡°to the death¡±, but as long as she didn¡¯t pull off a series of incredible feats, she had no hope of winning. A duel to the death would have been suicide for her.

    ¡°If you just want to die, do it somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°I want you to be myst, Shin. Because I don¡¯t want to go back to reality.¡±

    ¡°¡­.let¡¯s go to Tsuki no Hokora first, then talk more. This isn¡¯t the right ce.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shin temporarily formed a party with Milt and returned to Kalkia via teleportation, then chain teleported to Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Schnee weed Shin home, but Shin walked passed her without a word, had Milt sit down in the living room, and started preparing tea.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°Ah, er, you look quite used to it, I was just thinking.¡±

    Milt was slightly surprised to see Shin prepare tea for them both.

    ¡°Anyone can make tea. Rather than that, let¡¯s pick up where we left off.¡±

    Shin took a sip of tea, then urged Milt to continue.

    ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m stuck in a bed in real life. I can¡¯t live if I¡¯m not hooked to machines. I can speak, but my arms and legs won¡¯t move like I want them to. I had toe to this world to finally understand how freely a body can move. But no matter how much I move here, reality doesn¡¯t change. No¡­maybe because I had a taste of freedom here, reality became even harsher for me.¡±

    For Milt, just staying alive meant having to pay expensive medical fees.

    She could live on, thanks to her parents¡¯ hard work, but looking at her parents growing thinner and more emaciated as she grew up, her heart couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°We were never rich, so paying the hospital fees to keep me alive has always been a huge burden on them. Mom and Dad are always smiling, but that made it all even more painful. I¡­I could feel it. Their hands caressing mine¡­growing thinner and weaker over time.¡±

    Modern medicine couldn¡¯t cure Milt¡¯s disease. Either her parents would reach their limit first, or Milt would.

    ¡°I have a little brother too, but it looks like he¡¯s unhappy with my parents caring about me so much. If I¡¯m not around anymore, all their love will go to him. The financial burden will also disappear ¡ª good things all around.¡±

    ¡°In a documentary on TV, I saw parents say that they¡¯re happy just to see their child alive. From the standpoint of someone being kept alive, it¡¯s not like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that everyone sees it like I do, nor do I think so. My head¡¯s the only thing working perfectly, so maybe I think too much¡­making them sad would be painful, of course, but¡­.¡±

    Milt was asking to be killed, but there was no sadness in her view.

    ¡°If you think so, then wouldn¡¯t suicide be an option? It might be impossible in real life, but in this world you could end your life yourself.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it at first, but¡­but thinking of killing myself with my own hands is too scary. So I thought about having someone do it for me.¡±

    Milt wished to die, but death was still terrifying. Milt herself admitted what a contradiction that was.

    ¡°I can forget about that fear in battle. I want to die while feeling truly alive.¡±

    That was one reason why she had continued seeking duels to the death.

    ¡°¡­you won¡¯t regret it?¡±

    Shin released a wave of pure killing intent, which blew through Milt¡¯s hair like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Yup. I couldn¡¯t do anything myself¡­but this, only this, I¡¯ve decided it on my own.¡±

    The killing intent unleashed upon Milt was enough to make any average yer turn pale and shake violently, but she did not even bat an eysh.

    Even PKs, used to end others¡¯ lives, saw fear rear its ugly head when death approached. Milt had mentioned being scared of death, but to Shin, it seemed that she hadpletely epted it.

    The emotions he felt from Milt contained imbnce, yes, but also great tranquility. Somehow, she reminded him of Marino.

    ¡°Got it. Once we¡¯re done with d, I¡¯ll be your opponent.¡±

    For Marino and Milt, death has always been very close. They had had a longer, deeper rtionship with it than Shin ever could.

    Shin had killed a great number of PKs. One more wouldn¡¯t be a problem at this point.

    ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s get the n moving right away then! Back to town for some lovey-doveying!¡±

    After thanking Shin, Milt¡¯s enlightened atmosphere vanished somewhere as her mood turned to hyper excitement.

    She now grabbed Shin¡¯s arm firmly, determined not to let him go this time.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin, silently watching Milt holding his hand and guiding him, teleported back to Kalkia.

    Eager to show their intimacy as clearly as possible, Milt had wrapped her left arm around Shin¡¯s right arm. Leaving the choice of their destination to Milt, Shin contacted Calmia via chat.

    ¡°(I have something to tell you about.)¡±

    ¡°(Oh my, it must be the first time you sent me a direct chat.)¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t go to Avidya¡¯s guildhouse with Milt in tow. As they wanted to pretend that he had given up on revenge, visiting that blood-drenched ce was out of the question.

    ¡°(If there are any guild members with grudges against d, I want you to tell them something)¡±

    Shin exined to Calmia about Milt¡¯s n and the circumstances leading to it,stly asking her to ry this. He had talked with Milt and decided how to finish d.

    ¡°(¡ªI see. Your method will definitely be really humiliating for d. I¡¯ll tell them.)¡±

    ¡°(Please do. I¡¯ll contact you if there are any movements.)¡±

    Shin cut off the chat and asked Milt where they were going. He had been focusing on the chat, his legs moving to automatically follow Milt.

    ¡°Catnip¡¯s ce, there are always a lot of people there after all. Perfect for rumors to spread.¡±

    ¡°Aah, I see.¡±

    Catnip¡¯s store, Lucky Cat, was a favorite destination of Shin and Marino¡¯s. Many yers there knew Shin¡¯s face, even if they weren¡¯t aware of his strength. Being a confectionery, most of the visitors were female yers. If he went there, hand in hand with a female yer other than Marino, rumors and conjectures would surely spread very quickly.

    Shin didn¡¯t think that d was observing him at all hours; but if he caught wind of such a rumor, whether he acted or not, he would surely be restless.

    ¡°OK, will he move then?¡±

    Shin felt that it would be great if anything was born from this. He had listened seriously when Milt talked about her situation, but not even the Hounds had managed to pick up any hints about d, so he doubted d would exhibit the kind of careless behavior Milt suggested.

    For the current n to seed, that was a necessary condition. If d had already lost interest in Shin, the n would bepletely useless.

    ¡°He will.¡±

    Shin had whispered to himself, but Milt replied with confidence. Shin didn¡¯t know what exactly made her so sure.

    ¡°Obsession is something that doesn¡¯t just go away, not even if you think you¡¯ve had enough. He staged something so huge for you and saw you change, he¡¯s not going to be able to just turn the page on it.¡±

    Milt stated her thoughts firmly, a serious expression on her face.

    At the same time they had arrived at the Lucky Cat, so before Shin could say anything Milt had opened the door to the store.

    The interior of the store was mostly the same as Shin remembered from hisst visit, crowded as usual by female yers.

    Among them, wearing cat ears and tail, Catnip was serving her customers.

    ¡°Meow meow!? Shimeow and Milmeow, now this is a rare duo! Long time no see, both of you.¡±

    Catnip noticed Shin and Milt and approached them with her usual ¡°cat-like¡± talk.

    Her gaze towards Shin, despite the peppy tone of her voice, was mncholic. She knew what he had been doing for the past month, surely.

    ¡°We talked via chat, though. We haven¡¯t met face to face like this since about one month ago, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Because you never stay in one ce, Milmeow. Finding you would be a miracle, meow¡­but more than that, I¡¯m more interested to know why you two are so friendly, meow? You look just like lovers, meow?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe¡­that¡¯s exactly what we are!!¡±

    Milt squeezed her body even closer to Shin and made this deration with a louder tone of voice. Shin felt multiple eyes on him and looked around, noticing that most gazes were fixated on his arm.

    Staring at his left arm were all the (few) male yers present and some of the female ones.

    The male yers¡¯ stares burned holes in Milt¡¯s watermelon-like assets pressed on Shin¡¯s left arm.

    Shin considered Milt¡¯s presence as just one part of the n, so he decided to smile in order for the rumors to spread even more easily.

    ¡°Meowhat!? So even Shimeow fell to the charm of Milmeow¡¯s breasts!? Open your eyes, meow!! Small girls with watermelon chests don¡¯t exist in real life!! I know the truth, meow. That chest is a lie!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re horrible!! Let me dream in this game world at least!!¡±

    ¡°What are you two saying¡­¡±

    Shin gave a tired look at the two and the absurd conflict they had started.

    ¡°(I¡¯ve heard everything. I¡¯ll do what I can to help.)¡±

    Shin had noticed that she was acting far too strange, and his suspicions were confirmed when Catnip sent him a chat.

    It was difficult to imagine from the noisily meowing silhouette before his eyes, but the voice that reached his mind was cold and dry. Her mncholic eyes also contained a somewhat cold streak.

    ¡°(Catnip, you shouldn¡¯t make eyes like that.)¡±

    Shin was not in a position to tell others, though. Catnip, however, was someone Marino had been friends with. Shin himself felt that he had be less liable to emotional changes after Marino¡¯s death, but he felt that he had to say it.

    After showing off for a while, they purchased a few items and left Lucky Cat.

    The rumors were probably already spreading; Shin felt more and more eyes fixed on them.

 Book 10: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    About one week after Shin and Milt started their n, it began.

    Even in the orphanage, a ce where rumors rarely spread, the news of Shin¡¯s PK hunt had reached the children¡¯s ears.

    ¡°I told you already, big bro Shin is fighting so that no one will be a victim anymore. It¡¯s a bad thing, yeah, but.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no police in this world anyway.¡±

    Some didn¡¯t share such feelings, though.

    ¡°Bu-but Shin is doing dangerous things.¡±

    Despite knowing that PK hunting meant killing people -so it was a bad thing- Teppei and Ryohei imed it was unavoidable. Luca wasn¡¯t convinced however.

    Despite her young age, Luca knew how terrifying PKs could be. That was precisely the reason why she was worried about Shin¡¯s safety, endangered by his proactive hunting of the PKs.

    Today, she was sitting at the orphanage¡¯s gates.

    ¡°After he defeats all the PKs, he¡¯lle back¡­I think.¡±

    ¡°Ryohei, don¡¯t talk like you really know.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what else can I do? The grownups won¡¯t tell us anything else!¡±

    ¡°Shin, won¡¯t youe back? We can¡¯t meet anymore¡­?¡±

    After listening to Teppei and Ryohei¡¯s conversation, Luca¡¯s eyes filled with tears.

    The two boys hurriedly tried to calm her down and went to call an adult to confirm that Shin would return.

    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡±

    Luca wiped her tears with her sleeves and raised her head. In front of her stood the gate she stared at every day since the attack one month ago.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    A thought developed in Luca¡¯s head.

    She didn¡¯t know when, if ever, Shin woulde to the orphanage again. If so, she should just go meet him.

    It was still a little past nine in the morning; there was plenty of time.

    The adults didn¡¯t allow children to go out of the orphanage on their own. However, there was no one around now, so she could sneak out.

    Luca looked around, confirmed that there really wasn¡¯t anyone in the surroundings, and quickly sprinted away. She hurried through the orphanage¡¯s gate and hid on the opposite side. Now she couldn¡¯t be seen from the inside.

    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you one of Shin¡¯s little friends?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    The sudden voice made Luca jolt. Timidly, she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a smiling young man. He had said Shin¡¯s name, so maybe they knew each other.

    ¡°Oh, I apologize for surprising you. I was looking for Shin, so I was wondering if you might know where he is.¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­I¡¯m looking for Shin now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? So you¡¯ll go look for him in town?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Everywhere? You mean, in the field and in dungeons too?¡±

    Luca answered the young man¡¯s question by forming two tiny fists and nodding.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°However, it seems dangerous for someone of your level to go in the field, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Luca had been dragged into the death game after her ount had been created just to fill in a spot. As a result, she barely knew anything about how the game worked, having stayed in town since her first login. She couldn¡¯t understand what the young man meant.

    ¡°Hmm¡­oh? Looks the like the orphanage is getting noisy. Could it be that you snuck out?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    The young man¡¯s guess made Luca¡¯s body shrink. Ryohei or Teppei were probably calling for her. She could hear Emil¡¯s voice too.

    ¡°Did you want to see Shin so much that you snuck out of the orphanage?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Yes.¡±

    Luca silently nodded to the young man¡¯s sudden question.

    Shin might disappear, like her brother and his friends did, like Marino did. Luca didn¡¯t want to do nothing and just be separated like that.

    ¡°Hmm¡­hmm¡­oh, fine. I was looking for Shin too after all. Why don¡¯t youe with me? The frontlines have turned quieter since he left, sotely things have been pretty boring.¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°If we stay here, someone from the orphanage wille soon, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­er¡­I¡¯ll go!!¡±

    Any average yer would be wary of following someone they¡¯d met for the first time. Luca, however, was urged on by hearing the voices from the orphanage, growing closer and closer, and her desire to see Shin, so she ended up nodding to the young man¡¯s proposal.

    The young man, with a bigger smile, took Luca¡¯s hand and started walking away. They quickly became lost in the crowd, and impossible to find for anyone from the orphanage.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    Luca remembered that she hadn¡¯t heard the name of the young man walking with her, so she looked up at him and asked.

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t introduce myself, did I. My name is Hameln. Pleased to meet you.¡±

    The young man¡ª-Hameln introduced himself.

    Hameln, one of the masterminds behind the recent tragedy, smiled innocently as he led Luca through the crowd at a leisurely pace.

    ¡°Well then, let me ask straight away, do you have any idea where Shin could be?¡±

    ¡°He talked a lot about clearing dungeons¡­¡±

    Hameln, with Luca in tow, was walking through Kalkia¡¯s main street. Being an MPK, a PK that used monsters to kill other yers, his name and face were not known.

    ¡°Hmm, they say he¡¯s hunting down PKs, so he¡¯s probably outside the hometown.¡±

    Hameln, holding his chin, started thinking.

    Using an information broker was an option, but there was a high chance that the same broker would sell the information of Hameln¡¯s visit to others. There was the chance for Shin toe to him because of that, but Hameln thought that it was still too early to meet him.

    His visit to the orphanage was to confirm if Shin continued to hunt PKs even after crushing thergest guild.

    d, the man who snatched away Shin¡¯s beloved, was still alive. Hameln thought that he would contact Shin after he was done with d.

    ¡°A dangerous ce?¡±

    ¡°For Shin, the dungeons avable now are still safe enough. The only exceptions could be the bosses, I suppose. But I don¡¯t think that Shin would fight bosses now, so there¡¯s no danger.¡±

    Hameln wouldn¡¯t say anything to further Luca¡¯s concerns; for him, Luca was in the position of someone to protect.

    What Hameln wanted to observe was the will of people when facing against adversities. Most small children died before being able to show such willpower.

    For this, he would protect her. To assess her willpower while fighting against the adversity that, one day, would surely visit her.

    That was the only important thing. He was the one to create the adversities to show the will to fight against, but if, as a result, the child died without showing that willpower, it wouldn¡¯t faze Hameln in the slightest.

    His own desires were everything to him. That was the kind of yer Hameln was.

    ¡°I guess we have no other choice. Let¡¯s try betting on the piece of information I heard.¡±

    Hameln¡¯s shoulders dropped, and he walked forward again. The destination was a ce with very few people, an area where several lodges stood. ording to the information Hameln obtained, it was where Robin, a man who coborated with d, was supposed to live.

    ¡°You look pale, youngdy, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­..I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Despite Luca¡¯s answer, she did not look okay at all. As it turns out, she had received messages and calls in her chat asking where she was.

    In this world, much like the real one, it was very easy to contact others. Luca had followed Hameln, pushed by the situation¡¯s momentum, but thinking calmly about it, she was now afraid to be yelled at.

    Sneaking out of the orphanage to go look for Shin seemed like proof of courage, but now she was imagining the adults yelling at her, and she trembled. She had appeared resolute at first, but she had just followed her impulses. Luca was, after all, just a child.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you were kidnapped, then.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    While Luca was still reeling from the surprise, Hameln sent a message to Emil.

    The message¡¯s contents said, ¡°I am going to use Luca to stop Shin¡±. For Hameln, who was used to being hated, being treated like a kidnapper was nothing he was concerned about.

    ¡°With this, at least they won¡¯t yell at you for sneaking out. They¡¯ll be more worried, but that can¡¯t be helped, I guess. Ah, you should say in chat that you¡¯re being threatened.¡±

    Hameln was talking of very serious things, but continued with his casual tone.

    ¡°Why do you help me?¡±

    ¡°Help? That¡¯s not right, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m not here with you because I want to help you after all. I just think that, for Shin, for a person in his current state, the emotional words of a child like you would be more effective than an adult¡¯s realism-imbued speeches.¡±

    Young age, surprisingly, works wonders as a weapon. After adding this finalment only to himself, Hameln asked Luca a question.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s toote to say this now, but I am nning to use you. But, now and only now, I can let you go free. What will you do? Will youe with me? Or will you go back to the orphanage?¡±

    Hameln repeated the question he had first asked Luca at the orphanage. Waiting to hear what her young will would choose, Hameln grinned.

    ¡°¡­I, I go. I will go together. If I don¡¯t¡­Shin will go somewhere far.¡±

    Luca answered while shaking slightly.

    Hearing her answer, Hameln¡¯s smile widened.

    ¡°Is this a woman¡¯s instinct, I wonder? Or maybe, you know even if you don¡¯t actually understand it.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Hameln voiced his thoughts out loud without realizing it. He then changed topic with an ambiguous smile.

    ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±

    ¡°Where do we go?¡±

    ¡°A ce where he might be. Well, the information is old, so I can¡¯t be sure though.¡±

    His shoulders dropping again, Hameln summoned one of his contract beasts. A magic circle appeared on the ground and a blue tiger-type monster about two mels long, a Weyger, appeared.

    Its fangs and ws were of a transparent blue hue, tworge strands of white hair extended from its forehead over its back. Its level was 423. For Luca, just being pushed by its paws would reduce her HP to zero.

    ¡°Eek!?¡±

    Luca¡¯s body shrank in fear at the sight of the Weyger¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, this is just our means of transport.¡±

    Following Hameln¡¯s orders, the Weyger crouched down. The monster looked up at Luca, as if it was telling her ¡°hop on, miss¡±.

    ¡°The faster we can move, the better. Please, get on.¡±

    Encouraged by Hameln, Luca timidly mounted the Weyger. The monster made sure that Luca firmly grabbed its fur, stood back up slowly, and started walking next to Hameln.

    ¡°It¡¯s so fluffy.¡±

    ¡°Gaarfn.¡±

    Luca rode, hugging the Weyger¡¯s back. The feeling of the monster¡¯s soft fur was probably very pleasant, as she looked giddy now.

    They Weyger snorted proudly, as if it was boasting about the quality of its fur.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty popr as a pet too, after all.¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    To Hameln, instead, the monster snarled as if clicking its tongue.

    ¡°Okay then, our destination is just ahead. I set the Weyger so as to protect you, so don¡¯t go far from it, okay?¡±

    Hameln checked that the monsters at the destination were of a level much lower than the Weyger.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Gaarf!¡±

    The Weyger growled, as if saying ¡°leave it to me!¡±

    ¡°I guess monsters have likes and dislikes too?¡±

    Puzzled by the Weygar showing a very different reaction to Luca than to himself, Hameln walked on. Soon enough, several small lodges appeared.

    ¡°I suppose we arrived toote. My my¡­the information was old, so I guess I should have made sure he was alive first.¡±

    Hameln whispered while rubbing his chin in front of apletely wrecked lodge.

    The information he had obtained stated that Robin lived in one of the area¡¯s lodges.

    There was no guarantee that Robin was in the ruined lodge, so Hameln decided to gather information in the surroundings.

    ¡°My apologies, I would like to ask you something.¡±

    Hameln told Luca to wait and knocked at the door of the lodge next to the ruined one. A few secondster, a pudgy male yer appeared from inside.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a person, do you happen to know a yer named Robin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you knew the neighbor guy?¡±

    The man¡¯s answer suggested that the inhabitant of the copsed lodge was indeed Robin. Hameln denied and the man continued.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? Well, whatever. It happened a couple days ago, a yer with a katana wrecked the house all of a sudden. It made no sense to me to feel something like that in a game, but¡­I felt it for real. Killing intent. He looked real dangerous, so I thought I should leave him alone and hid inside right away. They talked for a while¡­but the guy inside, in the end, went like this.¡±

    The man made a horizontal sliding gesture across his neck with his hand.

    The meaning was probably that the head had been cut off. The two talked a little more, but there was no clue about Shin¡¯s possible next destination.

    ¡°Is that so¡­thank you very much for your time.¡±

    Hameln bowed deeply and closed the door.

    ¡°Shin isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it appears to be so. The only hint left is that rumor, then¡­¡±

    ¡°Rumor?¡±

    ¡°They say that Shin has a new girlfriend, and that they flirt in public with no shame at all¡­honestly, I can¡¯t believe that Shin would get a new girlfriend now though.¡±

    Ifrge PK guilds still remained, he might have trusted his instincts and waited in ambush. The only ones remaining, however, were very small ones and solo yers, so that n was unusable.

    Hameln couldn¡¯t use information brokers either, so thest resort was to rely on a rumor he found repugnant.

    ¡°He¡¯s in a ce with many people?¡±

    ¡°That would be natural. But even as a rumor, it concerns me that it spread so quickly.¡±

    It felt almost as if it was being spread on purpose.

    ¡°¡­ooh, I see, so that¡¯s the n.¡±

    After thinking about it, Hameln realized something and suddenly looked very convinced.

    Even if he was going around crushing PK guilds, Shin¡¯s main target was still d. Hameln, who knew both, realized what Shin¡¯s true aim probably was.

    ¡°Do you know where Shin is?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I know yet. But I figured out what he¡¯s trying to do. I wanted to do this without d knowing, but if I say I will cooperate we can probably get information out of him.¡±

    Hameln sent d a message immediately.

    ¡°(Hello, it¡¯s been quite a while. There¡¯s something I would like to ask you, could you please spare some time for me?)¡±

    When d answered the chat, he appeared very irritated. Hameln, thinking that his behaviour exceeded his expectations, greeted him.

    ¡°(What do you want from me then? You of all people wouldn¡¯t contact me without a purpose.)¡±

    ¡°(Well, that is true. I wanted to have a chat with Shin, do you have any idea where he could be? I caught wind of a strange rumor, so I thought that you might know more about that too.)¡±

    ¡°(I know. That woman is getting ahead of herself, isn¡¯t she.)¡±

    Hameln thought that the situation was bound to move rather quickly and smiled to himself.

    Where had his peerless caution gone to? d acted very differently from thest time Hameln spoke to him.

    With most of the PKs exterminated, organizingrge-scale operations required a great number of people and resources. The PKs with high fighting power, especially, had been carefully eliminated, so it was impossible to trick them to use them as assassins either.

    ¡°(Your cooperation during the invasion was valuable, so if you tell me his whereabouts, I can help you. I still have the items too.)¡±

    ¡°(What do you n to do when you meet him?)¡±

    d probably instantly calcted that Hameln could have helped bolster his inferior fighting power; his voice sounded much more collected than before.

    ¡°(I just wish to talk with him. I doubt things will end peacefully though.)¡±

    ¡°(You¡¯ll just get killed if you do.)¡±

    ¡°(I can probably buy some time if I use my monsters as shields. I¡¯m just interested in what he¡¯s actually thinking at present.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­.so be it. I will contact you once I have a n.)¡±

    From d¡¯s tone of voice, Hameln perceived that d had decided that he was going to make use of Hameln.

    Hameln became an MPK because he wanted to observe the willpower and emotions of yers when attacked by monsters. He was thus very skilled at reading others¡¯ emotions.

    The conversation had proceeded so smoothly it almost seemed like a trap. Despite the frail bond of trust between them, d had been too reckless. His frustration had probably peaked.

    ¡°Well then, we should contact Shin now¡­what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    If he doesn¡¯t answer to chat, just send him a message. Hameln was thinking this, when he noticed that Luca was crying.

    The Weyger was licking her face, trying to console her.

    ¡°Shin¡­Shin is going away!!¡±

    Hameln guessed that Luca had been talking with Shin via chat. Shin was about to step over a line that should not be crossed.

    ¡°I thought that he woulde back once he had gotten his revenge, but this is a quite boring development.¡±

    There was nothing more boring to observe than humans who had fallen into desperation. It was not umon for people who had embraced hope to end like that, but it was not what Hameln expected to see.

    ¡°We have the chance to see a grand stage with our own eyes¡­I¡¯m sorry for dear d, but I have to do something about it.¡±

    Hameln crouched down, his eyes at the same height as Luca¡¯s.

    ¡°Do you want Shin toe back?¡±

    Hameln asked his question with a serious tone, his usual ambiguous smile gone from his lips. After a brief moment, Luca strongly nodded.

    ¡°Even if it means that your life will be in danger?¡±

    Luca nodded again, with no pause this time.

    ¡°Very good. Please wait here then. If what I will say now happens, materialize it.¡±

    Smiling again, Hameln gave a card to Luca. A spherical object and the number ¡°10¡± were pictured on it.

    ¡°Shall we contact her, then?¡±

    Timing was crucial. With this in mind, Hameln sent a message.

 Book 10: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 10: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    A week had already passed since they started standing out in public on purpose.

    Shin was thinking that the n¡¯s effects should be showing soon, when he was contacted via chat from Emil. Maybe thinking of the possibility that he wouldn¡¯t respond, she sent a message card at the same time.

    ¡°(Luca has been kidnapped by Hameln!!)¡±

    ¡°(Luca!?)¡±

    Shin could tell Emil was unnerved as he listened to her story, yet he found it a bit bizarre.

    Hameln was a yer that liked using monsters to attack yers, an MPK. His fighting level was rather high, but he seldom fought other than for self-defense. He apparently acted following his own rules; after entering Avidya, Shin had heard scattered reports about him.

    Hameln was reported to have a light and easy personality. Yet, rather than engage in all PK activity, he seemed to focus on medium torge-scale battles.

    Shin had briefly met him during thest invasion event, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling it was strange for Hameln to take a hostage.

    ¡°(I thought I had set up the orphanage barrier again?)¡±

    ¡°(It looks like Luca went out on her own. But her expression was strange¡­I¡¯ll send you the message Hameln sent me.)¡±

    Emil¡¯s message arrived soon: it read ¡°I borrowed the youngdy, I¡¯ll send her back after a while¡±, almost like a bad joke or a prank.

    ¡°Were you able to contact Luca?¡±

    ¡°I did, but she only replied that she was going with Hameln, and nothing more.¡±

    Shin found the situation more and more difficult toprehend.

    Chat mode was apletely private mode ofmunication; it was impossible for others to overhear. Even if she had been taken away or threatened, it was possible to inform others without the kidnapper knowing.

    Since Luca had not said anything like that, it was possible that she had followed Hameln of her own free will.

    Shin asked for more details and learned that just before disappearing, Luca had bickered with Ryohei and Teppei over whether Shin would return or not.

    ¡°(Until Hameln¡¯s message arrived, those two said that she had gone looking for you. I have no idea what¡¯s going on either¡­I wasn¡¯t sure if I should have called you or not either.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­.I see.)¡±

    Barely half a day had passed since Luca¡¯s disappearance. After thinking for a while, Shin tried to contact Luca via chat mode.

    ¡°(¡­.Shin?)¡±

    After a few rings, Luca answered. Her voice sounded timid, scared.

    ¡°(Emil told me Hameln kidnapped you.)¡±

    ¡°(Uuh¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s fine for now. So, are you alright?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, he¡¯s helping me look for you.)¡±

    He¡¯s helping you?

    Shin found Luca¡¯s words nothing but puzzling. Hameln, a famous PK, was helping a little kid find someone? It was far too bizarre.

    Shin asked more questions and found out that Hameln was apparently looking for him too. That he hadn¡¯t hurt Luca in any way and had set a monster to protect her.

    (Why would he be looking for me?)

    Thest time we met, Hameln seemed interested in him. Maybe it was an extension of that, but there was no reason to take Luca with him. During the invasion event, he had attacked not Shin himself, but the whole hometown, so he shouldn¡¯t be obsessed with Shin like d was.

    There should be no reason for Hameln to bring a dead weight like Luca with him.

    ¡°(Luca, Hameln is dangerous. Emil and the others are worried too. Go back to the orphanage)¡±

    ¡°(Shin, when will youe back?)¡±

    ¡°(Well, I¡­)¡±

    I¡¯ll be back right away. That¡¯s what Shin wanted to reply, but the words didn¡¯t leave his lips.

    Then, he realized. That even after exacting his revenge, he had no intention of going back.

    Shin looked down and saw his hands. They were perfectly clean, but all he saw were stains of blood and guts. He felt blood dripping between his fingers. The smell of iron prickled his nose.

    (This is pretty horrible.)

    He couldn¡¯t touch others anymore. Maybe he had realized it already, unconsciously.

    ¡°(Luca, I have to return everybody to the real world. I made a promise with Marino.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­hn.)¡±

    ¡°(I have to focus on clearing the dungeons from now on.)¡±

    ¡°(We can¡¯t, meet anymore?)¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to die.)¡±

    The words ¡°we will¡± couldn¡¯te out of his mouth.

    ¡°(I am going to end this world. Luca, Emil, Ryohei, Teppei, everyone will be safe. So just wait.)¡±

    ¡°(Shin?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m going to be busy, so we can¡¯t meet until then.)¡±

    ¡°(Shin!!)¡±

    ¡°(Luca, go back to the orphanage.)¡±

    Shin cut off the chat after thisst order.

    Considering Hameln¡¯s fighting power, Shin had to go confront him himself. Their location, however, was the lodge area where Shin had cut down Robin. Even if Shin went there now, by the time he arrived they would probably be somewhere else.

    Hameln would probably try ande in contact sooner orter. He probably would not put Luca in danger either, so Shin decided not to go look for her and wait for Hameln to make his move.

    Shin chuckled at himself, thinking that he had turned rather cold.

    ¡°Shin, looks like d is on the move.¡±

    As if she had waited for Shin to finish his chat, Milt -who had been walking next to him- called to Shin. Milt, not Shin, had received a message.

    ¡°Tell me more.¡±

    Shin urged Milt for details, while at the same time connecting to Calmia via chat.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    d¡¯s proposal was to offer Milt a ce to die.

    For a long time now, Milt possessed humorous nicknames such as ¡°Mini Berserker¡± and ¡°Poison Lolita¡±. After the death game started however, she was only known by the nickname ¡°Deathwish¡±.

    As she had told Shin, the method she had chosen to solve the contradiction of her desire to die but fear of suicide was to engage in fights to the death. It didn¡¯t matter whether the opponents were monsters or yers, Milt threw herself into battle without a speck of caution, so that nickname stuck to her quickly.

    The reason why she wasn¡¯t stopped by other yers, even if she appeared while they were fighting bosses ,was that she took the highest risk of all when fighting.

    ¡°(I guess that he came to know that I told you that I wanted you to kill me. Though, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re acting like my boyfriend so I can die without regrets.)¡±

    Thanks to Catnip¡¯s help too, the rumor that Shin and Milt had be lovers had spread in the blink of an eye.

    Not only Shin, but Milt was also rather famous, so the speed at which the rumor spread surprised even them. Thanks to that though, d moved earlier than expected.

    Shin was surprised that d contacted Milt while she was with him: her expressed desire of being killed, no matter at whose hands it was, had probably worked in their favor.

    Concealed through ¡¾Hiding¡¿, Shin and Milt waited for d, keeping a chat open between them.

    d himself intended to be Milt¡¯s opponent apparently. Shin and Milt were supposed to be lovers, so d probably wanted to once again snatch Shin¡¯s beloved away with his own hands.

    ¡°(Pretty sloppy.)¡±

    ¡°(Proof of the pinch he¡¯s in. Well, it¡¯s also a result of your relentless PK hunt.)¡±

    The designed area was a ce ideal for duels; few people or monsters ever visited it.

    It was a perfect location to set up an ambush. The cloudy sky made it even more difficult to see Shin and Milt.

    ¡°(Come alone, without telling Shin. That¡¯s really bad, if you ask me.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­.could it that he¡¯s actually an idiot? I thought that he would make something more impressive in the end.)¡±

    ¡°(Shin, let me remind you that you¡¯re the one that made that impossible. You crushed all the ces that d could use, didn¡¯t you?)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t answer Milt¡¯s slightly exasperated tone.

    As they killed time with such exchanges, Shin¡¯s map registered a markering closer, speeding through the nearby forest. After activating ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight ¡¿, Shin¡¯s eyes could see Vad riding on an Elder Red Dragon.

    ¡°You came alone?¡±

    dnded with his mount and cast the question to Milt. He looked slightly different from before.

    His formerly very well kept long hair was now disheveled, the previously gleaming silver armor now emitted a dull glow. As a whole, he gave a sort of faded, stained impression.

    ¡°You requested me to, didn¡¯t you? What are you saying now?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were lovers, so I thought you would bring him too.¡±

    ¡°If you know the reason why I was with Shin, you shouldn¡¯t be surprised that I¡¯m alone. I came without telling him anything, as you ordered me to. I wonder if he¡¯s looking for me now¡­that¡¯d make me a bit happy.¡±

    Milt gave a little smile after saying this; d looked at her like he had found something unspeakably filthy. His whole body expressed the utter disgust he felt.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for someone like you to have moved his heart.¡±

    ¡°You look pretty pissed all the same though. Was I clinging to Shin so irritating?¡±

    Every time Milt provoked d, emotion seeped away from his face. Inversely, his killing intent grew and grew.

    ¡°I shall put you out of your misery.¡±

    Still riding on the elder dragon, d pointed ¡ºExcalibur¡», its de of light extended, towards Milt.

    ¡°Too bad, that¡¯s not going to happen.¡±

    Before Milt could even finish her sentence, a sh flew at d from his blindspot.

    Maybe thanks to the instincts cultivated through his fighting job, d barely managed to parry the attack with ¡ºExcalibur¡»; the sword was unable to withstand the attack¡¯s power however, and was blown away.

    ¡°Kh!! Greed!!¡±

    d touched the ground and called for his partner dragon¡¯s name. The Elder Red Dragon, however, could not answer; aftershocks from the sh had severed its wings and front legs. One single sh had shaved about half of its HP.

    ¡°So you ca¡ª-!?!¡±

    d looked towards the source of the sh, a smile widening on his lips, but was constrained by chains of light and thorns colored red and ck.

    The thorns disappeared thanks to d¡¯s struggling, but even the muscr strength of an advanced yer like d couldn¡¯t make the chains budge.

    It was abination of the Light-type Magic skill ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿, which boasted high constrictive power, and the Dark-type Magic skill ¡¾Thorns of Impurity¡¿, which inflicted several status ailments.

    ¡°A little surprise attack, and you¡¯re already helpless?¡±

    Shin, who had destroyed the Elder Dragon¡¯s head with a Light-type spell, spoke softly while looking, expressionless, at the copsed d. He felt no delight in having captured him.

    d was now affected with four negative statuses: ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿, ¡¾Blind¡¿, ¡¾Hi-Paralyze¡¿, and ¡¾Curse¡¿. He couldn¡¯t move a single finger, let alone break free of the chains.

    ¡°Haha, did youe to exact your revenge?¡±

    d couldn¡¯t move, but still shed a twisted smile.

    Despite his sight being clouded by ¡¾Blind¡¿, he recognized Shin from his voice.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Before his most hated enemy, Shin was perfectly calm.

    He felt hate. But this hate, burning quietly within, had lost a me hot enough to shake his emotions.

    Shin didn¡¯t know when that happened. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was something good or bad.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be the one to kill you though.¡±

    The obsession wasn¡¯t gone. Anger and hate remained.

    Now, however, he would not let his emotions swing his de.

    Following Shin¡¯s signal, six yers appeared from the woods. They had not been detected because they were all equipped with gear made by Shin.

    ¡°What¡¯s this response¡­.?¡±

    The blind d was confused by the approach of the yers¡¯ presences; naturally enough, as Shin, the one supposed to finish him, had not moved one step.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, it can.¡±

    The Ancient-grade weapons in hand of the approaching yers gave a dull glow. Even the yers with less-than-superior stats, thanks to the weapons¡¯ bonuses, could inflict significant damage.

    ¡°¡­.stop.¡±

    Without a moment of hesitation, the weapons rose in the air and swung down on d.

    ¡°STOP!!!¡±

    One blow couldn¡¯t be enough to causerge damage. On the contrary, this let d feel, as crudely as possible, how his HP was gradually decreasing.

    ¡°I SAID STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!!¡±

    He was being killed by people he didn¡¯t know. This reality pushed d to scream.

    Shin had already turned his back; he wasn¡¯t looking at d anymore.

    ¡°Why!?! I am the one you hate!! Why is it these people!! These nobodies!?!¡±

    d probably couldn¡¯t feel Shin¡¯s expression, emotions, or even his eyes.

    That was Shin¡¯s revenge. To be ignored by someone you were so obsessed about. That reality would surely be painful above anything else to d.

    ¡°Shitt!! HAMEL¡ª-¡±

    Thest scream died behind Shin. d¡¯s presence was no more.

    ¡°Well, that was over quickly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what revenge really is.¡±

    Shin was looking towards Milt.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your help. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t expect things to go so well.¡±

    ¡°I only did it for my own goal, so don¡¯t mention it. Rather than that, when they go away¡­okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡±

    The six yers watched d disappear, silent from start to finish. The man who appeared to be their representative gave several equipment cards to Shin, quietly bowed, and left.

    Shin watched them go, then turned towards Milt.

    ¡°We can start anytime.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t hold back then.¡±

    A giant poleaxe appeared in Milt¡¯s hands. Enveloped in blue mes, it was the lower Ancient-grade ¡ºBreogand¡».

    ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun!!¡±

    ¡ºBreogand¡» shed through the air, apanied by Milt¡¯s war shout. Even heavy weapons could move as swiftly as normalnces and axes thanks to Milt¡¯s STR.

    It was an attack that could even damage Shin if he was struck; he drew ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and blocked it.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon.¡±

    The frontal sh caused ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s de to shatter.

    There was a stat difference between Shin and Milt, including the weapons¡¯ bonuses, that 100 or 200 points could not fill. In a world where a video game¡¯s system ruled all, it was an all-too-clear difference.

    ¡°Hey, what were Mari¡¯sst words?¡±

    Milt asked as their des were still locked.

    ¡°¡­she said that she wanted everyone to go back together.¡±

    ¡°I see, Mari¡­she made her decision.¡±

    Milt¡¯s water spirit, Undine, released several bubbles, but Shin swatted them away with his left hand. The lightning spell heunched as a counterattack seared both Undine and Milt.

    ¡°I¡¯m so envious¡­we had lost all hope in reality.¡±

    Only Milt¡¯s HP decreased, one-sidedly. The sparks shooting between their des cast a shadow on her face. Her expression contained a mix of admiration and jealousy.

    ¡°This is the time you should say, ¡®You can do it too!¡¯!!¡±

    ¡°Only someone ready to carry your life on their shoulders could say that!!¡±

    Milt shouted loud enough to not let her voice drown in the sound of the grinding metal, and Shin howled back.

    In the 15th sh between their weapons, ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s de shot in the air. Milt lost her bnce as consequence, and Shin readied ¡ºTrue Moon¡» at his waist.

    ¡°I¡¯m really¡ª-¡±

    Milt instinctively used ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s hilt to protect herself. Shin¡¯s blow, as if guided by it, struck cleanly.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cenvious.¡±

    The sh was stopped for an instant by ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s hilt, but was then cleaved in two along with everything else in the de¡¯s path.

    Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Helmet Smasher¡¿.

    The technique, that caused great damage to any weapon or defensive gear, unleashed its offensive power to the fullest.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Milt pronounced herst words with a smile.

    Shin looked at Milt turning into a burst of polygons and disappear, aplicated emotion beating in his chest. He had never thought to be thanked by someone he killed.

    ¡°You are finished, yes?¡±

    Maybe he had lowered his guard, maybe he was lost in thought.

    Shin had not noticed the approaching presence until it talked to him.

    ¡°Hello there, it¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Shi, Shin¡­¡±

    Shin turned around and saw Hameln with Luca.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Milt. I suppose she couldn¡¯t stand to see you go down this path either.¡±

    Both being PKs, it wasn¡¯t strange for some connection to exist between Milt and Hameln. Shin, however, couldn¡¯t understand why Milt would tell him about this ce.

    ¡°For me too, it is truly not interesting at all for you to be like this.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m a busybody. I just do what I feel like after all. The rest is up to you. Do your best.¡±

    Hameln then used a crystal and teleported away. Only Luca was left, a card in her hands.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go back?¡±

    ¡°But Shin, you won¡¯te back!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯reing home with me!¡±

    Luca ran up to Shin and tried to take his hand. But before her hands could touch his, Shin moved away.

    Luca¡¯s hands would get stained with blood. Or so he felt.

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    There were less than five steps between him and the screaming Luca. That small distance separated them like the steepest cliff.

    ¡°Nh!¡±

    Luca held high the card she was holding. What appeared was a grenade-like item, that would explode after a set time.

    ¡°Nh¡­eh?¡±

    ¡°Luca!?¡±

    Luca seemed unaware of the nature of the item she was holding. Shin stepped closer in an instant and took it out of her hands, thenunched it high towards the sky.

    After a few seconds, with a bang-like sound, a small cloud of white smoke appeared above.

    It was just a smoke bomb.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°Nh!¡±

    Shin looked suspiciously at the unexpected happening, when Luca firmly grabbed his hands.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, okay?¡±

    Luca¡¯s words, strangely enough, were the same as Marino¡¯s.

    If Shin used just a little too much strength to shake Luca¡¯s hands away -her level being in the single digits- he could easily blow away her HP.

    Shin looked at her hands on his. The blood on his hands seemed to be staining hers too.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back!!¡±

    The edges of Luca¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. Even so, she gripped Shin¡¯s hands as strong as she could.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­.¡±

    Shaking her off would be all too simple. But it wasn¡¯t as easy as that.

    That same moment, an opening broke between the clouds in the sky.

    The newly shining sunlight illuminated Luca, as if clearly separating the two; Luca was in warm, bright, yellow light, Shin in misty darkness.

    ¡°¡­..eh?¡±

    It was as if the difference between him and Luca was being clearly shown. Shin noticed it and was about tough at himself, when his eyes caught something else, something unbelievable.

    On top of his and Luca¡¯s, there was one more hand. Next to Luca, stood Marino. That moment, Shin forgot everything.

    Luca pulled Shin as she walked. Completely lost, he followed her without the smallest resistance.

    Shin was showered in sunlight, as if he was being pulled out of the darkness.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes were temporarily blinded by the dazzling light.

    He closed them for just an instant, but that instant Marino disappeared.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Was it a mirage? Shin asked himself, then he felt the warmth of Luca¡¯s hand on his.

    No, that was definitely not only Luca¡¯s. He had held that hand countless times. Even after bing a murderer, he couldn¡¯t forget that warmth.

    That was Marino, without a doubt.

    ¡°Are you telling me to go back?¡±

    The Marino he saw in the light looked sad.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go back.)¡±

    The same words that Marino said seeped inside Shin¡¯s heart.

    He looked down and saw a small hand gripping his. He felt something inside melt away and disappear.

    ¡°Shin, are you crying?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Shin felt all his strength leave his body and fell to his knees.

    Something warm seemed to be flowing down his cheeks.

 Book 11: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    The ck Priestess Shrine guildhouse, on the ind country of Hinomoto.

    Inside Tsuki no Hokora, which had been materialized in a woond area within the guildhouse¡¯s premises, Shin narrated his past.

    About the days before the Dusk of Majesty, when this world was still the death game, when ¡ª even if for the sake of protecting innocent people ¡ª hemitted countless PKs ¡ª murders.

    Tiera slowly inhaled a deep breath after hearing Shin¡¯s story.

    ¡°It¡¯s something in the past now. ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s what happened, okay¡¯. You can just see it like that if you want.¡±

    Shin¡¯s smile did not hide any shadows.

    Everything would be OK.

    With this conviction in mind, Tiera nodded.

    ¡°Could it be that what possessed me before was your former lover, Marino?¡±

    The night before, Tiera had performed a ritual dance simr to the Japanese Kagura. The spirit that had taken over her body at the time housed a deep affection for Shin.

    There couldn¡¯t be many people with such deep feelings for him.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible but¡­.I don¡¯t know. You snapped out of it before I could tell.¡±

    While talking to Tiera about his past, Shin also realized that it could have been Marino.

    ¡°Aah, honestly, I don¡¯t appreciate things like that being done through my body though.¡±

    Tiera probably remembered the kiss as she hid her mouth with her right hand, her cheeks flushing a bit.

    ¡°Er¡­.next time, I¡¯ll do my best to dodge.¡±

    Even if he had been entranced by something else, Shin felt guilty about kissing Tiera against her will.

    ¡°Er, well, I too want to know who it was that possessed me, okay? So, well, if it happens again, it¡¯s okay to prioritize finding out who they are, you know!¡±

    Since it was possible for it to be someone connected to Shin¡¯s past, Tiera probably said that out of concern for him. Her words and behavior were very contradictory, but Shin chose to think that was her reasoning.

    ¡°While I¡¯m thankful to hear that, wouldn¡¯t you hate it if it happened again?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry! It could happen when I¡¯m doing priestess things too!! A-and besides¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words stopped.

    She held her hands together and looked around, visibly fidgeting.

    ¡°Besides?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing. Really nothing, so forget all about it.¡±

    Tiera mumbled something, but in the end cut off the conversation without saying anything clearly.

    The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that it was almost noon.

    Tiera held her still blushing cheeks to cool them off and hurriedly said that it was time to eat lunch, thus forcibly changing the topic.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯ll probably call us soon.¡±

    Shin felt that it would have been better not to press the matter further, and agreed to Tiera¡¯s proposal.

    They both stood from their chairs and exited Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who was walking ahead of Shin, suddenly turned around.

    ¡°Thank you for telling me such a painful story, Shin.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me. Pretty boring, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m d I could know more about you.¡±

    Tiera replied with a smile.

    She did not regret learning about Shin¡¯s past. Her expression stated that clearly.

    ¡°Actually, that scene from my past that you saw¡­I used to see it often in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s memory?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The time when I first met you too, I would dream about it sometimes. Every time, I would get awful headaches and feel depressed for the whole day.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking up at the sky as they walked towards ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse. Shin had returned Tsuki no Hokora to itspressed form.

    ¡°But ever since I received that from you, I haven¡¯t had that dream anymore.¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    ¡°You know, this.¡±

    Tiera then took out the Geyl coin from her robe that Shin had given her when they first met. The coin reflected the sunlight and sparkled vividly.

    ¡°I feel at peace when I hold this. Maybe because there¡¯s your magic power inside.¡±

    Shin looked intently at the coin and noticed that it indeed had the same aura as the items inside his item box.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t supposed to have an effect like that, but I¡¯m happy if it¡¯s useful to you¡­why don¡¯t we make it into a pendant? So you don¡¯t risk losing it.¡±

    Tiera kept the Geyl coin in a small pocket with metal fastenings.

    It was also very valuable in this world, after all. Shin thought that the more closely it could be kept, the better, so he made that suggestion.

    ¡°That would be a great help, but is it alright?¡±

    ¡°We can do it in a sh. After all, metal forging is my strong suit.¡±

    ¡°Please do so, then.¡±

    Shin stopped, took an Orichalcum ingot from the item box and, as if molding a lump of y, quickly shaped it into a chain. He then took the coin from Tiera, molded the Orichalcum around it, fixed it to the chain and finished the pendant.

    ¡°Oh, could you make the chain longer, please?¡±

    ¡°Longer than this? How much?¡±

    Shin increased the chain¡¯s length as Tiera requested, even though he felt that it had be too long to wear the pendant around the neck.

    ¡°Did you really want it this long?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Most people would think it was a fake, but experienced people could tell that it¡¯s real. I need the chain this long so that other people can¡¯t see the coin. If it¡¯s here, no one can see it as long as they don¡¯te close to my face and peek, right?¡±

    Tiera then leaned forward a bit and pulled down the neck of her shirt to show Shin the coin¡¯s position.

    No matter how much he knew it was not right, Shin¡¯s gaze was drawn to Tiera¡¯s cleavage. The Geyl coin, attached to the long chain, was nestled right in the middle.

    ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s why you needed it that long.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s¡­.s-see? If someonees this close I can react, right!?¡±

    Finally realizing that the stance she had taken put her bosom in full view, Tiera hurriedly stepped back. Her cheeks red red again.

    She seemed shaken and quickly looked all around to make sure that no one else had seen them.

    ¡°¡­ehm, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Sure, that much is nothing.¡±

    The two started walking again. Soon enough, they met Schnee and Yuzuha, who were also headed to the guildhouse, and joined them.

    ¡°Did you finish talking with Kuchinashi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell everyone when we are with Filma and the others. Looks like there¡¯s new trouble brewing.¡±

    The enemies the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildmaster, Kuchinashi, talked about, the Seven Deadly Sins, grew more powerful as the event progressed. Their location was currently unknown, but it would be better to defeat them as soon as possible.

    Thinking that it was better to also have the Golden Company research their whereabouts, Shin decided to send a message card.

    When Shin¡¯s group arrived at the guildhouse they found Filma and Shibaid with Oodenta Mitsuyo and Onimaru Kunitsuna, two of the Five Supreme des, already sitting at the lunch table.

    ¡°You¡¯rete.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, the talks went on longer than expected.¡±

    Shin apologized to the slightly irritated Mitsuyo. She had let him and Tiera have time alone, so he was thankful for that.

    ¡°Oh really.¡±

    ¡°Lord Shin, as you can see she is feigning ack of interest, but Mitsuyo has been fidgeting all this time, wondering when you woulde back.¡±

    Kunitsuna, an excited grin on her face, looked as if she were positively enjoying herself as she made her report.

    ¡°Hey, Kunitsuna!? What are you even saying now!?¡±

    ¡°Did I say something wrong? It¡¯s rare to see the proud Mitsuyo all restless like that after all.¡±

    ¡°W-why you¡­!!¡±

    Kunitsuna probably hit where it hurt. Even while ring at her, Mitsuyo¡¯s eyes darted towards Shin.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all. Let¡¯s eat, first of all.¡±

    Mitsuyo looked like she was blushing: her re was thus not scary at all, but Shin felt that poking her further would prove dangerous, and decided to leave it alone.

    ¡°Do any of you have any ns for the rest of the day? Kuchinashi told me something interesting, so I¡¯d like to let you all know too.¡±

    Shin proposed discussing the Seven Deadly Sins, to which all present agreed.

    After the meal, the whole group assembled in the room assigned to Shin.

    ¡°¡­..the Seven Deadly Sins, hmm. Clearly they can¡¯t be ignored, but there¡¯s not much we can do until they are found, is it.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. 500 years ago, the yers used human wave tactics and somehow pulled through. Our group doesn¡¯t even have 10 members, we just don¡¯t have enough manpower for that.¡±

    After hearing what Shin had to say, Schnee and Filma replied: the former with a very serious expression, thetter while shrugging.

    When Shin said that he already requested the Golden Company to search for the monsters, the group agreed to wait for a reply.

    ¡°So there are creatures like that in this world¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo seemed impressed to learn of the existence of such monsters, to which Shin replied brightly.

    ¡°We¡¯ve never seen their final forms, though. Though considering Fuji¡¯s fighting power, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright as long as a pack of final forms doesn¡¯t gather.¡±

    ¡°If the Five Supreme des are together, it would take a really tough enemy to take us down, yes.¡±

    Mitsuyo and the other des, like Kagutsuchi of the sacred mountain Fuji, were treated as boss monsters in the game. Because of this, both their stats and HP were much higher than the yers.

    They surpassed the yers¡¯ max values of 9999 by far, so if they fought together, even raid bosses would be felled.

    Now that Kunitsuna and Dojigiri Yasutsuna had returned, their defenses could be said to be perfect.

    ¡°Tomorrow, if nothing elsees up, we¡¯ll go back to Fuji. The earlier you¡¯re all back together, the better, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah.¡±

    Shin was kind of concerned about Mitsuyo¡¯s somber look, but as business was done, the group split.

    Nothing of particr importance happened afterward: after dinner, Shin was swinging his ¡ºKakura¡» in the small garden where he had found Tiera the previous night. He was wearing a bathrobe supplied by ck Priestess Shrine, as to be able to go take a bath right after training.

    ¡°You got a bit better thanst time we fought.¡±

    Shin thrust ¡ºKakura¡» into the ground and turned towards the voice. He was focusing on training, but had noticed Mitsuyo approaching.

    ¡°Whew, if you say that, it means that it was worth the effort.¡±

    Mitsuyo stepped out of the corridors¡¯ shadows into the moonlight. She had removed her shoulder and breast armor: now she was only wearing an oriental-style attire with a miniskirt.

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Fuji tomorrow, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I doubt anything else will happen here anyway.¡±

    The group had not stayed in the guildhouse after clearing the dungeon because they were wary of possible dangers. The miasma in Cadaver Realm had been purified thoroughly, so there was little to no chance of anything new arising.

    ¡°I see. If so¡­could I ask you onest request?¡±

    ¡°A request?¡±

    Mitsuyo hade talk to him by herself probably because she didn¡¯t want Schnee and the others to hear.

    ¡°I want you to use me. Even just for practicing techniques or something.¡±

    ¡°You mean, that I would just have to swing the katana ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡»?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be enough. ¡­but rest assured, it doesn¡¯t mean that I feel anything for you.¡±

    Mitsuyo probably saw through Shin¡¯s thoughts, because she gave a little troubledugh.

    Mitsuyo¡¯s actual body was owned by Kagutsuchi, but the ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡» she currently inhabited was Shin¡¯s possession, so he couldply with her request if he wanted.

    ¡°Got it. That much is nothing.¡±

    Thinking that he had said the same line earlier in the day, Shin took Oodenta Mitsuyo -now in katana form- in his hands. The unsheathed de glistened under the moonlight.

    Shin attached the sheath to his robe¡¯s belt, gripped the hilt with both hands and took a stance.

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    From a frontal straight stance, Shin went to upward diagonal, downward diagonal, sweep, then thrust.

    He added Saegusa Karin¡¯s teachings to the techniques he had learned from a certain person during the game. What he learned were just the basics, though. Much of Shin¡¯s style was self-taught.

    The sound of the katana cutting the air and Shin¡¯s shouts resounded through the garden.

    Thus around 10 minutes passed.

    Mitsuyo¡¯s Mind Chat¡ª-in katana form, she couldn¡¯t talk, so her voice directly reached Shin¡¯s mind ¡ª gave the signal, and Shin stopped.

    ¡°It¡¯s enough, thank you.¡±

    Mitsuyo, back in human form, had a faint smile on her lips.

    ¡°Did this mean anything for you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no special meaning. I told you that I have no special feelings for you, right?¡±

    Even so, it looked like being wielded by Shin had meant something to Mitsuyo, as she looked satisfied.

    ¡°I wanted to be wielded as one of your weapons, even just once. If there was any meaning, that was it.¡±

    ¡°Not that wielding one of the Five Supreme des was unpleasant, of course.¡±

    ¡°I know. You have a powerful katana you¡¯re attached to, right? I¡¯m a weapon too, so I¡¯m honestly a bit jealous of a katana treasured like that.¡±

    Mitsuyo then returned to her room, saying that she would be turning in.

    Left alone in the garden, Shin looked up to the sky with mixed feelings in his heart.

 Book 11: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    The next day, after making sure that the Cadaver Realm had not undergone any changes and that no miasma outbreaks had urred, Shin¡¯s group left the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse to return to Fuji.

    ¡°If anything happens, just contact me via chat.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll try to handle things by ourselves if we can, but if we¡¯re overwhelmed, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    They had already said all they wanted to, so the farewell was a short one.

    Along with Kuchinashi, the ck Priestess Shrine members who had bonded with Shin¡¯s group the most saw them off.

    ¡°Please take care during your travels. I look forward to seeing you again one day.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m thankful to you for saving my sister, but I¡¯ll never let you have her!!¡±

    While Rindou Kotone spoke with words of longing, Suzune red at Shin.

    ¡°Same till the very end, huh¡­¡±

    Suzune didn¡¯t forgive Shin and Kotone¡¯s friendship, after all.

    Kotone added that Suzune too was truly thankful, but being grateful for Shin¡¯s assistance was apparently a separate matter from letting him have her sister.

    Schnee, Tiera and the others also bid farewell to Ayame and the other priestesses.

    The greatest number, however, gathered around Shibaid, who had held a training session for the priestesses.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some poprity.¡±

    ¡°Some girls even said that, if only he was free¡­¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Dead serious. Finding a marriage partner is tough in this world too, you know.¡±

    Kuchinashi sighed quietly, mumbling that she couldn¡¯t let her girls marry just anyone. Shin felt a vague difort learning that there were connections with the real world in curious ces.

    ¡°(It would be a big relief for me if you took in Kotone though, Shin. There¡¯s plenty of ambitious men out there pestering us to make her their bride.)¡±

    ¡°(No more, please. I still haven¡¯t given up on returning to our original world, actually. Besides, even if I were to spend the rest of my life here, I have Schnee.)¡±

    ¡°(She only has eyes for you, hasn¡¯t she? She¡¯s always looking in your direction, it¡¯s really easy to figure out.)¡±

    During the chat, it was then Shin¡¯s turn to sigh. He told Kuchinashi that ¡°(That¡¯s probably on purpose)¡±. There surely was a reason for Schnee to act so openly in front of someone she had just met.

    ¡°Okay, this looks like it could go on forever, so let¡¯s go!¡±

    Feeling kind of sorry for the girls sending burning gazes towards Shibaid, Shin climbed onto the horse carriage. After making sure everyone else was on, he motioned for Kagerou to go.

    The carriage started slowly but quickly picked up speed. Unlike the time when they had first arrived at the ck Priestess Shrine, they were now traveling on a road used for transporting goods, so Kuchinashi and the other priestesses disappeared from sight very quickly.

    ¡°Take care!¡±

    The carriage proceeded towards Fuji, Kotone¡¯s voice trailing behind it.

    The travel back to Fuji waspletely uneventful. Monsters wouldn¡¯t get close to the group in fear of Kagerou. And since thieves and bandits were routinely hunted down by the Kujou n and the samurai affiliated with it, meeting any would be rare in itself.

    The group stopped on the way in arge city to refill their supplies, but made no other detours, advancing towards Fuji at an explosive speed. This would leave all travelers and merchants they happened to cross paths with speechless.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already arrived? Happy times really go by quickly.¡±

    Kunitsuna spoke while looking up at Fuji, when the group got off the carriage just before Aokigahara.

    ¡°With a travel speed like that, it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡±

    Nodding to Kunitsuna¡¯s words, Mitsuyo looked at the carriage, a bit mncholic.

    As anthropomorphized weapons, Mitsuyo and herrades were bound to certain areas. Normally, they would never be able to go on adventures like the one they shared with Shin.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I was attacked thest time I was here.¡±

    Thinking they shouldn¡¯t just walk in silence, Shin talked about when he was attacked while traveling with Karin and Kanade.

    ¡°Oh, were you really? Was the assassin that fled part of the Rokuhara?¡±

    ¡°Could be. The ones who stirred up trouble have quieted down, so there¡¯s no point in dwelling on it.¡±

    When Shin finished talking, the group had crossed Aokigahara and reached Fuji. The mist shrouded the mountain as always, but posed no problem.

    There was no reason to engage in battle, so the group proceeded while avoiding the monsters they asionally spotted and quickly arrived at Kagutsuchi¡¯s shrine.

    ¡°Yachi, we¡¯re back.¡±

    Mitsuyo approached the Eight-Headed Orochi, which extended his necks to examine the group. The monster seemed to understand her words, as the ¡°shaah¡± uttered in reply appeared to mean ¡°wee back¡±.

    ¡°Hmm, I see that you¡¯re back safe and sound.¡±

    Mikazuki Munechika emerged from inside the shrine: she had probably sensed the iing presence of Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Munechika. ¡ª-Haven¡¯t you gotten prettier?¡±

    Kunitsuna immediately noticed that Munechika¡¯s appearance was now different from the usual.

    ¡°Just like Mitsuyo, now I am a Shinuchi.¡±

    After Munechika¡¯s exnation, Kunitsuna ¡ª who had already heard about the process from Mitsuyo ¡ª was easily convinced.

    ¡°I thought that you would look cuter, like Mitsuyo does¡­but I see, your beauty increased instead. That¡¯s why Mitsuyo was kind of miffed, then.¡±

    ¡°I thought that only appearance would change, but the armor did too after all. But Yasutsuna and Tsugu praised Mitsuyo too, saying she had be prettier.¡±

    ¡°Theyughed about it, I bet.¡±

    Mitsuyo, pouting, joined in on Munechika and Kunitsuna¡¯s conversation. Her ponytail shook as she quickly looked to the side.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. We might be weapons, but our bodies are those of women. Decorating our appearance is enjoyable for us too. I too would be interested in looking cute.¡±

    ¡°That hairdo, however¡­rather than making you purely cute like Mitsuyo, gives a stronger feminine allure. The neck area, for example.¡±

    Munechika spoke her mind honestly, and Kunitsuna added her precise observations.

    Having an appearance more childlike or adultlike could influence greatly the impression given to others.

    ¡°Kh, I can¡¯t deny that¡­¡±

    Regardless of what she said, Munechika had just lightly tied her hair, but still emanated a sensual charm that made it difficult to believe that she was wearing armor. Mitsuyo¡¯s shoulders dropped.

    ¡°¡ª-look at them, they¡¯re sure having fun.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, theirrade came back safe. Of course they¡¯d feel ted.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid smiled while looking at the reunited des¡¯ yful exchanges.

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Nestled on top of Juzumaru Tsugu¡¯s head, Kagutsuchi ¡ª now in chick mode ¡ª cried with its wings spread out. In response, Yuzuha raised her tail from her position on Shin¡¯s head. The two descended from the respective heads they were on and initiated some sort of conversation.

    Shin and Tsugu looked at each other andughed wryly.

    ¡°Everyone, I wish to thank you for saving Kunitsuna.¡±

    The only one to properly express gratitude was Yasutsuna.

    ¡°Our task is over, then.¡±

    ¡°Yes. However, I have been saved by you, sir Shin. If you ever require my assistance, I shall be at your side.¡±

    He was probably serious through and through. Yasutsuna¡¯s expression was firm.

    ¡°¡­.hey, Yasutsuna? Don¡¯t go hogging Shin for yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°True, that wouldn¡¯t be good at all.¡±

    Munechika and Mitsuyo moved behind Yasutsuna in the blink of an eye. They each grabbed one shoulder, strongly enough to make a creaking sound.

    ¡°No, I had no such intention¡­¡±

    Apparently, Yasutsuna was not receiving damage; however his reply was slightly confused by the developments.

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if anything happens. Let me check if I can send you message cards.¡±

    The Five Supreme des belonged to the monster, or weapon, category.

    Shin knew that it was possible to send message cards to this world¡¯s inhabitants, but was not sure if it was possible to do the same to humanized weapons. He thus tried to send a nk message, which was delivered without problems.

    ¡°I see, with this we can get in touch at any time.¡±

    Munechika seemed impressed, but Mitsuyo, next to her, appeared frustrated.

    ¡°Ggh¡­why don¡¯t we have any creation skills!?¡±

    ¡°My my, as usual you are full of surprises, young man. By the way, sir Shin, it does pain me to ask you this after everything you have done for us, but would you listen to an old man¡¯s request?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to grant it, but what is it?¡±

    Shin asked Tsugu for details.

    ¡°Oh it is simple enough. I thought I would like to be a Shinuchi as well. Seeing how Munechika and Mitsuyo changed, I grew interested, you see.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that is true. We cannot change appearance as humans do, after all. Asking sir Shin to do even more for us would be¡­¡±

    Yasutsuna seemed interested in the Shinuchi too. He had just thanked Shin for saving him, though, so he looked conflicted, standing next to Tsugu.

    ¡°I see, that wouldn¡¯t take too much, so there¡¯s no problem. There¡¯s a Ley Line here, and increasing its defenses wouldn¡¯t hurt for sure.¡±

    Shin too was interested in seeing how they would change, so he epted the two des¡¯ request.

    Kunitsuna too expressed the same desire, so Shin set on working on all three of them.

    The time was already past 5 in the afternoon. The strong sunlight on the peak made it hard to tell, but the sun was already setting.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make preparations for dinner, then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll help too.¡±

    Entrusting Schnee and Tiera with dinner, Shin headed to the smithy.

    He had already reinforced ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» and ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡», so he had more or less learned the ¡°trick¡± to it, more or less. Because of this, Shin was done in about one hour.

    Shin left the smithy and walked through the corridor towards the living room, when about five mels from the living room, he found Schnee standing there.

    ¡°Did everything go well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I made them all into Shinuchi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ve made some preparations too.¡±

    ¡°Preparations?¡±

    Schnee looked at Shin, somewhat fidgeting. He had no idea what she could have meant by ¡°preparations¡±. He found it puzzling that she was blushing though.

    Had something happened before dinner? So thought Shin, when Schnee abruptly started talking.

    ¡°W-will you have dinner first? Or have a bath? O-or, have¡­have m¡ª¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t say it till the end, and covered her red hot face with her hands. She was obviously too embarrassed. Her long ears, poking from her silver hair, were zing red too.

    ¡°Eh!? Wait a second, Schnee!!! If you say that much, you have to say it to the end!!!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t!! I can¡¯t do something as shameful as in-inviting Shin to¡­.!¡±

    After Schnee crouched down in embarrassment, Filma ¡ª who had been using a concealment skill ¡ª revealed herself.

    ¡°What are you even doing¡­.¡±

    Shin had noticed Filma¡¯s presence, so he looked at her as to say, ¡°I need an exnation¡±.

    ¡°I heard Cashmere and Hecate talk about it once. This is a wife¡¯s proper greeting to her husband in your world, right Shin? A great wee, to soothe the husband¡¯s exhaustion while also encouraging prosperity for the family line!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Schnee, who got all embarrassed like this¡­but that isn¡¯t a proper greeting or anything¡­some people do say it though.¡±

    Shin corrected Filma¡¯s information, careful not to touch upon the wife-husband part.

    He wanted to add that a phrase like that was only in manga, but he had actually seen his parents enact the situation once, so he couldn¡¯t deny it outright.

    ¡°Really? Hecate and Cashmere really said that they would have liked to wee their husbands like that, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard that too. Hecate was looking for a partner, wasn¡¯t she.¡±

    Shin remembered hearing something about that during one of their offline meetings.

    Rokuten members were mostly minors: Hecate was the only adult. As soon as she had found a job, she had quit being a hardcore gamer. For Shin, the impression of the real world Hecate was of a hard-working adult woman.

    She was slender, beautiful, with a dimple near her eye. Her personality wasn¡¯t bad either, so it was a mystery why she couldn¡¯t find a boyfriend.

    ¡°Well, putting Hecate aside¡­Filma, don¡¯t tease Schnee too much, okay?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t teasing her. Without some stimulus, the rtionship doesn¡¯t progress.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that here!¡±

    Like Shibaid, Filma also wanted Shin and Schnee to be one soon. The difference was that Filma used a very direct approach.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? If you disappear, then it¡¯s all over.¡±

    ¡°¡­.so you heard.¡±

    Filma seemed to know that Shin was looking for a way to return to his home world.

    ¡°Though, I have no clue about how to do it.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s precisely the reason why we should move now. If you find a way, it¡¯s all over, isnt it?¡±

    Filma was looking at Shin, but not in her usual joking way.

    ¡°Filma, that¡¯s enou¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but in regards to this, I¡¯m prioritizing Schnee over you, Shin. I¡¯m sure you know why, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Filma interrupted Schnee¡¯s words and pressed further. Shin knew the reason well, of course.

    Filma Tolmeya was Shin¡¯s second support character. She was without a doubt Shin¡¯s support character, but her original position was supporting Schnee. That influenced Filma in this world too.

    ¡°I understand, once again.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Filma!¡±

    Schnee interrupted Filma¡¯s words this time. Her powerful shout stopped Filma in her tracks.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shin. I¡¯ll talk with Filma properly about this.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Schnee! Are you really fine with th-¡±

    Filma was ready to double down, but Schnee put a finger over her mouth and smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m all right. I have no intention of giving up either.¡±

    ¡°¡­hah, okay then. I¡¯ll keep quiet for now.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s clear deration, in front of Shin too, made Filma give a small shrug and nod.

    ¡°But, you know.¡±

    The next instant, Filma took Schnee by surprise and stepped next to Shin, whispering something in his ear.

    ¡°Now I¡¯d join in too, you know?¡±

    Filma then kissed Shin¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°W-what!? Hey!!¡±

    ¡°Filma!?¡±

    ¡°Schnee, you have to do at least this much!¡±

    Filma fled into the living room before they could say anything else.

    To think she¡¯d go so far¡­thought Shin while touching his cheek and watching Filma go.

    ¡°S-Schnee? That look is kind of painful, you know¡­¡±

    Shin realized that she was staring at him and fretted. Schnee came closer, silent.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    She finally took Shin¡¯s head with her hands and pressed her lips on his.

    The pressure felt just nowpletely vanished, Schnee gave Shin a gentle kiss.

    ¡°I can¡­do this much.¡±

    She must have been nervous. After the kiss, she turned beet red again, as if opening a pressure valve.

    ¡°Le-let¡¯s go eat! Everyone¡¯s waiting!¡±

    Not able to endure the embarrassment anymore, Schnee fled into the living room just like Filma had done.

    ¡°¡­.what am I going to do?¡±

    Filma¡¯s concern for Schnee, Schnee¡¯s feelings for himself¡­he could understand them. However, However, Shin had not given up on returning to his home world.

    ¡°If that wasn¡¯t a possibility, I¡¯d be OK with it in a heartbeat.¡±

    Let¡¯s go back ¡ª so Marino had said before dying. Her words were deeply engraved in Shin¡¯s heart.

    Shin himself felt a longing for his home world. It wasn¡¯t just because he had spoken to Tiera about his past, but he strongly felt that he couldn¡¯t just throw away the world he was born and raised in so easily.

    ¡°Well, I better go now.¡±

    With a small sigh, Shin headed to the living room.

 Book 11: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°So this is the Shinuchi?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can see why Munechika and Mitsuyo were so smug.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After the meal, Shin gave Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Tsugu their respective Shinuchi, but their responses were all different. Only Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their excitement and interest, while Tsugu showed disappointment.

    ¡°Er, what happened to Tsugu?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it appears that I cannot transfer my consciousness into this de.¡±

    ording to Tsugu, the revival version of the katana could not serve as a vessel.

    ¡°The revival version won¡¯t do, then?¡±

    Based on what had happened until now, only weapons forged from scratch or obtained during the event could be used to transfer consciousness.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to go through that again¡­¡±

    Shin could forge ¡ºJuzumaru¡», but to do so would mean going through the same ordeal as when he repaired ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡». All weapon recipes were different too. Even though he was able to forge one of the Five Supreme des, it didn¡¯t mean that the others were any easier to make.

    ¡°No, you have already done enough for us. Enough with my selfishness.¡±

    Tsugu¡¯s whole body clearly expressed how dejected he was, but he epted the situation.

    ¡°Ooh, so this is how I change!¡±

    ¡°As expected, my change was simr to Munechika¡¯s.¡±

    Next to the resigned Tsugu, Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their joy and surprise at their new Shinuchi forms.

    Yasutsuna was still lean but now looked more muscr; his facial features were more solid and rugged, like a young general who had trained his technique and umted experience.

    Kunitsuna, like Munechika, was even more beautiful than before. Instead of gaining lustrous hair or whiter skin, she gain more prominent curves, giving her an hourss figure.

    ¡°How regretful¡­¡±

    Looking at his overjoyedrades, Tsugu¡¯s shoulders dropped even more.

    ¡°Munechika and now Kunitsuna!! Just what kind of joke is this!?!¡±

    Mitsuyo, who had already been made into a Shinuchi, shouted. It wasn¡¯t clear whether she was angry or crying.

    ¡°Shin! One more time, you have to reinforce me one more time! If you do, I will be like them toooo!!¡±

    Unable to ept the difference in their transformations, Mitsuyo pressed Shin.

    ¡°I¡­could¡­do it¡­but¡­in your case, Mitsuyo, it might go totally against your wishes¡­you changed in a waypletely different from them, after all.¡±

    Mitsuyo grabbed shin by the neck and shook him, but Shin freed himself from her grip and replied.

    ¡°Th-that can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Well actually, just because you¡¯re small doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not powerful. For example, dwarves, so¡­¡±

    Not all dwarves were short in stature: only some of the NPCs from the original game were smaller,pared to other species. Normally speaking, however, Shin¡¯s exnation was not too far off the mark.

    ¡°But why¡­why only me¡­¡±

    ¡°I really can¡¯t say.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s appearance settings were different from Munechika¡¯s and Kunitsuna¡¯s from the beginning. Shin thought that could be the reason, but was not sure, so he avoided saying anything clearly.

    ¡°Just give up. At least you were able to be a Shinuchi, unlike me. ¡±

    ¡°I know, I know¡­I just feel like acting a little spoiled.¡±

    Mitsuyo pouted and breathed deeply; maybe that helped her change her mood, as she didn¡¯t look irritated anymore.

    ¡°Oh, to think that you¡¯d act spoiled to someone other than us.¡±

    ¡°¡­.and what would you mean by that?¡±

    Tsuguughed innocently to Mitsuyo¡¯s evil smile.

    ¡°That you¡¯ve be much more expressive. Now, don¡¯t look so scary. It¡¯s just an old man¡¯s rambling.¡±

    ¡°Is it really okay for you to give us your Shinuchi, though? Even though you can replicate them, they must be valuable items for you Shin.¡±

    Munechika changed the topic and asked Shin about something that concerned her, but in response he took out two stacks of item cards.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, the more allies we have, the better. Oh, and take these, as miasma countermeasures.¡±

    Munechika couldn¡¯t tell what kind of items they were by looking at the cards¡¯ illustrations, so she looked a little lost.

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°These are essories and one-time use items. They¡¯re all easy to use; the essories just need to be equipped, while the items just have to touch miasma to activate.¡±

    What Shin gave Munechika were essories that neutralized up to a degree of miasma and items that could delete umted miasma. The one-time use items had a more powerful effect, but naturally could only be used once. The essories¡¯ effect was weaker, butsted much longer. Using them inbination grantedplete protection, as long as the miasma wasn¡¯t too dense.

    ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It would be a problem for me too if this ce was taken over. Besides, Yuzuha found apanion¡­.well, if I can call Kagutsuchi that. But she¡¯d be sad if it was hurt.¡±

    Shin then looked towards Yuzuha and Kagutsuchi, who were ying on the table.

    ¡°Did Kagutsuchi recover its powers, by the way?¡±

    ¡°Yes, its actual body was turned to crystal, right? A bit after you left to rescue Kunitsuna, the crystallization was dispelled. The chick form was just a copy housing Kagutsuchi¡¯s consciousness, but now it has returned to its actual form.¡±

    Just like Yuzuha, Kagutsuchi was apparently able to alter its form to a degree. It couldn¡¯t take human form however.

    ¡°Looks like it took a liking to that form. It gets all quiet if you hold it.¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha said something simr, now that I think about it. Its original form was huge, so it probably never experienced something like that.¡±

    Yuzuha had grown, but probably the little fox mode was the one she enjoyed the best. She often used it to sneak under the covers of Shin¡¯s bed and sleep too.

    In the game their role was to test yers, so maybe they were fond of humans.

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, is that so¡­.Shin, Kagutsuchi has something to tell you. Can you call yourrades too?¡±

    Kagutsuchinded on Munechika¡¯s shoulder and cried softly.

    As Shin¡¯s party gathered, they were invited to go outside.

    As they all did, Kagutsuchi flew from Munechika¡¯s shoulder, turning into a golden me.

    ¡°So this is Kagutsuchi¡¯s original form.¡±

    The golden me gradually formed beak and wings: in a few instants, it had be arge phoenix.

    ming sparks scattered all around, but emitted no heat.

    ¡°I thank you for your assistance.¡±

    Kagutsuchi¡¯s voice sounded with a deep gravity which well fitted its current appearance. The reverberating echo expressed the divine beast¡¯s presence adequately.

    ¡°As a gesture of thanks, I shall bestow the protection of my holy me upon you.¡±

    Shin and party were then enveloped by golden mes. This fire wasn¡¯t hot at all, and it disappeared after a few instants.

    The Gift list in Shin¡¯s menu then disyed the message ¡°NEW!¡±. Shin mentally opened the menu and found that the Gift ¡ºHoly mes Protection¡» had been added.

    Its effect was to weaken fire elemental damage exceeding a certain level. Below that level, it would be neutralized.

    In more concrete terms, only Schnee-level attacks could deal decisive damage. It was a very powerful protection, who could even be called fire damage nullifier.

    ¡°A-are you sure¡­sir?¡±

    Surprised, Shin replied casually, but thought that it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to speak like that to Kagutsuchi in its current form, so he corrected himself.

    Kagutsuchi did not seem to mind: after merely uttering ¡°I am¡±, it returned to its chick form.

    ¡°Piyo piyo.¡±

    Looking at how it pped its small wings, it looked like Kagutsuchi was saying ¡°it¡¯s all good, just take it and go¡±.

    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll make good use of it.¡±

    Kagutsuchi had nothing else to say, so the group returned inside Tsuki no Hokora.

    The following day, it was time to descend the mountain.

    ¡°Once more, we are in your debt. Doe visit again.¡±

    ¡°You have to!! Definitely!!¡±

    ¡°Please do before Mitsuyo explodes from impatience.¡±

    ¡°Take care in your travels.¡±

    ¡°My my, I doubt there¡¯s anything to worry about though.¡±

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    Shin¡¯s group left Fuji while Munechika, Mitsuyo, Tsugu, Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Kagutsuchi saw them off.

    Their next destination was a port town to find a ship heading to the Eltnia continent.

    The group crossed Aokigahara, boarded the horse carriage which, led by Kagerou, started running through Hinomoto¡¯s roads.

    Unlike before, they made sure to slow down to a normal speed every time they ran into groups of merchants or travelers, in order to not stand out.

    The reason was they had already heard rumors of a mysterious convoy running at an incredible speed on the roads around Fuji. Shin¡¯s party had traveled at high speed when they went looking for Kunitsuna too, so the rumor must have spread further.

    Luckily, the witnesses reported the mysterious cart to be running in the area opposite to the port town the group was directed to; if Kagerou was cloaked as a horse with illusion magic, they wouldn¡¯t stand out much anymore.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°As expected of a port town, there are some amazing fish dishes here.¡±

    Once they reached their destination, the group hid in a forest to change the carriage back to an item card, then proceeded on foot. Just walking aimlessly around town, they could see many stalls selling fresh fish. There were species Shin knew from his original world and monster fish sausages unique of this world, forming a wide range of products.

    ¡°Two weeks is a pretty long time¡­¡±

    Tiera sighed after learning of the passenger ship schedule. A ship had left just the day before, and it would be some time until the next one left port.

    The group was not exactly in a rush, but waiting two weeks in a town without any leisure activities was pretty boring, so they started looking for trade ships heading to the Eltnia continent.

    About one hourter, the party learned from a sailor that there was a ship nning to leave two dayster, so they went to negotiate a way to board it right away.

    At first, the crew rejected their overtures as they did not have enough space, but the captain ultimately epted them when Shin and his party said they would also act as escorts.

    Shin and Tiera¡¯s adventurer ranks were still low, but Shibaid had an A ranked adventurer card. It was a card that Shibaid used while still being able to hide his true identity. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild owed a lot to him, so they made an exception by issuing it.

    ¡°They probably wouldn¡¯t have let us on if it was just us without Shibaid.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Shin is rank D, and I¡¯m still F to boot. Master is rank C on paper, so I bet they think we¡¯re dead weight.¡±

    Tiera had been promoted to rank F after taking care of the aftermath of Balmel¡¯s defense battle.

    Some were of the opinion that she should have been promoted to a higher rank, but the offensive power of the bow which slew so many foes was not hers only, so she was only promoted one rank.

    The nature of Shin¡¯s aplishments had been a topic of much debate within the guild. There were apparently some disputes going on too, so he chose to head to Kilmont before finding out the results.

    Just before that, the business with the Church happened, so at present, no one actually knew what rank Shin was.

    ¡°The sea¡¯s more dangerous thannd, after all. The first time I fought at sea, it was really different, and I could hardly get the hang of it.¡±

    The same type of escort mission increased in rank if it was at sea instead ofnd.

    ¡°We¡¯re a party with an A-rank adventurer and all skill inheritors, that should be more than enough for them.¡±

    As Schnee said, now Tiera possessed skills too. Other than the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ skill Shin taught her, she had acquired skills for offense, support, etcetera.

    Tiera could use her bow, while Schnee, Shibaid, and Shin could use their skills to fight enemies above or below the water. Thanks to these negotiations, they could split their duties with the escorts already on board without trouble.

    Normally, ships protected themselves with long-range attacks. If worse came to worst, Shin¡¯s group could act as decoys to lure the enemies far from the ship where they could be shot: it was one of the possible strategies.

    Considering the crew and the ship¡¯s safety, no one would object to having an escort-specialized party on board.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be a peaceful trip this time.¡±

    The group spent the time prior to their departure by going over battle strategies and sightseeing. Two dayster, Shin and his party were onboard, gazing at the horizon. It did not look like they would be attacked by monsters such as the Gale Serpents; the ship proceeded without any dy.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many pirates or monsters in this part of the sea, but if anything happens, we¡¯ll be counting on you guys, all right?¡±

    Aral, an adventurer and the ship¡¯s permanent escort, approached the group. He had red hair cut short and features that reminded the others of a wild animal.

    Shin replied politely, not wanting to look like a cocky newbie adventurer.

    ¡°Please leave it to us. Our rank might be low, but we have some experience fighting at sea.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Though, unexpected things happen at sea. There¡¯s a rumor among sailors that a ghost ship appears in these parts, you know?¡±

    ¡°A ghost ship?¡±

    Aral¡¯s tone suggested that he just wanted to give Shin a scare. For Shin, however, it wasn¡¯t just a joke. One of the area bosses in the game era was a true ghost ship, that appeared in certain sea areas.

    Shin replied to Aral, asking him please not to scare them, and the adventurer grinned and left.

    ¡°The ship, hmm¡­¡±

    Shin remembered one of Rokuten¡¯s guildhouses, the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos. He heard that not even the Golden Company found it, so he thought that it might have been adrift somewhere.

    Unaware of Shin¡¯s thoughts, the ship¡¯s crew guided the ship with sails swelled in the wind and cut on through the waves. The weather did not turn sour and the ship sailed on under a perfectly blue sky. No traces of the ghost ships of Celciutos. Finally, two days after departure, the ship reached the Eltnia continent.

    ¡°So this is Barbatos the Marine City. You would think it¡¯s a city of pirates, with this name.¡±

    ¡°They say they have geothermal energy-powered hot water pools here, you know?¡±

    Filma, who had heard this piece of information from the captain, waved at the ship as the group disembarked.

    ¡°Pools, huh. They probably bathe in seawater normally though.¡±

    All sorts of dangerous monsters dwelt in the sea, and some were even able to move around onnd.

    Rather than building walls or settings to protect thend from the dangerous sea creatures, the buildings and leisure facilities werepletely separated from the sea and were therefore safer and easier to maintain. Because of this, the ¡°Marine City¡± did not have a single beach.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here, we might as well check it out if we have time. We don¡¯t have to worry about monsters. The baths are unlike the sea orkes, so it¡¯ll definitely be fun.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, once in a while we might as well forget our troubles and just y around.¡±

    Before being trapped in the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡», Filma barely had any freedom to enjoy leisure activities. Shin had also had no chance to really stretch and y around sinceing to this world, so he agreed to her proposal.

    ¡°We need to buy some swimsuits then. I guess we should eat something first?¡±

    The time was already past 1 PM. The group had decided to eat lunch at Barbatos, since they had not eaten anything after their breakfast.

    Shin and the others began looking for a ce to eat, while trying to calm down the overly excited Filma.

 Book 11: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    ¡°¡ªhere, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Cook¡¯s subordinates -Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell- should be here. But this is¡­.unexpected.¡±

    While heading toward Eltnia, Shin decided to stop by Barbatos because ¡°Shigureya,¡± Rokuten member Cook¡¯s home, was located there. Apparently, it still functioned as a restaurant.

    Four of Cook¡¯s subordinates, being long-lived races, were still active: the restaurant received guests from outside Barbatos too, or so said Aral.

    Just as they had heard, Shin¡¯s party found an incredibly long queue before them. People from all ages, genders, and species were neatly queued in one line.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s just a one hour wait, huh.¡±

    ¡°I sent a message, so there should be some action soon.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the queue and Schnee replied to him.

    After a while, two young girls ran out of the doors. They had very simr faces, horns on their heads, membranous wings on their backs, and scaly tails poking out from under their clothes.

    These two girls were Bell and Shell. Both had eyes deep red in color, but Bell¡¯s silver hair covered the right half of her face, while Shell¡¯s ck hair covered the left side of her face.

    ¡°They look just the same, even now.¡±

    Shin referred to Bell¡¯s kitchen frock and Shell¡¯s maid uniform. Based on this, the remaining two of the four were likely wearing one a cook¡¯s uniform, the other a kimono.

    ¡°Found Schnee!!¡±

    ¡°Found Filma!!¡±

    Bell and Shell pointed in the direction of Shin¡¯s party and shouted cheerfully. They mentioned Schnee¡¯s name, but as she was camouged, no one recognized her.

    ¡°Found Shibaid!¡±

    ¡°Found Sh¨C¡±

    ¡°Girls? Aren¡¯t you a bit too noisy?¡±

    Schnee interrupted as they were about to shout Shin¡¯s name. The girls instantly froze, just like frogs facing a snake¡¯s re.

    Shin and the others all thought the same thing: ah, she¡¯s angry.

    ¡°My message to Lapwing clearly stated not to create a fuss, did it not?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!!!¡±

    They probably ran out without listening until the end. The two apologized and quickly returned inside the store.

    ¡°This sort ofmotion feels nostalgic too¡­¡±

    ¡°Though, having our names shouted like that in public is pretty troublesome.¡±

    Because of the exchange with Bell & Shell, Shin¡¯s group had attracted some attention.

    As they thought that it would probably be better toe back some other time, Schnee suggested entering the restaurant from the back door. Lapwing had replied to her message, apparently.

    The group left the store¡¯s front and entered a backstreet that had little traffic. When they reached Shigureya¡¯s back door, they found a woman waiting.

    She was Lapwing, who had beenmunicating with Schnee via message.

    ck hair tied behind her head and a kimono designed with ease of movement in mind.

    Her green eyes had a gentle light within them, just as Shin remembered.

    ¡°I was waiting for you. I apologize for the trouble Bell and Shell caused.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m d to see that nothing seems to have changed.¡±

    Led by Lapwing, the group entered Shigureya and was led to a special private room.

    The restaurant, having exhausted their ingredient stock for the day, had just closed. Only those customers who were still eating were inside.

    ¡°Your meal will be ready soon, please wait.¡±

    After hearing that the group nned to eat lunch at Shigureya, Lapwing said ¡°leave it to us¡± and epted the request with enthusiasm. There were still ingredients left for the staff, apparently.

    ¡°Here is your water.¡±

    ¡°Please use these handkerchiefs.¡±

    As Lapwing left, Bell and Shell appeared inside. Their movements indicated that they still felt guilty in front of Schnee, but when she forgave them, they smiled while announcing today¡¯s menu.

    ¡°By the way, Zazie¡¯s cooking, right?¡±

    ¡°Zazie¡¯s focusing on cooking!!¡±

    ¡°When she gets like that nothing can stop her!¡±

    Bell and Shell replied to Shin¡¯s question, their expressions suggesting ¡°She¡¯s a helpless one, that girl!¡±

    ¡°Should I go call her?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to say hi. We¡¯ll probably meet herter anyway, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Shin shook his head to Bell and Shell¡¯s simultaneous question. He didn¡¯t feel like interrupting her cooking just for a greeting. In the past, Shigureya¡¯s boss and thus the head chef, was naturally Cook.

    Zazie and Lapwing were both vice-head chefs. Their cooking skills were on the same level. While in battle, Lapwing excelled inndbat and Zazie in sea encounters.

    Bell and Shell, the waitresses, did not excel in cooking but in terms of fighting power were both above Zazie and Lapwing.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡±

    Zazie and Lapwing came after the party finished eating, as if they had been waiting for the right timing. Next to the kimono-d Lapwing stood the slender yet muscr figure of Zazie, wearing her chef¡¯s frock. At first nce, it would be hard to tell that they worked in the same restaurant.

    In contrast with Lapwing¡¯s mellow, gentle manner, Zazie was the ¡°wild¡± type, well fitting her short red hair. She looked much more like an adventurer than a cook.

    ¡°Did you get even better at cooking?¡±

    ¡°If you truly think so, then my efforts have paid off.¡±

    Lapwing nodded with a smile.

    ¡°So, what brought you here today?¡±

    Zazie finally spoke, with a low-pitched voice well fitting her appearance. Her brown eyes gave an intense look, just an inch short of ring.

    ¡°I thought of paying you a visit, since we were in the area and all. Sorry to have you set a private room for us.¡±

    ¡°No, it would not do to inconvenience a friend of lord Cook.¡±

    Despite her words, Zazie¡¯s expression suggested that she found it all a pain in the butt.

    If one didn¡¯t know that her sour expression was something she was born with, it would look like she was really irritated.

    ¡°¡­let me ask one thing. Mr. Shin, have you note because of that rumor?¡±

    ¡°Zazie, please. It¡¯s ¡®lord¡¯ Shin.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. Rather, what¡¯s this about a rumor?¡±

    Shin appeased Lapwing and asked for further details about the rumor.

    ¡°In Barbatos¡¯ seas, there¡¯s an area called Kuwain. A sailor ims to have seen a gigantic ship there. He is an elf, who knew what Celciutos looks like too.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that the ship in question was Celciutos?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin with a sharp re.

    The light in her eyes came from the strong resolve of looking for and finding Celciutos ¡ª the Guildhouse of her master, Cook.

    ¡°Change of ns then. Tell us more about the current situation. If possible, we¡¯ll secure it.¡±

    The ghost ship mentioned by Aral¡­Shin thought that it could be what they were looking for.

    Apparently, the elf who had seen the mysterious ship was not in Barbatos anymore: he hade to report to Zazie and the others that he had seen Celciutos several years before.

    ¡°Is that elf someone¡¯s support character?¡±

    ¡°No, to put it in simple terms for you, he¡¯s just an NPC. He used to work in Erculus harbor and had the chance to see Celciutos several times, so he remembered its appearance.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that it stopped a few times in Erculus. The probability that he had just made a mistake is pretty low then.¡±

    Erculus was a hometown that prospered as a port in the game era. Other than ships of all sizes, ship-shaped guildhouses could anchor there too.

    Even without dropping anchor at a port, all Rokuten members could teleport directly from their guildhouses or homes. There also was a support character set exclusively to refill supplies, so no one else had to do that.

    However, as it was a ship, they would asionally use ports temporarily. One reason was to show off the grand, luxurious vessel that Celciutos was.

    ¡°Where exactly is this Kuwain area?¡±

    ¡°ording to fishermen and sailors of trade ships, it¡¯s the area above Hinomoto when departing from Barbatos. It¡¯s not sealed, but it¡¯s designated as a dangerous marine zone, so the guild forbids entering it.¡±

    Zazie answered with a grimace, which Lapwing exined to be due to the guild¡¯s refusal to allow them entry in the Kuwain area when they requested it.

    ¡°What exactly does ¡°Dangerous Marine Zone¡± mean?¡±

    ¡°The Kuwain area is surrounded by three powerful currents, as if forming a triangle. Each corner of this triangle has also be the home of monsters which protect their respective territories. Until a few years back, the monsters just scared away those who tried to enter their zone, but now people say that they started attacking and destroying ships: even in areas that were previously peaceful. Now there are frequent storms violent enough to overthrow evenrge-size ships.¡±

    Lapwing continued Zazie¡¯s exnation, finishing by putting a hand to her cheek and sighing.

    Storms alone would be enough of a problem, but with monsters involved too, it was not wrong for the guild to seal off the area to inspect it, or so Shin thought.

    There were three monsters guarding the Kuwain area, called the Three Sea Beasts.

    In the northwest, a giant squid with 20-mels limbs and magic-unleashing gems, ¡°Mascurda¡±.

    In the southeast, a shark with razor-sharp fins and poisonous needles growing all over its body, ¡°Eolios¡±.

    In the southwest, a sea snake with body hair andpound eyes as tough as steel and even crab-like pincers, ¡°Keseldran¡±.

    These three monsters,manding their minions, constantly fought to expand their territories, so very few returned from the Kuwain area alive, added Lapwing.

    The elf who had spotted Celciutos had nearly died there himself: his ship overthrown, he was carried by the currents and ended up inside the Kuwain area. He was prepared to meet his end, or so he said.

    After spotting Celciutos, he exhausted his energy and sank beneath the waves, but when he woke up again he found himself floating near the Barbatos coast, hanging onto a wooden nk like a floating tube. A passing ship then rescued him, so he had barely survived.

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something strange going on there.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Based on the sea environment, it¡¯s probably Beasts, maybe mermen or fishmen.¡±

    Shin also agreed with Lapwing¡¯s hypothesis.

    In THE NEW GATE, human-like sea creatures were called ¡°Mermen¡±, while the ones more simr to fish were called ¡°Fishmen¡±. Both categories were variations of the Beast group, specialized in underwaterbat: they could dive without limits and all their stats grew by 10% while underwater. In exchange, their stats decreased by 10% when onnd.

    Underwater, all obstacles to their movement disappeared, so they boasted peerless strength at sea.

    Some yers employed strategies such as using this unlimited diving ability to drown other yers and win. Having unusual names and statuses, they had a unique position within the Beast category.

    ¡°Based on what that elf said, even if entry is forbidden it¡¯s not like there are walls or anything, right? Couldn¡¯t we just sneak in?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible, but to inspect the area we¡¯d need a ship of fairlyrge size, so it would be difficult to enter without the guild¡¯s permission, I suppose.¡±

    Lapwing and the others could not procure an inspection ship of sufficient size, so their request was refused.

    In the game, Shin had experienced the sea during a storm. Wavesrge enough to knock over evenrge ships, unless they had magic enchantments to prevent it, weremon in this world. Average ships wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    ¡°I guess that means we should get permission first. Do you know what the conditions are?¡±

    ¡°To own a ship equal or superior to a certain size. The presence of an adventurer rank A or above. To have equipment suitable for fighting underwater. Those three should be all the conditions. Naturally, there isn¡¯t anypensation in case of death or injury. Going to that area is seen as having a death wish, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡±

    Shin agreed to Lapwing¡¯s words. Even excluding the three Sea Beasts, the Kuwain zone was rife with monsters. Just by hearing what Zazie and Lapwing said, Shin could tell how troublesome the area could be.

    Originally, sea monsters appeared in the ocean much more frequently than monsters did onnd. Footing was not stable and attacks coulde from any direction. Additionally, if the enemy is underwater attacking then options be limited.

    In the game era, there were plenty of tales of yers who had made a name for themselves onnd, but then died as soon as they challenged the seas.

    The three Sea Beasts were powerful monsters around level 800, so their minions would obviously be quite threatening as well. Zazie and herrades had been raised focusing more on creation skills such as cooking rather than fighting, so it would have been difficult for them to return alive.

    ¡°First of all, what we need is a ship.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shin, do you have anything in mind?¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin with an expression full of anticipation.

    ¡°Well actually, I have the parts. If I can have a ce to put them together, I can make a ship.¡±

    Celciutos was extremelyrge and powerful even among all other magic-powered warships: in THE NEW GATE, it was one of the best super dreadnoughts existing. Its maintenance parts were in absurd quantities, most of them being made by the cksmith, Shin. Arge quantity of prototype and spare parts for ships thus rested in Shin¡¯s item box.

    Shin kept the parts in separate folders, ording to the size of the ship they were for. He could exchange parts and customize ships, as long as the sizes were the same.

    ¡°As expected of Lord Shin!! Let us make preparations right away!!¡±

    The overjoyed Lapwing was ready to burst out of the room.

    ¡°Can you really have a ce ready that easily? I can¡¯t just build it anywhere, you know?¡±

    In the game all one had to do was to go to the port¡¯s management office and register to build a ship, but in reality things could not surely be that easy.

    ¡°We are having a ship built in an acquaintance¡¯s shipyard. I feel bad for the carpenters, but we will borrow that space.¡±

    ¡°Is that alright? I mean, in terms of your rtionship with them.¡±

    If there was a ce avable, they wanted to start right away, but saying that they didn¡¯t need the requested ship anymore could be a problem.

    ¡°I think it will be alright. That carpenter wouldn¡¯t care about small things if it meant honing their techniques. Rather, I¡¯m sure he will look at the ship you make and try to steal your techniques.¡±

    Zazie added that the carpenter would probably want to watch as the ship was made in ce of his.

    ¡°Can you take me there right away, then? I want to make preparations and go to Kuwain as soon as possible.¡±

    The two girls nodded at Shin¡¯s words and stood up. Having left the dishwashing to Bell and Shell, Zazie and Lapwing guided Shin¡¯s group towards arge avenue. They had not changed before leaving, as their clothing had magic enchantments that kept them and their equipment clean at all times. It wasn¡¯t something useful in battle, but Cook stated that it was absolutely necessary. Shin reminisced about making them with Cashmere and Hecate¡¯s help.

 Book 11: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°As expected of a shipyard, it¡¯s really huge.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group visited a shipyard located at the edge of the port. Despite its location, it didn¡¯t lose to other shipyards in size. The group followed Zazie to the docks and found two galleons hanging in midair, suspended by fixtures. Next to them was a ship in the process of being built, probably the one requested by Zazie and herrades.

    The workers noticed Zazie¡¯s arrival and one of them called to arge man who was a bit farther away from them.

    The man then came closer; he was of short stature, but about two times wider than the average person, with a stocky and muscr physique.

    ¡°Hey there, Zazie. The ship is still in the works, ya know?¡±

    Judging from the man¡¯s familiar tone, he must have been on good terms with Zazie. Shin imagined him to be one of the chief carpenters.

    ¡°I came to talk about that ship. This guy is an acquaintance of ours, an adventurer named Shin. This man is the boss and chief carpenter of this Gourd Shipyard, Zigma Gourd, but everyone just calls him chief.¡±

    Zazie did the introductions; Shin had told her that he didn¡¯t want to attract attention where other people could see, so she had kept the introductions to a bare minimum. Lapwing fretted, looking at her.

    ¡°Calm down, Lapwing.¡±

    ¡°Zazie, isn¡¯t that way of speaking a bit rude?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Shin isn¡¯t the type of person to care about things like that.¡±

    Even while Schnee added a helpfulment, Zazie continued talking with Zigma. She told him to suspend making the ship and Zigma looked at Shin.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something to talk about here I wager. Let¡¯s go to the back, follow me.¡±

    The group followed Zigma¡¯s pounding steps to a small room in the back of the office. After drinks were served, Zigma started talking.

    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you need the ship anymore? I know the reason why you needed it, why you¡¯re so bent on this. I don¡¯t think you can find a recement so easily.¡±

    To have a normal ship, one just needed to pay the right amount of money. Kuwain was an extremely dangerous marine area with powerful storms though. A ship that had itsrge size as its only advantage was still doomed to sink.

    ¡°I know you girls, you can¡¯t have given up, right? Thed here is involved in it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Shin is going to make the ship.¡±

    ¡°Say what now?¡±

    Zigma looked at Shin again, straight and deeply, as if to scan what kind of person he was.

    ¡°Yes, I would like to borrow the space where that ship is being built.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the materials? In order to make a ship like the guild specified, the materials alone cost an arm and a leg, ya know that?¡±

    ¡°I have the parts already, yes. There was no other good ce to put them together, so¡­¡±

    Saying so, Shin put an item card on the table.

    ¡°An item card, huh. It¡¯s true that it would make carrying materials easy. But just having the parts isn¡¯t enough to build a ship, how about that?¡±

    Building a ship required a certain amount of manpower. Even if parts and tools were turned into item cards, Shin¡¯s group was just five people. With three of them being women, Zigma appeared skeptical that they could build a ship by themselves.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want this to be known, but¡­using skills, I¡¯d make do somehow.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, so you¡¯re a skill inheritor.¡±

    Zigma nodded, convinced.

    Skills allowed the use of powers well beyond human understanding. The item box, which allowed children to carry items of massive weight, was simr also.

    From the viewpoint of someone who did not understand skills, it was something impossible toprehend. Shin¡¯s way of speaking was due to him being an inheritor, and Zigma recognized that.

    He was a creator, but also a businessman. The contract had been canceled unterally, but Zazie said that they would pay the full price, so he acknowledged their request.

    ¡°Well, business¡¯s business, if ya pay I got nothing to say.¡±

    ¡°It sure doesn¡¯t look like that, though?¡±

    As Zazie pointed out, even if Zigma said to be content, his sour expression suggested otherwise.

    ¡°Can ya me me? Building ships is my lifework. I haven¡¯t spared anything, not materials nor technique, in the ship we¡¯re making now. I can swear that it¡¯d be my life¡¯s masterpiece.¡±

    He was surely confident; Zigma¡¯s expression did not contain an inch of arrogance.

    ¡°That said, Zazie. Your expression tells me that thed here can build something a hell of a lot better than I can. You know my skills, and here we have someone you trust that much. You bet I¡¯m interested.¡±

    ¡°You never change, do you. Shin, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright with him.¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin, as if to encourage him to show Zigma his skill usage.

    Zigma¡¯s attitude and the halfway built ship clearly showed that he had pride in his expertise, so Shin decided that he could let Zigma see his skills.

    ¡°¡­don¡¯t tell anyone else about what you see or hear, and never mention that you saw me. If you can promise me these two things, then it¡¯s all right.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. Whatever I see or hear, I¡¯ll bring with me into the grave. If there¡¯s something I can steal, will ya let me?¡±

    ¡°Take anything you can. I won¡¯t stop you for using it as reference for other work.¡±

    ¡°Now this is one cockyd. I¡¯m getting excited here!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t possible to make a skill into your own just by looking at it. Looking at thepleted ship and using it as reference for other projects was no problem for Shin.

    In contrast, Zigma nodded, an evil-looking grin on his face. His pride as an artisan was burning, without a doubt.

    As there were no separators or barriers within the shipyard, Shin would put together the ship after the other carpenters left. The group split with Zazie and Lapwing for the moment, who would return to Shigureya, and headed to the guild.

    ¡°Hopefully they give us permission without too much of a fuss.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself, even if he knew that it would be difficult. Filma, who was looking around at Barbatos¡¯ town scenery, heard him and replied:

    ¡°Judging from what Zazie said, won¡¯t it be pretty impossible? I doubt they¡¯d easily let anyone go in a ce if they know it means having a death wish.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the current owners of Shigureya, though. The guild or the government might not want to lose such talent like that.¡±

    ¡°That is probably it. Shigureya would turn into a warehouse if they were to be gone.¡±

    Shibaid said that even with the ship their chances of being authorized were low, and Schnee agreed.

    Homes could usually be essed by others only if the owner was inside or together with the visitor. This was the same for Shin¡¯s Tsuki no Hokora too; now that it was inhabited, only Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou ¡ª other than support characters like Schnee ¡ª could enter it.

    Yuzuha because she had a contract with Shin, Tiera because Schnee registered her as Tsuki no Hokora member when she took her under her wing, and Kagerou for the same reason as Yuzuha.

    If Zazie and herpanions were to die, in this world only Shin would be allowed to enter Shigureya, as he had a special authorization due to being a member of Rokuten.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how Zazie and the others were treated in Barbatos, but imagined that they wouldn¡¯t want them to go into such dangerous areas.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just try. We better gather info about the monsters that appear in these parts too.¡±

    Just knowing about what they could face would be very helpful, the authorization could alsoeter. Is what Shin thought, when Tiera-who had not spoken a word until then-called to him.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. Fighting at sea will be something like when we fought the Gale Serpents in the stormst time right?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah, but we could also have to fight underwater. I don¡¯t think Celciutos could sink, as it has a diving function too. If, for some malfunction, it sinks underwater, we¡¯d have to dive to recover it.¡±

    Shin could turn any equipment into equipment usable underwater.

    He had already done it to all party members¡­he thought, and then remembered that Tiera¡¯s equipment had been updated.

    ¡°Oh yeah, we have to do ¡°that¡± one more time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything weird this time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Stop saying things that could be misunderstood¡­the design is random, I tell you. I was surprised myself that you got that of all things.¡±

    A small ident happenedst time Shin attached the underwater function to Tiera¡¯s equipment. It was a very rare case, but for a woman such a design was a bit¡­no, extremely revealing. It was doubly rare, as it rarely appeared and Shin had never seen anyone wear it.

    ¡°I was more surprised!! What in the world was that, anyway? Even if it was to swim underwater, t-to wear that outside¡­would make me some perverse woman!!¡±

    Remembering the incident, Tiera blushed fiercely and protested.

    ¡°Calm down, please! You¡¯re too loud!¡±

    Fortunately, there were few people around them, but they had attracted the attention of all those few, so the group hurried away.

    As they walked on, Shibaid casted an inquiry.

    ¡°Shin, what happened to Tiera? It could not have been something trivial, if she showed such strong emotions in public.¡±

    ¡°When I attached the underwater function to her equipment, well, there was a small ident. Clothes and armor be a swimsuit, right? She had a rather risque one.¡±

    Shin thought that it was pretty easy on the eyes, but did not dare voice his thoughts.

    ¡°Hmm, I see. There are many more variations for women than men, after all. I remember that there are also quite a few bizarre ones too.¡±

    ¡°Some of them are more embarrassing than being naked. I had something pretty crazy too. Are you sure it¡¯s really random, hmm?¡±

    ¡°I said it is! If I could choose, I¡¯d pick the current one from the start.¡±

    Shin replied firmly to Filma¡¯s teasing. If he didn¡¯t, Schnee¡¯s eyes would throw even sharper daggers into his back.

    ¡°I heard that nothing like that happened in Schnee¡¯s case though?¡±

    ¡°Just a coincidence, I tell you.¡±

    Tiera and Filma had very revealing designs, but Schnee had her current one the first time, so it was decided right away.

    Depending on the viewpoint, however, one could say that in Schnee¡¯s case any design would have worked.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? I think that¡¯s the one that looks best on her.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t neglecting Schnee, or so he strongly stated. There were no lies there.

    ¡°You heard that?¡±

    Filma grinned and turned towards Schnee, who was walking behind her.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything.¡±

    Schnee looked the other way, but judging from her twitching ears, she surely didn¡¯t look displeased.

    ¡°Heh, just as nned.¡±

    ¡°Tch, that was on purpose!?¡±

    Shin groaned towards the chuckling Filma.

    ¡°Enough about the equipment, there¡¯s the guild.¡±

    Shin looked forward in response to Shibaid¡¯s announcement and saw a building very simr to the ones he had seen in Bayreuth and Falnido. The signboard also showed that there was no mistake.

    ¡°By the way, Filma, were you registered in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? No, why? When I was active people were still recovering from the confusion caused by the Dusk of the Majesty, so there weren¡¯t cross-continental organizations like the guild.¡±

    ¡°Guess we should do that then. You¡¯d get an ID too.¡±

    At present, for Shin¡¯s group that was how much a Guild card was worth. Selling the materials they had meant that they were never out of funds. For gathering information too, as Shibaid was rank A, it wasn¡¯t necessary for Shin and the others to raise their own ranks.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same inside too, huh.¡±

    The interior of the guild had reception counters to the right, a tavern to the left and a board with requests in the center, the usualposition.

    The only differences were the species and equipment of the adventurers inside. Probably because of Barbatos being close to the sea, they could see mermen and fishmen here and there. Shin also noticed several Rare and Unique ss items, probably picked from the seafloor.

    ¡°Wee to the Barbatos branch of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. How may I assist you?¡±

    A woman with light blonde hair was at the reception.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to register her as an adventurer.¡±

    Shin knew the guild¡¯s regtions, so they skipped the various exnations and proceeded with the registration.

    ¡°¡ª-registrationplete. Your card will be ready for pick up tomorrow.¡±

    As before, it took one day to issue the card.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here, I¡¯d like to ask you something. About the authorization to enter the Kuwain area, is it possible to receive it if we¡¯re having a ship ready soon?¡±

    ¡°The authorization to enter¡­the Kuwain area¡­?¡±

    Few people probably ever asked about it. The receptionist seemed to have no idea about what Shin was talking about.

    ¡°Yes, I heard that either the guild or the state¡¯s authorization was needed in order to enter it. How does it work?¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment¡­our staff needs to see the actual ship before granting authorization. There is a past case of people heading to sea with a ship of smaller size than the one reported in the request and disappearing, you see.¡±

    The receptionist talked while looking at a document, probably listing the regtions. In the case she cited, some fishermen had witnessed the requester leaving port.

    ¡°Understood. I wille again once we have the ship then.¡±

    ¡°You can present your request first, if you wish to. The staff can fill in the ship¡¯s information when they inspect it, so the procedures can be a bit quicker.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. Yes, I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Thinking that saving time was always wee, Shin filled in the required fields of the request form.

    ¡°Your name is¡­Shin, I see. Please present your guild card too.¡±

    Shin handed in the filled request form and the receptionist checked it andpared it with his guild card.

    ¡°You are rank D? I¡¯m afraid that even if you have a ship, you would not be granted the authorization.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rank A in my party. That means there¡¯s no problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is correct, but¡­if you do not mind me confirming, you are the party leader, lord Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Could you please tell me the ranks of your party members?¡±

    Despite the presence of a rank A, the party leader was rank D. The receptionist probably found it strange.

    Some adventurers deliberately set lower-ranked members as leader, in order to let them umte experience. There was no reason to use an inexperienced leader when going to a ce like Kuwain, however.

    ¡°We have one C and one F, then two partner monsters. Depending on the circumstances, other members could join uster too.¡±

    Zazie and the others would probablye with them too, but as Shin didn¡¯t know if they were registered as adventurers or not, he kept things vague on purpose.

    ¡°Thank you. Do you know what the conditions for the authorization are?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The presence of an A-rank adventurer, a ship equal to or superior to a certain size, equipment usable underwater, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡±

    Shin repeated the conditions he heard from Zazie.

    ¡°Yes, that is correct. Is your equipment ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, for all party members. Do you need to check that too?¡±

    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, but it is policy to do so. I do not mean to doubt your abilities, lord Shin. We simply wish to keep the risk of losing valuable adventurers to minimum levels.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I also wish to show you that we have no intention of going to die.¡±

    With the ship and equipment Shin can provide, a stormy sea or two would be a piece of cake. Based on the members of his party too, unless something incredible happened, no one even risked being injured.

    However, He couldn¡¯t let the guild know everything. Shin¡¯s techniques were far too advanced for this world; if he revealed them without thinking, he risked creating amotion.

    Shin was thus thinking of masking the ship when it was time to show it too.

    ¡°If possible, I would like to know about the monsters present in the Kuwain area though.¡±

    Information about monsters heavily varied based on the area, but the guild recorded everything the adventurers reported. Knowing how to counter the monsters influenced the adventurers¡¯ survival rate greatly.

    The adventurer¡¯s job always required their lives to be on the line, so it was absolutely necessary for them to pay attention to monster information.

    ¡°You may find such information in the reference room.¡±

    The documents avable varied by rank, but in general all documents except the ones concerning monsters in dangerous dungeons or sealed areas were avable.

    The monsters in the Kuwain area were also reported to dwell in other areas, so Shin¡¯s group could browse the information about them, excluding the three Sea Beasts.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°Once your ship is ready, pleasee to the reception again. If I am not present, please say that Arno Toole received your request, I¡¯ll make sure it can be processed.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I wille again th¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies. There is something else I need to speak to you about, lord Shin.¡±

    Shin was about to call on Schnee and the others to go to the reference room, when Arno stopped him.

    ¡°Something else?¡±

    ¡°There are about ten requests specifically for you.¡±

    ¡°Requests for me, huh. I¡¯m truly sorry, but I have something urgent to do and cannot ept them.¡±

    ¡°Understood. As you cannot ept the requests, you will have to sign the request forms. Please wait in that booth, I will prepare the necessary documents.¡±

    Arno pointed at a small booth next to the reception counter. Shin told Schnee and the others to wait, then sat on the sofa closest in the booth.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. These are the request forms.¡±

    Shin took the forms and signed the field stating that he could not ept the request.

    He looked at the requesters while signing and found names and locations he remembered, such as Bayreuth kingdom or Balmel.

    ¡°Here, this should be all of them.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, no problem.¡±

    Arno checked the forms and nodded.

    ¡°Is this really alright with you, though? The connections you could obtain through these requests all seem very valuable.¡±

    Arno exined that the adventurers who quit the guild to enter an exclusive contract with nobles or merchants, to ensure a stable lifestyle, were not few.

    ¡°I became an adventurer for a certain goal, so I¡¯m not thinking of serving anyone until I have achieved that you see.¡±

    ¡°I see. A-rank adventurers are really different from the rest, after all.¡±

    Arno gave a small chuckle after saying this, but Shin was a bit confused.

    ¡°Er, you¡¯re talking about my party member?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about you, lord Shin. I checked it before, when I processed your request. Because of your achievements in the Balmel defense battle, your promotion to rank A has been decided.¡±

    The long discussion ended with the decision of promoting Shin to rank A.

    With Shibaid present, they could check any documents, so it wasn¡¯t really meaningful, but apparentlymunication had been sent throughout the continent.

    ¡°Stating you¡¯re rank D when you¡¯re actually rank A¡­that¡¯s not nice, lord Shin. I was really surprised when I checked your guild card.¡±

    It was very rare for adventurers to jump directly from rank D to rank A. To be sure it wasn¡¯t a mistake, Arno had asked other staff members to confirm it too.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that either until now though.¡±

    ¡°There are several adventurers named Shin, but who would have thought you were the one who acted in the Balmel defense battle. The name ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡± has reached even Barbatos, you know.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­..that too.¡±

    Shin would have loved for that nickname to spread as little as possible, so he wished to be able to disappear among the other Shins.

    ¡°After such great achievements, it is only right for you to be evaluated fairly. But I¡¯m d, now I can send you off with fewer concerns. It is always painful when someone I assisted doesn¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°It will be alright, as you can see it turns out I¡¯m rank A, so I¡¯ll be back in a sh. I¡¯m not going to Kuwain just to hunt monsters after all.¡±

    The goal of Shin party was to secure Celciutos. In case it was within the territory of one of the Sea Beasts, they could have to fight them. There was no need toe in contact with them or fight them however.

    The Sea Beasts¡¯ forces were at odds with each other, so they were likely to prioritize maintaining their territories and would not venture outside them. Defeating one could cause the others to attack ships or ports, thus it did not hold much meaning.

    ¡°If possible, could I know what your goal is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s not something as fixed as to be called a goal, though. If I had to give it a name, I¡¯d say it¡¯s adventure.¡±

    ¡°Adventure, sir?¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be good to have them look in too deep into his motives, so Shin used the response he had previously thought up.

    ¡°Unknown seas where man fears to tread¡­will there be something there, or maybe nothing? Wishing to know that is also what makes an adventurer, isn¡¯t it? To seek the passion of adventure.¡±

    ¡°Passion, is that so.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well you could also say I¡¯m a reckless idiot.¡±

    There really were areas, called untrodden domains, which people very rarely visited. Shin found about them by coincidence, when he was looking through documents in Falnido.

    Some adventurers made a living by entering such areas and finding rare items or exploring ruins. Shin decided to present his party as belonging to such a category.

    ¡°Not at all, there are many locations that have been discovered by such people. No one would call them idiots.¡±

    ¡°If you said that, I feel more confident.¡±

    ¡°As I am sure you know, fighting at sea ispletely different than fighting onnd. The monsters are peculiar too, but fighting in a field like the sea means that if you simply fall in, your movements will be limited. We die if we cannot breathe, and if the current sweeps us away and we lose our sense of direction, only death awaits. Please, do not let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will not.¡±

    Working in a guild in a port town, she surely knew well how terrifying the sea could be. Arno¡¯s words and expression clearly showed that she was genuinely worried about Shin and his party.

    ¡°Please forgive me if I sounded patronizing.¡±

    ¡°No, I understand you said that out of concern for our safety. I am aware of how dangerous the sea can be, but I will be even more careful.¡±

    Shin then went to join Schnee and the others to go to the reference room. There they looked up information about the monsters dwelling in the Kuwain area andpared them to what they knew. Being a forbidden area, there was not a lot of information, but there were not great differences with what they knew from the game era.

    ¡°The problem is the three Sea Beasts turning so violent. It¡¯ll be easier if they don¡¯te to attack us, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    On the way back from the guild to the shipyard, Shin sighed.

    In the game, the monsters called Sea Beasts did not attack unless provoked. ording to Zazie¡¯s information, however, now they indiscriminately attacked anyone they saw.

    ¡°What shall we do if we damage them and they do not withdraw?¡±

    Shin held his chin, thinking about how to answer Schnee¡¯s question.

    ¡°We could escape if we stop their movements, but they¡¯re faster than us in the water¡­¡±

    It would be difficult to make the monsters lose sight of the party, even with status effects such as ¡¾Paralyze¡¿ or ¡¾Confusion¡¿.

    ¡°We either stop them with binding skills, or through brute force.¡±

    One method would be repeatedly striking them with lightning-element attacks to forcefully disrupt the control of their bodies. Doing so would prevent them from following the party.

    If binding, like status effects, turned out to be ineffective, the only way was to inflict enough damage to slow down their movements.

    ¡°Could we distract them with some lure?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all really huge, though¡­¡±

    Shin considered Filma¡¯s decoy strategy too. The 3 Sea Beasts, however, were all muchrger than Shin¡¯s party. They had no idea about the size of lurerge enough to distract them.

    Turning it into an item card would mean the weight was not a problem, but procuring such a lure would be very difficult. Even if they used Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s creation device, using precious ingredients filled with unique magic as a lure sounded like a waste.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they just swallow us whole while the lure¡¯s materializing anyway?¡±

    That was the greatest concern. If the monsters ate them up while the item was still appearing, it would be all for nothing.

    ¡°¡­you¡¯d be okay, Shin.¡±

    ¡°My HP would, sure! But mentally I wouldn¡¯t!!¡±

    Shin wouldn¡¯t enjoy having to cut his way out from the monster¡¯s belly. Filma¡¯s idea was obviously out.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to build the ship first¡­¡±

    Shin emitted a tired sigh and put off the conclusion to the problem forter.

 Book 11: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    Shin¡¯s group arrived again at the shipyard just as the usual workday wasing to an end. Peeking inside, they saw the workers starting to clean up before leaving for the day.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back, huh.¡±

    Zigma spotted the group right away and approached them.

    ¡°Yes. What about Zazie and the others?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already in the back. Want me to go call them?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll head over there ourselves. I guess it¡¯ll take some more time until the workers leave anyway.¡±

    ¡°You got a point there.¡±

    In the room where they had spoken with Zigma earlier that day, Shin found Shigureya¡¯s members, as the chief carpenter had said.

    They killed time chatting, then headed to the work area after they made sure the workers had all gone home.

    ¡°What did you do with the ship you were working on?¡±

    ¡°Zazie turned it into a card. After all, it would be a waste to just dispose of it.¡±

    The chief had no intention of throwing away the materials.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to work right away, then.¡±

    Shin nodded to Zigma¡¯s words and started choosing the parts he needed from the item box. From Zigma¡¯s viewpoint, it probably looked like Shin was drawing something in the air with his index finger.

    ¡°It¡¯ll only take an instant, so please make sure you don¡¯t blink.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Shin activated the skill and the ship¡¯spleted ns appeared in his head. In the game, they would have appeared in a separate menu window.

    Where there were missing or excess parts, the ns would sh red. In the map in Shin¡¯s head, however, there were no red spots.

    ¡°¡¾Creation¡¿!¡±

    Shin activated a keymand and the item cards swirled in midair, shining brightly. The lights, as if they had a will of their own, changed shape and formed a ship.

    ¡°Wh-what in zes¡­!?¡±

    Zigma¡¯s utterly surprised voice escaped his lips. He had probably expected a skill thatbined all of the ship¡¯s parts in an instant. Seeing the lights change shape in front of his eyes would have surely been shocking had he not known about the skill.

    A few moments after the lights started changing shape, a ship not unlike arge cruiser, was formed.

    ¡°Our main objective is exploration, so I focused on movement and defense.¡±

    The ships created by yers had different performance based on the parts used. Shin had chosen parts that would allow the ship to move with agility even during storms, and resist surprise attacks from monsters. It looked like a ship that would travel by floating on the sea, but it was actually a magic vessel that could also submerge if necessary.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­what is even going on here!?¡±

    ¡°This skill lets you instantlybine the parts you have into the finished product. Well, even I can¡¯t exin why it looks like lights changing shape though.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say that it was a video game¡¯s visual effect.

    ¡°Can I touch it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going¡­.to inspect it too.¡±

    As soon as Shin had consented, Zigma rushed towards the ship with the eyes of a carnivore pouncing on newly spotted prey. It looked like he had only listened to the first word Shin said.

    ¡°Nghwaaahhh!! What¡¯s this smooth coating!? Not a single wrinkle. The dense magic power contained in each part. But it¡¯s all harmonised together, forming an even stronger bond!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was rendered speechless for a while by Zigma¡¯s sudden change.

    The chief jumped on board of the docked ship and analyzed the materials and techniques used in its creation, his eyes blood-red. He hugged the ship tight, as if licking its surface, in order to analyze it: he almost looked like he had used some dangerous substance.

    ¡°Chief, you really should calm down a little.¡±

    ¡°Hah!? What was I doing!?¡±

    Zigma regained lucidity thanks to a chop from Zazie. His enthusiasm had not simmered though, and he started bombarding Shin with questions about which processing techniques he had used.

    ¡°I said calm down.¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    A chop slightly stronger than the one before collided with Zigma¡¯s head. Zazie was showing less and less restraint.

    ¡°You only need to look at it to know how it was made, don¡¯t you chief?¡±

    ¡°Kh, this is frustrating, frustrating I tell ya¡­if only I was 20 years younger, I¡¯d plead him to make me his disciple, even if I had to throw away everything I had!¡±

    Zigma¡¯s passionate words convinced everyone that he was speaking from the heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s just impossible. Mr. Shin¡¯s techniques are just out of this world¡­and that¡¯s an understatement.¡±

    ¡°Gah, hearing that makes it all the more frustrating.¡±

    The chief¡¯s artisan spirit was definitely burning. His eyes sparkled like a child with a new toy, but also burned with the me of a warrior eager to do battle.

    ¡°Anyway, I trust you have no objections about the ship now?¡±

    ¡°No shipyard in Barbatos would have objections about this. If Zazie and the girls hadn¡¯t exined to me in detail, I wouldn¡¯t have believed this was made with spare parts, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Zigma answered while looking all over the ship.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to check the inside of the ship, so look at the exterior as much as you want. Please don¡¯te inside though. The anti-intruder magic enchantments would pulverize you.¡±

    ¡°Ngh, that¡¯s a darn shame.¡±

    A function of all vehicles was that only after the creator registered other people¡¯s names could they board said vehicle safely. In case the creation of the vehicle had beenmissioned, it was possible to change ownership by registering themissioner¡¯s name first.

    ¡°Now we can go look for lord Cook¡¯s guildhouse.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯ll find it no matter what.¡±

    ¡°It took a long time.¡±

    ¡°Finally¡­¡±

    In contrast with Zigma¡¯s excitement, Lapwing, Zazie, Bell, and Shell were quietly rejoicing. After hearing the elf¡¯s story, they had gathered materials for the ship, looked for able carpenters, negotiated, then finally the ship¡¯s construction had started. The materials, however, were difficult to work without skills, so they had been told that it would take at least 10 years beforepletion. They were obviously overwhelmed now.

    ¡°Looks like there are no problems about the ship¡¯s capabilities either. I already registered everyone. We¡¯ll test it tomorrow, and if all goes well we can leave the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Shin informed the group of his ns after checking the ship¡¯s functionality.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make preparations. If it¡¯s a ship lord Shin made, I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡±

    After Lapwing¡¯s words, Bell and Shell also expressed their approval, both giving thumbs up.

    It was Shin¡¯s first time using the skill aftering to this world however, so he wanted to test the ship and check it thoroughly.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to move it until tomorrow, can I look over it until then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, feel free to take your time tomorrow too.¡±

    Zigma definitely wanted to examine the ship as much as he could before Shin¡¯s group arrived. It was also very clear that he had no intention of sleeping that night.

    ¡°I was thinking of doing the test tomorrow at nine, is that all right?¡±

    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll prepare everything necessary today¡±

    ¡°Today!¡±

    Bell and Shell echoed Lapwing¡¯s answer, while Zazie silently bowed her head.

    After onest greeting to Zigma, who was jotting down notes while looking at the ship, Shin and the others left the shipyard.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin¡¯s group had not secured a ce to stay yet, but thanks to Lapwing¡¯s introduction they could check into one of the best luxury lodgings in Barbatos. The owner was a fan of Shigureya they had said. The party could pay the lodging fee without problems, so they decided to take two rooms and split based on gender.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s get that over with.¡±

    After dinner, Shin¡¯s party gathered in the room the females were assigned. As expected of a luxury ss hotel, the room could easily amodate at least five people and two animals.

    ¡°Tiera, you have two new pieces of equipment, huh. Hmm, this is pretty in, but this is a bit too shy to wear on the regr¡­¡±

    ¡°I picked one for close range and one for long rangebat, just in case. The appearance¡­is kind of concerning, I have to agree.¡±

    One was a dark-colored shirt and mantle. The other was a sparkly armor, which reminded of a ¡°warrior maiden¡± style. As Filma said, their appearance swung wildly between the in and shy ends of the spectrum.

    ¡°Leaving the Bow Princess set aside, we could make the Heat Haze series a bit cuter. She¡¯s a girl after all, she has to dress nicely too.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible to make it cuter though?¡±

    ¡°If Shin helps, sure.¡±

    Filma looked at Shin and he nodded.

    Tiera¡¯s Bow Princess and Heat Haze equipment sets were in their default design, in other words their initial settings. Using them like that was not a problem, but the design could be modified too.

    In the game, creation-type jobs tried all sorts of modifications and colorings in order to express their originality, creating many different designs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear some ideas then. About the essories, how would red look instead of gold, for the hairpin? So it matches her eyes¡¯ color better¡­¡±

    ¡°An all-ck mantle is a bit too simple too. We might as well¡ª-¡±

    Schnee joined Filma in helping to make the designs cuter. The three looked at the changed designs Shin created with his skills and debated on which was best.

    ¡°E-er¡­is it only me, or is the equipment getting gradually smaller? Were the pants always this short? Was there so much skin exposed?¡±

    Tiera raised objections while looking at the changing designs, but couldn¡¯t stop the three¡¯s momentum.

    ¡°You can only hope that the result is something proper to wear.¡±

    Shibaid shook his head, well aware that it wasn¡¯t possible to stop them anymore.

    ¡°Kuh, the atmosphere is so tense!¡±

    ¡°Guruu.¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed excited to see the results of the debate.

    After about 30 minutes, which felt excruciatingly longer to Tiera, Shin¡¯s ¡°this should be enough¡± signaled the end of the process.

    ¡°Try them on now.¡±

    Shin handed Tiera the cards, a satisfied look on his face. She looked at the cards¡¯ illustrations, wondering if it really was the same equipment as before.

    The shirt¡¯s sleeves had beenrgely cut off, turning it into a sleeveless one. The color had been changed to white, with a light green line drawing a flower-looking pattern on the chest area.

    The pants were now around the same length as hotpants, the boots became short boots and the mantle into a hooded long coat with a faded silver crescent moon mark on its back.

    The former inness was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Wow! Doesn¡¯t it look good on you?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡±

    Looking at Tiera wearing the gear set, Shin and the other creators expressed their satisfaction.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s nice, I guess.¡±

    Tiera looked at herself with the help of a mirror and seemed to enjoy the result too.

    ¡°While it¡¯s good that it became cuter, won¡¯t white and gold stand out too much?¡±

    Tiera had not forgotten that the attire was meant to be forbat, so she wondered if the original design wouldn¡¯t have been better for stealth purposes. Shin then exined that as battle started, the equipment¡¯s effect would make it look the same color as the surroundings to the enemies¡¯ eyes.

    Even if the color was faded, the hairpin was now gold, to match Tiera¡¯s eyes, so it looked like it would stand out, but it too, would be concealed like the shirt. The hairpin was also not just a decoration, but could notify the wearer when they had been spotted by enemies.

    ¡°The Bow Princess set is fine as is?¡±

    Filma asked, her arms crossed, while looking at Tiera wearing the Bow Princess gear set.

    This set¡¯s default design was pretty popr.

    ¡°We can change that too if we want to.¡±

    Filma, however, shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really familiar with armor designs, so I say it¡¯s fine as is for now.¡±

    The Bow Princess set not only had outstanding stats, but its design was gorgeous too, so they decided to leave it alone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on to swimsuit designs, then.¡±

    ¡°Agh, there was that too¡­¡±

    Shin had informed Tiera that since there were two new sets of equipment, they would have to make them usable underwater.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you enchant them without me wearing them, anyway?¡±

    Tiera, standing before Shin in her Bow Princess attire, voiced herints.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡±

    The underwater enchantment could be cast to other yers or NPCs, as long as they were wearing the equipment in question. Sometimes the resulting costume was very risque, so even if it was just an avatar wearing it, it could be pretty embarrassing.

    Because of this, in the game era most yers asked an enchanting artisan of the same gender to do it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me something weird again, okay?¡±

    ¡°It all depends on your luck.¡±

    Shin then activated the magic enchantment. Tiera¡¯s Bow Princess set started glowing, then changed shape. When the light faded away, it revealed a one piece with vivid blue and green gradations.

    ¡°This will do.¡±

    ¡°Is that okay? We can stock a design after it appears once, so you can check others too if you want?¡±

    Tiera decided instantly, so Shin asked if she was sure, but she said that she¡¯d rather not risk having weird costumes appear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the next, then? What wille out this time?¡±

    Tiera changed to the Heat Haze set and Shin cast the enchantment again.

    This time Tiera¡¯s swimwear was a ck pareo, same-colored bottoms and a white tube top, something very simr to when she had tried the Amazoness set previously.

    ¡°Not bad, isn¡¯t it? It looks like the equipment became the swimwear, pretty much.¡±

    The swimsuit¡¯s coloring and design was simr to the Heat Haze set¡¯s new design. This also was a result of having changed the default design.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, yes, but it feels like there¡¯s less cloth?¡±

    Tiera too, like Shin, did not find the swimsuit¡¯s design bad. It was also true, however, that the tube top cloth covering her breasts was a bitcking in size.

    ¡°No need to worry yourself over it, should we try the next one?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words had directed Shin¡¯s attention to her chest; the sharp chill from the stare he then felt on his back prompted him to encourage Tiera to try another design.

    ¡°Yes, I guess that¡¯s better.¡±

    Tiera agreed and Shin cast the enchantment again. The next swimsuit wasposed of ck hotpants-like bottoms and a white bikini.

    Maybe because of an unknown rule, the bikini was rather small as well.

    ¡°Shin, you aren¡¯t doing this on purpose, are you?¡±

    ¡°Well, Shin¡¯s a boy after all, it¡¯s not weird for him to prefer the sexy type.¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Shin shook his head as fiercely as he could in response to Tiera, Filma, and Schnee¡¯s words and looks.

    ¡°Wait just a second!! You¡¯re saying it like it¡¯s my fault, but the size of the cloth can¡¯t be adjusted, okay!?¡±

    Shin cast the enchantment several other times, but each design had very limited cloth extension.

    ¡°Is this because we changed the original design?¡±

    ¡°Well, we did make it a lot more ¡°open¡± than the default one. I never heard that it would influence the swimsuit though.¡±

    If the same thing happened frequently, information about it would have spread.

    ¡°Will reverting the design solve the problem?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good Schnee, we made it cuter, it¡¯d be a waste to discard it now. There might be a bit more exposure, but defensive power doesn¡¯t change, so isn¡¯t that fine?¡±

    Filma opposed Schnee¡¯s idea of changing the Heat Haze set¡¯s design to the default one.

    Despite its appearance, the equipment retained its stats even in underwater mode.

    Using an extreme example, even the skimpiest swimsuit, covering only the important parts, would have had the same defense underwater; even if the wearer appearedpletely naked.

    Filma was of the opinion that as long as performance was the same, some more skin exposure shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡°What do you think, Tiera? We can try.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­it¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but¡­I¡¯ll keep it like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my Tiera, I knew you¡¯d say that!¡±

    Filma nodded happily, while Tiera gave a wryugh.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re doing this and all, why don¡¯t we change our swimsuits¡¯ design too?¡±

    ¡°Filma, we¡¯re not going to y tomorrow, you know? Besides it takes work to do that.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be much work for Shin though.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, this much is nothing¡­¡±

    Casting enchantments didn¡¯t require a lot of MP, so Shin¡¯s burden was next to zero. There was no need for preparations and it was still early to go to sleep, so if they wanted to do it Shin had no reason to refuse.

    ¡°What do you say, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll pass. I don¡¯t see the necessity of changing it.¡±

    ¡°¡­.but yours is a loincloth, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Filma meant to ask if Shibaid was really okay with it, but thetter nodded all too naturally.

    Shibaid¡¯s swimwear was a red and silver loincloth.

    Shin had decided on it half as a joke during the game era, so he was okay with changing it now, but judging from Shibaid¡¯s powerful nod, he must have liked it a lot.

    ¡°If he says that works, no need to force him then. It doesn¡¯t look like Schnee would be on board either, so let¡¯s leave the swimsuit fashion show for after we recover Celciutos.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±

    Schnee held her head with her hands, as if physically troubled by Filma¡¯s announcement.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about knocking Shin out with our super sexy costumes, of course! I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since I heard that we¡¯re going to the pool.¡±

    ¡°Filma, be a little more serious, please.¡±

    ¡°I ampletely serious. If we want to keep Shin here, we have to use every chance we can.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin was the one to set your physique, Schnee, so if we use that, we might have a chance.¡±

    No matter howrge the room was, with five people inside there couldn¡¯t be a lot of distance between them.

    Were they talking hoping that Shin heard, or did they think that no one could hear them? In any case, Shin could hear everything the two said. Tiera did too: blushing fiercely, she mumbled the words, ¡°knock out¡­swimwear¡­¡±

    Shibaid heard everything too, as evidenced by his tired expression.

    ¡°Let us go rest for today. Or this will never end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Deciding to leave the girls alone, Shin decided to turn in early.

 Book 11: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    The next day, Shin woke up earlier than usual and went to practice behind the lodging.

    Thanks to his continued practice, which he started in order to gauge his physical abilities, he had recently learned to adjust his strength even with ¡¾Limit¡¿ removed.

    Swinging his weapon at full strength would cause a catastrophe, so he had focused on controlling and limiting his power.

    ¡°You¡¯re working hard early this morning.¡±

    ¡°I woke up pretty early too, maybe because we turned in early yesterday.¡±

    Having also awoken early, Shibaid approached Shin, who was swinging ¡ºKakura¡».

    ¡°There¡¯s still some time, why don¡¯t we spar a little?¡±

    ¡°As long as we make sure we don¡¯t destroy the surroundings.¡±

    Both cast ¡¾Limit¡¿, equipped sponge des andnces for training, then faced each other.

    Shin moved first. Sliding along the ground without a sound, he stepped closer to Shibaid. In response, Shibaid thrust his weapon at Shin. As he used a halberd, which had the properties of bothnces and axes, Shibaid¡¯s thrusts were fast and sharp. Even a mere wooden spear could have caused considerable damage.

    Sponge-series weapons were characterized by their inability to cause damage, but Shin would have gone forward anyway. If he could dodge the thrust, he would be inside Shibaid¡¯s guard.

    ¡°¡­.if our stats are the same, I can¡¯t get into range, huh.¡±

    Shin had stepped in diagonally, and Shibaid¡¯s spongence passed right by him. Faster than Shin could step in, however, came the second thrust from Shibaid¡¯s weapon.

    Knowing that it would be dodged, he thrust hisnce in such a way to be able to quickly pull it back.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t continued fighting for 500 years for nothing, after all. I have never neglected my training.¡±

    Shibaid, as the party¡¯s shield, was a warrior with rich battle experience. Even if defense was his strongest asset, it didn¡¯t mean that his attacks could be underestimated.

    He specialized in facing multiple enemies while drawing their attacks away from his allies.

    Shin too had fought in such battles, but mainly against monsters. In regards to taking the right distance and strategies against human opponents, Shibaid was still rtively ahead of him.

    ¡°My attacks do not seem to hit squarely either, though!¡±

    With renewed vigor, Shibaid attacked again. The repeated strikes were thoroughly blocked by Shin¡¯s de; if he focused on defense, Shin could avoid clean hits from Shibaid.

    Shin, too, had fought many battles to the death. In a one-on-one frontal bout, even if he couldn¡¯t read Shibaid as well as he should, there would not be arge gap between them.

    After a while, Shin sensed presences moving about in the lodge and made a proposal.

    ¡°¡­I guess we should go eat.¡±

    ¡°¡­indeed. We risk standing out too much.¡±

    People had begun walking around in the premises. Shibaid looked a bit dissatisfied by the early conclusion, but rested his weapon. Their weapons put away, the two returned to the room, only to find Yuzuha, in human form, standing with arms crossed.

    ¡°Shin ditched Yuzuha!!¡±

    ¡°You were sleeping so soundly, that¡¯s why. It felt bad to wake you up.¡±

    ¡°Mph¡ª¡±

    Yuzuha pursed her lips and pouted, but her dangling tail showed that she was aware of Shin¡¯s kindness and that she slept like a log.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what else to do, and Yuzuha looked down sad.

    ¡°¡­.don¡¯t leave me.¡±

    Yuzuha then grabbed Shin¡¯s sleeve. Maybe she remembered her days in the shrine. Even if her powers were returning, being alone was still one of her fears.

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll wake you up next time.¡±

    Shin patted Yuzuha¡¯s head while saying so, and she raised her head as to rub it more against his hand. In fox mode as well as human mode, Yuzuha seemed to love having her head rubbed.

    Shin knew it too, so he often rubbed her head without restraint.

    ¡°Hmm, to think that a divine beast would look like a mere child like this.¡±

    Shibaidughed wryly.

    ¡°A lot of things must have happened to Yuzuha too. If she hadn¡¯t been weakened at the time, she wouldn¡¯t have bound a contract with me either, I guess.¡±

    Element Tails in theirplete forms were creatures that not even Shin could have handled by himself. Now that his stats had increased, he could surely fight them much better than before, but there still was no guarantee that he would win.

    ¡°Mph! Yuzuha stays with Shin!¡±

    Yuzuha didn¡¯t seem to appreciate Shin¡¯s words, and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°Shin, I cannot say I appreciate such words either.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry, Yuzuha. You¡¯re my partner.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    A happy yelp and Yuzuha¡¯s tail started swinging left and right. Shin thought that it was sometimes too easy to make her happy.

    Shin and the others then had their breakfast and, after killing some time, joined Zazie and the others heading back to the shipyard.

    ¡°¡­.is he okay?¡±

    Shin inquired to Zazie as soon as they stepped inside.

    The reason was Zigma, who was fervently writing down notes on his papers, a ghoulish look on his face.

    ¡°Chief!! You need to take a rest!!¡±

    ¡°Look, the clients are here!¡±

    ¡°Nnnngghh!! A little more, just a little more tiiiimmmeee!!!¡±

    The other workers tried to stop him, but Zigma, eyes bloodshot, did not show any sign of stopping.

    ¡°Looks like you tickled chief¡¯s fancy more than expected.¡±

    Bell and Shell¡¯s shoulders dropped to Zazie¡¯sment.

    ¡°Desperate.¡±

    ¡°Perverted.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pure artisan all right¡­¡±

    Skilled artisans with particr ideals were sometimes regarded as bizarre: the way they expressed their passion was stronger than normal people, being focused on their craft and works.

    No matter how much others would say enough, they wouldn¡¯t be satisfied, and continue until they would themselves felt it was enough. Zigma, too, was one of such artisans.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s tell him that there will be more time to study the ship after the test until we leave tomorrow. Or he might end up copsing.¡±

    He must have focused as if life depended on it: deep ck bags had formed under his eyes, a level of exhaustion difficult to imagine after only one full night.

    ¡°Thank you very much. If he keeps this up, I¡¯m afraid that even the president would go K.O¡±

    The workers brought Zigma to the nap room to let him rest, and the female vice-president thanked Shin¡¯s group. Her name was Milea Torseau, a mermaid with blue hair and eyes.

    She had been away on other business when Shin¡¯s group visited the day before.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to test sail that ship now, did Zigma tell you about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you may leave whenever you want. What time will you be back?¡±

    ¡°Probably around noon, but it depends on the situation. We will definitely be back before dusk, though.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Take care, then.¡±

    Under Milea and the other workers¡¯ gaze, Shin and the group boarded the ship. Shin poured in his magic and the magic-powered engine activated. The propulsion device, attached in the back of the ship, pushed away the seawater and the ship slowly moved forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s moving forward without natural or magical wind.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have sails¡­how does that work?¡±

    ¡°I can see why the president would get so riled up.¡±

    The ship left towards the seas, among the whispers of the head carpenters.

    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s check the speed first. Everyone, make sure you¡¯re holding onto something! We¡¯re going to seriously elerate soon!¡±

    Shin made sure that there were no monsters or other ships in the immediate area and then grabbed the magic vessel¡¯s control lever.

    No old-fashioned rudders could be found on this ship. The pilot seat Shin was sitting on had a control lever, pedals, and some buttons but nothing else.

    yers used to say that it looked like a fighter jet pilot seat.

    Shin stepped on the pedal with his right foot and the magic-powered engine roared. If the vessel wasn¡¯t pushed down on the water surface by Shin¡¯s magic, the eleration would probably have flipped it over.

    Like a pebble bouncing on the waves, the ship carrying Shin¡¯s group shot forward on the sea.

    ¡°H-hey, we¡¯re, shaking too¨C¡±

    The initial vibrations were extremely powerful, so Tiera ¡ª who wasn¡¯t used to the magic-powered engine ¡ª desperately clutched onto the closest arm rail.

    ¡°Turn!¡±

    Connecting his map to the ship¡¯s sonar underwater radar, Shin maneuvered the ship while gathering information on the surroundings.

    The following sharp turn, worthy of a race motorboat, was followed by an even louder shriek by Tiera.

    An average ship would not only have been knocked over, but also broken into pieces beneath the water.

    ¡°Shin, Tiera will be at her limits soon.¡±

    ¡°Whoops, guess I overdid it a bit.¡±

    Shin slowed down the ship and stopped it.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Tiera, still grabbing the arm rail, had turnedpletely pale and was holding her mouth with her hands.

    Kagerou was licking her face, worried.

    ¡°Drink this, you¡¯ll feel better.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Schnee and the rest were already used to it; Shibaid had not even grabbed onto any support as he leisurely gazed at the seas.

    ¡°Hmm, this is indeed more refined than riding on a wyvern.¡±

    ¡°My head¡¯s spinning~~¡±

    ¡°This so much fun~~¡±

    Next to Shibaid, in strangely good spirits, Bell and Shell had hit peak excitement.

    They probably felt like they had ridden an amusement park¡¯s roller coaster. They were unsteady on their feet, but did not feel sick at all.

    Zazie and Keritori did not create a fuss or lose theirposure; nothing about their demeanor had changed.

    Incidentally, Yuzuha was on top of Shin¡¯s head, her eyes sparkling.

    ¡°We¡¯re going underwater now.¡±

    Shin pressed on the control lever, and the ship gradually sank underwater.

    The exterior of bridge was covered by the seawater, as the light from the surface became a single column extending to the seafloor.

    ¡°Wow¡­..¡±

    Still supported by Schnee, Tiera looked around and let out an exmation of wonder. Thanks in part to the clear weather, the light shone from above and illuminated the depths of the sea, creating a magical scenery.

    ¡°Diving capabilities perfectly functional too, good.¡±

    Shin made sure that the instruments did not report anything abnormal, then looked outside too.

    The ss on the bridge and the rest of the vessel was magically reinforced, so it could withstand the pressure even if they kept diving. There was nothing to fear even if a monster rammed the ship from outside.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to an area of stormy seas, right? Is it possible to leave the ship even in a condition like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, anything could happen after all. I added the option to exit the ship even if it¡¯s underwater.¡±

    ¡°Can I try to go out a while, then? I haven¡¯t tried the underwater mode yet, I want to see if anything¡¯s changed.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    Shin operated the screen tied to his menu and teleported Filma in front of the underwater propulsion hatch. Part of the menu changed and now showed Filma¡¯s silhouette.

    ¡°(I¡¯m flooding the room, are you ready?)¡±

    ¡°(Go for it.)¡±

    Shin called to Filma, who had changed to her underwater gear, and activated the flooding.

    When the process ended Shin opened the hatch and Filma swam out.

    Like Shin and the rest of the party, she too had the ¡¾Dive¡¿ skill, so she did not need to breathe even if she was immersed in water for a while. Filma swam around the ship, checking if it felt any different from the past. After a while she waved to the ship from beyond the ss, signaling that she was finished.

    Filma¡¯s swimsuit was a red bikini, which covered rtively little of her body; skin exposure so high that Schnee and Tiera would definitely refuse to wear it. The bikini had ck lines drawing me patterns on it.

    Despite being deep beneath the surface, the light from above dimly lit the sea, which made Filma¡¯s red bikini clearly visible.

    Filma swam leisurely between the brightly shining pirs of light, forming the fascinating illusion that she was freely floating, unbound from the shackles of gravity.

    Looking at such scenery, which gave an almost sacred impression, Tiera sighed in awe.

    ¡°So beautiful¡­¡±

    ¡°Looking at her like this, she does look graceful, doesn¡¯t she.¡±

    Shibaid exhaled a hopeless sigh.

    Among his support characters, Shin spent the most time and effort in shaping Schnee. This did not mean, however, that he had created the other characters carelessly.

    Putting her words and behavior aside, Filma¡¯s looks were more than beautiful enough.

    ¡°(Get back inside now. After I check the diving function a bit more, we¡¯ll go back to port for a while.)¡±

    ¡°(Got it¡­but rather than that, how does my swimsuit look? I think it¡¯s sexier than Schnee¡¯s at least, pretty stimting, no?)¡±

    Filma then struck a pose and winked, instantly destroying the poetic beauty she had expressed until then.

    ¡°(Truly-beautiful. I-was-charmed.)¡±

    Shin replied as emotionlessly as possible, to let her know how he felt about her antics. Not satisfied at all, Filma¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°(Wow, that was SO heartfelt.)¡±

    ¡°(Stop joking around and get back in)¡±

    ¡°(Ye¨Cs sir.)¡±

    Filma had always been the joking type, so Shin rebuked her casually. She was well aware of it too, as she replied even more casually.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s dive a little more and wrap things up.¡±

    After confirming that Filma was back inside the vessel, Shin headed towards the seafloor.

    The light from the sea¡¯s surface turned gradually fainter, ultimately surrounding the ship with darkness. A darkness that, different from its aboveground counterpart, instill terror into people.

    Utter, pitch-ck darkness which did not let one breathe without proper equipment. An unstable space where sky and ground disappeared. If one wasn¡¯t used to it, they would be subject to a stress infinitely higher than the darkness above the sea.

    ¡°Kuh, it¡¯s all ck.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little scary¡­¡±

    Since it was their first time deep underwater, Yuzuha and Tiera, felt shades of this fear, even if they were inside the ship.

    Yuzuha was looking forward, nestled on Shin¡¯s head, her tail wrapped around his neck.

    Tiera too held Kagerou ¡ª in puppy mode ¡ª with her left arm, while her right arm touched Shin¡¯s left. Her hand was lightly grabbing his arm. Being next to Shin and knowing that the ship was safe let her feel just this degree of nervousness.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, not even the Sea Beasts could easily destroy a ship like this. I agree that it¡¯s pretty scary, though. Honestly speaking, even with underwater equipment I¡¯d rather avoid deep sea stages.¡±

    Deep sea stages include marine creatures other than monsters as well, which would appear suddenly from the darkness, leaving yers in a state of shock.

    The skill ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ allowed to see a little better, but even so some yers would run as soon as they heard about facing deep sea stages.

    Such stages, however, were treasure troves for cooks.

    ¡°I think I just saw a shark!¡±

    ¡°We could get some really good shark fins from something that big. I wonder about the taste, though.¡±

    As Bell and Lapwing were talking about the shark that just passed in front of them¡­

    ¡°C¡¯mon, I want to see a giant squid! Come out already!¡±

    ¡°Forget it! Even if we knock it out, it¡¯s not food fit for people!¡±

    Zazie expressed her disappointment with Shell¡¯sment.

    Even marine creatures bizarre enough to make Tiera shriek, for the Shigureya folks, were simply separated into two categories: delicious or not.

    ¡°As expected of lord Cook¡¯s support characters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re just like her in that respect.¡±

    Shin agreed to Schnee¡¯sment about Zazie and the others. Even the first time they adventured in a deep sea stage, Cook was the only one not to feel any fear. Shin remembered that she even happily approached sea beasts that Shin would hesitate getting close to.

    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s go back to port.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to test the automatic defense systems?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll probably find some monsters on our way back, so I¡¯ll do that then. I saw a lot of them on the way here.¡±

    Shin answered to Schnee and changed the ship¡¯s course to the surface. They moved at high speed not above but underwater this time, crashing into the monster groups they happened upon.

    Not wanting to kill monsters without a purpose for the test, Shin only aimed at the ones that would create trouble for fishermen or kill people.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what a ship really is anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°In the past, there were areas of the sea where ships would get damaged just by traveling through them. In order to sessfully navigate such locations, magic-powered vessels like this were invented. For the people of this era, it probably is an unbelievable technology, though.¡±

    Shibaid heard Tiera¡¯s mumble and recalled the past with a certain nostalgia.

    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t really want to experience it¡­¡±

    Because of the shaking caused by the ship¡¯s high speed, Tiera had be violently seasick. She was getting better thanks to Schnee¡¯s medicine, but at the same time probably starting to dislike sea travel.

    The ship could also navigate at normal speed, but at times they would need to escape at speeds even higher than what Tiera experienced; So Shin decided to let her experience the speed and shaking while feeling sorry for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to rely on medicine to stop seasickness, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Filma is right, but we have no time to train this time, so it can¡¯t be helped, I think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°When we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll do some special training.¡±

    ¡°We will!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s style was not to let weaknesses remain as such.

    ¡°As expected of someone so diligent.¡±

    ¡°And all despite the fact that in this world it¡¯s harder to raise skills, too.¡±

    Zazie and Lapwing, who knew that Schnee had raised her cooking skill to 9, nodded in understanding to her response.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know well about that, does it take more time to raise skills now?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t gathered enough data to make statistics, but it looks like that the growth of a skill¡¯s expertise isn¡¯t fixed anymore. Personally, I feel that it¡¯s slower than before.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Lapwing. Even if I try doing the same thing as before the Dusk of Majesty, I feel that the expertise ratio rued to the skill is smaller than before.¡±

    Bell and Shell too nodded in agreement to Lapwing and Zazie¡¯s words.

    Apparently, in some cases expertise raised faster than usual, but the pace was generally slower than before.

    Skills couldn¡¯t be trained all the time, so their growth speed required much more time than during the game era.

    For an acquaintance of Zazie and the others, who was a Lord, it took 70 years to raise a skill from five to six, or so they said. If this was true, Schnee¡¯s effort to raise a skill to nine was something incredible.

    In the game era, at the time Shin headed to the final dungeon, Schnee¡¯s Cooking skill was just level three. Even if 500 years had passed, it could not have been easy.

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you even thought of raising it so much.¡±

    ¡°¡­I just cooked to keep myself upied.¡±

    Schnee replied humbly to Shin¡¯s praise. Behind her, Filma grinned.

    ¡°She obviously did her best to let you taste her handmade food when you came back, Shin!¡±

    ¡°Filma! What are you saying!?¡±

    ¡°No blushing, no blushing. You wanted him to say ¡°that was delish¡ªgwah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak another word.¡±

    Schnee covered Filma¡¯s mouth to prevent her from saying anything more about the reason she had raised her Cooking skill. She didn¡¯t like to show openly how she had worked hard.

    ¡°Ah¡­well. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°N-no! No, well, I didn¡¯t want to reject your thanks, I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..yes.¡±

    Hearing that it was for his sake, Shin was of course happy. Hearing Shin¡¯s thanks, Schnee panicked a little, then nodded ever so slightly.

    Her slightly blushing cheeks, reminiscent of a young maiden, were lovely.

    ¡°Shin, if we don¡¯t let ship emerge soon, it¡¯ll stand out too much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±

    Warned by Shibaid, Shin changed his focus on the ship and quickly changed the route.

    When the group returned to the shipyard docks, they found Zigma waiting, arms crossed. In order to start his inspection again whenever, he had prepared pen and paper and a meal that he could eat with one hand.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving early morning tomorrow, so you can inspect the ship only until then.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Can I start right away?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard, please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I can¡¯t inspect anything if I copse, I know that.¡±

    Shin wondered if Zigma was really aware of that, but, as Milea was standing behind him, he didn¡¯t say anything. She would probably stop Zigma if anything happened.

 Book 11: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Mr. Zigma, my apologies, but you¡¯ll have to stop.¡±

    The next morning, Shin¡¯s group made the necessary preparations and headed to the shipyard. Shin found Zigma glued to the ship and had to give him the bad news.

    Knowing that his inspection had to end, Zigma looked disappointed, but when Milea put her hand on his shoulder, smiling, he shuddered and quietly backed away. Apparently, Milea overruled Zigma in theirpany ¡ª a rtionship that was opposite to what their ranks would suggest.

    ¡°The guild representative arrived!¡±

    The inspector in charge of checking the ship¡¯s dimensions had arrived shortly after Shin¡¯s team. The group had visited the guild the previous day, informing Arno that they had procured a ship.

    ¡°Oh? Ms. Arno?¡±

    The guild representative, led by the shipyard workers, turned out to be the receptionist, Arno.

    ¡°Good morning. I havee to inspect your ship.¡±

    ¡°Good morning. So you are in charge of inspecting ships too? This is the ship we will use for our search.¡±

    ¡°I am not the only one, but¡­¡­.by the way, I don¡¯t think I see any sails?¡±

    Arno voiced her doubts after looking at the ship¡¯s shape. In this world, ships with sails were still the norm.

    ¡°This is a rather unique ship that we found in a certain ruin. The Kuwain area is very different from the usual seas, after all. It looks ragged, but I assure you that it sails without problems. We tested it yesterday in the bay too.¡±

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s illusion skills, the ship looked battered enough to make anyone believe that it had been found in some ruin.

    ¡°I can vouch for that too, miss. It does look bizarre, but let me say that it¡¯s tough.¡±

    Zigma, who had inspected the ship, gave his full approval.

    ¡°I see. If sir Zigma says so as well, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. I have verified that the ship¡¯s dimensions are more than enough fit the guild¡¯s regtions, so I don¡¯t think there are problems. Here is your permit. If one of the ships patrolling Kuwain¡¯s premises stops you, show it and they will let you through. If you do not meet any patrol ships, just go on further.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯re going to leave soon, so¡­until next time.¡±

    ¡°Please take care.¡±

    Zigma and Arno looked on as the party boarded the ship. Zazie and the others were hiding inside, since things would be troublesome if they were found and stopped.

    Shin activated the magic-powered engine and the ship departed.

    Leaving behind Arno¡¯s surprised expression, the ship proceeded in the direction of the Kuwain area.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°This is¡­not a ce you could get lost in by ident, huh. A stormy sea stage if I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party elerated after leaving Barbatos and had now arrived close to their destination, which reminded Shin of the game era. Before them were battering rain, massive waves, and violent winds.

    As if separated by an invisible wall, just outside the area the breeze was gentle and the waves small. A situationpletely outside the realm of natural phenomena.

    ¡°Looks like this sea trip is going to turn rough. Are you ready everybody?¡±

    Shin made sure Tiera had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine Schnee gave her and called to the group.

    After everyone nodded in agreement, he stepped on the pedal.

    There were no patrol ships in the surroundings. As Arno had instructed, Shin proceeded forward. The ship, lulled by gentle waves, sped towards the storm.

    ¡°Waah!?¡±

    The next instant, the vessel shook violently vertically, a shock big enough to make Tiera shout, despite her preparation. When the ship pointed upwards, the sky could be seen from the bridge. When it pointed down, the sea surface was directly in front.

    The gap was sorge that, for an instant, it felt like the ship was floating in midair.

    ¡°Shin! Look! In front!¡±

    Tiera pointed to arge wave, taller than the ship itself.

    ¡°This is even worse than stormy sea stages, huh.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to travel underwater?¡±

    Despite the powerful rumbling and rocking of the ship, Schnee made her suggestion without a single change in her expression .

    ¡°That would be better to go forward, for sure. But the elf saw Celciutos above water, so we¡¯ll travel above the surface for now, at least until we reach the center of the area. I wanted to save energy, but it looks like there¡¯s no other way. Activate the vessel bnce system!¡±

    As Shin said these words, part of the tall wave in front of the ship split, just enough to let the ship pass. At the same time, the violent waves around them became rtively calm.

    ¡°Wha, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I calmed the surrounding sea with water, wind, and ground spells, to secure us a route. It¡¯s a function that most magic-powered vessels have. That¡¯s why these ships can travel on routes impossible for normal ships.¡±

    ¡°If you have something that convenient, you could have used it since the start¡­¡±

    Tiera, tightlytched onto an arm rail, let out a heavy sigh, feeling powerless. Facing such arge wave during her second time at sea was a bit too much for her. Even so, she was now standing on the ship, without losing bnce or rolling around, so she must have acquired some resistance.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. In the past, I faced a stormy sea stage simr to this. I just wanted to see how this one actually was first.¡±

    After apologizing to the slightly ring Tiera, Shin looked forward again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head northeast first. I¡¯m checking the surroundings via the sonar and the map, but just in case let me know if you see anything weird outside everybody.¡±

    The party sailed on, defeating monsters every now and then, when a tune started ying, making the air vibrate eerily.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°This feeling¡­it¡¯s a cursed song.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t hear the tune well and looked towards the storm, then Schnee answered his question.

    Unlike the barrier set up in the woods north of Bayreuth, this song did not manipte the intruder¡¯s mind to make them turn back, but enticed them in a certain direction.

    ¡°My head¡¯s starting to hurt¡­¡±

    ¡°How does it feel? To me it looks like it¡¯s trying to make us go in a certain direction.¡±

    Shin asked Tiera, who was frowning, her hands pressing against her temples.

    He thought she could be affected, but maybe thanks to her particr position as priestess, or maybe because she had powered up, she did not seem to be influenced by the cursed song.

    ¡°It makes its victims change directions without them realizing it. If we didn¡¯t resist it, we¡¯d probably exit the area before we knew it.¡±

    ¡°I see, sorry for making you do that. Put these on. If you can resist it now, they should lighten the burden.¡±

    Shin apologized and gave Tiera a pair of faded silver earrings. They had the effect of increasing mind maniption resistance and did not conflict with the effects of the Heat Haze gear set, even if equipped together.

    Tiera put on the earrings and breathed a sigh of relief. Her expression was more peaceful too.

    ¡°Since we didn¡¯t hear it before, it¡¯s safe to assume that we¡¯re getting closer to our destination. There must be mermaids in this part of the sea, and a lot of them too.¡±

    Shin¡¯s assumption was based on the area of effect of the cursed song.

    If some species with lore rted to singing sang cursed songs, they would obtain bonuses. Mermaids were one of those species.

    Cursed songs did not have a veryrge area of effect, only around 20 mels, but that was in the case where there was only one singer.

    Some skills could be powered up or have their area of effect increased if yers and/or support characters used the skill together at the same time.

    Cursed songs were such skills: their area of effect increased proportionally with the number of singers. Even if each caster¡¯s skill level was low, if many sang it as in a chorus, the song could be powerful enough to affect a great number of monsters or even boss monsters.

    ¡°Where is the singinging from?¡±

    ¡°That way.¡±

    Zazie answered Shin¡¯s question immediately. She had closed her eyes, probably to detect the direction the song came from.

    ¡°I think so too.¡±

    Lapwing, who was next to her, agreed with Zazie, who was pointing west.

    ¡°¡­yeah, there¡¯s something there.¡±

    Shin used long-range sight skills and peered into the distance: beyond the storm¡¯s veil, he found a light. Because of the distance, he could not see beyond it yet. Compared to the waters the ship was sailing now, where dark clouds stopped most sunlight, however, it was clearly different.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go forward like this. Let me know if the direction of the singing changes.¡±

    Continuing to use skills would interfere with piloting the ship, so Shin deactivated the long-range sight skills and adjusted the ship¡¯s route to the west, where Zazie was pointing.

    Eventually, Shin¡¯s ears clearly picked up the song.

    ¡°They must be nervous because we¡¯re not turning back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, the song is disturbed too. You¡¯ll be able to see what¡¯s beyond the storm soon, no?¡±

    ¡°Right, let me give it a shot.¡±

    Prompted by Filma, Shin put his long-range sight skills to full use, while paying attention to the ship¡¯s controls at the same time.

    He looked beyond the light and found a very nostalgic sight.

    ¡°Rejoice,dies and gentlemen. We¡¯ve hit the jackpot.¡±

    A vessel many timesrger than the ship Shin built, armed with cannons long enough to pierce the sky, its front ram glinting in the sunlight.

    Excluding the fact that it was stranded on a massive crag, it looked exactly as Shin remembered. Colored white, following its owner¡¯s nickname, Celciutos¡¯ imposing silhouette was there.

    ¡°If we go forward like this, we¡¯ll see Celciutos soon.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused a wave of excitement in the party. Bell and Shell jumped up in joy.

    ¡°If Celciutos is in this direction, does it mean that the cursed song aimed to prevent anyone from finding it?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s strange for the song toe from inside Celciutos¡¯ barrier though.¡±

    Shibaid voiced his opinion, following a question from Zazie.

    Shin very much doubted that normal mermaids could have prated Celciutos¡¯ barrier. The support character in charge of Celciutos¡¯ equipment was a dwarf, so it was very unlikely for him to still be alive. The only possibility was that the mermaids were protecting it.

    ¡°Maybe he negotiated with the mermaids?¡±

    Knowing that his life wasing to an end, the dwarf could have thought of a n to preserve Celciutos, or so hypothesized Lapwing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll know all about that once we get closer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sorry for them since they¡¯re working so hard, but we¡¯re going straight on.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma¡¯s words and the ship carried on. The cursed song was gaining in volume and strength, but neither the number of casters nor their skill level was high enough to manipte Shin¡¯s group.

    Probably growing more nervous due to the ship not changing directions or speed, on the course of Shin¡¯s group, pirs of water clearly different from the usual waves started appearing.

    Shin, wary, lowered the ship¡¯s speed, and the responses he had registered on the map moved to surround the ship. They were 30 in all: ten on each of the ship¡¯s sides and ten behind it.

    ¡°They came out of the barrier?¡±

    As they were singing the cursed song, Shin could tell that they hade out of the barrier.

    The reason was that, to prevent yers from attacking safely from behind a barrier, if offensive skills were used from inside, aiming outside the barrier, its endurance would decrease significantly.

    Celciutos¡¯ barrier was no exception. Its endurance was very high and recovered automatically, so they had probably been singing from inside until now.

    As the cursed song did not seem to have an effect, it would have been safer to not attempt to fight and take shelter inside the barrier: average intruders would simply be repelled, after all.

    The responses, however, all moved outside the barrier to surround the ship. Shin thought that they did not go to the front of the ship, where the barrier was, in order to cut off all escape routes.

    ¡°I guess they think they got us surrounded, but they don¡¯t know that it¡¯s pretty meaningless for us.¡±

    The front was still clear, so the ship could go forward without trouble. The speed was slower than before, so even if the barrier stopped them the ship would not suffer considerable damage.

    Despite the ship continuing to proceed, the responses did not move. They were examining the situation, maybe, and did not emerge.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    The ship crossed the barrier of storm and winds: without particr resistance, Shin¡¯s ship entered Celciutos¡¯ barrier.

    The responses ¡ª possibly mermaids ¡ª probably thought that the barrier would have stopped the ship¡¯s advance: they scattered irregrly around the map, likely out of confusion.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯reing after us.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how they react ¡ª this is bad.¡±

    Shin was ready to gauge their reactions, but then his face tensed.

    The cause behind this sudden change was that his map registered a new response, somethingrger than even the ship. Its speed was very high, meaning that it woulde in contact with the party in a matter of minutes.

    As it was still rtively far, the mermaids seemed not to have noticed, and they appeared to be still undecided about how to react to Shin¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°You people underwater! A huge monster¡¯s heading here! Get back inside the barrier, now!¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that they could hear him, but he used the megaphone function to try to call to the mermaids.

    Shin didn¡¯t know about the extent of their abilities, but if they were attacked by surprise, there was the chance they would suffer damage. No matter what rtionship they would have in the future, if they were annihted in a situation caused by Shin¡¯s group, it wouldn¡¯t sit well with them.

    Shin¡¯s warning appeared to have reached the merpeople, as they all started swimming towards the barrier, managing to enter it before therge response could get closer. About one minute after the merpeople had safely taken shelter inside the barrier, the response showed itself.

    ¡°It¡¯s huge¡­¡±

    ¡°I had the feeling it was too big¡­I see, it came out right away, huh.¡±

    Looking at the source of the response, Tiera became speechless, while Shinughed.

    A body that emerged from the sea and towered high in the sky, ck and redpound eyes ring at Shin¡¯s party: the ¡°visitor¡± was none other than Keseldran, one of the Three Sea Beasts.

    Even just the body, visible above water, was easily above 15 mels. Its size and the red aura the monster¡¯s whole body emanated clearly expressed its status as a boss monster.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!![T/N: ck squares, I think it¡¯s supposed to be a roar]¡±

    After less than one minute, Keseldran made its first move.

    With a roar, better described as an explosion of sound, the monster looked towards the merpeople.

    Unlike before, when it was just ring, Keseldran now exuded a very powerful pressure in their direction.

    The stormy waters, affected by the shockwave, formed radiation-like waves with the boss monster at the center.

    ¡°Shibaid, get ready to defend, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin examined the situation, then ordered Shibaid to activate a defensive barrier. Celciutos¡¯ barrier was probably enough to repel the monster, but there was the possibility of it malfunctioning, like what happened in Palmirack.

    As Shin¡¯s group started moving, something changed with Keseldran.

    ¡°Er, it¡¯s, shining?¡±

    ¡°Watch well. That¡¯s Keseldran¡¯s most powerful attack.¡±

    Tiera perceived the danger and began to fret, but Schnee replied to her with apletely calm tone.

    What Tiera had referred to was a bloating bluish-white globe of light that had formed in Keseldran¡¯s maw. The thunderbolts running along its surface and the almost audible way the light blinked clearly suggested what element the attack was.

    ¡°It¡¯sing.¡±

    Almost at the same time as Shin spoke, Keseldran fired a massive beam of lightning. Fitting the monster¡¯s massive size, the bolt was around one mel in diameter.

    Keseldran¡¯s attack, which looked like lightning from the sky had been gathered together and given a direction, crashed against Celciutos¡¯ barrier, then broke in four bolts running along the barrier¡¯s surface. Part of the repelled bolts hit the water¡¯s surface, releasing the electricity and causing an explosion.

    ¡°Aah!?¡±

    Behind Shin and Shibaid, who had raised their shields to be safe, Tiera let out a small shriek.

    The thunderbolt versus barrier bout saw the barrier emerge as the victor. Despite the continuing lightning strikes, the barrier¡¯s surface did not show any cracks or signs of damage.

    ¡°Looks like the barrier¡¯s still sturdy enough.¡±

    The barrage of thunderbolts ended after about 5 seconds. Seeing that the barrier was unscathed, Keseldran growled ominously, then quickly retreated outside Shin¡¯s detection range.

    ¡°My eyes still sting¡­what in the world was that?¡±

    ¡°Keseldran¡¯s sure-kill breath. When its mouth starts lighting up like that, if you don¡¯t dodge it or block it will turn you into ashes.¡±

    Keseldran used lighting-based attacks despite being a sea monster, but its attacks were not limited to above water: its breath could also strike below the surface, its power not diminishing in the slightest. Furthermore, it even boasted the very troublesome effect of ignoring the protection granted by lightning-nullifying essories.

    During the game era, it allowed yers to live the rare experience of being burned alive underwater.

    The capabilities of its breath might suggest that Keseldran was superior to the other Sea Beasts, but Mascurda could avoid the breath with magic and Eolios possessed the rare skill to diffuse the breath to weaken it.

    Precisely because such a lethal attack could not easily prove fatal, the Three Beasts maintained a bnce.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s try talking with the merpeople first. Now that they¡¯re surprised, they¡¯ll probably at least listen to what we have to say.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that the approach would be sessful, but nned to do his part so that both parties will understand each other.

    ¡°If they attack us one-sidedly, can we knock them out?¡±

    Probably because they had finally found Celciutos, Zazie was feeling belligerent.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wipe the floor with them!!¡±

    Lapwing calmed Bell and Shell¡¯s shouting enthusiasm, but if they were attacked she would strike back too without reserve.

    ¡°Considering the ce, if it turns out that they¡¯re upying Celciutos without permission, no need to have mercy. But if there are some special circumstances, we have to hear them out, right? They can enter the barrier after all, so there has to be a reason.¡±

    Shin turned the ship towards the merpeople who fled from Keseldran. He then switched the controls to remote mode and exited on to the deck.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there! We have no intention of fighting you! If possible, I want to talk with your representative! Will you ept?¡±

    Shin used wind magic to spread his voice underwater.

    He then waited, looking at the trembling water surface. Soon enough, a mermaid with light blue hair emerged.

    ¡°¡­..Arno?¡±

    Recognizing the mermaid¡¯s face, Shin was surprised. He checked with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ too, but there was no mistake: the name Arno Toole was clearly disyed.

    ¡°I havee to talk with you as the merpeople¡¯s representative. Will you allow me to board your ship?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that would instigate yourrades, so I wille down. That would make you feel safer, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±

    Differently from when they met in the guild, Arno¡¯s expression was now stiff. She was clearly very nervous.

    Shin told Arno the number of people that woulde, then went down into the sea with Schnee, Zazie, and Lapwing. Their equipment changed to underwater mode, they swam to Arno¡¯s position.

    ¡°As we barged in first, let us exin our circumstances first.¡±

    As Arno belonged to the guild, Shin kept his identity as High Human hidden and exined that he was helping Zazie and the others in retrieving their master¡¯s guild house.

    Shigureya¡¯s owner was well known throughout Barbatos. No one had more reason than them to enter the Kuwain area to find Celciutos.

    ¡°Is that so. I¡¯m afraid this is the end, then.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shin inquired to Arno, who looked defeated.

    If they were using Celciutos as a safe dwelling, losing it must be painful.

    In Barbatos, however, merpeople and fishpeople were not persecuted in any way. Rather, one could say they were very wee.

    Shin had no idea why Arno looked so hopeless.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything over there.¡±

    Arno pointed at Celciutos. Having no objections, Shin¡¯s group returned to the ship, then, following the merpeople, sailed closer to Celciutos.

    When they arrived less than 100 mels from the ship, however, trouble surfaced.

    ¡°Stop right there!!¡±

    Arge pir of water appeared in front of the merpeople, probably meant to stop them or act as a warning. There was no damage to the ship or the merpeople.

    The merpeople were surprised and some panicked, but Arno calmed them down.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what was going on, so he stopped the ship for the moment.

    ¡°Why do you let the intruders into our sanctuary? Depending on the circumstances, I will show no mercy, even if you are our mediator with the city!!¡±

    The water pir settled down and revealed a giant over 2 mels tall standing on the water. Behind him, all sorts of fishmen showed their faces from underwater.

    The only fishman standing on the water was a Type Orca.

    Strictly speaking, orcas were not fish, so calling Type Orcas fishmen would be wrong, but in THE NEW GATE they were categorized as such.

    The appearance was simply an orca with legs. Like a mascot that could be found in an aquarium, it was also deformed and rtively cute. The fishman was pointing his trident to the group, probably trying to appear menacing, but other than his size there was nothing particrly frightening about him.

    To Shin, it was more of a mystery how the Type Orca could hold the trident with arms that looked just like elongated fins.

    ¡ª¡ª- ¡¾Marshill Killer Level 209 Pirate¡¿

    (A rare job, huh. He¡¯s probably a Chosen One)

    Shin thought so after looking at the information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    The Pirate job was a rare one that gained boosts when fighting in water. To obtain it the yer needed to defeat certain bosses: despite what the name suggested, there was no need to perform evil acts such as piging or plundering.

    Some yers enjoyed acting as bad guys, but mainly defeated Pirate NPCs who appeared as enemies.

    ¡°Let us through, Marshill. These people are the legitimate sessors of Celciutos¡¯ owner. Standing in their way means to vite the agreement.¡±

    Arno¡¯s words seemed to strike a nerve with the fishman called Marshill. As if triggered by his emotions, the trident¡¯s prongs started crackling with electricity.

    Shin was wondering what to do, when Zazie¡¯s group, who hade out on deck too, stepped in front of him.

    ¡°We havee to retrieve our master¡¯s possession, nothing more. What right do you people have to be here? What happened to Celciutos¡¯ caretaker, Jesta? Why can you enter the barrier?¡±

    ¡°Sessors? You couldn¡¯t even cross the seas and abandoned our sanctuary for years! What do you want to do after all this time!?¡±

    Jesta was a High Dwarf, one of Cook¡¯s support characters. As long as something simr to what happened to Girard had not happened to him too, he was probably not alive anymore.

    ¡°We have kept all intruders from approaching Celciutos for generations, protecting this sanctuary. I don¡¯t know why you appeared now, but this ce is ours now. Leave at once!¡±

    ¡°Answer our questions. ¡°This ce is ours now?¡± Celciutos is Lord Cook¡¯s, and no one else¡¯s!! Keep spouting crap and I¡¯ll turn you into sashimi, fish bastard!!¡±

    Zazie roared back to Marshill¡¯s ims of owning Celciutos.

    Like Todo Kankuro had told Shin in Hinomoto, Rokuten¡¯s support members still felt a deep loyalty to their masters, even after so much time had passed.

    Zazie¡¯s group too was highly loyal to Cook, thus witnessing other people using their master¡¯s possession without permission and even iming it was theirs, what would happen?

    To know the answer, it was enough to hear Zazie¡¯s shout and see the sashimi knife she held with both hands.

    Lapwing, Bell, and Shell did not say anything, but all of them were wielding their weapons already.

    Maybe because the opponents were fishmen, Lapwing was holding a sashimi knife as well. Bell had a huge sledgehammer, Shell tworge chef¡¯s knives, one in each hand.

    Except Bell, all Shigureya members looked more like they were going to start cooking instead of fighting, but all weapons were actually Mythology grade: they could easily slice in two anything from cooking ingredients to dragon scales.

    While not as powerful as Schnee and the others, Zazie¡¯s group was far superior to the average Chosen One.

    Marshill probably realized it too: from his forehead, or maybe his cheeks (it wasn¡¯t clear where) sweat had started trailing down his face.

    ¡°¡­if you refuse to leave, we¡¯ll just force you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ehm, sorry to bother when you¡¯re all heating up, but why don¡¯t we talk before we fight?¡±

    Just as battle was about to break out before the two parties, Shin interrupted them. His teleportation-like instantaneous movement caused Marshill to instinctively try to retreat, but Shin had grabbed his trident, thus preventing him from doing so.

    ¡°Nnnggh! L-Let go!!¡±

    ¡°I will, if you listen to what we have to say. We have our own reasons. We can¡¯t just turn back and leave.¡±

    Marshill pulled on the trident with both hands, as hard as he could, but it didn¡¯t budge an inch, as if it was fixed in midair.

    ¡°Let go!! Or else my light¡­ning¡­?¡±

    Lightning ran down Marshill¡¯s trident, but disappeared after a sparkle. It couldn¡¯t exceed Shin¡¯s magic resistance.

    ¡°Kh, what the hell¡­are you¡­?¡±

    Shin calmly observed Marshill¡¯s belligerent bunch. Despite the difference in strength, it seemed to him that they ran out of energy too quickly. The fishmen behind him were panting too, like the air around them was extremely thin.

    The difference in fighting power was clear. Shin had used his pressure in order to make them desist from fighting. As he did, Marshill -who had tightly gripped the trident until now- and the fishmen behind him shuddered.

    ¡°¡­I understand. Let us talk.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s helpful of you. Zazie, you guys calm down too. I understand your anger, but sting your killing intent like that is a bit much, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­.understood.¡±

    Zazie¡¯s group made sure that Marshill didn¡¯t make strange moves even after Shin let go of the trident and put down their weapons. Theirplexion seemed a bit worse than before however.

    ¡°Ehm, may I¡­lead you somewhere¡­we can talk?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Shin nodded to Arno¡¯s proposal, spoken in a tone sort ofcking confidence, and returned to the ship. He piloted the ship forward following Arno¡¯s lead; Marshill¡¯s group also followed quietly.

    ¡°Anyway, that was pretty surprising.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a pir of water out of the blue like that.¡±

    ¡°No, what happened after that! Things were tense enough when you grabbed that guy¡¯s spear, but then you went and put pressure on the fishmen like you wanted to kill them all¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­that much?¡±

    Shin meant to just intimidate them a little, thus Filma¡¯s words surprised him. He had intimidated others in this world before, so it felt strange to him to fail in adjusting the pressure he released.

    ¡°Seeing yourrade¡¯s guildhouse being used by others without permission might have made you add more power unconsciously, it wouldn¡¯t be too strange.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I agree with Schnee.¡±

    Shibaid nodded too.

    ¡°Well, I admit that when I heard ¡°this ce is ours now¡± I got pretty ticked off.¡±

    After about 10 minutes of following the merpeople, Shin¡¯s group arrived at Celciutos¡¯ side. Both merpeople and fishmen climbed onnd; Arno, as their representative, acted as guide for Shin¡¯s party.

    Merpeople¡¯s lower body was fish-like, but when they were onnd it turned into human-like legs. Arno was no exception: she was now wearing just a tube top and a pareo barely reaching her knees. Other mermaids had a simr look, while most mermen wore simple pants on their lower bodies and t-shirts or nothing at all on their upper bodies. They wore such clothing as to be ready to dive anytime.

    Among the merpeople and fishmen, some also wore armor. They were the ones who would cover the others¡¯ retreat in case of necessity, apparently.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    As they were talking of such topics, the group arrived at their destination. Shin and his party walked on the crag Celciutos lied on, until they reached the ship¡¯s mast.

    Arno signaled something upwards and a sort of basket, made for several people to fit in, descended from above.

    ¡°Please ride on this, it¡¯ll take you aboard Celciutos.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group now was near Celciutos¡¯ bottom part. Without skills that made walking on walls possible, such as what Shin and Schnee had, contraptions like the basket were necessary.

    Together with Shin¡¯s group there were also the merpeople and fishmen, so the basket made severalps to take all present on board. Shin¡¯s party, Arno, and Marshill went first.

    ¡°¡­.ehm.¡±

    When they arrived on the deck, they spotted an elderly man and four women, all wearing what looked like traditional clothing, kneeling down.

    ¡°We humbly thank you foring all the way here. My name is Lierno Toole, I act as the leader of the merpeople and fishpeople living in this area.¡±

    ¡°Er, my name¡¯s Shin. I¡¯m Cook¡¯srade, someone the same as her, you could say. Something like that.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure how to react, and opted to introduce himself first of all.

    He could have said he belonged to same guild as Cook, but in this world the word ¡°guild¡± referred to associations of merchants or adventurers, so in order to keep things separate he used the word rade¡±.

    ¡°Lord Shin. I beg for your forgiveness for Marshill¡¯s disrespect towards High Humans.¡±

    Lierno bowed his head even deeper, almost touching the floor of the deck.

    ¡°High Human!? Weren¡¯t they all extinct!?¡±

    ¡°You felt that aura and still say things like that!? On your knees, fool!!¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    Marshill was shocked to learn that Shin was a High Human and was promptly scolded by Lierno. Thetter probably used magic to push Marshill down from above with an unseen force.

    ¡°How did you know that I am a High Human?¡±

    ¡°That device disyed that lord Shin had entered the premises.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    Shin looked at the panel set on the wall and remembered about the existence of the device.

    As Lierno had said, in the login column only Shin¡¯s name was lit up.

    ¡°First of all, would you mind exining the current situation?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. It would not do to talk here, however. Please,e this way.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was led to a room previously used for meetings. Lierno waited for Shin¡¯s group to sit down, then started talking in a calm tone.

    ¡°We can enter Celciutos¡¯ barrier because of the agreement bound between Master Jesta and our ancestors.¡±

    ¡°An agreement?¡±

    ¡°In the past, when disaster struck this area, our ancestors were in danger of being annihted. For some unknown reason, not only monsters but also some humans were set on hunting us down. I was told that Master Jesta, Celciutos¡¯ caretaker, saved our ancestors in such a time of peril. At that time monsters were growing violent, miasma eruptions broke out, continents moved¡­disasters happened one after the other. It is told that if we did not take shelter within Celciutos¡¯ barrier, our species would have surely gone extinct.¡±

    Even after the natural cmities, monsters continued to grow violent: in their search for a safe haven, they had found the Kuwain area, or so Lierno said. Kuwain was originally the dominion of Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, and the three sea beasts were its guardians.

    ¡°Ishkar was a highly intelligent monster. It allowed our people to live here, so we finally could find safety.¡±

    That did notst long, however. The Seafloor Sanctuary, Ishkar¡¯s dwelling, was tainted by miasma. In order to contain the spread of miasma, Ishkar locked itself in the sanctuary: thus returning the peace once again.

    Such peace, however, was disrupted a few years ago. The guardian beasts serving Ishkar, the three sea beasts, turned violent.

    ¡°I heard that Celciutos too was affected by the miasma and some of its functions stopped working as intended. Master Jesta used the stored items and Celciutos¡¯ barrier to seal the miasma in the sanctuary, then told our ancestors to preserve it, or so it is said. In exchange, they were allowed to live on Celciutos. Most of its functions were locked, though. Master Jesta had probably foreseen that even a small mistake in operating Celciutos could cause disasters.¡±

    Celciutos wasn¡¯t just a ship Shin put together in a rush, but a magic-powered battleship that all Rokuten members coborated to build, based on precise and intricate blueprints.

    The fishmen would not have been able to make it move, but it was still equipped with anti-air, anti-ground, and anti-submarine weapons and ammunition, so just taking these out could have caused a lot of trouble.

    ¡°Apparently, Master Jesta said that if just one of the Rokuten members returned, they would have been able to find a solution to this predicament. I am fully aware of how shameless such a request may sound, but please, could you grant us your invaluable assistance in purifying the Seafloor Sanctuary?¡±

    Lierno then bowed his head, as did the women around him and Arno. Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, was a monster on par with Yuzuha¡¯splete form, however. Not even Shin could easily ept to face it.

    As Shin was reflecting upon this and thinking about what to do, Yuzuha contacted him via Mind Chat.

    ¡°(Shin, can¡¯t we save Ishkar?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Ishkar, like Yuzuha. Blocking miasma. Ishkar is sea guardian. If Ishkar gone, big trouble in all seas.)¡±

    ¡°(He¡¯s like Yuzuha, hmm.)¡±

    Shin was reminded of the suffering Yuzuha in the shrine.

    Ishkar, like the Element Tails, was a monster close to humanity. As Yuzuha said, it was probably in the sanctuary, doing everything possible to keep the miasma in check.

    Considering this, Shin thought that just retrieving Celciutos and saying goodbye would not be a good idea. ording to Lierno, if Ishkar hadpletely sealed in the miasma the seal would then unlock automatically: the fact that this hadn¡¯t happened meant that it was still fighting against the miasma within the sanctuary.

    Even Yuzuha had weakened because of the miasma¡¯s effect: there was no guarantee that Ishkar was safe and sound. If they wanted to save him, the sooner the better.

    In the end, they couldn¡¯t leave miasma-rted trouble alone.

    ¡°¡­guess there¡¯s no other way. We¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°I knew you would say that, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Yep, sure enough.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we cannot ignore this.¡±

    ¡°Not miasma, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Yuzuha, Schnee, Filma, Shibaid, and Tiera agreed to Shin¡¯s decision. They all knew that this would be the conclusion as they listened to Lierno¡¯s story.

    ¡°The first thing to do then, is to check Celciutos¡¯ current state. Zazie, you guys help me with this too. You know the ship¡¯s internal structure, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We should check on the engines first.¡±

    Zazie¡¯s group could also perform maintenance on Celciutos. They wouldn¡¯t equal Jesta, who was exclusively in charge of the ship, but they knew its structure and functions perfectly.

    Shin decided to make sure that Celciutos could move when necessary and then head to the supposedly sealed Seafloor Sanctuary.

 Book 11: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    Shin¡¯s group temporarily left Zazie¡¯s and went to Celciutos¡¯ bridge. The basic controls were not much different from a regr ship¡¯s, it just had more equipment and functions.

    ording to Lierno, Jesta had sealed off the bridge, so no one had been able to enter it. Shin simply knocked on the Chimeradite door and operated the control panel.

    ¡°It was locked from the inside, so that only Rokuten members could ess it, huh.¡±

    The panel confirmed Shin¡¯s magic power and changed the color of its light from red to blue. The door slid open, sounding like a steam vent.

    ¡°At least it doesn¡¯t look like anything is damaged.¡±

    The room¡¯s self-cleaning function seemed to be still active, since there was no dust piled up. And the various panels did not look cracked or broken either.

    As Shin gave a quick look around the bridge, he felt something tugging at his sleeve. Tiera had grabbed Shin¡¯s sleeve and weakly pulled on it.

    ¡°Are those¡­.human bones?¡±

    ¡°Bones?¡±

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and, sure enough, spotted what looked like a person¡¯s bones sprawled on the ground. The hands were sped on the chest, so it didn¡¯t look like he had been killed.

    ¡°Jesta, I guess.¡±

    Shin looked at the equipment on the skeleton and quickly noticed that some of it were his own creation. It was possible to instantly notice equipment one had forged, even if it was equipped by others. Shin also remembered seeing the equipment somewhere before. He didn¡¯t use ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but there was no mistaking it.

    ¡°¡­before we go to the sanctuary, can we give Jesta a proper send off?¡±

    Shin contacted Zazie and the others, who rushed to the room. Zazie then asked Shin this question while looking at Jesta¡¯s remains.

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Shin nodded. There was no way they would leave him like that.

    ¡°Are these letters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one is addressed to us, one to any Rokuten member, one to lord Cook.¡±

    Three letters were found next to Jesta¡¯s remains. Based on the situation, they were probably his will. Shin took the letter addressed to Rokuten members and unsealed it. The letter contained a detailed report of what had happened after Jesta had met the merpeople.

    He had chosen to spend thest moments of his life alone in the bridge, ounting for the possibility that some merpeople or fishpeople plotted to misuse Celciutos.

    After reading the letter, Shin had a newfound respect for Jesta.

    Other than the ship and the miasma, the letter also recounted the cause of his death. In his older years, he had caught a disease that potions could not cure. Potions mainly focused on healing wounds, so they were often ineffective against diseases.

    The letter stated that the disease itself was not extremely rare, but maybe because he had be weaker due to his age, Jesta¡¯s condition just kept worsening.

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±

    Despite knowing that his death was approaching, Jesta spent his days thinking about the people living on Celciutos and how to deal with the miasma, showing impressive mental fortitude.

    ¡°We are proud to be hisrades.¡±

    Zazie, reading the letter addressed to them, whispered with a quavering voice. Next to her, Lapwing hugged the weeping Bell and Shell.

    ¡°¡­.how do you bury people here?¡±

    ¡°Barbatos¡¯ style is to cremate the body and scatter the ashes in the sea. The soul returns to the heavens, the body to mother sea¡­this is the creed in this region.¡±

    Shin waited for Zazie the others to settle down before asking, and Zazie replied. They turned Jesta¡¯s remains into a card, which Zazie held.

    ¡°Could you please allow us to participate in the send off? We are deeply indebted to him as well.¡±

    Shin told Lierno that they wanted to give Jesta a proper send off before heading to the Seafloor Sanctuary, and the chief made his plea, his head bowed.

    The whole tribe wished to participate in the funeral. Arno and the mermaids, who had waited for the High Human¡¯s return, shared this sentiment too and nodded.

    ¡°¡­.chief, I understand you want to pay your respects to the person we are indebted to, but we can¡¯t do something like that now, can we? If we go on like this, some of us will end up starving.¡±

    Despite the general atmosphere which indicated that everyone wanted to proceed with the funeral, only Marshill expressed a contrary opinion. Lierno¡¯s scolding had probably cooled him off, since his tone was now perfectly calm.

    ¡°Even so, we must. That is the greatness of the debt we owe him. If we shirk this responsibility, how can we face the spirits of our ancestors?¡±

    ¡°But chief¡­!¡±

    ¡°What is happening, exactly? He said that your people will starve?¡±

    Shin was thankful that they would participate in the funeral, but after hearing that people would die, he couldn¡¯t just ignore it.

    ¡°Actually, just like the three sea beasts, all monsters in the Kuwain area started growing feral¡­sir. Because of this, the resources we need are getting scarce¡­m¡¯lord.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to force yourself to speak politely.¡±

    ording to Marshill, the monsters had turned feral and attacked without regard to their own safety, so many of the fishpeople and merpeople who had exited the barrier to procure supplies had fallen victim to their attacks.

    Some of the Celciutos dwellers could deal with the monsters, but it was nevertheless bing increasingly difficult to ensure that all of them had enough to eat. Because of this, the settlement¡¯s food reserves were now very low. The fishpeople and merpeople working outside helped however they could, but the limit was apparently near.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take refuge in Barbatos? Arno said that she can teleport there, so if the merpeople and fishpeople here can manage to leave the Kuwain area you can make do somehow, no?¡±

    Arno, who watched Shin¡¯s party leave for Kuwain, had somehow arrived before them. She had used a teleport crystal. It was a secret method that not even the guild knew about.

    Arno had also said that she worked in the guild to know who wanted to go to the Kuwain area as early as possible. The teleport spot she used was just outside Barbatos, on the seafloor. The teleport crystals she used were not single use items, but high grade items which could teleport the user an unlimited number of times to a registered location.

    ¡°The teleport crystal I use only works with members of the Toole bloodline. Even if someone of my bloodline used it, they couldn¡¯t bring anyone from outside the bloodline with them. We thought of moving to another location, but the Kuwain area, as of now, is too dangerous even for our warriors. Even if we moved in small, escorted groups, it would be very risky.¡±

    While they were ready to flee, leaving their sanctuary behind, they could not reach an agreement about when and how to do it. Thus time passed and the situation continued to worsen. Transferring not only one or two people, but the whole n, was something above Arno¡¯s capabilities too.

    Even if they moved to Barbatos in small groups, in the current situation, some warriors would surely die, so there was no way to know how many would safely reach Barbatos¡¯ shores.

    They had also made a plea to Barbatos¡¯ lord, but the answer had not been favorable.

    ¡°Most of the people living here have never set foot in a town. It seems they are worried that a mass immigration wouldter create troubles.¡±

    Barbatos, thanks to the pools built inside the city and its temperate climate, was a popr tourist destination. The famous restaurant Shigureya, too, was one of its attractions. Because of this, its governors were sensitive to situations that could create problems. Events that could damage the city¡¯s reputation were dealt with swiftly.

    For Barbatos, a mass immigration of individuals not used to living in towns was nothing but a recipe for trouble.

    Fishpeople and merpeople were humanlike creatures, not wild beasts. They had the intellect to learn the rules and the rationality to respect them. Even so, most of Barbatos¡¯ dwellers were humans. They were races with different cultures and lifestyles. Fishpeople and merpeople already lived there, so it was not likely forrge conflicts to break out, but it would still be difficult to imagine that both sides could fully ept each other without any trouble, even for Shin.

    ¡°Most of all, saving us would mean entering the Kuwain area. Thinking about the casualties that such an operation would mean, they surely couldn¡¯t send a rescue team.¡±

    Not even a marine city¡¯s sea warriors would be safe when traveling to Kuwain. It was a route dangerous even for veterans, with a very low survival rate. Any leader would hesitate to send their forces there.

    ¡°Many of us refuse to leave their hometown, too. They would want to stay even if the barrier were to disappear.¡±

    The elderly especially disyed such a tendency. If they had to die, it would be where they were born, or so they said.

    ¡°Even if the barrier was gone, we could somehow manage if the monsters returned to normal. If we could get rid of the cause, we wouldn¡¯t need to hide in Celciutos.¡±

    Marshill, standing calmly next to Lierno, spoke again.

    ¡°I think we could do something about the need for the barrier. If we could get rid of the problem with Ishkar, then we could solve the situation somehow¡­or so I would like to think.¡±

    Shin heard that Kuwain had originally been a safe area to live in. If the miasma was purified and Ishkar regained its strength, the seas would hopefully return to how they were.

    Shin paused for a moment, then continued.

    ¡°Well, I understand the situation now. This is a problem to be solved after the funeral, but let¡¯s all eat for now. You have to hold on for a little longer, until we do something about Ishkar, at least.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. An empty stomach robs people of their willpower.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch time for us too.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma, who had kept silent until then, nodded in agreement.

    Shin¡¯s item box contained great quantities of food supplies. While the funeral was important, he decided to give the priority to those who were living now.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys.¡±

    ¡°No, Jesta too would say that if we had time to hold a funeral for him, we should fill up people¡¯s bellies first.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s exactly what he would say.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa Jesta wouldn¡¯t get angry!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d get angry and say ¡®leave the funeral forter!¡¯ instead!¡±

    Shin apologized for deciding on his own, but Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell shook their heads. Being support characters for the same master, they knew very well how Jesta would have reacted in that situation.

    Schnee, who had a high Cooking skill, and Tiera ¨C who had been trained by her ¨C offered to help. Shin told the apologetic Lierno to gather the other tribe members and, with the rest of the party, went to Celciutos¡¯ kitchen. Shibaid and Filma, who were not especially skilled in cooking, went with Lierno to call the other tribe members.

    Arno was the only mermaid with the cooking skill, so she went with Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°Who knew that there was a ce like this¡­¡±

    Arno was wide-eyed; Celciutos¡¯ kitchen was equipped with cooking utensils of the highest quality. Basic tools like knives and pots, modern machines like stoves and ovens, bizarre tools that made it difficult to guess what they could be used for¡­ It looked like a small exhibition.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start cooking. Prioritize quantity and speed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the preparations.¡±

    Shin took ingredients out of the item box, which Zazie and Lapwing started cooking. Thanks to their boosted stats, vegetables and fish were instantly cut, cleaned, then put intorge pots.

    There was a great quantity of food to prepare, so they decided to make soup dishes. After skillfully preparing the ingredients, they prepared to cook a bouibaisse.

    Bell and Shell left the room for the moment and went to set the tables.

    ¡°Master, you look like you¡¯re keeping up with them, but I couldn¡¯t at all¡­¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t either¡­¡±

    Tiera looked at Schnee working alongside Zazie and Lapwing andmented, with a slightly troubled expression on her face. Arno, who was standing next to her, agreed.

    ¡°They go above and beyond simply being good cooks, after all.¡±

    Shin too couldn¡¯t help butugh wryly while looking at the cooking team¡¯s movements.

    High physical abilities and cooking skillsplemented each other to form a scenery quite different from what one would expect to see in a normal kitchen. The sound of cutting vegetables was quick and sharp, but when it was heard the vegetable had already beenpletely cut.

    Rather than cooking, it was like seeing a magic trick where vegetables were sliced instantly. Shin and Tiera could not intrude the realm of such experts.

    ¡°¡­we might as well go help Bell and Shell.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s. We¡¯d just be in the way here.¡±

    The two gave up on helping in the kitchen and decided to go help prepare the tables.

    All cooking tools in the kitchen had time reduction bonuses attached, so soon after putting them in the pot to boil they already gave a delicious smell. Secondster the ingredients looked tasty and a kuu-like sound could be heard.

    ¡°¡­Yuzuha didn¡¯t say anything, you know?¡±

    Shin too knew that the sound was different from Yuzuha¡¯s usual voice. He looked towards the source and found Tiera and Arno.

    ¡°H-Hey! That wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    Tiera realized what Shin¡¯s look meant and motioned her denial with her hands. The only other option was thus Arno.

    ¡°¡­.uh¡­¡±

    She must have been embarrassed to be asked if she was hungry. Arno¡¯s face was growing redder and redder.

    ¡°¡­aah, I¡¯m sorry, that was me just now. I¡¯m getting pretty hungry.¡±

    ¡°Shin, that was way too slow.¡±

    If he had to say something, he should have done so right after the rumbling stomach. Shin¡¯s ¡°helpful¡±ment was mercilessly struck down by Tiera. It had not been helpful at all, but there was nothing to do about it.

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯m sorry, about everything¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m ashamed to have¡ª¡±

    Just as Arno was apologizing, another ¡°kuu¡± sound resounded in the surroundings.

    It was more than clear that Arno¡¯s stomach was the source.

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Arno, still blushing violently, hit her stomach to try to prevent it from rumbling again.

    It was painful to see how she was trying to fake a smile. Maybe her will had won, though, because the rumbling stopped.

    ¡°Ehm¡­you don¡¯t need to go so far.¡±

    ¡°¡­.that¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t have enough for everyone¡­so I just skipped breakfast¡­.¡±

    Arno crouched down and hid her face with her hands, while exining herself in a quiet voice. Her still visible ears were as red as apples.

    ¡°Shin, you and Yuzuha go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, gotcha.¡±

    Shin followed Tiera¡¯s advice and headed out of the room with Yuzuha. Tiera¡¯s expression seemed to tell him, ¡°don¡¯t look at her¡±.

    ¡°With a smell like this in the air, of course your stomach starts rumbling¡­¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha¡¯s hungry too!¡±

    Yuzuha agreed to Shin¡¯s mumbling, her tails swaying left and right.

    The scent wafting from the kitchen was getting more and more powerful and now strongly stimted the appetite of anyone who smelled it. If one had skipped breakfast, it was no wonder for the stomach to start craving nutrition.

    ¡°We¡¯vee to help, but have you already finished here?¡±

    ¡°All finished!¡±

    ¡°All done!¡±

    Bell and Shell worked at Shigureya, after all, so their preparation was wless.

    They exined the menu, asked if anyone had allergies, and promptlypleted all other necessary preparations. The merpeople and fishpeople who came inside all received a bowl and a spoon, then stared at the kitchen: the source of the smell deliciously filling the air, of course.

    ¡°(The food is ready, can you help us bring it out?)¡±

    ¡°(Okay, I¡¯ming.)¡±

    Shin received Schnee¡¯s Mind Chat and went back to the kitchen.

    ¡°Shin? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°They told me the food¡¯s ready. I¡¯m going to help serve it.¡±

    Shin told Tiera, who was with the still slightly blushing Arno, and walked away. As he neared the kitchen, the smell grew stronger and stronger.

    With Yuhuza perched on his head, both her and Shin¡¯s stomachs gave healthy rumbles.

    ¡°These are the first 80 servings. We will bring the rest as soon as it¡¯s ready.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll give these to Bell and Shell, thene back.¡±

    Shin turned the bubbling pot into a card and quickly left the kitchen.

    He then materialized the pot on a table prepared by Bell and Shell, raising loud cheers from the fishpeople and merpeople. Shin¡¯s group split their roles and served them food, prioritizing children, women and the elderly. Shibaid and Filma kept the queue in order.

    ¡°So tasty!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is really delicious¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel so warm¡­¡±

    ¡°Mgh! Gulp! So good!! Amazing!!¡±

    Mothers smacked their lips while looking at their rejoicing children. Grandmothers let out sighs of relief after slowly bringing the bowl to their lips. Young men wolfed down on their portions as if in a trance. Everyone had content smiles on their faces.

    ¡°So this is Shigureya¡¯s true power. It really is delicious.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so tasty!¡±

    Realizing that if they properly lined up, they could all have something to eat, no one disrupted the queue. Taking turns, Shin¡¯s party ate their fill too. Yuzuha took the chance to change into human form and enjoyed her soup.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s asking for seconds. Well, it was to be expected¡­hmm?¡±

    Shin finished his soup, then his eyes caught the sight of Marshill, bowl in hand, looking at the other fishpeople. There was still steaming from his bowl: he clearly hadn¡¯t finished his soup yet.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat?¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ªoh, it¡¯s you, sir.¡±

    The surprised Marshill stood perfectly straight and bowed to Shin.

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I am deeply sorry for my deplorable behavior until now.¡±

    ¡°Hey now¡­¡±

    Shin was confused by the fishman¡¯s sudden change. He told him to raise his head and exin first of all. They went to sit on a ledge and Shin told Marshill to drink his soup before it turned cold.

    Marshill still tried to speak as politely as possible, so Shin requested that he speak normally.

    ¡°I am the leader of the warrior tribe protecting this sanctuary. But all I could do for everyone¡¯s sake was to gather a meager amount of food.¡±

    Having fighting skills, he could have be an adventurer and earned through that, but there was the chance that some among the dwellers may go on a rampage out of frustration and despair, so ¨C thinking about such a possibility ¨C he could not bring himself to leave the settlement.

    Marshill had witnessed personally how ferocious the attacks of the three sea beasts were: he was also concerned that the barrier might break down.

    ¡°Little by little, day by day, everyone was growing thinner. But I couldn¡¯t do anything to change the situation.¡±

    As they were tasked with procuring food supplies, warriors received rtivelyplete meals: the portions to the children, the elderly and young people without anything to do, however, were unbearably small.

    Some warriors shared their food with them too. If they did, however, they wouldn¡¯t be able to muster their power when needed; many of them were killed by monsters this way.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t move to Barbatos now, not even if we wanted. Even if we knew we had no future, staying here is all we could do.¡±

    Even when he stood against Shin, Marshill didn¡¯t have enough strength to fight properly. The difficult situation is the reason why he looked so irritable.

    ¡°¡­.Kids canugh like that, huh.¡±

    Marshill looked at the children running around near them, a mellower expression on his face.

    His peaceful atmosphere now made him look like apletely different personpared to when Shin first met him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens to me. But please, let my subordinates go. They just followed my orders.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you dare do that here.¡±

    Shin felt that Marshill was going to kneel to apologize and stopped him.

    ¡°I have no intention of doing anything anyway. We didn¡¯t fight and no one was hurt on either side. You better apologize to Zazie and the others, though. You said that something belonging to their master was yours, after all. It¡¯s not something they can just let go either.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Marshill nodded firmly to Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Whoops, looks like thest pot is almost empty. I¡¯ll go take it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help too if I can.¡±

    Marshill went to Bell and Shell, while Shin headed to the kitchen.

    He went back and forth three times.

    After about 400 servings of soup were cleared, the cooking came to an end.

    ¡°We finished cleaning up, so can you tell us where the Seafloor Sanctuary is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told to be your guide. Please follow me.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group boarded their magic-powered vessel and, following Arno¡¯s lead, went underwater.

    Joining Shin in this expedition were the usual members: his support characters and Tiera. As there was the possibility of fighting in an unfamiliar underwater environment, Shin gave Tiera a ring that would absorb damage to a certain degree.

    The Shigureya crew remained on Celciutos, in charge of checking whether all its functions were working properly. Shin didn¡¯t think anything would happen so soon, but he told them to focus on the barrier first, just in case.

    ¡°The barrier extends underwater¡­no, up and down? So it¡¯s less affected by outside sources, huh.¡±

    Shin considered how Celciutos¡¯ barrier had been erected as the ship proceeded underwater. Even inside the storm, the waves around Celciutos were calm. The underwater surroundings did not seem unusual either.

    Learning that the Seafloor Sanctuary was directly below Celciutos, Shin pictured the barrier¡¯s extension in his head.

 Book 11: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Are we there yet?¡±

    Tiera asked after about 30 minutes of continuous diving.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s deeper than expected.¡±

    Shin also felt that they had already been descending for a long time, but not knowing how deep the sea was in that area, he could not give Tiera a clear answer.

    The depth of their current position was 6000 mels.

    Thanks to the enchantments attached to it and the unique materials it was made with, the hybrid magic-powered vessel could dive at high speed, but nothing resembling the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± could be seen yet.

    Arno still lead the way without any signs of indecision however, so they kept following behind her.

    Thirty more minutes passed.

    Finally, something began to shine in the distance. It was the building Shin¡¯s group was looking for. There were no light sources visible, but its surroundings were strangely bright.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the Seafloor Sanctuary. The official name is ¡®Castle of the Depths¡¯? Wait, ¡®Seafloor Sanctuary¡¯ is there too. They¡¯re mixed together?¡±

    Shin thought that ¡®Seafloor Sanctuary¡¯ was the building¡¯s official name, but when he looked at it, another name was disyed. If he moved his gaze just a little, however, the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± name also appeared.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why Ishkar is here.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The Ishkar I knew used to dwell in the royal chambers deep inside an underground dungeon masquerading as a castle. So when Arno said the word ¡°Sanctuary¡±, I thought it had changed locations, but now I see how it is. The building probably moved when the crust did.¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question with a hypothesis.

    Upon closer inspection, the group noticed the broken down remains of a building scattered around the Sanctuary. It had probably been destroyed by the natural disasters. The main building was the ¡°Castle of the Depths¡±, with the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± around it.

    When Shin mentioned this to Arno, she was very surprised. Apparently she did not know about this bizarre urrence.

    ¡°In that case, the interior of the dungeon could have changed too. Hopefully the path isn¡¯t blocked.¡±

    Schneemented while looking at the Castle of the Depths. That possibility wasn¡¯t far-fetched at all.

    In the game area, such a phenomenon was impossible. In any dungeon there was a path leading to the boss. Now, however, even such an obvious reality could have changed.

    ¡°We can only go and check.¡±

    Shin guided the ship until it was close to the Castle of the Depths, then anchored it to the seafloor. As the whole group had left the ship, their equipment changed to its underwater mode, and Shin turned the ship into a card.

    Tiera, who did not have the ¡¾Dive¡¿ skill, equipped an earring with the same effects.

    Arno was surprised to see the massive ship instantly turn into a card, but then nodded to herself. She now knew that Shin was a High Human, which was enough of an exnation.

    ¡°The entrance is over here¡±

    Led by Arno, the group reached the Castle of the Depths¡¯ gate. Even though it was called a castle, the exterior looked like a cardboard cutout. The dungeon itself extended underground, so it wasn¡¯t possible to use shortcuts to the lower floors or simr tricks.

    There were treasure chests and such in the above ground part of the castle, but the group had no time to go look for them, so Shin went straight towards the gate.

    ¡°This is as far as I can guide you.¡±

    Arno stopped about 10 mels from the gate: a semi-transparent barrier had appeared before her. It apparently stopped all intruders with stats lower than a certain amount.

    In the game era, the Castle of the Depths was a high difficulty dungeon, fitting as Ishkar¡¯s abode, a boss monster of level 1000.

    All monsters that appeared within it had high levels too, so yers used it to train low level yers: it was a so-called power leveling area.

    The game¡¯s management did not appreciate such a usage however, and entry into dungeons with a certain number of high-level monsters became restricted.

    The restriction ced that time was apparently still active, even in this world. Shin tried to get closer and was able to pass through without problems. Schnee and the rest of the party followed him, until only Tiera remained outside the barrier.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    She extended a hand towards the barrier, a nervous look on her face. Just as she was about to touch it, Tiera¡¯s hand passed through.

    ¡°Wheew¡­I was so nervous¡­¡±

    There seemed to be a good chance that Tiera would be repelled, so she was really relieved to have been able to pass through the barrier.

    (If she¡¯s able to enter here, it means that her average stats are over 450. Even factoring in equipment bonuses, that¡¯s not a number you can reach without resurrection bonuses¡­)

    So thought Shin while looking at Tieraing towards them.

    Tiera was a Priestess of the World Tree, a special existence, but it was confirmed that she was not a Chosen One.

    In the game, no matter what bonuses were granted by equipment, she couldn¡¯t have entered in the Castle of the Depths or the Seafloor Sanctuary.

    Just now, before Shin¡¯s eyes, Tiera had ovee the barrier though.

    In this world, yers without resurrection bonuses could raise their base stats only by leveling up or using rare items.

    Just like Schnee and the others, Tiera had received a stat bonus from the Ley Lines; as a denizen of this world, however, she was starting to be an impossible existence.

    ¡°¡­.? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡±

    Thinking wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. Tiera was a bit puzzled by Shin¡¯s silence, but he waved at her not to mind and looked at Arno.

    ¡°Do be careful.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how long it would take, so he had Arno go back first. Being a mermaid, she could go back to Celciutos even without boarding a ship.

    Shin¡¯s group watched Arno go, then looked up at the Castle of the Depths¡¯ gate.

    The gate had three depressions, the same size as item cards.

    ¡°Just like how it was set up in the game, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Set up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you need to offer the Three Sea Beasts¡¯ materials to enter Ishkar¡¯s Castle of the Depths.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question while taking items out of his Item Box.

    A fragment of Mascurda¡¯s pearls, Keseldran¡¯s fang, and Eolios¡¯ needle. To enter, they had to be turned into cards and ced in the gate¡¯s depressions.

    In this world they had just briefly met Keseldran, but the materials gathered in the game era were still in Shin¡¯s item box.

    Shin took the three cards and ced each in the depression where the corresponding Sea Beast was depicted.

    The response was immediate as two of the three cards were rejected. Only Keseldran¡¯s card stayed in ce, glowing faintly.

    ¡°¡­whatever could this mean?¡±

    ¡°This happens when the wrong card is put in. The gate¡¯s functions are still active I see.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s confused question while touching the gate. There was no response, it didn¡¯t look like it would open anytime soon.

    Normally, the cards would stay in and the gate would open.

    ¡°The materials are the right ones, though. Why did only Keseldran¡¯s stay in, anyway?¡±

    In the game era too, item cards received by others would be rejected. The cards in Shin¡¯s item box were originally from the game era, they could be seen as having been received from someone else.

    ¡°Keseldran was that snake monster with the pincers, right? Maybe we have toe in contact¡­or at least be seen by them?¡±

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s the only possibility.¡±

    Shin could only agree with Tiera¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°Kuu kuu¡±

    Shin was thinking about the reason behind the rejection of the materials, when Yuzuha poked his forehead.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡°When we met Kesel, its magic power went into you, Shin. That¡¯s it, maybe.¡±

    ¡°Its magic power came into me?¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, when Keseldran attacked the barrier a small part of its magic power flowed into Shin. It was such a minimal amount that Shin didn¡¯t realize it, but the magic power emanated from the cards was simr to that, apparently.

    ¡°Meaning, as long as we get close to them, we don¡¯t need to fight.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure if the same thing would happen with the other two Beasts too, but there was nothing else they could do.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start from Mascurda then.¡±

    Since they just needed to get close to the monster, Shin decided to try from the one easier to escape from: among the Three Sea Beasts, Mascurda had the lowest movement speed.

    Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the Item Box, deactivated underwater mode, and boarded it with the rest of the party. The direction they set for was north-west.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can find it quickly though.¡±

    ¡°Keseldran hade right next to Celciutos, I guess it had perceived our presence?¡±

    Shin had also considered the possibility that Shibaid mentioned.

    Despite being in the heart of Kuwain, Keseldran had attacked when the group had neared Celciutos¡¯ barrier. They didn¡¯t know if it came for Shin¡¯s party or the merpeople, but the timing was too good.

    Based on what they knew and what Arno had told them, Keseldran had roamed very far from its territory. It wouldn¡¯t have made it in time if it didn¡¯t start chasing Shin¡¯s ship as soon as it entered the Kuwain area.

    ¡°If it wille to us, then it¡¯s even better. First we¡¯ll go somewhat closer, set a marker and go back. If getting closer is enough, then great. If not, we¡¯ll think of something else.¡±

    Among all magic skills, there was one that allowed someone to ce a marker to know where a particr target was, for a limited period of time. If just getting closer wasn¡¯t enough, Shin nned to use it to locate Mascurda.

    Moving at high speed underwater was dangerous, so Shin brought the ship near the surface. If they emergedpletely they would be subject to the stormy sea and tall waves, so he stopped the ship¡¯s ascension to a depth that didn¡¯t hinder the ship¡¯s sailing.

    After a while, arge number of jellyfish-type monsters appeared in front of Shin¡¯s ship. Their levels ranged wildly from low to high and they floated really close to each other, leaving almost no space in between.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a detour.¡±

    There was no need to force their way through the monsters. Jellyfish monsters rarely attacked first, so they would probably let the ship go as long as they weren¡¯t attacked.

    Shin had heard that the monsters had turned violent, but this type didn¡¯t seem to be affected.

    The group of jellyfish monsters floated at a depth where light just barely prated into the sea, so Shin decided to pass below them.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    The ship was proceeding slowly, when Shin noticed a half transparent red marker on the map. It symbolized the presence of a monster that was using ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    The jellyfish swarm also slowly moved, as to block the ship¡¯s path.

    ¡°It came out earlier than expected, huh.¡±

    ¡°So it looks like.¡±

    Schnee had also perceived the monster¡¯s presence and looked under the ship.

    Shibaid and Filma realized it too.

    ¡°What¡¯sing?¡±

    Tiera understood that a monster was approaching, but she couldn¡¯t detect concealed enemies, apparently.

    ¡°There¡¯s a concealed monster below us. If we go a bit lower, it¡¯ll probably attack.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was trying to go through what could be called the entrance to the sea depths, a ce where light couldn¡¯t reach.

    Below that, without light sources or night vision skills, it was impossible to see anything.

    The jellyfish monsters were just decoys. The ship would be attacked while it tried to dodge them, or so Shin thought the monster¡¯s n was.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we change course, then?¡±

    ¡°If we do that it might not attack though. We¡¯ll dodge and escape.¡±

    ¡°Escape? Wait, you mean that the monster trying to ambush us is¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing! Grab hold of something, everyone!¡±

    Before Tiera could finish her sentence, Shin sharply turned the control lever and stepped on the pedal. The ship¡¯s course changed diagonally and elerated.

    ¡°Bingo! I knew it!¡±

    ¡°Waah¡­¡±

    Shin turned the ship around, shining its lights on the spot it had recently vacated. There they found six squid-like tentacles with suckers, squirming around in search for the ship.

    Tiera backed away at such a sight, holding her own body with her arms and shaking. It was her first time seeing a squid¡¯s tentacles that were thisrge: more than being surprised, she was hit by a wave of disgust.

    ¡°Those are Mascurda¡¯s tentacles. If they grab you, you¡¯ll be dragged straight into its mouth.¡±

    The monster¡¯s main body was somewhere deeper, so the group could only see its huge tentacles sprouting from the darkness. Because of this, it looked even more creepy.

    ¡°What will you do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work with just the tentacles, so I¡¯ll get closer to the main body. Sorry guys, but the ship is going to shake some more!¡±

    Realizing that it couldn¡¯t catch anything by trying to grasp with those tentacles, Mascurda¡¯s body emerged from the darkness.

    Its main body,rger than Shin¡¯s magic-powered vessel, was armed with shells and gems, fitting for one of the monsters called a Sea Beast. Large, sharp ws adorned the tips of its tentacles: in spite of its simrity to normal squids, its appearance clearly indicated the creature was a monster.

    Additional tentacles it had not used before stretched out towards the ship, but Shin avoided them by moving the ship horizontally. The tentacles, missing their target, crashed into the jellyfish swarm, wrapping themselves around several of them.

    ¡°Shin¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to eat squid anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯re not used to it this can be a pretty shocking sight.¡±

    Tiera and Shin were watching Mascurda as it feasted on the jellyfish monsters it had caught. The monster¡¯s round mouth on the lower part of its body ripped apart the jellyfish and swallowed them.

    Rows of saw-like teeth could be seen within the monster¡¯s mouth. The fate of the jellyfish demonstrated clearly what would happen to anything that ended up in the monster¡¯s maw.

    ¡°So those jellyfish weren¡¯t Mascurda¡¯s servants, then.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re getting closer to the main body, I¡¯ll put up a barrier.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    The ship was enchanted with protective magic, but for added safety, Shibaid took out his

    ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡».

    Shin directed the ship towards Mascurda¡¯s body, keeping the monster in his field of vision.

    ¡°We might be attacked, so make sure you don¡¯t lose your bnce!¡±

    Shin shouted while stepping harder on the pedal. The magic engine roared, attracting Mascurda¡¯s attention, its eyes ring at the ship.

    ¡°Well, now it found us for sure.¡±

    ¡±Underwater, detection via sound is the basic method. Of course it would.¡±

    During Filma and Schnee¡¯s exchange, Mascurda¡¯s tentacles were already shooting for the ship. The ship elerated away faster than they could reach, however.

    ¡°Shin!! Shin!!! We¡¯re tilting!! The ship¡¯s tilting!!¡±

    The ship sped through the tentacles at a speed unthinkable for underwater travel. The ship, tilted at 90 degrees, barely managed to dodge the tentacles, so the surprised Tiera called Shin¡¯s name.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to go straight like this and pass next to Mascurda! It¡¯s going to shoot magic at us, brace for impact!¡±

    Just as Shin said, the two mels wide gemstone on Mascurda¡¯s forehead started glowing. Also due to its status as an underwater monster, the magic it used was mainly water-based.

    As the gemstone¡¯s light grew stronger, the seawater in front of Mascurda¡¯s eyes started whirling.

    The newly formed whirlpool quickly becamerger andrger, big enough to swallow Shin¡¯s ship whole.

    Water-type Magic skill ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿.

    Using it underwater gave bonuses such as a boost in offensive power and arger area of effect. With Mascurda as its caster, the resulting whirlpool reached a size that few yers could create.

    ¡°Not so fast!¡±

    In the ship, facing the whirlpool, Shin shouted and hit the control panel. He chose an armament and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

    The side of the ship opened with a psssht-like sound and two torpedoes shot towards the whirlpool, leaving a trail of bubbles behind them.

    The torpedoes shot straight into the heart of the whirlpool: once they reached it, the spell inside them was activated. After an explosion, a ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿ spinning in the opposite direction as Mascurda¡¯s was generated, and the two whirlpools canceled each other.

    ¡°Now!!¡±

    One instant before the whirlpools disappeared, Shin moved the ship forward.

    Maybe because the shing whirlpools obstructed its sight, Mascurda could not react quickly to the ship that forced its way through the two half vanished ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿.

    Shin¡¯s magic-powered vessel passed right next to Mascurda¡¯s body. At that moment, Shin shot a marker, which simply acted as a beacon of magical power, so Mascurda did not even notice being hit with it.

    After passing, the ship elerated and sped away from the monster.

    Mascurda tried to chase after it, but right then Shin¡¯s parting gift was activated.

    ¡ª¡ª!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

    What had been released from the back of the ship was a load of barrels. Their objective was to create a smokescreen underwater: rather than actual smoke, they released an ink-like liquid all around. Touching the liquid also made it impossible to detect the yer and inflicted negative statuses. It was the underwater version of the item used to escape after encountering monsters too different from one¡¯s level.

    Leaving behind Mascurda, who emitted shrill screams out of anger, or pain, Shin¡¯s group returned to the Castle of the Depths.

    There they again tried to ce the item card of Mascurda¡¯s parts in the matching depression of the gate. This time, the card started glowing properly.

    ¡°Good! Now we know that we don¡¯t need to fight.¡±

    It would be a problem to weaken one of the Sea Beasts, for one of the other two to ultimately defeat them. If they just had to go near them, it was much easier than fighting them. Yuzuha confirmed that, just like what had happened with Keseldran, Mascurda¡¯s magic power had flowed into Shin.

    ¡°Our next destination is the southeast, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Eolios is the only one left, let¡¯s make sure we can get this done today.¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee and returned to the ship.

    The current time was a little past three in the afternoon. Considering how long it would take toe back, it would probably be dusk when they did.

    If they started exploring the dungeon then, it could take untilte at night to clear it.

    The dungeon the group was going to enter was an unknown one, where they would find sources of miasma. It surely wasn¡¯t a ce to spend the night in.

    In the depths of the sea, the presence or absence of sunlight did not make a difference, but because of theck of sunlight it was easy to lose track of time and be active for long hours, thus impacting one¡¯s own performance.

    Knowing this, Shin had decided to take sufficient rest before facing the dungeon.

    ¡°What? We¡¯re not going to leave right away?¡±

    ¡°I have to stock up on items first. Eolios is a fast swimmer too, so I wanted to pick up some items to take care of that.¡±

    Eolios was the sea monster that boasted the highest swimming speed. It could even dodge the item the group had used against Mascurda.

    Shin was changing the ship¡¯s equipment, looking at a diagram of the vessel disyed on a screen. Next to him, Tiera looked impressed.

    ¡°Pictures and text floating in midair¡­it¡¯s really strange, no matter how many times I see them. Besides, just moving them around changes things in reality too¡­¡±

    The screen that Shin was manipting was a function loaded onto the ship and visible to anyone, unlike each person¡¯s status screen.

    ¡°Once you get used to it, it¡¯s really convenient.¡±

    After answering Tiera, Shin chose an item to equip on the bottom of the hull: as he did the image on the screen changed, now showing a sort of nozzle.

    Shin went outside the ship to make sure that it had changed as the diagram had shown. Part of the changes had been executed on the bottom of the ship, so he had to change to underwater mode and dive to check.

    ¡°It¡¯s really changed. I wonder how this works¡­¡±

    Tiera was interested and joined Shin in the inspection: when they returned, she expressed her amazement while deactivating underwater mode. She had looked very closely at the changed parts, but couldn¡¯t understand how it had happened.

    ¡°Magically, I guess.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say that it was a game mechanic, so he decided to rely on the always convenient answer that magic did it.

    ¡°That¡¯s the most convincing answer, I guess. That¡­magic-powered engine, was it? The magic flow when it activates is really something else too.¡±

    What Yuzuha called magic flow was visible to Tiera too; like in this case, though, it was apparently possible to see the magic flowing from items too.

    ¡°What do you see, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I see a thin, sparkling purple lighting out of the engine and spreading throughout the ship. It¡¯s really beautiful, so it¡¯s a bit of a shame that I¡¯m the only one that can see it.¡±

    Afterpletely spreading, the flow vanishes away. Hearing Tiera talk about it, Shin thought that he wanted to see it too, but there were no skills to make magic flow visible, so he gave up.

    With their preparations done, Shin¡¯s group departed again, this time for Eolios¡¯ territory.

    The area ruled by Eolios looked extremely different from Mascurda¡¯s.

    ¡°This is bad!¡±

    Shin cursed under his breath while carefully handling the ship¡¯s controls.

    Soon after entering Eolios¡¯ territory, the ship was attacked by monsters. Their quantity and species also increased minute by minute.

    ¡°Why is it so different from the other areas here?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is iprehensible.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid voiced their perplexion too, looking at the monsters that attacked them like an avnche.

    Shibaid erected a barrier to repel the attack of a swarm of mackerel pike-like monsters, while Shin made the ship spin to shake off a group of octopus-type monsters that had attached to it.

    For a ship, the action was getting a bit too exciting.

    ¡°I might end up knocked-out even before we find the boss¡­¡±

    The ship¡¯s sudden elerations, decelerations, and rotations were proving to be too much for Tiera, even though she had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine.

    Just as Shin began to realize that they couldn¡¯t go on like that, he noticed a response farrger than the surrounding monsters heading in their direction at extremely high speed.

    The real identity of the response sting towards the ship, bulldozing through the monsters, was, of course, Eolios.

    A massive shark-like monster, with its head and part of its fins hardened as protection. Its whole body was also covered by one-mel long stake-like needles, which could diffuse magic and were also used as powerful weapons. Even if the monsters that could not dodge Eolios¡¯ passing got stuck on them, the Sea Beast did not seem to notice or care.

    During the game era, Eolios had pierced many yers to death. For the surrounding monsters, being pierced meant instant death. Due to Eolios¡¯ tremendous swimming speed, they would be cruelly ripped apart.

    ¡°Just as expected from the fastest among the Three Sea Beasts. That speed is on a whole other level.¡±

    Shin got rid of the surrounding monsters with the ship¡¯s anti-attacker magic and forcefully steered the vessel out of Eolios¡¯ path.

    Even if they had turned feral, the monsters could probably still realize danger to a degree. The ones surrounding the ship seemed to be shaken by Eolios¡¯ arrival.

    ¡°It¡¯d be easy if we could just pass by, like we did with Mascurda, huh.¡±

    Shin said so to Schnee, but did not attempt this maneuver. Eolios¡¯ mobility was at its apex when it attacked, but it could also change direction vertically or horizontally very easily.

    Because of this, to avoid its charge they would need to gain arge distance very quickly. Just moving to the side would not suffice.

    Even if, by chance, they managed to avoid the collision, Eolios could shoot its needles, thus piercing the ship just after it was thought to be safe.

    With the ship¡¯s protective ting and Shibaid¡¯s barriers, the ship would probably be able to withstand one attack, but if it didn¡¯t work they would be unable to recover, so Shin decided not to test it.

    ¡°Yuzuha! Is the magic here yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet!¡±

    The distance between the ship and Eolios was around 300 mels. In Mascurda¡¯s case, they had passed less than 10 mels from the monster¡¯s body, while with Keseldran the distance was about 100 mels: considering this, Eolios was still too far.

    ¡°How do you like this then!¡±

    Shin moved the ship right in front of Eolios¡¯ path and slowed down.

    Maybe thinking that its prey had weakened, Eolios came closer slowly, its jaws wide open.

    ¡°My chest¡­hurts¡­¡±

    From the bridge it wasn¡¯t possible to see behind the ship. Tiera, however, had felt Eolios¡¯ pressure and was holding her chest with a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please bear with it a little longer!¡±

    ¡ªDistance to Eolios, 280 mels.

    Shin looked at the map and measured the distance. The monster could elerate suddenly, so his finger was ready on the emergency eleration switch.

    ¡ª220 mels.

    Yuzuha¡¯s signal wasn¡¯ting yet. She was gazing intently at something, towards the back of the ship.

    ¡ª180 mels.

    Shin felt something creeping up his shoulders. Probably the pressure that Eolios emanated.

    ¡ª130 mels.

    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s voice echoed through the bridge.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re off!!¡±

    As soon as he heard that the magic power had arrived, Shin activated the ship¡¯s emergency eleration. At the same time, he released an item to facilitate their escape from the stern ¨C a different one than what he used against Mascurda.

    ¡ª¨C!?!?!?!?!?

    A few seconds after the release, an inhuman shriek could be heard from behind them.

    What Shin had thrown to Eolios was a barrel filled to the brim with crystals, each one imbued with the Wind-type magic skill ¡¾Shock Pulse¡¿. The skill was used to release an extremely loud noise, to disperse pursuing monsters. What would happen if 10, 20, or more were activated underwater, where sound propagated at a faster rate?

    ¡°Seems like we managed to escape, somehow.¡±

    Shin breathed a sigh of relief while looking at the responses disappearing outside the map¡¯s detection range.

    The crystals emitted a physical shockwave as well, so Eolios had more important things to deal with than chasing Shin¡¯s group. Looking at the marker moving left and right, Shin guessed that it was probably fairly confused now.

    Being a shark-based monster, it would have been a problem if it followed them via smell, so Shin hadunched a barrel producing a foul smell too.

    The monsters that had attacked the ship seemed even more confused than Eolios. Some were bumping into each other or wandered off randomly. The situation was utter chaos. Others, possibly having lost consciousness, did not move at all.

    ¡°Looks like the area of effect was pretty wide.¡±

    ¡°We even managed to surprise a boss monster, after all. Though, it must have been because it was activated underwater.¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯sment while operating the ship¡¯s controls. Unlike before, when they had just arrived in the area, they managed to proceed without serious obstacles.

    They were attacked again by monsters on their way back, but probably because of ¡¾Shock Pulse¡¿¡¯s effects, the monsters were much less fierce than before, so the group could return to the Castle of the Depths rtively smoothly.

 Book 11: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    Shin¡¯s party spent the night in the ship. After making the necessary preparations, they stood before the dungeon¡¯s gate.

    Shin ced thest remaining card in the gate¡¯s depression and all the cards started glowing brightly. With creaking, scratching sounds, the gate to the Castle of the Depths finally opened.

    ¡°Shin¡­there¡¯s the possibility that we might be toote.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, even I can tell. This time it¡¯s really bad.¡±

    Shin could only agree with what Tiera said after the gate opened.

    The Castle of the Depths had been swallowed by terribly thick miasma.

    ¡°Just to be safe, let¡¯s all use these.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the miasma oozing from beyond the gate. The situation was worse than expected, so he decided that it was too risky to just charge in without preparing proper countermeasures. He then handed some ¡ºMiracle Drug of Holy Skies¡», which they had used when exploring Fuji¡¯s dungeon, to all the party members. To prepare for anything unexpected, he gave a stack of the item¡¯s cards to everyone.

    ¡°Tiera, take this.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­er, goggles?¡±

    Together with the item cards, Shin gave Tiera a pair of underwater goggles enchanted with bonus effects such as ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Far Sight¡¿. The goggles wererge, simr to the ones used when diving.

    In dungeons where visibility was poor due to miasma, visual assistance skills -¡¾Night Sight¡¿ above all- were a necessity. Tiera had learned ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, but did not know ¡¾Night Sight¡¿yet.

    ¡°When I equipped them, the water inside the goggles disappeared¡­is this okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­I guess?¡±

    The goggles did not change form even if the wearer¡¯s equipment turned to underwater mode.

    If the goggles were equipped underwater, seawater would normally seep inside, but there was supposed to be no effect on the skills attached to them. For some reason, however, the water inside had disappeared. It could have been a difference between the game and reality.

    ¡°No use thinking about it, I guess. The goggles¡¯ effects are still there, so I¡¯ll make good use of them.¡±

    Tiera knew that it wasn¡¯t something they needed to talk about then and there, so she wrapped up the topic. Shin nodded and turned again towards the gate.

    ¡°First, I should make sure the miasma doesn¡¯t spread any more than it has already¡­okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin stopped the miasma from spreading beyond the gate, then entered into the Castle of the Depths, with Schnee and the others in tow.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected the castle to be corrupted this much, though. Was the outer appearance just an illusion?¡±

    ¡°If I remember well, its appearance didn¡¯t change even if yers destroyed it. Maybe it¡¯s to prevent seeing the interior of the dungeon from outside.¡±

    While advancing through the water, Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question, recalling his memories of the game era.

    The Castle of the Depths¡¯ castle part was just a facade, like a cardboard cutout ced in front of the actual dungeon. If one wanted to, it was possible to turn it into a pile of rubble.

    Doing so would not have achieved anything, though, so most yers did not bother to destroy it.

    Shin was looking for the path leading underground, when he picked up several responses within his detection range.

    ¡°The castle is supposed to be deserted, but it turns out there¡¯s something here.¡±

    ¡°With this much miasma around, that wouldn¡¯t be strange.¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid¡¯s warning while drawing his sword, ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡°They¡¯re ghost types! They¡¯re going toe from the front, left, and right, through the walls!¡±

    Shin looked at the map and noticed hostile markers moving towards them passing through rooms and corridors, so he notified the rest of the party.

    A few secondster ethereal, eerie monsters appeared in front of Shin¡¯s group, from the ceiling and the walls on their right and left sides.

    ¡°Shibaid, Filma, the Skullfaces in front are yours. Schnee and I will take the Phantoms on the left and right. Tiera, deal with the Baby Hollow on the ceiling!¡±

    Shin gave orders to the party, then activated the skill ¡¾Pure Holy¡¿ with Schnee.

    The half-invisible human-like monsters who had passed through the walls, draped in capes that concealed their features, were High Phantoms: Ghost-type monsters with levels around 400.

    Being capable of using magic of every element, they were rather nasty opponents.

    Knowing that it wasing, however, Shin and Schnee could prepare to attack as soon as the Phantoms phased through the walls. The light they emitted from their palms caused the High Phantoms to simply vanish before they could do anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m done here too.¡±

    At about the same time of Shin and Schnee¡¯s defeat of the High Phantoms, Tiera had dealt with the infant-shaped fireball monsters called Baby Hollow.

    There were only a few of them, so they didn¡¯t stand a chance against a shot from Tiera¡¯s bow, armed with the arrows Shin had given her, which had both anti-miasma Light element and¡¾Purification¡¿ bonuses attached.

    As the battlefield was now underwater, Tiera had changed her equipped bow to the ¡ºEmerald Whirltide Bow¡», a lower Legend-grade bow that increased in offensive power and uracy underwater.

    Shin didn¡¯t think that she could use it, but Tiera proved to be able to handle it without penalties.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re about done too.¡±

    Shin watched Shibaid and Filma sweeping through the Skullfaces. The corridor they were in was fairly wide, but still not enough for many Skullfaces to stand side by side. No matter how many there were, the only ones who could swing their weapons were the three, maybe four in front.

    In terms of stats and equipment, there was no way they could match Shibaid and Filma. Even the King ss Skullfaces were felled in a single blow. It was just a matter of time until the entire pack,posed of Skullfaces of various sses, was annihted.

    ¡°They¡¯ve got numbers, but their levels are nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyway, High Phantoms were a monster that appeared in the Seafloor Sanctuary, right?¡±

    The Castle of the Depths was a den of high-level monsters. Thinking about the game¡¯s standards, High Phantoms were too low-leveled to appear there.

    ¡°Meaning that the Seafloor Sanctuary monsters are dwelling in the castle too? That can be a bit of a pain.¡±

    ¡°Judging from the current situation, that appears to be the only exnation. Surely they couldn¡¯t be the vengeful spirits of people who died at sea.¡±

    Filma looked annoyed, her shoulders dropping, but Shibaid answered her seriously.

    Defeating the monsters wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all, but speed was of the essence this time, so having their progress slowed down wasn¡¯t a good prospect.

    Shin¡¯s group decided to focus more on enemy detection and proceed while avoiding encounters as much as possible.

    ¡°If the structure is the same as before, the path leading to the dungeon should be in the throne room.¡±

    The interior of the castle looked very simr to what Shin remembered. He decided to head for the throne room, as he had in the game. Located in the center of the castle, it would have taken about 15 minutes of walking to reach it.

    The most ideal path would be to head straight towards it, destroying the walls blocking the way, but it would have, without a doubt, attracted monsters towards them, so they discarded the idea.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Knowing that there were monsters around, the group proceeded in silence thanks to Shin and Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿. Unlike sound onnd, at sea, even the smallest whisper could attract a monster¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­really cold?¡±

    The throne room was still a few minutes away when Tiera mumbled to herself. Even in underwater mode the effects of the original equipment were still active, so there were environmental changes that only she could notice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything in particr, how about everyone else?¡±

    Filma, Shibaid, and Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question in the same way, they had not picked up anything either.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou had different opinions, however.

    ¡°My tail feels chilly!¡±

    ¡°Guru!!¡±

    Kagerou growled in agreement to Yuzuha¡¯s words.

    ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Considering who detected this, I have a bad feeling about what awaits..¡±

    A cold chill that could not be detected by any usual means. The cause was apparently in the throne room.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just miasma. It¡¯s probably also dragging the souls of the people who died at sea here. There are so many too¡­¡±

    Tiera, blessed with spiritual detection abilities, spoke while trembling, her face pale.

    ¡°Are you alright? If it¡¯s too tough, we can deal with whatever¡¯s inside ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to join in the fighting if I do, but there is something I¡¯d like to try. Yuzuha, could you help me?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Tiera restrained her body from shaking and looked at Shin. Her eyes shone with the light of a very strong resolve.

    ¡°¡­got it. Yuzuha, take care of Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried as to say ¡°leave it to me!¡± and paddled to Tiera¡¯s shoulder. Being underwater, it felt like she did not weigh anything at all. At Tiera¡¯s feet, Kagerou stood proud, as if saying ¡°I¡¯m by your side too!¡±.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin proceeded forward, ever focused on detecting any threats. Walls and such were meaningless to Ghost-type monsters, so whenever they came close, Shin and Schnee blew them away with magic.

    ¡°This must be it.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group quickly reached the throne room, sessfully avoiding as many encounters as possible.

    Beyond the door Shin detected three presences, allrger than the monsters wandering the castle corridors.

    ¡°Looks like there are bosses stationed here.¡±

    ¡°Originally there wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything here, so¡­I suppose they are monsters from Seafloor Sanctuary?¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­that ce mainly had fish-type monsters, after all. I think the situation now is different.¡±

    The monsters appearing in Seafloor Sanctuary were mainly based on sea creatures, such as fish or crustaceans. Based on the fact that Undead-type monsters like Skullfaces and Phantoms now prowled in the castle, Shin doubted that marine monsters would appear as bosses.

    ¡°We can only be alert and proceed.¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid. Passing through the throne room was the only way to go underground, so they could not avoid this boss confrontation.

    Even though they resolved themselves to confront the bosses, they still wondered whether the dungeon entrance was still in the throne room. However, there was no way to clear their doubt at this moment.

    ¡°Are you ready, everyone? I¡¯m opening the door.¡±

    Shin had Schnee and the rest of the group take one step back, then pushed the door open. The doors did not offer much resistance and slowly opened.

    The very instant the inside of the room became visible, a ck spurt of miasma shot through the opening of the doors directly towards Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°!!¡±

    The miasma had been shot violently, with an explosive power simr to backdraft. The level of danger was much higher than that of the miasma that had been oozing from the castle.

    As soon as he saw it, Shin put up a miasma barrier and stepped back. Stopped by the barrier, the miasma¡¯s momentum grew temporarily weaker. Tainted, the barrier vanished quickly, but it was enough to gain some distance.

    Shin¡¯s group was at peak alertness when they opened the door, so their response had been immediate.

    The new miasma barrier put up by Shibaid opened a gap between Shin¡¯s group and the miasma.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿!!¡±

    Shin then unleashed his skill towards the miasma that was swallowing Shibaid¡¯s barrier.

    Struck by the light emitted by Shin¡¯s palms, the erupting miasma vanished like smoke.

    ¡°Well well. That was quite the wee.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can expect courtesy from a host made of miasma.¡±

    Exchanging banter with Shibaid, Shin erged the range of ¡¾Purification¡¿. Ignoring his decreasing MP, he got rid of all miasma in the throne room at once.

    The room had originally appeared dimly lit even through ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, because of the miasma, but now ¡¾Purification¡¿¡¯s light showed its original appearance.

    If intruders entered it, the throne room became lit with mes that did not go out even underwater, ensuring visibility.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the source of the response. The miasma wave was just the beginning, I guess.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had torn apart the veil of miasma and could clearly see what the room looked like. What appeared before them were giant skeletons, made of countless small andrge bones. The massive creatures were covered by a pale blue skin-like substance.

    The skeletons¡¯ insides were faintly visible, making the eye cavities of the many skulls embedded in them stand out even more: it was as if countless holes had been opened on the creatures¡¯ bodies.

    The appearance of the bosses was enough to inspire disgust to whoeverid eyes on them.

    In addition, the robe that shrouded the skeletons was a problem as well. At first nce it looked like a dirty blue robe, but looking at it closely, one would realize that the robes were made of transparent human-like figures.

    The ¡°robe¡± had actually been made by stitching together the souls of the dead: even such a wild theory sounded usible.

    The faces of those souls, that Shin could see, were wailing and filled with desperation, or overtaken by other negative emotions.

    ¡ª¡ª- Try%op&ob$a ¨C Le#el 8?9

    ¡°¡¾Analyze¡¿ isn¡¯t working right?¡±

    ¡°Based on its looks and the readable part, I¡¯d say it¡¯s Trypophobia. This size and ominous aura though¡­they turned way too violent, seriously.¡±

    Schnee became alert because of the bizarre way the monster¡¯s name and level were disyed, then Shin replied while putting a hand on her shoulder.

    The Trypophobia that Shin knew was a monster about three mels tall with strong magic resistance. Its physical defense was not high, so as long the yer could get within striking distance, it wasn¡¯t a fearsome opponent. The only thing to pay attention to was its sweeping attack, performed by its four wed arms.

    The Trypophobias now standing before Shin¡¯s party, however, had six arms and bluish mes resembling will-o¡¯-wisps burning on the ends of each of their ws.

    Fighting them while assuming that they were the same as the game era¡¯s Trypophobia would definitely give birth to painful regret.

    In their originally hollow eye cavities now burned golden mes.

    ¡ª-¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!! (T/N: ck squares, unintelligible roar)

    As if synchronized with the rekindled mes, the twisted, inhuman roar rising from the Trypophobias¡¯ mouths echoed through the throne room. It was ¡¾Deadman¡¯s Howl¡¿, a skill used by many advanced Undead-type monsters.

    The monsters¡¯ screams were iprehensible gibberish. They were supposed to inflict negative statuses to whoever heard it, but to Shin¡¯s party it sounded like a desperate request for help.

    Help us, end our suffering¡­the wails of the souls, shackled even beyond death, caressed the ears of Shin¡¯s party and vanished behind them.

    The ¡¾Deadman¡¯s Howl¡¿ had the power of three monsters behind it, but even so it failed to affect Shin¡¯s party with any negative status.

    Tiera however, because of her spiritual detection abilities, grimaced. Thanks to the equipment Shin had given her, she avoided any negative statuses, but her mental burden grew heavier.

    The party was still a fair distance from the Trypophobias.

    No matter how they fought, she knew she had to bear with it a little longer, but as to dispel such concerns on Shin¡¯s part, Tiera shook her head lightly, breathed deeply and looked straight ahead.

    ¡°Can you make it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t enough to take me down. Besides, I want to free those people.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the Trypophobias. In her expression, the fear of facing a powerful monster was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Should we just weaken them and not defeat them yet?¡±

    ¡°No, take them down without holding anything back. It probably doesn¡¯t matter how many times we defeat them, if we don¡¯t do something about the trapped souls first though.¡±

    Tiera said that the monsters would probably revive even if they were defeated.

    ¡°Okay, then leave the normal fighting to us. Yuzuha, Kagerou, I leave Tiera with you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Gurua!!¡±

    Their cries behind him, Shin and the party wielded their weapons. Only Tiera sped her hands on her chest, as if praying.

    ¡°Looks like they noticed that their skill had no effect.¡±

    Shin looked at the Trypophobias, which had raised their arms high. They had some time to talk because the monsters hadn¡¯t been moving.

    The Trypophobias did not seem to have any particr intelligence, but being high-level monsters, they could probably at least realize if the skills they used were effective or not.

    Seeing that Shin¡¯s party was not affected, they probably decided to go with physical attacks next.

    ¡°I shall take the first attack.¡±

    At the same time as the Trypophobias started moving, Shibaid leapt. Despite the water resistance, he charged in even faster than usual with his shield at the ready.

    Because of how its body was structured, Trypophobia could not move by itself. Because of this, it possessed skills to force enemies toe towards itself. Shibaid was moving faster than usual because of the effects of the skill that one of the Trypophobia used to lure him closer, ¡¾Darkness Beckons¡¿.

    The Trypophobia raised its ming arms, ready to strike the approaching Shibaid. The monster swung down when Shibaid was within range, its arms drawing a bluish arc in midair before shing with Shibaid¡¯s shield. A loud sound of shing metal resounded, then Shibaid stopped moving.

    The boss had swung its three right arms. Shibaid couldn¡¯t stop them with only his shield, so he also erected a defensive barrier, ultimately blocking 15 ws.

    As a testimony to the monster¡¯s offensive power, Shibaid¡¯s greaves dug into the floor, cracking the stone tiles.

    ¡°I thought it would be fire, but I feel no heat. Is this cold air?¡±

    What Shibaid felt through the barrier was not searing heat, but freezing cold air.

    The mes probably looked like fire because of the way the seawater continually froze and shattered. It was likely due to an effect of the monster¡¯s magic or an unique skill it possessed.

    ¡°If it really is cold air, then have a taste of this!¡±

    Filma cut down another one of the Trypophobias. mes zed from her ¡ºRed Moon¡»: the instant they touched the monster¡¯s swinging ws, they shattered them from the wrists down, with the sound of breaking ss.

    ¡°It¡¯s weak to fire, no doubt about it!¡±

    Filma twisted her body while shouting, then shattered the monster¡¯s other arm.

    At the same time, Schnee stepped to the side of thest remaining Trypophobia. After moving behind the monster, she spun around, ready to counterattack. The monster, however, had just received a blow that had cut into half of its body, so its arms could not reach Schnee.

    ¡°Shibaid!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    It was like they weremunicating telepathically. Without the need for more precise orders, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Knock Move¡¿ and shook off Trypophobia¡¯s right arm. This skill allowed the user to erect a barrier with the same defensive power as the shield they had equipped and use it as a decoy as they retreated, often fast enough to leave behind after-images. It was usually used by the party¡¯s shield to gain distance from the enemies or when they needed an emergency exit.

    Taking the ce of the retreating Shibaid, Schnee released a magic spell.

    Ten cemels long rays of light extended to each of the monster¡¯s arms: three secondster, fire erupted from the arms and exploded.

    Fire-type Magic skill ¡¾Materia Bomber¡¿.

    This skill, quite unusual among all me-type spells, instantly changed the targeted body part to a bomb. Only non-living matter could be turned into an explosive however.

    ¡°For a monster over level 800, it¡¯s a bit too frail¡­¡±

    The monster¡¯s arms were powerful enough to force Shibaid¡¯s greaves to carve the ground, but after finding its weak point it was going down too easily, so Schnee was growing suspicious.

    Before the wary Schnee, Shin gripped his ¡ºMoonless¡» at his waist, preparing to strike.

    The now armless Trypophobia roared again, probably to attempt ast resort attack. That very instant, as if triggered by the roar, tentacles made of bones extended from the bones supporting the monster¡¯s upper body and the foundation-like base part of the monster, mixed with the souls. At the same time, the blue mes burning on the monster¡¯s ws appeared in midair.

    ¡°Time for the trump card, is it?¡±

    Attacks never seen in the game era wereing up one after another. Even so, Shin did not falter.

    From a videogame perspective, it waspletely normal for bosses to perform unexpected attacks. That was far from enough to stop Shin¡¯s attacks though.

    The tentacles, as fast and sharp as arrows, were parried by Shibaid, while the mes were swept away by Filma and Schnee.

    All three then jumped out of the attack range, at the same timing.

    ¡°Shah!!¡±

    In the space they previously upied Shin unleashed his attack.

    Tentacles and mes had appeared again, but could not offer meaningful resistance as they were torn apart. Trypophobia tried to use its arms and ws as a shield at first, to little or no effect: along with the monster¡¯s torso, they were cleaved in two.

    The following sharp sh severed the skull, formed by countless bones, in two clean halves.

    Katana and Divine Combination Skill ¡¾Scourge Divide¡¿.

    A sh that caused additional damage to Undead types and miasma, this skill could not be resisted by Trypophobia.

    It was not the end of Shin¡¯s party¡¯s offensive, though: Schnee, Filma, and Shibaid each followed up by attacking with their own weapons.

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡», Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» struck the skeleton¡¯s skull and torso, already cut in horizontal halves, and cut it vertically this time.

    Several seconds after Shin¡¯s attack, the Trypophobia ¡ª to be precise, the four parts it had been severed into ¡ª slowly copsed.

    The golden mes in its eye cavities flickered out and the masses of bones forming it came apart. It was almost like the Trypophobias had turned into sand.

    ¡°Tiera, how¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°The binding ising loose. I¡¯m going to start now, but just in case, please defend me.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s hands, held over her chest in prayer until then, were now released and she spread her arms wide. Her lips then moved and started intoning a melody.

    It was a requiem, meant to free the trapped souls and send them to a ce where light shines.

    It was a song with no words, a melody formed only by sounds higher and lower, stronger and weaker.

    Tiera¡¯s chant resounded through the miasma-tainted waters.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Changes started manifesting seconds after Tiera had started singing. A bright, pure light started to fill the throne room. It was brighter and warmer than the automatic fires that had lit up the room until then.

    Shin¡¯s party swallowed their breath at the scenery. It was almost like Tiera herself was shining and illuminating the room.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    The two beasts next to Tiera also cried in unison with her singing.

    Yuzuha spread her tails in a fan-like shape, Kagerou¡¯s horn lit up intermittently. Both of them also emitted a pale light from their bodies.

    There was someone else, however, who could not simply stay quiet while they watched.

    ¡°¡ªthis is no time to be noisy.¡±

    Shin turned around and saw the defeated Trypophobia start reforming, much like video footage yed backwards. The bones were forming a skull, which the robe of the wailing ones covered. Only one of the three Trypophobias had started reforming.

    If it was left alone like this, the monster would havepletely reformed after only 10 seconds or so. Shin wouldn¡¯t just watch and not do anything.

    ¡°¡¾Ignition Red¡¿!¡±

    Shin pointed at the Trypophobia, and the gradually recovering body suddenly burst into mes.

    The Trypophobia had been burned up by a magic skill of the Ignition series, which struck the area the yer pointed in with the element of the yer¡¯s choosing.

    Red meant me magic, Blue water magic, etcetera. The name changed ording to the element.

    Underwater, fire ¡ª the element Undead types were weak to ¡ª was not as effective, but with Shin¡¯s stats, it was possible to keep the same amount of firepower as if the skill was used above ground.

    The recovering skull turned into ashes, the arms it was trying to raise scorched and fell.

    The mes did not lose momentum and spread to the foundation of bones supporting Trypophobia, then the mass of souls.

    The monster¡¯s alleged source of energy was being burnt by Shin¡¯s mes. What remained was just a small mound of ashes.

    Every time it was annihted, Trypophobia¡¯s bones started to form again from nothingness. No matter how high its recovery power was, if it was defeated before reforming, it was all meaningless.

    Shin was forced to shoot ¡¾Ignition Red¡¿ over and over again, but his automatic MP recovery ratio exceeded the quantity he used for the spell, so there was no risk of running out.

    After several instances of burning bones down, Shin noticed that the monster¡¯s recovery speed was slowing down.

    ¡°It¡¯s started acting differently.¡±

    The quantity of rising bones was decreasing and the spiritual veil covering them was getting thinner, as Schnee noticed too.

    ¡°Yes, besides, something¡¯s leaking out of its body.¡±

    Upon closer inspection, a small light was leaking out and disappearing like steam from Trypophobia¡¯s body and the foundation part.

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s power, two-thirds of the throne room were now illuminated. Maybe because of the light¡¯s effects, the monster¡¯s recovery had considerably slowed down.

    ¡ª¨C¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!

    Maybe it had understood that it was going to disappear, as Trypophobia opened its maw as much as it could, as if screaming, bending its forming body backwards.

    Only the left half of the skull had formed, but the golden light in its eye cavity burned fiercely.

    Tiera was purifying the miasma, while Shin was shooting ¡¾Ignition Red¡¿ spells. The other party members were currently free and would not just stand by and watch.

    Shibaid stood in front of Tiera and reinforced his guard. Schnee and Filma rushed towards Trypophobia.

    Using the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Waterbolt¡¿, the two could move underwater with extreme speed, barely feeling the water resistance, and arrived close to the monster in no time.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote to get desperate.¡±

    ¡°Give up already!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s left hand softly held the hilt of her ¡ºBlue Moon¡», its de now wrapped in what looked like a tinum snowstorm, while Filma held her ¡ºRed Moon¡», burning brightly in golden mes, over her shoulder.

    ¡°Take this.¡±

    Schnee and Filma spoke at the same time.

    As they did, Trypophobia¡¯s body was cut apart by countless shes, colored tinum and gold. A small snowstorm that could freeze even miasma and searing mes to burn it to cinders. These two opposites became one within Trypophobia.

    Tetra-typeposite skill, ¡¾Divine me ¨C Royal Frost de¡¿.

    This unique skill was activated by using Katana/Water and me/Swordbination skills at the same time. It was often used as finisher when battling bosses or powerful monsters.

    Trypophobia, shed again in four parts by the attack, fell to the ground, immobile. It was like time had stopped for the monster.

    It was difficult to notice because of Trypophobia¡¯s originally white color, but its whole body was now frozen. A few seconds after it touched the ground, golden mes erupted from its body. Divine mes with miasma purification properties enveloped the frozen Trypophobia.

    Different from ¡¾Ignitior Red¡¿, which only burned its target, ¡¾Divine me ¨C Royal Frost de¡¿¡¯s mes did not leave even a speck of ash.

    When the fire had vanished, leaving nothing in its wake, Tiera¡¯s chant became louder.

    In response, light started appearing from the spots where the Trypophobias were. They wererger than the ones that had leaked from the monsters¡¯ bodies during the fighting.

    The globes of light were initially very few, but quickly increased in quantity. They formed a sort of river of light in the air, which started flowing upwards, towards the surface of the water.

    ¡°Hah¡­now¡­it should be¡­okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Those were the freed souls?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no one left here anymore.¡±

    Shin waited for Tiera to recover her breath, looking at the lights floating away.

    The lights passed through the ceiling of the Castle of the Depths and were not visible anymore.

    ¡°So that is¡­how souls shine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. But their true glow is much stronger.¡±

    Tiera said that after being imprisoned for so long, they had probably grown weaker.

    The brilliance of the ancestors¡¯ souls, which Tiera had felt during her service as Priestess of the World Tree, was much warmer and brighter than what Shin¡¯s party had just witnessed.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve taken care of the bosses and all, but is the entrance to the dungeon still there?¡±

    While they waited for Tiera to recover, Shin inspected the location that the Trypophobias were guarding.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ had disyed the monsters¡¯ names in an unusual way, so he thought that there might be something left.

    ¡°Is that a gem?¡±

    The first thing he noticed was a gem the same size as the one of the non-standard monster he had fought in Bayreuth, the Skullface Lord.

    The gem¡¯s color, a very deep blue, showed that it belonged to the water element. Even after appraising it, he could only learn that it belonged to the highest Unique grade, and nothing else.

    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem to be unusual in any way. This gem too, as material it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve seen before.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t find any drops besides the gem where the Trypophobias were. Different from the game era, they did not drop any weapons or materials. Just in case, he inspected the floor too, but could not find anything of note.

    Shin decided to inspect the throne with Schnee. If it was still as he remembered, the entrance to the dungeon should have been there.

    ¡°There should be a switch behind the throne¡­.here it is.¡±

    Shin found a small gap in a part of the throne. He checked if there were any traps, then pushed the gap deeper inside.

    With the sound of stones grinding against each other, the throne and a part of the floor began moving to the side, revealing stairs going downwards. The passage was so narrow that Shibaid could barely fit in it.

    ¡°We found the path leading underground. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t use that much energy anyway, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s HP and MP had bothpletely recovered. Herplexion wasn¡¯t bad either, so Shin concluded that she wasn¡¯t faking it.

    ¡°OK then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The party finally set foot in the Castle of the Depths¡¯ dungeon.

    Schnee led the formation, followed by Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Shin. Yuzuha and Kagerou walked alongside Tiera.

    After 5 minutes of descending the narrow stairs, the group arrived in what resembled a natural cave. The width of the corridor increased enough to make it possible for 3 members to fight side by side.

    ¡°Without ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, we wouldn¡¯t be able to see even one mel ahead here.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the corridor. She had removed her goggles to see how much would be normally visible.

    The miasma underground was thicker than above. To be safe, the group took another dose of the miracle drug.

    ¡°There are less monsters than expected, but is that normal when the miasma infection progresses?¡±

    Filma wondered out loud after the group had repelled several monster attacks.

    ¡°Dungeon monsters can¡¯t exactly reproduce, after all. Either new ones aren¡¯t born, or they turned into Chimeras, I guess?¡±

    Shin answered while searching the surroundings for any presence. It was just a theory, as there was the possibility for the monsters to be gathered in the lower floors, but Shin felt that it wasn¡¯t too different from normal dungeons.

    ¡°In any case, let¡¯s not lower our guards.¡±

    Shibaid spoke as he raised his shield and halberd to repel monsters that had charged towards the group.

    The path had reached a crossroads and the monsters had attempted a pincer attack on the party.

    The monsters that Shibaid knocked away were mackerel pike-like monsters with heads morphed into iron lumps, called Magnum Fish. Its level ranged from 600 to 650 and its greatest characteristic was its high speed. Many yers had experienced receivingrge damage by their charge attacks the first time they fought this monster.

    Magnum Fish had low defenses on all body parts other than their heads, so if the first strike was dodged or blocked, they became easy to neutralize. If the charge attack struck, however, rear guard Jobs with low defenses, such as Mages or Hunters, risked being knocked out in one blow.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t even see them¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they call a trap for first timers.¡±

    Shin had also been hit and sent spinning in mid-water his first time.

    ¡°With the skill ¡¾Insight¡¿, you can get a hunch that it¡¯sing though.¡±

    ¡°I barely have any skills that reinforce the senses¡­¡±

    Tiera had learned several skills, but they still counted up to less than a dozen. In order to avoid Magnum Fish attacks, she would have to somehow guess their trajectory or take cover in a ce with many objects to use as protection. If such methods didn¡¯t work, she could only rely on her intuition.

    ¡°Do not fret. As long as we stand, no monster will ever touch you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you know you¡¯re in good hands with us around.¡±

    In a narrow corridor like the one the group was exploring, attacks could onlye from determined directions. Shibaid and Filma, the front guard, would not let anything pass them in such a situation.

    ¡°I will take the lead then.¡±

    Schnee, using her trap detection skills, examined the surroundings as she led the party forward.

    They were still in the upper floors, but Castle of the Depths was still a high-level dungeon. Because it was located underwater as well, the group had to proceed with caution.

    The biggest difference between dungeons above ground and underwater ones was the type of traps present.

    The whole passageway was filled with water, so it was difficult to dodge if the ceiling opened, sucking the yers in, or poisonous liquids were scattered all around. Sometimes it was also necessary to use the traps to go forward, so underwater dungeons had generally higher levels of difficulty than their above ground counterparts.

    ¡°No problem, it seems. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin talked to Schnee via Mind Chat. On the way, they found a trap that would freeze the water in the passageway for a set time, and Tiera groaned ¡°How are you supposed to dodge that¡­?¡±

    Any attacking monsters were crushed by Shibaid and Filma, as they had said they would. Usually Shibaid would attract the monsters¡¯ attention, luring them in one location, where Filma would cut them down all together.

    ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s mes did not lose any power even underwater, thanks to ¡¾Enchant ¨C Mana Fire¡¿.

    What appeared to be roaring mes actually functioned just as a visual scare. They became effective only when they hit the opponent, shing and scorching them.

    Its effectiveness did not disappear after a set time, but after a certain number of uses, a condition perfect for Filma, who could K.O. any monster in a single stroke.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a dead end ahead.¡±

    Schnee had returned from her inspection and mapping, shaking her head.

    Most high level or high profile dungeons had already been considerably mapped in the game era, but here, Castle of the Depths¡¯ map was -as expected-pletely nk.

    Because of that, the group was forced to re-do the mapping all over again.

    The Castle of the Depths was a wide dungeon, so even ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ could only scan half of one floor.

    When the path split, Shin and Schnee parted ways to explore both ways but, even then, it took time.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be impossible to clear this in one sitting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­well, normally it takes a few days to map a dungeon, so doing it as quickly as we did in Hinomoto is actually unusual.¡±

    Shin remembered how tough things were in the game era and reassured Filma, mentioning that things had gone almost too smoothly until now.

    In thest dungeons cleared by the party, Depths of Hellfire and Cadaver Realm, they had achieved their goals in one day, but those dungeons usually required several days to clear them.

    ¡°Should we set up a proper camp somewhere? In a ce like this, I wouldn¡¯t want to just sleep in a tent, honestly.¡±

    ¡°I understand all too well not wanting to rest in a ce filled with miasma like this. If we could teleport and leave it¡¯d be very different, but¡­¡±

    Shin had attempted before, but both mid-level teleport crystals used to escape dungeons and high-level ones used to leave from special areas, such as event fields, did not work at all.

    Shin had always tried in dungeons tainted by miasma, but was not sure if miasma was the reason or there was something else.

    ¡°Guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. Gather here, everybody.¡±

    Teleport crystals transported all yers and monsters in a five mels radius from the user. In order to prevent the yer from fleeing via teleport when they were in a pinch, monsters were transported too.

    Even if a yer was registered in the party but was outside the range when the teleport crystal was used, they would be left behind.

    Shin made sure that everyone was within range and activated the teleport. The destination was the entrance to the Castle of the Depths, before the gate where he had ced the Three Sea Beasts¡¯ cards.

 Book 11: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°¡­.It worked.¡±

    ¡°So it seems.¡±

    An instantter after activating the teleport magic sealed within the crystals, Schnee and Shin looked around andmented, a bit dumbfounded.

    They both thought that it wouldn¡¯t work. However, contrary to their expectations, the entrance gate of the castle now stood before them. They also checked the map, but there was no mistake.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Teleporting never worked before, right?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s rted to the fact that the dungeons are mixed together?¡±

    Filma and Shibaid wondered why teleporting worked in this instance. They had too little information to reach a conclusion though.

    ¡°What do we do now? Even if we reenter, I don¡¯t think we can get much farther. It should be getting prettyte too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know why we were able to teleport, but just knowing that we can is an aplishment in itself. We have the map, so we can reach our previous location with the shortest route possible. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡±

    Tiera had also performed the great feat of freeing the imprisoned souls, so it was preferable not to push her too much harder today.

    Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the item box and the whole party boarded it.

    They deactivated the equipment¡¯s underwater mode and decided to eat.

    The ship wasn¡¯t originally equipped with a kitchen, so Shin changed part of the structure and added a kitchen. He also created rooms for all members and a bath.

    ¡°This dungeon feels somewhat different than the ones we faced until now.¡±

    Schnee wondered aloud while watching the bubbling pots in the newly created kitchen.

    Tiera and Filma had gone to the bath with Yuzuha and Kagerou. Shibaid had left the kitchen, saying he was going to take a look at his room.

    Without anything else to do, Shin was just looking at Schnee cook. Her words intrigued him.

    ¡°Different how?¡±

    ¡°I feel¡­uneasy. I can¡¯t express it in words¡­I don¡¯t know what else I could say about it.¡±

    Schnee put a hand on her chest, a somber look on her face.

    ¡°It feels simr to¡­that time.¡±

    ¡°That time? What do you mean?¡±

    Schnee turned around and looked at him with a sad smile.

    ¡°Like when¡­I thought that you might note back anymore. It feels simr to the time when I thought about that.¡±

    ¡°I¡­?¡±

    Before Shin could ask anything else, Schnee came closer to him. She took his hand in hers and put it against her cheek.

    ¡°¡­this helps me calm down.¡±

    With silver hair, red eyes, and pale, evanescent skin, Schnee¡¯s appearance suggested a certain coldness, but the hand on her cheek was surely warm.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°While I was waiting for you, I thought that you might note back anymore¡­so many times. The thought that time will just go on like this, that I¡­that my feelings too will just die one day. On such days, I sometimes couldn¡¯t sleep until dawn.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how to reply. Schnee¡¯s words, in a way, had be reality.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    After a brief silence, Schnee talked again.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve talked like this, I feel certain. That time, I felt like I was missing something¡­in the Castle of the Depths, I felt something simr.¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­so.¡±

    A feeling of loss.

    A feeling of powerlessness.

    Probably something like that.

    Why would Schnee feel something like that in the Castle of the Depths though?

    ¡°I¡­did?¡±

    Shin could be somehow connected to what Schnee felt.

    ¡°But I have no idea what it could be¡­?¡±

    ¡°I do not know either. Yet¡­¡±

    Schnee was probably thinking of something: she started talking, but stopped.

    ¡°Yet¡­what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a possibility, but¡­in the Castle of the Depths, there might be something¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.something that leads to you going back.¡±

    Schnee hesitated in the middle of the sentence, and continued while looking down.

    ¡°¡­I see, that¡¯s what you meant.¡±

    Shin could now understand. There was no need to think about what could be the cause behind her feeling of loss.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Shin stood up and grabbed Schnee¡¯s hand. Because it was him, she did not put up any resistance.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Even if we find something rted to how I can go back, I¡¯m not going to disappear right away. Besides¡­I know it might sound unfair to say it now, but I am thinking that it might be nice to stay here too.¡±

    ¡°!? Do you¡­really mean it!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression was almost nk, but now changedpletely. She grabbed Shin¡¯s shoulders and stared at him straight in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I do. Anyway, people like me usually can¡¯t go back.¡±

    If he had been summoned on the basis of a solid theory and technology, there might be the possibility to go back.

    Shin had been transported to the new world in iprehensible circumstances, however: believing that he could somehow go back was kind of too convenient.

    Thest thing that Shin saw was a gate opening. It was a situation that was impossible in a game, something he couldn¡¯t understand at all.

    ¡°By this, I don¡¯t mean that¡­h-hey, Schnee!?¡±

    Shin was scratching his cheek, meaning to say that it wasn¡¯t just an excuse, but he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Clear tears were streaming down Schnee¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Sch-Schnee!? Are you okay!?¡±

    Shin, not expecting her to cry, was a bit shaken.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Hearing you say that made me even happier than I thought¡­¡±

    Schnee smiled while wiping her tears. Shin¡¯s chest hurt at such a sight.

    It was true that he thought that he could stay. It was not something he decided he would do no matter what, however.

    Putting aside the fact if he could actually go back or not, his desire to go back to his former world and his feelings towards Schnee were shing within his heart, making sparks fly.

    ¡°Please do not make such a face. Just knowing that there is a chance is good news for me. It will make such feelings even stronger.¡±

    Schnee probably felt what Shin was thinking about and smiled at him, traces of tears on her face. It was a smile brighter than Shin had ever seen.

    ¡°Schnee¡­you¡¯re tough.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I am the maiden that fell in love with you, after all!¡±

    ¡°O-oh. Of course.¡±

    After being impressed for an instant, Shin was disoriented by Schnee¡¯s very direct deration.

    ¡°W-well, I think the pot has boiled enough. Could you please go call Filma and the others? I¡¯m sure they must havee out of the bath.¡±

    Embarrassed because of her maiden in love statement, Schnee blushed.

    Shin nodded to her and headed towards the corridor. It was then that he finally noticed the two pair of eyes looking at them.

    ¡°¡­.hey. Since when have you been there?¡±

    The eyes belonged to Filma and Shibaid. Both were peeking inside the dining room from the corridor.

    It was normal for Filma, but seeing Shibaid poke just his face in the dining room, while hiding the rest of his body in the corridor, was kind of surreal.

    ¡°Enough to catch all the good parts!¡±

    ¡°Indeed. More precisely, if I were to re-enact it¡­¡±Please, don¡¯t worry.¡±.¡±

    Shibaid then embraced Filma. Filma then answered with a dramatic motion.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Even if we find somet¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop the yyyyyy!!!!!¡±

    Shin screamed.

    They had seen everything since that!

    ¡°You two were SO much in your little world that you didn¡¯t even notice us¡­I¡¯m almost jealous.¡±

    ¡°Just say if you¡¯re there!!¡±

    ¡°In that situation? It would have been quite inconsiderate.¡±

    ¡°Watching is even more inconsiderate!!¡±

    Shin turned towards Schnee, seeking help, but she was staring intently at the pot, pretending not to hear anything.

    She had heard everything, though. Her glowing red ears were proof enough.

    ¡°Ehm¡­did something happen?¡±

    The dining room was very chaotic until Tiera arrived, with Yuzuha and Kagerou in tow, and asked what was going on.

 Book 11: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    The following day, Shin¡¯s party was once again standing before the gate to the Castle of the Depths.

    ¡°I¡¯d sure love to be done with this ce today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s proceed while keeping time loss to a minimum.¡±

    Probably because of what happened the day before, Schnee looked less concerned and more eager.

    All party members agreed with her; Filma and Shibaid looked in better shape than usual too.

    ¡°¡­.hey, Shin. Are you really sure that nothing happened yesterday, before I arrived?¡±

    ¡°I exined already, didn¡¯t I? That we might find something rted to me.¡±

    ¡°But despite that, aren¡¯t master and Filma acting kind of weird?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Really.¡±

    ¡°¡­.very suspicious¡­¡±

    Under Tiera¡¯s inquisitive stare, Shin was in a cold sweat, trying his best to control his facial expressions.

    He had already told Tiera about what Schnee had felt. He couldn¡¯t tell her, however, that he had also hugged Schnee and made her cry. Shin also wanted to forget about the fact that Filma and Shibaid had been watching.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to ask anymore¡­but don¡¯t hide really important things from me, okay? I told you about my biggest secret after all.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I told you about the most important part. There¡¯s something that Schnee seems to feel, but the others don¡¯t. I don¡¯t either. Can you feel something peculiar other than the miasma, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°With all the miasma, I feel that my other senses are dulled, but¡­well, now that you mention it, other than feeling worried, I feel like¡­there¡¯s something pulling me? Something like that, but just vaguely¡­¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the miasma lightly swaying beyond the gate.

    Shin trusted Tiera¡¯s sharp senses, so he found her mention of feeling something pulling at her a bit strange.

    ¡°Schnee feels like I might disappear, but you feel something pulling at you. Hmm¡­¡±

    If Shin was the one being pulled, Schnee¡¯s sensation would be more realistic, but Tiera said that she felt like she was the one being pulled.

    Shin couldn¡¯t make anything of it yet.

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to simply worry about it here. We¡¯ll know if we go.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that is the only way.¡±

    Shin was deep in thought, his head cocked to one side, but Filma and Shibaid prodded him. Thinking about it wouldn¡¯t lead to any answers.

    ¡°Right, we¡¯ll just go and see what happens.¡±

    Just like the day before, the group used the¡ºMiracle Drug of Holy Skies¡»and entered the castle.

    Using the map, they proceeded quickly up to a certain point: then Shin and Schnee split up to explore and fill the remaining nk portions of the map, all the while maintainingmunication via Mind Chat.

    During the exploration of the dungeon, Schnee was the first one to notice something unusual.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any Chimeras.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­we¡¯re already pretty far into the dungeon, this doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find any miasma-infected monsters either. With this much miasma filling the dungeon, it¡¯s strange that the monsters are unaffected.¡±

    The group was already past the midpoint of the dungeon, but had not yet encountered any monsters possessed or infected by miasma: Shin couldn¡¯t rule it out as just their imagination anymore.

    Except for the miasma hanging heavily throughout, the dungeon seemed absolutely normal.

    ¡°I guess this is different than all the dungeons we¡¯ve explored before. Could that also be the reason why Schnee and Tiera feel something out of the ordinary?¡±

    ¡°It could be. Trypophobia¡¯s bizarre disy too could have been the product of something other than miasma.¡±

    Even if affected by miasma, the ¡¾Analyse¡¿disy had never looked bugged before.

    Shin thought that the transformation from a game into reality might be a reason for the strange behavior.

    Judging from the condition of the dungeon¡¯s monsters however, there was a considerable chance that something other than miasmay in wait.

    ¡°Did something like this happen before?¡±

    ¡°No, I cannot recall anything of the sort.¡±

    Shibaid shook his head in response to Filma¡¯s question.

    Schnee, Tiera, and of course, Shin shook their heads as well.

    ¡°I thought something had happened while I was sleeping, but it looks like that¡¯s not the case. Anyway, we can just go on and see, huh. It¡¯s starting to feel like going to face a boss we¡¯ve never fought before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, now that you mention it, that¡¯s it.¡±

    Filma shrugged and Shin agreed with her assessment. The current situation wasn¡¯tpletely the same, but prior to facing a boss for the first time he would also think about how it would act or what type of enemy it would be. The only way to know was to fight.

    Filma¡¯s conclusion was not far from the truth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have to find the route to the boss chamber today.¡±

    The party advanced deeper in the dungeon. Now well past the middle point, they descended to what they supposed was the lower area of the dungeon ¡ª if Shin¡¯s memory was correct. They could not detect any changes in the monsters they encountered though.

    Just like the upper and middle areas, miasma leaked from the walls and floor.

    Shin and Schnee led, followed by the rest of the party. Progress was time consuming, but they were not hindered by obstacles like the Trypophobia.

    After descending the stairs to yet another floor, Shin¡¯s group faced arge, 5 mels tall, 4 mels wide door, intricately adorned with gorgeous, pompous decorations.

    ¡°This is¡­ice?¡±

    The door, probably leading to Ishkar¡¯s throne room, was covered by transparent crystal. Shin touched it warily and felt a cool sensation.

    ¡°Should we try to melt it?¡±

    ¡°No, it already took plenty of time to arrive here. Let¡¯s go inside tomorrow.¡±

    Considering who they were going to face, Shin prioritized keeping everyone¡¯s condition in top form.

    The group teleported to the dungeon¡¯s entrance with a crystal and rested in the magic-powered vessel. The next day, after making sure that no one was feeling unwell, they quickly navigated to the majestic door they had stopped at the day before.

 Book 11: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s melt the ice first. Shibaid, put up a barrier, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin stood in front of the frozen gate and activated a basic me-type Magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿. Instead of releasing it as an attack, he held it in front of the door to melt the ice.

    Shattering the ice by force was also an option, but identally hitting the door might cause something unexpected to happen, so Shin decided to proceed with caution.

    Keeping a ball of fire alive deep underwater was in itself a strange thing, nevertheless that was but a type of miracle granted by the mysterious power of magic.

    Little by little, the heat emitted by the fireball melted the ice, which covered the door as if to seal it.

    ¡°I expected as much¡­this isn¡¯t normal ice.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Fireball¡¿ was easily over 1000 degrees, so ordinary ice would havepletely disappeared in a sh.

    The ice covering the door, however, melted extremely slowly even with the ball of fire touching it. At this rate, it would take hours topletely vanish.

    ¡°It might have something to do with the miasma¡­let¡¯s try ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    Shin stopped ¡¾Fireball¡¿ and activated ¡¾Purification¡¿, but there was no visible change to the situation.

    ¡°The surroundings are filled with miasma, but only this door isn¡¯t? I guess I just have to increase the firepower then.¡±

    Shin activated one of the most powerful me skills he possessed, the me-type Magic skill ¡¾re Wall¡¿. This high-level me skill created a wall of fire in one spot. It couldn¡¯t be moved, but emanated enough heat that the target would suffer damage even wearing fire-resistant equipment.

    Shin created ¡¾re Wall¡¿ right in front of the door, so its heat was in direct contact with the ice. Maybe because of the higher temperature, the ice started melting much faster than when it was subjected to ¡¾Fireball¡¿¡¯s heat. Even so, it would still take considerable time.

    ¡°Let me do it too.¡±

    Schnee created a ¡¾re Wall¡¿ herself. While not at Shin¡¯s level, Schnee too had reached high proficiency in martial and magic skills.

    Wall-type skills became more powerful if cast in multiples, so Schnee added hers to Shin¡¯s.

    ¡°The melting speed isn¡¯t changing.¡±

    ¡°We definitely have more firepower now, though¡±

    Despite the clear increase in firepower, the ice wasn¡¯t melting any faster than when only Shin was casting the skill.

    ¡°Try using some other skill.¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s proposal, Schnee tried casting other me-type skills. None of them seemed to be effective, however.

    ¡°What could this mean?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m apparently connected somehow to this ce, only my magic works? Tiera, could you try too, just to be sure?¡±

    Tiera said that she felt pulled by something, so Shin thought that her magic could have some effect.

    All of Tiera¡¯s me-type magic spells were Arts. Their power was far lower than Skills, so it was hardly likely for them to have a significant effect on the ice that not even Shin¡¯s magic power could melt quickly. Shin asked her to try, nheless, to be sure.

    ¡°Here goes nothing!¡±

    Tiera held a hand towards the ice cover and casted ¡¾Fire Wall¡¿, right next to the door, just like Shin had done. Being the same me-type magic skill, firepower should increase, if only slightly.

    Tiera¡¯s ¡¾Fire Wall¡¿, however, instead of merging with Shin¡¯s ¡¾re Wall¡¿, was repelled by it and vanished.

    ¡°It should be possible to use Skills and Arts together, though¡­¡±

    Schnee had sessfully attempted it before, so she was puzzled by this development.

    ¡°Should I try putting out my ¡¾re Wall¡¿?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should. Even if my Art was effective then, there¡¯s too much of a difference in firepower between us. I think that our abilities are just too different.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s supposition was very usible. It would take too much time to test every little possibility, so they decided to simply wait for Shin¡¯s skill to do its work.

    ¡°It¡¯s taking more time than expected, huh.¡±

    ¡°Anyone or anything inside has already noticed us, that¡¯s for sure. I only hope that Ishkar is still holding on.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid exchanged words while watching Shin melt the frozen door.

    There was the chance, as it had happened with Trypophobia, for miasma to suddenly burst from beyond the door, so they kept alert.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we can be too hopeful.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel anything, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I feel all my senses overwhelmed by the presence of miasma. But¡­it feels strange, somehow.¡±

    Tiera replied that she couldn¡¯t tell what was inside the room, because of the miasma¡¯s thickness.

    Maybe because she already had several encounters with miasma, however, she felt that the miasma tainting this dungeon was different than her other experiences.

    ¡°In what way is it different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to put into words¡­the miasma I sensed until now felt like it was a fusion of many kinds of malice and ill will. Not a firm conscience like a person might have, but something ambiguous and indefinite, like it was hollow inside.¡±

    That was the reason why miasma had different effects on different people, she added.

    ¡°Hmm¡­thus do monsters be more feral under its influence because they are affected by its more aggressive side?¡±

    ¡°Probably. I don¡¯t know how it is with Chimeras and Demons, though.¡±

    Tiera concurred with Shibaid¡¯s theory, though she wasn¡¯t absolutely sure.

    ¡°Hearing you that say that makes me think that what they say is actually true¡­as long as there is a man, there will be miasma.¡±

    There were creatures with high intellect even among monsters, but their numbers could not bepared with humans¡¯. It was natural to think that man was the source of malice.

    ¡°Negative emotions are born easily, it¡¯s true. They can be also reduced, however. Man does not possess only negative emotions.¡±

    Shibaid voiced a somewhat grand-sounding rebuttal to Filma¡¯s words.

    Among the party members present, Shibaid was the one who had participated in the greatest number of battles to the death, so he was well acquainted with the malice and hostility that men could harbor. Maybe because of this, he wanted to believe in the goodwill that man could also possess.

    ¡°If monsters are born from ill will, it would be nice if something like a protector was born from goodwill¡­¡±

    Filmained that if there were creatures opposite to Demons, things could be very different. Next to her, Shibaid replied,pletely serious:

    ¡°I agree with you, but I suppose it means that we have to do something about that ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I guess we got a bit off topic¡­anyway, Tiera, you said the miasma here feels different, but what makes you think that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only something I feel, so I can¡¯t say for sure, but the miasma corrupting this dungeon feels like it has a strong will. I don¡¯t know what exactly that is, though.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that a Demon is about to be born? A will born from malice could be an even stronger mass of ill will.¡±

    Shibaid tried to guess what the cause could be, his guard always up. Filma nodded as well.

    ¡°I agree, this can¡¯t be good¡­what do you think, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­it¡¯s only something I feel, after all. But it seems different from malice. At least, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a Demon.¡±

    Tiera added that she had sensed something different in the presence of Demons.

    Shin thought about Tiera¡¯s words, while continuing to cast ¡¾re Wall¡¿.

    ¡°Something other than a Demon¡­¡±

    ¡°Could Ishkar have turned into an Invader because of the miasma?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is there. Ishkar was never the type of monster to go on a rampage. Like Yuzuha and the merpeople said, it was like the guardian of these parts too. It probably has a bad affinity with miasma¡­if it¡¯s resisting it, the emotions it projects would not be only born from malice, I suppose.¡±

    Shin¡¯s prediction was born also from his wish for Ishkar to be still resisting.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ve made all sorts of theories, but now it¡¯s time to find out the truth.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾re Wall¡¿ had melted away most of the ice. There were no locks or traps. All that was left was to push the door open.

    ¡°Shibaid and I will open the door first. The rest depends on the situation inside.¡±

    Shin had already formted a basic strategy, estimating the situation inside. Everyone nodded to his words.

    ¡°Here we go!¡±

    Shin pushed the door open.

    Differently from the royal chambers where the group fought Trypophobia, there was no sudden st of miasma this time.

    ¡°First off, ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    The interior of the room was abnormally dark: even with ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, it was barely possible to see anything.

    Behind Shibaid, who cautiously held his shield high, Shin and Schnee activated ¡¾Purification¡¿. The lights born from their palms vanished in the darkness.

    ¡°Eh¡­what¡­?¡±

    An exmation of surprise and confusion escaped Tiera¡¯s lips.

    The reason was clear enough. In the space where the miasma cleared, something she had not expected appeared.

    ¡°That must be Ishkar.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Judging from its appearance, it has not turned into an Invader.¡±

    Shin and Schnee understood right away that the giant creature they saw beyond the door was Ishkar.

    Ishkar¡¯s torso was as much as 5-mels thick in the part nearest to its head. Because of this, looking at it from Tiera¡¯s position ¡ª a few steps away from the door ¡ª it looked like there was a wall just beyond the door.

    ¡°So that¡¯s¡­Ishkar¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee reacted calmly. Behind them though, Tiera audibly swallowed.

    Ishkar, one of the monsters who had reached the apex, level 1000.

    With an appearance simr to an eastern dragon, it moved through the water by twisting its long and narrow body.

    Two pairs of blue eyes gleamed on its head, while crystal-like horns sprouted from its sides. The ws on its limbs could easily tear through steel. Its rock hard scales, colored blue, would be difficult to damage with average weapons.

    Its enormous body, however, was its most dangerous characteristic. There were countless reports of it swallowing several yers in one fell swoop.

    Also because of the treacherous underwater field, it was the first monster that usually came to mind first when thinking about bosses difficult to defeat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go closer to its face. Keep your guard up.¡±

    The part of the monster¡¯s torso before Shin and the party seemed to be the upper one, the part closest to its head.

    Beyond the previously frozen door was not a throne room, but a bizarrely vast expanse. Its depth seemed to extend even farther than 100 or 200 mels.

    If such arge room, without a single pir, was built above ground, it would surely crumble. Considering that it had to allow Ishkar to move, however, made it seem small somehow.

    Making sure to be ready to cast defense skills whenever needed, Shin and his party kept rising up. Ishkar¡¯s face was more or less 100 mels from the ceiling.

    Shin could only see the side of the monster¡¯s face, but it looked just like he remembered.

    ¡°¡­.!!¡±

    As the party was slowly nearing the monster¡¯s head, Ishkar¡¯s eyes suddenly moved. It was difficult to tell due to theirck of irises, but the deep blue orbs were definitely focused on Shin¡¯s party.

    Shin noticed that Tiera, behind him, stiffened up.

    (Okay, what are you going to do now¡­?)

    Shin whispered to himself, without speaking a word aloud.

    Ishkar¡¯s level being as high as 1000, he could tell that not only Tiera, but also Schnee and the others were tense.

    They were prepared. If Shin fought with his limiters removed, it would be difficult for them to lose.

    But even then, the possibility of one of the members dying was not zero. That¡¯s how much of an opponent Ishkar could be.

    ¡º¡­..HIgH hUmAn.¡»

    ¡°!!!¡±

    As the group carefully observed Ishkar¡¯s movements, a voice like the sound of a gong reverberated through the room.

    Yes, a voice. The echo made it difficult to understand it, but the sound that reached the ears of Shin and his party clearly showed signs of intelligence.

    ¡°You¡¯re conscious?¡±

    ¡°To tHinK¡­tHaT oNe wOuLd aPpEaR bEFoRe mE. WHaT I feLT wHeN sEAlinG tHE MiASma¡­wAs YOuR poWEr.¡±

    Ishkar did not answer Shin¡¯s question. It continued its monologue, as if it couldn¡¯t hear Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°ReMovE tHE dOLls. I sHaLl dO No HaRm to THoSe bORn In THis wOrLD. OnLy pLAyeRS cAN Be mY eNEmY.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Hey! Can¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    ¡°ThE pOWeR tHAt DeVouRS eVEn mIaSMa¡­NoT eVEn I cAN bESt iT. ¡ª¡ª-hIGh HuMan. If YoU oPPoSe A rETuRn aGAinSt YouR WiLl¡­sLAy Me.¡±

    Ishkar did not answer Shin, until the end.

    Shin found the mention of an existence other than miasma especially puzzling. The wordsstly spoken by Ishkar, however, made him forget everything about that.

    ¡°Hey!! What do you mean by¡ª¡±

    As if in answer to Shin¡¯s half-spoken question, the door mmed shut. At the same time, Ishkar¡¯s body started emanating energy ¡ª enough to make the very atmosphere tremble.

    ¡°Nngh, as expected of a monster standing above all others¡­what pressure¡­!¡±

    Shibaid, who was standing in front of the group as the shield, frowned. The energy, released in all directions, was Ishkar¡¯s ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿, the skill it unleashed at the start of each battle.

    Shibaid managed to block it with an attack-mitigating barrier, but if he hadn¡¯t used the barrier, it was likely that all members except Shin would have been unable to move for a while.

    Monsters above level 950 could use attacks that blew through the defenses of status immunity essories. In that case, whether the wearer is affected by negative statuses depends on their stats, the essory¡¯s rank and the rank of the skill cast.

    ¡°Even with Shibaid¡¯s barrier, that gave me goosebumps.¡±

    Filma¡¯s grip tightened on her ¡ºRed Moon¡» as she looked at Ishkar.

    ¡°Are you frightened?¡±

    ¡°Not a chance! My blood¡¯s burning!¡±

    Schnee and Filma encouraged each other.

    Ishkar was slowly turning towards Shin¡¯s group, showing clear hostility. Its pressure was powerful enough than even Schnee and others would be slowed down if they didn¡¯t focus.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!!¡±

    Next to Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were also in a battle-ready stance. The opponent was above them in rank, but even so they had not lost the will to fight.

    Tiera, standing between them, looked straight at Ishkar, her expression stiff.

    ¡°Schnee, everyone, focus on support. The rest is as we nned!¡±

    Shin gave his directions and leapt in the middle of ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿.

    ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿sted 20 seconds. In the game, Ishkar would not attack during that time. It was not something they could absolutely count on, however.

    With every ¡¾Limiter¡¿ removed, Shin exceeded in stats any other creature in that world; it was not currently possible for him to be affected by negative statuses.

    He was still wary of the possibility that the enemy could attack during those 20 seconds.

    ¡°¡ª-¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±

    Something close to, but slightly different than a roar came out of Ishkar¡¯s mouth. It was a type of chant, which could not be heard as intelligible words to the group¡¯s ears.

    Before the eyes of Shin and his party, the seawater filling the room started to change. It waspressed in an instant, then shot at a speed invisible to human eyes.

    In one second, countless des of water were formed and shot at the party, each one sharp enough to slice Legend-grade equipment in one sh.

    ¡°¡¾Ice Maelstrom¡¿! ¡±

    ¡°¡¾Vortex sh¡¿! ¡±

    Schnee and Filma countered the water des targeting the party with their own skills.

    A whirlpool of ice shards extended from Schnee¡¯s palm. Then electricity drawn by ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s sh ran through the water, as if chasing after the whirlpool. Filma¡¯s thunderboltsbined with Schnee¡¯s ice whirlpool, amplifying its power and area of effect.

    Ishkar¡¯s water des shed head on against the giant whirlpool formed by thebination of Filma and Schnee¡¯s skills.

    The water des ground and cracked, as did the ice crackling with electricity. After several seconds of shing, Filma and Schnee¡¯sbination attack emerged victorious.

    Schnee and Filma had not destroyed all water des, but only those directed at them. The result was thus not mutual destruction, but more like a breakthrough.

    ¡°Good thing we prepared in advance.¡±

    ¡°Yes, now we can be more versatile strategically.¡±

    The skill used by Schnee and Filma did not have a particr name as abination skill.

    Even so,bining two skills boosted their power and effectiveness.

    In the game, even if two skills not meant to bebined were used together, there was no change in their effects.

    In this world, however, it was impossible for skills not to influence each other.

    Despite being created by the mysterious force called magic, skills manifested as physical phenomena. Some thought that they had to affect each other someway, and the effects of suchbinations had been researched and proven.

    There were few opportunities of testing it inbat, but Shin¡¯s group had tried all sorts ofbinations whenever they had the chance.

    The whirlpool of ice and electricity broke through the barrage of water des and collided with Ishkar¡¯s torso. The ice shards shattered the monster¡¯s scales, the electricity enveloping them seared its flesh.

    The whirlpool had lost power after breaking through the water des, but still managed to inflict damage.

    The problem was that, because of Ishkar¡¯s massive body, the wound was simply a small singed area. It would have been different if the attack was powerful enough to pierce the sea dragon¡¯s body, but a superficial burn could not slow down its movements.

    ¡°As expected, an attack like that can only scratch its skin.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave that to Shin.¡±

    Their goal was to deflect Ishkar¡¯s attack in the first ce. To hope to do more against Ishkar would have been arrogant, even for Schnee and the others.

    ¡°Wooooohhh!!!¡±

    Shin mustered his fighting spirit and swung ¡ºMoonless¡». For him, Ishkar¡¯srge body was a huge target impossible to miss.

    ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ de drew an arc, which extended in a 6-mels long crimson de. It was the first step of a skill that unleashed shes with seven des, one for each element.

    Octa-elementalposite skill, ¡¾Seven Radiant des¡¿.

    The deep red de that tore through ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿ as it advanced was the incandescent me-elemental sh. Now that Shin had removed the upper limiter on his stats, his shes could cut through Ishkar¡¯s scales and flesh in one stroke, leaving a deep wound on the monster¡¯s torso.

    ¡°One more!¡±

    Shin readied his weapon again, to perform the next sh.The de was now formed by arge mass of sand. The katana, now a light brown color, was swung as if tracing the burning wound on the monster¡¯s body.

    Ishkar, however, would not allow itself to be attacked without dodging or defending.

    The seawater rumbled and covered the surface of Ishkar¡¯s twisting and winding body.

    A de of sand and an armor of seawater. The sh of the two ended with the de emerging victorious.

    An attack made of sand might not sound too dangerous normally, but the sand forming Shin¡¯s de was anything but normal. It could vibrate and move at high speed. Thanks to the power of magic, its movements defied thews of physics, boosting its cutting power higher than a mere saw de, but also any Ancient-grade weapon.

    The sand de thus sliced through the seawater armor as if through butter, carving many more wounds on Ishkar¡¯s body. With each sh, the sand also attached to the monster¡¯s body, erging the wounds.

    This attack¡¯s gradually increasing damage made it even nastier than being burned by fire.

    Ishkar had twisted its body to avoid the shes, so it had only suffered flesh wounds until now. Shin¡¯s offensive, however, was far from over.

    ¡°You won¡¯t let me have my way, huh?¡±

    As if the battle until now was nothing but a warm-up, Ishkar moved away from Shin at extremely high speed. The monster¡¯s huge body did not mean that its movements were sluggish. If it moved at high speed in water, the generated currents would affect even the movements of Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°If I use my full abilities, I get this weird feeling of omnipotence¡­¡±

    Shin focused strength on his legs and kicked the water. His body then elerated forward, as if he had kicked a solid object.

    The water currents generated by Ishkar would make it difficult to swim straight even for a Chosen One, but Shin advanced as if slicing through them with his body.

    The third sh, a de of ice covered by white mist, was ready to be swung at Shin¡¯s side.

    Ishkar sted a burning hot beam towards the approaching Shin. It was a massive heat barrage,rge enough topletely engulf Shin¡¯s body.

    Shin countered it head on, swinging the Skill-boosted ¡ºMoonless¡» right on the middle.

    His explosive advance was halted, but his body remained unscathed.

    The monster¡¯s burning beam was cleanly cut in two halves by the white mist on Shin¡¯s katana, changing directions to his left and right sides.

    ¡°Haha, that was easy!¡±

    Shin cheered, his hands powerfully gripping the de¡¯s hilt.

    ¡ºMoonless¡» once again drew an arc, freezing the surrounding seawater. The following instant, a freezing storm started blowing towards Ishkar, like a waterfall ready to devour the monster¡¯s burning beam.

    Ishkar saw the iing attack and stopped releasing the heat beam, twisting its body away from Shin¡¯s attack. The monster emitted lightning attacks from its horns in retaliation, but Shin swept them away with his now lightning-d ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡°¡ª¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±

    A low growl escaped Ishkar¡¯s mouth. Shin had learned the dragon¡¯s attack patterns, but it could have new strategies in this world. Shin realized this and decided to observe what the monster would do next.

    The wary Shin was then attacked from all directions.

    The seawater around him started moving, all at the same time. It changed into 1-mel spheres, upying a 50 mels radius all around Shin.

    It was one of Ishkar¡¯s skills, ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿.

    The ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ water spheres,pletely filling Shin¡¯s field of view, were then struck by Ishkar¡¯s lightning attack.

    It was not the same yellow lightning that Shin had swept away before, but light blue bolts that came in contact with the spheres and changed directions, just like rays of light deflected by water.

    The sphere-shaped seawater served not only to trap Shin, but also to conduct the lightning bolts.

    The bolts, passing through several spheres, arrived very close to Shin¡¯s position.

    ¡°Now this is something I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±

    The lightning split in two in front of Shin¡¯s eyes and passed by him. Several secondster, some of the spheres were cleaved in two as well, turning back to seawater.

    The bolts had been sliced by the invisible de extending from ¡ºMoonless¡», a de of wind. Someone with good eyesight could probably see that, near ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ tip, part of the scenery appeared distorted.

    ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ was a skill that affected the target¡¯s surroundings, but causing no damage itself. It was thus obviously possible to move.

    After ¡ºMoonless¡» was swung, the wind de disappeared and was reced by a pitch ck one. Shin confirmed the change with a nce and held the sword high.

    ¡°Shaah!!¡±

    The darkness-colored katana swung down. The sixth de¡¯s effect was to negate all magic, causing all the water spheres in the de¡¯s path to vanish.

    ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿, an attack meant to gradually shave the target¡¯s life down to nothing, was powerless before the ck de¡¯s negation of magic. This result affected the surroundings as well. The ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ in front of Shin too hadpletely disappeared.

    Lastly, ¡ºMoonless¡» morphed into the skill¡¯s final sh, a de of light. Shin held it firmly and quickly moved through the now open space.

    Ishkar too had probably noticed the opening carved into ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿.

    Even with Shin¡¯s high magic resistance, however, he could not simply break through the ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ released by a level 1000 monster. He went on forward, however, despite the danger.

    Shin couldn¡¯t see past ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s spheres, so he used the map and presence detection to proceed while avoiding them.

    As soon as he finally managed to exit ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s area of effect, Ishkar¡¯s ws were brought down towards him.

    Shin drew ¡ºMoonless¡» closer and used it to protect the left side of his body.

    Ishkar¡¯s attack sent Shin flying. Witnessing this, Schnee and the rest of the party each inhaled sharply. In the game, a direct attack like that would surely drop the target¡¯s HP gauge to the red zone.

    ¡°Just as expected¡­guess I really have to thank these cheat-like Gifts I got!!¡±

    Because of Shin¡¯s boosted stats and the bonuses provided by his equipment, however, his HP decreased by less than 10%. One reason was the small damage received, but his total HP was also more than double the original amount. As long as he properly defended, it would be no problem even if he received several attacks.

    Before Shin shouted, the light de from his katana pierced Ishkar¡¯s eyes.

    The greatest characteristic of the de of light was its length, extending over 100 mels. It could not affect its surroundings like the de of darkness, so it could be said that the de just literally grew longer.

    Most yers took advantage of this to perform a wide-range sweep, but its greatest power was drawn out when thrusting.

    The tip of the de was aimed straight forward. An attack a few cemels wide, very few mels high, that covered an extreme distance in an instant. Even for Shin and the party, avoiding it would be a very difficult feat.

    Naturally, Ishkar could not, since its eyes were one of the monster¡¯s very few weak points. The de of light stabbed them, extending as far as it could, finally piercing through Ishkar¡¯s skull.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!?!¡±

    Even Ishkar could not help bellowing in pain after being gouged by the de. The result was just a scream of pain because, thanks to its massive body, the de was too small to cause instant death.

    Not unleashing an attack in all directions immediately, however, was a fatal mistake for Ishkar.

    In the small timeframe of its pained scream, it lost sight of Shin.

    The piercing de of light disappeared. When Ishkar¡¯s eyes caught Shin again, he was now wielding ¡ºMoonless¡» with his left hand, while his right was clenched in a fist.

    Ishkar noticed that Shin¡¯s silhouette was enveloped in a faint purple light, different from the aura of physical boosts.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can survive even with your head blown off?¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t noticed his physical change. His fist crashed into Ishkar¡¯s lightless eyes.

    Barehanded-type Martial skill,¡¾Shiden ¨C Zekka¡¿.

    One of the most powerful barehanded skills erupted from Shin¡¯s right fist.

    Ishkar¡¯s eye, already pierced by the de of light, ruptured and burst. An instantter, the monster¡¯s cranium swelled.

    The sheer power unleashed in Ishkar¡¯s head ravaged its insides and took the dragon¡¯s life. Ishkar¡¯s HP gauge hit zero instantly.

    The power let loose by Shin¡¯s fist, however, was not content with simply destroying the dragon¡¯s head.

    A few seconds after Ishkar¡¯s head started swelling, the monster¡¯s skull could not withstand the damage anymore and exploded. The released power traveled through the seawater and reached as far as Schnee and the rest of the party.

    Having lost everything above its neck, Ishkar¡¯s massive body gradually lost its strength. From the wound supposed to be spraying blood, a blue vapor-like substance emanated instead.

 Book 11: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Hey, Schnee¡­isn¡¯t Shin acting kind of weird?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin swung the ice de towards Ishkar. Unable to keep it in anymore, Filma asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion.

    Schnee did not answer. Her grip on ¡ºBlue Moon¡»¡¯s hilt tightened.

    There was no need for questions, she already knew the answer.

    Ishkar had started fighting with Shin, and Shin only: it was like it did not even acknowledge the existence of Schnee and the rest of the party.

    While Shin had tried not to get them involved, it was more than clear that the dragon actively not attacking them.

    Finding the battle a good opportunity, Shin fought with his limiters off, but his current style of fighting was kind of different from the one that Schnee was familiar with.

    Regardless of how high Shin¡¯s stats were, his party members were unable to determine precisely how strong he was. No one knew how powerful of an enemy he could fight by himself, what kind of enemy could match him, or what kind of enemy could be superior to him.

    More than his offense, Schnee was worried about his defense. The only way to actually know was to be attacked, so even if they could make predictions, there was no way of knowing how much he could withstand.

    Shin¡¯s current way of fighting, however, did not suggest that he was sparing much thought to his defense.

    ¡°This is bizarre¡­for Shin tough while fighting such a battle.¡±

    Following Filma¡¯s question, Shibaid expressed his doubts too. His shield high, he still kept his guard up, but his gaze followed Shin, not Ishkar.

    ¡°Kuu, something, strange.¡±

    Yuzuha watched Shin with furrowed brows. Kagerou likewise cried in agreement.

    ¡°This is strange. I can¡¯t feel any miasmaing from Ishkar!¡±

    Tiera, who had been focusing on trying to purify the miasma, as she had done against Trypophobia, suddenly raised her voice, slightly panicked.

    Schnee¡¯s expression turned sour.

    She was also capable of detecting miasma, to a degree. Based on the density of the miasma corrupting the dungeon, it was impossible that its boss, Ishkar, was unaffected.

    Watching the battle Schnee and the rest of the party thought that Ishkar had weakened or could not move anymore, due to having sealed the miasma. If not, it would have lost to the miasma and turned into an Invader.

    Despite their predictions, however, Ishkar appeared before them looking just as they remembered, with all of his abilities intact. It was fighting against Shin as if miasma didn¡¯t affect it in the slightest.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Looking at Shin¡¯s clearly offensive-oriented fighting style, Schnee feltpelled to run to him. She wanted to go to his side, to talk to him.

    She could not do it though.

    Shin was fighting against a monster above all monsters, a beast of level 1000.

    While her stats had been boosted by the Ley Lines when they freed Filma, and she equipped Ancient-grade weapons and armor, this fight was too dangerous for her to dive into.

    ¡°¡­.Filma, Shibaid. Let¡¯s go to Shin¡¯s side. Tiera, you go with Yuzuha and Kagerou close to the walls, make sure you stay out of attack range.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, you know?¡±

    ¡°I know. But I can feel a power that¡¯s not caused by the miasmaing from Shin and Ishkar.¡±

    ¡°A cold, mighty power from Ishkar and a raging power from Shin. Thetter is especially something the likes of I¡¯ve never felt before,¡± said Tiera.

    ¡°A raging power¡­might that be the reason why Shin¡¯s acting so strange?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about thatter. More importantly, even if we go, what exactly are we going to do? It¡¯ll be tough even for us to keep up with Shin as he is now, you know that right?¡±

    Without his limiter, Shin moved much faster than anyone else in the party and his attacks were also much more powerful than theirs.

    He could face Ishkar head on, after all. His power was on a whole other level.

    If Schnee and the party were to participate in the battle between Ishkar and Shin, it could only be as decoys.

    ¡°I believe that if the targets be two, it will have to look at us too. With Shin as he is, we will just act as support.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine as for joining the battle, but are we going to leave Shin like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself. I have the highest speed among us, and even if I¡¯m attacked I can dodge with a Kunoichi skill.¡±

    The power-up received when they freed Filma, the usual boost attachments.

    Combined with the physical boosts due to spirit summoning, avable only to Elves and Pixies, Schnee¡¯s AGI was maxed out. Being a Kunoichi skilled in dodging, she would probably be the quickest in reaching Shin¡¯s position.

    ¡°You¡¯re really something, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Based on our abilities, Schnee is the most suitable one. Shin¡¯s belligerent attitude is a concern, but even if something happens I doubt that she could be felled in one instant.¡±

    Everyone nodded at Shibaid¡¯s words and started moving. Shibaid led with Filma following a few steps behind. Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou acted as the rear guard.

    Separated from Shibaid¡¯s group, which proceeded with every member at the same pace, Schnee approached Shin at high speed, using a different route.

    She was looking at Shin, now surrounded by water spheres, Ishkar¡¯s ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿.

    She knew that they weren¡¯t just spheres made of water.

    Shin would probably be okay, but in Schnee¡¯s heart, the worry that was supposed to be dispelled appeared once again.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    One second before Schnee could activate a skill to get rid of ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s spheres, Shin had slipped past the spheres¡¯ area of effect. A de of light extended from ¡ºMoonless¡» and pierced one of the dragon¡¯s eyes.

    Shin then moved closer to Ishkar and readied his right hand into a fist. His body was wrapped in a faint aura, different from anything hat Schnee had seen before. Cold chills ran down her spine.

    No one needed to exin it to her. Schnee instinctively felt that Shin, while possessed by that aura, could not be allowed to fight any longer.

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice, however, did not reach him.

    Shin¡¯s fistnded heavily on Ishkar¡¯s skull, which burst into pieces in front of Schnee¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    A wave of power spread through the seawater, exhibiting the strength of the attack.

    The party felt the surge of power course all over their bodies. Schnee and the other members were stopped in their tracks by it.

    ¡°I have to go¡­quickly¡­¡±

    Schnee focused her strength on her frozen legs and kicked the water hard. Before she could get closer to Shin, however, something changed in Ishkar.

    His skull exploded. Ishkar was now headless,pletely still. Blue vapor flowed out from his severed neck.

    At the same time, countless icicles shot out of the dragon¡¯s torso and neck, like a flurry ofnces, covering the monster¡¯s body.

    That ice then gradually changed shape.

    The ice spears all fused together into one and re-created Ishkar¡¯s head.

    It was notpletely made by ice, however: the eyes and horns were a deep blend of blue and purple. After forming the dragon¡¯s head, blue ice also covered its ws and scales.

    Shin attacked again before the monster regeneratedpletely, but Ishkar avoided his attacks with an agility unthinkable for such arge body.

    ¡°What the¡­..!?!¡±

    Schnee was confused by Ishkar¡¯s new, unknown form and was toote to notice what had appeared before her. She slowed down instantly, but could not avoid crashing into something solid.

    She received no damage, but even looking at what she crashed against, she could not see anything. She stretched out her hands cautiously and felt the presence of something smooth, like a ss wall.

    ¡°This is¡­a wall?¡±

    Schnee pushed against it, but the wall did not budge. She pressed with more strength, but the wall showed no sign of breaking. Shibaid and the others caught up with her, but they did not seem to be able to pass either.

    Shin seemed to have the advantage in the battle, but as time passed the aura around Shin gradually grewrger. At the same time, his fighting style changed too.

    ¡°¡ª-out of my sight!!¡±

    Schnee swung ¡ºBlue Moon¡», forcefully, not holding back at all.

    Filma and Shibaid noticed Shin¡¯s state and struck the invisible wall with skills.

    ¡°Damn you, why¡­!?¡±

    ¡ºBlue Moon¡»¡¯s de was repelled, and magic seemed to not have any effect either. The feeling spreading from the katana¡¯s de expressed that the wall hadn¡¯t been damaged at all.

    ¡°¡­..Shiden.¡±

    Schnee moved away from Filma and the others, to make sure not to hit them by ident, and unleashed one of her trump cards.

    A long, thin de of ice extended from ¡ºBlue Moon¡». Unlike Shin¡¯s ¡¾Seven Radiant des¡¿, the crystal clear de looked like a longer ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    Katana and Water Combination skill, ¡¾Shiden ¨C Flowing Spark Blossom¡¿.

    This skill ignored armor and all defenses and was also highly effective against barriers such as the one stopping the party¡¯s advance. Schnee unleashed it against the ss-like wall without reserve.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    But even this sh, carrying every ounce of her power, could not destroy the barrier before them.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°The result was the same, then.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid approached Schnee after trying their own Shiden skills, to no avail.

    Behind them, Yuzuha and Kagerou struck the barrier with me and lightning attacks.

    ¡°What in the world is up with this barrier? It¡¯s way too tough!¡±

    ¡°I have no idea¡­I can¡¯t remember ever seeing something this sturdy.¡±

    In the game, Ishkar did not possess the ability to create such barriers.

    A barrier that did not even crack after being struck by Schnee¡¯s, Shibaid¡¯s, and Filma¡¯s Shiden skills could not be erected even by a level 1000 monster, after all.

    ¡°Nevertheless, if we do not pass this obstacle, we cannot go to Shin¡¯s aid.¡±

    Shibaid spoke while ring at the transparent wall.

    As the barrier did not show the slightest crack, it was clear that it couldn¡¯t be destroyed just by hitting it with skills. Being invisible to the naked eye, it was also impossible to tell how far it extended.

    ¡°Tiera, can you tell us anything¡­.Schnee, Filma, look!¡±

    ¡°Tiera? What¡­.?¡±

    Schnee looked at Tiera after Shibaid called her, and saw her floating in front of Yuzuha and Kagerou. Thetter two were moving their paws up and down, as if scratching against something.

    Indeed, Tiera had passed through the barrier that was blocking Schnee and the rest of the party.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Schnee!! We might have found a way to pass through!!¡±

    Urged by Filma, Schnee and Shibaid rushed to where Tiera was. She seemed utterly confused and hurriedly spoke to the three as they approached.

    ¡°Master!! I-I don¡¯t know why, but I got through!!¡±

    ¡°How?? What method did you use?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­I tried cutting through the barrier with my dagger, and I just kind of fell through¡­¡±

    Tiera herself did not seem to know how she had gotten past the barrier. Kagerou, left behind, was scratching at the invisible wall with all his might. Yuzuha was also wing at the barrier in the same way, but she suddenly slipped through the barrier. At the same time, Kagerou likewise passed to the other side.

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°Guruu!?¡±

    Takenpletely by surprise, the two spun once in the water because of their excess momentum. After a bit of paddling, they finally returned to their original stances.

    ¡°¡­.we, passed too!?¡±

    Yuzuha was baffled by the sudden development, then her body trembled. The same purple aura around Shin rose from her body too.

    ¡°This is¡­like Shin? Yuzuha, are you okay?¡±

    Schnee, concerned, asked Yuzuha how she felt. However Yuzuha did not answer and howled loudly in response.

    ¡°Kuu¡­KUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s body glowed brightly and increased in size. When the light faded, Yuzuha had returned to her original form.

    She was now muchrger than Schnee or Tiera and sported her trademark nine tails as well. There was no mistaking it: Yuzuha had returned to her original form.

    ¡°Eh¡­? Yuzu¡­ha?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s sudden transformation left Tiera almost speechless. Kagerou too, next to Tiera, growled in confusion.

    ¡°¡­so this power can influence me too.¡±

    Yuzuha looked at her own body and whispered to herself. Her voice did not bear any childish traits anymore. Her consciousness seemed to have returned to one fitting to her current body.

    ¡°Do not fret, I remember you all. I shall lend you my strength. You too, Kagerou, do not re at me so.¡±

    Yuzuha used one of her tails and lifted Tiera on her back. She then slowly turned her eyes towards Shin.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but I guess we can only leave things to Tiera and Yuzuha¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Tiera. Listen well. I am sure you understand after seeing that aura, but Shin is different from usual now.¡±

    Schnee breathed in, then started talking. She couldn¡¯t go herself, so there was no choice but to talk.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s kind of¡­scary. I also feel that he changed.¡±

    ¡°He cannot control it, surely.¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha agreed while looking at Shin fighting against Ishkar. Tiera, thanks to her sharp senses, had felt the same thing as Schnee.

    Yuzuha, her eyes narrowed, seemed to be trying to conclude something.

    ¡°Yuzuha, do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°It is power, that much I can tell. I do not know what it actually is. However, it seems Shin has not beenpletely consumed by it either.¡±

    ¡°Could you use it to break down this wall?¡±

    ¡°With time, it appears to be possible. But not immediately. This form too is temporary, notplete.¡±

    ¡°¡­.understood. We cannot go any further than this. Thus we entrust this to you.¡±

    Schnee spoke to Yuzuha and Tiera, restraining her emotions. She had not lost herposure to the point of asking Yuzuha to destroy the barrier, without knowing how much time it could take, in a situation like the current one.

    ¡°¡­.I shall break into their battle.¡±

    Tiera swallowed her breath and looked towards Shin and Ishkar. Her reaction was perfectly natural, as both opponents were using attacks that meant instant death for someone with Tiera¡¯s stats. Interfering in their conflict meant that one misstep would result in certain death.

    ¡°¡­.understood. Yuzuha, please.¡±

    ¡°Leave everything to me.¡±

    After a few moments of silence, Tiera asked Yuzuha for her assistance, with a resolute expression. Going together meant facing danger together. Yuzuha was already prepared for what was going toe.

    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±

    Riding on Yuzuha, Tiera headed towards Shin.

    Schnee could only gaze at her back as she did.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I¡­do anything¡­?¡±

    Looking at Ishkar and Shin fighting, Schnee remembered the words uttered by the dragon before the battle started.

    ¡°Dolls¡­.those born in this world¡­.could it be¡­.!?¡±

    Schnee reflected and realized that Ishkar could have been talking about support characters and all those that came in this world from the previous one, excluding former yers.

    Only yers can be enemies. That probably meant that, among them, only Shin should be allowed to fight.

    ¡°If so, why¡­.¡±

    Why could Tiera pass through the barrier?

    Tiera was a creature of this world, not a yer. Schnee knew that she was not the child of yers either.

    Yuzuha was Shin¡¯s partner monster. Her role was to fight alongside Shin, that could exin why she could pass through the barrier.

    Kagerou had the same rtionship as Yuzuha did with Shin. If Tiera had not passed the barrier, Kagerou probably would not have been able to either.

    Yuzuha, Kagerou, Tiera¡­among them, Tiera was a bizarre case. She was born in different circumstances, but she should be on the same side as Schnee and the others.

    Yet she had passed through the barrier and was now heading towards Shin.

    ¡°Why¡­.¡±

    Schnee could only watch. In her heart, many doubts rose and vanished.

    Why is that not me?

    Why is it not me the one going to help Shin?

    Someone else was in the ce she should be in. Just thinking that made Schnee feel like her whole body was grinding and cracking.

    ¡ª¨Cwas Tiera someone important to Shin?

    Thest doubt that rose within her, no matter how much time passed, would not disappear.

 Book 11: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 11: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not blood.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself, still in a fighting stance, while looking at the blue vapor-like substance exuding from Ishkar¡¯s neck.

    The exploded skull vanished as if melting away.

    It ended all too easily. That was the reason why Shin hadn¡¯t lowered his guard yet.

    Shiden¡¯s offensive power was high. With Shin¡¯s stats, it was probably possible to KO even Ishkar in one blow.

    And yet,¡­even considering this, there was no challenge. It felt ¡°boring¡±.

    ¡°!? Wait, what was I thinking just now!?¡±

    Shin felt his fighting spirit boiling, as he was facing a powerful opponent. However, he felt that hisst thought hade from apletely different source.

    As if someone other than him was inside his mind.

    ¡°¡­.as I thought, you aren¡¯t down yet.¡±

    Before the frowning Shin, several ice pirs sprouted from Ishkar¡¯s neck. In the blink of an eye, the pirs fused into one and rebuilt Ishkar¡¯s head.

    It was notpletely made of ice: the horns and eyes were a deep blue. Shin felt some sort of will behind the eyes gazing at him.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve revived, all I have to do is defeat you one more time.¡±

    Shin forgot what he was thinking about for the moment and kicked the water, moving toward Ishkar, the explosive propulsion letting him close in on the dragon instantly.

    Ishkar, however, blocked his advance by freezing the seawater around Shin.

    Shin immediately cast magic to destroy the ice. However¡­

    ¡°I can¡¯t break it? I¡¯ll just smash it then!¡±

    Magic should have been able to weaken the binding¡¯s effects, but it failed. Shin guessed it was probably because of a particr skill Ishkar possessed, so he decided to force his way out of his bonds.

    Half of his body was already frozen, but he could still swing his arms and legs to break free. Maybe thanks to the effects of his resistances, only the surface of his body was frozen.

    As soon as Shin broke free, Ishkar¡¯s arms swung down towards him. Shin noticed, but before performing an evasive maneuver he swung ¡ºMoonless¡» around him.

    While swinging ¡ºMoonless¡», in a sweeping motion, Shin heard cracking noises from the katana¡¯s tip. The sources of the sound were Ishkar¡¯s scales, which had changed color to blend in with the seawater.

    It was ¡¾Dead Fragment Drops¡¿, one of Ishkar¡¯s attacks which had imed the lives of many a yer in the past. The scales were very difficult to see, extremely sturdy and numerous, characteristics which made them extremely troublesome to deal with. They caused the yers to separate and attacked them individually.

    Shin knew how sturdy the scales were, so he activated the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾de Breaker¡¿ to destroy the scales as they headed towards him. While Shin was busy dealing with the scales, Ishkar¡¯s ws bore down upon him too.

    ¡°Hhngh!¡±

    Against the sharply gleaming ws, Shin chose not to defend or dodge, but to attack.

    He turned his back to Ishkar and spun once in ce. His right leg kicked the water and the left leg, taking advantage of centrifugal force, countered the ws with a roundhouse kick.

    Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Rolling Wave Strike¡¿.

    The kick, unleashed with a burst of white foam, released a controble shockwave when it shed against Ishkar¡¯s ws. Focusing the impact on one point allowed Shin to crush Ishkar¡¯s ws, like a raging wave.

    ¡°With this difference in size, it sure isn¡¯t easy.¡±

    Shin had crushed Ishkar¡¯s ws, but also because of their difference in mass, he couldn¡¯t maintain his position just by using the seawater as a foothold. He suffered no damage, but was pushed back and forced to withdraw.

    That instant, a familiar voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Shi¡ªn!¡±

    ¡°Tch, who¡¯s getting in the way now¡­in¡­the way? No, I¡­wait, that¡¯s¡­?¡±

    Every time he thought, he felt something unfamiliar creeping in his mind. He shook his head to get rid of it, and then he noticed what Tiera was riding on.

    While not asrge as Ishkar, it was a silhouette of much greater size than Shin or his party. Eyes concealing intellect, powerful limbs, and its greatest characteristic: nine tails.

    ¡°Yuzuha, is that you?¡±

    Thanks to the contract bound with Yuzuha, Shin quickly realized that Tiera was approaching him while riding on her.

    Yuzuha arrived next to Shin in the blink of an eye, stopped as if screeching to a halt, pushing Tiera out with her back, then turned towards Ishkar.

    ¡°I shall hold him back.¡±

    With Yuzuha¡¯s words echoing behind her, Tiera headed towards Shin. Moving at a speed she couldn¡¯t reach by herself, Tiera opened her arms and legs wide.

    She probably meant for Shin to catch her. Slightly confused, Shin opened his arms wide too.

    ¡°¡ª-eh?¡±

    Just before they could touch, Tiera used her arms to change direction.

    She only moved a few cemels: from a course that would have led her to embrace Shin, she changed to a head hugging course.

    Shin would have never expected Tiera to change course: the surprise, added to his initial confusion, prevented him from dodging.

    As a result, Shin¡¯s head ended up firmly nted in Tiera¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Begone, evil! Be purified!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Tiera shouted, still holding Shin¡¯s head tightly.

    Divine-type Skill ¡¾Purification Verse¡¿.

    When Tiera was still a Priestess of the World Tree, she used this skill to purify the surroundings before invoking the spirits. The skill removed and prevented status ailments from the user in a set radius around them; however, she was supposed to have lost it along with her Priestess job.

    The aura that enveloped Shin¡¯s body dissipated. After making sure that it was really gone, Tiera let go of Shin.

    ¡°Ah¡­.had I turned nasty or something?¡±

    The aura disappeared thanks to ¡¾Purification Verse¡¿, and Shin felt that the unusual presence inside his mind was gone.

    While fighting he would instantly forget about it: now that it was gone, Shin clearly grasped that unusual feeling and was shocked.

    ¡°You had an aura around you that master and the others said they had never seen before. Your way of fighting was violent too. Don¡¯t¡­make us worry like that.¡±

    Tiera talked with a very serious expression. Shin thanked her honestly.

    ¡°Where are Schnee and the others?¡±

    ¡°Some sort of invisible wall won¡¯t let them through. I don¡¯t know the reason, but only me, Yuzuha, and Kagerou could pass through it.¡±

    Shin looked towards Schnee and the others and found them shooting skills towards an apparently empty space. As Tiera had said, their skills stopped and disappeared abruptly after traveling to a certain point.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on either, but we better wrap this up quickly. You stand back, Tiera. Yuzuha and I are going to end this now!¡±

    Tiera nodded and withdrew, while Shin again faced Ishkar. His eyes now showed a light that was not present before.

    ¡ª¨CBoundary Guardian level 1000

    The name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was not Ishkar¡¯s.

    Shin recalled Ishkar¡¯s mention of a ¡°power that devours even miasma¡±. Ishkar¡¯s consciousness was probably not present anymore in the monster.

    The boundary guardian-turned Ishkar unleashed its lethal breath, which Yuzuha neutralized with five types of magic. Shin advanced under her massive body.

    The two contenders exchanged attacks that would definitely inflict great damage if not blocked, so Shin was able to prepare to strike without Ishkar noticing.

    Shin was now about 10 mels under the guardian¡¯s chin. For the monster, it was aplete blind spot.

    ¡°(I¡¯m going to attack too. Please keep it busy a little more)¡±

    ¡°(Understood.)¡±

    Shin was reminded of how adult-like Yuzuha¡¯s original voice sounded, while he held

    ¡ºMoonless¡» with the opposite hand.

    He aimed at the guardian¡¯s jaws and activated a skill.

    Katana and Darknessbination skill ¡¾Hollow Shackles¡¿.

    Shin threw¡ºMoonless¡», wrapped in a dark aura, with all his might. The katana turned into a pitch ck sh and stabbed the monster¡¯s jaw, without being hindered by its scales, then released its effects.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!! ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!!!¡±

    Forced to face upwards because of ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s stabbing impact, the Guardian¡¯s head was wrapped tightly by ck bands extending from the katana.

    The ck bands covered most of the monster¡¯s head, then gained even more momentum and proceeded to wrap around the Guardian¡¯s entire body.

    The monster tried resisting, but Shin¡¯s boosted stats had also reinforced the bands¡¯ binding power.

    Because of this, the Guardian couldn¡¯t tear through the bands fast enough: new ones would be generated and tie it down again before it could gain any freedom. It was impossible topletely seal the monster¡¯s movements, but now the Guardian couldn¡¯t move as freely as before.

    ¡°Yuzuha! Maximum firepower!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, a globe of golden light formed in Yuzuha¡¯s mouth.

    Shin cast a magic spell alongside her.

    Globes containing magic power of each of the seven elements appeared around Shin. Red, blue, brown, green, yellow, white, ck: all seven spheres were around one mel wide.

    Shin then extended his right arm forward and all globes gathered in one spot. The seven globes fused together and started glowing in the same golden color as Yuzuha¡¯s.

    Hepta-Elemental Composite Skill ¡¾Elemental Order¡¿ .

    The two-mels golden sphere, capable of striking the weak point of all elements, merged with Yuzuha¡¯s breath, a unique skill named ¡¾Supreme Catastrophe¡¿, and pierced the Guardian¡¯s head.

    ¡°Off with you!¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha kept releasing their skills, while changing their directions. The golden spheres of light moved from the monster¡¯s head to its torso, tearing through its body.

    Blue vapor was released from the monster¡¯s severed torso, but that too was consumed by the golden light and disappeared.

    ¡°We destroyed all we could see, but¡­¡±

    The opponent was capable of regenerating its head. For added safety, Shin and Yuzuha cautiously studied their surroundings.

    ¡°Shin!¡±

    As they were doing so, Schnee and the others approached them. The barrier that had been blocking them had disappeared apparently.

    ¡°Sorry for making you worry.¡±

    ¡°No..if you are all right, then it¡¯s enough.¡±

    Relieved, Schnee put a hand on her chest.

    ¡°So, what are we going to do now? Differently from outside, there¡¯s no miasma in here.¡±

    ¡°Ishkar¡¯s transformation was bizarre as well. It wasn¡¯t supposed to have regenerative abilities like that.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid voiced their doubts, while looking at the space where the recently disappeared Ishkar used to be.

    ¡°It turns out there was something else inside it. The name disyed was Boundary Guardian.¡±

    ¡°Never heard that name before.¡±

    All members present nodded to Schnee¡¯s words. Yuzuha ¡ª still in her adult form ¡ª also said that she didn¡¯t know about it.

    ¡°What could have happened here¡­? It looks like I changed too¡­it could be tied to the reason why I was brought here.¡±

    Ishkar had mentioned a ¡°return against your will¡±. It could mean that, had Shin not resisted, he could have returned to his original world.

    It was just a possibility, so he had no intention of trying. More than that, Shin was intrigued by the word ¡°Boundary¡±.

    The real world and the game world. Maybe it was guarding the boundary between the two?

    That would generate another series of questions, but being a game¡¯s world, it was not too strange for such a creature to exist.

    Supposing that the yers dead in the other world lived here. That normally, the boundary could not be crossed without dying, but Shin had crossed over without dying¡­

    (Could it have had a reason for wanting to get rid of me?)

    To go all the way of taking over Ishkar¡¯s body to attack me¡­could maybe mean that I can be the cause of some disaster? Or maybe it was just trying to remove an extraneous object?

    ¡°¡­.I just don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Shin sighed while looking at the space Ishkar used to upy. He pondered for a while, but in the end it was all his imagination, his delusions. He had no idea about how things could actually be.

    ¡°Shin, look.¡±

    ¡°¡­.the stopgap keeping miasma in check is gone, so it¡¯s flowing out?¡±

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and saw a ck mist appearing in the previously empty space. In its center there was a sort of rectangr object.

    Because of the mist only its silhouette was visible, but it was just as Shin remembered.

    After defeating Ishkar, the certificate proving victory over a level 1000 monster, materials, gear, and other item cards appeared. Apparently, most of the miasma was housed by these items.

    ¡°Tiera, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave it to me.¡±

    Shin and the others kept the miasma from spreading, while Tiera purified the main mass. Maybe because the Guardian was gone, the miasma vanished with an ease that surprised even Tiera.

    ¡°Eh? This is¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Tiera looked at the stack of purified item cards. The illustration on the top card made her react, surprised.

    Shin became curious and took a peek in Tiera¡¯s hands. The top card of the stack had the picture of a crystal glowing in rainbow colors.

    The item name was ¡ºDivine Beast Crystal¡».

    ¡°Seriously¡­? This is the item that lets you summon a divine beast!¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Monsters called divine beasts, like Element Tails and Gruefagos, could not be tamed normally. But with the item that Tiera was now holding, the Divine Beast Crystal, they could be called temporarily as an ally unit.

    Divine Beast Crystals appeared as rare drops after defeating divine beasts and allowed the summon of a monster just like the defeated one as an ally.

    It was a one-time use item, but if used against boss monsters as a trump card, it was powerful enough to change the flow of battle.

    Depending on the monsters they could summon, Divine Beast Crystals could have the same value as Ancient-grade equipment.

    ¡°¡­hey, if I use this, won¡¯t Ishkar be able to resurrect?¡±

    ¡°Summoned monsters usually disappear after a set time¡­I wonder, though. In this battle against Ishkar some unknown force interfered after all.¡±

    No one knew what could happen to this area of the sea, were Ishkar to disappear. The sea dragon¡¯s resurrection would be the most favorable oue.

    ¡°Do try. If I can use my power on it, I shall lend you my aid.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Your power hasn¡¯t returnedpletely, has it?¡±

    ¡°That is of no concern. The absence of this area¡¯s master is a much more pressing matter.¡±

    Yuzuha, who did not know how long she could keep her current form, urged Shin to use the item, so he agreed e.¡±

    Tiera held the Divine Beast Crystal high and pronounced the keyword. The crystal then shattered, emanating a rainbow light.

    The light gradually took shape: after five seconds, it had formed Ishkar¡¯s silhouette. When the light eventually disappeared, before the group was Ishkar, looking exactly the same as when they had entered the room.

    ¡°Hmm, I see.¡±

    The summoned Ishkar did nothing, simply floating in ce. It was waiting for orders from its summoner.

    ¡°Do you think you can do anything?¡±

    ¡°Be patient for a while.¡±

    Yuzuha then extended one of her nine tails towards Ishkar. She ced the tip of the tail on the dragon¡¯s jaw, then stopped.

    A few secondster, Ishkar and Yuzuha¡¯s bodies started glowing. They continued to do so for about 10 seconds, then the light dimmed and disappeared.

    ¡°This shall be enough.¡±

    Yuzuha then changed back to small fox mode. She still had nine tails though.

    ¡°I¡¯m slightly tired. Hold me.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, sure. Thanks.¡±

    Yuzuha floated lightly in the water and cuddled up in Shin¡¯s bosom. Her small fox face looked somewhat satisfied.

    ¡°It appears you have won¡±

    Just as the group rxed a little, Ishkar¡¯s voice reached their ears.

    ¡°Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°That maiden used my soul¡¯s crystal. Would you understand if I said ¡®back-up¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Well, I would have never expected a divine beast to say ¡®backup¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a fragment embedded in my memories. Now that the Ley Lines are free of contamination, my servants above should quiet down too. You have my gratitude.¡±

    Ishkar had already taken care of the Three Sea Beasts apparently. The merpeople and fishpeople were not in immediate danger anymore at least.

    ¡°I wish to express my gratitude, but that fox has already taken away part of my power. I cannot do much.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha! What tricks are you pulling, taking advantage of a situation like this?¡±

    ¡°I made it possible for him to stay here and connected him to the Ley Lines. As you know, the Ley Line was already shut where I used to be. Let me have that much.¡±

    The power that Yuzuha took from Ishkar would return over time, so Ishkar did not want to seriously find fault with her.

    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯te here looking for something anyway, and it looks like Yuzuha got closer to returning to her original form, so that¡¯d be enough for me.¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee and the others, but they all shared the same sentiment.

    ¡°Just one thing, then. Do you know anything about whatever possessed you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I remember that you were its target. That its objective was to remove you from this world. Only these two things.¡±

    ¡°For what reason?¡±

    ¡°I could not say. But it was something that even miasma cannot affect. It wiped the miasma I was holding in check as if it was mere smoke.¡±

    An existence superior to miasma. Shin had no idea what it could be, nor did Schnee and the others, who all shook their heads.

    ¡°It was an utterly unknown existence. Do be on your guard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it.¡±

    Shin finished talking with Ishkar. As Yuzuha had turned back too, they left the royal chambers.

    Events other than their initial goal of helping the merpeople had happened, but Shin thought that, all in all, the result was positive. He could not be sure, but he felt that the power within him was not something negative either.

    The party proceeded through the now miasma-free corridors.

    Ishkar had resurrected, the merpeople and fishpeople avoided destruction.

    Tiera and Yuzuha powered up, the party¡¯s overall power increased.

    Not all results were to rejoice about, though. Something had definitely been proved in the battle against the Guardian.

    Those stopped by the barrier, and those allowed in by the barrier. Their hearts were clearly divided.

    Schnee¡¯s heart, especially, was riddled with thousands of small ripples.

    With each member holding different thoughts in their hearts, the party left the dungeon.

    At the same time as Shin concluded his battle against Ishkar, one man arrived in Barbatos.

    At the moment no one knew, naturally, that he would bring a great trial to Schnee¡­

 Book 12: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Shin¡¯s party had ventured into the Kuwain marine area to search for the second Assault Ship Celciutos, one of Rokuten¡¯s guild houses.

    The group managed to find the guildhouse, but found that miasma had transformed the surrounding seas into an extremely dangerous area.

    Shin¡¯s party discovered that the causey in the underwater dungeon ¡°Castle of the Depths.¡± They hurried into the dungeon and fought against the miasma-corrupted Sea King Dragon Ishkar, ultimately achieving victory¡­

    After the battle against Ishkar, the group returned to the entrance of the dungeon. The group¡¯s adventure had experienced several unexpected events, so, as soon as they materialized their magic-powered vessel and rode in, they decided to take a rest.

    Maybe adrenaline existed in the new world too: when the group left the ¡°Castle of the Depths¡±, their tension was reced by fatigue.

    After each member had taken a shower, they retreated to their respective quarters for some rest: they decided to leave the Kuwain matter to its own devices.

    ¡°Nh¡­nnh¡­nnhg..?¡±

    How long had he been sleeping?

    Shin woke up, puzzled by the sensation of someone hugging him.

    ¡°Ah, Yuzuha.¡±

    Looking at the ceiling, Shin remembered that sometimes Yuzuha woulde sleep with him. She used to lie on top of him, maybe to look at his sleeping face.

    He mumbled ¡°you again?¡±, and then tried to move Yuzuha away. He then noticed.

    The presence of something terribly soft pressing on his stomach.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    No, it wasn¡¯t Yuzuha. This was Shin¡¯s conclusion, in the utter silence of the room.

    His senses remembered his partner¡¯s weight. Yuzuha had grown, but she should still have some childish features left. Shin¡¯s senses told him that the body now on him was different from Yuzuha¡¯s. It was wearing a tracksuit as pajamas, so it was easy to tell.

    In more concrete terms, the soft, freely shapeshifting twin mounds that clearly made their presence felt against Shin¡¯s body were definitely not Yuzuha¡¯s.

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    Shin turned his neck, trying to raise his head as much as possible. He looked towards his lower body and could see the head of the person now lying on top of him.

    The room was dark, but thanks to ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ he could clearly tell the hair color of his ¡°guest¡±.

    Fluffy-looking silver hair, pointy fox ears. Shoulders poking out of fur. The first two were Yuzuha¡¯s characteristics, as Shin remembered.

    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Yuzuha level 871 Element Tail¡¿

    ¡°Wait a second, how much power did you absorb back there¡­?¡±

    Before fighting Ishkar, Yuzuha was still below level 700. Yet now, she was closer to 900.

    Shin didn¡¯t know exactly how much power Yuzuha had taken from Ishkar, but it had to be a considerable amount.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown even more thanst time.¡±

    Her appearance had changed from a 6th-8th grader to a high school student. Shin couldn¡¯t see her whole silhouette yet, but her current weight made him think so.

    He looked at the clock: he had slept for about two hours, as it was almost 1 PM.

    He didn¡¯t feel physically tired, so Shin decided that he might as well get out of bed and tried to wake Yuzuha.

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha. Wake up.¡±

    ¡°Mmh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, you heard me.¡±

    ¡°Just five more minutes¡­¡±

    Shin shook Yuzuha¡¯s body through the covers, just to hear a ssic reply.

    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can rest some more, but get off me first.¡±

    ¡°Just five more minutes¡­let me enjoy this..¡±

    ¡°Enjoy what!? You¡¯re awake, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    Yuzuha surprised Shin with apletely unexpected line. He looked at Yuzuha rubbing her head on his chest, reflecting that her personality must have changed again.

    ¡°¡­you got me.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    She probably realized that she couldn¡¯t continue like that. Yuzuha pulled herself up and the nket fell off, revealing her body.

    It waspletely different from two hours ago. Shin covered his eyes as not to see her very feminine curves.

    ¡°Wear something, now.¡±

    ¡°Want to enjoy?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Stillpletely naked, Yuzuha asked the question to Shin while sitting near his thighs.

    While she was as expressionless as before, that was due to her inability to express emotion. However, now she belonged to thepletely rxed or unimpressed category.

    Shin looked at Yuzuha between his fingers and saw her there, not attempting to cover her naked body at all, tilting her head at him. She did not seem to have any sense of shame.

    ¡°Yet another weird personality¡­how did you be like this?¡±

    ¡°There have always been several personality patterns within me¡­the personality you all know is the total sum of the characters housed inside me. Even as I am now, I am still one side of the being known as Yuzuha. Ultimately, I will be like theplete form you already know.¡±

    Yuzuha said all of this with azy tone, then fell again on top of Shin.

    Shin stopped her fall as well as he could, and Yuzuha¡¯s budding breasts ended up right in front of his eyes. Despite his will, he ended up in an embrace with Yuzuha.

    ¡°Why did you fall on top of me again¡­¡±

    ¡°I get tired if I talk a lot.¡±

    That was probably the truth. Her tone of voice clearly showed how tired she was.

    ¡°That¡¯s one amazing reason¡­anyway, putting that aside, get off me. And wear something already.¡±

    The situation could be easily misunderstood by anyone, so Shin prodded her more strongly.

    He couldn¡¯t tell how she would react, as her personality had changed, but if she persisted he would have to move her by force.

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s not nice.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Yuzuha probably guessed what Shin was thinking, because she finally got off him.

    While he was raising his body, Yuzuha went to a corner of the room and turned on the light device.

    ¡°Wear something first.¡±

    Shin covered his eyes again and scolded Yuzuha. Even with the room fully lit, she made no attempt to conceal her body. Every part waspletely visible.

    ¡°If it¡¯s Shin, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Yuzuha stood proudly, puffing her chest out without restraint. Shin could swear he heard a bounce-like noise.

    ¡°What are you acting smug for!¡±

    Shin, always making sure not to look at her, picked up an item card near the bed.

    ¡°Here, your usual clothes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but something sexier would be nice too, no?¡±

    Yuzuha replied, the priestess clothing Shin gave her in hand.

    ¡°Stop being silly.¡±

    ¡°Aw.¡±

    Shin, making sure only to look at Yuzuha¡¯s face, gave her a light chop on the head and left the room.

    There were priestess clothes with more skin exposure, as Yuzuha hinted, but Shin had no intention of having her wear anything like that.

    In terms of stats, there were plenty superior options. But with Yuzuha¡¯s stats, while she couldn¡¯t take a Ishkar-ss enemy on her own, she generally wouldn¡¯t have any trouble as she was now.

    The situation was different from Tiera, who had to wear certain outfits to boost her stats.

    If he had Yuzuha wear a skimpy priestess outfit, Shin knew that Schnee and the others would look at him in a way he couldn¡¯t bear for long.

    Shin¡¯s train of thought reached this point and he sighed again.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait.¡±

    ¡°Good, you wore it.¡±

    Shin voiced his surprise, as he didn¡¯t expect Yuzuha to really wear the outfit properly, which prompted a question from Yuzuha.

    ¡°¡­should I wear it more loosely?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s hand headed towards her chest area, all too naturally, but Shin grabbed it midway. It was easy enough to guess what she was going to do.

    ¡°Not at all¡­more than that, you remember what happened before now, right? The others must be up too, let¡¯s go to the kitchen. If you still feel tired, you can just go back to sleep.¡±

    ¡°My body will get used to it soon enough.¡±

    Her strength had returned, but apparently her body hadn¡¯t adjusted to it yet. Her fatigue, however, was mostly gone. For an instant, Shin thought about asking her why she said she was tired just moments ago.

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t act like that when Schnee and the others are around.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My services are for Shin and Shin only.¡±

    ¡°¡­.what did I do to deserve this¡­¡±

    Shin sighed yet again because of Yuzuha¡¯s radical change.

    He could tell from their presences that Schnee and the others already started moving inside the vessel. Shin warned Yuzuha again, then started walking.

    ¡°Oh, Shin you¡¯re awa¡­.who is that?¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha entered the room and Filma greeted them, although she stopped when she saw Yuzuha.

    ¡°It¡¯s Yuzuha, she gained power from Ishkar and grew up.¡±

    ¡°¡­hello.¡±

    ¡°Hey there. I felt Yuzuha¡¯s presence all right, but she sure changed a lot. I was surprised.¡±

    Yuzuha had changed quite a lot, so Shin understood well what Filma meant.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re up. Hm? Oh, it¡¯s Yuzuha. You sure got bigger.¡±

    Shibaid, who was helping in setting the table, came closer. He could tell it was Yuzuha right away and acted very much like an uncle.

    ¡°You caught on quick.¡±

    ¡°For me, Human and Beast children, just like Yuzuha here, grow up really fast. So my eyes got pretty good at that. Well, I¡¯m just used to it.¡±

    ¡°You got a nifty new ability while I was sleeping.¡±

    Shibaid said it like it was nothing, provoking a wide-eyed reaction from Filma, who then turned again towards Yuzuha.

    ¡°Your atmosphere sure changed a lot too, huh?¡±

    ¡°Rxing type, I guess? I¡¯ll go back to small fox modeter though.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡±

    ¡°So Shin won¡¯t scold me even if I stick to him.¡±

    ¡°Well, honest aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Filma smiled at Yuzuha¡¯s clear and concise words. A smile that surely concealed nasty plotting.

    ¡°So only Tiera is still asleep.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we do not know how taxing miasma purification can be. We only prepared the food. Instead, shouldn¡¯t you stop them?¡±

    Shin tried to pretend not to hear what Filma and Yuzuha were talking about, but Shibaid pointed it out.

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re plotting something, they won¡¯t stop even if I say anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha seems to have changed a lot, but she¡¯s always liked you, Shin.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that, but I don¡¯t think what she feels is what we call love or a crush¡­¡±

    Thanks to Marino¡¯s existence, Shin felt the difference in what Yuzuha expressed towards him.

    When she looked like a child, it was fine just saying that she was attached to him, but that didn¡¯t work anymore. Even so, it was different from the affection that Marino or Schnee had shown towards him.

    ¡°How can I exin, it¡¯s like a mix of affection towards a parent and a friend. That¡¯s how I see it at least.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if so, there¡¯s non-romantic affection within. The Element Tails I saw in the past tested, trained, and treated humans with affection.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Shin remembered the Element Tails in the game era and nodded.

    Personality changes with growth. He had to decide how to handle her.

    ¡°Well, guess I¡¯ll wait and see for now.¡±

    As Shin said so, Tiera and Kagerou entered the room.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m thest one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up. We just finished preparing the meal.¡±

    The timing was just right, so the party started eating.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. What are you going to do about Celciutos, since now the merfolk are using it as their home?¡±

    After the meal, Schnee mentioned a doubt that resurfaced in her mind.

    That magic-powered vessel was not Shin¡¯s guildhouse, but at present the only Rokuten member in the new world was Shin. Schnee¡¯s expression indicated that he should be the one to own the ship.

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave it like that¡­personally, I¡¯d entrust it to Zazie and the others.¡±

    Celciutos was their master, Cook¡¯s guildhouse, so Shin would like them to manage it.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to set a teleportation point from Shigureya to Celciutos. For the merfolk, we could set up a barrier and a substitute housing.¡±

    ¡°Would they ept it?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll have to. It won¡¯t be easy for them to agree, since they¡¯ve lived there for a long time, but it¡¯s too dangerous to just leave it there as a safe ce to live. We¡¯ll give a quick look if there aren¡¯t any immediate problems, but then I n to have Rastere.¡±

    Celciutos had already been used for more than 500 years, without any maintenance. The residents only used the undamaged sections, but if they somehow essed the armory or stockroom, there could be trouble.

    Celciutos, like Reed¡¯s third Moving Base Miraltrea and Cashmere¡¯s sixth Sky Castle Rashugum, was a guildhouse designed forbat. If it malfunctioned, it could bring about unimaginable damage.

    That was one more reason why Shin didn¡¯t want to leave things as they were.

    ¡°Is that so dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Fantasy weapons are sometimes even more lethal than real ones¡­more than that, I¡¯m having a hard time piloting, so would you mind getting off myp?¡±

    Shin moved the small fox-mode Yuzuha to his shoulder and returned to looking into the distance.

    Real life battleships couldn¡¯t shoot explosive ammo from rapid-fire weapons like gatling guns, nor did they have any barriers equipped. They couldn¡¯t neutralize torpedoes by themselves either.

    Thanks to the technology provided by the supernatural power called magic, they could only be called supernatural weapons.

    ¡°The ship we¡¯re boarding now too could be pretty dangerous with the right equipment. Come on, Yuzuha, here. Or Schnee¡¯s thunder¡¯s going to strike soon.¡±

    ¡°Kuu? ¡­shame.¡±

    ¡°Filma? What do you think I am?¡±

    Filma and Yuzuha backed away from Shin, as to escape from Schnee¡¯s look. They had suddenly be very friendly, for unknown reasons.

    ¡°So she¡¯s¡­.¡±

    Schnee whispered a question to Shin.

    ¡°¡­changed, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s just learned to show affection, I think.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty different from what Filma and Shibaid said.¡±

    Schnee seemed to understand how Yuzuha felt.

    ¡°We¡¯re alike, that¡¯s all. All I can tell is what concerns you though.¡±

    ¡°I-I see.¡±

    Shin stuttered in response of Schnee¡¯s confident reply. He still wasn¡¯t fully decided about many things, so he was almost envious of Schnee¡¯s confidence.

    As they were talking, the surroundings of the ship grew gradually brighter: they were closer to the sea surface. As they proceeded upwards, merfolk and fishpeople gathered around the ship. Among them there was also the adventurers¡¯ guild receptionist, the mermaid Arno.

    Shin¡¯s group waved at her with a smile and she waved back, relieved.

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯ve returned safely!¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯d like to tell you what happened, so could you call Lierno and the others in the room we talked in before?¡±

    ¡°Understood, I will make preparations right away.¡±

    The group got down from the ship and headed towards Celciutos, surrounded by many merpeople and fishpeople, who had probably been waiting for the group to return. Zazie and the others quickly joined them.

    The group arrived in the room at the same time as Lierno and the other people involved in decision-making for the merpeople and fishpeople.

    ¡°Well, let us report the results of our exploration of the Seafloor Sanctuary¡­which actually was the Castle of the Depths.¡±

    ¡°¡­.please.¡±

    Shin heard the sound of someone swallowing their breath. Some looked expectant, others doubtful, others again looked uneasy: all sorts of expressions decorated the faces of the people present.

    ¡°Ishkar had been corrupted by miasma. We have purified it however, and now it should be nearly restored to normal. We have also been assured that the Three Sea Beasts should calm down too. I believe that the monsters will quiet down as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Is that the truth?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ishkar told us itself, so there should not be any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­you have spoken with Ishkar directly?¡±

    Most members looked terribly surprised that Shin managed to exchange words with a divine beast. For this world¡¯s inhabitants, divine beasts were truly special beings.

    ¡°We shall never forget the gratitude we owe you. If you are ever in need of our assistance, please say so anytime.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­about that, we do have a request now, something we¡¯d like you to do, actually.¡±

    When Lierno and the others raised their heads, Shin exined about moving out of Celciutos, setting up another barrier and moving to a new settlement.

    Lierno and the others seemed confused and apprehensive at first, but as Shin continued talking, they became surprised by the fact that he would go so far for them.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to get out after all, so the least I can do is to provide you with a new ce to live.¡±

    ¡°No, we have been borrowing this ce after all¡­as long as the seas are safe, we can live even without Celciutos. It will be more than enough if you could just set up a barrier.¡±

    Originally, fishpeople and merpeople did not build houses, but lived in caves, a lifestyle suited for underwater creatures.

    The sea inhabitants here, however, had lived on Celciutos since they were born: they were probably very attached to it.

    Shin was thinking that since he was asking them to leave such a ce, he should give all the support he could.

    Lierno looked extremely apologetic while listening to Shin¡¯s proposal. After some moments of silence, he nodded.

    ¡°¡­understood. If you say you will do so much for us, we cannot reject your kindness. As you say, for me and everyone born here, Celciutos is a ce of guaranteed safety, our hearts¡¯ pir.¡±

    In this world, living alongside monsters brought with it an always present danger. Even in cities or viges, one never knew when there was going to be a monster attack, and underwater settlements were no exception. That was the reason why Celciutos, equipped with a barrier that even high-level monsters couldn¡¯t break through, was treasured by all who lived on it.

    ¡°I was concerned about what could happen while we moved to Barbatos, but thanks to you there¡¯s nothing to worry about, sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°You will move, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our numbers have decreased, you see. If we start moving in small numbers, I do not think there will be any risk of needless friction arising.¡±

    While the decision did not appear to be final, the other members did not express any objections.

    There was also the proposal of erecting a memorial monument in the spot where Shin would create the barrier. Lierno added that they would deal with all the details after Jesta¡¯s funeral ceremony was over.

 Book 12: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°For now, I n to move it to some ce where it won¡¯t stand out and have Raster perform maintenance.¡±

    After changing locations, Shin talked with Zazie and her group about what he nned to do with Celciutos. They had not discussed this topic during the talk with Lierno and the other leaders.

    ¡°Sir Shin, I know this is a difficult request, but allow me to ask. I would like you to leave Celciutos to us.¡±

    Zazie mentioned the matter of managing Celciutos before Shin brought it up. In terms of administration hierarchy, Shin was above Zazie and the other former support characters. If Shin didn¡¯t allow it, they could not even move Celciutos.

    Standing behind Zazie, the other support characters ¡ª Lapwing, Bell, and Shell ¡ª watched Shin with a pleading expression.

    ¡°Rest easy, I nned to leave it to you from the start. This is Cook¡¯s guildhouse after all, and I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t do anything weird with it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Zazie lowered her head, her serious expression still on her face. Lapwing and the other two followed suit.

    With Shin¡¯s authorization, they would be able to pilot Celciutos now. First of all they wanted to make it possible toe and go between Shigureya and Celciutos, so the four went to the operation room.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯m going to give Celciutos a general check-up then. What are you going to do, everybody?¡±

    ¡°I do not possess any skills about such technology or maintenance, thus I will go assist with the preparations for Jesta¡¯s funerals.¡±

    ¡°Same as Shibaid, I¡¯m just no good with creation-type skills.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma replied in simr ways to Shin¡¯s question.

    Girard was the same too: Shin¡¯s front-line support characters were specialized inbat, so they had not acquired enough techniques rted to creating things to be useful.

    Because of their jobs, they could perform simple disassembling and cooking, but they couldn¡¯t do anything in terms of maintenance of arge ship like Celciutos.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help with the funeral too.¡±

    Tiera likewise said she would go with Shibaid and Filma. Her abilities as a priestess had returned, so she could probably be useful there, she said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and help Shin.¡±

    Schnee would assist Shin instead, using her knowledge of alchemy.

    ¡°Kuu, I want to watch.¡±

    Still in fox mode, Yuzuha rode on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided then.¡±

    Shin headed to Celciutos¡¯ engine room, with Schnee and Yuzuha. If he wanted to move Celciutos, that was the first location to check.

    The ship¡¯s engine room was built using abination of cksmithing, alchemy, and magic. Shin and Hecate had created it together, so he knew how it worked and how to perform maintenance on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s as amazing as I remembered.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so much magic power.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group passed through several rooms, finally reaching the room beyond Celciutos¡¯ engine room, where the ship¡¯s power source was held.

    The 3-mel wide transparent, round container in the room was supported above and below by four mechanical arms. Inside the container was an off-white light, which would sometimes show glimpses of aurora-like lights.

    ¡°No changes in color, and it doesn¡¯t look damaged either.¡±

    Drawing on all of his knowledge from the game, Shin inspected every part of the room. The guildhouse¡¯s engine room was normally maintenance-free, but after 500 years of neglect due to abandonment, something could have gone wrong. Shin told Schnee to let him know if she found anything concerning, then resumed his inspection.

    ¡°Strange, light.¡±

    ¡°Because we used arge ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯. It created a semi-permanent engine, or at least that¡¯s what we called it. We haven¡¯t actually tested it though.¡±

    The light emitted by the power source glowed gently and did not hurt the eyes, even if looked at directly. Also, because of the seven-colored lights that sometimes appeared within it, no one would have guessed that it was Celciutos¡¯ giant power source.

    Yuzuha seemed to have grown fond of it, and watched it intently, full of childish wonder.

    ¡°Ok, no problem here. Onto the next,e on Yuzuha.¡±

    Confirming that there were no irregrities, Shin quickly finished the check-up of every part of the room. Some parts needed changing or maintenance: he took care of parts where specialized knowledge or techniques were needed and let Schnee take care of the rest.

    Afterpleting the maintenance Shin went back outside. In a square-like open space he found a pile of 2-mel long wooden logs stacked on top of each other to form a hexagon-shaped structure. He was first reminded of a campfire, but then he saw harpoons and decorations around the structure and realized that it was something ritualistic.

    Shin asked the fishman Marshill, who happened to be nearby, about the structure. The wooden structure would be burnt alongside the deceased, to return the soul to the heavens and the body to the sea. It was the same as the Barbatos ritual, which Zazie had talked about.

    ¡°The funeral will be held tomorrow. If there is something you want to burn with the deceased, please let me know.¡±

    Things dear to the deceased or things they liked, provided they were mmable, would be burnt with the body, to send them off together.

    Shin replied that Zazie or Lapwing would know more about that than him, and Marshill replied that he had already told them about it.

    The next day, under a clear blue sky, the funeral ceremony started in a very serious and formal tone.

    Before the vividly burning mes, Lierno and Arno, wearing what looked like tribal clothing, chanted words Shin¡¯s group could not understand. They couldn¡¯t understand the meaning, but could somehow feel that the chant was praying for those passing into the otherworld.

    Perhaps the timing had been calcted, but, as soon as Lierno and Arno finished chanting, the burning logs crumbled. Tiera, who had been standing next to them, sshed water on the embers.

    The fire went out, producing billows of white smoke, which all present gazed at as it rose towards the sky.

    After a while, the smoke vanished and Lierno and Arno cast a spell. The water created by their magic surrounded the remains and transported them to the sea.

    As the ashes melted away in the seawater, the charred logs sank to the bottom.

    With some final words by Lierno, the funeral ceremony was concluded.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I will move Celciutos, then build a settlement in its former space, okay?¡±

    After Jesta¡¯s funeral, Shin went to move Celciutos right away.

    As Shin would provide a new barrier and settlement, there was almost no objection about taking Celciutos from its inhabitants.

    ¡°I expected more people to protest though.¡±

    ¡°No one here would dare protest to a High Human¡¯s words. Everyone knows that Marshill could barely fight against you too.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­was I maybe too violent?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, I think it was a good thing that everyone witnessed your strength. Marshill is by far the strongest of our tribe: seeing him overwhelmed like that, everyone will have to just ept the reality. No matter how fond they are of Celciutos, they surely understood how terrifying it would be to have its legitimate owner as an enemy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You make it sound like I¡¯m threatening you¡­¡±

    Shin had no such intention, but the way Arno spoke, it appeared like he was trying to strong-arm Celciutos from them. In their first encounter with Marshill, the atmosphere had gotten rather tense, so it would be difficult to deny itpletely.

    ¡°That¡¯s the best way to convince those who would oppose without an actual reason. Celciutos was something we had borrowed. In effect, we have been enjoying all the advantages it offers very one-sidedly. Many have forgotten this, however, so I believe that even a harsh reminder could be necessary. If the owner says to give it back, it must be done. The immediate danger we have been facing has been solved too: to repay such kindness with spite would be simply unthinkable!¡±

    Arno maintained that the situation was improving from before: there was no risk of the merpeople and fishpeople losing everything with Celciutos gone, as Marshill had said before. Shin offered to create a new barrier and a settlement, so what were they really unhappy with? Arno frowned.

    There was also the fact that fishpeople and merpeople could not, in effect, do anything with Celciutos. Even if Jesta had entrusted them with it, they were only able to ¡°watch over it¡± rather than actually ¡°make use¡± of the ship.

    The barrier itself was fueled by Celciutos¡¯ magic power. In case the barrier was breached, Celciutos was set up to escape.

    The barrier had been preserved without problems until now, so even if Jesta hadn¡¯t met the merpeople, leaving it deserted, it would have probably managed to hold back the miasma until Shin¡¯s group found it.

    ¡°Well, even if they understand it in their heads, their hearts might lead them to protest the change all the same.¡±

    No matter how reasonable something might sound, emotions aren¡¯t settled so easily: Shin had experienced this himself, so he thought that it was something inevitable.

    On the bridge, Shin switched the engine from the current low-output mode, which maintained the barrier, self-purifying systems, and a few other functions, into the high-output mode for navigation.

    Celciutos¡¯ hull trembled slightly before starting its first voyage in 500 years.

    After making sure that there were no merpeople or fishpeople in the surroundings, Shin moved Celciutos.

    As the ship had been anchored to the surrounding rocks and coral, Shin pulled in the anchor, levitated Celciutos, and slowly moved towards the open sea. In sea stages, ships often got stuck on coral reefs, so game era ships, big and small alike, were equipped with short-duration levitation functions.

    A ship of Ceciutos¡¯ level could travel, levitating abovend, for about an hour. They say that some yers, after witnessing this feat, tried to build an airship.

    ¡°OK then, I¡¯ll make the settlement first.¡±

    Shin used his architect skills to start building prefab homes in the cleared space after moving Celciutos. He could have created morefortable housing but, ording to Lierno, it was more than enough. The fishpeople and merpeople, albeit slowly and gradually, would soon start move to Barbatos after all.

    The former Celciutos residents were surprised to see the houses ready in less than 30 minutes, but no one expressed dissatisfaction. The reason was probably because they usually lived in water and would frequently move. They moved into the temporary houses with a speed that left Shin surprised too; Then he went to find a ce to hide Celciutos.

    ¡°Looks like it can sail just fine, at least for now. Good thing only the cannons seem to have problems.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself while looking at a map of the Kuwain area and its surroundings on the ship¡¯s bridge.

    Since Shin and his party were around, it was not a problem even if Celciutos¡¯ offensive equipment did not work: it would have been much worse if there was trouble with the engine or the power source. Jesta had chosen to keep the miasma sealed because he didn¡¯t know if Celciutos¡¯ reduced offensive power was enough to repel miasma-corrupted monsters, or so Shin guessed.

    Celciutos was a powerful weapon, but ¡ª barring rare exceptions ¡ª it was only used offensively in battles between guilds.

    In the game era, it was not possible to fight dungeon boss monsters like Ishkar with a guildhouse.

    Now, however, things were different.

    For example, when Shin faced the Skullface Lord in the Wraith ins, it was possible for dungeons that were supposed to be underground to emerge above. The possibility of dungeon bosses appearing above ground was thus not zero.

    If used effectively, Celciutos could even destroy Ishkar without giving it a chance to retaliate; at present, its main artillery ¡ª main cannon, sub cannons, etcetera ¡ª were not working, so in the worst case it could even sink.

    Jesta probably considered all this when he decided to seal in the miasma.

    ¡°In this area, we could hide Celciutos¡­here, I guess.¡±

    Shin found a suitable location from the map saved in the database. There was a location with massive rocks jutting out of the sea surface. If the data was correct, they wererge enough to hide Celciutos.

    When they arrived at the location, they indeed found a group ofrge rocks towering over the sea. With abination of building and Earth skills, Shin carved the rocks, reinforced them, and then hid Celciutos among them.

    Shin also attached Crystal Stones, a barrier, and an illusion skill that camouged the barrier with its surrounding environment, thus hiding the rocks. In case anyone came dangerously close to it, Shin also ced a Crystal Stone with a magic attachment that drove away both monsters and people.

    With Celciutos as its power source, the magic attachments couldst semi-permanently.

    ¡°Sir Shin, you have acquired many production-rted skills other than cksmithing ones, but have you never thought of mastering them?¡±

    Zazie¡¯s question came after the preparations for Celciutos¡¯ concealment werepleted. Just as she said, Shin could have raised one or two other skills, like building or farming, as high as cksmithing.

    ¡°If you master cksmithing, rted skills like alchemy are also at rather high levels too though. It¡¯s not like we never discussed it, but in general we never touched the skills other members were specialized in. Except if it was needed to perfect our own specialization.¡±

    To be able to handle anything production-rted was an attractive prospect, but to do the same thing as others was not at all.

    It was a coincidence that all Rokuten members headed in different directions with their specializations, and also that all of them shared a dislike for doing the same thing as others.

    Rokuten members had sometimes spoken to each other about it in casual conversation.

    ¡°Everyone also felt differently about to what extent they would perfect their skills. Since it¡¯s rted to cksmithing, I did a lot of alchemy in my time, even though it was Hecate¡¯s specialty. About Cook¡¯s farming or Reed¡¯s doll making, however, I might know something about it but my skills are beginner-level at best.¡±

    Shin¡¯s farming skill level for example was just II.

    ¡°Why did you ask that, anyway?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if Rokuten members did not aspire to cover all aspects of creation, by cooperating with each other. I could never ask my master, you see.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see.¡±

    Shin thought that Zazie would have surely wanted to ask Cook about something like that.

    In the game, she couldn¡¯t express her own will. For a support character, a better understanding of her master was surely a dream.

    So thought Shin, who could now spend time with his support characters, like Schnee and Girard.

    After hiding Celciutos and setting the teleportation point, Shin¡¯s group rode the magic-powered vessel and returned to Barbatos.

    They had told Zigma that they didn¡¯t know when they would be back, so they used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on the ship close to the port, then swam tond, with the ship safely stored in Shin¡¯s item box.

    They had concealed their presences when they reachednd, so there was no risk of anyone seeing them and finding them suspicious.

    Their first destination was Shigureya.

    ¡°Where do you want me to set it up?¡±

    ¡°There are a few rooms for the staff in the back. Let¡¯s prepare a dedicated room.¡±

    Guided by Lapwing, Shin arrived at a room in the back of the restaurant, which was also used as living space. Shin set up the teleport point and connected it to the one ced on Celciutos: now it was possible to freely move between Shigureya and the ship.

    ¡°Finally, let¡¯s ce a magic-powered lock on the door¡­there.¡±

    Shin locked the room with the unique key he also used for Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s storeroom, setting it so that only Shin himself and the support characters of Rokuten members could open it. No one else could enter the room this way.

    ¡°Thank you for doing so much for us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. Besides, now I have one less weight on my shoulders too.¡±

    Finding and securing the lost guildhouse had been quite the lucky happenstance. Shin¡¯s group would also have had trouble managing Celciutos during their travels, so having Lapwing and the others take care of it was yet another stroke of good fortune.

    The group had no intention of going anywhere that day, of course, so they had dinner at Shigureya and stayed in the inn they had used before departing.

 Book 12: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    The next day, Shin¡¯s group split up to do their own things.

    Shin had to visit the guild and report about his actions in the Kuwain area, but the other members didn¡¯t have any pressing matters to attend to.

    Arno was supposed to have returned to the guild already: Shin had already arranged with her to report that they had not made any significant discoveries.

    ¡°If anything urgent happens, just send a message via Mind Chat.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin left the inn and went towards the guild, apanied by Yuzuha who was half dozing on his shoulder.

    He thought Schnee would have wanted to go as well, but unexpectedly said she wanted to go gather food for the journey.

    The other three, Shibaid, Filma, and Tiera, said they would go train on Celciutos. Shibaid and Filma would act as instructors for Tiera¡¯sbat training. The poor elf will probably be put through the wringer.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I went out on my own.¡±

    Shin realized thattely there was always someone else with him. Yuzuha was with him, but partner monsters were considered as one with their master, so he felt like he was acting on his own.

    ¡°So, Miss Arno, then.¡±

    Shin arrived at the guild and looked for Arno at the reception.

    ¡°¡­.she¡¯s not around.¡±

    He thought she used the teleport to return, but unexpectedly Arno wasn¡¯t behind the reception counter. It would have been a pain toe againter, so Shin went to the closest open counter he saw. If his memory was correct, behind the counter was the female worker who was next to Arno when he first visited the guild. Animal-like ears poked from her semi-long brown hair, so she was highly likely a Beast.

    ¡°Excuse me, I went to the Kuwain area, so I would like to make my report.¡±

    ¡°The Kuwain area? Oh, you must be from the group Arno was in charge of. She¡¯s on leave today, so I will handle your report in her ce.¡±

    Shin followed the receptionist to a private room and gave his report as nned.

    ¡°I see, you have been to the shallow part of the Kuwain area. I can understand how you could return safe and sound. You didn¡¯t notice anything else in particr?¡±

    The receptionist nodded. The girl, who said her name was Mizet, had joined the guild at the same time as Arno and was apparently good friends with her.

    ¡°No, nothing in particr. The rain, wind, and waves were much fiercer than expected, so it was impossible to voyage further. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to lose our lives just to risk that, so we came back.¡±

    ¡°A sound decision. By the way, I apologize for changing the topic, but did something happen to Arno?¡±

    Shin asked what she meant: apparently, Arno had been strangely restless after checking Shin¡¯s ship. Some receptionists were attracted by dangerous-looking adventurers, so they were worried that the same thing happened to Arno.

    Shin said that nothing in particr had happened, and Mizet stared at him for several seconds. She probably realized that he was hiding something. Shin was thinking about how to get out of the situation, when Yuzuha cried.

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry)¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for boring your little friend. We haven¡¯t got much information about the Kuwain area, so if you remember anything, we would be grateful if you reported again. If you ever go on another expedition you will need to submit the request again, so please be careful. If you don¡¯t, the patrol ships will stop you.¡±

    Only Shin could hear Yuzuha¡¯s words: Mizet probably took her cry as meant to make Shin hurry up. She probably thought that Yuzuha was the small fox-type monster often kept as a pet.

    ¡°Just one more thing. Unrted to the Kuwain area expedition, there is a request for you from the shipwright Zigma.¡±

    ¡°A request for me?¡±

    Shin took a look at the request form, wondering why it was necessary to go through all the work of submitting a request specifically for him. The request was for Shin¡¯s cooperation in building a new ship.

    There was no mention of magic-powered vessels inside. Since the guild didn¡¯t know the circumstances, it was probably viewed as a request for the adventurer to look for necessary parts.

    However, Shin knew Zigma, and immediately understood that something else was being asked of him.

    ¡°Sir Zigma apparently vehemently insisted that this request be given to you when you came. I wonder what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°Zigma¡­¡±

    Shin tried not to show it, but mentally wondered what had gotten over the shipwright.

    ¡°Anyway, I nned to go the shipyardter, so I¡¯ll ask him directly. I¡¯ll decide then whether to take the request or not.¡±

    ¡°Very well, please take the request form with you then. That is all, thank you for your time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, then.¡±

    Shin nodded to Mizet and left the guild. Thinking that he might find Schnee, he decided to pass through the market on his way back.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin was talking in the guild, Schnee was shopping alone in the market. She was using her usual illusion skill, so no one could find her true identity, but people would turn and look at her rather often. Schnee remembered that Shin once told her that she was beautiful even when transformed, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

    That smile, however, did notst long.

    ¡°¡­¡­sigh¡±

    A sigh escaped her mouth. She had done her best not to show it in front of Shin. Because of that, whenever she was alone she would suddenly feel down. It had happened before, albeit very rarely. Lately, or to be precise, from the previous day, it happened much more frequently. The reason was clear: the barrier that had stopped her during the fight against Ishkar.

    Tiera, Kagerou, and Yuzuha could go help Shin: Schnee could not break the barrier until Ishkar was defeated.

    It was like trying to pierce through the earth itself, a barrier so sturdy that it was impossible to even think it could be broken through. Schnee could not do anything.

    There was no way for her to be able to do something against a barrier that easily repelled even Shiden martial skills. There was also a high chance that simr barriers would separate her from Shin again. In such a case, she would not be counted among the members that could help Shin.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Schnee silently did her shopping, putting the items in the item box without being seen. She kept thinking throughout the process. However, her train of thought was elsewhere. There were also other things that she couldn¡¯t help being concerned about.

    Those were Ishkar¡¯s words about an ¡°undesired return¡±. They pointed to Shin¡¯s return to the real world, did they not?

    Shin must have realized that possibility too.

    When she met him again in the Wraith ins, Shin answered Schnee¡¯s ¡°Would you go back to your world if you could?¡± with a yes.

    Not to rely too much on Ishkar¡¯s words, but if they found a safe way for Shin to go back to his world, what would he choose to do?

    ¡°Shin has reasons to return.¡±

    Marino¡¯sst words. The family and friends left behind, all the other people connected to him.

    The other side is Shin¡¯s homnd, the ce he belongs to. Schnee understood that his presence in this world was an irregrity.

    ¡°Does he have reasons to stay here¡­?¡±

    ¡­..yes.

    So she was trying to say.

    Shin has reasons to stay in this world. Something important enough topare it with the other world.

    I will be that reason. So she wanted to say.

    Schnee¡¯s mouth, however, could not pronounce those words. Only sighs escaped her lips.

    ¡°I¡­Shin, I¡­¡±

    Like you. Very much.

    I can say with confidence that I love you.

    But what about you?

    What do you think of me?

    Schnee expressed her emotions clearly, but on the other hand Shin rarely expressed such things in words. Unfortunately enough, he often justughed apologetically.

    ¡ª-All you can do is to make him fall for you hard enough that he won¡¯t feel like going back anymore.

    Filma¡¯s words troubled Schnee.

    Her appearance was all decided by Shin. Judging from his initial reaction, it was clear that it was just as he idealized. His look going to her chest area couldn¡¯t be her imagination either. Being shown affection by her shouldn¡¯t be unpleasant for him.

    The strategy Filma had proposed, half joking ¨C to approach him asking him to take her ¨C might seed too. Even if it did though, would it be enough to hold Shin down?

    In the game era, physical interactions with his lover, Marino, were limited by the system. In Schnee¡¯s eyes, however, they truly loved each other.

    The appearance of the physical body called avatar could be changed, apparently. It was not something you could rely on to decide whether opening your heart or not.

    What connected them, however, was not the body but the heart. A deep ce that could not be easily touched, that was where they truly sought each other.

    Even if she offered him her body, even if her face was to his liking, her body was better, Schnee did not think it would be enough to keep Shin back.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m¡­¡±

    What do I want to do?

    What do I want Shin to do?

    I have more than enough wishes.

    I wish for him to be happy.

    I wish to see his smile.

    I wish for him to hold me.

    For him to kiss me.

    I wish for him to look at me and me only.

    To want me and me only.

    Maybe they were more desires than wishes. But they were Schnee¡¯s true feelings.

    Maybe because she felt uneasy, the desire to have her loved one all for herself grew stronger. At the same time, she was reminded of Shin¡¯s lover, Marino.

    She wanted to be like her. That¡¯s what Marino was to Schnee.

    Schnee thought about Marino, who became Shin¡¯s mutual lover. She thought, thought harder, finally understood.

    The person closest to Marino was Tiera.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Maybe Shin had also realized that, somewhere within Tiera, Marino¡¯s shadow was present.

    The kiss back at ck Priestess Shrine, the bypassed barrier during Ishkar¡¯s fight. Something else that Schnee didn¡¯t know about might have happened too. It probably did.

    If Marino cooperated with Tiera, Shin¡¯s heart could be led to her. Looking at Tiera, it was clear she didn¡¯t dislike Shin, with or without Marino.

    Whether she was aware of it or not, Tiera¡¯s gaze went towards Shin as frequently as Schnee.

    Schnee was aware enough of her surroundings to notice it.

    ¡°¡­.what am I even thinking about now.¡±

    Her train of thought hadpletely derailed, her thoughts scattered. Schnee realized it and sighed again.

    She had probably been walking absorbed in her thoughts: before realizing it, she had arrived on top of a hill overlooking the city of Barbatos. It was probably set to be a ce to enjoy the view from: there were some toys for children and benches.

    ¡°No one else is around though.¡±

    A ce with such a nice view, deserted before lunch time.

    It was Schnee¡¯s first time there, so she could not bepletely sure, but it felt strange for no one else to be there at this time of the day. As she was wondering about the suspicious situation, she caught a presence heading towards the hill. Someone walking calmly. Schnee looked in that direction.

    ¡°Am I being watched?¡±

    The person was probably using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿. Schnee clearly felt the unseen stranger¡¯s gaze on her.

    Schnee used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ herself and looked at the mysterious observer.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­!?¡±

    Schnee was surprised to see who was walking up the hill.

    Gentlemanly clothing with dazzling decorations, white hair with a gold-rimmed silk hat. White gloves holding a stick, the appearance of a true gentleman.

    A handsome looking face with an innocent, boyish smile. Schnee noticed, however, how his light brown eyes were not smiling at all.

    Without disguising himself or paying any attention to the surroundings, the criminal wanted throughout the continent, Hameln was leisurely strolling up the hill.

    As soon as Schnee realized the man¡¯s identity, she sent a Mind Chat to Shin and the rest of the party.

    ¡°(I saw Hameln. We wille in contact soon.)¡±

    Schnee also ryed the location to the surprised group. There were no monsters around, as far as she could see. If possible, she wanted to bring him down then and there.

    She was concerned, however, about the reason why he would appear before her like that, in the middle of the day.

    Scouting jobs like Hunters and Ninjas were said to possess high ability in visual detection skills. yers had even performed various tests to see if there weren¡¯t hidden stats based on race and job.

    Using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ with no other countermeasures on a Kunoichi -the female version of the Ninja- like Schnee was just like publicly disying one¡¯s location.

    Hameln was surely aware of that: he must have been definitely plotting something.

    ¡°Oh my, you graciously waited for me. Surprising. I was sure you would ambush me, you see.¡±

    Hameln affected surprise with his whole body.

    Seeing through Schnee¡¯s disguise like nothing was expected of a former yer like Shin.

    ¡°You know well that it would be pointless, as I have captured your position. I¡¯ll ask just in case, what is your aim?¡±

    Schnee engaged Hameln in conversation to buy time until Shin and the others arrived. Shibaid and Filma would probably take some time, but Shin should arrive in a few minutes.

    ¡°My aim, you say. I suppose that would be you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you dide to this world too after all. I was thinking of testing something that has been bugging me, you see.¡±

    Opposite to Hameln¡¯s stick wielding left hand, a card appeared on his previously empty right hand.

    As soon as she saw it, Schnee grabbed the hilt of her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and put more distance between them.

    Other than item cards, there were also offensive cards that sealed magic spells.

    ¡°Please, do not be wary of me, there is no need to worry. This is just a little trick, I have no intention of harming you. That would be ¡®meaningless¡¯.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s suspicion made Hameln¡¯s smile deepen. He pointed the card towards Schnee.

    As he did, the card disappeared and Schnee¡¯s body started glowing.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Schnee noticed her body¡¯s sudden glow and started moving even before thinking. She instantly dashed next to Hameln and swung her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» without hesitation.

    ¡°My, oh my, your speed has improved tremendously. Your weapon has been reinforced too.¡±

    Hameln, who had escaped the full brunt of Schnee¡¯s attack, retreated a few steps while clutching the spot where his left arm used to be. The stick he had tried to use to defend himself was on the ground, cut in half.

    ¡°If the item hadn¡¯t shown its effect, I would already be down for the count. I suppose I underestimated you. I shall reflect on it for the future.¡±

    Hameln spoke in a tone hardly fitting someone who had just lost an arm.

    In the game era, because of freedom of movement and AI performance, he was probably superior. From this exchange, however, Schnee realized that she could defeat him now. That was, however, beyond what she could do in her current condition.

    ¡°What did you¡­do to me¡­!¡±

    Schnee felt her strength leave her body. Not only that, she could also feel something different, something irreceable, disappearing. Something she couldn¡¯t put in words. She could not ignore it either.

    More than Hameln, this unknown sensation enveloping her whole body was far more terrifying.

    ¡°Only yers could tell what this is, pretty much. I have no intention of keeping secrets, so let me tell you what is happening. Maybe you have experienced it once, but this is an item that resets support characters¡¯ affection level to zero. In the game, it only affected one¡¯s support characters, but it appears that restriction does not exist anymore in this world.¡±

    Schnee had never heard of the item mentioned by Hameln. She instinctively understood, however, how it would be a fatal weakness for her.

    ¡°Kh¡­.aah¡­.¡±

    Her body glowed for several seconds. She could not speak another word though.

    Schnee¡¯s hand let go of ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    Before the nging sound of the de hitting some stones could get her attention, she felt a dull shock behind her head. She then noticed that she had copsed on the ground.

    ¡°Well well, missionplete. Oh yes, I should ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- that too. ¡ª¡ª-me effect on the other ¡ª¡ª¡ªport characters¡­¡±

    She caught bits and pieces of Hameln¡¯s words.

    Her consciousness was fading. Her eyes wouldn¡¯t stay open.

    ¡°SCHNEEEEEEE!!!¡±

    Right beforepletely losing consciousness, she heard someone¡¯s voice.

 Book 12: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    Some time prior to Schnee¡¯s encounter with Hameln, Shin and Yuzuha had gone to the market, after finishing their business at the guild.

    All sorts of people and species filled the market: a human girl was negotiating prices with a vendor, a male fishman was inspecting wares, a Mermaid was calling out to the passing crowd, a Beast frowning because of the pungent fish smell.

    Shin looked around aimlessly, recognizing fish he knew from the game era and others he had never seen before. The great variety of foodstuffs on disy also included seaweed, seafood, dried food: a collection of typical marine goods packed on the racks, a true feast for the eyes.

    ¡°(All look, so tasty)¡±

    ¡°(There¡¯s some amazing looking stuff too. Can you really eat that?)¡±

    In this world, there were many creatures with appearances barely matching their vor, especially if they came from the sea. If they were on sale, they were surely edible, though.

    ¡°(Hungry)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s still a bit too early for lunch. Be patient.)¡±

    ¡°(Kuu¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha, mostly drained of all her energy,y powerless on Shin¡¯s head. Her front paws covered his eyes, so Shin gently grabbed her by the waist and moved her to his right shoulder.

    ¡°We took some time back at the guild, I guess Schnee¡¯s already gone?¡±

    Shin checked the map while walking down a street near the center of the market. If Schnee was close, he would see her name near her marker. All the markers he could see, however, were colored green, as in, neutral. No sign of Schnee.

    He could probably find her if he expanded the map¡¯s range, but if she wasn¡¯t in the market she was probably back at Shigureya, so Shin did not search further.

    Here and there, however, Shin heard menmenting things like ¡°I saw a crazy gorgeous blonde just now¡± or ¡°That was one smoking hot body!¡±.

    He couldn¡¯t be 100% sure, but Shin felt positive that they were talking about Schnee¡¯s camouged form. Despite always trying his best not to nce at Schnee¡¯s chest, Shin couldn¡¯t help sneaking peeks from time to time. ording to Filma, she had grown even more from the game era. It wasn¡¯t something Shin could forget or ignore.

    ¡°¡­what the heck am I thinking about, anyway.¡±

    A men¡¯s impure thoughts had probably affected him. Shin firmly shook his head to drive such delusions away.

    The embrace at ck Priestess Shrine, the kiss at Fuji, her swimsuit figure at the Castle of the Depths.

    Shin too was a man, after all: thinking of the softness of the female body and the voluptuous swimsuit figure he saw in the dungeon, he couldn¡¯t exactly keep his cool.

    ¡°(Kuu, Shin, pervert.)¡±

    ¡°What!? Yu, Yuzuha, what did you just..!?¡±

    It was like Yuzuha had read Shin¡¯s thoughts: surprised, he forgot about Mind Chat and reacted loudly.

    ¡°(Schnee, beautiful. Just take her.)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.not so simple.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t anything he disliked about Schnee. His objective, however, was to return to his former world: he felt it wasn¡¯t right toy his hands on her.

    He knew it was cruel of him to let her have hopes about him. Even so, he did not refuse Schnee¡¯s direct shows of affection.

    On the other hand, if he gave up on going back and settled in this world, the dilemma with Schnee would be resolved.

    In his current situation, however, it wasn¡¯t even clear why he had been transported to the current world. If he gave up and then was somehow transported to the former world, it would be simply unbearable.

    ¡°(Shin, you like Schnee?)¡±

    ¡°Of co¡­¡±

    Shin was about to say ¡°of course¡±, when he noticed various sets of eyes looking at him as if he were weird. From other people¡¯s standpoint, it looked like he was walking while mumbling to himself.

    ¡°(¡­.of course I do. But you know, in the game there was this thing called affection level¡­if that is still influencing Schnee¡¯s feelings, you could say that it¡¯s like I have her under mind control¡­)¡±

    Shin switched back to Mind Chat and continued talking.

    The same could be said for Shibaid, Filma and the other support characters. At the time of their creation, support characters only have the bare minimum level of loyalty.

    That wouldn¡¯t be a problem if the yer just wanted them to act as clerks, but if they were to fight alongside the yer, as Shin¡¯s support characters did, things were very different.

    If the affection level was low, the range of avablemands was limited.

    Acting together and using items to raise affection level gradually removed such limitations.

    When affection level is maxed, as proof of such bonds the yer obtains a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» fragment. One per support character for a maximum of five, so five support characters total.

    When put together, they were still not enough to forge an Ancient-grade weapon, but they were still very rare items. Some yers turned them into earrings or rings and gave them to their support characters.

    ¡°(Could I be twisting Schnee¡¯s feelings? ¡­is what I think, sometimes.)¡±

    In the past, he had given her great quantities of affection-raising items at once, in order to increase it quickly.

    In the game, it was just a stat going up, so nothing to worry about. To remove themand range limitations, to gain rare items. It was all for himself.

    But this world was real. If Schnee was influenced by his actions during the game era or from the game¡­

    Looking at Schnee, Shin was starting to have doubts.

    ¡°(Schnee likes Shin. She¡¯s not controlled.)¡±

    ¡°(Well, I sure hope so.)¡±

    Shin answered Yuzuha without much conviction, his shoulders dropping. Whether he returned to his former world or not, he wanted to make that clear.

    ¡°(No matter what happens, Yuzuha is with Shin.)¡±

    ¡°(You can¡¯t be sure of that. If I go back to reality, you won¡¯t be able to¡­)¡±

    ¡°(Yes. Ie with you.)¡±

    Shin objected, stating something he thought was obvious, but Yuzuha interrupted him, fully confident.

    ¡°(Yuzuha wants to be with Shin, so I do. I didn¡¯t get any items. Kuu!)¡±

    Yuzuha wrapped her tails around Shin¡¯s neck and pecked at his cheeks with her front paws. Her light, padded strikes tapped him repeatedly.

    Yuzuha expressed that she wasn¡¯t with Shin because she was manipted.

    ¡°(¡­well, do as you want. It¡¯s not like I have proof or anything.)¡±

    There was no way of finding out if someone was influenced or not by affection level.

    Schnee said that she even remembered the first day that Shin logged in THE NEW GATE.

    If so, it wouldn¡¯t be weird that she really liked him. There was the possibility that her present affection level was true affection.

    It was a problem that couldn¡¯t be solved, no matter how long he thought about it.

    ¡°Well, enough wandering around. Time to go back, I guess.¡±

    No sign of Schnee. As soon as Shin turned around, towards Shigureya, he received a Mind Chat message from her.

    ¡°(I saw Hameln. We wille in contact soon.)¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice echoed from afar. It was a mass transmission, a message sent to all registered users.

    ¡°Hameln? He can¡¯t be trying to unleash a pack of monsters here, can he!?¡±

    Shin slipped in a nearby back alley, activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and kicked the ground hard. Jumping straight above the buildings, erged the map, confirmed in which direction Schnee was and started running.

    Contrary to his predictions, Schnee was on top of a hill near the town. Near her there was just one more marker, colored neutral green. It had to be Hameln.

    ¡°There are presences of monsters around Barbatos, but it¡¯s not a packrge enough to attack the city. So I guess that it¡¯s not his objective this time?¡±

    Shin ran, slicing through the wind.

    He tried to guess what Hameln would be trying to do, but in the end Shin did not have enough information about him. In the game, Shin had exterminated the monsters and delivered the final blow, but until the end he did not learn exactly what it was Hameln wanted to do.

    A few seconds before Shin reached the hill, Hameln¡¯s marker changed to red.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±

    The map couldn¡¯t show the markers¡¯ behaviour in detail. What was clear is that Schnee had brushed right next to Hameln, then stopped.

    Schnee and Hameln were on a hill of moderate height. Thinking it would be a waste of time to go around, Shin jumped down from the roof, then kicked the ground again to boost himself up, hard enough to leave a crevice.

    What Shin saw on the hill was Schnee copsing and Hameln missing an arm.

    ¡°Schneeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡±

    As soon as he saw her, Shin found himself screaming.

    His desperate call managed to barely reach her before she fell.

    Smoothly, Schnee¡¯s body rose again, and without a sound moved behind Hameln. Her hands gripped ¡ºBlue Moon¡», the weapon she had dropped moments before.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Hameln had been distracted by Shin¡¯s shout and noticed Schnee¡¯s approach only at thest moment, moving away instinctively.

    She had apparently been damaged enough to cause her to copse. Schnee¡¯s attackcked sharpness: it only managed to wound Hameln¡¯s chest.

    Hameln, now at a certain distance from Schnee, saw his coat tear in half. There was no blood, though: the sh likely failed to reach his body.

    ¡°Schnee!! Are you all right!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no problem.¡±

    Shin checked Schnee¡¯s condition, while ring at Hameln. She did not appear injured anywhere. Her level and status were the same as always too.

    ¡°Quite the speedy arrival, my friend. I must say I did not think we would meet again, though.¡±

    Hameln spoke to Shin in a cheerful tone.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. What did you do to Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s hardly something worth mentioning, really. I just used an affection-resetting item. Honestly speaking, I doubted it would actually work, you know. I thought you would have reset it already during that event, to collect items. It only works once, as you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­.the ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡»!¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    Hameln¡¯s smile widened and Shin materialized ¡ºMoonless¡». He was worried about Schnee¡¯s condition, but it would have been much more troublesome to let Hameln go.

    ¡°Where did you get it? It should be impossible for yers to create them.¡±

    ¡°The Kishimi n, was it? They¡¯re in this world too, you see. The item I used is something I found in their settlement, after wiping them out. Oh, do not worry: the one I used on Schnee was thest one I had. I have no other items to reset affection level.¡±

    Hameln continued talking in a whimsical tone, but Shin did not hesitate and attacked him with ¡ºMoonless¡».

    He would not kill him, as there was information to be extracted.

    Before Shin could strike, however, a shadow appeared between them.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue as he swung down ¡ºMoonless¡» and cut the intruding shadow in two. Because of the unexpected mass of the target, however, Shin¡¯s sword sh did not have its usual speed.

    The shadow¡¯s identity was a monster with damage-reducing capabilities, Mad Shadow.

    As the name said, its damage reduction ability allowed it to decrease the damage it received to one third, and worked both on physical and magic attacks. In addition, it could also wrap itself around swords andnces to make it more difficult to fight.

    As it just happened to Shin, the monster could also slow down attack speed: it was hated by yers especially when encountered in time attack events.

    Its level was fixed at 100 and it had no offensive capabilities at all: on the other hand, its VIT was said to be over 800.

    The Mad Shadow didn¡¯t manage topletely wrap Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», but lowering Shin¡¯s attack speed allowed Hameln to move away from his attack range.

    ¡°You probably wanted to capture and draw information out of me, but I had no intention of hiding anything from the beginning, so I guess I¡¯ll have my say and go. It¡¯s possible to make items to return affection level to what it was. Whether the item works or not, however, is all up to luck. Of all the times I¡¯ve tried it on support characters until now, it worked about half the time. Other choices would be event bosses that are not confirmed to exist here too, but you could always try looking for them, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°¡­.why did you tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°What effect would it have on a High Human¡¯s support characters? Will it really go back? That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to see. I did not have the smallest inkling of wanting to erase Lady Schnee. The exchange just now took me by surprise, but it would have been boring to continue. I am sure you will understand that I am speaking the truth, dear Shin?¡±

    Just as he said, Hameln probably just wanted to see the results of using the item. His words and actions seemed exactly the same as they were during the game.

    For better or worse, Hameln did not seem to particrly care about anything other than his own objectives.

    He frequently acted as MPK (Monster yer Killer) because he enjoyed looking at people struggle: whether his targets survived or died as a result, it was of no concern to him.

    Considering his past, it did not seem like he was lying.

    ¡°Well then, I shall take my leave now. I¡¯m looking forward to the next time we meet.¡±

    Hameln had been talking behind arge quantity of Mad Shadows he had summoned as a barrier, but his presence now vanished. His way of disappearing did not make it look like he had used high-speed movement or ¡¾Hiding¡¿: he had probably used teleportation. Without a marker, there was no way of tracking a teleported target.

    Shin took care of the remaining Mad Shadows, then talked to Schnee.

    ¡°What exactly happened here?¡±

    ¡°I do not know anything more than what Hameln said. He said he used a Cursed Tag, but I do not feel anything wrong with my condition.¡±

    Schnee answered matter-of-factly to Shin¡¯s question. She did not seem to be in a serious condition, nor to be enduring anything. It was probably true that there was nothing wrong with her.

    Her matter-of-fact behavior, however, was a stark contrast with the usual Schnee. She was far too expressionless when talking about her condition.

    ¡°¡­.do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°I remember that you are my creator and the lord whom I should serve.¡±

    ¡°¡­.just that?¡±

    ¡°It has been less than an hour since I appeared on this location and begun my activities, so I would say that there is nothing more to add.¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s somewhat upset question without changing her expression a bit.

    Her gaze did not have the usual warmth anymore: it was simply observing the being known as Shin. Shin felt his blood turn cold.

    ¡°Like that I left you in charge of Tsuki no Hokora for all that time.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean the base?¡±

    ¡°We went to Falnido, Hinomoto, lots of other ces too, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°I do not remember, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.even Filma and Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°Who would they be?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expressions clouded after Shin¡¯s barrage of questions. It was not an act, she really did not know.

    ¡°Are you serious¡­.?¡±

    Finally, Shin sighed.

    Judging from her words, it looked like Schnee had returned to the stage just after a support character has been created, her memories reset. She could use her equipment without problems, so her level and stats must be unchanged.

    Affection level rose little by little as the yer stays logged in: if the support characters acted alongside the yer or certain items are used, it can increase byrge amounts.

    If affection level is reset, rted memories and memories experienced when affection level was high are probably erased along with it.

    Schnee was Shin¡¯s first support character. They were together most of the time since he started ying, so her affection level was pretty much constantly growing.

    Thing would have probably been different if he just had her manage the store, but it was likely that for Schnee resetting affection level also meant erasing all her memories.

    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s wait for Filma and the others to arrive first. Let me tell you first that Filma is a support character, like Shibaid.¡±

    ¡°Support characters other than me? I am supposed to be the first in order of creation, though.¡±

    Schnee seemed puzzled to know about other support characters being created all of a sudden.

    With her memories reset, it was no wonder that she did not remember about the support characters created after her.

    For Schnee, the time spent in that world was almost zero. She probably found it bizarre for multiple support characters to exist.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will believe me, but you have actually lost your memories. Once Filma and the others learn about it, they will probably ask you the same questions I just did, but please bear with it.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will be on standby, then.¡±

    Schnee said nothing else and fell inplete silence. It seemed she had no intention of actively engaging in conversation.

    She stood upright, her hands lightly resting on her skirt, not the smallest movement. If she didn¡¯t blink, she could be passed for a very well done doll.

    ¡°Kuun¡­¡±

    Yuzuha, to whom Schnee had not paid the slightest bit of attention, emitted a lonely growl.

    (Memories disappear, huh.)

    Shin could have asked more questions to grasp Schnee¡¯s current situation, but he didn¡¯t find himself able to. He was more shocked than expected at hearing Schnee call him ¡°lord¡± with that nk tone and expression.

    He could feel a sort of respect from her, but nothing more. The smile she had just a few hours before was nowhere to be seen.

    (The ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡». To reverse its effects, I need the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡», if memory serves me right.)

    The item that resets affection level, officially named ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡», had been implemented in the game during the ¡ºDepths of Oblivion¡» event.

    It was used by enemies which targeted not yers, but support characters, forcing their affection levels back to zero.

    In more precise terms, however, their memories were not lost, but only taken away.

    During this event, alongside with the ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡» an item called ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡» was implemented as well. Using it would restore the lost affection level.

    If something disappears, it can¡¯t be brought back. But if it¡¯s taken away, it can be taken back, and memories will return too¡­or so the event¡¯s description said.

    Other than using the Blessed Tag, the way to restore memories was to defeat the evil god the Kishimi n venerated, the event¡¯s boss. In the game, the tags had 100% sess rate, but if Hameln had been speaking the truth, it was now a gamble.

    During this event, many yers reset their support characters¡¯ affection levels on purpose, to then raise them again and obtain more ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡». The Cursed Tags could reset affection levels only once per character. Considering the reward, it wasn¡¯t a big loss.

    Shin too was no different: he had reset the affection levels of all his support characters from number 2 ¨C Filma ¨C onwards. Schnee, however, was different.

    Clearing the event with a support character not affected by the Cursed Tag awarded a special reward. Shin thus did so with Schnee, his strongest support character at the time.

    (Shit!! How could I have expected this!?)

    Schnee, the only one among Shin¡¯s support characters that could be affected by the Cursed Tag, encountered Hameln and had the Cursed Tag used on her. Shin could have never fathomed such a possibility.

    Shin knew what materials were needed to create the Blessed Tag, but the Cursed Tag was not something yers could create. Shin scratched his head, desperately trying to recover any useful information. He could note up with anything, however, and eventually Filma and the others arrived.

    Even after looking at Shibaid and Filma, support characters like her, or Tiera, with whom she used to manage Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee¡¯s behavior did not change at all.

    ¡°¡­.it really looks like you forgot all about us.¡±

    ¡°So it seems. All I have is the impression of meeting you all for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Looks like you act and speak a bit different too.¡±

    Ever since Shin came to this world, Schnee always had a warm atmosphere, so as Filma said, her personality could have changed too.

    ¡°Master¡­.¡±

    ¡°I have no recollection of ever taking any disciples.¡±

    ¡°You simply forgot. Please remember!¡±

    Tiera kept pressing, with tears in her eyes, but Schnee was simply confused.

    If Schnee hadn¡¯t saved her, Tiera wouldn¡¯t be who she is now. Having lived for so long together, it was a real shock for her to be forgotten.

    ¡°Calm down, Tiera. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no way to bring Schnee back to the way she was.¡±

    Shin told the others the information he received from Hameln. The source was an enemy, but concerning the Blessed Tag, Shin had used them too during the event, so there was no mistake.

    The problem was that even using the Blessed Tag, there was just a 50% chance of it working.

    In case it failed, they would have to go look for the event boss, which they were not even sure existed.

    ¡°Is it really true that I have lost my memories?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. ording to your memory, you just woke up in this world and fought Hameln, right? If so, it would be weird that your nonbat skills are leveled up too. Your Cooking skill is as high as IX, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­indeed, I do possess many skills that I have no recollection training. So it is true that I lost my memory.¡±

    Schnee checked her status and nodded, convinced.

    Her expression barely changed, just like before, so Shin was not sure if she was really convinced or not. At the same time, he wondered if she always was so deadpan.

    Filma then asked him a question.

    ¡°So, do you have the item that could recover her memory?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t have all the materials. I¡¯m missing something called ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», anyone heard of it?¡±

    Shin checked his item box, then replied to Filma¡¯s question.

    Event item materials normally couldn¡¯t be used to make other items, so there was no point in gathering them inrge quantities. He had something remaining from when he made Blessed Tags for Filma and the others, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make another one.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try contacting the Golden Company¡¯s Berett, first? I suppose that¡¯s our best chance for finding it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll ask anyone I can contact first. yers like Hibineko could be carrying some too. Filma, guys, you¡¯ve never heard of this item, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Nor have I.¡±

    ¡°I would have said it already if I had.¡±

    Filma, Tiera and Shibaid did not seem to know either.

    Filma and Shibaid, however, seemed to remember about the event, so they knew what kind of item it was.

    ¡°In Tsuki no Hokora¡­wasn¡¯t there a box materialse out of? Couldn¡¯t there be some there?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t create event-only materials. Checking the storehouse is a good idea, though. Let¡¯s take a look in Celciutos¡¯ and Rashugum¡¯s store too.¡±

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s mention of the material creation device, Shin decided what they would go next. He would only go visit Zigma at ater time.

 Book 12: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    They opted to exin what happened to Zazie and the others, saying that they would leave for the moment.

    First, they went to check Celciutos, using a teleport stone prepared for themselves, different from the one ced in Shigureya. The group arrived in the ship and quickly proceeded to its stockroom.

    Shin unlocked the 5-mel tall door, which slid effortlessly to the side.

    The stockroom contained items in both card and materialized forms. Some items were kept in materialized form simply because keeping stacks of cards in such arge storeroom would give it a bleak atmosphere: a pretty meaningless reason, honestly.

    Keeping the items in card form allowed one to store them more efficiently: in each of the room¡¯s sections, one for each member, piles of cards were stacked.

    One of the storeroom¡¯s functions prevented the stacks from copsing, as all cards kept there were rare items and parts.

    Despite the apparentck of care in the way the item cards were stacked, they were actually piles and piles of treasures.

    ¡°This is impressive¡­even if they¡¯re all in card form, I feel kind of overwhelmed.¡±

    The memory-deprived Schneemented after looking around the storeroom.

    If any person skilled in detecting magic power, other than a yer or someone rted to one, entered in a room like this, they would either bepletely charmed or run away as fast as they could.

    ¡°The storeroom in Tsuki no Hokora was also unbelievable. It even had cursed weapons on disy, just like that.¡±

    ¡°Is that not dangerous?¡±

    Tieramented with a sigh, but Schnee replied to her seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t touch them. All essories that can create mental interference are blocked from doing anything too. If any weapon gets a bit too daring, I just melt them and send them back to the forge.¡±

    Shin clearly stated that there was nothing to worry about, as he had done with Kuchinashi at Hinomoto, when he showed her his storeroom.

    ¡°I see, our lord is well acquainted with the usage of weapons.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­not just weapons, cksmithing in general. Leather, threads¡­I¡¯ve also raised my skills in handling materials other than metals. ¡±

    Shin momentarily found himself at a loss of words because of Schnee¡¯s impressedment. Her words and expressions showed that she was simply saying what she thought.

    When he first started ying, Shin tempered iron and Schnee poured her magic power in it, to forge swords. Though she did not remember her experience now.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to check the list.¡±

    Shin returned to the mission, and, after checking the item cards in his section, asked for ¡°permission¡± and started checking the stocked items¡¯ list of the other Rokuten members.

    He scrolled through the long list of item names, looking for the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡». He checks each list twice, to be sure not to miss it.

    First, he looked through Hecate¡¯s and Cook¡¯s lists, rich in vegetal-rted ingredients. He then went to the other sections in order from the closest: Cain, Cashmere and Reed.

    Contrary to his expectations, however, Shin could not find the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» anywhere.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect much, but to not even find one¡­I wonder if we¡¯ll be luckier in the other ces.¡±

    ¡°We have no choice but to make an attempt, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, off to Rashugum then.¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid and announced their next destination. The fastest way would be to teleport directly from Celciutos, but as it had happened when they tried from Tsuki no Hokora, it was not possible.

    ¡°Where is Rashugum now, by the way?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to check with Vizzy about that. I¡¯ll have her prepare some transportation too. If the Elder Dragons we used before are still avable, there¡¯s no need to make Rashugume down either.¡±

    Rashugum was always flying in the air, so if it was not possible to fly or teleport there, it would be necessary to make itnd and start from the lowest floor.

    It wasn¡¯t impossible for Shin, but thanks to Vizzy and the Elder Dragons they could avoid such a troublesome method.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send Vizzy a message and ask where they are. I¡¯ll try to get her toe here or to Barbatos, whichever is closer.¡±

    ¡°As you, my lord, are the only High Human, I doubt she would refuse your orders.¡±

    Schnee continued, saying that even if a member of Rokuten other than Shin hade to this world, she would surely obey.

    Vizzy and Berett coborated with Shin because they shared Schnee¡¯s sentiments, maybe.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying not to force people like that. And you can just call me Shin.¡±

    ¡°I cannot address my lord in such a manner.¡±

    ¡°Before losing your memory, you called me Shin, you know?¡±

    ¡°I have no such recollection.¡±

    Schnee was steadfast. She wanted to clearly draw the line in their master-servant rtionship.

    Even when they left Barbatos, Schnee reproached Filma for her much too familiar manner of speaking with Shin.

    ¡°Schnee was pretty stubborn in this period, huh.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she was so stiff, though.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Shin and Filma answered Schnee¡¯s expressionless stare,ughing and saying it was nothing.

    ¡°By the way, my lord, will we spend the night here?¡±

    ¡°It depends on what Vizzy and Berett tell us. I was nning on thinking about it after lunch.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t chosen where to eat yet. Schnee said that she would like him to materialize Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and prepare lunch, then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    Spurred on by Schnee, who was eager to do the housework herself, Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora in an open space. Tiera noticed and said she would help, so she followed Schnee inside.

    Shin went to his room to write messages for the support characters Vizzy and Berett, as well as the former yers Hibineko and Shadow. Afterwards, he went to the kitchen to check on Schnee.

    ¡°Even without her memories, I guess her skills are intact.¡±

    Schnee and Tiera were making preparations for the meal.

    Schnee had taught Tiera not only how to fight, but also skills useful for living, such as basic alchemy and cooking.

    Probably because they lived together for a long time, Schnee and Tiera worked together swiftly and efficiently, without bumping or inconveniencing each other.

    ¡°Master, you once said that for cooking technique and feelings are what¡¯s important.¡±

    Tiera, not noticing Shin¡¯s presence, started talking with Schnee.

    ¡°I can understand why technique would, but¡­feelings¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You told me that dishes prepared with feelings for someone and dishes prepared with just technique had different vor.¡±

    ¡°Is there an unknown ingredient to be added¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯spletely not the way to think about it¡­¡±

    Schnee seriously reflected¡­in the wrong direction, and Tiera stopped her, disappointed.

    Shin too nodded, hidden in the shadow of the corridor.

    ¡°Master¡­no, Schnee, what you put into your cooking were your feelings for Shin.¡±

    Tiera stopped her hands for a moment and talked while looking at Schnee. On her face was a slight frown, as if she was enduring something painful.

    ¡°My feelings for my lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Shin disappeared, and even if you were told that he might not return anymore, you continued to wait for him. Ever since he returned, you were always looking at him. I am sure many things that I am not aware of happened between you, too.¡±

    Tiera continued, frankly.

    Thinking about it, Shin and Schnee were alone together rather often. Tiera had probably noticed it too.

    ¡°Back at the vige, I was often told that I was slow when it came to romance¡­but even I could tell how you felt about Shin. That¡¯s how important he is for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond what I¡­I do not find it unbelievable that I might harbor feelings for my lord, but our difference of status is too great. I am but a mere servant, would my lord ever look at me?¡±

    Schnee closed her eyes and talked with her hands resting on her chest.

    It was simply preposterous: so suggested Schnee¡¯s behavior.

    ¡°Oh, you were quite open in showing each other your affection. Despite¡­¡­..what others might feel.¡±

    Tiera thought to talk in a light, casual way, but probably couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and blurted out aint. She had said it almost in a whisper, but it had reached Schnee¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Is that so. I do not feel that way as of now, but¡­it is the same for you, yes?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Er, I¡­¡­.yes¡­.¡±

    Tiera was stuck in a long pause after Schnee¡¯s question, but finally answered in a very feeble tone of voice.

    After hearing her reply, Schnee put down the frying pan she was holding and, with a small smile on her expression-void face, hugged Tiera.

    ¡°You are very kind.¡±

    ¡°¡­.eh? Er, I¡­.¡±

    Schnee hugged Tiera with just enough strength so that she could break free anytime she wanted, then continued to speak softly.

    ¡°After talking with Filma and Shibaid, I have concluded that I was rather¡­though I do not know if this is the appropriate way of saying it¡­well liked by my lord. If you are fond of my lord, this loss of memory would be the perfect chance for you to express your feelings and draw him to you. Despite this, you are trying to bring me back, in your own way¡­maybe because you are this kind of person, the past me saved you.¡±

    ¡°No, er, I didn¡¯t think that far¡­¡±

    Not knowing what to do, Tiera was squirming in Schnee¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my body moved on its own. Even if I forgot, it appears that my body remembers.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize! I¡¯m the one who has a huge debt of gratitude to you, mas¡­Schnee!¡±

    ¡°You may call me master if you want. We must have lived together long enough for you to call me that instinctively, correct?¡±

    ¡°Ye, yes. Thank you, very much.¡±

    Tiera¡¯sst words trembled.

    Shin did not know how Schnee and Tiera met. As Tiera said, she not only respected Schnee but also felt indebted to her.

    After Tiera calmed down, the meal preparations continued smoothly. Schnee¡¯s skills had not decreased in the least, so there was no dy.

    The eavesdropping Shin, however, had missed the timing to leave. He only meant to check on them, but encountered an unexpected development.

    ¡°The menu is hamburg steak, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, nice smell.¡±

    Maybe attracted by the smell of cooking meat, Shibaid and Filma too arrived and joined Shin in looking at Schnee and Tiera cook.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, the day I met Schnee again, we had hamburg steak for dinner.¡±

    Shin mumbled under his breath.

    ¡°Hmm, might this be Tiera¡¯s proposal?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she was with us too, so it could be.¡±

    ¡°Food prepared in a special asion¡­I wonder if it will trigger her memories.¡±

    The three continued observing the cooking team while talking.

    It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee and Tiera noticed them or not, as they continued working quietly.

    Soon after, Shin received the replies to his previously sent messages.

    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m leaving for a moment¡±

    The former yers, Hibineko et al, had not been much interested in the ¡°Depths of Oblivion¡± event and did not participate in it. They added that they would research it on their own.

    Berett said that they did not sell the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», but he would look for it.

    Vizzy was back at Rashugum.

    Incidentally, they had given Wilhelm a teleport crystal for the location near Bayreuth where Tsuki no Hokora was located. After bringing Hermie back, he had apparently used it to return to Bayreuth.

    Vizzy and Rashugum were flying over the center of the continent: in her reply, she asked if she should head towards their location right away.

    If she did so, she would arrivete at night. Flying with dragons was dangerous when it was dark, so Shin asked her to depart the following morning, while moving with Rashugum. Vizzy couldn¡¯t see through Shin¡¯s concealing skills, so he added that she should contact him again when she was close.

    Just about that time, the hamburg steaks were cooked and ready to eat.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go call Shin and¡­what are you doing?¡±

    The meal mostlyplete, Tiera started walking out to go call the others, but then she found herself face to face with Filma and Shibaid.

    Filma and Shibaid were peeking inside from the corridor¡¯s shadows, while Shin, behind them, was turning around too.

    Tiera, her apron in her hands, looked at them and sighed.

    ¡°We were wondering how things were going. Hamburg steak, yeah?¡±

    Thinking it would be weirder to just keep quiet, Shin tried asking about the menu.

    ¡°Yes, it left an impression on me too, so I thought that it could maybe trigger some response. Well, my cooking can¡¯t quitepare with what master makes when she puts her heart in it, though.¡±

    Due to the memory loss, Schnee¡¯s culinary prowess had somewhat decreased. Even so, she was still an opponent beyond Tiera¡¯s league.

    Shin and the party thought that the possibility of Schnee recovering her memories through the meal were low, but still held onto this tiny ray of hope as they sat down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, then, everybody.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin thought that Schnee could have forgotten about this custom of theirs, but she followed with everyone without hesitation.

    When he pointed it out, Schnee looked at him puzzled.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­I did it without thinking.¡±

    This made Shin think she didn¡¯t actually forget every little memory.

    ¡°How¡¯s the taste, master?¡±

    ¡°Good enough, I¡¯d say. No problem.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid toomented about the hamburg steak¡¯s deliciousness.

    It was indeed delicious, but to Shin it seemed like something was missing. Tiera too shared his opinion.

    It had been a while since theyst ate Schnee¡¯s hamburg steak, so it could be their imagination. Even so, they felt that there was somethingcking in it.

    ¡°Can you remember anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, not especially.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­well, I guess that¡¯s normal. If it could return so easily, we wouldn¡¯t need any items!¡±

    Tiera was clearly faking a cheerful tone.

    Shin then decided toment in a joking way.

    ¡°If she came back like this, I would have to send messages to everyone all over again!¡±

    Shin then changed to lighter topics, implying that that conversation was over.

    Everyone else followed him too, sessfully avoiding for the meal to continue in silence.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡±

    After eating, Shin and the party prepared for the following day. They had just finished ate lunch, however, so it was still too early to sleep: all members then spent the day freely.

    Shin left the others and went to the alchemy room, located next to the smithy, to check if there were other items which could substitute the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡».

    He chose items that looked simr and were harvested in the same location, then tried the creation method of the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡» with them. He stopped just once for dinner, but was cooped up in the room for the rest of the day.

    ¡°My lord? Are you still awake?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin heard a hesitating voice call to him as he was drawing the essences he needed from the items. He turned around and saw Schnee, with a gown over her pajamas.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, but it is ratherte, so I thought that it was time for you to rest¡­¡±

    Shin thought that not much time passed since he started to work again, but it was past midnight already.

    Simr to when he was called to dinner, when he focused time really flew by.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all. So that¡¯s why Yuzuha said that she was going to sleep.¡±

    Yuzuha had been watching over Shin¡¯s work, but then said that she was sleepy and would go to bed¡­as Shin just remembered.

    ¡°Please do not overexert yourself. Think of yourself before me.¡±

    ¡°That I can¡¯t do.¡±

    Shin answered immediately to Schnee¡¯s light reproach. He wouldn¡¯tpromise on this.

    ¡°That is not good. Please rest.¡±

    ¡°I will, after a couple more tests.¡±

    ¡°¡­.if so, I will stay with you.¡±

    If she left him like that, who knows how long he¡¯d continue. Schnee realized this and sat down on a chair in a corner of the room.

    She nned to not move an inch until she confirmed that Shin stopped working.

    ¡°You can go to sleep first, you know?¡±

    ¡°It is unthinkable for me to go to sleep before my lord.¡±

    No matter how much Shin protested, Schnee did not budge from her chair. He eventually gave up.

    ¡°To your room, then. I will apany you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I can go to my room by myself.¡±

    ¡°It would not do for you toe back to this alchemy room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were not very believable after he forgot about the time, lost in his experiments.

    ¡°I am but one of your support characters. My lord¡¯s health must be prioritized. I am nothing to be¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s tone grew stronger.

    He did not talk loudly, considering the time, but the will contained in his words did not allow Schnee to retort.

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t remember, even if you have forgotten everything, I remember the feelings that you expressed towards me. What you felt while you waited for me. I just want to answer those feelings. I can¡¯t just not do anything. For you, I don¡¯t care how much I¡¯ll overexert myself!! For me, you are a higher priority!!¡±

    Schnee was right too in a way, but Shin couldn¡¯t stand it.

    He knew it was one-sided, but he held her shoulders and confessed his feelings.

    Maybe because there was no one else around, or because, tired from work, his sense of restraint had weakened. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but he said exactly what he felt.

    Schnee was in a corner of the room and couldn¡¯t step backwards. He had her effectively cornered, as if he didn¡¯t want to give her a chance of escape.

    At a distance close enough that he could have stolen her lips if he wanted, after this kind of confession even Schnee couldn¡¯t maintain her expressionless face.

    ¡°I, I¡­understand¡­you¡¯re¡­too close¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry. I kind of lost control there¡­¡±

    Schnee blushed and whispered, looking down. Shin quickly put more distance between them.

    ¡°¡­ahem. My lord, I think I have fully grasped how you feel towards the past me. And because of that, I urge you to take care of yourself first. If the me before memory loss knew that you pushed yourself too hard for her sake, she would surely me herself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­you¡¯re right. I won¡¯t push myself too hard.¡±

    ¡°Please do. Well then, good night.¡±

    Schnee bowed lightly and returned to her room. She seemed to have given up on taking Shin back to his quarters.

    Shin looked at her quickly walking away, then headed to his room himself.

    ¡°¡­.hah.¡±

    Schnee left Shin and returned to her room. After closing the door, she leaned on it and slowly slid down to a sitting position.

    ¡°As I thought¡­memories are not¡­ all gone.¡±

    She barely managed toplete the sentence. She held her right hand over her chest, where the heart was, and tried to calm her breathing.

    The present Schnee did not feel any particr affection towards Shin. As he was her creator, she respected him and did not have doubts about obeying him, but did not have any romantic feelings.

    ¡°To feel like this even without memories¡­how lost was I for him before¡­?¡±

    Schneeughed a little at herself. She couldn¡¯t know how she was before the memory loss, but if her body was this affected, there was no choice but to believe.

    When Shin came up close to her, her heart started beating fast like never before. Surprise and joy swelled in her chest,rge enough to make it difficult to breathe.

    How happy did those words make you? Her chest had be so burning hot that she almost wanted to ask the past her this question.

    And because of that, she thought.

    The present her shouldn¡¯t approach Shin any more than strictly necessary.

    ¡°The Schnee who should stand beside my lord is the one before the memory loss.¡±

    The present her was some sort of mirage. She would eventually disappear. If so, she will be a loyal servant, obeying her lord, until the end.

    ¡°Come back soon.¡±

    Schnee talked to the other her.

    It looked like it would take a while before her body cooled down.

 Book 12: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    The next morning, Shin woke up before Yuzuha, despite going to bedter than her, washed his face and headed to the living room.

    Schnee and Tiera were already up and had almost finished preparing breakfast.

    ¡°¡­..good morning.¡±

    ¡°Hey, morning.¡±

    Schnee greeted Shin with a nk expression on her face, as if nothing had happened the day before. Shin tried to reply as natural as he could.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Because of herck of expression, it looked like Schnee was putting pressure on Shin which put him at a loss about what to say.

    ¡°Er¡­.did something happen?¡±

    Tiera looked, puzzled, at the two people staring silently at each other.

    About the time when all members woke up and had finished eating breakfast, Shin received a message from Vizzy, stating that she had arrived close to their position.

    ¡°Vizzy¡¯s almost here, I¡¯ll go meet her.¡±

    ¡°Well, nothing to do here, so I¡¯ming too.¡±

    ¡°I shall join you too.¡±

    After a word to Schnee and Tiera, who were washing the dishes, Shin, Filma, and Shibaid went outside. The map showed Vizzy¡¯s marker, so Shin temporarily removed Celciutos¡¯ cloaking function.

    Vizzy seemed to have spotted Celciutos, as her marker went from moving in circles to speeding straight in Shin¡¯s direction. Less than 5 minutester, Vizzy and the Elder Dragons arrived before Tsuki no Hokora. Just like the previous time, Vizzy had brought 5 Elder Dragons of different colors.

    ¡°Hello there~~looks like you¡¯re in quite the pickle, aren¡¯t you~~¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you really think so though?¡±

    Shin replied with a wryugh to Vizzy¡¯s unchanged ¡°mellow¡± way of talking.

    ¡°But thank you foring so quickly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just free~~. So~~, are we going right no~~w?¡±

    Rashugum was heading towards Shin¡¯s location. Even though the wind was not in their favor, it would still reach them by evening.

    Shin¡¯s party had nothing else to do at Celciutos, so they decided to go to Rashugum. After changing Tsuki no Hokora back to pendant form, they all boarded the Elder Dragons.

    Shin, Filma, and Shibaid mounted an Elder Dragon each, while Schnee and Tiera got on the same one. Learning from her past experience, Tiera wore a coat for protection against the cold.

    ¡°Off we go~~!¡±

    The Elder Dragons, obeying Vizzy¡¯smand, pped theirrge wings. After a short approach, they all flew up in the sky.

    Celciutos¡¯ cloaking had been restored right after Vizzy arrived. If someone had been looking in the ship¡¯s direction, they would have seen Shin¡¯s group appear from nothing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go~~straight to Rashu~~gum, okay~~¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go!¡±

    The howling winds would normally make it impossible to talk, but thanks to abination of wind magic and ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿, Shin¡¯s party could converse normally.

    The inability to talk had been an inconvenience when they flew from Bayreuth to Sigurd, so Shin hade up with this method after testing several skillbinations.

    They passed ins, mountains, and forest areas, encountering flying monsters on their way. Most of them avoided the group, fearing the Elder Dragons, but some monsters attacked in packs¡­only to be blown away by Shin. He didn¡¯t care about defeating them, so he just created a path with wind magic and flew straight through it.

    Shin had attached spells to the Elder Dragons: they wouldn¡¯t be affected even if the monsters tried to tackle them. The wind spell caused some monsters to crash down to the ground, but Shin¡¯s group was in a hurry and did not bother with recovering the items they dropped.

    During the journey the groupnded once to have lunch, but started flying again right away: no detours. They focused on speed more than anything else, so they managed to arrive at Rashugum by sunset.

    ¡°A floating¡­castle¡­¡±

    Tiera whispered her thoughts while looking up at Rashugum, bewildered.

    She had heard about it before, but actually witnessing such a bizarre sight brought apletely different sense of wonder. Yes, not intimidating, but bizarre.

    Shin was used to seeing it by now, but when it was firstpleted he too rejoiced like a little kid.

    Rashugum floated in midair as if a castle, along with its surrounding terrain, had been scooped up from a vase and ced there. The castle at the center stood tall and imposing like a skyscraper.

    Around the castle, other than a series of cannons, there were also many protruding and floating objects, with unknown purpose at first nce.

    Originally, the terrain under the castle formed the shape of an upside-down mountain. It looked like it could crumble with even the smallest shock, but it was actually duly coated with Chimeradite.

    It was also equipped with weaponry that able to rain down attacks from above. Nicknamed the ¡°floating fortress¡±, the 6th Sky Castle Rashugum was a super-weapon impossible in reality.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it a bit too noisy here? And¡­there¡¯s a huge pack of dragons there¡­¡±

    Tiera pointed in the direction of a group of dozens of dragons, fighting with breath attacks and magic. It looked like there were at least two opposing parties at odds.

    Some dragons flew undeterred by Rashugum¡¯s protective barrier, while others were kept outside of it.

    The former group, which could pass through the barrier and, despite having inferior numbers, was made ofrger dragons and seemed to be at an advantage, wasposed of Elder Dragons.

    Thetter group, which could not prate the barrier and saw its numbers gradually dwindle because of the Elder Dragons, was made of creatures called Wyverns, types of dragons which had their front paws and wings fused together.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re not in danger, but should we help just in case?¡±

    ¡°No need to~~it¡¯ll all be over soon anyway~~let¡¯snd behind the castle so we don¡¯t get caught in the fighting, okay~~¡±

    ording to Vizzy, from time to time packs of flying monsters came attacking Rashugum, hoping to make it into their territory.

    Wild monsters couldn¡¯t enter Rashugum: a castle brimming with magic and protected by a sturdy barrier, seemed to be very appealing in the eyes of monsters, especially dragons; thus they often showed up to take a stab at its defenses.

    ¡°They have no chance, do they.¡±

    ¡°Exactly~~besides, we don¡¯t have only Elder Dragons on our side~~¡±

    Even discounting the barrier, it would be suicide for monsters to attack a nest of high-leveled Elder Dragons. Just now, thebined breath of 3 Wyverns had been annihted by the breath of a single Elder Dragon.

    The Wyverns were around level 400-500, while the Elder Dragons were 600-700. If there were unique specimens like Kagerou, they could be even higher.

    Normally, if the attackers did note in muchrger numbers, they would not stand a chance. Vizzy¡¯s words suggested that there were even more powerful monsters in Rashugum too. Shin began to feel a bit sympathetic towards the Wyverns.

    ¡°Whoa¡­what¡¯s that?¡±

    Tiera, who had continued look at the dragons¡¯ battle, spoke with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. She witnessed a golden beam, shot from Rashugum itself, obliterate the Wyverns.

    ¡°There¡¯s an Ancient Dragon too¡­?¡±

    A golden breath could only be unleashed by Ancient-type or superior dragons.

    Ancient Dragons were ¡°at least¡± level 800.

    For the Wyverns, it was a fatal difference.

    ¡°It¡¯s even more dangerous thanst time we came here.¡±

    So Shin said to himself as they passed the barrier andnded in Rashugum.

 Book 12: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Since there¡¯s always an expert here, I see it¡¯s all kept in working order¡±

    Shin got down from the Elder Dragon and whispered to himself while looking at the surroundings.

    In Palmirack and Celciutos, theck of maintenance had not caused serious problems, but in Rashugum, the aboveground part had been preserved perfectly.

    The fact that the temperature wasn¡¯t too low and it wasn¡¯t difficult to breathe, despite the altitude, was proof that the atmosphere control system was working. The dragons dwelling here surely found it very pleasant too.

    ¡°Over here~~¡±

    The group followed Vizzy to the front of the castle.

    Shin tried concentrating on his hearing as they walked, but could not hear any sound of fighting. The attackers had either been driven away or annihted. He checked the map and, as expected, found no sign of the Wyverns.

    ¡°Hey, that¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    While the group was heading towards the front entrance, Tiera noticed something.

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at; Rashugum¡¯s nd area, which had been added because they felt the need for some nature, and the mass of colorful creatures crawling and squirming on it.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive.¡±

    Shin remembered Rashugum¡¯s nickname and understood. What they were looking at was a group of dragon-type monsters, of all kinds and levels.

    Eastern-style dragons with long torsos, western types with powerful limbs and all kinds in between: it was like a dragon exhibition.

    Looking more closely, there were wyverns too, but different from the ones that had just attacked the castle.

    ¡°T-they won¡¯t attack, right?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t, no worries. They¡¯re a~~ll good boys and girls.¡±

    Tiera was nervous, but Vizzy replied in her usual tone.

    Some dragons noticed the group and raised their heads to look. As Vizzy was with them, the dragons probably understood that they weren¡¯t enemies. Most dragons either went to sleep or started flying again.

    ¡°You could stand up to them by now, right Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, some of them you could take down on your own.¡±

    ¡°It might be, but¡­they¡¯re still scary.¡±

    Even if her stats had increased, Tiera had only recently be much stronger, so dragons still looked like fearsome foes.

    Seeing so many dragons left grazing freely like that, she couldn¡¯t help fretting.

    ¡°Hey, that one¡¯sing closer¡­?¡±

    Tiera, who was looking at the dragons with a stiff expression, stopped walking.

    Shin looked too and saw ¡°something¡± covered in ash grey fur emerge from the pack and waddle towards them.

    ¡°Oh my~~¡±

    Vizzy saw it and expressed her surprise. She didn¡¯t stop it, however, so it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous.

    Looking at the creature better, the group realized that it too was a dragon. Even including its tail, it was still very small, about the size of a puppy.

    The mini dragon waddled left and right, unsteady on its feet, but straight towards Schnee. Then, despite Schnee¡¯s confusion, it proceeded to rub its face on her feet.

    ¡°Er¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh~~This is rare~~baby Illusion Dragons rarely get close to people~~¡±

    ¡°Why would ite to me?¡±

    ¡°Actually, this baby¡¯s parents were found and rescued by you, Schnee~~. I don¡¯t know why their child would warm up to you, though¡­¡±

    Apparently, the baby¡¯s parents had a connection with Schnee. During a material gathering mission, Schnee had defeated some monsters and found young Illusion Dragons nearby.

    Illusion Dragons had peaceful temperaments, so Schnee healed them, then talked about them to Vizzy: that is the reason why they were brought to Rashugum.

    The parent dragons thought of Schnee as their saviour, so they were very fond of her.

    ¡°Since it¡¯se to you like that, why don¡¯t you pet it a little~~¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hurry on, though?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go first. It¡¯s not like we need lots of people for what we have to do anyway.¡±

    Schnee was not sure what to do, but Shin told her that she could give priority to the baby dragon. Following Vizzy¡¯s advice, Schnee timidly tried touching the dragon. The baby then started rubbing its head against it.

    ¡°Baby Illusion Dragons are so different from their parents¡­¡±

    Shin expressed his surprise at seeing how easily the baby dragon had approached Schnee.

    ¡°I was surprised too the first time~~¡±

    As opponents, Illusion Dragons were impossible to even touch if they weren¡¯t tamed: they were monsters formed by smoke or fog in the shape of a dragon.

    ¡°Ehm, what should I do with this baby?¡±

    The baby Illusion Dragon was ying by tapping its front paws on Schnee¡¯s hands. It was a very peaceful scene, but Shin and his party had things to do. Schnee probably thought that she couldn¡¯t just stay there.

    ¡°Keep an eye on the kid until the parentse back.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°The search didn¡¯t take much at Celciutos either, right? This is a rare asion too, why don¡¯t you just rx once in a while.¡±

    ¡°Well, I admit it would be difficult to leave¡­¡±

    The baby dragon cried sadly every time Schnee tried to go, making her feel guilty. Shin didn¡¯t need much help, after all, so he asked Vizzy to stay too, for when the parents would return. Yuzuha, apparently intrigued by the mini dragon too, jumped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    Shin left her to Schnee and walked away. He didn¡¯t need a guide to know what was where in Rashugum.

    ¡°Oh, herees Raster.¡±

    Shin felt a presenceing from inside the castle and stopped. At present, Vizzy and Raster were the only ones present in Rashugum, so it had to be him.

    The map showed two ovepping light dots: he was probably riding one of his mounts. After a while, a young man riding a small dragon appeared.

    Raster Zay, servant of the Blue Trickster Cain, one of Rokuten¡¯s members.

    Characterized by his silver eyes -covered by a bandana- and copper skin, Raster was a High Lord in his twenties.

    He too was of higher race, but his stats were almost all concentrated in DEX, making direct fighting not his forte. On the other hand, he was a master at using items and supporting his allies.

    ¡°Come o~~n, you¡¯re sote~~¡±

    ¡°Whoops, sorry, sorry. The Illusion Dragon egg hatched, but the baby disappeared somewhere. I knew that lord Shin¡¯s group had arrived, but I had to look for it¡­¡±

    ¡°The baby?¡±

    After hearing the apologizing Raster¡¯s words, Shin¡¯s party directed their eyes at Schnee and the Illusion Dragon baby she was holding.

    Next to her, Yuzuha -now a fox about 1 mel in size- was looking curiously at the baby dragon.

    ¡°I looked everywhere, and there you are¡­I was worried, you know.¡±

    Raster followed the gaze of Shin¡¯s group, then sighed in relief.

    ¡°Well, problem solved then.¡±

    Shin tried cheering up Raster, who had clearly been worried sick. Shin knew how it felt: idents like this could be dealt with if they happened one at a time, but for some reason they tended to ur in multiples.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it! Besides the parents were worried too, I had to go wee Lord Shin¡¯s party, yet I couldn¡¯t help but worry¡­¡±

    Shin told the apologetic Raster to not worry about anything.

    ¡°Okay then, I leave to rest to you guys. If Vizzy¡¯s here, the parents won¡¯t attack you¡­not that Schnee would have trouble with them, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s uncalled for. In case anything happens, I will focus on defense.¡±

    ording to Raster, the parent dragons were on edge because of their missing child. Normally, it would be possible to spot the baby through its presence, but there were too many dragons at Rashugum, so its presence was thin and hard to find. It hadn¡¯tpletely disappeared though, so the parents would surelye back soon, or so said Raster.

    ¡°Me and Vizzy have taken out resources and stuff from the warehouse, but we neverid a hand on the Rokuten members¡¯ stock.¡±

    Each member¡¯s sections and the materials to preserve Rashugum were stored separately, so Shin and the other members¡¯ items did not risk being used as material. Some materials, however, were difficult to find and were getting pretty low in stock.

    ¡°I¡¯ll refill the stock with the spare stuff from our generatorter. Let me just check the lists first.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing!! It¡¯s great enough that you¡¯re going to refill our stock. I¡¯m really thankful!!¡±

    Raster bowed again.

    The maintenance materials were usually bought from Berett or gathered with the dragons¡¯ help. Highest ss items, like Drops of Erathem and Chimeradite, were always needed, albeit in very small quantities, but they were impossible to find.

    They could be reced by other items, but lowering the quality also lowered the overall result, so Raster and Vizzy were rather troubled.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you haven¡¯t learned ¡¾Generate¡¿ yet?¡±

    ¡°I only need a little more proficiency, but as you know, at this level you need to mess with really high grade materials to gain any points¡­but we don¡¯t have enough stuff, so I can¡¯t just use ¡¯em up for practice.¡±

    Raster¡¯s proficiency was indeed just steps away from acquiring ¡¾Generate¡¿. When practicing to raise proficiency, it was not umon to render materials unusable, which was keeping Raster from advancing.

    It involved using rare metals such as Chimeradite, Mithril, and Orichalcum to create things after all. All of them were very valuable in this world: using them inrge quantities just to increase proficiency sounded just like something out of a videogame.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you some materials to practice after I¡¯ve refilled your stock then. Our generator¡¯s been working hard enough, so we won¡¯t run out anytime soon. How much do you need?¡±

    The items just kept piling up, so Shin made this proposal to Raster thinking of putting them to good use.

    ¡°Fo, fo, for real!?! As expected of a noble High Human, just like lord Cain! I cannot thank you enough!! I¡¯ll check the items and tell youter!!¡±

    After calming the overjoyed Raster, Shin and the group reached the storehouse and checked the item lists.

    They checked all sections twice, like they did in Celciutos, but could not find the item they were looking for.

    ¡°Nothing here either¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Tiera was worried, but Shinughed.

    They hadn¡¯t checked the storehouse in Palmirack yet. But as they barely found any event-rted items in Celciutos and Rashugum, the probability of the same thing happening in Palmirack was high.

    Just like Shin and Tsuki no Hokora, Rokuten members had homes outside their guildhouses. He couldn¡¯t check those, however: differently from him, the other Rokuten members did not materialize their homes unless absolutely necessary.

    Cook¡¯s home, Shigureya, remained intact, but ording to Zazie the item they were looking for was not there. Cook never kept items unrted to cooking, so there was nothing to do about it.

    ¡°¡­then, what about Garden?¡±

    ¡°Garden?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a guildhouse focused on cultivating medicinal herbs, with also many structures to create all sorts of catalysts. A High Human called Hecate was in charge of it. It looks like it¡¯s in a rtively dangerous area now, though.¡±

    During his exnation to Tiera, Shin reflected.

    ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» is extracted from a nt called Lily Orchid. The possibility of vegetable-rted materials being stored in Garden was considerable. Higher than the other guildhouses, at least.

    It had been abandoned by them, after all, so it was also a good opportunity to go check on it.

    ¡°This is the right chance. Let¡¯s go check Palmirack first though.¡±

    Shin and the party had already visited it once, so they could teleport to Palmirack directly from Rashugum. Shin was also currently registered as Palmirack¡¯s master, so they could go straight to its storeroom.

    Leaving Tiera and the others behind, Shin teleported from Rashugum¡¯s to Palmirack¡¯s teleport point, then into the storeroom.

    Several minutester¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    ¡°I can imagine what you¡¯re going to say, but¡­did you find anything?¡±

    Tiera guessed while looking at Shin¡¯s expression. Filma, Shibaid, and Raster could also pretty much tell, so they waited in silence for Shin to talk.

    ¡°I found the item in question, but¡­it¡¯s still not enough to make a Blessed Tag.¡±

    Shin had actually found ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» in Palmirack, but just 1 item card of it. Adding to what he already had, he would need at least 2 more.

    From the bottom of his heart, Shin hoped that his search would end here.

    ¡°Do you know where that Garden is?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know just the ce.¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question.

    Arge forest area to the east of the center of the continent of Eltnia. Apparently, Garden -officially called ¡°5th Daze Garden Romenun¡±- was at its center.

    ¡°I actually went there once to check too. It was a heck of a party, poisonous nts and monsters everywhere. Monsters without poison resistance couldn¡¯t even step close to it. Even poison-bearing monsters had to be pretty strong to get close.¡±

    Riding a dragon, Raster had gone on reconnaissance from the sky. Romenun¡¯s surroundings were covered by thick poisonous fog, and even the Elder Dragon Raster was riding refused to go near.

    Romenun itself looked unaffected and unharmed, at least from the outside.

    ¡°We can¡¯t get in contact with Oxygen and Hydro, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct. But hey, considering the location, I think they¡¯re both alright.¡±

    Raster meant to say that the two were both so focused on their research that they didn¡¯t step one foot outside. At least, they wouldn¡¯t try to leave Romenun now that it was surrounded by toxic mists. The structure was self-sufficient, so they would not risk starving to death.

    In THE NEW GATE, in case of failure when creating or developing items, the materials used normally turned into trash. In rare instances, however, unexpected results happened: dangerous items called ¡°failures¡±.

    Such items often had ¡°Something like a¡­¡± or ¡°Fake¡­¡± in their names and were generated more easily the more valuable the materials used were.

    Some exploded when used, others summoned monsters, other bizarre ones changed the surrounding yers into swimsuits when materialized¡­etcetera.

    They were dangerous items: no one knew when they would activate or what effects they could have. The more one delved into the depths of creation jobs, the more one would encounter them. Naturally, Shin was no exception.

    ¡°Well, at least it seems they can¡¯t turn into sudden death items.¡±

    The failure items could have all sorts of effects, but it had been officially stated that they would never exhibit sudden death effects. Shin couldn¡¯t be sure that this applied to the current world too; besides, Oxygen and Hydro were probably rational enough not to use failed items without thinking.

    Trusting in this, Shin chose to stop thinking about it for the moment.

    ¡°Raster, does the name ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» tell you anything?¡±

    ¡°Really sorry sir, but nothing. There is someone here who could know, though.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡±

    By ¡°here¡± Raster referred to Rashugum, of course. Shin thought that only Raster and Vizzy were supposed to live there, but then an idea shed in his mind.

    ¡°The Ancient Dragon?¡±

    ¡°Yessir. There¡¯s one here that¡¯s like the boss of all the other dragons. It¡¯s been living for pretty long, so it knows all sorts of stuff.¡±

    There were monsters who could speak humannguage in the game era too. Dragons were rather famous for it, but other than them, Element Tails like Yuzuha and Fuji¡¯s Kagutsuchi belonged to this category too.

    It was fairlymon for dragons tomunicate with humans in the novels andics Shin read too, so he remembered easily epting the idea in the game.

    ¡°Rashugum sure turned into an incredible ce, huh.¡±

    ¡°I tell you, ever since Vizzy brought the dragons to live here, things turned pretty bizarre. The Ancient Dragon noticed that lots of dragons started dwelling here and appeared all of a sudden¡­that was a huge shock. Ah, the Ancient Dragon¡¯s name is Tzaobath.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Tzaob¡­.wait, really!?¡±

    Raster mentioned the dragon¡¯s name very casually, but hearing it made Shin stop in his tracks. Filma and Shibaid did the same.

    Only Tiera failed to understand why everyone stopped, and looked at them confused.

 Book 12: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    Ancient Dragon Tzaobath¡­Shin searched through his memories for the corresponding monster and was overwhelmed by surprise.

    It was a silver dragon, simr to the ones appearing in western legends. Based on the circumstances under which it showed itself, many yers called it ¡°Silver Moon Tzaobath¡±.

    Its level was the maximum in the game, 1000. Just like the Element Tails, it was a famous monster, both powerful and popr.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s surprising, but it¡¯s true, sir.¡±

    Raster probably understood how Shin felt, as his smile seemed to be drier than before.

    Tzaobath appeared in random outdoor fields when the moon was out. Its silhouette, descending from the skies with the bright moon as backdrop, was as beautiful as it was powerful.

    Some yers even roamed the fields at night hoping to take a screenshot of Tzaobath.

    ¡°Well, in this world you can talk with an Element Tail, so it¡¯s not weird that it¡¯s possible to speak with Tzaobath too¡­but why would ite to live here?¡±

    ¡°The same reason why the other dragons keep trying to take over. It¡¯s apparently reallyfortable for them here, basking in the sun all the time.¡±

    ¡°One of the most powerful monsters¡­taking naps in the sun, huh¡­¡±

    Shin had also seen Tzaobath in the game era. Simr to western dragons, it had powerful arms, with a body simr to a human¡¯s. It was covered in tinum scales; from its back sprouted two sets of wings, one physical and the other formed by pale blue light. Under the crystal-like transparent horn on its forehead shone blue eyes that clearly expressed its intelligence, as if judging whoever dared stand before the monster.

    Shin fought it when his stats were barely over 800: charmed by Tzaobath¡¯s silhouette descending in the moonlight, he had experienced a world of hurt¡­or so he remembered.

    ¡°Seeing Yuzuha sleeping next to you makes it all more convincing.¡±

    When sleeping, Yuzuha almost always turned into small fox mode. Shibaid often shared the room with Shin when they spent the night at inns, so he had probably seen her then.

    Shin nodded at his reasoning.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. It would be a real problem if it started rampaging inside Rashugum, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be a nightmare.¡±

    Filma, who fully knew how powerful Tzaobath was, frowned at Shin¡¯sment.

    ¡°That¡¯s where the defense system you set up does its work, lord Shin. It hasn¡¯t gone off yet, though. Now I can say that we¡¯d be fine even without it, but I was pretty scared at first. Also because Vizzy didn¡¯t fear it at all¡­¡±

    When Raster first saw Tzaobath he was really tense, thinking that they might have to fight it like that. They could use the weapons for fighting against guilds, so he knew they could win, but with a level 1000 monster as an opponent, it was impossible not to be nervous.

    There was never any fighting however, and the dragon simply started living in Rashugum,pletely peacefully. Vizzy, overheating with excitement, had charged blindly into the monster, but Raster stopped her, not knowing what she was trying to do.

    ¡°They say that servants resemble their masters, and that¡¯s totally true for Vizzy. To go and hug a level 1000 monster is not what a normal person would do¡­¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­yeah, that¡¯s just what Cashmere would have done¡­¡±

    Shin remembered Cashmere¡¯s tantrums during the game era, about why highest ss monsters couldn¡¯t be tamed, andughed wryly.

    The group went outside for a moment and Raster stepped forward.

    As it turned out, the ce next to where Shin¡¯s group hadnded was Tzaobath¡¯s favorite spot: if they were still there, the group would pick up Schnee and the others on the way and go there.

    After some walking, they spotted Schnee and the baby Illusion Dragon.

    The baby¡¯s parents were also there. Their grey silhouettes clearly formed dragon-like shapes, simr to eastern-style dragons.

    ¡°They look just like they did in the game after growing up, huh.¡±

    The parent dragons were level 629: among Illusion Dragons, they were of fairly average strength. They had noticed Shin¡¯s group, but as Raster was with them they just turned their dragon bone-like heads one moment, then turned again towards Schnee.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a baby dragon get attached to someone so quickly. Dragons don¡¯t usually get that close either.¡±

    Raster was looking at Schnee gently cuddling the baby dragon and Vizzy smiling at them.

    The baby dragon was on Schnee¡¯s left arm, belly up. When Schnee¡¯s right arm got closer, the baby extended its paws and tried to touch it. The parents also seemed to want Schnee¡¯s attention and rubbed their heads against her.

    Schnee noticed and rubbed their heads: the parents trembled a little, their body turning peach colored.

    ¡°They turn that color when they¡¯re happy.¡±

    Shin looked around while listening to Raster. Other than the Illusion Dragons, many other kinds of dragons were gathering around Schnee.

    Elder Dragons, Wyverns, the green-scaled two-headed Veight Dragon, the Zeranoira ¡ª a beast looking like a more brutal rhino ¡ª , the Aquoillya, or water in dragon form, and otherrge dragons.

    There were also smaller species such as Fairy Dragons, asrge as a person¡¯s arm, and Drunes, with hair like moles.

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of amazing¡­¡±

    ¡°Schnee came here many times already, but they were scared of her then. She always looked calm on the surface, but had a sort of tension inside¡­dragons are really sensitive, so they felt this and were afraid of approaching her.¡±

    It would be different if she was a normal person, but against someone as powerful as Schnee, they probably felt in danger.

    ¡°Schnee is really peaceful now though. I¡¯m pretty sure she would be even if she hadn¡¯t lost her memories.¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. Before she was always tense because you hadn¡¯t returned yet, lord Shin.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­really. Well¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Finding out that he was the reason, Shin honestly apologized.

    ¡°Nothing to apologize about, sir. Schnee wouldn¡¯t hunt down the dragons here without a reason either, so.¡±

    Shin replied that it was obvious she wouldn¡¯t, then went towards Schnee. She had noticed his arrival: after returning the baby to its parents, Schnee walked towards him too.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°I found some, but still not enough.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression clouded.

    ¡°Raster said that we could ask the Ancient Dragon dwelling here, Tzaobath, so we¡¯re going there now.¡±

    ¡°If so, I shall apany you.¡±

    Schnee added that she was with the dragons enough time and there was no more reason for her not to go. Yuzuha had already hopped back to Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you there then. Vizzy, the rest is up to you here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, see you~te~~r.¡±

    Vizzy waved while holding the baby Illusion Dragon. The baby did not resist at all, it must have grown attached to her while Shin¡¯s group was away.

    ¡°Tzaobath, was it? Will it not be dangerous?¡±

    Schnee voiced her concerns.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright. I know its level is what it is, and it is kind of scary, but try talking to it and you¡¯ll find that it¡¯s really a good bloke, no wait a good dragon.¡±

    It also helped defend Rashugum: the breath attack Shin¡¯s group witnessed when they arrived hade from Tzaobath.

    Shin and the others followed Raster through the dragons¡¯ hall to arge clearing. There they found Tzaobath, itsrge tinum body resting on the ground, with its eyes closed. It was Shin¡¯s first time seeing Tzaobath during the day, and he instantly understood why the dragon would only appear at night.

    ¡°This is almost blinding.¡±

    Filma and Raster nodded to Shibaid¡¯sment.

    ¡°Yep, this is something else.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I agree too.¡±

    All members shared the same opinion.

    ¡°Eyes, hurt.¡±

    ¡°Bear with it a while.¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tinum-colored body reflected the sunlight. It was more than just bright or shining, but Shin couldn¡¯t find better fitting words. It was hard for him too to look straight at the dragon.

    ¡°Mister Tzaobath! Would you mind turning the light down a bit, sir?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Raster? One moment.¡±

    A deeply resounding voice replied to Raster¡¯s plea. Just as it said, the light decreased gradually.

    When Shin looked at Tzaobath again, the scales stopped reflecting the sunlight. They looked like they had turned a more opaque shade of silver.

    ¡°How is this?¡±

    ¡°Thank you sir! Sorry to barge in so suddenly, but these people have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Tzaobath raised its head and looked at Shin¡¯s group. Its mouth wasrge enough to swallow Shin and its entourage in one gulp.

    ¡°My name is Shin. I havee here in hopes to borrow your wisdom.¡±

    He was talking with a dragon that had lived for many years: even if Shin was probably stronger, he felt he needed to be especially respectful, so he also bowed to the dragon.

    ¡°Oh, this magic power¡­a High Human. I remember, I remember you! You have grown much since thest time we fought!¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s voice was like thunder, but nevertheless easy to understand. The dragon seemed to remember Shin, even if they had fought only once. His rumbling tone seemed joyful somehow.

    ¡°This is our first meeting in such a long time, it is proper for I too to say my name. I am Tzaobath! The wandering dragon that once donned the name of Silver Moon!¡±

    Tzaobath stood up and said its name with a roar of thunder. Its intimidating presence, or majestic aura, created a gust of wind that made the surrounding trees shake. Shin felt himself instinctively prepare for battle, but suppressed it through willpower.

    ¡°Quite unusual for a High Human to visit together with an Element Tail. O Element Tail, do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? I think I do¡­or do I?¡±

    ¡°Be clear!¡±

    ¡°I remember your name and personality.¡±

    Yuzuha was still not in herplete form, so she still missedrge chunks of her memories. She only remembered some details about Tzaobath too.

    Tzaobath cried, disappointed, in response.

    ¡°I wanted to rejoice for this long-awaited reunion, but there is no helping that. The conversation has been derailed too. What do you wish to ask me, then?¡±

    ¡°I am looking for an item called ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡». I know it can be extracted from the Lily Orchid flower, but would you happen to know where I can find it?¡±

    ¡°Lily Orchid¡­ingredient for the Blessed Tag, is it not? I see, that youngdy was affected by the Cursed Tag, hasn¡¯t she.¡±

    Tzaobath realized what had happened from Shin¡¯s request. It looked in Schnee¡¯s direction.

    ¡°That is correct, though I do not have any such recollection.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yes, I know about it. Also where the tribe growing those flowers is located.¡±

    Lily Orchids grew close to the settlements of a tribe called Tsumugi. Just like the Cursed Tag and Blessed Tag were opposites, the Tsumugi and Kishimi tribes were always at odds, and the former cooperated with the yers.

    Tzaobath said that it knew where they were located, adding that it was a ce Shin had a connection to.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There is no doubt that you are a High Human, thus I shall tell you. The protector of the Tsumugi tribe is the High Pixie at yourmand. Her name is¡­Sety, was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­.eh?¡±

    Shin, along with Filma and Shibaid, couldn¡¯t hide their surprise at the sudden name.

    They would have never expected for the name of thest support character, currently in whereabouts unknown, toe up now of all times.

    ¡°She¡¯s protecting the Tsumugi tribe?¡±

    ¡°They are originally born from spirits. For High Pixies, spirit contractors, protecting such a tribe is not bizarre in the slightest, is it.¡±

    Shin nodded to Tzaobath¡¯s words. The Tsumugi and Kishimi tribes both hailed from spirits that governed human emotions. Pixies, like Elves, were a race that befriended spirits. Tzaobath¡¯s exnation was thus convincing.

    ¡°Where would they be, then?¡±

    ¡°Slightly south from the center of the continent, near the country you call Kilmont. In a space where nothing was supposed to be, I felt a presence there simr to yours. I descended, out of curiosity, and there they were hiding.¡±

    They were probably hiding from the outside world with the Pixie¡¯s ability to create Faerie Viges. ording to Tzaobath, that was probably a special location. If it wasn¡¯t, there was no way for a High Pixie alone to maintain a separate space, which normally required at least 100.

    ¡°She bragged at length about you. Quite the cheerful girl, that was.¡±

    ¡°¡­could it be that you knew that I woulde here if I returned, and waited on purpose?¡±

    This hypothesis came up in Shin¡¯s head as he looked at Tzaobath happily talking about Shin¡¯s support character. Maybe because Tzaobath¡¯s eyes, which were supposed to be the violent eyes of a monster¡¯s, gleamed in a gentle-looking light.

    ¡°No, this is simply afortable ce to be. I gave quite a scare to the caretakers here, though. Anyway, you lot will head there now, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is the n.¡±

    ¡°Get on my back then. I shall take you there.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Not only Shin, but all party members were very surprised to hear Tzaobath¡¯s proposal.

    Using one of the most powerful monsters in the world as means of transport had never crossed their minds.

    ¡°Er, we could borrow some other dragons from Vizzy to go there¡­¡±

    ¡°You alone would not be able to find the Faerie Vige. Well, maybe Shin could, being the master, but you do not want to waste time, correct? Besides, I can fly much faster than any other dragon.¡±

    Shin felt that there had to be something behind Tzaobath¡¯s unexpected helpfulness. The other members probably felt so too: it was all too convenient.

    ¡°Why would you do so much for us?¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect my intentions?¡±

    ¡°I do not mean to doubt your words. However, honestly speaking, I wonder why you would help us to such an extent.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I shall answer then. There is nothing to hide.¡±

    Tzaobath easily nodded to Shin¡¯s question, so easily that the group was kind of surprised again.

    ¡°How much do you know about the Kishimi tribe?¡±

    ¡°Only that they venerate an evil deity. They offer the stolen memories to their god, if I remember correctly.¡±

    Shin mentioned what he knew from the event. He also added that Hameln had used the Cursed Tag this time, which he had stolen from the Kishimi tribe.

    ¡°I see, so they have already been exterminated.¡±

    Tzaobath then closed its eyes for a brief time. More than relieved, it seemed to feel downhearted.

    ¡°I once had a friend. A Human one. This human did not fear me nor give me excessive respect, simply being at my side. I had such a friend.¡±

    Tzaobath looked up at the skies and continued talking.

    ¡°The Kishimi tribe¡­those louts used their Cursed Tag on my friend, of all people. My friend, memories gone, did not remember a thing about me. My friend started seeing me as any other monster. Even if I knew that a Blessed Tag would return my friend¡¯s lost memories, and knew the materials needed, I did not have the skills to create it.¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tone had a tinge of sadness in it.

    ¡°I looked for someone with the ability to create a Blessed Tag, but could not find anyone before my friend passed, without uttering my name even once until the end. I have never felt more powerless.¡±

    Tzaobath probably recalled what he felt then: he anger that leaked from within was making the ground shake.

    ¡°After that, for 10 years, I have sought and crushed the Kishimi tribesmen. But could notpletely annihte them, it seems. Lending you my strength is a sort of apology for not being able to destroy them all.¡±

    ¡°¡­I do not think there is anything you should feel responsible for, though.¡±

    Anyone could understand that Tzaobath was not to be med. The dragon, however, simply looked at Shin.

    ¡°¡­Understood. Please give us your assistance.¡±

    Shin could not win against its gaze. They did not know the exact location and could also reunite with Sety. There was no reason to refuse in the first ce.

    ¡°Let us depart right away, then. Or is there anything you need to do here first?¡±

    ¡°No, we already did what we had to.¡±

    Shin could give Raster the promised itemster: they could leave anytime.

    ¡°Let us go, then. Climb onto my back.¡±

    Tzaobathy down again and Shin¡¯s party climbed on its body, which wasrge enough to fit them with plenty of room to spare. Theck of reins or a saddle was a little worrying, but they had to make do somehow with their skills and Tzaobath¡¯s power.

    ¡°I¡¯d be no use even if I went, so I¡¯ll stay here, people.¡±

    If the Blessed Tag did not work, they would have to go look for the evil deity and defeat it. Raster¡¯s stats were mostly below Tiera¡¯s, so he would stay back at Rashugum.

    ¡°Got it. This ce is in your hands, like before.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha sir! Take care out there!¡±

    Raster waved as Tzaobahn soared high in the sky. Maybe because of some particr ability it possessed, the dragon just needed to p its wings a few times for itsrge body to rise up in the air. Once in midair, just one wing beat greatly increased flight speed.

    If the group looked down, they could see the mountains they had looked up to until moments ago, noticing that they had already climbed to a considerable altitude.

    ¡°Not being able to touch the ground with your feet makes you feel quite uneasy.¡±

    Thanks to a wind skill, everyone could clearly hear Schnee¡¯s words. She was sitting right behind Shin, so he could hear even if she whispered something to herself. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was talking to him or to herself, but since her voice was different than the usual, he decided to reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time for the current you to fly, isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s not weird to feel uneasy after flying so high all of a sudden.¡±

    There were no saddles or reins, unlike Vizzy¡¯s Elder Dragons, so Shin understood being tense at flying this way. They were as high as airnes in the real world, after all. The speed was much higher than an Elder Dragon¡¯s too. If they weren¡¯t protected by their skills, they probably would have had to desperately grab onto the dragon¡¯s body in order not to fall.

    ¡°My apologies.¡±

    ¡°Speak up if it¡¯s too tough. Tzaobath will probably adjust the height if we tell it to.¡±

    Shin turned around and replied.

    He peeked in the direction of Tzaobath¡¯s head and realized that it had probably heard them, as the dragon¡¯s head shook vertically, as to express assent.

    ¡°Then, could I please¡­hold onto your clothes?¡±

    Schnee leant forward and asked. Because of the difference in height and her posture, she was looking up at Shin. Her pleading gaze, concealing the proud spirit she had before losing her memory, made Shin¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    ¡°Oh, ah, yeah, sure, hold onto me hard, I mean, hold fast.¡±

    Shin replied in an exaggerated manner, to keep his emotions from showing. He looked forward, thinking that he could be blushing.

    Actually, because of the ¡¾Riding¡¿ skill, there was no immediate risk of anyone falling. In the remote case they did, Tzaobath would surely recover them quickly, but that was a different thing altogether.

    ¡°Allow me, then¡­¡±

    After her words, Shin felt Schnee moving. After about 10 seconds, though, he didn¡¯t feel her grabbing his clothes, so he turned around. Just then, Schnee¡¯s hands hugged Shin¡¯s stomach, thus holding her whole body against his.

    ¡°Eh!? Sh, Schnee!?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but voice his surprise at Schnee¡¯s sudden hug. She was so close that Shin felt something very soft against his back. Forcing his attention not to focus on those massive presences, Shin asked her what happened.

    ¡°Am I bothering you?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all, I was just surprised¡­¡±

    Before losing her memories, Schnee¡­not considering that there were others present¡­would have probably hugged him like this. The current Schnee, however loyal, was not supposed to feel romantically attracted to Shin. It was thus unnatural for her to hug him so tightly and rest her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­understand myself. But if I don¡¯t do this, I feel very uneasy¡­¡±

    The voice reaching Shin¡¯s ears did not seem to be joking at all. Shin touched Schnee¡¯s arms, wrapped around his waist, and noticed that they were trembling.

    ¡°Schnee, you¡¯re being pretty bold, aren¡¯t¡­hey, you look sickly pale!¡±

    Filma started poking fun at Schnee, but her tonepletely changed halfway through.

    Shin couldn¡¯t see Schnee well, as she was directly behind him, but the situation seemed worse than expected.

    ¡°Let¡¯snd for a moment. Tzaoba¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Please go on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, if you feel bad just say it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really alright. I¡¯ll calm down if I stay like this.¡±

    Shin felt Schnee¡¯s arms grip his waist tighter, so he couldn¡¯t just believe her and leave it at that: he decided to contact Filma via Mind Chat.

    ¡°(I can¡¯t see Schnee from here, I can only feel her arms are trembling. How do you see her?)¡±

    ¡°(I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s shaking, but she looks really sick. She was always pale, but now she looks just unhealthy.)¡±

    Her status did not show any abnormalities, so Shin chose to believe her and press forward.

    He held her hands wrapped around his waist, and her shaking stopped.

    ¡°We will arrive soon.¡±

    After less than 30 minutes of flight came Tzaobath¡¯s announcement. Schnee, just as she had said, had calmed down after hugging Shin¡¯s back. Shin looked down at the continent as they descended.

    He could see cities he had previously visited: the Kingdom of Bayreuth, the capital of the Falnido Beast Alliance, the fortified city Balmel and others. East from Falnido there was the Dragon Empire of Kilmont, where Shibaid used to live.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that impossiblyrge tree¡­?¡±

    Shin spotted a veryrge tree located in the center of the continent, surrounded by trees of normal height.

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything there though.¡±

    Shin remembered that in the map Schnee had previously shown him, nothing was marked in that area. Maybe it was a location that was not normally visible.

    Shin made a mental note to go check it out when they had the time and looked at where Tzaobath was going tond.

    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯ve felt this somewhere before¡­¡±

    At first nce there was nothing to be seen, but nevertheless Shin could sense something that gave a nostalgic feelinging from that seemingly deserted location, which made him cock his head to one side, trying to pinpoint the origin of that sensation.

    He couldn¡¯t say where, but his intuition told him that he had felt it before.

    As they descended, the mirage-concealed location gradually floated into view. Tzaobath was heading straight there, so it had to be their destination.

    ¡°Shin, do you recognize that?¡±

    ¡°No¡­is that the entrance? There is a presence I can¡¯t quite put my finger on.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, something might have changed here after the faerie vige was created. I had been told that you would understand, though.¡±

    Tzaobath asked this question to Shin and then held its chin, deep in thought. Looks like even dragons make that gesture when thinking.

    It had been Sety who said that Shin would surely understand, apparently.

    Soon enough, they arrived a few mels from the ground. Tzaobath finally gracefully pped its wings and performed a very softnding. Shin and the party got down from its back right after.

    ¡°The faerie vige I know is over there.¡±

    Tzaobath pointed at the location where the scenery was warped they had seen from above. It was aboutrge enough for Tzaobath to pass through it, if it crouched, but did not seem to have any depth.

    ¡°That is pretty different from how I remember faerie viges entrances to be¡­¡±

    Shin remembered to be rings of light that appeared only when the item granting permission to enter was used.

    The other side was another world: that had probably not changed, though. The difference with his memories from the game era, however, still gave Shin a weird feeling.

    ¡°By the way, we do not have the entrance permission item, can we still pass?¡±

    ¡°As long as you are with me. I have been told that Shin and his ¡®support characters¡¯ won¡¯t be stopped.¡±

    There was probably no reason to block Shin, Sety¡¯s master, and hispanions from passing.

    ¡°It looks different than usual, but let¡¯s go through it right away.¡±

    Shin was a bit concerned, but decided to gather his courage and go through. As soon as he stepped into the distorted space, the scenery changed instantly.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    The newly appeared scenery left Shin speechless.

    Warm sunlight, a calm breeze. A small hill peppered with trees. He looked to the right and saw the teleport point building, as he remembered. It was all just like a view he had seen before.

    Shin couldn¡¯t believe it and looked at an area used as a flower field. There he noticed a single gravestone, standing among multicolored flowers. As he soon as he saw the gravestone, Shin ran up to it.

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°My lord!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Shin!?¡±

    Yuzuha grabbed on to his shoulder, trying not to fall off; Schnee and Tiera, who had entered after him, were surprised. Shin did not notice any of that, however.

    He rushed next to the gravestone and looked at the name engraved on it. There was no mistake, it was ¡°Marino¡±.

    It was indeed the private area that Shin had acquired as a reward during an event, which he had used to bury Marino¡¯s avatar.

 Book 12: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°So it still remained¡­¡±

    Marino¡¯s gravestone was still in that private area. Shin had lost hisposure when he saw it, but thanks to the gentle, warm sunlight shining on it and the flowers around it, he calmed down quickly.

    ¡°Is this someone¡¯s grave?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­the person that I loved.¡±

    Shin replied matter-of-factly to Yuzuha¡¯s question. His tone both included sadness and nostalgia. After hearing the answer Yuzuha jumped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder and looked at the gravestone for a while.

    ¡°My lord!!¡±

    Schnee, who was shocked by Shin¡¯s sudden dash, had followed him. As expected of a kunoichi, even in while rushing she did not step on the flowers around the grave, just like Shin did.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I kind of lost my cool there.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°This is, you see, a private area that¡­I mean, a particr ce? Who would have guessed that Sety was here¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so. You started running with a concerned look on your face, so I thought that something grave had happened.¡±

    Schnee was honestly worried, so she sighed in relief.

    A littleter, Tiera arrived running too, but she had a hard time avoiding the flowers.

    ¡°No need to hurry. I¡¯m sorry for surprising you.¡±

    ¡°Oh really. But why did you run off like that anyway?¡±

    After Shin reassured her, Tiera calmed down and approached them while slowly walking around the flowers. Just like Schnee had, she asked Shin what had happened to him.

    ¡°I told you about my past and Marino, right? This is where I buried Marino¡¯s avatar, and this is her grave.¡±

    Tiera looked in the same direction as Shin was looking.

    ¡°¡­I see. Now I understand why you made that face.¡±

    Shin realized that he must have seemed desperate and regretted it. It was too sudden a surprise, however, so he had momentarily lost hisposure.

    All the flowers surrounding the grave had gentle colors, which calmed the heart just by looking at them.

    Shin had thought about this ce after arriving to this world. Since the very geography of the world had changed, he thought that even if it still existed it would have been difficult to find. He had considered asking Berett to look for it, but being rted to Marino, it was too emotional a subject for Shin. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be right to bother him with something like this, so he did not say anything to the other members either.

    ¡°My lord, who is Marino?¡±

    ¡°I guess you forgot her too. Marino was my lover, and this is her grave. I thought that maybe she wouldn¡¯t feel lonely here.¡±

    ¡°Lover¡­¡­.!?¡±

    ¡°Schnee?¡±

    After hearing about Marino, Schnee frowned, holding her temples. She stumbled as if affected by vertigo, so Tiera supported her.

    ¡°M-Master!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised by her sudden change.

    ¡°Hey, why did you three run ahe¡­.hey Schnee, what¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Filma and Shibaid had lost sight of Shin and the others, as they had run to the gravestone before they could pass the portal, so they reached their position only now. Surprised to see Tiera holding Schnee, Filma ran up to her, then Shibaid asked a question.

    ¡°I did not feel any enemy presence, but what happened?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we were just talking when she started holding her temples like that.¡±

    Shin exined what happened while watching Tzaobath enter the faerie vige too.

    Schnee recovered fairly quickly, but they decided to let her rest for a while, just in case. In the meantime, Shin spoke with Filma.

    ¡°Marino¡¯s grave, I see. I get why you got all shaken up, but Schnee¡¯s reaction was pretty surprising.¡±

    ¡°Surprising?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I mean, it¡¯s a bit weird to say, but Marino is not with us any more. Even if she could stimte Schnee¡¯s memories, I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d react as excessively as she did.¡±

    Her grave was here¡­she was buried here, so there was no risk that she could take Shin away, or so Filma thought.

    ¡°Why are you all gathered here?¡±

    Tzaobath reached the group after finally managing to pass through the entrance with its gigantic body. It was still at a distance from the group, as it did not want to risk trampling the flower field.

    ¡°Did something happen before I came?¡±

    Tzaobath wasrge enough that it did not need toe close in order to look down on Shin¡¯s group, so it noticed right away that Schnee was not feeling well: it reacted like Filma and Shibaid, so Shin gave it a brief exnation.

    ¡°I see. Indeed it does seem a particr reaction to having one¡¯s memory stimted.¡±

    Tzabath noted that in his experience, after being affected by the cursed tag, Tzaobath¡¯s friend never showed any reaction to Tzaobath telling about their memories together or showing items rted to them.

    ¡°There are, however, many differences between a High Elf female and my friend, who was a Human. I do not think it wise to treat their cases the same way.¡±

    Tzaobath added that it had never seen a reaction such as Schnee¡¯s, but no one knew what it could mean at the moment.

    ¡°No need to rack our brains over this any further. I believe we should go ahead and create the blessed tag.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You said that Sety was here, is she over there?¡±

    Shin remembered there being only one building in his private area, a kind of shrine. However, a log house was standing next to it now.

    Shin¡¯s detection field picked up a nostalgic response: inside the log house, he sensed a presence that could only be Sety. Shin noted many other small markers were spinning around it: they were probably from the Tsumugi tribe, as Tzaobath had mentioned.

    Schnee had recovered already, so the group decided to head towards the log house: that very moment, the door opened and noisy voices could be heard.

    ¡°Hey!! What are you making a ruckus for!! I know that Tzaobath brought people here!! Look at the fire!! I left the fire on!! I said don¡¯t pull on my clothes!! Or my hair!!¡±

    From the log house appeared a young girl carrying a frying pan, excited to the point of spilling its contents everywhere, pulled by flying creatures.

    With blonde twin tails poking out of her pointed hat being pulled around, tears were forming in the young girl¡¯s deep red eyes. Such an entrance almost made everyone forget that she was actually a powerful mage, Shin¡¯s fifth support character, Sety Lumiere.

    While she was quite pretty, whe was less than 160 cemels in height, so she looked like a high school freshman or a mature-looking junior high student. Compared to Schnee and Filma, who clearly had adult looks, Sety appeared quite childish.

    ¡°Keep this up and there¡¯s no dinner for you today!! Hey, wait!! I said stooooop!¡±

    Even her witch-like mantle and skirt were being pulled: Sety, irritated, started threatening to not give the little creatures anything to eat.

    The little creatures ¡ª Tsumugi tribe members stopped for an instant, but then started pulling at her again. The Tsumugi tribe looked quite fancy: cute, deformed versions of human-like upper half bodies. Thanks to their lovely appearance theirck of fingers and dark skin did not seem creepy. In the game era, many female yers and even some male yers had requested to be able to use them as mascots and take them into their homes or guildhouses.

    As per the game¡¯s settings, they all shared their memories and did not have individual names. Because of that, using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on any Tsumugi tribe member would show the same name, Tsumugin. It was pretty well known among yers that when this name was revealed, a thread on the game¡¯s bulletin board was opened: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the devs¡¯ naming sense¡±.

    ¡°I feel all my strength just melting away¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re much more active than usual, I suppose they have felt the cursed tag¡¯s effects, that¡¯s why they¡¯re taking Sety to us.¡±

    Shin had been taken by surprise by Sety¡¯s unexpected entrance, but Tzaobath reassured him that they weren¡¯t always like that.

    The Tsumugi tribe was very sensitive to the Kishimi tribe¡¯s aura, and vice versa. As Tzaobath said, that was probably the reason why they were pulling Sety like that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we cannot leave her like that.¡±

    The group nodded and followed Shin towards the loghouse: as they did, the Tsumugi let Sety go.

    ¡°Geez, what¡¯s with you guys, really. I know that the house won¡¯t burn up just because the fire is on, but¡­eh?¡±

    Sety was fixing her hair with a brush, holding the frying pan with the other hand, when her eyes caught Shin¡¯s group walking near Tzaobath¡¯s legs. When Shin noticed it, he greeted her very casually.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°¡­hmm? ¡­.???¡±

    Sety had not noticed him right away, but soon enough she recognized Shin. Her pouting face turned into an expression of absolute surprise. She froze in ce, while the contents of her frying pan started slipping out and falling out. The liquid falling out of the frying pan sshed on her legs.

    ¡°Ouch!! So hot!! No wait, my lord!? Ohhh!!¡±

    ¡°Yep¡­.that¡¯s Sety.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­.Sety indeed.¡±

    Watching Sety caught between surprise and heat, Filma and Shibaid nodded thoughtfully, as if hit by a wave of nostalgia.

    ¡°Was she always like this?¡±

    ¡°Eh, she wasn¡¯t?¡±

    Tiera was confused by the different reactions to Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°I understand the surprise, but can you calm down a bit?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s these little guys¡¯ fault, for pulling me out when I was cooking. Why are you here anyway, my lord? You ditched us for 500 years, why did you evene back now!?¡±

    Encouraged by Tzaobath, Sety spoke to Shin after a moment, as if her previous confusion had not happened at all. Her red face and ears clearly showed her embarrassment.

    Her words, however, had some thorns to them.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can say if you put it that way. Could you please at least listen to what I have to say?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. If you say that, I guess I could spare a minute or two.¡±

    Shin expected her to protest more, but Sety just red at him and scoffed, begrudgingly epting. She was acting bossy, but the dripping frying pan robbed her of any dignity.

    ¡°Shin, who is she?¡±

    Schnee, now fully recovered, asked about Sety, so Shin gave her a brief exnation.

    ¡°She¡¯s myst support character, Sety Lumiere. She was created a bitter than you, so she¡¯s like a little sister. ¡±

    Shin also exined about the Tsumugi tribe creatures floating around Schnee.

    ¡°I see, so these little creatures gathered around me because the cursed tag was used on me. Now I understand.¡±

    The Tsumugi had left Sety and gathered around Schnee, sometimes rubbing their bodies against her arms.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just ignore me like that!? And you, big sis, don¡¯t talk like you¡¯ve met me for the first time! You¡¯re horrible!¡±

    ¡°Big sis?¡±

    Schnee was puzzled by how the protesting Sety addressed her.

    When creating Sety, Shin had yed around a bit, making her call Schnee, Shibaid, and the others big sister or brother. Apparently those settings were still effective.

    ¡°Eh, you haven¡¯t forgotten, right? ¡°Our lord¡± here told me to call youdy sister, but that¡¯s too embarrassing so I switched to big sis, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sety. There¡¯s actually an exnation for this.¡±

    Sety started looking at the strange-acting Schnee with suspicion, so Shin exined what happened.

    In the beginning Sety listened quietly, but when she heard that the affection-resetting item also deleted memories, she became furious.

    ¡°Whaat!? Does that creep know how mydy sister felt all these years waiting for master?? Unforgivable!! When we find him I¡¯m going to burn him, freeze him, smash him to pieces!!¡±

    Sety became so emotional that she used the dy sister¡± name, despite how embarrassing she imed it was. Her confrontational attitude vanished, Sety did not try to hide her anger, clearly showing how much she adored Schnee. Schnee herself, however, could not bear to look at her like this and stopped her.

    ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°No way I can!! I¡¯m going to teach Hameln that he messed with the wrong person!!¡±

    Sety, however, was too far gone, so Schnee¡¯s words just poured more fuel in the fire of her rage.

    Thinking that she had to stop Sety, Schnee stepped in front of her, pulled her closer and hugged her tight.

    ¡°Nmgh!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. Our lord and the others havee here to return my memories. I am happy that you are angry for me, but please listen to our lord.¡±

    Schnee gently caressed Sety¡¯s head while soothing her violent spirits.

    The sudden hug had caused Sety to freeze, then shudder. A little whileter, her arms and legs rxed.

    ¡°Did it pass?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a bit too easy on Sety, Schnee.¡±

    Shin was relieved that the ruckus had calmed down, and Filma added ament. Maybe because she was the little sister of the group, Schnee had said that she always felt like hugging her.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I was hugged too¡­¡± thought Shin while remembering what had happened at Falnido and Balmel. At the same time he remembered the softness of Schnee¡¯s chest, so he hurriedly shook his head to dispel such thoughts.

    ¡°I do agree that it¡¯s good that things turned quiet, but can you just leave them like that? I feel this happened before too¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Following Shibaid¡¯s question, Shin looked at Schnee and Sety. He felt a little envious of Sety, being cradled by Schnee¡¯s breasts, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it this time.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t Sety tapping master¡¯s back there?¡±

    ¡°¡­.hm? Now that you mention it, it does look that way.¡±

    Shin looked at the two again after Tiera¡¯sment, realizing that Sety¡¯s movements seemed strange, like a wrestler trying to tap out. Come to think of it, a good while had passed since Schnee had started to hug her.

    However, it was a mystery why the Tsumugin were touching Sety¡¯s body too.

    In stark contrast with her desperate struggle, the little creatures performedpletely fluffy movements and sounds..

    ¡°Oh yeah, Schnee couldn¡¯t control her strength in her initial settings. Hey Schnee, she¡¯s going to suffocate if you don¡¯t let her go.¡±

    ¡°Suffocate? Ah¡­¡±

    Schnee let Sety go after Filma told her to, and the high pixie panted heavily, her facepletely red above Schnee¡¯s chest. She had tasted heaven and hell at the same time, like Shin had before.

    ¡°Hah¡­hah¡­I¡­thought¡­hah¡­I was¡­hah¡­going to¡­die¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°O-of course, I¡­wheeze.¡±

    Sety was desperating recovering her breath, but did not me Schnee in any way. She knew that Schnee¡¯s embrace expressed her gratitude.

    ¡°Do you lot do this all the time?¡±

    ¡°¡­.sometimes?¡±

    Tzaobath looked at Shin¡¯s group with a sigh, and Yuzuha could only give him a short answer.

    ¡°S-so, my lord, you came looking for ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», right?¡±

    After recovering her breath Sety, still red because of the embarrassment she was subjected to, went to check her stock. Once again, she acted as if nothing had happened.

    Lily Orchids, the nts needed to concoct ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», grew in locations where positive emotions were strong or where pure streams of water flowed. The Tsumugins also cultivated it elsewhere. They too responded strongly to positive emotions and had the power to suppress negative ones.

    In the opposite way, the Kishimi tribe could amplify negative emotions and suppress positive ones.

    Such abilities had no effect on the yers in the game era, but in this world things were obviously different: Shin made a mental note of this while listening to Sety.

    ¡°Exactly. ording to the person who gave the information, though, there¡¯s only a 50% probability of sess.¡±

    ¡°Just 50%? It doesn¡¯t work all the time?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t decide it. Anyway, you have ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», right?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. Or rather, with the Tsumugins around there¡¯s no way you can¡¯t find some!¡±

    Sety¡¯s tone suggested that it was pointless to ask such obvious things. Her attitude, however, was ill received by a certain person.

    ¡°Sety. This has been on my mind since before, but aren¡¯t your manners towards our lord Shin too disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Eh!?! But big sis Filma doesn¡¯t speak politely to him either¡­big sis, you¡¯re pretty different than before¡­¡±

    Sety, wary of Schnee¡¯s different atmosphere than when she was hugging her, instinctively stepped backwards.

    ¡°Filma is allowed to, though. Again, I am happy that you are angry for my sake, but that has nothing to do with your attitude towards our lord. I shall not allow any excessive friendly behavior without permission.¡±

    ¡°Eek!! I¡¯m sorry!!¡±

    Despite her smile, Schnee¡¯s aura was rightfully frightening, so Sety instantly raised the white g. Even if Schnee had lost her memories, the hierarchy was the same.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind that at all, and please call me Shin.¡±

    Shin extended a helping hand, to which Sety nodded while stealing quick nces at Schnee.

    ¡°O-okay then¡­permission! I have permission now!¡±

    Sety unted her newly obtained permission under Schnee¡¯s stern gaze.

    ¡°Anyway, our first priority is the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡». Where is it?¡±

    Sety responded by beating her chest with her left hand, her right one still holding the frying pan, a perfectly smug look on her face.

    ¡°Inside my item box! Heheh, time to show your deepest gratitude to me for protecting the Tsumugins and¡ªsorrysorryimsorryioversteppedmybounds!¡±

    Sety was shot down halfway through by Schnee¡¯s darting gaze and quickly apologized.

    ¡°Er¡­anyway, you¡¯re a lifesaver. I¡¯m really thankful.¡±

    Shin calmed Schnee down, who was starting to make the mood tense again, and honestly thanked Sety. Her storing the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» was a real help.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡»!¡­¡­my lord!¡±

    Sety materialized the item cards, prudently. Transparent bottles containing a semi-transparent liquid appeared in her hands.

    ¡°Turn big sis back now!¡­please.¡±

    ¡°Just talk like you want. Schnee doesn¡¯t really mind either, see.¡±

    Shin took the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» from Sety, materialized Tsuki no Hokora and went straight to the alchemy room. A few minutester, Shin returned with several blue-rimmed white cards with patterns drawn on them.

    ¡°So this is the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡».¡±

    ¡°Yes, using these should return your memories.¡±

    The probability being 50%, it was painful not being able to say that the tags would definitely work. Shin wasted no time and decided to use the tags right away. He thought about using it and held it close to Schnee: the blessed tag then lit up with a white light.

    Schnee stood still, her eyes closed. The light emanating from the blessed tag slowly traveled through the air towards her, enveloping her body. A few momentster, it popped without a sound and disappeared. A few more moments, and Schnee opened her eyes.

 Book 12: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    ¡°¡­.how do you feel?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it didn¡¯t work. I feel as if I can almost remember something, but only mere fragments of the memory.¡±

    Schnee lightly shook her head while speaking. There was a slight effect, but overall the experiment had apparently failed.

    ¡°No good, huh¡­will something happen if we try to use it one more time?¡±

    Shin was disappointed, but quickly thought that they could try to use more blessed tags, since they had spares anyway.

    ¡°I never tried, so I couldn¡¯t say. Wait a moment, let me ask them first.¡±

    Sety then spoke to the Tsumugins. Some of the floating creatures nodded at Sety. Shin couldn¡¯t tell, but she was apparently able tomunicate with them.

    After a while, the Tsumugins shook their heads.

    ¡°Seems like it won¡¯t work. ording to the Tsumugins, the negative forces present now are stronger, so if it fails once it won¡¯t work anymore.¡±

    ¡°Which means, the only other way is to defeat the evil deity?¡±

    ¡°Does this ¡®evil deity¡¯ really exist?¡±

    Tiera had a difficult time believing such a being actually existed.

    In this world there were monsters acting as gods, but normally were never spotted. In the game period, yers would venture into remote and dangerous areas for items or fame. Now, however, people were far less likely to perform such dangerous activities, so such adventurers and areas were currently parts of tales and legends¡­

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called Adetropos. It looks¡­well, really creepy.¡±

    Shin recalled Adetropos and grimaced. Adetropos had its upper-half appearing as a human and its lower-half the body of a snake.

    Its bald, earless face was covered by a mask, white with three holes, standing for its eyes and mouth. The holes were fully ck, so it was impossible to tell where it was looking.

    Its right arm was extremely short from the shoulder to the elbow and the elbow to the wrist, while the fingers were 10 times longer. Its left arm was split in two from the elbow, with multiple human eyes covering it.

    The upper half of its body was also covered by tattoos that looked like they could be used for magic rituals.

    Its lower half was simply snake-like, but with erected scales; from the gaps between them insect and crustacean-like legs grew out, allowing it to move at high speed.

    It was a monster famous for making first-time yers, both male and female, freeze at how disgusting it looked.

    ¡°As a single boss it¡¯s not that strong, but it gets stronger the more it absorbs memories. I don¡¯t know how much it has absorbed now, so we should go all out from the start to defeat it.¡±

    The evil deity Adetropos¡¯ strength depended on the memories it had umted.

    In the game era it had umted more than 100 or 200 memories, so its power was heavily boosted. With Shin¡¯s current level, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to take care of it. Letting his guard down was a risk, but it would hardly be a difficult fight.

    ¡°They¡¯re also saying that big sis is part of the problem.¡±

    ¡°I am?¡±

    Sety, after talking with the Tsumugins, added this statement apologetically.

    The situation had been caused by Hameln¡¯s attack, none of it was Schnee¡¯s fault. No one, herself included, had any idea how she could be part of the problem.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°The Tsumugins saw the blessed tag and the cursed tag¡¯s powers sh, when you used it. In the end, though, it was something else than the cursed tag¡­big sis¡¯ own power that repelled the blessed tag¡¯s effect. That¡¯s why it failed.¡±

    The Tsumugins also said that the blessed tag would have worked, had it not been for that.

    ¡°So, I myself have repelled the blessed tag¡¯s effect. I have no recollection of doing anything, though.¡±

    ¡°They said they only felt that, but can¡¯t determine the reason why it happened.¡±

    Schnee shouldn¡¯t have had any reason to resist. Sety looked at the Tsumugins, hoping they could provide more information. However most of them were caressing Schnee¡¯s hair, attached to her shoulders and arms, apparently trying to console her. Shin understood that there was nothing to gain in questioning them further.

    ¡°Well, I guess all we can do is gather whatever info we have and start looking everywhere, huh? I have no idea where the Kishimi could have enshrined the evil deity in this world after all.¡±

    If the geography was the same as the game world, Shin would have an idea, but that didn¡¯t apply anymore. If the Kishimi tribe was targeting Shin¡¯s group, they could wait for them to strike and draw the information out of them, but Hameln stated that he had destroyed their settlement.

    He had no reason to lie, so that was probably the truth.

    Even if he was lying, he had no reason toe in contact with Shin¡¯s group in the first ce. Even if they waited, the solution would note.

    ¡°I can tell if we get close, but I have no idea how much it would take, even within only this continent.¡±

    ¡°Can you recognize the evil deity¡¯s presence?¡±

    ¡°They taught me how to. Maintaining this ce is difficult, but just wasting time would be boring, right?¡±

    Sety had learned that thanks to her ability of being able tomunicate with the Tsumugins. Now her detection ability had grown enough to be on their level, apparently.

    ¡°Is that presence different from miasma?¡±

    Tiera timidly asked a question. If miasma was involved, she could probably be of some assistance.

    ¡°The evil deity takes away all memories, both happy and sad ones. There is no reason for that, neither ill nor good intentions in its actions. So its presence is not necessarily evil, like miasma. I too know what miasma feels like, and I am positive that they arepletely different.¡±

    Sety said that she became able to tell after living for a long time with the Tsumugins.

    ¡°In the old times, people with terribly sad memories offered them to the deity, in order to not be tortured by them anymore. That changed gradually over time though. ording to the Tsumugins, the venerated evil deity wasn¡¯t actually evil from the start.¡±

    ¡°First time I heard that. So there was a backstory we weren¡¯t aware of, huh.¡±

    The event presented the Kishimi as an evil tribe, their deity a foe to be defeated. There was some story behind it, but in the end, the evil deity was just a monster, with no story exining the process behind its birth.

    ¡±Does that mean that it won¡¯t be enough just to defeat it then?¡±

    ¡°No, it looks like it¡¯s fine to do that. It¡¯s not just a matter of ¡°turning back¡± anymore, after all.¡±

    Sety answered Shin¡¯s question without any hesitation. The Tsumugins had already exined the details to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s helpful that we can go ahead and defeat it without reservations, but we have to find it first. The shrine where the evil deity was venerated wasn¡¯t a big ce either¡­if only we could restrict the range a little.¡±

    The shrine was probably about as big as Tsuki no Hokora: even if they asked for Tzaobath and the Elder Dragons¡¯ help and searched from the sky, there was no way to tell how much time it would take. If it had sank underground, for example, it would be impossible to find from above.

    Shin was thinking about the next move, when Tzaobath spoke to him.

    ¡°O Shin, I have an idea where the settlement of the annihted Kishimi tribe could be. I cannot say with absolute certainty, but there may be some clues remaining.¡±

    Tzaobath did not remember the locations of all the Kishimi settlements, but in a situation where they had no idea where to go, the information alone was very helpful.

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely better than searching aimlessly. Could you guide us there?¡±

    ¡°I would note here with no intention to do anything. Leave it to me.¡±

    The locations, four in all, were not scattered throughout the continent, but concentrated in the upper region, to the west of Est. There were no other settlements in the vicinity, so Tzaobath had destroyed them from the air with breath attacks.

    ¡°That makes me think that any clues might have been blown away too¡­¡±

    ¡°Apologies, I did not expect something like this to happen.¡±

    ¡°No, it will be worth going nevertheless. Can we leave tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Certainly. Ready for battle and rest well.¡±

    Traveling to Rashugum and then to their current location had already used a lot of time. Tzaobath¡¯s speed would have allowed the group to reach their destination before night, but it would be dangerous to spend the night where the evil deity might be residing.

    ¡°That¡¯s decided then. What are your ns for dinner? There are plenty of ingredients, so you¡¯re more than wee to join us.¡±

    ¡°You wish to feed me? I consume as much as many humans.¡±

    Tzaobath probably meant it as a joke, as it grinned while saying it, but Shin replied with a smile.

    ¡°We have enough food for one century.¡±

    Thanks to the generator producing materials over time, they had more than enough food items in store. Shin¡¯s party used them for cooking, but the quantity was sorge that there was no risk of running out anytime soon.

    ¡°¡­.that is impressive. I wonder why you would have so much, but let us not inquire further. Then, I would enjoy eating a sea monster for the first time in a long while.¡±

    ¡°How about Leviathan meat then? The volume and quantity should be enough, I think.¡±

    ¡°That giant sea dragon? While not as impressive as me, I hear it is supposed to be quite powerful. Is it delicious?¡±

    ¡°I guarantee it is. It is a highly valuable ingredient after all: it is good grilled, boiled, even raw.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then please do serve me some. I would need this much.¡±

    Tzaobath then drew a circle in the air, probably enough quantity to feed thousands of people.

    The generator had been active for 500 years, though: even using that much food wouldn¡¯t cause a dent in Shin¡¯s inventory.

    Leviathan meat would berge meat weighing hundreds of kegums when materialized, so Tzaobath¡¯s request would be easily satisfied.

    ¡°Hmm, eating by ourselves would be kind of strange, so why don¡¯t we do a barbecue today? With the Tsumugins too.¡±

    ¡°Nice idea, big sis Filma!¡±

    Sety happily agreed to Filma¡¯s proposal, maybe also because it would have been a pain to cook again, considering what she had spilled from her frying pan. No one opposed Filma¡¯s proposal, so dinner would be a barbecue in front of the log house.

    Shin prepared the tools, with Schnee cooking, helped by Tiera and Sety.

    Sety had trained her cooking skill to a certain extent, but she had stopped to the point of being able to cook satisfactorily. When she heard that Schnee¡¯s cooking skill was level IX, she quickly stated that she would assist her.

    ¡°By the way, big sis Filma is always the same, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, her cooking is edible¡­but that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°What are we talking about?¡±

    Sety and Shibaid chatted while looking at Filma, so Shin wondered what they were saying, though he could more or less guess.

    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of eating, anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be better if you learned to, even a little, you know? Anyway, I¡¯ll go help out.¡±

    Sety addressed Filma and left to go help Schnee and Tiera.

    ¡°After joining up with Schnee and the rest, the food¡¯s always been really good, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree, but there¡¯s nothing to lose in learning.¡±

    ¡°What about you two, then? Are you going to say that I should learn to cook because I¡¯m a woman?¡±

    Shin¡¯sment must have irritated Filma, as she turned to her two malepanions and red at them.

    ¡°As long as it isn¡¯tplicated stuff, I can cook, actually. I used to live by myself, after all.¡±

    ¡°I myself was the leader of my tribe, so I have some expertise.¡±

    ¡°Kh, why do you both have this feminine side now¡­?¡±

    Both Shin and Shibaid were forced to learn by outside circumstances. Shin was also helped by other skills, but stillpared to Sety or Schnee his cooking was pretty much nothing.

    Thinking they shouldn¡¯t tease her too much, Shin changed topic and asked Shibaid and Filma what they did after the Dusk of Majesty.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m smelling something really good, I guess the food is almost ready?¡±

    Not only Filma, but also Shin and Shibaid were caught by the delicious smell, mid-conversation, and looked towards its source. The sizzling of vegetables, meat, and fish skewers cooking on the grill could be heard.

    Sety and Tiera were in charge of them, while Schnee had skewered the Leviathan meat Shin had given her and was roasting it with the ¡¾Fire¡¿ spell.

    Tzaobath¡¯s nose twitched at the sight. Even the most powerful monsters were vulnerable to good food, apparently.

    Yuzuha had been quietly sitting on Shin¡¯s shoulder, but her patience was now at its limits: she started tugging on his clothes with her front paws.

    ¡°Shin! Shin!!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡±

    Shin nodded and walked towards Tiera and Sety.

    ¡°Hmm~~yes, it¡¯s better for me to let Schnee cook, after all~~¡±

    ¡°Filma, that is quite the convenient stance, is it not.¡±

    Shibaid rebuked Filma, who had wasted no time in filling her mouth.

    Pretending not to hear, Filma quickly hid behind Tiera¡¯s back.

    ¡°Well, let her off the hook for today. Let¡¯s eat too.¡±

    Shin thanked Tiera and Sety for the food, then started picking up skewers too.

    The juicy vor of the meat spread throughout his mouth after the first bite, mixed with the sweet & sour sauce it had been dipped in, making it even more delicious.

    ¡°No need to hoard, Yuzuha, there¡¯s still plenty left¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Being in small fox mode probably made it hard to eat: Yuzuha changed into human form and wolfed down the food, holding as many skewers as she could. Shin thought that in human form, her contrasting looks and actions produced a jarring impression.

    ¡°Delicious, indeed.¡±

    A bit far from them, Tzaobath swallowed the Leviathan meat Schnee cooked. While it didn¡¯t look like it could taste it as it ate, the dragon seemed very satisfied. The mountain-like mass of cooked meat disappeared at an incredible speed.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to help too, but there¡¯s too big of a difference in skill level between me and Schnee¡­¡±

    Shin could cook meat too, but with skill effects kicking in, even if the finished product looked the same, the taste would bepletely different.

    After tasting Schnee¡¯s meat, Shin¡¯s cooking would surely taste vorless.

    ¡°Bis sis¡¯ cooking can even please the strongest of monsters!¡±

    Sety looked on proudly at Schnee¡¯s cooking results. Next to her, Tiera added new ingredients on the skewers, with a troubled look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I knew it already, but¡­the difference in skill level, huh¡­¡±

    Before going to serve Tzaobath, Schnee had cooked a few skewers herself. Tiera had tasted them, but having helped Schnee since their Tsuki no Hokora days, the difference in taste made her almost feel ashamed.

    Shin decided to try the meat and vegetables cooked by Tiera. The taste and texture might have been inferior to Schnee¡¯s, but despite herck of skill, they were very delicious.

    ¡°¡­.yeah, the taste is not as good, but they¡¯re still pretty good, I think?¡±

    ¡°No need forpliments. I¡¯ll stick to cutting the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, really. Filma, guys, you try them too.¡±

    Shin asked Filma, Shibaid, and Yuzuha to try Tiera¡¯s skewers too.

    ¡°No, stop, I¡¯ll just get more depressed~!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s plea fell on deaf ears: Shin was not in the mood for joking around, after all.

    She had not grilled many skewers, so they shared the ingredients between them. After a brief silence, Yuzuha was the first to talk.

    ¡°It¡¯s not better than Schnee¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    The mercilessment inflicted damage to Tiera¡¯s confidence.

    ¡°It¡¯s as good as Sety¡¯s, though.¡±

    ¡°Eeh!?¡±

    It was Sety¡¯s turn to be surprised now.

    ¡°I have the cooking skill, though¡­and you say that it¡¯s the same level as mine?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be, I haven¡¯t acquired that skill after all.¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s evaluation confused both Sety and Tiera. Filma and Shibaid, however, agreed with her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shocker. It means that Tiera¡¯s good enough to rival someone with the actual skill?¡±

    ¡°Can that even happen?¡±

    Tiera and Sety tasted the skewers and had to agree that what Shin had said was true, but there were still doubts left.

    ¡°Could it be that Tiera actually knows the skill? She cooked at Tsuki no Hokora too after all, and after joining our travels, she¡¯s used all sorts of ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Is it even possible to learn skills without knowing, like that?¡±

    Sety countered Shin¡¯s hypothesis with a question. Newly acquired skills had ¡°NEW¡± disyed next to them on the menu, so it would be hard not to notice.

    ¡°Tiera was a normal person at first¡­okay, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the best way to say it, but her menu couldn¡¯t be seen. Now it¡¯s possible though, so why don¡¯t we check?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, just a sec.¡±

    Checking the menu was a habit of yers and support characters, who lived in the game era, and Chosen Ones, beings simr to yers.

    Tiera did not belong to such categories, so she was not used to doing so. In her home vige, she had learned that she possessed the Priestess job just because there was someone with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¡°¡­eh?¡±

    Tiera checked her skills, only to look like she had seen something preposterous. She looked left and right, probably because she was looking at the list.

    ¡°How is it now?¡±

    Tiera was supposed to have just a few skills: Shin thought that was taking too much time to check her supposedly short list, so he asked her.

    ¡°This is weird. My Cooking skill is at IV, there are also some whip skills I never used, and the dagger skills leveled up too. I can also see magic skills I never used before.¡±

    ¡°What the?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help being surprised at the fact that Tiera had learned so many skills she had no recollection of. Shibaid and Filma too, of course.

    It was a fairly bizarre situation, so they decided to talk about it after the meal.

    ¡°Hmm, this elven maiden, is she not an inheritor?¡±

    ¡°An inheritor?¡±

    The group exined the situation to Schnee and Tzaobath too, and the dragon mentioned a term that Shin had not heard before. It appeared to share the same meaning as Chosen One.

    ¡°I have been told that those you call ¡°Chosen One¡± have an aptitude for learning skills. Maybe the skills she has no memory of were in her possession all along?¡±

    ¡°No, when Shin taught me ¡¾Analyze¡¿ I checked my skills and I didn¡¯t have so many. I have never used them during our travels either.¡±

    What made it all more confusing was the presence of skills difficult to learn naturally, such as the Whip skills.

    ¡°So if we write them all down, it¡¯s like this¡­hmm?¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Shin tried writing down the skills and noticed something, prompting his exmation. Schnee inquired about it, but he shook his head, implying it was nothing. He needed to be sure before making a statement.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. Tiera, you were Priestess of the World Tree, or something, right? Maybe that¡¯s rted somehow?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­I didn¡¯t use magic or weapons often for that job after all.¡±

    All members tried presenting likely theories, but could not reach a conclusion. Tiera tried using the skills, and they activated normally. They were not disyed erroneously, because of bugs or glitches, as might have happened in the game.

    ¡°What remains as a possibility, is that, I guess.¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    Shin took out a fragment of the¡ºDrop of Erathem¡»Filma had been sealed in for hundreds of years.

    ¡°Oh yeah, we didn¡¯t tell Sety yet. When we rescued Filma, a piece of this entered Tiera and the others¡¯ bodies. That time, their stats improved too, it¡­seems.¡±

    Just as Shin finished speaking, the materialized fragment turned into the light and entered Sety¡¯s body. Sety tried avoiding it out of reflex, but for some reason the Tsumugins pulled on her clothes to stop her. Sety¡¯s body glowed in gold and silver light.

    ¡°¡­.my stats went up. I could even pull off closebat now. Isn¡¯t this, like, cheating?¡±

    Sety was confused by the sudden event, then checked her status and frowned at her boosted stats. In the game, it was a boostparable to two resurrection bonuses.

    ording to the Tsumugins, the light was something that would help Sety. They did not know exactly what it was, so they could not exin where it came from, however.

    As far as Sety could tell, however, she had not acquired any new skills.

    Shin had Schnee and the others check too, just in case, but they had not acquired any new skills either.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying not to know for sure, but Tiera got stronger after all, so isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    Tiera was concerned, but Filma tried to take the situation in a positive light.

    ¡°It¡¯s just all happening without me knowing, so it¡¯s kind of scary.¡±

    ¡°Well, the Tsumugins said it isn¡¯t something evil, so don¡¯t worry too much. Better use them to your benefit instead.¡±

    Shin also tried to relieve Tiera¡¯s fears. If what he had noticed looking at the list was true, Tiera would surely benefit of the skills.

    After a while, the group dispersed.

    Sety then said that in times like these they needed a change of pace. Tiera asked what she meant, and Sety replied that they should take a bath.

    ¡°Just behind this loghouse there¡¯s an open air bath, actually. It¡¯s not a hot spring, but it does feel good.¡±

    ¡°That does sound nice. Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    ¡°But wait, we still haven¡¯t cleaned up¡­¡±

    Tiera protested that they still had work to do, but Sety and Filma forcefully pulled her away. Shin and Shibaid agreed to clean up, so that the girls could go take a bath together.

    ¡°You too Schnee, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°We can at least clean up here. Take care of Tiera.¡±

    ¡°¡­.understood.¡±

    She was not as enthusiastic, but Schnee followed Tiera and the others.

    ¡°You too, Yuzuha.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I go with Shin.¡±

    ¡°Go with Schnee and the others.¡±

    ¡°Boo~~¡±

    ¡°No booing.¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°No mewling either.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Schnee and the other girls¡¯ looks hurt when Shin had let child Yuzuha in the bath with him. If he let her grown up form in, he would surely meet retributionter.

    After Yuzuha had run off, Tzaobath spoke to Shin.

    ¡°She seems quite attached¡­very different from the Element Tails I know.¡±

    ¡°I saved her when she was in trouble, maybe that¡¯s the reason.¡±

    Shinughed wryly while washing the grill.

    ¡°I doubt that is the only reason.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll know once she gets to herplete form. Normally she¡¯s like you, a being superior to us yers and¡ª¨C¡±

    Element Tails were originally programmed not to follow yers. When she recovered her memories and power, she would probably leave Shin¡¯s side. When Shin mentioned this possibility, however, both Shibaid and Tzaobath tly refused to consider it.

    ¡°It might be strange for me to say this, as I joinedter, but I doubt that will happen.¡±

    ¡°And I agree.¡±

    Both of their looks seemed to mean ¡°what the heck are you saying, man?¡±

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s embarrassing to think that she might have feelings for me.¡±

    ¡°I can tell. That is the face of a female that desires you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with your choice of words!? ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but reacting to Tzaobath¡¯s all too honest evaluation.

    That night, both males and females deepened their rtionships.

 Book 12: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°To think that I¡¯de here again.¡±

    The sun had set and the moon had risen in the sky. Shin, alone, stood in front of Marino¡¯s grave. The others were probably already asleep.

    From the clear, cloudless sky, the moon quietly shone on the grave, the flowers surrounding it, and Shin.

    ¡°Hey, Marino. Is Tiera somehow connected to you?¡±

    Shin naturally did not expect to hear an answer, but he could not help but ask. The skills Tiera had learned were ones Shin knew well. He had seen them often, since they were Marino¡¯s skills.

    She had consulted with him many times before learning some of them. It would be a different situation if the skills Tiera knew were one or two¡­but as far as he could remember, Tiera had all of them. It was too much to bebelled as a mere coincidence.

    ¡°¡­.correct. I am inside that girl.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin turned around, shocked. Even if it was in his private area, it should have been impossible for anyone to sneak up on the current Shin unnoticed.

    ¡°Tiera¡­no, Marino?¡±

    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes saw Marino¡¯s silhouette ovep Tiera¡¯s. Tiera, or rather, her host body was looking in the distance with a hollow gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve exined everything to her.¡±

    Marino understood that Shin must have been worried about Tiera and reassured him.

    ¡°Is Tiera your reincarnation?¡±

    ¡°I wonder? I am just inside her. I was only able to fullyprehend it after we kissed, though.¡±

    She was probably referring to what happened in Hinomoto. Shin thought that Tiera had invoked Marino¡¯s soul, but that had apparently triggered the awakening of Marino¡¯s soul inside her.

    Until then her conscience had been blurry, as if she was dreaming. That too had started when Tiera became a World Tree priestess.

    ¡°This girl seems to be able tomunicate with many things. She can create connections with things that cannot be reached normally. That might be the reason why I ended up inside her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why she became the World Tree priestess¡­or was made one, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it was just a coincidence that she was born like this. Same goes for the curse. That can¡¯t be said for her meeting with you, though.¡±

    Marino talked while looking straight at Shin.

    ¡°After her exile, she was found by Schnee because I called for her. I thought that she could be safe in your Tsuki no Hokora. My conscience was still hazy then, so it was really lucky that my voice reached her.¡±

    Marino said that since her conscience was still blurred, she could not give more concrete assistance then. Marino was the reason why Tiera had been saved, however. Shin told her that she should be proud of that.

    ¡°Thank you. But I helped her because I had my reasons too.¡±

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    Being inside Tiera, Marino would die too if Tiera did. Tiera¡¯s expression, however, showed that Marino meant to say something else.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I wanted to help her. But I thought that, with her powers, I could maybe talk with you again. I could tell you what I couldn¡¯t before, the feelings lingering in me.¡±

    ¡°Lingering feelings¡­?¡±

    Her sad expression reminded Shin of Marino¡¯sst words. Marino had died saying ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡±. Shin could not tell what her ¡°lingering feelings¡± might be.

    ¡°The words I said that time¡­are tying you down. Watching you from inside her, I thought that I left you with the wrong words.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­.!!¡±

    Shin wanted to protest, but Marino sealed his lips with a finger.

    ¡°That time, I was only thinking of myself. I didn¡¯t even think for a moment that my words could tie you down. That¡¯s why I want to say something again, now.¡±

    Faint but gentle, such was Marino¡¯s smile as she talked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to work so hard anymore. You kept your promise. You saved everyone. So, don¡¯t let my words tie you down anymore. Just do what you wish.¡±

    Marino, using Tiera¡¯s body, quietly embraced Shin and told him her feelings. Even as the person hugging him was Tiera, he felt a very nostalgic sensation.

    ¡°¡­.to tell the whole truth, I don¡¯t think I have much time left.¡±

    After a few minutes, Marino stated this all too casually. Shin could not just let it go, however.

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°How can I say it¡­I¡¯m like the remains of a dead conscience, now. I am fully aware now, and remember most of the time we spent together. I can exist here thanks to Tiera, but I feel that my memories are gradually getting hazy. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to maintain this state for more than 10 minutes.¡±

    Her own existence was gradually vanishing, or so Marino concluded, calmly. She had probably already epted it: having dispelled herst regrets, there was no trace of sadness in her.

    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll¡­disappear?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably more correct to say that I¡¯ll fuse with her. Tiera, originally, could have been the Chosen One meant to inherit my strength¡­but since I remained, she couldn¡¯t inherit my stats and abilities, turning out as a normal person with no special powers, except the Priestess job.¡±

    Marino added that if she had been gone from the start, maybe Tiera wouldn¡¯t have been exiled from her vige.

    ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯s all as you said. But thinking about it in game terms, had Tiera been stronger, she would have just been attacked by stronger monsters. There would have been even more damage, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The monsters summoned by ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ depended on the stats of the cursed target. While there was an upper limit, the stronger the target was, the stronger the monsters would be.

    Marino¡¯s avatar did not have exceptionally high stats, but they were still much higher than this world¡¯s average citizen. The monsters summoned in such a case would be far superior to the level 200 beasts Tiera mentioned. In Tiera¡¯s vige too, there probably were those who made fighting their profession. Thanks to the absence of Marino¡¯s stats, however, the vige was likely spared extensive destruction.

    ¡°Is, that so??¡±

    ¡°Probably, yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you say ¡®definitely¡¯, you know.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°As always, you be a realist in the weirdest moments¡­¡±

    Marino sighed at Shin¡¯s unconvincing answer. Her expression then turnedpletely serious.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. Do you want to go back to the former world?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. Honestly speaking, right now, half of me wants to, while the other half wants to stay.¡±

    ¡°I would have expected it to be more unbnced. This world should be much easier for you to live in, after all.¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, I wanted to go back a lot more. But, I guess after living here for a while¡­I can¡¯t just abandon everything so easily now.¡±

    A world that lets you live freely. That was very attractive, of course. What was important for Shin, however, was not that.

    ¡°Friends, family, love. Important people, a ce to back to, it¡¯s all important. Now I have those things in both worlds.¡±

    Both world contained things and people important to Shin. Choosing either had be increasingly difficult.

    ¡°Your love in the real world is no more, though.¡±

    ¡°Even so. I promised to go meet her, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°¡­.ah, for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±

    Marino¡¯s serious expression crumbled, making way for a mixture of annoyance and happiness.

    ¡°If you keep that up, Schnee and Tie-mghmgh¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    After saying Schnee¡¯s name, Marino suddenly started talking gibberish. Tiera¡¯s formerly expressionless face seemed to blush a little.

    ¡°I got attacked by Tiera¡­anyway. Schnee loves you that much, so you might as well respond to her feelings, no?¡±

    Marino tried to act as if Tiera¡¯s interruption just now had never happened and proceed with the conversation. Her expression was serious again.

    ¡°Schnee is a support character I created with the settings I wanted. Since you were inside Tiera, maybe you know already, but I used items to increase her affection level towards me. In a way, it¡¯s like I brainwashed her.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think that it was all because of the items he used, but every now and then he would be reminded of their influence.

    ¡°Aah¡­why are men like this? No, I suppose it¡¯s just you, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Did I say something dumb now?¡±

    ¡°Looking back on Schnee, I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to start talking about brainwashing of all things. Those are her true feelings, get a clue already.¡±

    ¡°But she might be affected, no?¡±

    ¡°No. One hundred percent impossible. You should understand at least that.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±

    Being a woman, she could tell, or so she surmised. Shin had no idea why Marino could say that with such confidence.

    ¡°I want you to be happy, Shin. I don¡¯t know which is best for you, between staying here or going back, but I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±

    ¡°Everything you know?¡±

    ¡°After all, you were flung into this world all of a sudden. Before you said that half of you wanted to go back to the former world, but you think there¡¯s a low probability of being able to, right?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, I had no idea what happened, and I still don¡¯t.¡±

    The death game was supposed to end, so what happened next waspletely unexpected. Even if he wanted to go back, what was he supposed to do? He didn¡¯t have any actual clues.

    The existence of the Boundary Guardian monster and the Sacred ces, and other unknown elements, could be key in going back. Especially the Boundary Guardian, which was very different from other monsters.

    ¡°About that, there probably is a way to go back.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It mainly depends on Tiera¡¯s powers, though. As you are now, it¡¯s like you have two containers. One is your body in this world, in game terms the avatar, and the other¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­is my actual living body.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s the result of me and my knowledge of the former world bonding with Tiera and her powers. I think there¡¯s a way to go back, maybe your soul, or spirit¡­if we can separate it, you should be able to return.¡±

    ording to Marino, Shin¡¯s material body in the real world was probably pulling on Shin¡¯s spirit with more strength.

    ¡°Does it mean that I¡¯d go back to the former world if I died here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but don¡¯t even think of trying, okay? If it failed, you¡¯d just make everyone sad.¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking out loud, no way I¡¯m going to try.¡±

    It was hardly the situation to gamble on something like that. Shin¡¯s equipment had also the ability of resurrecting its wearer once: he wouldn¡¯t test it, however, so he was not sure that it would activate.

    ¡°Anyway, what I meant to say is that you don¡¯t have to feel pessimistic about the chances of going back to the real world.¡±

    ¡°Actually, having more possibilities is just more troublesome. If it wasn¡¯t possible, it¡¯d be easier to give up.¡±

    ¡°I could have just not said anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you maybe enjoying seeing me conflicted?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But it wouldn¡¯t be fair, right? There are people waiting for you over there, after all.¡±

    Shin red at Marino, half-jokingly, but she replied with a gentle yet strict tone. His parents, siblings, and friends were there.

    Shin was important to Schnee and his otherrades in this world, but so was he to the people waiting for his return in the other world.

    They were probably worried, hoping he would wake up soon. How could he ever say that they were less important than Schnee and the others?

    ¡°In the end, whether I go or stay, it all depends on me.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. With this, I said all I had to. Now you just have to choose whatever would leave you with the least regrets.¡±

    ¡°You should say ¡®no regrets¡¯ there, no?¡±

    ¡°Any choice would leave you with some regrets. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so conflicted.¡±

    Marino could see through Shin¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s about time for me to disappear. Just being here like this is taxing for Tiera, after all.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to vanish just like that, right?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question was very serious: he could tell Marino¡¯s expression had a tinge of sadness in it.

    ¡°¡­you found out.¡±

    Marino probably meant to hide it: sheughed, sheepishly.

    ¡°When you came here, Tiera had learned skills she didn¡¯t know before, right? Just as you guessed, those are my skills.¡±

    That was proof that Marino was about to be one with Tiera, apparently. Her very existence was vague and unstable from the start, so she could have vanished anytime.

    ¡°So¡­this is goodbye?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know. But I can¡¯t be sure that we¡¯ll ever meet again. So I¡¯ll say it now¡­goodbye.¡±

    Marino¡¯s smile was too bright for Shin. She had epted that she would disappear, so Shin had no way to keep her.

    ¡°Marino¡­¡±

    Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t disappear.

    Shin¡¯s words stopped in his throat, then vanished in thin air before Marino¡¯s smile. He stretched his hands, but could only touch Tiera¡¯s body. No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t hold Marino in this world. Even a High Human was powerless now.

    He had to say something, but nothing woulde out.

    It wasn¡¯t set in stone that this was thest time.

    Or maybe it could be.

    Shin¡¯s chest tightened. Hurt.

    ¡°Goodbye, then. My beloved.¡±

    With thesest words, Marino¡¯s silhouette ovepped Tiera¡¯s and started shining.

    The light was gradually absorbed by Tiera¡¯s chest, on the side of her heart.

    ¡°Marino¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Marino did not answer, simply smiling serenely. Just before she disappeared, Shin managed to wring out a feeble ¡°goodbye¡±.

 Book 12: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡­.hn.¡±

    After the lightpletely disappeared, Tiera¡¯s face regained her normal expression. As Marino had said, she was spent: she would have copsed if Shin hadn¡¯t held her up. He then helped her slowly sit down on the ground.

    ¡°Thanks for lending us your powers.¡±

    ¡°¡­.sure.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s reply was rather weak too.

    Tiera had interfered in the conversation once, so Shin knew that her conscience was aware throughout the possession. She had to have heard their conversation too.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, do you¡­¡­¡­¡­..no, forget it.¡±

    Tiera started saying something, but stopped halfway. She sat, looking down, so Shin couldn¡¯t see her expression. He could tell what she was going to ask, however.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and take a rest. Can you walk?¡±

    Shin did not answer Tiera¡¯s half-spoken question and offered her a hand. Thanks to Marino, he felt more hopeful about the possibility of going back to the former world, which made him waver all the more.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t stand on my own yet. Could you take me to my room, please?¡±

    The night wind was cool enough that she would risk catching a cold if she stayed out too long. It would definitely be better for her to rest in her room, too.

    Shin obliged to Tiera¡¯s request and carried her to her room. Thanks to his stats, she was not a burden at all. Tiera was probably really exhausted, as she entrusted her body to Shinpletely, and it adhered fairly closely to his back. Having just said farewell to Marino, Shin thought he could disregard the sensation.

    Because of his weakened spirit, however, Shin noticed that, unlike his conscious mind, his body fully felt the warmth of Tiera¡¯s body. He knew the reason why: he wanted to feel again the sensation of hugging Marino, which he had felt minutes ago.

    ¡°Shin, your back¡­¡±

    After leaving the flower field with Marino¡¯s grave at the center, Tiera abruptly broke their silence. Her breathing tickled Shin¡¯s ears. Maybe because of the fatigue, her voice was like a whisper too.

    Shin had been quietly resisting his urges, so Tiera¡¯s sudden whisper made his heart skip a beat.

    ¡°My back? What about it?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking, that it¡¯s bigger than I imagined.¡±

    ¡°Really? I can¡¯t tell myself¡­¡±

    Shin replied as normally as he could, trying to hide his struggle and resisting the breath tickling his ears. Tiera continued, her head on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Are all men¡¯s backs like this? Or maybe yours is special?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I feel so calm now¡­just by being here, I feel all my worries disappear. Or rather, I should say that I feel reallyforted.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice was warm, serene. It was clear that she was expressing her true feelings.

    ¡°I end up thinking that¡­I¡¯d like to stay like this forever.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be troublesome, for both of us too.¡±

    Shin tried a joke, but Tiera didn¡¯t reply. That concerned him a little, but he could hear her breathe regrly, so she had probably fallen asleep.

    ¡°Crap, how am I going to open the door now?¡±

    Shin arrived in front of the door to Tiera¡¯s room and realized that he could not open it while carrying her, so he changed his posture a little and managed to nudge it open.

    Tiera¡¯s room was simple, like Shin¡¯s: in a space about 13 square mel wide there was a bed and not much else.

    ¡°Hey, wake up, we¡¯re in your room.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­mhm.¡±

    Tiera was still drowsy, so her answer was a mumble.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, are you going back to your former world?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t decide.¡±

    ¡°If you can go back, then you should.¡±

    ¡°¡­..Tiera?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question found no answer. She was sitting on her bed, rather unsteadily, so he couldn¡¯t tell if she was really awake or not.

    ¡°Your father, your mother, are waiting, right? You were born there, right? If you have a ce to go back to, you should.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°And, if you don¡¯t, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Tiera? Hey, Tie¡­she fell asleep¡­¡±

    Tiera copsed on the bed and fell soundly asleep beforepleting her rather intriguing sentence.

    Shin wanted to know more, but didn¡¯t feel like waking her up. He took her shoes off, put a nket on her, then left the room. He headed to his room and found Schnee in front of the door, a gown over her pajamas.

    She seemed to know that he wasn¡¯t inside and had decided to wait for him outside his room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s prettyte.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking that I¡¯d like to talk a bit. I wille another time if you wish to sleep, however.¡±

    It was prettyte at night, hardly the time to visit other people¡¯s rooms. Shin had already noticed that Schnee was waiting, when he checked the map while carrying Tiera back to her room. She was probably waiting while Shin was talking to Marino too.

    ¡°Well, some stuff happened, but that¡¯s okay. Come in.¡±

    Shin opened the door to his room and let Schnee inside. He changed in to his tracksuit ¡ª his usual joke equipment ¡ª as well.

    ¡°It seems you were talking to Tiera, but did something happen? She looked different than usual when she left, so I was a bit concerned.¡±

    ¡°You probably forgot this too, but Tiera is a World Tree Priestess, a being quite rare in this world too. Thanks to her powers, she can recall the souls of the dead and let them possess her.¡±

    ¡°The souls of the dead? Which means that you were talking to someone other than Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. This time, it wasn¡¯t just a simple possession.¡±

    Shin¡¯s assent turned Schnee¡¯s expression sour.

    ¡°Who in the world were you talking to, then?¡±

    ¡°Marino. I told you about her, right? She was my lover.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recall you mentioning her. I had a sudden headache then, I was really surprised.¡±

    ¡°Same here. Or rather, we were even more surprised.¡±

    Schnee had clutched her head in pain the instant she heard the word lover. Shin too was shocked, wondering what had happened to her.

    ¡°So, what did you talk with that Marino?¡±

    ¡°Well, about¡­many things.¡±

    Thinking about Schnee¡¯s feelings, maybe it was better to hide it. Keeping things hidden, however, can sometimes happen at the worst of timings. In such cases, the situation turns even worse than expected.

    Such things happen with terribly precise timing in fiction and would be catastrophic in reality.

    ¡°¡­after saying not to hide anything, I can¡¯t be the one to do it, can I.¡±

    When Schnee had kept quiet about the PK matter, Shin had told her not to keep secrets anymore. He thus thought that he shouldn¡¯t keep secrets either, so he told her everything about his conversation with Marino, after mentally reorganizing it.

    Marino was bing one with Tiera.

    Because of this, it was possible that Marino¡¯s conscience disappeared.

    Tiera had inherited Marino¡¯s abilities.

    There was a high chance that it was possible for Shin to return to his home world.

    ¡°Is, that so¡­¡±

    After listening to Shin, Schnee looked down, a hand covering her mouth. It was very possible for her master to go away forever. It couldn¡¯t be a pleasant prospect for her.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say. Schnee would probably be reassured if he told her he was going to stay in that world, but his heart wasn¡¯t set. He couldn¡¯t say anything lightly.

    ¡°My lord¡­¡±

    Still looking down, Schnee grabbed Shin¡¯s tracksuit and buried her head in his chest.

    ¡°I want you to stay. For us¡­.for me, there is no one but you.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words could barely be heard. Her back was shaking slightly.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it is a selfish thing to say. But even so, I want you to stay here, Shin.¡±

    Shin was surprised.

    A few days had passed since Schnee lost her memories. Her reaction now, however, was much too simr to her former self. Maybe it was because of the blessed tag, or the effects of the cursed tag were decreasing. It wasn¡¯t clearly visible yet, but Schnee was going back to normal.

    Shin simply waited, silently. Schnee let go of his tracksuit and looked up at him. Something was glowing in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­..I apologize. I lost control for a moment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not being able to find an answer yet. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°No, for a servant such as I to limit my lord¡¯s actions is the height of arrogance.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far, okay? Oh, yeah, didn¡¯t you have something to talk to me about?¡±

    It would be pointless to tell her not to worry about it any more, so Shin decided to change the subject.

    ¡°I have reacted several times to words that the original me is supposed to care deeply about, haven¡¯t I? When you used the blessed tag, I have recovered some memories, albeit very little, so I thought that if I talked with you I might remember more.¡±

    She was probably referring to when she had experienced sudden headaches or felt abruptly sick.

    ¡°I see. How much you have remembered¡­is hard to put in words, I guess. For example, what kind of things did you remember?¡±

    Shin tried to ask with different words.

    ¡°Mainly small things that happened before your return. But the things I remembered the most are my feelings towards you, my lord¡­no, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Your feelings for me?¡±

    She was just like the former Schnee now. Shin was happy to know that she remembered about her thoughts for him.

    ¡°As I am now¡­there is the Schnee that is your servant and the Schnee that loves you, together in the same body, I should say. Just by being with you like this, I am filled with indescribable joy. Yet¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words stopped mid sentence.

    Silently, her hands stretched to touch Shin¡¯s cheeks. Slowly, as if touching something dangerous, her fingers traced his cheeks, as if to make sure he was really there.

    ¡°A part of me thinks that if I really treasure you, I should let you go. A part that thinks that I should cast away this happiness.¡±

    I am confused, conflicted. So continued Schnee.

    ¡°Just touching you like this is something like a miracle, but I find myself desiring more.¡±

    ¡°I find myself desiring to be loved.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gown fell from her shoulders. Her semi-transparent nightgown, which Shin had never seen before, was revealed. The moonlight from the window was enough for Shin to see Schnee clearly. It had caught his interest since they were outside the room, but now that Schnee¡¯s silhouette was so clearly before him, Shin couldn¡¯t help but swallow his breath.

    ¡°Are you, excited?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face was close. The voice he was supposed to be used to hearing now had a sensual tinge to it.

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you do not understand?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gaze clearly expressed how she would never believe that.

    She put her arms around Shin and held her body against his. The confused Shin easily fell under her weight. Her face was close, he could feel her warm breath. Gravity pushed her glossy silver hair on Shin¡¯s face, forcing him to see nothing but Schnee.

    That was not everything, though: Schnee¡¯s chest also pressed against Shin¡¯s. That softness, coupled with the moan of glee Schnee emitted when they fell together, strongly attacked Shin¡¯s capacity for rational thinking.

    ¡°Schnee, what¡¯s going on with you, really-¡±

    Shin managed not to be carried away by the mood and removed Schnee from him. After a brief opposition, her arms let go too.

    Schnee was still on top of him, but the dangerous atmosphere was sessfully repelled. Schnee¡¯s change, however, was more of a concern for Shin.

    ¡°Schnee? Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The instant after Shin was relieved of distancing her body from his, Schnee held her head with her hands, apparently in terrible pain. That was probably the reason why she stopped resisting: judging from her frown, it was something Schnee didn¡¯t expect either.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, it will go away soon.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that, this happened without us knowing too?¡±

    Shin had witnessed it just a few times. There was the possibility that Schnee hid it, in order not to worry them.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    After less than 5 minutes, the pain in Schnee¡¯s expression subdued. At the very least, she did not seem to be lying. In such a situation, however, she couldn¡¯t just pick up from where they left off. Schnee seemed to still be in pain: Shin touched her cheek and found it very hot.

    ¡°You did something like that despite being sick?¡±

    ¡°There is no obstacle to my activity. The fever will go away soon as well. This is more important now.¡±

    ¡±That¡¯s not good. Just go rest. I¡¯m not¡­.going anywhere soon. We can talk another time.¡±

    After a bit of difficulty finding the right words, Shin sat up and put his arms behind Schnee¡¯s back and knees. Maybe because of the fever, she barely resisted to being lifted like that.

    ¡°I am truly sorry. It appears Icked proper judgment.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah, that was way too proactive for the usual Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Thinking of using my body to snare you was simply too shallow. I understand how foolish it was now, but moments before it seemed like the only way.¡±

    Weakly, Schnee added that she didn¡¯t know why she did that.

    ¡°Maybe your half-returned memories are having weird effects on you. I¡¯m sorry, just have a bit more patience. We¡¯ll knock out that evil god in no time.¡±

    Shin regretted a little having relied on a 50% chance and not hunting down the evil deity right away. It would have been difficult to do when Schnee just lost her memories, though.

    If they hadn¡¯t gone to Rashugum to look for ingredients for the blessed tag, they wouldn¡¯t have obtained the assistance of Tzaobath or Sety, after all.

    ¡°Anyway, see you tomor¨C¡±

    ¡°Please wait!¡±

    Shin hadid Schnee on her bed and was about to leave, when she called to him. He turned around and kneeled beside the bed. Schnee¡¯s right hand poked out of her nkets.

    ¡°Could you please¡­hold my hand, until I fall asleep?¡±

    Said Schnee, half her face buried in the nkets, her aggressiveness from moments agopletely gone somewhere, the ears poking from her hair zing red.

    ¡°¡­okay, that¡¯s an easy request.¡±

    Shin¡¯s hand covered Schnee¡¯s. Maybe because of the fever, her hand felt hot till the fingertips.

    ¡°Am I being¡­childish?¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that fine? To act a little spoiled at times like these, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­when I turn back¡­can I¡­as¡­aga¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I promise.¡±

    Shin pieced together the fragments of Schnee¡¯s question and promised. Schnee felt relieved, or was maybe too exhausted: she fell asleep almost immediately. Thinking it would be weird to just stay there staring at her, Shin left the room, with some regret.

    ¡°Even in a state like that, she thinks about me¡­¡±

    To stay or to go. Knowing that both were possible, Shin was lost as never before. However, it was also true that Marino¡¯s words tipped the scales.

    He couldn¡¯t answer Schnee¡¯s question because he wasn¡¯t ready to cut off either of the possibilities. Because he couldn¡¯t be sure that Schnee¡¯s feelings were true.

    ¡°But I guess that¡¯s just an excuse.¡±

    As Marino had firmly stated, thinking that Schnee¡¯s feelings were due to the affection raising items would be akin to insulting her.

    Shin could have been unconsciously looking for a reason to go back to his former world.

    ¡°Putting things into words is really hard¡­¡±

    What happened until now, what will happen in the future. If he started thinking again there was no end to it. Eventually, Shin reached the conclusion that he thought would leave no regrets. Or rather he had reached it already.

    When he said goodnight to Schnee, he stopped for a moment because he was thinking of saying it already, but ultimately couldn¡¯t.

    The words that would cut his connections died in his throat.

    ¡°I have to tell her properly once she turns back.¡±

    When Shin thought what would be the decision that brought him less regrets, the first thing that appeared in his mind were Schnee¡¯s words when they met again: ¡°Wee back¡±.

    The feeling of ¡°having returned home¡± he felt then. The answer had probably appeared then and there.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Schnee. Give me just one more night.¡±

    So whispered Shin while looking in the direction of Schnee¡¯s room.

    He learned the next morning, however, that he did not have any such time left.

 Book 12: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    ¡°This is¡­.¡±

    After falling asleep holding Shin¡¯s hand, Schnee woke up in a field of flowers. On a small hill basked in light, she saw flowers she seemed to remember, lulled by the wind.

    She quickly knew where she was. She had visited it for the first time, but Shin¡¯s shocked expression and actions impressed her deeply.

    It was the ce where Shin¡¯s lover rested.

    ¡ªYes, the ce that reminds you of the woman that continues to live in your heart.¡ª

    ¡°My body¡­!¡±

    She could turn her head enough to look at the surroundings. Her body, however, was lying on the ground and would not move. It did not budge an inch, no matter how much she tried, as if she were tied to the ground.

    Even if she had been affected by a binding skill, Schnee, in her current state, could easily break out of it, even if she had to move the ground itself. However, she couldn¡¯t move her arms at all.

    ¡°What are you doing there?¡±

    ¡°¡­my lord?¡±

    While struggling to regain her freedom, Schnee heard the voice of her beloved master, Shin.

    Yuzuha was on his shoulder, Tiera next to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you behind if you don¡¯t get a move on.¡±

    Saying so, Shin walked past her, heading for the top of the hill. He didn¡¯t seem to care about Schnee¡¯s situation at all.

    Tiera was walking right next to him. Upon closer inspection, someone¡¯s shadow seemed to be ovepping her silhouette.

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    No, that is my ce. Those were the words that surfaced in Schnee¡¯s heart as she watched them. Schnee tried desperately to stand up, but her limbs would not move, as if she was paralyzed.

    ¡ª-Within that elf, inhabits your lord¡¯s loved one. Naturally, she walks at his side¡ª-

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    Shin did not react to Schnee¡¯s yell. He spoke to Tiera, smiling, as they climbed the hill. On top of the hill, a view that Schnee had never seen before appeared.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    She had heard about it.

    Arge human construct, so big it was hardly possible to imagine it really existed, a skyscraper.

    An intricate structure supported by steel and powered by electricity, something that not even magic could replicate.

    Clothes she had never seen before.

    Metal carts that moved without horses.

    Bridges spanning within the city, people walking on them.

    A world without magic or monsters. A world that, despite this, created weapons that could kill millions at once. That was the ¡°real world¡± that High Humans like Shin spoke about. The ce Shin and Tiera were walking towards.

    ¡ª-That is a ce you cannot reach. You will be left behind¡ª

    ¡°Wait!!¡±

    Schnee screamed. Shin was going back to his former world. I have to go to him.

    As she thought so, the binds tying her arms and legs vanished. Even before she could think, Schnee ran.

    Shin and Tiera were walking a few dozens mel ahead: with her speed, Schnee would have reached them in seconds. The distance between them did not shrink, though: on the contrary, it grew wider and wider.

    ¡°Why!?¡±

    Why can¡¯t I reach them?

    No matter how hard I kick the ground, the scenery does not change. No matter how much I stretch my arms, they will not reach Shin. Frustration, irritation mounting. I can see them yet I cannot reach them.

    ¡ªYou will never reach him. You will never get closer. You are not fitting¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!!¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t hold back her shout.

    I have to slow him down, even just a little.

    Her pleas, however, did not even reach Shin.

    ¡°Ah!?!¡±

    Her body stopped responding again. She copsed in the dirt and mud of the ground.

    As if deriding her crawling efforts, what Schnee saw, when she finally managed to raise her head, was Shin and Tiera stepping into the other world. They were swallowed by the light before her.

    ¡°No¡­.¡±

    She was not chosen. He did not stay. It was one of the worst futures she could imagine.

    ¡°Noooooooooo!!!!¡±

    Schnee screams, her hands grasping for the light. They did not reach. It was toote.

    The light before her grew hazy because of the tears. The next instant, she woke up.

    ¡°¡­.h¡­.h¡­¡±

    For a second, she couldn¡¯t remember where she was.

    Using ¡¾Night Sight¡¿, she could see her stretched hand and the ceiling above it.

    After her quickly beating heart and ragged breath calmed down, Schnee sat up.

    ¡°I was dreaming¡­?¡±

    After a moment of relief, Schnee remembered the content of the dream and looked around her. There was no one else in the room. Shin wasn¡¯t there either, naturally.

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t have happened, right¡­?¡±

    Schnee whispered while holding the right hand that Shin had held until she fell asleep.

    Her fear wouldn¡¯t go away. She thought she heard very ominous words.

    ¡°So cold¡­¡±

    Her right hand retained nothing of the previous warmth. Her own hands seemed to have turned into ice.

    ¡°Shin¡±

    Schnee called the name of her beloved. Not as her creator or her master.

    That sensation was proof of her feelings, as one person, as one woman.

    Or at least, it was supposed to be.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t be sure of her feelings. Probably because of the cursed tag, she retained little of her memories and feelings.

    When she called Shin¡¯s name, she partly felt she was being disrespectful. That was her feeling as a servant, not something that was part of her original self.

    Her original self called Shin¡¯s name with affection. There was no sense of duty in that.

    ¡°Shin¡­.Shin¡­¡±

    Schnee got off her bed, left her room and headed towards Shin¡¯s.

    Her conscience gradually grew hazier, her senses dulled, her body unstable. So cold. Freezing.

    ¡ª-If you cannot let him go, just make him yours¡ª

    Someone¡¯s voice reacher her ears. She had heard it before.

    But where?

    Schnee did not know.

    ¡°Make him¡­mine¡­¡±

    Schnee was supposed to be going towards Shin¡¯s room, but all of a sudden found herself outside the log house. Her body was taking her to the exit of the faerie vige.

    ¡ªIf you do so, the one you so desire will be forever by your side¡ª

    ¡°Forever¡­by my side¡­¡±

    For Schnee, those words were too sweet a temptation. She did not want to even think about being apart from him. She did not want to even imagine he could be gone forever. She wanted him to touch her. To love her.

    ¡ª-even if as a silent corpse¡ª

    The words spoken by the mysterious voice did not reach Schnee anymore.

    Her heart was plunged in such chaos and confusion that she could not tell what she was feeling anymore. Even in such a state, her legs moved steady, as if they had a mind of their own.

    Wrapped in her alluring nightgown, Schnee disappeared from the faerie vige.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Schnee had disappeared. Cruelly enough, the first to find out was Shin, who wanted to tell her the words he failed to utter the night before.

    ¡°Schnee is gone!? Are you serious!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down Filma, you¡¯ve heard that already too.¡±

    After making sure that Schnee was really gone, Shin ryed the information to the rest via Mind Chat. Even so, she couldn¡¯t help asking.

    For Filma, Schnee was someone very special.

    ¡°There¡¯s no response in the faerie vige. I think¡­she went outside.¡±

    ¡°But why? There was no sign about any of thisst night¡­!¡±

    Filma didn¡¯t let Shin out of her sight. She was sure that if Schnee had done something unexpected, he must have been connected somehow.

    ¡°Shin. Did something happen to Schnee after dinner?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s question put everyone¡¯s thoughts into words.

    Even Tzaobath, who was the least involved one in the group, had perceived that Shin and Schnee shared a particr rtionship.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, did something happen after that¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want to spend too much time on this, so I¡¯ll give you the general gist.¡±

    Shin told everyone about Marino¡¯s possession of Tiera and his conversation with Schnee afterwards.

    ¡°Why¡­.¡±

    Filma whispered, her body shaking. The next instant, she pressed Shin for answers.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you tell her that you¡¯ll stay!!¡±

    ¡°Filma!¡±

    Shibaid stopped Filma from grabbing Shin and lifting him. He was physically stronger, but she didn¡¯t let go. Both exerted their power without reserve.

    ¡°Why are you stopping me, Shibaid!?¡±

    ¡°Staying here means throwing away his homnd. That isn¡¯t something you can decide so easily!¡±

    Shibaid had left his country out of loyalty for Shin. He could still return, but he had chosen Shin over his country and had told some of his closer followers that there was the possibility that they would be enemies in the future.

    Because of this, he could understand Shin¡¯s struggle to a degree.

    Filma let her arms drop after hearing Shibaid¡¯s words.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s true too, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You lot, there is something you should be doing now before quarrelling among yourselves, is there not?¡±

    Tzaobath spoke next. The group was on the log house¡¯s terrace, so Tzaobath could participate in the conversation too.

    Shin and the others knew that looking for Schnee was more important than standing there talking: Filma probably couldn¡¯t hold back anyway.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk again once we¡¯re back.¡±

    Filma took a deep breath to calm down, then pped her own cheeks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find big sis Schnee then. We¡¯ll need some transport first of all¡­can you give us a hand, Tzaobath?¡±

    Sety asked Tzaobath to carry them, as casually as if she was asking it to help with shopping. It happened when they first arrived in the faerie vige too, so apparently they shared that kind of rtionship.

    ¡°The evil deity is involved, thus I could not possibly ignore this. I shall assist you.¡±

    ¡°Transport first? Do you already have an idea where she could be?¡±

    As far as Shin could remember, Sety never learned any stealth skills such as ¡¾Tracing¡¿. It would have required long and strenuous effort to train it to usable levels, but considering the time Shin was absent, it wasn¡¯t impossible.

    ¡°Of course I do. I asked the Tsumugins and they said that the cursed tag¡¯s presence left the vige. They also said they¡¯ll show us the way.¡±

    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll try to locate Schnee with our skills too, if both point the same way, there¡¯ll be no mistake.¡±

    Schnee was Shin¡¯s support character, so he could find her position or at least the general direction she was in on his map. The same could be said for the other support characters, but messages could not be sent until Shin actually met them.

    ¡°May we go right away?¡±

    Shin asked Tzaobath for confirmation and thetter nodded.

    ¡°I am ready anytime. You need not address me so politely either. We will berades in arms from now on. It would not sit well with me to be treated so by someone I have entrusted my back to.¡±

    ¡°Understood¡­no, got it. Then I¡¯ll do as you say. Sety, are you ready?¡±

    Shin epted Tzaobath¡¯s proposal, then checked on Sety.

    ¡°I can go whenever too. To bring big sis back to normal, I¡¯m ready to do pretty much anything!¡±

    Sety beat her chest as she proudly made her statement. The others shared her same feelings, even if they didn¡¯t put them into words. Filma was especially brimming with killing intent towards the evil deity.

    ¡°While her memories might be faulty, the girl is still a High Elf. To be able to manipte her, the enemy surely is the evil deity itself. Have you thought of any countermeasures yet?¡±

    ¡°Please wait. Let me check what I remember.¡±

    Spurred by Tzaobath¡¯s warning, Shin gathered what he remembered about the evil deity Adetropos.

    The first thing he remembered is that Adetropos used attacks that caused mental status abnormalities. ¡¾Confusion¡¿, ¡¾High Confusion¡¿, ¡¾Charm¡¿, and ¡¾Brainwash¡¿: the monster¡¯s greatest and most dangerous characteristic was its tendency to fire barrages of such spells. It was even capable of generating fields that reduced the effects of status effect prevention skills and equipment by one stage.

    Manyined about the Adetropos event, as it was more likely to be defeated by one¡¯s own allies than the boss itself.

    ¡°Hand me your essories everyone, I¡¯ll upgrade them.¡±

    Shin made this request after exining his strategy against Adetropos. The ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» Shibaid and Filma had equipped, which normally prevented status ailments, would be reduced to just increasing defenses against them when facing Adetropos: they wouldn¡¯t be enough to prevent negative statuses.

    In the game there was a limit to the number of equippable essories, so yers would focus on strengthening defenses or preventing only certain status effects. They would split the statuses among the party members, to prevent the danger of all members being affected at the same time.

    In the current world, however, essories could be powered up more than in the game era and there was no equipping limit anymore: they could take more extensive countermeasures.

    ¡°Filma, Shibaid, and Sety can equip multiple boosted ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡». With them you won¡¯t be affected by status ailments unless something really unexpected happens. Tiera, you can¡¯t equip the ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» because of your stats, but we¡¯ll make do with numbers.¡±

    Shin thought about countermeasures for Tiera while upgrading the ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡». If she couldn¡¯t count on quality, they had to rely on quantity.

    Earrings, nes, rings, bracelets, hairpins, etc. Shin would have her wear more essories, as long as they didn¡¯t make it harder for her to fight. He tried attaching a few rings to a chain, thus turning them into a ne, and they all retained their effects, so he used that method too. Shin also added a protection to the Geyl coin Tiera used as ne, for added insurance.

    ¡°OK, Tiera should be alright now. So only Yuzuha and Kagerou are left. You can¡¯t use the earrings either, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I can. I want the ear thing.¡±

    ¡°You can?¡±

    Yuzuha, from Shin¡¯s shoulder, pointed at Filma¡¯s earrings.

    She had worn equipment when they entered the underwater cave to go save Hermie, but that was equipment made for partner monsters.

    ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» were made for yers and support characters, so Shin hadn¡¯t considered them for equipment Yuzuha could use. Besides, as far as Shin remembered, Divine Beasts were unaffected by skills causing mental status effects. In a way, they were natural enemies for the evil deity.

    Yuzuha had still not regained herplete form, however, so Shin decided to give her the item, just in case. He gave her the boosted ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» and another item to strengthen defenses against negative status effects. Yuzuha turned into human form and wore them.

    ¡°I see, you can use them like that.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, perfect.¡±

    Yuzuha puffed out her chest proudly, then turned back to fox mode. The earrings covered part of her ears, and other items also transformed in a way as to not to get in the way of her movements. They were mostly covered by her fur and not visible, but Shin could tell that Yuzuha was still equipping them.

    ¡°Next is Kagerou. You can¡¯t do the same thing Yuzuha did, so we¡¯ll just use a ne.¡±

    It was a pretty ssic method for four-legged monsters. Other types included attaching essories to their legs or tails. Kagerou did not resist at all as Shin equipped the essories. Afterwards, it made a few small jumps and ran a little, in order to check if they would inconvenience its movements.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask just in case, but do you need anything, Tzaobath? I¡¯m not sure if you could equip my items though.¡±

    ¡°Do man-made items have an effect on me?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? But it seems they do on Yuzuha and Kagerou, so I think the possibility is there.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Then I shall request the same mental protection items you gave to the Element Tail. To be manipted by that would be a worse humiliation than losing to it.¡±

    Tzaobath spoke, sparks of fire burning in his breath. It was usually calmly imposing, but when it came to the evil deity, even the dragon would lose its temper.

    ¡°Earrings¡­wouldn¡¯t work, I guess. Could you try wearing them as bracelets or rings?¡±

    Thinking that a cor would be out of the question, Shin did not even mention the possibility.

    The size of equippable items could be adjusted, so they were supposed to growrger or smaller automatically, but nothing happened when Shin gave them to Tzaobath.

    ¡°Hmm, no reaction?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any partner monsters your size after all. Maybe the size adjustment range has limits? If so, there¡¯s not much I¡­.ah!¡±

    Shin took the item back from Tzaobath and took out another item card.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°A paint-type essory. Drawing a pattern on the body¡¯s surface applies a magic enchantment.¡±

    In the game era, it was used as a fashion item. It could be applied anywhere on the body and did not interfere with other equipment. Paint-types too, however, used up one essory slot, so most yers usually used more effective earring, bracelet, or hair ornament types.

    ¡°I see, it is applied on the skin, so size is not a concern. Let us try it then.¡±

    Tzaobath nimbly took the item card with its ws and materialized it. Once the pattern that appeared in midair was ced anywhere on the body, the item was equipped.

    ¡°This seems to be working¡­I feel something covering my whole body. Can you tell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can. So paint-types work well withrge sized creatures¡­I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±

    Paint-types were less effective than other essories, but there was next to no chance of them being destroyed. Even if the arm the pattern was ced on was severed, items or Divine skills could restore both the arm and the pattern. This wouldn¡¯t work with rings or armbands, however: if they were destroyed, they were almost impossible to restore mid-battle, barring very high auto-restoring abilities.

    For added insurance, Shin added paint-type essories to the rest of the group too.

    ¡°Attach them wherever you like, and the effect will activate.¡±

    Shin then added a paint-type just above the left side of his chest. As he did, the painted pattern passed through his clothes and attached itself to his skin. He chose to apply it to his chest as, unlike arms or legs, it was a part less likely to be lost. Like Shin, Filma and the others applied the patterns to their chest too.

    Shin, Shibaid, and Sety had little exposed skin, so the patterns couldn¡¯t be seen, but Filma and Tiera¡¯s chests were more visible, so the flowery patterns were partly visible.

    Yuzuha turned into human form again to apply the patterns, then turned back to small fox mode. That form was morefortable for her apparently.

    Kagerouy down on its back as Tiera applied the pattern.

    ¡°Okay, now all preparations are done. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The group ate a quick breakfast with food Shin had ready in the item box, then climbed on Tzaobath¡¯s back. The faerie vige, without Sety maintaining it, would probably disappear soon after she left. It was also Shin¡¯s private area, however, so it was possible to turn it into a card and carry it. When he did, maybe because he turned the area into a card, or maybe he was the original owner, the burden of the preservation shifted on Shin.

    ¡°What is the direction?¡±

    ¡°That way, straight north-north-west.¡±

    Sety asked the Tsumugins, then pointed towards a point in the sky. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Tracing¡¿ showed the same direction.

    ¡°Wait for us, Schnee, we¡¯ll arrive in no time!¡±

    Shin whispered while ring at the direction the evil deity was thought to be.

 Book 12: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    The dragon instantly soared high into the sky, clearing away the clouds in its passing, ultimately reaching a height other flying monsters rarely flew at. The party rode on Tzaobath in the following order: Sety first, as guide, Shin behind her, as he also could tell which direction to go, followed by Tiera, Filma, andstly Shibaid.

    ¡°No one fell off, right?¡±

    Shin had already checked the map, but turned around to look just in case. He knew that riding on Tzaobath without any protection would be risky, so he had set up a barrier to protect all passengers from the wind and any bird or insect collisions. Even then, they sped through the air at an incredible rate.

    Tzaobath had risen so quickly that during its ascent many birds and insects had been knocked off their paths by the barrier. Had Shin not put up the barrier, high STR members like him, Filma, and Shibaid would have been fine, but Tiera would have been thrown off their dragon steed easily.

    In terms of STR, the mage-type Sety would have been in danger too.

    ¡°¡­.it looks like we¡¯re in a different world.¡±

    Tiera slowly opened her eyes to look down, with a mixture of excitement and surprise plus a streak of terror. The scenery that spread before her was surely very differentpared to anything she had experienced before this. The ground, usually firmly supporting her from below, was no more: more than half of her field of view was now colored blue. The ground was so far that she almost couldn¡¯t believe that she had been standing there just moments before.

    Tiera had ridden Elder Dragons before, but Tzaobath¡¯s speed and height were a whole other experience. Shin felt that they were now flying in a ce where only very few flying organisms could, which surely made it seem like a whole new world.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to be able to look down at the earth from this high. The rideable monsters can¡¯t fly this high, after all.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    He had ridden on flying monsters several times during events, but their current speed and height far outstripped anything he had experienced in the past. Their search would take much less time than expected.

    ¡°This feels just so unreal. I can¡¯t even imagine what would happen if I fell off.¡±

    The current situation seemed to exceed the limits of Tiera¡¯s imagination. It was a normal response for someone without any experience riding flying monsters. When encountering a situation beyond one¡¯sprehension, normal people could find it difficult to even think.

    ¡°If you feel sick, just say it, all right?¡±

    While not to the same degree as Tiera, Filma and Shibaid also seemed somewhat tense.

    Shin had flown on airnes in his home world, so he wasn¡¯t as greatly affected, but the current situation could be stressful to this world¡¯s denizens.

    If they fell from this height, not even Shin¡¯s support characters would be unscathed.

    Some people felt sick when flying on a ne, even if they were not afraid of high ces, so Shin warned hispanions before anything happened.

    ¡°We¡¯re really going fast. Won¡¯t we arrive in no time, at this pace?¡±

    Sety mumbled while looking ahead, the Tsumugins clinging to her.

    ¡°Can you tell the distance?¡±

    ¡°So said the Tsumugins, at least. Besides if we go this fast we can cross the whole continent in one day.¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s flying speed did note only from its wings: it was also affected by magic and skill effects, as one might expect in a fantasy world. Tzaobath¡¯s unique abilities, however, were not the most important concern to Shin right now.

    As long as he could reach Schnee¡¯s location as soon as possible, he didn¡¯t care if he was riding a monster, a jet, or anything else.

    ¡°We just need to go straight like this, and we¡¯ll arrive in¡­about 20 minutes.¡±

    Sety spoke after confirming the time with the Tsumugins. The exact distance was still a bit vague. As she said, however, they would reach their destination in about 20 minutes: Schnee¡¯s marker appeared in Shin¡¯s detection range.

    ¡°It¡¯s over there in that area surrounded by mountains!¡±

    The location Shin pointed at was to the north of the middle of the Eltnia continent. It was a in area surrounded by rather tall mountains, though there were not enough mountains to form a chain. It was an area with thick vegetation and tall trees, but a single spot seemed to have been carved by something. As the flora was different too, that might have been the spot Tzaobath had sted away previously. Maybe because of the evil deity¡¯s presence, heavy clouds hung over the mountains, making the locations appear much darker than its surroundings.

    ¡°So this is the ce.¡±

    ¡°Do you recall anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, among the ces I destroyed, this had thergest number of Kishimi tribe members. To think that the origin of everything was here¡­I am to me for not bringing it all to an end back then.¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tone was filled with anger. The scales covering the dragon¡¯s body began glowing in response to its growing excitement.

    ¡°I understand your feelings well enough, but wait until we¡¯ve rescued Schnee. You can do whatever you want after that.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ve let my feelings take over for a moment. I¡¯ll descend now, but anything could happen. Keep your guard up.¡±

    Tzaobath urged the party to be careful while focused on their destination. They had managed to reach it in less than a hour thanks to Tzaobath. No matter how high Schnee¡¯s stats were, considering how much time had passed since she had left Shin, she had moved a distance far too great for her abilities. Shin didn¡¯t know if she had tamed a flying monster or was teleported, but the possibility that the evil deity was in wait was very high.

    ¡°In any case¡­there¡¯s really nothing here.¡±

    Small trees grew here and there, but there was literally nothing else. Any buildings had probably been sted away, not even leaving debris behind.

    ¡°Schnee¡¯s presence¡­is over there.¡±

    ¡°The Tsumugins are saying the same thing.¡±

    The direction Shin and the Tsumugins pointed toward was the very center of the crater.

    The group decided tond at a certain distance away, just in case.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything there though.¡±

    ¡°It is either hidden, or underground.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid spoke while eyeing the crater.

    Shin looked in its direction too. He activated the ¡¾See Through¡¿ skill to neutralize any concealment or camouge effects, but nothing changed in his field of view. There was nothing in hiding there, apparently.

    Shin then narrowed his field of detection, thus increasing its precision.

    ¡°Looks like there really is something underground. I can¡¯t tell how wide it is, but it seems to be pretty deep.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s presence came from a rather deep location. It did not seem to be moving. Shin couldn¡¯t tell if it wasn¡¯t moving or could not move, but there was no mistake that it was there.

    ¡°So even if the aboveground part had been destroyed, the structures underground remained. We have no choice but to have Tzaobath wait here then.¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­I cannot reduce my body¡¯s size, after all. It cannot be helped¡­I shall stay here and watch the surroundings. Do let me know if anything happens.¡±

    Being unable to change his body size, Tzaobath could not explore underground easily, as it couldn¡¯t go through the corridors.

    After calming down Tzaobath¡¯s fury at the evil deity¡¯s countermeasure, Shin and the group headed towards the center of the crater.

    ¡°Must be here. It¡¯s buried, but ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿¡¯s response is different.¡±

    Sety had closed her eyes to concentrate on the ground, then announced her discovery with confidence. Shin examined the location too and found out that it was indeed different from the rest of the area.

    ¡°It would be a waste of time to dig a hole, should we just blow it up?¡±

    ¡°What!? Do you realize how dangerous that sounds? I can remove this much ground in a snap, just step back!¡±

    Shin was ready to unleash his magic, but Sety stopped him. After Schnee¡¯s disappearance, he was maybe acting a bit different than the usual.

    ¡°I¡¯ll create an entrance, then.¡±

    Sety held her hands over the ground that was supposedly covering the entrance, which started moving by itself, as if giant arms were sweeping it away, and gradually formed a small hill next to the entrance.

    ¡°Is this magic?¡±

    ¡°Just a variation of ¡¾Earth Wall¡¿. Ever since the Dusk of Majesty, it¡¯s been possible to modify spells and apply them to various situations.¡±

    ording to Sety, this change did not only apply to magic: it had be possible to change martial skills too, to reduce the burden on the user or give them different effects.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The newly formed cavity leading underground was about three mel tall and two mel wide. It was not exactlyrge, but Shin stepped inside without hesitation. Sunlight illuminated the entrance just slightly, but thanks to ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ Shin could proceed with confidence.

    ¡°I see, so this is a secret dungeon.¡±

    Shin saw the hostile response on the map and recalled knowledge about the existence of such a dungeon. Information about it had been shared on the game¡¯s bulletin board, but there were conditions for it to appear, so Shin was actually seeing one for the first time.

    ¡°Well, no matter. I¡¯ll take the lead. Filma, Tiera, Sety, and Shibaid, follow me in that order.¡±

    Shin ced emphasis in the rear guard, setting Shibaid asst line of defense. They did not think their group would proceed easily without encountering any obstacles, so they were not shaken in the least. Thanks to her gradual learning of Marino¡¯s abilities, now Tiera could use ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ too, like the rest of the party: no member was thus unable to see in the darkness.

    ¡°There was nothing like this when we went together, was there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Filma. In your case we just defeated the monster-turned Kishimis, and that was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­.hey, Shin. Haven¡¯t you been acting kind of weird since we got here?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m aware.¡±

    Shin replied with a sigh to Filma¡¯s blunt remark. His words were rougher, as was his demeanor.

    He wasn¡¯t like this when they left the Faerie Vige, but he was aware that he was restless since he had detected Schnee¡¯s presence, and it showed.

    Schnee¡¯s name was disyed on the map, still as a party member, so at the very least he knew for a fact that she was not dead.

    Even so, he felt the urge to race to her side as soon as possible. Even if she was physically safe, who knew what her mental state was? She was already unbnced to begin with, so there was no time to waste.

    He walked while paying attention to his surroundings, but if Filma and the others hadn¡¯t been there he would have probably sprinted ahead as fast as he could, relying on his stats and gear for protection.

    Now that Shin was aware of his feelings, after talking with Schnee the night before, he realized how terrified he was of losing her.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve fought this boss before I think it will go okay, but if anything happens to you big sis Schnee will be really sad, ok?¡±

    ¡°I know that, I¡¯m being careful.¡±

    After Filma, Sety also pointed out Shin¡¯s restlessness, so he cooled down a bit. While they did not talk, he sensed Tiera, Yuzuha, and Shibaid watching him. Even without looking at them, he could tell they were worried.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Shin drew a deep breath, then pped his cheeks. Haste makes waste, he told himself, trying to calm down.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, don¡¯t you know anything about this dungeon?¡±

    ¡°I just heard bits and pieces about it. I know the route to take though, thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿. The traps will be the problem.¡±

    Despite the fact that the boss itself used various mental-type skills, the dungeon itself housed all sorts ofrge-scale magic attack traps, or so Shin had heard.

    He just remembered other yersining about them in the bulletin board, but if it was true it would be a pain, as such attacks were very difficult to defend against.

    Some traps caused explosions via fire magic when the party reached the center of a room. There were many other traps dangerous enough in the game that would now be absolutely lethal.

    ¡°Well, just leave those to me. I¡¯ve explored dungeons solo many times, my trap detection skills and abilities have been duly trained.¡±

    In the game some traps could easily pierce through average status effect resistance. They rarely killed the yer directly, merely slowing down their progress. Maybe because of management¡¯s malice, these traps were always set on monster routes.

    Being mauled to death while helpless because of ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ or ¡¾Petrification¡¿ or ambushed while attacking allies due to ¡¾Confusion¡¿ or ¡¾High Confusion¡¿, there were all sorts of triggers that could cause the party¡¯s destruction.

    Traps in dungeons, no matter where, were all nasty. This was a sentiment shared by all yers.

    ¡°Stop, everyone. Speak of the devil¡­¡±

    Shin signaled for Filma and the others to stop and picked up a pebble in the middle of the corridor. Then, as soon as he threw it, he activated the Divine skill ¡¾Twin Branch Purification¡¿.

    A semi-transparent, ss-like barrier appeared before Shin. Momentster, the pebble he threw hit the ground. That same moment, an orange light shed, immediately followed by arge explosion, big enough topletely engulf Shin¡¯s party.

    It was the very same trap Shin mentioned before, which caused an explosion with the party at its center. This time, the treacherous trap had been fully sealed by ¡¾Twin Branch Purification¡¿¡¯s barrier, cast across the corridor.

    Compared to the ¡¾One Leaf Absolution¡¿ skill Shin had used in the Wraith ins, this barrier was even more resistant to physical and magical attacks and its resilience was stronger too: not only did it block the mes, it did not let the st¡¯s heat wave either.

    Even though Tiera had heard about the trap, she couldn¡¯t hide her surprise.

    ¡°I can see how scary that can be now¡­triggering that without knowing would be a nightmare.¡±

    ¡°You need at least two types of detection skills maxed out to pick it up too. Having maxed skills as a condition is something no one usually considers, which makes the trap even nastier. Despite this, you could even find them in normal dungeons sometimes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like they want you to fall in one¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why people said that dungeon traps were made by those with malicious intent. Anyway, it¡¯s pretty quiet here.¡±

    Shin spoke with Tiera while looking around. It had been around 10 minutes since they had entered the dungeon, but all they found was just one trap, which seemed odd. The party continued to piece together a map of the dungeon via ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, heading towards Schnee¡¯s location ¡ª the deepest part of the dungeon ¡ª through the shortest possible route.

    Theck of monster encounters and scarcity of traps made their progress much quicker than even a normal dungeon. While they couldn¡¯t simply go straight down, they had already covered about one-fifth of the total dungeon. The party did not know much about this secret dungeon, but it was clearly bizarre for the map and detection skills to not show any signs of a monster presence.

    There were trap-riddled dungeons without monsters inside, but there were too few traps here for that to be the case.

    Before entering the dungeon, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ had clearly showed a monster-like response too.

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re drawing us deeper? In some dungeons monsters would appear in mass after you passed a certain point, right?¡±

    Filma was referring to time attack-type dungeons, where the yers had to dispose of the boss quickly and teleport away, lest they would be crushed by multitudes of monsters.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. But even in dungeons like that you encountered some monsters on the way, so you wouldn¡¯t realize that you were in one.¡±

    Dungeonspletely devoid of monsters were an all too clear sign that there was some trick to them. In the game, even if the monsters were there just for camouging purposes, there would be some prowling around, but here Shin¡¯s detection field did not pick up even a single response.

    Shin asked Shibaid, the rear guard, but there was no sign of anything approaching them from behind either.

    ¡°With things so quiet, I wonder about big sis¡­will she be okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    No one replied to Sety¡¯s whisper. Everyone was thinking the same, especially Shin.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Receiving no response, Sety was about to say something else, but Shin interrupted her.

    A red marker appeared on the map. It was a monster presence.

    ¡°Is this a test or something? Five units. Coming from the front.¡±

    After Shin¡¯s words, Filma gripped the hilt of her ¡ºRed Moon¡» and Tiera nocked an arrow.

    The party was walking down a corridor about four mel wide: for at least 20 more mel, there were no forks in the path. The movements of the icons on the map made it clear that they were not monsters with wall-phasing abilities, such as ghosts or element tails.

    There were few obstacles in the path. Shin activated ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, in order to find out the monsters¡¯ identity as quickly as possible. As he did, he noticed something unnatural.

    ¡°Even with ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ activated, the corridor ahead is dark¡­there¡¯s a Dark Summoner. Sety!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

    Prompted by Shin, Sety casted a spell. The staff she held, about as tall as her, extended as to surround an eight-faced crystal. Sety¡¯s exclusive weapon, ¡ºDusk Moon¡» responded to its owner¡¯s will and started glowing. The rainbow crystal on the tip of the staff emitted a globe of light.

    The first globe was followed by two and three more, ultimately creating 30 balls of light which illuminated the path ahead of the party.

    ¡°There they are.¡±

    In front of Shin, humanoid monsters d in tattered capes were retreating, intimidated by the light globes.

    The monsters, carrying darkness capable of shutting off ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ , were Dark Summoners.

    They appeared humanoid, but their tattered robes contained nothing but darkness, which suffered no damage when attacked. Their actual body was the candle-like item they carried, which burned with a dark me.

    ¡°Tiera, aim at the candle they¡¯re holding! That¡¯s their actual body. Filma, you take down the Shadow Stalkers behind them. Shibaid, keep watch on the rear. Sety, you watch the whole situation and support when needed. Yuzuha, Kagerou, protect the rear.¡±

    Shin gave orders to the party, then joined Filma in fighting on the front lines.

 Book 12: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    When Dark Summoners are spawned, they are always apanied by monsters named Shadow Stalkers, which have the ability of ¡°swimming¡± in shadows, as if these shadows were bodies of water. Shadow Stalkers thus had the ability to freely move through the darkness created by Dark Summoners, from which they also received stat boosts.

    They were an annoyingbination tobat, since, without a suitable strategy or sufficient stats, it would take a long time to defeat them.

    ¡°There¡¯s something huge too.¡±

    After cutting down a hideous Shadow Stalker, shaped like a wingless bird fused with a praying mantis¡¯ scythes, Shin noticed a sort of pitch-ck puddle of darkness, muchrger than the other monsters. It was an indication that a Shadow Stalker was lying in wait: the shadow¡¯s size directly corrted to its strength. While such puddles were normally about 60 cemel in diameter, the one Shin discovered was easily over 1 mel wide.

    ¡°A Dark Stalker, huh.¡±

    Two red lights glowed in the puddle of darkness. Those were a Dark Stalker¡¯s blood red eyes. In front of Shin¡¯s party, the darkness inside the circle swelled and took shape.

    The Dark Stalker¡¯s upper body rose from the pool of darkness. While shaped like a Shadow Stalker, its body was covered by a sort of ck metallic exoskeleton and it had four arms, each shaped like sharp des. Unlike the Shadow Stalkers, which always attacked from the shadows, Dark Stalkers were powerful enough to face yers head on.

    ¡¾Dark Stalker Level 649¡¿

    Judging from the fact the monsters the party was fighting were around level 200, this new enemy was a significantly higher threat.

    The Dark Stalker¡¯s des sparkled under the globes of light, as the monster observed its prey. It had no time, however, to even attempt to swing its weapons. No matter how much stronger the Dark Stalker waspared to the Shadow Stalkers, it was still far inferior to Shin and his party.

    ¡°¡­.out of the way.¡±

    Shin¡¯s katana, ¡ºMoonless¡» traced an arc in the air, which effortlessly cleaved the Dark Stalker in two. He then pulled back the de, cutting off the monster¡¯s head in the process, and its HP reached zero.

    ¡°Shin! Looks like the evil deity¡¯s getting serious!¡±

    ¡°So it seems.¡±

    Shin looked at the Dark Summoners¡¯ candles being shattered by Tiera¡¯s arrows, then beyond the monsters, when Shibaid called to him.

    Arge number of monster icons appeared both on Shin¡¯s map and his detection range. More and more red dots filled a previously empty area. Before Shin, many Dark Summoners appeared. In the darkness around them, the crimson eyes of Dark Stalkers and Shadow Stalkers glowed menacingly.

    ¡°Wow¡­what¡¯s that¡­?¡±

    Tiera too noticed therge group of monsters prowling in a corner where the globes¡¯ light did not reach. The darkness extended over the floor, walls, ceiling, the entirety of the corridor. The Dark Stalkers within it dotted every part of the corridor as well.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve found their nest.¡±

    Looking at the map, Shin detected that a simr gathering was also present behind Shibaid. It was not clear if the monsters were under the evil deity¡¯smand, but it was obvious that they were targeting Shin¡¯s party. If so, the party¡¯s response was obvious too.

    ¡°Shibaid, don¡¯t let the ones behind us get any closer! Sety, keep the globes lit and support the front line with Tiera! Yuzuha, Kagerou, keep guarding Tiera and the others!¡±

    ¡°Oh? What about me?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need me to tell you, do you?¡±

    After Tiera and the others replied to Shin¡¯s orders, Filma too inquired about her orders, tilting her head on purpose. Shin looked at her and answered with a sigh.

    ¡°We¡¯re taking the pack head on! After me!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, loud and clear!¡±

    Shin stepped forward after making sure that Shibaid was luring away the mixed pack behind them. Sety¡¯s light globes canceled the Dark Summoners¡¯ darkness caused the monsters to falter, only to be cut down by Filma and Shin.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go ahead and clean up the room, you get rid of any stragglers and catch up!¡±

    Shin and Filma rushed beyond the area illuminated by Sety¡¯s lights, into arger clearing formed by several corridors joining together.

    ¡°What!? Hey, Shin!!¡±

    Tiera shouted at the two as they plunged headfirst into danger. Before she could even finish her sentence, however, they had already reached the hall.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go right, you take the left, Filma.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    Even inplete darkness, Shin and Filma¡¯s exchange was very casual. Their attacks, on the other hand, were simply ferocious.

    Shin moved first, thrusting his unarmed left hand forward to activate a skill.

    Light-type magic skill ¡¾Sunlight Embrace¡¿.

    A 10-cemel wide ball of light, with a different atmosphere from the ones created by Sety, formed in front of Shin¡¯s palm. It emitted a warm, gentle light. It was a skill that raised allies¡¯ LUC, often learned by priests.

    The moment Shin activated this skill, with apparently no offensive qualities whatsoever, the monsters surrounding him unleashed terrified screams. The Dark Summoners and Shadow Stalkers illuminated by the light burned to ashes, as if consumed by fire.

    It would be a bewildering sight for anyone not familiar with the skill.

    For monsters specialized in the Dark element, like Dark Summoners, the globe¡¯s light burned more harshly than any me. With Shin as its caster, the range of ¡¾Sunlight Embrace¡¿ was also much wider than normal. Shin had told Filma that he would take care of the right side of the hall, but even some monsters on the left side were affected and melted away.

    ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t have much left to do!¡±

    Unwilling to let Shinpletely steal the scene, Filma quickly activated a skill too.

    Sword/me Combination Skill ¡¾Scorching mes ¨C Wildfire¡¿

    Golden mes erupted from Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», as high as the hall¡¯s ceiling, purifying mes capable of dispelling the darkness and burning the shadow monsters to cinders. While being a me-type skill, it was simr to the Light element. Just touching one of the skills¡¯ sparks would cause Shadow Stalkers and simr monsters to go up in mes and vanish instantly.

    Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», now transformed into a giant fiery sword, swept through the monsters in the left side of the hall. The golden mes erupting from the sword ran across the floor and walls, turning all Dark Summoners and Dark Stalkers they found to ashes.

    Being undead, the Dark Summoners , received as much damage as that of Shin¡¯s ¡¾Sunlight Embrace¡¿.

    ¡°That¡¯s about it, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Looks like there are more and moreing, though.¡±

    The monsters in the corridor and hall had been wiped out, but Shin and Filma detected thatrge swarms of monsters still remained outside the skills¡¯ range. The area behind the party, kept under control by Shibaid, was also riddled with red dots.

    ¡°It¡¯s always the same type of monsters, though. Is it because the Kishimi are involved?¡±

    In the game event too, the only monsters present were Dark Summoners, Shadow Stalkers and Dark Stalkers. The game had set these three types of monsters as the ones the Kishimi could transform to.

    ¡°Who knows, that¡¯s not important right now.¡±

    Shin too wondered the same thing as Filma, but he had other things to think about at the moment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s fill up the hole first.¡±

    Shin then created several ¡¾Sunlight Embrace¡¿ light globes. Shin took the globes, each of them capable of erasing more than half of the Dark Summoners in the hall, and pitched them like baseballs into the corridor. The anguished screams of the monsters, who had likely been lying in wait there, echoed through the hall.

    The globes would keep shining until the magic concentrated in them ran out, so the monsters could note closer to the hall for a good while.

    Tiera and the rest of the party then caught up with Shin and Filma.

    ¡°¡­.I feel dumb for worrying now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with you, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°To barge into a location without visibility and filled with monsters¡­we worried and hurried here, but it¡¯s already over?¡±

    Next to Tiera, sighing because of her wasted worries, Setyughed.

    ¡°Shin, Fil, you haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡±

    During the party outings in the game era, Shibaid would gather the enemies in one ce for Shin, Filma and Girard to destroy physically or Shin, Schnee and Sety to st away with magic. Shin, of course, never failed to be part of either group.

    ¡°Once you know their weakness, these guys aren¡¯t anything special.¡±

    The problem was their numbers, but Shin¡¯s party could make do somehow. Even if their assault seemed reckless, none of what Tiera feared could have happened.

    ¡°Did you wait long?¡±

    ¡°No, not much. Let¡¯s go on ahead.¡±

    Shin lobbed ¡¾Sunlight Embrace¡¿ balls in the corridor Shibaid had guarded too. No monsters would be able to follow after them for a while.

    The group proceeded forward and deeper, finding resistance time and again, but always by the same 3 types of monsters.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any other monsters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to keep being tense like this.¡±

    The monsters never changed: their levels slightly did, but the party¡¯s strategies remained the same. It was easy to proceed like this, but if the evil deity had gained Schnee¡¯s memories, it had to know that Shin¡¯s party could not be exhausted by this level of opposition.

    ¡°Oh, is iting now?¡±

    ¡°Shin? What are you¡ªwahh!¡±

    Suddenly, sparks flew over Tiera¡¯s head.

    Shin and Filma had moved at the same time, turning around and swinging their weapons to repel the de aiming at Tiera.

    ¡°Hn!¡±

    Shibaid too had moved at the same time: after confirming that Shin and Filma blocked the attack aimed at Tiera, he swung his ¡ºcid Moon¡» towards the source of the attack.

    ¡°It dodged that?¡±

    There was nothing, however, where Shibaid thrusted his halberd. The moment its attack had been parried, It had jumped away, almost weightlessly, putting distance between itself and Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°That was¡­¡±

    ¡°The evil deity¡¯s doing, right? I kind of expected for something like this to happen, but actually seeing it is really irritating!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes narrowed at the sight at the attacker. Next to him, Filma grumbled.

    The reason was that the culprit behind the attempted attack towards Tiera had Schnee¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°Fil, calm down.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it has the same abilities as her, though.¡±

    ¡°A Shadow of Desire, huh.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ had revealed the true nature of the assant. It was a monster created by the evil deity, copying yers or support characters. In the game era, it was generated at random from the memories stolen by the evil deity, but this time it was, obviously enough, only Schnee.

    The generated monster was not a perfect copy appearance-wise, only looking like a solid shadow. The silhouette, however, was without a doubt Schnee¡¯s.

    The monster that had its attack parried by Shin and Filma used a weapon shaped like ¡ºBlue Moon¡». The weapon vanished after being blocked, as it probably could not sustain any more damage.

    ¡°As expected¡­it wasn¡¯t only one.¡±

    After the failed surprise attack, many other Shadows rose from the ground. The new monsters, 6 in all, pointed their weapons at Tiera, Filma, Shibaid, Sety, Yuzuha and Kagerou respectively.

    ¡°No one wants to face me?¡±

    The Shadows were ready to attack, but for some reason none tried to aim at Shin: they focused on the other party members, almost as if they could not see him. No one in the group was wounded, but being Schnee¡¯s copies, the Shadows could not be defeated easily.

    Not paying any attention to Shin, however, meant that they werepletely open to his attacks.

    The two Shadows that tried using as the walls as trampoline to attack Sety and Tiera from above were pierced by Shin¡¯s me-type Magic skill, ¡¾re Arrow¡¿.

    ¡°You got some guts to ignore me.¡±

    Even if struck by Shin, the Shadow did not show any particr reaction: the 1 mel diameter area around the point struck by Shin¡¯s ¡¾re Arrow¡¿ disappeared, but the remaining shadow limbs melted back into the shadows.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°If these things are born from Schnee, it makes sense that they can¡¯t attack you, to me!!¡±

    Filma answered Shin¡¯s question while cutting down a Shadow.

    ¡°Shadows of Desire¡­they embody the source¡¯s hidden wishes, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°The original wishes are supposed to be twisted by the evil deity, though.¡±

    Shin remembered the event¡¯s description and exined. Any wish ended up corrupted, in an offensive or negative manner.

    ¡°For big sis Schnee¡­are we in the way?¡±

    Sety spoke with a sad tone, considering that all members other than Shin were being attacked. Even if her wish was corrupted, the Shadows¡¯ actions suggested that Schnee did not consider anyone other than Shin to be necessary.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it.¡±

    Tiera expressed her dissent while shooting at thest remaining Shadow.

    ¡°I think that master simply wanted to be alone together with Shin. They were separated as soon as they met again, and after they reunited they were never by themselves.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s hypothesis was strangely convincing. No one could find any objections. It was true that Shin rarely acted together with only Schnee. They sometimes went shopping and such on their own, but it neversted more than a day. In Hinomoto Schnee had joined him before the others, but even so they were not alone.

    ¡°Such a feeling too got warped negatively¡­¡±

    Shibaid grunted, irritated, looking at shadows newly arising from the floor and walls.

    ¡®I want to be with the person I like¡¯: a feeling anyone could share. If that was their base, just the fact the Shadows were trying to hurt someone would be painful for Schnee.

    ¡°Shin, if these things won¡¯t try to attack you, why don¡¯t you go ahead first?¡±

    ¡°By myself?¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be defeated by monsters of this level. I also doubt that you would sumb to the evil deity either¡±

    Shibaid spoke clearly, uncaring of the Shadows gradually surrounding them.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, if they¡¯ll let you right through, then make use of their kindness. Go on already, and take her back!¡±

    ¡°Yep, just leave the rest to me. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m one of your entourage if I let small fry like this beat me!¡±

    Filma and Sety too agreed with Shibaid and urged Shin to go.

    Their words implied ¡°if you won¡¯t go, who will?¡±. They were not concerned by the decrease in fighting power caused by Shin¡¯s absence.

    ¡°Kuu, this is something Shin must do.¡±

    Yuzuha, who had turned to a 2-mel size for fighting more easily, looked at Shin and spoke. Kagerou too growled in unison.

    Tiera did not talk, but nodded in agreement.

    ¡°¡­got it, I¡¯ll go first. You better catch up soon!¡±

    Shin gripped ¡ºMoonless¡» more firmly, turned his back to Filma and the others and started running. The Shadows, oblivious, continued attacking the rest of the party.

    ¡°I¡¯ming, Schnee!¡±

    Shin removed all of his stats¡¯ ¡¾Limiters¡¿ and kicked the ground fiercely, causing arge crack on the floor and boosting his speed in turn.

    The Dark Stalkers targeted Shin, but they were simply powerless to stop him from hurrying towards Schnee. Without slowing down one second, Shin activated a skill.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡±

    The Dark Stalkers obstructing Shin¡¯s path were blown away. Their scythes and exoskeletons were shattered, as well as their bodies. Shin had not attacked them, but simply ran through. The only difference from before was the golden light veiling his body.

    Tri-Elemental Composite Skill ¡¾Thunder God Cloth¡¿.

    The skill created a barrier that enveloped the user¡¯s body, repelling physical attacks, which was covered by high-output electricity. The skillbined Barehanded, Divine, and Lightning elements.

    The skill¡¯s appearance caused some yers to nickname it Super Mode or Hyper Mode, with another reason being that it was damaging enough to deserve such names.

    The physical barrier¡¯s strength and resistance depended on the user¡¯s stats, preventing the Dark Stalkers¡¯ scythes from approaching, while the light emitted by Shin¡¯s body annihted the Dark Summoners. The monsters were nothing more than air for Shin.

    ¡°The Shadows won¡¯te out, huh.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what that meant. Maintaining ¡¾Thunder God Cloth¡¿, he proceeded deeper into the dungeon. He checked the path with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, blew any monsters away, and crushed all traps he encountered on the shortest route to his destination.

    Finally, he arrived at the deepest reaches of the dungeon, before the room where the evil deity was supposed to be.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Wary of any attacks from inside, Shin slowly opened the door. Despite the heavy decorations on the doors, they opened easily with just a touch. What Shin found inside was at first nothing but darkness. Next, he saw silver mes. Candles at both sides of the boss chamber lit up by themselves.

    In the most remote part of the room, it awaited.

    The Evil Deity, Adetropos.

    A mask over its face, empty eyes gazing into the void, irregr limbs, body covered by tattoos, and a snake-like lower body: its appearance was the same as the game era.

    In ce of his hairless head, however, flowed silver hair. From his hands grew ice ws. The greatest difference, however, was the light blue crystal on his chest, with Schnee trapped within.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    The moment he saw it, Shin rushed forward.

 Book 12: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 12: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    A straightforward assault, with all of his Limiters removed. Shin had neither the time nor intention to assess the situation. Faster than a speeding bullet, he closed the 50-mel distance between his initial position and Adetropos in a couple of steps.

    Shin¡¯s initial target was the monster¡¯s left arm, the symbol of the boss monster¡¯s heavy use of mental-affecting skills and magic skills. His ¡ºMoonless¡» carved through it easily.

    Divine/Katana Combination Skill ¡¾Scourge Divide ¨C Morning Star¡¿

    In the candle-lit room, a white-hot sh of metal sparkled for an instant.

    The Divine/Katana skill unleashed by Shin, which would cause massive damage to evil-type monsters such as demons, devils, and the undead, cut off Adetropos¡¯ left arm. Meanwhile, it was not clear where Adetropos was looking or if it had even realized it was under attack.

    The ability that activated after the boss received damage, however, did not rely on its perceptions. Before Shin could use the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to continue attacking, the severed arm, right before hitting the ground, erupted into ck smoke.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin instantly changed directions. He moved behind Adetropos¡¯ body, using the monster¡¯srge body as a shield. A few secondster, the chamber was filled by a grey light: it was ¡¾Netherlight¡¿, a skill that caused all status effects at once. Shin could have probably resisted its effects, but decided to dodge it just in case. ¡¾Netherlight¡¿ did not affect Adetropos¡¯ body and its shadow.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to move now, huh?¡±

    Shin nned to attack as soon as the light disappeared, but Adetropos raised its snake-like body, supported by countless insect-like legs. The crawling monster was a really disgusting sight. Adetropos moved extremely quickly, though it was difficult to imagine from its snake-like, centipede-like lower body. In addition, it could easily travel not only on the ground, but also the walls and ceiling. It climbed up the walls, attached itself on the ceiling and spewed a deluge of status effects.

    Its aptitude to easily avoid the yers¡¯ attacks, affect them with negative statuses, and torture them was another reason why Adetropos was hated by the yers.

    However¡ª

    ¡°You thought I couldn¡¯t reach?¡±

    Shin could run on the walls and even on midair: he was apletely different opponent from the yers that Adetropos had probably defeated until now.

    Shin, as he was now, could easily reach the ceiling, using abination of ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ and jumping. Against Adetropos, who had to use the walls, he would never lose in speed.

    ¡°Schnee isn¡¯t damaged, right?¡±

    Shin checked Schnee¡¯s HP gauge while the monster climbed the wall. If she wasn¡¯t there, he would have targeted the boss¡¯ neck from the first blow.

    ¡°I¡¯m takInG heR bAck.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words reverberated through the chamber. In the echo there was also another voice, not Shin¡¯s or the evil deity¡¯s.

    Shin did not notice it, however, and leapt in front of Adetropos¡¯ eyes as it hung from the ceiling.

    The instant Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», bright with ¡¾Scourge Divide ¨C Morning Star¡¿¡¯s glow, swung down on Adetropos, the de was also adorned by purple crystals.

    Adetropos, however, was still one of the toughest bosses: it used its right arm¡¯s ws to block the attack. The ice ws, though not present in the game, were not enough to stop Shin¡¯s attack.

    ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s sh cut off the ws, while the resulting shockwave separated the monster¡¯s hand from its elbow.

    ¡°Get lost alre¡ª-!?!¡±

    Shin had slipped close to the monster, ready to slice its head off with ¡ºMoonless¡».

    Just as the de was about to reach the monster¡¯s body, the blue crystal containing Schnee appeared in front of Shin.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how resistant the crystal was. If ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s strike was more powerful, however, the sh would end up cutting Schnee too.

    Shin used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to create a temporary foothold and focused his strength on swinging his de in the opposite direction. Thanks to his strength, ¡ºMoonless¡» stopped just before touching the blue crystal.

    Adetropos was probably waiting for this instant: its silver hair started moving as if it had a will of its own, squirming towards Shin, attempting to grab him. The attack¡¯s range was wide, but it was slow. Shin jumped out of the way and stood on the same wall as Adetropos.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡±

    Anger-filled words escaped Shin¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°You!! Bastard!! What did you just try to make me do!?¡±

    Shin shouted, overwhelmed by rage.

    It was just an angry shout, not apanied by any skill. Shin¡¯s roar, however, caused the mes on the chamber¡¯s candles to flicker violently. A crack also appeared on the crystal trapping Schnee.

    Shin had stopped ¡ºMoonless¡» before it touched the crystal, but Ancient-grade weapons could cause damage even with just air pressure, as proved by the crack in the crystal.

    Make the personing to save a prisoner kill them instead. Adetropos¡¯ actions had positively enraged Shin.

    ¡°Your deaTh won¡¯T be painLEss.¡±

    Shin kicked the wall, breaking it apart behind him, and rushed towards the monster. Adetropos shot ice arrows, something it could not do in the game, but Shin simply knocked away the ones in his path and instantly approached the monster.

    He targeted the monster¡¯s insect legs this time, with which it could crawl on the walls and ceiling. Making sure to be ready to react even if the blue crystal was again teleported in front, Shin swung ¡ºMoonless¡», cutting down the monster¡¯s legs from the left side. Thanks to ¡ºMoonless¡», it made no real difference whether the legs were covered by a protective shell or not.

    While avoiding or knocking away all obstacles, Shin continued cutting off the monster¡¯s legs.

    ¡°Time tO tRy thAt.¡±

    After slicing off ? of the legs on the left side, Adetropos¡¯ lower body had grown rather unstable. Shin then stabbed the monster¡¯s snake lower body with ¡ºMoonless¡» without hesitation.

    It was a much smaller attack than the ones before: Adetropos did not seem to react at all.

    ¡°BurN frOm inSIde aNd sUFFer!!¡±

    ¡ºMoonless¡», having piercing the monster up to the hilt, was engulfed in mes.

    Katana/me Combination Skill ¡¾Garuda¡¯s me¡¿.

    The skill Shin activated enveloped the katana in red and gold mes, that were capable of melting even Adamantine. These mes were now burning Adetropos¡¯ body from inside.

    Crimson and golden light seeped through from where ¡ºMoonless¡» stabbed the monster, then its flesh started falling out. Adetropos¡¯ body could not withstand the heat released by the de.

    ¡°Looks like you can¡¯t move the crystal inside youR bOdy!!¡±

    Shin stabbed ¡ºMoonless¡» in another location and ran on the monster¡¯s tail, with the mes following him along the monster¡¯s body. Shin managed to run almostpletely around Adetropos¡¯ tail, enough for it to be close to falling off. Shin then changed directions, running up the monster¡¯s back in a zig-zag pattern to avoid its attacks.

    ¡°xpr&r¡±&%#s!!¡±

    An intelligible wail-like sound was produced by what probably was Adetropos¡¯ mouth. Its body then turned ck.

    ¡°Tch, so it¡¯s just like the event now!!¡±

    Because of the game settings, it was not possible topletely defeat Adetropos. It was an enemy boss, but still categorized as a deity. Even if its body was destroyed, it would eventually resurrect. Maybe because of such a setting, some of those monsters tried to surprise yers with theirst resort attacks.

    In Adetropos¡¯ case, when its HP went below a certain level, it had the nasty habit of trying to take the yer down with it.

    When Adetropos¡¯ body turnedpletely ck, it would start crumbling into a blob. In the game, if the yer was still alive after Adetropos hadpletely melted away, the mission was consideredplete.

    ¡°You¡¯re not taking Schnee with you!!!¡±

    Shin shouted and ran into Adetropos¡¯ melting body. There was still the possibility of the crystal being teleported again, so he just held ¡ºMoonless¡» without swinging it. If he did not do anything he would be swept away by the turbid stream, so Shin activated ¡¾Thunder God Cloth¡¿ to break through Adetropos¡¯ former body and reach Schnee.

    ¡°There¡¯s, something.¡±

    The ck stream did not touch him directly, but even so Shin¡¯s HP gauge was gradually decreasing. In the game, being engulfed by the ck stream was the end: it caused instant death, no matter how much HP the yer had left. The ck liquid that was trying to swallow Shin and the crystal probably had simr effects.

    ¡°If I was together with Schnee, well¡­I even thought.¡±

    Shin talked to himself when he reached the crystal and saw Schnee¡¯s face. He had decided: as long as he was together with Schnee, no matter where he ended, he would have no regrets.

    ¡°¡ªbut I¡¯m not easy enough to be taken down by the likes of you!!¡±

    Shin activated the creation-type skill ¡¾Alteration¡¿ and buried his arms in the crystal. After making sure he had a firm grip, he activated the skill again. Purple lines formed a magic circle, with Shin and the crystal at its center. Severalplex patterns appeared in the 5-mel wide circle.

    The magic circle, glowing brighter and fainter, pushed away the ck stream surrounding Shin and the crystal as soon as it appeared, as if it had a barrier that did not allow anything to pass through it.

    ¡°DisapPEaR!!!¡±

    The magic circle¡¯s light grew stronger with Shin¡¯s shout. 6 purple mes, about 60-cemel tall, appeared on the outer side of the circle, spinning along it, all in different directions. The purple mes formed different circles and, after a few seconds, grew exponentially in size.

    The ck stream that had tried to swallow Shin gradually disappeared, as if it was erased out of existence. No matter if it was touched directly or not, the mes erased it all.

    me-type Magic skill ¡¾Purging me of Obliteration¡¿

    It was a wide range skill that caused great damage to anyone, enemies and allies alike, in a set radius, with the exception of the user. In a closed room with no way of escape, it was extremely lethal. Its effects covered the whole boss room, so Adetropos¡¯ ck stream could not escape anywhere.

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s no response anymore.¡±

    After the skill¡¯s effects wore off, Shin scanned the area with his detection skills, looking for Adetropos¡¯ presence, then removed his arms from the crystal. He had grabbed it firmly to avoid it being affected by ¡¾Purging me of Obliteration¡¿ , so it suffered no other cracks or damage than the one inflicted in the beginning.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as the time with Filma¡­¡±

    It could just be a coincidence, or maybe there was a reason behind it, but the crystal trapping Schnee was actually a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡». This one was in harmony with Schnee¡¯s magic power and emitted a blue light. As it had happened with Filma, it would not be absorbed by Schnee.

    Nothing was in the way anymore, so Shin decided to free Schnee first of all. He activated ¡¾Alteration¡¿ and changed the crystal into an item card. Even the tough ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» was like putty before ¡¾Alteration¡¿: it wasn¡¯t long before Schnee was freed.

    ¡°Schnee. Hey, Schnee.¡±

    Shin checked her breath and pulse, then shook her lightly to wake her up. After a while, Schnee started moving.

    ¡°¡­..? ¡­..hn¡­Shi¡­n¡­?¡±

    Her eyelids opened slowly, then her sky blue eyes met Shin¡¯s gaze. Her expression was still lost, as she probably hadn¡¯t fully woken up yet. Shin looked at her gently. The boss had been defeated, so her memories should return too.

    ¡°Do you recognize me?¡±

    ¡°What in the world¡ªeh? Er, ehm, why are we¡­like this?¡±

    Schnee was currently being held by Shin, his arms supporting her back and knees.

    ¡°Do you remember everything? Are there any gaps?¡±

    ¡°¡ª-ah.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused Schnee to turn pale.

    ¡°I, I do. Or, I should say that I remember everything now. What happened until I fought Hameln, and also after that.¡±

    ¡°You remember everything, then? What happened during the game, and also after I returned?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I also remember about fighting against you all, while under the evil deity¡¯s control.¡±

    Schnee spoke in a feeble yet confident tone. She could have said that she did not remember anything about the time she was controlled, but didn¡¯t. She had turned pale because she had realized what she had done: the weight of her guilt tormented her.

    ¡°I, I am truly sor¡ª¡±

    ¡°Aaaahh!!! I¡¯m so d¡­!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden shout cut off Schnee¡¯s apology. He then fell sitting on the ground, relieved. Schnee, on the other hand, floated for a second.

    ¡°Wah!¡±

    ¡°Oops.¡±

    While sitting, Shin deftly caught Schnee¡¯s fall, then hugged her close.

    ¡°Eh, er, Shin¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d¡­.I¡¯m so d. I didn¡¯t know what to do if you had disappeared because I couldn¡¯t make up my mind.¡±

    Even if he remembered info about the event, there was no assurance that Schnee would be all right. Even if she was physically okay, mentally she could have be another person.

    She¡¯s still alive, she¡¯s going to be okay. Shin had continued to repeat these words to himself while on the way here. After realizing that Schnee was really alright, it was obvious for his outburst of joy.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I just let down my guard.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s my fault. If I had decided earlier and told you, things would have gone differently.¡±

    Schnee med herself, but Shin stopped her sternly. She had been manipted by the evil deity because there was arge enough gap in her heart for it to infiltrate. And the reason behind that was Shin. He couldn¡¯t let that slide.

    ¡°What I couldn¡¯t say that night¡­I¡¯ll say it now.¡±

    ¡°¡­.yes.¡±

    Shin released the embrace and ced his hands on Schnee¡¯s shoulders. Schnee understood the meaning of his words and looked straight at him, a tense expression on her face.

    Shin¡¯s answer towards Schnee¡¯s desire for him to remain in this world. That time, the words stayed stuck in his throat, but now it was different. His heart was set. He just had to say the words.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay in this world. So would you please stay with me? Not as master and servant¡­but as man and woman.¡±

    ¡°¡­!?! D-do you mean¡­?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    ¡°Well, yes, I mean¡­I want you to marry me.¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes looked straight at Schnee¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t a joke. It wasn¡¯t just something said to buy time.

    They were words born from Shin¡¯s honest feelings.

    ¡°Eh!? Hey, Schnee!?¡±

    Transparent tears flowed out of Schnee¡¯s eyes. The unexpected reaction caused a small panic in Shin.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Ever since we met again, I always¡­I always thought, that I really wanted this to happen¡­¡±

    Schnee wiped her flowing tears and looked at Shin.

    ¡°Are, are you really sure? Someone like me¡ª!?¡±

    Instead of answering, Shin sealed Schnee¡¯s lips with his, forcefully stopping her self-deprecating words. Schnee was confused at first, but as she understood what Shin was doing, she slowly put her hands around his back.

    ¡°Shi¡­n¡­.!¡±

    The light kiss grew gradually more passionate. In the game, kissing was the greatest show of affection possible between yers like Shin.

    I love you.

    I love you too.

    Exchanging feelings, words, and breaths.

    Schnee knew what kissing meant. She responded passionately, much more than one would expect from her. Her tears wouldn¡¯t stop, but Shin knew that they were not born out of sadness.

    ¡°¡­hah.¡±

    After a long kiss, the two separated naturally. A string between their lips vanished, as if longing for more. Looking at it, Schnee blushed ¨C a bit toote.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t, a dream, right?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t. I can pinch your cheeks if you want.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    Shin meant it as a joke, but Schnee closed her eyes and put her face closer to Shin¡¯s. Despite what he said, Shin couldn¡¯t really pinch Schnee¡¯s cheeks, so he just poked them a little.

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough to wake me up from a dream, you know?¡±

    ¡°I know I said it myself, but this isn¡¯t easy to do¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re so kind, Shin.¡±

    Shin wiped thest tears remaining near Schnee¡¯s eyes, grumbling to himself. While looking at her smile, he decided once more that he would never let her cry out of sadness again.

    ¡°Filma and the others are here too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they told me to go ahead.¡±

    Shin remembered about hisrades telling him to go on and smiled. He wasn¡¯t worried at all about the monsters getting the best of them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go meet them, then. I made them worry too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s¡ª¨C!?¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee and was about to stand up, when the entire dungeon shook violently.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    He looked around and noticed that several patterns had appeared in the boss room, patterns he had seen before.

    ¡°Is that a teleportation magic circle?¡±

    ¡°It definitely is. ¡ªnow that I recall, if you don¡¯t go out right away after defeating the boss you get teleported to a random ce, I think¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t remember clearly what he had heard about the secret dungeon, or even if it was all true. But one of the things he did seem to remember referred to this very situation.

    ¡°The teleport crystal¡­won¡¯t work. I remember that no one was ever teleported inside a wall or something though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I feel no maliceing from this spell.¡±

    Schnee calmed down the restless Shin. Maybe because of her recent capture, she could tell such things now.

    ¡°Shin. Please embrace me like this.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    They didn¡¯t know where they would end up. But if they remained in close proximity, they thought they would be sent to the same ce.

    The magic circle lit up. A bright light filled the room, and when it disappeared, there was nothing in it anymore.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin was telling his decision to Schnee, a few mels from the entrance of the dungeon, a ck liquid-like substance appeared. The ck ooze, which until minutes before had been the evil deity Adetropos, slowly begun to float towards the sky.

    It had been defeated, but Adetropos was still a monster in the deity category. Thanks to having fought inside the secret dungeon, its home ground, it had managed to escape from Shin. That was the reason why bringing its HP to zero was not a condition for victory during the game event.

    Adetropos would be defeated by yers, resurrect, then be defeated again. That was its role in this world. The event¡¯s background information stated that a deity that tried to ease people¡¯s suffering had be an insane god and ended up confined to this world.

    Until someone realized that Adetropos was not destroyed, and truly finished it off, the monster would not be stopped¡ª

    ¡°This presence¡­you. You are the evil deity, are you not?¡±

    Adetropos nned to leave the dungeon for a while, to regain its powers, but someone called to it from above. Shadow covered its body. Something was blocking the sunlight.

    ¡°I can feel Shin¡¯s magic power. Seeing you in such a weakened state¡­you have fled.¡±

    Adetropos felt chills running through the surface of its body. The opponent looking down on him was not an average monster.

    ¡°I do not fight weakened opponents. Just this time, however, I shall discard such a creed!¡±

    It was not said that its end would be necessarily brought by a human.

    Adetropos did not know that, outside the dungeon, there was a creature much more dangerous than Shin.

    ¡°Hm!?¡±

    As if responding to Tzaobath¡¯s arrival, the hidden dungeon emitted a sh of light and disappeared.

    ¡°¡­an escape mechanism. Shin and the others must have been teleported away.¡±

    Tzaobath, feeling the magic power, moved its neck in 3 different directions. Shin¡¯s party had been sent to 3 different locations, apparently.

    ¡°Shin and the others aren¡¯t here anymore¡­I have no more reason to hold back.¡±

    Tzaobath looked at Adetropos, which was trying to sneak away. Its wings spread wide, and the light blue wings started glowing. At the same time, part of the clouds covering the sky cleared up. Light came down from the sky, directly above Tzaobath, which the dragon received on its back. The light did not reach the ground and was absorbed by the dragon¡¯s wings. The ray of sunlight made its body glow golden.

    ¡°Disappear.¡±

    The golden glow gathered in Tzaobath¡¯s maw, turning into a golden beam. A blow faster than a bolt of lighting and with more force than a meteor strike. There was nothing Adetropos could do. The light from the skypletely annihted the evil deity, without giving it a single chance to avoid or defend itself against the attack.

    The beam, not content with just destroying Adetropos, carved arge crater into the ground, turned trees into cinders and left another gaping wound on the recovering earth. After the light disappeared, all that was left was ground turned into ss, an enormous crater¡­

    ¡­and a sole dragon looking down from the skies.

    ¡°O friend. Did the memory of our days together return to your soul?¡±

    Tzaobath looked at the crater in silence for a few moments, then uttered these words and pped its wings. The dragon soared quickly above the heavy clouds and flew far away in the sky.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­.The presence of Shin and the others¡¯ disappeared¡­this must be teleportation. Looks like they managed to defeat Adetropos.¡±

    At the same time as Shin¡¯s victory over Adetropos, in a dimly lit room somewhere, Hameln was talking to no one in particr.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to check the reaction if they get teleported. Will dear Schnee¡¯s memories be returned? Or maybe they are lost forever?¡±

    Hameln had tracked the movements of Shin¡¯s party after being separated from them. Shin and hisrades were fully focused on finding Schnee, so they had not realized it.

    Tracking yers¡¯ movements inside dungeons was impossible, except for a handful of particr skills. Hameln¡¯s job did not allow him to acquire them, so it should have been impossible for him. That was in the game era, however. Things were different now.

    ¡°If they do not return, what will poor Shin do?¡±

    Hameln, who knew Shin from the game era, grinned. He had helped Shin once before, but that was all for the sake of his objective. Being a yer killer, Hameln was normally an enemy for Shin.

    ¡°To think that Tzaobath existed in this world, however. Shin truly is amusing to observe. It would be a pity if he changed, but what happens, happens, I suppose.¡±

    Hameln, who had been looking down, raised his head before talking again.

    ¡°I am looking forward to seeing you again.¡±

    Bizarrely enough, the direction he was looking in was the one Shin and Schnee had been teleported to.

 Book 13: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    In the hidden underground dungeon, Shin had sessfully defeated the evil deity Adetropos.

    While he managed to safely rescue Schnee as well, the teleport magic circle in the room had also been activated. Shin and Schnee were thus separated from theirrades, transported away to an unknown location¡­

    The first thing Shin felt after being transported was a very soft sensation in his arms. Then, he sensed someone¡¯s breath and body temperature. Next, a smell tickled his nostrils.

    ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t separated at least.¡±

    After checking the surroundings for any hostile presences, Shin spoke to Schnee, who he was holding in his arms. If he hadn¡¯t found her next to him after the teleport, he would have been beside himself with worry.

    ¡°Yes¡­are we¡­inside a cave?¡±

    ¡°So it would seem. I just checked quickly, but there are paths going both up and down. There are also presences moving, but not anywhere close.¡±

    Shin had scanned their current location with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and detected some responses moving in a group. One response was moving by itself, while the other was a a group of six, packed close together.

    ¡°Could those be monsters?¡±

    ¡°If this is a different dungeon, they might also be adventurers. Six is the max number of people you can have in a party, after all.¡±

    Monsters like goblins and kobolds moved in packs, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure yet. Schnee had just regained her consciousness, so Shin had her drink an ¡ºElixir¡» and rest a bit, just in case. In the meantime, he kept checking the surroundings.

    ¡°Are you all right already? Do you feel weird anywhere?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. My memories were just sealed, so I didn¡¯t suffer any damage. Aren¡¯t you worrying a bit too much?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course I do. Our rtionship is a bit different than before.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s right.¡±

    Schnee probably remembered Shin¡¯s confession: her sentence ended in a whisper. Her cheeks flushed too.

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry. Please give me five more minutes to settle down.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    While thinking how lovely Schnee looked with her hands covering her face, Shin returned to scanning the location for threats. Five minutes passed, without anything noteworthy happening, and Schnee stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait. I¡¯m okay now.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, you don¡¯t need to keep that formal tone anymore.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s be a habit.¡±

    Schnee spoke the same to everyone, usually, so it wasn¡¯t like she was being polite.

    ¡°But¡­I agree with you. Sometimes it would be nice to speak in a more familiar way.¡±

    ¡°Well, take your time. For now, let¡¯s find out where we ended up.¡±

    Shin and Schnee switched their focus to their current situation. Their stats and equipment were unchanged: the magic circle that whisked them away was just teleport magic, so it shouldn¡¯t have had any other effects.

    ¡°(Shin, where are you?)¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking of contacting the others, Yuzuha¡¯s voice resounded in his head.

    ¡°(We were transported to some cave-looking ce. The evil deity¡¯s defeated and Schnee turned back too. What about you guys?)¡±

    ¡°(Tiera, Kagerou, and Shibaid are here too.)¡±

    After the events at the ¡ºCastle of the Depths¡», Yuzuha seemed to have be more familiar with Tiera too.

    ording to Yuzuha, they had been transported to some kind of forest. They all emerged unscathed from the fights in the secret dungeon, so they were not in danger.

    ¡°(I see, I¡¯m d you¡¯re all safe. Let¡¯smunicate again once we understand where exactly we are. Shibaid can use Mind Chat too, so do you want toe over here, Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Not now. Shin and Schnee, you can stay on your own for a while. Yuzuha¡¯s a fox that can read a situation.)¡±

    Shin very easily pictured the smug look Yuzuha had to be sporting when she said that.

    Respecting her wishes, Shin didn¡¯t summon Yuzuha to his side.

    ¡°Did you receive a Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like Shibaid, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou are all together. I¡¯ll try contacting Filma and Sety now.¡±

    ¡°(Hello there. I guess this means you defeated the evil deity? )¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, Schnee¡¯s all right too, we¡¯re together. Is Sety with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Bingo. Me and Sety were transported to a beach somewhere.)¡±

    Filma said that she hadn¡¯t found anyndmarks that could provide hints about their location yet. Shin told her that Shibaid and the others were safe and to let them know when she understood where they were, then cut the Mind Chat for the moment. He then let Schnee know about the rest of the party¡¯s safety too.

    ¡°So everyone¡¯s safe, I¡¯m d.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way any of them would go down easily, after all¡­so, what shall we do now?¡±

    Shin and Schnee could teleport themselves, but the location the evil deity had transported them to also intrigued them. Shin then proposed to Filma and Yuzuha to research a bit about each of their locations before meeting again. They agreed, and Filma and Yuzuha then informed the other members.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start by finding out where we are.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I suppose we¡¯ll go up first then.¡±

    The cave was made of earth and rocks. Normally, the exit would be above.

    ¡°Oh, monsters spotted.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up monster responses in front, while scanning the cave as precisely as possible. The number was just one.

    ¡°A Hobgoblin, I see. Could this be their nest?¡±

    ¡°This might very well be a dungeon. By the way, do monsters go into dungeons from the outside in this world?¡±

    In one of the game events, dungeon monsters poured out in the open, but the opposite ¡ª monsters going inside dungeons from outside ¡ª never happened.

    ¡°It does. Sometimes powerful monsters happen to be near newly generated dungeons and take over as bosses.¡±

    ¡°Monsters can take over dungeons too!?¡±

    Dungeons generated suddenly had random monsters as a boss, so it was apparently possible. Schnee didn¡¯t know exactly the rules behind it either.

    ¡°The Hobgoblin is level 51¡­nothing unusual here.¡±

    Shin closed in on the monster from the front, without the slightest hesitation. He didn¡¯t even bother hiding the sound of his footsteps, so the Hobgoblin spotted him quickly.

    ¡°Akdobun!! Seeeurrralsa!!¡±

    The Hobgoblin charged at Shin while shouting gibberish. The iron sword it held with both hands shone faintly, probably because of a skill.

    ¡°¡­.all too normal. The skill is just ¡¾sh¡¿ too¡­I guess this is just a normal dungeon?¡±

    Shin grabbed the monster¡¯s sword with one hand and nted his other fist in its defenseless stomach. He only nned to punch it lightly, but the monster was blown away, vanishing soon after groaning a bit.

    ¡°Hey? This way of disappearing¡­¡±

    Looking at the vanishing monster, Shin was suddenly reminded of something.

    In this world, monsters defeated in a dungeon would disappear after a set time. The Hobgoblin Shin just defeated, however, turned into smoke as soon as its HP reached zero. This was typical of a certain dungeon in the game, one that Shin had made good use of too.

    ¡°This could be a training dungeon¡±

    ¡°One of those easily approachable by beginners too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that particr way of disappearing is typical of training dungeon monsters. I used them a lot to practice new skills, so I shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡±

    Training dungeons had been installed for yers not used to operating VR avatars or who wanted to test new skills.

    Monsters were as strong as normal, but yers would receive only little damage and experience points.

    Such dungeons were often quite popted, as they could be used to practice exploring in rtive safety.

    ¡°If so, we might be in Erkunt.¡±

    ¡°Erkunt?¡±

    ¡°A country devoted to the diffusion of study and research, which gathers students and schrs from all over the world. If I remember well, it¡¯s located slightly northwest of the center of the continent. It¡¯s the only country where the presence of a training dungeon was confirmed, so I believe it is highly likely that¡¯s where we are now. Of course, there might be undiscovered training dungeons too.¡±

    ¡°I see. There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about stuff like that, so you¡¯re really a big help.¡±

    Shin thanked Schnee, then looked ahead.

    ¡°¡­.now that I think about it, my limiters are still all off.¡±

    After a few steps, Shin remembered how the Hobgoblin had been blown away. In the fight with the evil deity he had removed each ¡¾Limiter¡¿, so even if he meant to go easy on the monster, the power he unleashed was still massive. (T/N: ¡¾Limit¡¿ has been changed to ¡¾Limiter¡¿)

    He had started getting the hang of controlling his strength, but to avoid any unexpected urrences, Shin decided to cast ¡¾Limiter¡¿ again on his stats.

    ¡°I wonder if we were sent here for some special purpose?¡±

    ¡°No idea. I heard that secret dungeons sent you to random ces, so it might be just a coincidence.¡±

    Shin could not tell what the evil deity might have been thinking. Even if they mulled over it they might never find the truth, so he decided to stop thinking about it.

    ¡°Well, now we know that this isn¡¯t a dangerous ce and there shouldn¡¯t be restrictions for leaving either. Let¡¯s take it easy.¡±

    Judging from the monsters and traps, Shin concluded that they were in one of the higher floors of the training dungeon. Following one of the typical dungeon rules, strong monsters wouldn¡¯t appear in such a floor.

    Different monsters appeared in dungeons, depending on what the suggested level to explore them was, of course. Monsters of the same type also appeared at different levels. In a dungeon for yers with levels at two-digits, however, nothing that could pose a threat to Shin and Schnee could happen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up just in case, and head for the exit. Let¡¯s use the shortest path.¡±

    Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, he had pinpointed where the exit was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be located. He couldn¡¯t bepletely sure because ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ wasn¡¯t best suited to go above ground from underground: the skill was most useful when going underground from above or exploring locations that were only above or underground.

    In the chance they met a dead end, the mapping function was automatic, so they would never get lost.

    ¡°¡­.there¡¯s someone fighting up ahead.¡±

    After walking for a while, without finding any actual obstacles, Shin detected several responses ahead. Judging from the markers, there seemed to be three people surrounded by monsters. The yers had probably triggered a ¡°monster house¡±-type trap, which in turn caused a train.

    Monster houses where traps activated when the yer entered small rooms inside dungeons: the exit would be blocked and great numbers of monsters appeared. Depending on the yer¡¯s skill, they could be good sources of experience, but in most cases the monsters¡¯ numbers overwhelmed the yer.

    Trains were caused when yers, chased by monsters, ended up causing other monsters they encountered to join the chasing group, ultimately forming arge pack of pursuers. If the yers failed to lose the monsters, they could end up being overwhelmed in this case too.

    The battle situation was difficult to judge from just the markers, but it did not seem to be favorable to the people involved.

    ¡°Looks like the frontline is doing everything they can to attract aggro. Wait, it¡¯s not front or rear, though¡­but it looks like they¡¯re handling themselves. If they¡¯re adventurers we could cause trouble by interrupting, so let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t notice us for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If the situation turns dangerous, should we help them?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, we¡¯ll help.But if things look suspicious, we might have to reconsider that too.¡±

    It might sound cold, but in the worst case there was the option of abandoning the party engaging the monsters.

    Causing a train on purpose, making it target others, then killing them. That was one of the strategies adopted by the so-called MPK, monster yer killers.

    This world was rife with turmoil within royal families, nobles, or among privileged sses. Such troubles were something Shin wanted to stay as far away from as possible.

    Thus, in case there were assassins in the shadows, waiting for a chance to finish their targets, he nned to leave without interfering.

    If they were really in a training dungeon, even if the explorers¡¯ HP reached zero the probability of their life being saved was high.

    ¡°This is not good.¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded, concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, when he spotted the scene of the monsters and adventurers fighting. The monsters were superior versions of Goblins, Red Caps.

    Therge, two-mel tall monster wore a tattered hat with red spatters. The axe it wielded missed chunks of its de and was dirty with blood.

    As a category, it belonged to the Goblins, but it was more powerful than Ogres. Its level averaged at about 200, with the one Shin was looking at being level 222, slightly higher than the average.

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one since the Dusk of Majesty, but it seems like they still fight the same way.¡±

    Red Caps tended to y with their prey. Many yers had been traumatized by them, so it was often said to never get close to one.

    Facing against the pack of Red Caps, standing in a clearing over the wall, were still very young children.

    Their equipment seemed decent enough, but if they were ordinary children their chances of victory were close to zero. They would be quickly crushed by the enemies¡¯ numbers.

    The three children, however, were in a different situation.

    The boy wielding a spear charged into the approaching pack of Red Caps, blowing away several of them in one strike. The girl armed with gauntlets jumped down in the opened space, damaging them further. She would then quickly back away, leaving room for the other boy with a wand to cast his magic.

    When Shin spotted them, the three children were surrounded, fighting with the cave walls at their back, but they attacked in a specific direction while moving.

    ¡°Their strategy isn¡¯t bad at all¡­it doesn¡¯t look there¡¯s anyone else nearby. Let¡¯s do it, then. Schnee, heal the boy with the spear. He seems pretty spent. I¡¯ll take care of the Red Caps.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The boy with the spear had probably acted as the tank, drawing in the enemies¡¯ attacks: his HP was one-third of the total. Shin asked Schnee to take care of him, then made his move towards the Red Caps.

    Before Shin, the girl armed with gauntlets had been caught by a Red Cap, which was about to lower its broken down axe on her. She struggled desperately to break free, but several Red Caps pinned her down.

    Even in such a situation, she managed to kick several Red Caps away, so she surely wasn¡¯t an average girl. In a normal situation, they would probably have never been surrounded like that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care for gore.¡±

    Shin materialized his broadsword ¡ºKakura¡» and rushed into the Red Cap mob threatening the girl. Making sure not to hit her by ident, Shin swung his de.

    The corridor was packed with Red Caps both to the left and to the right. One swing of the de and more than 10 Red Caps were blown away.

    ¡°¡­¡­heh?¡±

    Seeing the Red Caps pinning her down getunched in midair, the girl let out amement in disbelief. If the pack of Red Caps could bepared to a red stream of turbid water, Shin was a ck gust of wind.

    The Red Caps blown in midair and disappearing were like branches knocked about by a strong wind.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy, so don¡¯t attack, okay?¡±

    Shin warned the girl, who was trying to pull herself up, then strengthened his grip on ¡ºKakura¡».

    One, two, three shes.

    The Red Caps crowding the corridor decreased in the blink of an eye.

    Shin nced in Schnee¡¯s direction and saw her sh the Red Caps with graceful, dance-like movements, while protecting the two boys.

    She didn¡¯t blow them away like Shin, but froze them to seal their movements and keep them away from the children, then finished them off.

    Just as Shin did with ¡ºKakura¡», Schnee also used a weapon of lower level than the usual, it was the Ice-elemental short katana ¡ºIce Flower¡».

    Frozen flowers sprouted along the path of the de. The sight of Schnee gleaming as she dispatched the Red Caps was eerily beautiful, it was difficult to believe she was actually fighting.

    ¡°You¡¯re thest one!¡±

    Shin closed in on thest remaining Red Cap and once again swung ¡ºKakura¡». The monster tried shielding itself with the hand axe it wielded, but before a heavy weapon such as ¡ºKakura¡» it was simply futile.

    Even without a sharp de, ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s sh ¡ª boosted by Shin¡¯s muscr power ¡ª crushed the hand axe and sliced through the Red Cap like a knife through butter.

    The monster was cut diagonally, its upper body slowly sliding down. Before its organs could spill out, the Red Cap vanished.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin checked to make sure they had taken care of all the monsters, then dered the fighting over. As he did, a hesitating voice called out to him. He turned around and saw the little girl that the Red Caps had surrounded. Her equipment was partly damaged, but she didn¡¯t seem to have suffered much damage herself: she still had over 80% HP.

    The girl had shoulder length red hair and wore an iron headband, karate uniform-like armor, and spats. Her weapons were probably arm and leg guards. Her job was ¡ºFist Fighter¡».

    Judging from the crystal-like horns protruding at the sides of her head and her red scaled tail, it was clear that she was a Dragnil.

    ¡°Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation!¡±

    ¡°We had our reasons, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    The girl bowed energetically to Shin, who replied while putting ¡ºKakura¡» away.

    Shin and Schnee had instantly pulverized the enemies that were giving the children a hard time, so the girl¡¯s orange eyes were brimming with admiration.

    ¡°Hey, Myu! Just because they saved us, you¡¯re being too careless!¡±

    Just as Shin opened his mouth to exin their circumstances, the boy healed by Schnee shouted to the girl, while keeping his guard up.

    Deep blue hair, red eyes, metal armor, and a kite shield. His hands held an iron spear. Both his shield and armor, however, were partly shattered, as was his spear¡¯s tip.

    When he looked at Shin, his eyes glowed strangely: he probably used a magic eye-type of skill. He appeared to be a Dragnil, just like the girl called Myu.

    Raising his voice to attract attention and then use the skill was a good strategy, but it would be of little use before Shin and Schnee¡¯s resistance. There was toorge of a level gap between them.

    ¡°You too, Lecus! These people don¡¯t have the teacher¡¯s armband, they aren¡¯t instructors from the institute!¡±

    Unlike Myu and the boy called Lecus, the blue haired boy was wary of Shin and Schnee.

    Shin and Schnee did save them, but he quickly spotted that they did not belong to the institute and decided not to lower his guard. Another good judgement.

    From his words, it was clear that the dungeon was part of the institute¡¯s grounds.

    ¡°I can¡¯t fight against someone who saved my life!¡±

    ¡°What are you getting all smug for! There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯re on our side!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting too heated up, both of you! Calm down.¡±

    Forgetting Shin and Schnee, the boy and the girl started fighting, as Lecus tried to appease them. He was probably a mage: he carried a brown wooden wand wrapped with rope. His long ears signaled that he was likely an elf.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any hostility from them. Besides, even if we fought, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. I don¡¯t think we could even run for 10 mel. You¡¯ve seen him fight too, right Gian? Thedy is an incredible fighter too.¡±

    Lecus seemed to be a different type than the blue-haired boy, Gian, but judged the situation calmly too. After he finished talking, Myu put her hands on her hips and shed a big smile.

    ¡°Right, right!! I thought of helping too, but there just wasn¡¯t anything I could do!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear why Myu looked so happy, but the reason why Lecus said not to resist was simple.

    Shin and Schnee abundantly proved that they could easily eliminate the monsters on their own, without the slightest sign of exhaustion. There was arge difference in fighting power between them.

    ¡°First of all, we have no intention of causing you guys any harm. I¡¯ll exin our circumstances, so would you please listen?¡±

    When Shin turned ¡ºKakura¡» back to card form, Gian reluctantly walked closer. His expression clearly showed how dissatisfied he was with the situation.

    ¡°First, please let us thank you for saving us. My name is Lecus Alvein, the leader of this party. The Dragnil girl is Myu Hamill and the rude boy is Gian Ermelt.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hmpf.¡±

    Myu greeted Shin and Schnee energetically, while Gian was still sulking a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin, she¡¯s Yuki. We have otherpanions too, but we got separated when we were teleported away after defeating a dungeon boss. We were just transported here, and honestly we have no idea where we are.¡±

    Using the name ¡°Schnee¡± could have proved troublesome, so Shin used her alias. He warned her in advance via Mind Chat and had her transform to her golden haired, red eyed figure.

    Schnee smiled at the children to reassure them, and Lecus and the other two gazed at her, mesmerized.

    Shinughed wryly before talking again, and they snapped back to reality. Lecus, blushing fiercely, apologized profusely. Shin calmed him down and continued to exin their situation.

    ¡°Teleportation, is it. A trap that activated after defeating a dungeon boss¡­so there are things like that out there too.¡±

    ¡°You can even defeat a dungeon boss!? You¡¯re too strong, Mr. Shin!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Lecus and Myu were very interested in what Shin said, though one because of intellectual interest and the other because of the admiration towards the strong. They didn¡¯t seem to doubt his words, in any case.

    Shin expected Gian to say something too, but the boy kept an irond silence.

    ¡°We¡¯d like to go outside, first of all, so could you show us the way? We might cause trouble if we went out on our own, and I don¡¯t think you want to go on with your equipment in that state, right?¡±

    Rather than Lecus and Myu, Gian¡¯s equipment required repairs, or maybe even to be reced. Shin thought that they wouldn¡¯t proceed like that, so he made his proposal. He also told them that they would take care of any monsters that appeared on the way back.

    ¡°I see. It is true that we are not in our best condition, and we also have to report about the teleportation trap. Let us go together. We will have to take you to the security patrol, though. It is one of our rules, so you will have to ept it. Of course, we will duly let them know that you saved us. The patrol guards are rational people, I am sure they will do you no wrong.¡±

    Even if the dungeon was meant for training, monsters still resided in it, so they had skilled guards posted at its entrance.

    Lecus continued that, based on the situation, Shin and Schnee wouldn¡¯t just end up being used of trespassing.

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I suppose. Hopefully things will be resolved quickly.¡±

    They could have gone out while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but it was toote now that they met Lecus¡¯ party. If they didn¡¯t talk with the institute, their future movements could meet unneeded obstacles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. Can you walk, Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯m okay. She healed me.¡±

    Gian had been struck hard, though over his armor, so he was wobbling a little, but could still stand firmly on his legs. Schnee¡¯s recovery abilities were enough to even restore severed limbs, after all.

    ¡°You¡¯re tough, even though you just got beat up a lot.¡±

    ¡°I attracted the enemies¡¯ attention! Besides, those damn monsters went easy on us. And Yuki¡¯s¡­Ms. Yuki¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿ is a lot more powerful than what I¡¯m used to.¡±

    Gian replied to Myu without hiding his frustration.

    The Red Caps often yed with enemies weaker than them. They targeted the unit with the most HP and toyed with it even when they could defeat them in one blow.

    It was possible to make use of such a strategy to make the monsters fall in a trap, but Lecus and the others did not seem to have figured out how to yet.

    ¡°Mr. Shin, Ms. Yuki, are you high-ranked adventurers?¡±

    Shin answered Myu¡¯s question by showing his adventurer card.

    ¡°I¡¯m ranked A, even though I haven¡¯t taken any guild requests since I got to this rank.¡±

    ¡°Wow, rank A¡­that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong!!¡±

    Shin exined with a chuckle, but Myu waspletely convinced. Lecus, however, couldn¡¯t help but point out how weird that exchange was.

    ¡°No way Myu, how do you get convinced like that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange? The stronger an adventurer is, the higher rank they have, right?¡±

    ¡°That only works until rank B. To get to rank A and above, they take into ount your contributions to the country, to the guild, your personality¡­things unrted to how strong you are, basically. If you¡¯re strong but just violent, you can¡¯t get to rank A.¡±

    ¡°This means that Mr. Shin is a strong and good person!¡±

    ¡°¡­.well, that¡¯s probably right.¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t think too hard about it, Myu quickly nodded in eptance. The glow in her eyes when looking at Shin was even brighter than before. It probably happened often, because Lecus just nodded with a smallugh.

    In this atmosphere, it would be hard for Shin to say that in Balmel he just charged smack dab in to the middle of the monsters¡¯ swarm and let loose.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to level one, then. Please step on this magic circle.¡±

    In the game¡¯s training dungeons, there were normal magic circles ready to travel to the farthest traveled floor from level one: that was probably what Lecus mentioned.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first and exin the situation.¡±

    After the group teleported to level one, Lecus ran ahead towards the light pouring in from the exit.

    Left behind, Myu started talking to Shin, full of enthusiasm. She was like a fan who finally met her favorite athlete.

    On the other hand, Gian was mostly silent. His eyes often wandered towards Schnee, however.

    Outside, Lecus and three armored men were waiting for Shin¡¯s group. The men¡¯s armor had simr designs and were also enchanted. Their level was over 200, high enough to understand why they were in charge of security.

    ¡°Are you the people who were transported by ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a trap that activated as soon as the boss was defeated, so ourrades were transported somewhere else. We were close when the trap activated, so we ended up in the same location, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Did you contact yourpanions?¡±

    ¡°We used an item we found in the dungeon, that lets you send messages to people far away. We know that they are all safe. The item was one use only, so we only have a few left though.¡±

    ¡°I see, we understand the situation. We would like to inquire further, so please follow us.¡±

    One of the guards went off with Lecus¡¯ party, while the other two walked ahead of Shin and Schnee.

    Lecus¡¯ party did not seem to have noticed, but other than the two guards who led Shin and Schnee, there were several other responses surrounding them. The guards were clearly very wary of them.

    Shin and Schnee were first led to the guards¡¯ station. The building itself was reinforced, so it would not be damaged even if fighting broke out inside. It had a basement too, where Shin and Schnee would probably be shipped to if they were found ¡°guilty¡±.

    In one of the rooms of the station, Shin and Schnee exined their circumstances further. The guard asking the questions was the one who had first talked to Shin, a man named Bermann.

    ¡°¡ª-thank you for your cooperation. Being transported from dungeon to dungeon must be a bizarre experience, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°I guess we were lucky enough not to get stuck in the ground somewhere¡±

    ¡°They say that luck is a part of skill, after all. Let me confirm onest thing: where is the dungeon you said you were? If, like you, other people might end up being transported here, we should make the necessary countermeasures.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°And why would that be?¡±

    Bermann¡¯s eyes narrowed because of Shin¡¯s confident reply.

    ¡°That dungeon self-destructed right before we were transported. We saw it starting to crumble and ourrades confirmed that it is no more.¡±

    This was something that Shin learned by also contacting Tzaobath, after he talked with Filma. He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to contact monsters remotely via cards, so he tried sending one just in case, and it unexpectedly worked.

    ording to Tzaobath, it had annihted the dungeon together with the evil deity, which had crawled out. That¡¯s when Shin learned that the final self-destruction was ast resort the boss monster used to try to escape.

    Shin said that the dungeon ¡°crumbled¡± because he was sure that no one would believe him if he said that a dragon had blown it to nothingness with a breath attack.

    ¡°Is that so. I thought it was used to trespass into our country, but if it¡¯s disappeared, then our problem has too.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe us?¡±

    ¡°If you were trespassers, you would have no reason to help the students. I doubt there would be foreign agents who attracted attention to themselves on purpose like this.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Shin was not so naive as to fully believe Bermann¡¯s words, but there was no point in further pressing him whether he really believed them or not.

    After the questioning, Shin and Schnee were led in a waiting room with a sofa and a table. They were asked to stay there until a response arrived from the institute¡¯s authorities. Shin and Schnee did not have any particr objections, so they epted.

    ¡°(They¡¯re pretty wary of us.)¡±

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t look like they fully trust us. But they don¡¯t seem to have strong suspicions either.)¡±

    Shin looked all around himself while talking to Schnee via Mind Chat. Around the room there were even more responses than when they left the dungeon.

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s actions were not what someone that sneaked into the institute to perform evil deeds would do. They did not tell any lies either, so it might be difficult for the authorities to make a decision.

    After about one hour of waiting, Bermann and a group of people with different uniforms came into the room.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Shin felt like he had seen the person leading the group before. He might be mistaken, though, so to be sure he used ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¡ª¨CHmee Level 255 Mage

    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Hmee!?¡±

    ¡°!! C-could you really be Mr. Shin?¡±

    The female pixie leading the group, surprised, answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time. So you came over here too.¡±

    They had met a few times during the death game; in the end, Hmee had passed while protecting children with levels lower than theirs. That¡¯s the female yer that Shin knew, Hmee.

    A pixie with emerald green eyes, Shin remembered that she was in a party with a dragnil boy called Masakado.

    The Hmee now standing before Shin was a fully grown adult woman.

 Book 13: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Masakado isn¡¯t with you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s out at the moment. But Mr. Shin, why¡­¡±

    ¡°I apologize for interrupting you. Are you two, no, you three acquaintances?¡±

    A woman, part of the group that came in with Hmee, interrupted Shin and Hmee¡¯s conversation with a question.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. Ahem. Mr. Shin, I am currently the headmistress of this Erkunt Institute of Magic. She is the vice-headmistress, Licia.¡±

    After Licia¡¯s question, Hmee realized that all eyes were focused on her, so she straightened her posture and introduced herself formally. Shin recalled what she had been like as a child, but that Hmee was now long gone.

    Shin had not recognized her immediately because she had grown beyond what he remembered. The Hmee that now introduced herself as headmistress retained little of the feeble girl Shin remembered.

    ¡°Allow me to formally introduce us again too. I am Shin, she is my party member Yuki.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, I am Yuki.¡±

    The group of male instructors behind Hmee started buzzing with whispers after looking at Schnee lightly bow.

    ¡°I have read the report. I thought you might be agents from another country, but I see that it was a misced worry.¡±

    ¡°He-headmistress!?¡±

    ¡°Do not worry. Mr. Shin and hispanion are not the type to be upset by such things.¡±

    Hmee honestly stated their suspicions, so Licia hurriedly tried to stop her.

    Hmeeughed her worry away however. Shin chuckled with a feeling of nostalgia, as most eyes in the room were on him.

    ¡°Licia. I¡¯m sorry, but have them go back to the institute. We can¡¯t have many people hear what we will be discussing.¡±

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There are many things I need to confirm. Mr. Shin, could Licia stay here during our conversation? She has a resurrection bonus as well and is someone to be trusted, who would never speak lightly about confidential matters.¡±

    Why was Shin here, what had actually happened¡­there were many things Hmee needed to ask.

    Shin would probably need to reveal that he was a High Human: Hmee trusted Licia enough for her to know about it.

    ¡°No word of this anywhere else, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You understand, don¡¯t you? Licia.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    Licia swallowed her breath because of Hmee¡¯s serious look.

    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll start talking first, but let me confirm something: how much do you know about yers, Ms. Licia?¡±

    ¡°I know that there was something called a ¡°Death Game¡±. The headmistress told me so. The headmistress died once during it.¡±

    Licia was one of those adventurers called Chosen Ones. She was not a yer, however.

    Licia and Hmee had known each other for more than 100 years now, so she knew about what had happened in the past: about yers, the death game, and the fact that the dead came to this world.

    ¡°If you know that much, then it¡¯ll be quick. I was a yer too, like Hmee. Yuki was my support character, you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°Yes, beings created by yers. In our world they live as normal individuals, so I have no particr feelings about them.¡±

    ¡°Good to know. Oh, by the way, Yuki is an alias, her real name is Schnee Raizar.¡±

    ¡°You possess skills that can trick ¡¾Analyze¡¿, I see. But¡­Schnee Raizar? To give the name of an individual who performed such incredible feats to a child is¡­no, please wait a moment. I am positive it is forbidden among elves to give your child the name of another living person. So, if you im that name¡­¡±

    Licia¡¯s expression turned progressively stiffer as she talked.

    Hmee did not show any particr reaction. After all, Schnee was famous as the leader of Shin¡¯s support characters among his acquaintances. In the game era, even people outside Shin¡¯s circle knew.

    Next to Hmee, Licia let out a whisper: ¡­she¡¯s the real one?

    ¡°While I did it to protect my real identity, allow me to apologize for using a fake name. I am Schnee Raizar.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Schnee undid her camouge and showed her true appearance. Licia was overwhelmed, opening and closing her mouth without uttering a sound.

    ¡°Licia, are you fine looking that silly?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, no, I apologize.¡±

    Schnee told Licia, who had suddenly be very respectful, not to be so formal and continued to talk. She exined why they explored the dungeon and how they were transported. After the long exnation, Hmee and Licia were deep in thought.

    ¡°An evil deity that steals memories. Who knew that the Kishimi tribe survived¡­and Hameln too.¡±

    ¡°That monstrous criminal, whose only known information is name and race.¡±

    Hearing the name of the man who was said to have even destroyed a whole country, the atmosphere quickly became very serious. Hmee and Licia had the responsibility to protect the students too.

    ¡°Even during the death game I had a hard time defeating him. In this world, finding a single person is very difficult. He¡¯s really good at hiding too.¡±

    Shin would have liked to be done with him once and for all, but it was presently difficult. The only way was to wait for him to act and counterattack.

    ¡°There would be no point in thinking about this matter further, so let¡¯s leave it at that. What are your ns now, Mr. Shin? Will you regroup with yourrades?¡±

    ¡°No, everyone will gather here. Let¡¯s say they¡­read the situation well.¡±

    Yuzuha, Filma, and the others decided to let Shin and Schnee be on their own for a while.

    ¡°So you will stay here for a while?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the n. I don¡¯t know exactly how long, but I think that it¡¯ll take one week at most for everyone to arrive.¡±

    ¡°If so, there is something I¡¯d like to ask you to do!!¡±

    Learning that Shin would stay for a while, Hmee suddenly leaned forward.

    ¡°Headmistress, could you mean, that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Licia. Even if something happened, Mr. Shin would definitely be okay.¡±

    Even if Shin had said that he wanted to leave immediately, Hmee nned to ask him toe back to Erkunt after he had regrouped with his party, apparently.

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not going to stick my neck in anything troublesome, okay?¡±

    Thanks to Yuzuha and the others, Shin finally had time to spend with Schnee, so he didn¡¯t want to have to deal with trouble.

    ¡°Please, I beg of you. It won¡¯t even take half a day. Could you please just listen to what I have to say?¡±

    Shin and Schnee sighed and agreed to listen to the very serious Hmee. If it concerned the students¡¯ safety, they had no way to refuse to at least listen.

    Hmee said that she wanted the institute¡¯s health officer to participate in the conversation. She wanted Shin¡¯s opinion on whether they were dangerous or not.

    Shin had heard from Myu that the institute also organizedbat training, and students got injured often. The infirmary in the institute was much more familiar to students than an ordinary one in the real world was. It was bizarre that the person in charge of such a facility could be dangerous.

    ¡°That officer is actually a monster.¡±

    ¡°Monster? I remember that some of them functioned as support, but¡­¡±

    Monsters were normally enemies to be defeated; among them, however, there were some which did not antagonize humans, gave hints about quests, or even fought alongside the party temporarily.

    Element Tails were the apex of such monsters: they fought against yers in trials, and if they recognized the yers¡¯ strength they awarded them with items or equipment.

    ¡°No, in the game it was absolutely an enemy. There were events in which monsters you normally fought assisted the yer, but this monster was not included.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that monster¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the devils of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust. Now it goes by the name of Luxuria.¡±

    ¡°A devil as a health officer¡­oh, I see, ultimately they achieve human form, don¡¯t they.¡±

    Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, Anger, Gluttony, and Pride.

    Each one of the devils bearing these names are ordinary monsters at the beginning. As their level increases, they grow to a form more resembling a devil, and for some reason ultimately turn to a humanlike form.

    In the game, the devils would very rarely grow so much: Shin had only seen their human form in a video.

    ¡°It appeared out of the blue three years ago, now it¡¯s just like one of the other instructors. It has vast knowledge of medicine and alchemy, so honestly speaking it¡¯s great at its job, but¡­¡±

    If it went on a rampage on a whim, the institute would be destroyed, concluded Hmee.

    When they reach human-like form, the devils are at least level 700. Even a former yer like Hmee wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    ¡°I see, you can¡¯t let others know that there¡¯s a level 700 monster freely walking about at school after all.¡±

    It would be impossible to throw it out just because it was a monster. It had passed the entry exam with flying colors, performed its daily duties without problems, and was trusted by the students too.

    They wanted to confront it directly, but were afraid to trigger something which would cause things to go wrong, so they could not make the decision until now.

    ¡°So basically you want me as bodyguard. If it goes wild, I need to stop it, is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll have all students leave the grounds on the day we talk with it. The institute was originally a guild, so if we increase the barrier output to the maximum there will be no damage done outside, even if fighting breaks out.¡±

    The preparations had already been done, apparently. The students would soon leave for a long holiday period, so there would be few in the institute: it was the right chance.

    ¡°¡­.I see. There¡¯s no harm in checking out how the Deadly Sins look like in this world. What do you think, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I agree too. I don¡¯t know how devils think, but I can rte to worrying about the safety of your students.¡±

    ¡°Th, thank you so much!¡±

    Hmee thanked Shin and Schnee profusely, seemingly relieved from the bottom of her heart. Next to her, Licia sighed with relief too.

    ¡°I would like to set tomorrow as the day, then. Mr. Shin, what will you do today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find a lodging and rest, I guess. What time should Ie?¡±

    After Shin exined how they were transported to the training dungeon, Hmee stated that they would not be charged with trespassing, so Shin nned to find a lodging outside the institute, in order not to stand out.

    ¡°We¡¯lle pick you up. I¡¯ll write you a letter of introduction to a certain inn, so please use it. All its services have a very high reputation.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Depending on how tomorrow goes, we might have to thank you even more, so it¡¯s all right.¡±

    Compared to a fight against one of Deadly Sins, arranging an inn was nothing, said Hmee, a little tired. They would go pick up Shin and Schnee the next day at 9.

    Shin said that he would prepare equipment effective against devils, then left.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having you take us all the way.¡±

    Shin headed to the inn right away; concerned that they might get lost in an unfamiliar city, Hmee had Bermann apany them.

    ¡°This much is nothing. Tomorrow we¡¯ll be in your care after all.¡±

    Bermann was one of the most skilled fighters in the institute, so he had already been informed of the n. His expression was stiff, probably imagining what would happen if they had to fight the devil.

    The inn Hmee mentioned was not too far from the institute, just about 10 minutes on foot. It was a building with four floors, the first one Shin ever saw in this world.

    The hotel was in a luxurious neighborhood: all stores around it perfectly clean and tidy. It was probably an area that the high society often visited.

    Probably informed in advance of Shin¡¯s arrival, as soon as he saw Bermann, one of the hotel workers opened the hotel door swiftly and gracefully. Like with real world hotels, it was made mostly out of ss.

    ¡°I¡¯m Bermann, from the Erkunt institute of magic. I brought guests of the institute.¡±

    ¡°We have been expecting you. Wee to hotel Morgana. Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, our warmest wee to you.¡±

    The four workers who weed Shin and Schnee bowed in perfect unison. Their immacte uniforms made Shin feel like he was visiting a luxury hotel in the real world.

    The staff¡¯s extremely formal movements stood out, but no one seemed to pay much attention to them. They probably acted like this often.

    ¡°Okay, a room for two, pl¡ª¡±

    ¡°We would like to stay in your best suite.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Interrupting Shin, Schnee specified the type of room she wanted.

    She had never asked for a specific type of room before, no matter where they stayed, so Shin was a bit surprised.

    ¡°I was informed that you were likely to make such a request. The payment has already beenpleted, so I shall apany you to your room right away.¡±

    The ¡°information¡± hade from Hmee or Licia, probably, but Shin had no idea why they would say such a thing. He couldn¡¯t fully grasp the situation, but if that was what Schnee wanted, it was fine with him, so he did not object.

    ¡°Wow, this is really something.¡±

    It was like renting a whole floor in a luxury hotel of Shin¡¯s home world, the suite wasrge and well-furnished enough to host a familyfortably.

    Illuminated by the sunlight, the tables reflected a dull shine. Shin was in no way an expert in regards to furniture, but the room¡¯s interior decoration gave a very neat and refined impression.

    ¡°Please ring the bell on the table if there is anything you require. We will send someone immediately.¡±

    After a brief exnation about the facilities, the hotel clerk left the room. As expected of a luxury hotel, the room was equipped with arge bathtub too.

    ¡°We can see the whole city from the terrace. Hm? Isn¡¯t that wall taller than the rest?¡±

    Shin followed Schnee out on the terrace and noticed that part of the castle walls was clearly taller than the surrounding fortifications.

    ¡°That¡¯s the border with the capital of Erkunt. This section of the city, where the Institute of Magic was erected, has been built next to the Erkunt castle walls.¡±

    ording to Schnee, the Institute of Magic was right outside the Erkunt castle walls: to go into the capital one had to pass through that wall. The institute had been built next to the castle walls in order to save on materials and efforts to build outer fortifications, apparently.

    Another reason was arge number of spies from foreign countries among the exchange students, called ¡°grass¡±. When the institute was built, the people in charge mentioned that its presence would attract such people inside the country.

    Shin thought that, regardless of the existence of a learning institute, ¡°grass¡± was found everywhere, but there was little point in pursuing this matter, so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°What would you like for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here and all, let¡¯s go to the restaurant.¡±

    The hotel also had a restaurant headed by a chef with the Cooking skill. The hotel clerk had rmended it too, so Shin and Schnee dressed up a bit to match the atmosphere before going.

    Shin wore a white military uniform with red decorations, Schnee a light blue mermaid dress.

    ¡°It¡¯s really good¡­but¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    All dishes were worthy of being served in a luxury restaurant. Shin, however, did not feel fulfilled after tasting them: on the contrary, he found them somewhatcking.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m used to your cooking, I just feel these need a little more work.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, thank you very much.¡±

    Schnee smiled at Shin¡¯s implication that her food was better. It was the same smile as before she lost her memories, but to Shin it was brighter than ever.

    After the meal, Shin and Schnee returned to their room right away. As it always happened, they attracted quite a bit of attention from the other guests in the restaurant. No one went to talk to them, as expected of the courtesy of guests in such a restaurant, but some kept looking at Schnee throughout the meal.

    Also considering the Deadly Sin monster matter, they wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible, so they left quickly. Back in their room, Shin and Schnee sat on the sofa and talked about their n for the following day.

    ¡°A devil health officer¡­who passed the exam without help to boot.¡±

    ¡°Quite different from the devils we¡¯re used to, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t find it too weird¡­if this was a manga, that is.¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, demons and devils were considered separate categories.

    Demons were born from human emotions and lived to cause suffering to people.

    In contrast, devils were born from human desires, but their way of life was not fixed. In a way, it could be said that they enjoyed more freedom.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with anti-devil equipment, just in case. I¡¯ll have yours ready too.¡±

    Kunoichi anti-devil equipment was a ninja garb with high skin exposure, but its stats and abilities were very high. The next day, Shin would have Schnee conceal herself as she stayed behind him.

    ¡°Shin, what do you know about the devil Lust? Luxuria, was it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I only fought against Gluttony, Wrath, and Pride. I just know that Lust is a female-type monster that used Drain skills¡­that¡¯s about it.¡±

    Shin had participated in Deadly Sins extermination quests only a few times, so he didn¡¯t know much about the topic.

    ¡°Could it have infiltrated the institute in order to use ¡¾Drain¡¿ on the students to gather energy to grow further?¡±

    ¡°No, if it is in human form, it has already reached the limit of its growth. I don¡¯t think it could achieve anything by doing that now¡­¡±

    Shin shook his head to Schnee¡¯s hypothesis. In this world even monsters lived differently, so he had no idea what was actually going on in this case.

    ¡°Could it be that¡­no, that can¡¯t be right.¡±

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!! Nothing rted at all!¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡±

    Seeing that Schnee had turned a fierce red, Shin was very interested in what she hade up with.

    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s unrted, tell me all the same.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s reallypletely unrted!!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so flustered? Very suspicious¡­tell me,e on. It¡¯s okay if there¡¯s no connection at all.¡±

    Shin had no intention of seriously listening to her anymore. They were finally alone, so he nned to enjoy Schnee¡¯s blushing expression to his heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°It, it¡¯s really¡­something trivial¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be disappointed or anything.¡±

    Shin¡¯s insistence caused Schnee to blush even more.

    Her reactions intrigued him, but her flushed face was so cute that he chose to go even closer. As he did, Schnee moved away. The sofa wasrge, but eventually Schnee was backed into a corner.

    Schnee was about to stand up to go away from the sofa, but Shin was faster: he grabbed her arms and pushed her down on the cushions.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to run away like that. I am very interested in what you came up with.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Chasing Schnee¡¯s eyes up and down was bing increasingly entertaining for Shin: he was teasing her, in and simple.

    ¡°I thought the devil might want to¡­have carnal rtions with the students¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.is that so..¡±

    Shin was convinced by Schnee¡¯s words, thinking that it was the lust devil, after all. What surprised him, however, was that Schnee hade up with such a theory.

    (I would understand if she proposed the monster charmed the students to hold them under her control, but¡­)

    Shin would never have thought that Schnee¡¯s personality allowed her thoughts to consider sexual matters. Meanwhile Schnee, too embarrassed after saying something like that to Shin, was doing her best to look away. Even her ears had be bright red.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re a bit mean now.¡±

    ¡°Am I? Well, I guess so.¡±

    Who would ever imagine Schnee held down on a sofa, blushing like that? She kept her cool in most situations after all. Seeing her like this made Shin want to look at her more and more.

    There was no one else in the room. Shin confirmed it for himself again, then put a hand on Schnee¡¯s cheek, turning her gaze towards him.

    ¡°Er, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I want to look at this Schnee I don¡¯t know a lot more. I didn¡¯t know you were this cute.¡±

    ¡°W-wha!? Aaaah¡­.!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden confession made Schnee turn even redder, if that was possible. She tried to say something, but her mouth just opened and closed, without a sound. That was simply too lovely in Shin¡¯s eyes, so he waited for her to calm down.

    ¡°¡­.Shin, you want to see a part of me you don¡¯t know¡­?¡±

    5 minutes had passed, probably. Schnee, a bit calmer than before, asked Shin this question.

    ¡°I do¡±

    ¡°You might be disappointed if you do, though?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Shin replied immediately to Schnee¡¯s worry. He wouldn¡¯t struggle for words in a situation like that.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Hm? Sorry, I couldn¡¯t hear.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s lips barely moved. The words she whispered, however, were too faint for even Shin¡¯s hearing capabilities to catch.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry again, say it one more time.¡±

    ¡°I said, I¡­..wan¡­¡­.me.¡±

    Schnee mumbled again, but the most important words weren¡¯t audible.

    Shin asked her to repeat a few more times, to no avail. He had started thinking about what else he could do, when Schnee¡¯s eyes changed.

    She quickly sat up and reversed their positions: she pushed Shin down on the sofa, holding his arms down.

    ¡°I said!! That I want you to make love to me!!¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    The sudden deration surprised Shin. He never imagined he would hear such words from Schnee¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Shin! You said you wanted to marry me!¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±

    ¡°And I agreed to that!!¡±

    ¡°Y-you did.¡±

    ¡°So this is essential!!!¡±

    Schnee was speaking loud and clear, but her face was redder than ever.

    After saying that much, Schnee held Shin¡¯s face with her hands and kissed him gently, inplete contrast with the enthusiasm she had shown just before.

    ¡°I want you to make love to me. Do you think I am lewd by saying such a thing?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s eyes were lightly zed. Her expression and atmosphere were more than enough to convey what she desired.

    ¡°¡­.how could I ever think that. I was just a bit surprised. I suppose I have to show that I too want to make love to you.¡±

    Shin then sat up and lifted up Schnee in his arms. She didn¡¯t resist in the slightest.

    ¡°Is it really fine for me to be so happy¡­?¡±

    Schnee whispered as Shin headed towards the bed. In response, he held her more strongly, closer to his body.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    Shin replied while feeling her body¡¯s warmth.

    ¡°Someone like me, who couldn¡¯t protect Marino, is really allowed to love someone else? I¡¯ve been thinking about this forever. I can hold my head high and say that I love you now, but it¡¯s all thanks to you, Schnee. Your love for someone like me¡­makes me really happy.¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused tears to swell up in Schnee¡¯s eyes. Heid her down on the bed, then wiped her tears.

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    Schnee held her arms towards Shin, to embrace him, and pronounced her confession.

    ¡°I love you too.¡±

    Shin replied, his body over hers. There was no need for any other words.

 Book 13: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°¡­.hm?¡±

    The morning after Shin and Schnee became one. Shin woke up feeling something touching his lips. He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling and Schnee quickly distancing herself from him. She was still close enough for their foreheads to touch, so there wasn¡¯t really any distance between them.

    Remembering the sensation that woke him up, Shin realized what she had done.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    Schnee reciprocated the greeting, the nket covering her naked body. The sunlight pouring in through the windows made her silver hair glow.

    Though still drowsy, Shin thought she was really beautiful.

    ¡°I¡¯m not awake yet¡­I need another one.¡±

    ¡°So you noticed.¡±

    ¡°Just a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡±

    Schnee came closer and gave Shin a very soft kiss, her lips barely touching his. However, it was more than enough for Shin¡¯s chest to be filled with happiness.

    ¡°Okay, time to get up. In the worst case scenario we might end up having to fight against the Deadly Sin, so we cannot afford to be found unprepared.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Carelessness is the worst enemy.¡±

    Shin focused on their next mission. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone or anything destroy that happiness.

    If the devil went on a rampage and caused damage to the institute, Shin and Schnee would be concerned too. They finally had time to spend alone, so they did not want it to go to waste.

    After ordering breakfast to be brought to their room, they discussed what to do in case a fight broke out.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s only me and you, so the strategy we can take has to be necessarily simple.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡±

    Shin said so while sipping on tea after the meal. Schnee nodded in agreement.

    It was just the two of them, so Shin would face the devil while Schnee helped Hmee and the others escape, then join him in the fight. For a strategy, it was far too simple.

    ¡°To take down a devil one-on-one isn¡¯t something normally possible though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it my all, so leave that to me.¡±

    While Shin could somehow manage, for Schnee it would only be possible with the help of specialized equipment. Taking down a devil through sheer physical ability, like Shin could, was simply impossible for the average Chosen One.

    ¡°Oh, are they here?¡±

    Shin detected someone arriving on their floor. There weren¡¯t any other guests staying on that floor at the moment, so there was only one possibility. As expected, the hotel clerk knocked on their room¡¯s door.

    A guest hade for them, said the hotel clerk. The guest apparently knew Shin and Schnee¡¯s name, so they followed the clerk down to the lobby, where they found the vice headmistress Licia.

    ¡°Good morning. We will be counting on your help today. Er, where isdy Sch¡­Yuki?¡±

    Shin replied to Licia¡¯s polite greeting and boarded the horse carriage stationed outside. They didn¡¯t know how high the devil¡¯s perception capabilities were, so Schnee had decided to conceal her presence since she was in the city.

    He told Licia about this after they boarded the horse carriage.

    ¡°Are the preparationsplete in the institute?¡±

    ¡°Yes. All students have been made to leave, with the pretense of maintenance of the institute¡¯s facilities.¡±

    The only people present in the institute were Hmee, the devil health officer, a few instructors tomunicate with the outside in case anything happened, and the dungeon security guards.

    After a few minutes of being rocked by the carriage, Shin once again entered the Erkunt Institute of Magic. He tried expanding his detection field and confirmed that there really were only a few responses.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    Shin followed Licia through the institute. Its grounds were fairly wide, so it took about 15 minutes to reach the building where the health officer in question was supposed to be. The conversation would be held in the infirmary. When Shin and Licia arrived, they found Hmee waiting in front of the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you today.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. By the way, the infirmary is basically a health officer¡¯s home, right? Is this really okay?¡±

    ¡°We have already confirmed that there aren¡¯t any traps or such.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Hmee asked if he was ready and Shin nodded. She nodded in response, then opened the door to the infirmary.

    ¡°My? I see we have unexpected guests today.¡±

    In the infirmary, a woman in a whiteb coat was sitting on a chair, a book open before her.

    When she raised her head, her waist-length wavy ck hair fluttered lightly. The woman in charge of the infirmary, the Devil of Lust Luxuria smiled, the crimson eyes behind her sses gazing at Hmee and Shin.

    ¡°There is something important we need to discuss with you today, Doctor Luxuria.¡±

    ¡°The atmosphere seems a bit too tense for a simple discussion though.¡±

    Crossing her arms under her chest, Luxuria calmly looked back at Hmee. Pushed up by her arms, her voluminous chest stood out even more through the sweater.

    Luxuria wore a thin pink sweater under her whiteb coat and a tight skirt.

    Even if she didn¡¯t cross her arms, it was clear that she had a voluptuous body line many men would lust after. Her skirt was pretty short too, so if she moved one leg over the other, guests would be treated to quite a risque view.

    Her voice was on the deep side: Shin felt like she was whispering next to his ears. The mole under her eye was the icing on the cake, a cake probably a bit too stimting for a boy going through puberty.

    Shin thought that some students might get injured on purpose just to visit.

    Despite the intense sexy allure she emanated, there were no Mental skills in y.

    The erotic charm surrounding Luxuria all came from her clothing, gestures, and atmosphere. At the very least, there was no ill will to be detected.

    ¡°Is the scary man behind you involved too?¡±

    ¡°He might be, yes.¡±

    ¡°My my, that¡¯s a tense discussion all right.¡±

    Luxuria closed the book she was reading, ced it on the table, and faced towards Hmee with her whole body. She seemed to have understood what Shin¡¯s equipment meant.

    She justughed wryly while dropping her shoulders, though, with no sign of nervousness.

    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t attack yet, I suppose there is some room for talking?¡±

    ¡°Personally, I would be d if we could just do that.¡±

    ¡°Really? If so, I will surrender, so could you let me keep working here?¡±

    Luxuria raised both hands, to show her willingness to surrender, and asked Hmee.

    Her seemingly carefree attitude confused Shin a little, though he did not show it.

    ¡°¡­if you wanted to, you could stay here even without my permission, couldn¡¯t you? Honestly speaking, I cannot understand why you would go all the way as to pass the employment exam.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well, I actually don¡¯t like forceful ways like that¡­even if I antagonized you, there would be nothing in it for me. That¡¯s why I took the exam. I know it¡¯s weird for me to say it, but I make a pretty excellent health officer, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I admit that, but¡­¡±

    Luxuria chuckled, proudly sticking her chest out, while Hmee was even more lost.

    Despite being a devil, Luxuria did not seem to be trying to deceive or trap them.

    ¡°Young man, if you have that gear on you, it means you know who I really am, right?¡±

    Luxuria left the confused Hmee alone and talked to Shin. It would be pointless to lie, so Shin chose to reply sinctly.

    ¡°¡­I do.¡±

    ¡°I have no intention to do battle, but will fight back if I¡¯m attacked. I think the Institute will be damaged if ites to that, but do you want to fight all the same?¡±

    ¡°That depends on you. We just want to know why one of the Deadly Sins would want to work in a school as a health officer. If your reason involves causing harm to someone, I would have to fight you.¡±

    Shin answered Luxuria¡¯s question after making eye contact with Hmee.

    ¡°I see¡­well, from a normal person¡¯s perspective, I¡¯m a monster after all. Okay, I¡¯ll talk then.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Hmee couldn¡¯t believe the ease with which Luxuria was ready to talk. It was hard to think that the woman before them really was one of the Deadly Sins.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿, however, clearly showed her name as ¡ºDeadly Sins Devil ¨C Lust¡». Her level was 700, with stats that no normal person could ever hope to match.

    ¡°My deadly sin is lust. I draw energy from the emotions born from people¡¯s sexual activities. So it is better for me to live alongside people, not be against them. The fewer the people, the lesser the amount of energy I receive.¡±

    ¡°In the past, however, you coborated with the other Deadly Sins to destroy humanity, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    If what Luxuria said was true, she had no reason to fight against humanity. In the game, however, things were different.

    ¡°Aah, the deadly sins from a few generations back? I suppose it would be 4, 500 years ago for you. Until then, doing that felt like the right thing¡­it was like a sense of purpose? An urge, maybe? Anyway, there was something like that. After a certain event, however, itpletely ceased and everyone started living freely. That was also when us Deadly Sins gained personalities.¡±

    ¡°Personalities?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We all have different ways to draw energy, depending on the deadly sin we house in our bodies. The only thing inmon is that it alles from people¡¯s emotions or mental state. For me, it¡¯s as I said before; Sloth and Gluttony are simr too. The more people there are, the better it is for us.¡±

    The two other types mentioned by Luxuria could gain energy regrly even without making contact with people. She also added that she happened to meet Sloth once, finding it a rxed, slow-paced fellow.

    ¡°The ones who activelye in contact with humans are Greed, Envy, Pride, and Wrath. I haven¡¯t met the current ones, but thinking back, they¡¯re all types I dislike.¡±

    ¡°So even among your deadly sin peers, there are likes and dislikes?¡±

    ¡°Monsters are much more free than what you think. Some fight against people, some fight and live alongside them. Some just stay on their own. I finally gained my freedom too, so I want to enjoy my life.¡±

    The more they talked with her, the harder it was to think that she really was a devil. Thinking about it, Yuzuha was a type of monster that coborated with yers, but Tzaobath attacked them indiscriminately. Hinomoto¡¯s Kagutsuchi, Munechika, and the others are types that originally could never cooperate with people.

    Shin realized that, thinking back about the monsters he met until now, he had no grounds to object to Luxuria¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°In that case, if this institute is ever targeted by other countries or organizations, will you assist the people here in defending it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shin!?¡±

    Hmee reacted to Shin¡¯s question faster than Luxuria could.

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. You don¡¯t doubt my words, and even ask for me to be an ally?¡±

    ¡°I have met my fair share of monsters, you see. Other than demons, they are all living freely, like you said. I even flew on Tzaobath¡¯s back recently.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? By Tzaobath, you mean¡­that Tzaobath!?¡±

    ¡°To ride on the Silver Moon Death God¡¯s back¡­isn¡¯t a funny joke at all.¡±

    Shin¡¯s offhand remark caused Hmee to be even more surprised and Luxuria¡¯s expression to be clouded. Tzaobath and his strength were still very well known.

    ¡°Hmee, I told you that the dungeon crumbled before I was teleported, but actually that was Tzaobath¡¯s doing, he wiped it off the map. I learned about it bymunicating with him through message cards. Sorry for hiding it until now.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­all right, but¡­is it really true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, I have no physical proof, but if I ask him I think he¡¯lle here?¡±

    Shin thought that since they cooperated to defeat the evil deity, Tzaobath would grant him such a favor once. Then, a perplexed Luxuria interjected.

    ¡°Ms. headmistress? If what this man says is true, isn¡¯t he much more dangerous than me?¡±

    ¡°W-well¡­it¡¯s Mr. Shin, so¡­unlike a monster, he would never be hostile¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Hey, do you really need to ask that?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know how you were at that time, so¡­I got a little worried. Honestly speaking, I think that you¡¯re more dangerous than any Deadly Sin¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t dispute that, but you could be a bit more diplomatic.¡±

    Hmee knew of Shin¡¯s ¡°Death God¡± phase, so she probably became anxious. Shin wanted to clearly say that he didn¡¯t kill people indiscriminately, but it wasn¡¯t something to talk about in front of Luxuria, so he decided to leave it forter.

    ¡°Sigh¡­I felt a terribly powerful presence, so I got tense, but I see it was all for nothing. Headmistress, I promise to take care of my duties seriously, so could you allow me to continue working here?¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s conversation with Hmee, Luxuria fully raised her white g. She was a level 700 devil, after all: she had grasped how powerful Shin was as soon as they met.

    ¡°So even devils get tense¡­understood. It would be painful for us too to continue in this situation, so let¡¯s get along, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be in your care too.¡±

    After a chuckle, Hmee and Luxuria shook hands. Things developed quite differently than he had expected, but they reached an amicable agreement and Shin thought it was good enough.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, er, Mr. Shin? Yourpanion isn¡¯t with you today? There¡¯s something I had to ask her.¡±

    ¡°¡­I never said that mypanion was a woman.¡±

    Luxuria said ¡°her¡± as if she knew about the gender of Shin¡¯spanion from the start. Before replying to Shin¡¯s question, Luxuria¡¯s mouth formed an arc.

    It was a charming smile, with a slight devilish quality to it.

    ¡°I can tell. You made love to each otherst night, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯sment froze Shinpletely.

    ¡°I¡¯m a devil, but the energy I feed on isn¡¯t evil itself. I can take both energying from actions based on mutual affection and actions born from one-sided feelings that ignore the partner¡¯s will.¡±

    Luxuria exined that she did not differentiate if the act itself was good or bad.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why exactly, but I can tell where the energy I feed ones from. I¡¯m the devil of lust, right? If I feel such powerful emotions, I get curious about how you sought each other. To make even me feel like that, you must really love each other, don¡¯t you.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know if she was serious or joking: Luxuria¡¯s questions could be interpreted either way.

    ¡°Besides, if she can keep up with you, yourpanion must be very strong too, right? I don¡¯t think I can match her, so I would like to just talk to her a bit.¡±

    ¡°How can you tell she¡¯s strong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of bonus when absorbing emotions. Your energy¡­in monster terms, you¡¯d be level 1000? Your emotional energy is like boiling magma. Normal people are a warm soup at most, so I can¡¯t be wrong. With emotional energy as strong as yours, a normal woman¡¯s would get swallowed up and disappear. But yesterday was different, I could clearly tell the existence of another energy besides yours.¡±

    ¡°It might not have been as strong, but it wouldn¡¯t appear alongside yours without sufficient strength. That¡¯s how I could tell that yourpanion is strong too.¡±

    Luxuria exined with confidence, but Shin had no idea what emotional energy could be. He had no idea he emanated something like that either.

    ¡°You can talk in her ce, it¡¯s fine by me. It must have been a night of deep, intense passion, right?¡±

    Luxuria, holding her face with her hands, had a dreamy expression.

    Shin asked why she was so interested, and Luxuria replied that, regardless of quantity, the energy born from acts of people who loved each other was more ¡°delicious¡±. It was just the difference of being delicious or not, but as Luxuria fervently exined, Shin and Schnee¡¯s was apparently ¡°a real delicacy¡±.

    Her insistence in having them confess was still very far from the oppressing image one usually had of the Deadly Sin devils.

    ¡°To even make a devil fall for you like this¡­Mr. Shin, whatever did you dost night?¡±

    ¡°You too, Hmee!?¡±

    Hmee had been listening in silence, but couldn¡¯t keep herself from asking anymore.

    Shin was thus pressed by two beautiful women, but now that he had be one with Schnee, he wasn¡¯t flustered in the slightest.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about such private matters. Give me a break.¡±

    Shin quickly distanced himself from them and tly refused to speak.

    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Right, right!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already getting along well, huh?¡±

    Where did the tense mood from before disappear to? Asked Shin, just to receive iprehensible replies such as ¡°Well, you know?¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s right!¡±. They looked like very good friends to him.

    ¡°I guess I can just go now.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you cane on your own next time. I¡¯ll dly be your partner.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t funny, just stop.¡±

    Shin stopped Luxuria¡¯s sultry advance with a sour expression. Behind him stood Schnee, concealed. He didn¡¯t want her to misunderstand.

    ¡°Ok, job over?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much. One less thing to worry about for now. I still have doubts, but it looks like things will go well.¡±

    After leaving the infirmary, Hmee voiced her conclusions, making sure no one was around to hear. She had joined Luxuria in her jokes, but it wasn¡¯t like all her suspicions were suddenly cleared. Like Shin, however, she didn¡¯t think Luxuria was lying.

    Hmee stayed in the institute, saying that she still had work to do. They chatted as they headed towards the gate, where Shin spotted some familiar faces.

    ¡°Oh, here they are! Mr. Shin!¡±

    ¡°Stupid! Not so loud!¡±

    The three kids Shin and Schnee had rescued in the dungeon were standing before the gate.

    Differently from when they first met, they were now wearing military uniform-like white clothing with blue and red patterns. Gian and Lecus wore the same, so it was probably the institute¡¯s official uniform.

    Myu was waving at Shin, smiling. The tail poking out of her skirt was cheerfully swinging left and right.

    Gian scolded her for being too loud: the attention of the people near the gates all went to her. Naturally, Shin and Hmee¡¯s did too.

    ¡°They¡¯re our students. Oh, you rescued some in the dungeon, right. Could it be?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s those three. They weren¡¯t supposed to know that I woulde here today though.¡±

    Thest time Shin had seen them was after leaving the dungeon, and he hadn¡¯t contacted them since. He couldn¡¯t tell Hmee why they were at the gates at the moment.

    ¡°We were suddenly told to go out of the institute, so we thought that it might be rted to you being teleported here!!¡±

    Myu cheerfully answered Shin¡¯s question about why they were there. Gian and Lecus nodded in agreement.

    The other students also seemed to have suspicions about the announcement.

    ¡°So? Did you wait here to confirm your theory?¡±

    ¡°No! I waited here because I have a request for you, Mr. Shin!¡±

    ¡°A request? What about the other two?¡±

    They didn¡¯t seem to be interested about Shin being teleported there. Shin asked the other two kids, who also nodded: Gian unwillingly, and Lecus apologetically.

    ¡°Well actually, if possible, we would like to ask you to impart us your teachings!¡±

    They remembered that Shin introduced himself as an adventurer, so Lecus, in Myu¡¯s ce, asked if they could make a request of him to undertake this ¡°quest¡±. They had been overwhelmed watching Shin and Schnee¡¯s strength in the dungeon apparently.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s a great idea.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so eager?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a long vacation, during which students usually practice by themselves. They normally have seniors teach them or go into the training dungeon. But the dungeon is temporarily closed for inspection and these three are more skilled than average, so there is no one that can spar with them.¡±

    Their stats were still low, but Hmee said that all three of them were Chosen Ones. While they were still far from Shin¡¯s level, they could deal with an average person easily.

    A well-trained normal person could match them as they were now, so they were usually coached by a veteran instructor. Shin wondered why they couldn¡¯t be taught by this instructor now too, but Lecus replied that they had gone back to their family during the vacation.

    ¡°Hmm, I see, it wouldn¡¯t be nice to interrupt that.¡±

    Instructors had private lives and families: that was why the group had tried exploring the dungeon the day before, and almost risked a very bad oue.

    ¡°I heard of some fool who just blindly charged in, just because they knew they wouldn¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on!! I apologized already!!¡±

    red at by Gian, Myu¡¯s expression turned sour. From their exchange Shin knew that the mechanism to prevent fatal wounds was still intact.

    ¡°Anyway, is it okay to hire people from outside?¡±

    ¡°During vacation periods, some students even work as adventurers, so that their abilities don¡¯t suffer. There is no problem at all. If you pass our check, you can use the training dungeon too.¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay? You know, with foreign people and all.¡±

    ¡°We give our permission to people with proven experience and references. Not that we¡¯d need to check on you, Mr. Shin.¡±

    Shin wondered if that was really okay. You could never tell if a person you met after a long time was the same as before.

    ¡°I can tell that you haven¡¯t changed by seeing how you look at Ms. Yuki. Right? Ms. Yuki.¡±

    ¡°Is it so easy to tell? You too Yuki, don¡¯t justugh and speak up!¡±

    Shin asked Schnee -who had undone her concealment after they left the infirmary- for help. Her answer, however was far from what he expected.

    ¡°Hehe, I can vouch that Shin¡¯s eyes don¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say to Schnee, who wasughing with Hmee.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would be so easy to get permission. So, Mr. Shin, what will you say?¡±

    ¡°Please!!¡±

    Lecus and Myu asked again, after hearing the conversation between the three adults. Gian had no objections either, and bowed his head in silence.

    (Even if you say that, I have no idea how to train Chosen Ones, you know?)

    (These kids find it hard to even fight at full power. So I think that even if you just let them do that, it will be good enough experience. They¡¯re still very young and sometimes overconfident in their powers. I want you to show them that there is always someone stronger out there.)

    Shin whispered his question to Hmee and received this reply.

    In this world, the stat gap between normal people and Chosen Ones could often be ovee through skill.

    Because of that, many did not have a clear idea of exactly how strong they were. Others, instead, gained a too high opinion of their prowess. That was one of the reasons why Myu and the others had fallen into a bad situation in the dungeon.

    ¡°I see¡­okay, I can help them train until myrades arrive or the vacation period ends. It¡¯s important to know exactly how strong you are after all. What do you say, Yuki?¡±

    After thinking for a while, Shin asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion.

    Even if Filma and the others had left time for them to be alone, it would be a waste to justy about. He might as well raise his questpletion ratio a bit. Shin thought that because of the vacation, there would be few students about and less risk to stand out. Of course, if Schnee disapproved that was the end of it.

    ¡°Then, how about this? Battle training in the morning, review your weaknesses and train individually in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°That works. How about training three days and resting one, to let the body recover?¡±

    Shin made this proposal, thinking that everyone had to have other ns too; as there were no objections, it was approved as final. As an extra item, it was agreed that if there were other applicants, they too would be trained, as much as possible.

    Making it a request from the institute -instead of from Lecus¡¯ group- meant that the reward would be paid by the institute. Hmee probably thought that it would be a waste to let just Lecus and the other two make use of this opportunity.

    ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°You might have to use the training dungeon, so it would be great if you could also check it out for any anomalies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a shrewd one, aren¡¯t you¡­¡±

    The institute staff would check it themselves: the security soldiers were currently taking turns inspecting the dungeon.

    Hmee knew that the evil deity teleported to random locations, so it was just a precaution, as she whispered to Shin.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the institute with Myu¡¯s cheerful greeting echoing behind them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for epting that so easily.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. You were worried about them, right?¡±

    ¡°You read my mind.¡±

    Shin apologized for reducing the time they could spend together, but Schnee smiled.

    She had noticed that since they were too used to the training dungeon, Myu and the other two kids did not have a sufficient sense of danger.

    Not dying even if HP reaches 0. That was like re-spawning in the game era. In this world equipment would be damaged, but it was still nothingpared to losing one¡¯s life.

    There was no risk of dying, but the risk of losing one¡¯s sense of danger was very present. It would be fatal in a battle to the death.

    ¡°I find it weird to worry about them, since I barely know them, but I saw them in danger the other day, so¡­¡±

    Myu and the others could also have experience of actual fighting. Gian¡¯s mention of ¡°some fool who just blindly charged in, just because they knew they wouldn¡¯t die¡± was a source of concern for Shin, especially because the ¡°fool¡± was Myu.

    ¡°You had ns to do something anyway, so I¡¯m not going toin about the quest. In exchange, I¡¯m going to have you spoil me a bit during our days off. Make sure you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Schnee then locked arms with Shin, almost hugging him, her soft body pressed against his, giving birth to a sensation of happiness.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask for more.¡±

    Shin wanted to know more and more sides of Schnee that he didn¡¯t know. That moment, he started looking forward to what expression she made when she wanted him to spoil her.

 Book 13: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    The day after Schnee¡¯s ¡°spoil me please¡± day, Shin and Schnee went to the institute. Their destination was the school¡¯s training grounds. More precisely, the training field used mainly for party vs party mock battles.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s start with the training. Let¡¯s do a quick one-on-one first, then switch to party battle.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shin, I see you two have different equipment than yesterday, but is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that equipment would have made things too dangerous.¡±

    Shin nodded to Lecus¡¯ question. Myu and Lecus were wearing the same equipment they had in the dungeon, while Gian¡¯s was clearly of inferior quality. It was probably a spare or gear he borrowed from the institute. The type of equipment was the same however.

    Myu and Lecus were wearing their best, in contrast to Shin who wore a blue/green jacket with cargo pants that had a rather neat design. Schnee was wearing a simr outfit too.

    Shin and Schnee both wielded handmade ¡ºSponge de¡» weapons, albeit of different length.

    Made of sponge, they looked just like wooden swords. Part of the ¡°Sponge¡± series, these weapons would cause very little damage even if Shin swung them at full power: in a way, they were an exceptional item.

    ¡°Sponge¡± versions existed for all types of weapons: depending on shape and type, they had different denominations. Long swords were ¡°Sword¡±, katanas were ¡°de¡± and so on.

    ¡°First of all, let me see how much you can fight. Even if you hurt me I can be healed right away, soe at full power. Use skills if you want. I¡¯ll be your opponent first, then Yuki will.¡±

    Shin¡¯s implied ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on you kids¡± made Gian¡¯s eyes re up. Differently from Myu and Lecus, he had harbored a certain hostility towards Shin ever since they met in the dungeon.

    Shin¡¯s words were like a taunt for him.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m first.¡±

    Myu raised her hand, eager to fight Shin, but Gian stood in front of her. Myu was annoyed by the interference, but feeling the fighting spirit emanating from Gian she stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s rare for you to be so openly hostile.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Gian spat back at Lecus to be quiet and readied his spear. He lowered his center of gravity and concentrated all of his fighting spirit in Shin¡¯s direction.

    His solid stance, fitting for the party¡¯s shield, made it seem like he could counter attacks from any direction. His gaze towards Shin was now void of hostility, but simply very serious.

    (He¡¯s not nning to hide his strategy, huh.)

    Shin waited for Schnee to move away, then readied his de. While it looked a little silly, it was tough enough that even Gian¡¯s former equipment wouldn¡¯t scratch it.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready anytime.¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Gian moved as soon as Shin spoke. His spear closed in on Shin very quickly, leaving after-images behind. It was hard to believe that he was still under level 200 by how fast he moved.

    Shin calmly calcted the spear¡¯s trajectory and hit its tip with the de. Despite the soft ¡°poff¡±-like sound made by the sh, Gian¡¯s spear was smacked out of his hands and fell down on the ground.

    ¡°Crap¡­¡±

    Shin looked at the spear and realized his mistake. Because of the shock from hitting the ground, the part connecting the tip and handle of the spear had bent.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. Use this, as recement for the broken spear.¡±

    Shin said he would fix the bent spear and return itter, then pulled out of his jacket -actually, from the item box- a card and gave it to Gian.

    The boy was looking at his hands and the spear Shin knocked down, with a grave expression, which changed to perplexion when he materialized the card Shin gave him.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºSponge Lance¡», a weapon made for training. It looks soft, but it¡¯s actually tougher than Adamantine. With this, we won¡¯t have to worry about breaking weapons anymore.¡±

    Shin was the most worried about this though.

    Gian swung the new weapon a few times, then was convinced and nodded.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start again. Feel free to use skills or magic too.¡±

    Shin pointed the tip of his de towards Gian and got into a fighting stance. Gian too pointed thence towards Shin.

    Gian had lost his weapon in the previous confrontation, but his strike did not rely on physical strength only. His footwork, movement of the center of gravity, and concentration of strength were definitely fruit of many days of training, as Shin was impressed to notice.

    ¡°I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Gian thrust hisnce towards Shin again. His expression did not reveal how he had received Shin¡¯s words. When Shin aimed at the tip of thence, to knock it to the ground one more time, thence¡¯s de started glowing yellow.

    ¡°Gian¡¯s getting really serious.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Myu and Lecus¡¯ whispered conversation reached Shin¡¯s ears. They seemed to know what Gian was about to try.

    Just like before, the de knocked thence down. What followed, though, was not the same oue. Yellow des shot from thence, following the path it had before being knocked down, headed towards Shin.

    Shin¡¯s kic vision did not miss the crackle on the de¡¯s surface before the yellow des were hurled at him. They were, in fact, made of lightning: their speed was nothing to underestimate either.

    At the same time as Shin dodged them, Gian had pulled back his weapon. He had anticipated that it would be knocked down, so he did not drop it as before, but had it ready for the next strike already.

    ¡°Are you a monster¡­!?¡±

    Even if he looked cool andposed, however, the whisper that escaped his lips revealed his true thoughts. Gian wouldn¡¯t give up yet though: He thrust thence again¡­at a distance that would never reach Shin. When he did, just like the second strike, yellow des sparked from the tip.

    ¡°This brings back memories.¡±

    Shin parried the des this time, then whispered to himself.

    What Gian had used was the Spear/Lightningbination skill ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿. This skill was a Spear/Lightningposite, but there existed ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ skills with other elements and weapons: it was a skillmon to all ded weapons.

    It allowed the attack to change elements depending on the foe, so it was used in various ways by beginners and veterans alike. The skill¡¯s effect was to add elemental follow-up attacks to weapon attacks.

    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡±

    Gian looked at the lightning des parried by Shin and swung thence. He drew a cross, then added a horizontal stroke. The strikes, drawn as to divide Shin in six parts, burned bright red. Gian didn¡¯t stop there however: he quickly pulled back his weapon, then thrust it again. This time the tip released a de of wind, difficult to discern with the naked eye.

    ¡°You can usebos too?¡±

    Shin dispelled the mes and de of wind headed towards him with a swing of his weapon, then went to attack Gian, a pleasantly surprised impression on his face.

    Some skills, when used in quick session, becamebinations: Gian had used one such technique, which the yers calledbo.

    ¡°Damn it!!¡±

    Even if he used skills, Shin only had to swing his weapon to neutralize them.

    Gian witnessed this reality and cursed it. That too, however, was put to a stop when he blocked Shin¡¯s de. Sponge weapons did look soft, but when Gian blocked Shin¡¯s de with the handle of hisnce, the impact was strong enough to make his body shake left and right.

    The boy managed to parry Shin¡¯s attacks three times; the fourth time his arms went numb, and on the fifth thence¡¯s handle was pushed into his body, which flew in midair.

    ¡°Gian was using his skills, but was pushed back all the same¡­it looked like he was flying along the ground, but will he be okay?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shin said that he would with that equipment, so I think so. Look, Gian¡¯s standing back up.¡±

    Lecus looked worried, but Gian was already on his feet again. He touched the spot struck by Shin¡¯s de with some confusion.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any damage except sliding on the ground, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah.¡±

    It felt very strange to Gian to not have suffered any damage after an attack like that. Shin checked Gian¡¯s HP gauge to be sure, but it really had not decreased at all.

    ¡°Next is my turn, then!!¡±

    Leaving Gian aside, the even more excited Myu ran up to Shin. They knew already that her gauntlets and leg guards could not sustain Shin¡¯s attacks, so she had switched to Sponge Knuckles and Greaves.

    ¡°I¡¯m going all out!!¡±

    Differently from Gian, Myu used skills since the start. The aura enveloping her body was probably ¡¾Ki Maniption ¨C Living Lightning¡¿. The rtive stability of the aura showed that it was a Skill, not an Art.

    Her physical abilities boosted, Myu prepared to jump straight close to Shin¡­not that he would ever allow it. He lowered his de on Myu¡¯s frontal charge, but she made no attempt of defending herself or dodging it.

    If hit, she would be knocked to the ground, but the de simply passed through Myu. Like smoke swept away by wind, Myu simply vanished.

    ¡°Oh, ¡¾Ki Strike¡¿, huh.¡±

    Behind the vanished Myu, the real one was not about to punch Shin. Knuckles and Greaves wrapped in mes, if she punched or kicked ming versions of her fists and feet would extend for about 30 cemel.

    Myu¡¯s illusion had been created by the barehanded martial skill ¡¾Ki Strike¡¿, while the me attack range extensions by the Barehanded/mebination skill ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿.

    Myu went for a right jab, a left jab, then crouched down and did a leg sweep. As all these attacks were dodged by Shin, Myu continued with a spin kick, making use of the sweep¡¯s momentum.

    ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿sted for 60 seconds. Myu¡¯s aggressive offensive made it look like she was on fire herself, but Shin blocked itpletely calmly. The me attacks had physical mass, so they could be stopped by Shin¡¯s de.

    ¡°Mmghh!!¡±

    Myu was frustrated to see all her attacks miss, but she remembered about the skill¡¯s time limit, so she stepped away from Shin. Without waiting another moment, she gathered fire around her greaves.

    ¡°How about this!!¡±

    Myu drew an arc in midair with her leg, turning into a backflip. When shended, she unleashed a flying kick towards Shin. On the spot where she had done a backflip, two balls of fire formed close to the ground and also headed towards Shin.

    ¡°Oh, not bad.¡±

    It was a method to perform an attack from multiple directions alone, very popr in the game era. Usually, long-distance attackers such as mages or archers used it, but depending on how it was used, the skill was suited to close distance fighters like Myu too.

    Feeling a bit of nostalgia, Shin ignored the mes and focused on countering Myu¡¯s attack.

    The skill Myu used was the Barehanded/mebination skill ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿, which allowed the user to shoot mes from the feet, at one¡¯s preferred timing.

    The mes heading for the target, however, were 20% a physical mass and 80% a magical object, so closer to magic, which meant that they were pretty much meaningless before Shin¡¯s high magic resistance.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Lecus, who was not aware of the mes¡¯ actualposition, shouted towards Shin, who stopped Myu¡¯s flying kick only.

    Myu meant it when she said that she would go all out: the ground-crawling mes had a rather high temperature. If they hit, Shin would be fine, but Myu herself risked to be hurt.

    Before Myu, her leg caught by Shin, could protect herself, Shin stomped his feet on the ground. With a powerfully echoing sound, the ground formed a rift. The vibration caused the rift to rise even higher, and the mes shed against it and disappeared, never reaching their target.

    Only faint sparks of lingering heat remained, brushing against Myu¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Game over. I¡¯m going to let you go now, okay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so amazing, Mr. Shin¡­¡±

    Myunded without trouble. She had experienced Shin¡¯s strength firsthand, so more than anything else, her respect towards him increased. Her thirst for a battle had settled down, so she now looked at him like she was looking at a hero.

    ¡°Hey, is she always like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, actually, it¡¯s my first time seeing Myu like this¡­¡±

    Shin asked this question to Lecus, who stood before him as thest opponent, but the boy was just as confused.

    ¡°Once, she said that she likes strong people, so that might have something to do with it.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­oh, sorry, that wasn¡¯t something to ask before training.¡±

    ¡°No, despite knowing her for a while I was perplexed too, so I understand your question, Mr. Shin.¡±

    Personality-wise, Myu tended to favor strong people, but it was apparently the first time she showed such a sudden change of attitude.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start then. As I said before, no need to hold anything back, all right? I¡¯ll be okay even if you hit me with all your power, so do that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, understood.¡±

    Lecus was not worried anymore about hurting Shin. He had seen how Shin had remained unscathed from Myu¡¯s ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿, so he knew that he wasn¡¯t lying.

    Lecus was a mage, so he started his battle strategy from a more distant position than Gian or Myu.

    ¡°O magic filling the air, gather in my palm¡­¡±

    (O magic residing in my flesh, rush to my foes¡­)

    Lecus started chanting. Just like he had done for Gian and Myu, Shin let him make the first move.

    ¡°So this happens when you do multiple chanting.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ears picked up Lecus and one more voice doing the chanting. He knew it was because of the ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ skill, but wondered how it exactly happened. Shin possessed the ¡¾Instant Chant¡¿ skill, which if used with ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ made it possible to use multiple spells at the same time without chanting.

    He had no need to waste time chanting thanks to it, so he did not know how ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ worked by itself.

    ¡°¡­well, it¡¯s the right chance to try.¡±

    Using ¡¾Instant Chanting¡¿ was the norm, so Shin had never tried ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ alone. Since the timing was just right, he tried chanting with the same timing as Lecus.

    ¡°Come hither, frozennds. What I seek is¡­¡±

    (O dew traveling in the mist, gather in my palm¡­)

    It was a very peculiar sensation: Shin¡¯s mouth chanted the words to create a magic ice barrier, while in his head resounded the chant to create magic ice bullets, ovepping with the chant he actually pronounced.

    (I can do it, sure, but¡­)

    To think while chanting was something he never did normally, but as it turned out, it was not problematic at all.

    Soon enough, the chanting ended. Shin had started a bitter than Lecus, but they finished at the same time.

    Lecus had chosen the spell ¡¾Air Bullet¡¿, which as the name saysunches bullets made of air, and ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, which allows the caster to shoot lighting bolts in any direction they wish.

    Shin, on the other hand, had chosen ¡¾Ice Wall¡¿, which creates a barrier of ice, and ¡¾Water Bullet¡¿, which shoots a barrage of water bullets.

    The first sh was between the water and wind bullets. Shin¡¯s water bullets struck the invisible wind ones one by one, as he could see them. That was possible thanks to the ¡¾Magic Vision¡¿ skill, which let the user see magic power. In the game, it was a skill pretty much all yers had to learn topete.

    ¡°There is too much difference in the power of one single blow, I see. But in this situation¡­¡±

    Seeing five of his wind bullets being destroyed by one of Shin¡¯s water shots, Lecus realized that he could never win in terms of firepower. His eyes, however, showed that he hadn¡¯t given up yet: he probably wanted to try to strike a ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ through the spot where the wind and water bullets shed.

    The trajectory the caster could have ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ travel through varied from person to person. Inexperienced casters could only make it travel in an arc or change directions two to three times only. As the caster gained experience, they could make the lightning take moreplex routes: a very small number of yers could use it as if the lightning itself avoided the obstacles on its path.

    In order to test Lecus¡¯ skills, Shin divided his ice barrier into several smaller ones, setting up several icicles while the water and wind bullets shed. The bullets would obviously hit the icicles too, making it harder to target Shin. In such a case, even moderately experienced users would decide to make the lightning bolts take a roundabout path.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Each one of Lecus¡¯ palms produced a lightning bolt. The bolts traveled straight through the field where the icicles and bullets were still shing.

    ¡°That¡¯s something.¡±

    Dodging the bolts out of sheer physical ability, Shin let out ament, impressed. The lightning¡¯s streak clearly showed the difficult path they took. The boltssted for mere seconds, but to imagine two different ones in a field where magic forces shed was a very arduous task.

    Very few yers could draw suchplicated trajectories during battle.

    ¡°Hahah¡­he avoided them¡­not even blocked them..¡±

    In contrast with Shin¡¯s impressed tone, Lecus was both dejected and confused.

    Lightning and Light-type magic spells were often a surefire hit, unless the caster missed themselves, as they traveled at the speed of light, much faster than a person¡¯s reaction speed, thus unavoidable¡­or at least, supposed to be so.

    Some people could do just that, actually: by reading the opponent¡¯s movements, limiting the timing and direction of their attacks, detecting magic power, ¡°somehow¡±, etc. The reasons were many, but each allowed them to avoid such attacks.

    In Shin¡¯s case, he somehow ¡°felt¡± theming through pure instinct. It could be an extension of his detection of danger. Because of this, he could not exin how he avoided them.

    Lecus had witnessed Shin dodge lightning during the battle with Gian, but did not think that he could do it even while magic was shing and icicles blocked his field of view.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this here, okay?¡±

    ¡°Aah, yes. If you can avoid that, I have nothing else I can do.¡±

    Even if they continued, Lecus would be simply overwhelmed by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Water Bullet¡¿ barrage, so Lecus epted Shin¡¯s words without hesitation.

    ¡°Okay, the final battle is with the whole party. Do you have any other members, by the way?¡±

    ¡°We three are the only regr members. Sometimes we join with other small parties or let solo adventurers join, but it never went well.¡±

    The other students can¡¯t keep up with Lecus¡¯ party: the difference in base ability was thatrge.

    Even the mage Lecus, from a normal person¡¯s perspective, was as strong as a physical fighter.

    There were other Chosen Ones in the institute, but for some reason they didn¡¯t blend well together.

    ¡°I see. Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about party members. For the time being, let¡¯s focus on powering you guys up.¡±

    Individual training and team battle practice. Based on what he had seen in the dungeon, Shin thought that they had many things they could improve.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, you don¡¯t need to think about holding back.¡±

    Shin spoke after preparing his de in a fighting stance.

    Gian and Myu stood side by side, with Lecus behind them. All three of them looked very serious.

    They couldn¡¯t make Shin lose hisposure a bit one-on-one, so it was clear that they were thinking of pulling it off together. Maybe because they were fighting as a party now, only Gian had a new piece of equipment, a Sponge Shield.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!!¡±

    Following Gian¡¯s shout, Myu and Lecus started moving too. Gian charged forward, holding his shield high, using it to hide hisnce from Shin¡¯s view. He nned to not let Shin anticipate his attack until the very end. Over Gian¡¯s head, Myu unleashed a flying kick.

    Two attacks at the same time¡­thee, counting Lecus chanting behind them.

    Shin caught Myu¡¯s flying leg, spun once and threw her in Gian¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Nwah!?¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Gian instinctively moved his shield andnce to block Myu¡¯s fall. When Shin attempted a follow-up attack, the surroundings were filled with mist.

    ¡°Get back, quick!¡±

    The mist disappeared around Shin, but Gian and Myu had followed Lecus¡¯ order and retreated, so he could not see them. Knowing that Shin would block the offensive, Lecus had prepared a magic spell to block his field of view.

    ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡±

    Shin knew where they were, thanks to presence detection. It looked like they would attack from three different directions. Maybe wary of Shin¡¯s reaction, they took around 30 seconds to slowly move around him. One was right in front, the other two diagonally behind Shin.

    They had probably decided the timing to strike. Without any particr signal, they all started attacking at the same time.

    The attacker from the front, piercing through the mist, was surprisingly Lecus.

    ¡°¡¾Triple Bullet¡¿!!¡±

    Fire, water, and invisible wind bullets shot from his hands.

    From behind, Myu sent ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿ and Gian used ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ before both of them charged towards Shin. Knowing that normal attacks would never damage him, they tried to strike him all together.

    ¡°You¡¯ve thought this through.¡±

    In response to the three young warriors¡¯ offensive, Shin walked towards Lecus. Magic would barely affect Shin, especially if Lecus was the caster. As this was battle training for them, Shin advanced while knocking the bullets down, then struck Lecus¡¯ neck, who was trying to retreat. That meant that Lecus had died. Myu and Gian ¡°died¡± too after a few minutes.

    ¡°Aah¡­not even one hit¡­¡±

    ¡°Crap¡­¡±

    ¡°Justpletely out of your league. Asking you for training was the right idea.¡±

    Myu and Gian did not even try to hide their frustration. Lecus had understood that they would never match Shin in the first battle and was thinking if there was a way for them to get back at Shin.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s review the battles until now. Then Yuki will be your opponent.¡±

    As long as they didn¡¯t lose all enthusiasm because of losing, they could improve. So Shin felt while he talked to the kids.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Good morning. The sun¡¯s up, rise and shine.¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­.? Ah, good morning.¡±

    A gentle voice and hands shook Shin mostly awake. He got up from the bed and noticed that Schnee had already changed.

    ¡°Ever since we were teleported here, you¡¯re always waking me up.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Shin cocked his head to one side, wondering if he found it harder to wake up. Usually they would have breakfast right away, but today was a rest day, so they could take it easy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you sleeping when I wake up¡­¡±

    ¡°Why such a serious expression? That¡¯s perfectly fine, isn¡¯t it. I can see your sleeping face, after all.¡±

    ¡°No, I must protest! I too want to see your sleeping face!¡±

    ¡°What protest is that¡­really¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s childish retort left Schnee almost at a loss for words, but her expression was very peaceful.

    ¡°At night I can see your sleeping face more though.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s because you¡¯re always so¡ªaah, what are you making me say!?¡±

    ¡°My my, I just meant to say that you always sleep early and wake up early. Whatever were you thinking about, dear Schnee?¡±

    Schnee was probably not used to such jokes yet: Shin¡¯s little trap made her blush to her ears. He smiled, thinking of how adorable she was.

    ¡°Kh¡­euh¡­.if you keep saying things like that, I won¡¯t cook you breakfast anymore!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!! Please forgive me!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s advantagested mere seconds. The room they were staying in was equipped with a kitchen, so it was possible to make simple dishes. Before, they used to have breakfast in the hotel¡¯s restaurant, but Shin started to miss Schnee¡¯s cooking, so she would prepare breakfast every day now.

    With his weakness ¡ª the stomach ¡ª struck, Shin surrendered immediately. He was bowing to Schnee on the bed, a sight no one would believe a High Human would produce.

    ¡°Do you realize your mistakes?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I most surely do.¡±

    ¡°¡­good grief. You should think a little more before teasing me.¡±

    ¡°How do I say it? I never get tired of seeing you embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m sorry! I said too much!¡±

    Feeling that the mood was not one for jokes, Shin quickly bowed his head again. A few days had passed since they became one, but Schnee¡¯s way of addressing Shin was starting to be less and less courteous, reducing the distance between them.

    Coupled with their reciprocated feelings, being alone together allowed their rtionship to change from master and servant to man and woman very quickly.

    ¡°Enough about that, what will we do today? There¡¯s no training, so we can take it easy.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone suggested that she wanted them to spend a rxing day together. Shin had no objections, but since they had an entire day, he would like to do some sightseeing.

    The Erkunt Institute of Magic engaged in studies in various fields: items to improve people¡¯s lifestyle, techniques to improve production technologies, etc. They did not, however, study real world sciences. They considered it dangerous to further studies in such disciplines in a world where magic existed.

    More realistically speaking, Hmee and Masakado were only junior high school students in the real world, so their knowledge only reached a certain extent.

    As far as Shin could remember, that world always tended to explore different directions than the original world¡¯s technologies, so he was interested in taking a look at what they were studying.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry, I was just thinking.¡±

    Shin apologized, then told Schnee what he was thinking about.

    ¡°I see. We can take it easy here whenever we want, so we might as well go out today.¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay with you? We can always do this another time.¡±

    ¡°No problem. For me, the most important thing now is to be with you.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words warmed Shin¡¯s heart. For a brief instant, he saw Marino¡¯s silhouette ovepping Schnee¡¯s, but that disappeared quickly. She wasn¡¯t Marino¡¯s recement. Shin hadn¡¯t forgotten his former lover, but seeing her in Schnee was wrong, or so he thought.

    ¡°Thank you, let¡¯s do that then.¡±

    Shin and Schnee hadn¡¯t gone sightseeing since they were in Hinomoto. Schnee changed into a pink sweater and white long skirt with an essory bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair was held with the hairpin bought in Hinomoto.

    She would stand out in a town crowded by adventurers, but in shopping and residential districts, there were many people dressed in a simr way: it was a relic of the game era, when all sorts of clothing were on sale.

    Clothes were ssified as essories, but there were many examples that were difficult to imagine existing in a fantasy world, such as bunny girl costumes or nurse attires.

    The clothes chosen by Schnee were categorized by the system as ¡°townsfolk clothing¡±.

    Normally, their defensive powers would be next to zero but bizarrely enough, they boasted resistance to ded weapons, fire, and thunder on par with iron armor, since they had been made by Rokuten¡¯s Cashmere.

    Being much sturdier than they looked was amon characteristic in Rokuten-made equipment.

    Incidentally, the reason why they were not equipped with water resistance was that Cashmere imed: ¡°wet clothes sticking to the body is just so sexy¡±, to Shin and Hecate¡¯s enthusiastic approval.

    In the game era, such a pointless effect (clothes sticking to the body) did not exist, so Cashmere¡¯s choice was nothing short of meaningless.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s okay if I go out like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that looks nice on you.¡±

    Shin wore navy blue pants, a white shirt and jacket, clothing more modern than fantasy-like, in order not to let Schnee stand out too much. It was a kind of outfit he had seen in a fashion magazine before.

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d stand out more.¡±

    ¡°yers spread their clothing styles extensively after all.¡±

    The town of Erkunt was just like a western Europe town, simr to ones Shin had seen on TV. Leaving science and technology aside, clothing and everyday items were not difficult to recreate, so many wore designer clothing just like Shin¡¯s attire that day.

    Maybe it was because the institute¡¯s head of research & development, Hmee, was a former yer, but many people in the city wore clothing very close to modern fashion.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this in Bayreuth or Falnido though.¡±

    ¡°This type of clothing is not always popr, after all. They¡¯re not appreciated at all in certain locations. This town¡¯s people seem to like it quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°You have a point. The textile industry is more advanced than I thought here. The institute¡¯s uniforms could easily pass as real world ones, well, you¡¯d only find them in manga or light novels though¡­¡±

    The uniforms could easily be confused for cosy costumes.

    ¡°So, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for picking this as a date destination, but I wanted to check out a weapon store. Other than Hmee, the closebat-oriented Masakado is here too, so I figured they must have progressed in that field too. I wanted to see how developed they are.¡±

    Shin¡¯s real reason was another, but he was too embarrassed to say it clearly. He was actually worried that Schnee¡¯s mood would turn sour.

    ¡°I see, let¡¯s go to a store that deals in armor and essories too then. You can probably draw all sorts of information just by looking at the items on sale.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯d be great.¡±

    Shin was relieved to hear a proactive proposal from Schnee. He also agreed to go to a restaurant serving unique dishes without hesitation.

    Shin and Schnee left the hotel and headed towards a store in the institute district, said to be the best. They followed the map drawn by a hotel clerk and arrived at a street lined with ss shop windows.

    Looking at Shin¡¯s automatic map, they would need to make a slight detour to reach the store. They had told the hotel clerk that they weren¡¯t in a rush, so they probably drew a longer route to let them enjoy the city¡¯s sights.

    All sorts of items were disyed inside the shop windows. Most of them were clothes worn by mannequins in various poses, just like in the real world. Shoes, bags, and essories wereid at their feet, stimting the shopping impulses of the people passing by.

    Shin felt like he had been transported back to his former world.

    ¡°Hmee designed this street apparently.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. I guess she couldn¡¯t forget.¡±

    After a slight surprise, Shin was convinced. When Shin first met Hmee and Masakado, they were still junior high school students in real life. In the death game, they had died while protecting yers younger than them. Aftering to this world, what did they feel in their hearts as they lived on? Shin could only try to imagine.

    Hmee might have be headmistress of a learning institute because she felt attached to the ¡°school¡± environment, thought Shin as he felt somewhat conflicted.

    ¡°Shin, you look so deep in thought.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I know nothinges out of just thinking, but¡­¡±

    Every time he met a former yer, Shin couldn¡¯t help thinking. If THE NEW GATE hadn¡¯t be a death game, if they had returned to their everyday lives, what would have happened?

    ¡°Whoops! Schnee?¡±

    Shin was scratching his cheek when suddenly Schnee grabbed his right arm, holding it tight to make it stretch straight. Shin lost his bnce a little, leaning towards Schnee.

    ¡°You were thinking about what would have changed if the Death Game never happened, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was shaken to know that his thoughts had beenpletely seen through.

    ¡°Is that not so?¡±

    ¡°Well, a bit.¡±

    Shin understood that he couldn¡¯t deceive Schnee¡¯s pressure. He answered honestly and she hugged his arm tighter, strong enough that a normal person¡¯s arm would have been twisted in a weird direction.

    ¡°If that never happened, I would never have touched you like this. So, for me¡ª!?¡±

    Shin was confused at first, but quickly caught on what Schnee was going to say and sealed her lips. He was notpletely unaware of her feelings.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about what happened or not happened, not anymore. In the death game, I also acquired many new bonds.¡±

    If the game remained such until the end, some rtionships with other yers would have never be so deep. Even if it was a death game, not everything that happened was negative.

    Shin¡¯s words probably calmed Schnee, because she rxed the grip on his arm. Calming down, however, they started noticing things they didn¡¯t until a few moments before.

    ¡°That was too forward¡­¡±

    ¡°Show-off¡­¡±

    ¡°Shit! I want to be that guy!¡±

    ¡°My my, so passionate.¡±

    Shin and Schnee had been walking down a quite crowded street. People, not knowing the circumstances, would think that Schnee pulled Shin closer to make him kiss her.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s speed up the pace.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    Laughing embarrassedly to the surrounding people, Shin quickly pushed the violently blushing Schnee forward. The surrounding whispers had colored her expression a red more violent than ever before. Schnee¡¯s personality would never let her show her affection so clearly in front of so many people normally.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s settle down a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Even if camouged, Schnee¡¯s good looks attracted attention. The two took shelter in a narrow alley, but Schnee was still blushing hard, looking down with one hand grabbing Shin¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°Er, no, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have kissed you in a ce like that.¡±

    ¡°N-no! I was the one who made you worry, and I didn¡¯t hate, I mean, I didn¡¯t hate it, so¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t see her expression, but the ears poking out of her hair were progressively redder.

    He felt that he had seen this expression a lot thest few days. Maybe she was relieved, her worries gone, or maybe she had lowered her defenses with Shin¡­no matter what the reason was, Shin was more than satisfied to be able to see such adorable moments so often.

    ¡°Schnee, won¡¯t you show me your face a little?¡±

    Schnee expected to be scolded, but heard an unexpected question instead. Her embarrassed expression was starting to be one of his favorites.

    ¡°Nn¡­you¡¯re much nastier than I thought¡­is it so fun to see me embarrassed!?¡±

    Schnee buried her face in Shin¡¯s chest, to prevent him from looking at it, but peeked up just a bit to protest. Her eyes, zed by tears caused by the embarrassment, red at him.

    She probably meant to use Shin, but he just found her all the more lovely. He couldn¡¯t help but pat her head, thinking of a random excuse to do so. One of his favorite pastimestely was to pat her head when they were alone in their room.

    ¡°Hn¡­don¡¯t think you can change the topic like that!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really¡­so I guess I can¡¯t do it in our room either¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Schnee silently rubbed her head against Shin¡¯s hand, as if telling him to do it more. Yet another side of Schnee that Shin didn¡¯t know.

    He found it very pleasant to pat her too, so he waspletely in favor of continuing.

    They were in a narrow alley without much traffic, but from a third party¡¯s perspective they looked just like any other flirting couple.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s a bit of a shame, but we should go.¡±

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s continue when we get back to the hotel.¡±

    Shin was the first one toe back to his senses, realizing how other people must have been looking at them. Thinking that they couldn¡¯t just continue flirting like that, he let go of Schnee¡¯s hair and pointed at the street. She nodded and they headed once more towards the store.

    After they walked for some time, Shin realized that what they would do once back in the hotel had been decided. When Schnee decided that she would have Shin spoil her, her usual cool demeanor always vanished.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ¡°So, here we are¡­is this the right ce?¡±

    Shin looked at the storefront, then checked the map again. The surrounding buildings matched the characteristics marked in the map. What puzzled Shin was that he couldn¡¯t find any sign indicating the building was a shop.

    ¡°The door¡¯s open, so let¡¯s try going inside.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. If it¡¯s not here, we¡¯ll just start looking again.¡±

    Shin put a hand on the door handle and peered inside. The map was right after all: he could see all sorts of weapons disyed inside. Once they entered, they saw another row of weapons lined up along the wall, which they had not been able to see from the doorstep.

    These included longswords, twin swords, long and short spears, bows, and axes. The swords and spears were all Legend grade, the bows and axes Unique grade. A quick nce around the store revealed that the weapons, other than the ones lined along the walls, were all of Normal grade, with some Rare ones here and there.

    ¡°Looks like this is the ce. I don¡¯t see any clerks though.¡±

    Each weapon had a price tag next to it, so Shin was sure they were for sale. The absence of a clerk was probably justified by the anti-theft skill attached to the store. If someone tried to grab a weapon and run, they would be prevented from taking it outside.

    ¡°Excuse me! Is anyone there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please wait a moment!¡±

    Shin called towards the back of the counter and a reply came back right away. Soon, a man in his twenties, wearing overalls and with a towel wrapped around his head came out.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. Did you have an appointment?¡±

    ¡°No, I heard that this is the best workshop in town, so I wanted to have my weapons repaired.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be right to just barge in and demand to see their work, so Shin nned to pick a half-used weapon from his item box, ask them to repair it, then see what level of skill they had.

    ¡°Who rmended this store? If you have a letter of introduction, I would like to see it.¡±

    The young man was very polite. Shin pictured such workshops as ces where people didn¡¯t care that much about manners, so he was a bit surprised. From the young man¡¯s physique, Shin figured he was the cksmith or an apprentice.

    ¡°I heard it from the staff of hotel Morgana. I haven¡¯t asked for his name though.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have a letter of introduction, so he just said that he heard about the workshop from the hotel staff. He had just asked about weapon stores to a passing clerk, so he didn¡¯t know the name.

    ¡°Morgana, I see. We are a bit busy at the moment, so it might take some time, is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°How long would that be?¡±

    ¡°We would be able to start tomorrow afternoon. It appears thattely the monsters¡¯ turf around town changed: the new monsters that appear are much more powerful than before.¡±

    The young man exined that because of this, requests to repair weapons and for new equipment increased exponentially, so at present theycked manpower. Shin asked if this sort of thing happened often, but the young man replied that that was not the case.

    In that world too there were areas where powerful monsters spawned, but Erkunt was not one of them. Sometimes there were reports of mass monster migrations, a possibility which was being currently investigated.

    ¡°Our boss is a cksmith skilled enough to have donated a prized sword to the king, but even so, there is a limit to what he can do. At present, we only ept orders from clients who can wait.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. I didn¡¯t know about that monster business. Time is not an issue for me, so please.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Can you let me check the status of the equipment? Please ce it on the counter.¡±

    The extent gear could be repaired naturally depended on how damaged it was. Sometimes there were clients who presented items beyond repair, so cksmiths always checked the item in need of repair before deciding whether to ept the job or not.

    Shin and Schnee did not seem to be carrying any weapons, but the young man acted as if they did. He had probably guessed that they had weapons in item card form.

    Shin had no intention to keep him guessing, so he took out an item card and materialized it. The young man did not bat an eye at the process. Once he checked the weapon, however, he quickly lost his cool.

    ¡°What the¡­!?¡±

    The young man let out a surprised mumble. As expected of an artisan, he understood right away what kind of weapon Shin had materialized.

    What Shin had ced on the counter were a long spear and a short sword.

    The spear was the lower Unique grade ¡ºHollow Spear¡», the short sword the lower Rare grade ¡ºAzoth¡».

    ¡ºHollow Spear¡» had a chance of inflicting paralysis if the opponent¡¯s STR was lower than the user; ¡ºAzoth¡» slightly increased the user¡¯s magic power.

    Both had been used during the training with Lecus and the others, enough to require repairs.

    ¡°Not the slightest imbnce in magic power distribution, and not even one impurity? What the¡­¡±

    ¡°Can I count on you, then?¡±

    ¡°Please excuse me, I need to call the boss. Could you please wait a moment?¡±

    The young man had probably concluded that the job was too much for him. He went behind the counter and was about to enter the corridor in the back, when he noticed something and stopped.

    ¡°Oh? Is there something wrong, boss?¡±

    ¡°I just felt a bizarre presence. You wereing to call me, right? The reason is¡­you, right?¡±

    A man in his fifties appeared from the corridor. He was shorter than the young man, but his arms were twice as thick as the young man¡¯s arms.

    Based on his experience, Shin guessed that he was a Dwarf. Maybe he was in a bad mood, because his expression was nothing short of fierce.

    ¡°Never seen your face around here. I¡¯m Vulcan, the owner of this workshop. So, what happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about these, I can¡¯t really decide by myself.¡±

    ¡°Really? *You* can¡¯t?¡±

    Vulcan looked at the young man with an amused expression.

    The fierce-looking man, wearing an outfit suited to the boss of a pack of mountain bandits, looked like a boy who had found a new toy. The sharp glint in his eyes showed that he was gauging what kind of person he was dealing with.

    ¡°¡­I see, now I know why you were flustered.¡±

    Vulcan took the ¡ºHollow Spear¡» from the young man¡¯s hands, looked at it for a while, then spoke. He did not add anything else and proceeded to check ¡ºAzoth¡».

    He examined the de and decorations for several minutes, then ced it back on the counter.

    ¡°You want us to perform maintenance on these?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, is there a problem?¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s serious expression made Shin wonder if there was anything off with the weapons. Vulcan did not answer immediately, looking intently at Shin instead.

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you better suited to take care of these?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin instinctively flinched because of the unexpected question. He hade all the way to a smithy, it would be normal to think that he couldn¡¯t repair them himself. Vulcan, however, asked again, with absolute confidence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do here, but you¡¯re a cksmith, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin was at a loss for words, but Vulcan¡¯s tone waspletely positive. Nothing about Shin¡¯s appearance was supposed to suggest that he was a cksmith.

    ¡°You look like you don¡¯t know how I can tell. Well, if you examine me you¡¯ll find out right away, but I can tell if the person before me is a cksmith.

    I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯m pretty well known in the business. There are plenty of types that pretend to be normal people or adventurers to get close to me and steal my techniques. Thanks to that, I guess my eyes got good at spotting them, the people like you whoe up here hiding their job.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, well, impressive.¡±

    ¡°Spare thepliments. So, what did youe here for anyway?¡±

    ¡°¡­I wanted to see how skilled this town¡¯s cksmiths were. I wanted to know if there were techniques I didn¡¯t know, but I didn¡¯t n to steal anything.¡±

    Shin realized that it would be useless to try to pull the wool over Vulcan¡¯s eyes, so he stated his purpose with total honesty.

    Techniques were always the fruit of long processes of trial and error. Shin had decided that he would never try to steal such a thing. He could tell a number of things from looking at the finished product, but couldn¡¯t steal a technique with just that. He had nned to negotiate to achieve that, if possible.

    ¡°Who the hell are you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m a cksmith. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not familiar with recent smithing techniques, so I wanted to ask about it.¡±

    Vulcan seemed to be slightly confused, and Shin started to feel doubtful too. Trying to test their skill had been a bad approach, maybe, so he started to feel concerned.

    ¡°Recent smithing techniques, huh. You talk like a long-living species.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Thedy over there is an Elf, but you¡¯re just a Human, right? You look just a bit over 20. Even if you were holed up in a smithy since you were a brat, you couldn¡¯t have a presence of fire this strong, nor smell like iron like this, you¡­you can even forge Legend, no, Mythology grade weapons, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa!? What are you saying!?¡±

    The young man couldn¡¯t help reacting to Vulcan¡¯s question. He was his grandson, apparently.

    ¡°Did your trained eyes tell you that too?¡±

    ¡°No, this is a special skill of mine. cksmiths gain a particr presence from the furnace and materials they use. The stronger their furnace, the stronger fire presence they have. If they use high grade or rare materials, they smell different than iron or steel. Of course, without sufficient skill no one can have that presence or smell. Yours is a lot stronger, much more powerful than even the chief I used to work for. Makes me almost doubt my instincts.¡±

    Sweat streamed down Vulcan¡¯s cheeks, but it wasn¡¯t because of the heating from the furnace room.

    ¡°I must say that I¡¯m really surprised. How did you acquire such a skill?¡±

    ¡°This is just what my senses tell me. I¡¯m proud to say that it never failed me, though. So, what do you say? Not that I want to force you to talk.¡±

    ¡°No, I was the one that tested you after all. It is true that my skills are something that shouldn¡¯t be revealed openly, I think. But that¡¯s only what my master told me, I really don¡¯t know about modern techniques. My master was from the old generation¡­how can I say it, he was something like a hermit.¡±

    It would be troublesome to reveal that he was a High Human, so Shin exined that he had learned his skills under a master. Hispanion, Schnee, was from a long-living species, so it was a bit more convincing.

    ¡°I see, a long-living master from the old generation¡­they probably knew heaps of lost techniques we have no idea of. If you were his disciple, well I guess that exins it all.¡±

    Vulcan didn¡¯t seem fully convinced, but since he had just made it up, Shinughed sheepishly, acting as if he couldn¡¯t say anymore.

    ¡°¡­fine, I¡¯ll show you how I forge. But in exchange, you¡¯ll do the same too, deal?¡±

    ¡°Grand¡ªI mean boss! Is this really okay!? I know that your senses are sharp, but you¡¯ve just met this man!¡±

    The young man had listened quietly to Vulcan and Shin¡¯s conversation, but finally interrupted. Things had been proceeding really quickly, so Shin was also wondering if it was really all right, a suspicion that turned out to be correct.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Vaal. It frustrates me to no end to say this, but the skills this man learned make mine look like child¡¯s y. Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t realized it after looking at those weapons.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­right, but¡­¡±

    Vulcan clearly stated that looking at a weapon was enough to learn of the skills of its creator. The young man, Vaal, had no objections about that point, but was perplexed about the situation.

    ¡°Well, we n to stay in town for a while, so you don¡¯t have to decide right away¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t do that. With the union as it is now, even if they see these weapons, not all of them will understand what I said. They¡¯re always boasting that their mission is to improve Dwarf techniques and technology, but there are always the types that get lost in faction quarreling. I don¡¯t want those in the way.¡±

    Dwarves too had their own circumstances.

    Shin remembered that the union was an organization for the sharing of techniques and technology, created by Dwarves instead of forming a country. Dwarves were normally solely focused on improving creation-type skills, but in an organization, authority and position always came into y.

    ¡°But boss, if you show your skills without permission, we might be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Just shut up and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°No way!? You want to make me into an aplice??¡±

    If it was for the sake of learning new techniques, Vulcan didn¡¯t give a hoot about the union¡¯s rules. It seemed like he thought that Shin would not cause trouble, but as a union member, it was a problem nheless.

    ¡°You say that, but you want to see too, don¡¯t you? How a man that can forge weapons like these actually tempers the iron?¡±

    ¡°That¡­that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Vaal looked away, very clearly conflicted because of Vulcan¡¯s question. He still red at the very eager Vulcan, but he actually shared the same desire.

    ¡°So what are you going to do? This sort of chance won¡¯te twice, you know?¡±

    ¡°Nnh¡­nngh¡­.¡±

    Vaal grimaced, as if fighting against something. Vulcan kept pressing on, grinning widely. Shin, on the other hand, stepped away from them.

    ¡°¡­okay. Today he¡­er¡­¡±

    ¡°The name¡¯s Shin.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. Today, Mr. Shin never came here. Let¡¯s put it like that.¡±

    Vaal finally surrendered. Between unknown techniques and the union¡¯s rules, the curiosity towards the unknown won.

    ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As boss said before, he was assistant to the Dwarves¡¯ chief before. If he says that this was an exchange of techniques aimed to improve Dwarven technology, things will be settled somehow. Fortunately, you too are a cksmith, Mr. Shin, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for such an exchange to be held.¡±

    Vaal looked a bit concerned still, but Shin was very eager to see Vulcan¡¯s skills, so he pretended not to notice.

    After Vaal agreed, things proceeded even quicker. Vulcan would show his technique first, then it would be Shin¡¯s turn.

    ¡°It may be toote to ask, but is this really fine? It seems like you agreed so fast¡­¡±

    Vaal talked to Schnee, who was smiling behind Shin. He was involved too, so he felt a bit ufortable.

    He had frozen for a moment when he saw Schnee, but thinking that she had to be connected to Shin, he didn¡¯t get strange ideas about her.

    ¡°When Shin seeks new techniques, it¡¯s always for our sake. I have nothing to say.¡±

    ¡°Is, is that so.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s reply radiated trust. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Vaal felt a little envious.

    ¡°Sorry, Schnee. Please wait a bit.¡±

    ¡°I know that it¡¯s like a sickness you have. I¡¯ll wait, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Shin apologized profusely, but Schnee simply looked at him as if she was thinking ¡°he just can¡¯t help it¡±. She sat down on a chair Vaal took out for her, opened a book with a blue cover and put on sses with a red rim. The book, ¡ºBook Maker¡», automatically searched for the story that the holder desired and disyed it; the sses, an item called¡ºThe Eyes¡», were a support essory.

    ¡°Schnee with sses¡­not bad.¡±

    Shin let thisment slip when he saw Schnee take out items to pass the time. Just putting on a pair of sses gave the wearer an intellectual atmosphere; it was a mystery. Another reason was probably that Schnee usually did not wear sses.

    ¡°Stop being silly and get this over with quickly!¡±

    Schnee pushed Shin in the corridor to the furnace room, to hide her blushing face. When the cksmiths disappeared in the shadows of the corridor, she said to herself ¡°maybe changing my look once in a while would be nice¡­¡± as she tried to cool down her flushed cheeks, unaware that Shin heard that all too well.

 Book 13: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m starting then.¡±

    Once they arrived in the smithy, the men¡¯s atmospherepletely changed.

    Shin, Vulcan, and Vaal all fell intoplete silence. They looked like different people than when they talked with Schnee moments ago.

    ¡°The furnace and iron are ready.¡±

    Vaal, who was checking the fire burning inside, spoke to Vulcan.

    Even in the game, without skills cksmithing was pretty much the same as real life. Materials, forging techniques, and goals changed, but tools and equipment were by andrge the same.

    Furnace functions, however, varied very much. Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s furnace would imbue magic into the iron it produced automatically, so even just tempering metal could create high level weapons.

    Vulcan¡¯s furnace was a special type, close to what Shin had in Tsuki no Hokora. The iron it produced was of high purity and was imbued with magic.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start now.¡±

    After saying this, Vulcan grabbed the iron with tongs and heated it up. His hammer was specially made: every time he swung it down, sparks and magic power danced in the surroundings.

    Vulcan also possessed the cksmithing skill: just like Shin, he was really quick with his hands. That speed was probably what made it possible for them to ept orders for new items on top of repair and maintenance requests. Of course, each request was handled with maximum care.

    Until now, it was all work that Shin was already familiar with.

    ¡°Start.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    When the de shaping process started, Vaal joined Vulcan in tempering the iron. As Vulcan and Vaal swung their hammers, the magic power imbued in the de changed little by little. They both tempered the metal by pouring their magic into the hammer.

    Pouring magic inside tools was something that Shin did as well, butpared to when Vulcan was doing it alone, the de¡¯s strength and magic power were higher now. It was like the two cksmith¡¯s magic power resonated, forming something greater than the sum of their powers.

    (Their magic powers are ovepping? You couldn¡¯t ever figure this out if you worked alone.)

    Shin didn¡¯t know how it exactly worked, but he understood how their magic powers interacted with each other. Based on his experience, he felt that their magic was far too attuned when swinging their hammers: the tools themselves must have had some special trick, or so Shin guessed.

    (They make their magic ovep and createyers, huh. What effect could this have?)

    Looking at the two cksmiths work, Shin wondered what effects it could lead to. He imagined it would increase the weapon¡¯s sturdiness or sharpness. Another possibility was, in case of magic swords, an increased rate of magic-rted effects even without being attached with particr skills.

    While thinking about the possible effects, Shin also wondered whether he could use this technique himself. He had never seen this technique before, so he wanted to make use of it somehow. A method to use this new technique to reinforce weapons was already beginning to form in Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Phew¡­we¡¯re done.¡±

    One hour had passed since they started working. From inserting the iron in the furnace to sharpening the weapon, the process was nowplete. From a purely cksmithing viewpoint, it was an unfathomable speed. For a skill or art user, however, it was nothing but normal.

    ¡°So, did you see anything you didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a very educating experience.¡±

    The finished product was the middle Legend-grade ¡ºLong Sword¡». It was a basic item that all sword users in the game had wielded at least once. Vulcan had probably chosen it on purpose: a basic shape could show differences more clearly.

    Shin examined it more closely and, as he had expected, noticed that sturdiness and sharpness were higher than if magic power had been poured into it normally.

    ¡°So it¡¯s my turn next.¡±

    Shin was exceptionally allowed to use the workshop¡¯s tools, but prepared his own hammer. It did not have any special effects, but it had been specially forged by Shin himself.

    He grabbed the metal with tongs, heated it, and struck it. He repeated the process and struck again.

    The process itself was the same as what Vulcan and Vaal did, but there was one clear difference: Shin was hitting the metal with his hammer, and nothing more. He changed the striking point a bit, but there was a phenomenon happening that such actions could not exin.

    ¡°What the¡­the iron is changing shape all by itself¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I can¡¯t believe my eyes¡­¡±

    Every time Shin swung his hammer, the metal progressively changed its shape into a sword. What shocked Vulcan and Vaal was that spots that Shin did not strike changed shape too. It was a mysterious sight, as if the iron was changing shape on its own ord. The same thing happened when Shin showed his techniques to Kanezuka Araki in Hinomoto: no cksmith worth his salt could miss such a phenomenon.

    ¡°It¡¯splete.¡±

    Shin stated that the weapon wasplete, before even touching the whetting stone. Normally, it was impossible for a weapon to beplete before sharpening, but the sword Shin was holding looked as sharp as if it was whetted by a master of the craft.

    What Shin forged was a higher Legend-grade ¡ºLong Sword¡».

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Vulcan and Vaal must have heard Shin, but showed no response. What they just saw must have been just that shocking.

    ¡°Er, would you like to have a closer look?¡±

    ¡°Damn right!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Vulcan and Vaal shouted their replies to Shin¡¯s question together. They seemed extremely excited, but handled the sword as if it was a very fragile treasure.

    ¡°I never saw him temper the tip, but the shape is well done¡­did the iron change shape by itself, because of magic? That would exin the bnce¡­¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t exin the de¡¯s edge, though. It can get sharp to a degree even without whetting it, but this? This is the work of a master artisan¡­¡±

    A heated debate started, with Shin¡¯s ¡ºLong Sword¡» at its center. Vaal seemed to be well trained enough to be allowed to temper alongside his master: the debate evolved to technical analysis quickly.

    ¡°Nngh¡­sir Shin¡­could it be possible for you to leave this piece with us?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but with the grade what it is¡­¡±

    For Shin it was just a ¡ºLong Sword¡» without much importance, but for the people of this world it was a national treasure level item. He had been living in this world for a while now, so he had be familiar with the circumstances concerning such topics.

    Vulcan probably had no such intentions, but Shin couldn¡¯t just give away an almost Mythology-grade weapon without thinking carefully.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­but from just this one de, we could learn so much¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°This is packed with unknown techniques. It¡¯s not like those weapons found in dungeons or ruins, which we don¡¯t know who made them or how they made it. This has been made by a person, with my furnace and iron. It¡¯s a lot more valuable than some powerful, and nothing else, national treasure. No way you could leave it here¡­kkh, I know, I understand it in my head, but¡­¡±

    Shin nned to refuse because it was too powerful, but Vulcan¡¯s words made him understand the true importance of the sword. Vulcan and Vaal had also witnessed the process behind its creation: even if they couldn¡¯t understand itpletely, it was still a lot better than not seeing anything at all.

    ¡°Sir Shin, you are an adventurer, yes? Could you grant us your teachings, even just while you stay here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m already teaching some students at the institute, I just don¡¯t have the time¡­¡±

    If he started being involved here too, his free time would disappear. Having too much of it wouldn¡¯t be good, but being too busy would be worse.

    He had epted to act as instructor for Lecus and the others so he could avoid cking off too much, but if he ended up having to give up on spending time with Schnee, he would effectively be defeating his main objective.

    ¡°Teaching? Were you hired by the institute?¡±

    ¡°Just as a front. I agreed to give some students battle training, just until myrades arrive here.¡±

    ¡°If you can handle weapons like these, you have to be quite the fighter yourself, but¡­that youngdy is a quick worker, isn¡¯t she¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know Hmee?¡±

    ¡°I sure do, I¡¯m the one that does maintenance on her partner, Masakado¡¯s sword, after all.¡±

    Shin was surprised, but understood how they were connected.

    The dwarf chief Vulcan acted as counselor for what could bepared to a king: someone directly under someone in this position was definitely skilled.

    If Masakado still used the weapon he had when he died, it was a middle Legend-grade broadsword, something an average cksmith and furnace could never hope to handle.

    ¡°Hmm, what a shame, what a shame¡­¡±

    ¡°Boss, I understand your feelings, but we can¡¯t trouble him anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Nngh¡­!!!¡±

    Looking at the mumbling Vulcan, Shin was reminded of Barbatos¡¯ shipwright, Zigma, and thought that artisans really were the same everywhere.

    cksmiths and shipwrights builtpletely different things, but their passion, personality and feelings were quite simr. If they found new, unknown techniques, they couldn¡¯t help crave to obtain them.

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m sorry to say that I can¡¯te share my master¡¯s teachings, but I¡¯lle whenever I have the time.¡±

    ¡°Please, you must. I haven¡¯t had this much fun in ages.¡±

    ¡°Boss, don¡¯t push yourself too hard now¡­¡±

    Vaal¡¯s shoulders dropped as he looked at Vulcan¡¯s almost menacing smile. Based on Vulcan¡¯s words and actions until now, Shin realized that he would probably start working right away, maybe even forgoing to eat and sleep.

    ¡°Till next time then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much for today. I¡¯ll do some trial and error on my own too.¡±

    Shin collected the sword he tempered in exchange for the materials used, waved goodbye to Vaal, and left the workshop. As he noticed while leaving, the smithy¡¯s name was ¡ºAnvil of Steel¡».

    The time was still a bit after noon, so Shin and Schnee had lunch in the restaurant she mentioned wanting to try, then took a walk around town. Maybe because the institute was also a research facility, there were lots of shops selling monster materials, minerals, various kinds of catalysts, and much more. The guild also had facilities both in the institute¡¯s district and the district where the king supposedly resided.

    ¡°The atmosphere sure changes from street to street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, they are really divided neatly into categories. If simr shops are grouped together, it¡¯s surely more convenient for everyone too.¡±

    If you wanted something, you just had to go to the area where they sold it, or so Shin figured. Vulcan¡¯s workshop too was located in a street that could be called ¡°weapon store avenue¡±.

    ¡°There are still ces we haven¡¯t seen, but let¡¯s call it a day. No need to see it all in one day.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s save it for another day.¡±

    There was still some time before Filma and the others could arrive. It would be different if they were moving at max speed, but they were going at a leisurely pace, enjoying the trip.

    Shin and Schnee still had plenty of time to spend together, so there was no need to hurry.

    They walked back to the hotel, enjoyed dinner, spent the evening together, then went to bed.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin made sure Schnee was asleep, then quietly went outside. His objective was just outside Erkunt¡¯s castle walls.

    Using ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to make sure no one saw him, he materialized Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Here we go¡­¡±

    Shin had taken out Magic Steel and iron imbued with magic power. Holding them in ce with tongs, he swung his hammer. He held nothing back this time, so the Magic Steel started changing shape quickly, turning into a ¡ºLong Sword¡».

    Shin ced it on a piece of cloth and examined it. Differently from the one he forged before, the magic power imbued in the de was irregr, thicker and thinner in ces.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s how the first time goes.¡±

    Shin had tried imitating Vulcan¡¯s technique. As he was forging by himself, he couldn¡¯t use it the same way, but he thought that he could adapt it in his own style.

    Things didn¡¯t go smoothly right away, naturally; the ¡ºLong Sword¡» he tempered was simply of lesser quality than the usual.

    ¡°To makeyers of magic power, I guess doing it with another person is necessary¡­?¡±

    Shin continued striking the iron while doing trial and error.

    In the empty smithy, only Shin talking to himself and the sound of struck iron could be heard.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    ¡°Good morning, time to get up.¡±

    A clear, gentle voice caressed Shin¡¯s ears. Usually, he would wake up promptly with just this sound, but today Shin was heavily afflicted with sleep. Recently, he often ended up falling asleep again after waking up the first time.

    ¡°Just five more¡­no, 10 more minutes¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare breakfast ande again in 15 minutes. But if you won¡¯t wake up then, you¡¯re skipping it.¡±

    The words he received in reply seemed kind, but they actually contained a very firm warning, which Shin clearly noticed. Before, he had overslept for five minutes and really gone without breakfast.

    The reason behind his need to rest was simple: every night he would sneak out of the hotel and work hard in the smithy. He kept it a secret from Schnee because he wanted to surprise her with something after he learned the new technique.

    ¡°Morning¡­¡±

    Shin was suppressing a yawn as he sat down at the table. Thanks to his high stats, even with a severeck of sleep, the only disadvantage was a slight drowsiness in the morning.

    After the meal, Shin was sipping tea on the sofa, thinking of a training menu for Lecus and the others, when Schnee came up from behind and put her hands on his shoulders.

    ¡°Shin, there is something you have to tell me, yes?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Not really¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone changed. Shin reacted instinctively and tried to stand up, but Schnee was faster. Her grip on his shoulders became stronger and kept him from standing up, moving to hold his neck.

    ¡°Aah¡­er, you see¡­¡±

    His back to the sofa, Shin couldn¡¯t escape if Schnee held him from behind. Because of the sofa¡¯s size, in that position Shin¡¯s head would inevitably rest against Schnee¡¯s bosom.

    From a third party¡¯s perspective, it looked like Schnee was holding Shin¡¯s head. She was just wearing a thin shirt, so Shin¡¯s head was enveloped in the soft sensation of Schnee¡¯s mounds. He even ended up thinking that it wasn¡¯t so bad a situation to be in.

    ¡°No secrets, we¡¯ve talked about this before, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­okay, okay, you win.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t make any objections to that.

    Because of her skills and main job, Schnee was very sensitive to the presence of others. She had probably noticed Shin¡¯s nightly outings very soon.

    ¡°You probably know already, but every night I go to the smithy to practice a new technique. I saw Vulcan use it the other time, and realized that I can still improve.¡±

    After repeated trial and error, Shin¡¯s technique was still an imitation, but it had started to take shape. His cksmithing skill was helping his attempts. If not, it would be impossible to imitate techniques so easily.

    ¡°Shin, I won¡¯t tell you not to push yourself too hard. I know that when you do, it¡¯s always for someone else¡¯s sake. This time too, it¡¯s for me¡­no, for us, right?¡±

    If Shin¡¯s cksmithing skills improved, he could reinforce their weapons and armor further. In this world there existed monsters that not even Shin and Schnee could match, so Shin did not want to miss any opportunity to reinforce their gear.

    He wanted to do so as soon as possible, to lessen any risks as much as he could. Ever since Shin arrived in this world, Schnee¡¯s equipment was much stronger than it had been in-game.

    ¡°I am happy that you are thinking about us. But in that case, let me assist you too. Maybe I can¡¯t do anything, but I don¡¯t want you to bear the burden alone.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s embrace grew stronger. He couldn¡¯t see her expression, but her voice was enough to understand how she felt.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for making you worry. Actually, I was thinking that it would be a lot better if you could help me. But, you know¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t want to stubbornly hide the truth, but there was a reason why he preferred to.

    ¡°Is there a reason why you can¡¯t tell me?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. Honestly speaking, I wanted to keep it a surprise, a present.¡±

    ¡°A present¡­.? Wah!¡±

    The topic shifted from reinforcing gear in an unexpected direction, so Schnee was confused. Shin felt her grip loosen and he drew her closer to him, without letting her finish.

    With a perfectly useless show of skills, Shin made her spin in midair and sat her on hisp. It looked just like Schnee had jumped over the sofa to sit on top of him.

    ¡°Er, what¡­?¡±

    Schnee could have fought back if she wanted, but since her ¡®opponent¡¯ was Shin, she leaned on him. She was still confused, but she buried her face in his chest.

    ¡°I mean that, what I¡¯m trying to create is not equipment, but something else.¡±

    ¡°Something else?¡±

    ¡°Yes. After defeating the evil deity, well, I confessed, right? You said okay, right? So we¡¯re like, husband and wife now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Shin was rather embarrassed to say the words ¡°husband and wife¡±, but Schnee replied with a smile beaming with happiness. He coughed a little, then started talking again while looking straight into her eyes.

    ¡°So¡­you know? It¡¯s not like I want to prove it, but¡­I¡¯m thinking of making wedding rings. Since I¡¯m at it, I wanted to properly learn this new technique first. After I craft the rings, I want to enhance them with as many buffs as possible.

    ¡°Wedding¡­rings¡­!? ¡­¡­!? Let¡¯s make them!! We must!!!¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t seem to understand right away, but as soon as she did, she grabbed Shin¡¯spel and stared at him, her eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Y-yeah, sure. So please give me a hand.¡±

    ¡°Of course!! Leave it to me!!¡±

    Schnee never looked so eager. Thanks to her assistance, Shin¡¯s understanding of Vulcan¡¯s technique progressed rapidly too. Because of this, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Shin started wondering if Schnee was blessed with a natural talent for cksmithing too.

 Book 13: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°We¡¯re starting to see results of your training, and you¡¯ve gotten better at fighting together too. I think it¡¯s time for a trip to the dungeon.¡±

    Almost two weeks had passed since Shin began training Lecus¡¯ party. Thanks to training with Shin as an opponent, they had been able to give it their all without reserves, so they had already improved a lot. The dungeon¡¯s inspection had concluded too, so Shin decided that it was about time to go.

    ¡°By the way, how far have you been in the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°The deepest part, floor 200. Rare monsters appeared and took residence there. We challenged them, but there were just too many, so we retreated before they overwhelmed us. Because of those monsters, no one has gone beyond floor 200.¡±

    Among the monsters that spawned in dungeons there were also rare ones that dropped valuable items and equipment. They appeared in a few spots, and it was not easy to encounter them, but as all yers knew, if you found them you had to take them down.

    Rare monsters, however, had higher stats and levels than normal ones: sometimes even superior versions of the regr monsters appeared. Such monsters appeared ignoring any and all ¡°suggested levels¡± for the dungeon, naturally, so sometimes the situation would reverse, with the yers bing monster prey.

    Shin recalled that rare encounters seldom happened in training dungeons, but the possibility was still not zero, so he simply thought it wasn¡¯t such a strange urrence.

    ¡°It¡¯s arge mob of enemies, I see. Do you know the monsters¡¯ names?¡±

    ¡°As far as I could tell, there were Mob Ant Soldiers, Knights, Searchers and Archers. I think there were others in the back too, but I couldn¡¯t identify them.¡±

    Among all insect type monsters, ant and bee types were known for theirrge numbers. Hearing this, however, Shin had a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°I see, the typicalrge mob monster, that¡¯s for sure. Those aren¡¯t rare monsters, though, so the ones in the back must be. How did all the Mob Ants look?¡±

    ¡°Well, they were much stronger than the Mob Ants we were familiar with. Both attack and defense power were far higher than normal. Even the Searchers, who aren¡¯t supposed to be strong, withstood Myu and Gian¡¯s attacks, and retaliated.¡±

    ¡°They were that different? Even if there were Queens or Commanders around, you guys should be strong enough to take out most ant-type monsters in one blow, though.¡±

    The monsters Shin mentioned had the ability to boost the abilities of Ant-type monsters under theirmand. Commanders could boost their subordinates¡¯ abilities more, but Queens had the ability to increase their numbers.

    Mob Ants, however, were the lowest rung of Ant-type monsters. Unless there was an immense quantity of them, Lecus¡¯ party should hardly have difficulty defeating them.

    ¡°Any other particr details?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I remember¡­what about you, Myu? Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, I can¡¯t recall anything special.¡±

    ¡°Me neither¡­but! I remember something weird when I fought them!¡±

    Myu continued exining the source of her weird feeling.

    ¡°Some of them felt different than the others. Their fangs and features were sharper, like they had more thorns too¡­¡±

    When Mob Ant Soldiers were attacked, some had their carapace split open, while others just suffered some cracks, or so Myu said.

    Myu¡¯s ¡¾Analysis¡¿ was not as thorough as Shin¡¯s, of course, so she couldn¡¯t see the monsters¡¯ characteristics in detail, but even so she clearly stated that there weren¡¯trge differences between each monster¡¯s level.

    ¡°A difference in strength despite no difference in level¡­I can¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible, but what Myu said about what happened after attacking bothers me.¡±

    One blow from Myu should suffice to defeat any monster up to level 200. Monsters without carapace or armor would be blown away too.

    Monsters in training dungeons had levels corresponding to the floors they were in: while there might be some variations, the max level in this dungeon would be 200.

    Based on Shin¡¯s experience, there had to be at least a 100 level difference between the monsters who had their carapaces split apart and the ones who just had it crack. For Myu and the others, it was a pretty important gap.

    ¡°They can boost their allies¡¯ stats, so¡­there might be Commanders.¡±

    There was the possibility of rare versions of Mob Ant Commanders, which had the ability to buff their allies, to have appeared.

    Some rare monsters sometimes gained unique abilities, at the expense of reduced statspared to their regr counterparts.

    ¡°By the way, why is the institute not doing anything about them? Won¡¯t people start doubting they can properly manage the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°If the monsters turn out to be impossible for us to ovee, a teacher from the battle department is dispatched. In cases like this, they just monitor the situation for at least six months.¡±

    They could afford to not do anything about the monsters for such a long time thanks to the status being a training type one. Fighting monsters different than the regr ones would be beneficial for the students: rare monsters too, were part of the subjects taught in the institute.

    ¡°I see. Well, let¡¯s go fight in a floor a bit higher, for starters. If there aren¡¯t any problems, let¡¯s take a crack at them.¡±

    If the ¡°test¡± battle didn¡¯t seem to go anywhere, they¡¯d just retreat. Shin thought that he could help them that much.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­we¡¯re not the same anymore! Time for revenge!¡±

    ¡°Sure, if we have to run away again, we¡¯ll be faster too.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Gian! Don¡¯t say stuff like that!¡±

    Myu, feeling the improvements from their training, very eagerly punched and kicked the air. Gian dampened her enthusiasms with a sarcastic remark, so she pouted back at him.

    ¡°Come on, you two, you¡¯ll be left behind at this rate.¡±

    Prodded by Lecus, Myu and Gian followed behind Shin and Schnee.

    ¡°Hm? You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your assistancest time. We have proper permission today.¡±

    ¡°Who would think we¡¯d meet again like this. I heard about it already, just write your names here.¡±

    At the entrance of the training dungeon, Shin found a man he had met before: the security guard Bermann, whom they had met when they were first transported into the training dungeon.

    This time, Shin and Schnee¡¯s identities were verified, so there was no room for suspicion. Lecus and the others also knew him, so his demeanor was more rxed.

    Shin and Schnee had limited ess to the institute¡¯s facilities, so it was only their second time meeting Bermann.

    The training dungeon was located at the edge of the institute¡¯s grounds, so even if Shin walked around the institute, they would probably never meet.

    ¡°You won¡¯t die inside this dungeon, but let me say this all the same. Make sure you stay on your toes!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    This wasn¡¯t probably the first time they had this exchange. Gian, Myu and Lecus answered Bermann in unison.

    Shin and Schnee nodded to Bermann, then entered the dungeon. In training dungeons, you could teleport directly to floors you had already visited as soon as you entered.

    Shin judged it too rushed to go straight to floor 200, so he decided to start from five floors above, floor 195, which looked just like an average cave, the same where Shin and Schnee were first transported to.

    ¡°By the way, those Red Caps were a lot more than the usual too. What was that about?¡±

    ¡°Er, well, that¡­¡±

    ¡°That bimbo over there opened a chest without paying attention and triggered a monster house.¡±

    ¡°Aaah!! You didn¡¯t have to say it!!¡±

    Chests in dungeons are often armed with booby traps. Disarming them would allow the explorers to obtain the contents, but if they failed they would trigger the trap, which was more dangerous the more valuable the chest¡¯s contents were.

    As far as Shin could remember, in training dungeons it was possible to tell if the chests were armed with traps even without trap disarming skills.

    If what Gian said was true, Myu had probably opened the chest without watching for the trap, thinking that things would somehow turn out okay.

    ¡°If this wasn¡¯t a training dungeon, you might have all died, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯ll be more careful¡­¡±

    Myu was aware that she had messed up, so she answered feebly to Shin¡¯s rebuke. She seemed to understand her mistake, so Shin didn¡¯t say anything else. Honestly epting a scolding, without rebelling or talking back, was one of Myu¡¯s good points.

    Her movements wererger than usual, probably because there were no monsters around. Among the three, Myu had the highest detection skill.

    ¡°Is this floor always like this? The floor we were transported to had more monsters, if I recall.¡±

    Shin mentioned this as he could not pick up any monster presences in the dungeon. This continued in the 195th and 196th floors too, which was clearly unnatural.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time for us too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, like Gian said, it has never happened to not encounter even one monster like this.¡±

    Lecus and the others, who used this training dungeon daily, found the situation bizarre too.

    ¡°Mngh!! Monster presence detected!¡±

    Finally, on floor 197 they picked up a monster presence. Myu, who had the highest detection skills of the three, pointed in a direction in the cave. She didn¡¯t know what kind of monster it was, so she quietly called for the others¡¯ attention.

    Myu, Lecus and Gian would mainly engage in fighting. Shin and Schnee would assist them in case of an emergency and look for ways for the students to improve their battle abilities.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    A few seconds after Myu¡¯s warning, a one-mel tall Mob Ant Searcher appeared in the corridor.

    Mob Ants were the lowest level of ant-type monsters. They looked like normal ants, justrger, with thicker antennae. Their major characteristics were shells with high defense and durability and the ability to summon their brethren if the fighting continued for a long time.

    ¡°It¡¯s different from before¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it didn¡¯t have a pattern like that on the shell.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the monsters below came up. Mr. Shin, Ms. Yuki, I think that is one of the monsters rted to the rare ones. What should we do?¡±

    Shin first used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on the Mob Ant Searcher, to find out what level it was, but the disyed name was different than what Shin expected.

    ¡¾Mob Ant ¨C Avarice Level 206¡¿

    ¡°Avarice?¡±

    The monster looked like a Searcher, but the patterns on its shell and the disyed name suggested it was a different monster. The patterns were red lines running all over the monster¡¯s body, like the tribal markings native Americans or shamans would use, or so was the impression Shin had.

    ¡°The monster changed? This and theck of monsters above are giving me a nasty feeling.¡±

    Things were taking a turn for the worse, without anyone realizing it: so Shin felt when he saw the Mob Ant ¨C Avarice.

    Lecus and the others wanted to fight, but the name change concerned Shin, so he decided to fight first. He told the kids to stand back and watch, then stepped in closer to the monster. A sh of ¡ºKakura¡» and the monster was cleaved in two,pletely cut down.

    The Mob Ants in the back too were defeated in quick session.

    For Shin, the Mob Ant ¨C Avarice was just like any other small fry monster: maybe because he remembered what Myu said, though, he thought that their shell was a bit harder than normal.

    ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    What surprised Shin¡¯s group the most, however, was what happened after the monsters were neutralized. Monsters inside dungeons normally never left their remains behind. The Mob Ants¡¯ corpses, however, showed no signs of disappearing.

    After a few moments of observation, Shin noticed that the Mob Ants¡¯ remains started vibrating.

    ¡°Parts of the corpses still have HP?¡±

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the shaking monster parts all showed to have HP, which meant that they were still alive. It was bizarre, however, for the scattered corpse parts to each have HP left.

    Insect-type monsters could sometimes survive even if their torso was cut off, but there was no way that just one of their legs was programmed to have an HP bar.

    ¡°Mr. Shin, please look at that!¡±

    Shin was trying to make sense of the situation, when Lecus¡¯ voice, indicating surprise, reached his ears.

    ¡°¡­I see, so that¡¯s why even a single leg has separate HP.¡±

    The corpse Lecus pointed at melted in a puddle and formed a Mob Ant. Its shell had the same patterns as the Mob Ant had before being defeated.

    The only difference was the size: maybe because it was born from part of the original monster¡¯s body, just one leg too, it was just about 30 cemel long.

    However, in ce of one Mob Ant, now 10 of them, of various sizes, had appeared. If they had different sizes, but shared the same strength, they would be quite a menace.

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re defeated, their corpsese back to life? This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Could they increase in numbers the more they¡¯re defeated?¡±

    ¡°Could be.¡±

    Looking at the Mob Ants increasing in quantity, Lecus and the others retained their will to fight but were very confused. They had experienced Shin¡¯s strength directly, so it was shocking to see that the monsters were not defeated by his attack.

    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to get nervous. Luckily, there are still few of them. Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s an effective way of defeating them.¡±

    In contrast, Shin¡¯s tone was calm.

    ¡°But won¡¯t they just increase more?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll test that too. To what size they change, if there¡¯s a limit to the times they can change, what happens if we burn or freeze them with magic, there¡¯s still plenty of things we can try. We won¡¯t get overwhelmed by numbers just yet, so it¡¯s our best chance to find out how to fight them.¡±

    Shin grinned to show his confidence, and Lecus¡¯ party calmed down a bit. They looked at the Mob Ants: in terms of individual fighting strength, Shin¡¯s party was definitely superior, so as long they were careful of the enemy numbers, they would still be okay.

    ¡°First, the size. Let¡¯s see if they cane back even if they get turned to pinky size. After that, we¡¯ll burn them up and freeze them with magic, bury them, shatter them, see if anything changes. When you find unknown monsters, never charge in without a n.¡±

    With stats like Shin¡¯s, it would be different, but the basic irond rule was to never push oneself too far and to test which attacks or elements were the most effective.

    Too many yers had been punished harshly for just charging in the enemies¡¯ ranks.

    ¡°Here we go!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t get in Mr. Shin and Ms. Yuki¡¯s way.¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s orders, Lecus¡¯ party attacked the smaller Mob Ants: Myu with punches and kicks, Gian with shes, Lecus with lightning attacks.

    Lecus¡¯ magic was the most effective, followed by Myu¡¯s blows. Thrusts and shes like Gian¡¯s were not very effective against monsters with shells or carapace: it depended on the user and the weapon¡¯s rank too, but yers normally defeated such enemies by breaking down their armor first.

    ¡°Magic slows them down, but apart from that, it¡¯s the same as before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go around crushing ants, so we can see if there¡¯s limit to how many times they came back.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I guess. I¡¯ll make sure none escape.¡±

    Shin watched the students, deciding what strategy each of them would take, nodding as he turned the Mob Ants to cinders. Most insect-type monsters were weak to fire: Mob Ants too were weak to fire in the game.

    Shin tried shooting a ¡¾Fireball¡¿, but there was too much of a level gap between him and the Mob Ants, so he couldn¡¯t tell if it had been effective or its attack power was that high.

    ¡°I guess I should turn the power down a notch.¡±

    Shin adjusted his ¡¾Limiter¡¿ and magic power control as he continued to burn down the Mob Ants. Even at very low firepower, the effects were present: if they were burned down, the monsters wouldn¡¯te back to life.

    ¡°So fire works, after all.¡±

    ¡°Freezing them does too, apparently.¡±

    Schnee added her own information to Shin¡¯s assessment: she had been freezing the ants close to him. If they were frozen till their insides shattered, they would note back to life.

    ¡°Lightning can work too, depending on the power. It¡¯d be harder with wind or earth though, I guess.¡±

    Wind and earth magic often involved slicing and stabbing, so they would be hardly effective. Magic skills that caused status effects or petrification would work, though.

    ¡°Light and darkness are¡­just as expected.¡±

    High firepower beam attacks and attacks that made the opponent disappear altogether, typical of light and darkness magic, did not leave physical remains behind, so resurrection was impossible.

    ¡°Looks like they need to retain their original form, at least partly, and their tissue intact to be able to resurrect.¡±

    After using both physical and magical attacks to test the Mob Ants¡¯ reactions, Schnee made a conclusion. If they used elements in their attacks, Lecus and the others would be able to deal with the Mob Ants as well.

    With ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿, ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ and other skills practiced during Shin¡¯s training, they defeated the ants one after the other.

    The Mob Ants they had initially encountered were not many, so Shin¡¯s group overwhelmed them from start to finish.

    ¡°Wow, I feel so light!!¡±

    Myu expressed her glee at realizing the fruits of her training.

    ¡°Yes, both of you move much better than before, I think.¡±

    ¡°We got beaten down so many times, of course we¡¯d get better at fighting together.¡±

    Lecus also seemed to have noticed their progress. Gian¡¯s tone was spiteful, but he seemed happy too.

    Not everyone could move in the same way during training and actual fighting, but there was nothing to worry about with Lecus¡¯ group, apparently.

    ¡°No trouble if this is all we have to expect. The problem is further below.¡±

    Shin had heard of monsters with ¡°Avarice¡± in their name. He had never heard that they could regenerate from their body parts to increase their numbers, though. Having them roam around a training dungeon was extremely dangerous, he thought.

 Book 13: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed a bit more and check the situation. Depending on what we find, we might have to go back to the Institute and make a report.¡±

    The training dungeon was different than expected and not normal: this was Shin¡¯s hunch, so he wanted to go on a bit more to see if he was correct, thinking that either he or the Institute would take care of it.

    If he had to make a report to the institute, he needed more information. He regretted not taking a screenshot before. He had barely used that function in the game too, so he engaged in fighting right away. As an instructor for Lecus and the others, it wasn¡¯t a good decision, he told himself.

    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s happening? I never heard of monsters with ¡®Avarice¡¯ in their name.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never fought against Deadly Sin monsters, right Schnee? If I remember well, all monsters under Greed¡¯smand have it in their names. Which means what we¡¯re dealing with here is not just the appearance of rare monsters.¡±

    For added safety, Shin took the lead and Schnee took the rear, putting Lecus¡¯ party in charge of defense. They were all Chosen Ones, so they wouldn¡¯t be defeated easily.

    ¡°Halt.¡±

    Shin, who had taken the front, whispered.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of monster presences up here. I¡¯m talking about triple digits.¡±

    Shin answered Lecus¡¯ question and thought about what to do. About 200 mel from their position there was a fairlyrge hall, dotted with so many monster icons as to appear dyed in red. Only one of the corridors leading out of the hall showed red, so Shin guessed that it was the way to the floor below.

    Based on what he heard from Lecus and the others about the previous battle, Shin predicted that it was a swarm of ant-type monsters.

    ¡°If those escape from here, things will get nasty fast. Do monsters evere out of this training dungeon?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I know of. If that could happen, they wouldn¡¯t leave it near the institute, not even at its edges like now.¡±

    ¡°Right. This disaster is just a matter of time though. They could spill out at any moment.¡±

    Shin agreed with Lecus¡¯ opinion, but knew he couldn¡¯t leave such arge mob of monsters alone. ording to his detection skill, what was happening in the room before them was a prelude to the monsters spilling out of the dungeon.

    In the game era, Shin had experienced such events a number of times. Arge group of monsters gathers in one ce, but they do not fight each other. Just like a balloon pumped with air to its limits, they wait and finally explode out.

    ¡°Should we go back and report?¡±

    ¡°This situation is going to rupture while we do that. Okay then, Lecus, Myu, Gian: you three go back up and tell Bermann what¡¯s going on. From the guards¡¯ post they can probably use a fast horse or an item to contact the institute quickly.¡±

    ¡°But we can fight too¡­.sir!¡±

    ¡°No, what we¡¯re going to do is not fighting, but it is more like an extermination. We¡¯ll use magic to annihte them all at once, it¡¯s not going to be one on one.¡±

    Myu was eager to do battle, but Shin dashed her hopes calmly. He was going to perform a sort of mass ughter via magic. While the opponents were monsters, it wasn¡¯t something he would have liked to show them.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go back, Myu.¡±

    ¡°Gian?¡±

    Gian grabbed Myu¡¯s shoulders and stopped her attempts of getting Shin to let them go with him.

    ¡°We¡¯d just be in the way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It would be different if the monster count was just 10 or 20, but there are too many this time.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t seen the enemies with their own eyes, but none of the students doubted Shin¡¯s words. The time they had spent with him was still short, but they knew that Shin wouldn¡¯t joke or lie in a situation like that.

    ¡°Nnh¡­okay. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Stopped by herpanions, Myu calmed down too. She was a bit reckless, but to not lose her fighting spirit despite knowing about a veryrge swarm of monsters was something positive. If she could learn to make calm decisions, her fearlessness would be a strong point for her in the future.

    ¡°We¡¯lle back up after exterminating the monsters. There¡¯s still the chance of monsters spilling out after we leave this floor, so when youe back down, teleport to a higher floor.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please be careful.¡±

    Shin nodded in response and proceeded deeper in the training dungeon, apanied by Schnee. The monsters they had encountered before were probably a few scout units which had run ahead: there was no trace of monsters in the corridor they were crossing now.

    ¡°This is really something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost a mystery that they don¡¯te out, even amassed like that.¡±

    Shin and Schnee, hidden behind a corner of the corridor, peeked into the hall. Inside, various types of Mob Ants crowded together. On the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, simply everywhere. On the floor, some Mob Ants were even piled one on top of the other, while the Mob Ants on the floor joined legs to form a that acted as anotheryer. On the walls, too, the Mob Ants stacked one on top of the other.

    The various types of Mob Ants present were many, but mostlyposed of lesser variants, such as Searchers, Archers, and Soldiers. Sometimes they saw superior kinds such as Knights or Generals walking on top of the stacked lesser types.

    Shin knew what they looked like, so he could tell which types they were, but all of them had ¡°Avarice¡± in their names.

    ¡°Is Greed plotting something here? Luxuria didn¡¯t say anything though¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t notice, or hid it on purpose¡­it¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    Shin whispered while taking a screenshot and Schnee replied. He doubted that Luxuria was hiding anything. Lust could coexist with people, while Greed could not: there was nothing to gain for them to join their forces.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take them down and ponder the situationter. We can¡¯t just leave them alone like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, there is no reason to ignore them.¡±

    The monsters¡¯ numbers were great, but they were so densely packed together that destroying them all at once would be easy. Schnee would seal the exits from the hall to the corridors, while Shin would burn the mob down.

    They couldn¡¯t reach the units in the corridors or beyond them, but if they checked the map and picked up any remaining presences, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to get rid of the Mob Antspletely.

    Thanks to his map and detection skills, an almost cheat-likebination, Shin could tell how many Mob Ants were left on the floor, without any doubt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin formed a bluish-white me in his palm, about the size of a softball. At the same time, Schnee used ice magic to block the entrances to the hall. The Mob Ants noticed the bizarre phenomenon and tried charging and biting the barrier, but the beautifully transparent ice wall did not budge.

    In a very short time, all the tunnels leading out of the hall had been sealed except for the entrance Shin and Schnee hade from.

    Schnee nced at Shin to give him the signal: he nodded back and pointed the bullet of fire hovering over his palm towards the center of the hall.

    Walls of ice extended from the floor and the ceiling, to seal off their exit. An instant before the barrier was fully formed, Shin let go of the fire bullet, which flew straight towards the middle of the hall.

    Blue and white mes rampaged throughout the hall, turning the Mob Ants into cinders in a matter of seconds. Level and type did not matter. Searchers, Archers, Soldiers, Knights and Generals turned equally into ashes.

    Shin¡¯s magic attack was so powerful that some of the ice barriers blocking the exits started cracking. Even so, they had been created by Schnee: the ice walls fulfilled their sealing duty until the mes died down.

    Shin and Schnee waited for the heat to decrease, then entered the hall. The floor was covered in ash and scorched Mob Ant remains, making it hard to walk. There would be no way to look for items, so Shin used Earth magic to create a path for them to walk along.

    ¡°There¡¯s a few left in the corridors. Guess we¡¯ll have to take them down individually.¡±

    ¡°Shall we move separately?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s not so many left, besides it still worries me that they were under a Seven Deadly Sin devil¡¯smand¡­let¡¯s not split up.¡±

    Shin had never faced Greed directly, but he had heard from an acquaintance that while its HP was among the lowest between all the Seven Deadly Sins, its many drain-type skills made it seem like it had much more.

    If its stats were the same as it had in the game, Schnee could easily bring down Greed by herself, but if it had absorbed other Deadly Sin devils, things would be much different. It would be much more powerful and capable of using the abilities of other Seven Deadly Sins, making the battle unpredictable.

    Shin thought that Greed might have been in hiding, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, so he judged it unsafe to act separately.

    Shin and Schnee quickly took care of the remaining Mob Ants: the real problem was the many Mob Ants in the lower floors, which were likely toe up as well. There were still three floors to go before reaching the location where Lecus and the others said they had spotted the rare monsters.

    ¡°Even if we went back now, they¡¯d petition for our help, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It would be fine if there were just rare monsters, but there¡¯s the possibility of Greed, a Deadly Sin like Luxuria, being involved, so Hmee will not rely only on their own fighting strength.¡±

    Even a former yer like Hmee could not handle a grown Deadly Sin by herself. If it also had other monsters under itsmand, she would need all the help she could get.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s proceed while checking if there are any swarms of monsters like the one we encountered just now. If there are just rare monsters on floor 200, the cause could be a different one, so we¡¯ll leave them alone for the moment. If not, we¡¯ll take them down. Well, I seriously doubt the cause behind this will be something other than rare monsters spawning, though.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If they are nning to do something in this dungeon, we¡¯d better get rid of them quickly.¡±

    The training dungeon was on the institute grounds, close to a city. It would be a disaster for monsters to break out of it.

    It was probably a coincidence for such a thing to happen while Shin and Schnee were there, but even so, Shin thought they couldn¡¯t ignore the situation. As far as Shin knew, the devil Greed was very belligerent towards people.

    Shin and Schnee continued deeper into the dungeon, wary of their surroundings. Using their detection skills, they filled the map as quickly as possible and proceeded to the floor below.

    On every floor, however, there were no monsters in the corridors, just swarms of them packed inrger areas.

    ¡°In a game, situations like this are clear signs that something¡¯s going on, usually a trap.¡±

    ¡°But even if you know that, you go on all the same, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    While rxing a bit with some light banter, Shin and Schnee reached the location where the rare monsters were supposed to be, and found a very different sight.

    ¡°Well, this is pretty amazing.¡±

    ¡°The monsters in the halls were probably getting ready to wee the Queen.¡±

    Floor 200 waspletely covered with Mob Ants, up to the entrance. There were Mob Ants all over the floor, walls and ceiling.

    They were not piled on top of each other like in the previous halls, but theypletely covered the corridors, so much that it was rather disgusting to look at.

    Shin¡¯s detection skill showed that, like in the floors above, the Mob Ants were especially amassed in the halls.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just burn them all down this time.¡±

    ¡°I suppose freezing them would be better.¡±

    Blowing them up all together presented the risk of blowing away the mastermind behind the incident too, preventing them from knowing who or what caused it.

    Because of this, Schnee, more adept in water-rted magic, stepped forward. She held a hand forward and the corridor before them started turning white. The Mob Ants on the floor, walls and ceiling froze instantly, a crackle-like sound being the sole echo in the corridor.

    A white wave swept through the corridor, as if flooding the dungeon.

    After a while, all sound disappeared from the corridor. The Mob Ants¡¯ screeching noises, the sounds of their ws scratching the walls and ceiling, the dull sound of the Mob Ants bumping into each other, all disappeared.

    ¡°We¡¯ve defeated them all, in the end.¡±

    ¡°When we were above, I would have never thought that the situation would be this awful on floor 200.¡±

    If all they found were just rare monsters, they would leave it to the institute, but they didn¡¯t have the time to deliberate on what was the proper course of action: the monsters were just too many.

    ¡°Just in case, let¡¯s check the final hall, where the boss was supposed to be.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±

    Shin and Schnee walked down the corridor lined with Mob Ant ice sculptures. As the corridors were filled with them, they shattered the statues to open a path. Nothing was standing in their way anymore, so they quickly reached the corridor before thergest hall.

    ¡°Amazing, there¡¯s only higher types here.¡±

    In the hall, frozen still, there were Knights, Generals, Commanders and other advanced kinds of Mob Ants. What attracted the attention most of all was arge monster, protected by Generals.

    It was about 10 timesrger than the Mob Ant Generals, which were already fairlyrgepared to other Mob Ants: the Mob Ant Queen, the mother that gave birth to other Mob Ants.

    As Shin expected, the patterns drawn on her body were moreplex than other Mob Ants.

    ¡°So this is the culprit behind it all. Let¡¯s take a screenshot.¡±

    Compared to other Mob Ants, the Queen¡¯srge body was easily distinguishable. After capturing the image, Shin checked if the item drops had changed.

    ¡°Queen Ant Fangs and ws. Magic stones and shells. Let¡¯s skip what we know already¡­and this one?¡±

    Among the drop items, Shin found something clearly unrted to ant-rted goods. It was a palm-sized yellow crystal, called ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡». It was a very precious rare item, especially for artisans, dropped my monsters that Seven Deadly Sin devils had shared their power with.

    ¡°Now we have proof that Greed¡¯s involved.¡±

    ¡°Could it be in the city?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder. Even yers can use this item, after all.¡±

    Shin spoke while fiddling with the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡». If it was used on a monster, it would be changed to a much superior counterpart. The monster did not only grow stronger, but the experience points and items it awarded increased too, so some yers used them on purpose to farm items and exp.

    The ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» was a rare item dropped by the Greed devil, so it was rare to find it on sale anywhere. Even if it was,rger organizations would buy it quickly.

    ¡°Do you mean that there might be someone in league with the devil?¡±

    ¡°In the game, there were people that sided with them. It isn¡¯t that strange for people to give in to greed, anyway.¡±

    Luxuria was even working in a school at present; it wouldn¡¯t be unthinkable for the greed devil to lure in people and manipte them. Rather, it sounded like a realistic strategy.

    ¡°I see¡­though it is quite sad.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve defeated the ones that were prowling here, things should be okay for the time being. Besides¡­with due apologies to the people in this town, this works great for me.¡±

    ¡°How does this ¡®work great¡¯, exactly¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because I can get a ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» from Greed¡¯s body. If you use it, the skill cost on equipment is lowered, which means that we can add more skills to the ring.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression had clouded, but Shin turned the topic in a brighter direction.

    It might sound egotistical, but judging from the current situation, it looked just like Greed had waited for them to arrive to make its move. If so, they might as well use the situation to their own advantage, so Shin mentioned the drop item.

    Thanks to the new technique he was learning, the equipment created by Shin would be even more powerful. If he could also use items to increase skill slots, the ring would be much more than a simple proof of wedding vows.

    Shin said to Schnee, with a cheerful grin, that they might as well think of the Greed devil as a sort of ¡°bonus¡± for them.

    ¡°¡­who else but you could see things like that, I wonder.¡±

    You¡¯re just beyond help, or so Schnee¡¯s expression seemed to say, as she showed a small smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s catch it quick and turn it into an item even quicker. It might go like with Luxuria, so there¡¯s the chance that we won¡¯t fight right off the bat. If this dungeon turned out like this because of Greed¡¯s will, however, things will surely turn rough. Depending on the opponent, we could use it to see just how much Lecus and the others have grown.¡±

    Shin¡¯s clear intention of using the enemy as a test subject made Schnee smile even more. Rare monsters were like treasure chests filled with rare items. Shin¡¯s unchanging stance probably reminded her of the game era.

    ¡°No monster presences on this floor. Let¡¯s check the next just in case, then go back up.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What should we do with all these Mob Ant materials?¡±

    Schnee asked Shin while looking at the frozen Mob Ants all around them. They were frozen till their insides, so unless they were turned into cards, the only items they could extract were magic stones.

    ¡°We have to turn them into cards, there¡¯s no other way. We could get Hmee to help us, but there¡¯s just so many. Besides, some researchers might get strange ideas¡­¡±

    Normal Mob Ants could be left alone, but the ones Schnee froze had ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items in their bodies. Shin felt it would be risky to leave them to their fates.

    All floors except the 200th had been scorched to the ground, so there was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°We don¡¯t really need the parts, so let¡¯s wrap them all up together.¡±

    When the monsters¡¯ quantity was toorge to pick up items one by one, yers used a technique to turn all monsters in a set range into cards.

    In such a case, however, the items recovered would be random, with the exception of magic stones and unique items. The yers didn¡¯t use it often, so some even forgot such a method existed.

    Shin was only interested in the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items, so he chose to use this technique.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be quick, we don¡¯t know when the institute¡¯s people will arrive.¡±

    Even if Hmee was on Shin¡¯s side, the institute side would probably not find it too pleasant that Shin kept all the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items for himself: thus they would pick them all up first, then report about them to Hmee only.

    The institute inspection and support squad arrived when Shin and Schnee had finished collecting the items and checking the floor below. Lecus, Gian and Myu lead a group of 6 security guards, with Bermann among them.

    ¡°Might we assume that the situation is already under control?¡±

    ¡°As far as we can see, yes. We were looking for stragglers, so we haven¡¯t checked the floor below yet.¡±

    Shin and Schnee had explored the 200th floor for the items, but they had no intention of saying that honestly, so they said that they just went around killing monsters.

    ¡°So that is why we have not encountered a single monster until here. The students told us that you met monsters never seen before¡­or should we say, mutated monsters?¡±

    ¡°We have taken photographic proof of those. Please give these to the headmistress.¡±

    Shin took the screenshots and gave them to Bermann. He seemed to be aware of their existence, as he received them without showing any surprise.

    ¡°They show bizarre patterns, unlike normal Mob Ants. I¡¯ve seen my share of the world in my adventuring days, but I have never seen or heard about such patterns. This Queen too is muchrger than normal, judging from its sizepared to the Mob Ants around it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to confirm, so please tell the headmistress that whenever she has time, there is something I would like to discuss with her.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We will leave a message for you at the hotel.¡±

    The institute forces would inspect the 200th floor and below, so Shin and Schnee left the dungeon. The dungeon was their territory, so Shin and Schnee -since they had also confirmed that there was no danger anymore- chose not to overstep their bounds.

    ¡°The previous inspection just finished, but now I guess that they¡¯ll close it again¡­¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t find anything in the previous inspection, right?¡±

    ¡°So I heard.¡±

    Students like Lecus and the others had partial ess to information about the dungeon. As Shin and Schnee were part of the cause of the first inspection, Lecus probably thought that it was okay to share the information with them. Either the inspection party had really not found anything, or something happened during the inspection.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just do normal training today.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, just when we could finally go in the dungeon¡­¡±

    Myu was eager to test the results of their training, so Shin¡¯s proposal made her shoulders drop in disappointment.

    ¡°Since you seem still full of energy, I suppose today¡¯s training will have to be stricter.¡±

    ¡°Gwagh!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s calm smile delivered a sneak attack to the sullen Myu. The dragnil girl was happy, but Gian and Lecus¡¯ shocked response clearly reflected how strict training was going to be.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    After training, Shin and Schnee headed out of the institute grounds.

    ¡°Those kids sure have gotten better.¡±

    Shin could still hear their pained voices after the training ended. When they first started they didn¡¯t even have the strength to talk, however, so they had clearly made progress.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯ve also maderge improvements in controlling their strength.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t trained against monsters, but they had be able to win against normal opponents without injuring them.

    Lecus and the others didn¡¯t know their own stats in detail, but they could make close estimates based on their speed and power. Based on this, Shin had advised them on how to use ¡¾Limiter¡¿ to adjust their stats.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know when we can go to the dungeon again, so we might as well go out.¡±

    ¡°Some students hunt monsters as adventurers too, so I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    They had already looked up what kind of monsters appeared around Erkunt. One concern was the fact that recently, monsters unlike the usual ones were appearing, as Shin had heard from various sources.

    Vaal from the smithy had also said that the monsters¡¯ territory seemed to have changed, causing equipment creation and repair orders to increase exponentially.

    There were risks, but risks existed everywhere. Training dungeons without the risk of dying were more abnormal in that sense.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin was thinking that, in case of emergencies, he and Schnee were there to help, when he spotted a familiar face, who had already noticed Shin and Schnee and was walking closer, waving at them.

    ¡°I thought you might be around, because of your presence, turns out it was true.¡±

    ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    Luxuria, one of the Deadly Sin devils, approached Shin. She smiled, her long ck hair fluttering in the wind. The eyes behind her sharply-designed ck sses housed a suspicious glint.

    ¡°What a coincidence, meeting you here. Perfect for me though.¡±

    ¡°Perfect?¡±

    What could be perfect for a devil? Shin started having a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so wary, please. I just meant that I was looking for you, so the timing is just perfect.¡±

    ¡°Do you need something from us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do. Would you minding with me? It¡¯s not something to talk about standing around here.¡±

    Since she was a devil, Shin couldn¡¯t help but keep his guard up, though she did say she wasn¡¯t hostile. Thinking it bad to be too suspicious, Shin decided to follow her for the moment.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s still early.¡±

    ¡°They serve light meals here too. Besides, alcohol is only served at night.¡±

    Luxuria led them to a bar with a rather nice atmosphere. He didn¡¯t know if she chose it on purpose, but the inside of the store couldn¡¯t be seen from outside. Depending on how one looked at it, it might also look like an elegant tea shop. The bartender seemed to know Luxuria already as the group was led to a private room.

    ¡°Let me continue, then. I was looking for you two because I have something of a request.¡±

    ¡°A request?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just after you were teleported into the dungeon, Greed¡­now they use the name Avaritia. A man under theirmand visited me.¡±

    ¡°Good thing the situation didn¡¯t turn hairy.¡±

    Greed was the second most belligerent Deadly Sin, after Wrath. If someone introduced themselves as their cohort, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to be captured.

    ¡°He was a pretty fast runner, you see. He said something about wanting to be one with me, so he probably chose not to move inrge numbers to avoid the risk of causing trouble in the surroundings and being refused by me.¡±

    ¡°The thing about devils fusing to be more powerful, right? Is that something you can refuse? I thought it happened automatically when two devils were close enough.¡±

    ¡°It did before, but not anymore. Probably because we have stronger egos now. If our personalities are different enough, it¡¯s like the stronger absorbs the weaker. Their level was higher, but I¡¯ve been absorbing energy here, so our fighting strength is more or less the same. They probably judged that we could end up just going down together.¡±

    If devils fused together, their max level was raised by 50. It was said that if all devils fused, the resulting level would reach 1000. In the game era, however, they were always exterminated before they could do that, so Shin had never witnessed it.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why he thought of another strategy¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We went down in the training dungeon today, and the rare monsters there were under Greed¡¯smand. Here¡¯s proof.¡±

    Shin took out a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» from the item box and showed it to Luxuria.

    ¡°The dungeon¡­my detection range doesn¡¯t reach there, so I never noticed. Thank you for taking care of it before something serious happened. I¡¯m really grateful.¡±

    ¡°That was just a coincidence. Besided, if you weren¡¯t here, Greed¡­no, Avaritia, right? It might have attacked this ce. We could say that this city has been safe because of your presence. Having people I know here, I feel like I should thank you.¡±

    If Luxuria had cooperated with Avaritia.

    If Luxuria hadn¡¯te to Erkunt.

    It was difficult to imagine that Avaritia would just ignore Erkunt. When Shin and Schnee arrived, they might have found nothing but ruins.

    ¡°My, if you wish to thank me, then tonight¡­¡±

    ¡°That will not do.¡±

    Luxuria leaned over the table, looking deep into Shin¡¯s eyes, when Schnee finally broke her silence, stopping the devil from finishing her sentence.

    ¡°Oh my, I do not mean to take him away, you know? I surely cannot do it by force, and charm doesn¡¯t work either.¡±

    ¡°That. Will. Not. Do!¡±

    Schnee replied very sternly to Luxuria¡¯s teasing tone. She grabbed Shin¡¯s arm, pulling him towards her, ring at Luxuria all the while.

    ¡°My my, please, do not be like that. Or could it be that you don¡¯t have much confidence?¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enou¨C¡±

    ¡°I will not allow any loveless acts.¡±

    ¡°If you keep chaining him like that he¡¯ll end up hating you, you know? Can you really satisfy him, anyway? It doesn¡¯t look you have much experience yet¡­¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Luxuria and Schnee¡¯s verbal contest had passed Shin¡¯s ability to keep up. Luxuria¡¯sst retort had left Schnee blushing violently.

    Luxuria took advantage of this and slipped closer to Shin, grabbing his other arm. Her movement was far too smooth, considering she was sitting across the table. It was also probably on purpose that she locked Shin¡¯s arm between her bountiful breasts.

    ¡°If you want, I can teach you. Doing it with three of us together might be nice once in a while.¡±

    Luxuria possessed words and a body that would sway both men and women¡¯s minds. Shin then told Schnee to let go of his arm.

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    Schnee looked tense, shocked by what she heard, but Shin smiled at her that it was all right. He then formed his hand into a knife-like shape and brought it down on Luxuria¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Ow!!¡±

    The very subdued chop struck, forcing Luxuria to let go of Shin¡¯s arm and hold her head in pain.

    ¡°I know you were joking, but you went too far.¡±

    ¡°You¡­could have crushed a normal person¡¯s head with that¡­¡±

    Luxuria was crouching, but as expected of a Deadly Sin devil, she hadn¡¯t lost *too much* HP.

    ¡°If you looked for us to tease Schnee, then we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°No, no, wait a moment. I¡¯m sorry, I apologize, really! I still haven¡¯t gotten to the main topic¡­¡±

    Luxuria noticed that Shin was serious, so she hurriedly apologized.

    ¡°I can guess what that is, though. You want us to help take down Avaritia, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct. I bet you could defeat Avaritia with your little finger now. I¡¯d like you to do it before it tries any other pranks.¡±

    ¡°I would have never thought of hearing a Deadly Sin devil asking for another one to be defeated¡­¡±

    Shin argued that if Luxuria defeated Avaritia, she would gain a power boost, but she turned his proposal down.

    ¡°I have no intention of absorbing that thing. Besides, if it had already absorbed the others, I¡¯d be theplete form, right? I¡¯d lose myself in the end, so I¡¯m never going to do that.¡±

    Achieving theplete form was supposed to be any Deadly Sin devil¡¯s ultimate wish, but Luxuria tly discarded it.

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if they all thought the same way as you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, it¡¯s troubling me too, you know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Okay, first we¡¯ll investigate the surroundings and look for clues. I heard that monsters that never used to appear around here are increasing, so we¡¯ll go searching around Erkunt, while training Lecus and the others too.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that too. It turns out the new monsters are a bit too much for average adventurers to handle too.¡±

    ording to Luxuria¡¯s information, there were some monsters that surpassed level 150 as well. In Hinomoto they would get exterminated without trouble, but in Erkunt the average level was not as high, so there were more and more injured adventurers.

    ¡°I heard that the headmistress is going to address the monster issue during the next training session. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll tell you to bring students with you though.¡±

    ¡°I nned to have them experience actual fighting soon, but if I tell her that they¡¯d have to fight monsters stronger than usual she¡¯ll probably worry. There¡¯s no need to go look for trouble, after all.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll take them, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they can handle it. Besides, it¡¯s better for them to try actual fighting as soon as possible ¡ª a real battle, where the danger of death is very real.¡±

    Shin would employ certain insurances, of course, but he would not tell the students about them. He didn¡¯t want them to rely on Shin to rescue them every time something happened.

    Shin knew of the institute¡¯s policy, so there was the chance that they already experienced actual fighting before. New types of monsters had apparently showed up, though, so he thought that it would turn out to be a valuable experience either way.

    ¡°Those children have surely grown stronger.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve put them through the wringer after all.¡±

    ¡°They oftene to the infirmary for light injuries, so I¡¯ve be pretty familiar with them.¡±

    Luxuria spoke with a gentle, motherly smile, very unbing of a devil.

    ¡°Really, if you didn¡¯t do things like just now, you wouldn¡¯t look like a devil at all.¡±

    ¡°A good while has passed since I achieved human form, it would be a problem if I still looked like a devil. I don¡¯t like the devil form either, it¡¯s too stocky and snake-like. I wanted to look more sultry after all.¡±

    Worrying about appearance was very human-like too.

    ¡°Well, this is nothingpared to the problem of Avaritia arriving. Aplication could be that he feels your presence and leaves the area. I would run away instead of fighting too, honestly.¡±

    If they fought head on, level 700 was far too low to stand against Shin and his party. Luxuria had also seen Shin¡¯s anti-devil equipment, so she was even more wary.

    ¡°A devil, run away?¡±

    ¡°Even if we can resurrect, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have a sense of danger, you know? When we first met, you were really scary. I¡¯d like you to know how nervous I was then.¡±

    ¡°Really now.¡±

    ¡°Honest. Well, Wrath would fight all the same though. As far as I can remember, they cared more for fighting than surviving.¡±

    There were clearly differences between each devil, but their basic characteristics hadn¡¯t changed.

    Among the devils that proactively interacted with people, Wrath and Greed were the most belligerent. The difference between them was that Wrath only dealt with people, while Greed attacked monsters too.

    ¡°In any case, we have to gather intel first. The headmistress and the others are moving too, but we haven¡¯t found anything important yet. Anyone who was behind the dungeon incident isn¡¯t around anymore too, I suppose. I¡¯m counting on you two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can. Defeating Greed is important for us too after all.¡±

    Shin and Luxuria then smiled at each other. She hoped for the town and its people¡¯s safety, while he thought of weapons and obtaining items. Normally, someone would point out that their goals werepletely different, but Schnee just shrugged as she looked at the two.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    ¡°What did you think of what Luxuria said?¡±

    Shin asked Schnee as they were walking back to the hotel.

    ¡°Would you too like to do it? All three together?¡±

    ¡°Not that!!¡±

    Not expecting for that topic toe back again, Shin inadvertently raised his voice. Luxuria was a beauty that was not inferior to Schnee, even if it only looks. Shin would certainly have been interested in her before his rtionship with Schnee had advanced to where it was today.

    However, things were different now. With Schnee at his side, he would nevery hands on other women, let alone a devil. There was also the fact that Schnee would be quite scary if he ever did.

    ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Personally, I don¡¯t think she was lying. Knowing her real identity, we can¡¯t help being suspicious, but she didn¡¯t say anything strange. I thought that she might n to absorb Avaritia after we weakened it, but if she did she would be not only our, but also Erkunt¡¯s enemy. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for her.¡±

    With Shin¡¯s party and all of Erkunt as enemy, no amount of absorbed energy or increased level cap would be enough.

    ¡°As she said, we have to gather info first. Right now, we just know that someone with a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» infiltrated the institute.¡±

    It could be a teacher, a student, or simply someone who sneaked past the security guards and into the dungeon. It was still aplete mystery.

    ording to Luxuria, the man iming to be one of Avaritia¡¯s subordinates was a young man with short red hair and brown eyes, called Hexen.

    Being a monster, Luxuria can¡¯t use ¡¾Analyze¡¿. Because of this, they couldn¡¯t know if Hexen was a real or false name.

    ¡°Even if with an item, he still managed to escape from Luxuria. He has to have about 600 AGI.¡±

    ¡°Could he be a former yer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. If there are people that see this world as a continuation of the game, it¡¯s not too weird that some might think of siding with the devils. But I¡¯ve never heard of someone called Hexen before.¡±

    There were tens of thousands of yers, so only very few were well known. Shin remembered the names of famous yers, or at least the yers that interested him, but they would be less than 1% of the total. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Hexen was an advanced yer Shin simply didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check the names of people when we are outside, I guess, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll help much.¡±

    ¡°We should also talk again with Hmee. This Hexen might have waited for her to go away before making his visit.¡±

    Hexen¡¯s visit happened just when Hmee was in the royal castle, apparently. While not among the most advanced yers, Hmee was still one of the strongest individuals in this world. Her equipment hade from Shin, so she would be stronger than someone else with simr stats. In a battle, she would be much more dangerous than the average person.

    If Hexen really waited for Hmee¡¯s absence to visit Luxuria, there was the possibility that fighting was not his forte.

    Some yers preferred to focus on a single stat, like STR or AGI, so they could only show their true power in specific situations.

    If Hexen had focused on AGI, mages that couldpress space itself were a natural enemy. Hmee could do just that, so he would have surely wanted to avoid her.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s keep that as one possibility. He might be a devil worshipper, who did noty hands on Luxuria as she¡¯s a devil herself.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t enough information to make a proper assessment: the only thing they could do now was to keep their eyes peeled.

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that Bermann?¡±

    A horse carriage was stopped in front of Shin and Schnee¡¯s hotel. Bermann, whom Shin had given a screenshot to and asked to ry a message to Hmee, was talking with a hotel clerk, but noticed Shin and started walking towards him.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sorry to bother you when you¡¯ve just arrived, but could you return to the institute?¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, just that it would be best to talk about that in the institute grounds. Some also objected to have the headmistresse see you herself, as unwanted rumors would arise.¡±

    Luxuria said that the headmistress would probably contact them the next day, but Hmee was quicker.

    Hmee knew ¡¾Hiding¡¿, so she could havee to the hotel without being noticed. Though, as headmistress, there was a risk her movements would be tracked by foreign spies, thus causing trouble for Shin and Schnee.

    Some foreign agents were specialized in seeing past skills such as ¡¾Hiding¡¿, so there was the possibility that they could see past Hmee¡¯s too.

    ¡°If so, we¡¯lle with you.¡±

    ¡°I apologize. We don¡¯t want to bother you either.¡±

    Even if Shin and Schnee were extremely strong, having them take care of monsters too powerful for the institute to handle was not something they would really want to do, or so Bermann¡¯s expression said.

    Maybe because of their pride as security, the other guard that came with the carriage had the same expression. It was probably because of such character and personality that they were entrusted with guarding the dungeon. Shin and Schnee got on the carriage and returned to the institute.

    ording to Bermann, Hmee had returned just minutes before he arrived to deliver the message. She had been busy weing students from a foreign country: Hmee apparently had more work than Shin thought.

    ¡°Once this vacation period ends, the new term will start, after all. We had been making preparations to wee the students from abroad when you arrived, sir Shin. Because of the strange idents in the dungeon, however, we have our hands full with making sure our kingdom doesn¡¯t get too involved in this situation.¡±

    The institute bore the name of Erkunt, though it wasn¡¯t officially affiliated with the kingdom of the same name. On the surface, they were on an equal footing, and the kingdom did not openly dictate the institute¡¯s policies or principles to follow.

    Among Erkunt¡¯s elites, however, there were individuals who tried to exert their influence from the back if they could not do so from the front.

    ¡°The kingdom itself requested us to find out who these people are, but they must be of quite high standing, because any evidence is always carefully erased. We also cannot deny the existence of people within the institute that are trying to curry favor within the kingdom¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always all sorts of intents and goals within all organizations¡­¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be avoided in something asrge as a kingdom or the institute. Those with strong ambitions or those trying to use their standing to gain favors neverpletely disappeared.

    The kingdom¡¯s elite surely possesses considerable authority and wealth. ording to Bermann, at least half of them were upright people, which was already very positive.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making youe all the way here.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. I did ask to report about the Greed business, after all.¡±

    Shin and Schnee got off the carriage and entered the headmistress¡¯ quarters, where Hmee greeted them, bowing. She had probably heard from Bermann, as her expression was clouded as well.

    ¡°Is everything okay? I heard there¡¯s some trouble with the kingdom too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, for now. You¡¯ve defeated the monsters under Greed¡¯s influence, so the fact that I am connected to you has helped. Luxuria is also considered personnel that I summoned here.¡±

    ¡°Putting Luxuria aside, how does knowing me help in any way?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite well known, actually. There are even traveling minstrels that sing of your feats in the Balmel defense battle. People also talk of your expedition in the dangerous sea areas near Barbatos, from which you returned without losing a single party member. Merpeople and fishpeople talk of your strength in the taverns.¡±

    ¡°¡­gah¡­¡±

    Time had passed since the Balmel battle, so Shin thought that it would be forgotten by now. On the contrary, however, new topics of conversation had joined it and became known as far as Erkunt. The words merpeople and fishpeople hit too close to home.

    ¡°¡¯Shin the shing Hammer¡¯¡­you¡¯re quite the hot topic, you know?¡±

    ¡°For real¡­? When I went to the guild to ept the battle training request, they didn¡¯t pay much attention to me, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you have your weapon with you then?¡±

    ¡°No, I just visited the reception, so I didn¡¯t bring anything.¡±

    ¡°That could be the reason. You¡¯re pretty famous for wielding a sword that looks like a dull weapon. We¡¯re pretty far from Barbatos here, so the people that don¡¯t know you well probably didn¡¯t think that you were the same Shin.¡±

    ¡ºKakura¡» was starting to be Shin¡¯s signature weapon. He had used it in Erkunt too, but only inside the institute, so probably rumors of it hadn¡¯t reached the guild. Thinking about it, recently there were more and more students, other than Lecus¡¯ party, joining his training sessions. Some of them looked at Shin with quite ardent gazes sometimes.

    ¡°Could it be that there are rumors spreading about me teaching here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Many doubted it at first, buttely the students are prioritizing your training over guild requests. We¡¯re lucky that there are few people around because of the vacation period, or things would have be hectic.¡±

    ¡°Even you say battle feats¡­there¡¯s only the Balmel thing, right? Was it really that special?¡±

    So Shin asked Hmee, thinking that there had to be other famous adventurers. He felt that she was exaggerating a bit too much.

    ¡°Guilds share information about the phenomenon of monster ¡®floods¡¯ from Sacred Lands. Furthermore, the event you yed arge part in was ssified as ¡®Grand Flood¡¯, which is many timesrger than regr ones. It has never happened in recorded history for such an event to pass without casualties. When information was first made public, there were a lot of theories thrown around about who this adventurer called Shin could be.¡±

    Incidentally, the feats aplished by adventurers such as Shadow and Hibineko were mostly expected: unlike Shin¡¯s, their names hade under the spotlight several times, so people were not surprised by their actions anymore.

    The same was for Schnee: her feats were regarded as natural for someone of her fame.

    ¡°Ah¡­I see. A neer appearing all of a sudden, that¡¯s how they see it?¡±

    ¡°Your adventurer rank was very low at the time too. A mysterious powerful warrior appeared in Balmel, that¡¯s what everyone said. Because of the distance, official guild information is all we could get too. There¡¯s no inte or anything in this world, after all.¡±

    ¡°So even if things are getting quieter where the information came from, in far away ces it¡¯s still the talk of the town, then? Good thing I didn¡¯t take out ¡ºKakura¡» outside¡­¡±

    ¡ºKakura¡» was a weapon that stood out easily even if it was just carried. Shin would have definitely been noticed if he simply equipped it in public.

    ¡°If so, isn¡¯t it a problem to give special treatment to Lecus and the others?¡±

    ¡°No, they did ask for it after all. We couldn¡¯t train them enough until now, so this one time please let them use their strength to their heart¡¯s content.¡±

    Very few in the institute could train the 3 prodigies at full power: only Hmee, Masakado and few others. Chosen Ones did enroll in the institute, but not many chose to remain as instructors. Even if they did, they only taught their own disciples.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you hire retired adventurers?¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re really skilled, countries or guilds get to them first. Even if they wish to train sessors, it¡¯s more efficient to take in disciples. Very few people would just teach their skills to anyone.¡±

    For adventurers, the fighting style they had honed was an asset: they wouldn¡¯t just give it to anyone.

    ¡°No one knows what the institute¡¯s students will do after getting their training, after all.¡±

    Some would be adventurers, while others enrolled into armies. There was also the possibility of them changing aspirations and aim to be researchers. The institute simply imparted its knowledge, it was up to each individual to decide if they would use it on the field or umte it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve contacted former yers too, but they always refuse without even considering it. I suppose it isn¡¯t a very appealing position.¡±

    The more she talked, the more Hmee became depressed. There were former yers who had formed guilds to help new yers in the game era, so she had contacted them.

    Very few former yers outed themselves as such, however; Shin too could not tell if he did not know them already. Because of that, Hmee had not managed to contact many.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, as long as they didn¡¯t n to from the beginning, not many people would think of bing teachers in this world¡­if they had battle-rted jobs, they¡¯d be adventurers or military, if they had creation-rted ones they¡¯d open their own shop or workshop¡­¡±

    If circumstances were different, Shin would have probably thought the same thing. He wouldn¡¯t have considered bing a teacher either.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many schools like this either, which might y a part too.¡±

    ¡°It takes a lot of money to further one¡¯s studies, so students necessarilye from rich families. I have seen several institutions like that.¡±

    Schnee added her ownments to Shin¡¯s words. The institute needed financial resources to run. The Erkunt institute gathered finances by conducting its own research and technology development, keeping school fees low enough for not so affluent students to be able to frequent as well. It wasn¡¯t something other schools could do easily, however.

    Education was notpulsory in this world: very few aimed to be teachers, and even if they did they weren¡¯t guaranteed to be able to. There was no ¡®soil¡¯ for the people Hmee sought to grow.

    ¡°How about hiring graduated students? If they were taught here, they¡¯d know already how things go, to an extent¡­.from your reaction, I suppose that didn¡¯t go well either?¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­manye from outside Erkunt, so they mostly go back to their homnds. Others continue to pursue their fields of research, or use the skills they learned to be artisans. Very few choose to be teachers¡­it shouldn¡¯t be a bad career, though.¡±

    After releasing a deep sigh, Hmee suddenly pped her own cheeks. With the sharp pping sound, light returned to her eyes.

    ¡°Anyway! I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ve gone off topic enough. Let¡¯s get on to the main topic.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay? Your cheeks are pretty red.¡±

    ¡°I went a little too hard¡­¡±

    Hmee massaged her cheeks while using ¡¾Heal¡¿ on herself. Her cheeks remained red, maybe out of embarrassment. Shin didn¡¯t question her further.

    ¡°So, about the Greed affair. You¡¯ve met Luxuria, so I suppose you already heard about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we met her on our way back and heard about it. It looks like Greed, or Avaritia, tried to absorb Luxuria.¡±

    Hmee had already heard of Avaritia¡¯s attempt: Shin made sure there were no discrepancies between what they knew, then said that, if possible, he wanted to take down the greed devil.

    ¡°It would be a great help for us, but¡­it¡¯s kind of pathetic to rely on you so much.¡±

    Hmee looked very apologetic, her eyes lowered, so Shin interjected, a bit awkwardly.

    ¡°Well, actually, we have our own reasons for targeting Avaritia, not only helping you or Luxuria.¡±

    ¡°What would those reasons be¡­..?¡±

    ¡°Among the unique items Avaritia drops, there¡¯s one that lowers skill costs on essories. That¡¯s what I¡¯m aiming at.¡±

    ¡°There was an item like that¡­? I¡¯m sure you could make incredible essories even without it, though.¡±

    ¡°What I want to forge with it is a wedding ring, attach it with the best skills possible.¡±

    Shin remembered that he hadn¡¯t told her yet, so he announced to Hmee that he had married Schnee. Luxuria had mentioned them loving each other and seeking each other, so Hmee too probably knew already, but he mentioned it just in case.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s your reason¡­wait, a wedding ring???¡±

    ¡°Well, things happened, so we didn¡¯t have time to make one¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re way, way, way too casual about this!! That just won¡¯t do!! You need that before proposing, don¡¯t you know!?!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think it was absolutely necessary, but even if he told the excited Hmee to calm down, she probably wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°We absolutely must defeat it, then!! A happy marriage is much more important than a devil¡¯s life!¡±

    Hmee was brimming with enthusiasm, clenching her fists. It was good for her to have perked up, but Shin had no idea why she was that eager.

    He looked at Schnee, wondering if she was perplexed too, but she was eagerly nodding at Hmee¡¯s words, not perplexed in the slightest.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°No problem. For the sake of a happy marriage, we must ept any sacrifice that may ur¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that really not a problem¡­?¡±

    It was a topic that probably resonated loudly within Hmee: her eyes gleamed in a way Shin found almost scary. If this was a manga, they would be definitely glowing darkly.

    ¡°By the way, who did the proposal?¡±

    ¡°I asked her to marry me.¡±

    The situation wasn¡¯t romantic at all, which was Shin¡¯s sole regret.

    ¡°Right!! The man should be the one confessing, right!!¡±

    ¡°Is there someone you want to confess to you?¡±

    Shin could only think of Masakado, who was in the same party as Hmee in the game.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to give him hints¡­I think he noticed, but still, there¡¯s no progress¡­¡±

    Hmee sighed again, her shoulders dropping. Schnee put a hand on her shoulder and nodded once more, as if saying that she understood that frustration all too well.

    Shin couldn¡¯t feel more uneasy.

    ¡°What kind of hints did you send?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s love troubles suddenly took over the conversation. The words ¡°fickle¡± and ¡°can¡¯t make a proper decision¡± popped up from time to time. Thinking that Schnee might have felt the same way, Shin received damage, even though they weren¡¯t talking about him. He imagined their words as knives, stabbing him repeatedly.

    ¡°Er, could we start talking about what countermeasures to take¡­?¡±

    Shin made a timid proposal, worried to let things proceed like that. The twodies returned to their senses, coughed loudly and looked at him.

    ¡°¡­let us resume this conversation another time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    They looked like they still had things to talk about, but the topic was shifted back to the main reason Shin and Schnee were there.

    ¡°For starters, I¡¯m thinking of going outside of the castle walls with Schnee, using Lecus¡¯ party¡¯s training as an excuse. Should we put anti-monster traps in the dungeon? We can make sure only monstersing out of it are attacked.¡±

    ¡°I would love that, but it might be difficult if you set items only you can use. If they ever malfunction, no one could fix them. Besides, I cannot authorize something like that by myself. We would need to obtain permission from the institute¡¯s directors.¡±

    Even the headmistress could not act as she pleased. The Erkunt institute had several other directors, whose approval was needed for most if not all major decisions.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would approve quickly if I told them about your actual identity, though.¡±

    ¡°Anything but that.¡±

    ¡°Right? So we should tell them that ¡®Shin the shing Hammer¡¯ is on our side and¡­¡±

    ¡°Whaaat!? Are you serious!?¡±

    Surprised by the unexpected development, Shin immediately stopped Hmee¡¯s train of thought. Rumors about his fighting prowess were spreading, but not about his skills with item crafting.

    ¡°What you have is a Legend grade weapon. If we introduce you as someone also knowledgeable in the field of magic items, things will work out.¡±

    ¡°Well, that could be true, but¡­¡±

    Feeling that the rumors might power up even more, Shin felt conflicted. Because of the diffusion of the ¡°shing Hammer¡± nickname, the tales of his participation in the Balmel battles were spreading even more. Such rumors hadn¡¯t reached Erkunt yet, but were very well known in Balmel.

    Information warped as it spread, however: especially it traveled through average people, it transformed in incredible ways. At Balmel many had witnessed Shin fighting, but even so erroneous informations and rumors were spreading. He was afraid to know what things had reached Erkunt, which was quite far from Balmel.

    If they knew who he really was, they would know how wrong the rumors were, but except his party members very few people knew that in Erkunt.

    ¡°If things are like this, I might as well say that I was a disciple of Kain or Hecate¡­no, that would only make things worse, wouldn¡¯t it¡­¡±

    They could say that hispanion Schnee ¨C Yuki was skilled in crafting magic items, but Shin thought that rather than doing that, it would be better for him to step forward.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it¡­let¡¯s do what you said. I¡¯m here now, but won¡¯t be in the future. If you¡¯re worried about the traps malfunctioning, we¡¯ll just use them while I¡¯m here.¡±

    The reason why the rare monster Mob Ant Queen had be a cohort of Greed was unknown.

    There was a high chance of someone having brought a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» in the dungeon, but there could be other methods. In such a case, there was no harm in being cautious.

    If the traps were used while Shin was present, he could fix them in case of any malfunctions.

    ¡°Understood, I will use this approach then.¡±

    After discussing other minor details, Shin and Schnee left the institute. Because of having gone back and forth twice from the institute to the hotel, the sun was already beginning to set.

    ¡°It took more time than expected, huh. At least she offered us lunch, though.¡±

    After the dungeon¡¯s exploration and the conversation with Luxuria it was already past noon: Shin and Schnee had returned to the institute to talk with Hmee afterwards.

    There was still some time before sunset, but not enough to think about going somewhere.

    ¡°Shall we stay at the hotel tonight?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s. Can I go do some shopping?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯lle with you.¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t say what she wanted to buy, but Shin figured that it was probably groceries. When Shin and Schnee went shopping together, people sometimes addressed them as if they were a young married couple. Schnee herself enjoyed very much being addressed as his wife, as she said to Shin, blushing¡­obviously making him blush too.

    ¡°Come again!¡±

    Shin remembered this episode, trying hard not to grin, when he heard the shop owner say goodbye to Schnee. They were negotiating about something, but judging from their smiles, it looked like the transaction had gone well. Though she was just buying vegetables.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry the bags.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t finish her sentence, so Shin wondered what had happened. After a brief silence, she whispered ¡°thanks¡±.

    ¡°You see! I usually speak in a kind of formal tone, but since we¡¯re hus, husband and wife now¡­well, I thought I should be less formal, so¡­¡±

    Schnee started exining herself quickly, but her voice gradually grew fainter, inversely proportional to her ears getting redder. Ever since they arrived in Erkunt, Schnee was much more expressive. Looking at her thinking too much and getting flustered always made Shinugh.

    ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing funny about this!¡±

    ¡°Well, looking at you talking like that, all red and all, is just too funny, haha.¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Realizing how flustered she looked, Schnee blushed even more violently.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, though. It doesn¡¯t feel right to be the only one talking casually.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well, from now on, I¡¯ll do my best¡­only when we¡¯re alone.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can do it any other time too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing!!¡±

    Schnee had used a formal tone for more than 500 years: even if she was told to speak less formally, it had be a habit of hers.

    Shin told her again that she could change little by little, as they headed towards the hotel. They had just finished shopping, so they attracted attention like before. Shin walked while lightly pushing Schnee forward. He was carrying the grocery bags, obviously.

    When they arrived, he put the groceries in the item box. It was still early for dinner, so they sat on the sofa to rest a bit.

    ¡°It feels more tiring to just go shopping, somehow¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe because people are looking? I heard from Vulcan that you¡¯re quite the celebrity too around here.¡±

    At first she was talked about as ¡°the elf with the man that looks like the shing Hammer¡±, apparently. The students trained by them and the clerks assisting her shopping, however, started spreading rumors about her strength, personality, beauty etc.

    The fact that she visited the workshop district with Shin helped spread the rumors too: it was an area mostly visited by men, so the chance of seeing a beautiful elf there became well know quickly, ording to Vulcan.

    Vulcan was often holed up in his smithy, but Vaal often talked with clients too, many of which persistently asked him about Schnee.

    ¡°The same thing happened in Balmel too. I didn¡¯t act with this disguise, but for some reason people started talking all the same.¡±

    ¡°Tiera¡¯s more famous there, after all, the beautiful archer who swept monsters away with a single arrow¡­you were fighting alongside her, so you became famous together, I suppose.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s sniping from the castle walls had been talked about quite a bit, because of its high power too.

    Shin and Schnee produced more impressive battle results, but because of the appearance of the mysterious ¡°Red¡± too, they were treated as skilled adventurers and not much more.

    ¡°They asked me a lot of questions too. Which one I liked, if it was both, all stuff like that though.¡±

    At the time, Shin¡¯s party was only 3 members, excluding Yuzuha and Kagerou. Being one man with two women, the conversation would often naturally shift in that direction.

    ¡°I was asked the same things too, but mostly by women.¡±

    Men often asked Shin how he had hooked up with them, if they had a physical rtionship and other ¡®material¡¯ questions, but women inquired more about romance, also asking how their party had been formed and what rtionship Schnee had with the only man, Shin. Elves rarely formed parties with members of the opposite gender, which spurred even more questions.

    When they exined that the party was formed because Tiera had been rescued by Shin, many women reacted with a shriek Schnee didn¡¯t quite understand: ¡°Oh lord!! He¡¯s just like a prince on a white horse!!¡±

    ¡°I understand that you might give that impression, as you freed her from a curse thatsted over a century¡­but I too waited for you for 500 years, so I don¡¯t really like the fact that Tiera might be your partner¡­and well, at the time I was hiding my identity as Schnee Raizar, so I understand that people might focus on Tiera, but¡ª¡±

    Schnee started talking quicker and quicker, clearly annoyed.

    ¡°H-hey! Schnee! Why are you heating up like that?¡±

    ¡°Why, you ask!? Some people even told me that I should confess already, or that you surely liked Tiera better!!¡±

    Schnee, remembering things she was told at the time, pouted. Looking at her almost childish gestures, Shin smiled. After calming her down, he changed posture and put her head on hisp.

    ¡°No need to pout like that. We¡¯re together now, aren¡¯t we.¡±

    ¡°I know that¡­but imagining you with someone else gives me chills¡­¡±

    Elves were normally monogamous. Schnee shared this belief too, so she never enjoyed seeing high-ranked adventurers or nobles with multiple partners. She understood that strong people were surrounded by people interested in them and did not criticize them, but would not want the person she liked to do the same. In simple words, she wanted theplete monopoly.

    ¡°Easy, easy.¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Shin caressed her head, to which she whimpered happily. Schnee¡¯s ears flickered, as to show her good mood. Without saying anything else, Shin just continued caressing her.

    Schnee¡¯s hair, illuminated by the lights, were very pleasant to the touch. Shin had started caressing her head to calm her down, but he had lost the timing to stop and simply continued.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    After a while, Shin noticed that Schnee¡¯s reactions were odd, or rather, she didn¡¯t react at all. He peered closer at her face to see why and noticed that her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly, asleep.

    ¡°Well well¡­¡±

    She was simply defenseless. Without the flimsiest barrier or weapon, justying there on the sofa, she waspletely rxed. Schnee would never let her guard down like this normally: she allowed herself to do so because Shin was with her.

    He tried poking her cheeks to see if she was just pretending to sleep, but she just grunted a little: she was really asleep.

    ¡°Well, usually the positions would be reversed¡­but this feels good too.¡±

    Shin talked to himself, thinking that it was usually the man sleeping with his head on the woman¡¯sp, but the reverse was nice too.

    Schnee¡¯s defenseless figure, proof of her trust towards Shin. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face made him feel happy.

    ¡°Guess I should cover her.¡±

    The room was warm, so there was no risk of catching a cold, but Shin opted to put his mantle over her as nket, leaving aside the question whether they could even catch a cold with their stats.

    There was still some time left till dinner time, so Shin decided to use it to leisurely enjoy Schnee¡¯s sleeping face.

 Book 13: Chapter 3 (5)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 3 (5)</h4>

    "Hey,e on, don''t be angry¡­"

    "I am not angry in any shape or form."

    "Then why won''t you look at me?"

    "Because I''m embarrassed!!"

    Schnee was asleep for about 30 minutes. The fact that she had fallen asleep and that Shin had looked at her sleeping face prompted her to verbally attack him, blushing even more, about why he didn''t wake her up.

    Schnee went to the kitchen to prepare dinner: as time passed after she had woken up, she calmed down a little.

    "Your face wasn''t weird at all, don''t worry! ¡­..I did take a screenshot though."

    "Shin? What did you just say?"

    Schnee didn''t let Shin''s mumbles go unpunished. She was facing away from him, but in the blink of an eye she had grabbed his shoulders.

    "Well, you know, you were really cute, so¡­my hand slipped¡­"

    "Your hand what!? Don''t take photos of me sleeping without permission!!"

    "You don''t have to get so angry¡­do I have to delete it?"

    "Of course!!"

    Schnee had started showing Shin more of her defenseless sides, but photos were still prohibited, apparently.

    "But you show me sides like that sometimes, don''t you?"

    "Because I don''t stay that way, and I show them because I trust you. Anyone could see the photos, so I can''t let them remain¡­and besides¡­"

    "Besides?"

    Schnee paused, so Shin encouraged her to continue.

    "I want to look pretty before the person I love. Photos can be looked at many times¡­so I believe that even more."

    As Shin seemed to fail to grasp how a maiden''s heart worked, Schnee made him sit down properly before starting to preach again.

    "I just don''t get it."

    "Shin?"

    "N-nothing!!!"

    In the end, they had dinnerter than usual that night.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin headed outside the castle walls, with Lecus, Myu, and Gian in tow. Other students had joined Shin''s training sessions, but ¡ª unlike the three with him now ¡ª they were average, so he didn''t bring them with him this time. He was nning to have them fight monsters which didn''t normally appear in the area after all.

    "Awright, it''s time to release the frustration piled up in the training dungeon!!"

    "You''re getting too excited again. If we die outside, it''s over, got it?"

    "I already promised Mr. Shin that I won''t do anything reckless! And I know that, thank you very much. I''m just getting focused!"

    "Sure you are."

    "Easy there, you two. Myu, don''t make us worry, okay? Gian doesn''t talk like this to people he doesn''t care about, after all. Having high morale isn''t a bad thing, so let''s be careful on our end. Myu is different from before, after all."

    "Got it!"

    "Hmph."

    Myu was 100% eager while Gian looked at her, grumbling. Lecus calmed their bickering and tried to make them focus in the same direction. The three were also bnced mentally.

    "You''ve hunted outside the castle walls before, right?"

    "Yes, I think we''ve fought with all the monsters that normally appear around Erkunt."

    Like all other students, Lecus'' party had also experienced fighting outside the institute. The monsters'' level were not very high, however, so the training dungeon was more effective for practice: they hadn''t ventured outside too often.

    "The wolf boss was pretty strong!"

    "There was a Forest Wolf pack, with a stronger one among them. I think it was level 150 or 160."

    Lecus added an exnation to Myu''s vaguement. He continued saying that they found another group of students being attacked and helped them: Gian took down the boss of the pack and chased the monsters away.

    Their strategy consisted of Myu going wild to attract the monsters'' attention, Lecus casting ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on Gian and ambushing the monsters. After crushing their legs to prevent them from escaping, Lecus finished them with magic. If the spells weren''t enough, Gian would deliver the final blow.

    "If the monsters weren''t focused on the group that was fighting them before us, it wouldn''t have gone so well, though."

    Lecus said that they had chased away the monsters, so even if they took down the boss they couldn''t do the same with the rest if the pack. They could have chased them down, but prioritized tending to the wounded.

    "I think you made a good decision. The people that were fighting before you were in a pinch, right? If you pushed yourselves to chase the monsters and suffered a counterattack, your assistance would have meant nothing."

    Some might protest that it would have been better to chase the monsters and finish them off, to prevent other people from being attacked. Forest Wolves, however, normally appeared around Erkunt: there were likely to be other packs too, so it wasn''t so important to finish them off then and there.

    "I doubt we''ll see Forest Wolves this time. ording to guild research, the monsters spawning around here changed a lot: Mystic Wolves, and the powerful versions of Orcs and Goblins. It''s not 100% confirmed, but Baghnakh-like monsters have been witnessed too. Stay on your toes, okay?"

    "Yessir!!"

    Myu answered with energy, while the two boys simply nodded. Maybe not as much as her, but they were focused and eager too.

    "What kind of monster is that Baghnakh, by the way? We have looked it up, but didn''t find much."

    "To put it simply, it''s like a huge mouth, about two mel tall. Imagine the head of a wolf-type monster, without ears and with a massive amount of fangs."

    Baghnakhs were monsters quite simr to the weapon with the same name. Their level ranged between 150 and 200, about the limit that an average person could handle. Their fangs inflicted poison and paralysis: as they bit down on their prey, the victim would taste the fear of being slowly crushed to death as their HP slowly decreased.

    That also happened if the victim was equipped with armor to resist the bites however. Baghnakhs did not have much attack power,pared to their high HP and defense, but their biting attacks had level 200+ offensive power, which would crush to bits any armor grade Rare and lower.

    At the same level, only defense-oriented jobs could resist their bites. It just meant that they didn''t die on the spot, however: being caught usually left no way out.

    "That''s¡­pretty dangerous."

    "It depends on the person, but even Chosen Ones get eaten by them."

    Shin used a word he knew Lecus and the others would know. Even Gian, who had the highest defense of the three, had a 50/50 chance of surviving a Baghnakh bite. Myu and Lecus would have probably resisted only a few seconds.

    "It''s not confirmed that we''ll find any, but the possibility is there. Some of them are difficult to detect even using skills, so never let your guard down."

    Even the easily excited Myu nodded seriously now. They weren''t in the area inhabited by monsters yet, but there might be dangers hiding everywhere.

    Outside Shin and Schnee, Myu had the highest detection skills. There was the chance of finding monsters that, if Myu didn''t detect, would leave Gian and Lecus incapable of reacting in time. Shin''s warning probably made her realize it.

    "Okay, Myu, you''re in front. We will only assist you if there''s danger. Even though we''re here to help you, don''t treat this lightly, got it?"

    "Yes sir!"

    The three students answered in unison, then advanced, with Myu leading them. Gian was behind her, with Lecus in third position.

    After a while, they started seeing trees along the road. To save time, Shin''s group picked a path that cut through a patch of woods. It was shorter, but presented a higher risk of being attacked by monsters or bandits than the more roundabout path.

    Both for people and monsters, the woods were an ally that helped them conceal their presence. ording to the information Shin gathered, the path they were walking on was the area with the highest number of reported casualties. Bandits were routinely wiped out by Erkunt''s military and vigntes, so they rarely caused any real damage.

    Shin reviewed this information mentally while walking, when a presence in the woods started moving towards the path.

    "Something''sing!"

    When the presence was about 20 mel from their position, Myu spoke up. She had spotted the same presence Shin had noticed and stared to their right.

    "It''s just one unit, but it seems pretty big."

    Myu continued focusing on the approaching presence, trying to obtain as much information as possible before the fighting began. A yer would be likely to use ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ or simr skills to see the monster''s appearance immediately; for Myu and the others, however, acquiring skills was not an easy feat.

    Looking at the three students drawing their weapons, Shin pondered whether to teach them skills or not.

    (I know that skills can be taught in the same way as the game. But this is different from the time with Tiera¡­)

    Using ¡ºSecret Book¡» was easy, but would create all sorts of problems. In this world skills were extremely precious. Shin wanted to spread them, as means of fighting against monsters, but skills could be used against other people too.

    Looking at the history of the continent of Eltnia, conflicts and battles had broken out time and again. Shin had learned of them when he looked up the Dusk of Majesty in Bayreuth and Falnido.

    He couldn''t know when, where, and how the skills he taught would be used, so he finally concluded that just teaching them on a whim could have ultimately worked against Lecus and the others.

    "It''sing out!!"

    While Shin was lost in thought, the monster had almost reached them. It rushed through the woods. A rustling sound could be heard from the bushes. A few moments after Myu''s warning, a shadow jumped out of the shrubs, as if leaping over Shin''s group.

    "Defend!!"

    Shin shouted to Myu and the others, who stared at the flying shadow without moving. The shadow hadunched an attack towards them from the air.

    The students reacted to Shin''s order: he had told them that against monsters defense was the first thing to focus on, as he put them through the wringer during training. Thanks to that, Myu and Gian parried the monsters'' attack with their weapons and Lecus used the spell he was chanting to deflect it.

    "It''s a Greygunn."

    Shin caught the projectile shot towards him and looked at it: it was a pointy scale. Myu and the others looked at the shadow, which hadnded on the ground. It was a lion-like monster covered in lead-colored scales.

    Its level was 248, a bit higher than Greygunns'' usual range. The size was approximately three mel long. Even with all four of its legs on the ground, its eyes were on the same level as Myu and the others.

    Even though it looked like it was wearing armor, its movements were very quick and agile, its scales providing high defense. Therge hooked ws on its front paws had very high attack power; while it didn''t use magic, shooting its scales allowed the Greygunn tounch long-range attacks.

    Some mutated species had elemental scales, which could be recognized by their color. The Greygunn facing against Shin''s party had colorless scales, signaling theck of elemental attributes.

    "I''ve never seen this monster before."

    "This guy is tough."

    Myu and Gian, their weapons pointed at the Greygunn, growling and ready to pounce, tried to find the ideal distance to attack. They knew that it could shoot long-range attacks, so they didn''t go too close without a n.

    "Mr. Shin, could you let us handle this?"

    Shin thought that it was a bit too difficult for their first opponent, but Lecus asked him to leave it to them.

    "¡­.go ahead and try."

    In the future, they would probably have to fight opponents they had never seen before. Thinking that he could help them if something went wrong this time, Shin decided to let them fight on their own. Just in case, he prepared a defense skill that he could activate at any time.

    "I''ll limit its movements with magic, so you two find an opening and strike. Attract its attention while I chant."

    "Got it!"

    "Yeah."

    Lecus gave instructions to Gian and Myu, then gathered magic power. The Greygunn noticed that Lecus was trying to do something, so it looked in his direction. Before it could attack, however, Gian stood in its way.

    "I''m here too!!"

    Gian stepped to the Greygunn''s right side, while Myu struck her gauntlets together to attract its attention. Just as the monster looked in her direction, Gian struck his shield with hisnce, causing a loud metallic sound to resonate in the surroundings.

    Causing the monster''s attention to shift just before it attacked, they disrupted its timing and forced it to be wary of both of them, blocking the monster from focusing on attacking a single enemy. In the game it wouldn''t be very useful, but in the real world it was an effective strategy.

    Myu and her party were putting in practice one of the tactics that Shin had taught them.

    "Here I go!!"

    The Greygunn was still undecided because of the sounds and fighting aura released by Myu and Gian, when lightning shot from behind Gian. Six bolts flew over Gian and struck, leaving the monster no time to react.

    The bolts struck the monster''s scales: its body shook and its movements slowed down. Lecus had prioritized the number of bolts, as they did not cause much damage. The monster growled, walked a few steps and red at Lecus, still behind Gian.

    Its rage-filled stare focused on Lecus: the monster''s sight now probably only included the spear-wielding Gian and the wand-armed Lecus, an opening that Myu didn''t miss. She did not raise her voice or make a sound as she slid towards the Greygunn.

    Despite her quiet approach, the Greygunn probably perceived something: it tried jumping away, but Myu''s fists struck quicker than it could move away.

    "Haaa!!!"

    From a crouching position, Myu''s straight burst together with her aura. Her fist struck squarely against the monster''s belly, with a ze of mes.

    me/Barehandedbination skill ¡¾Crimson Lotus Straight¡¿.

    Its highest quality was destroying shell or armor via a fiery explosion.

    Some monsters were protected by thick shells, scales or even armor: one way of fighting them was to use skills such as ¡¾Crimson Lotus Straight¡¿, which could damage armored parts.

    The Greygunn they fought had no elemental affinities, so using a me elemental attack against the scales was not especially effective, but the mes were certainly had a more powerful effect on the body under its scales.

    The explosion blew away part of the monster''s scales, allowing the mes to reach its body, which burned through the monster.

    It was the status condition ¡¾Burn¡¿, caused by magical me attacks. Greygunns had sturdy scales, but its naked body did not have especially high defense. It was the ideal chance to attack.

    "Here''s one mo¡ªwhoops, that was close!"

    Myu tried to strike the exposed part with a follow-up attack, but suddenly she rolled on the ground, putting distance between her and the Greygunn. The next moment, something flew through the space she had upied moments before, hissing as it moved through the air.

    "Oh, you noticed, I''m impressed."

    Since it was her first time fighting this monster, Myu was paying special attention to the surroundings. Shin nodded happily, d to see that the training was paying off.

    Myu had moved away because she noticed somethinging from behind: the attack hade from the Greygunn''s tail, long and slender, with arge scale attached to its tip. The tail could bend and extend freely, allowing the monster to deliver powerful attacks from outside the opponent''s field of view.

    Its vicious ws and fangs were easily visible, but avoiding its tail, which often attacked from blind spots, was quite a feat during the first battle against a Greygunn. Myu managed to do so thanks to her high detection skills and agility, but Gian and Lecus might have not been able to imitate her.

    "It could have other attack methods too. Focus on its movements!"

    Lecus cast a buff on Myu and Gian, then shouted a warning.

    The Greygunn, after learning that Myu could break through its armor, moved away from her. Gian then ran towards the monster, followed slightlyter by Myu. The Greygunn looked towards Gian, but Myu''s movements and Lecus'' chanting disrupted its attention.

    It chose to focus on the opponents that he knew could hurt it.

    "What, so you think I can''t do anything?"

    Myu moved diagonally in front of the beast, which looked away from Gian: an opportunity that he didn''t let go by.

    Thanks to the buff and the Movement-type skill ¡¾Sliding¡¿, Gian closed in on the Greygunn in a ready to attack stance: the skill allowed him to not change his stance as he neared the monster.

    Depending on the user, it was possible to make it look like the attacker was not moving, something that the Greygunn was now experiencing.

    When Gian''s spear struck the monster''s exposed neck, the creature emitted a growl as if shocked from being attacked out of nowhere.

    "One more!"

    The spear''s tip, still stabbed in the monster''s neck, glowed a deep purple, which then spread to the monster''s neck and the surrounding area.

    "!?!"

    The Greygunn jumped away, the spear fell out and blood started staining its scales, blood the same color as Gian''s weapon.

    Water/Spearbination skill ¡¾Venom Spear¡¿.

    The skill made it possible for the spear''s tip to transmit a strong poison, which inflicted another status ailment to the monster.

    In this world, there were several types of poison: the one inflicted by ¡¾Venom Spear¡¿ affected magic power. Because of this, it was not very effective if the target had higher INT than the user.

    The Greygunn''s stats, however, were mostly focused on physical aspects, so the poison did not just cause the monster damage.

    "It''s moving slower!"

    As Gian had struck the neck, near the heart, the poison acted quickly. The Greygunn could not react in time to avoid Myu''s next attack. She dodged the monster''s tail and struck the same spot as before.

    "Haaahh!!!"

    With a dull sound, the ground trembled. Myu''s strong step added even more power to her fists, causing the monster''srge body to beunched in the air, its scales scattered by the attack''s shockwaves.

    "Don''t let up!"

    "Gotcha!"

    Myu wasn''t the only one to move: aiming at the moment the monsternded, Lecus shot more lightning bolts, followed by another attack by Gian.

    The Greygunn, slowed down by the damage and poison, could not dodge the lightning. Bracing for impact, it focused on Gian. The spear''s tip was met by the scales on the monster''s forehead, the hardest it had. Since Gian had aimed between the scales, the monster figured that it couldn''t break through them: for a monster, it disyed considerable intelligence.

    "You''re ready to receive my attack!? You got to be really confident in those scales!!"

    Gian shouted. Powered by Lecus'' buff, the spear struck the scales and slightly stabbed them, but failed to pierce through. His movements stopped, but the attack did not.

    "Take this!!"

    Lightening sprang forth from the spear''s tip, burning the monster''s head. Thanks to the weapon breaking through the scales, the lightning ran through the monster''s body better than Lecus'' magic bolts. Because of the point of entry, the Greygunn''s whole body shook violently.

    When the lightning stopped, the beast''s front right paw lost strength, causing it to copse to the ground.

    "You''re finish- Myu, stand back!!"

    Gian was ready to deliver the final blow, but suddenly he jumped between the monster and Lecus, holding his shield high. Myu too quickly understood what he meant and put distance between her and the monster.

    The Greygunn''s scales stood up: about the same time as Gian took a defensive stance, then they shot in all directions, likerge throwing knives.

    Gian blocked them with his shield, Myu with her gauntlets. Lecus, behind Gian, did not need to defend himself and continued chanting.

    "Gian!"

    Following Lecus'' call, Gian jumped aside. Lecus'' wand was already pointed at the monster.

    "This is it!!"

    A single bolt flew from the wand. A single,rge bolt, very different from the ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ bolts Lecus had shot at the beginning of the fight.

    Lightning Magic Skill ¡¾Thunderbolt¡¿.

    It couldn''t be used to shoot multiple bolts in different directions like ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, but the damage it caused was much higher.

    The Greygunn, unable to move, had no means of avoiding the thunderbolt:pletely defenseless after shooting all its scales, it was struck directly. Without even a whimper, it copsedpletely, smoke rising from its body. Myu quickly approached it and struck it with a chop.

    The sound of cracking bones echoed and the monster''s HP reached zero.

    "Well done."

    Shin praised Myu, who had delivered the final blow. Monsters, like all animals, never gave up on trying to survive, until theirst breath. Some tried to take their enemies with them, others feigned weakness to strike during an opening. It was thus important to keep attacking, even if the enemy stopped moving.

    Shin too did not know at first, but one of the highest causes of death among adventurers was to hesitate before finishing off a monster, thus allowing them a chance to attack. To prevent this, he had often told the three students to never let up before the monster was clearly dead.

    "Gian, Lecus, you did well too. You fought well, without letting it focus on a single target. I think you will be able to hold your own also against stronger foes."

    Attacking an opponent that couldn''t move could be stressful, so Shin actively praised them after the victory. They had actually shown good cooperation, so Shin thought that if it was three vs one, they could probably take one even a level 300 monster.

    "Okay, let''s go. Monsters will keep attacking, they don''t care about our circumstances. We might have to fight consecutive battles, but never lose your focus."

    The three students answered Shin''s words with renewed energy. They weren''t exactly his disciples, but Shin was pleased by their growth.

    "Considering the time limit, I guess we''re close."

    "To me, it felt a bit too long, even."

    "Really?"

    "You can''t consider this a job, can you Shin?"

    "Well¡­you''re right."

    Twenty days had passed since Shin had epted the training request: the institute''s holiday period would soon be over, which also meant that the training sessions with Lecus'' party would be over as well.

 Book 13: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Four more days¡­well no, excluding today, it¡¯s only three.¡±

    After the training, Shin whispered to himself while looking at the clear blue sky.

    After the Greygunn encounter, the party fought against a pack of Mystic Wolves, then Shin decided to return to town. He would have liked to have the three students build some more experience in monster battles, but, maybe because the timing wasn¡¯t right, they only found monsters that couldn¡¯t even be considered training for Myu and the others.

    ¡°We managed to fight against arge group, so I think that as far as training is concerned, we have achieved good enough results.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you put it that way, I guess so.¡±

    Saying they were coaching beginner yers would be unfair to Lecus¡¯ party; Shin, however, would have liked to coach them a bit more, even though their individual abilities and teamwork had improved.

    Schnee¡¯s words implied that he was getting too attached to them, as Shin understood too.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but it can¡¯t be helped. I can¡¯t keep training them while making countermeasures against Greed.¡±

    Hmee had said that part of nning countermeasures against the Greed devil involved coborating with the country of Erkunt. In that case, Shin couldn¡¯t continue training the students. Being Chosen Ones, there was the possibility of them ending up being involved.

    If the country was in danger, they might be summoned as fighting power. It would be difficult if they were royals or nobles from other countries, but Lecus and the others did not have such social statuses.

    ¡°I want to try having them face an enemy that mainly uses magic attacks¡­some monsters use spells now and then, but wide-area-of-effect spells would be difficult to dodge. Then, mental attacks. It would be good if they could experience what it feels to be hit by one of those.¡±

    Shin realized that wouldn¡¯t be simple at all.

    He and Schnee could let the students experience magic attacks, but mental ones were a whole different story. Skills affecting others¡¯ mental state were prohibited by the country; even if Shin and Schnee were pretending to be Chosen Ones, on the surface, they couldn¡¯t show themselves to be able to use such skills easily.

    If the information spread, some would try to erase them, others to use them, others again to obtain those skills in secret: their lives would be just like an assassin¡¯s.

    ¡°Then, the weapons. With those almost Rare grade ones, they can¡¯t exert their full power.¡±

    Myu and Gian had already damaged their weapons while fighting against monsters. If weapons and equipment were mismatched with the user¡¯s abilities, they couldn¡¯t use their powers to the fullest, as they probably already knew.

    They were trying hard to find good quality equipment, but the monsters around Erkunt could not provide much in terms of finances, so their goal was still very far, as the students had confessed at the beginning of training.

    Now the monsters¡¯ spawns had changed and, with the appearance of high level monsters such as Graygunns, that problem would gradually be solved.

    The students nned to request Vulcan¡¯s workshop to forge their weapons, an idea that Shin supported wholeheartedly. He too nned to give them an ¡°appropriate¡± essory as a reward forpleting the training. Since they had trained together, he thought it would be fine to do that much.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Hmee.¡±

    Myu and the others were still sprawled on the ground, wheezing, when Shin spotted Hmeeing towards them. There might have been developments in the matter with Greed.

    Myu and the others were on the ground wheezing because, due to ack of monsters, Shin and Schnee had sparred against them. They had been put through the wringer like never before, to the point that they barely managed to stand.

    The other students who witnessed the sparring were rtively shocked, but Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°¡­er, are they alright?¡±

    ¡°Just some scratches. As long as they recover physically and mentally, they¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°I think I can imagine, but just what exactly did you do?¡±

    ¡°I just faced them head on with ¡ºKakura¡» a bit. ¡±

    ¡°W-w-what did you say!?¡±

    Hmee howled after hearing Shin¡¯s answer. Even a scratch from him could inflict massive damage: it was difficult to be happy that the party survived with just scratches, when a single scratch could mean a terrible injury.

    ¡°They might have lost limbs or worse!! It¡¯s a huge problem!!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m holding back, just enough so they¡¯ll keep their limbs intact.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!! What if you traumatized them!?!¡±

    Being well aware of the difference in strength being Shin and Lecus¡¯ party, Hmee couldn¡¯t keep quiet.

    Shin was actually using ¡¾Limiter¡¿ to lower his stats, so the possibility of causing the students heavy damage ¡°scratches¡± was low. Because of the weapon Shin wielded, the possibility was not zero, but they wouldn¡¯t end up with mangled limbs.

    ¡°I was acting as a monster, after all. Half-baked training would hurt them in the long run, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Hnnggh, yes, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Monsters wouldn¡¯t hold back against wounded opponents: it was important to experience this. The problem was that Shin¡¯s power was far superior to the monsters around Erkunt, so even with ¡¾Limiter¡¿ active, Lecus¡¯ party might have tasted the fear of death a bit too much.

    As Hmee said, if Shin went overboard he could traumatize them.

    ¡°Please be careful. Who knows what could happen, so really, really, be! Careful!!¡±

    ¡°O-okay, I got it¡­¡±

    Shin backed away against Hmee¡¯s fierce look.

    ¡°By the way, you came all the way here for a reason, no?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, right. About your proposal of setting items at the dungeon entrance.¡±

    In an extraordinary meeting, it was decided to authorize the items¡¯ instation while Shin was there. There was no total consensus, however.

    ¡° ¡®If Luxuria is the source of all troubles, we could just exile her.¡¯ ¡®What will you do if that Shin is one of Avaritia¡¯s followers?¡¯ You have no idea how much I wanted to cast ¡¾Fireball¡¿ on them, then and there¡­if Shin was really an enemy, Erkunt would be a pile of rubble by now! Seriously!¡±

    Just remembering the meeting was irritating enough to make Hmee clench her fists.

    Apparently, some upper brass elites screamed unfounded opinions, such as that it was Hmee¡¯s responsibility for hiring a devil, that there was no reason to trust Luxuria etc, so the meeting went on longer than expected.

    Shin himself thought that some of those opinions were notpletely wrong: if they exiled Luxuria, the enemy¡¯s target -provided that sheplied- would shift the enemy¡¯s objective and help them buy time, so it wouldn¡¯t bepletely ineffective.

    Shin¡¯s innocence too would be difficult to prove to someone who didn¡¯t know him.

    Finally, believing a devil¡¯s words was definitely a concern for anyone.

    After appeasing such concerns, convincing and overturning the brass¡¯ arguments, Hmee looked rightfully exhausted.

    ¡°That must have been tough. Do you want some of Yuki¡¯s handmade juice?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡±

    Shin took out one of his favorite drinks from the item box, to help Hmee recover.

    The juice was made from fruits that did not exist in real life, with a bnce of sweet and sour that was very pleasant to the tongue. Its effects included HP, MP and fatigue recovery, a genuine super drink. Shin always kept arge stock in his item box.

    ¡°Aaah, so delicious¡­¡±

    ¡°If you like it, I can share the recipe?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that would be wonderful!¡±

    Hmee seemed to enjoy it very much, so she took the recipe from Schnee with joy.

    ¡°So, when can I set the items? Can I go today?¡±

    ¡°About that, I¡¯d like to ask you to do it tomorrow morning. I also thought to do it as soon as possible, but the staff in charge of the facility wants to be there too. They¡¯re concerned, of course, because of their position.¡±

    Because of their work, they would be avable only the next morning. There was a training session scheduled, but the dungeon was a higher priority.

    ¡°Got it, so tomorrow morning we should go to the staff room?¡±

    ¡°No, we wille to pick you up. The time here is rather unclear, so it¡¯s difficult to set up appointments.¡±

    While watches existed, they were quite expensive. Since merchants and government officials were always in a rush, they often used them as well. The problem was that there was no internationally unified time system, like in Shin¡¯s former world.

    All watches in this world showed slightly different hours: merchants and other people adjusted them between themselves to show the same time.

    On the other hand, apletely unified time was shown by the menu former yers and support characters could ess. Shin had asked Shibaid and the others to confirm, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest discrepancy, though it was unknown how it worked.

    ¡°Mr. Shi¡­.n..please, us too¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back with us?¡±

    A feeble voice made Shin turn around, and he saw Myu wobbling on her feet. Gian too was slowly standing up, while Lecus was still lying on the ground, panting. It was the difference in energy between front and back rows, probably.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quicker at recovering too.¡±

    Stamina and recovery changed with level, but training could help boost both. Alongside with training, the students also worked out, which showed its effects. Especially Lecus, who had dropped out of the training halfway, had improved exponentially.

    ¡°Bwahah!!¡±

    ¡°Be quiet.¡±

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s juice, Myu recovered instantly and jumped up, full of energy. Gian red at her: he had already drank the juice and stood up without glimpse of exhaustion.

    ¡°Whew, I live for a swig of this¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not beer, though.¡±

    Lecus sounded like he took his first sip of beer after work, so he was brought back to reality. Myu and Gian were more the physical type, so even if he was getting used to it, Lecus still couldn¡¯t keep up with them.

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve reached this point, I think we can say that this short-term training was worth doing. You¡¯ve learned skills too, right?¡±

    After fighting a number of monsters, Myu seemed particrly excited and Shin heard her say that.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I have¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no need to say it. Because of the training¡¯s structure, I more or less know all the skills you have, so I can guess, but the sessions will end soon. I don¡¯t need to hear that. We don¡¯t know who¡¯s listening¡­this ce is more blessed than others, but skills are really really precious.¡±

    It was pointless to know at that time; Shin had shown them many skills, but he warned them all the same. He knew what they trained in, so as he told Lecus he had a good idea about what skills they had learned: recovery for Lecus, offensive for Myu and Gian.

    Many of Shin¡¯s acquaintances knew skills, so it was easy to forget, but in this world skills were extremely rare. Even knowing just one was impressive. To learn skills just by training was nothing but boasting, from a normal person¡¯s perspective.

    Luckily, there weren¡¯t other students or teachers around, so no one had heard their conversation.

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of people with skills in this institute, but I heard that outside the Garden, people with skills are decreasing, so I was surprised when I first arrived¡­but I got used to it, I guess.¡±

    ¡°The Garden is the elves¡¯ country, or rather, settlement, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Many people there have skills, like in Erkunt, but there are few ces protected like these castle walls, so the atmosphere is more like a Pixie vige. A barrier keeps the monsters out.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay for you to say that to me?¡±

    ¡°Anyone can learn this with some research.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know, but it seemed to bemon knowledge.

    He knew how the elves¡¯ country was structured, but he hadn¡¯t visited or even gotten close to it aftering to this world. He imagined that they built settlements on top of or inside trees.

    ¡°Ie from a vige near Kilmont! I remember that the people from my vige can use skills normally too¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, I just told you to stop talking about things like that so easily. Skills are really precious, never forget.¡±

    Myu sealed her mouth with her hands. Her words were enough to reveal that her vige was not an ordinary one.

    There might be hidden viges with Chosen Ones or skill inheritors: it wouldn¡¯t be too strange a concept, so Shin decided not to inquire further about the subject.

    ¡°One of myrades too is a Dragnil with ties to the empire. I haven¡¯t asked him much about the empire, now that I think about it¡­I guess I¡¯ll do once he arrives.¡±

    ¡°The empire is a really nice ce to live in, I really rmend it! The emperor, princes and princesses are all admirable people!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really now.¡±

    Lecus added that since it was located close to a Sacred ce, the empire¡¯s rule could not afford to be poor.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him more details when he arrives.¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    ¡°In one word, I¡¯d say he¡¯s a warrior. He has been fighting far longer than me, and he¡¯s better at teaching too.¡±

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s help, they managed to train the students even if they increased: if it was Shin alone, he would have had his hands full just with Lecus¡¯ party.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, we never heard anything about your party, Mr. Shin. What other members are there?¡±

    ¡°A Lord, a Pixie and another Elf, plus our partner monsters.¡±

    ¡°You have Tamer abilities too!? I heard it was difficult to train them with a battle-type job.¡±

    ¡°Well, for me, just being able to make a contract is enough. I don¡¯t have many Tamer skills, actually.¡±

    Shin had often seen Cashmere use skills, so he knew them to an extent: there were quite peculiar and interesting ones, such as skills that increased in power as the monster¡¯s affection increased or skills that let the monster possess the yer to increase their stats.

    Shin too trained them little by little, whenever he had time. He never focused too much on them, though, so they were growing at a rxed pace.

    ¡°I used to think that me, Gian and Myu were pretty skilled. I want to say that we weren¡¯t overconfident, but looking at you both, those feelings disappeared. If they are in a party with you, the other members must be really exceptional too¡­¡±

    Lecus and the others had trouble forming parties with normal people, so he realized that Shin¡¯s party members too had to be on the level of Chosen Ones or above.

    ¡°Well, yeah, I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I think that they all could be ranked as top fighters, no matter which country they went to.¡±

    Shin spoke while thinking that only Tiera would refuse to be described like that. She always used to say that it was all thanks to Kagerou, but she had grown much stronger in her own right. Her stats, technique, skills and experience too were above the average adventurer. Right now, she could easily defeat Kaede, Shadow and Holly¡¯s daughter in Balmel.

    Before, she had lower stats and had to make do somehow with her techniques, but now she had equal, if not superior, stats and could win without trouble, or so thought Shin.

    ¡°Once all party members gather, you could even take over a country then¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t turn us into insurgents now. We¡¯re not going to fight against countries, unless something extraordinary happens.¡±

    ¡°What if they told you, ¡°give us Yuki or else¡±?¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯re turning into ashes, no matter who they are.¡±

    Shin replied instantly. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate, even if the opponent was a noble or a royal.

    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say so. You¡¯re head over heels, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Why ask that now?¡±

    Hmee replied that it was a joke, but Shin found it strange. Taking over a country, having Schnee snatched away¡­it was all too concerning.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m worried about, actually¡­I¡¯ll tell you the detailster.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I have a really bad feeling about this though¡­¡±

    Since she had mentioned the word country, Shin figured that something might have happened at Erkunt. Hmee had just visited it to discuss the Deadly Sin matter, after all.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with your training, don¡¯t worry. Speaking of which, we don¡¯t have many session left, just three days actually. I n to do a recap of everything we¡¯ve done, and one-on-one training on thest day.¡±

    ¡°One-on-one¡­¡±

    Gian mumbled to himself, his eyes gleaming. They had mainly trained on how to connect skills, how to use them, learned their characteristics. The first goal was to raise their individual abilities and expand the range of their strategies. Because of this, they never engaged in all-out battle like the first day.

    Especiallytely they had focused on fighting as a team, so they had few chances to go all out on their own.

    Among the three, Gian was the most skilled in individual techniques. In the party, he fought in a bnced way between attack and defense, so he might have some pent-up frustrations. Differently from Myu, who enjoyed the act of fighting itself, Gian was more concerned about winning.

    ¡°Ooh, Gian¡¯s on fire!¡±

    ¡°He hates to lose, after all.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you two.¡±

    Gian red at the impressed Myu and Lecus, then took his spear. Shin had sparred against them after the monsters provedcking, so it was the time they would usually go to lunch. Gian was eagerly swinging his spear, since he didn¡¯t care at all about eating.

    His training spear pierced the air. After the fierce training and fighting monsters, it swung sharper and faster than before.

    ¡°We¡¯re going now, but what will you two do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll train a little more too!¡±

    ¡°Me too. I can¡¯t lose either.¡±

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m looking forward to thest day, then.¡±

    Influenced by Gian, Myu and Lecus eagerly started training too. Looking at them, Shin felt fulfilled in a way different than when he coached beginner yers in the game. He felt that he acted as teacher because he enjoyed this feeling.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 13: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    ¡°What are you going to do today?¡±

    ¡°I have a forging discussion at Vulcan¡¯s ce. I¡¯m also thinking of making a small essory as parting gift for Lecus and the others. With this world¡¯s standards, of course.¡±

    Shin could easily whip up essories that would be world-ss in power. However, he had trained Lecus¡¯ party as a request from the school, so giving them something like that would definitely cause trouble. And so, he nned to give them an essory that could work as a memento.

    Another reason was to make connections. Shin felt that not only Myu, but also Lecus and Gian came from special backgrounds. In a world where having even one skill was highly regarded, Chosen Ones with multiple skills were very rare.

    Some Chosen Ones were active adventurers, so it might not apply to all of them, but Lecus¡¯ party was still immaturepared to them. Even if the institute attracted students from all over the continent, and the three students had considerable fighting strength, sending precious Chosen Ones on their own was slightly unnatural.

    Whether they thought there really was no problem, or there was a special meaning in them being on their own, Shin had no way of knowing, but wanting to share a connection with such unique people wasn¡¯t strange.

    He had heard from Schnee that being a Chosen One would only help cover one or maybe two fields, which meant that very few people owned multiple skills in both battle-type and creation-type jobs, as Shin and his party did. For this very reason, many Chosen Ones were connected with others with skills they did not have.

    For Shin, it would be fine if the people around them viewed their rtionship like that: he had started to mind the reactions of other people more too.

    It was also a small gift to celebrate the effort they put in the training. essories with magical properties were quite expensive even if they didn¡¯t provide outstanding effects, at least more so than Rare grade gear.

    ¡°This world¡¯s essories are mostly just used as decorations, after all.¡±

    As a creation-type job specialist, Shin wanted to object to the current thinking and state that essories were supposed to be equipment that covered weaknesses, enhanced strengths or provided abilities you did not have. Using essories just for their visuals was unthinkable for an adventurer.

    There were some exceptions, such as people that had particr preferences or chose essories that matched the rest of their equipment; but for people who earned their living through battle, using appropriate essories would be natural.

    It wasn¡¯t impossible to find essories with useful effects on the market, but they were hard to find, especially if one searched for effects useful in battle.

    Shin had heard that this was caused by the fact that the skill level required to attach magical properties to essories was different than the level needed for weapons and armor; obviously, essories required higher level.

    In this world, raising creation-type job skills required more time, money and effort than battle-type jobs, because creation-type skills required materials. Stopping after reaching a level high enough to enchant weapons and armor allowed to start crafting such enchanted gear and sell it, so the user could save time, efforts and materials.

    Depending on the person, focusing on weapons and armor meant bing able to imbue them with higher level magic as well.

    ¡°essories used in battle are normally retrieved from ruins or dungeons, after all. Items with abilities useful in battle are only made by artisans in royal capitals or their surroundings, and they¡¯re also much more expensive than other gear.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped, but still.¡±

    You couldn¡¯t just focus on skills and nothing else in this world. Making a living was the first priority, so Shin thought it natural that most people settled on increasing their skills just to an extent.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go see our friend Mr. Vulcan then.¡±

    They arrived at Vulcan¡¯s workshop, the Golden Anvil. Shin opened the door and saw Vaal with several other dwarves.

    The dwarves turned around to look at the neers and instantly froze in ce, with expressions as if they had been struck by lightning.

    ¡°Oh, Mr. Shin. The boss is in the back.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Shin nodded to Vaal, greeted the dwarves with a small gesture and proceeded to the back of the shop. He had visited several times, with the pretense of exchanging techniques, and now they were discussing and exchanging opinions. It was a good stimulus for Vulcan, who told Vaal to let Shin through to the smithy when he came.

    Schnee had started assisting Shin with smithy work too, so this time she apanied him into Vulcan¡¯s workshop. After they passed, they could hear the dwarves murmur words like ¡°Thedy¡¯s going in too?¡± or ¡°That¡¯s got to be a goddess¡­¡±

    Shin realized that rumors had started circting about Schnee, who used to wait near the reception when Shin visited Vulcan. The dwarves¡¯ objective was talking to her, apparently.

    ¡°This town¡¯s cksmiths¡­are a bit off¡­?¡±

    Shin felt slightly concerned.

    ¡°Oh? Ooh, you came! With your elfdy friend too? She always waits up front though, do you want to make her do something?¡±

    Vulcan asked Shin why Schnee came along. Many cksmiths forbade women from entering their workshop, but Vulcan was different. There wasn¡¯t any dislike or disgust on his face, but simple curiosity.

    ¡°She had talent to begin with, but recently I had her help me a bit, and she¡¯s really good at it. I was thinking it¡¯d be good for you to have a look at her too, maybe give your opinion.¡±

    ¡°If you say that, then she can¡¯t be a beginner at least. Elves are good at precise work like concocting and crafting, after all. Even if the field is different, I bet she has good enough sensibility and eye for this work too.¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, dwarves had bonuses in all creation-type jobs, cksmithing most of all.

    After them, elves were the most blessed race in terms of creation-type jobs.

    As Vulcan said, also thanks to their innate abilities, elves did not lose to dwarves when it came to delicate craftwork, such as concocting potions or making cloth. Schnee¡¯s cksmithing skill level was low, but in skills that required nimble work, like concocting, weaving and engraving she was level VIII and above.

    ¡°We¡¯re not especially gifted in handling magic, so I want ourdy here to focus on checking that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Elves can see things differently from us too.¡±

    Shin had heard it from Schnee while they were eating at Tsuki no Hokora. Elves could see the ¡°life aura¡± of cooking ingredients, so he mentioned it.

    ¡°Understood. I am not yet skilled enough to actually participate in the forging, so I will focus on that.¡±

    Schnee nodded, then Shin and Vulcan stood in front of the furnace. A small iron ingot was put inside and melted in instants. Vulcan grabbed the resulting iron with a pair of tongs and fixed it on top of the anvil.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s ovey our magic.¡±

    Vulcan then raised his hammer. Shin aimed for the timing it struck and followed suit. The sounds of striking metal continued: the high-pitched sound of Vulcan¡¯s hammer and the slightly echoing sound of Shin¡¯s hammer reverberated in the workshop.

    As the hammers continued to strike, the iron started changing shape. The 5-cemel sized block of iron was stretched and became a thinner 10-cemel round circle when Vulcan and Shin stopped.

    ¡°Hmm, as always, when I forge something with you the shape alwayses out perfect. Even if the metal was round from the beginning, it¡¯s a mystery how it can end up sopletely rounded.¡±

    Vulcanmented while looking at the round iron item. Such a result was caused by Shin¡¯s cksmith skills, which affected the item¡¯s shape based on the user¡¯s imagination. Even without sharpening, it was possible to create the de part of swords or knives.

    ¡°The effect is, increased defense. Looks like it can project a thin barrier.¡±

    Shin analyzed the item with a small smile. As a category, it was a shield, an iron shield, most probably. It could project barriers, just like Shibaid¡¯s Great Shell Shield of Collision.

    Shin tried equipping it and have Vulcan attack him, so they could confirm that a 30-cemel barrier really did appear, with the shield at its center. When Vulcan¡¯s hammer struck, however, it shattered with a light sound.

    ¡°It¡¯s too frail. It felt like shattering a thin sheet of ice.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve made a bunch of prototypes until now, but the effects vary really wildly, huh.¡±

    When Vulcan and Shin worked together, such failed experiments were frequent. More than 90% of resulting items were useless duds.

    ¡°When I have Yuki help, we manage to seed about once every two times, though.¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s much better than with me. Hmm, I fail to see the reason, though. Race, magic power, control, affinity, equipment, materials¡­it could be anything. What do you say?¡±

    With only two types of samples, it was difficult to pinpoint the reason.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, we use the same materials, and since you have a high rate sess with Vaal, I doubt the cause lies with the equipment. The different affinity due to our races could have something to do with it, but I feel that the difference in magic power and control is key. We strike while imbuing magic power, after all, so wouldn¡¯t a rted cause be a natural consequence?¡±

    ¡°I see, I see¡­between me and ourdy here, the difference in magic power is undeniable, and you have buttloads of magic power too. Either mine is too weak or yours is too strong. Lady, tell us what¡¯s on your mind too.¡±

    Vulcan nodded to Shin¡¯s reply, then asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion too.

    ¡°Quantity and control of magic power, I am quite sure that these two elements are rted. I saw the magic power you two imbued sh and make sparks against one another. In the end, Shin¡¯s magic power almost fully covered the item, leaving little of Mr. Vulcan¡¯s. When I and Shin do it, our magic powers ovep, so I believe that this is the cause behind the difference in results.¡±

    ¡°Layers of magic power, huh. I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t envy you for being able to see what we barely manage to feel.¡±

    Vulcan and Shin tried imagining theyers that Schnee exined, but far from buildingyers, they couldn¡¯t even manage to make their magic power ovep, so they both had a sour look on their faces.

    ¡°Could you show me how you forge with Vaal? If I see a sessful attempt, I might find a clearer difference.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. With someone with eyes as good as yours around, it¡¯d be a shame not to try it.¡±

    Vulcan grinned and called Vaal. The cksmith¡¯s grandson had the persistent dwarf crowd leave, turned the shop¡¯s sign to the ¡°closed¡± side and started working immediately.

    When Vulcan and Vaal struck their hammers, very simr sounds echoed in the surroundings. Being master and student, their striking styles were probably very simr too. Next to Schnee, Shin too tried to focus in catching any changes in magic power.

    Differently from seeing magic power used during spells, what Shin could see was just a faint mist, when the hammers struck the anvil, as if he was looking at a blurred photograph, probably because he wasn¡¯t used to it.

    The cksmiths continued working, their hammers alternating, small sparks of magic power flying around. Shin could catch a glimpse of a thin membrane-like object.

    He continued to focus even more, and gradually the fog lifted.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    A thin, transparent membrane covered the iron. The red film of Vulcan¡¯s strikes, the orange film of Vaal¡¯s strikes formedyers uponyers. Every time they struck a newyer appeared, but the total thickness did not change.

    When Vulcan and Vaal finished their work, the membrane had be of a color between the two and was absorbed by the iron¡¯s surface.

    ¡°I guess this is it. It went pretty well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this has a support effect.¡±

    The iron block formed a shape slightly more irregr than the one forged by Shin and Vulcan. The effect provided was +5% STR.

    Leaving the shape aside, the effect was much more useful than what Shin and Vulcan had produced.

    ¡°Your magic powers ovepped neatly, just like Yuki said. In they end, they mixed together and were sucked in.¡±

    ¡°You could see it?¡±

    ¡°I focused on the item and could see it little by little, but I could see something clear only at the end.¡±

    ¡°I thought it could happen, but¡­never so suddenly.¡±

    Schnee thought that Shin could manage to be able to see the magic poweryers, as it was something rted to cksmithing, but was surprised that he had suddenly learned this ability.

    ¡°Shin, my man, I can¡¯t let that slide without wondering who the hell you really are¡­but I¡¯m not gonna ask any questions, and don¡¯t you either, Vaal.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry grampa, I¡¯m already positive that for Mr. Shin nothing is impossible.¡±

    Vulcan warned his grandson after hearing Shin and Schnee¡¯s conversation, but Vaal was apparently already beyond that. Shin wondered what made him think that, and Vaal replied that it was the first sword that Shin forged. Seeing a sword already sharp just after forging convinced him that he was looking at something from a levelpletely above his.

    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­as far as I know, the dwarf elder is the only one who can do things like that. I guess there are lots of other famous cksmiths in the world.¡±

    Vulcanughed loudly, dering how happy he was to have known one of them.

    ¡°Will you show me you and thedy forge something next? I feel like I might grasp something new.¡±

    Shin nodded and they started working right away. Schnee¡¯s cksmithing level was still IV, lower than Vulcan¡¯s, so Shin had her focus on striking only the core of the iron.

    Shin fixed the metal block and did the first hit, then Schnee followed, matching the timing with his. Shin could clearly see the oveppingyers this time. A purple film when Shin struck, a blue one when Schnee did.

    What was different from Vulcan and Vaal¡¯s was that Shin and Schnee¡¯s membranes did not simply ovep: Shin¡¯s membrane would break through our repel Schnee¡¯s, which was likely the cause of a failed product.

    Shin noticed it now, so he adjusted his striking power. However, things didn¡¯t go as he hoped. Even if he held back, his magic power membrane would break through Schnee¡¯s often.

    The results were still better than when he forged with Vulcan, though: the resulting item had a +3% lightning resistance effect.

    ¡°This is pretty hard.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t adjust my strength properly either.¡±

    ¡°Despite that, you managed to create something decent. This makes me think that magic power control is more important than cksmithing skill?¡±

    Schnee could also see the ovepping magic power membranes, so she adjusted her striking power ordingly. Based on this, Vulcan hypothesized that the secret behind sessful cooperative forging was the control of magic power.

    ¡°I feel the same. This time it went somewhat well, but rather than striking the iron, I felt I was repelled by it.¡±

    ¡°Which means, we need both a considerable level of magic power control and cksmithing skills. Both have to be trained.¡±

    Shin made this conclusion after hearing Schnee¡¯s reasoning.

    Vulcan was an excellent cksmith, but had poor magic control. Schnee was an expert in magic control, but her cksmithing still needed work. Shin produced better results with Schnee probably because her cksmithing skills were developed to an extent.

    ¡°So this means that we need to practice magic control too¡­that¡¯ll be hard on the youngsters.¡±

    Vulcan mumbled that it was better to leave that after they had be aplished cksmiths. The method of imbuing magic power while forging in pairs was still rtively unknown: money and time were needed to explore it further. If beginners dabbled in it, they risked not being able to make a living.

    ¡°How did you two train your magic control?¡±

    ¡°I try adjusting the power of spells, and maintaining them active in a regted state.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do things like that, maybe because elves are blessed with good magic control since birth. But I tried using magic skills in all sorts of derivative ways, so I believe it helped. Shin¡¯s adjusting method gave me hints too.¡±

    Shin told Vulcan and Vaal the method that Schnee taught him. To prevent the risks of losing control over magic, they used Arts, which had low offensive power. The two cksmiths quickly understood how difficult an exercise it was.

    ¡°I see, I see. This is pretty darned hard.¡±

    ¡°But, I kind of get it. This training is essential to perfect that forging method.¡±

    ¡°No doubt.¡±

    They had just started and couldn¡¯t maintain a proper ¡¾Fireball¡¿, but Vulcan and Vaal were convinced that they had to do it and smiled at each other. It was probably their instinct as artisans which told them so: skipping theories and data altogether, they could feel that ¡°this is the answer we seek¡±, a hunch only true artisans could have.

    ¡°I guess we should focus on this for a while. What are you guys going to do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be busy soon, so I think it will be best to work separately until things calm down.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you¡­naw, nothing. Let¡¯s give it our all, all of us.¡±

    Vulcan was about to say something, but stopped halfway. He shook his head and extended his hand, which Shin shook.

    When Shin and Schnee left the workshop, the sun was almost setting: they had been inside a long time. It wasmon for Shin, but rare for Schnee not to realize it.

    ¡°Well, I was always just waiting before¡­I was happy to be able to work with you, so I lost track of time¡­¡±

    ¡°Gh, what can I say¡­sorry.¡±

    Shin apologized to the blushing Schnee. He often lost track of time while forging: it wasn¡¯t rare for the day to turn to night without him realizing. Schnee would always wait for him, never uttering a singleint. Despite the fact that Schnee now would surely think that it was precious time.

    ¡°I have to be more careful in the future.¡±

    ¡°More careful?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Just my stance, let¡¯s say.¡±

    Leaving Schnee with a question mark over her head, Shin shook his head and faced forward.

 Book 13: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    The next day.

    Hmee said that she would send someone to pick Shin up in the morning. After preparing the necessary items, he was taking it easy by rxing while sipping Schnee¡¯s tea in his hotel room.

    ¡°Guess they¡¯re here?¡±

    Shin felt the presence of a hotel employee heading towards his room. After a few minutes the clerk knocked and announced that his escort had arrived. He went down with Schnee and found Licia waiting.

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait. Our preparations areplete, so we came to apany you.¡±

    ¡°I was just rxing while I waited, so it was nothing.¡±

    Shin reassured Licia that it was no trouble and boarded the horse carriage. There he learned that both of the institute¡¯s heads of the magic department and technology development department would be present while Shin installed the trap items.

    After an uneventful trip, the group reached the institute. Hmee had already left, so they followed Licia to the training dungeon. Hmee was waiting with the guards in a security tower: she was apanied by two male elves, one d in robes and another in work gear. It was clear from their clothes which department they headed.

    ¡°Thank you foring all the way here. Let me introduce you to Iggris, head of the magic department, and Seeran, head of the technology development department.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Iggris. My pleasure.¡±

    ¡°I am Seeran. If the headmistress went to the trouble of calling someone from outside, you must be quite the big shot. I¡¯m expecting great things.¡±

    Iggris greeted Shin tly, without changing his expression in the slightest. His calm mood reminded Shin of how elves behaved as NPCs.

    Seeran, on the other hand, reached for a handshake, clearly very interested in Shin. He looked almost like a kid that had found a new toy.

    Both elves had once been adventurers, but, after hearing that Hmee had started a school, they travelled to Erkunt and offered to help. Leaving their personalities aside, such a lifestyle was quite unusual by elven standards.

    Two male elves had answered Hmee¡¯s call¡­Shin couldn¡¯t help but think they had ulterior motives, but did not say anything. There could be all sorts of bonds between men and women outside of ¡°that¡±, and it would be something very disrespectful to imply after all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start installing right away then.¡±

    Showing the actual items would be faster than exining: no objections were raised, so the group headed towards the dungeon. Shin stopped in front of the entrance and took the items out of his item box, naturally pretending to do so from a pocket.

    ¡°These items are used to ambush monsters. In terms of specs, they can defeat most monsters up to level 500, even monsters only affected by physical or magical attacks. If monsters focused on one of these two items, however, they could break through without being annihted.¡±

    There were several kinds of items to ambush monsters: Shin had chosen orthodox types, which released physical and magical damage light bullets when monsters approached.

    He had prepared two types, one that shot several bullets and one that shot one powerful bullet. Setting both of them made it possible to defeat small fry with the multiple shot trap and target more powerful units with the other, thus they covered each other¡¯s weaknesses.

    Items like these stopped acting if the monsters left a certain radius or perished. The light bullets required stored magical power to be fired, so once it was used up they stopped functioning. The items automatically absorbed surrounding magic power, however, so they rarely needed to be manually charged. This automatic recharge was pretty slow however, so charging them manually was often quicker.

    All kinds of trap items¡¯ active time changed with activation frequency, number of monsters, level etc., so it was important to manage them precisely ording to their location. This time, they were expected to activate only in rare situations, so it would be enough to just mark down their location.

    ¡°That¡¯s all we need to pay attention to. Considering their continuous attack function, I¡¯ll set them on both sides of the entrance¡¯s ceiling and floor, two of each type on each side. Any questions?¡±

    Iggris raised his hand to Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°How durable are the items themselves? Some monsters can attack from long distance, after all.¡±

    ¡°The items themselves do not have really high durability. It depends on the type of attack, but a level 300 monster would need 2 or 3 attacks to destroy them. However, they are protected by a barrier, so in actuality they can survive even 10 punches from a level 500 golem.¡±

    In such a case, they could buy enough time to defeat even a golem like that.

    ¡°How much are these really worth in battle? I did my fair share of adventuring, but I can¡¯t even imagine what a level 500 monster looks like. Could you exin in a way we can understand?¡±

    ¡°Let me see, against the monsters that spawn in this dungeon, they can hold for about two hours.¡±

    Seeran looked deep in thought, and Shin made an example with the training dungeon monsters. They were level 255 at most and unlike a field the dungeon entrance was narrow, so the number of monsters that could pass through at one time was limited.

    In this case, even monsters that appeared inrge numbers, like the ants that Shin fought, would be stopped by the 16 trap items that Shin was going to install. As long as their magic power charge held, of course.

    ¡°That¡¯s rather powerful. It would be troublesome if the government was informed.¡±

    ¡°Right. If the military department¡¯s ¡®nasty sses¡¯ officer got wind of this, they¡¯d definitelyin and confiscate the items.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­can¡¯t argue with that.¡±

    Seeran nodded to Iggris¡¯ment after learning of the items¡¯ power. Hmee looked sour as well: it would definitely not be wise to let the government know. Judging from their tone, it didn¡¯t look like Iggris and Seeran had any intention to do so either.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and install them, then.¡±

    The installing process was notplicated: the items could be buried in the ground or the walls, even without needing to dig. After the item was buried, nothing suggested that there was something hidden. The only way to notice was to use trap detection skills or have very sharp instincts.

    ¡°And we¡¯re done. I already charged them with magic power, so we can just leave them be. They will give a signal if they activate, so I will let you know if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°¡­I want one too.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I can¡¯t let this pass without taking one for analysis¡­¡±

    ¡°Both of you have a lot of other things to do, don¡¯t you? And you always say that there¡¯s not enough manpower!¡±

    ¡°As a technology expert, I cannot overlook this.¡±

    ¡°If I could understand the structure, I could apply it to other uses as well.¡±

    Hmee¡¯s warning barely even reached the two elves¡¯ ears. In a way, that was a natural reaction for researchers. Even so, Shin had no intention of providing them with items.

    ¡°Monster ambush items¡± as a name sounded very appealing, but it was possible to make them target people too. The items used in guild versus guild battles, set to activate when guild houses were attacked, were the same type as the ones that Shin just installed. He couldn¡¯t just hand them out so easily.

    Hmee dragged the two unhappy elves away, saying that their work there was done. Shin and Schnee waved goodbye to her and returned to their lodging.

    They wouldn¡¯t train Lecus¡¯ party that day: few days remained until the final training session, but the students said that they would use the time toe up with a way to fight by themselves, so they were probably busy training by themselves now.

    Shin was very much looking forward to what they would show on thest day.

 Book 13: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 13: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    The fateful final day finally arrived.

    Shin woke up 20 minutes earlier than usual.

    ¡°Good morning, si¡­ahem. Good morning. You¡¯re up earlier than usual.¡±

    Schnee was about to give her usual polite greeting, but corrected herself halfway through. The words that followed, however, were kind of awkward.

    ¡°Morning. Don¡¯t force yourself to change, take your time.¡±

    ¡°I do it because I wi..want to.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s attempts at speaking less politely sometimes met such quirky results. She only tried when she was alone with Shin, though. It didn¡¯t go well every time: she was too used to speaking politely, so sometimes their conversations turned awkward.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take it easy, anyway.¡±

    There was no need to rush.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my face.¡±

    Shin got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He made preparations quickly and had breakfast.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurry, there¡¯s still plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°¡­was I in that much of a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Just like you did in the past when looking forward to an event.¡±

    Shin was eager to see how Lecus¡¯ party would fight, that was probably why he was hurrying.

    ¡°I wonder why..it¡¯s not like they¡¯re my disciples or anything, but it¡¯s just such fun to see them grow.¡±

    ¡°I understand, I had a simr experience too. You can¡¯t help being happy, seeing your pupils be stronger.¡±

    Schneeughed and Shin smiled back. She had prepared some herbal tea, to help him calm down, so Shin started sipping on it to kill time.

    ¡°Weird, how could they bete today, of all times?¡±

    Shin and Schnee arrived at the institute, eager and excited, but none of the three students showed up at the appointed time. Even if they werete, Lecus or Gian would have contacted them.

    Shin and Schnee separated to go check the boys¡¯ and girls¡¯ dorm, only to learn that the three students had apparently already left.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they had any other things to take care of¡­something must have happened after they left.¡±

    Myu was especially excited about the day, so she had talked about it with friends in the dorm as well. The students¡¯ friends, who told Shin and Schnee about their departure, all imed they didn¡¯t know anything about any other ns.

    The appointed location was inside institute grounds, so it was difficult to imagine that they had been caught up in trouble on their way there.

    ¡°Do you think they might still be in the institute?¡±

    ¡°I want to say yes, but there¡¯s something that bothers me.¡±

    What concerned Schnee was the man that Luxuria talked about, who introduced himself as Avaritia¡¯s follower: Hexen. He had fled without fighting, so his strength was unknown, but if he had been able to run away from a Deadly Sin Devil, he clearly wasn¡¯t an average person.

    ¡°After we started training, those three went often to the infirmary, as Luxuria said. If Hexen saw them, he might have thought of using them as hostages¡­¡±

    For Shin and the others, Luxuria¡¯s change of heart, which allowed her to co-exist with people without hurting anybody, was very wee. When Shin saw her earnestly concerned about people, or rather children, he was very surprised.

    This change, however, could turn out to be notpletely positive. The more Luxuria treasured people, the more her heart was closer to them, the more weakness would be generated.

    Just as it had happened to Shin in the past, when someone close to you was targeted, you can end up bing powerless.

    ¡°Schnee, please contact Hmee. I¡¯ll go see if anyone went out of town.¡±

    If they had been taken away, it was highly likely that they would be already outside the town. There was nothing else Shin could do at the moment.

    Even Shin and Schnee¡¯s high battle prowess was little use when looking for someone.

    ¡°Shit! Tell me that we didn¡¯t guess right!¡±

    Shin expanded his detection field as much as he could.

    ¡°Wait¡­what¡¯s that?¡±

    It was a mere coincidence. While he was expanding his detection field from their location towards outside the institute¡¯s premises, he noticed three presences moving together.

    The three dots were heading towards the supposedly sealed training dungeon. He kept following their movements and saw that 2 of the dots gathered around the entrance of the training dungeon started moving towards the three approaching dots. They were probably security guards: eventually, they came in contact with the three dots.

    One of the dots stopped moving, and all the other dots started drawing closer too. They were clearly fighting, which gave Shin a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°They¡¯re fighting.¡±

    ¡°Those three presences¡­could it be them?¡±

    Schnee probably noticed that something was off from Shin¡¯s reaction and expanded her detection field as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what could be the cause, but yes, maybe. Let¡¯s go check.¡±

    They had no other clues at the time. It could be a diversion, but it was far too difficult to find to work as one. There had to be another objective in y. Shin decided to message Hmee, then go to the training dungeon.

    ¡°Hey, are you all right!?¡±

    When Shin and Schnee arrived the fighting was already over: Bermann and the other security guards were all lying on the ground. As it turned out, they really fought against Lecus¡¯ party. Since the three ¡°intruders¡± were students they knew and chosen ones, they managed to send an emergency message, but ended up defeated.

    ¡°Kh, how shameful¡­we couldn¡¯t stop them¡­¡±

    Bermann and the guards were dejected, but based on their equipment and training, they should have been able to hold on until Shin and Schnee arrived. Shin thus inquired further, only to learn that Lecus¡¯ party moved and fought as if they werepletely different people. It was clear that, after all, they weren¡¯t acting on their own will.

    ¡°Will you go by yourselves? It¡¯s too dangerous. We should wait for the headmistress.¡±

    ¡°We have contacted her already. Saving those three is a higher priority now.¡±

    If they were strong enough to defeat Bermann¡¯s group in so little time, sending reinforcements would just create more casualties. The next task was definitely Shin and Schnee¡¯s specialty. Saying that they would just do some reconnaissance, the two entered the training dungeon.

    The walls and floors did not seem to have changed. The traps and contents appeared to be just like the training dungeon always used to be.

    ¡°They have definitely gone inside. Not much time seems to have passed either. I can¡¯t tell which floor they warped to, though.¡±

    Schnee had tracked the three student¡¯s traces with her kunoichi abilities. They had gone to the teleport device room, but it was not possible to know which floor they had gone to.

    ¡°We should be able to find some traces in the floor they went to. I doubt they went to one of the higher floors in this situation¡­it¡¯s a gamble, but let¡¯s try going to the deepest part, from level 200, first.¡±

    If they didn¡¯t find any traces of the students, they would be forced to check all other floors one by one. Hoping that his hunch was right, Shin and Schnee used the teleport. At their destination, they found clear traces that someone had passed.

    ¡°The gamble paid off, then.¡±

    Their relief was very short, as they couldn¡¯t rx just yet, and resumed tracking. Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ they could tell how the floor was structured, so they used together with other detection skills to track the three runaways.

    ¡°No response in the map. But the tracks clearly lead to the deepest part of this area.¡±

    In a normal cave, they could scan underground right away, but training dungeons allowed to see only the floor where one was currently located. Shin¡¯s detection field showed that not only the three students¡¯ responses weren¡¯t there, but no monsters were either.

    ¡°In any case, something must have happened, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡±

    The situation was very simr to when the mob ants were amassed in floor 200. While keeping their guard up, Shin and Schnee hurried to the lower levels, but found nothing anywhere. This continued five times, but when they reached floor 205, something changed.

    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, without a doubt.¡±

    Before the stairs leading down to floor 206, they found a door just like the ones ced before boss chambers. The three students¡¯ tracks led here too.

    ¡°We can¡¯t see inside, huh. Schnee, get ready for an ambush.¡±

    They had made necessary preparations for battle while they descended. Judging it likely that they would fight devil-rted foes, both Shin and Schnee equipped anti-devil gear.

    After Schnee concealed her presence with a skill, Shin opened the door and noticed the silhouette of a man, pierced in the middle by something. He wasn¡¯t anyone they knew. Based on the fact that the map didn¡¯t show his icon, he had to be already dead. What pierced the man seemed to be a half-transparent tentacle.

    It looked like the aura that appeared when Shin or Schnee used skills: its color, however, was much darker and sinister-looking.

    Shin then looked at the base of the tentacle.

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s that?¡±

    The appearance was just like the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» that Shin found after exterminating the Mob Ants, but its size was at least three mel, muchrger than the one found in the mob ant¡¯s body.

    The tentacle was a mutation of aura, so after being removed from the man¡¯s body, it returned silently to the aura emanated by the piece, though it was hardly fitting calling it like that.

    Piece of %#ice ¨C Level 605

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the name and level, and that not only its appearance was abnormal. Judging from its size and the aura it emanated, it was surely somethingpletely different.

    The ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» was an item used to reinforce equipment: devil energy turned into a crystal. If used on a monster, it turned it into a stronger version under themand of the corresponding devil, but the piece itself had no fighting ability.

    ¡°At least they¡¯re safe for now?¡±

    Before the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» stood Lecus and his party, with nk expressions on their faces.

    They were supposed to have received damage in their battle against Bermann and the other guards, but their HP gauge was maxed out. At the very least, they weren¡¯t controlled corpses.

    Over their heads there were ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» with simr size as the one Shin first found. The three pieces emanated auras just like therger one, connected in strings to the three students¡¯ limbs. The three smaller pieces did not show name or level, so they were probably just support units of therger one.

    We¡¯ll save them first, then destroy the big piece.

    Shin and Schneemunicated via Mind Chat, then looked more closely at therger piece. It was very close to the three students: destroying it would have likely released them from its control, but if they were attacked while trying to save them, it would be troublesome.

    Shin was thinking about how to separate the fragments from the students, but Lecus and the others moved first.

    Myu and Gian came closer to him, with Lecus following them a few mels behind. The main piece did not move, which was unsettling, but a chance at the same time.

    Both positively and negatively, however, the three students surpassed Shin¡¯s expectations. The speed at which they were moving was much higher than what he remembered. They were probably powered up by something: the aura stretching from the fragments trailed after them, like afterimages.

    They probably hadn¡¯t noticed Schnee, who was still concealed. Myu and Gian attacked Shin from the right and left side, with a flying kick and a medium thrust. Shin grabbed Myu¡¯s gauntlet and the tip of Gian¡¯s spear, stopping their attacks with brute strength.

    They were indeed faster and stronger than before, but not enough to pose a threat to Shin. He could still make short work of the three. It was because of this that he threw Myu away and pulled the spear to knock Gian on the ground. Just then, three lightning bolts flew through the air and struck him.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d attack them at the same time too, but I guess it won¡¯t go like that?¡±

    The bolts scattered before Shin¡¯s defense power and his equipment; he then swatted away a gust of invisible wind with a hand.

    Lecus¡¯ ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ had been shot as to avoid Myu and Gian.

    If he really was under the devil¡¯s control, he would probably attack with no regard for their safety¡­so guessed Shin, but reality turned out different.

    The other 2 students resumed their attacks too: Gian came from the front, Myu from the back, with 2 other ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ boltsing from the sides. All attacks came with perfectly disced timing: there was no possibility of the 2 closebat fighters to be struck by the aftershocks of the ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ bolts.

    Even if controlled, they clearly understood that if they came in contact with someone hit by ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, they would be shocked too.

    ¡°You fight together even better than before.¡±

    They weren¡¯t moving with their free will, but even so they attacked with perfect timing. Such movements were possible because of their training, which seemed ironic in this situation. Shin thought that he would have preferred not seeing the results of their training in this manner.

    He ignored the thunderbolts, leaving their neutralization to his gear and defense power, and attempted to destroy Myu¡¯s fragment first, since she had the highest mobility.

    He tried to stop her with a skill that caused paralysis, but one instant before he could strike, the aura from the fragment enveloped Myu and nullified the paralysis effect.

    The impact of Shin¡¯s attack wasn¡¯tpletely blocked, so Myu shook a little, but she quickly regained her stance. She was also healed, apparently.

    If the opponent was a simple monster, Shin could take it down with one blow, but he couldn¡¯t use the same strategy with Myu.

    The main piece did not attack, but it couldn¡¯t be ignored: the situation was more difficult to handle than what Shin estimated.

    ¡°(I can¡¯t just waste time like this. Guess I¡¯ll be more forceful)¡±

    Shin was worried about leaving the three students under the influence of the sinister aura for a long period of time. He told Schnee, via Mind Chat, that he had to act with less concern for the damage that could be caused.

    Gian and Myu started their third assault. Shin, however, did not defend himself. He received Myu¡¯s kick and grabbed her head, then went on to meet Gian¡¯s spear himself.

    The spear was repelled by Shin¡¯s gear, knocking Gian off his bnce. Ignoring the spear, Shin advanced forward and grabbed Gian¡¯s head too.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿!¡±

    Just like miasma, devil power could be erased with ¡¾Purification¡¿. He had caught the 2 with anti-devil gauntlets, which had started eating away at the devil power from the moment they hade in contact with the 2 students¡¯ heads, and with ¡¾Purification¡¿ the aurapletely disappeared.

    Shin then used a me-type skill, concentrated in one spot, to attack the smaller fragments that connected Lecus¡¯ party to therger piece. Because of the purification, the limbs of dark aura that chained Lecus and the others vanished, then heat lines were released.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that the chains would disappear if the fragments were destroyed, so he used magic to make sure to destroy thempletely.

    After the heat lines disappeared, there was no trace of the smaller pieces. Myu and Gian fell down, as if devoid of all strength. As far as Shin could tell, they were not affected by any negative status conditions.

    ¡°I am sorry, I failed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be, that couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Schnee had faced against Lecus, but since he was close to the main piece, a barrier was formed and, before she could attack it, Lecus had been transported before it.

    ¡°Devil ¨C Killer ¨C Arm¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee were considering their next action, when Lecus¡¯ mouth uttered a series of words. Differently from his previous empty look, his eyes were now firmly looking at them.

    ¡°Luxeria ¨C Aura ¨C Trust?¡±

    The uttered words became gradually clearer. Then, before Shin and Schnee could move, the aura binding Lecus disappeared and the piece returned to therger one. At the same time, Lecus dropped like a marite with severed strings.

    He wasn¡¯t affected by status conditions, like Myu and Gian: the main piece had thus released Lecus of its own will.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need that anymore.¡±

    Normal, clear speech was heard from the main piece. Shin thought that it was trying to catch them off guard, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to attack. Despite itsck of eyes, however, they could feel someone, something, staring at them.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Goal,plete.¡±

    Despite the reply, it didn¡¯t seem like they could actuallymunicate.

    Before Shin could ask anything else, the aura took tentacle form again and attacked Shin.

    ¡°Schnee, take those 2 away. I¡¯ll go rescue Lecus.¡±

    Shin shed the tentacle aura with the anti-devil longsword ¡ºI¡» and started running.

    ¡¾Spirit of Pigritis Level 605¡¿

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ activated again, maybe because the piece was acting in a different manner. What it showed was clearly different from before.

    ¡°A piece of Sloth? Not Avarice?¡±

    Shin was confused by the new name, but his opponent didn¡¯t give him time to think. Thankfully, the aura tentacles aimed at Shin only: he avoided moving too much, so that Lecus wouldn¡¯t be a target, and moved gradually closer while parrying the tentacles¡¯ attacks.

    In case Lecus was targeted, he kept magic stocked at all times.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Looks like our friend here is very interested in me. Sorry, can you take care of Lecus too?¡±

    Schnee returned, still concealed, and Shin asked her to rescue Lecus. If Shin did it himself, the tentacles might have targeted the elven student.

    ¡°Death,e. Me, I, greed, sloth, lust, all, can kill.¡±

    The aura¡¯s color changed. It was as sinister as before, but the faint yellow hue now turned green.

    ¡°OoOh, oOooh, O Death! O HuNTeR of DeAdlY SinS!¡±

    An unnaturally echoing voice spread from the piece. The aura tentacles underwent a change too. They were no more just different shapes of aura: their tips changed to sharp des, their size growing muchrger too.

    The tentacles were now 7: the many tentacles from before merged, so their individual power likely increased.

    ¡°I see, so this is Sloth.¡±

    Shin looked at the piece, split in 2 parts: it was an ability that the Sloth devil possessed. As far as Shin knew, Sloth could originally split even more, but now it was probably limited by something, and did not split into more than 2 parts.

    All tentacles rushed towards Shin: he was the sole target just like before. 14 des surrounded him, to attack from all sides.

    ¡°Yes, target me, just like that!¡±

    Shin ran in the opposite direction of Lecus¡¯ location, to make it easier for Schnee to rescue him. He lowered his stance and jumped towards one side of the tentacles, to take care of some of the des and lower their total number.

    The des attacked from all sides, but their number was limited. Since they attacked from the front, back, sides and even from above, a max of three des could attack from one direction: a number Shin could easily neutralize.

    He stopped 2 with the longsword and another with his gauntlet. The repelled des carved through the ground like digging through sand. They looked thin, but their offensive capabilities were clearly higher than their level.

    Shin then shed the aura that bound the des to the piece, severing it as if cutting through rubber. The separated des vanished, while the piece¡¯s aura formed new ones. Recovery speed was around 1, 2 seconds.

    ¡°Death! Death!¡±

    The piece continued saying the same lines while attacking Shin. It had probablypletely forgotten about Lecus and the others. It felt almost obsessed in attacking Shin. The tentacles¡¯ attacks, however, were not haphazard at all: they didn¡¯t interfere or bump against each other, moving precisely towards Shin.

    He avoided another barrage and went closer to the piece and kicked one of its 2 prongs. The aura was scattered and arge crack appeared on its surface.

    Then, something bizarre happened. The HP gauge of both soul fragments decreased. As far as Shin remembered, after splitting they should have had separate HP gauges. If it wasn¡¯t a disy error, it meant that even after splitting the soul fragments retained HP inmon.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s rted to the voice being there or not?¡±

    Shin had kicked the part that didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re not hearing me, are you.¡±

    Shin tried to talk with the source of the voice as he parried the des, hoping to gather information, but received no response at all. Deciding that all he could do was defeat it, he gripped his longsword with more power.

    He had already confirmed that Schnee had moved Lecus somewhere safe. There was no risk of involving him anymore.

    As he made this conclusion, the soul fragment had turned back into one. Probably due to this fusion, its HP was back at max.

    Shin faced it head on: the sharp aura des were met with the de of his longsword ¡ºI¡», which swung infused with Shin¡¯s magic power, slicing the des in 2. The longsword¡¯s silver de now had blue patterns, because of the magic power dwelling in it.

    It was the perfect situation for the anti-devil longsword ¡ºI¡» to exert its full power. Maybe because of its boosted effectiveness against devils, the des regenerated at slower pace than before. Even before regenerating, though, the tentacles continued to attack.

    The soul fragment had returned to being one, but the tentacles were still 7. Far from being enough to stop Shin.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    Shin continued mowing down the tentacles, without an inch of restraint, then sunk ¡ºI¡»¡¯s de into the soul fragment. Its special effectiveness manifested fully, slicing the fragment in two.

    Just to be sure, Shin swung ¡ºI¡» again. 6 shattered fragments fell to the ground, melting away as soon as they touched it. Soon after, a green crystal about the size of a fist appeared.

    ¡°¡­is it over?¡±

    Shin examined the crystal, which turned out to be the item ¡ºDrop of Pigritis¡», proof of defeat of the Sloth devil. In other words, even if its appearance was different, the soul fragment that fought against Shin was the Sloth devil itself.

    The crystal¡¯s size, however, was half of what it used to be.

    Shin wasn¡¯t convinced that it was truly over. His opponent was a devil: the name disyed was Sloth, but its appearance and abilities were both different than what he remembered. It could have been pretending to be defeated, only to attack again by surprise.

    The map, however, did not show any presences except Shin¡¯s own. He asked Schnee too, who was with Lecus and the others, but she didn¡¯t feel anything either.

    ording to what Lecus and the others said, they were approached by a man on the way to training grounds, but could not recall what happened next.

    That man was on the corner of the room, deceased. Shin and Schnee had arrived toote, there was nothing to do about it. He also was probably the man who had visited Luxuria.

    Although the name changed halfway, the three students were under the control of a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡». It couldn¡¯t be unrted to Greed.

    Shin and Schnee entrusted Lecus¡¯ party to Hmee, who had rushed to the dungeon after receiving the message, then left. Because of the nature of the incident, it would be dealt with in absolute secrecy. They headed to the institute to discuss further.

    ¡°By the way, Luxuria mentioned having met Sloth, didn¡¯t she.¡±

    Shin remembered this detail during the conversation with Luxuria as they were heading to the institute grounds. At the same time, he remembered what happened when he sliced the soul fragment in 2.

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well¡­Sloth might have lured us there to decrease Greed¡¯s power¡­is what I was thinking. It wasn¡¯t as strong because it had taken Greed¡¯s power, maybe. Not that I have any proof.¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t failed to notice that just before ¡ºI¡» struck the fragment, the aura protecting it weakened. He thought it was because of the longsword¡¯s anti-devil properties, but even so, the timing was too perfect.

    The words ¡°Death!¡±, uttered by the fragment, concerned him too. To Shin, it sounded like it was pleading to ¡°Give us death!¡±.

    ¡°ording to Luxuria, Sloth too refused to fuse. It could have been its way to fight against it.¡±

    Schnee had heard those words too. Because of this, she could agree that Shin¡¯s theory was not a far-fetched fantasy.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m liking less and less the fact that Greed is out there, doing whatever it pleases.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee, quietly renewing their resolve, walked towards the institute.

    The day of the decisive battle was not too distant.

 Book 14: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    After the battle and victory over the evil deity Adetropos, Shin and Schnee were transported to the Erkunt institute of magic.

    There they met former yer Hmee, now the institute¡¯s headmistress, who plead for them to help protect the students from the Deadly Sin devil who took residence in the institute.

    While they managed to reach a peaceful agreement with the source of such trouble, the devil of lust Luxuria, they learned that the aggressive devil of greed is baring his fangs at the institute.

    In such a situation, the three students that Shin met in the training dungeon near the institute ¨C Miu, Gian, and Lecus ¨C fell under someone¡¯s control. Shin and Schnee rescued them and defeated the puppetmaster.

    The dropped crystal, however, did not show greed¡¯s name, as it was a ¡ºDrop of Pigritis¡»¡­

    Shin and Schnee visit the institute, in order to discuss the matter of the students falling under maniption. In the room they were shown to they find not only Hmee, but also Luxuria.

    ¡°Have you heard already?¡±

    After a short greeting, Shin touched upon the main topic.

    ¡°Yes, it is probably as you guessed: Sloth tried rebelling against Greed. Like me, Sloth wasn¡¯t keen on Greed¡¯s attitude either. He was waiting for a chance to rebel, I think.¡±

    Luxuria had already heard about the incident from Hmee and gave her own conclusion, in a concerned tone. Something was probably weighing on her mind.

    ¡°How are those three? Did they feel sick afterwards?¡±

    ¡°They drank the elixir you gave us, as far as we know they¡¯repletely fine. They say the same themselves. Luxuria also said that they aren¡¯t affected by the devil anymore.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m pretty sure of that.¡±

    Hearing Hmee and Luxuria¡¯s replies, Shin felt relieved.

    All he could do to heal was use skills or items. He had asked Schnee to look at them too, but now that a devil like Luxuria confirmed it too, he felt his remaining concerns disappear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the matter again, then. This time there are people involved too, so making countermeasures will be difficult, I think.¡±

    If someone cooperated with devils out of their own free will, Shin¡¯s items would register them as normal people: it wouldn¡¯t be possible to repel them individually.

    ¡°In regards to that, I would like you to tell us any effective strategies against devils that you know. We couldn¡¯t help Myu and the others in time, but we might be able to do something to avoid simr idents.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know any counter-strategies, Hmee?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not. During the game events I always depended on others, so I don¡¯t know much about items or attacks effective against devils. I asked other yers and learned a bit, but¡­actually putting it into practice is a whole other matter.¡±

    There were anti-devil weapons and armor, which caused extra damage to devils and their cohorts, and defended against attacks causing status ailments. Concerning status ailments, there were items that neutralized them entirely. If you could gather enough, there was no risk of being utterly destroyed, even with a wide level gap.

    The problem was gathering enough items. Devils did not spawn here and there, like normal monsters or bosses, so there were few chances of using them. Moreover, materials were much more expensive and harder toe by now than in the game era. Even if you had the right recipe, it was difficult to find a cksmith that could forge the gear in question. In conclusion, fighting with numbers would be difficult if not impossible.

    ¡°Countermeasures outside of weapons and armor, huh. The quickest one would be using skills, but we can¡¯t just teach them to the whole army¡­¡±

    The regr way of learning them would take too much time; even if they used ¡ºSecret Book¡» items, they didn¡¯t have nearly enough of them. One option would be to teach skills only to executives or officers, but this had probably been done already.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we could gather inrge numbers? Especially if it¡¯s cheap to make and requires few materials.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it would be way too easy if something like that existed¡­¡±

    Items with low cost and low effectiveness existed, but distributing them to a whole army meant preparing a massive quantity.

    Item creation required several skills too, so spreading them to arge number of people would be unfeasible.

    ¡°Gathering a small group of strong warriors and giving them the right equipment and items is the best way after all, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Normal soldiers would just get ughtered before using the items, or fall to the enemies¡¯ pressure and not even use them. I agree that it¡¯s better to give them to warriors with reliable skills, like Chosen Ones. I can lend them weapons too.¡±

    The enemy was a Deadly Sin devil, it wasn¡¯t time to hold anything back.

    Considering the penalties for insufficient stats, the gear Shin could lend would be Legend or Mythology grade. He was bing famous already, so there wasn¡¯t much of a point in trying to hide anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but I suppose that¡¯s the only way. I¡¯ll make a list of the weapons favored by the best warriors we have. I am a bit concerned about what will happenter, after it bes known that we have so many weapons at our disposal¡­I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to help.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­let¡¯s see. Let¡¯s say that I am thest remaining descendant of a n of devil killers. I couldn¡¯t just run away leaving all the trouble to you and Masakado.¡±

    ¡°¡ªif needed, simply say that you¡¯re connected to me. I won¡¯t let anyone cause you trouble.¡±

    Schnee, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. If they said to be connected to Schnee Raizar, people would think twice before interfering.

    ¡°Is that really alright? That¡¯s troublesome in itself, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I had decided to ept requests only until Shin came back after all.¡±

    Schnee left Shin¡¯s side only to deal with the consequences of jobs she had epted in the past.

    ¡°¡­it might be effective to announce that Shin is my husband too.¡±

    Schnee mentioned it quite casually, but Hmee agreed wholeheartedly.

    ¡°It definitely would draw attention away from the anti-devil gear or your fighting prowess, but you¡¯d attract attention nheless.¡±

    The fact that Schnee had found apanion would make a lot more noise than the news of someone capable of defeating devils.

    Hmee added that the vige of High Elves would definitely move to confirm if it was true.

    ¡°I do not care one bit about the Elf vige. Many High Elves have excessive amounts of pride, so I do not even want to get close to them.¡±

    ¡°The vige¡¯s High Elves would cry if they heard this¡­well, they brought it upon themselves, though.¡±

    ¡°It matters little to me, honestly.¡±

    Unusually for Schnee, she reacted to Hmee¡¯s words in a rather curt manner. Being part of the Elf race caused her trouble in the past, apparently.

    ¡°You¡¯re both pretty free-spirited, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it¡­¡±

    Shin was patting Schnee¡¯s head to relieve her sour mood, when Luxuria shrugged her shoulders at them.

    ¡°Anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be faster to ask Luxuria about anti-devil strategies? Being a devil, she surely knows best.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about a devil that would tell others their weakness¡­but it¡¯s pretty much as you said. In terms of information quality, I might even lose to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Luxuria was not just a monster now. She had the same intellect as a human, or maybe even more.

    ¡°People don¡¯t know perfectly what magic or medicine is effective on them, or what the actual effects are, do they? It¡¯s the same for us. I can tell by instinct if something would be fatal, but about the rest, well¡­who knows.¡±

    ¡°If you put it like that, I don¡¯t have anything to say.¡±

    Shin realized that he couldn¡¯t give a satisfying answer if he was asked about what weapons or items were most effective on him. He could say to use Ancient grade weapons, or gear specialized against humans, but that was it.

    ¡°If you used the items Shin mentioned on me, you¡¯d see how effective they are, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­is it okay to say that so casually? It¡¯s like human experimentation, I don¡¯t really like the idea.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die instantly, so it¡¯s okay. Go ahead and try, if it works on me, it¡¯ll work on Avaritia too.¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯d go so far¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t have the slightest intention of bing one with that thing.¡±

    Luxuria crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head left and right. Maybe because of something that happened in the past, she loathed the idea so much she even felt fear.

    ¡°Well, regardless of testing the items on Luxuria or not, it¡¯d be better to go somewhere we won¡¯t risk being seen, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    At the very least, it wasn¡¯t something to do in the headmistress¡¯ office. Shin wasn¡¯t keen on the idea at all, but they decided to meet another day.

    ¡°Is there anything else to discuss?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one more thing. This is more important, in a way.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll be something pleasant¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s expression made it clear that it wouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°We received a message from the royal pce¡­they want Luxuria to appear before their inquirymission.¡±

    ¡°An inquirymission? Wait, how do inquiries work here?¡±

    Shin had a general idea of what inquirymissions did in the real world. In this world, however, thews and structure of society were different. It might be something with the same name, butpletely different contents.

    ¡°Thismission examines individuals who caused problems within organizations tied with the kingdom of Erkunt, giving punishment when necessary. Luxuria is part of the Erkunt institute of magic¡¯s teaching body¡±, after all. Different from our former world, it¡¯s not really a fair organization, though¡­not that there was much fairness in the former world either¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?? You look tired of everything all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­no matter the world, there are always idiots that are only good at holding you back¡­someone leaked that Luxuria is one of the Deadly Sins devils¡­¡±

    The likely culprit had already been identified. With the approaching risk of a Deadly Sins devil, Avaritia, it was nothing short of a disaster that the institute was found to be harboring another devil.

    Even if she had no hostile intentions, many would definitely express extreme reactions to her strength and abilities.

    ¡°I had introduced her as someone I personally picked, which became a problem too.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, with a high level devil in the school, I can see that¡­¡±

    The reason why the kingdom had not simply sent someone to exterminate the ¡®threat¡¯ was to avoid instigating Luxuria, for fear that she went on a rampage in the kingdom, and that Hmee said that Luxuria was working seriously in the institute and offered to coborate against the Greed devil, so they could make use of it.

    ¡°Will she really cooperate? Is she really not hostile?¡­they also want to confirm other things. Luxuria being a devil, however, is a huge minus: more than half of themission members are in favor of her being disposed of. The member with most authority is the very person who caused this problem too¡­I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be much of an ¡®investigation¡¯.¡±

    The final verdict didn¡¯t depend on one vote per member, apparently: votes depended on the member¡¯s rank and title. This time, themission members with most voting rights were in the ¡°exterminate Luxuria¡± faction. Hmee added that if things continued like this, the result would definitely be negative.

    ¡°One person has multiple votes and the quantity is different per member? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a relic of the age when the upper ss had more privileges¡­from the reign of the former king, many rules have been revolutionized, and the situation has been improving under the current king though.¡±

    The nobles still held onto the concept of being ¡®chosen¡¯, which blocked certain rules from being changed and created the current snag.

    ¡°The king is a prudent person, so he would never approve of sending an extermination party right away. Luxuria never caused any problems until now after all. She has been working with the technology development department too, which has helped create products appreciated by the people.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, I suppose we should be d that they didn¡¯t go ¡°monsters shall perish!!¡± right away¡­but if themission judges her to be evil, then it¡¯s the same, right? Is there any way we can unequivocally prove that Luxuria is an ally?¡±

    ¡°I tried thinking about it, but¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s sour expression showed that she hadn¡¯te up with any useful proposals.

    ¡°Domission members ever change?¡±

    ¡°They all have membership terms, but usually they never change. Unless they cause a scandal, at least. Which we don¡¯t have any evidence of¡­¡±

    Apparently they had already tried to getmission members disqualified.

    ¡°Another possibility I thought of was a direct order from the king¡­but that brings its share of problems too.¡±

    ¡°If the king ordered a coboration with a devil, there would be a massive bacsh. The current stance is to use Luxuria for defense, if possible, so it¡¯s still okay, but¡­¡±

    When Luxuria was exposed as a devil, Hmee rted all she knew about Avaritia too.

    Luxuria is a level 700 devil. The fact that an even stronger devil wasing to attack kept those who wanted Luxuria exterminated in check, since she could be an effective countermeasure.

    From the training dungeon events, it was clear that Avaritia used monsters to do his bidding.

    There are plenty of monsters stronger than people. Once the enemy side was ready in terms of both quality and quantity, Erkunt would definitely fall. The kingdom was probably thinking that the best oue was for the devils to take each other down.

    ¡°Unfortunately, nothing I could say would have any effect¡­¡±

    ¡°They know you have skills that affect mental states after all.¡±

    Mental skills are very dangerous, so it was widely known which monsters could use them. Devils were some of the most infamous examples.

    Luxuria was capable of charming others, regardless of gender, so people could fall under her control without realizing anything. If she even just spoke, some would suspect that she was trying to charm them, so just making conversation was difficult.

    ¡°If Luxuria is deemed dangerous, Hmee¡¯s position is at risk too, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°If they use me of concealing a devil, well, there¡¯s nothing I can say in return. Devils are enemies of the people, normally. I think Luxuria poses no problems though. After talking with her, I can say this with confidence.¡±

    ¡°Oh my. You might have been charmed without your knowledge, you know?¡±

    Luxuria poked fun at Hmee¡¯s assertion, but thetter did not change expression and continued.

    ¡°We have been taking care of the students together for 3 years after all. Thinking about her level and stats, I was scared before, but since I knew how the devils used to be, that couldn¡¯t be helped. If I faced her honestly earlier, I might have understood that she was no threat earlier too.¡±

    I don¡¯t know if I could have managed that though¡­concluded Hmee with a chuckle.

    If there was only her life at stake, Hmee would have done it, or so Shin thought. In the former world too, she had sacrificed her life for others after all.

    ¡°Oh dear, I surrender. What devil has ever seen such a smile?¡±

    Luxuria looked away, to escape Hmee¡¯s gaze. Her side profile, after the childish gesture, showed some blushing. Yes, apparently even devils can blush.

    ¡°If the Avaritia business hadn¡¯t happened, everything would have gone smoothly¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Luxuria was a bit different than the usual, but she did not seem to be acting. Schnee agreed with Shin¡¯s opinion and nodded, smiling.

    ¡°Hey! Why are you looking at me like you¡¯re watching an emotional scene?? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m a devil!!¡±

    ¡°You acted like the cool beauty type, while you¡¯re in fact more of a cute type? As expected of lust, truly.¡±

    ¡°What are you even talking about!?!¡±

    It was rare to see Luxuria flustered. It took a few more minutes before Hmee¡¯s enthusiasm calmed down.

    ¡°So, how should we prove that Luxuria isn¡¯t dangerous¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t stop her from making fun of me, and force your way back to the main topic, I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­about that, I thought¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me!! You could have done something, you know!! Listen to me or I¡¯ll attack you! Sexually!¡±

    Luxuria continued her protest, with a flustered voice that didn¡¯t fit her former image at all. She wasn¡¯t used to be made fun of, so she was apparently quite stressed.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to see each other often from now on too, don¡¯t get all huffed over something like this,e on.¡±

    ¡°But things like that give me goosebumps¡­¡±

    Luxuria knit her brows, still blushing a little, and held her body tight. Her well-developed breasts were pushed up as a result, pushing visibly against the sweater.

    ¡°Kh, look at her, so sexy even when she¡¯s embarrassed¡­I guess I just don¡¯t have enough volume¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive how you can think of things like that at a time like this¡­¡±

    Hmee spoke while looking at her own chest, and Luxuria sighed in response.

    ¡°When you¡¯re in a pinch mentally, it¡¯s hard toe up with good ideas. We don¡¯t really have much leeway anymore.¡±

    Hmee said that she made fun of Luxuria and stared at her chest like that just to relieve her spirits a bit. Though, it could have had the opposite effect and push her back against the wall even more.

    ¡°So, can I go back to the topic?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    ¡°Like I said before, about the way to prove that Luxuria isn¡¯t a threat¡­I mentioned that we could say that I¡¯m from a n of devil hunters, right? What if we used that?¡±

    Shin then exined his proposal. Hmee concluded that it was better than her n, pointed out some points to improve it, and then they agreed to use it.

 Book 14: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    After a few days, Shin and Schnee (disguised as Yuki) joined Hmee¡¯s group and entered the royal castle.

    Inquiries were usually held in a special underground chamber, but this time it would be done in a special hall for the exclusive use of people above a certain rank. They wondered if it was okay to let a devil inside the castle, but concluded that there was no other way to hold the inquiry.

    Normally, Shin and Schnee did not have the right to participate in the inquiry, but Hmee insisted that they had an important role in the matter, so special permission was granted. Only Shin was allowed inside, however, so Schnee would have to wait outside the inquiry room.

    ¡°They¡¯re pretty spooked, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Shin whispered while looking at the soldiers surrounding them, as they followed the soldier leading them to the hall.

    ¡°Obvious, isn¡¯t it? No matter their number or how well equipped they are, I can turn them into mincemeat with a flick of my wrist. Yet they have to apany me¡­working in the castle can be rather harsh indeed.¡±

    ¡°It would be enough to just have someone guide us there then. There would be just more casualties this way.¡±

    ¡°They have to save face, I guess?¡±

    ¡°You two, walk quietly. They can hear you.¡±

    Shin and Luxuria were whispering, but the corridors were so quiet that footsteps could be clearly heard, so there was no way their conversation was unheard.

    After Hmee¡¯s rebuke they looked forward again and found the soldiers with a stiff expression andplexion so pale they seemed anemic.

    Usually, at least a couple soldiers would be smitten with Schnee, but this time none of them acted as if they were, they sternly looked ahead. They probably heard what Shin and Luxuria said, but there was no response. They possibly felt that if they said anything they risked turning into a target.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if they learn that it¡¯s possible to hold normal conversations with me?¡±

    ¡°That might be true, but¡­don¡¯t scare them for nothing, okay?¡±

    ¡°Do not fret, I will never oppose my ¡®master¡¯.¡±

    Luxuria then shed a chilling smile, which she regarded as more ¡°devil-like¡±.

    She had just changed the way she smiled: she was wearing her usual sweater, tight skirt, and white coat, just like she did in the institute.

    The major difference was therge ck cor around her neck: the cor, one cemel wide, looked just like the ¡ºSubmission Cor¡» used by the church in the holy woman kidnapping incident.

    It only shared the appearance with it, however: what Luxuria wore was just that, a cor made of metal. It did not have any special effects and she could crush it with one hand if she wanted.

    ¡°This way, please enter.¡±

    Guided by the guard¡¯s stern voice, Shin and the others entered a room. The inquiry hall wasrger than Shin expected, with the location for the inquiry subject to stand on at the center.

    On higher seats all around this subject stand sat themission members.

    The member seats were ced along the round walls. At their center sat a fairly obese man in his forties and a man in his sixties with white hair slicked back, on seats higher than the other members. They directly faced the subject stand, so they were probably the members who would lead the inquiry. Their appearance was, respectively, of a typical noble used to a life of luxury, glittering with jewels, and thetter of an ¡°old-fashioned¡± noble that conveyed a strong sense of authority.

    As Shin expected, Luxuria and Hmee were invited to go to the center. Shin could simply stand behind them.

    ¡°We shall nowmence the inquiry ofdy Hmee Hirasato anddy Luxuria.¡±

    The old noble announced the beginning of the inquiry. His low voice echoed in the hall.

    ¡°Presently, Ms. Hmee is suspected of inviting the devil of lust, one of the Deadly Sin devils and personification of misfortune, into our kingdom, and concealing it for a long period. There is also the suspicion of trying to beckon the devil of greed into our kingdom.¡±

    The old noble red at the two women as he spoke in a frank tone.

    ¡°Sir Zear. Suspicions, you say? Are those not undeniable facts?¡±

    The old noble, called Zear, was interrupted by the obese noble sitting next to him.

    ¡°Sir Cobal. Refrain from personalments during the inquiry. These suspicions have not yet been confirmed as facts.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for inquiries. If that woman truly is a deadly sin devil, we are already under her influence.¡±

    ¡°That is not for you to decide, sir.¡±

    Cobal was trying to hasten the resolution, ignoring Hmee and Luxuria, but Zear did not budge. Shin quickly realized that Cobal was an enemy.

    After a while the inquiry started again: the first point of discussion was Luxuria.

    ¡°We have been informed that you,dy Luxuria, oppose the greed devil and would cooperate to defeat it, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Sir Zear!? You cannot speak with a devil, your mind will fall under her control!¡±

    ¡°Do not worry, such a thing will not happen. She is already under someone else¡¯s control.¡±

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±

    Zear stopped Cobal¡¯s panic with a gesture, then looked at Hmee.

    ¡°The cor around her neck limits her actions and forbids her from using mental skills or to harm people.¡±

    ¡°A devil, a monster capable of obliterating entire countries, is under someone¡¯s control? Utterly ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°It is true, however. The adventurer standing behind her is her current master.¡±

    The entiremission¡¯s eyes turned towards Shin.

    ¡°I am indeed that adventurer. My name is Shin.¡±

    ¡°The weapon you carry¡­is that the rumored shing Hammer¡¯s¡­?¡±

    ¡°I have been called that, yes.¡±

    Shin made it a point to visibly equip ¡ºKakura¡», as he thought that if his name was heard along with it, people would recognize him from the rumors. If no one did, he nned to introduce himself as ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡±.

    ¡°The neer who distinguished himself in the Balmel battle and reached rank A in one fell swoop, is it? Is whatdy Hmee said true? Is this devil really under your control?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I am the descendant of a n which earned its living hunting devils. I believe I am more knowledgeable than most about devils.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any proof? You could be under her spell yourself, could you not?¡±

    Zear did not blindly believe Hmee¡¯s words and asked Shin to prove his words.

    ¡°A fair suspicion. But, as a member of a n that thrives upon hunting devils, do you not think that I would prepare fitting countermeasures?¡±

    ¡°You probably would. Yet the devil in question is one of the Deadly Sins, a being on a whole different level than average monsters. Naturally, the power they wield is on a different ne as well. I do not think it bizarre for us to be concerned about that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you are right. As you are probably already aware, I am a Chosen One. I, as well as my n, possess strong defenses against mental skills. This item further increases such defenses. In our past battles against Deadly Sins devils, no one has ever been controlled. Furthermore, while I may sound arrogant, my fighting abilities are said to exceed my ancestors: I am positive that I will never be controlled.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The item described as increasing defenses against maniption is the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡» Shin had equipped. Not only did it raise such defenses, but it neutralized these attacks unless the opponent was incredibly powerful.

    Zear¡¯s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Shin to determine whether he spoke the truth or not, but Shin returned his gaze calmly.

    The neutralization of mental skills was a huge advantage against devils: when fighting against them, the greatest danger was having your allies turn against you.

    ¡°Why would the descendant of a devil-hunting n appear with such convenient timing? I have never even heard of the existence of such a n. Have you made it all up to dodge our questioning?¡±

    When Zear finished speaking, Cobal intervened. His doubts were surprisingly pertinent, considering how he had one-sidedly treated Hmee as a criminal.

    ¡°I am always on the hunt for devils, so it is only natural for me to be in ces where devils are or that devils target. I have onlye here because I detected the Greed devil¡¯s movements in the area. The existence of my n is normally kept hidden, to prevent our enemies from finding us and giving unnecessary worries to the general poption. Whenever we appear, a devil is nearby: this fact can give security, but also fear, a perfect gap for devils to strike.¡±

    ¡°If so, howe that devil is under your control? Could it be that you are in fact behind all this? If you can control devils, it would be easy to use them to increase your fame and reputation.¡±

    ¡°Among adventurers there are Tamers, who train monsters to fight alongside them. In a way, devils are a type of monster too, thus they too can be tamed. Normally they are not this docile, however: the most one can expect is to prevent them from going wild. This technique was originally used to prevent them from causing damage to their surroundings, or to keep such damage at a minimum. The fact that it is possible to talk normally with the devil proves that it obeys me from the heart. Using devils for our own personal gains is one of my n¡¯s greatest taboos. Allow me to clearly state that it is simply unthinkable.¡±

    During the game era taming Deadly Sins devils was not possible. In this world, however, the rules set by the game were morex. That was why it was also possible for Tiera to form a contract with a divine beast such as Kagerou. Following this train of logic, it was impossible to deny that Deadly Sins devils could be tamed, even if it was not possible before.

    The suspicion of controlling devils for personal purposes too hit the mark, however, so Shin added that if the control was ever broken, the user would die.

    ¡°This condition was set to prevent the presence of traitors within the n. Not even Chosen Ones can undo it. If one of us ever fell under control, this condition would activate.¡±

    ¡°Considering who your enemies are, you are in need of such countermeasures, I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If a hunter of devils turned evil themselves, the potential damage would be much greater than just a devil¡¯s rampage.¡±

    Shin agreed with Zear¡¯sment. He had discussed beforehand with Hmee and Luxuria about the questions that might arise, so he never fumbled his answers.

    ¡°Devils can be subjugated. I still find it hard to believe, but if it is true, it will be an effective countermeasure against the Greed devil. Let me confirm once again, that devil cannot use mental skills now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°If so, answer the first question we asked,dy.¡±

    ¡°My, how surprising. You believe the words of a man,ing from outside your country, from who knows where?¡±

    ¡°We have gathered our own information. I already knew that you haven¡¯t created any casualties around you.¡±

    Hmee¡¯s involvement and the training dungeon events were already known too.

    Even so, speaking directly to a devil required a healthy dose of courage. Cobal and the other members silently witnessed the exchange, with stiff expressions on their faces.

    ¡°My, I see. I had heard you were the military type, but I suppose this much must be expected from a duke.¡±

    ¡°Information gathering is vital for fighting as well. I am sure an aplished researcher such as yourself knows that well.¡±

    Zear responded to Luxuria¡¯s grin with a smile himself. The exchange seemed peaceful, but Shin could tell that both of them were being extremely cautious.

    ¡°I know that much, yes. Allow me to answer, then. Greed¡¯s objective is to absorb me, thus nearing aplete form. I am not interested in the slightest, however. You might scoff at a devil saying something like this, but I quite enjoy my current life. Greed will never be satisfied by such an answer however, and will do whatever it takes to reach his goal. I too want him to disappear. In such a case, working together would be more effective.¡±

    ¡°A devil wants to kill its brethren? O sir Zear, have I fallen prey to her spell already?

    ¡°Compose yourself, sir Cobal. It appears that she is not lying.¡±

    Zear rebuked the agitated Cobal. It seemed clear that Zear did not doubt Luxuria¡¯s words.

    ¡°Oh my, you believe a devil¡¯s words so easily?¡±

    ¡°I am not so foolish as to believe a devil¡¯s words so quickly. Yet, asdy Hmee and sir Shin stated, I understand that you are not using skills while you talk to us. Besides¡ª¡±

    Zear paused for a moment and looked at Shin.

    ¡°With an ally much more threatening than a devil, we can be at ease too.¡±

    Zear¡¯s words and look showed that he understood that Shin was more powerful than Luxuria.

    Maybe because of the people standing outside, Shin considered the Chosen One aura emanating from outside the room as he tried to dispel his restlessness. Hoping that it didn¡¯t show on his face, he firmly returned Zear¡¯s look.

    ¡°Hmm, I see it is time to draw a conclusion. Shall we havedy Luxuria exterminated, or use her? Raise your hand to vote for extermination, do not move to vote for using her.¡±

    Zear looked at his surroundings, then spoke. He probably chose the term ¡°use¡± because putting it as cooperation would not sit well with some members.

    The other members¡¯ reactions were varied: some seemed calm, some smiled, some looked sour, others were agitated. It did not seem that they would reach total consensus. No one raised their hands, however.

    In conclusion, all members voted for using Luxuria.

    ¡°Thus we deredy Luxuria as one of the countermeasures against Greed. Lady Hmee¡¯s judgment will be decided at ater date, depending ondy Luxuria¡¯s achievements. Dismissed.¡±

    Zear dered the conclusion of the inquiry and all members shuffled out of the room from the doors at the sides.

    Ultimately only Shin, Hmee, and Luxuria remained: the soldier who guided them in then motioned at them to exit through the door they used toe in.

    ¡°¡ªgood work out there.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I guess.¡±

    Shin was a bit confused in his reply to Schnee¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t say it because of the soldiers¡¯ presence, but while the end result was positive, the inquiry was very different from what he expected.

    The inquiry was almostpletely Zear¡¯s one-man show, and the extermination faction, which Hmee was concerned about, did not protest at all. Cobal, who was probably the faction¡¯s major member, only asked obvious questions, excluding his very firstment. It felt silly to worry so much.

    ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t we going in the wrong direction?¡±

    Shin was reflecting on the inquiry, wondering if there wasn¡¯t anything strange. After a while, he realized that the soldier was leading them towards the back of the castle.

    ¡°No, this is the right direction. A certain person is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, ¡®a certain person¡¯, really¡­¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to stay quiet for now¡­¡±

    Not even Hmee seemed to know who was waiting. If they caused amotion here and the inquiry¡¯s conclusion was reversed it would be a big problem, so Shin¡¯s group simply followed the soldier.

    Even if the extermination faction waited for them to lower their guards to take care of them all together, Shin and the others could repel their ambush.

    However, despite their suspicions, Shin¡¯s group was led to a room that did not seem to have any traps. They found a gorgeous sofa and table, so they inferred that it was a room used to wee guests.

 Book 14: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    Waiting for them inside the room was Zear. He looked the same as he did during themission, an aged gentleman, but he now carried a stick in his right hand.

    ¡°Thank you for leading our guests here. You may leave.¡±

    Zear had the soldier leave, then turned towards Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°First, let me apologize for summoning you here without warning. I had to talk to you at any cost.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s no problem, but¡­¡±

    Shin hit Hmee with his elbow to prompt her to reply. The group¡¯s leader was supposed to be her.

    ¡°Do you have any doubts concerning the inquirymission?¡±

    ¡°¡­well, yes, To be honest, we expected that we would have to argue more.¡±

    ¡°The extermination faction, yes? I understand their point myself. I understand distrustingdy Luxuria. However, there would be no point in working quietly for three years, as she did. Her abilities allow her to easily control others after all. Even if we chose to exterminate her, very few could stand up to her. The elite warriors of our country could possibly match her in battle, but how many casualties would that cause? It would also create a gap for Greed to strike through. Both in terms of fighting power and strategy, needless fighting would be a very poor move on our part.¡±

    The extermination faction was eerily quiet because work had been done before the inquiry apparently. Hmee had been unaware of this previous effort as things had been done in secret.

    ¡°Furthermore, we had sir Cobal infiltrate the extermination faction, but he is on our side.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    As far as rank was concerned, both Zear and Cobal were dukes. On the surface, however, Zear appeared to be of a slightly higher rank.

    ¡°Is it alright to tell us something so important?¡±

    ¡°I thought it wiser not to keep secrets from you. That talk about being the descendant of a n of devil hunters was a lie, yes?¡±

    Zear answered Shin¡¯s question with a question of his own, a sharp look on his face. His eyes showed that he was confident that he spoke the truth, or so Shin felt.

    Shin nced at Hmee, who had perceived the same thing and nodded at Shin.

    ¡°¡­indeed. It is true that I¡­no, I will drop all pretenses now. I¡¯m not a member of devil hunting ns or anything of the sort. It¡¯s true, however, that if Luxuria ever went wild, I could dispose of her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have heard of your strength. We have done our own research. Today I have seen you with my own eyes, so I ampletely sure. To shake after just looking at someone¡­didn¡¯t happen to me since I met sir Shibaid, who used to serve a High Human.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly at the unexpected mention of a familiar name.

    Zear¡¯s level was 255. It wasn¡¯t clear if he was a Chosen One or a normal person, but to raise one¡¯s level to the limits couldn¡¯t have been easy. Zear aplished it, however, so he had to be much more than just the old noble he looked like. Shin had also realized that the stick he held concealed a de inside.

    ¡°Strength varies greatly, even amongst Chosen Ones. Those called former yers, thanks to their knowledge, often win even against opponents with simr stats. Could you be one too, like sir Masakado and Lady Hmee?¡±

    ¡°You know of yers, sir?¡±

    ¡°In my youth, I did my share of traveling. Thanks to that, I learned much more than I would have if I stayed inside the country.¡±

    Former yers. Hmee was the first to react to Zear¡¯s words. They weren¡¯t exactly secret words, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult to imagine that a noble¡¯s informationwork could pick them up. Many former yers sessfully used the knowledge they acquired in the game era after all.

    ¡°What if I was?¡±

    Hmee¡¯s reaction outed Shin as a former yer. Shin thus asked Zear the reason behind his question.

    ¡°Some former yers do not disclose all the information they possess, to avoid being known as such. Our country, however, is currently in a difficult situation. You all could probably deal with Greed¡­but as you have probably heard, the monsters spawning in the surroundings have changed. Reports say that powerful monsters are increasing. Greed can enve monsters, yes? If such monsters attack us in groups, would we be able to beat them back? Even if we did, how many casualties would there be? There are few Chosen Ones in our country. We are not always subject to such danger, unlike Balmel, so our soldiers are one or two ranks lower than other countries¡¯.¡±

    Shin had heard from Hmee that Erkunt¡¯s armed forces were of a decent level, considering the country¡¯s size, but that was just because there were no hostile countries nearby and the monsters in the surroundings were rtively weak. They were not powerful enough to deal with cmities such as Greed.

    Masakado was temporarily absent too because he had gone to exterminate a monster that normal adventurers couldn¡¯t handle, as Hmee had confirmed.

    ¡°I wish for your assistance, for the sake of our country, for the sake of our people.¡±

    Zear then bowed his head.

    For a duke to lower his head before a mere adventurer -ranked A, but without any title- was unfathomable in noble society. Shin knew that much too.

    The assistance of Shin and his party was indispensable. Zear had enough information to understand that. At the same time, the dangers and risk of threatening the country were enough to make him lower his head without hesitation.

    ¡°I have no intention of just leaving like this either, as I n to destroy Greed. Ah, let me tell you in advance, the drop items will be ours, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hah, you speak as if victory was certain. Consideringdy Luxuria¡¯s obedience, I suppose that you have that much in you.¡±

    Shin expected to be told that it was too early to say that, but unexpectedly Zear just showed a wry smile. He surely knew that Luxuria was a devil, but since themission he kept referring to her as dy¡±.

    ¡°It might be strange for me to say, but in a bout between Greed and my master, my master has little chance of losing. As a devil, I guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°I doubt I can finish him off without letting it cause any damage though. By the way, you don¡¯t need to call me that anymore.¡±

    They had decided that Luxuria would call Shin ¡°master¡± to show that she was under his control. Now that he had dropped his facade as a devil hunter, there was no need to continue.

    Luxuria did not change it, though.

    ¡°You men like this kind of thing, don¡¯t you? Would you like me to serve you more?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time. At all.¡±

    Luxuria peeked closer to Shin¡¯s face, and he answered by covering her face with his hand.

    ¡°Hmm, truly different from the devils spoken of in legends.¡±

    ¡°We just acted on instinct then, just like animals. At present, we possess enough intellect to rival people like you. That is why we can co-exist. Because of such intellect, however, we can also use methods other than brute force.¡±

    Sending cohorts to Luxuria, releasing monsters in the dungeon. Such things didn¡¯t happen in the game era.

    ¡°So even among people, some are fascinated by devils and decide to cooperate with them¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe it is already happening. Greed stimtes people¡¯s desires, so merchants are the most prone, for example. Even if we devils don¡¯t do anything, people act on their desires already, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°It pains me that I cannot deny that. No matter the era, money and power corrupt minds.¡±

    Zear probably had someone on his mind, as his brow furrowed.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in being negative, let¡¯s talk about what to do next instead. Ah, but I need to say something first.¡±

    ¡°What would that be?¡±

    ¡°Luxuria can surely be an asset in battle, but I do not rmend having her fight directly against Greed. When a Deadly Sin devil defeats another, the winner absorbs the loser and grows. This includes Luxuria too. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too likely, but our enemy is a devil, he could use tactics we don¡¯t expect. So I propose Luxuria acts as bait, then when Greed makes his appearance she should focus on defending.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see. Ifdy Luxuria grows too strong, after thismotion settles other problems might arise, is that it?¡±

    ¡°If I draw in Greed¡¯s power, my personality might end up changing. We definitely have bad affinity. So I¡¯d appreciate it if someone else delivered the final blow.¡±

    Luxuria talked while her shoulders dropped. Her current self probably had bad affinity with aggressive devils.

    ¡°Let us hear judgment on this issue too then.¡±

    Zear then looked towards a corner of the room, though there was nothing but the wall there.

    Shin, however, could see the silhouette of people standing beyond the wall.

    A man wearing luxurious clothing and a crown, the very picture of a king, and a very young boy. With them there were also three men and one woman, all wearing armor.

    ¡ª¨CFagall Ent Level 213 Holy Knight

    ¡ª¨CSherlene Ragass Level 238 Holy Knight

    Among the armored silhouettes, Shin was particrly interested in these two. The youngest among the male knights and the only woman. The young man was called Fagall, the woman Sherlene.

    Fagall was approximately 170 cemel tall. He had well kept blonde hair and blue eyes brimming with confidence.

    Sherlene, on the other hand, was a bit taller than Fagall, with hair kept neatly too, tied in a side ponytail.

    Her features were handsome, her stance upright. If she wasn¡¯t wearing armor, one would think she was a model. Her sharp look made her seem cold, but, unlike the slightly nervous Fagall, she did not look too tense.

    The wall slid open, letting the group waiting beyond it inside. Fagall and Sherlene stood on each side of the person who looked like a king, ready to protect him and the prince-like boy if needed.

    ¡°I am the king of the Erkunt kingdom, Kreunzeit Fow Erkunt. I have listened to your conversation from the other room. I too shall take part in it from now.¡±

    Just as Shin guessed, the crowned man was the king of Erkunt. He was blonde with blue eyes, rather slender but with a fierce look in his eyes.

    The boy next to him, the prince, took a nce at Schnee after entering the room and was half mesmerized. Even after Shin and the others were introduced, his eyes were glued on Schnee. When Zear called to him, he returned to his senses and introduced himself.

    ¡°My name is Hawgilear Fow Erkunt. I am still young, but please allow me to join as well.¡±

    ¡°Allow me to speak as the representative of our group. My name is Hmee Hirasato. We offer our humble strength and abilities to His Majesty the King.¡±

    The king nodded in response to Hmee¡¯s greeting, but prince Hawgilear was still looking at Schnee.

    Zear introduced the other members of the king¡¯s party, but among the armored knights, only Fagall and Sherlene were introduced: the other two remained unnamed. Despite having entered the room with the rest of the group, they remained standing against the wall.

    Zear, instead, mentioned more interesting information: Fagall and Shirlene possessed the title of ¡°Hero¡±.

    ¡°Hero¡±, the title possessed also by Eline, who had kidnapped the orphan Millie and try to offer her as sacrifice. The title itself had no negative connotation, but because of that past experience, Shin did not see it in a positive light.

    ¡°So you are the lust devil. I see, other than your obvious beauty, you possess a certain sensual charm. You could surely make men do your bidding, even without using any skill.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you certainly know your way with thepliments. Might you be interested in putting me to the test?¡±

    While Shin was trying to make sense of the situation, the conversation quickly took a problematic turn. King Kreunzeit, however, inly refused Luxuria¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°Very charming proposal, but I¡¯m afraid I shall decline. The queen would be jealous.¡±

    Zear and Sherlene visibly winced at the king and devil¡¯s far too casual exchange. Shin shared their sentiments too.

    ¡°Luxuria, let¡¯s be serious now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the much rumored king can sure recognize such a joke.¡±

    ¡°I must say those rumors are intriguing¡­but I believe this is no time for jest. How do you n to oppose the Greed devil?¡±

    King Kreunzeit smoothly entered the conversation. His previous casual manners disappeared, as a strong aura of authority filled the room.

    It wasn¡¯t like the pressure or killing intent emanated when fighting, but the sort of aura that made you want to kneel in reverence.

    ¡°Luxuria can detect Greed himself, so if he everes closer we¡¯ll be able to tell. I have supplied her with tools to contact me as soon as she detects his presence. Until he makes a move, Yuki and I will inspect Erkunt¡¯s surroundings. The spawning monsters are clearly different than normal, so there must be something triggering them; we will find that something and destroy it, to reduce Greed¡¯s pawns as much as possible, thus also limiting potential damage and casualties.¡±

    ¡°What about the castle? I hear that the devil has allies among the people.¡±

    ¡°That falls upon the soldiers¡¯ shoulders, I¡¯m afraid. If they are not manipted, but coborating with the devil with their own free will, it would be difficult for us neers in Erkunt to detect any unnatural behaviour.¡±

    Not even Shin could do everything by himself. Monsters were easy and just needed to be defeated, but with people things were not so cut and dry. One wrong step and Shin himself could end up bing a criminal.

    ¡°Indeed, you are correct. This is our country, I would not be worthy of the title of king if I entrusted everything to an outsider. Sir Zear, I leave the castle issue to you.¡±

    ¡°We will move on our own as a mobile unit of sorts. Even if we joined the army, it would just be more difficult to move together.¡±

    ¡°That is inevitable. There is too much of a gap between the Chosen Ones and regr individuals.¡±

    Things were proceeding much more smoothly than Shin had imagined.

    Having Chosen Ones act only among themselves was a basic tactic: this happened in every country, to avoid normal soldiers to get involved in battles between Chosen Ones.

    Once they learned that Greed wasing, the army started patrolling the areas surrounding the kingdom with increased frequency and also started specialized training. They nned to focus on buying time, leaving the extermination of the enemy to the heroes.

    The strategy itself would not change greatly, excluding the added manpower of Shin and Schnee. There was thus no need for detailed strategy meetings.

    After they decided how tomunicate and Shin provided all necessary items, the meeting seemed to be over: just then, one of the knights standing near the wall whispered something in Zear¡¯s ear.

    Zear nodded and said to let the person through.

    ¡°Who ising?¡±

    ¡°The captain of the royal knights, who I had asked to keep our useless nobles upied. He is a loyal retainer who has fought side by side with His Majesty. He does not possess any titles, but his prowess in battle surpasses even heroes.¡±

    ¡°That is quite impressive.¡±

    Shin was really impressed with the forces that the kingdom could muster. Two heroes would be more than enough for the surrounding countries to be wary of them, but they were hiding an even greater trump card.

    As Erkunt housed the institute, the presence of strong Chosen Ones was apparently more of a source of relief than concern.

    The door that King Kreunzeit¡¯s party had used opened again, letting a man d in stocky lead-colored armor inside. His grey hair was tied behind his head, sleepy ck eyes behind a pair of sharp sses. As far as appearance was concerned, he was not very knight-like.

    The scales growing like bags under his eyes especially gave an eerie impression.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. These are the people in question?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they confidently stated that they can hunt down the devil. Quite reliable fellows, let me introduce you to them. This man is Namsaar Argain. He might appear somber, but I assure you that he is very capable.¡±

    ¡°I know I look like that, but there was no need to point it out. More importantly, I know that the heroes and sir Zear are here too, but to personally appear before a devil? What were you thinking, king?¡±

    Namsaar spoke without an inch of restraint to king Kreunzeit. His expression suggested that what he really wanted to say would have been ¡°what the hell, man?¡±

    His eyes looking at Shin¡¯s group were filled with suspicion.

    ¡°A n of devil hunters, huh? Never have I heard of such people. I¡¯m relieved that, at the very least, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s being charmed.¡±

    ¡°Sir Argain, the heroes are here too. Could you have some trust?¡±

    ¡°I do. But as leader of the royal guards, it is quite troublesome not to be present since the beginning in cases such as this. No one knows when something unexpected might happen.¡±

    Namsaar was looking towards Luxuria. It wasn¡¯t clear if he knew that she was supposed to be under Shin¡¯s control, but he was very wary of her.

    ¡°Let us talk about thatter. We have to discuss our countermeasures against Greed first.¡±

    Zear would fill Namsaar in at a different time. When he heard that the general strategy would not change much and Shin¡¯s group would move independently as a mobile unit, Namsaar gave a small nod.

    ¡°I see, there is no need for me to say anything then. Having adventurers join the army all of a sudden would just make it more difficult to move as groups. What concerns me is whether these people can actually be useful or not.¡±

    The final sentencepletely changed the room¡¯s atmosphere. Hmee red at Namsaar, while Luxuria seemed impressed by his boldness.

    Shin, on the other hand, agreed that such a concern would be natural. Even if Namsaar knew about Shin¡¯s achievements, defeatingrge quantities of monsters in Balmel, a Deadly Sin devil was a vastly superior opponent.

    Namsaar seemed to respect Shin for the fact that Luxuria really wasn¡¯t using mental skills and they could talk normally, but he apparently viewed Shin¡¯s actual battle prowess as another matter entirely.

    In such a situation, only Schnee had the same expression as before.

    (Uh oh, she¡¯s getting irritated¡­)

    King Kreunzeit and his party, Hmee, Luxuria, no one seemed to have noticed, but Shin could tell that Schnee¡¯s mood was getting very sour very quickly.

    Her atmosphere didn¡¯t show it, nor did her expression, but Shin could clearly tell.

    ¡°Namsaar, try to choose your words carefully. Do you not feel anything?¡±

    ¡°I can tell that this man is capable, but only you and I, sir Zear, can. Many would not ept this.¡±

    Namsaar replied to Zear¡¯s warning without batting an eysh. Shin could understand his argument, so he did not say anything in return.

    ¡°My apologies, sir Shin. This man is the leader of the royal guards, and as such does not view this matter too favorably.¡±

    ¡°No, it is difficult to believe that a single man can defeat a devil just like that, so I do not mind at all. It would be troublesome for us not to be trusted at all, however. Should I prove my actual prowess in some manner?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have you fight Fagall then.¡±

    Shin expected Namsaar to say that he would confirm it personally, but he instead pointed at one of the heroes.

    ¡°Wait, why do I¡­why should I be the one to face sir Shin, captain? If you have doubts about his abilities, sir Namsaar, why not engage him yourself?¡±

    ¡°Are you not alwaysining about how you don¡¯t have enough chances to duel? If he really is as strong as he ims, he¡¯ll be a worthy opponent. He might even easily crush you, I think?¡±

    Fagall was about toin, but Namsaar replied inly. Probably irritated by the fact that he was expected to lose, Fagall flinched.

    ¡°I will lose, you say?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what I feel. To have some rootless wandering adventurer save our country in its time of need, to entrust the defeat of the devil to him¡­it might be inevitable, but as one of this country¡¯s defenders, is it not pathetic? Do show sir Shin here the worth of our country¡¯s heroes.¡±

    Despite Namsaar¡¯s long-winded speech, what he was ordering Fagall to do was to check just how strong Shin was.

    ¡°¡­ha¡­ha. Understood. Sir Shin, I apologize for the sudden request, but would you ept my challenge to a duel?¡±

    Fagall sighed, then formally challenged Shin. His expression showed that he was apologetic, but also curious. It seemed to be true that he was not satisfied and frustrated with regr training. If Shin was indeed as strong as he said to be, he could fight to his heart¡¯s content.

    Namsaar probably chose Fagall also to let him release such frustrations.

    ¡°Yes, understood. Shall we do it right away?¡±

    The discussion was pretty much over. What remained was meeting with soldiers and officers and giving them detailed instructions, so holding the duel then and there was not a problem.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright with me, but¡ª¡±

    Fagall turned towards king Kreunzeit.

    ¡°That is quite all right. I too wished to witness his battle prowess. I authorize you to use the royal army¡¯s training grounds. I expect a bout in grand style.¡±

    ¡°In grand style, your majesty?¡±

    ¡°Even if our heroes talk about you, sir Shin, there are those who might still not believe. If many soldiers actually witnessed you fight, however, they will have to believe. We have to have them learn that it is simply natural to entrust the important task of defeating the devil to you.¡±

    ¡°Very well, understood.¡±

    Facing a devil would be the task of heroes, Erkunt¡¯s most powerful warriors. Those who knew about devils would surely think so. Changing that required a very solid reason.

    There were still those who did not know about Shin and his achievements. The duel was also necessary to convince them.

    Looking at Namsaar¡¯s attitude however, Shin could not help suspecting that he nned to make him stand out and, if all went well, use him as bait.

    ¡°I guess I have to do it in grand style then.¡±

    Shin thought that there was no real need of hiding his true abilities anymore, as this whisper escaped his lips. It was already known far and wide how he had performed incredible feats, outside his control, so he gave up on holding back.

    Shin followed the soldiers and king Kreunzeit¡¯s group out of the room.

    Hearing his mumbling, Hmee was worried that the hero might die, but Shin did not notice it.

 Book 14: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    Shin followed king Kreunzeit¡¯s group to a training ground, a square area about 200 mels wide, where many soldiers were fighting with wooden swords and shields.

    ¡°Y-your Majesty!?¡±

    The soldiers near the entrance reacted loudly when they saw the king. Upon hearing this, the other soldiers also stopped training and stood at attention.

    ¡°I must speak with whoever is in charge. Can someone go call them?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Your Majesty! Please wait a moment!¡±

    ¡°The others may resume training! Do not push yourself too hard, just because the king is watching!¡±

    Fagall barked an order to the soldiers, who were still standing and saluting. Their training seemed much more intense than before, though.

    ¡°Hah, I wish they were always so enthusiastic¡­ well, sir Shin. What shall we do about the weapons? Using our training wooden swords would make it difficult to duel, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I will lend you the weapons we use for practice. Even if you swing them at full power, they barely cause any damage.¡±

    ¡°Something like that exists? May I take a look?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Shin heard that Fagall¡¯s main equipment were twin straight swords, so he gave him two of his ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» weapons, which had shorter des than the ¡ºSponge de¡», simr to the weapons that Fagall used.

    ¡°Impressive¡­even if I focus my strength, there is no damage caused.¡±

    Fagall tried swinging a ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» on the training wall, but seeing that it wasn¡¯t even scratched, he expressed his surprise.

    ¡°With these weapons, there is no risk of harming others, so there will be no effect on the uing battles. The non-lethal enchantment also affects magic: the de part can deflect spells.¡±

    ¡°Impressive for being training weapons. To know we can go all out in this duel isn¡¯t bad in the slightest.¡±

    While talking, Fagall tried a few practice swings. His elegant, flowing form made him look as if he were dancing: his movements were clearly different than Chosen Ones who just relied on their physical attributes.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have too much time, so you two shoulde here quickly.¡±

    While Shin and Fagall spoke, Namsaar was exining the situation to the person in charge of the training grounds.

    The duel would be held in the center of the grounds: all soldiers could thus witness it, but considering the objective, that was an obvious result.

    After learning that not only the king and the leader of the knights, but also the heroes were present, all the training soldiers¡¯ attention was focused on them, expecting that something was going to start. The atmosphere was very different from the loud exchanges and shouting from moments before.

    ¡°Shin, I beg you, I implore you, please be careful!¡±

    ¡°What are you worrying about? We¡¯ll use Sponge weapons, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be killed in one blow.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s you, after all¡­I bet you could do that even with a Sponge weapon¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, really. Even if I could, there¡¯s no way I would.¡±

    If he removed his limiters, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible, Shin thought; however, the purpose of this duel was to disy his strength, it was in no way a duel to the death.

    Rather, if he ended up killing a hero, it would have a negative impact on both the battle against Greed and Shin¡¯s own future activities.

    ¡°They¡¯re talking like my defeat is inevitable, again.¡±

    Shin, put off by Hmee¡¯s warning, heard Fagall¡¯s mumble. He was just whispering, but Shin¡¯s hearing could catch it.

    Sherlene, maybe because she was speaking to a hero like herself, used a in tone.

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re worried that he doesn¡¯t go overboard, instead. Lady Hmee should know how strong you are, Fagall: if she talks like that, Sir Shin must be just that strong. I can¡¯t tell how powerful he is either. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and give it everything you¡¯ve got?¡±

    Being underestimated wasn¡¯t enough to lose one¡¯s cool, but it surely wasn¡¯t pleasant. This was what Fagall seemed to be thinking, so Sherlene gave him a piece of advice.

    She didn¡¯t speak openly, because of the presence of King Kreunzeit and Zear, but Sherlene was still wary of Shin and Schnee.

    Her instincts, honed through many battles, told her that Shin and his subordinate, Yuki, were truly strong. Luxuria, being a devil, was obviously powerful, but the power Sherlene felt was definitely different than Shin and Schnee¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m nning on having him show the strength that supposedly surpasses even devils. With these weapons, I can go all out, after all. Sherlene, what do you think of sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell. My instinct, however, is telling me to be more wary of him than of Lady Luxuria.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, they must be really skilled. I get the same feeling from both sir Shin anddy Yuki. While sir Shin leaks more magic power, I thoughtdy Yuki was more powerful.¡±

    Shin¡¯s magic power control had improved, but Schnee was still far above him in that aspect.

    It all depended on experience, trial & error, and time spent in training it, after all.

    In terms of magic power and MP quantity, however, Shin was overwhelmingly superior, so his magic power was much more difficult to control than Schnee¡¯s. If he had an average yer¡¯s MP quantity, Fagall would have probably seen them as equal.

    ¡°We do not have much time. Are you both ready?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°I am too.¡±

    ¡°Yuki, the barrier, please.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The training soldiers were informed that the duel would soon start, so they retreated to a safe location. Before them, a blue semi-transparent wall appeared. The wall was generated along the training grounds¡¯ own walls, leaving only Shin and Fagall inside.

    ¡°There will be no need to worry about stray spells like this.¡±

    ¡°God, I knew you weren¡¯t ordinary people, but a barrier like this would require all of our specialists, and even then I¡¯m not sure if they could manage it or not. With this, however, we could seal the devil in and fight it. Was it really alright to show it here?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. Devils inherit the memories of past battles, so I think they know about it already. Barring escape routes with barriers is amon tactic, I¡¯ve in many of them with it.¡±

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s a strategy we are basically expected to use.¡±

    There were monsters which tried to flee when they were at a disadvantage. Some devils belonged to this category too: yers tried various methods to not let them flee, such as inflicting status ailments to limit their movements and block their escape routes with barriers.

    Judging from what Luxuria said, she clearly remembered past events. Thus, it was easy to imagine that the devils would remember about such tactics too.

    ¡°If you know how they fight, I would appreciate it if you told me too. Could you spare some timeter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have my cooperation.¡±

    Shin and Fagall finished talking and headed to the center of the grounds. There was nothing else to do now: they both quietly created some distance between them and wielded their weapons.

    Shin held one ¡ºSponge de¡» in both hands, holding it vertically before himself.

    Fagall had one ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» in each hand, pointed down, with his left arm in front and right in the back.

    ¡°Begin!!¡±

    Namsaar made sure they had taken their stances, then gave the signal to start.

    As soon as he did, Shin quickly stepped in towards Fagall, quickly enough that an average person couldn¡¯t follow. The Chosen One and hero Fagall, however, could react: he stepped backwards to avoid the ¡ºSponge de¡¯s¡» swing, then kicked the ground to go on the offensive.

    Shin had paused one moment, then elerated again. The ¡ºSponge de¡» and ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» shed and were repelled.

    Shin and Fagall did not fight against the impact and slid to the right, once again creating distance between each other. Their speed, however, did not reduce.

    In the training grounds, those who managed to catch this lightning-quick exchange were only Schnee, Hmee, Luxuria, Sherlene and Namsaar. Shin and his opponent¡¯s movements were clear to them, but normal knights and soldiers couldn¡¯t keep up with their speed.

    Based on Fagall¡¯s reaction speed and the feeling of their weapons shing, Shin more or less grasped his stats. He had done it to figure out what kind of anti-devil gear to give him, so he did not need to know Fagall¡¯s exact stats.

    He blocked Fagall¡¯s ¡ºSponge Dagger¡», who had attempted another direct strike, and forcefully beat it back.

    Shin was currently shackled by ¡¾Limiter¡¿ level 2. Fagall¡¯s strength, even if boosted by the eleration, wasn¡¯t enough to break through Shin¡¯s defense.

    ¡°As expected by someone who can wield a heavy weapon like that¡­I couldn¡¯t push you back, huh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to say I¡¯ve shown my power.¡±

    Fagall¡¯s attacks felt terribly light to Shin. His fighting style and speed were excellent, but he severelycked in strength, or so Shin was about to conclude.

    Fagall, however, was a Chosen One blessed by the Hero title. He had to be capable of more. Shin kept parrying Fagall¡¯s attacks with his ¡ºSponge de¡», one after another.

    At first nce it looked like Fagall was unleashing a neverending barrage of attacks; his expression, however, was grim.

    He wasn¡¯t using his full power yet, but his weapons wouldn¡¯t advance an inch. It wasn¡¯t like Shin couldn¡¯t move from his spot, he simply didn¡¯t. They were fighting with only weapons, but Shin was still very much unfazed.

    ¡°So tough¡­I feel like I¡¯m fighting against a block of Orichalcum.¡±

    ¡°I have to show what I can do, or people will interfere.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­I better make sure people don¡¯t think I¡¯m holding back, then!!¡±

    As Fagall uttered these words, his body started glowing gold.

    The light thatpletely enveloped his body was a clear sign of a physical boost due to his title and skills. Furthermore, Fagall¡¯s weapons started emitting a ck glow.

    Based on his experiences of fighting one on one, Shin guessed that he had used a Darkness elementalbination skill.

    ¡°Here I go!¡±

    The ground burst under Fagall¡¯s feet. He ran around Shin with irregr patterns, much faster than before.

    The darkness enveloping his des left a trail: to the eyes of the spectators, it looked like golden and ck lights shed around Shin.

    Shin didn¡¯t move, waiting for Fagall¡¯s next move. Thetter feigned approaching him a few times, then moved behind Shin¡¯s back and abruptly changed directions.

    Fagall¡¯s quick turn was almost a full 90 degrees, but Shin had predicted it and calmly reacted: He used his left leg as a pivot and turned, then blocked Fagall¡¯s strike with his ¡ºSponge de¡».

    ¡°Pretty heavy.¡±

    The pressure on the ¡ºSponge de¡» was much higher than Fagall¡¯s previous attacks. Shin¡¯s arm strength and ¡ºSponge de¡» could easily withstand it, but the ground couldn¡¯t.

    In a 20 mel diameter around Shin, the ground was eroded and formed a vase-like shape.

    The skill Fagall used, Sword/Darknessbination skill ¡¾Gravity Edge¡¿, was a skill that had its power halved when used upwards and doubled when used downwards.

    To sway the opponent with speed and deliver a single powerful blow,pensating stat gaps through skills, was a nostalgic strategy for Shin.

    Combining skills like ¡¾Gravity Edge¡¿, which increased in power under specific conditions, and physical boost was a tactic Shin often employed in his yer days.

    ¡°Not even flinching¡­I don¡¯t see what¡¯s funny, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw something like this, so I started enjoying it.¡±

    Shin apologized to Fagall for unconsciously smiling. This duel served the purpose of showing his actual strength: it wouldn¡¯t be proper to look like he was looking down on Fagall.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, then.¡±

    ¡°Wha-!?¡±

    Shin forcefully knocked away the ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» pressuring him towards the ground. Usually they would slide over to the right or left, freed from the shackles of gravity, but, within the same movement, Shin also knocked Fagall away.

    ¡°What ridiculous power!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment!¡±

    Shin kicked the ground and leapt up.

    Fagall recovered and was now standing on the edge of the vase-shaped area, where the ground hadn¡¯t caved in. Shin had jumped diagonally over Fagall, as to leap over him.

    ¡°You went in midair yourself?¡±

    The ck glow enveloping Fagall¡¯s weapons turned a red hue: Fagall swung his two daggers twice. Every time they drew an arc in the air, crescent-shaped me shes attacked Shin.

    The number of shes corresponded to the times the daggers were swung: it was the Sword/mebination skill ¡¾Red Moon¡¿.

    Shin could have easily avoided it using the Movement-type skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. Fagall was apparently aware of the existence of this skill, however: he was trying to guess the direction Shin would fly to.

    The number of me shes ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ couldunch were four per weapon. Fagall wielded two weapons, so he had six shes left, more than enough to target Shin as he changed directions in midair ornded.

    In addition, Fagall had an ¡¾Ice Arrow¡¿ spell ready, in case ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ missed. The Sponge weapons rendered magic spells non-lethal as well, but he was seriously going all out.

    ¡°Ah, this is really fun.¡±

    To knock an opponent in midair off bnce and do a follow-up attack.

    In the game era, Shin did it every day. Thanks to the Sponge weapons, Shin didn¡¯t have to worry about killing his opponent, so he was feeling quite carefree.

    A duel was still a duel, though. Shin felt a bit sorry for Fagall, but he decided to crush his predictions straight on.

    Jumping without any preparation was just asking to be targeted. It was natural to think that an advanced yer would have something up their sleeve.

    Without a care for ¡¾Red Moon¡¿¡¯s des of fire, Shin swung his ¡ºSponge de¡» in the air.

    His de was enveloped in a red glow, just like Fagall¡¯s daggers. Heunched fire shes, just as Fagall had done, but their size and power were much greater.

    ¡°What the !?¡±

    Fagall¡¯s shes were approximately one mel wide: inparison, Shin released giant fire shes extending to three mel each.

    Fagall¡¯s shes were easily swept away, as Shin¡¯s attacks flew straight towards Fagall¡¯s position.

    He gave up on canceling Shin¡¯s shes with his when he saw how they vanished, then evaded their trajectory.

    A few secondster, the red shes struck the location Fagall was standing in. The hardened ground was gouged by deep, crimson gashes, followed by a tall burst of mes.

    Shin didn¡¯t check the aftermath of his attack, moving at high speed towards Fagall.

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Shin¡¯s leap was much faster than his first one, so Fagall couldn¡¯t react in time. Without time to shoot me shes, he blocked Shin¡¯s attack with his daggers.

    Offense and defense had switched ces since the start of the duel. One major difference, however, was that Shin¡¯s attack blew Fagall back. Shin followed with the next attack, so Fagall released the ¡¾Ice Arrow¡¿ he had kept at the ready.

    However, the spell¡¯s effect was halved, as Shin was already next to the caster. The frozen arrows turned to snowkes, leaving trails behind.

    Shin swept away the remains of the spell and swung his weapon at Fagall. The ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ glows remaining in their weapons drew arcs between the two fighters.

    One sh, two shes, three shes.

    Fagall held his daggers to defend against Shin¡¯s shes. The sponge weapons¡¯ light, soft sounds echoed through the training grounds.

    If they had used normal weapons, the sound of their shes would surely boom like thunder. That¡¯s how much power the spectators felt through the barrier.

    The twobatants did not only cross swords, but fought with magic too.

    Spells that missed their mark would sometimes fly towards the spectators, but Schnee¡¯s barrier blocked them without budging.

    Some of the soldiers who were watching also practiced magic; looking at the level of the magic that was exchanged between Shin and Fagall, they had turned pale as ghosts.

    What surprised the spectators the most, however, was that the hero Fagall was slowly but surely falling in disadvantage.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±

    Someone whispered a sentiment shared by most of the spectators, excluding the very few who already knew his actual strength.

    The heroes and leader of the knights were Erkunt¡¯s most powerful warriors. In terms of stats, Sherlene was higher, but Fagall¡¯s clever use of skillbinations put him on the same level.

    Who exactly was the person currently dominating Fagall, then? All soldiers¡¯ eyes were focused on Shin.

    ¡°Okay, time to shift gears then!¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    The mental burden of having to hold back was gone; the situation demanded Shin to show a certain degree of strength. He also felt safe, thanks to the non-lethal equipment in use: Shin focused his grip on the ¡ºSponge de¡» , to a degree close to the game era.

    Shin paused for a moment and the storm-like exchange of blows ceased. It stopped because Shin was on the attack and Fagall did nothing but defend.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Fagall saw Shin hold the ¡ºSponge de¡» over one shoulder and a whisper escaped his lips.

    The ¡ºSponge de¡» was emitting grinding noises. The very same ¡ºSponge de¡» which did not even budge during the shes between Chosen Ones.

    Fagall¡¯s experience and ability as a Hero and Chosen One let him estimate just how powerful a blow Shin was about to release.

    The ¡ºSponge de¡» , which couldn¡¯t be used to kill, appeared as a very sharp de in Fagall¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡ªhere I go.¡±

    The sword resting on Shin¡¯s shoulder turned into a blur.

    Fagall¡¯s body leaped towards the direction the ¡ºSponge de¡» was being swung, before he could even think. At the same time, he swung his daggers with all his strength. Before he could tell what they hit, his body was being flung horizontally across the training grounds.

    ¡°Aw¡­crap¡­¡±

    Looking at Fagall being shot like a bullet, Shin let out a concerned mumble. He realized, toote, that he had gone a bit overboard.

    To make it all even worse, the barrier erected in the direction Fagall flew to boomed loudly, spider web-like cracks running through it.

    Fagall had not received the attack head-on, but the power concentrated in Shin¡¯s ¡ºSponge de¡» would not vanish just like that.

    A single attack so powerful to make a Hero shudder even before it was unleashed: it wouldn¡¯t just make the air tremble a bit.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºSponge de¡» had drawn an arc from his shoulder to the ground: Fagall had deflected it diagonally, forcing the weakened shockwave to fly towards the barrier. As a result, the barrier was weakened to the point of copse.

    ¡°Haha¡­he can hunt devils for sure¡­¡±

    After carving a long path in the ground, Fagallughed and said this to himself, while looking at the clear skies over the training grounds.

    The soldiers beside the barrier stood still, as if time had stopped.

    As Fagall wouldter say, if he didn¡¯t deflect that attack, he would have probably died.

    The soldiers standing near the point where the barrier cracked also added that, if the barrier hadn¡¯t been there, they would have surely died too.

 Book 14: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    Namsaar judged Fagall unable to continue and announced the end of the duel. After that, Shin¡¯s group returned to the room they had first been shown to.

    Shin was worried that he had gone too far and wanted to leave the training grounds as soon as possible, so he was relieved.

    ¡°Honestly, I went pretty much all out there, but¡­sir Shin, you are really¡­something else.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha¡­I¡¯m sorry, I overdid it a little.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yes. I thought I was in real danger there.¡±

    Fagall had witnessed a powerrge enough to ignore the Sponge weapons¡¯ supposed non-lethality, so his smile was a bit strained. Even without Shin¡¯sst powerful attack, Fagall knew he couldn¡¯t have won, or so he thought.

    Shin was unfazed from start to finish: Fagall figured Shin was likely to be superior to him in every stat.

    Fagall¡¯s attacks never put Shin on the spot. He always reacted with ease.

    It wasn¡¯t just because Shin¡¯s reactions were good, or he was more nimble, since he reacted in the same way to magic too. The only possible conclusion was that his stats were superior.

    Shin, on the other hand, was thinking that Fagall was likely trying to estimate his stats.

    ¡°If possible, I would like to request another duel before the battle with the devil. Because of our positions and duties, I cannot ask it easily to sir Namsaar or Sherlene. I would like to ask you not to use attacks like thatst one, however. Without the barrier, the training grounds¡¯ walls would have shattered to pieces.¡±

    ¡°I will be busier from now on too, so I¡¯m afraid I cannot just say yes, unless the opportunityes. However, if it does, please be assured that I will fight in earnest.. About thatst attack, I really went overboard, I apologize again.¡±

    Fagall hadn¡¯t reached the level cap yet: depending on the method, he could acquire new skills.

    Many advanced Chosen Ones had various skills in their arsenal, so Shin thought that their fighting strategy had room for improvement.

    ¡°Will everyone be convinced with this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there will be some who make a fuss, but with so many witnesses, I don¡¯t think there will be any real trouble. We need sir Fagall to grow stronger too. We can¡¯t have one of the king¡¯s des lose to adventurers forever after all.¡±

    ¡°You say that even after watching that duel¡­?¡±

    Fagall mumbled a protest to Namsaar¡¯s not-so-veiledining, which seemed to reach the captain¡¯s ears: Namsaar turned towards Fagall and red.

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, sir.¡±

    Fagall looked discontent until a moment ago, but just before Namsaar looked at him, his expression turned very serious.

    Next to him, Sherlene looked mildly annoyed and sighed, as if this kind of exchange happened often.

    ¡°By the way, sir Shin. You will act as a mobile unit in the campaign, but could you join the rest of the army even just once? If we say that you will fight alongside us they will understand, but if you join us personally they will understand better, especially about what kind of person you are.¡±

    If the rumors about today¡¯s duel spread and conted, Shin could end up being regarded as a dangerous individual, so Zear made this proposal.

    ¡°Yes, that is not a problem at all. What should we do with Yuki? I can vouch for her strength, and I was thinking of having her train some of the soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Training soldiers? Will she do something special?¡±

    ¡°She has some experience training armed forces, actually. She can also perfectly restore any wound, as long as it¡¯s not instantly lethal, so I think that training more practical than what normally can be done. In case amotion breaks out within the castle, I think it is prudent to raise the soldiers¡¯ quality, as quickly as possible.¡±

    It would be a waste to use both Shin and Schnee for exploration.

    Shin thus proposed to Zear to use as much time as possible to strengthen the army, until the Greed devil ¡ª Avaritia made his move. When he mentioned that Schnee could easily restore whole limbs, Zear¡¯s expression stiffened.

    ¡°¡­I see. The barrier from before is enough proof ofdy Yuki¡¯s prowess, but¡­restoring whole limbs..? Even the church¡¯s highest prtes never attained such levels¡­no,dy Yuki is from a species with high longevity, an Elf, so if one trains enough, it bes possible¡­is it?¡±

    Zear furrowed his brow at his own words.

    Unless it waspletely isted, any city would have long-living species residing in it. Zear wasn¡¯t convinced yet because none of the Elves or Pixies he knew of could restore missing body parts to that extent.

    Shin had already heard that in the current world there were barely any practitioners who could restore missing limbs.

    There were some items in cirction which could produce such effects, given enough time, but that was it. They were very valuable as well.

    Being capable of such advanced healing skills would make any country wish to keep her at their side: that was the extent of such a person¡¯s importance.

    ¡°As far as I know, it is not something even long-living species can easily perform.¡±

    ¡°I agree with sir Namsaar. I know elves and pixies who have lived over 300 years, but none of them has managed to hone their skills to the point of being capable of restoring missing limbs.¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­erm, I as well, excluding rumors, know only the church¡¯s ¡®Healing Holy Woman¡¯.¡±

    Schnee nodded to Namsaar¡¯s words. Fagall shook his head, as he knew only of very famous examples.

    ¡°Even I can only close wounds at most.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­a devil that uses healing skills, really?¡±

    Divine skills purified miasma and devils. In some games, they were treated as the opposite element to darkness. The skills Luxuria would use as healing would purify devils, so Shin found it pretty strange.

    ¡°Even if you call them ¡®Divine¡¯ skills, in the end it¡¯s using magic power to close wounds or restore limbs, right? It¡¯s not like you pray to some god you¡¯ve never even seen, so even devils can use them. Skills like ¡¾Purification¡¿ are out of the question though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising enough that you can use recovery skills¡­well, yeah, I just use them like I would do with anything useful, so I can¡¯t really say anything about a devil using them.¡±

    Even if the skills werebeled as ¡°Divine¡±, there was no need to pray every time you used them, or anything of the sort. There was supposed to be a god overseeing each element, but Shin had never actually seen them. Their names were told in quest or library documents, so it was a mystery if they actually existed in this world.

    What Luxuria said wasn¡¯t wrong, at the very least.

    ¡°Sir Zear¡­I believe what we just discussed should never reach the priests¡¯ ears.¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­it ismon sense that divine skills are god¡¯s realm after all.¡±

    Not only king Kreunzeit and Zear, but Fagall and Sherlene were also at a loss for words. The only one who did not change expression was Namsaar.

    ¡°Let us leave this for the moment¡­even so, while I understand it will be impossible, I would certainly wish for her to stay in our country. Could you consider it, even just a little? Together with sir Shin, of course.¡±

    King Kreunzeit had been listening to the conversation with increasing interest, and ultimately made this proposal to Schnee.

    As a country¡¯s ruler, he could not keep himself from trying to secure a rare asset such as Schnee.

    ¡°I have decided to follow Shin, so I cannot answer that question.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡­I have no ns of entering the service of any country. I believe sir Zear said he did the same in his younger days, but I wish to see the world and expand my knowledge first.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. If you use Zear as an example, there is nothing more I can say. It is regrettable, but I cannot force you.¡±

    King Kreunzeit was very serious in his proposal, but Shin¡¯s reply made him sigh and agree to give up.

    Zear, on the other hand, showed a slightly awkward expression.

    ¡°Ahem, I believe we have been sidetracked. In regards to what we were talking about before¡­sir Shin, how skilled are you at exploration and field research?¡±

    ¡°Approximately on the same level as scouting jobs such as shinobi or thieves, you could say.¡±

    Shin¡¯s reply made Zear raise his eyebrows.

    Shin was clearly the fighting job type, hammering on enemies in the front lines; knowing that he could also act as an aplished scout surprised him greatly.

    It wouldn¡¯t be unusual to have a smattering of knowledge outside one¡¯s specialty, but to be on the same level as specialists was normally impossible. No one could be a master of all trades.

    Other than the jox he had mastered during the game, Shin also possessed the experience acquired while clearing dungeons alone and hunting down PKs. When their lives are on the line, people can progress and grow at normally impossible speed.

    ¡°You are one surprise after the other, sir Shin¡­I would then request you to inspect the areas still not fully researched, together withdy Sherlene. In case you find any of Greed¡¯s cohorts, I am sure you can dispose of them. If possible, it would be ideal to learn what exactly the devil is up to.¡±

    ¡°Understood, I will do my utmost.¡±

    After being told that the actual dates would bemunicatedter, Shin¡¯s group left the castle.

    As soon as they were out of sight from the gate guards, Shin stretched his body.

    ¡°Somehow or other, it¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°It went much different than expected, but at least it ended well.¡±

    Luxuria sighed and Hmee agreed with her sentiments.

    Only Schnee didn¡¯t seem tired and smiled, apparently in good spirits.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s call it a day¡­I¡¯m exhausted, mentally I mean.¡±

    ¡°You were tense throughout after all. I¡¯ll be taking the headmistress back then. You two get a good rest too!¡±

    ¡°Who ever thought that I¡¯d have a devil worry about my health¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the health officer, after all. If you ever feel sick, drop by!¡±

    Luxuria chuckled, then walked with Hmee towards the institute. Shin and Schnee went straight back to their hotel. When they entered their suite, Shin changed into something more casual and plopped down on the sofa.

    ¡°Phew, that was tiring.¡±

    He knew it wasn¡¯t exactly good manners, but heid his back against the sofa. He closed his eyes and sighed, then felt Schnee¡¯s presence next to him. He noticed that she sat down on the sofa too, then felt her pull his arm.

    He let her take control and felt his head lie on a different kind of softness than the sofa.

    ¡°You did great today.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gentle words provoked an awkward response from Shin. She had changed too: Shin couldn¡¯t tell what she was wearing on her lower body, but she had a white sweater on.

    Schnee¡¯s eyes were smiling peacefully, but Shin could only see half of them: the lower half was covered by Schnee¡¯s soft mounds, pushing against the sweater. Because of the unusual angle, they looked even more imposing than usual.

    ¡°Shin? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Physically, I¡¯m not tired at all. I was just worried about going overboard against that hero guy. The soldiers looked at me not like someone they could rely on, but just a dangerous guy¡­¡±

    Shin quickly changed the topic, to divert Schnee¡¯s attention from the fact that he was staring at her chest.

    He hadn¡¯t spoken to the soldiers, but noticed that they watched him with expressions full of fear. It was toote to think about it now, but he felt that the distance between them grew even wider, instead of shrinking.

    ¡°Our future actions here all depended on that duel, so you couldn¡¯t hold back. They won¡¯t think that you¡¯re useless at least. The king and heroes recognized your strength, so I don¡¯t think you should worry too much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too¡­well, I guess we should be d that they will cooperate. Though, I was surprised that they had made preparations already.¡±

    They knew how powerful the enemy was and strived to keep casualties as small as possible. For allies, they were extremely reliable.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best to keep casualties to a minimum. Training the soldiers is the next step, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I can already picture them getting all smitten over you, then you put them through the grinder.¡±

    Putting it bluntly, they would easily be swayed by her beauty, as Shin clearly remembered what happened to the prince.

    Some soldiers in the training grounds were the same. They would surely think they are lucky to be trained by her¡­until the actual training starts, at least.

    ¡°Shi¡ªn?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you canugh and change the topic!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±

    Schnee red at him, but wasn¡¯t really angry. Her pouting expression was kind of childish, so even if he apologized Shin felt very much at peace.

    ¡°I always act strictly because I think it¡¯s for their own sake ¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m listening, I am¡­¡±

    Shin answered, but his eyelids were almost closing, his words unclear.

    ¡°We still have time until dinner, so rest until then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re¡­right¡­¡±

    Resting his head on Schnee¡¯sp was really pleasant after all. So Shin thought as he drifted off to sleep.

    ¡°¡­good night.¡±

    Looking at Shin fall asleep, Schnee smiled faintly. She was reminded that just a few days before, they were in the same situation, with reversed roles. She caressed his head, thinking that she preferred to let him sleep on herp, rather than the opposite.

 Book 14: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    The next day, a messenger from the royal castle visited Shin.

    Shin went to the appointed location at the designed time and found Sherlene along with 48 knights under her directmand and 12 scouts dispatched from another toon, waiting for him.

    ¡°¡ªam Ite?¡±

    ¡°No. There is still time. Because of our numbers, we moved in advance.¡±

    ¡°Do you always go scouting in such numbers?¡±

    ¡°No, this is because of your presence. Usually, there is one more squad of scouts.¡±

    Based on the scouting area and abilityparison executed beforehand, Shin was judged to possess scouting ability equal to one squad. Shin himself wondered if he really had such a level of ability.

    ¡°We have prepared a horse for you, but will you ride it?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I will pass. I can ride, but I am faster on foot, after all. As a scout, I find it easier to move on foot too.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, is that so. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m faster on foot too.¡±

    Sherlene chuckled, maybe she thought Shin was joking.

    The knights behind her, however, were taken aback.

    ¡°Hey,dy Sherleneughed¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Sherlene of all people¡­¡±

    ¡°Could it be that¡­spring hase¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, wait, that man has that elf with him, I don¡¯t think thatdy Sherlene¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you wait,dy Sherlene is a real looker too¡­¡±

    Shin overheard the knights and red at them to warn them not to say anymore. However, before they could notice, Sherlene turned around.

    ¡°Hahaha. I see we¡¯re having a funny chat here, hmm?¡±

    Sherlene was still smiling, but it was a very different smile than the one she showed to Shin: it didn¡¯t have the slightest hint of warmth.

    ¡°Looks like you need more training. Once this mission is over, we¡¯re going straight to the training grounds! Better get ready!¡±

    The knights¡¯ shoulders dropped in unison. Though, the mood didn¡¯t change, it must have been something that happened often. The exchange would have left neers perplexed about how to act.

    ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time. Let us head to the designated area.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say anything else and coborated with the scouts in searching the area. Excluding race perks, in the scout corps didn¡¯t include any individuals with exceptional abilities.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? There aren¡¯t that many monsters.¡±

    Shin was scouting ahead of the rest and noticed that the quantity of monsters in his detection field was strangely small. The situation was very different from the time he had brought Lecus and his party to train.

    He stopped scouting for the moment and returned to report to Sherlene. She had apparently noticed theck of monsters as well, after the other scouts returned and organized the information.

    ¡°There are too few monsters, after all. ording to previous reports, this area shouldn¡¯t be any different from the others, though.¡±

    ¡°We should assume that something out of the ordinary has happened.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you think this might be his doing?¡±

    ¡°Considering the timing, I think there¡¯s a high chance of that. Or I should say, I hope that is the case. If something else was going on, we¡¯d have a hard time dealing with it too.¡±

    Shin nodded to Sherlene¡¯s questions and jokingly shrugged.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, hopefully that¡¯s the case. Let us look for the cause, then. People, report anything unusual you¡¯ve noticed, no matter how small it may be.¡±

    Sherlene gave a small wryugh, but then turned quickly serious as she addressed her knights.

    The knights were the ones who routinely patrolled Erkunt¡¯s surroundings: they would notice if something was out of the ordinary, through a viewpoint different from the scouts¡¯.

    The scouts scattered again to search, so Shin did too. He didn¡¯t notice anything peculiar, however, except theck of monsters.

    ¡°If something happened to the monsters, I guess I should focus on that?¡±

    Shin thought this and decided to track a monster which was on the move. It was a zebra-like monster with bluish white streaks, with two twisted horns protruding from its temples, named Bluoth. Level 354, it was sometimes tamed by yers to be used as a steed, and was known for its toughness and the crushing power of its hooves.

    ¡°It¡¯s not under Greed¡¯s control¡­usually they move in packs, maybe it got lost?¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ did not show the monster to be affected by Greed¡¯s influence.

    Not all horse-type monsters formed packs, but as far as Shin remembered, Bluoths always moved in groups. Now that the world wasn¡¯t a game anymore, he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of them acting on their own, but considering the timing, he wondered if it could mean something.

    Shin followed the Bluoth, making sure he wasn¡¯t spotted in turn. The monster didn¡¯t seem to be particrly wary of its surroundings. After about 10 minutes, other monster presences entered Shin¡¯s detection field. The new monsters were also heading in the same direction as the Bluoth.

    ¡°A cave? Monsters ofpletely different species can¡¯t be gathering in an ordinary cave¡­¡±

    The monsters heading in the same direction as the Bluoth were animal types, insect types and mineral types: a very diverse pack. ording to the game rules, they were predators and prey, but now they were quietly proceeding together.

    Some of the monster names were preceded by Avarice, showing that they were under the Greed devil¡¯s control.

    ¡°Looks like I hit the jackpot.¡±

    Shin marked the cave on his map and left for the time being. He hurried back to Sherlene¡¯s location and reported what he saw.

    ¡°Monsters under Greed¡¯s control are gathering in a cave¡­¡±

    ¡°There must be something there that is attracting all nearby monsters. When the Bluoth I followed came in contact with other monsters, ¡°Avarice¡± appeared next to its name, so I guess he¡¯s increasing cohorts with this method.¡±

    ¡°Which means that the more time passes, the more units it will have at its disposal. We should crush them, then.¡±

    Shin reported the types and levels of the monsters he saw. Even if there were more monsters, Shin and Sherlene could manage to deal with them.

    ¡°I will assist you.¡±

    ¡°I will be counting on you. Troops, we move!¡±

    The knights quickly get in formation following Sherlene¡¯s order. Their expertise was clearly high too, but the knights under Sherlene¡¯s directmand were all over level 200.

    The soldiers in the training grounds were all around level 160. Sherlene seemed to be as strictly disciplined as her looks suggested, so the knights under hermand were likely to be strictly trained as well.

    They weren¡¯t overwhelmed, nor did they just leave everything up to the scouts. Seeing them carefully check the surroundings, Shin felt impressed.

    ¡°The monsters seem to be entering the cave: there are only two at the entrance. I cannot detect any other monsters in the surroundings either.¡±

    When the troops arrived close to the cave, Sherlene asked Shin to go confirm again the situation ahead. The monsters near the entrance were both over level 300, thus it would be dangerous to charge in together with the knights: she had the troops stop a bit far from the cave.

    ¡°Judging from the level, I suppose only sir Shin and I should go. Vice-captain, you and the troops stay here on stand-by. If anything unusual happens, contact me with that item.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please be careful!¡±

    The man addressed as vice-captain saluted, then ordered the troops to keep a strict watch of the surroundings. Based on the knights¡¯ equipment, level and expertise, they would be able to deal with monsters around level 300.

    They would only seed, however, if the monsters were few in quantity. Inside the cave it would be difficult to get in formation, and the number of people who could fight at the same time was limited. It would be like ordering the knights to march to their deaths.

    The knights understood that as well and were eager to do everything was within their powers. In case arge mob of monsters swarmed the entrance of the cave, they would use the message cards secretly stocked by Hmee to contact Sherlene and Shin.

    ¡°Apany me inside, then.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin and Sherlene proceeded, using the trees as concealment, approaching the monsters without being seen.

    Shin used his ¡ºKakura¡» to cleave in half a mantis monster armed with 4 scythes, Force Scissors, while Sherlene thrusted her spear directly through the heart of Rock Boa, a monster d in stone armor.

    The monsters were defeated before they could warn their surroundings; leaving the rest to the knights, Shin and Sherlene walked onwards, with Shin in front.

    Shin used ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and the map to search the interior of the cave.

    ¡°This is pretty small¡­what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Arge number of monsters had entered, so he thought they would find a dungeon; contrary to his expectations, however, the cave wasn¡¯trge enough to be called a dungeon.

    There were several pathways and small rooms: the cave resembled an ant colony. The only difference was that the pathways were not too steep and easily navigated by beings other than ants too.

    Judging from Shin¡¯s detection field, the various monsters gathered in small rooms, where they appeared to be simply waiting.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there are traps. The pathways are mostly one way, so we won¡¯t risk getting lost. The monsters are packed in small rooms, however, so please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    To proceed while crushing the monster groups was an option, but scouting the cave took priority. Shin cast the magic spell version of ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on Sherlene and they started sneaking through the cave.

    Thanks to theck of monsters with wide detection fields and the rtivelyrge pathways, they managed to proceed without fighting.

    When they passed the rooms on the sides of the pathways they observed the inside and noticed that the monsters were standing by, separated by species. They were neatly lined up, waiting quietly.

    ¡°Sir Shin. While I find it hard to imagine, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Monster toons, I guess. In every room there¡¯s a monster that looks superior to the others¡­possibly the captain.¡±

    It was just like the monsters were formed in troops,plete with leader. Their numbers were not extremely high, but they looked just like an army.

    ¡°There are monsters which normally don¡¯t move in packs¡­this is bad.¡±

    Monsters powerful enough on their own, now in packs. Sherlene, who was well aware of how terrifying monsters could be, understood what a fearful prospect that was. Her expression was very tense.

    Then, as if to put even more pressure on her, Shin and Sherlene found something unexpected in a room that they thought was empty.

    ¡°These are¡­weapons? But this shape¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re weapons for monsters. Normally, partnered monsters would use them, but in this situation, I bet they n to have the monsters here equip them.¡±

    The wooden boxes in the room were packed with weapons for monsters.

    Shin¡¯s instincts as cksmith detected a few very strong auras. He couldn¡¯t tell for sure without looking, but there were probably Legend-grade weapons mixed in.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here¡­? This is just like¡­¡±

    An army. Sherlene¡¯s voice died in her throat before she could finish the sentence.

    ¡°It looks like they have been making preparations for a while. I¡¯m sure that there are people involved too.¡±

    If all the rooms without monster presences were used to stock weapons, the stock had to be massive. Compared to the human armies, they were few, but as they were all under Greed¡¯s control, it was apletely different story.

    A single armed monster could easily battle against multiple fighters at the same time.

    If such monsters equipped gear like humans, what would happen? In terms of fighting power, they could be even more threatening than a natural disaster.

    Furthermore, based on the current situation, it was clear that the monsters equipped with this gear were clearly set to attack Erkunt. It wasn¡¯t strange for Sherlene to find herself unable to answer Shin.

    ¡°Could there be other ces like this¡­?¡±

    ¡°It looks like this cave was dug by the monsters, so we cannot rule it out. We should be d that we managed to find this ce, however. I don¡¯t know what would have happened if we learned about this when they actually attacked.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, right. We were really fortunate to find out before the attack.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t just look at the negatives. Shin encouraged Sherlene to be more positive and she regained herposure.

    ¡°Shall we exterminate the monsters here, first?¡±

    ¡°Surely. Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s also acquire the means to power up the troops on our side.¡±

    ¡°Power up our troops? Are you going to gather materials from the monsters?¡±

    ¡°No, I saw that there are also magic des here, so we might as well take them for ourselves.¡±

    Shin then started transferring the wooden crates packed with weapons in the item box. Thanks to the game settings still active, the items were categorized automatically.

    Looking at the room turning empty in seconds, Sherlene was speechless.

    ¡°¡­.sir Shin. I do not mean to pry, but¡­if you show me something like this, I feel the need to ask who you really are.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an item box. I know it¡¯s fairly rare, but there are other people who use it, aren¡¯t there? You don¡¯t have one, Sherlene?¡±

    Shin had heard from Wilhelm that there was an item that granted the ability to use item boxes. Based on Erkunt¡¯s scope, he was sure there had to be someone who had it.

    ¡°Very few, even among Chosen Ones, have one. I do not either. I knew it existed, I thought I knew about it, but it¡¯s much more impressive than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Is it your first time actually seeing it?¡±

    ¡°I saw it before, but the user ced items in it one by one. I have never seen anyone use it like you do.¡±

    Shin imagined that the use of the item box could have been different between former yers and other people. There was no time to verify it now, so they set to exterminate the monsters after recovering all the gear.

    Still concealed, Shin and Sherlene went into the rooms without monster presences and swept them clean of items, putting them all in Shin¡¯s item box. The items included potions and ethers, so they decided to make good use of those too. Using their abilities as Chosen Ones, they gathered all items as fast as possible.

    ¡°With this we have recovered all items. Let¡¯s go back to the entrance, then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the monsters¡¯ turn, then. Are we going to ambush them at the entrance?¡±

    ¡°No, some of the monsters can dig holes, so I was thinking of eliminating them all in one fell swoop.¡±

    ¡°With magic.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Even heroes like Fagall and Sherlene were Chosen Ones with warrior-like abilities. It would take them a fairly long time to defeat such arge quantity of monsters. Such a way would be poorly effective this time: while they fought monsters near the entrance, others could dig escape routes.

    Shin then decided to use one of the strategies more suitable for the location. He and Sherlene returned to the entrance: they made sure that no monsters were following them, told the knights posted outside that they would dispose of the monsters in the cave and had them go farther away.

    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±

    Shin activated the Water-type spell ¡¾Deluge¡¿, aiming it towards the interior of the cave. Just as the name suggested, a massive waterspout erupted from the 2-mel wide magic circle which had formed around Shin¡¯s right hand.

    Normally, the forest around the cave would be affected too, but Shin directed the wave fully inside the cave. Most of the monsters inside needed to breathe. The entrance of the cave was essentially sealed by ¡¾Deluge¡¿¡¯s water pressure, so the only path left for them was to drown to their deaths.

    In the meantime, Shin detected that some monsters started digging underground. The water current, despite its speed, could not fill rooms immediately. The water umted from the cave¡¯s floor, so there was some time until all rooms were flooded.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±

    After detecting the monsters¡¯ movements, Shin lifted his left hand. After a moment, red shes shot out from it.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Lightning-type magic skill ¡¾Split Spark¡¿.

    The thunderbolts, following Shin¡¯smand, flew towards the stream flooding the cave. When the bolts touched the water surface, they disappeared as if they blended in it. The monster presences on the map then started disappearing, one by one.

    Magically generated water was often an excellent conductor of magically created lightning. Shin used this to electrocute the monsters throughout the cave.

    He had also used not any lightning attack, but ¡¾Split Spark¡¿ for a special reason. Normal lightning attacks would simply reach monsters more easily, thanks to the water, but ¡¾Split Spark¡¿ could travel through water spells or water, aimed directly at monsters or yers to damage them. Even mineral monsters, which didn¡¯t need to breathe, would be finished now.

    15 minutes passed. Shin continued using skills from the cave entrance, eventually killing all monsters inside.

    ¡°You¡¯re a first ss user not only of physical skills, but also magic¡­¡±

    Sherlene whispered this after studying the power and length of Shin¡¯s spells. She knew that there were differences in power between Chosen Ones. She also knew that the same was true among those called former yers. Shin¡¯s powers, however, exceeded the Chosen Ones and former yers that Sherlene knew.

    A man that even devils feared.

    Sherlene had been secretly ordered to verify the limits of Shin¡¯s strength, but she started thinking that it might be impossible.

 Book 14: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go look for materials.¡±

    ¡°Materials?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t a dungeon, so the monsters¡¯ materials should be there for the taking. Since we¡¯vee this far, we might as well take whatever we can.¡±

    ¡°I, I see.¡±

    Shin¡¯s mischievous grin left Sherlene wide-eyed. Shin did not pay attention to her reaction, however, and told her to gather the knights and used earth magic to create a hole to drain the water in the cave.

    ¡¾Deluge¡¿ was a spell that just generated water, which did not have homing properties, unlike other water spells. If it did, it could be used to drain the water, but there was nothing that Shin could do at that point.

    The most that could be done after activating ¡¾Deluge¡¿ was to adjust the direction the waterspout proceeded to. Schnee could probably manage to direct it to a nearby river.

    ¡°It will take a bit of time until the water is fully drained. I¡¯ll go ahead and check if any monsters left the cave before we arrived.¡±

    ¡°Understood. The scouts are surveying the area too. Please cooperate with them.¡±

    The scouts were checking the area around the cave, searching for monsters and traps. After making sure it was safe, they split into groups of 2 and expanded the search area.

    After making sure that the drainage hole wasrge enough, Shin then headed towards an area the scouts hadn¡¯t checked yet.

    A cave like that was easily built by controlling monsters with digging abilities. It was difficult to imagine that that cave was the only one created for monsters and supplies. Shin studied the movements of the monsters on the map, thinking that there had to be other simr locations.

    ¡°I guess I better ask Schnee for help.¡±

    It would be difficult for only Shin and the scouts to search the whole territory surrounding Erkunt. Without Schnee and the remaining scouts, they could not find every monster hideout.

    ¡°Where did they get all that equipment from anyway?¡±

    Shin thought that there had to be humans cooperating with Greed.

    Shin understood the desire to roley as a viin in the game, but such an idea would nevere to his mind in this world. Other than the presence of a coborator, Shin was concerned by the fact that things were proceeding without Avaritia being present.

    ¡°Could it have other aims¡­?¡±

    Avaritia could be nning something else, other than attacking Erkunt and absorbing Luxuria. ording to Luxuria, Avaritia¡¯s presence was drawing closer, but it was still rather far. In the game, devils and their cohorts usually acted together.

    Shin knew this, so he wondered if there was something he had missed.

    ¡°I better talk with Schnee about itter.¡±

    Shin said to himself while filling the unexplored areas of the map.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Looks like there weren¡¯t any problems. Let¡¯s go pick up the materials then. There aren¡¯t any monster presences but be on your guard all the same.¡±

    Shin could easily recover all materials by himself, but Sherlene ordered the knights to do it, as Shin had told her that he preferred not to make the existence of the item box too public.

    Sherlene would probably report the item box to Erkunt¡¯s top brass, but that was unavoidable. Just like Ancient-grade weapons, its existence was not a mystery.

    ¡°Understood. Troops, you heard sir Shin¡¯s words. Our foes are monsters. Anything could happen. On your toes!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

    The voices of the soldiers echoed in the woods. Thanks to their training, they moved deftly despite the slippery cave floor, no one fell or even slipped.

    The knights usually moved in groups of four. As Sherlene had ordered them to, they moved carefully through the cave.

    ¡°Sir Shin, how are the surroundings?¡±

    ¡°As far as I searched, I did not find any caves like this one. If they were built on the mountains or deep in the forest, however, they would be quite hard to find. With enough time, I am sure they can be found, but that is the one thing we do not have right now.¡±

    Not knowing when Avaritia would make his move, they couldn¡¯t justb through the whole area. The number of avable troops was limited, and even if Schnee joined them and the search became more efficient, it was still not enough.

    ¡°I suppose we can just narrow down the search area. To acquire all that gear, Avaritia has to have a coborator. We should check the merchants¡¯ movements.¡±

    If there were people supplying the gear, there might be clues left over. Even if there weren¡¯t, it would be impossible for them to actpletely unnoticed, or so Sherlene said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t use horse carriages around here, so it could be someone with an item box, like me.¡±

    ¡°That makes things difficult, though. Materials in card form are light and require little space, sorge quantities can be transported at the same time. There would be no need to go through Erkunt either.¡±

    The owner of the item box did not even need to carry item cards, which made it difficult to find any clues.

    ¡°It¡¯s still better than doing nothing though. We might find clues in unexpected ces.¡±

    ¡°Do you speak from experience?¡±

    ¡°Well yes, you can put it that way.¡±

    As people often say, life can be quite unpredictable. Both in games and in life, sometimes things happened with unbelievable timing.

    ¡°Is that so¡­no, I will ask no more. Let¡¯s stop today¡¯s search here. I already sent for a carriage for the materials. Sir Shin, you may go back ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will do that then. Ah, what should we do with the recovered items? Even in card form, there¡¯s a serious quantity.¡±

    ¡°Please keep them for the time being.¡±

    Shin asked if he could keep them indefinitely, and Sherlene said that she would send someone to pick them up.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯d like to search the weapons a bit, so can I go ahead and do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that will be fine. With sir Vulcan, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know of him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s one of Erkunt¡¯s most famous craftsmen. The rumors of a young human and a blonde elf visiting his workshop have been spreading too.¡±

    ¡°As far as the royal pce?¡±

    Shin knew that some dwarves gathered to see Schnee, but he did not expect the rumors to reach Sherlene¡¯s ears. He expected them to circte among cksmiths, but not beyond that.

    Schnee was probably called a ¡°blonde elf¡± because of her disguise when meeting people.

    ¡°If you find out anything, please tell the person I send to recover the items.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will take my leave, then.¡±

    Shin nodded at Sherlene and headed towards Erkunt. He kept his presence concealed with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to avoid surprising normal people as he ran through the forest. He showed the papers identifying him as a coborator of the knights and entered the country. His first destination was Vulcan¡¯s workshop, of course.

    ¡°Hey there! Is the boss in?¡±

    Shin opened the door and addressed Vaal, who was taking care of the shop. He had be friendly with Vulcan and Vaal, so his speech changed ordingly. Shin called Vulcan ¡°boss¡± now.

    ¡°The boss is in the back, as usual. What brought you here today by the way? You look different than usual.¡±

    ¡°I found something nice actually. I wondered if the boss could tell me where these were made.¡±

    Shin then materialized some of the gear he found in the cave. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to materialize weapons for monsters then and there, so he picked more orthodox swords, probably prepared for human-like monsters, since there existed monsters which could use gear made for yers too.

    The swords were Unique grade, with the de extending from the hilt getting gradually thinner. Shin¡¯s appraisal let him know the weapon¡¯s grade, stats and name of the creator. Though, he could not find anything else.

    A weapon with this design was made by a certain school: the cksmiths in this world could surely tell, but Shin didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°An orange de, that¡¯s pretty unusual. They probably added monster materials to magic steel. As a weapon, it¡¯s rather high quality¡­I¡¯d wager it¡¯s from either the Baiden or Reishin schools.¡±

    Being Vulcan¡¯s disciple, Vaal was also very knowledgeable about the subject. He looked intently at the de and mentioned namespletely new to Shin.

    ording to Vaal, both schools specialized in mixing materials with iron.

    ¡°The engraving was destroyed, so I thought you might know something. I don¡¯t really know much about this stuff.¡±

    Shin said while looking at the de with Vaal.

    ¡°We can¡¯t tell everything either, but with the information gathered by the union, it¡¯s still better than nothing. If our skills are recognized, we have the chance of learning new techniques from the union¡¯s collected information.¡±

    ¡°Instead of having a country, they are located throughout the world and share the information they found, that¡¯s what dwarves do, right.¡±

    Dwarves lived as citizens of other countries, with most of them belonging to an organization called the union. They had built an international informationwork, very simr to the real world.

    Sometimes in Human countries.

    Sometimes in Elven countries.

    Sometimes in Lord countries.

    Sometimes in Beast countries.

    Sometimes in Dragnil countries.

    Sometimes in Pixie countries.

    Gathered information ispiled by the various branches of the unions, then sent to headquarters, where its leaders reside. It was just like the union had spies all over the world or so some people whispered about the dwarves¡¯ union. ording to Vaal, it was just an association of artisans.

    ¡°A dwarf spy¡­? I would like to see one, honestly.¡±

    Shin asked about the spy rumor, half joking, and Vaal replied with a wryugh.

    Dwarves weren¡¯t suited at all for stealth: they could manage it if they continuously boosted their stats, but only Chosen Ones or former yers could.

    ¡°It is true that we gather information about technology. Ever since the Dusk of Majesty, precious technology was lost because of wars or monster attacks. Dwarves have developed thiswork to preserve technology and revive lost ones. People do say that a small number of dwarves have a monopoly on technology, but there are many dangerous ones which could be used for shady purposes, so we cannot just make it all public. There are other organizations engaged in simr activities too.¡±

    ¡°Right. In this world there aren¡¯t weapons of mass destruction after all, though it might be possible to create them.¡±

    Shin nodded to Vaal¡¯s fervent speech. Because unique techniques of magic existed, there were items as dangerous as missiles. In a world where war existed, monsters would not always be the targets.

    ¡°It seems that people used them normally in the world before the Dusk of Majesty, though. When I heard that, I was d to not be born in that era, honestly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­..that¡¯s right.¡±

    Shin, who had used such weapons in the past, gave a vague answer. He had thrown items which attacked friend and foe indiscriminately where his allies were fighting enemies. It was a strategy possible because his allies were High Human, who would suffer little to no damage. An item like that would be capable of erasing a whole castle if used in this world.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve kept you too long.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, it was a very interesting conversation.¡±

    Shin told the apologetic Vaal not to worry, then went to Vulcan¡¯s forge. As he walked, he felt the heat increase and heard the sound of a hammer striking. Vulcan was forging a sword, so Shin hid his presence and waited, not wanting to disturb him.

    They were allies, but he had no intention of secretly watching Vulcan¡¯s work, so he looked towards the corridor. Vulcan was in the finishing stages of forging, so soon enough the sound of his hammer striking the iron stopped.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you noticed.¡±

    Vulcan had apparently noticed Shin¡¯s presence. Shin had not exactly tried topletely hide, so he wasn¡¯t too surprised.

    Shin entered the workshop and found Vulcan holding two swords, still not sharpened. Depending on how they were sharpened, he estimated they would turn out Unique grade.

    ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I¡¯lle another time.¡±

    ¡°No, I just have to hand them to the sharpener now, my work is done. So, what brings you in? Aren¡¯t you the busy one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something rted to that. Take a look.¡±

    Shin showed the sword he had already shown Vaal to Vulcan.

    ¡°Oh, not bad at all. What about it?¡±

    Vulcan studied the de and hilt closely, then asked Shin what he had in mind.

    ¡°I found it in a certain ce, but the cksmith¡¯s engraving was erased. I was wondering if you could tell me something about whoever made it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been made using monster parts mixed with iron, a technique that several schools are researching, that¡¯s for sure. Without any unusual characteristics, however, I can¡¯t tell who made it.¡±

    The weapon¡¯s quality did not suggest that it had been forged by an especially skilled cksmith. Vulcan added that he could think of several that could have made it, so it was impossible to pinpoint it.

    Limiting the scope to Erkunt only, however, narrowed down the selection. Vulcan said that he would say their names to Shinter. They were all famous, so there was no need to hide it, apparently.

    Maybe the cksmith that supplied weapons to Avaritia wasn¡¯t among them, but there was no harm in checking them.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you needed?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s one more thing, actually. If you have time, I wanted to ask you to make weapons using these.¡±

    Shin then materialized the gear recovered from the cave.

    ¡°What the¡­so many Legend grade weapons? The others are all high quality too¡­and theye from the same ce as the sword from before¡­Shin, is this rted to the iing attack on the city?¡±

    Vulcan noticed that many weapons were made for monsters and looked at Shin in the eyes.

    Shin was surprised, but Vulcan was a cksmith that Sherlene and Masakado trusted with their weapons, so he was likely to have heard about it.

    ¡°You know who we¡¯re up against, boss?¡±

    ¡°A devil. That sword I was tempering just then is an anti-devil prototype, I made with information I got from the union.¡±

    ¡°I see, as expected by the chief of the knights¡¯ exclusive workshop.¡±

    Apparently the union also had information about devils.

    ¡°I heard about you too, Shin the ¡®shing Hammer¡¯, was it?¡±

    ¡°Gah, that nickname¡­it¡¯s just too embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Usually people are proud of them¡­anyway. You know a lot about devils, right? Do you think this could be useful?¡±

    Vulcan did not tease the sour-looking Shin any further and showed him the sword he had just forged. It was more or less medium Rare-grade; it did not have any magic imbued in it, but it did have the special attribute of causing added damage to devils. If used against a devil or its cohorts, it would cause 5% more damage.

    The number was kind of low for an added damage attribute, but it was still a prototype, so Vulcan had not given his all yet, surely.

    Added damage attributes inflicted more damage to specific species: one of the more famous examples was the Dragon Killer, which inflicted added damage to dragons.

    ¡°Against a devil, I¡¯d want at least a 20% boost. The weapons I¡¯m going to distribute have a 30% boost, after all.¡±

    ¡°Even with the species limitation, 30%¡­Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I nned to lend it to you anyway, and if it will help you forge better quality weapons, we will have less casualties too.¡±

    Shin then materialized a longsword imbued with an attribute that caused more damage to devils. The silver de had a yellow line from the hilt to the tip. It had no engraved name, so it could be called Devil Killer.

    ¡°All the weapons you n to distribute have the same stats as this?¡±

    ¡°More or less. I n to give something a little better to the captains and such. I prepared 200 of these for the elite troops for now. For captains and troops with higher levels, I have about 50 weapons a bit better than this one.¡±

    ¡°¡­I know that they¡¯re Unique, but¡­200 of this? If I didn¡¯t know about your skills, I¡¯d never believe it.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say it, but the ¡°a bit better¡± weapons were Legend grade. If Vulcan knew that Shin could prepare 50 of them, he would probably be dazed.

    ¡°The union documents say to expect 10% at most. They did say that, depending on materials and cksmith, it could go as far as 20%, but¡­¡±

    Vulcan grumbled while looking at the de. He added that the records contained precious techniques to be preserved after the Dusk of Majesty.

    ¡°Wait a minute. You¡¯re going to distribute this to the troops? Which means that, you¡¯re going to use something better?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, mine has a +40% damage attribute. It¡¯s called ¡ºThe Ark¡».¡±

    It actually had a +50% damage boost, but Shin corrected himself before talking, then materialized the sword in question. Its de was about 1 mel and a half. Blue gems were set in the hilt, from which branch-like decorations extended.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never heard the name before.¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s expression was frozen. He probably wanted to pretend he didn¡¯t hear about the stats.

    ¡°I heard the name came from an angel.¡±

    Devil killer weapons were named after angels. It was pretty natural, or so Shin thought.

    Shin unsheathed the de, which gleamed with a blue and silver hue. Its tip was not sharp, but square. It waspletely unsuited for thrusting and bore the nickname of executioner sword, being used to administer the death penalty.

    ¡°A devil killer name with the name of an angel. I only heard about them in folk tales, though.¡±

    ¡°It served its purpose, so why not?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah¡­I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s wrong? You look pale.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling mymon sense as a cksmith start to shatter.¡±

    Vulcan held his head in his hands, as it had started hurting, and talked with difficulty. While he had mentioned it, he didn¡¯t really care about the weapon¡¯s name. Even Vulcan, one of Erkunt¡¯s top cksmiths, was simply bbergasted by what Shin just pulled out.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re not a Lord, right?¡±

    ¡°Me? No, I¡¯m Human, why?¡±

    Of course, He couldn¡¯t say anything about being a High Human.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not from a species with high longevity, then you must be a Chosen One¡­but that is also too weird¡­¡±

    ¡°I know that well, believe me.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, then let¡¯s leave it at that. I can¡¯t fathom how you aren¡¯t specialized in a production job, despite being so skilled.¡±

    ¡°I was in the beginning, but I was forced by circumstances to be abat type.¡±

    Shin had to raise his level not only to be able to gather materials more easily, but also to attain the necessary STR and DEX to wield certain hammers. Since Humans were considered weak, he would often be refused entry in parties engaged in quests to find rare materials, so in the beginning he had a very hard time finding good ones.

    Because of this -as he had told Wilhelm in the past- he had entered a loop for a time: defeat monsters, gather parts, update gear, rinse and repeat.

    ¡°A production specialist forced to take upbat? Isn¡¯t that bizarre enough already?¡±

    ¡°Where I lived, we had to be self sufficient, in more ways than one. So if you needed Red Dragon scales, you had to start from hunting one.¡±

    ¡°Say what!?¡±

    The more one focused on production, the more theirbat skills and techniques would suffer. Vulcan was no exception: his level as a cksmith was high, but as a fighter he was weaker than adventurers at the same level. Production specialists who could also fight were very rare.

    ¡°Where the hell did you live, really. Oh well, you gave me some great reference, I¡¯m going to steal what I can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    Vulcan could definitely forge something much better than the prototype. Shin was positive about it, so he gave the dwarf some advice, then left the workshop.

    He then realized that the sun was already setting. Schnee was probably already back at the hotel.

    ¡°This is bad.¡±

    Not wanting to keep her waiting, Shin quickly headed back to their lodging.

 Book 14: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    It was two days after Shin and Sherlene found the monster den that an emergency summons arrived from the royal pce.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°It is probably rted to the devil.¡±

    The messenger sent by the royal pce was whipping the horses in a frenzy, so they opted not to ask questions yet. He was trying to be prudent while traveling as fast as possible. If they distracted him, he might even cause an ident.

    ¡°Your guide is waiting for you. Please, do lend us your assistance.¡±

    After they somehow arrived at the castle, the messenger briskly saluted Shin and Schnee. They answered that they will do whatever they can and passed through the castle gates. The woman who would act as their guide approached them right away.

    Shin and Schnee were led to the room where they had previously met king Kreunzeit. The guide quickly served them both tea.

    ¡°I am sure they have been notified of your arrival. Please wait here for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The guide had prepared tea and sweets before them, so Shin obliged without restraint. There were mainly cookie-like baked sweets with a couple other types mixed in.

    ¡°Pretty good, as expected of the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°If you like them, I can make some at the hotel too.¡±

    ¡°You know how?¡±

    ¡°I can pretty much tell, from the look and the vor. Then I just need to make adjustments while baking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Level IX Cooking skills was nothing to snuff at. Thanks to visiting various countries and cities on official quests, Schnee had expanded her food repertoire.

    ¡°If you liked them, I¡¯ll have someone give you the recipeter.¡±

    While Shin and Schnee were talking, Namsaar entered the room as somber and expressionless as ever. He addressed Shin in the same way as he had done to the king.

    ¡°Please, you mustn¡¯t bother. Is there only you today, Mr. Namsaar?¡±

    ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡±

    Namsaar asked back to Shin, as if meaning to ask if that was a problem.

    Normally, it would be extremely disrespectful for an average citizen like Shin to address the captain of the royal guards so casually. Namsaar himself had said to not use titles when talking to him however.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any problems with you, Mr. Namsaar. I heard it was an emergency summons, so I figured that it might havee from king Kreunzeit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just information to be shared, so I¡¯m more than enough. There is no need to put up appearances with you, sir Shin, as we must with the nobles. I¡¯ll get on topic then. We have called you because a dungeon has been spotted about 2 kemel north of Erkunt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is inside a forest, but it does not appear to be too deep. The knights said that they¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±

    The location where the dungeon was found was in a ce that Erkunt¡¯s knights routinely patrolled. The forest was also visited often by adventurers on gathering or extermination quests: if a dungeon was present, it would be found immediately.

    Namsaar added that the dungeon was not in a rarely visited location.

    ¡°Could it be rted to the cave I found with Sherlene?¡±

    ¡°Probably so. The dungeon was found the day after the cave sighting, so I would be hard pressed to say the two are not rted. There could have some sort of device or hidden mechanism, unknown to us.¡±

    Namsaar talked without changing expression, but he seemed to be in a foul mood. There had to have been something more behind a dungeon appearing close to the kingdom when it was preparing for a devil¡¯s attack.

    This dungeon was highly likely to be rted to devils. Even if they just went to inspect it, they needed to be very careful. That was the reason why Shin and Schnee were summoned. They had enough skills to both sneak into or conquer it.

    ¡°The exploration party will be only me and Yuki?¡±

    ¡°No, likest time, you will be apanied by Sherlene and some knights under her directmand. If the dungeon is connected with the devil, I am sure only Sherlene will be of use in battle, but the knights could prove useful to take care of small fry or watch the surroundings.¡±

    Shin found Namsaar¡¯s words concerning, but chose not to say anything. Half baked strength was of little to no use against high level monsters. Even if they were powerful as average individuals, there was a limit to the monsters Sherlene¡¯s knights could handle.

    Shin chose not to say anything about it, though.

    ¡°Understood. Should we depart right away?¡±

    ¡°I had Sherlene and the others get ready. I would like you to join them and go.¡±

    Shin and Schnee were told that they were in the training grounds, so they were about to leave the room and go.

    ¡°Gah¡­.¡±

    They heard ament behind them, however, and turned around. Namsaar was holding his head, a pained expression on his face.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Just light exhaustion. There are many arrangements to be done to advance the preparations against the devil attack.¡±

    Namsaar lightly shook his head, then returned to the usual stone-faced expression.

    ¡°It might be out of ce for me to say, but you should rest when you can.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I will think about it.¡±

    Namsaar replied to Shin¡¯s words and left the room.

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t overdo it and copses.¡±

    ¡°Being a captain, I am sure he knows the importance of rest, but¡­I suppose we should mention it to Sherlene.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Schnee had a point. They wouldn¡¯t go out of their way to openly worry that Namsaar was so overworked he risked not being able to fight when it was needed.

    When they arrived in the training grounds, they noticed that Sherlene and her group were waiting, just as Namsaar had said. Sherlene was wearing a light armor with a red base color, just like before.

    ¡°Hello. Namsaar told us to join you for this expedition.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be counting on you. Lady Yuki, I think this is the first time we have actually talked. I heard that you are much more skilled than your looks would suggest. I¡¯ll be counting on your assistance too.¡±

    ¡°I will do my utmost, as not to cast shame on Shin.¡±

    Schnee shook the hand Sherlene extended and nodded while smiling. Some of the knights who were watching were charmed and stopped in their tracks.

    ¡°Enough staring atdy Yuki, you lot! You have work to do!¡±

    ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am!! We shall do our utmost!!¡±

    The knights exhibited a very sharp salute, then started moving again.

    Shin felt sorry for the annoyed Sherlene, but he understood their feelings all too well.

    Schnee was in a very good mood today, maybe because she could go together with Shin. Her expression clearly reflected her state of mind. Her bright smile would charm anyone: that¡¯s why Shin nodded to the knights¡¯ reaction.

    ¡°I see we are all ready. Let us depart for the dungeon in question then.¡±

    No monsters or thieves dared attack the group of armored knights armed with swords andnces. Thanks to theck of actual battles and rtive close distance, the group reached the dungeon in less than 30 minutes.

    ¡°The entrance is much wider than the previous cave.¡±

    ¡°ording to the soldiers we posted to observe the entrance, no monsters went inside. Though not much time has passed since it was discovered, so it could be a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Will you leave the knights here to guard the surroundings, likest time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this time the explorers will be us three: Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, and myself. I believe the devil is definitely involved here. Nevertheless, we cannot concentrate all of our fighting power here. It¡¯s rather troublesome.¡±

    All countries possessed more Chosen Ones than the number they made public. Shin thought that there had to be skilled fighters in Erkunt other than Sherlene, Fagall, and Namsaar.

    Maybe they were either keeping them as a reserve or they weren¡¯t as strong as Sherlene and Fagall. As they headed towards the entrance, Shin wondered why heroes who were supposed to be the kingdom¡¯s trump cards, were used so proactively so often.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this presence¡­¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression turned sour.

    Shin and Schnee felt the same, though not as much as Sherlene. There was a certain indescribable unpleasantness which they had not felt outside. It had approached them the moment they stepped in the dungeon.

    ¡°I thought this dungeon might be rted to the devil, but it looks like we¡¯ve hit the jackpot.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Sherlene understood the meaning of Shin¡¯s words after her question, as her expression showed.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high chance there¡¯s one here, in the lower floors.¡±

    It was the same in the game era. Dungeon fields where devils were present had the attribute of making yers feel unpleasant. What Shin felt now though, was not so much a strong uneasiness as it was little more than a bad feeling.

    ¡°(This didn¡¯t happen with Luxuria, so I had kind of forgotten.)¡±

    ¡°(That was probably because she is on friendly terms with humans. I can only feel hostility from this negative aura.)¡±

    Shin and Schnee talked via Mind Chat.

    Luxuria had no hostile intentions from the start. Instead, she wished to coexist with humanity. Schnee suggested that because of this, she didn¡¯t release an aura that made others feel unpleasant.

    ¡°I guess we should get ready for the worst.¡±

    ¡°Are we proceeding like this? Should we not call for reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°No, we can fight it now without risking casualties in the kingdom. It¡¯s definitely better to defeat it here rather than let it go out.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s drain attacks had a very wide range. The damage would be imensurable if it used them in a popted location. Dungeons might have been rife by monsters, but were the perfect battlefield to avoid human casualties.

    ¡°I see. In that case, I have no objections. Can you defeat it?¡±

    ¡°No need for concern. I always have anti-devil gear with me.¡±

    Shin then changed his equipment. In one instant, his attire turned into a shining full-body armor with silver and blue hues. Decorated with many thin, delicate ornaments, it looked like it was more suited for disying than fighting.

    The full-face helmet had a horn-like decoration extending towards the back; which gave the whole armor a strong impression of being poorly apt for battle. From the shoulders a dark blue mantle flowed down too. Paired with ¡ºThe Ark¡» equipped at the waist, it really looked like what a holy knight would wear.

    ¡°Well¡­I am surprised again.¡±

    Seeing the person next to you turn into a knight straight out of a fairytale in an instant, was surely a surprise to behold.

    ¡°This is the anti-devil, anti-demon specialized gear, ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡». Just standing close to a person with it equipped reduces the effect of status ailments and debuffs released by devils and demons. Don¡¯t you feel different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, the unpleasantness I felt before is gone just by being close to you¡­I suppose this is your trump card?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to say, but the devil surely expects us toe with this. Many warriors d with this armor have in devils in the past, after all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. If we have a weapon so useful against devils, there would be no reason not to use it.¡±

    The armor¡¯s grade was, of course, Ancient. It was strong enough on its own, but it also boosted attacks against devils. For them it was nothing but a bane of their existence. Shin was wearing it the first time he met Luxuria; she had casually remarked that she was scared, but she had to have really been quite terrified.

    ¡°We have an anti-devilnce for you Sherlene, will you use it?¡±

    Shin had procured it, but not given it to Sherlene yet, so he used this opportunity to propose it.

    ¡°May I try to use it once? An anti-devil weapon sounds very appealing, but I am more familiar with this.¡±

    Sherlene then looked at the weapon she was holding.

    ¡°Of course. If it feels difficult to use, you can keep it as a sub weapon.¡±

    Changing the weapon you were familiar with with a new one just before fighting a powerful enemy was a decision that required a lot of courage. Being a warrior, Sherlene knew it well.

    Sherlene wielded the ¡ºHoly Lance Guildern¡» Shin gave her and tried a few practice swings.

    She didn¡¯t look awkward at all in Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost shocked¡­it doesn¡¯t feel quite like my usual weapon, but it is very easy to use. It will do nicely. I am going to use it this time.¡±

    Sherlene judged that if she used thence in battle, there would probably be no problems.

    ¡°Let me give you this too then. This blue one is for protection, while this red one is for throwing. By the way, the one you have is for closebat.¡±

    Shin pulled out some cards as he exined, but Sherlene waspletely lost. The reason was all the cards he showed had ¡ºHoly Lance Guildern¡» pictured on them. Just the color was different: there were 10 red and blue cards respectively.

    ¡°My apologies, Sir Shin, but¡­these are all the same weapon?¡±

    ¡°They are, but the magic enchantments attached are different. The blue ones are for protection: if you thrust it in the ground it will create a field that reduces status ailments and contact damage. The red ones are for throwing: they have aiming support and piercing boost attached. If it hits, it can cause continuous damage. The one I gave you first is for closebat, it boosts physical abilities and grants auto-recovery. The red and blue ones are generally one use only, so I¡¯d advise against re-using them as weapons while fighting.¡±

    The different colors were meant to help not to confuse them. Not only Shin, but also other cksmiths in the game applied these adjustments. yers did everything they could in order to defeat monsters in the most effective way possible.

    ¡°A-as expected of sir Shin¡­I will make good use of them.¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression was extremely tense. She could only stiffly nod to Shin¡¯s words of using Legend-grade weapons as ¡°one time only¡± items.

    ¡°Should Iunch a surprise attack with the usual set?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the enemy is wary of us, but that will be very useful all the same. If you can,nd a blow or two.¡±

    Schnee nodded and changed her equipment.

    Her maid attire disappeared, with an anti-devil ninja outfit in its ce.

    Just like Shin¡¯s equipment, it was anti-devil gear for ninjas, called ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» .

    ¡°This looks, quite, light.¡±

    Sherlene wasn¡¯t sure how to react to Schnee¡¯s transformation. It was to be expected: Schnee was now covered by a very thin, rubber suit like outfit. Arm guards, leg guards, kunai holders, item holders and other essories. The pieces of armor ¡°protecting¡± Schnee¡¯s shoulders and waist could barely be called part of a ninja outfit.

    Schnee¡¯s body and curves were very entuated, so even Sherlene found it difficult to look at her straight. Just like bikini armors, this outfit too was often described as ¡°too much¡± by female yers in the game.

    Incidentally, the male version had the same design too, but very few ever talked about it.

    While it might look like something from another genre of game, its stats and effects were exceptional.

    It allowed the user to move with enough stealth topletely bypass a devil¡¯s detection field and -against devils¡¯ attacks- have more defensive power than even the ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡». The negatives of its looks werepletely counterbnced by the positives of its specs.

    If you could stand to wear it, it would prove to be a real asset against devils.

    ¡°I will conceal my presence till we reach the devil, then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, leave the rest to us.¡±

    It would be too tant to disappear in front of the devil¡¯s eyes, so Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s proposal of hiding until they arrived.

    As long as extremely powerful monsters did not appear, Shin and Sherlene would be enough.

    ¡°I wonder ifdy Yuki does not feel embarrassed¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because only you and me can see her. If there were other knights around, she wouldn¡¯t have shown herself like that.¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t care what people other than Shin thought of her, but she still had a sense of shame. As long as the devil didn¡¯t go on a rampage outside the dungeon, Schnee wouldn¡¯t risk showing herself to others like that, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°I see, I understand. Apologies, it was just¡­that stimting. I ended up asking something unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen it plenty of times and think about it too sometimes, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    He had seen it in the game era already, but in this world Schnee wearing the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» was something to behold indeed.

    Shin then shook his head to erase the image of Schnee that had etched itself in his brain. They were going to fight a devil: no matter how much the anti-devil gear would help, they couldn¡¯t afford to lower their guard.

    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±

    Sherlene nodded and they moved. Her expression did not show the former confusion anymore. Fighting was her profession, after all, and she was quick to switch back to serious mode.

 Book 14: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    As far as Shin could tell with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, the dungeon only had 7 floors: it was a shallow yet wide type. It could be an instant dungeon which appeared all of a sudden and Avaritia happened to choose as base. Instant dungeons, which appeared randomly in all areas, could be conquered by a single party.

    ¡°I cannot feel many monster presences¡­what about you, sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I searched throughout the dungeon and found very few monster presences.¡±

    The monsters roaming through the dungeon were 10-20 per floor. Based on Shin¡¯s experiences, they were far too few.

    Shin and Sherlene proceeded through the dungeon, without any obstacles barring their way. Their objective was to defeat the devil, so they nned to avoid fighting as much as possible, but as they couldn¡¯t even find traps on the way, it felt like they were lured in.

    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡±

    Sherlene agreed with Shin¡¯s suspicions. It seemed like they would reach the boss chamber without a single battle.

    ¡°For added safety, please take this with you.¡±

    Shin took a card out of a pocket -from the item box- and gave it to Sherlene.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A crystal imbued with teleportation magic. In case the enemy causes this whole dungeon to copse to bury us alive, use it to escape. You just need to materialize it and focus on it, thinking to ¡°use¡± it. I set it to teleport the user to the woods near the entrance.¡±

    ¡°¡­teleportation¡­!?¡±

    Shin gave a quick exnation, but it looked like Sherlene only picked one word from it.

    ¡°Wait, this is strange. I think I heard you say¡­teleportation¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, teleportation. It¡¯s a rare item, so I would prefer if we did not have to use it though.¡±

    ¡°Is this, real?¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s face was, again, very tense. Much more than when she received Shin¡¯s weapons however. She looked at the crystal as if she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve used the same item in the past.¡±

    ¡°¡­.is that so.¡±

    Sherlene said no more: she carefully, very carefully ced the card in her pocket.

    She then looked at Shin, held her temples as if she was suffering from a headache, seemed as if she was going to say something, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Whether she decided that it wasn¡¯t the time or ce to question him, or simply she stopped thinking, Shin couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°I will use it, in case of necessity.¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s tone had lost much of its usual confidence.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Whose fault do you think this¡­.no, that is the safest option. It would be ridiculous toin. Apologies, I was slightly shaken.¡±

    ¡°Teleportation is quite the shock, I imagine?¡±

    ¡°To receive a piece of lost technology so casually¡­is a bit too much for my heart.¡±

    Sherlene gave a small sigh, then her expression turned sharp again.

    ¡°It¡¯s just for emergencies.¡±

    ¡°It is a very valuable insurance. In case of necessity, I will not hesitate to use it. Though, I would prefer not to.¡±

    Crystals disappeared upon use. Sherlene understood that items were meant to be used, but she would have much preferred to keep it for research. If she didn¡¯t use it, however, Shin would take it back, so in any case it would not be an object of research.

    ¡°If we stay out of the monsters¡¯ roaming routes we won¡¯t have to fight, but there are still traps. Please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I cannot afford to space out any longer.¡±

    Sherlene refocused herself.

    Shin and Sherlene descended from floor to floor, checking for storage rooms like the ones they found in the cave on the way. All the items they found were collected by Shin.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had an easy enough time getting here, but things will be different from now on.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I am ready.¡±

    Arge, imposing door stood before them. It was the boss chamber, without a doubt.

    Shin instructed the concealed Schnee via Mind Chat to strike if she had the chance, then touched the gate. The doors moved immediately and revealed the inside of the room.

    ¡°Ugh¡­.¡±

    The instant the doors opened, the stench wafting from inside made Sherlene twist her face.

    Even Shin, rtively protected from the stench by ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», could smell a nasty odor. Its source was all too clear: it was the stench of rotting and death.

    A massive amount of monster corpses were piled in the boss chamber.

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°The cause is, without a doubt, that.¡±

    Shin pointed beyond the carpet of corpses.

    Its back was visible. Because of the corpses, only the upper body was visible, but even that was more than 3 mel tall.

    It was a human-like silhouette, a body with visible back bones, d in armor. Only the body below the neck could be described as human-like however.

    Its head was a lion¡¯s face, forcefully grafted onto a human thorax. From the lion¡¯s jaws, another neck extended outwards.

    Shin and his group could only see ck hair covering the neck and goat-like twisted horns.

    ¡°Nnghaah? More for meeh?¡±

    A very coarse sounding male voice. The source then turned around.

    What they saw then was a goat¡¯s face. A face of goat bones. Nevertheless, from the goat¡¯s mouth a man¡¯s voice came out.

    ¡°Humaahns? That¡¯s noht the ahn¡ª¡±

    ¡ª¡ªDeadly Sin Devil ¨C Avaritia ¨C Level 750

    While the devil talked, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed its identity.

    The name and appearance were just as Shin remembered.

    ¡°¡ª-who, are, you?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s eyes grew narrowers, its tone heavier. It was looking at Shin only.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start. I¡¯m going to charge in straight from the front, you find any openings and strike Sherlene. The attack patterns are as I told you before. It could use unexpected attacks, so always be on your toes.¡±

    ¡°I am well aware. I will give it my all.¡±

    Shin ran forward, ignoring Avaritia¡¯s question. He crossed the loads of corpses with a speed of nimbleness unthinkable of a man wearing armor, getting closer to the devil very quickly.

    ¡°Gheeah!!¡±

    Avaritia swung its fist at the approaching Shin, without hesitation, twisting its back to throw it.

    The devil¡¯s giant fist easily reached over 1 mel: for Shin, it was like a wall of flesh was approaching him. Shin, however, did not dodge the punch thundering through the air.

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    His feet firmly nted in the ground, Shin blew out some air and swung ¡ºThe Ark¡». At the same time, the sword¡¯s de was enveloped in white light.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s yell rang out at about the same time as ¡ºThe Ark¡» swung down. Tracing a white arc in the air, it shed against Avaritia¡¯s arm.

    ¡°That, can¡¯t be only the weapon¡¯s strength¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s fist and Shin crossed, but Shin did not budge. Avaritia was the one to suffer damage in the sh.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºThe Ark¡» had not severed Avaritia¡¯s arm, but vaporized it instead.

    The range only extended to Shin¡¯s immediate surroundings, but the power exerted came not from skills, but only from the weapon: it was simply destructive.

    ¡°Devil killehr¡­weapon.¡±

    ¡°You know them well, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Before Avaritia could pull back its arm, Shin attacked. He had already started moving when he talked: he had no intention of wasting time.

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» was once again swung at Avaritia, a tinum light extending like a de, carving the devil¡¯s body. It was an effect which activated only against devils, something extremely dangerous to Avaritia.

    ¡°Youuh nuisahnce!!¡±

    Avaritia screamed. At the same time, the visible half of its body grew dramaticallyrger. Avaritia¡¯s upper body was human-like, but its lower body did not exist. It was like its upper body emerged from a hole in the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t something so ridiculous however. The ¡°nonexisting¡± lower body was a slime-like shapeless mass.

    When the devil shouted a ck, pulsating, liquid mass covered the ground, with Avaritia at its center. Seeing the corpses melt as they came in contact with it clearly showed how dangerous it was.

    It was one of Avaritia¡¯s skills, ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°Sherlene! The blue one!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    Before Shin called out to her, Sherlene had thrust the blue ¡ºGuildern¡» in the ground.

    The ground then started glowing, with ¡ºGuildern¡» as its center, in a 5 mel radius. Only that patch of ground was freed from the ck sludge cover, as if it had been cut away.

    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to watch!¡±

    Sherlene thus found a ce to stand and readied a red ¡ºGuildern¡». The number was limited, but Avaritia¡¯s gigantic body was an easy enough target: there was no risk of targeting Shin by mistake.

    ¡°Haah!!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s head was targeted by ¡ºGuildern¡», shrouded in a deep red glow.

    Sherlene had activated the Spear/mebination skill ¡¾Mitear¡¿.

    It was a spear skill suited for throwing: its offensive area covered a 1 mel radius around the point of impact, so it was useful when fighting againstrge monsters.

    Avaritia had perceived ¡ºGuildern¡»¡¯s presence during the fighting and blocked it with its regenerated left arm.

    ¡°Annother ooneh!?¡±

    When the mes subsided, Avaritia¡¯s left arm looked as if a wild beast had bit through it. Shin did not waste time and attacked it, shing off half of the monster¡¯s left arm.

    ¡°How the heell are you so stronng!?¡±

    Probably aware of how rapidly its HP was falling, Avaritia voiced its frustration.

    ¡°It¡¯s made just for you devils! You can thank meter!¡±

    ¡°Screew you!! Shiiht! Errkunt¡¯s yers were supposed to be small frrry!!!¡±

    The devil was apparently aware of the yers¡¯ presence. As far as Shin knew, the only former yers in Erkunt were Hmee and Masakado. It would probably be impossible for them to stop Avaritia.

    Facing Avaritia, however, were Shin and Schnee.

    Even during their conversation, Shin swung ¡ºThe Ark¡» and continued carving through Avaritia¡¯s armor and body, as Sherlene too increased the devil¡¯s wounds.

    The lower body covering the ground was also used to attack, but Shin blocked its assaults with his armor, Sherlene with the thrust spear¡¯s barrier.

    Avaritia was supposed to be a fearful enemy, with powerful drain abilities and ranged attacks that could directly hit at a rear guard and other such nasty skills, but its strongest advantages were thus nullified.

    ¡°You called forradess too¡­ who the heell arre you? Are you rreally human!? Damn monssterr!!¡±

    ¡°You take a good look at yourself now!!¡±

    Avaritia screamed at Shin, who was freely moving with no concern for ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ and blew away parts of its body with every attack.

    Shin was moving as if ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ wasn¡¯t even there to begin with: the drain field meant to excruciatingly torment yers was blocked by the protective field of Shin¡¯s armor, so it couldn¡¯t inflict any damage or status ailments.

    Shin¡¯s weapon, ¡ºThe Ark¡», was also lethal upon contact for devils.

    The ¡ºGuildern¡» spears thrown by Sherlene inflicted enough damage that they could not be ignored.

    If Avaritia was a yer, he would likely beining about how unfair the battle was.

    Shin and the others however, found him to be a nasty foe as well.

    ¡°Drain affects the corpses too, huh. I guess it nned ahead.¡±

    Drain barely affected Shin and Sherlene, but its targets included the monster corpses. Even if they were dead, HP could be absorbed from them.

    The room was riddled with monster corpses, so even if Shin shaved away Avaritia¡¯s HP, it also recovered at an impressive speed. The monster corpses on the ck sludge covering the room acted as potions for Avaritia.

    Because of its high recovery abilities, Avaritia had one of the lowest HP gauges among the Deadly Sin devils, but it was still much more than humans.

    Shin¡¯s attacks caused more damage but, because of the devil¡¯s recovery ratio, the damage caused was still about 20%.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s burn them.¡±

    Shin distanced himself from Avaritia and held ¡ºThe Ark¡» over his shoulder.

    Sword/Lightbination skill ¡ºWhite Inferno¡»

    The light permeating Shin¡¯s de grew stronger, forming a giant de thrice the original size.

    ¡°You fool!!¡±

    Avaritia didn¡¯t miss the opening. It absorbed the sludge covering the room, forming multiple spikes to attack Shin. It was an attack possible thanks to the shapeshifting properties of the sludge.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    ¡°Gwaah!?¡±

    Following Avaritia¡¯smentation, however, the spikes dissolved before reaching Shin.

    Exploiting the opening created by Avaritia¡¯s focus on Shin and Sherlene, Schnee hadnded a blow on the devil.

    Schnee¡¯s sh entered diagonally from Avaritia¡¯s right shoulder, reaching the spot where a human¡¯s heart would be located. Devils did not have hearts, but its body was nevertheless shed in half.

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s attack created an opening.

    Shin used it to charge his attack, then swung ¡ºThe Ark¡». The de struck the ground and simply damaged it.

    The light extending from ¡ºThe Ark¡», however, formed a gigantic de with a sh, slicing through the shapeless lower body of the devil as it advanced forward.

    ¡°Ggh!?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s upper body had limited movement capabilities. Because of this, it could only block Shin¡¯s attack by crossing its arms. However, when the de of light struck, a white explosion burst forth with Avaritia at its center, briefly erasing the devil from sight.

    The attack wasn¡¯t powerful enough topletely defeat Avaritia, but what Shin needed the most now was time. He raised ¡ºThe Ark¡» again and ran towards Sherlene.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Shin lifted the confused Sherlene as a red and orange light enveloped ¡ºThe Ark¡».

    ¡°Burn to cinders!!¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» ,now lit aze, was thrown just in front of Avaritia¡¯s location. Like a streak of light through the air, ¡ºThe Ark¡» flew on and thrust itself into the ground. The very moment of impact, the energy concentrated in the de was released.

    Sword/mebination skill ¡¾re Crisis¡¿.

    A sea of mes covered the whole room, raging indiscriminately through friend and foe.

    The skill itself did not cause much damage to Avaritia, but it was perfect for Shin¡¯s objective. The floor covered in ck slime gradually returned to its original color. The corpses were burned to the point that not even ashes remained.

    ¡°Youu bastarrd!!¡±

    Without any more recovery sources, Avaritia let out a grunt of irritation.

    Because of Shin¡¯s light shes, the devil was now missing both its arms. Its main body was also scorched in ces by ¡¾re Crisis¡¿. It also did not seem to be recovering HP anymore.

    ¡°Please keep assisting me by throwing the spears¡±.

    Shin let Sherlene down, then again rushed towards Avaritia.

    In that small time frame, the devil had regenerated half of its arms. It was one of Avaritia¡¯s abilities, so its HP was unchanged.

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡°Here goes!!¡±

    Shin met the devil¡¯s fist with his.

    Shin¡¯s fist was much smaller than Avaritia¡¯s, but the devil¡¯s punch was the one to be blown back.

    Shin¡¯s gauntlets were also part of ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil ¡». Naturally, they inflicted bonus damage to devils.

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s muscr power and the gauntlet¡¯s abilities, the difference in mass between the two fists was inconsequential. Because of the impact, Avaritia lost its bnce.

    Schnee also cast ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿ on the arm that was still missing its fist, slowing the devil¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Nice one!¡±

    Shin did not waste the opening Schnee created: He picked up ¡ºThe Ark¡» with both hands and activated a skill while swinging it.

    ¡°Time to disappear!!¡±

    An eruption of light followed the arc drawn by the de in the air.

    Sword/Divinebination skill ¡¾Ster Geyser¡¿

    Blowing away everything in its path, the silver light streaked from the floor to the ceiling.

    ¡°Oooaaaoogghhhh!!!¡±

    The pir of light even erased Avaritia¡¯s scream, growing even more powerful to turn the devil¡¯s body to light.

    The skill¡¯s duration time was five seconds. As the light gradually dissipated, Avaritia¡¯s body appeared: its arms were gone, several parts of its body missing as if carved away. Half of its head was missing.

    Even after suffering all that damage, Avaritia was still alive.

    ¡°What¡­what the hell¡­arre¡­you¡­¡±

    The remaining half of the devil¡¯s face. The eye deep inside the monster¡¯s skull was incredulous.

    ¡°You have no need to know.¡±

    Shin stood in front of Avaritia and raised ¡ºThe Ark¡» over his head.

    The de now glowed in a golden, cross-shaped light, different from ¡¾Ster Geyser¡¿¡¯s pir of light, which had carved even the ceiling.

    ¡°This is the end.¡±

    The golden light, despite its brightness which didn¡¯t burned the eyes, struck down upon the unmoving Avaritia.

    Divine skill ¡¾Cross Judgement¡¿.

    The golden light did not crush Avaritia, but enveloped its body. The devil¡¯s silhouette then started vanishing, as if melting away into the atmosphere.

    When the light disappeared, Avaritia¡¯s body hadpletely vanished too. The only thing left was the proof of Avaritia¡¯s defeat, the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡».

    ¡°Is it, over?¡±

    Shin whispered as he turned the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» into a card.

    ¡°I wonder. ording to Luxuria, Avaritia shouldn¡¯t have been so close yet¡­¡±

    Schnee said that if Avaritia was so close, it would be weird for Luxuria not to report it. Shin agreed too.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen, I wonder.¡±

    Shin then looked at the card. There was something that concerned him. It wasn¡¯t over yet, probably.

    He stopped thinking for the moment, however: the fact that one devil was gone was the truth. There wasn¡¯t much he could do, except continue defeating devils.

    ¡°This is the first priority for now.¡±

    Shin started thinking of all possible ways to keep the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» for himself.

    He remembered, far toote, that he hadmitted the silly mistake of not talking about how drop items would be split.

 Book 14: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Since you defeated the devil, it¡¯s only fair for you to keep the item, Sir Shin.¡±

    While Shin was still wondering what he should do when they returned to Erkunt, Sherlene requested that they head directly to the king¡¯s audience chambers and report on the mission.

    Because of the magnitude of the incident, they would report directly to the king.

    Shin expected to have to give a very formal report in the throne room, but once again they were shown to the usual room. Once he heard about the defeat of Avaritia, King Kreunzuit approved of Shin¡¯s im to the drop item. Shin was taken aback by the king¡¯s immediate and frank reply.

    ¡°Is it really alright? This is a very rare item.¡±

    ¡°That is precisely the reason. If the rumor that devils drop very valuable items spreads,dy Luxuria will be the next target. Even with anti-devil weapons, I am sure that Deadly Sin devils are not an easy target to fell. Sir Shin would never cooperate with anyone to take down Lady Luxuria. Sherlene, could you and your knights take down a devil?¡±

    ¡°Frankly speaking, without Sir Shin and Lady Yuki¡¯s prowess it would have not been possible to produce such results. If Fagall and I had gone to the dungeon, we would have fled in the best case or killed in the worst. After witnessing the battle with my own eyes, I realized how naive I was.¡±

    There was probably another report from Shin¡¯s. King Kreunzeit nodded while listening to Sherlene.

    ¡°Lady Sherlene has actually witnessed the battle: I do not have reason to doubt her words. Sir Shin, you have saved our countrymen; we owe you a debt of gratitude. If we said that the item will be used to exterminate other devils, no one will have reason to protest.¡±

    The king wished to hold a grand ceremony to honor Shin¡¯s exploits, but Shin would likely request not to. Instead, he would obtain possession of the item and a financial reward.

    The king and his close aides had probably discussed and reached this conclusion.

    ¡°We also considered granting yound and a court title, but surely you would not ept, yes?¡±

    ¡°Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with them. Honestly¡­if I received a court title, I would be a subordinate of Erkunt.¡±

    That I cannot do, is what Shin¡¯s words implied.

    Receiving items or money was not a problem. However,nd and court titles were apletely different matter: they would generate unwanted ties. If Shin was the type to ept such things, he would already belong to another country.

    ¡°That is a pity, but I understand there is no other way. Among the nobles there will probably be those who will try to secure you in their faction. I shall forbid it in my name, but if anyone tries to contact you about such matters, let me know. They shall be dealt with.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    King Kreunzeit¡¯s proposal was something Shin was extremely grateful for. If the king personally expressed such an order, only an utter fool would try to hire Shin. On top of that, Shin had also obtained the item he coveted.

    Shin thought for a moment that it was all going too well, but then considered that Erkunt had also gained valuable assets: a connection with powerful warriors, the elimination of a catastrophic threat, and arge amount of monster parts.

    ¡°Sir Shin, what will you do next? Will you depart immediately?¡±

    ¡°No, I am in fact waiting for myrades, I n to stay here until then.¡±

    ¡°I see. If you have any spare time, would you train our soldiers? The officer in charge of training has reported that the soldiers trained by Lady Yuki have grown clearly stronger than the others. We do not know when such a threat might appear again, after all.¡±

    ¡°If we have time until our departure from Erkunt. If you ept these conditions, then I will.¡±

    Shin made eye contact with Schnee, then replied. They already started doing it anyway, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem.

    Shin and Schnee were told about the time the reward would be given and asked to contact the royal pce when they would leave Erkunt. After this, they left the royal pce.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s pass by the institute. There¡¯s something I want to confirm about Avaritia.¡±

    Shin had a bad feeling about Luxuria¡¯s statement that Avaritia¡¯s presence was still far away. It would be troublesome if the typical ¡°If only I had checked that out¡­¡± development that is somon in fiction, was lying in wait.

    There was still some time until dusk. Shin and Schnee headed towards the institute: their decision to visit was sudden, but they were sure they would not be turned away.

    Thanks to the lessons with Lecus¡¯ party, they had grown acquainted with the gate guards, who contacted Hmee right away. They were soon allowed inside and went straight to the infirmary. Normally, they would go to the headmistress¡¯ office or a meeting room, but this time they were told to go to the infirmary.

    ¡°Hello there, what brings you here at this hour?¡±

    Shin knocked and entered as Luxuria turned on her chair towards them. She was wearing a sweater and tight skirt, as per her usual style. She had her legs crossed, thus making the skirt appear even shorter. Shin thought that a gesture like that would be too stimting for the boys.

    ¡°We have something about Avaritia to confirm with you. I thought it would be risky to put this off untilter.¡±

    After hearing Avaritia¡¯s name, Luxuria¡¯s eyes narrowed. She uncrossed her legs and took a more proper posture.

    ¡°I thought that something must have happened, but¡­did he make a move? It was supposed to take some more time before he arrived¡­¡±

    It did not seem like she was faking. Luxuria probably really felt that Avaritia¡¯s presence was still far.

    ¡°Some more time, huh. Which means, what we fought wasn¡¯t the main body.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We fought against Avaritia. Today.¡±

    ¡°What!? How can that be!?¡±

    Luxuria stood up and quickly approached Shin. He stopped her and pushed her back on the chair. At the same time, another knock was heard on the door. Hmee entered afterward.

    ¡°Excuse me¡­I heard your voice from outside, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Perfect timing, I wanted to ask your opinion too.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­.?¡±

    Hmee cocked her head to the side, failing to grasp the situation. Shin¡¯s expression turned more serious, as he prepared to talk in detail about what happened.

    ¡°You found the drop item, right? It couldn¡¯t have been a total fake, then, I think.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is strange. Like I said before, Avaritia isn¡¯t supposed to be here yet. My senses can¡¯t reach inside the dungeon, so it¡¯s no wonder I didn¡¯t realize, but¡­if that was him, than what is this familiar sensation I¡¯m having even now?¡±

    Luxuria had followed that sensation and met other devils in the past, so she was positive that it was correct.

    ¡°Could you be mistaking it for another devil?¡±

    ¡°All devils have unique presences. At the very least, this never changed until now.¡±

    ¡°Would it be impossible for two Greed devils to exist at the same time? Avaritia¡¯s level was 750. It had absorbed other devils, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Shin was trying to recollect all of his memories about the game to figure out the situation, when Schnee proposed a new possibility. It was a fact that devils could use the abilities of other devils they had absorbed.

    ¡°It could be Sloth¡¯s splitting ability.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have a few concerns about that, but it would the most convincing exnation for the presence of two Avaritia auras.¡±

    Shin mentioned Sloth because during his recent fight against the Spirit of Pigritis he had directly witnessed this ability. Sloth was the weakest of all devils by itself, but it was one of the more annoying to fight, because it could create copies of itself, with the same powers.

    Even if it was the weakest, depending on its growth it meant that yers had to battle several boss-ss monsters at the same time. This made it a threatening foe.

    Moreover, Sloth¡¯s main body and copies had to be defeated all together within a certain time period. yers had to lower all of their HP to a certain point, then deliver the final blow to all of them at the same time. This was the ideal way to defeat Sloth.

    ¡°If Greed just absorbed Sloth¡¯s ability, it shouldn¡¯t be necessary to defeat the main body and all copies at the same time. The one we defeated was one of those, I guess.¡±

    Shin¡¯s instincts whispered that what he fought wasn¡¯t Sloth¡¯s* main body.

    (T/N: I think that maybe the author meant to write Greed here¡­)

    ¡°Do you have any proof?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing to be honest. But wouldn¡¯t it be weird for the main body to just be hiding there like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, regardless of my instincts being right or not, Avaritia¡¯s threat still hasn¡¯t disappeared.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be right. Instincts of yers like you get it right pretty often here.¡±

    Luxuria said that it was likely to be a byproduct of skills. yers who had learned instincts-rted skills often had incredibly sharp perception.

    ¡°I heard from the royal pce that Avaritia had been in and thought it was probably Shin¡­but to learn the very same day that nothing was over yet¡­¡±

    ¡°I would have liked to finish it then and there too, believe me. It just went all too smoothly, though.¡±

    Hmee sighed as Shin replied, recalling how it felt to fight Avaritia. It was the first time for him to fight against Avaritia¡¯s final form, but the battle had been too one-sided. He wondered how it would turn out based on the level and equipment, but the opponent had been too weak.

    ¡°What do you think, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Personally, it felt like it didn¡¯t put up much resistance. Though the equipment Shin forges are extremely powerful and I myself have powered up quite a bit, so it might be just a feeling.¡±

    ¡°I did reinforce the anti-devil equipment even more than before. I guess that would change things.¡±

    Schnee said that she could have even defeated the devil on her own: that¡¯s how little resistance she felt from Avaritia. The excessive power of equipment was a concern too.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Avaritia is trying to do, but if it¡¯s easier to fight than before, then it¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. What¡¯s left to verify is how many copies it made and what other manpower itmands.¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee¡¯s optimistic opinion and mentioned the remaining issues.

    In the game era, copies were a maximum of two. Greed¡¯s mastery of the ability had to be less than Sloth¡¯s, so the possible copies probably decreased by one too. Shin¡¯s party had defeated one copy, so what was left were the main body and one more copy.

    ¡°Avaritia was gathering monsters, right? If it leads to high level monsters to attack, what would happen, considering the fighting force we have at the moment?¡±

    Shin had heard that there was a rtively high number of battle-oriented Chosen Ones in Erkunt, Hmee included. Very few of them could handle high level monsters -as in, over level 500-, however.

    Even in the worst circumstances, Shin and Schnee could take down Avaritia. However, it was possible that the rest of the fighters, the heroes, and leader of the knights could not handle Avaritia¡¯s monster army.

    ¡°Masakado will be back soon, so our fighting power will increase a bit more, but¡­¡±

    ¡°If Avaritia isn¡¯t around, I can help too. People would panic if I turn into devil form, so I can¡¯t go all out, though.¡±

    ¡°Even so, it would be a big difference.¡±

    Hmee didn¡¯t seem to be aware that the monsters woulde equipped with weapons and armor. The flow of information was apparently being controlled. Shin decided to let her know, just in case.

    ¡°Then, oh right. We could ask Tzaobath to pick up Filma and the others and bring them here.¡±

    ¡°That could be the best option we have, yes.¡±

    Shin could contact the ancient dragon Tzaobath with a message card. He mentioned this option because he thought that Tzaobath would probably ept to do a favor this one time.

    Depending on their situation, he couldn¡¯t tell for sure that this would work, but it was worth considering.

    ¡°Even without Shin¡¯s party members, if the ¡®Silver Moon Reaper¡¯ helps us, the monsters would be annihted in seconds¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, it can bombard deadly beams from above after all¡­if you were on the receiving end, it would be nothing but a nightmare.¡±

    Luxuria and Hmee, who knew how powerful Tzaobath was, thought that in such a case the monsters would be almost pitiful.

    After the alliance was established, the two had be quite friendly with each other. Their reactions were almost synchronized.

    ¡°In any case, let us know right away if you feel Avaritia approaching. We¡¯ll take care of it. Hmee, please tell the royal pce that we might have not defeated Avaritiapletely. We don¡¯t go to the castle often, after all.¡±

    Shin and Schnee would sometimes go, for Schnee¡¯s training sessions or assistance in battle, but both were not scheduled regrly.

    Only a small part of the army knew Shin¡¯s name and face at the moment, and he did not have anything to prove his connections to the king or the heroes, so there was the possibility to be refused entry in the royal pce. It was a more surefire option for Hmee to rte the news.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you would have trouble getting inside, but it¡¯s not a ce where you want to go so often. Understood, I will let the pce know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all we came to talk about. Oh, take this too. It¡¯s an anti-devil weapon.¡±

    Shin took advantage of the opportunity to give Hmee the anti-devil weapon he had prepared for her.

    ¡°Even without the anti-devil attribute, it has higher stats than my usual equipment¡­¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s specially made. It¡¯s probably the reason why its stats are higher than weapons of the same grade.¡±

    ¡°If the dwarves notice it, they¡¯ll start nagging me to let them analyze it.¡±

    Dwarves were the most apt at analyzing unknown weapons and armor. Because of this, dwarf NPCs were always eager to learn about techniques they did not know. On the other hand, Vulcan and Vaal were very quiet examples.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take that out in front of me!¡±

    Hmee materialized the weapon to check its stats, much to Luxuria¡¯s dismay. She covered her eyes and stepped back, as if she was looking at an extremely bright light.

    ¡°It¡¯s that hard?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I suffer actual damage, but I feel like my skin is being burned¡­if I touched it I would get scalded, no doubt.¡±

    ording to Luxuria, it was like the weapon itself was hostile towards her. She slid behind Shin to use him as a shield, showing that she really hated being in the presence of the weapon.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that if I created an anti-devil weapon form in the shape of restraining rope, it would be possible to catch devils in human form too.¡±

    ¡°The scariest part is that I bet you could pull that off¡­if you want to restrain me, use normal rope, please. Don¡¯t you try with her, okay?¡±

    Luxuria replied while looking at Schnee.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡ªno, the best way to test it would be to tie you up, but¡­wait, what am I even saying?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re inclined to enjoy such peculiar hobbies?¡±

    ¡°No way!? Who said anything about that?? I just wanted to say that catching Avaritia in human form would limit the damage caused.¡±

    Unlike demons, devils counted as in even if they were defeated in human form, or so Shin had seen in a website once. It was possible to defeat them in human form.

    There were no details and the information was posted just once, so Shin wasn¡¯t sure it could work with all devils.

    If Avaritia managed to enter the castle in human form, it would cause greater impact when reverting to its original form. If possible Shin wanted to intercept and defeat it while it still was in human form.

    ¡°That would be fantastic, but I honestly doubt that even you could do that. If Avaritia attacks, it¡¯ll be in devil form from the start, after all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll go that well either. If it did, then all the better. Anyway, the bigger it is, the easier it¡¯ll be for us to stop its movements, so I¡¯ll try making both anti-devil ropes and chains.¡±

    ¡°And once the ropes areplete, you¡¯ll test them on me, won¡¯t you!? What are you going to do with me after I can¡¯t move an inch!?¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s embarrassment was clearly an act. What made Shin sigh the most was that she felt almost hopeful something like that could happen.

    ¡°Will you stop changing the tone of the conversation? You¡¯ve got the wrong idea of me, really..¡±

    ¡°Well, there are people who like tying others, or to be tied up, right? I don¡¯t really care, but I guess it feels good?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re interested in¡­?¡±

    ¡°My sin is lust after all, of course I¡¯m interested¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s expression was nothing short of seductive. To stimte human desire so much without using mental skills was literally the devil¡¯s work.

    Even Shin, who had strong resistance to mental attacks, felt goosebumps. Schnee stepped back while taking a wary stance as Hmee blushed fiercely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t show that face to anyone else, okay? It would only bring trouble. If the rumors about a devil doing nasty things to people spreads, you¡¯ll lose your ce.¡±

    ¡°I know that. I am careful about who I show it to, you know.¡±

    Luxuria then casually took Shin¡¯s hand in hers. It was a very natural movement, without any hostility or ill will. Because of Shin¡¯s position, Hmee and Schnee could not see it.

    Luxuria wasn¡¯t using any force, so Shin let her do it. If she showed even the slightest hostility, he could tear off her whole arm easily.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so wary¡­¡±

    Luxuria then moved one step closer. One more step and their bodies woulde in contact.

    ¡°I told you, I am very careful about who I show it to.¡±

    With an enticing smile, Luxuria pulled Shin¡¯s hand towards her chest, over the sweater.

    Betraying Shin¡¯s expectation that she would not actually do it, his hand was squeezed between her hands and chest.

    Shin reacted not to the sensation and inexplicable situation, but to the chilling aura he detected behind him: he pulled back his hand and stepped away from Luxuria.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t use skills against you, so I tried using the mood. How was it? I bet it felt nice even through the sweater.¡±

    ¡°Listen now¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t decide whether to get angry or annoyed and let out a sigh.

    He didn¡¯t check behind his back because he already know whom the chilling aura belonged to. Shin¡¯s detection ability was now sounding the alert of maximum danger.

    ¡°Shin? What might you be doing?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    A hand was thenid on Shin¡¯s shoulder. The chill in the voice that followed was as powerful as Luxuria¡¯s erotic charms.

    The whisper reached Shin¡¯s ears and made him jolt.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good at all, you know?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sor¡­no, I will be more careful!!¡±

    Shin slowly turned towards the source of the voice and saw Schnee wearing very chilling smile on her lips. All he felt were chills down his spine. His speech turned more prim and proper too.

    ¡°Y-yes¡­I¡¯ll be careful too.¡°

    Luxuria too replied in the same way as Shin. She probably felt the same chill.

    ¡°If you understand, it¡¯s fine. We have said what we had to, I believe it¡¯s time we excuse ourselves. Hmee, thanks for rying the message for us.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. Thank you two for letting us know so quickly. I¡¯ll go to the caste tomorrow, so I will ry the message then.¡±

    Influenced by the atmosphere, Hmee stood up straight too.

    ¡°O-okay then, we¡¯ll go now.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I notice something.¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the institute. The sun had already set, so magic lights were lit here and there in ce of streetlights.

    ¡°Er¡­.hm¡­Lady¡­Schnee?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin called Schnee to change the awkward atmosphere, but received no response.

    Shin started having cold sweats, realizing how bad the situation was. Nothing good happened, despite his light panic. Shin did not speak a word until they reached the hotel.

    ¡°Sit down on the sofa.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!!¡±

    Schnee locked the door behind them and finally spoke. Unable to resist the silent pressure, Shin obeyed immediately.

    A few momentster, Schnee walked in front of the very stiff Shin, then sat on hisp, looking at him.

    ¡°Ah, er, Lady¡­Schnee?¡±

    Shin was puzzled, as they were practically hugging. Schnee¡¯s chest was exactly at the height of his eyes. He just needed to bend his upper body forward a little to bury his face in her breasts; not that he would be reckless enough to do so.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Schnee stared at Shin, still silent. Feeling her cold stare from above, Shin was even more ill at ease. It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee was aware of how he felt, but she took his head in her hands and pushed it towards her breasts.

    Shin thought that he was going to taste heaven (the sensation of Schnee¡¯s chest) and hell (difficulty breathing) at the same time, but unexpectedly, Schnee¡¯s chest was not pushing back with much strength.

    Shin felt the softness of her breasts, changing shape as his face moved, with enough space to breathefortably. It was like she was embracing him, so the situation was actually very pleasant. He couldn¡¯t figure out her intentions, though, so his hands waved helplessly in the air.

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    Five seconds passed since Schnee started hugging Shin. She asked a question in a voice so feeble that Shin wouldn¡¯t be able to catch it without his ¡°Listen¡± skill.

    It was a very difficult question to answer, however.

    Shin didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of what Schnee wanted to do. He felt that it would be wrong to simply say ¡°soft and pleasant¡±, so he couldn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Please answer.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s chest pushed a bit harder. Shin¡¯s face buried even deeper, making the situation even moreical.

    ¡°Well, ehm¡­I feel, extremely happy.¡±

    Shin squeezed out an answer, meant to imply that he would have enjoyed it a bit longer. It wasn¡¯t an answer much different from the one he previously discarded. Excluding the very serious matter of Schnee¡¯s mood, it was a fact that Shin felt bliss at the moment. Hugging was nice, but to be hugged was not bad at all either.

    ¡°More than¡­Luxuria¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Obviously!¡±

    Shin answered the following question immediately. He then finally understood Schnee¡¯s actions.

    ¡°The greatest woman is right next to me. I wouldn¡¯t even think of touching a devil! That caught me by surprise too, you know.¡±

    Shin wrapped his hands behind Schnee¡¯s back and embraced her too.

    After a few moments, Schnee released him.

    ¡°You mean that?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Shin replied as if he was stating the obvious. Luxuria was probably trying to liven the mood in her own way, but this time she only ended up stirring Schnee¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°I would never expect you to do something so forward, though. Seeing this new side of you was great for me, personally.¡±

    Shin moved his hands on Schnee¡¯s hips and continued.

    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite the jealous type, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­..!?¡±

    Seconds passed after Shin¡¯s question. Schnee understood its meaning and blushed. Her actions had indeed been motivated by the jealousy she felt after seeing what Luxuria did to Shin. Schnee¡¯s eyes wandered left and right, as she actually understood her current position: she then tried to jump away from Shin.

    Shin stopped her, though, holding her hips firmly. They looked at each other in the eyes, at very close distance.

    ¡°L-let me go!¡±

    Schnee realized that she had lost her cool.

    ¡°Request rejected. I finally have the chance to gaze at jealous Schnee! In exchange for what you did, I¡¯m going to savor this moment!¡±

    ¡°What are you even saying!?¡±

    Schnee grabbed Shin¡¯s arms and tried to pull them away, but Shin was overwhelmingly more powerful, in terms of muscr strength et al. She wouldn¡¯t be able to escape him, unless they damaged the surroundings. In addition, Schnee could only exert about half of her usual strength at the moment.

    ¡°Don¡¯¡­don¡¯t look at me¡­so much¡­¡±

    Trying her hardest to escape Shin¡¯s gaze, Schnee covered his face with her hands. It was meaningless before Shin¡¯s ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, however.

    Schnee, having been unusually sensitive to people¡¯s eyes, realized that she couldn¡¯t escape Shin¡¯s gaze. Her already flushing face turned beet red.

    ¡°Yet another uncovered side of Schnee was thus brought to light.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!! I don¡¯t like it!! Of course I get jealous too!!¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it the first time that you showed it so clearly?¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice flickered out. Shin didn¡¯t miss her ¡°even so, I couldn¡¯t suppress my feelings..¡± though.

    (¡­I guess it¡¯s because she held back all this time.)

    If Schnee hadn¡¯t lost her memories because of Hameln, Shin might be still undecided whether to remain in that world or not. Schnee had probably kept her emotions bottled up, especially the negative ones, thinking of Shin¡¯s feelings.

    Shin¡¯s feelings were now aimed towards Schnee, so those shackles were gone: her original personality and feelings now surfaced freely.

    Thinking about this, Shin chuckled.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry, I¡¯m not making fun of you, believe me. I was thinking that from now on I¡¯ll see your honest feelings more and more, so I felt kind of happy.¡±

    Schnee was no longer Shin¡¯s servant, instead she was his life partner. He would then see more and more of her human-like qualities, which he thought was pure happiness.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like you thinking this is happiness! It¡¯s like I¡¯m not the usual me, it¡¯s so, so embarrassing¡­¡±

    Shin thought that Schnee looking away like that was very cute too, but avoided saying it, lest she became angry again.

    The distance separating them until minutes ago had vanished into thin air: in the end, they were flirting as usual.

 Book 14: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯d like to go down now. Do you mind letting me go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after you hug me again.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m joking,e on.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s rebuke made Shin realize that he had joked enough, so he let her go.

    Still blushing, Schnee went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. When the meal was ready, she had returned to her usual self.

    After dinner, Shin went to check his gear. He didn¡¯t think there would be problems, but the enemy was a devil: there would be no harm in facing the battle in the best state possible.

    Shin took out ¡ºThe Ark¡» and ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», in card form, then told Schnee to take out her anti-devil short sword ¡ºDaybreak¡» and ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡».

    ¡°There¡¯s no real damage, but the arms and legs part were consumed a bit, after all.¡±

    The greaves, having walked over Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Life Draining Sludge¡¿, and gauntlets, which had shed against the devil¡¯s knuckles, had slight decreases in their endurance values.

    Thanks to their anti-devil attributes, the decreases were very small. Without the right preparation, fighting devils were always very taxing.

    The ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» wasn¡¯t too affected, so Shin simply used his cksmith skills to perform minor repairs on the simpler broken parts, such as fittings and decorations.

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» was more damaged than the armor, but there would be no problems even if it was used as is. Shin disassembled it to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, but judged its condition was perfectly okay.

    ¡°Here you are.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Shin took Schnee¡¯s equipment and materialized it. He checked ¡ºDaybreak¡» first. Schnee had attacked only a few times, so its endurance was unchanged. Even after disassembling it, there were no problems.

    He put ¡ºDaybreak¡» back together, turned it into card form, then moved on to ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡».

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Shin was carefully checking the gear, as he did with all other items, when he realized that Schnee looked very embarrassed.

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Despite her reply, Schnee was still looking away: she clearly had something on her mind.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything that concerns you, say it, I¡¯ll fix it.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­there¡¯s nothing I have to say about the item itself. It doesn¡¯t get stuck anywhere, it¡¯s actually really easy to move in. It¡¯s just that¡­seeing you check it so thoroughly, it¡¯s like¡­you¡¯re looking at every nook and cranny of my own body. It¡¯s embarrassing, I feel kind of bothered¡­¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I see¡­¡±

    Schnee blushed a little again and Shin nodded.

    ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡»¡¯s endurance was unchanged. There was no problem with it as an item, just like Schnee had said. The gear, however, was modeled closely after Schnee¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t stretch or shrink like other items, as it was created to fit a very specific shape.

    Because of this, the bust, hips, arms and thighs were all Schnee¡¯s exact size. Measuring the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» would result in knowing Schnee¡¯s three sizes and other detailed measurements.

    Schnee felt embarrassed even if Shin wasn¡¯t actually looking at her.

    ¡°It seems a bitte to worry about that though¡­no?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t registered with the authorities, but Shin and Schnee were husband and wife, as a matter of fact. They lived under one roof now so, as Luxuria had pointed out, their rtionship was also physical.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing! What are you saying!?¡±

    ¡°I-it isn¡¯t?¡±

    Shin staggered because of Schnee¡¯s piercing gaze. He decided not to pursue the matter further and change the topic.

    ¡°Anyway, the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» is alright too. Well, I should have expected it, since today¡¯s battle was over quick and all.¡±

    Shin gave Schnee her equipment¡¯s cards, recalling the battle against Avaritia.

    ¡°It¡¯d be great if the next battle went that smoothly too.¡±

    ¡°It would be ideal if we found a method not to let it inside the town.¡±

    If it snuck inside in human form, not even Shin could do anything.

    ¡°We need to ask Hmee first, but we could set some traps all around Luxuria.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s target was Luxuria. Shin never expected that he would act to protect a devil, but he realized that this could happen in this world.

    ¡°Hehe, I bet she wouldn¡¯t like it at all.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯d be anti-devil traps, after all. They would affect her too.¡±

    The topic was a serious one, but Shin found it amusing as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin and Schnee headed towards the institute to meet with Hmee.

    ¡°It¡¯s noisier than usual today.¡±

    Shin had this impression as they walked down the street lined with shops. He used the same path to go to Vulcan¡¯s workshop, so he knew the street rather well.

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly people arguing prices. It happens often, but everyone seems more frantic than usual.¡±

    Schnee often negotiated the price of groceries, with Shin carrying the heavier bags, so he frequently witnessed other clients arguing prices. The mood was usually brighter as that too was a form ofmunication. Today, however, things weren¡¯t as peaceful.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Schnee approached one of the stores she usually visited, looked around a bit, then talked to the owner. Shin went close enough not to be in the way and gestured a greeting.

    The owner seemed troubled, as Schnee listened to him with a serene expression. Thanks to that, she could obtain various pieces of information.

    ¡°The flow of supplies is slow, huh.¡±

    Shin whispered to himself while looking at fruit sold at a higher price than usual. All stores were in the same situation, so the citizens¡¯ wallets were in a pinch.

    Most merchants¡¯ carts had not arrived yet, despite the scheduled date having already passed.

    Erkunt traded with various cities, so the cause could not be pinpointed to something that happened in one particr city. In other words, something had likely happened to the trade routes that connected Erkunt to its partners.

    ¡°The country is already investigating the cause. I heard they sent knights to check on some of the routes.¡±

    ¡°Crushing trade routes¡­it¡¯s either Avaritia or its coborators.¡±

    Shin hypothesized that monsters, armed with gear like what he had recently found in the cave, had been used to attack merchant convoys. For parties of armed monsters, merchant convoys would be easy prey.

    Shin, Sherlene and the knights had neutralized only one cave. They didn¡¯t know how many of those caves there were, but even one would be enough to cause serious damage.

    It wouldn¡¯t be possible to have powerful Chosen Ones guard all convoys. Even if they did, only warriors on par with Fagall or Sherlene could survive the encounter with Avaritia¡¯s monsters.

    ¡°It¡¯s way cheaper over there!! Why do you set prices so high!?¡±

    ¡°Enough out of you!! I told you I can¡¯t do anything!!¡±

    Shin heard the quarrelling voices of a customer and shop owner from another shop. The two were arguing rather fiercely, so the passersby steered away from them.

    It looked like a fight could break out any minute: Shin wasn¡¯t a guard, so he thought that only in case they started fighting he would go to stop them.

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s..¡±

    Just then, a silhouette separated the two quarreling parties. It was a tall man, one head taller than the two, carrying arge sword on his back, which signaled how he couldn¡¯t be just any young man.

    The young man listened to the customer and the shop owner, a warm smile on his face.

    ¡°Prices are rising everywhere. You know that convoys are being attacked, right? The shop you¡¯re talking about will have a hard time keeping prices down, you know?¡±

    Like Schnee heard from the shop owner, Erkunt¡¯s citizens already knew that trade convoys were not reaching the areately. If the current situation continued, all stores would be forced to raise their prices.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the authorities are sitting there doing nothing. Besides, if you keep making amotion you¡¯ll have the guards on your neck soon. You don¡¯t want to go that far, do you?¡±

    At the mention of the guards, the customer¡¯s expression stiffened. He hadn¡¯t lost all reason yet, so he apologized to the shop owner and left.

    ¡°That¡¯s really like him.¡±

    Shin approached the young man, feeling a wave of nostalgia. The young man noticed him too and smiled, after a moment of surprise.

    ¡°Shin! You¡¯re really here! And Schnee too!¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    The young man who came running up to Shin and Schnee was Masakado, a former yer who lost his life alongside Hmee.

    Shin gave him a casual greeting and Schnee nodded at him.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re Shin even up close!¡±

    ¡°It would be weird if I wasn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Shin replied with a sigh to the wide-eyed Masakado. He had brown hair and red eyes, just like he was in the game era. Though he was a Dragnil, he made his appearancepletely Human-like, so the only traces of his actual species were a few sparse scales on his arms and legs. He did not have horns, so he lookedpletely Human.

    Shin remembered that he was a level 211 Holy Knight, but now his level had increased to 231.

    ¡°Did you just return today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,pleted my mission with flying colors.¡±

    Masakado said that he had gone on a mission to exterminate a pack of Shadow Hounds which attacked trade convoys.

    Shadow Hounds were wolf-like monsters which could conceal themselves in shadow, with levels ranging from 250 to 300. The pack wasrger than normal, so exterminating it took some time.

    ¡°But just as I return, I get told that another convoy was attacked in another location! I was just talking with the others, things are really getting crazy.¡±

    Masakado thought that the trade route was finally secure, but heard that another route had been squashed. He was going to report to Hmee that something fishy was definitely going on.

    ¡°If you¡¯re just making a report, couldn¡¯t you use Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, you know, some things should be done in person¡­¡±

    ¡°Ooh, yes, I see it now¡­¡±

    Shin perceived the meaning behind Masakado¡¯s words and grinned. It was clear that Hmee and Masakado enjoyed each other¡¯spany, to say the least.

    Shin remembered Masakado as a 15 year old boy: he had to be older now, but to Shin he didn¡¯t seem much different.

    ¡°We were nning to go see Hmee too, but I suppose we¡¯d be in the way?¡±

    ¡°Not at all! If you¡¯re going to see her, it must be about the devil, right? If Hmee learns that I had you go home, she¡¯ll never let me hear the end of it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just win with her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Well,e on, you know, her position is higher and all¡­¡±

    Masakado replied with a fair reason, or at least tried to.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how they met: as far as he could remember, Hmee had always kept the reckless Masakado in check with her staff, that¡¯s the kind of rtionship they had. He had heard that in the real world, Hmee was older than Masakado. Even if she wasn¡¯t however, the result would have probably been the same.

    ¡°Hmm, yes, let us ask in detailter. About you and Hmee, first of all.¡±

    ¡°God, please, no¡­¡±

    Shin grinned even more, to Masakado¡¯s dismay. His otherrades probably joked about it too. Schnee was silent throughout, but the smile on her lips hinted that she shared Shin¡¯s thoughts.

    When they arrived at the institute, they were let inside right away thanks to Masakado¡¯s presence. The guard, who also was a Chosen One and instructor, was one of hisrades.

    They went straight to the headmistress¡¯ office. Masakado knocked and asked permission to enter, which was granted right away.

    ¡°The Shadow Hound exterminations has beenpleted. This is the proof.¡±

    ¡°Duly noted. I will take care of the documentation.¡±

    The report, part of the headmistress¡¯ duties, was carried out formally. Hmee checked the material cards Masakado gave her and signed a document.

    ¡°Masakado.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Wee back. I¡¯m d to see you safe.¡±

    Hmee showed a defenseless smile, very different from the one she showed to Shin or other teachers.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, thanks. It¡¯s¡­this feels kind of embarrassing with other people present¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s Shin and Schnee too¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh!? What!? Where!?¡±

    ¡°What are you getting surprised about? They¡¯re right behind¡­¡±

    Masakado turned around, confused by Hmee¡¯s surprise, but Shin and Schnee were nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°¡­You sure got us good.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°You two are quite adorable.¡±

    Shin and Schnee deactivated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and showed themselves.

    ¡°W-w-w-whaaa¡­¡±

    Hmee, unable to grasp the situation, was at a loss for words. She knew that she had been seen with a very ¡°unprofessional¡± face on though, so her face quickly became beet red.

    ¡°Looks like I was worried for nothing. I¡¯ll go call Luxuria, so please continue.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you too.¡±

    Shin nodded satisfied, then slid out of the room, followed seamlessly by Schnee.

    ¡°Shi¡ª¨Cn!!!¡°

    ¡°Hmee, calm down! Hey Shin, how could you leave us like that!?¡±

    Shin heard the voices through the door and thought he might have gone a little bit overboard, maybe.

 Book 14: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    When Shin and Schnee returned to the headmistress¡¯ office with Luxuria in tow, Hmee¡¯s face was still red. Luxuria didn¡¯t let go of this chance.

    ¡°Oh my, are we blushing, headmistress?¡±

    ¡°Not another word, please.¡±

    Hmee replied right away. After that, sheined to Shin for a good while.

    ¡°What is your business today, anyway? I suppose it is something different from yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was wondering if we could set some anti-devil traps around Luxuria.¡±

    Shin exined that if the enemy initiated battle unaware of the traps, the tide could easily turn in their favor.

    ¡°Wait, let me make sure, but wouldn¡¯t these traps activate against me too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so you¡¯ll have to learn their locations really well.¡±

    Anti-devil traps would react to any devil. It wasn¡¯t possible to set them such that Luxuria wouldn¡¯t set them off. At the very least, Shin could not do it.

    Luxuria put her hands on her cheeks and sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s all that Avaritia¡¯s fault¡­go ahead and install something huge, so that he can suffer massive damage at least.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ll risk suffering high damage too.¡±

    ¡°I just have to dodge it.¡±

    Luxuria seemed very confident in her dodging skills, but Shin couldn¡¯t help but worry. It was also true that average traps would mean little against Avaritia¡¯s abnormal recovery abilities.

    Shin then took out one of his highest quality traps, which he had prepared the night before.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The immobilizing trap I mentioned before and a trap that inflicts great damage to devils only. The right one is for immobilizing, the left one for damaging.¡±

    Shin did not yet have traps that could target human form devils, but only ones meant for their true devil forms.

    ¡°Avaritia¡¯s lower body doesn¡¯t have a fixed shape, so the immobilizing trap uses a water spell to freeze and stop it. Even if activated inside the institute grounds, there¡¯s no risk of blowing up buildings. However, if there are people other than devil within its radius they will freeze too, so be careful. As for the damaging traps, I have basic ones that just shoot beams of light while others that damage anything inside their radius. It only affects devils, so there¡¯s no concern even if there are people inside the radius.¡±

    ¡°Would people die if they got caught in the activation radius?¡±

    ¡°The main purpose is immobilization, so it barely does any damage. The damaging types are specialized against devils, so make sure you stay away from it.¡±

    Shin estimated that a direct hit would shave off about 10% of Avaritia¡¯s HP. At the very least, ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ would be blown away.

    ¡°Will you try it¡­on me?¡±

    Shin was serious when he mentioned testing the effectiveness of anti-devil items on Luxuria before, so she asked Shin if he really would. Herplexion was very pale.

    ¡°Things would turn nasty, so I won¡¯t. I packed it with magic, after all.¡±

    ¡°I see. I don¡¯t really like it too rough, after all.¡±

    Luxuria seemed relieved. The conversation was supposed to be serious, but herst words seemed to head in apletely different direction: after all, she was the devil of lust.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to set them up as soon as possible, can you give us permission?¡±

    ¡°Just to make sure, the students will not be in danger, right?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t be. These traps only react to devils, so even if the students touch them nothing will happen.¡±

    One of the characteristics of the traps was that they would show no reaction to all species except devils.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s okay. That kind of friendly fire would be too scary.¡±

    Hmee was tasked with preserving the students¡¯ safety too, so Shin¡¯s words gave her relief.

    Shin then went to install traps with Luxuria. As there was the possibility of being spied upon by people from Avaritia¡¯s side, infiltrated in the institute, they made sure to camouge their actions.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t tell that there¡¯s something there¡­I have to be really careful.¡±

    Luxuria carefully looked at Shin setting up traps, then spoke with a tense expression on her face. In order to make sure the enemy did not find out about the traps, they did not create any maps or write down the locations.

    Only Shin, Schnee, Luxuria, and Hmee knew about the location of the traps.

    ¡°Aaah, it¡¯s all your fault, Avaritia!¡±

    As Luxuria frowned, Shin and the others could feel her heartfelt exasperation.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After Shin¡¯s group set up the traps, Hmee left the institute to go to the royal pce: she had to report the information received from Shin to the top brass. She had actually nned to go first thing in the morning, but news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat was being spread around the castle, so it took some time before she could schedule an appointment.

    ¡°There¡¯s still some time before Avaritia arrives, though¡­¡±

    She wanted to rte the news as soon as possible. She thought that Shin¡¯s group would be authorized an audience with the king quickly, but apparently some nobles did not see them positively. They were people who did not know how fearsome devils could be: if Shin and Schnee requested an audience, they would surely get in the way.

    Hmee also realized that Shin had entrusted her with the task because he expected something like this might happen.

    ¡°I suppose Shin and Schnee would easily realize if someone was looking at them with malicious intent.¡±

    Hmee could tell, so Shin surely would too. She had heard from him about such bothersome looks in the game era too.

    Hmee was lost in such thoughts when a knock was heard at the door.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. His Majesty cannot move for the time being, so I havee in his stead.¡±

    The king¡¯s envoy was one of the kingdom¡¯s guardians and heroes, Sherlene. Hmee, who often visited the royal pce due to her duties as headmistress, often had the chance to meet with Sherlene, so they had be close.

    ¡°Thank you for sparing time for me in this hectic period.¡±

    Because of their positions, their first greetings had to be formal. The mood quickly lightened, however, as smiles appeared on their faces. No one else was present, so there would be no problem even if they talked informally.

    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to report immediately, right? Could it be rted to the devil?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Shin realized that Avaritia hasn¡¯t beenpletely defeated yet. ording to Luxuria, Avaritia is still a few days from here.¡±

    ¡°How can that be!? Sir Shin defeated it, I¡­I saw it with my own eyes!¡±

    The usuallyposed Sherlene couldn¡¯t help losing her cool.

    ¡°Devils can use the abilities of other devils they absorbed, albeit as weaker forms. Shin said that Avaritia probably absorbed Sloth. That devil can create copies of itself, so the Avaritia you defeated was probably a copy created like that. Avaritia¡¯s main body will be stronger than that.¡±

    ¡°Oh god¡­so that wasn¡¯t its actual strength¡­¡±

    The battle had been one-sided, but only Shin could do something like that. Without the anti-devil weapons, Sherlene wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.

    ¡°The news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat is spreading through the pce¡­and this happens.¡±

    Sherlene held her head with her hands. The king and his aides with some knowledge about devils would understand that a devil could not be defeated easily, but the soldiers¡¯ morale would definitely take a hit. Some might even say that Shin had made a mistake.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better to say that the report came not from sir Shin, but from our research. We haven¡¯t even distributed all weapons yet¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree, that would create less of amotion. There were no casualties among the soldiers in the previous battle, so if you riled them up with a speech, saying that now it was the knights¡¯ turn to protect the kingdom, morale won¡¯t decrease too much¡­I hope.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for me and Fagall to think about. If Avaritia is heading here, the institute is the area in the most danger. Will you be alright?¡±

    Luxuria was in the institute¡¯s infirmary: being Avaritia¡¯s target, it was only natural for the institute to be the enemy¡¯s number one target.

    ¡°We are making countermeasures. In case of necessity, there¡¯s always the emergency escape function.¡±

    ¡°Emergency escape? That¡¯s a first.¡±

    ¡°We can instantly transfer all people in the institute to the underground shelter. It can be used only once, so it¡¯s for emergencies only, but that¡¯s the situation we are in right now.¡±

    Hmee nned to use it without hesitation if Avaritia entered the institute or any equal emergency urred.

    If devils fought in their true forms, their surroundings would turn to rubble. It would be impossible to have people take shelter by other means if a battle between such humongous beasts broke out.

    ¡°Teleport, again¡­¡±

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin gave me a teleportation crystal card for emergencies. He took it back after the battle against Avaritia, but to see supposedly lost magic mentioned so often, I started thinking that maybe it¡¯s not actually so rare.¡±

    It was a technology impossible to replicate at present: only former yers, chosen ones and a few inheritors could use it. In addition, not even all former yers or chosen ones could use teleportation, so there was no progress in its research.

    ¡°I too only had the guild house function, so I can¡¯t actually use teleportation. Depending on how it¡¯s used, it can be a lethal weapon, so this ability would be dangerous if it spread.¡±

    It could be extremely effective for assassination or invasion: while convenient, Hmee thought that it shouldn¡¯t be spread. Sherlene could understand her opinion too.

    ¡°We went a bit off topic¡­today I came to report only about the devil.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I will duly report to the king.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Hmee added that she would get in touch if there was anything new and left the pce via horse cart, as Sherlene saw her off. She still had many things to do in the institute, as its headmistress.

    ¡°A devil more powerful than that ising? We really must be ready for anything.¡±

    Sherlene went to report to the king as soon as Hmee left.

    Sherlene recalled the pressure she felt during the fight against Avaritia and clenched her fists. Shin and Schnee would surely be wary of any signs of Avaritia. It might be possible not to have to face it directly. Sherlene, though, asked herself what she could do.

    Thanks to the weapons Shin gave her, she could put up some resistance, but depending on the location, even those weapons might not be useful. Sherlene, who had heard from Shin about Avaritia¡¯s abilities, sadly concluded that if the devil appeared in the city, all she could do was buy time until Shin arrived.

    She would have to entrust someone else with the protection of her country. This was what frustrated Sherlene the most.

    ¡°Lady Sherlene, the meeting is already over?¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar? I thought you were overseeing the soldiers¡¯ training.¡±

    Sherlene was stopped by Namsaar on her way to the king¡¯s audience room. The leader of knights had his usual gloomy expression and mood, but Sherlene was used to it.

    ¡°An urgent request from Hmee, who is connected to sir Shin¡­I thought something serious happened, so I left the training to the vice-captain. There is no concern about that.¡±

    ¡°I see. Indeed, there is something I need to report to His Majesty as soon as possible. It appears that Avaritia was defeated was just a copy and the main body is still alive and well out there.¡±

    Sherlene made sure no one was around them and whispered the news. Namsaar simply raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I see. So it hadn¡¯t been defeated after all.¡±

    ¡°You do not seem very surprised. Did you foresee this happening?¡±

    Sherlene was surprised that Namsaar seemed to know that something like that would happen.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar? What do you¡­gh!?¡±

    Before Sherlene could act on her suspicions of Namsaar¡¯s peculiar silence, something wrapped around her neck. That something, which did not emanate the slightest presence, tightened its grip more and more.

    Because of her high stats, Sherlene wouldn¡¯t have trouble breathing if she was just being choked, but she was having unexpected difficulty now.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    The situation waspletely unexpected, but Sherlene would not faint without a fight. Thanks to her diligent training, she had managed to materialize one ¡ºGuildern¡» as soon as she realized that she was under attack.

    Before she could attack whatever was constricting her neck, however, a shadow extended from Namsaar¡¯s back and knocked ¡ºGuildern¡» away.

    The unexpected development increased Sherlene¡¯s agitation. She had been caught just when she exhaled, so her consciousness was starting to fade.

    If she took out other weapons they would be just knocked away, so she tried to forcefully remove what was wrapped around her neck, but its grip was too tight to budge. It was so tough that Sherlene¡¯s muscr strength wasn¡¯t enough to rip it apart.

    ¡°As expected of a hero, not giving up till the very end.¡±

    A male voice came from somewhere. It sounded rather young and gave Sherlene a strong feeling of uneasiness. She couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Even as her consciousness was fading, she knew that she couldn¡¯t let Namsaar go like that.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything. Stay quiet.¡±

    Sherlene was about to resort to a self-detonation spell, when a shock ran through her body. Almost unconscious, Sherlene could not resist anymore.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Nngh¡­where am I¡­?¡±

    Sherlene mumbled to herself and stopped. She looked around and found the familiar corridor of the royal pce.

    ¡°Lady Sherlene? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Sherlene reassured Namsaar, who was walking a few steps ahead, that nothing was wrong. She wondered if she had fallen asleep while walking, then resumed her pace.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that everyone is a bit too festive about the ¡°Avaritia has been vanquished!¡± business?¡±

    Sherlene sighed after hearing the conversation between some passing nobles.

    ¡°I agree. The spread of the monsters surrounding the kingdom is still unclear and there have been sightings of high-level monsters as well. On top of that, the merchant convoys are being attacked by monsters, so trade and supply are stalled¡­it certainly isn¡¯t the right time to be festive.¡±

    Just as Namsaar said, there were many problems left to solve.

    ¡°The defeat of Avaritia, however, is one of the few great news as ofte. I suppose we can turn a blind eye then.¡±

    ¡°That might be true. I shall take my leave, then. Lady Sherlene, please take care of your health.¡±

    With an expression that suggested all but such sentiments, Namsaar left. Sherlene watched him go, then headed towards the troops¡¯ barracks. She still had many missions of monster research and extermination to organize.

    ¡°Okay, time to work.¡±

    Sherlene did not notice that her neck still showed faint traces of being choked. Nor that shecked the memories about what happened before she regained consciousness.

    Avaritia was not dead yet. The threat to the kingdom was approaching quickly.

 Book 14: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s almost here, huh.¡±

    Three days had passed since Hmee visited the royal pce to make her report. Shin heard from Luxuria that, based on the current pace, Avaritia would arrive in a few days.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about the kingdom¡¯s preparations¡­they seem rather slow.¡±

    Schnee spoke while looking out the window towards the royal pce. The kingdom¡¯s troops were researching the missing trade convoys, but Shin and his party felt that they were not preparing adequately to counter the devil¡¯s army.

    Schnee had visited the pce the day after Hmee supposedly rted her report, but the mood among the troops was very much rxed. At the moment, she thought that the news hadn¡¯t been released yet.

    ¡°Maybe they thought it was too early and the soldiers would be shaken?¡±

    ¡°They would panic when the monster troops actually appear though. The morale might fall, but I believe that is better to make sure every single soldier knows what ising.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had been disposing of the monster packs attacking the convoys in thest few days. Countless requests for extermination were sent to the guild, so Shin¡¯s participation was very wee.

    After the first three days, the monsters apparently realized that there was a group of warriors hunting them down, so the attacks on the convoys became scarce. Shin sold some of the parts they obtained and stocked the rest.

    ¡°Maybe boss Vulcan knows something¡­let¡¯s try asking him.¡±

    Vulcan was in charge of the knights¡¯ gear, so he would probably know how the army was going to move based on the equipment orders he received.

    They had nothing in particr scheduled that day, so they went to the workshop right away. Shin opened the door and found Vaal behind the reception counter, as usual.

    ¡°Mr. Shin, Ms. Yuki. I have been hearing of your exploits.¡±

    It seemed news of Shin¡¯s exterminations had reached Vaal¡¯s ears too. Kicking wolf monsters measuring several mel in midair, sniping flocks of bird monsters, and much more. While they might sound like exaggerated stories, Vaal did not doubt them at all.

    He had known Shin for a fairly long time now, so he knew well how extraordinary Shin was.

    ¡°I feel I better not ask about those exploits¡­I¡¯d like to talk with the boss, is he in the back?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You look different than usual, did something happen?¡±

    Shin had felt it also when he hade to bring in the weapons he found in the cave, but Vaal had a keen eye. He noticed right away that Shin had note for the usual exchange of techniques.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m worried about, but I can¡¯t confirm my suspicions easily. It concerns the safety of Erkunt as a whole, so I want to verify as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°The safety of the whole country? Could it be, that?¡±

    Vaal lowered his eyes, deep in thought.

    ¡°Do you know anything that might fit?¡±

    ¡°I heard gramps¡­the boss talk with some knights, and¡­well, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay for me to talk about it, so please speak directly with the boss.¡±

    Shin understood that Vaal couldn¡¯t just talk about state secrets like that, so he nodded and headed towards the back of the workshop. Schnee went with him this time.

    The sound of hammering metal couldn¡¯t be heard. Shin found Vulcan sitting, his arms crossed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s strange to see you sitting in the workshop doing nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s you. cksmiths don¡¯t just hammer on metal all the time, you know. Well, this time it¡¯s not rted to cksmithing, though.¡±

    Vulcan had a sour expression, as if he was frustrated about something.

    ¡°Can I ask what happened? Vaal said you talked with soldiers from the kingdom. He didn¡¯t say what you talked about, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You¡¯re involved too, after all.¡±

    ¡°I am? Then it must be something rted to the devil.¡±

    Shin figured it had to be something like that. He had no other connections to the kingdom and cksmith work.

    ¡°Those fellows from the kingdom came here saying that the devil had been defeated, so they didn¡¯t need anti-devil equipment anymore. I have no intention of ruining their mood when they¡¯re all so giddy and happy, but devils don¡¯t die that easily, do they? Don¡¯t they always have an ace up their sleeve or something? That¡¯s what is rubbing me the wrong way.¡±

    Vulcan had learned about the devils while making weapons that worked against them, so the kingdom¡¯s actions did not convince him at all.

    ¡°Boss, when did they tell you to stop?¡±

    ¡°When? Today, just today. Either the top brass knows something we don¡¯t, or¡ª¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±

    Shin reacted before Vulcan could finish his sentence.

    ¡°What can¡¯t be?¡±

    ¡°The devil isn¡¯t dead yet. And the top brass should know too.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s frown changed into surprise.

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. Why did they stop the orders of anti-devil equipment, then?¡±

    ¡°The information has been stopped somewhere¡­or there¡¯s something wrong with the brass themselves. Either way, the situation is really bad.¡±

    Hmee said that she had duly ryed the message. It didn¡¯t look like anything unusual happened to her, so Shin thought that either the person she gave the message to or their superiors were suspicious.

    Some time had passed since he met the king, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with him at the time. He didn¡¯t want to think that the kingdom¡¯s top brass had fallen into the hands of the devil in such a short time.

    ¡°Maybe the devil did something to interfere?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. They say that there are people willingly following the devil too. They might have done something.¡±

    ¡°There are people like that?¡±

    Vulcan joined in Shin and Schnee¡¯s conversation. He probably couldn¡¯tprehend how people willingly cooperated with devils.

    ¡°The devils¡¯ sins are originally a reflection of people¡¯s desire. It¡¯s not impossible for people to be seduced by them.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand it, but¡­I can¡¯t deny it.¡±

    Vulcan held his head with his hands and closed his eyes.

    ¡°In any case, we better figure out what¡¯s going on with the top brass.¡±

    ¡°Is there any way you can do that?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, I have my ways¡­..¡±

    Shin shrugged and gave a vague reply.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check with my connections too. Don¡¯t you go cause amotion now, you hear? Also, should I resume making weapons?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to cause any problems. If you have the time to make more weapons, by all means do. We¡¯re going to need them.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say that the devil would arrive soon, but Vulcan understood the situation by the expression shown by Shin¡¯s eyes. He replied, ¡°Got to hurry.¡± He then started hammering right away.

    Shin nodded and left the workshop.

    ¡°Are we going to the royal pce?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have the luxury of going through the proper procedures.¡±

    Shin implied that he nned to sneak inside. Information about the devil had been intercepted: even if he asked to visit the castle, he would likely be rejected.

    Shin entered a narrow back alley, immediately concealed himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and jumped. Hended on the workshop¡¯s roof, made sure Schnee was keeping up, and headed towards the castle.

    The very moment he stepped forward, somethingpletely unexpected happened.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    What he heard was a sound simr to an explosion. Surprised, Shin looked towards the source of the sound.

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Schnee looked in the same direction and couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise, with good reason: they saw Avaritia¡¯s massive body, supposedly still a few days away from Erkunt, destroying the castle¡¯s outer walls.

    It was more than double the size of the monster Shin, Schnee and Sherlene fought in the dungeon, measuring up to 7-8 mel. Its fists easily shattered the walls protecting the castle.

    Clouds of dust rose to the sky as the booming sounds of the crumbling walls reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t know what happened, but Avaritia¡¯s here already!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Behind Avaritia, a horde of monster presences was approaching. They proceeded in orderly ranks, and Shin remembered the monsters he had seen in the cave. These were probably simrly armed too.

    On the other hand, there were a few human presences near Avaritia, moving in various directions. The ones that did not move were either paralyzed by fear or wounded by the crumbling walls.

    ¡°This is bad. If it manages to get inside, it¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee asked why Shin stopped talking and he replied that he had just received a message card.

    ¡°Not even Luxuria understands what happened. It moved while avoiding her detection¡­could it be that it teleported!?¡±

    ¡°With a crystal, it could be possible.¡±

    Teleportation was a skill avable only to yers. That wasmon sense for Shin.

    No monster possessed teleportation abilities, nor did they need to.

    Normally monsters would roam established routes or lie waiting in specific locations.

    Only yers moved from town to town, from guild houses to fields, etc.

    ¡°Shit, I should have realized when we determined Luxuria¡¯s level of intellect¡­an ambush via teleport! It knows how to fight!¡±

    Shin shouted out of frustration for falling in the enemy¡¯s trick.

    Avaritia ignored the east and west gates, focusing instead on destroying the walls between them. It was the point closest to the forest. It was the ideal location to hide the monsters until the veryst moment.

    ¡°Schnee, please take care of the monstersing from outside. Rescue the people that can¡¯t escape in time.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to face Avaritia by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if it has its full powers, I¡¯m not going to lose. I¡¯m going to punch it as hard as I can first, so I can send it flying.¡±

    Shin and Schnee ran on the roofs as if they were flying. Avaritia was focusing on destroying the outer walls, so it wouldn¡¯t get inside to rampage just yet.

    Shin thought that he would make it just in time, but ¡ªas if to counter Shin¡¯s efforts ¡ª Avaritia¡¯s massive body disappeared, just moments before Shin could arrive.

    ¡°That bastard¡­! It turned into human form!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯srge icon had turned into one of the many dots on the map. Mingled with the panicked crowd, it would be very difficult to find.

    Monsters and people, however, had different presences. Not all locations were swarming with people.

    Now that the monsters hadn¡¯t yet prated the castle premises through the crumbled walls, there was no mistaking it. Shin¡¯s expectations, however, were betrayed yet again.

    ¡°What? There are monster presences in town already?¡±

    ¡°What in the world¡­?¡±

    Schnee was confused too. The monster presences outside the walls were still far from the town. The monsters which suddenly appeared inside came from somewhere else.

    The worst case was for Avaritia to mingle among the monsters, making it impossible to see which one it was. It probably prioritized hiding among the monsters instead of heading straight to Luxuria.

    ¡°I lost track of Avaritia¡¯s presence¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­¡±

    They could track it in the beginning, because of the low density of monster icons, but after Avaritia arrived in a location where a pack of monsters was prowling, they lost it.

    ¡°This just gets worse¡­the monsters¡¯ presence are even in the royal pce. What the hell¡¯s going on?¡±

    Even within the range of Shin¡¯s detection field, there were groups of monsters rampaging in various locations throughout the town. Unlike the monsters outside, marching forward in a well-organized manner, the monsters within town had movements that seemed random, as if they were just following their instincts.

    ¡°I suppose the ones inside are expendable pawns, meant to confuse us. They¡¯re still powerful enough to hurt the citizens though. Damn it.¡±

    Around the adventurers¡¯ guild and soldiers¡¯ posts, there were many people used to fighting, so they could take care of any attacking monsters. The ones that suddenly appeared in town were level 200 at most and generally moved by themselves, which was a silver lining.

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    Schnee stared into Shin¡¯s eyes.

    There were no skills that could conveniently only blow monsters away. Only Shin and Schnee were present at the moment: they had to decide what to do.

    ¡°Like I said before, please take care of the monsters outside. They¡¯re much more powerful than the ones inside, after all. Very few people here can deal with those.¡±

    The monster troopsing from outside were probably around the same level as the monsters Shin found in the cave. They were much more threatening than the ones currently running wild in the town.

    ¡°Where will you go, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find Luxuria first. If Avaritia appears somewhere, it¡¯s likely to be where she is.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s goal was clear: Shin couldn¡¯t think of any other options. Shin could defeat it on his own, so he decided to go to the most likely location.

    ¡°When you finish with the monsters outside,e back and deal with the ones in town. We can¡¯t do both with just the two of us¡­¡±

    If only Shibaid and the others were here¡­Shin found himself thinking.

    He had asked Tzaobath to take them to Erkunt, but Filma and Sety were upied with retaking a city conquered by a demon, while Shibaid and Tiera were restoring a weakened World Tree, so they couldn¡¯t go right away.

    They were all upied with important tasks, so Shin couldn¡¯t count on reinforcements.

    ¡°Understood. I will do so as quickly as possible.¡±

    Shin and Schnee nodded to each other, then ran off. The former towards the institute, thetter towards the crumbling castle walls.

    Erkunt¡¯s threat had struck with timing that no one expected.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    The outer walls were being destroyed, with parts of the walls falling into the city. For Erkunt¡¯s citizens, it was more than enough to create panic. The people and carts that were unfortunate enough to be close to the walls were crushed by the debris. Even just the vibrations caused by the impact injured many of those near the source.

    The nightmare, however, had just begun. From the other side of the destroyed walls, the very perpetrator of this disaster had shown itself.

    ¡°What in the world¡­is that¡­?¡±

    Despite being as tall as the walls, only the upper body was visible. Centered on its torso, with bones protruding from the sides, was a lion¡¯s head that looked to be grafted into it. Its head, shaped like a goat¡¯s head made of bone, was adorned with ck curved horns that signified the ominous catastrophe.

    The beast¡¯s appearance was much different than the monsters the people were used to seeing, enough to make even adventurers quiver.

    ¡°Gh, I feel¡­sick¡­¡±

    Some people, who did not have the strength to move, and fell prey to the devil¡¯s aura. Their almost non-existent resistance caused them to be affected by Avaritia¡¯s status ailments all too easily.

    Thanks to their stats, Shin and Sherlene¡¯s only felt an unpleasant sensation, but the average citizens had levels of only one or two digits, so they were powerless. Not only were the citizens immobile, but also the ones screaming in pain due to their wounds stopped, unable to voice their pain due to the status effects.

    The same applied to guards and adventurers. They were much stronger than the average citizens, but they still could not match Avaritia¡¯s power.

    Level 750. Only a very small number of Chosen Ones could hope to be able to fight it.

    It was a level of strength that most humans, whose level cap was fixed, would never reach. It would be almost impossible to even reach a level high enough to actually ¡°do battle¡± against so much power.

    Without exceptional strength, the ¡°battle¡± would only devolve into ¡°ughter¡±.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!? Didn¡¯t they say that the devil had been defeated?¡±

    The guards, who firmly believed in the good news they had received, struggled to get back on their feet, to no avail.

    Thanks to the efforts of the heroes and devil hunter n, the devil threatening Erkunt had been vanquished. The information hade from the kingdom¡¯s higher ups: they couldn¡¯t not believe it.

    What was the creature before them then? That ominous figure and power was a devil¡¯s through and through.

    The guards, who had been informed about the potential threat of a devil, would naturally identify the beast destroying the walls as a devil.

    ¡°Someone, help¡­¡±

    ¡°Can anyone move?¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­my body feels¡­so heavy¡­¡±

    Voices requesting help could be heard from here and there.

    Some of the guards and adventurers were somehow able to stand back up, but that was all they could do. They barely had the strength to help themselves, so helping others was out of the question.

    There were many wounded, maybe even deceased, in that ce alone. No one could tell when the walls wouldpletely crumble, letting hordes of monsters inside, even then, it was impossible for the people take shelter elsewhere.

    Unbeknownst to the guards, the situation was changing. The oppressive aura suddenly vanished.

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°My head¡¯s spinning!¡±

    ¡°Hey! That thing disappeared!¡±

    The soldiers were still having trouble regrouping, but one of them quickly recovered and shouted while looking at the walls.

    The other soldiers looked too, but found nothing but piles of rubble, with no sign of the monster that created them. Arge, gaping hole was left in its ce.

    The soldiers could also see the clouds of dust hanging over it.

    ¡°Something¡¯sing..!¡±

    ¡°Monsters!! But¡­wait! They¡¯re armed!?¡±

    A soldier with better eyesight than most shouted something unbelievable. The monsters marching towards the city, forming orderly files, were all d in armor and wielding swords, spears, or other gear reinforcing their horns and fangs.

    ¡°Shit!! Send an emergency dispatch to the guild and the army!! If you can move, grab a weapon!! If we don¡¯t stop them here, they¡¯re going to break into town!!¡±

    ¡°Us against that many!? I¡¯ve never even seen most of them! There¡¯s no way we can stop them¡­we should retreat.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t! If those get inside the walls, there are going to be massive casualties!!¡±

    The soldiers who were shouting at each other both held their weapons with trembling hands.

    They were guards who received training to keep the city safe. They understood very well how dangerous the packs of monsters before them were.

    If they fought, they would, without a doubt, be annihted. However, thinking about what would happen next, they couldn¡¯t just withdraw. After all, the majority of the people in the city could not fight.

    If they were attacked by monsters, they would be killed if they were lucky, or yed with if they weren¡¯t. As guards, they couldn¡¯t simply let that happen.

    ¡°Dammit all!! If I could protect the city, I would do it too!!¡±

    ¡°Lend me your ideas, then. Even if we make a wall here, we¡¯re just going to be routed.¡±

    ¡°Tch, alright. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth jack shit, but let¡¯s buy as much time as we can with bows and magic! If you want to run away, go and don¡¯t turn back!!¡±

    Realizing that there was no time to waste arguing, the guard that was previously using the other guard advocating to protect the city shouted to the others. He too was one of Erkunt¡¯s protectors: he was certainly not only worried about his own safety.

    However, contrary to his expectations, not one guard fled.

    ¡°Hah, no one¡¯s running? Guess I was a real dumbass for arguing!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so. Our little spat here served to make some of us make up their minds.¡±

    ¡°Some fools they are. You¡¯ve got me in this, you better get me some good boozeter!¡±

    ¡°If we survive, sure enough!!¡±

    A grin on their lips, born from their newfound courage, the soldiers faced the monsters. The other guards and some of the adventurers that happened to be close by were wielding their weapons too.

    Everyone was smiling, but they knew they were way over their heads.

    ¡°They¡¯reing¡­¡±

    The ones who used bows or long range magic were attacking, but not even one monster fell. Even if their attacks struck, the enemies¡¯ armor protected them.

    The troops of monsters approached, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

    However, that foul army, could not prate the hole in the wall and invade the city. Flying over the soldier¡¯s heads, a storm of lightning arrows rained upon the monsters.

    The lightning struck through the monsters¡¯ armor, which had repelled all magic until then, burning through their hides and scales too, putting the monsters on the front lines out ofmission.

    Some still breathed, but the damage and fear prevented them from moving. The monsters on the front lines, who had stopped in their tracks, were crushed under the feet of the monsters behind them, which couldn¡¯t stop in time, disrupting their progress and creating chaos among the ranks.

    ¡°Seriously¡­? What was that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing again!¡±

    After the lightning storm, a rain of ice arrows started falling. However, it was hundreds of timesrger than the one the soldiers knew. Rather than ice arrows, it was a rain of ice pirs: they shattered over the monsters, creating multiple ice arrows that rained over the monsters. Those outside the range of lightning were struck this time too.

    The ice arrows, just as the lightning storm before,pletely disregarded the monsters¡¯ protective gear and hide, stabbing them as if skewering through fruit. The arrows passed through some monsters and stayed lodged in the bodies of others, but nevertheless it was enough to halt their momentum.

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±

    The spectators mumbled suchments while seeing the monsters drop one after the other.

    If former yers were present, they would have recognized that the lightning attack was the Lightning magic skill ¡¾Thunder Split¡¿ and the ice arrows were created by the Water magic skill ¡¾Eis Ast¡¿.

    Some monsters remained, but the soldiers thought that those massive magic spells couldn¡¯t have left many. They all agreed in their minds that such a powerful magic user had to be widely renown. Lightning and ice. Based on the spell¡¯s power, they had to be skills, not arts. No one present, however, could think of a magic user that fit the description, so they were all puzzled.

    This mysterious spellcaster then appeared.

    A red long coat, hot pants and long boots, golden hair flowing in the wind. A slender silhouette, long ears and incredible magic power: the soldiers behind her realized that she had to be a High Elf.

    At the same time, they found it unusual that she was wielding blue and red short swords. Judging from the strength of the spells, they were sure the caster was a mage with a powerful staff.

    Before the confused guards, the High Elf pointed the red short sword in her left hand towards the remaining monsters. After a few instants, the tip started glowing deep red.

    me magic skill ¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿.

    A magic-powered beam of highly concentrated heat ran through the monsters, followed by bursts of mes blooming from the ground. The mes and explosions swept through the remaining monsters: the spell was much more powerful than the ones which preceded it.

    The monsters directly struck by the beam melted away immediately: the ones who did not, regardless of how armored they were, were destroyed or burned by the explosions.

    The heat beam then vanished, leaving behind a horrifying scene of scorched earth and corpses.

    ¡°What were we all ready to die for¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, we did reaffirm our convictions.¡±

    The situation continued changing suddenly, so the guards were left quite puzzled. At the same time, though, they were also relieved. While it could be temporary, the threat was now gone.

    They could not feel reassured for long, however.

    ¡°Hey!! There are monsters running amok in town!! If you can fight,e help us!!¡±

    ¡°What!?!¡±

    The guards, bbergasted by the High Elf and the magic she wielded, were forcefully brought back to reality by a new warning, heard from inside the castle walls.

    There were monsters already inside the city: the guards thought that the city¡¯s gates had been prated. Closing the gates would allow them to resist for a while, but if arge number of monsters attacked them from behind, the area around the gates would fall into panic. The possibility that the gates fell before being closed was more than likely.

    ¡°The only walls or gates breached were here. I do not know the cause, but it seems that monsters suddenly appeared within the city. Their levels are low, but their numbers great: it seems this is happening on a wide range too. I will seal the gap here, so please start subjugating them from the closest location.¡±

    After finishing off the few remaining monster units, the High Elf talked to the guards in a clearly resounding tone.

    The monsters she saw while heading to the outer walls were level 100 at most. Their numbers were many, but it was nothing the guards and adventurers could not handle.

    ¡°Damn, just what the hell is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Easy there. If what she says is true, we can handle it. Let¡¯s leave this ce to her and go somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped!!¡±

    Some were overwhelmed, someined, others were relieved. While the reactions were all different, they all took up arms and scattered.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    ¡°I have to hurry.¡±

    After the guards and adventurers left, the High Elf looked at the walls and whispered to herself.

    Overwhelmed by the monsters and magic spells, the guards had not realized that the High Elf was Schnee in disguise. Because of the disguise, she had chosen light equipment that was easy to move in.

    Except for the one spot that had crumbled, the outer walls were untouched. It wasn¡¯t clear how much they had been damaged by the aftershocks.

    In order to prevent further damage to the walls, Schnee had first crushed the closest enemies with ¡¾Thunder Split¡¿ and ¡¾Eis Ast¡¿, then took care of the rest with ¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿.

    If she started with¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿ , she would have dealt with them even faster, but the resulting explosions and mes risked damaging the walls even further.

    ¡°I better reinforce them to be safe.¡±

    If the walls were left as is, they would invite invasions by other monsters. Schnee used Earth magic to form a of tightly packed earth, then created a giant wall of ice to contain it.

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s magic power, the resulting barrier was as sturdy as the walls. The ice would melt over time, but, as an emergency countermeasure, it was more than enough. Even if Schnee did not do anything more, it wouldst one full week.

    ¡°Were those all the monsters¡­?¡±

    Schnee climbed on the outer walls and surveyed the forest where the monsters supposedly hid. Her detection range wasn¡¯t as wide as Shin¡¯s, but it was wide enough to cover her field of view. There were no movements simr to the one just before in the forest or other locations.

    The monster presences were just in groups of two or three. Their directions and movements were all different, so they were likely unrted to the invasion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the monsters inside, then.¡±

    She could go to the closest location, but instead peered at the map and the presences she had detected. Defeating monsters alone would not resolve the problem, so she first tried to find monsters that exhibited unique behavior or locations with abnormal concentrations of monsters.

    If not defeating Avaritia meant that monsters would continue spawning, she just needed to keep going until Shin defeated it. But, if that was not the case, Schnee had to find the cause behind the monster¡¯s appearance and deal with it.

    ¡°!! That¡¯s¡­¡±

    A few minutes had passed when Schnee¡¯s eyes focused on one point of the map. After the monsters moved away from a spot where they were looking for prey, it suddenly happened. In the now empty spot, new monsters suddenly appeared.

    ¡°I see, the monsters are being sent from somewhere. I guess they setup such points throughout the city.¡±

    It was either a Tamer¡¯s ¡¾Summon Partner¡¿ or a teleportation point. Schnee ran towards the spot where the monsters appeared, using the rooftops as tforms. She found monsters running wild with greater quantity near the spawning point.

    ¡°Out of the way.¡±

    Schnee resolutely advanced through the monsters in the streets. With pale blue mes from ¡ºLazuli re¡» in her left hand and zing red mes from ¡ºScarlet ze¡» in her right, Schnee let out fiery shes that scarred the monsters before spreading to their whole body and burning them to cinders.

    As if performing a beautiful ritual dance of ughter, Schnee advanced while leaving mounds of ash in her wake. The monsters in town were low level and unarmed, so it was an inevitable result.

    She could have used the roofs to proceed while ignoring the monsters, but she opted to use the ground route to help the citizens and adventurers in trouble. Crushing the main cause was the quickest way to solve the situation, but Schnee wasn¡¯t so cold as to let people die in front of her.

    Shin would do the same, she thought.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Schnee arrived at her destination and found a store like any other. The entrance, however, was destroyed and monsters prowled about. She quickly incinerated them and entered the store.

    The main cause of the issues was likely to be found inside the destroyed store. What Schnee found, however, was slightly surprising.

    The stockroom was about five mel wide. In front of the magic circle drawn on the floor, a wizard-looking silhouette was wielding a staff. Before Schnee¡¯s eyes, the magic circle glowed and a monster appeared. Apanied by a groan of pain from the man.

    ¡°Hel¡­.p¡­..¡±

    A strained voice escaped the man¡¯s lips, his wand still in the air, the monster before him.

    Schnee noticed that the man¡¯s cheeks were emaciated, his skin ravaged, as if he was about to die. What hair remained was unnaturally white. He was just like a mummy wielding a wand.

    All the signs indicated that the man had been subjected to powerful drain attacks.

    ¡°How horrible¡­¡±

    Schnee realized the truth by looking at the man. During the 500 years she had spent waiting for Shin, she had seen many, many things, of which some were unspeakable horrors.

    The perpetrators were sometimes people, sometimes monsters. What happened to the man was not too rare. He had been forced to summon monsters, effectively being used as a magic battery. This often happened when the culprit was a person.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Schnee silently wielded her ¡ºLazuli re¡». A blue sh streaked through the air and severed the man¡¯s neck. His corpse was engulfed in blue mes as it hit the ground, burning into ashes.

    When the man died, the magic circle went silent. It was connected to his lifeforce, which was converted into magic power to feed the magic circle.

    When Schnee found the man, his HP and magic were already zero. The only reason he was conscious was that he was kept alive to drain away his magic power. There was no way to save him, but it was possible to at least put him out of his misery by finishing him.

    ¡°Is this happening in the other locations too?¡±

    Just in case, Schnee used the screenshot function Shin taught her and recorded the magic circle. If the same method was used elsewhere, the summoning would stop when the caster died. It was possible that, if enough time had passed, the summoning circles would be useless on their own.

    Of course, there was no concrete proof. Some areas might have had different summoning methods, or the monsters summoned could constantly increase in power.

    Schnee decided to disregard this option and crush all spawning locations. She checked her map again, narrowing down the options to stores or stockroomsrge enough to house the magic circle.

    ¡°This is strange¡­¡±

    The monster presences in the city.

    She had not kept count of them, so she did not know at what pace they increased, but ording to Schnee¡¯s experience, magic circles allowed to summon one monster every few minutes. In one hour, that would amount to 20 or 30 monsters at most.

    Only about 30 minutes had passed since the outer walls crumbled, yet, the monsters had increased at an extremely fast pace, which meant that there was arge number of magic circles.

    However, Schnee felt something strange from the numbers of spawning locations, as well as the locations they were set up in.

    In the beginning she only searched for locationrge enough to house the magic circle, so she hadn¡¯t noticed, but she realized that monsters were appearing in very unusual ces.

    ¡°There¡¯s a spawning location in the middle of the street? The citizens or guards would definitely realize¡­¡±

    The location was easy to find, but difficult to set up. As far as Schnee could tell, the magic circles were not concealed in any way.

    ¡°This presence¡­is moving despite there being no paths here¡­?¡±

    Schnee spotted a few presences moving through walls in the shopping area. However, they were moving far too fast. It was like there were no obstacles in their way. Schnee then had a realization and modified the map to show a 3D disy, showing the underground too.

    ¡°I see¡­the underground waterways.¡±

    Even if they weren¡¯t as developed as the former Sacred ces, cities that reached a certain size created underground waterways. They reached everywhere under the city, just like waterways of modern cities, and it was said that few people in the country knew about their total extension. That is where the magic circles were set up.

    ¡°This is not good.¡±

    They were far too many for Schnee to crush by herself. Some of the presences were also moving beyond the internal walls, inside the royal pce.

    ¡°Miss Yuki!¡±

    The numbers were not on their side. Schnee was thinking of a countermeasure while going to the closest point, when she heard someone shouting her name.

    It was Masakado, his loyal weapon at his side, with a group of adventurers in tow.

    ¡°I apologize to bother you when you¡¯re in a hurry. Is there a way to solve this situation? We have been destroying all monsters we saw on our way here, but it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re decreasing at all.¡±

    It was the first time they talked in a while, but Masakado skipped all preambles and went straight to the point. Schnee quickly reported her findings.

    ¡°Summoning using people as fuel, and the underground waterways¡­¡±

    ¡°There are many monster summoning magic circles above ground, but the numbers underground are considerable as well. Maybe the pace of the summoning will not increase over time, but considering who our opponent is, I doubt things will go over easily.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them too, they seem like a pretty nasty bunch.¡±

    Masakado said that many witnessed the destruction of the walls. He himself never participated in a devil extermination mission, but he had seen what devils looked like from message boards rted to the game. When he saw the monster destroying the wall, he remembered instantly.

    ¡°It might be dangerous, so I don¡¯t like saying this, but we seriously need manpower. Rather than waiting for the summoners turned magic batteries to expire, we should defeat them in order to reduce potential casualties. If you have a map, I can show you the general locations. I need the cooperation of as many people as possible.¡±

    ¡°Roger! I¡¯m sure I can help with that!¡±

    Based on the monsters being summoned, simply putting the magic circles out ofmission was possible even for those who weren¡¯t Chosen Ones, so Masakado turned to the adventurers.

    ¡°You heard, right? We need numbers more than anything. If we subdue the ces where the monsters are being summoned, the situation will improve significantly. We can¡¯t let them do whatever they please like this! But if things turn sour, run!¡±

    Masakado¡¯s words were met by an energetic ¡°Roger!!¡±.

    It would be just as dangerous to fight the monsters prowling the city. All the adventurers present nodded without hesitation. Some of them ran to contact the guild and the guards.

    Schnee wrote down the location of the magic circles on Masakado¡¯s map, made copies with a skill and gave them to the other adventurers, who split in groups of three and scattered throughout the town.

    ¡°What will you do Masakado?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay above ground and deal with the more difficult looking spots or areas with a higher density of monsters.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will go underground. Just in case, take this.¡±

    Schnee then gave a stack of cards to Masakado, potions especially made by Shin. They healed more than regr ones and acted instantly.

    ¡°Never let your guard down. Or Hmee will be really sad.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I know. I am more worried about her though, since she is in the institute.¡±

    Luxuria is in the institute: Avaritia was surely headed towards her.

    ¡°Shin is going to the institute as we speak. He also set up anti-devil traps, so I believe everything will be alright.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­okay, time to get busy!¡±

    Masakado ran off towards the monsters with an expression full of confidence.

    While he was worried, he didn¡¯t let it show. He knew what he had to do.

    ¡°I can¡¯t lose either, can I.¡±

    Schnee also started moving right away. Her first destination was the entrance to the underground waterways. She had to exterminate the monsters, as soon as possible.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    Shortly before the outer walls were destroyed and monsters started spawning in Erkunt¡­

    Something abnormal happened inside the royal pce.

    Most soldiers were gathered in the training grounds, separated into toons, to check their equipment. They were all nervous, some of them confused.

    ¡°To think that there were other devils¡­¡±

    ¡°Could it be that the institute was keeping it hidden? If so, then the staff is¡­¡±

    All soldiers on stand-by were whispering.

    Just when everyone in the pce was relieved by the news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat, another piece of news had arrived. All pce workers and especially the soldiers were shaken.

    They had to fight with mere swords and spears against a beast that could level entire cities. No matter how many they were, they could never hope to match it.

    There weren¡¯t enough anti-devil weapons to supply the whole army.

    ¡°I heard that the anti-devil n guys were possessed by the devil.¡±

    ¡°If they fight alongside the devil, we have to fight them too, right? Can we really win?¡±

    Information was spreading in a chaotic manner. Conflicting information was reaching even the lowest ranked soldiers. They all talked about information, regardless of its veracity, and believed it all.

    ¡°Hey, what is going on here!?¡±

    There were some who hadn¡¯t lost all reason, though. One of Erkunt¡¯s heroes, Fagall, and the knights serving directly under him.

    When Fagall returned to the castle after an inspection outside Erkunt, he found the soldiers ready for war, with a heavy atmosphere hanging over them.

    The confused Fagall asked nearby soldiers what was going on and was told that the captain of the royal guards personally ordered them to go exterminate the devil dwelling in the institute.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Information about Luxuria had been halted by the country¡¯s elite. It was impossible for mere footsoldiers to know about it.

    The captain of the royal guards, Namsaar, also knew that Luxuria opposed Avaritia and would not harm normal people.

    Fagall then asked the soldiers if anything happened about the devils, as there had to be a reason behind this order. All soldiers, however, replied that they did not know anything.

    They also spouted unbelievable things, such as that Shin and Yuki were on the devil¡¯s side and the institute as a whole was under the devil¡¯s control.

    ¡°Just what is going on here¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe that there are mental skills at work. You can train your body, but things are different for the mind.¡±

    One of Fagall¡¯s subordinates, specialized in magic and healing, gave her opinion. She was one of Fagall¡¯s vice-captains, a female Chosen One called Nakuri.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why I feel this indescribable unease¡­if so, we have an emergency on your hands. I will go inquire to His Majesty. Based on the circumstances, we might need the King¡¯s permission to act. Kassh, Nakuri, take the knights with you and go ask Lady Sherlene what¡¯s going on. If they are already in formation in a toon, tell them to standby until Ie back. I¡¯ll take responsibility. And¡­¡±

    ¡°Be ready to fight, yes?¡±

    The stern-looking man called Kasshpleted Fagall¡¯s order. He too was a Chosen One.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Nakuri, use defensive skills on the men, as much as possible. If you feel the atmosphere bes more suspicious, retreat from the pce. If we end up under the enemy¡¯s influence too, there will be no one left to protect the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°¡­understood. Please take care.¡±

    Both vice-captains replied at the same time, but Kassh sounded notpletely convinced, while Nakuri was worried. Kassh out of frustration for not being able to do anything, Nakuri out of concern for Fagall, who would be left on his own.

    ¡°Hopefully we can learn something.¡±

    Fagall passed through the pacing soldiers, hurrying towards the king¡¯s chambers.

    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet¡­¡±

    Normally, the king would be carrying out his duties at this time. Fagall noticed that the more he approached the king¡¯s chambers, the less noise he heard.

    Armed soldiers would not be found in this area, but if there was another reason for theck of people in the surroundings, the situation was extremely dire.

    Fagall hurried even more, trying to keep his nerves in check. He arrived close to the room where the king executed his duties and found two soldiers standing guard. Fagall knew both of them.

    ¡°Is His Majesty here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but why the hurry? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°The whole castle is. The soldiers are getting ready to go exterminate the devil, but I came to check with the king if there are no mistakes about their orders.¡±

    Fagall didn¡¯t know where Namsaar, the one who actually gave the order, could be. As he told Kassh and the others, the king had to be aware of the situation, so Fagall came to ask him about the reasons behind the order, while also making sure the king was safe.

    ¡°I have heard nothing about such orders. Could it be that your information is wrong?¡±

    ¡°I understand why you would think that. The soldiers below, however, are preparing to battle this very moment. There is conflicting information going about, but as far as I heard, they were told that there is a devil in the institute.¡±

    The guards looked just as confused as Fagall was when he arrived in the castle. Fagall then judged that they hadn¡¯t lost their reason yet.

    ¡°I wish to speak directly to the king.¡±

    ¡°Just a moment.¡±

    One of the guards turned his back to Fagall and knocked on the door.

    While he was supposedly speaking with the king inside, the other guard held the hilt of his weapon and kept Fagall firmly within sight. Even if confused, he would not let down his guard. Not even if his opponent was a hero or an acquaintance. That was their job.

    After a few seconds, the first guard turned the doorknob and allowed Fagall inside. The other guard silently opened his side of the door too.

    ¡°For you toe without prior notice¡­what is happening?¡±

    Kreunzeit understood right away that something was off. After hearing Fagall¡¯s report, the king¡¯s brow furrowed.

    ¡°That is a first for me too. Namsaar would inform me first of all.¡±

    ¡°I do not know why this happened. I did not know where sir Namsaar is, so I decided to confirm Your Majesty¡¯s safety first.¡±

    ¡°You have done well. What in the world is¡ªwhat!?¡±

    A booming sound interrupted Kreunzeit¡¯s words. The sound came from the direction of the window: Fagall looked outside and saw a wall crumbling, with an enormous monster attacking it.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Fagall was speechless for a moment. A wall that could easily withstand attacks from giant-sized golems was destroyed, revealing a horde of monsters behind it.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    ¡°The outer wall has been destroyed. It couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks of a gigantic monster.¡±

    The king¡¯s words let Fagall return to his senses. He then started reflecting on what he just saw. Then, he realized. A human-like shape. A torso with a lion head grafted onto it. A head wearing a goat skulling out of the lion¡¯s mouth. It all coincided with Sherlene¡¯s report about Avaritia¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°This is absurd¡­why would the devil be here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯tdy Sherlene supposed to have defeated it?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. The soldiers who went to inspect the area said that they found clear traces of fighting.¡±

    If so, then why? Doubts and questions ran through Fagall¡¯s mind.

    Maybe they only thought they defeated it? Maybe it managed to flee? The reason was unknown, but the reality that the devil was attacking was an undeniable truth.

    ¡°It disappeared? Is it going to wheredy Luxuria is?¡±

    The devil¡¯s gigantic body disappeared in an instant. Fagall thought he saw a small shadow, so he hypothesized that the devil turned into human form and went into the city. Based on the information he had, the destination was surely the institute.

    Should he rush to the crumbling walls? Go fight the devil in the institute? Stay here to protect the king? A series of choices appeared within Fagall¡¯s mind.

    If the devil went on a rampage, the city would surely suffer extensive damage. The monsters approaching from beyond the crumbling walls could not be ignored either, though. No matter what he prioritized, damage and casualties were inevitable.

    Fagall was unsure what to decide, but one of the choices was quickly crushed. The monsters outside the walls were swept away by magic spells, the gap in the wall sealed with ice.

    ¡°That has to be either sir Shin ordy Yuki¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That should prevent the monsters from prating the city.¡±

    ¡°Then all is left is to deal with the devil. I do not know if Namsaar predicted this, but the situation is in our favor. Select the troops equipped with anti-devil gear and send them to exterminate it. Sir Shin¡¯s group is certainly on the move as well. If possible, join with them and take down the devil.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±

    There were too many potential risks. Defeating the devil, however, took priority. Fagall was about to leave to execute the order he received.

    ¡°Hngh!?¡±

    He put a hand on the doorknob, but jumped back as if something had repelled him. Fagall drew his sword, warily looking at the door.

    ¡°¡­I suspected there was someone behind the soldiers¡¯ confusion, but I suppose they came straight here.¡±

    ¡°Please flee. This ominous presence¡­it will be a very dangerous opponent.¡±

    Outside the room, there were the guards too. Considering that this new threat had approached the room without Fagall realizing, it had to be an assassin very skilled at hiding their presence.

    Fagall could not tell how powerful the enemy was, but estimated them to be very able, so he immediately asked the king to escape. If Fagall fought seriously, the king would be in danger too.

    ¡°Well damn. I thought I had finally taken over this guy, and here I find another pain to deal with.¡±

    As Kreunzeit leapt into the secret passage, the door opened. The voice heard as the door revealed the intruder was very familiar to Fagall. Its tone was very casual, however. Fagall knew that the owner of this voice would never use such a tone.

    ¡°I surely didn¡¯t want this prediction toe true¡­¡±

    Fagall whispered to himself, looking at the man who entered the room.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that? We¡¯re pals, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever met. Who are you? What did you to Namsaar!?¡±

    Voice, body, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ data¡ªeverything said Namsaar. The ominous ck armor that covered its body, the goat bones that covered half its face, however, clearly showed that Namsaar was not currently himself.

    Probably because he had just seen Avaritia, Fagall quickly realized who had taken over Namsaar¡¯s body.

    ¡°My other self was knocked out before they even managed to introduce themselves, so I guess I better do it, yeah? You are in the presence of one of the Seven Deady Sins, Avaritia the devil of Greed. You¡­.are not the one who defeated my other self in the dungeon, are you.¡±

    Avaritia peered at Fagall and spoke after he had gauged the knight¡¯s skill.

    Avaritia¡¯s words let Fagall understand that the devil could create copies of itself. He didn¡¯t know how many, however.

    ¡°Your other self, hmm. Which means, if you are defeated here everything will be over?¡±

    Let it be so. Fagall tried his hardest to hide his nerves and asked the question.

    ¡°Too bad buddy, I¡¯m not the real body either. If you take me down things will be easier though, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Avaritia drew his sword, Namsaar¡¯s loyal partner. Its de had lost all its shine: ck vein-like tendrils ran across it.

    ¡°I might be an enemy, but this is yourrade¡¯s body. You know what it means to attack me, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I surely do!¡±

    Fagall answered Avaritia¡¯s threat by swinging his sword. He aimed at the face, the side not covered by the goat mask. Avaritia parried Fagall¡¯s unhesitant strike with his sword.

    Fagall saw how his swing had been effortlessly blocked, despite the fact that he had not held back at all, and realized that his opponent might be using Namsaar¡¯s body, but his abilities exceeded the host body¡¯s limits.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty strict on your buddies, huh?¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar would take me to task if I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    Hiding his concern about his opponent¡¯s actual strength, Fagall replied in turn to Avaritia¡¯s quip. While it might be hard to imagine from his appearance and atmosphere, Namsaar was extremely loyal to the king. His fighting prowess and loyalty had granted him the position of captain of the royal guards.

    If Namsaar was himself, he would rather take his own life rather than point his sword at the king.

    Thus Fagall knew that he had no reason to hesitate. Ready to take Namsaar¡¯s life if need be, he once again swung his de.

    ¡°Is that so. Let¡¯s see how long you can struggle, then!!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s de shed with Fagall¡¯s. The devil¡¯s movements were the same as Namsaar¡¯s. Every strike was much heavier, though.

    ¡°Plenty, you will see. I cannot be useless forever.¡±

    Fagall had his pride as a hero as well. If necessary, he was ready to die and take his enemy with him.

    The two warriors¡¯ des crossed again. Even brighter sparks flew about, as if to show the strength of Fagall¡¯s renewed conviction.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A thundering sound made the ground tremble, echoing through the pce gates and training grounds. In response, abnormal events happened throughout the pce.

    Monsters appeared out of thin air. Their levels were low, but the soldiers fell into confusion because of the sudden event. The booming sound that deafened their ears was a sort of signal.

    ¡°What is going on here¡­?¡±

    The monsters appeared when Sherlene, informed of the order to exterminate Luxuria, was in the barracks to inquire further about the sudden orders. Sherlene rushed out of the barracks and found the training grounds in utter chaos: soldiers feeling from monsters and others fighting them.

    ¡°What the..!?¡±

    The soldiers were supposed to be well trained, so even if the monsters had appeared all too suddenly, their response was far too poor.

    ¡°Do not cower!! Troops with shields, go to the front and block the monster¡¯s attacks! Troops with spears, gain enough distance and seal their movements! The monsters are few! Face each of them in groups!¡±

    Sherlene shouted orders at the soldiers, also using the support skill ¡¾Hearten¡¿, used to encourage one¡¯s allies. Even the toon leaders were panicked: there was no time to worry about the chain ofmand.

    Struck by Sherlene¡¯s orders, the soldiers started moving in a well organized manner, making it seem unreal that they were running around until moments ago. Sherlene then realized that they had to be influenced by something.

    ¡°So that was the reason why the soldiers¡¯ information waspromised?¡±

    ¡°It does seem to be like that.¡±

    Sherlene talked to herself, but received an answer.

    ¡°Sir Kassh.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am. I and Nakuri have been ordered by sir Fagall to contact you.¡±

    Kassh rted to Sherlene about the bizarre situation in the castle and that Fagall had gone to see the king.

    ¡°I am d to see that you seem to be in full possession of your wits.¡±

    ¡°No, I did not notice the situation before, so I cannot say that I was not influenced at all. I heard just now about the order to exterminatedy Luxuria, but it would be strange for me not to realize the soldiers¡¯ unusual state. Taking down a devil is not such a simple task either¡­¡±

    Sherlene remembered the battle against Avaritia and her brow furrowed. She then materialized a spear. It was one of the weapons she borrowed from Shin, the holy spear ¡ºGuildern¡».

    ¡°I have never seen such a spear. It is quite heavily adorned.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    An instant after materializing ¡ºGuildern¡», Sherlene opened her eyes wide and stopped. Kassh, concerned, called to her: Sherlene regained her senses and shouted.

    ¡°What¡­what a blunder!!¡±

    ¡ºGuildern¡» was a holy spear meant to fight devils. Because of this, it could protect the wielder from devil attacks and dispel devil influences.

    Depending on the devil¡¯s power, it might only weaken their powers, but this ¡ºGuildern¡» had been reinforced by Shin, so it was more powerful than the default version.

    Thanks to its boosted ability, the fake memories Avaritia¡¯s copy had nted in Sherlene disappeared. She recalled the conversation she had with Hmee.

    Avaritia hadn¡¯t been defeated yet. There were copies remaining. Something was controlling Namsaar too.

    ¡°Sir Kassh, Lady Nakuri. I want you to take my troops and take care of the monsters. The chaos will continue, I fear. Also, do not follow sir Namsaar¡¯s orders.¡±

    Namsaar was the captain of the royal guards: he had nearly unlimited ess to the royal pce. Sherlene thought that the monsters¡¯ appearance had been orchestrated by him, or rather, whatever was controlling him.

    She chose not to say it at the time, however. The presence that had hid in the shadows until now finally showed itself. Sherlene was also concerned about the sound that thundered through the castle minutes before, but there were other, greater priorities.

    The king¡¯s safety, most of all. If the leader of the royal guards was under enemy control and the king dead, the whole country would fall into chaos. It would be almost impossible to bring things under control.

    There was enough confusion because of the monsters rampaging in the pce. For the devil, it was the perfect chance to strike. Sherlene thought that Avaritia aimed to take advantage of the confusion to kill Luxuria.

    ¡°If it appears in town, not even sir Shin could¡­¡±

    Thanks to her experience fighting against the copy, Sherlene understood very well how dire the current situation was.

    ¡°Lady Sherlene. Do you know what is actually happening?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but forgive me, there is no time to talk. We must take control of the situation as soon as possible, then have the citizens take shelter. This is just a prediction, but I believe that the monsters have appeared in town too. The devil I and sir Shin defeated was a copy. There is also another one in the pce too.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so??¡±

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±

    The two vice captains could not hide their surprise at Sherlene¡¯s statement.

    ¡°That devil is more and more dangerous the more people are around. We have to make everyone¡­no, everyone still alive evacuate the pce and institute as soon as we can.¡±

    While she said it, Sherlene was aware that it would be impossible. There wasn¡¯t enough time or manpower in Erkunt at the moment.

    ¡°I will go see His Majesty. Sir Fagall is probably fighting the devil as we speak. I must leave the monsters here to you. If possible, have the citizens take shelter too.¡±

    Sherlene hurriedly gave her orders, then rushed deeper in the pce, towards the royal duties¡¯ chamber.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    At the same time the heroes started moving inside the royal pce, someone in the institute noticed the abnormal urrences.

    A devil just like Avaritia, Luxuria.

    ¡°!? No way¡­!¡±

    Luxuria thought Avaritia was still far from Erkunt. All of a sudden, however, that distance became zero. The devil¡¯s presence moved right next to Erkunt¡¯s outer walls in an instant.

    ¡°Luxuria? What happened?¡±

    Luxuria stood up out of the blue and was looking in a certain direction. Hmee called to her, but Luxuria couldn¡¯t reply.

    She took out a message card and quickly started writing on it, thinking that she had to let Shin know as soon as possible.

    ¡°Sent! Hmee, I think that Avaritia will being here any minute. Evacuate the students!¡±

    After sending the message, Luxuria exined the situation to the confused Hmee. While Luxuria was talking, the booming sounds gave further credibility to her words.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too soon!? To cover a few days¡¯ worth of distance all at once is impossible without teleporting¡­wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s abnormal appearance could be exined in one way. Hmee reached the same conclusion Shin and Schnee did: as a yer she used teleportation on a daily basis after all.

    ¡°A devil using yer techniques¡­well, I can do simr things after all.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s expression was indescribable. The institute was riddled with the anti-devil traps Shin had set up. Luxuria had also borrowed anti-devil items which wouldn¡¯t affect the user, so it could be said that she was doing simr things to Avaritia.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough contemtion, evacuate the students already. Avaritia will probablye here: I¡¯ll stay as a decoy.¡±

    Luxuria was surprised by Avaritia¡¯s sudden appearance, but she felt his presence even now.

    He wasn¡¯t heading straight for the institute. Even if its path was a roundabout one, the presence gradually approaching the institute was without a doubt Avaritia¡¯s.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t use that word.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, it feels nice to hear you say that.¡±

    Luxuria tried to relieve the atmosphere, but Hmee¡¯s expression was deadly serious.

    ¡°I was wary of you in the beginning, but now I consider you one of us. You¡¯re going to keep protecting the institute with us, so don¡¯t you dare get absorbed by that Greed!!¡±

    ¡°No need for concern. I haven¡¯t the slightest intention to.¡±

    Luxuria saw Hmee off, a reassuring expression on her face.

    ¡°Why did you have to go and say something so nice¡­¡±

    Luxuria whispered towards the door as she felt Hmee¡¯s presence go.

    From a devil¡¯s standpoint, people were supposed to be nothing more than cattle to satisfy their desires. Whether to raise them or ughter them was up to each devil¡¯s will. At least originally.

    The feelings born in Luxuria¡¯s heart, however, were very far from her original instincts.

    ¡°This is so strange¡­I¡¯m supposed to be a devil, and yet¡­¡±

    Luxuria then pulled out a message card and another card from her bosom. Pictured on the card was a human-shaped slime-like being, in the process of being erased by the rays emitted by a globe of light. It was a very powerful anti-devil item: Shin had told Luxuria to use Avaritia as a shield if she had to use it.

    ¡°One wrong move and it¡¯s suicide, so I didn¡¯t want to use it¡­but if worsees to worst, I¡¯ll have to. I wonder why I¡¯m able to think like this¡­¡±

    Luxuria questioned herself while looking at the item that could very well blow her away too.

    She had already performed many actions unthinkable for a devil. Luxuria didn¡¯t understand why.

    However, there was no time to look for answers. She felt that the presence had entered the institute. It had probably destroyed one of the walls protecting it.

    Following Avaritia¡¯s presence, an avnche of monsters broke in too.

    ¡°Looks like Hmee and the others are okay.¡±

    Hmee had already nned an escape route, so she acted quickly. The teleport had already been activated: only Luxuria remained in the institute.

    Avaritia too detected Luxuria¡¯s presence and proceeded on a straight line towards her, uncaring for any obstacles or buildings in the way.

    Luxuria didn¡¯t move an inch. Avaritia probably thought that she had given up on resisting or nned to face him without fleeing.

    Though, both assumptions would be wrong. Luxuria told Hmee that she would act as a decoy, but her aim was to let Hmee and the others flee and also lure Avaritia into a trap.

    ¡°Two devils with the same level, disregarding affinity, are pretty much equal. He¡¯s stronger than me for now, but there¡¯s no reason to fight head-on like a simpleton.¡±

    The distant noise of destruction reached Luxuria¡¯s ears. Avaritia had stepped into Shin¡¯s trap zone.

    Like Luxuria, Avaritia was likely aware of the existence of anti-devil traps. If her memory was correct, they could damage devils, but not straight up kill them.

    Shin¡¯s traps, however, far exceeded Luxuria¡¯s memory. Maybe it was because the traps Luxuria knew of had been made by inexperienced yers, but Shin¡¯s traps had far superior offensive power.

    The explosions continued. Even the sounds caused by the anti-devil traps making the air vibrate and made Luxuria jolt when they reached her ears.

    Some of Shin¡¯s traps were set up to activate chain reactions, so underestimating them would result in very painful regret.

    Shin¡¯s traps exceeded Luxuria¡¯s knowledge such that she even thought that there was the possibility that Avaritia decided to retreat.

    However¡ª

    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re looking quite manly now.¡±

    Sitting in the infirmary¡¯s chair, Luxuria spoke to Avaritia. He hadn¡¯t stopped even if damaged by the traps, and was now right before Luxuria.

    Because of the destruction, the infirmary was half wrecked too.

    ¡°You can say thAt again. Thanks to that, I was fORced to eat up All the fodDEr I brought wIth me.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s body was covered in wounds, though they were gradually healing. His HP was also down to about 10%.

    Luxuria almost wanted to praise him for surviving the traps with only 10% HP left. If he had done so with only his powers though.

    The presence of the monsters which entered the institute waspletely gone. Some had probably been destroyed by the aftershocks of Shin¡¯s traps, but most had been devoured by Avaritia.

    Low-level monsters couldn¡¯t survive Avaritia¡¯s drain. Their presence was gone, probably because Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ had swallowed them, corpse and all.

    ¡°You would be even manlier if you went through another round of that, you know? ¡­by the way, are you a man now?¡±

    ¡°GendErs don¡¯t mAtter to dEVIls. WhAT¡¯s manlY abOUt this faCe, anYWay.¡±

    Avaritia, in devil form, looked down on Luxuria. As they spoke, his ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was in the process of surrounding the building and her.

    ¡°We finally meet after all this time, why not chat a little bit?¡±

    ¡°AftEr thoSE trAps? You SUrelY haVe somethINg else in stoRe.¡±

    Avaritia didn¡¯t let his guard down: the traps had surely given him a rough time. The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ generated by his lower body rushed towards the half-destroyed infirmary.

    ¡°TheRe were MORE?¡±

    Avaritia cursed under his breath. The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ that tried to attack Luxuria was blocked by a barrier of light, so it couldn¡¯t get any closer.

    It was a barrier set up by Shin, of course. Though it was a trap originally used to seal devils inside, this time it was used to protect the sealed devil from the attacks of others.

    ¡°You cAn¡¯t attACk eithEr LIke this¡­yOU¡¯re buying tIMe.¡±

    ¡°Bingo.¡±

    Avaritia turned towards the presence approaching him and Luxuria grinned smugly. That High Human wouldn¡¯t stay quiet in such a situation. That was the reason why Luxuria chose not to move and buy time.

    ¡°Tch¡­GWAAH!?!¡±

    Avaritia started gathering the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ around himself, as a rain of shining spears fell on him.

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was only slightly faster, forming a sphere, it acted as a wall against the spears. The devil managed to protect himself in the nick of time. Avaritia thought so, but only for mere seconds.

    Those spears didn¡¯t just disappear after being blocked. They kept thrusting towards Avaritia, trying to break through the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ barrier.

    Just like booster-powered harpoons, they gradually scattered the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°NNGH!!¡±

    Avaritia wouldn¡¯t just stay there and suffer though. With arms more powerful than its copies, it punched away the spears blocked by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    Not even the spears could stand such attacks: leaving behind trails of light, they were sent flying and stuck in the piles of rubble.

    ¡°ThE bASTard is hEre¡­¡±

    Ignoring his sizzling fists, caused by the contact with the spears, Avaritia looked in the direction from which the spears came. What he saw was a knight d in blue and silver armor.

    ¡°You went straight to Luxuria, so you¡¯re the main body I wager?¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» slung over his shoulder, ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» protecting his body, Shin spoke.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°You¡¯vE tAKen good CAre of my coPIes¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me. My business is with you.¡±

    Shin gauged the current situation while looking up at Avaritia.

    Avaritia¡¯s attack had reduced 1/4 of the institute into rubble. Shin also noticed that the traps had affected Avaritia with weakening debuffs. The only other presence he detected was Luxuria¡¯s: Hmee and the others had clearly evacuated already.

    ¡°Luxuria, don¡¯t step a foot out of there!¡±

    ¡°I know. Even if I tried to force my way out, I wouldn¡¯t be unscathed.¡±

    Luxuria tried touching the light barrier, but her hand was pushed back with a loud snap. The barrier was originally meant to constrict devils, so its effect was tried and true. It blocked magic power from traveling inside or outside it, making it perfect for creating a safe area.

    ¡°Is YOuR liTtle chaT oVEr?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ erupted from under Shin¡¯s feet. The devil had moved it underground to strike an ambush.

    Shin, however, dispelled the attack by drawing a circle with his ¡ºThe Ark¡».

    ¡°I exPecTed as much, but that swORd is a royAl pain.¡±

    Avaritia probably shared memories with his copies. It was supposed to be the first time the main body saw ¡ºThe Ark¡», but he didn¡¯t show signs of surprise.

    (He¡¯s stronger than thest one?)

    Shin found the sensation transmitted by ¡ºThe Ark¡» to be peculiar.

    During the previous battle against Avaritia¡¯s copy, ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ hadn¡¯t proven to be much of an obstacle.

    Thanks to ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was just an annoying recovery option Avaritia possessed.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed that the main body¡¯s level was the same as the copy, 750. The different sensation when slicing ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿, however, convinced Shin that the main body had to be more powerful.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to waste. I¡¯ll have to end this quick.¡±

    Avaritia did not have any sources of recovery in the surroundings. If they stayed inside the institute, Shin could limit the damage to material ones.

    ¡°DoN¡¯t get YoUr hopES up, bOy.¡±

    Before Shin could move, however, Avaritia said something concerning.

    ¡°Do yoU rEALly ThiNK I didn¡¯t prEpAre anythINg to coUNTer yOu?¡±

    ¡°¡­.what do you want to say?¡±

    Engaging a devil in conversation was risky. Avaritia, who shared memories with its copy, wouldn¡¯t say such a thing without a reason, though.

    ¡°HuMan deSIre knowS No boUnds. EsPEcially for tHE yoUng. It wAs a cINch to set up, yoU know?¡±

    ¡°You¡­!¡±

    Among the students evacuated by Hmee, some had to be under Avaritia¡¯s control. If Shin didn¡¯tply with the devil¡¯s instructions, he would order them to do his bidding.

    ¡°SuIciDe works, aTTacKing the oTHers too. How mANy do yoU thiNK thEy aRe?¡±

    ¡°Filthy bastard¡­¡±

    Shin tightened his grip on ¡ºThe Ark¡». He wanted to wipe Avaritia off the face of the then and there, but if he didn¡¯t literally do so in one blow, the devil wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what he said.

    Cool your head down. Nothing has been decided yet.

    Shin whispered to himself and rxed his grip on the hilt of the de. He then thought of contacting Schnee via Mind Chat and telling her to contact Hmee.

    Mind Chat did not use magic power, nor required any particr movement. It was possible to contact distant parties without the opponent realizing.

    ¡°What are your demands, then?¡±

    Luxuria probably noticed that Shin¡¯s expression changed, so she spoke to attract Avaritia¡¯s attention. The pupils hiding deep within the goat skull turned towards her.

    ¡°You knOw thAT alrEAdy. I cAMe all the WAy herE to maKe yoU mINe. The hoSTAges are thERe to keEp anyOne elSe out oF the wAy.¡±

    ¡°My, and here I thought you wanted to use them to force me not to resist.¡±

    Luxuria was a staff member of the institute too: keeping students as hostages would work as a threat against her too.

    ¡°A devIl liKE yoU? YoU doN¡¯T caRe aboUT huMAns, do yoU?¡±

    Avaritia honestly wondered why Luxuria would say something like that. Shin started thinking that Luxuria might start fighting without regard for the hostages.

    ¡°You know me well, don¡¯t you.¡±

    Shin saw Luxuria¡¯s cold smile for the first time. He knew what she actually thought, so that smile could only be described as devilish.

    Because he knew Luxuria, though, Shin found her smile somewhat strange. He had only found her devilish in her sensual gestures and alluring provocations. She didn¡¯t disy any of the cruel and cold attitude characteristic of devils, so in a way, she didn¡¯t fit the image Shin had of devils.

    Shin felt that she had to be acting. That¡¯s how different her atmosphere was from the usual Luxuria.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have the human remove this barrier, then. If this stays up, I can¡¯t go out but you can¡¯t do anything either, can you?¡±

    ¡°ThAT¡¯s riGht. Do It, hUMan.¡±

    ¡°¡­.got it.¡±

    Shin had set up the trap, so naturally he could disarm it too. As soon as he did so, Luxuria jumped away from the spot she was standing on.

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ had poked out of the ground like a flurry of spears from beneath her.

    ¡°I told you, keep being hasty and you¡¯ll never be popr.¡±

    ¡°I doN¡¯t hAve muCh tIMe, yoU sEe. LeT¡¯s jUSt fUse alrEady. YoU stAy out of It, aLl rIGht?¡±

    Avaritia told Shin to stay put. As long as the hostages were under the devil¡¯smand, Shin couldn¡¯t do anything. He could only wait for the right chance.

    ¡°Hmm, I just don¡¯t like this look, after all.¡±

    The moment Avaritia spoke to Shin, Luxuria turned back to her devil form. She was now about 5 mel tall. A very rough description of her new appearance would be a female upper body on a ball of tentacles. From the tentacles, however, arge arm-shaped appendage extended forward.

    The upper body looked like Luxuria was hugging her generous feminine parts. The arms, however, were attached to her chest: bird-like wings sprouted from her upper arms and shoulders and thorns covered her face from the mouth upwards.

    Her voice was exactly the same as her human form, which sounded like a nasty joke in this situation.

    ¡°YoU lOok jUst wonDErfuL to me.¡±

    ¡°Yourpliments thrill me.¡±

    Avaritia raised a fist: in response, the giant arm protruding from Luxuria¡¯s lower body formed a fist too.

    In stark contrast with the casual tone of their words, the institute was gradually filled by killing intent and insanity. The battle between devils, which had to be avoided at all costs, was about to start.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (5)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (5)</h4>

    Avaritia and Luxuria. While the two devils began to fight, Hmee couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the information received from Schnee.

    Some of the students had been charmed by the devil and were now being used as hostages.

    ¡°I have to do something¡­¡±

    Hmee felt she had to act quickly, however, nothing useful came to mind. ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could show if someone was affected by status ailments, but it wouldn¡¯t show anything abnormal if the mind control was performed via skills that used drugs or words.

    Just then, some students approached Hmee.

    ¡°Headmistress, there is something we need to tell you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very important!¡±

    The students were among the top fighters of the institute, the Elf Lecus and the Dragnil Myu. Gian was behind them too. They had probably been training when they evacuated, as they wore their battle gear.

    ¡°This is an emergency, please standby with your assigned teacher. I will listen to youter.¡±

    Hmee thought that they wanted her to exin the current situation, so she told them to wait with their teacher.

    ¡°We know that very well. We must speak now, though.¡±

    ¡°Yes!! Or it will be toote!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time. As we speak ¡ª¡±

    Luxuria is in danger, is what Hmee was about to blurt out, but she stopped herself just in time.

    These three students would probably be okay, thanks to the mental training they had received from Shin and Schnee, but the other students would likely fall into panic.

    ¡°Headmistress, we aren¡¯t here to waste your time. The students here might be in danger. Please listen to what we have to say.¡±

    Seeing Hmee turn silent, and Gian stepped forward to talk to her, in a very calm tone. His eyes were deadly serious. Looking at them helped Hmee to regain someposure she had lost.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We feel that some of the students here¡­are under the influence of something bad. We thought that you might know something, headmistress.¡±

    Gian looked at Lecus, who exined further. The allegedly influenced students were enveloped in impure magic or were acting strangely.

    One of them happened to be nearby, so Hmee used ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but no status ailments were disyed. Lecus and the others, however, all said that they were acting strange, albeit each in a different way.

    That was the difference between former yers and pure denizens of this world.

    Most yers thought that learning skills was everything. Because of their experience in the game, their concept of skills was fixed.

    Lecus and the others, however, had a more abstract understanding of skills. Because of this, they couldn¡¯t fully unleash their effects, but they could also sense things and produce effects that yers couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Did Shin give you any skills?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. We learned new skills during training, though. I learned ¡¾Magic Vision¡¿, Gian ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, and Myu ¡¾Insight¡¿.¡±

    Skills weren¡¯t something to reveal lightly, but because of the dire situation, Lecus did not hide anything.

    Unlike Shin¡¯s expectations, they all learned perception-rted skills. The reason why they learned different ones was that, in this world, there were conditions to learn skills were different from the game rules Shin was familiar with.

    Before learning the skills, they had never felt sensations such as those they were feeling now, so Lecus was sure that the skills were the cause, a theory that Hmee agreed with.

    ¡°Let¡¯s iste one of them and ask them some questions, then.¡±

    ¡°I think that person would be the best choice.¡±

    They needed as many clues as they could. Hmee thought of asking other teachers to help, but Lecus pointed to an instructor before she could.

    ¡°That person feels the same too.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that¡­¡±

    The instructor Lecus pointed to was listed among the possible spies who leaked ssified information out of the institute. However, the investigation had only reported him as possiblypromised.

    It would be easier to ask a teacher to talk in private. Hmee then called him to one of the shelter rooms used to store goods.

    ¡°What do you need to talk about, ma¡¯am? Will you exin the current situation?¡±

    The male teacher was still rtively shaken because of the sudden teleportation. His eyes swiftly shifted from left to right, his behavior slightly erratic.

    Hmee, without a word, took a card out of the item box and materialized it.

    It was a yellow crystal set on top of a green and white spiral, the ¡ºClear Storm Wand¡».

    Hmee lightly touched the confused teacher with the tip of the wand. That moment, his whole body trembled and he lost consciousness.

    The ¡ºClear Storm Wand¡» was an anti-devil weapon Shin gave to Hmee.

    Shin had attached it with added magic damage to devils and the ability to clear the influence of devils from whomever it touched.

    It wouldn¡¯t have any effect on those not contaminated by a devil¡¯s influence, so it was clear that the male teacher had been controlled by a devil.

    ¡°Ooh! That weird feeling is gone!¡±

    ¡°Amazing, as expected of our headmistress.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to feel about thatpliment¡­¡±

    Shin had given her that weapon. By herself, Hmee couldn¡¯t have solved the situation so easily.

    Though she was a former yer, by the game¡¯s standards she was in the lower middle ranks at best.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to worry about that, though. Bring all the people that feel influenced here, I¡¯ll take care of them. Try not to cause amotion.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Lecus replied, Myu gave a huge nod and Gian a smaller one, then they all left the room. Soon enough, they returned with a female student with them.

    Hmee touched the confused student with the wand and she fell down, as if struck by vertigo. Unlike the male teacher, she didn¡¯t lose consciousness.

    ¡°Where¡­am I?¡±

    The girl looked around puzzled: it looked like she didn¡¯t recognize the ce.

    Hmee asked her if she remembered how she came here, not mentioning the devil, and the girl replied that her memories were hazy, as if she had been dreaming. She couldn¡¯t clearly remember what she had been doing.

    Gradually realizing the current situation, the student was starting to panic, so Hmee put her to sleep with a magic spell. She didn¡¯t like doing such a thing, but there was no time tofort her.

    After the male teacher and female student were moved to an empty room in the shelter, Hmee had Lecus¡¯s party continue bring in influenced people to her.

    The students and teachers that gave an unusual feeling were not few, but,pared to the total number of evacuees, they were still a small fraction.

    While waiting for the next victim, Hmee prayed that Shin and the others could buy enough time and stayed safe.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Thundering sounds echoed through the institute.

    No one would think that they were produced by fists striking against fists, flesh shing against flesh.

    They could, however, if those fists belonged to devils. Fistsrge enough to crush people.

    The reinforced bodies of high level monsters wereparable to rare metals in terms of resilience.

    Their massive bodies, ignoring allws of physics, were packed with mass, heavy enough to carve the ground they walked on. Now, two of such walking cmities were battling each other.

    Each sh of their fists shook the earth and the air.

    ¡°LoOks liKe yoU¡¯ve goT yoUr shAre of pent-UP frUStrAtioN!¡±

    ¡°Spare me the disgustingments!¡±

    The devils exchanged casual quips along with blows. There was a gap of 50 levels between them.

    Unlike yers, whose level cap was 255 and individual stats varied greatly, the stats of monsters depended heavily on their level. The higher the level, the stronger the monster: it was as simple as that.

    Excluding affinities and the monsters which specialized in specific stats, normally the monster with higher level was stronger. This was especially true for devils, which had high stats overall.

    No clear difference could be seen from the two devils as they exchanged punches, however. The reason was the magic power Luxuria had umted while in Erkunt.

    The source for her magic power was human desire, which strongly spiraled around human towns. There was a limit to how much magic power could be stocked, but Luxuria had enough to fill a 50 levels gap.

    ¡°How loNg can yoU keEp up, HMMm?¡±

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Naturally, however, such magic power would be depleted as the battle continued. As it did, the gap between Avaritia and Luxuria would widen.

    Devils possessed vast powers. Precisely because of that, the magic power decreased at rming speed. Little by little, Luxuria was starting to lose the edge in their battle of blows.

    Luxuria¡¯s lower body tentacles were also being approached by Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°Get that disgusting thing away from me!!¡±

    In response to Luxuria¡¯s shout, her tentacles trembled, unraveled from the ball, and emitted purple smoke from their tips. Their aim was the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ crawling on the ground.

    When touched by the purple smoke, the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ spread all over the floor disappeared with a sizzling sound.

    It was one of the skills Luxuria could use in devil form, ¡¾Fading Purple Haze¡¿. It could inflict heavy damage to equipment and, to yers, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿.

    The mist¡¯s strong acidic properties would continuously inflict damage if one stayed inside it: that was the reason why ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was disappearing.

    ¡°BabE, I jUst wanTEd to celEBRate our meeTIng with a hUG.¡±

    ¡°Too bad, I already have a special someone.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s tentacles endlessly spewed the ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿, burning through Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿. The Greed devil, however, always looked in control of the situation. Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿ was very effective against yers, but against devils it barely managed to sear the skin surface.

    The unique abilities devils possessed weren¡¯t very useful against other devils. That applied to Luxuria too. Even among specimens of the same species, however, there was good or bad affinity.

    Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was a draining ability. As opposed to Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿, it couldn¡¯t be ignored because it would have little effect.

    Because of the two devils¡¯ affinity, if Luxuria touched the sludge even a little she would be sapped of her strength even more than the usual.

    ¡°If yoU waAnt to gIVe up, now¡¯s tHE beSt, TIMe, yoU knOw? Make my lIfE a lITTle eASier.¡±

    Avaritia urged Luxuria to surrender, confident of being in an advantageous position. Despite his boastful attitude, the blows he unleashed were as fierce as before.

    ¡°Too bad for you, I never know when to give up. Why are you even asking a devil to be a good loser?¡±

    Luxuria switched to a defensive stance, focusing on buying time.

    Shin could not move because of the hostages, but Luxuria thought that he had to have contacted Schnee. In addition, Avaritia¡¯s attitude and speech were as cocky as ever, but Luxuria felt that he actually wasn¡¯t as confident as he wanted to sound.

    The reason was obvious: standing right behind him was an opponent he couldn¡¯t defeat even if he fused with Luxuria. If the hostages were rescued or Shin decided to ept a few sacrifices, the situation would change in a sh.

    Avaritia was definitely acting confident to hasten a conclusion, or so Luxuria thought while blocking his attacks.

    ¡°Do you n to absorb him too after me?¡±

    ¡°No wAY. As sOOn as you¡¯RE mINe, I¡¯m hIGhtaILing it oUt of Here. EvEn uSIng the hOStaGes, that gUy is tOo mUCh of a bEAsT.¡±

    Avaritia replied to Luxuria¡¯s question, for the first time with a cold and dry tone. He knew that even after absorbing two other devils and using hostages, he couldn¡¯t win against Shin.

    Avaritia¡¯s fists struck again, shaking Luxuria¡¯s body.

    Not much time had passed since they started fighting, but the magic power Luxuria had stocked was already half depleted by Avaritia¡¯s flurry of punches and ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    Because of that, the level difference between the two devils was growing ever starker.

    Luxuria did not have much leeway either. Most of her skills inflicted the opponent with status ailments, but were of little use against other devils.

    Her strongest strategy was to shower the enemy party with status ailments and disrupt their teamwork. Against a single opponent or someone who resisted status ailments, her strongest point was practically useless.

    ¡°I still have a couple cards to y, though.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how useful it could prove to be, but she would just gradually lose like that. Ready to y all cards at her disposal, Luxuria released her power even more.

    The vines covering her head squirmed. After a few seconds, countless rips and cracks appeared on the surface of the vines.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Avaritia clicked his tongue and packed even more power into his punches. Luxuria could still defend herself, albeit barely.

    The rips and cracks on the vines grew wider, gradually revealing human mouths. The countless mouths that appeared on the vines drew in air.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Luxuria activated her skill after making sure that Shin, still behind Avaritia, had covered his ears with his hands.

    All the mouths emitted a shriek. Shrill voices, low voices, clear voices and twisted voices. A multitude of mixed voices that attacked the opponent¡¯s mind.

    It was a shockwave attack that also inflicted status ailments, called ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿.

    Most status ailments couldn¡¯t affect other devils, but the shockwave would.

    This too was a wide-range indiscriminate attack. It blew away both Avaritia¡¯s own body and the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿, with a deadly luby that would turn a normal person into a lifeless husk.

    ¡°YoU¡¯re tOo dAMN lOUD, bITch!¡±

    Avaritia cursed while holding the ground with his hands. The ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ was one of Luxuria¡¯s most powerful attacks.

    Even if Avaritia was safe from the status ailments, he couldn¡¯t just shrug it off.

    The more powerful Avaritia was gradually pushed back. The attack was a shockwave in all directions, so it damaged the institute too, but with a battle between devils going on so close, that was par for the course.

    Incidentally, Shin quietly used Avaritia as a shield against the attack.

    ¡°TIme for pAYbAck.¡±

    As the effects of Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ subdued, ck lights started glowing from the tips of Avaritia¡¯s goat horns.

    After a few seconds of charging, the ck lights were shot towards Luxuria. Compared to Avaritia¡¯s massive body, the lights seemed quite small, but were actually one mel wide.

    Luxuria couldn¡¯t avoid Avaritia¡¯s attack. The ck globes traveled close to Luxuria and exploded, enveloping herrge body in the st.

    Just like blots of ink falling over the painting of a scenery, the very air around them seemed to be covered in ck, for the three seconds of the attack.

    It was Avaritia¡¯s most powerful skill, ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿.

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Luxuria had forgone the option of avoiding the st and did all she could to protect herself.

    It was of course a very powerful attack, but if a yer was hit with it, their max HP would also be reduced to half. For this reason, it was nicknamed the ¡°frontline killer skill¡±.

    Other devils wouldn¡¯t be affected by the half max HP effect, but being hit by all bullets would cause considerable damage.

    Part of Luxuria¡¯s tentacles and wings was gone, herrge arm was partially torn off, the other half charred ck, still.

    ¡°That was pretty rough¡­¡±

    Differently from Luxuria¡¯s focus on status ailments, Avaritia¡¯s skills were primarily designed for draining. Luxuria suffered heavy damage because this skill had low draining capabilities, being primed for causing damage.

    This was the same for yers and monsters alike, and did not change in the new world either. If one wanted to raise the drained amount, it was necessary to either attack more times or raise the damage of each attack.

    Avaritia¡¯s skills increased in draining ability as the damage increased.

    ¡°ThAt wAsn¡¯t eNOugh, huh.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would go down this easily, did you.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s stats were based on defense. Even after suffering Avaritia¡¯s brutal attack, she could still move enough.

    The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ sent as follow-up was burned by ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿. Luxuria¡¯s tentacles had decreased in number, however, so the sludge was closer than before.

    Because of the damage suffered by her giant arm, Luxuria could not fully parry Avaritia¡¯s attacks anymore.

    ¡°Ladies, should be, treated with care!¡±

    ¡°HaH! No nEEd fOR cOmplImEnts bETweEn uS!¡±

    The situation was nowpletely one-sided.

    Luxuria could only parry one of Avaritia¡¯s fists with her arm: the other had to be blocked by her tentacles. Because of that, she couldn¡¯t stop ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿¡¯s progress as well as before.

    Luxuria, locked in a defensive stance, saw her body gradually surrounded by ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°What a nuisance!!¡±

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was also limiting Luxuria¡¯s movements. Little by little, Avaritia¡¯s fists started breaking through Luxuria¡¯s defenses.

    With shes strong enough to make the air vibrate, Luxuria¡¯s body floated in the air slightly.

    ¡°YoU serIoUsly puT up a gOod fIghT.¡±

    Avaritia continued to attack relentlessly. His rush of fists didn¡¯t let up, together with ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿. The greed devil¡¯s punches rained through Luxuria¡¯s defenses.

    She was still parrying, but it was just a flimsy difference from her opponent¡¯s attacks hitting cleanly: Luxuria was practically turned into a sandbag.

    ¡°Haha!! HahAhAhaHA!! HaHAHaHA!¡°

    Avaritia¡¯sugh echoed through the surroundings. Luxuria¡¯s body was tattered, more than half of it was painted ck.

    She could tell, somehow, that Shin was holding himself back from acting.

    She had secretly sent him a message before turning to devil form, so he wouldn¡¯t do anything until all hostages were freed.

    ¡°¡­.HahAha¡­hAh.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s fists stopped.

    ¡°What¡­are you doing?¡±

    Only Luxuria¡¯s head remained uncovered by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿. She couldn¡¯t imagine what Avaritia was nning by stopping to attack then and there.

    ¡°ThAt¡¯s mY lINe. YOur atTAckS aRe liGht, yoU dOn¡¯t eVen dOdge. YoU stOckEd alL tHat pOwEr, but Didn¡¯T eVen usE it rIGhT.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s level was higher, but after they both used their skills, one was almost unscathed, the other almost out ofmission. The gap was far too wide.

    The key fact was that Luxuria failed to dodge the ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿. Even if her body was now gigantic, her high level also granted her high speed. It was unthinkable that she would be hit by all bullets, shot right in front of her.

    ¡°DoN¡¯t tELL me thAt yoU wOrrIed aBOut the dESTrucTIon? YoU, a dEVil?¡±

    If she had gone all out, ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ would have extended its reach as far as outside the institute.

    If she had dodged the ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿, some of them too would have caused damage outside the institute.

    Luxuria¡¯s behavior, bizarre enough to make Avaritia stop attacking, was motivated by her desire of wanting to limit damage and casualties.

    ¡°Hmm¡­? I don¡¯t know¡­what you¡¯re hinting at.¡±

    Luxuria had no intention of giving Avaritia an honest answer.

    She didn¡¯t know herself why she had done that. Her own life should be the most important thing, but before she realized it, she had blocked all ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿ with her own body.

    She couldn¡¯t resist anymore. Avaritia would now absorb her, erasing her existence for the world.

    Her body would resurrect, one day. It will probably inherit her memories too. The next Luxuria, however, would be a different entity.

    Even with the same memories, her feelings would not be the same. In a way, that was the same as ¡°death¡±.

    ¡°Are yoU¡­rEAlLy the dEvIl of lUst?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Luxuria did not have enough strength left in her to even speak. Avaritia¡¯s eyes grew narrower as he watched the defenseless Luxuria. His ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ then resumed its progress, without meeting any resistance.

    Luxuria was fully covered by ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ and turned into a ck cocoon.

    ¡°ThIs¡­iS¡­¡±

    Avaritia looked at the cocoon with suspicion.

    The battle was over, Luxuria did not resist anymore. The fusion should have started already.

    Despite this, Luxuria was still existing inside the cocoon.

    Avaritia had no recollection of such a phenomenon. That was enough to create an opening.

    Explosions resounded behind Avaritia, attracting his attention. That very instant, a blue and silver sh passed right next to the devil.

    ¡°YOu¡ª!?!¡±

    The sh deftly kicked the air to dodge Avaritia¡¯s fist and approached the cocoon.

    ¡°I pray it¡¯s not toote¡­haaaAAAAh!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºThe Ark¡» sliced open the cocoon.

 Book 14: Chapter 4 (6)

    <h4>Book 14: Chapter 4 (6)</h4>

    Sparks scattered in the air. Two des shed both chipping away at each other.

    ¡°You¡¯re not half bad!¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±

    The battle between Fagall and Namsaar, which started before Luxuria and Avaritia¡¯s, was continuing, in favor of Namsaar ¨C as controlled by Avaritia¡¯s copy.

    The room¡¯s interior was almost unrecognizable because of the fighting.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use your full power? Are you still ying around?¡±

    Either he decided to only use a certain extent of power or something was limiting him. Fagall couldn¡¯t tell by Namsaar¡¯s slight changes in expression, but fully focused on it.

    ¡°Defeat me and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    The thrust longsword was redirected by Fagall¡¯s twin swords. Namsaar was superior to Fagall in terms of muscr power, so shing against him head on was not a smart strategy.

    Fagall considered his options. He wanted to stop Avaritia and Luxuria from fighting, but he couldn¡¯t leave Namsaar unchecked. It was especially dangerous if his aim was the king.

    There were also other workers and soldiers in the pce. Even if he was at a disadvantage, he couldn¡¯t simply ditch them and run.

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t feel like someone else is controlling you.¡±

    The swordy was just like Namsaar¡¯s. Fagall had asked why his opponent didn¡¯te at him with his full power, but if he had from the start, Fagall¡¯s situation would be in a much worse now.

    The longsword, deflected by Fagall¡¯s twin des, stopped and abruptly changed direction to a horizontal sh.

    Fagall jumped in the direction of the sh and put some distance between himself and his opponent.

    ¡°That¡¯s a nasty weapon you got there.¡±

    ¡°We knew that a devil wasing. We had to be prepared this much.¡±

    A kind of ck smoke rose from Namsaar¡¯s longsword, from the part that had shed against Fagall¡¯s twin swords.

    The des Fagall was equipped with were the twin swords ¡ºRegulus¡». They had anti-devil attributes, of course.

    He had received them from Schnee when she hade to the pce to train the soldiers. Without them, the situation would surely be much worse.

    ¡°You and that woman too, you¡¯re a pain in the ass with your weapons¡­¡±

    Namsaar, controlled by Avaritia, was superior in terms of fighting prowess, but Fagall had better weapons.

    Fagall thanked Shin mentally and went on the offensive.

    The right ¡ºRegulus¡» was imbued with lightning, the left ¡ºRegulus¡» with mes.

    Fagall used a different skill for each sword. It was the first and foremost advantage in using a two-sword fighting style.

    Fagall swung the thunder-d ¡ºRegulus¡» first.

    Namsaar would recover quickly thanks to the devil¡¯s power, but his movements would at least slow down.

    He would either deflect the attack with his longsword or dodge it. So Fagall predicted, but things went differently this time. Namsaar, against all expectations, grabbed ¡ºRegulus¡» with his left hand.

    ¡°Wow, this sure packs a punch!¡±

    The thunder attack ran across Namsaar¡¯s whole body and slowed down his movements.

    The gauntlet covered hand that caught ¡ºRegulus¡» emitted a sizzling sound, like water poured over melting iron. The grasp on the de was still firm, though.

    ¡°You, bastard!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to stop, man.¡±

    Fagall¡¯s hesitation was punished by Namsaar¡¯s longsword. The former managed to intercept the sh with his other sword, so he avoided being cut in half.

    He couldn¡¯t fully block the longsword with just one of his swords, however: the left ¡ºRegulus¡» was blown away and Fagall was shoved against a wall, moaning in pain.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for the coup de grace. You¡¯ve dyed me long enough.¡±

    ¡°I got to say¡­I¡¯m honored to be considered so important¡­¡±

    Fagall wondered why he received such ¡°special treatment¡±, then thought: at least Sherlene was free to act.

    Namsaar¡¯s words, however, made him realize that he was wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with her. You people would be ready to sacrifice few to save many¡­I can¡¯t stop you like I did with the other guy. Besides, you¡¯re still worth using.¡±

    Namsaar readied his longsword.

    ¡°¡­.I see, that¡¯s why you¡¯re not concerned with Lady Sherlene then¡­¡±

    Fagall let out a very faint whisper. The tone of his voice had changed.

    In the blink of an eye -a speed that could not be described any other way- Fagall moved.

    His twin swords drew two arcs in the air. One deflected Namsaar¡¯s longsword, the other aimed for his neck.

    ¡°Sheesh, that was close!¡±

    Namsaar touched the fresh wound. ¡ºRegulus¡» had undoubtedly reached his neck.

    However, Namsaar didn¡¯t just let himself be attacked. He had twisted his body in order to limit damage to the smallest possible area.

    His neck had been sliced up to the carotid, but his magic power quickly stopped the blood loss.

    ¡°Never seen such a technique. You didn¡¯t even tell yourrades? You lonely bastard.¡±

    Fagall¡¯s speed was much higher than before: it was obvious for Namsaar to be wary.

    Fagall didn¡¯t answer. He used Namsaar¡¯s wariness to draw a deep breath.

    ¡°!!¡±

    The knight then moved again. A lightning quick technique,sting a fraction of a second.

    If Avaritia wasn¡¯t in control of his body, Namsaar¡¯s head would be rolling on the ground.

    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re pretty damn fast now.¡±

    Namsaar¡¯s defense couldn¡¯t keep up with Fagall¡¯s speed. However, he wasn¡¯t defeated since he avoided lethal wounds and recovered at insane speeds.

    Fagall couldn¡¯t inflict lethal wounds, while Namsaar couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed. Their bout continued, with neither able to break the stalemate.

    However, the first to reach his limits, was Fagall.

    Gradually, the wounds he inflicted on Namsaar were shallower and shallower, fewer and fewer. In the end he stopped, breathing heavily.

    ¡°I see, you¡¯ve been using your own lifeforce, reckless fool.¡±

    Namsaar understood thanks to his own draining abilities. Fagall was attacking one-sidedly, but losing strength in the process.

    Fagall had used the support skill ¡¾Overboost¡¿. It was a skill born from one Shin had used in the past, which provided better boosts than normal support skills, at the cost of one¡¯s HP.

    Naturally, if used for a long time it would corner the user before the opponent.

    ¡°Too bad you had to fight me. I guess you would have defeated anyone else with that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Fagall didn¡¯t answer. He was severely fatigued and had no way to recover.

    Namsaar continued talking before his weakened opponent, taunting him to try to do anything.

    ¡°Why work so hard? Your hero buddy isn¡¯ting to save you. You should have turned tail a long ass time ago!¡±

    ¡°Too¡­bad¡­I can¡¯t¡­do that¡­¡±

    Fagall felt like that was a possibility too, but he bit his lips to seal his weakness inside.

    He remembered what his subordinates said when they saw the royal soldiers, under the influence of mental skills.

    ¡°Ifdy Sherlene cannot fight, then I must stand¡­¡±

    ¡°You? You¡¯re weaker than her. What can you do?¡±

    In terms of stats, Sherlene was superior to Fagall.

    Fagall himself was aware that, even if they wereuded as the two heroes, there was a gap in strength between them.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy¡­I¡­swore an oath.¡±

    What was that worth, though? If one was weak, they should let the strong handle everything.

    That wasn¡¯t the point, though. That was wrong, thought Fagall.

    ¡°I have taken upon the sword to protect this country. Even if I am weaker, I am still its hero. I shall stand in the way of those who threaten my country, till I draw myst breath!¡±

    Before finishing the sentence, Fagall activated a skill and attacked.

    His HP was already in the red. If he didn¡¯t change strategy, his HP would reach zero in a matter of minutes.

    He would either stop right before dying or just die. Fagall never tried before, so he didn¡¯t know if it would work. In any case, he wouldn¡¯t stop. He was ready to bring down his enemy with him.

    He could only pray that Shin and the others somehow stopped Avaritia¡¯s main body. That was his only regret.

    ¡°OOOOOOAAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    Fagall¡¯s roar shook the very air in the room. His sh was even faster, even sharper, s it attacked Namsaar.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ve got to get serious too.¡±

    Seconds before the sh hit, Avaritia released his power. He had held back in order to keep using Namsaar, but if his enemy was going to self-destruct, he didn¡¯t need to anymore.

    Namsaar¡¯s body, with stats already equal to a hero, was further boosted by the devil¡¯s power. Its movements even Fagall, who was consuming his own lifeforce to power himself up.

    Fagall¡¯s shes were all blocked by Namsaar¡¯s longsword, now fully d in ck mist. Not only that, the devil-controlled captain of the guards even aimed to strike a counter.

    Fagall wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge or even defend himself against Namsaar¡¯s new speed if he hadn¡¯t reinforced himself.

    ¡°Just give up, you¡¯ll feel much better.¡±

    ¡°I refuse!!¡±

    As he spoke, Fagall instinctively felt that the next attack would be hisst, and focused everyst ounce of his strength into it.

    ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame.¡±

    His right de cut into Namsaar¡¯s left side, while the left one shed him from the shoulder towards the chest.

    He failed to cut himpletely, however, because of Namsaar¡¯s resilience and the protection provided by his armor.

    The sizzling sound of burning flesh rose from the wounds: ¡ºRegulus¡» managed to damage Namsaar¡¯s body, but it was far from being lethal. The body was Namsaar¡¯s, but the recovery speed was Avaritia¡¯s. The wounds would bepletely healed soon after the swords were removed.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Fagall¡¯s hands released his swords. He was not dead, but he did not have the strength to even stand anymore.

    Namsaar extended a hand towards the falling Fagall. Thetter¡¯s life was almost spent: with the devil¡¯s powers, it would be simple to turn him into a puppet.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Just before he could touch Fagall, Namsaar readied his sword again. The next instant, a spear emitting blinding light flew in from outside the room.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    Namsaar knocked away the spear, but the impact pushed his back to the window.

    ¡°Looks like I barely made it.¡±

    Sherlene caught the deflected spear and prepared to defend Fagall from Namsaar.

    ¡°What the, how the hell did you regain your senses?¡­Ahh, no need to answer, I got it.¡±

    Looking at Sherlene¡¯s spear was enough to know the answer. The sacred aura emitted by the holy spear ¡ºGuildern¡» was clearly felt by those in the room.

    Just like Fagall¡¯s ¡ºRegulus¡», it wasn¡¯t just a powerful weapon.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how long you canst, with that weight on your shoulders and all!¡±

    Sherlene parried Namsaar¡¯s longsword with the hilt of her spear. He was still at full power, so a single blow was enough to force Sherlene to her knees. Fagall¡¯s twin ¡ºRegulus¡» swords were still lodged in Namsaar¡¯s shoulder and stomach, but there was no blood.

    ¡°You had to dodge that, so the weight would be gone too. Or do you want to finish him off yourself? I can wait that long, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty chatty fellow.¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression clearly showed how dire the situation was. She had used a recovery potion on Fagall without being noticed, but maybe because he had pushed his body to the limits with the power-up skill, his limbs couldn¡¯t move yet.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill you off, but I guess I have no choice.¡±

    Namsaar¡¯s longsword pushed against ¡ºGuildern¡». Even if the spear was a superior weapon, Namsaar¡¯s own stats were higher. The jet ck sword was closer and closer to Sherlene¡¯s face.

    ¡°In the end you just bought some time. Why did you even attack at that timing?¡±

    ¡°Just say, whatever.¡±

    The de and hilt grinded against each other. It was just a matter of time¡ªanyone would say so, but the next moment, they all felt something burst out: it struck Fagall, Sherlene and Namsaar too.

    There was no sound, but all of them felt ¡°something¡± propagated throughout Erkunt.

    ¡°What the¡­? Gah¡­GHAAAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    When this ¡°something¡± passed through Fagall and Sherlene and reached Namsaar, the situationpletely changed. Namsaar, who was pressuring Sherlene, started screaming in pain.

    Fagall, who barely managed to stand back up, saw ck mist rising from the wounds his ¡ºRegulus¡» had inflicted on Namsaar¡¯s body, leaking at a very high speed.

    Soon enough, the ck mist formed a sort of ck puddle next to Namsaar¡¯s body.

    ¡°What in the world..?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But whatever just passed through our bodies seems to be on our side.¡±

    Fagall walked next to Sherlene. He was feeling much better all of a sudden. Looking at the progressively disappearing mist, he felt that the devil¡¯s power was fading away.

    Namsaar¡¯s armor and longsword were gradually returning to normal too. Soon after, the mistpletely disappeared from Namsaar¡¯s body. The ¡ºRegulus¡» des fell on their own, leaving no wounds behind. Namsaar¡¯s body copsed to the floor, unscathed but powerless.

    ¡°WhAt..DId¡­yOu¡­¡±

    The mass of ck mist forced out of Namsaar¡¯s body spoke. The two heroes did not know what it was, but readied their weapons nheless.

    They did not reply. Without a word, Sherlene thrust ¡ºGuildern¡»and Fagall swung ¡ºRegulus¡».

    The shapeless mist reduced in mass after every blow, as if blown away by the wind. The area struck by the weapons disappeared along its surroundings, so it did not take much time until the mistpletely vanished.

    ¡°Is it¡­over?¡±

    ¡°Possibly. Sir Namsaar¡¯s body seems to be healed too. This time we¡¯re always getting rescued, aren¡¯t we¡­¡±

    Sherlene replied to a sigh to Fagall, their nerves finally rxed.

    The threat wasn¡¯tpletely gone, but they were confident that the end was near.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The people under the devil¡¯s influence were all freed. Shin received this message just as Luxuria had been swallowed by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The moment he understood Hmee¡¯s message, Shin kicked the ground with all his might.

    The cocoon had already formed. Though he didn¡¯t know how devils absorbed each other, he had no intention of giving up.

    Shin passed by Avaritia with one step and leapt towards Luxuria with the second.

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not toote¡­haaaAAAAh!!¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» sliced through the cocoon, which put up little to no resistance.

    Shin¡¯s momentum made himnd behind Luxuria. The following instant, an explosion of light burst behind him.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    Shin got back on his feet, turned around and saw light seeping out of the cocoon. He also saw Avaritia, his arms crossed to protect his body, being pushed back. The light from the cocoon was burning his whole body.

    ¡°The cocoon is breaking down?¡±

    Cracks extended all over the cocoon from the gash cut open by Shin.

    Dozens of secondster, the cocoon crumbled. Luxuria¡¯s silhouette, as it was before the fight, was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Luxuria was there, but in human form. However, she was much different than what Shin remembered.

    Luxuria, floating inside white light, was wrapped in white bandages, shining as strongly as the light. A bright halo was even shining behind her.

    The shining halo was projecting a kind of pattern, as tall as Luxuria was. There were 4 of such patterns on her right and 4 on her left, looking just like wings.

    ¡°Is that really¡­Luxuria?¡±

    The moment she appeared, a wave-like ¡°something¡± expanded in the surroundings. It passed through Shin¡¯s body, but he didn¡¯t feel anything.

    The only one affected seemed to be Avaritia.

    ¡°GWAAAAAHHHHHH!?!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s whole body distorted and contorted. He had to be in indescribable pain.

    ¡°Who knew something like this could happen¡­¡±

    Pale blue and white light shone from Luxuria¡¯s hands, the same color as her wings. She shot repeatedly spears of light, which stabbed Avaritia¡¯s body, still in the throes of pain, openingrge holes in it.

    ¡°Y..yoU¡­thAt¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you even need to ask? Any devil could tell. I was really surprised too, though.¡±

    ¡°A deVIl¡­tuRnIng inTo an AngEl¡­? GivE¡­me..a¡­fUc¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s body then vanished into smoke. What remained was just the ¡ºDrop of Avaritia¡», proof of his defeat.

    Shin was confused by the sudden development, and Luxuria looked at him, chuckling.

    ¡°Oh my, did I scare you?¡±

    Luxuria descended next to Shin and asked him a question, cocking her head to the side.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never seen or heard anything like this. To be perfectly honest, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing.¡±

    Before disappearing, Avaritia mentioned the word ¡°angel¡±. Seeing that she had defeated a devil, it was fair to think that she would be an ally.

    However, Shin -despite his vast knowledge of THE NEW GATE¡¯s bestiary- had never seen an angel. The game¡¯s producers had hinted at their existence, but no yer ever reported encountering one.

    Angels were often depicted as the counterparts of devils. Just like devils, however, they were categorized as monsters. As long as they were monsters, there was the chance that they would antagonize humanity.

    ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from, but I have no idea why this happened. But I do understand that I¡¯ve turned into an angel, and still have my memories as a devil. I remember you all too, of course.¡±

    ¡°So angels really existed¡­¡±

    ¡°I suppose they were a transformation of Deadly Sin devils. I kind of felt it after transforming, but it looks like I¡¯m the protector of ¡°Love¡± now.¡±

    ¡°The virtue opposite to the deadly sin, I guess? I heard that they aren¡¯t officially established as opposites though¡­anyway, there¡¯s no need to probe deeper into that right now, I suppose.¡±

    Shin tried recalling what he had read when researching about the deadly sin devils, but did not remember much in detail.

    ¡°Whoa, I almost forgot. Now that Avaritia¡¯s defeated, I have to go into town. The summoned monsters are going wild.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry, that¡¯s already taken care of.¡±

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    Shin was about to leave to go help Schnee, but Luxuria stopped him. ording to her, the first wave of energy thing she released ¨C ¡¾Saint Wave¡¿ ¨C erased both the magic circles influenced by devil power and the monsters they summoned.

    Shin checked the map and confirmed that the presences of monsters across town were indeed nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Amazing¡­and I thought that we had still a lot to do.¡±

    ¡°It only work against devils and their influence. Though, I could only do this thanks to you. If you didn¡¯t cut open the cocoon, I think I would have been assimted by Avaritia.¡±

    ¡°If you have to thank someone, thank Hmee. They freed all the hostages, that¡¯s why I could act.¡±

    Shin was forced to do nothing while Luxuria was suffering Avaritia¡¯s attacks, so he felt guilty instead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I could do my best because you were there.¡±

    Before transforming in devil form, Luxuria had sent a message to Shin, telling him to not do anything until the hostages were freed, even if she were to lose.

    She had asked Avaritia if he would withdraw after absorbing her for the same reason. She had fought while considering her assimtion a viable option.

    ¡°Even if I lost, Avaritia would be defeated by you. Thanks to this experience, it would be possible to prepare countermeasures against hostages in the future. That¡¯s why my sacrifice wouldn¡¯t have been in vain¡­after I realized that, I felt a weight off my chest.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Shin was about to say that she shouldn¡¯t even think about things like that, but Luxuria smiled and put a finger on his lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m free to choose who to be grateful to, so you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with anything. Isn¡¯t there anything you¡¯d like me to do, instead? I¡¯m not a devil anymore, so you can entrust your whole self to me, you know? Incidentally, I¡¯m not wearing anything at the moment, up here or down there¡­so I¡¯m a bit chilly, I would love to be warmed up, honestly.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Tell the truth, you¡¯re still half a devil, aren¡¯t you? Or maybe you¡¯re an angel, but the angel of lust¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s words quickly took a turn for the ¡°romantic¡± after she mentioned Shin entrusting himself to her, causing Shin to sigh in disbelief.

    Stopping Luxuria from removing her belt, he was relieved that at least one major threat was over.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    At the Erkunt Institute of Magic, Shin fought with one of the Deadly Sin Devils, the greed devil Avaritia. During the battle, another one of the deadly sins, the lust devil Luxuria, had transformed into the counterpart of a devil, an angel. Thanks to her power, Shin was victorious.

    After neutralizing the devil¡¯s attack, Shin contacted Schnee, one of his support characters. Thanks to Luxuria¡¯s powers, the monster summoning circles had vanished, however, the damage and casualties were still great. Schnee did not know the overall situation either, but, thanks to the monsters¡¯ disappearance, the rescue and healing of the wounded popce could start.

    ¡°I¡¯m going into the city, but what about you, Luxuria?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I think I will teleport to the institute¡¯s shelter and meet up with Hmee. I already messaged that it¡¯s safe now, so I think everyone¡¯s probably back already. But before that I have something to request of you, would that be fine?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the request.¡±

    Shin would be in a spot if she started saying, again, how she wasn¡¯t wearing anything down there or up there, so he replied cautiously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so defensive. I just want to borrow some clothes. As you can see, I only have this belt¡­cloth? Well, this piece of clothing covering my body, which was given form thanks to my powers, but I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be proper to walk around like this.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s shoulders dropped.

    Shin focused on her single piece of clothing and the words ¡ºAngel Sash¡» appeared. It was handled as a material apparently.

    The ¡ºAngel Sash¡» covered Luxuria from her chest to her thighs. It hugged her body very tightly, evidencing her curves. Other than the parts wrapped by the sash, there were bands on her arms too, which floated loosely around them.

    Maybe because the fighting was over, the halo of light on her back and the wings that extended from it had disappeared.

    ¡°Well, I guess I can do that. Clothes and shoes first.¡±

    Shin opened his item box and took out a random outfit. It was something used to raise skill level and did not have any particr attributes.

    He recalled Luxuria mentioning not wearing anything ¡°down there or up there¡± and casually sorted his inventory, wondering if he had forgotten anything in there. Indeed, he found several items that he almost had forgotten the existence of.

    ¡°Then¡­underwear, I guess.¡±

    ¡°¡­.oh? Did you say¡­underwear?¡±

    Luxuria had heard very clearly.

    ¡°Dear Shin? Do you mind telling me the reason why you are in possession ofdies¡¯ underwear, sopletely naturally? You won¡¯t say that you made underwear of your liking for Schnee to¡ª¡±

    Luxuria looked at the item cards and asked the question. While talking, her expression turned to incredulity.

    ¡°No way!! I just left in some I had made to raise my creation skills, who knows when. I did them when I was still a newbie, so they don¡¯t even have automatic size adjustment capabilities.¡±

    The item box was said to be uselessly spacious. Because of this, items created in the early stages of adventuring sometimesy forgotten in the depths of the box. It happened often to creation-oriented yers like Shin: his item box contained many items that could only be considered trash by now.

    Shin had half-forgotten he still stored that underwear, after all.

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel another horrible misunderstanding has been created¡­¡±

    Luxuria seemed to clearly question Shin¡¯s exnation, but he didn¡¯t know what else to say. He, a male yer, had female underwear in his item box. Anything he said would surely sound like an excuse.

    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll change then.¡±

    After Luxuria¡¯s words, the sash wrapped around her body vanished. It happened so suddenly that Shin couldn¡¯t process what happened right away. He looked at Luxuria¡¯s naked body, frozen, for a few seconds.

    After he finally realized what had happened, he turned his whole body away from Luxuria.

    ¡°You can keep looking, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Give me a break¡­¡±

    Maybe because she used to be the devil of lust, even after turning into an angel her beauty and proportions were still very alluring. If she was still a devil, she would exude excessive erotic charm, but as an angel, she did not emanate such a seductive aura anymore.

    It could be said that she was closer to an artistic rendition of a naked beauty now.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. I feel bad for saying this after you let me borrow these clothes, but could you add automatic size adjustment?¡±

    ¡°¡­just give me the cards.¡±

    The reason was clear. Shin had given Luxuria thergest size he had, but that wasn¡¯t enough, apparently. Shin knew that Luxuria¡¯s ¡°those¡± were muchrger than the average woman with the same height, so he half expected this request.

    He took the card without looking at Luxuria and quickly attached the automatic size adjustment attribute. Luxuria was indeed not wearing anything ¡°up there¡± right now.

    ¡°Okay, perfect. I heard about it before, but it really is convenient. I always have to order underwear just for me, so this is really helpful.¡±

    The sound of rustling clothes stopped, so Shin thought Luxuria finished changing and was about to turn around, when he felt something pressing against his back.

    It was Luxuria, of course. She was pressing her body against his, so Shin could clearly feel a very soft sensation on his back.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s just a little thank you. This much is fine, no?¡±

    The soft sensation disappeared and Shin turned around, to see Luxuria¡¯s pleased smile after aplishing her prank.

    She was now wearing a white sweater and a long ck skirt. The gesture made her look more childish than usual.

    The next instant, however, she ced her index finger on her lips, giving off a more mature air, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell how serious if she really meant what she said or not.

    ¡°I actually wanted to kiss you, but Schnee would scold me, so I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I would get the worst of it if that happens, so please don¡¯t.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s mood would definitely turn very foul if that happened. Shin would be more than happy to avoid triggering such andmine.

    Shin and Luxuria separated, as she headed to the shelter¡¯s teleport, and he went to the city.

    He proceeded from the outer walls that were destroyed by Avaritia to the city center, so he could have a clear picture of the destruction caused by the monsters.

    Some buildings had been fully destroyed, others only partially. Most houses in the residential areas only suffered minor damage, like part of the roof copsing or something simr.

    It was probably caused by someone fighting against the monsters.

    As Schnee had said, the people¡¯s expressions did not seem as grim as he¡¯d expected. They clearly already knew that the monster threat was no more.

    ¡°I should do whatever I can to help too.¡±

    Looking at the map through ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, Shin could tell that there were still people trapped under the wreckage. He decided to start by rescuing them and headed towards the closest one.

    ¡°¡­.two people.¡±

    He detected two presences inside the building.

    ¡°Hey, you can tell that there are people inside?¡±

    The man standing next to Shin heard hisment and called out to him. Judging from the leather armor he was wearing, he was probably an adventurer.

    ¡°It¡¯s an alternative way of using presence detection. I¡¯ll ensure their safety with magic first, to make sure they¡¯ll be okay even if the buildinges down. Please stand back.¡±

    The man nodded to Shin and had the other men in the surroundings step back. He was likely the leader of the rescue operations in the area.

    Shin first used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to check the condition of the trapped survivors.

    It appears they were lucky enough to be in a space between two pirs.

    Shin used the earth-type magic spell ¡¾Earth Wall¡¿ to cover and protect the two survivors.

    ¡°Okay, done. I¡¯ve covered the people inside with an earth barrier. It won¡¯t copse easily, so let¡¯s get rid of the wreckage.¡±

    The men around Shin then started removing the wrecks. Shin joined them, easily lifting up the wreck that looked difficult to transport and piled it somewhere else.

    There was no need to hold back when rescuing others: even if he had to pick up part of a wall or a broken pir, Shin whisked them away without hesitation. Every time he removed a piece of wreckage, a ¡°swipe¡± and loud ¡°thud¡± could be heard.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­.¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    Looking at Shin lifting wreckage many timesrger than himself, the other men were bbergasted.

    ¡°Folks, your hands aren¡¯t moving!! Leave therge stuff to the guy and carry the smaller ones!¡±

    The leader snapped out of it before the others and shouted at them to get moving again, which they promptly did.

    After removing therger wrecks, Shin pinpointed the survivors¡¯ location and, after a while, a ball made of y appeared. It was too hard for the men to break through, so Shin opened a hole in it. Inside it were a mother and child, hugging themselves tightly.

    The mother and daughter, carried out by the men, had no idea what had happened.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I¡¯m going to the next spot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll take care of things here. ¡ªTake care.¡±

    Shin nodded and hurried to the next location.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°You truly have aplished much. On behalf of all of Erkunt, I thank you.¡±

    Three days after Avaritia¡¯s strike, Shin was in an audience with king Kreunzeit in the royal castle. Schnee was with him, camouged as her ¡°Yuki¡± persona.

    Hmee, informed by Luxuria, had reported to the royal castle, so king Kreunzeit and the royal elites had learned of Avaritia¡¯s extermination on the same day. The audience happened three dayster because Shin told the knights that came to summon him that he wanted to prioritize rescue operations.

    To dy the audience with a king would normally be considered the epitome of contempt, but because of the reason behind Shin¡¯s refusal, it was epted.

    The knights who visited Shin even pleaded to join the rescue efforts after hearing his reasons. They deeply regretted not having been able to do much during Avaritia¡¯s attack.

    ¡°No, we were mostly on the defensive this time, so we were simply lucky that there weren¡¯t many casualties. I almost want to apologize for acting so haughty, then not aplishing much.¡±

    Shin felt very awkward, as he actually couldn¡¯t do very much because of the hostages.

    ¡°Sir Shin, if you were of little use, then we were of even less¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Without the weapons sir Shin offered, we wouldn¡¯t be standing here now.¡±

    Shin¡¯s wryugh was followed by Fagall and Sherlene, knights of Erkunt who had also fought during the monster attack, who felt equally awkward. They fought against their superior Namsaar, under Avaritia¡¯s control, but they struggled against a mere copy of Avaritia, so they felt apologetic.

    Namsaar was exhausted both body and mind because of Avaritia¡¯s control and was still unconscious, apparently.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough! In any case, casualties and damage were little, so we should rejoice, right!? No one here cked off or anything, so let¡¯s improve what we should and stop fidgeting like this!¡±

    Luxuria interrupted the conversation, which lingered on how pathetic Shin and others apparently were. She was clearly tired of it.

    ¡°Indeed. We will strive to do better next time.¡±

    ¡°It is asdy Luxuria anddy Yuki said. Let us gather more information about devils and monsters and develop proper countermeasures. We should speak of the reward for sir Shin first.¡±

    King Kreunzeit nodded and changed the topic. The new direction, however, was unexpected for Shin and the others.

    ¡°I would be more than satisfied if I could just have the drop items, though.¡±

    They were items that would be next to impossible to obtain at present. Shin considered more than enough for a reward.

    ¡°I am aware. But some are talking of awarding yound and a court title. Your achievements are that important, it wouldn¡¯t be strange, actually.¡±

    ¡°I believe I already refused that in the beginning.¡±

    Adventurers rising to the rank of noble because of their achievements. It wasn¡¯t an unthinkable development, Shin had read about such stories of sess, but he simply thought it was more trouble than what it was worth.

    The search for the guild houses, inspection of the Sacred ces¡­there were still many things for him to do. He had no time to waste serving in any court. If he was forced to, he would have to take the appropriate countermeasures.

    ¡°I am aware of that as well, of course. But there are some stubborn folks that will not relent unless they hear the wordsing from the mouth of the person in question.¡±

    Apparently, the discussion about Shin¡¯s reward had been held before the audience. Fagall and Sherlene too wereughing wryly. No matter where, there were always those who wished for someone as powerful as Shin to be tied to their country.

    ¡°Shin, Yuki, your powers are fascinating after all. Oh, by the way, I will not help for anything other than defense, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course. To use an angel¡¯s power for invasion¡­would surely bring forth a hefty price to pay. We are going to keep that information as hidden as possible.¡±

    King Kreunzeit had also been informed about Luxuria¡¯s transformation from devil to angel. The problems associated with her status as devil would all change now that she was one no more. Some doubted her change, but when she showed her angel wings -the eight patterns on her halo- everyone was surprised and convinced.

    Adorned by the wings, Luxuria emitted a holy aura. Shin and Schnee too thought that she would do no harm to people. Her personality, however, had not changed a bit, so in a way, she was a ¡°threat¡± in the same way as before, which was the only disappointment.

    King Kreunzeit and the others had been overwhelmed by Luxuria¡¯s holy aura. Shin and Schnee were not affected very much, but for the denizens of that world, it was a divine sight.

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡±¡¯s world, angels only existed in legends, but now one was before them. It was like a mything into life.

    They would never match it in pure power, that was a fact, but more than that, the simple idea of using an angel was taboo for most. No one among the elites dared to object about it.

    ¡°A wise decision, I think. If the existence of an angel was revealed, the rtionship with other countries couldn¡¯t remain the same either.¡±

    ¡°It would disrupt my work in the institute, so I will be thankful if you do that.¡±

    Shinughed at therge difference between what Schnee and Luxuria were respectively concerned about. If Luxuria¡¯s status as angel was revealed, it would be impossible for her to simply continue treating students in the infirmary.

    ¡°We have nothing else to discuss, I think?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you foring all the way here. I have also heard that you have spent these days rescuing our citizens. Allow me to express my gratitude again.¡±

    King Kreunzeit bowed his head. Normally, his subordinates would frown at their king casually lowering his head, but both Sherlene and Fagall werepletely calm. Shin and Schnee had aplished something worthy of a king¡¯s reverence.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    After leaving the castle, Shin, Schnee, and Luxuria headed towards the institute. Though the town had been severely damaged, the institute ¡ª albeit only part of it ¡ª was in a pitiful state.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got more than enough time to fix it.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the ruined structures as they headed towards Hmee¡¯s office.

    He was a cksmith, but there was also a reason why he was so confident.

    All Rokuten members shared part of their specialty with other members.

    In Shin¡¯s case, he taught his smithing and metal engraving skills to Reed and Cook. On the other hand, when he built his guild house, Tsuki no Hokora, another Rokuten member, Cain the ¡°Blue Magician¡±, taught him all sorts of things.

    Thanks to that, his architecture skills, while not too high, were proficient. Architects also required imagination: taking advantage of the fact that he was in a game, Shin had also built all sorts of bizarre constructions.

    ¡°I already knew that you were something else, but well¡­you really can do anything.¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­I just have a bit of experience, but, by professional standards, I wouldn¡¯t be good at all. Other than cksmithing, Architecture and Alchemy are the only skills I can handle.¡±

    Shin¡¯s architecture skill level was IV, alchemy was X. He needed alchemy to create potions for his cksmithing, so it was much higher, but that was all.

    If he was told to create the same things as the ¡°Red Alchemist¡± Hecate, his answer would be a t no. Alchemy required much more than just a high level.

    On the opposite side of the spectrum, his trading skills, farming and animal raising skills etc were all around II: he had just acquired them and leveled them no further.

    After taking in Yuzuha as partner his taming skills had grown a little, but he was still inferior to professional tamers even in this world.

    ¡°Being able to do ¡®only¡¯ that seems already enough to me¡­well, I guess it¡¯s different if we use the standards of the past era.¡±

    Luxuria knew of the ¡°Game Era¡± before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±, so she understood why Shin ssified himself in that way.

    ¡°It would be more than what we could ever ask, but is it really okay? You will end up standing out, won¡¯t you?¡±

    In the headmistress¡¯ office, Hmee made a troubled expression after hearing Shin¡¯s proposal.

    Being a skilled fighter was already enough to draw attention. If the information that he was capable of creation skills spread, many would seek to contact him. Even if there were particr circumstances, Hmee was concerned that Shin had shown his true abilities before others more than necessary because of his involvement with her and Erkunt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do just enough to let people think I¡¯m worthy of my A rank. It¡¯s a bitte to worry about standing out anyway.¡±

    Shin had already given up on avoiding standing out too much.

    He was not based in any country, so, as long as he left the country where he wasst seen, it was pretty much impossible to contact him. If someone followed him, it would be all too easy to lose them.

    ¡°The circumstances are what they are, so let¡¯s just ept our sweet Shin¡¯s kindness, no? We just have to thank him properlyter.¡±

    Luxuria held Hmee¡¯s shoulders from behind and interjected. Hmee couldn¡¯t see it, but Shin did not miss that her smile widened when she said the words ¡°thank him¡±.

    ¡°I know already that your ¡°thanks¡± is going to be something bad¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m hurt.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s lips pouted. It was rather childish for an adult, but her charm made it mysteriously eptable.

    Shin, however, red at her. Even as an angel, he couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that her gratitude would be sexual in nature. She was not a devil anymore, so Shin thought that Luxuria wouldn¡¯t need to draw energy from people¡¯s sexual activities, but contrary to his expectations, she still possessed that ability.

    ¡°Not even a king could ever hope to have an angel service him¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you really mean anyway. Besides, why would I go to any other woman when I have Schnee at my side?¡±

    Shin then pulled Schnee closer to him. Her look had turned sharper because of Luxuria¡¯s words, but Shin¡¯s sudden action took herpletely by surprise. Even though they were husband and wife, she still seemed unused to such physical contact.

    ¡°Look at them, I¡¯m getting jealous¡­in this world polygamy is not all that rare you know?¡±

    ¡°Where I¡¯m from monogamy is the norm, and fiction is more than enough for harems. Why are you so persistent, anyway? Because I¡¯m a High Human?¡±

    In the beginning, Shin thought she was provoking him out of curiosity. Though, it wasn¡¯t enough to exin her behavior anymore.

    ¡°To fall in love with the person who saved you in a tight spot¡­is not so strange, is it?¡±

    ¡°I watched you get beat up without doing anything and attacked once in the end. That¡¯s what made you fall in love?¡±

    Luxuria said that Shin¡¯s attack was what triggered her transformation, but he argued that those were two separate things.

    ¡°That was one of the reasons. Maybe because I used to be the lust devil.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The strong emotion you and Schnee share¡­I think I was attracted to that. It¡¯s clearly different than other humans¡¯.¡±

    Luxuria had grown interested because she was the lust devil. Before she could realize it, it had changed into a feeling unlike infatuation or love.

    ¡°Maybe one other thing¡­you don¡¯t show an excessive reaction after learning of my true nature? Normally, people would outright reject any contact with a devil.¡±

    ¡°¡®Maybe?¡¯, she says¡­¡±

    Luxuria caressed Shin¡¯s hand, the one opposite to Schnee¡¯s side. Shin didn¡¯t react much, but a normal person would probably scream and knock it away. Even if she was an angel now, people would usually hate to be even remotely close to a devil.

    King Kreunzeit, who wasn¡¯t a Chosen One or even a former yer, normally conversed with Luxuria, but that was an exception among exceptions.

    For Shin too, Luxuria was ¡°someone to defeat¡±. Surely a troublesome opponent, but still not enough to show an excessive reaction to.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, can I? I don¡¯t care about how it started anymore. I¡¯m surprised too to be so attached, you know? I have never felt like this before in my life¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s had tightened her grip on Shin¡¯s.

    Normally, devils yed around and toyed with others. They sought the weaknesses in their hearts, stimting their desires, charming them. There was no affection in that. In other words, they wereplete beginners in terms of approaching someone simply because they hoped the other person would like them, not manipte them.

    ¡°Well¡­I can understand if you¡¯re feeling confused. Even so, it has nothing to do with this.¡±

    Shin thought what people call ¡°first love¡± had bloomed inside her. Considering that, Luxuria¡¯s words and actions were understandable. The feeling of liking someone else couldn¡¯t be suppressed, even if one wanted to.

    He couldn¡¯tply with her desires, though. Schnee hade closer, as if hugging him, so Shin was presently sandwiched between them. He couldn¡¯t see Schnee¡¯s expression, however, which was quite scary for him.

    ¡°Schnee is a much more fearsome enemy than you, I see.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you go any further.¡±

    Between the twodies¡¯ smiling gazes, sparks were flying. Schnee was ready to do battle.

    Hmee, who was observing the situation, decided to interrupt at that moment.

    ¡°Ehm, if possible, I would like to resume our discussion about the reconstruction¡­aaah!?¡±

    The twodies focused their gaze on Hmee, which was enough to make her retreat several steps. Shin mentally saluted her courage.

    ¡°What is going on here¡­¡±

    Masakado, who had arrivedte, expressed his confusion at the situation. His expression clearly showed that he thought he had arrived at a very bad moment.

    ¡°Anyway, like Hmee said, let¡¯s discuss the reconstruction now, okay?¡±

    Shin used the silence created by Hmee and Masakado and tried to change the topic with all his might. It was their reason for visiting, after all: Luxuria¡¯s topic waspletely unrted.

    ¡°¡­.understood. We will talk about this again another time.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    Luxuria winked and Shin felt a headacheing.

    They finally managed to get back on topic, so he avoided thinking about Luxuria and talked with Hmee about rebuilding the school. Shin¡¯s skill level was high enough to restore the mostly ruined buildings to their original state. He also mentioned using the opportunity to reinforce them to be stronger than before.

    The institute used a modified version of the technology employed to build guild houses, but the building itself used the same standards as that world¡¯s architecture.

    ¡°Both I and Masakado have battle-focused skills, so all we could do was use the sturdiest materials to build it.¡±

    In the game era, all they had to do was to send a request to a creation guild that, provided an appropriate price was paid, could build a school as strong as a fortress which could repel monster attacks easily. That was not possible now, though. It was obvious for the buildings to be damaged after suffering the brunt of a devil¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°I guess I will focus on making it as resilient as possible. My skill level isn¡¯t high either, but I should be able to use Cain¡¯s techniques to fill the gap.¡±

    The ¡°techniques¡± Shin mentioned were real-world techniques, adapted for use in this world. Schnee¡¯s method to temporarily repair the breached wall, an earthen supported by ice, was based on the structure of concrete.

    In game, many yers thought of walls aspact masses of earth or metal.

    However, Cain, who was a real life architect, came up with this idea and put it into practice. Thus some real-world techniques could be adapted to the game world. Other yers also noticed that creation skills did not have to be used strictly as they were created, so a part of creator-type yers knew about such techniques.

    Shin too was one of the yers who realized it by himself. When smithing, he thought that, since he was moving his body, he might as well imitate real cksmiths, and noticed that the resulting gear was higher in quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t imitate Cain so well that you add in self-detonation devices, okay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t¡­.there¡¯s no one else who would put stuff like that, anyway.¡±

    Hmee, who knew of the High Human that made it a personal rule to insert self-detonation devices in everything he created, made it clear that she wanted no such thing.

    Shin too had been encouraged to equip Tsuki no Hokora with one, but refused.

    The detonation devices themselves were made by Hecate, designed to blow away only the building and its interior. They boasted that it was an incredible item that would never cause damage to anything outside it, but, because of its concentrated power, not even a High Human could necessarily survive the st.

    ¡°Leaving bombs and such aside, I¡¯d like to start working immediately, but is there anywhere you want me to start from?¡±

    ¡°Let me see¡­we cannot start the lectures right away anyway, so I would ask you to start from the dorms next to the school buildings. It¡¯s difficult for us to let the studentsing from afar stay in inns for a long time, after all.¡±

    Many foreign students came to Erkunt to study, but, except for a few affluent ones, most of them lived in the student dorms. Their school expenses would be a little higher because of it, but it would still be much cheaper than renting a room at an inn.

    The inns in the city had also suffered damage because of the monsters, so the situation was still problematic. For the students¡¯ sakes, rebuilding of the dorms was the highest priority.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll start right away then. I¡¯ll finish today, so they can rest easy.¡±

    Shin headed to the student dorms right away, there was no time to lose.

    He found a half-destroyed building there. The parts still standing were cracked in many ces, looking like they could crumble anytime.

    ¡°I see, I see, looks like it won¡¯t be hard.¡±

    Shin used a skill and disyed the dorm¡¯s structure in his mind. The parts used to build it were not too rare, so he could handle it by himself. Since the wreckage was still there, so he had materials to spare. Shin touched the wrecks and activated a skill.

    The structure n of the student dorms, as disyed in Shin¡¯s mind, materialized itself before his eyes, with the same size as the actual building. Shin moved his hands in midair and the wreckage turned into a liquid, gradually filling the blueprint he materialized.

    The wreckage started filling the building n, like water filling an empty container. It seemed as if it were dancing ording to themands of an invisible conductor¡¯s baton.

    ¡°A few more adjustments and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Hmee had been watching over the construction, but she apparently couldn¡¯t wipe the thought of the self-detonation device from her mind and grabbed Shin¡¯s shoulders from behind. Her tone was enough to express that she was admonishing him not to y any tricks.

    ¡°Easy, easy, I¡¯m not going to do anything weird. I was just thinking of reinforcing the walls a bit.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Shin was offended by the suspicion. High Human abilities were well known, but their personalities were often not trusted.

    Shin continued and raised the walls¡¯ resilience by about 30%. The mostlypleted dorm glowed faintly, then showed itself just as it was before the destruction. The furniture and essories likely used by the students were all outside. Many things had been broken when the building came down.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about that, so the rest is up to you.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t impossible for Shin to fix them too after a bit of research, but repairing the buildings took precedence. Thus, he thus decided to leave that kind of work to Hmee.

    ¡°The structure inside is the same as before. I can¡¯t do anything about the furniture, so they¡¯ll have to do something about it themselves.¡±

    With sleeping bags or something simr, the students should be able to get by. Regardless, the most important thing was to have a roof over their heads. Hmee informed Masakado via Mind Chat and they started rying themunication to the students.

    Masakado had stayed in the school building, ready to contact the students as soon as the dorm was restored.

    ¡°Okay then, onto the next one.¡±

    Skill-based construction work could be done at a speed that would leave professionals speechless. The Erkunt institute of magic regained its original look within the day, with added resilience to boot.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Err¡­ why have I been summoned again?¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure you don¡¯t know why?¡±

    During the restoration of the city, Shin was summoned by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and was now in the Erkunt branch. He was told that he would be informed once he arrived at the guild, but as soon as he arrived he was brought to a private room.

    He could think of a few reasons why he would be summoned, but he had no evidence for any of them.

    ¡°We are aware that you are coborating with the city¡¯s reconstruction. That is the same reason why we wanted you toe to the guild.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­?¡±

    ording to the receptionist, the guild agreed to cooperate with the country¡¯s reconstruction efforts; there were requests avable ording to each adventurer¡¯s abilities. Shin was expected to use his abilities for rescue operations, but he acted independently from the guild, helping wherever he found it necessary.

    ¡°We are very thankful to you, sir Shin. Without you two, many would have surely died. But without prior procedures here, it bes impossible to add such efforts to your achievements.¡±

    Because of the guild¡¯s system, aplishments not covered by a registered request were hardly evaluated or considered. Because of the scale of Shin¡¯s actions, he would receive some sort of recognition all the same, but it would be much smaller than what he would garner if he acted officially.

    ¡°The reward bes smaller too¡­as a citizen of this country, I feel terribly sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I see. Well, er, I¡¯m sorry. But we weren¡¯t thinking about any rewards anyway. We¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡±

    Shin actually hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be a next time, but chose not to mention that.

    ¡°Thank you. So, these are the requests specifically for you, sir Shin.¡±

    The receptionist took out one sheet of paper from the file. The request was about removing wreckage from destroyed buildings and rescuing trapped survivors.

    Because of Shin¡¯s fighting abilities, he was apparently deemed to be very strong. Since several days had passed since the attack, the rescue of survivors had to be prioritized if they were still alive.

    ¡°We are aware of your achievements, sir Shin,dy Yuki, so if you ept this request, we can add more to your aplishments.¡±

    Shin and Schnee¡¯sbination of Earth-type magic and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ was very effective. They could quickly find any survivors inside the rubble and ensure their safety first with earth spells.

    Normally, removing wreckage had to be done with extreme caution, but since they didn¡¯t have to worry about the safety of the people inside, speed could be prioritized.

    The adventurers or the guards were not trained to rescue people in this situation: but if all they had to do was use their muscles to remove wreckage, things were very different. Shin¡¯s assistance was a godsend for them.

    ¡°We have no reason to refuse the request, of course.¡±

    Shin signed the request. There was no time limit, so they could step down anytime they wished. The achievements and rewards were fixed, but it was an emergency rescue operation request. Operation evaluation would be carried in secret by the guild: in any case, they wanted people to assist restoration efforts as soon as possible.

    Shin was curious about how the assistance efforts would be evaluated, but there was no time to think about that. After leaving the guild, Shin and Schnee headed to the district where Vulcan¡¯s workshop was located.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many damaged buildings around here. I guess it should be expected since there are so many workshops.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re built sturdier than other buildings after all, so they can withstand much damage when something happens.¡±

    That world¡¯s workshops were always built fairly sturdy, thanks to the widespread usage of magic, a set of techniques developed that were different than science-based techniques.

    Using too much magic power could cause explosions, so it was necessary to prevent any such incidents from affecting the workshop. A side effect to this precaution was that the workshops were thus stronger to attacks too.

    Monsters had gone wild in the workshop district too, but because of their sturdy construction, the number of destroyed buildings was much lower than the districts where inns or stores predominated.

    ¡°I guess that the problem is that any wreckage is too heavy to be moved, so they called us.¡±

    In the real world, transportation would be difficult even with heavy-duty machinery. The materials used were unique to this world, which were much stronger and resilient.

    ¡°Oh, you came.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re helping with wreckage removal too, boss?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than most humans after all. Besides, this is more important than forging swords or armor right now.¡±

    The monster invasion had left Vulcan¡¯s workshop unscathed, and his disciple Vaal was safe and sound too. The building¡¯s sturdiness had definitely kept damage to a minimum. Another fortunate coincidence was that because of therge size of most monsters, they couldn¡¯t enter the workshops. If people had taken shelter inside such sturdy buildings, casualties could have been avoided.

    ¡°I thought I knew already, but you really are strong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that unusual, is it? There are plenty of high-ranked adventurers as strong as me.¡±

    ¡°I know that, but in your case, it¡¯s a whole other level¡­well,pared to yourdy, you don¡¯t look as unusual though.¡±

    Vulcan meant that as Shin was a man, being so powerful was not as surprising. Because of his profession, he had the chance to observe all sorts of Chosen Ones.

    Seeing Schnee¡¯s thin arms easily lift wreckage many timesrger than her, however, left even him dumbfounded. Shin thought that he would feel the same if he didn¡¯t have his abilities from the game era.

    The removal operations elerated immensely after Shin and Schnee joined in: thanks to the fact that few workshops were damaged in the first ce, the whole district¡¯s wreckage removal waspleted the same day. There was no one in need of rescue either.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, we¡¯ve spent a fairly long time here in Erkunt.¡±

    Shin voiced his thoughts while rxing after dinner, back in their hotel room. It was the first time he stayed longer than one month in a single country. They had stayed a long time in Hinomoto too, but never in the same ce, so he didn¡¯t feel like he stayed as long there.

    ¡°It¡¯s also the first time for our party to scatter like this.¡±

    In the beginning, Shin was by himself. Then Yuzuha, Schnee, and Tiera joined, soon followed by the others, leading to the current six members and two ¡°pets¡±.

    Shin had proceeded ahead of the rest of the party before arriving to Hinomoto, but it was not because the party had scattered, but because he decided to act on his own. While he was lost in such thoughts, he felt a warm and soft feeling on his right arm and shoulder.

    ¡°I find myself hoping for this time to continue, even just a little more.¡±

    Schnee spoke while leaning against Shin. There was no need to worry about the other party members, unless an emergency happened, so now that Avaritia was gone they could spend time rxing together.

    ¡°Right, right¡­with the others around, you¡¯ll be too embarrassed to act spoiled around me¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­! ¡­¡­I mean, isn¡¯t it¡­embarrassing?¡±

    Schnee blushed fiercely and looked away. Because of her serious personality, she found it impossible to flirt when other people were around. If she was provoked, however, all bets were off.

    ¡°Besides, Filma and Sety would definitely ask about every little detail¡­I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to be interrogated when the party is back together.¡±

    The party¡¯sdies will definitely have a lot to be curious about. No matter the world, love affairs were a never-ending source of curiosity.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind though. You¡¯re not going to tell everything, right?¡±

    ¡°Not! Absolutely not!! Those two would definitely tease me to no end!!¡±

    Shin thought for a moment that they might as well reveal everything, but Schnee¡¯s panicked reaction was so cute that he kept quiet. This is pretty nice too¡­he thought as he felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

    While caressing her head, Shin wondered how long such a time would continue. It was that very moment, that the notice of an iing message was disyed.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s from Tiera.¡±

    ¡°A message?¡±

    Shin whispered to himself and Schnee, happily enjoying being caressed, raised her head.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see¡­.hmm, it turns out things are getting troublesome on their end.¡±

    Shin read the message andughed bitterly. Their peaceful days had finallye to an end.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­Tiera and Shibaid were working to resurrect the World Tree, right? It looks like it¡¯s not going too well, or rather, it¡¯s turned into something pretty nasty.¡±

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    The next day, Shin and Schnee prepared to join Tiera and decided to visit their acquaintances in Erkunt to inform them of their imminent departure. In other countries, they would have left immediately, but in Erkunt they had made many acquaintances , from the king to former yers.

    Shin first informed the guild that they would leave on a journey, as to not be reprimanded again. Then, they headed to the institute of magic to meet Hmee. Being former yers, they decided to keep in contact in case anything happened. Just then, Luxuria arrived: she had somehow caught wind of Shin¡¯s departure.

    ¡°You¡¯re going already? You could take it easy a little longer¡­¡±

    Luxuria grabbed Shin¡¯s right hand and brought it to her chest, looking up at him with pleading eyes. While she didn¡¯t state it outright, it was clear that she wished for him to stay there forever.

    ¡°Myrades contacted me, looks like they got involved in something troublesome. We¡¯re in the same party, so I can¡¯t ignore them, can I?¡±

    Shin spoke while slowly removing his hand from Luxuria¡¯s grip, thinking that her gaze alone would be enough to make any Chosen One fall for her.

    The fact that Tiera sent him a message meant that his assistance was needed.

    ¡°We n to leave right after we¡¯ve said our goodbyes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Ms. Luxuria, you should know when to give up.¡±

    Masakado, who had joined them in Erkunt just a few days before, was rather dejected. Hmee agreed with Shin and tried to appease Luxuria, but she didn¡¯t hide the fact that she felt lonely as well.

    For former yers that knew of the game era and the current era, they couldn¡¯t help but hope for Shin to be in the same country, if possible.

    ¡°I¡¯m a former devil, of course I don¡¯t know that.¡±

    Luxuria herself knew that it was impossible to keep Shin there. She wasn¡¯t acting, she really felt lonely.

    ¡°¡­well, it can¡¯t be helped, can it. I¡¯d like to go with you, but I grew fond of this ce, so that won¡¯t do either.¡±

    Luxuria had grown quite attached to her title of health officer of the institute of magic. Masakado added: now that she was an angel, the infirmary had gained a divine-like atmosphere.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything special though.¡±

    ¡°Why not use the chance to behave more angel-like too?¡±

    ¡°If you mean that you like the well-behaved type better, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Luxuria talked while looking at Schnee and Shin raised his hands in surrender. He just meant to crack a joke but felt that any more banter wouldn¡¯t sound like a joke at this point.

    ¡°In any case¡­thank you both for everything. If you evere around here again, please visit. You will always be wee.¡±

    ¡°Next time visit when I¡¯m here too!¡±

    Shin and Schnee still had ces to visit, so Hmee and Masakado prompted them to go. At the rate they were going, they wouldn¡¯t ever stop talking, so Shin dly took the cue.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but I very much look forward to seeing you again¡­¡±

    Luxuria finally gave up and said her goodbyes. Before Shin could reply, though, she went up to him and whispered:

    ¡°That thing you gave me after the battle¡­makes me feel like I¡¯m always being embraced by you, so it¡¯ll do for a while. But next time, you¡¯ll have to keep me warm yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what!?¡±

    Shin hurriedly closed Luxuria¡¯s mouth, but it was toote: the bomb had already been dropped. Hmee and Masakado tilted their heads, as they hadn¡¯t heard clearly, but Schnee was next to Shin, so she had to have heard everything.

    Shin, slowly and timidly, turned towards her, but found her smiling as usual.

    (She¡¯s the same as always¡­chillingly so.)

    Shin understood well how terrifying it was for her to remain unchanged. He wasn¡¯t inferior to her in terms of ability, but he definitely couldn¡¯t win against her as far as their rtionship¡¯s power bnce went.

    ¡°Well, Shin? We should go soon, or we won¡¯t be able to depart before the sun sets.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah, you¡¯re right. So, see you guys. If anything bad happens, don¡¯t hesitate to contact us.¡±

    Egged on by Schnee¡¯s smile, Shin quickly left the institute. The remaining locations were the royal castle, where Sherlene and the others were, and Vulcan¡¯s workshop. They hadn¡¯t met Lecus and the other students, but, because of Avaritia¡¯s attack, many inquiries and messengers were keeping them busy, so they couldn¡¯t move freely.

    Since there was no other way, Shin left a letter and some items as parting gifts for them.

    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re leaving. It¡¯s a pity¡­sir Namsaar wanted to thank you in person too.¡±

    ¡°Myrades requested my help, after all. I¡¯m d that Namsaar recovered, though.¡±

    Sherlene said that Namsaar had regained consciousness and was gradually recovering, though he still struggled to move on his own. After waking up, he had apparently said that he would take responsibility for the incident and step down from his position as leader of the knights.

    King Kreunzeit, however, pressured him to earn more aplishments to cover for this failure and stopped him. Shin and Schnee said that if Namsaar stepped down, there would not be much difference between Sherlene and Fagall, so he resolved to strive more to fight for the country.

    The problem was that there was no one skilled enough to seed him. That was how important Namsaar and the two Heroes were for Erkunt.

    ¡°Then, we will be going now. Thank you for finding the time to meet us.

    Shin and Schnee had arrived during training, so they kept their farewell brief.

    Sherlene and Fagall thought of stopping them, but after hearing that Shin¡¯srades needed his assistance, they couldn¡¯t. They saw Shin and Schnee off with bitter smiles.

    Shin thought that if he lingered in the royal castle he could get involved in something troublesome, so they left quickly. Disappearing without a word would be disrespectful, so he visited the people he knew more, but he didn¡¯t have much time to spare.

    Soon enough, Shin and Schnee reached the next destination, the workshop that had be quite familiar by then.

    Vaal was at the reception desk with about three other dwarves nearby. Based on past experiences, it was clear that they were there hoping to catch a glimpse of Schnee.

    ¡°Good day, Shin, Yuki¡ªare you in a hurry, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°Wow, keen eye as usual. Yeah, we¡¯ve got some urgent business to take care of, so we have to leave right away, but it felt wrong to do so without a word, so we came.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. I¡¯m sure the boss will say the same too.¡±

    The dwarves reacted to Shin¡¯s words with evident disappointment.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the boss?¡±

    ¡°He went to a craftsmen¡¯s meeting. The situation has improved, but the city still needs rebuilding. When will you depart?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, we have to leave today. It¡¯s faster if we run instead of using a horse carriage, so we don¡¯t need to make any preparations.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Today!?¡±

    Vaal didn¡¯t expect them to leave the same day as the visit, so he was very surprised.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re in a hurry. Please tell Vulcan that I¡¯m looking forward to talking about smithing with him the next time wee.¡±

    ¡°¡­understood. Please take care.¡±

    Shin and Schnee left Vaal and the dwarves and headed towards the gate. He was strangely impressed by the sight of the three dwarves, crying and waving handkerchiefs as they saw them off.

    ¡°Ok, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee passed Erkunt¡¯s gate, waited until they were in a ce where no one could see them, and then started running. They used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ at the same time, so they could go as fast as they wanted without worrying about being seen.

    Their destination was the elf vige called ¡ºLanapacea¡». Shin had never heard of it, but Schnee said to have been there before.

    ¡°The resurrection of the World Tree¡­ording to Tiera¡¯s message, it isn¡¯tpletely dried up, so hopefully we can do something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Personally, I¡¯m more worried about Tiera.¡±

    ¡°About Tiera? What do you mean?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone and expression gave Shin a very bad feeling.

    ¡°The Lanapacea vige is Tiera¡¯s hometown. I believe that is the reason why, as she wrote in the message, things aren¡¯t progressing well.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Shin recalled the image he had seen of Tiera holding the remains of a woman, weeping loudly.

    ¡°Tiera is an adult now, so maybe there is no reason to worry¡­but please keep it in mind, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t seem to be all that worried about any potential issues. After all, Tiera had always been together with Schnee since losing her homnd. They had lived together far longer than Shin had.

    Shin nodded, thinking that her judgement could be trusted more than his.

    After all, hundreds of years had gone by, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they hade to an agreement.

    ¡°Anyway, she was teleported next to her hometown¡­it feels like it was intended.¡±

    Shin noticed that he had never heard the name of Tiera¡¯s hometown before. Her message didn¡¯t mention it either and he wasn¡¯t aware of the circumstances surrounding Tiera after she was cursed.

    Shin thought that it was probably tied to her particr status as Priestess of the World Tree.

    Other than Yuzuha and Kagerou, the experienced Shibaid was with her too. If something truly dangerous happened, he would surely contact them via Mind Chat. The message didn¡¯t describe their situation in detail, but it looked like they were stuck at an impasse. In order to break through it, Shin¡¯s assistance was needed.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hurry while resting when we can.¡±

    They would take proper rest at night in Tsuki no Hokora and use the remaining time to proceed. They nned to maintain the maximum speed possible, while ensuring they wouldn¡¯t arrive at Lanapacea exhausted.

    ¡°Understood. Oh, there is something I must ask youter, so please give me some time tonight.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee casually, but he had forgotten. Forgotten that, now that there were no immediate emergencies, he could not avoid being interrogated about certain things.

    ¡°The meaning of Luxuria¡¯s words: being enveloped by you. I will need a thorough exnation, is that clear?¡±

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    What Shin exined that night and what happened next is a secret only Shin and Schnee knew.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (6)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (6)</h4>

    One week after leaving Erkunt, Shin and Schnee finally reached the elf vige of Lanapacea. Thanks to their high stats, they managed to shorten one month¡¯s worth of travel via horse carriage to only seven days. They could run through forests and crags, without the limitations a horse carriage would have, which also helped shorten the travel time.

    The fact that Schnee had visited the vige before also helped. If Shin was alone, he would have had to proceed whileparing the map and the environment, which would have been definitely troublesome. There was no navigation technology after all.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here, but it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re quite wee¡­everyone¡¯s ring.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Thest time I came, there wasn¡¯t such exaggerated security.¡±

    ording to Schnee, the clearly defined line between forest and fields was the outer edges of Lanapace.

    Simr to the ¡°Gardens¡± Pixies created, a magical barrier prevented monsters from entering. Though it looked unprotected,cking any castle walls or the like, the entrances into the vige were actually limited.

    To be overconfident in such barriers, however, would be foolish. In the outer edges, where monsters could appear, soldiers with rtively high fighting prowess were always stationed.

    Many of such troops were currently stationed near the entrance to the vige, as gate guards. From another perspective, the normally invisible entrance was thus made visible.

    ¡°Elf, human. This is the entrance to our domain. If you havee upon this ce by chance, retrace your steps and be on your way.¡±

    One of the elves, with equipment superior to the others, shouted in Shin and Schnee¡¯s direction.

    Elves were a very long lived species and always looked young. The male elf who spoke to Shin and Schnee looked around 40-50 years old, in human terms.

    He had probably lived a fairly long life. His gaze was sharp, as if he could see right through Shin and Schnee. Even if the atmosphere was tense, he did not give off the impression that he would attack them.

    ¡ª¨CAnaheit Luderia Magic Archer Level 233

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the elf¡¯s identity. His level was the highest among the elves. His job was magic archer, the archer version of the magic swordsman, so to speak. The job¡¯s skills allowed the user to exterminate multiple targets at the same time: it was one of the most popr jobs in the game era.

    ¡°We havee to Lanapacea for a reason. We have no hostile intentions.¡±

    ¡°You wish to enter, I see. Do you have any proof of identity?¡±

    Shin took out his adventurer¡¯s card, which he was told would work as proof of identity. He was also told that not all countries epted it. In that case, he would ask Tiera toe meet them.

    ¡°Oh, an adventurer¡­.what? Rank¡­A?¡±

    The elf who checked the adventurer card frowned. Shin was used to seeing people surprised by it, but the elves also showed a sense of wariness simr to hostility. They probably checked Schnee¡¯s card too, but didn¡¯t show any reaction to it, maybe because her rank was C.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with my rank?¡±

    ¡°¡­my apologies. A human with your appearance must still be very young. I was of the impression that adventurers that reached rank A were all of advanced age.¡±

    The male elf¡¯s expression softened. His first warning had been intimidating, but he did not keep the same tone in conversation.

    Shin thought of any adventurers that reached rank A despite being young, and could onlye up with Wilhelm. He was a Chosen One, however. The others he could think of were all former yers or support members, all clearly different from normal people.

    Shin reflected that normally adventurers who reached rank A had to be of a certain age, like Bayreuth¡¯s guildmaster Barlux ¨C though he was a Chosen One too.

    ¡°What business would a high rank adventurer have in our country? There is no adventurers guild here, so even if you gather materials you would need to bring them to a neighboring country for them to be appraised, which is quite a hassle, I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±

    ¡°Our reason is another. There isn¡¯t a guild here though? I thought they were present in all countries.¡±

    The Adventurers¡¯ Guild, an organization that transcended borders, was present in most countries and cities. As far as Shin had seen, all countries and cities of a certain size had a branch of the guild. It wasn¡¯t present in small fishing viges though, naturally.

    Despite the absence of the adventurers¡¯ guild however, Anaheit seemed to be aware of the significance of being an A rank adventurer.

    ¡°Our vige does not have frequent contact with the outside world after all. As a country, it is quite small as well. Because of that, we protect the popce from monsters with our own fighting forces. To be perfectly frank, very few peoplee from outside.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a famous tourist location, nor was it a spot well known for rare materials or unique monsters. The presence of the World Tree was kept a secret too.

    Shin knew about it because he had heard from Tiera and Schnee. He probably wouldn¡¯t have ever visited Lanapacea if it wasn¡¯t for them.

    ¡°Our reason foring here is to meet an elf named Tiera. We have been informed that she is staying in the elf vige called Lanapacea.¡±

    It didn¡¯t look like they would be let in without stating their purpose outright, so Shin mentioned Tiera¡¯s name.

    ¡°Lady Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Lady?¡±

    The elf¡¯s response was slightly unexpected.

    For Anaheit, Tiera was apparently someone that had to be addressed with ¡°Lady¡±. The male elf looked intently at Shin. Some of the elves behind him armed their bows with arrows.

    ¡°The atmosphere¡¯s turning sour.¡±

    Shin looked at the elves as he spoke to Anaheit. He very much doubted that Anaheit hadn¡¯t noticed the movements of the elves behind him.

    ¡°The vige is in a bit of a tense situation at the moment. If someone as powerful as you enters, we fear that the situation might take a turn for the worse, you see.¡±

    Anaheit spoke clearly. While not as much as the other elves, he didn¡¯t seem to be very weing towards Shin either.

    Shin and Schnee had not yet been targeted, so they were still quiet, but if the bows turned towards them, they would respond appropriately. Judging by the situation, Tiera¡¯s circumstances were much worse than what she wrote in the message.

    ¡°We have no intention of causing any trouble, so could you let us in?¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but we need some time. As I said before, your presence could instigate trouble. If you were a normal human, we wouldn¡¯t react like this though.¡±

    Shin asked to be let in, but Anaheit maintained his stance of refusal. Neither was going to budge, and it wasn¡¯t ¡°yet¡± time to force his way in, so Shin decided to retreat for the moment.

    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I am sure that even if we persisted we would just give you more work to do, so we¡¯ll be back at another time.¡±

    ¡°Apologies for the trouble. As you have an elf with you I am sure you already know, but do not think of sneaking in. If you do, we will be forced to work even harder at our jobs.¡±

    ¡°Haha, who would do something so reckless?¡±

    Both men smiled, but the topic of conversation wasn¡¯t amusing at all. Shin, incidentally, did not say that sneaking inside would be impossible.

 Book 15: Chapter 1 (7)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 1 (7)</h4>

    ¡°So, looks like we aren¡¯t getting in anytime soon.¡±

    After distancing themselves from the gate, Shin shook his head and spoke.

    ¡°It seems like they are on high alert. If I wasn¡¯t with you, they probably would have resorted to more direct methods.¡±

    Schnee talked while looking in Anaheit¡¯s direction. Shin agreed that, since an elf like them ¡ª though Schnee was actually a high elf ¡ª was together with Shin, the elves limited themselves to arming their bows.

    Even Anaheit looked at Schnee first before speaking to Shin. The elves who hadn¡¯t armed their bows all focused their gazes on her too. Even among elves, known for their beauty, Schnee was probably a special case.

    ¡°¡®Lady¡¯ Tiera, hmm¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee headed away from Lanapacea, to a nearby forest. Despite being surrounded by trees, they felt like they were being watched. The elves were probably using abination of ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿. Shin had used it often in the game era too.

    ¡°Tiera used to be the World Tree priestess after all, it is not strange for her to be addressed with such a title, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Normally no one would call someone who¡¯s been banished by that title¡­.¡±

    People are respected and revered because of their abilities and status. However, Tiera had been banished by her vige once. Shin and Schnee agreed that she likely wouldn¡¯t be treated in the same way as before.

    ¡°The fact that the curse has been lifted is visible to everyone, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, any elf would know right away if they saw her. That is probably the reason, or rather, I cannot think of any other reason.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that has to be it.¡±

    The curse was the reason she had been banished, something even the priestess Tiera had given up on. Now that the curse was removed, it could be possible for her to regain her title and honor. She could even be exalted even more, as she had aplished an unprecedented feat.

    Furthermore, Tiera¡¯s own abilities had increased exponentially since she left the vige. That alone would be enough topletely change how they treated her.

    ¡°In any case, we should go meet them soon. I guess we could try contacting Shibaid.¡±

    ¡°I agree. If Tiera herself calls for us, they will not have a choice but to let us in.¡±

    It didn¡¯t feel right to use her authority like that, but joining Tiera and Shibaid was the highest priority. Considering the freedom of movement once inside the vige, entering openly from the main gate was surely better than sneaking inside.

    Shin attempted to contact Shibaid via Mind Chat right away.

    ¡°(O Shin. Looks like the message was delivered sessfully.)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, we¡¯re already outside Lanapacea. They won¡¯t let us in, though. What¡¯s going on?)¡±

    ¡°(I thought that things could work if Schnee was with you¡­but I guess there was no such luck. I¡¯ll tell you the details once we rejoin. I¡¯lle out to meet you.)¡±

    ¡°(Roger.)¡±

    Shin asked when exactly Shibaid woulde, then cut themunication. They hadn¡¯t actually spoken aloud, but Shibaid¡¯s voice seemed exhausted somehow.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sing out to meet us. The details will wait until then.¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the forest and headed straight to the vige entrance, but at a leisurely pace. Anaheit watched them from the start.

    ¡°You¡¯re back so soon? You aren¡¯t thinking of ¡°literally¡± breaking through the impasse, are you?¡±

    Shin and Schnee had left just a short time ago, but were now approaching the gate again. It was enough to suspect that they were up to something.

    ¡°Of course not, we would already be firing magic spells in that case.¡±

    Shin spoke calmly to the wary Anaheit. Shibaid wasing to meet them, so there was no need to start any trouble. If he provoked them and things turned sour, it would only be a problem.

    ¡°Let me be clear once and for all, but talking won¡¯t solve anything, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I suppose. But it would feel wrong to not even try, I think.¡±

    Shin kept talking, hoping to at least get some information out of Anaheit until Shibaid arrived. He kept acting like he had simplye to visit an acquaintance and mentioned that he had traveled together with Tiera before. He first stated that Schnee was his wife and it was through her that Shin had had the chance of traveling with Tiera.

    ¡°Captain, someone calling themselves a messenger from the main house wishes to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    During the conversation, an elf emerged from the forest and whispered in Anaheit¡¯s ears. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Listen¡¿ skills revealed what he said to him.

    ¡°Why is a messenger from the main house¡­.agh!¡±

    As to corner the confused Anaheit even further, another elf appeared from the forest. Light blue eyes, blue hair extending down her back. The female elf, wearing priestess-like loose-fitting clothes, walked up to Shin and Schnee, ignoring Anaheit and his elves¡¯ attempts to stop her.

    ¡°Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, I presume? Mdy Tiera calls for you. I will be your guide, so could you please follow me?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Lady messenger!¡±

    Shin nodded, but at the same time Anaheit interrupted.

    ¡°I wish for an exnation. Surely you must know about the current situation¡­!¡±

    They probably belonged to different factions: Anaheit couldn¡¯t back down without an exnation.

    ¡°Lady Tiera deemed it necessary. In that case, it is our duty toply.¡±

    ¡°I must insist! Lady Yuki is an elf, but sir Shin is a human! Surely you have not gone senile to the point of not realizing what that means?¡±

    ¡°I just said that such a human has been deemed necessary. Besides,dy Tiera¡¯spanion, sir Shibaid, said the same. You already know that he is someone worthy of trust, do you not?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.but, if we let any more races in, the head might be irritated.¡±

    While the conversation was not a heated one, both sides did not relent. Anaheit seemed to be concerned about matters other than the World Tree. Tiera was probably involved too.

    ¡°I too am aware of that much. However, the World Tree is the first priority. The head is far too concerned with boosting our forces.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see it is inevitable, then. I will pretend I did not hear yourst words.¡±

    The clearly ominous conversation ended and the messenger resumed walking, after again inviting Shin and Schnee to follow her. They promptly did so, without any more words from Anaheit or the other elves.

    After they stepped through the barrier into the vige, the forest turned into streets crowded with elves and houses built in harmony with the trees. The border between the forest and the ins literally separated the vige from the outside world.

    Shin and Schnee followed the guide, named L, and were invited to board a horse carriage waiting for them. The carriage was equipped with cushions and traveled on paved roads, so it did not shake much during the ride.

    It was of a quality rare for this world, though it still could notpare to Tsuki no Hokora or Shigureya. Shin thought that thanks to their long lives, elves probably attained high skill levels.

    L, who was sitting quietly in front of them, had the high level of 240. Shin didn¡¯t know if she was a Chosen One or not, but she was very skilled for this world¡¯s standards.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just thinking that we hadn¡¯t introduced ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I am but a guide, you do not need to concern yourself so.¡±

    L did not budge an inch. Shin, who knew of her level, was sure that she couldn¡¯t be just a guide. She was probably an escort for important figures. As there was nothing to do, Shin thought of looking outside, but realized that the horse carriage did not have windows. The interior was lit by light magic crystals set at the four corners of the roof of the carriage.

    ¡°This carriage doesn¡¯t have any windows, I see. Are all carriages used by elves like this?¡±

    ¡°No, this is a special carriage used by the Luderia house. Normal carriages are the same as the ones humans use.¡±

    The carriage looked like it could be used to transport important people or prisoners, so it wasn¡¯t clear if they were being wary or they simply had many enemies. Thinking back to the conversation with Anaheit, both hypotheses were probably correct.

    Since he couldn¡¯t see outside, Shin used the map and his detection skills and noticed that they were traveling along arge road. There were a few people out and about, but all of them were above 150 in level: it was hard to believe that they were regr citizens. Since the country was small, Shin imagined that military service was a duty.

    As Shin was quietly gathering information, the horse carriage stopped. The map showed arge building in front of the carriage. When they got off, they found a building muchrger than expected.

    The other constructions in the surroundings were more akin to treehouses, but this building¡¯s architecture was very different. The gate and walls around it were made of stone, reinforced by special vines and rare materials.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    L headed through the gate without hesitation. There were guards posted at its side, but they just nced at Shin and said nothing.

    The interior of the building was very spacious, with manyplex corridors. Intersections and doors were built at regr intervals, with each passageway being roughly the same length, so after a few turns it was difficult to know where one really was. It was a structure meant for defense.

    ¡°Please go in. Lady Tiera awaits you.¡±

    L stopped in front of a certain door and spoke. She wouldn¡¯t go in with them, apparently. Shin felt five presences inside the room. Four of them were Tiera, Shibaid, Kagerou and Yuzuha. Thest remaining one did not belong to any one of Shin¡¯s party members.

    Shin thanked L and opened the door. Other than Tiera and the others, an elf unknown to Shin was in the room. Her clothing was simr to L, but wore many more gorgeous decorations.

    White, almost transparent skin without the slightest blemish, silver shoulder-length hair and golden eyes. Her appearance was very beautiful, as expected of an elf.

    Her appearance suggested she was a young girl in herte teens. She looked younger than Tiera. Her appearance and luxurious jewelry signaled that she had to be of rather elevated status.

    ¡°That human is sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Among us, I think he knows the most about the World Tree.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expectations were suddenly increased.

    ¡°(Shin!!!)¡±

    ¡°Whoops!¡±

    Shin wanted to tell them to wait a bit before saying things like that, but Yuzuha rushed to him before he could. She was in a small fox mode, so she jumped and fit right into his arms. She called to him via Mind Chat because of the presence of someone other than the party members.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    They had been separated for a while, so she wanted to cuddle more than the usual. She had been kind enough to let him have alone time with Schnee, so he let her do it for the time being.

    After Yuzuha, Shibaid approached them too.

    ¡°You finally made it through.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but the wee was rather rough, you know?¡±

    Shin mentioned that the elves at the gate armed their bows against them and Shibaid frowned a bit.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad when we arrived.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I arrived, I guess.¡±

    Shin talked to Shibaid while coddling Yuzuha, then Tiera joined the conversation with an apologetic tone.

    ¡°So it¡¯s really connected to that, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°It is. Because of that, things turned reallyplicated, so I had no choice but to contact you.¡±

    Tiera apologized for having to do so. She would have wanted to solve the situation by herself, if it was possible.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy of asking us for help. But it¡¯s not like I know everything about the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°But you know more than us, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­I guess.¡±

    Compared to this world¡¯s people, I guess I do¡­was what Shin meant to say, but he stopped himself. If the knowledge acquired in the game era was still valid, Tiera was definitely right. Problems would arise if symptoms of sickness Shin was unaware of were present.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take care of introductions before going into the details. I haven¡¯t met the youngdy before, after all. As you have heard from Tiera, I am Shin, an adventurer. This is¡­¡±

    ¡°His wife, Yuki.¡±

    Introduced by Shin, Schnee smiled and greeted the youngdy. She casually stressed the ¡°wife¡± part, causing Shibaid and Tiera to react.

    Tiera couldn¡¯t process the new information and stared at them, her mouth wide open. Shibaid quickly understood and smiled.

    ¡°Ehm, my name is Lymliss Luderia. Er, pleased to meet you.¡±

    Maybe because it was their first meeting, after introducing herself Lymliss looked timidly at Shin. She was probably shy with strangers. Her surname was the same as the gate guard Anaheit, so they were probably siblings.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. So, going back on topic, what¡¯s the situation? Judging from the conversation between the messenger L and the gate guard, it looks like there are factions at odds here?¡±

    Thinking that he would be questionedter anyway, Shin did not say anything about Tiera and Shibaid¡¯s reactions. At the same time, he tried saying what he thought could be the core of the situation. From the conversation between L and Anaheit, he surmised that there had to be several factions in y.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you say. The Lanapacea vige was born to supervise the World Tree, so its structures are different than other countries. There is a king, but the ones in charge of the World Tree have more authority.¡±

    Shibaid too judged that it wasn¡¯t the right time to talk about Shin and Schnee¡¯s rtionship and inly answered Shin¡¯s question. Because of the World Tree¡¯s importance, its caretakers had the highest clout.

    ¡°What does that say for this country¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, up until now it has been functioning normally, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Up until now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, up until now.¡±

    Those repeated words highlighted the fact that no one knew what was going to happen in the future.

    ¡°Normally, the World Tree¡¯s caretakers don¡¯t interfere in the country¡¯s politics. The current leader of the caretakers, the head of the Luderia house, seems to be a bit different, though. He seems to be involved with outside forces.¡±

    Why must the caretakers of the World Tree, an existence vital to the whole world, be confined in such an isted vige? This was apparently the focus of the question.

    ¡°I have a bad feeling about all of this.¡±

    ¡°But normally, things wouldn¡¯t turn out as bad as they did.¡±

    Tiera, who overcame her shock, joined in the conversation.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Normally, the caretaker ns are two: if one goes out of control, it is the other¡¯s duty to keep them in line.¡±

    Shin then had a sh of a realization.

    ¡°Could it be that the other is the Lucent n?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. Because of my curse, their duty was terminated, though.¡±

    There still were those who carried the Lucent name, but being the n who gave birth to a cursed elf, they were treated rather harshly.

    ¡°I returned with my curse gone, so things turned problematic.¡±

    ¡°I bet they did¡­¡±

    The Lucent n, considered by all an impure lineage. The banished priestess, however, had ovee her curse and had returned, more powerful than ever. She also retained her priestess powers to boot.

    ¡°The retainers of the Lucent n got all excited, saying it¡¯s the rebirth of the n and simr stuff.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    Tiera and the other n members used to be loved by all: if it wasn¡¯t for the curse, they would have been able to stop the Luderia n.

    Shin, personally, thought that it was way toote for such a reaction.

    ¡°I am telling them that I have no such intention, though.¡±

    ¡°It depends on what they are nning. Maybe they did not really want to banish¡­.no, sorry, I said something weird.¡±

    No matter the reason, the banished party would feel abandoned. Shin stated his honest thoughts, but quickly realized it and apologized to Tiera.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. If I was in their same situation, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop it either.¡±

    ording to Tiera, not all elves agreed with the banishment. That was the reason why she managed to survive until she met Schnee. Originally she was nned to be executed, not exiled.

    ¡°But then, right now what is your status here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have my status or authority as a Lucent, but I am still a priestess, so I have some sort of special treatment.¡±

    World Tree priestess was something that not everyone could be. One had to be recognized by the World Tree and be able tomunicate with it. Such a talent was not inherited, but appeared more easily in certain lineages.

    ¡°Then I guess the other priestess must be unhappy about it, right? There was another priestess bearing that role before you returned, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really it. One of the priestesses is this child, after all.¡±

    Tiera then brought Lymliss before her.

    ¡°Ah, er, ehm¡­yes¡­I am¡­¡±

    She was already about to cry. Her job was indeed priestess.

    ¡°I apologize in advance for disrespect, but¡­will she be okay?¡±

    Shin thought that a priestess would have a firmer, dauntless attitude, so he couldn¡¯t help but be worried about her.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. They supported this country while I was away, after all. Their talent and skill are proven.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.wait, are there so many priestesses?¡±

    Tiera had clearly said ¡°they¡±. It meant that there were at least two or more.

    ¡°Of course, why? We don¡¯t know when someone with talent is born, after all. It can happen for more than one to have it in the same generation. Lymliss was like my junior when I was still a priestess. As of now, she has been acting as priestess longer than I did, so she kind of became my senior.¡±

    ¡°Not at all!! Sister Tiera, you are much more amazing than someone like me!! You overcame the curse, became stronger, and still have your priestess abilities¡­while I¡¯m sure I couldn¡¯t even go out of the vige.¡±

    Lymliss retorted enthusiastically. All her former shyness seemed to be gone. Her tone when she listed everything Tiera aplished was so innocent that it was hard to imagine her fulfilling an important role such as World Tree priestess.

    The subject of her retort, however, wouldn¡¯t have it. In contrast with Lymliss¡¯ enthusiasm, Tiera had turned bright red.

    ¡°Stop, stop, enough already!¡±

    Tiera had been helplessly withstanding all the praise, but at a certain point couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that, it means you¡¯re that respected.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­it¡¯s all too exaggerated, it¡¯s like they¡¯re talking about a whole different person¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s immature self, as she was before meeting Schnee, was apparently still present within her. While she said it was all exaggerated, Shin knew that she used her abilities without meaning to. She thought she wasn¡¯t anything special, but there was the possibility that the truth was quite the contrary.

    ¡°I am not exaggerating at all! Sister Tiera¡¯s spirit channeling can summon the spirits of the deceased, so she bes like someonepletely different.¡±

    Shin wanted to correct Lymliss, saying that an actually different person inhabited Tiera¡¯s body, but stopped himself in time. Apparently, Tiera could now use skills that she did not know before. Shin imagined she was like a spirit medium, but apparently Tiera was now even beyond that.

    In the past there were priestesses with simr powers, but unlike Tiera, no one had managed to master their skills during their lifetime. That was the reason why Tiera was regarded as a genius.

    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to say, but sometimes that caused me to act very shamefully, or so I was told¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an amazing ability, but yeah, I don¡¯t really envy that part¡­¡±

    When her soul returns to the World Tree, some skills be unusable. Tiera cannot retain her memories of that time, so it could be said that she does not benefit much from this talent. She receives the gratitude of the people she could help, but that was it. In exchange, she is granted treatment fitting to her role, though.

    ¡°The people around me envied me, but looking back at that time, I had barely any free time, all my meals were really frugal, training was super harsh, everyone looked at me with pity until the spirit channeling ended¡­I really worked hard¡­didn¡¯t I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Tiera!! Come back to us!!¡±

    The treatment she received wasn¡¯t enough, after all. Tiera¡¯s gaze went farther and farther as she talked, so Shin hurriedly brought her back to reality.

    ¡°Ehm, sister Tiera, are you all right?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? What was I¡­? My head hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s better to go back on topic.¡±

    Shin told Tiera to take it easy and summarized the situation.

    First, the World Tree¡¯s current caretaker n was only the Luderia. The n¡¯s head also seemed to be involved in suspicious activities. Tiera had no authority, but former followers of the Lucent n, holding her as figurehead now that she had ovee her curse, are starting to move in order to restore the n.

    ¡°(That L we met before is from the Luderia n, right? Why is someone from the Luderia n serving Tiera instead of their head? Wait, does it mean that¡­)¡±

    Since Lymliss, priestess belonging to Luderia n, was with them, Shin used Mind Chat to talk with Shibaid. As he did, however, he came up with the answer to his question.

    Shin had lived in a world where all sorts of stories and tales intertwined. He could recall many simr events like what was unfolding in Lanapacea at the moment.

    ¡°(It¡¯s probably as you think. While they are using the Luderia name at the moment, there are many here who used to have the Lucent name or are connected to it. L is one of them too.)¡±

    ¡°(I see, so the Luderia absorbed the fallen Lucent n in itself.)¡±

    The Lanapacea vige was formed by several ns. Among them, those possessing the most authority were the n of the royal family and the n of the first priestess, Lu, whichter split into two: Lucent and Luderia.

    The ns following the Lucent were absorbed by the Luderia, which bore the same role of looking after the World Tree.

    ¡°This ce too belongs to the Luderia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, at the moment it¡¯s used as a second home of the Luderia n, but it used to be the ce where we lived. It was assigned to me since they thought I would find it easier to stay here.¡±

    The former retainers of the Lucent n were gathered there at present.

    ¡°Some people even abandoned their jobs toe here¡­it¡¯s getting really problematic.¡±

    Shin wondered if that wasn¡¯t considered neglect of duty.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Luderia n say anything about the situation?¡±

    ¡°Of course they do. Since you are a priestess, start helping with the purification of the World Tree, they said. That¡¯s my goal too, so I have no reason to refuse, but lots of other problems havee up.¡±

    Shin only knew that the World Tree had started dying. As soon as he arrived in Lanapacea he heard of the dispute between the Luderia and Lucent ns, but as it turns out there was more.

    ¡°First, about the priestesses with the ability of purifying the World Tree. Other than Lymliss there was one more, but she disappeared a long time ago. She was born after I left, but she was kidnapped, so recently Lymliss has been working hard on the purification by herself. One of the reasons why the World Tree is weakening is that her powers alone aren¡¯t enough to keep up with the speed at which the World Tree is dying.¡±

    The World Tree crisis was not known to all of Lanapacea¡¯s poption. Even if someone simply visited the vige they wouldn¡¯t know of it.

    ording to the elves who had inspected the location where the missing priestess was kidnapped, there were traces of miasma, so they suspected demons were the culprits. There were no other clues, however, so it was impossible to go look for her.

    ¡°The World Tree cleanses this world from impurity. Because of the decrease in World Trees and increase of impurity, however, many World Trees are gradually bing contaminated. If Tiera wasn¡¯t here, this World Tree would be in serious danger.¡±

    Shibaid added that Lymliss¡¯ ability as priestess was notcking by any means, but the World Tree¡¯s contamination had advanced to the point that it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°That is one of the underlying reasons why some people are adamantly pushing for the resurrection of the Lucent n. The kidnapped priestess came from a n called Lc, which was supposed to keep the Luderia n in check: they had the caretaker role in ce of the Lucent. Since the priestess was taken, their authority and influence have grown smaller, so as I said before, right now the Luderia are front and center.¡±

    The Lucent n had been absorbed by the Luderia, but because of the birth of another priestess, the situation had returned to two ns acting the role of World Tree caretaker.

    The kidnapping incident, however, put an end to it. Things would be very different if Lymliss was the one to disappear, but the priestess that was taken away belonged to the new n of caretakers, the Lc.

    Because of this, the authority and influence as World Tree caretaker n once again concentrated in the Luderia¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Since the purification isgging I was weed in the vige, but as you can tell the situation is prettyplicated.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s expression was clouded. Because of the situation, however, her standing was rather strong. She used to be a priestess, so she knew what had to be done. Her abilities were also much superior to Lymliss.

    It was thanks to Tiera that the situation was now somewhat stable. It was obvious for the Luderia to request her assistance.

    ¡°I am sorry, if only I wasn¡¯t so ipetent¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, the World Tree is in a much more terrible state now than when I was here. It¡¯s not something one person can solve by themselves.¡±

    Lymliss looked down in shame, but Tiera defended her. Shin knew of the extent of Tiera¡¯s purification powers. If Tiera and another priestess could only barely keep at bay the contamination, the situation was indeed dire.

    ¡°I see now why you¡¯d call for me.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Please, we are in your hands.¡±

    Shin first had to see the World Tree before being able to say anything, but he was ready to do anything he could.

    ¡°By the way, Tiera¡­there is something else you need to say, isn¡¯t there? Something very important. You should speak now.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­! I didn¡¯t forget about it, really! But I wanted to act like it didn¡¯t happen¡­¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s question turned Tiera¡¯s expression sour. If Tiera wanted to act like it didn¡¯t happen, it had to be something serious, so Shin prepared to listen to her seriously.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­the current head of the Luderia n has a son, and he¡­says he wants to take me as his bride.¡±

    ¡°¡­..oof.¡±

    Completely surprised, Shin could only emit a sort of whimper. Schnee¡¯s self introduction as his wife probably contributed too.

    ¡°Does he n to pull you in with them before you be the n¡¯s leading figure?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it seems that¡¯s not the case. When I returned here I had the chance to talk a bit with him, but he proposed to me then and there.¡±

    After the purification, the son of the n leader with the Luderia retainersing to apany Lymliss and proposed to Tiera on the spot. Tiera added that he didn¡¯t say anything about causes such as the purification of the World Tree or the world atrge, but simply appealed to her persistently.

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Before you ask, I refused.¡±

    Tiera half red at Shin and replied. Shibaidter said that she refused immediately, without even the time to act surprised.

    ¡°Did you know him already?¡±

    Shin thought that a sudden marriage proposal would leave anyone surprised, so there had to be a reason why Tiera wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Yes, I knew him since I was a priestess, well he¡¯s kind of a childhood friend. Elves have few children, so it¡¯s not like it was only him, though. Since I was the daughter of the Lucent n head, because of customs and things like that¡­well, a lot happened. To put it simply, he¡¯s my childhood friend and former fiance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it.¡±

    Shin had heard that high-ranked families used to marry their sons and daughters in order to preserve their rtionships. It wasn¡¯t something that could ever have urred to him, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of in the real world.

    He didn¡¯t know that Tiera was the daughter of the head of the n, but that exined the situation well. In that world kings and nobles existed, so it wasn¡¯t strange for such things to happen among elves as well.

    Shin wondered, however, if it was okay for the children of the two different caretaker ns to marry.

    ¡°When I was cursed the marriage n was dispelled just like that, but now that the curse is gone he acts like nothing happened! It¡¯s just horrible!¡±

    Tiera recalled the proposal and her temper red up again. She was now utterly furious.

    ¡°Calm down, Tiera. Your anger is definitely justified, but this is not the time to cause a ruckus.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes¡­I¡¯m sorry, master.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words calmed Tiera instantly, as expected of her mentor.

    ¡°Ehm, sister Tiera¡­what exactly is your rtionship withdy Yuki?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you about it, did I. When I was banished from the vige, master rescued me. She took care of me until the curse was gone. She taught me not only skills, but also new ways of thinking, ways of looking at things, many things I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°W-wow! Amazing!¡±

    Lymliss, who had great respect for Tiera, looked at Schnee, Tiera¡¯s master, with sparkles in her eyes. Her shyness seems to disappear when she turns like this.

    ¡°By the way, is it okay for miss Lymliss to be here?¡±

    In order to help Schnee, who was feeling awkward because of the young elf¡¯s burning stare, Shin asked about something he wondered since his arrival. Lymliss addressed Tiera with the same respect as the Luderia retainers who nned for the Lucent¡¯s revival, after all.

    Lymliss called Tiera ¡°sister¡±, but from her behavior everyone would think that Tiera was of higher standing. Regardless of Lymliss¡¯ feelings, the Luderia n surely did not view the situation positively.

    ¡°It normally wouldn¡¯t be okay, but since we are purifying the World Tree together, shees here with the pretext that it wouldn¡¯t be bad for us to strengthen our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Sister Tiera taught me how a priestess should act and use my abilities, so¡­¡±

    All her enthusiasm when looking at Schnee vanished: in front of Shin, Lymliss lost all of her momentum. She seemed to act differently when talking with elves and other species, or maybe she wasn¡¯t used to talking with men.

    ¡°I see, she¡¯s your senior as priestess then.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t teach her anything special, though. The way a priestess should act, manners and such are different in the Lucent and Luderia ns, and a priestess¡¯ abilities are learned more through practice than theory.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!! Your teaching is very easy to understand!!¡±

    ¡°R-really? Well, I¡¯m d then.¡±

    Tiera sumbed against Lymliss¡¯ momentum, even stronger now than how it was with Schnee.

    ¡°Anyway, won¡¯t it be bad if you don¡¯t go back by now? They¡¯re not very happy with your presence here, right?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be able to meet again soon.¡±

    Pushed by Tiera¡¯s smile, Lymliss returned to the Luderia n¡¯s main house. Her escort was waiting in another room.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fine mess, more than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­it was too much to write by letter, I didn¡¯t know when to start¡­¡±

    Less tense now that Lymliss was gone, Tiera looked quite tired.

    ¡°At first, I was just worried if I could visit my mother¡¯s grave or not. But the aura of the World Tree was totally different from before, so I couldn¡¯t leave it alone. Poor Lymliss was really emaciated when I arrived.¡±

    The World Tree is always protected by elven warriors, so normally it isn¡¯t possible to get close to it. Thanks to Shibaid¡¯s skills and equipment, however, they managed to get close enough to inspect it. Since Shibaid did not know many concealment skills, it had taken considerable time to do it, though.

    When they finally managed to slip inside, they found Lymliss, on the brink of copsing for using too much strength to purify the World Tree.

    ¡°We carried Lymliss back and asked her what was going on. She remembered me, so we weren¡¯t treated as intruders. I then revealed who I was officially, and here we are.¡±

    ¡°Here you are, admired as priestess and turning into the trigger for a feud¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, please. As soon as the World Tree is healed, I n on leaving this ce.¡±

    Lanapacea was Tiera¡¯s hometown, but she had no intention of staying there.

    ¡°Okay, now I know how you feel. Next is the World Tree, is its condition that bad?¡±

    ¡°I think that if I didn¡¯te back, it was a matter of time until it dried uppletely. I¡¯ve never seen it in such a sorry state.¡±

    Part of the trunk had lost all gloss, as if it was dry, and had started changing color. Tiera said that during the time she was a priestess, it had never turned like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s really strange. I learned about the World Tree from the previous generation¡¯s priestess, but no one ever said anything about such a phenomenon. If something happened to the World Tree, they would surely record it for future generations¡­I asked Lymliss too, but she said she never learned about anything like that. It probably never happened before.¡±

    Tiera said that ording to elven knowledge, the only countermeasure avable was purifying the World Tree.

    ¡°Part of the World Tree had dried up and fell on the ground, so we recovered it.¡±

    Shibaid then took out two item cards and materialized them. One was an orichalcum te, the other the World Tree fragment he mentioned.

    It was probably part of the World Tree¡¯s bark. Laid on the orichalcum te, it had a sickly dull color.

    ¡°This is seriously bad¡­¡±

    Shin was almost speechless. In the game there was a rescue quest that involved healing sick World Trees, but he remembered that they never turned in such a horrible state.

    ¡°This is miasma¡­? No, it feels like a devil¡¯s aura, but it¡¯s also different.¡±

    In the game era, the affected World Trees were enveloped in a dark aura visual effect, but now that the game had be reality he could feel the aura from the fragment. It was an aura simr to the many kinds of ¡°noxious presence¡± Shin had felt in this world, but it was also different from each of them. It could only be defined as impurity.

    ¡°Does it return to normal after you purify it?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the state. If it gets like this, we can only cut off the contaminated part. Maybe you would be okay, but an average elf will be confined to bed for days after just touching this a little. Some even be paralyzed or confused.¡±

    Tiera said that whoever touched it was affected by serious status effects. The fragment had been recovered by elven warriors, under the priestess¡¯ supervision. During the process, one of them had touched it by mistake.

    Even trained warriors, with levels much higher than regr elves, could not withstand its effects.

    There weren¡¯t Chosen Ones among those affected, so they didn¡¯t know if the impurity would affect Chosen Ones as well.

    ¡°They just touched it and couldn¡¯t move anymore¡­is it any different from paralysis?¡±

    ¡°The paralysis is the same as the normal one, they just can¡¯t move. But they also lose all their energy. I asked Shibaid to check, and it looks like, what do you call them? HP and MP? They were both in the red.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I believe it either robbed them of their life force or absorbed it.¡±

    Shibaid added his hypothesis toplement Tiera¡¯s words.

    ¡°We can try solving the problem with skills then. The World Tree bark is treated as a material, so it might tell us something.¡±

    All creation-type jobs had a skill inmon, ¡¾Analyze Material¡¿, which could tell all creation-rted information of the analyzed material. If used, the item exnation window listed when that material was used in the creation process and what effects it would have on the finished product.

    For example, if used on medicinal herb it listed that it was better to cut them into small pieces and that they boosted the finished product¡¯s effects. Such information was often vague, however, so an extensive process of trial and error was still necessary. Nheless, they were helpful hints for effective item crafting.

    Shin was thinking that he would have no use of that World Tree bark as material as he activated the skill. The information was disyed to him on a semi-transparent window.

    ¡°Ah, no good.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bugging¡­I mean, it¡¯s a jumbled mess. The information was probably ruined by the impurity.¡±

    Shin looked at the disyed information, then raised his arms in surrender. There were letters, numbers, and unrted symbols mixed in it, making it unreadable. The barely readable parts seemed to describe the original World Tree bark.

    ¡°Nothing to see here. I suppose that even if it was used to craft something, it wouldn¡¯t even work.¡±

    ¡°I hoped we could find out something, but I suppose it will not go so easily.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, we would have been lucky if it worked.¡±

    Just in case, Shin tried using all sorts of status healing items and skills on the World Tree bark fragment. As he did, the discolored part gradually regained their original color. When Shin and Tiera purified it, the effects were clearly visible. As they might have expected, Tiera¡¯s had a greater effect.

    ¡°This is strange¡­I tried purifying it when we recovered it, but it didn¡¯t have this much effect.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s separated from the World Tree now. I guess the World Tree was acting as a source of impurity.¡±

    Impurity from the whole world gathered in the World Trees. Shin thus thought that it would be difficult to purify it entirely.

    ¡°I see¡­no wonder. Me and Lymliss would never be able to purify the whole world after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­.can it be that¡­we can¡¯t do anything?¡±

    ¡°No, wait, I¡¯m just listing possibilities. As far as I know, it¡¯s not possible topletely annihte impurity. But it should be possible to erase enough impurity so that the World Tree can purify it by itself or to increase its purification abilities.¡±

    In a past event, Shin had set purification boosting devices and created nutrients specific for the World Trees. The problem was how different the increase in impurity was between the game era and now. He could think of possible countermeasures, but there were many unknown factors in the game, so he couldn¡¯t guarantee they would be effective.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just do nothing, though. First of all, I will get permission so that you can enter the World Tree area to inspect it.¡±

    They wouldn¡¯t be let through simply because they were a priestess¡¯ acquaintances.

    ¡°If it turns out to be necessary, we can use my real name. I¡¯m an elf too and I¡¯m pretty well known, after all.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I will do so too.¡±

    ¡°No, Shibaid, you used to be the monarch of another country after all. They might be needlessly suspicious. I will go by myself first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, indeed you are right.¡±

    Shibaid nodded to Schnee. At present, he was simply an adventurer, but he was still widely known as emperor Shibaid of the dragon empire of Kilmont.

    Even if he was not rted to Kilmont anymore, if his identity became known not only the Luderia n, but also Lanapacea¡¯s king would be forced to make a move.

    ¡°Not that the news of your real identity wouldn¡¯t cause a stir, master.¡±

    ¡°Right. I bet that there¡¯s not an elf that doesn¡¯t know Schnee, after all.¡±

    Shibaid nodded, but Tiera and Shin remarked that Schnee¡¯s fame was not to be underestimated either. She was well known among the royals of several countries, so it was an understatement to define her as just ¡°pretty well known¡±.

    ¡°I do not belong to a specific country, though, so we could just say that I came out of concern for the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°I doubt they would refuse, but the current n head is a really stubborn person.¡±

    Tiera expressed her concern and Shin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if such a person was fit to be the n¡¯s leader.

 Book 15: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get permission right away, then.¡±

    Tiera was ready to go to the Luderia. She was probably keen on solving the problem and leaving the vige as soon as possible. Kagerou, who was lying quietly at her feet, slipped inside her shadow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you, then.¡±

    Schnee followed Tiera. If permission wasn¡¯t granted to them, the group would have to consider sneaking in.

    Shin and Shibaid stayed behind and waited. Because of Lanapacea¡¯s circumstances, they might cause trouble if they walked around outside.

    ¡°Hey, Shibaid, there¡¯s something I need to ask.¡±

    ¡°What would that be?¡±

    Shin talked to Shibaid, while carrying Yuzuha in his arms. It was a bit difficult to ask the person in question, so Shin decided to talk about it with Shibaid first.

    ¡°Tiera said she first came to visit her mother¡¯s grave, right? How did that go?¡±

    Shin had seen a vision of Tiera¡¯s past, of her younger self embracing her dead mother and crying. Based on that, Tiera¡¯s mother probably died while attempting to let her flee.

    For Tiera, her mother was someone to be proud of, but, for Lanapacea, she was nothing but a traitor at the time. Tiera couldn¡¯t have built a grave at that time, so Shin wondered if they had given her a proper burial.

    ¡°Tiera¡¯sdy mother¡­I haven¡¯t heard anything in detail. As Tiera said, however, not all elves agreed with her banishment. Tiera¡¯s mother was surely well respected too. While it was a bit to the side, her grave was definitely there. It also seemed well kept, like all the other graves.¡±

    Shibaid said that Tiera had visited the grave already, so there could be no mistaking it. There was no way of knowing if or how proper rites had been held, but at least Tiera¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t been neglected, so Shin was slightly relieved.

    ¡°Anyway¡­the World Tree is in lethal danger and Tiera just happens toe back for a visit? It¡¯s all too convenient.¡±

    ¡°I agree. The World Tree, however, is one of the pirs sustaining this world. It might have interfered with our teleportation at the time.¡±

    The evil deity was already defeated, so such a thing wouldn¡¯t be impossible to do with a World Tree¡¯s powers, or so Shibaid theorized.

    ¡°If you put it like that, it does sound feasible. I just feel that these kinds of convenient developments happen to us way too often.¡±

    In the Wraith ins, Shin happened to be where the Skullface Lord appeared.

    Shin being transported together with Rionne.

    Shin visiting right when the merfolk were facing a crisis.

    Shin and Schnee being transported to a country threatened by a devil¡¯s invasion.

    If they started counting smaller cases too, the number would grow exponentially. The encounters with Yuzuha and Kagerou were such cases as well.

    Most of these events could hardly have been solved by the local people. Shin wasn¡¯t the only one concerned by this string of coincidences.

    ¡°I see¡­you have been involving yourself with all sorts of trouble even when I wasn¡¯t around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I went looking for trouble myself!¡±

    ¡°I know that. We don¡¯t know if there are actual connections, though. Demons or devils seem to be frequently involved, but there are other cases too. What happened at Bayreuth, for example, seemed to be nothing but a random urrence to me.¡±

    Only the attack on Erkunt was caused by a devil, but many other events were rted to demons. In the beginning, however, they didn¡¯t know of the demons¡¯ involvement.

    Shin and Rionne¡¯s teleportation to a Sacred ce was the first example. If Shin hadn¡¯t caused the Skullface¡¯s sword to fly all the way to the royal castle, they wouldn¡¯t have ever met.

    ¡°Kuu! Shin is special!¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yuzuha, do you know something?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s sudden mumble halted Shin and Shibaid¡¯s conversation. Yuzuha felt their gazes concentrating on her, so she jumped out of Shin¡¯s arms,nded on the ground and took human form.

    It was Yuzuha¡¯ste teens version, as they hadst seen her before separating. Shin thought: if she had be familiar with the power received from Ishkar in the Castle of the Depths she would look older, but apparently this was her current limit.

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to talk in this form, so I transformed. I recalled something about you, Shin, and learned something new.¡±

    ¡°You said that I¡¯m special? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I can feel a power different from yours within you. I think that is what guides you to sources of harm for this world. Others are influenced by it too.¡±

    ¡°A power¡­inside me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That power is originally used to protect this world. That is why it¡¯s attracted to demons or devils, why it connects you to them. Do you have any idea what it could be?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I can¡¯t be sure, but I do have an idea.¡±

    In a world where game rules still applied, there was a skill and title that probably only Shin possessed. Thinking about how he had acquired them, he could only think of one possibility.

    ¡°Thest opponent I fought to clear the death game. When I defeated the monster called Origin, I received Gifts granting me powers that, for this world¡¯s standards, might as well be called cheating.¡±

    The three Gifts Shin had talked about with Schnee before: Aplished One, Limit Breaker and Liberator. Among them, the first two were especially amazing. Because of Shin¡¯s maxed out stats, their effects were particrly ¡°game-breaking¡±.

    ¡°You told me about that before. When I heard about their effects, I honestly doubted my ears.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes either.¡±

    Shin recalled with a sort of nostalgia how many times he had checked to see if he hadn¡¯t read wrong.

    ¡°I have also acquired skills, but I haven¡¯t used them yet. Or rather, it¡¯s more correct to say that I can¡¯t activate them. I have never seen them before and don¡¯t know what the conditions for activation.¡±

    The three skills Shin acquired after defeating Origin, ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿, ¡¾Scattering Surge¡¿, and ¡¾Concentrated Surge¡¿ were still impossible to activate, as Shin didn¡¯t know the necessary conditions.

    Normally, MP consumption, effects etc. of yer skills could be checked via the menu. Some skills that could be used in events had particr activation conditions, but they were usually easy to predict from their names or the event¡¯s contents.

    The three skills Shin acquired, however, had no rted events or hints about their activation. From their names, Shin could guess that ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿ was a boosting skill or a trigger to use the two other skills.

    ¡¾Scattering Surge¡¿ was probably a wide-range attack. ¡¾Concentrated Surge¡¿ was maybe a high firepower strike concentrated into one point, but these were all predictions.

    ¡°I have never heard of such skills before either. However, there is something that concerns me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°During Shin¡¯s battle against Ishkar, his body seemed enveloped in a sort of deep purple aura. Could that possibly be ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿?¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t noticed this at all, so Shibaid¡¯s words surprised him very much.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no idea¡­I can¡¯t recall.¡±

    ¡°Plenty of time has passed. After that, I too was engrossed in the exchange with Ishkar and the merfolk¡¯s affair, so I neglected mentioning it until now. My apologies.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, that¡¯s the same for me too. Schnee and Filma didn¡¯t say anything either, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Shin had heard that during his battle with Ishkar, Shibaid and the others had been stopped by an invisible barrier. No one mentioned anything about the surge skills, so it wasn¡¯t strange for them not to put the two things together, so Shin told Shibaid to raise his head.

    ¡°Now that I think about, I get the feeling that there was something different at that time. I felt really eager to fight¡­but I feel that¡¯s not the power to protect the world Yuzuha mentioned.¡±

    ¡°The power within you doesn¡¯t have a defined will. The power probably reacted excessively to your feelings, boosting your will to fight too much. When power grows too strong, people are intoxicated by it and their restraint to harming others is lost.¡±

    ¡°Right, it might be as Yuzuha said. I always restrain my powers with¡¾Limiter¡¿, but when I don¡¯t, I feel like I could do anything.¡±

    Shin had fought very few times at full power, removing all the restrictions imposed by¡¾Limiter¡¿. Every time he did, however, he could not see himself losing in the slightest. That feeling of omnipotence was probably what Yuzuha meant when she said to be intoxicated by power.

    ¡°Is it dangerous to remove¡¾Limiter¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Not as long as you maintain control. If anything happens, I will stop you.¡±

    Yuzuha was usually expressionless, but now her eyes clearly had a strong light within them.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it better to talk about this with Schnee and Tiera here too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still¡­a bit early.¡±

    Shibaid wondered if it wasn¡¯t better to share the information with the others and Yuzuha replied, back in her usual sleepy tone.

    ¡°Why would that be?¡±

    Shibaid asked why Yuzuha talked about the matter to him too and not only Shin.

    ¡°Tiera and Schnee are too reliant on Shin. If¡­ anything happened to him, they would not be able to draw their swords against him. I might not be able to stop him by myself.¡±

    Yuzuha spoke with a telling pause after the word ¡°if¡±. She clearly wished that possibility never became reality.

    ¡°So you say that I could?¡±

    ¡°Shibaid, what lies within you is loyalty. You do not wish to be someone special for Shin, like Schnee does. That is why, when there is no other option left, you will be able to wield your weapon.¡±

    Yuzuha looked straight at Shibaid, who was not concealing his intimidating tone, and spoke firmly.

    ¡°Even when a leader is mistaken, is it not the follower¡¯s duty to obey?¡±

    ¡°That possibility is not zero either. However, I believe that if you think your leader is going down the wrong path, you will try to stop him even if you must fight. That is why I spoke about it to you too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shibaid did not object to Yuzuha¡¯s words. He admitted to himself that in an emergency, he would probably take up arms as she said. Shibaid was Shin¡¯s support character, but at present he was not bound by anything. He would not act on predeterminedmands, as he would in the game, but decide which path to follow based on his own will.

    He was not forced to be Shin¡¯s ally unconditionally.

    Listening to them, Shin too thought that Shibaid would stop him if it was necessary. He was the one to set Shibaid¡¯s personality, after all. In a way, he knew him much better than Yuzuha did.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to worry about as long as Shin is like this, though. I believe in Shin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you do, but don¡¯t hug me in that form, please.¡±

    Wiping away the heavy mood in one stroke, Yuzuha waddled closer to Shin and hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his back, so her fully grown curves softly changed shape against his body.

    Looking at her happily wagging tail, signaling her mood, Shibaid felt all tenseness leave his body and his shoulders dropped.

    ¡°I too believe that Shin will not be consumed by that power. Would you be able to stop him if he ever did, anyway?¡±

    ¡°When the going gets tough, Yuzuha gets going.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Yuzuha replied with a very smug face, while resisting Shin¡¯s attempts at pushing her away. Shin and Shibaid, both rendered speechless, simply stood there, powerless.

 Book 15: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Ten minutes had passed since Shin told Yuzuha that, if she had to stick to him, she should at least do so in small fox form. While waiting for Schnee and Tiera to return, Shin watched Yuzuha merrily snoozing on hisp when he heard quarreling voices from the entrance.

    Shibaid had also noticed and was looking in the same direction as Shin. The residence they were in was fairlyrge, so normally it wasn¡¯t possible to hear people talk in the entrance from their room: Shin and Shibaid could thanks to their ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill.

    They didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop all conversations in the residence, so they usually kept it inactive and only used it when necessary.

    Shin detected two presences walking around the entrance, so he activated it thinking that they were heading inside the residence. One of them was saying that someone hade to meet Tiera and they wanted to wait inside, while the other, an elf working in the residence, refused. The residence was veryrge, so a number of helpers worked in it.

    Shin kept listening and the conversation took a strange turn: they started talking about the Lc n leader, the problems of the Lucent and Luderia ns and simr questions, so Shin decided to conceal himself and go to the entrance.

    ¡°¡ªand thus, we requestdy Tiera toe to the residence of our Lc n. If things continue like this, the Luderia will grow even more powerful. As a caretaker, this cannot be considered correct.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! You are simply afterdy Tiera¡¯s powers. The Lucent are now a part of the Luderia, thus, it is natural fordy Tiera to be at our side.¡±

    Shin was now close enough to hear the voices normally, but rather than angry he felt simply exasperated. In the end, they both wanted to use Tiera for their own benefit. Considering the status of the 2 male elves quarrelling before him, it was pretty obvious for them to do so. However, Shin knew of Tiera¡¯s feelings so he couldn¡¯t help but think that they were engaged in a pointless debate.

    ¡°It cannot be helped, I see¡­I shall return for today.¡±

    The representative of the Lc n turned around and the man, likely belonging to the Luderia n, left too. Shin followed their presence for a while and noticed that, for some reason, they were heading in the same direction, even walking side by side.

    Even if they had to head in the same direction, there was no reason to walk so close together. Besides, there was another presence behind the two, which seemed to be tailing them.

    ¡°This is strange¡­their ns seemed to be at odds. If the presence following them is an escort¡­why would they conceal their presence? It doesn¡¯t seem like they are dealing with private affairs, so normally they would be alone, or the escort would be together with them¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this merits suspicion. Some, however, dislike having their escorts walk with them, so it would be understandable if thetter was concealed. If those two are of high rank, that might be it. Though, I do not understand why they would be together. I suppose not all members from the ns are up in arms against each other, but judging from their conversation, their rtionship did not seem positive in the least.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I suppose I should follow them for a while.¡±

    For whatever reason, the two were avoiding crowded streets, so Shin suspected something was afoot and told Shibaid that he was going after them. Yuzuha, now awake, climbed on Shin¡¯s shoulder and went with him. Shibaid was not suited for such stealth activities, so he said he would wait back in the residence.

    ¡°Okay then¡­looks like they¡¯re talking about something.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re fighting¡­now.¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha, still concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, followed the two elves. Between their quarrels, they would sometimes whisper among each other, inpletely different tones. The loud quarrels were apparently a camouge tactic meant for the presence following them.

    Shin decided to focus only on what the two elves whispered.

    ¡°That manner of speaking would only worsen people¡¯s impressions. If you wish to apologize, then why not use a more peaceful method? It¡¯s like you¡¯re begging people to hate you.¡±

    The Lc representative¡¯s brow furrowed, his blue eyes looking at the man next to him. He was quite handsome, as normal for most elves, with short hair parted at the sides of his face. His tone was casual and he appeared fairly confident.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, his name was Herald.

    ¡°You too. It sounds like you want to use Tiera as a substitute for your missing priestess. That would be a worse blow to the people¡¯s impression of your n.¡±

    The man likely belonging to the Luderia replied. He was an elf, naturally, with silver hair reaching up to his shoulders, his green eyes ring back at Herald. His name was Orlean.

    ¡°Like I don¡¯t know that already! Our old man was more than happy to banishdy Tiera at the time.¡±

    ¡°But look at him now! She came back so much stronger, with a divine beast to boot, so he¡¯s pissing his pants worrying that she¡¯s going to get her revenge. Yet he won¡¯t admit his faults all the same¡­he¡¯s just hopeless. I get it that I wasn¡¯t even born then, but acting as the one in charge of drawing her to our side is just absurd. And I¡¯m supposed to ¡°tread the water¡±? What the hell am I supposed to do? On top of all that, that residence¡¯s retainers are former Lucent people, so even if I say the truth, who knows if they¡¯ll believe me¡­¡±

    Some former Lucent retainers were invested in making Tiera the figurehead of the n¡¯s revival, after all. From their point of view, the Lc¡¯s actions would be easily thought to mean that they wanted to use Tiera for their own goals. Herald was so irritated that he managed to raise his voice while whispering, a rather impressive feat.

    ¡°What about me, then? I was her fiance and couldn¡¯t even protect her. If she wanted to take revenge, I¡¯d be the first in line! If this would give her some relief, that¡¯d be fine, though.¡±

    Orlean agreed with Herald¡¯s idea that honestly bowing their heads and petition Tiera¡¯s assistance was better, then said his piece.

    ¡°What are you saying, you idiot. I did greet her officially as representative of the Lc, and I can tell that she¡¯s not that kind of woman. The guys who escorteddy Tiera to the purification said they started crying just by watching her do it! Someone with that kind of power isn¡¯t going to feel any relief by killing you, man.¡±

    Unbeknownst to Shin, Tiera¡¯s reputation had been on the rise. He had seen her purification before, but did not recall being moved to the point of tears. He wondered what could have ever happened.

    ¡°I know that already. I just regret what happened that much. That is why I want to cooperate with her as much as I can, but she¡¯s always being watched. If I said anything like that, they¡¯ll go straight to father to report. We¡¯re already butting heads about how they¡¯re treating Tiera¡­in the worst case I won¡¯t be free to act anymore either. It wasn¡¯t so bad before, but fathertely is acting really strangely.¡±

    ¡°Should we speed up the n?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to know as much as possible about what father is trying to do. Besides, the Lc warrior chiefs are still mostly on father¡¯s side. At least the majority follows the head as warriors protecting the country and the World Tree, though.¡±

    The conversation was getting more and more suspicious and Shin could not shake an increasingly bad feeling. Their speech suggested that they might be nning something like a coup d¡¯etat.

    More than anything, the fact that Tiera was being watched was a problem. Shin was sure that there was no such person when they were together. She was possibly followed only when she went to purify the World Tree.

    (So this guy is Tiera¡¯s former fiance? The one who proposed to her as soon as they met¡­)

    Shin¡¯s impression of Orlean changed a bit after hearing their conversation. He seemed to have several doubts about the current situation, and the same could be said about Herald. Based on their words, it was clear that they had other coborators too.

    The proposal too seemed to serve the purpose of having Tiera, who had returned stronger than ever, be taken in by the Luderia n, the most powerful faction at the moment, and to protect her from the n head.

    ¡°It was a mistake to let the Luderia be the most powerful n for all this time. But those who know about the World Tree are aware that the Luderia are up to no good¡­hell, your father doesn¡¯t even try to hide ittely, does he?¡±

    ¡°It might be because their preparations areplete. But I really have no idea about what he¡¯s trying to do. Even if I¡¯m next in line for the n head position, I only oversee very little of the n¡¯s activities¡­ just stuff that anyone else could do. He¡¯s definitely acting strange, but I have no idea what changed him and he won¡¯t tell me anything about his ns. It¡¯s really frustrating.¡±

    Shin nodded to himself as he kept following the two and organizing the information he gathered. There seemed to be a rift between the Luderia¡¯s current head and the next in line, Orlean. The current head and his closest retainers were up to something.

    Judging from his words, Orlean was keen on earnestly protecting the World Tree. Herald was a childhood friend of his, that¡¯s why they spoke so frankly. He too seemed to think that taking care of the World Tree was his mission.

    Drawing Tiera within their family was the n head¡¯s intention, but Herald too was of the opinion that Tiera¡¯s powers were necessary to keep the Luderia in check and protect the World Tree at the same time.

    Part of the Luderia n was also involved in suspicious activities, so he believed that for Tiera it would be safer to be with the Lc, which bore the same role as World Tree caretaker n.

    ¡°See ya. Better think of a better invitation next time.¡±

    ¡°Like I need you to tell me. You better talk smarter next time too.¡±

    The two elves¡¯ whispered conversation stopped there. They acted like they quarreled again, then went their separate ways. Shin considered following one of them, but realized that they wouldn¡¯t talk about important information by themselves, so he stopped following them.

    In any case, he had already gathered information that had to be reflected upon.

    ¡°So the Luderia¡¯s next head sees this situation as bizarre¡­¡±

    ¡°Is the World Tree in danger because of the same cause?¡±

    ¡°If the boss of the caretakers is up to something, it would be strange if it was unrted.¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s suspicion was well-founded. Shin sighed: there was surely going to be trouble before the situation could be solved.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 15: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    About one hour after Shin and Yuzuha returned to the residence, they were talking with Shibaid when they hear a loud bang.

    ¡°Tiera and the others are back.¡±

    ¡°In a foul mood too, I doubt they will have good things to report.¡±

    The bang they had heard was the sound of the doors being thrown open.

    ¡°Yuzuha, let¡¯s talk about what you said before when this business is taken care of. With Filma and the others too.¡±

    Yuzuha had avoided mentioning it to Schnee and Tiera, but it would not be good to hide it. Some members were also elsewhere, so they decided to discuss it again when everyone was gathered. Shibaid nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal, as Tiera and Schnee approached their room, with footsteps much more agitated than usual.

    ¡°Wee back. Permission¡­wasn¡¯t granted, I guess?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s foul mood didn¡¯t need an exnation. She was clearly still holding back her anger.

    ¡°Oh yes, exactly! For heaven¡¯s sake! ¡°Mere humans cannot be trusted¡±, they say! You¡¯re the ones who don¡¯t deserve any trust!! Making Lymliss work so hard while you sit back!!¡±

    Since she was surrounded by Shin andpanions, Tiera let all her anger out. She had never shown such seething rage.

    ¡°Okay, okay, calm down now. Even if I am a priestess¡¯ acquaintance, it¡¯s hard to trust someone right away, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too, but¡­they never even met you, yet say things like ¡°he¡¯s probably deceiving you¡± or ¡°there can¡¯t be someone like that other than us¡±¡­aah, I¡¯m getting irritated just thinking about it!!¡±

    ording to Tiera, the area around a World Tree was a sacred ce for elves, where other races were not allowed to enter. The current situation, however, was an emergency. Even with Tiera here, all they could do was stall the contamination.

    Tiera tried to persuade them that it wasn¡¯t the time to worry about things like that, but they found it doubtful that Shin was really knowledgeable about the World Tree.

    ¡°I get why it makes you angry, but it¡¯s pretty normal for them to find it suspicious. The World Tree is not something a human would normally learn about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s..! That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess we should have them ask me a question that only someone with actual knowledge could respond, reply correctly and go on from there. If they ask where I¡¯ve learned it from, just say that I was trained by a High Elf.¡±

    If that didn¡¯t work, the only way left was to sneak in. Lanapacea was Tiera¡¯s hometown and housed the World Tree, an existence vital for the whole world, so Shin wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible. As long as the World Tree problem was taken care of, no matter what the elves said or did, they just needed to hightail it out of there, or so Shin thought. If they could, of course.

    ¡°It would be easy if they were convinced like that.¡±

    ¡°Did you reveal Schnee¡¯s name, by the way? With her support, they have to be more careful with their words, no?¡±

    ¡°We did, but this was the result. Without master, they wouldn¡¯t have even listened to us, I guess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.wow.¡±

    Were they being extremely careful because of the gravity of the situation, or were they simply distrustful of other species? Based on the information he had, Shin leaned towards thetter option. If it wasn¡¯t for the World Tree, he would definitely steer clear.

    ¡°Well, regardless of whether they trust us or not, what we have to do doesn¡¯t change. Let¡¯s start making preparations.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t checked the World Tree yet, how can we prepare?¡±

    ¡°For starters, I¡¯ll prepare the countermeasures to the symptoms I know of. The special nutrient ¡ºHealer EX¡» to give energy to the World Tree, the magic circle ¡ºEraser EX¡» to reinforce its purification abilities, then the magic crystal ¡ºEmpower EX¡» to lessen the damage caused by impurity. With these three, it should be more resistant to impurity.¡±

    In the game, just one of them was enough to create sufficient effects. Using all three should be enough to resurrect withering World Trees. They should work in this world too, so Shin decided to use them all without reserve.

    ¡°Healer, Eraser, Empower¡­one of them has a pretty ominous name¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget about the names¡­I didn¡¯t choose them, just so that we¡¯re clear. I haven¡¯t used them in this world yet, so I¡¯m not sure how effective they will be, but they should work as intended.¡±

    Shin looked through his item box and took out items he didn¡¯t use during their events. He had 2 Healer EX, 2 Empower EX and 1 Eraser EX.

    Healer EX was used by nting the nutrient case into the ground.

    Eraser EX, a magic circle sticker, was to be applied directly to the trunk.

    Empower EX was a magic crystal to be buried near the roots.

    ¡°I should craft some too.¡±

    Items created in this world might have different effects than the ones created in the game era. Shin decided to make some more, just in case.

    Eraser EX and Empower EX had simple production processes, the former required one to draw a magic circle and thetter to attach a certain enchantment, but the liquid Healer EX needed a bit more work.

    ¡°If you want to materialize Tsuki no Hokora we can do it in the inner garden, but it¡¯ll stand out.¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re pretty simple to make, I don¡¯t need Tsuki no Hokora for these.¡±

    Shin made sure no one was around and took out several metal fragments and 2 ss bottles from the item box. One of them contained a semi-transparent silver liquid, the other a golden liquid.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. That silver liquid¡­is that World Tree sap¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you noticed? As expected of a World Tree priestess. This golden liquid is elixir, these fragments are orichalcum and scarletite minerals. They¡¯re small because they¡¯re leftovers from crafting. I¡¯ll also use a magic steel alloy I created for Healer EX.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­you¡¯re going to use materials from a World Tree to heal it? Isn¡¯t that weird?¡±

    Tiera stopped Shin as he was listing the ingredients. She found it bizarre to use materials from the World Tree to cure it.

    ¡°On the contrary, they¡¯re necessary. The sap allows the World Tree to more easily absorb the medicine. Normally you would first use medicine without it, heal the tree to a point, then make medicine with it. If possible, I¡¯d like to use the sap from the sick World Tree, so acquire some if you can.¡±

    Shin then gave an empty ss bottle in card form to Tiera. He had some items in stock from past events, so he would use them this time.

    Shin mixed gold and silver with skill and dropped the fragments inside. Like ice inside water, the metal fragments melted and the liquid turned a pale green color. The container changed too, transforming into a thin vial about 20 cemel long.

    ¡°And it¡¯s done. We just need to nt it in the soil near the tree.¡±

    It looked just like a nt nutrient vial for home use, mayberger than normal. The liquid would be automatically absorbed by the ground, so there was no need to do anything after setting it.

    ¡°Then, the other two¡­one, two, three¡­done.¡±

    Without the slightest bit of tension, Shin created the other items. He made some spares and gave them to Tiera too.

    ¡°I know I should feel grateful, but you make it all seem so simple¡­well, as expected of Shin.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    Shin lightly poked Tiera for her ungrateful remark, then exined in detail how to use the items. He would be more than happy to be able to avoid the elves¡¯ inspection.

    ¡°Okay, duly noted. I doubt they will allow you in the holy area anytime soon, so I¡¯ll test these first.¡±

    ¡°Please do. Honestly, I hope they¡¯ll be enough to close the case.¡±

    That way, there would be no need to go through all the trouble to enter the elves¡¯ holynd. As long as the World Tree problem was solved, there was no need to worry about appearances. Even if the n head was up to no good showed up, they just needed to give him a good pounding. Any trouble that followed could be left to the next head, Orlean, to handle.

    ¡°By the way, do you and Lymliss go purify the World Tree at fixed hours?¡±

    ¡°We do it twice a day now, once in the morning and once at night. It takes energy to purify it, so we can¡¯t do it many times a day. It takes less of a toll on me now¡­or rather, I¡¯m stronger now, so I can still move after, but there¡¯s Lymliss too, so¡­¡±

    Tiera added that this pace was very close to Lymliss¡¯ limits.

    ¡°Her purification powers aren¡¯t weak at all, the impurity is just too thick. Now that we do it together, the burden on her should be a lot lighter. As I said before, when I arrived I found her in a state that¡­it would have been lethal for her to continue.¡±

    The ability to purify hailed from a holy power, but it was still used by people. Their energy was not limitless.

    One more reason for Tiera¡¯s anger towards the Luderia was that they forced Lymliss to continue purifying the World Tree despite her state.

    ¡°I know that only priestesses have the ability to purify, but isn¡¯t there anyone that can provide support? Just using ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ on the priestess would help a lot, I think.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no one like that, unfortunately. There are 2 guards, for whatever reason. Priestesses don¡¯t use magic power for purification, but something close to life force. You know, I tried using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on Lymliss and noticed that the magic power indicators, ¡°MP¡±, right? They hadn¡¯t decreased much. Well, they were a little less than the max value, but in spite of that she was really spent. I tried it on myself too, and they hadn¡¯t decreased much either.¡±

    Skills like ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ could not restore the energy spent for purification.

    ¡°HP is supposed to stand for life force, but I¡¯m not sure what they actually are either. Hmm, purification doesn¡¯t use magic power, huh¡­we can¡¯t use MP transfer skills in case of emergencies, then.¡±

    ¡°You can do that? But yes, we couldn¡¯t drink ethers while purifying anyway.¡±

    To purify while doing other things -even just drinking a bit of a potion- would be very difficult.

    ¡°It¡¯s not in the list, but it¡¯s probably a skill or something. It¡¯s a sacred activity, so if it could be done easily it would take away a lot from it, I guess¡­¡±

    As skills were based on patterns, Shin thought that the same probably worked for purification too. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if there were conditions for its activation.

    ¡°Anyway, I did everything I can at the moment.¡±

    ¡°We have to wait for the Luderia to contact us or until the next purification. We could also move on our own, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Conceal ourselves and sneak in the Luderia house?¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯sment, in a joking tone, with the proposal that hade up several times in conversation already. He considered it again, thinking it could be worth it. They could manage to learn what the Luderia n head was actually up to.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°¡­.no, let¡¯s wait until the next purification. We might be able to sneak in without being spotted, but they are the World Tree caretakers. They might have set up rms we are not aware of, using the powers of the World Tree. If intruders were detected the same day visitors came from the outside world, we would be suspected right away and Tiera¡¯s standing would get worse. Let¡¯s give it some time.¡±

    The World Tree still had many unknowns even for Shin. It would be harder to move freely if they were distrusted any further, so they decided to wait. That was also the reason why he had not followed Orlean into his residence.

    ¡°So, we should gather information for now?¡±

    ¡°Right. Information about the World Tree is restricted, but we might find out something about the Luderia or the Lc. By the way, while you two were away, elves from the Lc and Luderia came here. I followed them for a while and found out that¡ª¡±

    The timing was right, so Shin told Schnee and the rest about what he heard from Orlean and Herald.

    ¡°That Orlean is the elf that proposed to me, there¡¯s no mistake. But who would think things were like that¡­well, now that I think about it, to propose the moment he met me, after all these years, was quite bizarre.¡±

    ¡°He wanted you at his side to protect you, I suppose. What Shin heard isn¡¯t enough to exin it, however. Based on how they talked, whoever was following them in secret must have been sent by the n head.¡±

    Shin had suspected as much. The two elves knew they were followed, so they pretended to fight as they talked. If they were quarrelling, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to go in the same direction at the same pace. If Shin hadn¡¯t heard their whispered conversation, he too would have thought that they were too invested in their fight and lost sight of the surroundings.

    ¡°It might be worth it to contact them. There¡¯s information I might not be able to find by myself, though¡­what about Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°As Tiera¡¯spanion, I can manage a mundane conversation with them, but I doubt we could delve deeper.¡±

    Schnee could probably have an easier time talking with them. High elves and elves looked practically the same. For Shin and Shibaid, human and dragnil, it wouldn¡¯t be easy though.

    ¡°There¡¯s merit in trying. Insider information about Lanapacea is very important for us right now.¡±

    Shin and Schnee could investigate them while concealing themselves. Even if Orlean and Herald were always being watched, they wouldn¡¯t be found.

    ¡°I can help with information gathering too. Or rather, the people aiming to resurrect the Lucent n will talk even without me asking¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a really important source? Some of them work for the Luderia, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but only the elders and people of high rank know the really important things. I heard that they¡¯re even more secretive since I returned. The former Lucent retainers are never assigned important tasks, anyway.¡±

    Either they didn¡¯t trust the Lucent retainers or simply trusted no one outside their own n. The former was more likely, as they suspected they could be spies. They were already leaking information, so their suspicion was legitimate after all.

    ¡°Tiera and I will start gathering information, then.¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, we should¡­hm?¡±

    Shin was thinking of concealing his presence and going into town to eavesdrop¡­gather information, when a message icon shed at the edge of his sight.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I received a message. The sender is¡­Lilish?¡±

    Shin wondered for a moment who that was, then recalled the elf cleric who helped them in Palmirack, during the Holy Woman rescue. She was the one who told Shin what it meant for an elf to form a party with someone of the opposite gender and another species.

    ¡°Is it something urgent?¡±

    ¡°Just one moment¡­ well¡­¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid, then scanned the message. The message stated that the elven girl that was found imprisoned in the room of ¡°pig cardinal¡± Bulk had finally regained consciousness. It also said that she had to return to Lanapacea.

    ¡°Could it be that the girl is the missing priestess?¡±

    Pulling the strings behind the cardinal were the demons: the Lanapacea priestess was also said to have been kidnapped by demons.

    The elf also said that she had to return to Lanapacea, so she was very likely the kidnapped Lc priestess.

    ¡°That girl¡­she was born after I was gone, so it¡¯s no wonder I didn¡¯t recognize her.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell if another elf is a priestess like you?¡±

    ¡°Some can, but not me. She was corrupted by miasma at the time, so I doubt I would have noticed even if I had that talent.¡±

    Being able to tell if others had the same power apparently depended from person to person.

    ¡°If that girl is really a priestess, then¡­I know it sounds strange to say this, but how can she be still alive? While they attacked me with that crazed look in their eyes¡­¡±

    Tiera was probably recalling the two demons they had battled at the Summit Faction¡¯s hideout, Adara and Scoruas. Shin thought about it too.

    It was true that as soon as they perceived Tiera¡¯s powers, they ignored Shin and others to target her. In that case, they would not have kidnapped the priestess, but killed her on the spot.

    ¡°It could be that when they kidnapped her they could seal her powers, or she was so weak they could not feel them. I do not know who kidnapped her, but, if it was by demons, any rank would be very dangerous. Even a priestess could not defend against a demon by herself. If she was kept alive, it has to be because they had something nned.¡±

    Even if the priestess was escorted, depending on the demons¡¯ rank, a martial strength on Schnee or Shibaid¡¯s level was needed to put up a fight. Shin agreed that it was pretty much impossible for someone from this world to do that.

    ¡°The sooner we bring her back, the better. But if they ask how we brought her back, we can¡¯t answer.¡±

    Lilish and the elf girl are in Palmirack, one of Rokuten¡¯s guild houses. Even without using Tsuki no Hokora, they could use a teleport crystal to bring her there instantly. Shin had prepared some for situations when Tsuki no Hokora was problematic to use -like now- or when they physically couldn¡¯t materialize it. If they registered the current location, it was easy to go back and forth from one point to another.

    If Shin¡¯s group, just arrived in Lanapacea, showed up with the kidnapped priestess out of nowhere, a huge scandal would definitely erupt. If they arrived together they could say they escorted her there, but Shin and Schnee had entered the vige by themselves. They would be hard-pressed to answer where the girl hade from.

    ¡°The people here know of crystals with teleportation enchantments. We could say that she was weakened and we left her somewhere to recuperate, nning to teleport herter, what do you think? Knowing how important priestesses are, it wouldn¡¯t sound strange to use a precious teleport crystal for one, I think.¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement to Schnee¡¯s proposal. If they were questioned as to why they hadn¡¯t mentioned it in the first ce, they could say that they were concerned they wouldn¡¯t be trusted. The fact that Schnee was together with Shin also contributed to the credibility of the story.

    ¡°What incredible timing, though¡­¡±

    Shin recalled what Yuzuha said. Thinking that this event might have been caused by the power inside him made him feel conflicted. The timing was perfect for them. Too perfect.

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Kind of. I¡¯ll tell everyone once this is over, Filma and Sety included.¡±

    Shin said he wanted to prioritize the priestess. With 3 priestesses, the purification of the World Tree might progress as well.

    ¡°Understood. I will go gather information then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask about the purification.¡±

    ¡°Okay, see youter.¡±

    Shin left the information gathering to Schnee and Tiera, replied to Lilish¡¯s message, then teleported to Palmirack with Shibaid and Yuzuha. They arrived in Palmirack¡¯s heart, the control room. They hadn¡¯t told Lilish they could ess it, so they concealed themselves with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and re-entered from the main entrance.

    They found a female elf with pale green hair and brown eyes waiting for them: the sender of the message, Lilish.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. You arrived really soon, were you in the vicinity?¡±

    ¡°Yes, something like that. So, about your message¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, we should take care of that first. This way, please.¡±

    Lilish led the group to a sector where personal rooms were lined up, then knocked on the door of one of them. Inside there was a young female elf, wearing apprentice cleric robes.

    Green hair cut at shoulder height and nted, pale green eyes. She gave a rather strong-willed impression. In human years, she would be in her mid teens.

    ¡°Ehm, who are these guests?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the people who rescued you, as I told you before.¡±

    ¡°I see. You have my gratitude for that.¡±

    The young elf stood up from her chair and bowed her head. After raising it again, she politely and firmly introduced herself.

    ¡°My name is Lina Lc.¡±

    ¡°I am Shin, this is my partner Yuzuha.¡±

    ¡°My name is Shibaid.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group entered the room and introduced themselves in turn.

    ¡°Er, is anything the matter?¡±

    Shin inquired about the reason why Lina was staring so intently. Even before saying her name, her eyes had been fixated on him.

    ¡°No, just¡­¡±

    Lina did not give a clear answer and her words trailed off halfway. She nced at Lilish a couple times.

    ¡°Lilish, we n to bring her back to Lanapacea as soon as possible, would that be alright?¡±

    From Lina¡¯s expression and nces, Shin supposed that she could not talk if Lilish was around, so he moved the situation along.

    ¡°Lina¡¯s condition is not bad, I think, but she just regained consciousness. I fear that such a long journey would take its toll on her.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m alright. I am not really sure why, but I feel in a very good form. I would like to request their assistance in bringing me back.¡±

    Lilish was worried about Lina, but thetter said she was fine and Shin added that they will not push her too much, so she relented. Preparations were done quickly: Lina had no personal belongings, she just had the clothes the church had supplied her.

    Shin would provide both food and transportation, so all that was left was for Lina to go.

    ¡°Leave the rest to us, then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. Please take this too.¡±

    Shin materialized a horse carriage and climbed on the coachman¡¯s seat, when Lilish gave him a stack of paper.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    ¡°The documents about Sacred ces I mentioned to you previously. We could not gather extensive information, though.¡±

    Lilish had evidently prepared to give them to Shin right away. He turned the papers into items and ced them in his box.

    ¡°Thank you for your help. We will depart now, then.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee withdy Yuki and everyone next time. You will always be wee.¡±

    Shin¡¯s horse carriage left, under Lilish¡¯s gaze. Kagerou was not with them, so Yuzuha pulled it.

    ¡°Lady Lina, it looks like you wanted to say something. Could we hear it now?¡±

    After putting some distance from Palmirack, Shin talked to Lina. Judging from her behavior when Lilish was present, Shin thought that she hadn¡¯t revealed the fact that she was a World Tree priestess.

    ¡°You are my savior, there is no need for titles or polite speech with me. There is something I wish to know¡­who are you, exactly?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that, then. I¡¯m sorry to answer a question with another question, but, concretely speaking, what do you want to know?¡±

    Shin was not sure what to answer her, so he asked a question instead.

    ¡°I can feel a faint aura of the World Tree from you. Besides, despite being a Human you also have magic power of other species within you. The Dragnil and monster with you are unusual too, but you are exceptionally so. Also¡­it¡¯s hard to exin, but I feel overwhelming power from you. Are you really a human being?¡±

    Lina was evidently at a loss. Her tone changed more than once as she talked.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m a human being. About the aura, maybe it¡¯s because one of myrades is a World Tree priestess. As for the reason why there¡¯s a mix of magic power within me, that I don¡¯t know. But my priestesspanion told me the same thing.¡±

    Shin replied while thinking that the mixture of magic power was because he was a High Human who performed several resurrections in the game era.

    ¡°Anyway, it was brave of you to juste with us like that. We helped you, sure, but it doesn¡¯t mean we can be trusted, right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go back to Lanapacea by myself, and if I told the church my reasons for having to go back urgently, I would be making a risky gamble.¡±

    ¡°A gamble?¡±

    With the church¡¯s assistance, it would be possible to travel back to Lanapacea much more safely and quickly than doing so alone.

    ¡°If I wanted to return as quickly as possible, I would need to talk about my circumstances. But speaking about the World Tree is extremely dangerous. It is a very precious source of materials and there are those who wish to obtain its powers. When strength is within their grasp, people will always reach for it. However, if I did nothing, the World Tree might fall into ruin.¡±

    ¡°Thirst for power¡­I cannot deny that. But more importantly¡­the World Tree is in such grave danger?¡±

    Shibaid had been silently listening to Lina, but could not help but react to her final words.

    ¡°Lina¡¯s words aren¡¯t far from the truth, yeah.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t participate in those events, right Shibaid? It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t know. If all World Trees fall into ruin, are cut down, or for any reason disappear, a world-ending catastrophe will happen.¡±

    Shin recalled about the game and recounted his memories without thinking. Only after noticing the silence that followed he realized it.

    ¡°Hey? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Well, you said all that so naturally, that¡­¡±

    ¡°I wonder that too. It¡¯s supposed to be a secret revealed only to priestesses.¡±

    Shin then realized his mistake.

    The world destruction event that happened in-game had been caused by certain yers cutting down all World Trees. In a way, it was a disaster caused by human hand. yers fought together to protect the major cities, but the damage was massive nheless. In the game, it was nothing but a secret event, though.

    In the game, the ¡°end of the world¡± only meant that buildings, etc. were damaged and yers received penalties for dying, but naturally no one actually died. In this world, however, it wouldn¡¯t go like that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say why I know, at least for now. But it¡¯s true that we wish to bring you back to Lanapacea. One of ourpanions and Lymliss are currently working hard to purify the World Tree. You are the kidnapped Lc priestess, right?¡±

    ¡°So you knew.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. We used a bit of a trick toe to pick you up. We will do the same to go back. I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions, but our goal is to heal the World Tree. If possible, I would like you to cooperate with us once we return to Lanapacea.¡±

    Lina was quiet for some time, then nodded. She had made her decision, apparently.

    ¡°Understood. Let me ask onest thing, then. Your World Tree priestesspanion, is that Tiera Lucent?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, that¡¯s right. The cursed and banished priestess. Let me tell you first that the curse has been dispelled, though. Monsters won¡¯t invade Lanapacea like that.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so. It¡¯s her, after all¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know Tiera?¡±

    Shin thought it strange that Lina seemed sure that hispanion was Tiera, even if they were both World Tree priestesses.

    ¡°The elder told me about her. One of the most powerful priestesses in history, banished from the vige because of a curse. That¡¯s not the only reason, though. If you know what kind of abilities World Tree priestesses have, I¡¯m sure you can guess?¡±

    Lina implied that if they really werepanions, they should know already.

    ¡°The abilities World Tree priestesses have?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My ability is ¡¾irvoyance¡¿. I can see any location under the influence of the World Tree¡¯s powers, no matter how far it may be. I can also speak with the deceased, albeit only a little.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment. Is it really alright to tell us so much? We¡¯re not from Lanapacea, you know that.¡±

    Shin was surprised to hear Lina talk about her powers in such detail. Shibaid did not say anything, but looked at her with suspicion too.

    Despite Shin¡¯s words and Shibaid¡¯s gaze, Lina¡¯s expression became unexpectedly softer.

    ¡°Actually, because of this power, I already knew that I could trust you both. Palmirack was apparently built over a Ley line, so I could use my powers a bit.¡±

    Through the ability tomunicate with the deceased, Lina learned that Shin and Shibaid could be trusted.

    ¡°The souls of the dead¡­could you tell us who that was?¡±

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know, unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    All Lina could tell was that it was an elf connected to the World Tree priestesses¡¯ lineage. Lina¡¯s ability could tell that it was the truth, so she trusted Shin¡¯s group. The soul that told her about Shin, however, never mentioned their name. ording to Lina, however, that wasn¡¯t unusual.

    ¡°To go all the way to tell you about us¡­did something happen to the World Tree?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­it could be a situation so dire that the assistance of a far away priestess was needed.¡±

    Shin quietly prayed that the items he gave to Tiera could be effective.

    ¡°Okay, I guess it¡¯s time. Yuzuha, change routes.¡±

    As they talked, Shin noticed that there were not many people or carriages around them, so he told Yuzuha to head to the forest. It was an unnatural change of direction, but Lina did not say anything. Even if the World Tree had told her about Shin, he couldn¡¯t help but think that she was being too trusting.

    ¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s one more thing I need to confirm, do you mind?¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°About when you were kidnapped. The demons we encountered in the past tried to kill Tiera the instant they realized she was a World Tree priestess. Why did they let you live?¡±

    They knew that Lina had been kidnapped by demons because of the traces left. It was all very unnatural.

    ¡°I believe that they meant to use my powers. My ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ cannot hurt others, but depending on its usage, it can be a powerful threat. I can¡¯t do it myself, but it is told that in the past one could see the whole world with it. It was possible to see all the secrets people wished to hide.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty different from the ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ skill¡­ so the demons found it worth using, and had found a way too.¡±

    Lina said that she willingly absorbed miasma within herself to fall into a kind ofa and prevent them from manipting her. They kept her alive because they could manipte her even in that state or she was still worth using in other ways.

    ¡°If you go back to Lanapacea, will the demonse for you again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. It was so powerful that I couldn¡¯t even resist for an instant.¡±

    ¡°¡­.are you okay?¡±

    Shin noticed that Lina¡¯s arms, crossed in front of her chest, trembled a little. She acted like everything was okay, but she had been kidnapped by monsters and almost died. It was impossible for her not to be afraid.

    ¡°Sir Shin, you are cooperating withdy Tiera, but not with the Luderia n, is that right?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yes, that¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t met him yet, but we¡¯ve heard rumors that the Luderia n head is up to no good. I¡¯m thinking of finding out the truth about that too.¡±

    ¡°¡­in that case¡­after we return to Lanapacea, could I stay with you for a while?¡±

    Shin looked at Shibaid. If the missing Lc priestess returned, all of Lanapacea would surely know of it instantly. Even if the Luderia head was plotting something, the Lc had enough clout for him to put his ns into action easily.

    The risk of Lina being attacked by demons was still present, however. Shin concluded that Lina hade up with that proposal after considering what she should do.

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that staying with us is safe, though.¡±

    Shin stopped the carriage, turned it into a card and answered Lina. The card slipped into his shirt¡¯s pocket¡­actually, the item box.

    ¡°They say my detection abilities are the highest in the history of priestesses. I can tell that you all- sir Shin, sir Shibaid,dy Yuzuha- are more powerful than the demon who attacked me. This is why I wish to ask for your assistance, until the n head is captured.¡±

    Lina then prostrated herself. Shin was surprised by her disregard for her hands and clothes turning dirty because of the soil and mud.

    ¡°What¡¯s with you, all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°I¡­have seen it. I have seen the head of the Luderia n¡­dealing with demons. The reason why I was attacked was probably that I saw that scene through my ¡¾irvoyance¡¿. I want to do something about the World Tree¡­but I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    Lina talked with a very feeble voice. The feelings she had been holding back gushed out. Her slender shoulders trembled.

    ¡°¡­.I see, that was also meant to keep you quiet.¡±

    Proof of the n head¡¯s wrongdoings came up from an unexpected source. From Lanapacea, located right at the foot of the World Tree, even the n head¡¯s private rooms were visible to ¡¾irvoyance¡¿.

    If Lina spoke the truth, they couldn¡¯t let the n head run free. There was even the possibility that Tiera was being attacked right now.

    ¡°You can rest easy. We aren¡¯t going to leave you to fend for yourself, not at this point.¡±

    Shinid a hand on Lina¡¯s shaking shoulders and raised her head. She had to be really terrified: her eyes were gleaming with tears.

    ¡°Will you¡­help me?¡±

    Lina¡¯s tears did not suggest she was acting at all. Her eyes still showed the struggle between her will to aplish her mission and the terror she felt.

    ¡°Leave it to us. Even if a duke demon pops up, we¡¯re bringing them down.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin, Shibaid and Yuzuha all nodded confidently.

    For the sake of the world? To erase impurity?

    It was a mystery that, rather than such lofty ideals, fighting to help theirrade, who strove to fulfill her duty despite being banished, and to wipe the tears of a terrified girl made them much more motivated.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 15: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Okay, now that the terms of our alliance have been set, let¡¯s teleport.¡±

    Shin waited for Lina to stop crying, then made preparations for the teleportation. She seemed a bit embarrassed to have lost control, so her face was still red.

    ¡°Teleport?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a secret technique that allows you to go to a faraway ce instantly. It¡¯s attached to this crystal. With this, we can go to Lanapacea in a second. We¡¯d stand out if we used it in an open space, so we waited till we reached a more secluded ce, like here.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why we went to a forest. I was wondering what was going on¡­.er, sir.¡±

    Lina awkwardly turned up the politeness of her tone. She seemed to have suddenly noticed that she was speaking casually.

    ¡°I am sorry, I was a bit out of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I¡¯m just a no-name adventurer, so feel free to speak as you like. You only need to worry about that when there are other people around.¡±

    Shin made up the fact that it would be bad if a World Tree priestess addressed him too politely and told Lina to adopt a more casual tone. They would be fighting together to heal the World Tree and bring down the Luderia n head, so he honestly didn¡¯t want her to treat him with such restraint.

    Shin also personally disliked being treated with respect and admiration because of his strength.

    ¡°Ok, so, er, thanks.¡±

    Lina awkwardly lowered her head to Shin, who nodded.

    ¡°Ok, ready to go.¡±

    Shin infused the crystal with magic power. The attached spell properly activated and the next instant Shin¡¯s group was in the Lanapacea residence.

    ¡°Wow, we really are in Lanapacea¡­¡±

    Lina seemed to know about the residence: she looked around the room and realized they were back in Lanapacea. From how she looked around, however, she seemed a bit confused all the same.

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re back.¡±

    Schnee and Tiera were in the residence too: they probably detected their return. The door opened and they entered the room.

    ¡°You¡¯re back. A bit too quick, no?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the next purification. I haven¡¯t got much information, but I wanted to tell master at least.¡±

    Tiera managed to acquire new information, albeit only a little.

    ¡°So this is the girl Lilish wrote about. I am Tiera Lucent. How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°M-my name is Lina Lc. I¡¯m honestly surprised, but I feel really good!¡±

    Tiera knew what Lina had gone through, so she talked to her with a warm smile. Lina had noticed Tiera even before thetter introduced herself, so she replied with a rather excited tone.

    ¡°Is the miasma not affecting her anymore?¡±

    ¡°It surely doesn¡¯t look like that. She probably recovered because we made her drink an elixir. She also said that the World Tree used its powers for her.¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯s whispered question with what he heard from Lina.

    ¡°Past priestesses told her about you¡­? Well, I suppose a priestess could do something like that¡­I wonder who she was, though.¡±

    ¡°A priestess?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not too rare for priestesses to be able to speak with the dead. The current situation is pretty unique, though. I can¡¯t help but think that there must be a reason why she was chosen.¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s right. If a random priestess had been chosen, like in a game, it wouldn¡¯t sit right at all.¡±

    Shin and the others didn¡¯t know who the elf that Lina saw was, though. Lina had told them about the elf¡¯s facial features, but as expected she was very beautiful, which did not help to narrow down the options. She had silver hair and green eyes, abination that was not unusual among elves.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that she doesn¡¯t seem to have unique features¡­since she contacted Lina from her side, it¡¯s difficult to call her from this side too.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t pinpoint exactly which spirit to channel either, it just can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Tiera said that even if she could speak with the dead, she couldn¡¯t do it with just anyone unconditionally.

    ¡°If a disaster is approaching, someone with the ability to counter it appears; tomunicate with the remaining family, someone from the same family is necessary. Calling the perfect person to do such things isn¡¯t something I can do, but I heard that past priestesses had this ability.¡±

    As far as Tiera knew, only one of the World Tree priestesses ever had such an ability. She was a very powerful priestess, like Tiera.

    ¡°I see¡­well, if it¡¯s not possible, then that¡¯s that. If she everes in contact again, please ask for her name. We can¡¯t do anything special even if we know, but it¡¯s always better than not knowing.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    Lina nodded to Shin. Like before, she was unusually close to him.

    ¡°¡­.by the way, Shin. Lina¡¯s back safe and sound, so shouldn¡¯t we bring her to the Lc? Their authority and clout would be restored if she returned to them.¡±

    Schnee noticed Lina¡¯s attitude, her eyes narrowed and she voiced this doubt. She added that Lina would be given proper items to defend her from demons, of course.

    ¡°About that, well, before we came here I promised that she could stay with us.¡±

    If the Luderia n head, who was connected with the demons, knew that Lina was back, she would surely be attacked again.

    A demon that made deals with people was definitely high-ranked. In that case, the Lc n¡¯s fighting power was likely insufficient.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid things might get a bitplicated.¡±

    ¡°A bit? They¡¯re going to get *very*plicated.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    Shin had promised, partly, on the spur of the moment. Even if Lina was equipped with anti-demon items, as Schnee suggested, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything if others were attacked in her ce.

    In the orphanage, Millie had been given such items, but the demons took hostages, forcing her to remove the items herself. Lina had friends and family in Lanapacea: Shin¡¯s party couldn¡¯t protect them all. The items they provided could also potentially be handed to others or used in other ways.

    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped, then. Fortunately, among the Lc there are those whoment the current situation. If we contact them and exin the circumstances, further interference from the Lc n should be reduced.¡±

    ¡°The same goes for the Luderia. If we talk to Orlean, their movements should change a bit. Considering what Shin heard, they will probably get in contact with me when I head for the next purification.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party would not mention the n head¡¯s connection with the demons yet. If Orlean and Herald came to know, they -along with their allies- might resort to violent means.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the holy area now. What should we do with Lina?¡±

    ¡°Purifying the World Tree is our top priority, but I¡¯m thinking of trying the items first and bringing Lina next time too. They won¡¯t just let her in anyway, we would just start a ruckus.¡±

    The return of the kidnapped priestess would definitely be huge news for the vige. If she showed her purification powers no one would doubt she was the real Lina, but the Luderia n head was on the side of the perpetrators. In the worst case scenario, Shin¡¯s party could be used of the kidnapping.

    ¡°Herald is my older brother. If I talk to him, I¡¯m sure he will understand.¡±

    Shin mentioned what he heard from Herald and Orlean; Lina was slightly surprised, then said this.

    ¡°I guess we might go talk to them while Tiera goes to the purification. We need to sneak into their residence, but are there any traps we should watch out for?¡±

    Lina didn¡¯t know the extent of Shin¡¯s stealth abilities, which could make it hard for her to reply, so he erased his presence and turned invisible to show her an example. Lina¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°I think that they probably reinforced the security since I was kidnapped. I do not think that they would ever find you as you are now, sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°I guess we need to go actually go there to find out. Why the ¡®sir¡¯, though? You don¡¯t need to address me with titles.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±

    Lina¡¯s tone had be a bit more casual, thanks to Shin¡¯s attitude and atmosphere, but she clearly stated she couldn¡¯t address him without a title. Apparently, it was something she wouldn¡¯t budge on.

    She addressed not only Shin, but all party members in such a way. Shin had no strong preferences about that, so he let her do as she wanted.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move then. I¡¯ll go to the Lc with Lina.¡±

    ¡°I will apany you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha said that they would follow Shin.

    ¡°It would be suspicious if we all disappeared except Tiera. I shall remain here.¡±

    ¡°I will go the purification, as scheduled.¡±

    After deciding what they would do, Tiera left for the World Tree and Shin¡¯s group for the Lc residence. Since Lina was with them, they wouldn¡¯t risk getting lost.

    Shin concealed their presence with skills and proceeded via the vige¡¯s rooftops. Lina couldn¡¯t jump like them, so Yuzuha let her ride on her back. Proceeding without care for the streets, they could reach the residence in little to no time.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll find any nasty traps. Can you feel anything, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not detect any dangerous traps either. I believe we¡¯ll be fine as long as we are wary of people¡¯s eyes.¡±

    If the kunoichi Schnee said she didn¡¯t feel anything, they concluded there weren¡¯t any traps to worry about and jumped on the residence¡¯s roof. If they found a trap they couldn¡¯t detect, it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Right before entering the residence, Shin felt something pass through his body. He thought he might have triggered an rm, told Schnee and the others not to move and carefully scrutinized the surroundings, but no one inside the residence seemed to react.

    ¡°Was there a trap?¡±

    ¡°No, but I felt something pass through my body¡­¡±

    Lina said that she had no recollection of such traps. Thinking it might have been his imagination, Shin kept his guard up as they descended into the residence¡¯s garden.

    Guided by Lina, the group headed to Herald¡¯s private quarters, where they detected someone was present. ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ revealed that Herald was reading something in the room. He hadn¡¯t gone to see Tiera, evidently.

    They nned to leave a message if he wasn¡¯t there, but it was much more convenient for him to be present. Shin¡¯s group entered without a sound, closing the door behind them. Herald did not notice and continued looking at the letter he was holding.

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡°!? Who¡¯s there!?¡±

    Surprised by the sudden voice, Herald assumed a fighting pose and turned around. His pose showed that he was likely versed in martial arts.

    ¡°Wait! It¡¯s me, Lina!¡±

    Shin deactivated the skill and they became visible. Herald recognized her and his eyes opened wide.

    ¡°¡­what exactly is going on here?¡±

    ¡°You know that I was kidnapped by demons, right? These people saved me. But since Lanapacea is in an abnormal situation now, we decided to let you know that I was safe first.¡±

    ¡°Are you really Lina? No, ifdy Schnee is with you, I¡¯m sure you are, but¡­¡±

    Herald was confused, but as he talked with Lina he gradually recovered his cool. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes yet, to good reason: after all, his missing sister, who he didn¡¯t know whether was alive or dead, had suddenly appeared before him.

    ¡°Look, this should be proof enough.¡±

    Lina held her hands as in prayer and concentrated. Her body then started glowing in a faint light.

    ¡°The light of purification¡­you really are¡­Lina.¡±

    Herald staggered towards her, as if attracted by the light. When the light of purification, proof of Lina¡¯s identity, faded away, he hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Hey, b-brother!?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯m so d. You¡¯re alive¡­!¡±

    Herald, still hugging the squirming Lina, barely managed to put his feelings into words. He was clearly overjoyed that Lina was still alive. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

    ¡°Can we talk now?¡±

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait. You have my most heartfelt gratitude for saving Lina. I will never forget this debt as long as I live.¡±

    Herald bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude. His frank tone when talking to Lina was subdued, his speech extremely polite.

    ¡°So, what do you wish from me?¡±

    Herald raised his head and his expression turned serious. They happened to save Lina, who happened to be a World Tree priestess, so they brought her here¡­he knew things couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    Shin exined why Lina had been kidnapped and that she wished to stay together with them for a while.

    ¡°Considering such circumstances, I cannot possibly oppose you. I know of Lady Schnee¡¯s martial prowess: if she says so, sir Shin must be equally strong or even more. You are both far superior to me, but I can tell that you are strong. Our Lc n has warriors with special powers like Returned Ancestors, but I do not know how they would fare against demons. I am sure my sister would be more than sufficiently safe with you.¡±

    Though there were Chosen Ones in Lanapacea, most were chiefs of the warrior corps in charge of protecting the vige.

    Herald then told Shin¡¯s party what he knew of the current situation. Since he had saved Lina and Schnee was his ally, Herald found him worthy of trust.

    Herald¡¯s information included the fact that recent cases of missing persons happened frequently and some warrior chiefs¡¯ personalities suddenly changed drastically. Thanks to his rtively high rank in the country, he had gathered a fair amount of confidential intel.

    Shin was especially concerned by the information stating thattely, the n head had not shown himself to anyone. Whenever he spoke with someone, he did so through a curtain, so in thest few months, only a select handful of people had actually seen him.

    ¡°How was it during the audience, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°It was just like Herald said. The curtain was attached with an enchantment that neutralized all visual skills like ¡¾Analyze¡¿. That by itself is not too unusual, so I did not mention it.¡±

    Shin thought that some still existing game settings were probably involved. In the game, it was possible to block magic eye-type skills.

    Schnee had connections to Tiera, but she was still an outsider. Even if she was a well-known personage, they would still be wary around her. Among Magic Eye-type skills, there were some that could charm and manipte the target.

    In the game, Lords were often connected to such visual barrier items. One of the Lords¡¯ characteristics was having Magic Eye skills: in order not to be suspected of abusing such skills for evil deeds, they produced items that could neutralize them. This was true for NPCs in the game era, however, Shin did not know if it applied to this world as well.

    Schnee said that royals and nobles other than Lords often conducted audiences in that way. Other than Lords, Elves and some Beasts did, at the very least.

    ¡°Judging from the information we have, there might be a reason why he doesn¡¯t want to be seen.¡±

    Shin recalled the woman who had turned into an Invader he had fought in the church. The real n head could be already dead.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. If it¡¯s a fake, it wouldn¡¯t be strange that it stayed hidden to prevent being found out. It would also exin his strange behavior.¡±

    ¡°This is just a theory, though. He might be under someone¡¯s control, or¡­as much as I hate saying it, the probability that he¡¯s cooperating with them of his own volition is not zero.¡±

    Shin hoped for thisst probability to be a clear zero.

    ¡°We need to investigate more to be sure. Fortunately, the son of the Luderia n head is not pleased with the current situation either. He will let me know if he finds out anything, so I will let you know as soon as I can. Can I talk to Orlean, the son of the head chief, about you, sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°Lina ns to participate in the next purification, so I would like you to keep it a secret until then. I don¡¯t mean to suspect you, but Orlean might be under surveince. I want to avoid any risk that the n head discovers us.¡±

    Shin said that it was a possibility, but Orlean being under surveince was a fact. This would probably happen to Shin¡¯s group too, but as far as their detection field extended, it hadn¡¯t urred yet. They teleported back inside the residence and always concealed their presence when they were outside.

    Not even the elves working in the residence had seen them, so very few knew of Lina¡¯s return to Lanapacea. There was a chance the n head learned about their ns or other parties interfered, so they wanted to keep it a secret until right before the purification. If they were attacked they could just beat the assants back, but if they used their authority it wouldn¡¯t be so simple.

    ¡°Understood. I will keep this meeting a secret, then.¡±

    It would be risky to talk for too long. Theypleted their objective of informing Herald of Lina¡¯s safety, so they decided to go back to the residence. Before they did, Shin took out an item card from the box.

    It was a simple ne with glowing clear magic stones about 1 cemel in size. Shin gave it to Lina.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an essory enchanted with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and various defensive skills. Even if you are separated from us, with this you can hide your presence and buy enough time to flee. If you take it off the effects will disappear. I¡¯ll make sure at least one of us will always be with you, so I think everything will be alright, but take it just in case.¡±

    ¡°From the description, it looks like a national treasure¡­but okay¡­it¡¯s for my safety¡­for my safety.¡±

    When Shin lent it to Millie, he realized that the ne had a weakness: if the wearer removed it, its effects were lost. Shin had rearranged it to be active only when the registered person wore it, but in the end, it just served as insurance.

    Lina whispered to reassure herself and equipped the ne. Her detection abilities probably told her that the item she was so casually given could be astoundingly precious in that world.

    ¡°Hm? Someone¡¯sing.¡±

    Shin detected a presence and, from the map, noticed that it was heading straight for their room. No one had approached that room before, so he concealed them just in case.

    ¡°Lord Herald!! Lord Herald!!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Herald opened the door and talked with a panicking female elf. Apparently, the path leading to the World Tree had turned into a dungeon: they couldn¡¯t contact Tiera, Lymliss and the warriors that were escorting them anymore.

    ¡°What the¡­what happened to the warriors protecting the holy area?¡±

    ¡°They apparently suffered heavy casualties while fighting monsters when the dungeon appeared. The Luderia n has contacted all ns, to gather warriors in order to clear the dungeon. The elders have already started doing so, but¡­¡±

    The monsters in the dungeon were all over level 300, apparently. With enough numbers, it wasn¡¯t impossible to defeat them since, among the warriors, there were some who could even defeat such monsters on their own. However, there were simply too many monsters. There seemed to be even more powerful units too.

    Not much time had passed since the dungeon appeared, so information was still scarce, but the surroundings of the holy area had been shut due to the emergency.

    ¡°We must go as well. Ready the equipment.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Herald gave orders to the female elf, who quickly left.

    ¡°The n head made his move? Or maybe the demons he¡¯s connected with¡­¡±

    ¡°Or the World Tree is reaching its limits.¡±

    Shin hypothesized while taking out a message card, then Schnee added a possibility. In game terms, her theory was more probable.

    Shin tried extending his detection field and caught Tiera, Kagerou and Lymliss¡¯ presences. However, they were so faint and unstable that they were shing on the map.

    ¡°I can¡¯t read their presences well, since they¡¯re inside the dungeon-turned holy area. If I can detect their presence, however, they should still be safe. Kagerou also with them after all, and Tiera, as she is now, won¡¯t go down easily. If a duke demones up, they¡¯ll be in trouble, though¡­they¡¯re definitely being targeted, so we¡¯re going to blow through the dungeon without holding back this time.¡±

    Tiera and Kagerou could hold their own, but Lymliss¡¯ fighting ability was low. She could easily be a weak point if attacked. If a high-ranking demon appeared, they would definitely target her. There was no guarantee that there was only one demon attacking either.

    There was no time to wait for the elves¡¯ rescue operation. Shin decided to go help Tiera¡¯s group, regardless of the consequences.

    ¡°S-sir Shin!? I understand thatdy Schnee is with you, but won¡¯t it be dangerous!?¡±

    Herald was surprised to hear what Shin said to Schnee. He didn¡¯t know how strong Shin was, so he probably thought that Shin was saying something absurd.

    ¡°I might not look the part, but I have defeated duke demons in the past. I have Schnee Raizar¡¯s seal of approval too, so please believe me. We need speed above everything now, so I¡¯ll have Shibaid watch over Lina. Please wait here for a while.¡±

    Shibaid excelled in muscle power and defense, so his speed was inferior to Shin and Schnee. He regretted having to do give him this role, but contacted Shibaid to ask him to guard Lina.

    ¡°Yuzuha, please stay here until Shibaid arrives. Once he¡¯s here, I¡¯ll call you with ¡¾Summon Partner¡¿.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Probably happy to be relied on, Yuzuha deftly stood on her hind legs and saluted Shin, then jumped down at Lina¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Yuzuha looks like a small fox, but if she goes all out she can turn this whole country into a wastnd. Please rest easy.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­yes..?¡±

    Herald was convinced of her power, so -albeit a bit lost- he nodded.

    ¡°Once Shibaid arrives, please stay with him in the residence.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Please take care.¡±

    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll be back with Tiera and the others.¡±

 Book 15: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Shin and Schnee left the room immediately and made use of their explosive strength to leapt to their destination. They used roofs and walls as footholds, but if they kicked at full power they would surely be destroyed.

    It would be troublesome if they caused needless destruction, so they used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to create footholds in midair, using roofs and walls only when the skill¡¯s usage limit did not allow them to create any more footholds. The n was to reach the holy area using ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ as much as possible.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    As they were moving, Shin felt an indescribable feeling when using the skill. In this world, when he used a skill he could understand how it worked through his senses. In case of sword skills, how the sword had to be swung; in case of magic, what effect and power it would have. In Shin¡¯s case, he could also check the skill details via the menu.

    Shin was now having a bizarre feeling about the Movement-type skill he was using, ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. The skill in question allowed the user to create up to 2 tforms in midair to use as a foothold, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was possible to create more.

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    Shin felt a sort of irritation towards the two foothold limit: not expecting anything to really happen, he tried activating the skill. He jumped off a roof and used it once, then one more time in mid-air.

    Then, when he would usually use a wall or roof again to reset the counter, he tried making a third foothold. Normally, nothing would happen and he would end up kicking empty air. What Shin¡¯s feet felt, however, was the same hard surface that appeared when the skill was properly activated.

    Guided by his senses, Shin activated the skill a fourth, fifth, sixth time, continuing to leap through the air.

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s surprised reaction reached his ears. She needed to use actual surfaces to proceed, so, by blitzing through the air, Shin achieved a pace much higher than hers.

    Shinnded on a roof and waited for her, then ¨C without a word- picked up the perplexed Schnee up in his arms in the so-called ¡°princess carry¡±.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin? What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like I can use ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ without limits now. I don¡¯t know why it happened, but I¡¯ll make the most of it.¡±

    It was so sudden that it was normal to be confused, but Shin somehow felt that it was a good thing.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to jump at full power. Hold on tight!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin¡¯s neck, while he also strengthened his hold. Then their preparations wereplete.

    Shin lightly kicked the roof to jump up, then put more power in his legs. An invisible tform formed under his feet. This tform, strong enough to withstand his kicking power, catapulted them in the air. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about damaging any property, Shin could take the shortest route to the holy area turned dungeon.

    ¡°(Tiera sent a reply. Can you read it, Schnee?)¡±

    The wind pressure would make it difficult to speak, so Shin talked via Mind Chat. He held her even tighter, to avoid any chances of her falling. Schnee unwrapped her arms and quickly caught the message card materialized from Shin¡¯s item box, then opened it.

    ¡°(Tiera is safe. Apparently, the World Tree and its surroundings didn¡¯t turn into a dungeon.)¡±

    Schnee scanned the message and reported on the situation surrounding Tiera¡¯s group. The World Tree and its surroundings, in a 200 mel radius, were unchanged. Outside of that, a bizarre haze of colors covered everything, making it impossible to move.

    Despite looking like mist, it was hard enough that Tiera¡¯s arrows couldn¡¯t even chip it.

    The mist also covered the air around the World Tree, so it was impossible to see the sky. The path leading to the World Tree had turned into a dungeon, so there was a cave-like entrance.

    The message also mentioned that Tiera felt that it looked like a living creature.

    ¡°(I thought it would be an instant dungeon, but maybe it¡¯s using the impurity?)¡±

    ¡°(It could be, but there¡¯s also the possibility that a demon turned its body into a dungeon.)¡±

    ¡°(A demon dungeon¡­yeah, it¡¯s possible.)¡±

    Instant dungeon appeared randomly in various fields. ¡°Demon Dungeon¡± was a sort of variation of such dungeons.

    The dungeon boss would be, needless to say, a demon. The biggest difference with instant dungeons was that it was impossible to escape. In ordinary dungeons, using the highest grade crystal allowed the user to exit, but it would not work in demon dungeons. There were only two ways to leave: clear it or die.

    ¡°(It seems that Tiera is not under attack at the moment.)¡±

    ¡°(Even if it¡¯s corrupted by impurity, it¡¯s still the World Tree¡¯s zone after all. It might not have enough power to appear as a boss. If there are multiple demons, however, it¡¯s just a matter of time until she is attacked.)¡±

    The current world did notpletely abide by the game¡¯s rules. Phenomena impossible in the game era could happen anytime. Shin nodded to Schnee and kicked the air with even more strength. Advancing as if flying through the air, it took them less than 10 minutes to reach the holy area, now transformed into a dungeon.

    Shinnded on a nearby roof and observed the situation. As Tiera had written in her message, the mist had taken the shape of a dungeon. The mist extended from the ground until high in the sky, so it was not possible to leap over it and reach the World Tree.

    Shin considered circling around it, but the area around the World Tree waspletely white, save for the presence of Tiera¡¯s group. The map showing the town around the World Tree had been erased. Apparently, the entrance was the only way inside.

    The entrance was about 10 mel tall and 20 mel wide. Armed elves were standing in a fan-like formation in front of it, fighting against a monster that had just emerged from the dungeon.

    The monster in question was a rhino-like monster with green rocks sprouting from its body, a level 344 Radseya.

    It could not perform long-distance attacks and moved rather slowly, but its exceptional defense made it very hard to damage. In terms of defense only, it was in the same league as level 400+ monsters.

    The elves¡¯ arrow and magic attacks had little to no effect. On the other hand, the attacking elves were growing more and more apprehensive.

    ¡°This is bad¡­the charge is almost maxed out.¡±

    Many yers thought that a Radseya was to be defeated with long-range attacks while kiting. However, it wouldn¡¯t be called a monster, if it was eliminated so easily.

    The ¡°charge¡± Shin mentioned increased as Radseya was attacked: when it maxed out the monster¡¯s movement speed increased exponentially and it used its defensive power to trample its enemies. Many yers got too excited attacking it, only to end up squashed by the monster¡¯s charge.

    Apparently there were already casualties; there were monster corpses and other puddles of blood at the dungeon¡¯s entrance, as well as limbs scattered here and there.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste talking, we¡¯re going in.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Shin kicked the roof to jump in mid-air, then elerated via ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. That very instant, Radseya¡¯s whole body glowed bright green.

    ¡°I-it¡¯sing!!¡±

    One of the elves shouted after seeing the shining Radseya. One secondter, the monster¡¯s massive 3 mel bodyunched into an explosive eleration. Most of the elves couldn¡¯t react in time to the sudden change. Just a few of the elves on Radseya¡¯s path managed to crouch and prepared to defend themselves with their shields.

    Elves as a species had low physical resistance and VIT. As long as they weren¡¯t high-level Chosen Ones specialized in defense, no shield would prevent them from being crushed to pieces. The elves¡¯ desperate expressions clearly showed that they did not expect to survive the monster¡¯s offensive.

    Radseya charged towards the dumbfounded elves. Moments before it could trample the shield elves, Shin¡¯s kick firmlynded on the monster¡¯s cranium.

    ¡°Off you go!¡±

    With a snap-like sound, Radseya flew even faster than before-but in the opposite direction, straight into the dungeon. One secondter, the dull sound of raw meat crashing into a hard surface echoed.

    ¡°¡­wha?¡±

    The shield elves let out a hapless grunt, unable toprehend what happened. Their eyes were directed at Shin, but it wasn¡¯t clear if they had really grasped who had just kicked Radseya back where it came from.

    ¡°Hey, did any other monsterse out of the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Eh? N-No¡­that was thest one.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. We¡¯re going to rescue the priestesses. We will defeat as many monsters as possible, but some might get out of the dungeon. Those are all yours.¡±

    ¡°What are you s- L-Lady Schnee!?¡±

    The elf noticed that Schnee was standing next to Shin: his surprised shout shook all the other elves back into their senses and they stared fixedly at them.

    ¡°The dungeon is likely filled with monsters such as that one. We¡¯re going to find the priestesses, so I would ask you to stand guard and prevent any monsters to leave the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°If Lady Schnee goes, there is nothing to worry about, but that human¡­¡±

    Because of the difference in species, Shin couldn¡¯t be trusted as Schnee was, apparently.

    ¡°He¡¯s mypanion. If he can keep up with me, you understand that he is strong enough, do you not?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    After Schnee¡¯s words, the elf who objected swallowed his breath. He apparently finally realized what Shin had just done. A level of strength high enough to stop Radseya¡¯s charge with a single kick.

    ¡°I leave the rest to you, then.¡±

    ¡°P-Please take care.¡±

    They were allowing someone from another species into their holy area -even if it currently was a dungeon- but no elf said anything. As they fought against the monsters from the dungeon, they gradually understood that it definitely was not the case to talk about permissions or foreign species. The elves thus simply watched Shin and Schnee enter the dungeon.

    Looking at the floor and walls, they noticed that the dungeon was made out of mist, as Tiera had written. It felt more akin to metal than a stone to the touch.

    Shin told Schnee to wait a moment and activated ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿. He wanted to reach Tiera as soon as possible, so filling in the map little by little was out of the question.

    The goal was clear and the dungeon was above ground, unlike the ones they cleared until now, they could use more forceful methods.

    Shin¡¯s map disyed the dungeon¡¯s maze-like structure. It was veryplex: even seen from above, it was difficult to find the path that would lead to the exit. The World Tree was also farther than the actual distance, as if space was warped inside the dungeon.

    Normally it would be just 500 mel from their location to the World Tree, but it was over 5 kemel inside the dungeon. Walking inside the dungeon¡¯s tortuous paths would make it even longer.

    ¡°How did it get this big?¡±

    ¡°Surely they want to buy time. All other routes are unusable, after all.¡±

    ¡°What a troublesome bunch¡­¡±

    Shin muttered his irritation as he red at the depths of the dungeon. He checked for Tiera¡¯s presence one more time and detected hostile presences right next to her. The presence moving around and in front of Tiera and the others was probably Kagerou.

    ¡°Enemies appeared. I guess they wouldn¡¯t just sit and wait¡­let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    Kagerou was not an average Gruefago. No demon could easily defeat a mutated Divine Beast, and a very powerful one at that, paired with Tiera.

    After a while, Shin and Schnee found the Radseya he had kicked inside. Its head was crushed, its body squashed as if pressed from both ends.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Shin stopped in front of Radseya¡¯s body and Schnee called out to him. He gestured her to wait a moment, moved Radseya¡¯s body and looked at the wall behind.

    As he expected, the wall was dented. In the game, dungeon floor, walls, and roof were indestructible, barring a few exceptions.

    In this world, Shin had yet to see something that could not be destroyed. Everything had a set resilience and durability. In that case, hitting it with superior strength should make it possible to destroy it.

    ¡°We¡¯re taking the shortest path to the goal.¡±

    Shin then punched the wall. He didn¡¯t use skills, but his fists alone were powerful enough to smash orichalcum into pieces. What he felt on his fist was the sensation of having punched a cotton-like substance. The wall felt metallic to the touch, but against Shin¡¯s punches it had the same resistance as paper. With a poof-like sound, arge hole opened up in the wall.

    ¡°I see, a shortcut.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more brittle than I thought. We¡¯re above ground this time, so even if we go on a bit of a rampage, there¡¯s no danger it wille down on us. It¡¯s faster if we go straight ahead.¡±

    As he talked, red and yellow globes of light formed around Shin. The 8 globes circling around him glowed in a white-hot light when he pointed forward. Each globe, measuring about 20 cemel, let out a thickser-like beam of white-hot light. The floor, walls and roof of the dungeon melted away before the beams.

    Boosted by Shin¡¯s magic power, the beams pierced through wall after wall.

    Light and mebination skill ¡¾re ster¡¿.

    Normally, this skill would create one globe of light and one beam, resulting in a red hot beam with piercing powers, but the current Shin could simultaneously cast multiple instances of the same skill.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee advanced through the melted walls. There were monsters inside the dungeon, but they ignored them all.

    Demon Dungeons were a category of instant dungeons: if the boss was defeated, the dungeon would disappear along with the monsters inside. Fighting them was just a waste of time.

    ¡°It¡¯s recovering. Guess I should have expected it.¡±

    Shin and Schnee advanced through the gaps in the walls, directly heading towards the World Tree. They could just continue, but the Demon Dungeon wouldn¡¯t just let them. Shin saw on the map that the melted walls were gradually repairing themselves. Not just as they were, but stronger than before.

    ¡°Shin, will you destroy the walls again? I will try to cover the hole with ice, to dy the recovery.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee andunched another array of ¡¾re ster¡¿. The burning beams shot straight forward, piercing the walls as if they were nothing. Schnee then activated a skill herself.

    Water-type magic skill ¡¾Clear Blizzard¡¿.

    Crystal-like light spirals followed the paths traced by ¡¾re ster¡¿ beams. The burning walls and ceiling were frozen instantly.

    Shin monitored the gaps as they ran over the ice, but there was no sign they were recovering. The freezing was acting perfectly as an obstacle for the recovery.

    Nothing else could dy their progress now: Shin and Schnee ran at full speed towards their destination. In the end, it took them just 5 minutes to approach the exit. They didn¡¯t pierce their way out simply because the beams might have hurt Tiera¡¯s group. Shin busted open thest remaining wall and they arrived before the World Tree.

    ¡°Shin! Master!¡±

    Tiera noticed Shin and Schnee as they smashed their way out of the dungeon and reacted with joy. Before Tiera and Lymliss, Kagerou was facing a monster of simr size.

    The monster, growling while baring its fangs, was named Oggbrym.

    It was a beast-type monster with four limbs and tiger-like yellow fur with ck patches. It had a wolf and a boar¡¯s heads and a reptile-like scaled tail.

    Its level was 712: if Kagerou was not a mutated specimen, it would have had a hard time fighting while also protecting Tiera and the others. Kagerou¡¯s body had injuries here and there.

    Tiera was assisting Kagerou with her recovery skills, but the demon was mostly unscathed. Demon Dungeons provided boosts to the stats and abilities of demons. Even if its level was higher, Kagerou had to fight while defending Tiera and the others, while the demon only had to attack; thetter was clearly at an advantage.

    ¡°This is the end for now¡­loathsome guardians¡­!!¡±

    The Oggbrym likely perceived it was at a disadvantage; its back directed to Shin and Schnee, it ran off towards the mist, as if nning to dive into it. Being a four-limbed beast type, it had reached the mist of the dungeon in a few seconds.

    In the time required to notice Shin¡¯s arrival, make a decision, turn on its heels and flee, Shin was not just standing idly. As soon as he saw the Oggbrym turn around, Shin moved too.

    The Oggbrym was indeed fast, but it could not move instantly. Shin jumped high in the air, his left and raised high in a throwing motion. In his empty left hand a 4 mel long, giantnce-like weapon appeared.

    It was a superior Ancient-grade sword specially made to mow downrge hordes of weaker monsters in a single strike, named ¡ºGeatharma¡».

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin looked at the ¡ºGeatharma¡» that appeared on his hand and his movements stopped for a moment. Originally, its 2 mel long de was wrapped in red mes, but the sword that Shin wielded was engulfed in white fire. The moment the mes changed color, the silhouette of a female elf blinked before his eyes for a second.

    He did not feel anything negative from the power transmitted from the de to his hands. On the contrary, the mes had now a sort of sacred aura to them.

    His hesitationsted but an instant. Shin¡¯s eyes turned back to the Oggbrym as he targeted the beast. The mist forming the dungeon was changing shape, letting the Oggbrym slip through.

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!!¡±

    Using a tform created via ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, Shin managed to keep his stance, despite being in the air, andunched ¡ºGeatharma¡».

    Thanks to his superhuman strength, ¡ºGeatharma¡» flew through the air leaving behind a trail like aet. The white ming de disappeared inside the mist, piercing Oggbrym¡¯s back and stabbing the ground under the monster.

    The shock caused the mist around Oggbrym to disappearpletely.

    ¡°GWOOOOOHHHH!!!!

    White mes burst forth from ¡ºGeatharma¡». As if the mes had a will of their own, they burned the beast both inside and out.

    A few secondster, the mes turned red again. What remained was ¡ºGeatharma¡», stuck in the center of a small, charred crater.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. What weapon is that?¡±

    Shinnded on the ground and Tiera approached him. She felt that the monster had been annihted by the weapon¡¯s powers, rather than Shin¡¯s strength, so she couldn¡¯t help but be curious.

    ¡°It sure did something amazing, but normally it doesn¡¯t have powers like that. I saw an elf-like silhouette when I was about to throw it, so I guess one of the past World Tree priestesses granted it her powers? We¡¯re right in front of the World Tree after all.¡±

    Shin looked at ¡ºGeatharma¡», which had turned the demon into ashes, then to the center of the room. In the center, beyond the depths of the dungeon-turned holy area, the World Tree towered over them.

    Its trunk, about 5 mel wide, did not seem to grow any thinner no matter how high one looked. Its branches and leaves glowed with a golden hue, which made anyone who looked at it feel more peaceful with just a nce.

    As Tiera had said, part of the tree was painted ck, and its glow became fainter at times. It was probably caused by the impurity; the mist made it impossible to see the tree beyond a certain height.

    ¡°We defeated the demon, but the dungeon is still there¡­I guess it wasn¡¯t created by that demon, then.¡±

    Normally, defeating the boss demon caused the demon dungeon to disappear. However, this dungeon did not show any signs of copse.

    ¡°Was that the only monster that attacked you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it suddenly came out of the mist and attacked. We could resist only because Kagerou did his best.¡±

    Tiera patted Kagerou¡¯s head. After the battle, the divine beast returned to its 1 mel wolf form. Its wounds were already healed, its eyes turned into slits as it enjoyed Tiera¡¯s head pats.

    ¡°Did you finish the purification already?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. It all happened when we were about to start.¡±

    ¡°How about trying the items I gave you while you do it, then? No matter what demonse out, I¡¯m not going to let them get in your way.¡±

    Schnee nodded and Kagerou howled in agreement.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Who knows when we¡¯ll be interrupted again, and if the World Tree regains its power things might return to normal.¡±

    ¡°I m-might not be able to help much, but I¡¯ll do my best too!¡±

    Lymliss, despite not being able to keep up with the rapidly changing situation, was influenced by Tiera and expressed her resolve. The two priestesses started the purification, under Shin and the others¡¯ surveince. The World Tree recovery items had already been set up.

    ¡°~~~~~~~?¡±

    The two priestesses held their hands over their chest, in prayer, as they intoned a wordless melody. It was a rhythm unknown to Shin¡¯s ears, but it somehow felt soothing.

    The purification was different from what Shin and the others had witnessed before. Tiera and Lymliss¡¯ bodies were enveloped in a gentle light as the rite began.

    The light then grew fainter and floated towards the World Tree, mixing with its aura. As it did, the World Tree¡¯s light gradually became brighter. At the same time, the parts ckened by the impurity decreased more and more.

    ¡°Schnee, could that be¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, one of the past priestesses, surely. She must be lending her powers to them.¡±

    After about 10 seconds from the start of the purification, a female elf with silver hair and green eyes appeared in mid-air. The silhouette floated behind Tiera and Lymliss, holding her hands as if offering a prayer. Somehow, Shin thought she looked simr to Tiera.

    ¡°The mist is changing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, something is bound to happen. Let¡¯s stay on our toes.¡±

    As the World Tree purification progressed, the mist started changing. Shin and the others prepared to be able to deal with any sudden developments as the mist gradually grew thinner.

    A few seconds before the purification ended, the mist concentrated into a single point, a short distance away from the World Tree. The priestess who had appeared behind Tiera and Lymliss disappeared before they could open their eyes.

    ¡°The dungeon master finally graces us with their presence?¡±

    Any demon dungeon had a demon as its core. If this demon wasn¡¯t defeated, the dungeon would never disappear. Such bosses were usually located deep inside the dungeon, so it wasn¡¯t bizarre for it to appear here. The mist changed shape, finally forming a human-sized silhouette. For unknown reasons, the silhouette had elf-like features.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shin looked at the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ and his brow furrowed. The reason was that the human-sized demon possessed two names.

    One of them was Ragoj. Its level of 802 ranked it as a Duke among the demons. Being the next rank after Grand Duke, it wasn¡¯t strange for this demon to be able to assume human form.

    The other name was Crissot Lucent. Lucent, just like Tiera. The name of a member of the World Tree caretaker n was disyed as the identity of a demon. Shin couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled.

    ¡°¡­no¡­it can¡¯t be.¡±

    While Shin was confused by the double identity, especially the Lucent part, Tiera expressed her utter disbelief. Her eyes shook, as to express her inner turmoil, as did her head, refusing to ept what she saw. Tiera stepped back.

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    No one expected to hear the whispered words that barely escaped Tiera¡¯s lips. In response, the eyes of the stone-faced demon turned towards her. The moment she was reflected in his pupils, the demon¡¯s expression contorted.

    ¡°Ng¡­gah¡­¡±

    Not only the demon¡¯s expression, but his outline itself contorted. He too looked like he had seen something absolutely shocking.

    ¡°¡­.he ran away.¡±

    The demon lost its outline and disappeared as if melting in the air. Its presence was no more and the dungeon was disappearing, but no one thought he had been defeated.

    One of the demons had been defeated, but the whole group felt that the situation had be even more muddled andplicated.

 Book 15: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    ¡°Tiera, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin called out to Tiera, who was staring at where the demon was before disappearing with an empty look in her eyes.

    ¡°In any case, the dungeon has disappeared and the holy area is back to normal. The items seem to be having an effect too. Just in case, let¡¯s get some sap and go back.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yes, right.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s response showed that she had not yet recovered, but Shin did not press her and went to collect the World Tree¡¯s sap. He thought Lymliss would say something, but she seemed to be worried about Tiera and did not look in Shin¡¯s direction. She looked distraught, probably regretting not being able to do anything.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ll give you this just in case Lymliss.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an item that can temporarily protect you if you are attacked again. I made it, but Schnee Raizar can vouch for it, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    An incident had happened right in front of the World Tree, so it was safe to assume that nowhere was safe in Lanapacea. The item Shin gave Lymliss could only provide temporary protection, but it was still better than nothing.

    A few minutester, elven warriors approached their location. Now that the dungeon was gone, there was only about one kemel of distance between them. Elves riding horses were leading the group, most of them over level 230. Shin assumed they were Chosen Ones or captains.

    ¡°Lady Lymliss, Lady Tiera, are you safe!?¡±

    The older elf leading the group inquired about the priestesses¡¯ safety. Lymliss replied, but Tiera was still looking down, standing next to Shin and Schnee.

    ¡°I am the Luderia n¡¯s warrior chief, my name is Ordoss Luderia. Let me give you my thanks for saving our priestesses. As expected ofdy Schnee Raizar, your prowess surpasses even your great fame.¡±

    Ordoss probably thought Schnee was the group¡¯s leader: after expressing his gratitude he bowed to her.

    ¡°No, it was not only my own strength. The World Tree itself resisted and the priestesses¡¯ purification was effective as well.¡±

    ¡°I see. It is unprecedented for such an event to ur in the holy area. We suspect the increase in impurities may have caused it. What is your opinion, Lady Raizar?¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that is the only reason.¡±

    They didn¡¯t know what kind of person Ordoss was, so it was difficult to judge whether they should mention the demons or not. However, he did not seem charmed or confused.

    ¡°Perhaps¡­demons could be involved¡­¡±

    Schnee was still trying to gauge him, but Ordoss spoke first. His words rmed Shin and the others.

    ¡°Do you have any information?¡±

    ¡°As you probably already know, among us warriors there are some whose personalities changed¡­no, I should say that they becamepletely different people. Some elves that were born before the Dusk of Majesty hypothesize that they are under the effects of forbidden mental maniption techniques.¡±

    Ordoss continued talking, making it clear that he was revealing such information only because of Schnee¡¯s presence. Lymliss had just been attacked by a demon, so she did not show any surprise. Ordoss probably thought that she needed to know too, so he decided to speak while she was present.

    ¡°Your n head is also acting strangely¡­do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I do. In the past few months, he has not shown himself to anyone except a select few retainers. Some warrior chiefs view this with suspicion, but there is nothing unnatural in the way he talks and he carries his daily duties as usual, so any usation or doubt would be regarded as unfounded.¡±

    Ordoss¡¯ words were consistent with what Herald said. Apparently, there were rifts among the warrior chiefs.

    After Ordoss mentioned that, another group of elves arrived.

    ¡°Let us stop here for now. The approaching warrior chief is one of the changed ones.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We will investigate the matter on our own too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Ordoss bowed again, then stood beside Lymliss. Soon enough, another elf arrived, apanied by troops. The neer looked still young.

    ¡°Lady Lymliss, are you safe!?¡±

    The elf leading the group then rushed to her, but Ordoss stepped in front to stop him.

    ¡°Sir Ordoss, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Lady Lymliss¡¯ protection is my duty. Yours is to inspect the holy area, is it not? Let us both carry out our duties.¡±

    Ordoss apparently had no intention of letting the newly arrived elf approach Lymliss. It was true that it was Ordoss¡¯ duty to guard Lymliss, so the other elf did not object.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the residence, then.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment. Lady Tiera is the priestess of the now defunct Lucent n. Now that the Lucent are part of our Luderia n, is it not proper for her toe with us?¡±

    Because of Tiera¡¯s presence, the elf that came after Ordoss stopped Shin¡¯s group when they tried to leave. However, his request was not one they felt willing to ept.

    ¡°Tiera is ourpanion. We¡¯ll protect her no matter what happens.¡±

    ¡°Who are you, human? I am speaking to Lady Raizar!¡±

    The elf clearly looked down on Shin. They couldn¡¯t know if that was his original personality or his transformed one, but it was clear that their interaction would hardly be friendly.

    ¡°I agree. If anything happens, we are capable of protecting Tiera. Or do you say that you cannot trust my words?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­no, if Lady Raizar says so, then I suppose her safety is guaranteed.¡±

    The warrior chief was probably aware of Schnee¡¯s strength, so he did not object any further. Thinking that staying any longer would only lead to more trouble, Shin turned around and headed towards the residence. They walked normally through the streets this time.

    When they returned, they found the female elf in charge of the residence waiting for them, clearly distressed. She had heard of the appearance of the dungeon and was very worried.

    Tiera was in low spirits because of her father¡¯s matter, but she smiled brightly.

    ¡°So¡­here we are. It¡¯s really hard to ask, but we can¡¯t ignore it, unfortunately. Tiera, you said that the demon took the appearance of your father? What does that mean?¡±

    Shin wished he could leave Tiera alone, but the matter had to be addressed.

    ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on either. But yes, that appearance was definitely my father, Crissot Lucent.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group gathered in the residence after taking a short break. It could be said that they took some time for Tiera¡¯s sake. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but her expression was still stiff. Her tone was also different from usual.

    Even so, they needed to talk about it. After all, a member of the Lucent family, a World Tree caretaker n, could be allied with the demons.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, you¡¯ve told us about your mother before, but never about your father.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I never said much about him to master either.¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee and she gave a small nod.

    ¡°My father was the Lucent n¡¯s head. It might be biaseding from his daughter, but he was well-loved and trusted by everyone. He was a really admirable person.¡±

    He treasured Tiera and his wife Irene, without ever spoiling them. Tiera continued, saying he was a good, strict father.

    Those happy days, however, ended abruptly. Without the slightest hint or notice, Tiera was stricken by the curse. When she was still allowed to live in the vige, she witnessed Crissot being ndered or insulted many times.

    The day Tiera¡¯s exile was decided, her mother and father made another important decision. Tiera¡¯s mother, Irene, would take Tiera and flee from the vige, while her father would remain. It was a painful, heart-rending choice made by parents trapped between the heavy burden of responsibility as a World Tree caretaker n and love for their child.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to father after that. When I returned here I learned that he died due to an illness a few years ago, but nothing else.¡±

    His grave was apparently located in a location separate from Tiera¡¯s mother¡¯s, but Tiera did not feel ready to visit it when she returned, so she had not gone to see it yet.

    ¡°Did anyone take care of him before he died to this supposed illness?¡±

    ¡°Despite the circumstances of my curse, he was still the head of a caretaker n, so they tried curing him. During that time, the doctor took care of him. I knew him, so I went to ask about it, but he told me that there was no mistake about it.¡±

    Elves are a species with high longevity: as long as they are not killed, they could easily live for hundreds of years. That is the reason why Tiera could talk with the doctor who oversaw her father¡¯s care. Crissot¡¯s funeral services were held and he was properly buried.

    ¡°In this vige, people are buried by¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re buried in the ground, yes. Elves and Pixies believe that after death one should return to nature.¡±

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s just like that guy¡­¡±

    Shin recalled Eline, who in Palmirack killed himself and turned into a demon. This time the host died by illness instead of being killed, but the dead body was clearly being manipted.

    ¡°It kind of feels different from that time, though.¡±

    ¡°The demon reacted to seeing Tiera. It might retain some memories or will from the past life.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that can¡¯t¡­no, it might be.¡±

    Shin listened to Schnee¡¯s hypothesis and recalled something. In the game era, he participated in a demon-rted event that involved rescuing NPCs resisting possession by demons. Ultimately the NPCs would die, but thanks to the yers¡¯ intervention they could be freed of regrets and leave items behind.

    In other words, as Schnee said, it could be possible to retain one¡¯s memories even after a parasite-type demon inhabited one¡¯s body. It would exin why it seemed to recognize Tiera. However, that would also cause suffering to both him and Tiera.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I could see the demon¡¯s name too. I am not going to plead you to save my father¡­I wish for him to rest in peace as soon as possible.¡±

    Tiera spoke with a brave smile on her lips, without showing her sadness and anger, so Shin and the others responded in earnest.

    ¡°Tiera¡¯s father, Crissot. Did he really die of an illness? In Eline¡¯s case, he was clearly controlled and killed by a parasite demon.¡±

    ¡°That seems to be clear. The illness itself was amon one. Anyone can catch it, but normally people get better. If you push yourself too hard or are in bad shape, it can get worse. That¡¯s the kind of illness it was.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s exnation made it seem it was a sort of cold. If it worsened it could be lethal, but it all depended on the person¡¯s condition.

    ¡°The doctor said that he was already at his limits, in more ways than one.¡±

    His wife and daughter were lost, his n disbanded: reason enough for him to be extremely distressed, both physically and mentally. However, Crissot¡¯s suffering would not end so easily.

    At the time, he was about 400 years old: as an elf, he was still young.

    Because of that, he continued to live ¡ª or rather, was kept alive ¡ª as a ¡°stud¡±, needed in case the bloodline of the caretaker ns began dying out or the Luderia and Lc ns failed to produce new priestesses.

    In the end, he didn¡¯t give birth to any offspring, but, while necessary to preserve the bloodline, it had to be a harrowing, painful decision beyond Shin¡¯s imagination. He thought that he would have probably abandoned his duties to flee with his family.

    ¡°That might have made him a target for the demons.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­for them, he would have been an ideal host.¡±

    Schnee nodded in response to Shin¡¯s words. The conditions necessary for Crissot to be possessed were all there, almost too conveniently.

    ¡°It is strange, however, that despite targeting Tiera¡¯s group, he faltered after seeing her. I would understand if he had been hiding to spy on us though.¡±

    ¡°Demons sometimes fight among their ranks too, or it could be that he was just told that their target was a priestess, with no other details¡­though it sounds a bit out there.¡±

    Demons often acted independently. Even in the game, the miasma lords¡¯ lineage or each demon¡¯s powers could provide a hint, but were not enough to urately predict their actions. In the current world their level of freedom was even higher, so even making a general guess would be difficult.

    ¡°We won¡¯t get anywhere just thinking about it at this point. What we know is that Crissot is being manipted and we have to defeat him. I¡¯m sorry, Tiera. I wish there was something else we could do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know that there are things that not even you can do, Shin. Besides, I¡¯m furious that they would use my father¡¯s body like that. Please, don¡¯t hold anything back.¡±

    Tiera still seemed a bit down, but herst request was spoken with strength in her voice.

    ¡°Okay, I guess this is all the information we needed. I¡¯ll go back to Shibaid and the others, they might worry if we take too long.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering why he wasn¡¯t with you.¡±

    ¡°I asked him to guard the Lc priestess. Though very few people know of her return, it¡¯s just in case.¡±

    Shin entrusted Tiera to Schnee and headed towards the Lc residence. This time, he didn¡¯t feel the bizarre sensation he had as the first time.

    After making sure no one was around, Shin was about to knock on the door of Herald¡¯s room, but the door opened first. It opened just like an automatic door, so Shin was frozen in a ¡°knocking¡± pose.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha had opened it. Shin had reached and defeated the demon quickly, so he lost the timing to summon her.

    ¡°Ah! Sir Shin! You¡¯re safe!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­er, yeah. We defeated one demon, for now.¡±

    ¡°For now¡­?¡±

    Behind Yuzuha and Lina, happy to see Shin back, Herald cocked his head to the side, wondering if taking down demons was so simple. His reaction was the most normal one.

    ¡°At the very least, there is another one in hiding somewhere. Please stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    He knew that there were limits to what Herald could do, but Shin said so all the same. Resisting the demon possessing Crissot and escaping would be difficult even for a Chosen One. Although the items Shin offered could provide some assistance, there was nothing else he could do if he wasn¡¯t with him.

    However, Herald refused to ept the items offered by Shin.

    ¡°Okay, brother, I¡¯m off.¡±

    ¡°Yes, make sure you fulfill your duty.¡±

    Shin returned to the residence with Lina. Before he left the residence, Herald told him ¡ª careful not to be heard by Lina ¡ª that if he was ever manipted by a demon, Shin should kill him without hesitation. His expression showed that he epted that it might be thest time they met.

 Book 15: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    The following day, a messenger from the Luderia n visited the residence where Shin¡¯s group was staying.

    ¡°You wish to know what happened in detail?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We have heard Lady Lymliss¡¯ report, but she is not very well versed inbat, thus we would like to hear more details from you.¡±

    The sudden appearance of a dungeon and demon attack. Lymliss did not panic, but she was a beginner in terms of fighting. We were going to start the purification but a dungeon appeared, we were attacked, we fought, Shin and Schnee arrived and saved us. Lymliss¡¯ ount had apparently been very general.

    The fact that the holy area was being transformed into a dungeon was a very serious event. Not being satisfied with such a report was very understandable. Other than Lymliss, the only person who knew what happened in detail was Tiera.

    Shin and Schnee could tell what happened after their arrival, but it was more natural to ask Tiera, as she had been present since the beginning. Unlike Lymliss, she was versed inbat, so she was more likely to give a less confused ount, excluding Crissot¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°My master and herpanion actually defeated the demon, so I willply only if they are present as well. I am sure that more information can only be helpful.¡±

    ¡°Naturally, we would be thankful if they participate too.¡±

    The messenger readily epted Tiera¡¯s polite request. Maybe because they were not in the n head¡¯s faction, the request was easily granted. The messenger had to have a certain degree of authority.

    Tiera had already decided to be with Shin and the others; if they were not allowed to participate, she would refuse, so they were d that there was no need for negotiation.

    ¡°Okay then, what are they going to do to us?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. The dungeon transformation might be unrted to the n head¡¯s ns¡­but if it is, they will surely know what happened. They might show that they are handling the situation very seriously.¡±

    Schnee mentioned a possible meaning behind the inquiry. If they had alreadypiled information, there had to be another motive behind it.

    It was also possible that they wanted to pin the me on Shin¡¯s group to restrain them and maybe to give them the same treatment as the warriors who radically changed personality.

    ¡°We should prepare ourselves as much as we can. We can¡¯t bring Lina with us either, so I¡¯ll ask Shibaid to look after her during this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be a burden¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not a frontliner, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Shin brightly encouraged the dejected Lina. After all she would help with the purification. On the other hand, there was not much Shin could do to help the World Tree.

    The group made the necessary preparations and headed to the Luderia residence at the appointed time.

    ¡°And we¡¯re here, waiting.¡±

    ¡°They told us toe at this time, why aren¡¯t they ready yet?¡±

    They arrived at the appointed time, but were told to stand by in a sort of waiting room, as the n head was not yet ready.

    They were served tea and biscuits, because of Tiera and Schnee¡¯s presence, but they didn¡¯t touch them. Shin expected to be asked to relinquish his weapons, but thanks to his position as Schnee¡¯spanion, he was let through without any particr condition.

    ¡°Anyway, this is really bad¡­even I can feel it.¡±

    The atmosphere was something simr, yet different, to both impurity and miasma. A sort of noxious atmosphere filled the whole residence. Shin was not as sensitive as Tiera or Schnee, but it was thick enough that he could tell.

    ¡°I am sure that there are people who would turn strange simply by living here. Though the person who let us in didn¡¯t seem to notice anything¡­¡±

    Schnee pensively voiced her thoughts. The expressions of the elves they saw in the residence were all fairly normal.

    ¡°I can feel negative aura leaking from everywhere¡­it¡¯s sickening. Why doesn¡¯t anyone notice it? It wasn¡¯t like thisst time I came either.¡±

    Tiera spoke while rubbing her arms. She was very sensitive to negative auras and such, so she looked more affected than Shin and Schnee. Next to her, Kagerou looked worried.

    After about an hour of waiting, they were finally told that preparations were done.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what they have in store for us¡­¡±

    They followed the elf attendant through the residence, making sure to map it as they went. There were many simr corridors, twists and turns, like a maze. Also, because of the attendant¡¯s leisurely pace, it took them about 10 minutes to reach the n head¡¯s quarters.

    The room was structured like many others, making it very difficult to differentiate from other rooms they had passed. Shin thought that the residence seemed to be made to hinder and repel enemy attacks.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    A male voice was heard from inside the room. The attendant then opened the door.

    Inside there was an elevated seat, surrounded on all four sides by thin curtains, and several elves sitting on the right and left sides of the room. Shin noticed Ordoss and the elf warrior who had arrived after him and guessed that the elves present where warrior chiefs and other elves close in rank.

    There was a silhouette behind the curtains: likely due to a special enchantment they had, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was unusable. It wasn¡¯tpletely unusable, however: albeit disrupted, some information was still disyed.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, sit in front of the head. Lady Raizar andpanion, behind her.¡±

    The instructions came from Ordoss. Their seats were already decided and denoted by cushions.

    There didn¡¯t seem to be any traps. After Tiera and the others sat down, the elf sitting next to the elevated seat asked her a question. He was tasked with speaking for the n head, who, apparently, would not talk with them directly.

    Covering a rtively wide range of topics, the questions were first about the World Tree, then the demons and monsters that appeared in the dungeon, and finally the impurity.

    Shin and Schnee answered for Tiera when she didn¡¯t know, such as the types of monsters in the dungeon and how powerful they were. Tierra had been attacked by the demon before she encountered any monsters, so she couldn¡¯t answer even if she wanted to.

    During the process Tiera asked some questions herself, but was always answered that the Lc and Luderia would deal with the situation, so she could not obtain any information. She had been summoned just to provide information: the Luderia had no intention to have an information exchange.

    While Tiera was answering questions, Shin examined the n head for a while. The information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was gradually increasing. Perhaps because Shin was the user, or something was lending him strength, he would soon be able to tell the n head¡¯s name and level.

    He had to keep the target within his field of view to maintain the skill, so Shin nced at the right and left sides of the room, without moving his head.

    Many of the elves on the right side looked at Tiera with disrespect, while the ones on the left red at them with anger and spite.

    The elves on the left were probably still sane, while the ones on the right were the ones who had radically changed. Ordoss was also on the left. Shin also noticed another familiar face: Anaheit, the elf standing guard at the gates of Lanapacea. His surname was Luderia, but Shin thought that, as a gate guard, he wouldn¡¯t be called to such a meeting.

    ¡°The next question is¡­what? No, yes, I understand.¡±

    The inquirer seemed to be perplexed, so Shin looked back at him. He was visibly confused.

    ¡°Ehm, the next question, then. What were you doing after the banishment?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Tiera was confused as well. All questions until then were rted to the dungeon and the demons, so it was normal for her to be surprised by the sudden shift to her actions after being banished from the vige.

    ¡°What is the matter? Answer.¡±

    ¡°Er, it has nothing to do with the matter at hand, though.¡±

    ¡°Answer already!!¡±

    Not only Shin, but also other elves around them were perplexed by this exchange between Tiera and the inquirer. Both sides of the room focused on him, wondering what was going on.

    ¡°What would you do after knowing something like that now?¡±

    Tiera had no intention to simply answer such a question and asked what its purpose was. The n head¡¯s silhouette was hidden by the curtains, so the eyes of all present focused on the inquirer.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­my lord? Asking such a question at this time would¡ª¡±

    The n head was probably urging the inquirer to obey his orders, but thetter looked more and more confused, especially as he was the center of attention in the room. His eyes went back and forth from the n head to Tiera and the rest of the room, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°T-the inquiry is over! You may leave!¡±

    The n head clearly had more questions to ask, but the inquirer tried to forcibly close the meeting. Considering the nature of the previous question, Shin imagined that the following ones concerned Tiera personally. The n head¡¯s voice could not be heard, maybe because of the curtains¡¯ properties.

    However, the meeting was not allowed to be closed. Before Shin or Schnee could ask what was going on, the inquirer¡¯s body was pierced by ashen thorns.

    ¡°If only ¡¾Analyze¡¿ ended a little earlier¡­¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ fully disyed the information of the figure beyond the curtains just one second before the inquirer was stabbed by thorns. Hiding the name and level until the very end was truly a demon-like deceit.

    The inquirer was stabbed by six thorns in total. Sharp through their tips, all of them pierced his body. His heart was also likely pierced, as the elf was instantly killed and his HP gauge vanished instantly.

    ¡°Watch out!! That¡¯s not the head, it¡¯s a demon!!¡±

    ¡°It transformed into the head!?¡±

    ¡°Draw your weapons!! Protectdy Tiera!!¡±

    Shin shouted to warn the elves on the left side of the room. Being warrior chiefs, their response was almost immediate. On the other side, the elves on the right moved rather slowly inparison. They were probably under some sort of influence.

    The elves only mentioned Tiera likely because they knew that there was no need to protect Schnee or Shin.

    ¡°PrOtEct!!¡±

    When the elves on the left started moving, a twisted voice rose from behind the curtains. As soon as it was heard, the elves on the right started moving towards Tiera, with agility and speedpletely different from seconds before. They really were under the demon¡¯s control.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s not what I¡¯d expect a demon to say¡­¡±

    Shin had immediately jumped next to Tiera. While knocking down the attacking elves, he couldn¡¯t shake a strange feeling about the demon¡¯s order. It was difficult to hear because of the demon¡¯s twisted tone of voice, but he was fairly sure that the demon said ¡°protect¡±.

    In fact, the elves on the right were not only trying to take down Shin and Schnee, but also trying to capture Tiera. Their weapons were not aimed at her. They were trying to take a priestess, the natural enemy of demons, without hurting her. It might be feasible in a situation where they had an absolute advantage, like when Lina was kidnapped, but now they had to fight Shin, Schnee, and the elven warrior chiefs.

    The elves on the demon¡¯s side charged without regards for their wounds.

    ¡°What has happened to you¡­fools¡­!¡±

    The elves protecting Tiera alongside Shin and Schnee shouted. To avoid killing their brethren, they attacked with the dull side of their des and simr methods.

    Shin recalled the elf he met when going to meet Lymliss: it was possible to talk normally with them, but now they stood back up no matter how many times they were hit, like living dolls. Their movements seemed separate from their will.

    ¡°The n head is manipting them. No, the fake n head is!¡±

    Shin materialized ¡ºMoonless¡», wrapped it with swirling water and swung it towards the n head.

    Katana/Waterbination skill ¡¾cial Moon de¡¿.

    A crescent moon-shaped de of ice shed through the curtains, speeding towards the n head. However, before it could reach, the target moved away. A shadow jumped out of the curtains,nding in a corner of the room.

    Having cleared the dungeon that appeared in the holy area, Shin recognized that the thorns that pierced the inquirer looked like they were made of concentrated mist, just like that of the dungeon.

    That was enough to confirm the demon¡¯s identity, and, thanks to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, he had further proof.

    Crissot Lucent ¨C Level 952

    The demon¡¯s level had jumped up since theirst encounter. Half of its body had a mist-like form, while the other half maintained the figure of an elf. The elven part looked at Tiera with a fiendish expression, while the mist part was very simr to an amoeba, extending and retracting without a fixed shape.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­you are¡­¡±

    The elves were shaken by the shadow¡¯s real identity. Some of them recognized the elven side of the demon, but could not believe their eyes.

    ¡°Schnee, please take care of the enemy elves. I¡¯m going to deal with that.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Schnee moved to aid the elves who had been slowed down by their confusion and shock. Shin¡¯s attack caught Crissot¡¯s attention, but the movements of the hostile elves did not change. They were damaged enough to be unconscious, but their movements did not stop or even dull.

    In that case, they would either need to be either physically stopped by breaking their limbs or by status ailments such as paralysis. Schnee could surely deal with the situation in a variety of ways.

    The problem was that the demon also decided to act during such a situation.

    Maybe because it was using the body of Crissot Lucent, Tiera¡¯s father, the demon¡¯s eyes were still fixated on her, despite the fact that Shin was standing before him, armed and ready to strike. He looked full of openings.

    However, the mist part was different. It changed shape like an amoeba, but it ignored the elves and targeted only Shin. It clearly saw him as an enemy.

    ¡°AgAIn¡­yOu dARe tAke fROm mE agAIn!? I gaVE my whole lifE, all I ever had, to protect the world, protect the world tree, and this is what I receive!?¡±

    Blood red tears streamed from Crissot¡¯s eyes, dripping on the floor. He didn¡¯t bother wiping them, but little by little his tone of voice lost the demon-like twisted tone.

    Even as he shouted, the same thorns that pierced the inquirer continued attacking Shin. Along with its level, the demon¡¯s stats had increased too. Every blow was fast and powerful. It was hard to believe that it was the same material whichposed the dungeon walls.

    If one of the elves was hit, they would certainly be turned into mincemeat.

    ¡°Peace!? Mission!? A world that curses those you love is better off gone!!¡±

    Crissot¡¯s monologue continued as Shin kept knocking away the amoeba¡¯s attacks, making sure that no other elves were hit. Crissot¡¯s right hand wed at his face, carving the skin with his nails, drawing blood. His eyes were bloodshot. He was clearly no longer sane.

    Shin thought it might be because of the demon¡¯s influence, but even so, there was something off about him.

    When Shin attacked the mist thorns squirmed and writhed, as if in severe pain.

    ¡°The demon¡¯s information is disappearing¡­what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    When Shin checked Crissot¡¯s status in the dungeon, the demon¡¯s name was clearly disyed along with the elf¡¯s own. The current Crissot¡¯s status, however, was not the same.

    As far as ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was concerned, Crissot was a normal person.

    Needless to say, no normal person had a lower bodyposed of mist. The writhing thorns increased, so Shin took advantage of the decreased number of attacks and prepared to strike.

    He held ¡ºMoonless¡» pointed down to the left, with a low stance, then stepped forward. It was enough for Crissot to be in the range of Shin¡¯s de.

    Thanks to the Movement-type skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, the distance between the two disappeared in an instant. Shin was ready to strike. His katana shed, aiming to cleave Crissot in two.

    Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Armor Piercer¡¿.

    Shin realized how the thorns had high defensive powers during the previous exchange, so he chose a skill that inflicted more damage the higher the target¡¯s defense was. Even if the elven part of Crissot had the same defense as the thorns, the skill was powerful enough to slice him in half.

    ¡°You could block that¡­?¡±

    Crissot himself could not react, but the thorns were not as helpless. Thanks to their inhuman reaction speed, all the thorns that were not writhing in pain grouped together and protected Crissot from Shin¡¯s sh.

    Shin managed to slice the thorns in half, but felt that his de did not reach Crissot. His katana¡¯s speed was slightly slowed down as it cut through the thorns. In that small timeframe, Crissot¡¯s body leapt out of the room. The thorns helped it move at a speed impossible for humans.

    For Crissot as he was now, the room¡¯s walls might as well be made of paper. The very moment he moved away from Shin, he had destroyed the wall and started fleeing. The destruction of the walls and pirs did not make a sound, but the map showed that he was passing through ces where walls were supposed to be.

    It was just like he could move ignoring the building¡¯s structure: the only possible way was that he turned into mist and passed through cracks in the walls or ceiling.

    Shin wanted to give chase, but the Luderia warriors, rmed by the sound of battling, poured into the room. All of them belonged to the side which underwent radical personality changes.

    ¡°Kh, even the residence¡¯s guards¡­¡±

    ¡°Could it be that their warrior troops turned crazy too?¡±

    A massive amount of warriors appeared in the room, seemingly out of nowhere.

    Schnee and the sane elves attacked them without holding back, though while making sure not to lethally wound them. As they stood back up after being knocked down, it was clear that they were under the demon¡¯s control too.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what exactly their current status was, but if they were under maniption he couldn¡¯t just abandon them.

    ¡°We will take care of the situation here. Please chase the demon, Shin.¡±

    ¡°I would love to, believe me, but his response disappeared as soon as he fled.¡±

    The map showed no signs of the escaped icon. Shin erged it and used his detection skills to their maximum extent, to no avail.

    ¡°Rather than that¡­do you feel it?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­people under the demon¡¯s control have started rampaging, and not only here.¡±

    The demon¡¯s presence disappeared, but others appeared in its ce. Arge number of presences started moving at the same time, heading towards the city and the holy area. They started doing so at the same time as the elves poured into the room, so the other presences probably followed the same master.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to waste any more time.¡±

    Shin activated the Earth-type magic skill ¡¾Mother Earth¡¯s Embrace¡¿ on the group of elves who barged into the room. A heavy pressure manifested in Shin¡¯s surroundings, forcing the hostile elves to copse on the ground.

    After sealing the elves¡¯ movements thus, Shin focused on the map. The elves he just neutralized attacked in a haphazard manner, but in the city the hostile presences were separated in groups, attacking several locations at the same time. Among them, Shin recognized the Lc residence and the residence Tiera was borrowing.

    ¡°There are other demons? Or maybe some elves allied with them on their own will¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. In any case, we can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±

    Shin and Schnee activated a Water-type magic skill at the same time, creating a wall of ice. They surrounded the hostile elves with it, blocking their movements. They also sealed the entrance to prevent any more elves froming inside.

    The ice, created by Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic power, was too hard to even be scratched by the elves. Shin and Schnee then called out to the sane elves and left. They didn¡¯t know what the demons would do next, but Crissot was very likely to target Tiera again.

    Because of their nature, however, the demons were also likely to target the World Tree or other priestesses. Shin concluded that in such a case, they would just need to protect them all together, and decided to regroup with Shibaid and the others first.

    ¡°A pressure powerful enough to rivaldy Schnee¡­what exactly are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that when this ruckus is over.¡±

    Shin dodged the answer and blew a hole in the ceiling with magic, to open a path for him and the rest. He was sure warrior chiefs could manage to keep up.

    Shin waited for everyone to climb on the roof, then headed out. As he had expected, all warrior chiefs easily climbed up.

    ¡°We will move with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ activated from now on. Please do not stay too far from me or Schnee.¡±

    ¡°No, we will go wheredy Lymliss is. We had her wait in the holy area, in case anything happened. She is guarded by elite warriors, but if the opponents are demons, who knows what could happen. In the worst case, we have to protect her with our lives.¡±

    Thanks to the World Tree¡¯s recovery, the holy area¡¯s power of repelling impurity and miasma had grown. At the moment, it was the safest location in the country. Some of the warriors could use Mind Chat, so they had already exchanged information. They asked Shin and Schnee to go with Tiera and said they would move separately.

    ¡°Will they be alright¡­?¡±

    ¡°Judging from their gear, they should be advanced Chosen Ones. If their opponents are just soldiers, they shouldn¡¯t be in danger.¡±

    There were warrior chiefs among the elves on the demon¡¯s side too, but as far as Shin could tell, the sane ones were stronger. Some of them also equipped Mythology-grade weapons, albeit lower-ranked ones. As long as they didn¡¯t encounter a demon like the one Shin defeated in the dungeon, they wouldn¡¯t lose. If the warriors set out to kill from the start, mere soldiers could not overwhelm them, even with numbers.

    Things would be different if they were up against demons, but that could be said about anyone. Shin¡¯s group, capable of handling Grand Duke ss demons on their own, were the abnormal ones.

    ¡°There¡¯s a stronger group going to the residence¡­they might have sensed Lina¡¯s return. Let¡¯s join them quickly and head to the holy area. I¡¯m sorry, but speed is of the essence now.¡±

    Shin grabbed the worried Tiera and jumped. That was the fastest way.

    ¡°H-hey, Shin!? What are you¡­we¡¯re flying!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to be carried like that all of a sudden, but she was even more surprised by the fact that they didn¡¯tnd after the first leap.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to learn that too. Could you teach me after things are settled here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to, but I honestly can¡¯t exactly tell why it happened.¡±

    Schnee floated next to Shin as they were jumping, grabbed his arm and spoke. Shin was now jumping while carrying Tiera on his left arm and Schnee on his right. In other circumstances, it would be a pretty enviable position.

    ¡°Here we go!¡±

    Shin forcefully kicked the air. Lanapacea¡¯s streets and houses passed like a blur under them. After a couple minutes, they saw the residence where Shibaid waited. It was already under attack: they could see magic spells and arrows beingunched against it. A half-transparent veil around the residence, however, repelled them all. It was a protective barrier created by Shibaid¡¯s weapon, the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡».

    The elf soldiers were about 50 in number, but only attacks from Chosen Ones could affect the barrier. Shin contacted Shibaid via Mind Chat, who said that Lina and the elves working in the residence were gathered together under his protection.

    Yuzuha by herself would be enough to rout the attackers while Shibaid stayed on defense, but as they didn¡¯t know the current situation, they chose to contact Shin while defending the residence.

    ¡°These guys have negative status ailments¡­they¡¯re different from the ones before.¡±

    ¡°I will heal them.¡±

    Schnee activated ¡¾Cure¡¿, targeting all the elves. As their status ailments disappeared, they lost consciousness and copsed. Shin made sure there was not any more danger and joined with Shibaid and the others. They didn¡¯t have enough time to lock so many people up somewhere.

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of joining with Lymliss and the others in the holy area. I can¡¯t tell how the demon using Crissot¡¯s body will move, but they will definitely target the holy area and the priestesses. There are probably other demons around, they might attack as a group next time.¡±

    The World Tree was healed, but it could not counterattack. If other demons were higher in level, like Crissot, it could be in danger.

    ¡°I¡¯ming too. I can be of help with the purification.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±

    In such a situation, concentrating all avable fighting power in one location made it easier to fight. Now with Shibaid, Yuzuha, and Lina in tow, Shin¡¯s group headed to the holy area. Shin couldn¡¯t carry all of them while jumping, so they rode on transformed Yuzuha and Kagerou, after casting a boost on them.

    ¡°What do you think they will do next?¡±

    ¡°As you probably think too, I think that demon is going to target Tiera. I have not definite proof, but I believe he is taking over the demon. His words made it seem like he was governed by hate and rage, but I think that his feelings as a parent remain, as long as Tiera is concerned.¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee¡¯s words. In the game, demons were always demons, monsters through and through. In this world, however, anything could happen, for better or worse. It wasn¡¯t unthinkable for a demon, supposed to take over others, to be taken over instead.

    The words spoken by Crissot were so powerful that they started considering that possibility. He showed a strength of will that did not disappear even after he died and was possessed.

    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡±

    Before Shin¡¯s group could arrive to the holy area, the situation shifted. He felt a sort of vibration, not caused by Yuzuha running. It was a very strong vibration: even Kagerou and Yuzuha stopped, wondering what happened.

    ¡°Shin, look at that!!¡±

    The cause of the strange phenomenon was quickly revealed. Schnee pointed towards a rainbow-colored light emanating from the holy area.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­very bad.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression clouded, so Tiera called out to him.

    A burst of light. If it was as he recalled, the situation was turning for the worst.

    ¡°That light appears when the World Tree is reaching its limits. It will form into a Divine Beast that destroys the world.¡±

    Shin had never seen it directly: in the game era, he happened to see footage of the event, recorded by another yer. The light appeared the second the World Tree was cut down, then gradually formed a mass. Ultimately it turned into a Divine Beast that destroys the world.

    Its official name was guardian divine beast Reforgerer. It looked like a wingless dragon that walked on two legs. Its face was covered by smooth scales, except on the mouth, and it had no other organs. Itsrge, powerful arms ended in four fingers, each equipped with ws. Its legs were extremely robust as well. Its sculpted skin appeared soft, but was harder than adamantium.

    Reforgerer also had a long tail that could sweep city walls and destroy them. It attacked with roars that caused physical damage, direct attacks with arms, legs and tail, powerful beams from its mouth and back, etcetera. Because of its silhouette and attacks, many yers identified it with a certain famous Japanese kaiju.

    ¡°The demons must have done something.¡±

    ¡°It was probably Crissot¡­¡±

    Crissot had indeed fled in the direction of the holy area. It was natural to think that he could have cut down the World Tree. The most urgent problem was that they had no ways to counter Reforgerer. It used impurity as its source of energy: without the World Tree, nothing could erase impurity, so it could feed on a nigh-infinite source of energy.

    At the very least, one needed higher rank Mythology weapons to damage it, but even so it recovered all damage extremely quickly. It was a genuine nightmare to fight.

    The beams itunched were also incredibly powerful: without at least Ancient-grade gear, anyone would melt if hit by them. Famously, a yer hit by such a beam shouted, ¡°Screw you, devs!!¡± after being struck down.

    ¡°Whatever can we do¡­?¡±

    After learning about Reforgerer, Lina looked at the light, speechless.

    At the time, all Rokuten members joined in the fight, but all they could do was buy time. When the battle was about to end, only two of the six remained. The battle ended only because Reforgerer used a great amount of impurity and stopped, then Rokuten¡¯s Cook and other yers specialized in farming started nting and raising the World Tree.

    The World Tree resurrected and the impurity started to be purified again, so Reforgerer turned back into light and disappeared.

    No one gained anything but destruction: it was the worst event in THE NEW GATE¡¯s history.

    ¡°So, Shin, that divine beast disappeared when the World Tree was nted again and its purifying power returned, right? So even if it appears now, we could do something about it with the World Tree¡¯s powers?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the problem is that we don¡¯t have farming skills that can make the World Tree grow quickly. I have the skill, but the level¡¯s way too low. That time, there were more than 10 people with the skill at X, Cook included.¡±

    In this world, it would be a feat just to find a person with the skill at level X. Finding several was unrealistic at best.

    ¡°In that case, it can work out. I can feel it, the World Tree is still alive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡±

    In the game, Reforgerer only appeared when all World Trees were destroyed. Tiera and Lina, however, both said that the World Tree was still alive. As priestesses, they could feel its presence.

    ¡°If the World Tree is still alive, then maybe that¡¯s not Reforgerer? I can¡¯t think of anything else, though¡­¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­looking at that light, it might be trying to forcefully summon Reforgerer. If not even Rokuten¡¯s members could defeat it, it could provide more than enough fighting power, even if not at peak strength.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that could be. Just the omen of its summoning creates such intimidating pressure.¡±

    Shin too felt his skin crawl. In the game, yers from various guilds cooperated to fight it, but still failed to defeat it. It was far superior to average bosses, so one could say it was obvious that it couldn¡¯t be defeated the first time. Reforgerer, however, was powerful no matter how many times you fought it. Too powerful.

    Shin noticed that, without realizing, his hand was on ¡ºMoonless¡» and looked away from the pir of light.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go to the holy area. If Reforgerer appears, I will fight.¡±

    ¡°I shall apany you. Diverting enemy attention is my forte.¡±

    ¡°¡­.no, Shibaid, I need you to act as guard. We have Kagerou too, but please stay with Tiera. She can¡¯t fight if she starts the purification, after all. We might have enemies other than Reforgerer.¡±

    Shin talked, mixing what he really thought with what he felt he had to say.

    ¡°Hmm, if you say so. Understood.¡±

    Shibaid was notpletely satisfied, but understood that he was best suited to what Shin asked him to do, so he nodded.

    Shin and the others headed to the holy area, noticing that there was smoke billowing from several locations. The pir of light rose from the deepest area, right next to the World Tree.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Tiera, Lina, always stay close to Shibaid. Kagerou, you assist Shibaid.¡±

    Shin left the defense to Shibaid and went on the attack, with Schnee and Yuzuha.

    ¡°Yuzuha, stay with Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡±

    ¡°¡­.kuu.¡±

    Yuzuha was unhappy too, but after seeing Shin¡¯s expression, she replied faintly and hopped on Schnee¡¯s shoulder. Only Shin truly knew the extent of Reforgerer¡¯s powers. It was the absolute strongest in THE NEW GATE: even Element Tails or Ishkar could notpare.

    During the past battle against Reforgerer, only two of Rokuten¡¯s six members survived. Shin was not one of them.

 Book 15: Chapter 4 (1)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 4 (1)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s starting to take shape.¡±

    Shin was looking at the erupting light as it gathered in one ce and started to harden. When it reached itsplete form, Reforgerer would be born.

    ¡°If we can defeat the demon before it bes the Divine Beast, we don¡¯t even have to fight it, right?¡±

    ¡°I think it might work¡­ From what I remember, it appeared and started rampaging immediately.¡±

    Time had passed since Shin and the others first saw the pir of light. In the game era footage he had seen, Reforgerer had appeared less than a minute after the pir manifested, so he couldn¡¯t deny the possibility of what Tiera said being true. However, it would be extremely difficult to pull off.

    ¡°There¡¯s a cluster of presences. Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group advanced straight into the holy area, heading towards the presences he had detected. As expected, he found Lymliss and the elf guards escorting her. They noticed Shin¡¯s group approaching them but did not appear to recognize Shin¡¯s group, as they had their weapons in hand, ready for battle.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou were in their original forms ¡ª although Yuzuha¡¯s was notplete ¡ª, so theirrge bodies and high levels would surely be intimidating. The guards probably noticed that Shin and the others were riding the beasts, but they couldn¡¯t afford not being wary.

    ¡°We are not enemies!¡±

    Tiera spoke on behalf of the group. Thanks to the authority of the priestess¡¯ words, the elven warriors were reassured and put down their weapons.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, a light appeared from the World Tree¡­and I feel an unpleasant presence too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably the cause of all this. We came to protect the World Tree¡­and we need the power of purification. It will be dangerous, but we need your help.¡±

    There was no time to exin in detail what was going on. Lymliss, however, understood that the situation was truly dire, so she nodded with a stiff expression on her face. Despite the abnormal phenomenon, the World Tree was still alive. Lymliss could feel it too.

    Some elves objected, saying it was too dangerous for her to go, but Lymliss convinced them saying that if she didn¡¯t go now, there would be no point in her being a priestess anymore, so they did not try to stop her.

    The elite guards knew they could never rece the priestesses¡¯ importance, but were experienced warriors. Because of this, they felt a sense of intimidation and fear from the pir of light.

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°Me, Schnee and Yuzuha will deal with the monstering out. Meanwhile, I want you to purify the World Tree and get rid of as much impurity as possible. You might encounter demons, so Shibaid will go with you.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will protect them, even if it costs my life.¡±

    Shin was giving orders instead of Schnee, but no one interjected.

    He had already removed all ¡¾Limiter¡¿ restrictions to be ready whenever Reforgerer appeared. The elite elves understood, through their instincts rather than reason, who was the most powerful person present.

    ¡°I was thinking of making the residents in the area evacuate, but with the situation as it is¡­¡±

    Fighting among elves had broken out throughout the city. It was impossible to make people evacuate in a situation like that. Reforgerer¡¯s attack power also made it meaningless to just go a little farther away.

    ¡°If we take care of the cause, the manipted people should turn back to normal.¡±

    ¡°I really hope they will.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group headed towards the World Tree, together with Lymliss and the elven elites. The gradually shaping light was rtively far from the World Tree. The reason was unknown, but it worked in their favor. After entrusting Lymliss to Shibaid, Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha headed towards the light.

    ¡°Are we toote?¡±

    Shin saw the light before them glow stronger. After it briefly disappeared, a giant figure appeared, exactly as he remembered.

    ¡ª¡ª Guardian Divine Beast ¨C Reforgerer

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed Reforgerer¡¯s data. Theck of a level disy and the ¡°Guardian¡± title before its name both reflected Shin¡¯s memories.

    In the same location as Reforgerer, Crissot¡¯s presence appeared as well. As expected, he was the reason behind the divine beast¡¯sing. He might have be one with the divine beast or possessed by it, but in any case he was a very dangerous existence.

    Reforgerer did not start moving immediately after appearing, so there was still some leeway for observation. Its head was covered by a smooth silver carapace, only showing itsrge mouth lined with snaggleteeth, surely unsuited for eating. Its body was covered by rough skin colored dark green, almost ck, equipped with two robust arms and an even more massive set of legs.

    Its tail, about as long as its body, was also covered in the same skin armor and was very flexible. The tip, about 10 mel long, was covered in an extremely sturdy-looking shell. The guardian also had crystal-like minerals growing from its back, which it could use to fire searing hot beams.

    Once Reforgerer received a certain amount of damage, the crystals would turn into rainbow-colored wings, which could also restore its HP and were very sturdy to boot. A yer armed with arge sledgehammer tried to smash them to prevent the monster from restoring its HP once, but was blown back without even managing to crack them, or so Shin remembered.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit smaller than normal?¡±

    ¡°It might not be in itsplete form. Based on what you told us, it was not summoned in a legitimate way.¡±

    ¡°Kuu! There¡¯s a mix of miasma in its aura!¡±

    The monster before them was clearly smaller than what Shin remembered. Looking at it from the side, Shin also noticed that its back was not lined with as many crystals, as he recalled, they were missing here and there.

    Yuzuha¡¯s observation also corroborated Schnee¡¯s hypothesis. A sort of ck aura enveloped the monster, one it did not have before: the miasma. It might be the reason why Reforgerer had not moved yet.

    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Reforgerer was not moving, but there were monsters sticking to its arms: arge shelled spider with a human-like upper body and a horse-like beast with two tiger heads.

    As ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed, they were both demons.

    Shin wondered what they were trying to do, when Reforgerer finally moved. It started closing its paws, clutching the demons. They both tried breath attacks or blowing strings to resist, but Reforgerer¡¯s scales repelled everything.

    ¡°If he still retains his feelings as a parent, it won¡¯t leave any demons alive, as they could target priestesses¡­I guess.¡±

    The demons were crushed to death in the divine beast¡¯s paws, with a squelch-like sound. They were Crissot¡¯s former allies, probably.

    We¡¯d be lucky if it¡¯s weaker than normal, since it was summoned in an irregr way¡­so thought Shin, but it did not look like his hopes woulde true. As he considered starting the offensive, he felt a horrifying chill down his spine. Reforgerer¡¯s gaze was turning towards them.

    Shin could tell. The eyeless Reforgerer was looking right at them.

    ¡°Behind me, all of you!!¡±

    Shin noticed a faint bluish-white glow seep out of Reforgerer¡¯s closed mouth and stood in front of Schnee and Yuzuha before thinking. Shibaid too did the same, shouting as he stood in front of the group. They prepared the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», activated a defensive barrier and another protection skill.

    Reforgerer¡¯s beam struck as soon as the double protection was set in ce. The transparent white beam of light filled the distance between them instantly.

    The double barriers created by Shin and Shibaid provided slight resistance to the beam before shattering.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s smaller, it¡¯s as strong as before!?¡±

    ¡°What incredible power¡­!¡±

    Shin and Shibaid shouted as they held the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» against the beam. The beam was wider than the shield, but it was Ancient-grade gear after all: it managed to scatter the beam away and prevent it from hitting those behind the shield.

    The cksmith Shin, however, could tell that the shield¡¯s endurance was gradually decreasing. The ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» had been powered up since the game era, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. If the elves were targeted, they could do nothing to defend themselves.

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°How can you fight with such a monster¡­?¡±

    Thanks to Shin and Shibaid¡¯s defense, the whole group was unscathed. The heat and pressure of the beam, however, scattered and caused explosions wherever itnded. Although weakened, the beam¡¯s damage was enough to dispel any optimistic outlook of the situation.

    The elven warriors were especially surprised, as the weakened sts were more than enough to blow whole houses away. Some of them lost all will to fight because of the overwhelming power of Reforgerer¡¯s beams.

    ¡°Kuu, its attacks are mixed with miasma too!¡±

    Shin and Shibaid were too focused on parrying the beam to notice, but Yuzuha, behind them, could tell. Miasma had been released together with the beam, as if enveloping it. Considering that the miasma might be boosting the beam¡¯s power, it might be even more dangerous than the game era¡¯s Reforgerer.

    ¡°This position is bad. It shouldn¡¯t be able to fire beams like that often. I¡¯ll draw its attention while going to the other side! Tiera, you guys, go to the World Tree!¡±

    Shin shouted so that Schnee and the rest could hear. With Lanapacea behind them, they couldn¡¯t simply dodge the monster¡¯s attacks. If they let the beams through, the whole country would turn into a sea of mes. In the worst case scenario, it might even hit the World Tree. They definitely could not fight there.

    Shin thought that the most effective strategy as present was for Tiera and the other priestesses to purify the World Tree while they acted as decoys.

    The beam started weakening and vanished after about one minute. The ground in front and around them had changedpletely. The path remained only on their side: on the other side, it waspletely melted, even boiling here and there.

    ¡°I¡¯m going ahead!! Shibaid, I leave Tiera to you!!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Shin kicked the ground and leaped high in the air, Shibaid¡¯s reply trailing behind him. The melting ground shattered and scattered. He could now freely travel through the air, so he jumped as high as Reforgerer¡¯s eye level and headed straight towards its head. The guardian¡¯s head moved to follow his movements.

    ¡°You can see, can¡¯t you.¡±

    In the game era, he never had the luxury to observe it in detail. As the yers scattered to avoid its beams, he never felt the guardian¡¯s eyes on him so clearly.

    ¡°There¡¯s more than Crissot¡¯s will at y here.¡±

    The beam would have struck down Tiera too, if Shin and Shibaid didn¡¯t block it. Crissot¡¯s will to protect Tiera was possibly mixed with the demon¡¯s will to ughter humans and Reforgerer¡¯s original will to attack humanity.

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    A ck shadow darted at the side of Shin¡¯s field of view. He quickly sidestepped and itsrge mass flew by. It was a Reforgerer¡¯s tail attack, as fast as a whish and much more powerful than a hammer.

    In the past it was enough to crush any ¡°tank¡± yer, without a chance to block it. Scouts or rear guard yers would be killed instantly if it just brushed past them.

    He was worried about Schnee and the others, but the equipment he gave them was reinforced as much as possible. At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t be killed instantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the same asst time we fought!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s grip on ¡ºMoonless¡» tightened as he closed in on the monster. Before, approaching Reforgerer was a feat in itself: other than gigantic, the divine beast was also extremely fast. Its movement was not too quick, but its arms and tail moved as if they were separated from its body.

    Without any restrictions on his movements, however, Shin could avoid them on the three-dimensional ne, easily slipping very close to the beast. His target was its neck, as tall andrge as a building.

    Shin knew well about Reforgerer¡¯s healing capabilities. It was still a living creature, however. If its neck was cut off, it couldn¡¯t move again so quickly.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡» emitted a grinding sound. Shin¡¯s powerful grip, without¡¾Limiter¡¿, was making it wail. Even so, Shin did not rx his arms. He could not hold anything back against this opponent: he knew that in the worst case, he would throw away the weapon.

    The light shining on the tip of his de was as zing hot as Reforgerer¡¯s beam. Stone or flesh, living or not, he would cut through it all. With such strong conviction in his heart, Shin activated a skill.

    Katana/mebination skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C ze Divide¡¿

    A white hot sh arced in the air, as if it could cut the very atmosphere. The de sliced through the scales and cut the monster¡¯s flesh. It was not deep enough to slice the monster¡¯s neck, however. The technique was powerful enough, as it cut a much wider range than the arc drawn by ¡ºMoonless¡». Even so, it managed to sever only about one third of Reforgerer¡¯s neck.

    The guardian¡¯s beast¡¯s scales were very sturdy, but its flesh was extremely tough as well, so Shin¡¯s sh did not go as deep as he expected.

    Shin had unleashed the skill aiming to cut cleanly through the guardian¡¯s neck: if the opponent wasn¡¯t Reforgerer, the sh would have surely reached as far as the forest in the distance.

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously tough.¡±

    The response Shin felt through ¡ºMoonless¡» was the heaviest he ever felt. He managed to draw the de out, but if he didn¡¯t give it his all it would have remained stuck in the monster¡¯s flesh. Many yers had lost their weapons in such a way.

    ¡°But I can still cut you.¡±

    Shin managed to damage Reforgerer more than their previous encounter. In the past, he needed multiple attacks just to destroy the scales, so he felt more confident in his ability to fight it. Such confidence, however, created an opening.

    ¡°Shin!! Above you!!¡±

    Shin heard Schnee¡¯s almost shrieking voice and looked upwards. He was located close to Reforgerer¡¯s neck, so above him there would be¡­its head, naturally. Its mouth, ready to fire another searing hot beam. Blue and white lights leaked from Reforgerer¡¯s mouth.

    Shin was right next to the divine beast¡¯s neck, so he was not in danger of being hit, but he knew that without Schnee or anyone telling him.

    ws came from the right, the tail from the left, centering on Shin¡¯s position. If he was caught between them, he didn¡¯t know what would be of him, even as he was now. If he jumped away, however, he might end up in the beam¡¯s course.

    Shin thus decided to jump diagonally right. If he passed next to the neck, he did not risk to be hit by any attack.

    ¡°Shit¡­!!¡±

    Shin nned to stick next to the monster¡¯s neck and climb it. If he went as far as its back, he risked being hit by the crystals¡¯ beams this time. Because he knew that, however, his response was dyed.

    Beam attacks from the mouth and back, w and tail attacks. Shin focused too much on them and neglected to consider attacks from other sources.

    The scales covering Reforgerer¡¯s body started glowing, all at the same time. The power and heat was low, but it was undoubtedly a beam attack. Thanks to his high stats and defensive gear, Shin did not receive any damage.

    That was not the problem, however.

    Shin had gained the ability to move freely in midair, but in the end he always leaping: he could not float or fly. He could parry attacks from above, but could not stay in ce while being attacked from other directions.

    Shin quickly shot a fireball in the direction he was blown to, using the explosion¡¯s shockwave as a buffer, to prevent Reforgerer from putting more distance between them. His position was just outside the range of the guardian¡¯s beams.

    I can dodge them here.

    So thought Shin, an instant before his field of view was engulfed in white light.

 Book 15: Chapter 4 (2)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 4 (2)</h4>

    As Shin¡¯s group started fighting Reforgerer, the group led by Shibaid headed towards the World Tree. No one intended to go help them. Looking at the scale of the battle, they understood that any support they could provide would be a hindrance instead.

    Their current location was also still inside the attack range of Reforgerer¡¯s tail. If they attracted the divine beast¡¯s attention, its tail would pound them like a hammer. Tiera moved as quickly as possible, knowing that their best way to help Shin was for all the priestesses to reach the World Tree as soon as possible.

    ¡°We will be okay¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Without a shred of a doubt. We could block its most powerful attack with the shield. There is no need for concern.¡±

    Shibaid replied calmly to Tiera¡¯s doubt. She had seen the beam blocked before her eyes. What Shibaid said was definitely true.

    (And yet¡­)

    Everyone in the group had seen Reforgerer¡¯s massive body and the power of its beam, as well as Shin blocking it. Only Tiera was slightly different.

    Until now, she had encountered Grand Duke demons and even one of the most powerful monsters in the world, Ishkar, all opponents much, much stronger than her. Because of that, she had the leeway to observe the shield defending them from the beam.

    (It¡¯s melted a little. If someone takes the full brunt of that attack¡­)

    The image of Shin disappearing within Reforgerer¡¯s white st of light appeared in her head, which she desperately tried to shake away.

    The shield¡¯s surface was melted and deformed here and there. Shibaid probably realized it too, but there was no time to fix it, nor anyone capable of doing so.

    Even an Ancient-grade shield tempered and reinforced by Shin was not indestructible.

    Shields were designed to protect the wielder, being more resilient and sturdy than offensive weapons.

    It was very rare for weapons crafted by Shin to break. The only instance she could remember was during the battle with Girard, but that was a weapon with less endurance than a shield.

    (We have to do something quickly, to end this battle as soon as possible!)

    Tiera hurried with a renewed conviction in her heart.

    ¡°We cannot lower our pace. Follow us if you can keep up.¡±

    ¡°I suppose we must. Everyone, run as fast as you can!!¡±

    Next to Tiera, looking straight ahead, Shibaid and Ordoss called to the others. Tiera looked back and saw that the number of guards with them had decreased.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going too fast for them. Tiera, your stats increased a lot, so I guess you didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡±

    Tiera was surprised and found herself at a loss for words.

    Tiera knew the warrior chiefs as elites among the elite in Lanapacea. She knew that she had grown stronger during her travels, but she believed they would still be superior.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, you have grown much stronger indeed.¡±

    Ordoss was running next to her, but he was short on breath. Tiera¡¯s wasn¡¯t though. She could still go faster.

    ¡°It might be thanks to your gear too. Everyone, the World Tree is near! Give it your all!!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s group had taken a detour to reach the World Tree, in order to avoid being involved in the battle between Shin and Reforgerer. Even if they were separated, they wouldn¡¯t be too far.

    After a while, Tiera reached the base of the World Tree. They discovered that the tree had turned to a pitch ck color. About 70, 80% of the World Tree waspletely ck: it was barely alive. Tiera called out to Lymliss and Lina, riding on Kagerou.

    ¡°The condition is horrible¡­but it¡¯s still alive! Lend me your strength, both of you!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Both priestesses had a very stern expression on their faces. However, they did not show the slightest sign of giving up. They jumped down from Kagerou, stood side to side with Tiera and spread their arms in front of them, closing their eyes to focus.

    ¡°This is¡­!¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s surprised voice reached Tiera¡¯s ears, but there was no time to ask about it. Tiera calmed her spirit and focused on the tiny light deep within her.

    She didn¡¯t know if it was really a light. She focused on the tiny, faint, yet powerful existence that resided within her from as long as she could remember, and erged it inside her.

    The light eventually filled her body and overflowed. She directed it in front of her.

    Tiera¡¯s eyes were closed, but she could clearly see the presence of the World Tree and the impurity that was corrupting it. She released her light towards the turbid aura that enveloped the World Tree. It was a special kind of purification, different from the one used with miasma, exclusively performed for the World Tree.

    Tiera could see that two simr lights flowed to the World Tree from her sides. Hers was a pale emerald green, Lina¡¯s was yellow mixed with orange, and Lymliss¡¯ transparent blue.

    As each light touched the impurity, it gradually disappeared as if melting away. However, because of Reforgerer¡¯s appearance, the purification was different than usual.

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    After about a minute, a pained whisper escaped Lymliss¡¯ lips. She was sweating profusely, despite the temperature not being high at all. Lina, on the other hand, did not emit a sound, but her light was trembling. It was a signal that there was something wrong with the priestess releasing it.

    Tiera wondered what could have happened to them, when a horrifying sight suddenly appeared in front of her.

    It seemed to be a battlefield: people shed by swords, people impaled bynces, people scorched by magic, people devoured by monsters. Various kinds of death appeared one after the other before her eyes, and she could also feel their pain.

    The pain itself was probably less than what would actually be felt in such a situation, but being forced to experience dozens, hundreds of different kinds of pain would be simply excruciating, even if it was not actual physical pain.

    (I see, so that¡¯s how it is.)

    The two priestesses next to her were suffering because of this. Tiera was experiencing the same pain, but could somehow keep her cool. Unlike the other priestesses, always protected by guards in the vige, she had been chased by monsters, lost people dear to her, and risked her life, without a shred of hope supporting her.

    After joining with Shin and the others she had encountered powerful foes many times and had witnessed battlefields of people and monsters. Thanks to those experiences, she knew that the pain and suffering she was experiencing now were nothing but illusions.

    ¡°These are all illusions created by the impurity!! Get a hold of yourselves!!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice echoes forcefully. As if called by it, several globes of light appear around her. Their shapes changed and took an elf-like form. Some of them were known, others were not. The only thing they did know was that they were all World Tree priestesses.

    Floating in the air, they surrounded each of the 3 priestesses. Light began flowing from their bodies, enveloping Tiera, Lymliss, and Lina.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay now. I can do it!!¡±

    ¡°I have to be useful. It¡¯s now or never!!¡±

    Lymliss drew a deep breath, Lina firmly focused again, then they loudly shouted together. The priestesses¡¯ lights probably dispelled the illusions tormenting them. Their light of purification regained its original strength.

    Tiera then felt something warm on her shoulder. There was no physical sensation, but she could tell there was a warm hand holding her. Somehow, she felt she knew that sensation from before.

    ¡°Allow me to use your power!¡±

    It was not the right time to think about that: Tiera focused anew on the purification. Something warm seeped inside Tiera from the hand on her shoulder. It was a purification force, but different from Tiera¡¯s or the other two priestesses¡¯.

    The past World Tree priestesses, who had be spirits and could not purify the World Tree directly, did so through the bodies of the three priestesses physically present. The powers to protect the World Tree, to protect the world, to protect all people became one.

 Book 15: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay!!¡±

    Shin managed to switch to the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»just before the beam struck. It was one of the remaining functions from the game, weapon swap. The beam was weaker than expected: he was blown away, but received no damage. Shin replied to Schnee and Yuzuha¡¯s worried call, then stood back up. He had been hit in midair, so he had crashed into the ground.

    Shin looked at his surroundings and understood what Reforgerer had done. The ground was scorched in a ripple-like pattern, with Shin at the center. The attack range was wider than the regr beam, but being struck from such close distance, he should have been buried deeper into the ground and the temperature should have been much higher. Shin¡¯s location was also outside the usual beam¡¯s scope.

    ¡°Less power, more range, huh.¡±

    Such an attack did not exist in the game era. The range was too wide and therefore difficult to avoid. The sole advantage was that it was not very powerful.

    The shield¡¯s durability had barely decreased too. Shin realized that the defensive gear he had equipped should be enough to resist it.

    ¡°If I get too close, ws and tail¡­if I stay far, beam attacks. On a 360¡ã range to boot.¡±

    Shin tried talking casually to make the situation seem less dire, but it didn¡¯t work very well. Since the guardian could have other unknown attack patterns, it was difficult to go on the offensive. Reforgerer¡¯s attacks were usually lethal.

    ¡°Well, I guess I should be thankful that he¡¯s targeting only me¡­not that I know why.¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha attacked Reforgerer to attract its attention, but the divine beast was focused solely on Shin. At first, he thought it was because Shin was the first to attack, but it kept attacking Shin even after Schnee and Yuzuha started attacking.

    Was it because he was the strongest among them? Or maybe because of the force Yuzuha mentioned. Or some other unknown reason. There were other things to do now, however, before thinking about this.

    Shin stood back up and Reforgerer¡¯s tail came down to strike him. It was like a whole skyscraper wasing down on him. Compared to the beams, however, it was easy to deal with. For yers, fighting againstrger opponents was fairlymon. Bosses were often gigantic monsters, after all.

    Shin kept the shield pointed upwards, holding it diagonally. The moment the tail struck, he swung his arms upwards and activated a skill.

    Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Shock Glide¡¿

    It was the powered up version of a skill that allowed the user to dodge enemy attacks, the so-called parry, specialized forrge size monsters. The tail, set to crush Shin against the ground, slid along the shield¡¯s surface as if it meant to do that all along, directed above.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get your neck, but what about your tail then?¡±

    Reforgerer¡¯s tail grew progressively thinner towards the tip. Shin could not sever the divine beast¡¯s neck, as it was protected not only by scales but also by robust muscle fibers, but the tail was different.

    The tail was packed with muscles too, but they were thinner than the neck and, because of their flexibility, not as resilient. Shin readied his de targeting the tail, full of openings now that it missed its mark. He made full use of his unfettered stats as he jumped high in the air and swung down ¡ºMoonless¡».

    Katana/Waterbination skill ¡¾Still Water¡¿.

    Following the sh, the tail was enveloped in blue light. The next instant, with a clear, sharp sound, a 10 mel portion from the tip of the tail was cut off and danced in midair.

    ¡°Okay, I can cu¡ª-¡±

    Reforgerer¡¯s rage for this wound made it roar. Shin was ready to run to make a follow-up attack, but a very worrying crack-like sound reached his ears. At the same time, he felt a slight vibration through his right hand.

    Shin looked down to his right. There he saw ¡ºMoonless¡» with a crack in the center of its de. Part of the de was missing, and cracks spread through it like shattering ice.

    ¡°Seriously!? I just cut it twice¡­!¡±

    The katana¡¯s remaining durability was a mere 20%. Shin estimated that it was not damaged by the monster¡¯s scales or flesh, but by his own power. He could see the cracks spread as he continued to grip it.

    His cksmith skills could tell him what happened: the magic power he imbued into the de when using skills exceeded the weapon¡¯s limits.

    ¡°¡­will I run out of weapons first, or will Tieraplete the purification first¡­?¡±

    Even an Ancient-grade weapon could only do so much. A Mythology-grade weapon would not even withstand one strike. Shin was prepared to sacrifice his weapons, but did not expect them to be consumed so quickly.

    He mentally listed his avable weapons, then looked at Reforgerer. It wasn¡¯t attacking again because Schnee and Yuzuha were giving their all to keep it upied.

    ¡°Even their attacks can¡¯t prove fatal for this beast.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» shed the scales and the flesh under them, Yuzuha¡¯s ws and magic spread the wounds. They had hardly ever fought together before this, but their attack and defense were seamlessly coordinated. Even so, the damage they caused to Reforgerer was minimal.

    Reforgerer¡¯s HP was incredibly high, so no matter how much it was damaged, it was a mystery if it could really be defeated.

    Can we defeat it? Shin asked himself.

    Pointless question, he answered.

    I¡¯ll cut off its neck first. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll crush its heart. If it doesn¡¯t die even with that, I¡¯ll keep attacking it until it does, or seal it. There¡¯s a lot of things I haven¡¯t tried yet. I can¡¯t die until I have tested them all, nor will I let anyone else die.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist fought like this.¡±

    His conviction renewed, Shin browsed through his item box and materialized new weapons.

    An enormous battle axe appeared on his left hand, a longsword on his right. The battle axe was not the regr single-sided or double-sided de type: its single-sided de extended along the handle, as to protect the wielder¡¯s grip. Being as tall as Shin, it looked like a fusion between an axe and a broadsword. A yellow, almost golden aura surrounded the de.

    The longsword on his right hand was a simple double-edged weapon without decorations. The de was painted in ck and blue, with a reddish ck streak running along the center. This sword was enveloped in a very dark red and blue aura.

    Shin¡¯s left hand wielded the so-called ¡°Thundersteel Axe¡±, ¡ºKeravnos¡».

    His right hand held the sword called ¡°Cursed Storm¡±, ¡ºStormbringer¡» .

    Both of them were superior Ancient-grade weapons. The usage of two different weapons at the same time was one of the battle styles Shin developed in THE NEW GATE in order to survive.

    ¡°Using all sorts of weapons, one after the other, that¡¯s how a cksmith fights!¡±

    After shouting something that all cksmiths in this world would vehemently disagree with, Shin ran forward, holding ¡ºKeravnos¡» and ¡ºStormbringer¡» like spreading wings, heading straight towards Reforgerer.

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s and Yuzuha¡¯s attacks, the guardian¡¯s attention was drawn away from Shin. He concealed himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and approached the monster.

    ¡°Here goes, a huge one!¡±

    Using his running momentum, Shin swung ¡ºKeravnos¡».

    Lights shed, and a momentter, thunder roared.

    Axe-type Martial skill ¡¾Core Breaker¡¿.

    It was a skill that createdrge openings, so it could not be used often, but it ignored enemy defense and, paired with an axe¡¯s normally very high offensive power, was powerful enough to blow away monsters many times the size of the wielder.

    What would happen if the current Shin used it? As an answer to this question, Reforgerer¡¯s massive, robust right leg was carved for more than half of its width and disappeared.

    In exchange,the tip of ¡ºKeravnos¡»¡¯ de cracked and shattered.

    Shin quickly turned it into a card and put it away, then kicked the ground. Reforgerer, having lost most of its right foot under the ankle, lost its bnce.

    Shin twisted his body in midair, targeting Reforgerer¡¯s head with ¡ºStormbringer¡». The longsword emitted grinding sounds because of Shin¡¯s powerful grip. Focused fully on his target, Shin did not notice that ¡ºStormbringer¡»¡¯s de was wrapped in a bright purple aura.

    ¡°Take thiiiissss!!!¡±

    Shin thrust ¡ºStormbringer¡» with as much strength as he could. He was still far from Reforgerer¡¯s head, but an enormous half-transparent de extended from ¡ºStormbringer¡», quickly filling the distance.

    Sword-type Martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Dimension¡¿

    This skill ignored enemy defense. It could be used only with a thrusting motion and created a de of magic from the tip of the wielder¡¯s weapon. Its strongest characteristic was that the de of magic could extend. The de grew thinner as it stretched, so at its limits it was only a few cemel wide, but it was still enough to target the opponent¡¯s head or heart.

    It was a physical attack with a magic de, so it could damage even frontline warriors. Because of this, in a certain period the bizarrebo of ¡°sword snipers¡± was fairly popr in the game. Because of this, management ¡°nerfed¡± the skill, making it unable to damage units other than the target and making it less damaging the more distance there was between the caster and the target. In the current situation, with the opponenting closer to Shin on their own, there was no problem.

    Shin¡¯s target was Reforgerer¡¯s throat, the spot he damaged with ¡¾ze Divide¡¿. Shiden-caused wounds healed slowly, so the gash was not fully closed yet.

    The de wrapped in purple sparkles of light did not fail: it stabbed the wound on Reforgerer¡¯s throat and pierced through its flesh, boosted by the skill¡¯s power, Shin¡¯s muscr strength ¡ª supported by the ground ¡ª and the monster¡¯s own weight.

    The de¡¯s width depended on the user¡¯s stats. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Dimension¡¿ de was much wider than what it was during the game era, because of his reinforced stats.

    It would be plenty for him if it was three times the size of the de, but it stretched as far as ten times the original width.

    ¡°Your head¡­is mine¡­!!!¡±

    Shin felt it as ¡ºStormbringer¡» pierced the center of Reforgerer¡¯s throat and swung it to the side. Normally, the de would break if it was forced to do such a sweep. The sword wrapped in sparkles, however, showed a sturdiness that ¡¾Dimension¡¿ normally did not have. Slowly but surely, the de cut through Reforgerer¡¯s neck.

    The divine beast would not sit still, though.

    Above the neck half severed by ¡ºStormbringer¡», the monster¡¯s mouth opened. A sh of light then formed: Reforgerer¡¯s searing beam. Even with its throat shed, it could apparently still fire.

    ¡°(Shin!?)¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha¡¯s voices ovepped. Shin, still holding ¡ºStormbringer¡» high, had no way of dodging. The beam reached Shin, but split in a ripple-like shape before hitting him, scorching the ground.

    Shin, holding ¡ºStormbringer¡» with one hand, used the other to quickly materialize the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡».

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    He managed to deflect the beam with the shield, but the ¡¾Dimension¡¿ de shattered. He could not protect the de extending from his hands to Reforgerer¡¯s neck with the shield.

    As the beam vanished, Reforgerer¡¯s ws struck. It was a monster through and through, after all: even with most of its neck cut off, it continued attacking.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue and jumped away. He turned¡ºStormbringer¡», only a handle after its de shattered, back into a card and materialized ance glowing in gold and arge katana with an emerald hue.

    The ¡°Divine Lance¡± ¡ºGungnir¡» in his left hand and the ¡°Cleaving de¡± ¡ºMurakumo¡» in his right. It was a festival of Ancient-grade weapons.

    ¡°(Schnee! Yuzuha! Act while I¡¯m drawing its attention!)¡±

    Shin called them via Mind Chat, thenunched ¡ºMurakumo¡» towards Reforgerer¡¯s neck, holding back some of his strength so as not to break it.

    It¡¯s still looking at me. This confidence prompted Shin to attempt the shot. ¡ºMurakumo¡», flying boosted by a skill, was knocked away before it could reach the scales covering Reforgerer¡¯s head. The shock, however, pushed the monster¡¯s head back, erging its wound. Then, Reforgerer¡¯s body touched the ground.

    With a heavy, dull sound, the ground shook. Reforgerer was solely focused on attacking, with no regards for supporting itself.

    ¡°Herees the big one!!¡±

    Shin had jumped just before the monster came crashing down, so he was not affected by the tremors. He readied ¡ºGungnir¡», calmly targeting the divine beast¡¯s wounds. Ignoring the grinding soundsing from the handle, Shin activated a skill.

    Spear-type Martial skill ¡¾Flying Circle Thrust¡¿.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» would always strike its target when thrown, but thanks to the skill its glow was even stronger. Copsed on the ground, Reforgerer had no way to defend itself.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» flew straight and true.

    Even in such a situation, however, the monster moved. It shot the wide-range beam, the same attack Shin had been surprised about earlier. Its power was reduced, so it could not destroy ¡ºGungnir¡». The weapon¡¯s aim, however, was deflected.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» was supposed to strike the remaining part connecting Reforgerer¡¯s head to its body, but passed through the already severed section, finally impaling the ground, blowing away a huge chunk of the surrounding terrain. The remaining flesh on Reforgerer¡¯s neck had just been brushed against: about 10% of it remained.

    The strategy to cut off that remaining 10% had already been prepared.

    Something cast a shadow over the copsed Reforgerer. It was Schnee, glowing in gold thanks to Yuzuha¡¯s assistance, wielding ¡ºMurakumo¡» veiled in a light purple hue.

    Schnee activated a skill, adding it to Shin¡¯s power lingering within ¡ºMurakumo¡».

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Heaven sh¡¿.

    The coup de grace. If it connected, the monster¡¯s neck would surely bepletely severed. Reforgerer, however, would not give up even then. Its massive tail flew towards Schnee.

    ¡°Not a chance!!¡±

    Yuzuha, in giant form, created magic from her tails and used it in a mass to repel and blow away the monster¡¯s tail. She was clearly regaining her original strength.

    They werepletely out of range of beam attacks. The monster¡¯s ws would not reach, its tail was knocked away. Reforgerer¡¯s defenses were finally spent.

    ¡°This is the end!!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone was brimming with conviction. The de she swung severed Reforgerer¡¯s neckpletely. The sh¡¯s shockwaves carved deep into the ground, transmitting the high power of the skill.

    Reforgerer¡¯s head rolled away on the ground, as strength clearly abandoned its torso. They couldn¡¯t let their guard down yet, however: its HP was still not zero.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±

    The torso remained the same, but the monster¡¯s head was changing shape. It turned into a sort of mist, then took human form. Using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed not Reforgerer¡¯s name, but Crissot¡¯s.

    ¡°Aah¡­Tie¡­ra¡­.Tie¡­ra¡­.¡±

    Before Shin, still armed, Crissot whispered such words before vanishing without leaving a trace.

    ¡°He teleported¡­? It can¡¯t be that¡­he went where Tiera and the others are?¡±

    Shin did not know how he did it, but he could only think of one ce where Crissot might have gone. Sure enough, moments after the disappearance Shin and his group received a Mind Chat from Shibaid. Crissot had suddenly appeared before them.

 Book 15: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    It all happened out of the blue.

    Crissot appeared before Tiera and the other priestesses purifying the World Tree and extended a thin rope made of mist towards her. Shibaid managed to stand between them at thest moment, but the rope was much stronger than it seemed. His stance was not ideal, but Shibaid was knocked back by the impact.

    ¡°Shin and the others did it, I suppose.¡±

    Shibaid spoke while holding up his shield. Tiera had noticed too. Reforgerer¡¯s gigantic body could be seen from the holy area, but it was nowhere to be seen anymore. They thought it was defeated, but the World Tree priestess Tiera knew Reforgerer hadn¡¯t disappeared yet.

    She could feel something close to its powerful presence right in front of her.

    ¡°Lina, Lymliss, please continue with the purification.¡±

    ¡°Lady Tiera, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Lina replied to Tiera, but thetter did not notice. Lymliss had heard her words: she looked at Tiera, wide-eyed.

    ¡°This is something I must put an end to.¡±

    She was about to do something reckless. Tiera herself knew it. She might even end up ruining the efforts of Shin¡¯s group. There might be a safer way.

    She felt it, however. That Crissot¡¯s soul, her father¡¯s soul, was right there.

    She could not sense her father¡¯s soul when Reforgerer was still active, but now she clearly could tell. His presence was the reason why it had appeared here, and that he was not trying to attack.

    ¡°Tiera, what are you¡­?¡±

    Shibaid was focused on Crissot, but looked with bewilderment at Tiera, standing beside him.

    She knew the reason. Her figure was probably different than usual. When Crissot appeared, she felt something descending inside her. She had experienced it many times when she lived in the vige, it was quite a nostalgic sensation.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Please leave it to me.¡±

    Tiera stepped forward, beyond Shibaid¡¯s shield. Crissot did not attack in the meantime.

    ¡°Aah¡­aah¡­¡±

    Crissot reacted to Tiera stepping forward with a sort of pained, or very emotional,ment. From his eyes, marked by tears of blood, now flowed transparent tears.

    ¡°So this is spirit channeling¡­¡±

    Tiera could hear Shibaid¡¯sment. She put her hands forward and saw someone else¡¯s hands ovepping hers. Lymliss and Shibaid were probably surprised by them.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    They weren¡¯t someone else¡¯s, a stranger¡¯s hands. She could tell. She had a premonition. The features of the elf Shin and Lina saw matched with someone Tiera knew. Her whole body was filled with a nostalgic sensation. Tiera knew that warmth very well.

    She approached Crissot, slowly. As she did, mist rose from Crissot¡¯s body, melting away like steam. Tiera knew: it was miasma. As the miasma vanished, Crissot¡¯s body started to change. His figure, identical to how he looked when still alive, started to shrivel.

    It was a natural change, as what kept Crissot alive was disappearing. When Tiera was in front of him, half of Crissot¡¯s body turned into a mummy.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    Tiera softly embraced her father¡¯s pitiful figure. The miasma¡¯s presence was no more.

    ¡°I am here, I am alive. Your daughter lives on, strongly.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s feelings mixed with those of the woman enveloping her and turned into words. Tiera did not actually know what to say. She could understand Crissot¡¯s pain, but she could not feel it. At the time, she was doing all she could to survive and did not have the leeway of thinking of her father¡¯s feelings.

    She gained some peace after she was in Tsuki no Hokora, but she unconsciously put away the painful memories of her vige. Thus she now responded to the emotions transmitted by Crissot.

    About how she was rescued by Schnee and stayed at Tsuki no Hokora. How she met Shin and her curse was lifted. How she met all sorts of people and visited many ces. Tiera talked about an adventure she could have never experienced, had she stayed in the vige.

    Crissot¡¯s arms moved. Thin arms that could break at any moment embraced Tiera in return.

    ¡°Aaah¡­I¡¯m so d¡­.¡±

    His words trailing in the air, Crissot disappeared. The wind moving through Tiera¡¯s hair brought the ashed Crissot dissolved into the sky. The wind circled the World Tree once, then vanished in the air. Crissot was no more. It had all happened in mere moments.

    The emotions Crissot transmitted were all born from concern about Tiera. There was nothing about himself. It seemed like the hate towards the world he shouted about during his first battle against Shin never existed in the first ce.

    ¡°Was this¡­alright?¡±

    The question was not directed to Shin or another party member, nor to a priestess like Lymliss, but to the silver-haired woman who appeared after Crissot vanished.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Irene, Crissot¡¯s wife, Tiera¡¯s mother, embraced her daughter, silently. She had no physical body, but Tiera could feel her embrace all the same. Even without words, she could feel her emotions. Sadness for not being able to protect her. Pain for not being able to save her. Anger towards their absurd circumstances. They all lingered within her, even after death.

    Those were not all that lingered, however.

    Tiera¡¯s growth, the smile she showed her, the fact that she saved Crissot, filled her with happiness and love. Her emotions not as priestess, but as mother, passed into and filled Tiera¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Mother¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice trembled. She held back, she could not cry. This time, this dialogue, was a miracle that would nevere again.

    World Priestesses are the guardians of the World Tree and the bonds between people. The cornerstones of peace. There was something that not even Shin and hispanions knew, however. That priestess was not allowed to use their powers for themselves.

    Priestesses with the ability to speak with the deceased ¡ª barring certain exceptions ¡ª were not allowed to willingly summon their parents, siblings, or anyone close to them. Because of that, this was the only chance Tiera had to express her feelings. Once it was over, she could not do it anymore.

    Because of that, Tiera smiled. She did not want thest expression her mother would see to be a crying one. She wanted her mother to remember her smiling.

    ¡°Be healthy and strong, my beloved daughter¡­¡±

    Irene left these words as she disappeared. She turned into a small, flickering light and joined the other lights that appeared, to be absorbed once again in the World Tree.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°So, is it all over?¡±

    Shin whispered while looking at the fading lights. He had left Reforgerer¡¯s body to Schnee and Yuzuha and had moved first. When he arrived, Tiera was already embracing Crissot. He saw that Shibaid was not interfering, so he decided to wait as well.

    Just in case, he checked the presences in the city via his map, but could not find any moving in a way that suggested there was fighting going on.

    ¡°Reforgerer has disappeared, so I believe we can say so.¡±

    Shin heard Schnee¡¯s words from behind him and used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ to look in the direction where Reforgerer was. Its icon was on the map no more, leaving only arge crater where it had copsed, but not even the smallest scale. It was clearlypletely gone.

    Shin looked again at Tiera, who had not moved a step and waspletely still.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Losing to the silent pressureing from Schnee and Shibaid¡¯s gazes, Shin eventually called Tiera. Lymliss and Lina also noticed, but found it hard to approach her.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Tiera turned towards Shin. She had held back her tears for long: they were now gleaming on her eyes. Tiera let herself go, as if falling on Shin¡¯s body.

    ¡°Did I..do good enough¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­.they were both smiling. You did for sure.¡±

    Her voice trembled. Shin replied to her question with confidence.

    Both Crissot and Irene showed a peaceful smile in the end. Looking at their expressions, no one would think she had failed.

    ¡°I see¡­I see¡­¡±

    Her voice trembled even more.

    You don¡¯t have to hold back anymore. So Shin wanted to express as he lightly embraced Tiera and patted her head. Tiera¡¯s body turned stiff for a moment, then she started to weep loudly.

    The World Tree watched over the group, silently.

 Book 15: Chapter Side Story

    <h4>Book 15: Chapter Side Story</h4>

    This is a tale from the time when the girl did not yet know about the absurdities of our world and lived every day in happiness and bliss.

    The tale of how she met the partner she would meet again yearster.

    ?

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    Someone was calling me.

    Some people would not react, but the young child did. Her golden eyes nced about, her silver pigtails fluttering about.

    The little girl was in the woods when it happened. Normally, it wasn¡¯t proper for a small child to y in such a ce, but for the young elf, it was like home. It was an environment where normal people could easily get lost, but she was very familiar with it.

    ¡°Hm? Hmmm??¡±

    The little girl put her hands on her long ears and closed her eyes. She could hear the rustling of the trees and her fairy friends whisper and murmur. Among such noise, she also heard a faint whimper which made her worry. Eventually, the little girl¡¯s ears shook.

    ¡°Over there!¡±

    She ran off, confident. The tall grass made it hard to see, but she hopped lightly over it, her pace even gaining speed. What she eagerly reached was what the adults called a ¡°barrier¡±. If she but stepped over it, armed adults woulde running with scary looks on their faces.

    It wasn¡¯t actually easy to cross the barrier, but the little girl¡¯s priestess abilities allowed her to pass it easily. She had sneaked out once and was scolded very harshly. Remembering this, her pace slowed down a little.

    The little girl advanced, careful not to step over the barrier¡¯s bounds. Soon enough, she spotted a ball of fur near a tree.

    ¡°¡­.?¡±

    The little girl tilted her head, curious about the shuddering little thing. It didn¡¯t look alive and smelled funny too. Gotta get closer to check. The little girl¡¯s childish innocence made her waddle forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s a doggie!!¡±

    There she found a puppy-like animal. It was small enough for her to be able to carry it, about the size of a newborn puppy. If you were bad, you couldn¡¯t enter the barrier: the little girl thus decided that there was no danger.

    ¡°Oh no! You¡¯re hurt!¡±

    The funny smell was a mix of blood and feral odors. The little tomboy often got hurt during her romps, much to the adults¡¯ worry. Because of this, she knew that the red thing was not good. Without a concern for her clothes getting dirty, the little girl picked up the small animal.

    A wild beast would surely resist if a stranger did such a thing out of the blue: the puppy, however, did not. The little girl did not know that she could expect such a reaction. In the end, she ran back with the puppy in her arms, as fast as she could.

    ??

    When she arrived at home, a bigmotion started. First of all, the gate guards screamed when they saw the little girl dirty with the puppy¡¯s blood. They promptly informed her parents, who yelled too.

    She had run back quickly, so the puppy¡¯s blood was smeared on her clothes, leading them to believe that she was hurt too. The adults then noticed that she was carrying an unknown monster, leading to more yelling and confusion among the guards.

    Indeed, what the little girl had found was not a puppy, but a monster. Small, but an unknown monster nheless. No matter how much the little girl plead, the guards could not let a monster inside the residence.

    They could not resist for long the little girl¡¯s tearful prayers of letting the creature in, so they were truly at a loss about what to do.

    While they were not connected by blood, the little girl was like a daughter for them. They wanted her to grow up healthy and often felt saved by her innocent smiles. If she started hating them, looking the other way every time they met, they would definitely suffer heavy emotional damage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be difficult now. Can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll take a look at it, so go change.¡±

    The mother¡¯s words offered salvation to the guards. Looking at the mother consoling her child, they looked more like sisters with some age difference than mother and child.

    ¡°Lady Irene said that, but¡­will you really cure it?¡±

    So asked one of the guards. Irene was the name of the little girl¡¯s mother.

    The question was asked to the little girl¡¯s father, the Lucent n¡¯s head, Crissot. The little girl was the only daughter of the Lucent n, Tiera.

    ¡°If it crossed the barrier, it means that it bears no hostile will. It is also true that we do not know its true identity. I am sorry for Tiera, but if we find out it is dangerous, we will have to get rid of it.¡±

    Crissot¡¯s expression was grave. The kindness to heal those in need the little girl showed should be respected. Both the father and the guards knew about Tiera¡¯s kind feelings. Even if it was weak, however, a monster was still a monster. Its sharp fangs could easily tear a child¡¯s throat.

    Crissot ordered one of the guards to stay at Tiera¡¯s side, with the pretext of observing how the recovery proceeded.

    ¡°You¡¯re all better now!¡±

    What were the adults worried about? Next to the monster, which barely managed to recover from a very bad condition, Tiera was smiling gleefully.

    Irene¡¯s healing skills were renowned in Tiera¡¯s hometown of Lanapacea. They worked admirably on the small monster of unknown origin too, as evidenced by how calmly it slept.

    ¡°You¡¯re all better now? That¡¯s it? Don¡¯t surprise mommy like that anymore, okay?¡±

    ¡°But mommy, it was hurt!¡±

    ¡°You should have called mommy first, then. This is probably a wolf or a simr monster. Even if it¡¯s small, it¡¯s very dangerous. Sometimes they attack anyone thates closer.¡±

    Irene talked slowly, to make sure Tiera understood.

    ¡°Next time, call mommy or daddy first. If you don¡¯t, no snacks for a week. Am I clear?¡±

    ¡°Whaat? You¡¯re turrible¡­!¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t try to hide her dissatisfaction. It might be too light a punishment, but it was difficult to teach a child how dangerous monsters could be. Especially in this case: the wounded monster was a child as well. It looked small and lovely. Even if it was said to be dangerous, it wasn¡¯t very convincing.

    ¡°Am-I-clear?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!¡±

    Irene¡¯s smile gained intimidation and Tiera nodded while backing away. She knew well that she shouldn¡¯t oppose her mother when she was like this.

    ¡°Good kid. L prepared the snack, so go and have some. I¡¯ll watch over the puppy.¡±

    ¡°Okay!!¡±

    ¡°No running! That kid is always in a rush¡­¡±

    Irene looked at her daughter run off in search of snacks and sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Growlie!¡±

    A few days after Tiera picked up the monster pup, ¡°Growlie,¡± as she called it, waspletely recovered and became her ytime partner. They looked just like a little girl ying with her puppy. No one would think that Growlie was a monster after seeing how affectionate it was with Tiera.

    ¡°Nothing new yet?¡±

    ¡°The elders say they have never seen anything of the sort, not even the Tamers had a clue. Some of them tried to tame it, but they all failed.¡±

    Crissot and a subordinate talked while looking at the smiling Tiera. They were looking down at the square where she was ying from the 2nd floor of the residence, so she could not hear their conversation.

    ¡°A monster that cannot be tamed¡­might it because of level difference?¡±

    Some monsters had levels superior to people even from a young age. That could be a reason why taming failed.

    ¡°No, its level is only 10. I doubt that is the cause.¡±

    The subordinate added that, looking at the monster puppy ying with Tiera, it did not look like it had any outstanding abilities. Tiera¡¯s physical abilities were about the same as a normal child: she could not keep up with a monster, even a young one, when running around or ying tag.

    ¡°That wolf puppy is special, then.¡±

    Crissot looked at the puppy with a stern expression. It was clearly not a normal beast, but a monster. Its identity, however, was still unknown.

    ¡°To think that not even a level V ¡¾Analyze¡¿ works¡­¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow we will havedy Acheame perform ¡¾Analyze¡¿ secretly. If even that doesn¡¯t work, we don¡¯t know what else to do.¡±

    The bearer of the highest level Analyze in Lanapacea would observe the monster puppy. If the monster¡¯s name was revealed, they would also know how dangerous it was.

    If it was the puppy of a species Crissot and the others could not handle, in the worst case they would have to kill it. Even if it had grown attached to Tiera, it was always a wild monster. No one knew when it could bare its fangs towards Tiera. They were letting them y now just because Irene casted several defensive skills on Tiera.

    Crissot and the others knew that it did not possess clear hostility or ill will, since it crossed the barrier, but it did not mean that it was absolutely innocuous.

    ¡°I hope it turns out it¡¯s just a rare monster.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    They didn¡¯t want to cloud Tiera¡¯s innocent smile. Crissot and the others were more concerned about that than the monster¡¯s identity.

    ??

    ¡°So this is the monster little Tiera picked up?¡±

    The next day, thedy called Acheame, the only elf in Lanapacea with Analyze VIII, visited the residence. She was born before the Dusk of Majesty and was the oldest member of the Lapanacea vige. Other than her long ears, she looked just like an elderly human.

    Since she knew the heads of all ns since they were children, she also knew about many embarrassing episodes of their past. She was a woman to be feared, in more ways than one.

    ¡°Yep, he¡¯s Growlie!¡±

    ¡°My my, what a lovely name¡­it¡¯s not under a contract, it seems.¡±

    Acheame looked at the puppy Tiera was holding and whispered to herself from her bed.

    She had already been informed that Tiera supposedly heard the puppy¡¯s voice, so she suspected that it could have formed a partnership contract. It would exin why the other elves could not tame it.

    ¡°You said you heard its voice, right? What did it say?¡±

    Many things could change based on that. Acheame looked intently at Tiera.

    ¡°Um, it said, someone help me.¡±

    ¡°It asked for help, I see¡­It didn¡¯t call your name, did it now?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Tiera nodded and Acheame looked at the puppy again. Her eyesight was poor because of her age, but maybe to counterbnce it, her analyze skills only improved. She could thus see the puppy¡¯s name.

    ¡°It¡¯s all recovered now, I see. No need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Really? Yay!!¡±

    Crissot told Tiera to bring the puppy to Acheame to make sure its wounds were really recovered. Tiera, overjoyed, was dancing around with the puppy in her arms, but it did not bark, howl or squirm. Its eyes, however, kept looking at Acheame.

    ¡°I must speak withdy Acheame. Tiera, and Irene go back first.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Lady Acheame, thank you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very wee,e visit again.¡±

    The gleeful Tiera and Irene exited the room, leaving Crissot and Acheame alone.

    ¡°Could you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°Easy now. You are the Lucent n¡¯s head. Stay calm and listen, even if you¡¯re worried about your pretty daughter..¡±

    Crissot spoke as soon as the door closed, so Acheame urged him to settle down.

    ¡°E-even if you say so¡­¡±

    ¡°As restless as usual, aren¡¯t you. Listen well then, that¡¯s not a normal monster. It¡¯s the child of a divine beast.¡±

    ¡°A divine beast¡­?¡±

    Some considered them messengers of the gods, while others regarded them as deities themselves.

    ¡°Its name is Gruefago. As far as I know, it¡¯s harmless unless provoked. But the fact that a wounded puppy entered the vige gives me a bad feeling. Even divine beast parents don¡¯t abandon their children. Either the parent died or it got lost and ended up here.¡±

    ¡°The barrier has no effect on divine beasts?¡±

    ¡°Divine beasts are special, my boy. Unless they attack or are hostile, they can pass through it. It was probably attracted by Tiera this time.¡±

    Acheame closed her eyes and talked. Some divine beasts had the role of preserving the world¡¯s bnce. Tiera¡¯s priestess talents could have attracted the wounded Gruefago.

    ¡°Should we leave them be? If it grows, won¡¯t it be too strong for us to handle?¡±

    ¡°It surely will. Before the Dusk of Majesty, many powerful warriors were beaten by divine beasts. In that era, there were incredible people who even made a sport of hunting down divine beasts, but such warriors are no more. Even before that little one grows, if the parents misunderstand and think it was kidnapped, the damage and casualties would be enormous¡­ we are always near the World Tree, however. Even the parents would hesitate a bit. Besides, many divine beasts have intellect superior to our species. I doubt they would attack all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°If they have a reason to, however¡­¡±

    It was not under anyone¡¯s control. If someone attacked it, out of fear, the retaliation could be tragic. As a n head, Crissot had to consider this possibility. Divine beasts were even capable of causing natural catastrophes at times.

    ¡°¡­.could we possibly make it be a guardian beast for priestesses?¡±

    Crissot turned silent for a few moments, then spoke again.

    A priestess protected by a divine beast. For someone who knew how important priestesses were, there was no better reassurance. In this world, there were many monsters that people could not handle. Dangers were few in the vige, but still not zero.

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? It¡¯s impossible if you can¡¯t form a contract. The royals wouldn¡¯t keep quiet either. They have elves like me, born before the Dusk of Majesty. If they learn that an uncontracted divine beast is roaming freely in the vige, the rtionship between the royal house and the caretaker ns will go to the pits. They¡¯re going to send an extermination toon, with Mythology-grade weapons to boot.¡±

    Acheame rejected Crissot¡¯s proposal outright. Few of those born after the Dusk of Majesty knew personally how powerful divine beasts were. Some of the royals did, however. Elves lived long lives, so some of them knew how to kill divine beasts and had the necessary equipment. Their strength was far above the warrior chiefs of the Lucent or other ns.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Tiera, but the only way is to let it go out, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is the only way¡­will it work out, however? Tiera is still young, so her memories of the divine beast will be hazy at best, but I fear it won¡¯t be so easy for the divine beast itself¡­¡±

    Very few people, Tiera included, knew about the divine beast. If she forgot, there was no risk of rumors spreading. If no one knew about the divine beast, there was no risk of anyone fearing it or trying to use it.

    Mental maniption skills were considered taboo, but Acheame could at most confuse a child¡¯s recent memories, and it only worked with very small children. She could modify their perception to remember things only vaguely. It was a skill that only Acheame, born before the Dusk of Majesty, had; very few knew about it.

    The problem was if it could work on the Gruefago puppy. It would be perfect if it forgot about Tiera and Lanapacea, but if it didn¡¯t it mighte back. While it was a puppy, they could force it out again, but once it grew up it would be harder to hide it and it would definitely create amotion. It might also see the elves that keep throwing it out as enemies.

    ¡°All we can do is talk with it. That divine beast puppy understands ournguage, you know. It doesn¡¯t go off on its own or hurt anyone, right? It learned from your conversations that it shouldn¡¯t. It was studying me the whole time it was here too. It looks small, but it is still a divine beast. You better not think it¡¯s some puppy. Well, thanks to that, it¡¯s possible to talk with it.¡±

    Acheame talked, with her years of experience as basis, to the worried Crissot. She said that if it was possible to forget, that would be the best, though.

    The wolf puppy was attached to Tiera, but Acheame¡¯s ability could make her forget. If the puppy had human-like intellect, it would understand that she forgot about it.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better to act quickly. You should talk with it without Tiera around¡ªoh well, this is a surprise. You were listening.¡±

    ¡°You were listening¡­?¡­.Oh gods.¡±

    Crissot turned after Acheame talked. From the door left slightly ajar, the divine beast Gruefago, who should have left with Tiera, entered the room.

    ¡°Apologies. If you have to resent someone, resent me.¡±

    The wolf puppy stared at Acheame in the same way as when Tiera carried it out, growled faintly, then left again. Crissot and Acheame could hear Tiera¡¯s voice calling for its name.

    ¡°Did it¡­understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really smart. It probably understood it couldn¡¯t stay here too long.¡±

    Acheame felt that its growl was tinged with sadness. Even so, they couldn¡¯t let it stay there. The age when people and divine beasts could coexist based only on a rtionship of trust was long gone.

    ??

    Thus it was decided to release the wolf puppy into the wild. A certain problem arose, however.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    ¡°Tiera, we aren¡¯t doing this because we¡¯re mean. It¡¯s for his sake too.¡±

    ¡°I said noo!!!¡±

    Obviously, Tiera was vehemently against it.

    Maybe because of their longevity, elves did not produce many children. Because of this, Tiera had very few peers of the same age. On top of that, she was the only daughter of a World Tree caretaker n. She also had the potential to be a priestess, reducing even more the number of children her age who spoke to her normally.

    Only the child of the caretaker n Luderia and children of families of rtively high rank did. Even so, they couldn¡¯t just y together easily. For Tiera, the presence of the wolf puppy, which would always y with her, was extremely important.

    As Acheame said, the puppy was very intelligent: it would quickly understand once it was told what could be done and what couldn¡¯t. It never protested when it was bathed, its fur was fluffy and clean. L and the other servant elves often saw Tiera take her afternoon naps using the puppy as a pillow.

    That¡¯s how close they were. She would never simply ept being separated. It was natural that she would whine andin.

    ¡°Growlie didn¡¯t do anything bad! I¡¯m taking good care of him!!¡±

    Tiera protested, her eyes brimming with tears. It was true that she took care of the puppy¡¯s feed and baths and even cleaned the bucket used for its excretions without being prompted to. She didn¡¯t just y with it: she took proper care of it, as much as a child could.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­daddy knows that, but¡­¡±

    Attracted by a pet¡¯s cuteness, children sometimes proimed they would take care of it to keep it, but would do so only for a few times. Elves were no different: taking care of living creatures was difficult for a child. Tiera, however, neverined.

    Irene had healed the puppy, but Tiera took care of everything else by herself, asking L for advice when needed. That¡¯s how invested she was.

    We¡¯ll be together forever. That¡¯s what her childlike mind probably thought.

    ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t wanna¡­¡±

    Tiera started crying and Crissot did not know what to say anymore.

    Both Tiera and the wolf puppy hadmitted no mistakes. This was all caused by adults worrying about ¡°if¡± something happened.

    There was the option of acting without saying anything to Tiera. She probably would not have cried in that case. The adults, however, were not as cruel as to do such a thing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to say goodbye?¡±

    Tiera continued standing in front of the wolf puppy, even while crying. Acheame approached her, using her walking stick as support.

    ¡°¡­.no.¡±

    ¡°But you know, my dear, this puppy has parents too. They want to see him soon, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    A wolf puppy wounded, all on his own. Parents that did note to look for it. Acheame, Crissot and the other adults did have an idea about what happened to them. Even so, they used the ¡°parents¡± as an excuse.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be happy if you couldn¡¯t see Crissot and Irene anymore, would you?¡±

    ¡°¡­.no.¡±

    She probably thought about the puppy, in her own way. Tiera wiped her tears, turned around and hugged the sitting puppy tightly. The puppyid its head on her shoulders, as if to absorb her warmth. After a while, the little girl and the little wolf moved away from each other at the same time, as if they agreed on the timing.

    ¡°¡­.bye bye.¡±

    Tiera waved a little hand and said goodbye. Her eyes welled once again with tears, which slowly started streaming down her cheeks. The puppy wolf too howled a goodbye and turned its back to Tiera. It disappeared into the forest, without turning around even once.

    The Gruefago left Lanapacea and Tiera, for the sake of the vige, was conditioned to forget about it, leaving only fragments of memories in her heart.

    The fated reunion of the girl and the wolf woulde many yearster.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Shin was in Lanapacea, an elven vige and Tiera¡¯s hometown.

    The World Tree located in the vige, a pir maintaining the world¡¯s bnce, was weakened and in danger.

    Shin and hisrades attempted to heal the tree, but eventually discovered that its corruption was nned by Crissot, Tiera¡¯s deceased father, who had fallen under the demons¡¯ control. Furthermore, the Divine Beast Reforgerer, a being that could cause the world¡¯s destruction, appeared too.

    After a fierce battle, Shin managed to defeat Reforgerer.

    Crissot was freed from the demons¡¯ control and his soul, after saying his farewell to Tiera, rose into the skies¡ª.

    ?

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s finally taken care of, so let¡¯s handle the other issues too!¡±

    Tiera, who had wept as she parted with Crissot and Irene¡¯s souls, now showed a very relieved expression.

    It looked a bit forced, as she was probably embarrassed for crying so much in front of other people. Shin thought that it wasn¡¯t the tears which made her ears look so red now.

    The demons nestled in Lanapacea half self-destructed while using Crissot to further their ns.

    The other elves presumably under demonic control were no longer acting wild either.

    Reforgerer also disappeared at the same time as Crissot¡¯s body.

    For the time being, the factors threatening the destruction of the vige were gone.

    Even if there were still demons nearby, there was no way of knowing at the moment.

    ¡°Is the World Tree okay?¡±

    Shin looked up at the World Tree after he heard Tiera¡¯s words.

    The World Tree had absorbed the globes of light, representing Irene¡¯s soul and possibly Crissot¡¯s, and was now shining with holy light. There was no more trace of miasmic impurity. Shin just asked to be sure.

    ¡°For the time being. It looks like a huge amount of impurity has been spent to fight against you and the others. What I felt is that Reforgerer consumes great quantities of impurity just by existing. If not, even if it was fighting against you, Shin, it would be impossible for that unnatural amount of impurity to decrease so much.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right. I can see that its strength was supported by massive amounts of energy.¡±

    It was known that Reforgerer used impurity as an energy source, but Shin and the other yers thought it used impurity to power up its attacks and body.

    Shin thought that Tiera¡¯s theory was probably more correct.

    If Reforgerer was considered as a creature that consumed impurity in order to preserve the world¡¯s bnce, it was perfectly usible.

    ¡°Well, regardless of the secrets to its powers, it¡¯s not an opponent I want to face ever again¡­¡±

    Shin whispered to himself while looking at the cards of the Ancient-grade weapons rendered useless during the battle.

    Shin couldpete against Reforgerer only because thetter wasn¡¯t in itsplete form and Shin himself was powered up to levels far beyond his past self.

    Without the ¡°double stats¡± title, in particr, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to cut the beast¡¯s neck.

    The casualties were just a few weapons.

    Compared to the possibility of Schnee and the others being wounded, it was nothing. It was nothing, but¡ª

    ¡°If it happens again, it¡¯ll be really bad¡­¡±

    Even if they did so through using Crissot, who belonged to a lineage of priestesses, the demons had sessfully summoned Reforgerer nheless.

    They knew of a way to do it. If they made preparations without Shin¡¯s party knowing, no one could stop it.

    They couldn¡¯t relypletely on the mysterious power that Yuzuha mentioned, which supposedly led Shin to the World Tree when it was in danger.

    They couldn¡¯t say with confidence that it wouldn¡¯t happen again. There was also no guarantee that a possible ¡°next time¡± wouldn¡¯t involve a fight against Reforgerer in itsplete form.

    Even in its iplete form, four Ancient-grade weapons needed to be sacrificed. If it becameplete, who knew what it would take to stop it.

    Even if Shin was capable of forging Ancient-grade weapons, materials were limited. No matter how high his cksmithing skill could be, weapons couldn¡¯t be forged without materials.

    ¡°¡ºTrue Moon¡»should be¡­¡±

    ¡°Still broken. If Sety pours her power in it, we should be able to go to the next step, though.¡±

    As Shin had prioritized curing Schnee¡¯s memory loss, he hadn¡¯t asked Sety to pour her energy in ¡ºTrue Moon¡» yet.

    He didn¡¯t know what exactly would happen after she did, but Shin was sure that it operated in a different manner than the weapons he knew.

    ¡° I guess we have to take care of the loose ends here first. The government is going to act, right? Though ever since we came here I haven¡¯t noticed any action by them¡­¡±

    ¡°The demons probably ceasedmunication with the government or took control of the messenger. Otherwise the army surely would have responded to a situation like this.¡±

    Some time had passed since the controlled elves started going wild.

    At the very least, the government had to have noticed Reforgerer¡¯s appearance.

    There were military troops other than the warriors of the World Tree caretaker ns, so even if the emergency happened suddenly, it would be obvious for them to react somehow.

    ¡°They might have seen Shin¡¯s battle against Reforgerer¡­¡±

    Tiera sounded anxious.

    Even if they didn¡¯t know about Reforgerer, its massive size and the power of its beams were clear even at a distance. She was worried that they might ssify Shin as a dangerous individual, as he took such a monster head-on.

    ¡°I went all out, after all¡­¡±

    Shin had used Ancient-grade weapons and advanced skills without restraint. It was a battlefield that not even Chosen Ones would dare approach.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of people there are in this country¡­if anything happens, can we use Schnee¡¯s fame to somehow get away with it?¡±

    Their most reliable asset at the moment was Schnee. They might be able to get away by overwhelming any opponent through force, but it was the veryst resort.

    ¡°Shin is Schnee¡¯spanion. She would never associate with someone who turns violent for no reason. He¡¯s an elite warrior even among advanced Chosen Ones¡­if we put it like this, I believe they will respect us instead of getting any bizarre ideas.¡±

    For the average person and Chosen Ones with only rtively high stats, advanced Chosen Ones ¡ª especially those on the level of Schnee and the others ¡ª were on apletely different.

    Their strength levels were too different, so they had no means to evenpare them, stated Shibaid.

    ¡°A battle of that magnitude just happened, though. Some might request for such powerful warriors to stay in the country.¡±

    Shibaid then turned towards Ordoss and the others.

    They had not seen everything, but they had seen enough to realize how out of the ordinary Shin was.

    Especially if Ordoss, captain of the protectors, talked about Shin¡¯s feats, the king or other rted parties might ask for him to stay.

    The same could be said for Lymliss and the priestesses.

    There was no guarantee that the demons wouldn¡¯t return, so they might request for Shin to be her personal guard, or maybe even husband.

    ¡°Indeed, we have witnessed Sir Shin and Lady Schnee¡¯s strength firsthand. If they would choose to remain here, it would be truly reassuring for all of us. And among the government¡¯s elites, who did not fight against that monster, there might be some who could resort to the means Sir Shibaid mentioned.¡±

    Thanks to his long life experience, Ordoss correctly understood what Shibaid implied.

    Even if Lanapacea¡¯s elves were in charge of protecting the World Tree, not all of them were pure and honest, as the current incident clearly showed.

    ¡°Lady Schnee, however, never remains long in a single ce. Sir Shin and his party are also adventurers who travel often to fulfill all sorts of requests. Keeping them here would be difficult. Additionally, I doubt that the army¡¯ste start allowed them to witness the whole battle. Lady Schnee fought the monster in a more visible manner, so if we say that its defeat was at her hands, without mentioning Sir Shin¡¯s exploits, the top brass will not be able to say much. Furthermore, at present there is no one among us capable of stopping Sir Shin.¡±

    Ordoss did not simply deny it, but said it in a way to admonish the other warriors.

    The warriors, while reacting in slightly different ways, all nodded in agreement.

    In the end, as Ordoss said, if Shin¡¯s party said they would leave, there was no one that could stop them. The warriors had seen why with their own eyes.

    ¡°In any case, I believe that calming down the people¡¯s discontent is our first priority.¡±

    ¡°Let us go together until we reach the residence, then. Even if the demons are gone, their influence might not disappear so quickly.¡±

    ¡°I could not ask you to do that¡­.no, I see. If the situation was like before, Lady Lymliss and Lady Lina would be in danger too. My deepest apologies for the trouble, but please lend us your strength for a while longer.¡±

    Ordoss bowed and the other warriors also kneeled and lowered their heads. If the warriors and the priestesses showed themselves in town, everyone would believe that the fighting was over.

    ¡°Let us go, then.¡±

    The warriors formed a circle, with Shin¡¯s group at the center, and started walking. Lymliss and Lina were able to speak, but they were physically spent, so they were riding on Kagerou.

    Shin used his map and detection skills to make sure there weren¡¯t any presences still rampaging in the city.

    He couldn¡¯t directly see the scanned locations, so he couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, but that was all he could do at the moment. As a result, he didn¡¯t find any dangerous-looking presences.

    The closer they went to the town, the more elves not belonging to the warrior ss increased.

    Everyone looked concerned: they were not panicking, probably because they saw Reforgerer copse.

    After all, the Divine Beast¡¯s massive body could easily be seen as far as the city.

    ¡° Sir Warrior Chief could you tell us exactly what happened?¡±

    The elves looked at Shin¡¯s group while maintaining a certain distance, but one of them eventually resolved to approach them.

    ¡°Did you see something in the direction we came from?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A monster asrge as a mountain¡­is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­the demons summoned that monster. Thanks to Lady Schnee Raizar and our priestesses, however, it has been felled. Please rest easy.¡±

    The warrior chief nodded heavily and the elf seemed relieved.

    ¡°People, listen to me! I am sure many of you saw the monsters appearing from the forest. However, there is no need for concern! The famous elf, Schnee Raizar, has graciously lent us her powers, and, together with our priestesses, dispatched all the monsters! Go inform those not present here that the situation has been resolved!¡±

    Ordoss probably was considerate of the fact that Tiera was worried about Shin. He did not mention him as he proimed that the exploit was thanks to Schnee and the priestesses.

    Thanks to Ordoss¡¯ authority as warrior chief, all elves who listened to his words looked relieved.

    If Shin had spoken instead, they would have just thought that a strange Human started rambling all of a sudden.

    Shin and Shibaid were attracting a lot of attention, after all.

    A Human and a Dragnil in a group of elves would surely stand out. The warriors did not say anything, however, so they probably did not think they were a threat.

    At the very least, Shin did not feel any hostility or ill will from their gaze.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here.¡±

    The group toured the city, with Ordoss proiming the situation was settled and Shin¡¯s party attracting attention, a total of seven times. They were now finally in view of the Luderia residence.

    Shin sighed, because being the target of the elves¡¯ attention for so long was not exactly pleasant. Even if there was no hostility or malice, it was mentally taxing.

    One of the elves standing guard at the gate saw the warriors approaching and ran inside the residence.

    ¡°Tiera!!¡±

    ¡°Lina!!¡±

    Shin exhaled in relief as two elves rushed out of the residence, calling Tiera and Lina¡¯s names.

    They were Orlean and Herald: both of them hade to the residence. Since they were not wearing shoes, it was clear that they hurried outside as fast as they could.

    Maybe because they saw that the two elves were safe, or maybe because they met Shin and the others¡¯ eyes, they restrained themselves from running and bowed to Schnee.

    ¡°We have heard about what happened. We are deeply thankful for saving the vige from the catastrophe our blunders have created.¡±

    Ordoss apparently sent one of his subordinates ahead, as they already knew of Reforgerer¡¯s defeat and the World Tree¡¯s recovery.

    Behind Orlean, Herald was bowing to Shin too.

    ¡°I am sure you are tired, but could you let us know what happened in detail?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is why we came here. I trust you are the representative, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As¡­that kind of thing happened to the head of our n, I am the temporary representative.¡±

    Orlean was definitely conflicted about the situation, as he answered Schnee with a stern look on his face.

    Staying in front of the gates would attract attention, so they entered the residence for the time being.

    People had already been sent to the room used by the n head to inspect it. Naturally, they were people trusted not to be under the demons¡¯ influence.

    ¡°Can we see it too? In Bulk¡¯s case there were traps, so it might be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡ªcould we send someone from our group to see it too? Since it was used by a demon, it is likely to contain traps or other devices.¡±

    Shin whispered a suggestion and Schnee agreed, so she made a proposal to Orlean. The room used by the father who plotted within the church was trapped, as Shibaid had reported.

    Schnee made the proposal herself because Orlean did not know that Shin was the party leader. Without knowing about him, most people would assume that Schnee was the leader of the group.

    ¡°Yes, I see. There might be something beyond our abilities to find, so we would be d to have your cooperation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going, then. Since there might be miasma involved, can youe too, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Shin left the rest of the exnations to Schnee and headed to the room in question with Tiera. Orlean seemed a bit perplexed, but Schnee said it was fine to leave everything to them, so he raised no objections.

    The elf that apanied them to the room exined the circumstances to the elves who were inspecting the room.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything like that at the moment.¡±

    Since the elves heard Shin was with Schnee Raizar, they did not treat him particrly coldly, and he could ask them what they had discovered.

    Tiera¡¯s face was well known throughout the vige, so they reacted with a mixture of confusion, fear, and reverence.

    Based on the elves¡¯ average longevity, they probably knew or remembered Tiera¡¯s exile. Their attitude towards her at the time showed through their reactions.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything likest time in this room¡­¡±

    In Palmirack it was extremely obvious, but this time not at all.

    The elves said they found a booby-trapped box, so Shin activated his trap detection skill. He then felt a reaction from behind a bookshelf.

    ¡°This is pretty ssic.¡±

    It was a prettymon spot for hiding a secret room. Removing the bookshelf, however, showed apletely normal wall, so it was well hidden.

    Upon closer inspection, Shin found out that opening it normally would trigger a trap that would cause multiple level X status ailments.

    Since many of them affected the mind, it was probably used to control anyone who noticed the device.

    Even if Shin triggered it, however, it wouldn¡¯t affect him. It wasn¡¯t powerful enough to exceed a High Human¡¯s resistance.

    Shin deactivated the trap and part of the wall revealed an opening. Inside there was a book and a golden crystal.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­father¡¯s diary¡­¡±

    Tiera looked at the cover and seemed to suddenly recall what it was.

    Since it might contain important information, they decided to check it after regrouping with Schnee and the others, then turned towards the golden crystal.

    It was about the size of an adult¡¯s fist, glowing brighter in the center and more faintly on the surface. The center was gold, while the surface tended to the color white.

    If it was a mineral, Shin¡¯s¡¾Appraisal¡¿could identify it, but it only showed unintelligible gibberish. It was like so-called buggy text.

    ¡°Let¡¯s analyze itter, then.¡±

    They continued to examine the room for traps, but did not find even hidden safes or storages.

    Shin asked Tiera for confirmation, but she did not feel any miasma in the surroundings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s pick them up and go back to the others.¡±

    Shin touched the crystal to turn it into an item card, but then it happened.

    ¡°Gah!?¡±

    His sight blurred, static rushed through his ears.

    In the blur he could see skyscrapers and other buildings, crowded street crossings, a ssroom filled with students attending a lecture, and then¡ª Shin himself, with his eyes closed.

    ¡ªI can see.

    The faces of his friends, of his beloved teachers, a house without him. His parents, slightly leaner than before. His younger siblings, grown older.

    The changes brought in the time without him.

    ¡ªI can hear.

    The noise of the city, cars speeding by, voices calling my name. My mother¡¯s voice, my little brother¡¯s voice, my little sister¡¯s voice, my friends¡¯ voice.

    Nostalgic sounds I can¡¯t hear now.

    ¡ªI can feel.

    The barrier between the real world and the other world. An invisible wall.

    A crevice that separated the worlds.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡ªnn!! Shin!! Shin, can you hear me!?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s conscience was brought back by force. He turned towards the warmth on his back and found Tiera.

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten over you? You froze up all of a sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing, just¡­the crystal¡¯s response was strange, so I was thinking about it.¡±

    Shinughed, so Tiera would not worry.

    What he saw, what he heard, what he felt. He couldn¡¯t remember them clearly anymore, they disappeared from his memory like a dream after waking up.

    Shin could still, however, feel some sort of pain lingering in his chest.

    (When I touched this, something happened¡­I¡¯m sure of it¡­)

    The only thing he could remember is that something must have happened.

    It was a frustrating feeling, but he thought it wasn¡¯t the time to talk about it, as he turned the diary and crystal into item cards and ced them in his item box.

    He then told the elves they would go and returned to Schnee and the others. They had already exchanged information, so they should be talking about future ns at this point.

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t analyze it yet, but we collected what was hidden.¡±

    ¡°May I listen too?¡±

    Orlean interjected in Shin and Schnee¡¯s conversation. Because of the ce they were in, he couldn¡¯t keep silent.

    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you anything we discover. Without doing the analysis first, however, I can¡¯t tell what we are going to find out.¡±

    It was the honest truth. The crystal they found was different from anything Shin had seen before. He felt it wouldn¡¯t go like his usual cksmithing work.

    ¡°I believe it¡¯s better if we look at this together, though, so let¡¯s do it once we finish talking.¡±

    Shin took out the diary and everyone focused on it.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Crissot¡¯s diary. Tiera said there¡¯s no mistake about it.¡±

    Tiera nodded to Shin¡¯s words too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s read it together once we wrap up the conversation, then. We might learn about what actually happened.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin put away the diary for the time being and the conversation resumed.

    ¡°I talked about the battle against Reforgerer and the state of the World Tree. Apparently there were little to no casualties and damage in the city.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    The battle had happened in an ideal ce, in a way. The enemies had been led away from the city, so Shin was relieved to hear the results.

    ¡°Then it all depends on how the Forest King moves.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They will quickly find out that we couldn¡¯t solve the situation ourselves. Even if the High Elf Lady Schnee was a key factor, there will surely be some kind of interference.¡±

    The priestesses, very special individuals, and the warriors protecting them. As Lanapacea itself was founded to protect the World Tree, its caretakers and the government¡¯s top brass were on equal standing.

    Because of thismotion, however, such a bnce would crumble. That was how grave their failure was.

    Not even Orlean and Herald said they could predict how the country would act.

    ¡°A messenger will surelye in the next few days. I believe they will ask you to rte what happened again, Lady Schnee.¡±

    ¡°That is not a problem. There are things we can do and things we cannot, though, I hope that is clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we understand.¡±

    Orlean bowed politely.

    Behind Orlean, who thought that Schnee was the leader, Herald was showing a very awkward expression.

    Based on when Shin brought Rina to the residence or the way they talked, he might have noticed that Shin and Schnee were not simply allies.

    ¡°Then we should take a look at the diary Shin and Tiera found.¡±

    Both parties shared all the information they had, so the only thing remaining was to look at the diary. Shin took out the diary and gave it to Tiera.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°There might be painful things written in it, but I believe you should read it first, Tiera.¡±

    Tiera hesitated a little, but after hearing Shin¡¯s words she decided to take the diary and opened it.

    For a while, only the sound of flipping pages could be heard in the room. Everyone kept as quiet as possible, in order not to disturb her.

    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±

    When Tiera reached a certain page, her expression contorted. A teardrop she couldn¡¯t hold back ran down her cheek.

    ¡°¡­.thank you.¡±

    Tiera said so to Shin after reading the diary to the end.

    He took the diary she gave back to him and opened it.

    Unfortunately, it was written in elven characters, which Shin couldn¡¯t read, so he had Schnee read it in his stead.

    It was impossible for all present to read it at the same time, so Schnee read it aloud.

    The diary entries¡¯ dates had no semnce of regrity: Crissot probably wrote only when he felt the need to.

    Maybe there were previous diaries too: the first entry mentioned Tiera.

    A father¡¯s feelings of pride for her increasingly growing abilities as priestess, the resolve to protect her. Short sentences expressing such emotions.

    After that, the diary mentioned the wife¡¯s delicious cooking, the soldiers¡¯ training showing results, Crissot being conflicted about Tiera¡¯s fiance.

    Topics that any father, from anywhere in the world, could have written about.

    Both as father and as a guardian, Crissot was probably a good person. Any reader would have reached the same conclusion.

    Such peaceful topics, however, came to an abrupt end.

    The following entry was written more than one month after the previous.

    ¡ªWhat have we done to deserve this?

    Everyone in the room realized what had to have happened in the period left nk.

    Tiera had received the ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿.

    It was simply horrible after that. The period between entries grew longer and longer, the previously neat calligraphy grew rougher and rougher.

    At that point, the diary lost much of its primary function.

    Doubts concerning his priestess daughter and the curse she received.

    Fear and anger towards the insults and humiliation reserved to the cursed, towards the horrible treatment his meless daughter received.

    Restlessness towards the increasing opinion that his daughter should be exiled.

    Pain and sadness about not being to protect his daughter because of his position.

    It was the scream Crissot couldn¡¯t voice.

    The letters were sometimes blurred, the pages wrinkled, showing clearly what Crissot must have felt at the time.

    Thest entry of the diary simply stated that his wife died.

    Nothing else was written after that.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin and the others were silent for a while. The diary was short, its entries brief.

    It was very heavy, however.

    Especially in thetter half, it was like the words and letters themselves carried a curse.

    ¡°Mother did not die immediately after we separated. The people who were not in favor of my exile took her under their protection. But she was hurt where she was already mentally weak, so she did not live long after that, apparently.¡±

    Tiera had learned this from former Lucent n members. Shin thought that she surely did not want to talk about it.

    ¡°From the change in the entries, we can assume that Tiera receiving the ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ was the turning point. The timing seems too perfect, though. They were probably waiting for a chance since before.¡±

    Shibaid calmly analyzed the situation.

    Shin agreed with his view too.

    ¡°Do you think it could be on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I am not positive it was, but considering what happened with Reforgerer, I believe there is a possibility. It would involve a witch doctor, an enchanter, and a necromancer though.¡±

    The witch doctor was a job specialized in debuffs, casting curses and lowering the target¡¯s stats. Enchanter and necromancer did not specialize in them, but were simr jobs as well.

    The problem was that Shin was not knowledgeable about any of those jobs.

    He knew that curses and necromancy skills were to be wary of as a target, but he did not know much about the jobs themselves.

    As they had simr styles, the alchemist Hecate probably knew about the enchanter job, as the summoner Cashmere did about the necromancer job, but they were impossible to contact now.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s this thing¡¯s turn.¡±

    The diary told them little. After making a few hypotheses, Shin took out the golden crystal from his breast pocket.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a crystal?¡±

    ¡°It looks like one, but it¡¯s probably something different. We found this in Crissot¡¯s room with the diary. I am pretty knowledgeable about high-rank materials, but I have never seen nor heard about something like this.¡±

    Shin answered Orlean¡¯s question.

    Shin predicted the crystal-looking item was the key to summon Reforgerer.

    ¡°It¡¯s just bizarre. It was hidden by a demon, but I can¡¯t feel any miasmaing from it.¡±

    Tiera exined while looking at the crystal. She couldn¡¯t feel any miasma from the crystal or the diary either.

    ¡°The room was trapped, but there was barely any miasma in it.¡±

    ¡°Did the n head usually work in that room?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. The residence isrge, however, and the head had ess to all rooms. He could have had countless options to hide things.¡±

    Schnee followed Shin¡¯s words with a question, which Orlean answered with a clouded expression.

    Even if they tried narrowing down to the most suspicious ces in the n head¡¯s range of movement, it would be difficult if he could have ess to the entire residence.

    Orlean said that he would order the residence¡¯s workers to inspect the locations where the head was often seen.

    ¡°Could you let us analyze the crystal? I do not know anyone more knowledgeable about materials than Shin. In case of necessity, we can also travel the continent to consult other specialists.¡±

    ¡°¡­.if Lady Schnee says so, then I¡¯m sure even the king will have no objections. If you find out anything, please let us know.¡±

    After a short hesitation, Orlean nodded.

    Schnee¡¯s ability was proven and she received requests from all over the continent, often from royal families and lords. She could surely obtain any necessary support easily.

    Shin thought that Orlean probably reached such a conclusion before agreeing. Things wouldn¡¯t have gone so smoothly if the proposal came from him, surely.

    ¡°We will return to the residence for the time being, then. If we stay too long we might end up encountering someone from the army.¡±

    Schnee said this after they agreed on the methods of futuremunication.

    They checked the map for any movements that could suggest the army was on the move, but it wasn¡¯t an infallible tactic. Shin¡¯s party also needed time to discuss what to do next.

    ¡°Understood. If somethinges up we will contact you.¡±

    Orlean saw the group off, bowing to Schnee as he did often during the conversation, and Shin¡¯s party left the Luderia residence.

    Orlean seemed to want to speak with Tiera, but he didn¡¯t forget himself to the point of saying it in that kind of atmosphere.

    ¡°I wonder when they¡¯ll let us go¡­¡±

    An audience with the king was probably inevitable.

    They did defeat Reforgerer, but themotion was not over yet.

    Half of the warriors of the caretaker n of the Luderia had turned hostile, if only temporarily. Even if the demons were gone, they couldn¡¯t work just like they did before.

    Not only Orlean¡¯s Luderia n, but also the Lc n was likely to be punished.

    Since Schnee was on their side, the king would not ask anything outrageous, but it was hard to think that they would be let go just like that.

    ¡°It all depends on how they move.¡±

    ¡°It would be nice if it was like an extermination quest, defeat the monster and you¡¯re done¡­¡±

    Shin knew that there was no point in saying it, but he couldn¡¯t help himself.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°The king ising? He didn¡¯t summon us, is he going toe here directly?¡±

    The following morning after breakfast, they received a surprising message.

    It was true that Orlean and the others knew that Shin¡¯s party was staying at the former Lucent residence.

    Orlean said that a messenger was likely toe, so they knew that they could not avoid meeting the king.

    However, not even Shin would have predicted that the king would personally visit the residence.

    ¡°The king is waiting outside the residence. Can we let him inside?¡±

    The elf who came to bring the message seemed shaken too.

    Though he was a member of a caretaker n, directly dealing with the country¡¯s king was not an everyday urrence.

    ¡°Is there a room used for audiences or something simr?¡±

    ¡°There is a room for special guests, but¡­how many people are there in the king¡¯s entourage?¡±

    ¡°Including the escorts, about 20.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot¡­¡±

    It was not a room meant for discussing matters in secrecy, but it could not house that many people.

    They couldn¡¯t say that they had to limit the number of participants because they didn¡¯t have arge enough room, so they decided to meet in the rtivelyrge main hall.

    Shin¡¯s group entrusted the residence worker with the message and went ahead to the main hall. After a while, the worker apanied a group of elves inside.

    Leading the group was an elf d in a gorgeous, robe-like garment. He held a golden staff in his right hand and wore a silver tiara. Both items were Mythology-grade.

    Erdyne Lu ¨C Level 255 ¨C Pope

    (Level maxed out, and his job is also the highest one in the cleric category. I guess he¡¯s a Chosen One)

    Level, equipment, job. Everything expressed how he wasn¡¯t any ordinary elf.

    Erdyne emanated an aura that Shin found simr to the kings he¡¯d met in the past.

    As should probably be expected, he carried the charisma of one who leads others.

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Erdyne Lu, king of Lanapacea, and¡­.¡±

    Erdyne¡¯s words then stopped.

    He wasn¡¯t looking towards Schnee, who was standing in front of the group as its leader, but towards Shin.

    ¡°Your Majesty, is anything the matter?¡±

    An old elf behind Erdyne spoke.

    Erdyne, however, continued looking at Shin, as if there was something he had to confirm.

    A few secondster, he turned around to face his entourage.

    ¡°Padan, stay with me. Everyone else shall wait outside.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty!?¡±

    The escorts and the functionaries were shocked by the king¡¯s words. It was clear that the king was speaking and acting differently than the Erdyne they knew.

    ¡°Did you not hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, however¡­.¡±

    The elves who were reluctant to agree, judging from their clothing, were probably civil functionaries. Shin could understand deciding that there was no need for an escort, but could not fathom why the king would tell all other functionaries to leave the room.

    ¡°Enough. You are making our saviour wait.¡±

    The old elf was probably Padan. He was startled at first, but quickly recovered hisposure.

    Realizing that there was no point in further discussion, all elves other than the king and Padan left the room.

    Shin¡¯s party did not say anything either.

    ¡°Padan, soundproof.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    Padan obeyed the king¡¯s orders and cast a soundproof spell on the room.

    Erdyne then turned again towards Shin¡¯s group and kneeled down. The country¡¯s king, Erdyne. Behind him, Padan kneeled too.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Our humblest apologies for forcing you to act because of our blunders, o noble souls.¡±

    Erdyne answered Schnee¡¯s question without raising his head.

    Shin, looking at him, suddenly realized something.

    Erdyne and Padan were kneeling in a slightly different direction, facing towards Shin.

    ¡°A country¡¯s king should not kneel so casually.¡±

    ¡°Before someoneuded and praised since the Dusk of Majesty, who some even called ¡°God¡±, a king is of little importance.¡±

    ¡°God?¡±

    Erdyne¡¯s words made Schnee¡¯s aura change. She often received requests from the top brass of many countries, but she was never treated as a god.

    The king was not looking at her during the previous conversation either.

    ¡°To be able to bask in your presence once again is an indescribable honor, o Noble Shin.¡±

    ¡°Er, where have we met¡­?¡±

    Shin looked at the kneeling Erdyne and tried jogging his memory. Ever since he arrived in this world, he had visited various ces. No matter how hard he thought, however, he did not recall ever meeting Erdyne.

    The king would rarely, if ever, leave his country, after all.

    ¡°It happened before the Dusk of Majesty, so it is not strange for you not to remember.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­wait¡­could it be that you know about my species¡­?¡±

    ¡°Among all High Humans, the esteemed members of Rokuten were widely known, both in name and appearance, after all. In this country, only I and Padan ever saw you.¡±

    Shin looked at Padan, who nodded silently. He probably quickly regained hisposure because he realized who Shin was.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is. Anyway, please stand up. As you can see with Schnee taking the position of party leader, I do not openly say I am a High Human. Besides, if you really know us from the past, you wouldn¡¯t ce such importance on things like that, right?¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, Shin and the others were among the top league of yers, but they never looked down on other yers or NPCs.

    ¡°¡­if you graciously say so¡­¡±

    While carefully looking at Schnee and the others¡¯ expressions, Erdyne and Padan stood up.

    Even if Shin himself said so, Schnee and the others might not share the same opinion. Even if they didn¡¯t say anything, if they leaked their aura of intimidation just a little bit it would create a strong pressure.

    Even if Erdyne was strong, by this world¡¯s standards, and was equipped in precious gear, he wouldn¡¯t be much different from the average citizen whenpared to Schnee and the others.

    Since Schnee and the others did not exude any such aura and simply stood there quietly, however, such worries werepletely unnecessary.

    ¡°In any case, it would be a great help if you could consider our participation in this incident to be under Schnee¡¯s leadership.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will speak of the truth to no one.¡±

    If information about the return of a High Human went public, many countries would surely act to verify the truth of such information. In such a case, many would learn that Shibaid left his country or about the man often seen together with Schnee.

    Consequently, they will learn of the adventurer who shared the same name as the High Human Shin.

    Some already knew about Shin¡¯s outstanding abilities, so they could make the connection.

    It was possible that some had already reached this conclusion, but Shin had no intention of revealing his identity as a High Human all the same.

    If Erdyne was willing to keep quiet about it, it would be the best thing they could hope for.

    ¡°I assume that since you asked about that, you have some business with us, yes?¡±

    Even if the king approached the High Human Shin, if he used meeting Schnee as a pretext no one would suspect anything. Shin¡¯s party would have an audience with him as if they would do with any other king, then be on their way.

    There had to be a specific reason why the king did not choose this method.

    ¡°Yes, but it is not about something I wish you to do. There is something I must give back to you, Noble Shin.¡±

    ¡°Something¡­to give back to me?¡±

    Shin had no idea about what Erdyne meant.

    Ever sinceing to this world, he had used up and thrown away some weapons, but there was no reason why Erdyne would give him back such things.

    ¡°Noble Shin, do you remember the Reforgerer which appeared before the Dusk of Majesty?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    Being blown away, shield and all, was not an experience that could be easily forgotten.

    ¡°I participated in that battle as well. Of course, if the yers did not participate there would have been no chance of oveing the situation.¡±

    Other than the yers, many NPCs also participated in the battle against Reforgerer. Erdyne was one of them, apparently.

    ¡°What I wish to give back to you is the de part of a weapon Master Cook used in that battle. I would have never thought to see you today, so I did not bring it with me, however.¡±

    ¡°Cook¡¯s weapon¡­? Now that I think about it, that time her weapon broke, so I fixed it¡­¡±

    The battle against Reforgerer in the game era waspletely a battle of attrition.

    Cook was part of the group in charge of resurrecting the World Tree, but it did not mean that they only provided rear support.

    From Reforgerer¡¯s standpoint, they were trying to block its source of energy, making them an obstacle. They would naturally get targeted too.

    Shin had gotten blown away while preventing Reforgerer from targeting them, but they did note out of it unscathed. Cook¡¯s weapon was broken because Shin¡¯s group could not defend them in time, Cook and other elites stood in defense of their group.

    As a result, Cook¡¯s weapon was broken cleanly. Shin remembered that when he materialized the item card Cook gave him, only the handle of her special cooking knife remained.

    As a weapon it belonged to the sword category, but cooking knives were used to assist in cooking. In battle it was inferior to others in the same grade: against a monster like Reforgerer, it was no mystery that it would break.

    ¡°We should have given it back to you sooner, but we did not have the means¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I had given up on the de part, so I thank you for preserving it until now.¡±

    Shin then bowed. In the game weapons often broke down, so he hadn¡¯t given a second thought about the shattered de part.

    Erdyn and the others, however, kept it safely until now.

    Their situation was different, of course, but as a cksmith Shin felt that he owed them gratitude.

    ¡°Please, we have done nothing worthy of your gratitude. We have done research on it, after all.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I must thank you.¡±

    Even if it was broken, the de still belonged to an Ancient-grade weapon. It wasn¡¯t strange to research to garner some information, replied Shin whileughing.

    ¡°I am relieved to hear that.¡±

    The king said that they would have the de delivered the next day and moved to the next topic.

    ¡°It¡¯s about Lady Tiera¡­¡±

    Thanks to the recent events, no one would doubt Tiera¡¯s innocence and her strong purification powers.

    Those who did not witness her feats might still doubt her, but Reforgerer¡¯s massive body and the resurrection of the World Tree were visible as far as the royal residential district. There were also the other priestesses¡¯ testimonies.

    Erdyne also added that any elf of enough ability could see the number and quality of the spirits around Tiera.

    It was clear that her strength had surpassed the realm of the average priestess.

    Tiera¡¯s abilities were originally superior to the average elf too.

    In this world, it was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

    ¡°In the current Lanapacea, Lady Tiera could be a trigger for conflict. People are attracted to what glows bright, and their eyes are eventually blinded. For those who seek the light, this impulse is probably irresistible.¡±

    Everyone in the room understood that the king was talking about the former retainers of the Lucent n.

    Even after Tiera¡¯s exile and the death of thest n head, there were retainers who served the Luderia or Lc, but remained loyal to the Lucent at heart.

    For them, Tiera was an ideal ¡°g¡± to rally under.

    ¡°I do not mean to say that all of them are like that, of course. Having said this, I ask: Lady Tiera, do you intend to stay in Lanapacea?¡±

    Differently from how he spoke to Shin or Schnee, Erdyne addressed Tiera with the expression of a king.

    ¡°¡­no, I do not n to stay in this country. I only came here to visit my parents¡¯ graves in the first ce.¡±

    Tiera was almost intimidated by Erdyne¡¯s presence, but managed to give a clear reply. Her expression suggested that even if she was requested to stay, she would notply.

    ¡°I see. ¡ªmy apologies.¡±

    Erdyne spoke quietly yet firmly.

    The words he uttered while lowering his head contained various different meanings.

    ¡°The de we have preserved will be delivered tomorrow. There will be no more interference from us in your activities.¡±

    ¡°We will depart as soon as we receive the de, then. If we stayed longer we might trigger othermotions.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were meant not only for Erdyne, but also for Tiera to hear. She probably realized it, as she silently nodded.

    ¡°Sorry for leaving so suddenly.¡±

    After the conversation ended, Shin checked that there was no one else around and said so.

    Even if they were involved in an unexpected incident, Lanapacea was still Tiera¡¯s hometown. Shin wanted to leave early so that they would not be involved in other problems, but he also thought that they could stay a little longer.

    ¡°My business here is done, so don¡¯t worry. Rather, where are we going to go next?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of looking for my guildhouse first, but there¡¯s no clues as to where it could be, and searching blindly doesn¡¯t feel constructive¡­so I was thinking of starting from Romenun, since we know where it is at least. We should meet with Oxygen and Hydro too.¡±

    Because of the series of incidents the group had to deal with, the search for the guildhouses had been pushed back.

    The timing was right, so they decided to head for Romenun.

    ¡°It¡¯s not close, though, so it¡¯ll take a few days, that¡¯s the issue.¡±

    Based on the information obtained from Berett, support character of ¡°Golden Merchant¡± Reed, Schnee ¡ª who was familiar with the continent¡¯s geography ¡ª estimated that with a normal horse-drawn carriage it would take about six months to reach it from Lanapacea.

    Romenun was located in a forest area southeast of the region that connected the continent¡¯s upper and lower half.

    There weren¡¯t any paved roads leading all the way to the location, and even if they used the avable roads, it would probably take that much time.

    ¡°Our carriage and Kagerou¡¯s powerbined, we can reduce that to less than half. Well, we don¡¯t have any other urgent business to take care of, so we could take it easy once in a while.¡±

    After being teleported away, Shin and Schnee managed to spend some rxing time.

    Tiera and Shibaid were busy in Lanapacea, Filma and Sety in the city taken over by the demon, however, so they did not have any time to rest properly.

    Filma and the others were as strong, physically and mentally, as Shin and Schnee were, but they still needed to rest. Shin thought that they should take advantage of any rest time they had.

    ¡°Who would have expected that they found out my species, though¡­¡±

    Shin said that he was really taken aback by it.

    He would have never expected Erdyne, just an NPC in the game era, not even a support character, but one of the mass-produced ones, to remember him.

    Shin wondered if the king acted and spoke so politely throughout the visit because he witnessed Shin¡¯s battle and was careful not to say anything unpleasant.

    Another reason for this suspicion was that, about the crystal found in Crissot¡¯s room, Erdyne simply said that he would like to know whatever information they could extract, but only if possible.

    ¡°I believe there are a fairlyrge number of such people among the species with great longevity. There might be others who noticed it already too.¡±

    ¡°For Humans and Beasts, it¡¯s the stuff of legends, but Elves and Pixies might have witnessed it with their own eyes, after all.¡±

    Shin thought that, if they had actually seen his past battles, they would be rightly terrified. yers like him were those who hunted the monsters told in this world¡¯s tales as capable of destroying entire countries, after all. They were able to converse, but in case of battle they would be no different from the monsters they hunted.

    Thinking about it again, Shin realized that Erdyne¡¯splexion looked sickly the whole time.

    ¡°Talking together like this, anyone should realize that there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of, though.¡±

    ¡°They were probably on the same level as those called Chosen Ones, elves with rtively high strength. Because their powers were often superior to others, they realized how much of a difference there was between them and Shin. If that is the starting point, then reducing the distance is difficult.¡±

    Shibaid probably spoke from experience. He answered Tiera¡¯s perplexedment while looking at the door Erdyne left from.

    ¡°Being in charge of a whole country, he surely has many things on his mind¡±

    ¡°That is true. One man¡¯s decision influences the fate of thousands. The pressure is overwhelming. Not that Shin would ever destroy a country on a whim, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure¡­¡±

    Shin looked like it was too much even as a joke. If they considered whether he physically could or not, he probably could: that was what made it awkward tough.

    In actuality, such a feat was possible for all members of his party.

    Even Tiera, who had the lowest stats of the group, was far beyond the standards of this world.

    Her stats already rivaled advanced Chosen Ones.

    Combined with the equipment crafted by Shin and Kagerou¡¯s support, she could probably bring down a smaller country by herself.

    Tiera was an elf, naturally proficient at using bows, and the bow she used had a much longer range than normal ones. Normal soldiers and even Chosen Ones below the advanced level would be nothing but fodder for her.

    ¡°Okay, enough about this. Let¡¯s contact Filma and decide where to meet up.¡±

    The conversation was gradually heading in a dangerous direction, so Shin abruptly changed the topic.

    On Filma¡¯s side, the situation was not as dire as Reforgerer¡¯s summoning.

    Since there was no contact from them, it probably meant that nothing worse than that had happened.

    ¡°If they say that the crisis hasn¡¯t been solved, I¡¯m thinking of going to join them.¡±

    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s in a different direction than Romenun, but going there ourselves or meeting halfway wouldn¡¯t change much.¡±

    The country where Filma and Sety currently were was located north of Lanapacea. It wasn¡¯t the opposite direction to Romenun, but it was nheless out of the way.

    Both groups, however, could travel much faster than ordinary horse carriages. Compared to the distance that separated them from Romenun, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference where they regrouped.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the delivery tomorrow, then leave. Be careful so that they don¡¯t notice, just in case.¡±

    They would depart even if the elves knew, but it would surely be better to go quickly without anything happening.

    The next day, Erdyne visited the residence again, apanied by a heavy-duty escort.

    ¡°Well now¡­.¡±

    ¡°This item has no equals in this world, so even the king cannot take it out without a proper escort.¡±

    Padan approached Shin¡¯s group first and exined the reason behind therge escort.

    In this world, Ancient-grade weapons were considered national treasures, even if broken.

    If it was put on sale, billions of gold Jul coins would move. It was obvious that it had to be well guarded.

    ¡°This is the item I promised.¡±

    Erdyne presented the de,id on a cloth. Schnee was the one to take it: even if Erdyne knew about Shin¡¯s species, he couldn¡¯t be the one to receive the de since other people were present.

    In the game era, Schnee knew all Rokuten members other than Shin.

    In the previous day¡¯s discussion with Erdyne, they reached the conclusion that Schnee¡¯s abilities and the fact she was trusted by many countries made her a fitting person to entrust the de to.

    ¡°I shall preserve it safely until my master or Master Cook return.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Erdyne watched Schnee turn the de into a card and put it into the item box, then left. Some of the other elves looked like they wanted to speak to Tiera, but since the king was leaving they couldn¡¯t stay back, and in the end there was no contact between them.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Shin said they would take a look at the city¡¯s current situation and left the residence. They did not head for the city center, however, but for the gate leading outside.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything, but is this really alright?¡±

    Shin asked if there wasn¡¯t anyone Tiera was close to. If her saying goodbye would start amotion, that would be inevitable, he thought.

    ¡°I came here suddenly anyway, so it fits to leave as suddenly.¡±

    Tiera said it was nothing.

    Shin¡¯s party used less crowded streets and concealment-type skills as they walked out of the vige. Tiera said that she wanted to walk a bit slowly when they left, and Shin wouldn¡¯t ever refuse to cooperate.

    ¡°You are¡­¡±

    When they arrived at the gate they found the same elf that Shin met when he arrived, Anaheit. They could have passed the gate while still invisible, but Tiera asked to not hide at least when they crossed the gate.

    ¡°¡­.are you leaving?¡±

    Anaheit noticed Tiera, Shin and the others and asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Yes, I have no reason to stay.¡±

    After Tiera replied, the other elves noticed her too. However, Anaheit raised one hand and the elves who were about to move stopped in their tracks.

    ¡°Sir, are you really sure?¡±

    ¡°Our duty is to guard the gate. When Lady Tiera was exiled, us gate guardians did not agree or disagree with such a measure. If we were strong enough to deal with the monsters, however, that tragedy might have been prevented. If she has decided to leave, there is no way we could ever stop her, is there?¡±

    Anaheit answered one of the elves¡¯ questions without any hesitation. Apparently, he was the gate guardian 100 years before too. His words were meant to convince the other elves, but also to apologize to Tiera for his powerlessness.

    ¡°Farewell, then.¡±

    ¡°I pray your travels will be safe.¡±

    Probably thanks to Anaheit¡¯s words, no one tried to stop them. Though, they all lowered their heads.

    They likewise probably served as gate guardians 100 years before, like Anaheit. Thus his words affected them deeply.

    Shin materialized the horse carriage, which Kagerou drew. Tiera continued looking at Lanapacea, until the trees concealed it from her sight.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    After leaving Lanapacea, Shin¡¯s group proceeded north. Their first objective was to regroup with Filma and Sety.

    Afterward, they would head to Hecate¡¯s guildhouse, the ¡°5th Daze Garden Romenun¡±.

    They contacted Berett from the Golden Company to check if there were any updates on the information, but Shin¡¯s ¡°1st Mysterious Studio Demi Eden¡± and Reed¡¯s ¡°3rd Moving Base Miraltrea¡± had not been found yet.

    ¡°Looks like Filma and Sety wrapped things up on their end, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it wasn¡¯t all good news, apparently.¡±

    Schnee had contacted Filma while Shin asked Berett about new information.

    ording to Schnee, Filma and Sety had defeated the demon, but when they arrived the damage was already severe and it would take a long time before they could restore the country to its original state.

    ¡°They are apparently pleading for Filma and Sety to stay.¡±

    ¡°I understand how they must feel¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t hide his feelings of sympathy for them.

    The demon¡¯s hands had reached as far as the country¡¯s top brass and even the king. Only a young prince had survived among the royalty. Some ministers and functionaries still remained and were trying to somehow support the prince.

    The problem was mainly with military officers: most had either been killed by the demon or executed for siding with it, so their numbers were abysmally low.

    The country¡¯s walls were still intact, so monsters couldn¡¯t easily enter, but even maintaining public safety inside the country was bing problematic. Even if the demon was defeated, the future seemed rather dismal.

    In such a situation, if those responsible for the demon¡¯s defeat simply took off and left, what would happen?

    Many citizens did not revolt only because they had seen Filma and Sety fight and thought they were staying in the castle, or so the ministers said.

    Among the royals, who failed to protect the people from the demons¡¯ evil clutches, only the prince survived. His personal guards, as well as most military troops, were gone. If the people revolted, no one would be able to stop them.

    ¡°Even so, requesting them to stay to keep the country stabilized is an absurd request¡­¡±

    After learning about the country¡¯s current state, Shin could understand the reason behind their request. But, it would take an incredible amount of time until the army was reformed, the town rebuilt and the country could stabilize once more.

    Shin was willing to lend a hand as the country was victim of a demon¡¯s rampage, but helping with reconstruction efforts was beyond his capacity.

    Helping temporarily as he did in Erkunt, rescuing people and rebuilding lodging facilities -and a very limited number of them- was all he could do, and he couldn¡¯t do it forever. Rebuilding a whole country was far beyond his scope.

    ¡°The people don¡¯t have the luxury of thinking about capturing the prince now anyway, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, some people require an outlet for their dissatisfaction. It might be small at first, but it will propagate among those who share simr thinking and growsrger andrger. Especially when the whole country¡¯s existence is at stake, like in this case.¡±

    Punishing a member of the royal family wouldn¡¯t change anything, in fact, it could easily worsen the situation. If a revolt started, it would lead the country straight to destruction, so said Shibaid. It was like he had witnessed the very same situation unfold.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we can do?¡±

    ¡°We can offer some assistance, but temporarily. In order to support a whole country, we¡¯d have to be a country orrge tradingpany. Well, Shin might be able to pull it off, though.¡±

    ¡°No way, we don¡¯t have enough people or money. We cannot act onpassion this time.¡±

    To give extensive support to a country they had never visited before, where they did not know anyone. It was too ridiculous to even consider.

    Shin¡¯s party was connected to the Golden Company, one of thergest tradingpanies of the continent, but even it did not possess trading routes extending throughout the continent. Even if they asked them for support, it would be difficult to realize.

    Even in the real world, such catastrophes happened regrly.

    Japan was no exception. It was well known how much time, assets, and people were required for restoration.

    Other than defeating monsters, they would get involved only in things closest to them, only small feats they could perform as individuals. So Shin had decided.

    He actually always decided what to do case by case, so the span of his choices was quite broad, but this time Shin was positive that the situation was beyond his capacity.

    ¡°As soon as we meet with Filma and Sety, we¡¯re going to Romenun.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°As you say.¡±

    ¡°¡­.okay.¡±

    Schnee replied frankly, Shibaid with relief, Tiera notpletely convinced.

    Shin heard the three different replies and turned towards the direction they were heading to.

    When the sun set, he materialized Tsuki no Hokora for the party to spend the night in.

    It was concealed by magic to be invisible and inessible to anyone other than the party. Even if anyone happened toe closer to it, because it was invisible, they could never approach it.

    In Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s smithy, Shin was facing the golden crystal found in Crissot¡¯s room.

    The fist-sized crystal was a hexagonal prism, with hexagonal cones on both ends.

    Its form was too clean to imagine it had formed naturally.

    Shin¡¯s analysis skills showed gibberish, like before.

    ¡°What will happen if I pour magic in it?¡±

    Some items exhibited peculiar reactions when infused with magic. Shin tried pouring his magic in the crystal, and the reaction exceeded his expectations.

    The golden crystal turned a light purple color. He stopped pouring magic, but the color did not change.

    ¡°¡­.did I mess up?¡±

    There was only one crystal. He had to research it, but Shin worried he did something irreparable.

    After thinking for a while, he concluded that since pouring magic changed its color, maybe it could return to normal after absorbing it, so he tried to.

    ¡°A little more¡­wait, what¡¯s this feeling¡­?¡±

    Shin used a MP absorption skill and the crystal regained its golden glow. When he absorbed the crystal¡¯s MP, however, Shin felt something unusual.

    Because of the skill, Shin¡¯s MP slightly recovered. The unusual sensation, however, was not about the MP he absorbed.

    He wasn¡¯t sure whether something had flown into him, or had been taken from him. It was a contradicting sensation. It was something frustratingly difficult to put into words.

    He wondered whether it was something only he could feel, or anyone else would too, and wanted to test it, but it could be dangerous.

    The item was probably rted to the Reforgerer¡¯s summoning. Anything could happen.

    Shin was examining it alone because the smithy was especially sturdy and, if anything happened, the other members wouldn¡¯t be in danger.

    ¡°You are examining it by yourself as expected.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice was heard from the entrance to the smithy. Maybe because of the peculiar sensation emanating from the crystal, Shin hadn¡¯t noticed her presence.

    ¡°You found me.¡±

    ¡°Well, the same thing happened before too¡­¡±

    Schnee was referring to something that happened in the game era. Some items would explode or release toxic gases if they weren¡¯t examined properly.

    Whenever Shin examined such items, he never let his support characters inside the smithy.

    ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    ¡°¡­it might be dangerous.¡±

    Shin had high stats and was equipped with high-grade gear.

    He wouldn¡¯t die easily, so he could examine items with mysterious effects such as this. Since the crystal didn¡¯t exist in the game era, he had to be especially careful.

    ¡°I am prepared for that.¡±

    Schnee then continued.

    ¡°If I tried to do something like that, you would say the same thing I did, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­I give up. It¡¯s just as you say.¡±

    Shin ced the crystal on the anvil and raised both hands. To keep an important person away from danger, in order not to risk endangering them. If the person in question wished for that or not, however, was a whole nother story.

    To experience the same thing for the first time and finally realize what others must have felt when you did it. In stories and tales, it was amon device.

    Even if he was aware of it, he would pick that option all the same. Shin, however, did not force her to stay away. Even if he tried to, Schnee woulde closer all the same. Shin could realize that now.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I would like you to try, Can you give me a hand?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Shin had tested it himself first, so it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous. He then handed the crystal to Schnee.

    Shin exined to her what happened, then Schnee poured her magic power in the crystal. It changed this time too, turning to a light blue color. A different color than when Shin did it.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it probably the wavelength of the magic poured into the crystal that determines its color?¡±

    ¡°Wavelength?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s something like a fingerprint. Magic power quality is different from person to person, and we call it wavelength, as well as other terms.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s exnation made Shin recall that he heard something simr before.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I think I heard something like that in Bayreuth.¡±

    Shin nodded to himself and tried to jog his memory for several minutes. The time passed since he arrived in this world was not too long yet, but still it already felt like it was in the distant past.

    In a forest close to the first country he visited in this world, Bayreuth, Shin defeated a monster called Skullface and the weapon held by the monster was sent flying away.

    The magic power lingering on the greatsword revealed that Shin was the one that defeated the monster and he was summoned to the castle to meet the second princess.

    He recalled that when he heard the exnation at the time, he thought it was a fantasy version of DNA analysis.

    ¡°Sometimes you can see a faint aura like that, right? So that was magic power?¡±

    ¡°You have skills that let you see magic power, Shin, so you can see it even without meaning to. If you focus, you should be able to see your magic power as well.¡±

    Shin immediately put it to the test: he looked at his hand and activated the ¡¾Light¡¿ skill, which created a source of light, at minimum power. He could see a faint purple light covering his hand.

    ¡°So Schnee¡¯s is light blue.¡±

    Schnee used ¡¾Light¡¿ too, and a faint light the same color as the crystal enveloped her hand. Shinpared the two and thought that his looked thicker, or rather, less limpid.

    ¡°Next, try using MP drain and absorb the magic power you poured in, and our first test will be done.¡±

    Shin gave the crystal to Schnee again and asked her to absorb magic power, like he did before.

    The crystal changed back from light blue to gold, just like it did in Shin¡¯s case.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Schnee?¡±

    The reaction was the same.

    Shin then wanted to ask if she felt anything unusual, but noticed that something was off about Schnee. Her eyes were open, but it was like she was looking at something that wasn¡¯t actually there.

    ¡°Ah, yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s my line.¡±

    Shin shook her shoulders and Schnee finally responded. It looked like she hadn¡¯t heard Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember clearly, but I think I saw something like a thread.¡±

    Shin said that she seemed unconscious for a few moments and Schnee tried recalling what she saw.

    She was probably looking through her own eyes. She was in a pitch-ck space, and a golden thread, probably generated from her body, was stretching somewhere in the darkness. Schnee said she saw such a light.

    She added that she probably saw something else too, but couldn¡¯t recall what.

    ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t see anything like that. I felt like something wasing into me, or being taken out of me, a strange sensation like that. I wanted to ask you how it felt, but maybe it¡¯s better to have everyone else try it too?¡±

    It would be difficult to make theories with just two specimens. In the end, he decided to have Shibaid and the others perform the same experiment.

    Tiera didn¡¯t have MP drain skills, so Shin gave her a gauntlet attached with one.

    As a result, Shibaid didn¡¯t feel anything in particr. The silver became silver with streaks of ck.

    Tiera saw something like arge, brightly glowing tree. The crystal turned green.

    ¡°Yuzuha seeing the same things as Schnee was pretty unexpected.¡±

    Yuzuha too could pour and absorb magic power, so Shin had her try too, but she remembered things more clearly than Schnee.

    In a pitch-ck space there was a star-like light and the golden thread was extending towards it. In Yuzuha¡¯s case the crystal didn¡¯t change color, but its glow turned brighter.

    ¡°Do you two have something inmon?¡±

    One was a support character, the other a partner monster. In game terms, they werepletely different creatures.

    Everyone tried thinking of any possibility, but no clear answer came up.

    ¡°Could it be that¡­, no, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Any idea?¡±

    While everyone was deep in thought, Shibaid mumbled to himself and Shin asked if he hade up with something.

    ¡°I came up with an idea, but¡­Schnee and Yuzuha. Both of them have a deep bond with Shin. That¡¯s not the whole reason, but it could be one of the causes.¡±

    ¡°A bond, huh¡­but in that case, you¡¯re a support character like her, Shibaid.¡±

    They were created at different times, but both of them were Shin¡¯s support characters. Most of what characterized Schnee would fit Shibaid too.

    ¡°The bond I speak of is spiritual, or something more ambiguous. That¡¯s why I said it was just an idea. Yuzuha originally cannot be a partner, but here she is, at Shin¡¯s side. Judging from her words and actions until now, there is clearly a special bond between you.¡±

    Shibaid then turned towards Schnee.

    ¡°And about Schnee¡­.well, you know. Your wish has been fulfilled, has it not? I believe that is a different kind of bond than the one with me or Filma.¡±

    Shibaid finallyughed, saying that if it was all baseless conjecture, they could have augh at it too.

    ¡°Who¡¯sughing? There¡¯s so many things we don¡¯t understand that we can¡¯t deny that possibility. I do think we have a special bond.¡±

    In the end, no clear conclusion could be found. If the special bonds Shibaid mentioned were a cause, however, there was more relief than concern. At least, they were positive bonds.

    ¡°Kuu! Special!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If that¡¯s the reason, I can understand why we saw the same things.¡±

    Yuzuha looked very happy after she heard Shibaid¡¯s theory about the bonds and was wagging her tail energetically. Schnee did not show her emotions as clearly as her, but her smile was broader than before.

    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡±

    Only Tiera seemed a little dissatisfied. Her cheeks were slightly puffed, her gaze sharp. It was like she wanted to say that she belonged to that side too.

    Considering that Marino had inhabited her body, it was not strange to think that Tiera could have a special bond with Shin too.

    Tiera, however, had not seen the same things as Schnee and Yuzuha. That¡¯s what she was unhappy about.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shibaid finally realized it and looked at her with an expression that screamed ¡°I messed up!¡±.

    Shin noticed it too, but thought it wiser not to say anything. Or rather, he could note up with anything to dispel Tiera¡¯s dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Both men were frozen still. Yuzuha ignored thempletely, took the crystal in her paws and stared at it, while crying softly. Sometimes, she powerfully wagged her tail.

    ¡°Yuzuha, did you find something?¡±

    Gradually, everyone¡¯s attention fixed on her. Shin was still feeling awkward, so Schnee asked in his stead.

    Yuzuha wrapped the crystal in her tail and handed it to Shin.

    ¡°You should keep this with you, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    Shin took the crystal and replied with a question. It had been used by a demon, so he didn¡¯t exactly have a good impression of it. If Yuzuha said so, however, then it had to be true, Shin thought.

    ¡°Can I ask why?¡±

    ¡°This is a fragment of the originator, crosser of worlds.¡±

    ¡°Crosser of worlds¡­?¡±

    The unexpected answer prompted another question from Shin. He had too little information and had no idea what she meant.

    ¡°Do you remember Origin?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah. I could never forget.¡±

    Thest boss of the death game, the opponent he fought against until moments beforeing to this world. It wasn¡¯t an opponent he could ever forget.

    He had collected all drop items that appeared after defeating Origin, though. There were no crystals like that among them.

    All items were of unknown usage and were still sleeping quietly in Shin¡¯s item box.

    ¡°That is the originator. One of the seven beings which shaped this world. Its true name was Origin ¨C I.¡±

    ¡°I heard about it, yes. I see, so that was the original Dragnil.¡±

    In the game, the first individuals of all races were called the Seven Saints.

    Based on what Yuzuha said, there had to be six creatures like Origin remaining.

    ¡°Why was thest boss only that one, though? If the other six were there too, I wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.¡±

    At the end of the dungeon there was only one Origin. Facing seven of them would have been an impossible feat.

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t remember everything yet.¡±

    ¡°If you remember, you¡¯ll know the reason why I came to this world too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how much I know, after all.¡±

    Shin thought that Yuzuha might know the answers about everything, but she couldn¡¯t tell if it was true or not.

    Maybe she did, maybe she didn¡¯t. Retrieving her memories could be another goal for their travels.

    ¡°So anyway, why should I hold onto it?¡±

    ¡°Only Shin fought against Origin. And if anything happens, Shin will be okay.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean now¡­¡±

    Yuzuha probably meant that Shin was the safest person to hold the crystal. She might have meant something else too, but she couldn¡¯t say why at the moment.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to analyze it anyway, so I guess it¡¯s best for me to have it¡­¡±

    There still were other things to experiment with.

    Shin decided to continue as they proceeded towards their destination.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    A few dayster, Shin¡¯s party met with Filma and Sety.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally together! It¡¯s been a while, camping outside really takes a toll.¡±

    ¡°My bed¡­my bed is calling my name¡­¡±

    The two neers, Sety in particr, looked exhausted. Sety would surely drift off to dreand the moment she touched her bed.

    Shin thought that, since she had been protecting the private area with the Tsumugins, she wasn¡¯t used to camping anymore.

    Even so, she looked unnaturally tired.

    In the game era they did not camp outdoors often, but even if she was a rear support member, Sety still had stats much higher than this world¡¯s standards. She should get tired much more slowly than the average person.

    What would have caused her to be so exhausted?

    Sety made it seem like they faced an especially powerful demon, but Filma, on the other hand, did not seem tired at all.

    In her travels around the world, she probably camped often. Seeing her pull the dazed Sety¡¯s hand made them look like sisters.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today, then.¡±

    After looking at their state, with a wryugh Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora. Schnee then brought Filma and Sety inside.

    ¡°I¡¯d really like a portable building like this too. I thought it would be the same as before I was sealed, but after traveling with you guys, not having a bath is pretty harsh.¡±

    ¡°Something like this might happen again, so I guess it¡¯ll be worth making some.¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, an item that doesn¡¯t make you feel sleepy¡­¡±

    As Shinmented, Sety wobbled towards him. For whatever reason, she looked about to cry.

    ¡°Sety isn¡¯t exhausted because of the camping, she justcks sleep.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Aaah!! Aaah!! Aaaahhhh!! Don¡¯t say it!!!¡±

    Filma¡¯s words apparently shook Sety awake: she tried with all her might to stop her from continuing.

    ¡°In the first big battle after joining with us, against the evil deity, she couldn¡¯t do much, right? She was super focused though, so I guess she had too much energy left in her. So in reaction to that, she really did her best this time. Day and night, she was out fighting demons. Thanks to that, you won¡¯t find a demon no matter where you look in that country, but those efforts took their toll, and this is the result.¡±

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why only Sety looks so spent.¡±

    Shin, convinced by Filma¡¯s exnation, smiled at Sety, who was covering her face out of embarrassment.

    She worked that hard because she was worried about Schnee. Shin realized once more that she felt the same way as him and could not help feeling happy.

    ¡°Thank you, Sety.¡±

    ¡°I can feel a lukewarm gaze from everyone¡¯s eyes¡­but more than that, why is big sis Schnee carrying me¡­?¡±

    Also because she looked very young, Sety¡¯s words and actions made her look like a little girl that tried to act mature.

    Sety was thus picked up by Schnee and carried inside Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sety is like the party¡¯s little sister, but Schnee is the one that treats her like that the most, no?¡±

    ¡°More than a little sister, that looks like¡­¡±

    A mother carrying her daughter. Shin did not finish his sentence, though. They looked like sisters, like Filma and Sety did, but Schnee¡¯s aura made them seem more like mother and daughter.

    Shin had set Sety as the party¡¯s little sister, but he thought that even if he hadn¡¯t, her personality would have assigned her to such a role all the same.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside too.¡±

    Shin and the rest followed Schnee inside Tsuki no Hokora. As announced, Sety was brought to the bath.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go too then.¡±

    Filma also headed towards the bath.

    It was still a bit early for dinner. So, Shin decided to progress with the crystal¡¯s analysis, while asking Shibaid, Tiera, and Yuzuha for their opinions.

    Unlike Filma, Sety skipped dinner and slept until the morning.

    ?

    The next day, the party resumed traveling.

    ¡°After getting used to big sis Schnee¡¯s cooking, eating in normal restaurants feels kind ofcking.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party departed after breakfast. Sety, sitting next to Shin on the coachman¡¯s seat, whispered to herself.

    She was the only one to sleep until the morning, so she found it a bit embarrassing to ride inside the carriage.

    ¡°If you cook by yourself, though, you don¡¯t really care how it turns out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s so right!¡±

    When the party met Sety again, she was in the middle of cooking.

    Shin didn¡¯t recall her having the Cooking skill, but she probably learned in the hundreds of years she spent on her own. At present, it had grown to Cooking IV.

    ¡°I heard that big sis Schnee has Cooking IX. I was surprised, but I guess it¡¯s obvious. Her dishes are almost as delicious as master Cook¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Schnee did eat Cook¡¯s dishes after all. She probably used them as reference and is trying to see if she can¡¯t make them even more delicious.¡±

    Even if her skill level was inferior, Shin thought that Schnee¡¯s cooking might have surpassed Cook¡¯s, as thetter was limited by the game system.

    His stomach was already in the palm of her hand. As well as the rest of his body.

    ¡°By the way, what happened before we met? I heard a bit before we left, but devils? World Tree? It¡¯s stuff you barely even hear mentioned in this world, but you sure have been involved with both a lot.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t go looking for them, mind you. The devils were in the ce we were teleported to. One of them is coexisting peacefully with humans too.¡±

    Former yers Hmee and Masakado, Luxuria and Avaritia, the World Tree and Reforgerer. Shin told Sety about them to share the information with her.

    ¡°I guess that being with you means experiencing all sorts of rare events.¡±

    ¡°Let me assure you that none of it is deliberate.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t deny it, but resisted the allegations as much as he could, a bitter expression on his face.

    ¡°Anyway, since you were alone with Schnee, was there any progress? Out with it,e on.¡±

    ¡°Now that was sudden¡­¡±

    The question came from Filma: she was probably listening to Shin and Sety¡¯s conversation. She crossed over to the coachman¡¯s seats, eager to take the opportunity.

    ¡°It¡¯s like Schnee¡¯s aura got softer than before. That¡¯s what tipped me off. Come on, out with it, and spare no details. Sety, get the other side.¡±

    While chuckling ominously, Filma grabbed Shin¡¯s arm.

    Kagerou was drawing the carriage, so they just needed to asionally give it instructions for it to know where to go.

    Filma knew the carriage was in good hands, so she grabbed Shin¡¯s left arm so he couldn¡¯t escape.

    ¡°Roger. I¡¯m interested too.¡±

    Sety promptly obeyed and grabbed Shin¡¯s arm as well. Blocked both left and right, Shin had no way of escape.

    ¡°Shibaid, Yuzuha, out of the way, please.¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha be considerate! I want to know what happened! Time to talk!¡±

    ¡°Everyone is worried about you. Here no one other than us can listen¡±

    ¡°Look at that grin on your face! You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    Shin heard some quarrelling going on inside the carriage too.

    Conversation from the coachman seat could easily be heard inside. What Shin said to Filma and Sety would be heard clearly by the others too.

    Everyone already knew that Yuzuha had made it possible for Shin and Schnee to spend time by themselves.

    Shibaid already figured out everything when Shin called Schnee his ¡°wife¡± in Lanapacea.

    Yuzuha had an inkling too, but was curious about the details.

    Only Tiera did not say anything, nor move an inch.

    From the map and the presence it wasn¡¯t possible to tell a person¡¯s expression, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell how Tiera was looking at the situation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bully Schnee too much, okay?¡±

    ¡°That all depends on you, Shin!!¡±

    Shin realized that Schnee¡¯s prediction was perfectly urate, as Filma and Sety spoke in unison. Heughed, saying that they sure looked eager.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped then. Let¡¯s start from after we were teleported.¡±

    Shin started narrating what happened after he spoke with Filma and the rest of the party via Mind Chat.

    Inevitably, there was an eruption of cheering when he got the point that they both confessed to each other.

    Because it was the moment Schnee¡¯s wish was realized and Shin announced that he would remain in this world.

    ¡°And after that you got down to business, right? Right??¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Filma was excited beyond measure, so much that her nose almost touched Shin¡¯s. He leaned the other way, towards Sety, and found her silently yet excitedly blowing air out of her nose, prompting him to go on.

    ¡°Whoa, I¡¯m not going to talk about that! It¡¯s too embarrassing!!¡±

    Shin meant to conclude the evening by simply saying that they ¡°became one¡±, shifting to the next morning, but the pressure on his arms requested otherwise.

    Why were they so interested in learning such intimate details? He staunchly refused to speak.

    ¡°Eeh? Really? Come on, what do you have to lose?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡±

    ¡°Pipe down, you two!!¡±

    Shin unleashed forehead flicks on both girls to quiet them down.

    The quarreling inside the carriage had calmed down as well.

    Shin, while thinking that Schnee was probably blushing violently to the tip of her ears, gave instructions to Kagerou about where to go.

 Book 16: Chapter 1 (6)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 1 (6)</h4>

    ¡°What about you, what happened in that country?¡±

    After a while, Shin asked this question to Filma and Sety.

    He hadn¡¯t heard about what had happened to them yet.

    ¡°Pretty much what I said during the Mind Chat the other day. We were teleported to a normal coast, but the country we visited to understand where we were was under demons¡¯ attack, we were really surprised.¡±

    Sety noticed the demons¡¯ presence first and secretly traced it back to the mastermind.

    The most unexpected thing was that the demon was hiding in the throne room. Based on the number of presences, they thought it had taken control of the king and his close retainers, but it was making them kill each other instead.

    Sety stopped the spell at thest moment, but the king and his subordinates thought they were under attack and surrounded them. When Sety and Filma showed that they had incapacitated their opponents without wounding them, the king and his subordinates finally agreed to listen to them.

    Most of the people in the throne room were affected by mental maniption status effects like ¡¾Confusion¡¿ and ¡¾Charm¡¿, so after removing the debuffs they finally realized what was going on.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what would have happened without Sety. I can take care of myself, but I¡¯m not good at healing others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m specialized in offense though.¡±

    Sety was a support character specialized in buffing allies and offensive magic. Having high INT also boosted the effects of healing magic so, thanks to her high MP as a Mage, she was one of the best healers in their party.

    When Shin formed a support character party he put Filma, Girard, and Shibaid in front and Sety as rear support. Shin and Schnee attacked, supported, or healed depending on the enemy type.

    Filma did not attack the enemy to attract their attention, like Shibaid, nor did she attack them at high speed to confuse them like Girard. She was a unique kind of fighter who maintained a steady offensive revolving around HP-draining attacks.

    Because of this, she was skilled in healing herself, but not others.

    If Filma had been with Shibaid instead, they might not have been able to fully heal the victims of mental manipting status ailments.

    ¡°After that, well, we healed every single person with a status ailment and checked suspicious ces, people, and items. Sety was a savior, let me tell you.¡±

    Magic spells could be adjusted to work in various ways. Filma, being abat specialist, mostly watched as Sety took center stage.

    ¡°You cut down the demons though Filma.¡±

    The country Filma and Sety were teleported to ¡ª called Acuracan ¡ª was not attacked by powerful demons of the Duke or Marquis ss, but several lower-ss demons, such as Viscounts and Barons.

    For a normal person they would be fearsome enemies, but for someone on Filma¡¯s level, they were just small fry. The moment she found one, they were cleaved in two and pulverized.

    Eventually the demons started acting more stealthily, so finding them took more work than defeating them. That was the reason why, among all the members of the party, they took the longest time to solve their situation.

    ¡°I heard they were pleading for you to stay though. Did you leave the country without saying anything?¡±

    ¡°We told them that there were no more demons in the country, as far as we could tell. Sety really did her best, so unless they hid extremely well, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll have to fear demons for a while. If we failed to find any, it means that they were beyond our abilities to find.¡±

    ¡°We took down the captain, or rather, a demon in charge ofmanding the others, pretty early, so they weren¡¯t cooperating well. I think that if there are any survivors, it¡¯s demons which ran away before we could find them.¡±

    Sety added that they made sure to defeat any demons which fled, so there shouldn¡¯t be any survivors, as she straightened her hat which had been moved by the wind.

    Sety and Filma cooperated with Acuracan¡¯s troops and hunted down the demons by forming a circle which first epassed the entire country, then became smaller and smaller.

    Excluding the case that any demons fled from the encirclement when it was at its widest, they should have sessfully hunted them all down. Since they defeated the demon in charge ofmand early, they could take down the demons running on their own one by one.

    ¡°We helped a bit with the wreckage too. Then they¡¯ll have to take care of things themselves. If people like us stay too long, they¡¯ll rely on us for everything.¡±

    Filma and Sety removed the wreckage toorge for normal people to handle on their own. Filma¡¯s final words were based on her experiences during the confusion after the Dusk of Majesty which she had personally witnessed along with situations she had heard about during that time.

    As they didn¡¯t intend to reside in that country for a long time, they only helped to a certain extent.

    Shin thought the same way too. If they were going to stay just a short while, they should limit themselves to only simple volunteering.

    ¡°What were the demons nning to do in that country, anyway? They targeted the royal family¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it was some big n or anything. There was only one demon in charge ofmand, and it was just one rank higher than the others, so things just automatically developed in that direction. I suppose they just obeyed their primordial instincts, nature, or whatever, to attack people?¡±

    Filma and Sety didn¡¯t think that the demons exhibited any particr conduct, such as looking for something specific or acting in special ways against a particr species.

    The demons that infiltrated Bayreuth acted in a simr way, so their hypothesis was probably correct.

    In the game era, demons of inferior rank did not make intricate ns, or at least Shin never heard of such things happening.

    ¡°If you find a demon, kill it. Search and destroy, as they say. They¡¯re never going to stop spawning anyway.¡±

    Sety was not mistaken: demons were the enemies of humanity, after all. The possibility of making peace with them never existed in the first ce.

    The reason for their birth also resided within humanity, but there was nothing Shin¡¯s party could do about it.

 Book 16: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°The further we go, the colder it gets.¡±

    Tiera, sitting next to Shin, whispered to herself. Her breath turned white as she spoke.

    One month had passed since the group departed.

    Shin¡¯s carriage, which could travel much faster than average ones, was proceeding through cold white ins, only its wheels leaving tracks on the untrodden snow.

    The continent of Eltnia was veryrge: even inside the same continent as the game era, certain locations had wildly different climates.

    The current location of Shin¡¯s party was to the southeast from the country Filma and Sety had been teleported to. They were in the southern side of Est, the upper section of the Eltnia continent.

    ¡°If it¡¯s too cold, you can go back inside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not going to freeze thanks to the mantle you gave me.¡±

    Tiera was wearing a knee-length mantle with fluffy fur.

    It was meant to shield the wearer from the cold, so its white cloth was thick, but it was made with a special process, making it much lighter than it looked.

    The wearer just needed to wear it over the shoulders to be protected from the cold, so Tiera was wearing her Heat Haze series gear under it.

    From under the mantle, Tiera¡¯s fit legs could be seen.

    If the people living in the area could see them, they would surely doubt their eyes.

    The temperature outside was -20¡æ, after all. No sane person would expose their skin in such weather.

    ¡°Northern Hinomoto was also cold, but it¡¯s much worse here. I¡¯ve never seen monsters frozen in a forest like that before¡±

    Tiera¡¯s gaze was directed at a High Wyvern that was frozen solid while resting on half the trunk of a snapped tree, which was frozen as well.

    It probably froze after it spread its wings. The right wing, half of the tail and its neck had snapped too.

    ¡°Does this happen naturally?¡±

    For Tiera, an original denizen of that world, it was an unnatural phenomenon.

    ¡°ording to Schnee, we are traveling through an oval-shaped area 20 kemel long. This area is much colder than its surroundings. That¡¯s probably that¡¯s how it always was: before the Dusk of Majesty, it wasn¡¯t too rare for neighboring areas to have different climates .¡±

    ¡°So it went into the wrong area by mistake and ended up like that.¡±

    ¡°Probably, yeah. High Wyverns are usually resistant to the cold, but in this area average cold resistance doesn¡¯t cut it. This is just a theory, but I think that this is an area where thend itself exudes cold air, which was moved here during the crustal shift. I¡¯ve seen simr sceneries before.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the High Wyvern.

    In his mind, he recalled the ¡°Absolut Kalt¡± areas, where you risked freezing instantly if you weren¡¯t equipped with enough cold protection.

    If a yer entered one such area without being prepared, their avatar would freeze in seconds, bing unable to move: then they would have to endure the excruciatingly long wait until their HP decreased to zero or they were shattered by a monster.

    The yer actually felt the cold through their avatar, so yers that disliked the cold hated these areas with a passion.

    ¡±So that¡¯s why no one lives around here.¡±

    As long as you don¡¯t enter the area there wouldn¡¯t be any danger, but no one would choose to live in such a risky ce.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re almost out.¡±

    Shin spotted the changes in scenery signaling the border of the area.

    On Shin¡¯s side, the trees were frozen white and snapped. The other side, however, not only was it not frozen, but it was normal grasnd. The border between the areas was extremely clear.

    The party proceeded through the grasnd towards a deep forest.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    They proceeded through the forest, following the information received by Berett, and eventually reached a clearing. Flowers and nts grew so densely that it wasn¡¯t possible to see past them.

    ¡°Is it really here, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just checked with ¡¾Through Sight¡¿. It definitely is. Can¡¯t you see a building over those lotus-like nts, with the nts¡¯ stalks all wrapped around it? That¡¯s it.¡±

    About 300 mel beyond the lush vegetation, there was a building Shin knew very well.

    If seen from above, it would appear in a rectangr shape.

    The building had no exterior decorations and no systems to attack intruders, but it was chock full of research facilities. That was ¡°Red Alchemist¡± Hecate¡¯s guild house, the ¡°5th Daze Garden Romenun¡±.

    It looked like three blocks of concrete one on top of the other: in a way, it might seem simr to a prison.

    The exterior walls were covered in ivy, so the building¡¯s stone-cold presence was slightly subdued.

    A radius of 500 mel, with the building at the center, was under Romenun¡¯s influence, which affected the climate and the growth of the vegetation.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s really big. Are all guild houses built sorge?¡±

    Tiera looked upwards and asked a question.

    Celciutos, Palmirack, Rashugum. All the guild houses she had seen were gigantic in size.

    Romenun was no exception: it was about 800 mel long, 600 mel wide and 20 mel tall. It was far toorge to be a single person¡¯s property.

    ¡°Yeah, well it depended on the person, but ours were all huge. Mine and Hecate¡¯s were mostly meant for research, so we needed a lot of space for the materials. I don¡¯t remember the numbers in detail, but thergest ones were probably Rashugum and Miraltrea. Both were built forbat too, so they had all sorts of equipment attached. On the other hand, my Demi Eden was probably the smallest.¡±

    Shin¡¯s guild house, Demi Eden, was about one size smaller than Romenun, at least the part above ground was.

    Unlike the other guild houses, Demi Eden, Palmirack, and Romenun had underground facilities too. They were fairlyrge beyond the visible part.

    ¡°Smallest¡± referred only to the part above ground.

    In terms of dangerous content, incidentally, Demi Eden was by far number one.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    After checking their equipment, the party entered the lush vegetation area around Romenun.

    The paralysis spores and toxins of the nts growing around Romenun were dangerous. Likewise, there were also many nts that caused hallucinations and charm, lulling intruders to a spontaneous demise.

    Shin thus had Tiera and Yuzuha wear essories that would prevent the mostmon status ailments nts could cause.

    Even if Tiera¡¯s stats approached those of advanced Chosen Ones, the area was too dangerous for her to enter without countermeasures. She would risk never leaving the region alive. Yuzuha would probably be fine, but Shin gave her a protective essory too, just in case.

    Other than Tiera and Yuzuha, all others equipped the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡», which prevented all status ailments, as per usual.

    Since it was considered a dangerous area, simply approaching it would be deadly for the average person. That was the reason why Berett and the others could not inspect it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen nts like¡­.eeew¡­.¡±

    Tiera proceeded while observing the nts, careful not to touch them, but then pinched her nose and grimaced.

    She was looking at a nt called Paragracia, simr to the real world rafflesia. It was also an ingredient to create potions with strong charming effects.

    With proper equipment, it was just a smelly flower, but its odor was really overwhelming.

    In the game, even if the yer felt nausea they wouldn¡¯t actually vomit, but it was powerful enough that some yers who recalled it in the real world threw up.

    As soon as Tiera showed signs of nausea, Shin and the others used Wind-type skills to disperse the smell. They used one on Tiera too, and she started taking deep breaths to exhale the foul odor.

    After proceeding through all kinds of flora, Shin¡¯s party arrived in front of Romenun.

    ¡°Okay, the guild entrance is¡­¡±

    Guild members could enter from an exclusive entrance, different than the one reserved for normal visitors.

    Romenun was a research facility which yers other than the guild members visited too, so an entrance was made for them.

    The party headed towards a location surrounded byrge trees, a bit away from Romenun. In its center there was a hidden teleportation portal.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A teleportation device. We can go to the first floor underground entrance with this. Looks like it¡¯s still active, so I¡¯ll go on ahead and talk.¡±

    Guild members and their support characters could use it without problems, but Tiera would be left behind, so Shin decided to go by himself first.

    Shin activated the teleportation device and, one secondter, found himself in a familiar ce. Since medicine was often necessary when crafting equipment, he visited Romenun often in the game era.

    ¡°Ouch!?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡°

    When he teleported to his destination, Shin felt something lightly hitting his hips.

    He then heard a high pitched voice that could have belonged to a young boy or girl. He looked down and saw a young boy in a whiteb coat.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t think I would appear right in front of you.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay, it¡¯s my fault¡­too?¡±

    Medium length white hair hiding nted blue eyes.

    The pretty young boy was Oxygen, a High Pixie and one of Hecate¡¯s support characters.

    Shin didn¡¯t know why Hecate created him like that, but Oxygen, a support character who always stayed in Romenun, had a very short stature.

    In contrast, the other support character, Hydro, was tall.

    Oxygen was maybe about 140 cemel tall: his head did not even reach Shin¡¯s chest.

    The elementary school student-like boy always wore a whiteb coat evidently too long for him. Shin didn¡¯t know the reason for this either.

    ¡°Long time no see. Do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°Even if I tried to forget you, I don¡¯t think I could¡­¡±

    Oxygen answered at his usual leisurely pace. He always had a faint smile on his lips.

    ¡°I heard you were shut in here for 500 years, so I came by to check on you. I thought Hydro was here too?¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I guess we did stay inside here for a pretty long time. Hydro is in the first floor¡¯s cultivation area, harvesting nts.¡±

    It was almost noon. Hydro was apparently making preparations for lunch.

    ¡°Schnee and the others are waiting outside. There¡¯s a lot we¡¯d like to talk about with you, can I let them in?¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re with you, Master Shin, then I would never say no. Will youe here directly?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I had them wait next to the portal.¡±

    Many years had passed since someone visited Romenun, so Oxygen hadn¡¯t noticed Shin¡¯s activation of the portal.

    Incidentally, if Oxygen was exactly in the location Shin would be teleported to, the portal would automatically shift the destination, so there would be no danger of collision.

    Shin went outside, then returned with Schnee and the rest of the party. Before leaving, he asked Oxygen to add Tiera to the list of those authorized to use the portal.

    ¡°Oh my, our first visitors after 500 years are Master Shin and his party.¡±

    A few minutes after the party entered Romenun, Hydro joined them too at the entrance.

    She too wore ab coat, but it fit her physique perfectly. She was shorter than Shin, but slightly taller than Schnee, probably over 170 cemel.

    Hydro had short deep blue hair and masculine features.

    Shin knew that she was a woman, so her hairdo, gestures, and speech reminded him of the male role actresses of a certain all-female theater troupe.

    Her beauty was the kind that was often more popr among women than men, though the curves under herb coat were very feminine.

    Her light blue eyes, the same color as Oxygen, looked at Shin with interest.

    ¡°Master Shin, does your return mean that Mistress Hecate has returned as well?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s only me. I don¡¯t think that the others could return even if they wanted.¡±

    Hydro didn¡¯t seem to think that Hecate died. Since she hadn¡¯t kept in contact with the outside world, she probably didn¡¯t know that Hecate, as well as the other Rokuten members, were thought to be dead.

    Or maybe, like the other support characters, she thought that Hecate simply *wouldn¡¯te back*.

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s a shame, but I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. She was a whimsical person, after all.¡±

    Hydro spoke while looking somewhere in the distance, giving the impression that she was acting her lines.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re sad, Hydro¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say it out loud, but he thought the same thing. He felt like he was watching a y.

    ¡°I was created to have meaning when paired with you after all, Oxygen. I do not possess feelings of longing myself.¡±

    What would be the reason to pair a young boy like Oxygen to a masculine beauty like Hydro? Shin decided not to think about it anymore.

    ¡°Oh, but enough about us. What will you do now, Master Shin? If you don¡¯t have any ns, there is something I would like to discuss.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything pressing, yeah. Any trouble?¡±

    Shin was about to say that something seemed to go wrong wherever they went, but Hydro¡¯s wordspletely betrayed his expectations, in a good way.

    ¡°Baomultan¡¯s area is right next to this, you see. As far as I know, it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous, but I wanted to hear your opinion, just in case.¡±

    The name Hydro mentioned was very nostalgic for Shin.

 Book 16: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Baomultan.

    Affectionately called ¡°Baltan¡± by fans, it was a monster that, despite its horrendous looks, became so popr in THE NEW GATE that it was even turned into merchandise.

    It was called ¡°environmental protection monster¡±, as it visited polluted areas, absorbed the pollution and returned the areas to their normal state.

    As a result, in the areas recently visited by Baomultan it was temporarily possible to find high-quality metal and rare nts.

    If the yer defeated Baomultan before itpletely purified an area, it was possible to obtain parts for powerful equipment highly resistant to status ailments.

    Because of this, conflicts often broke out between the yers who wanted Baomultan¡¯s parts and the yers who wanted to gather the materials that appeared after the purification.

    ¡°This Baomultan monster isn¡¯t strong?¡±

    ¡°So-so. At full power, it can be a match for Kagerou.¡±

    ¡°And you call that ¡®so-so¡¯!? It¡¯s definitely dangerous!!¡±

    ¡°Before the Dusk of Majesty it wasn¡¯t really dangerous. Besides, there were other circumstances in the conflict.¡±

    In the game, a great number of yers hunted Baomultans, so no one thought that it was dangerous.

    Information about it wasmonly avable, so the yers who couldn¡¯t defeat it did not even try fighting.

    There were also other yers who chose not to fight it, for different reasons.

    They were the ¡°Baltan Protection Squad¡± and ¡°Baltan ypals¡±, organizations outside the scope of guilds.

    It sounded like a silly joke, but they actually existed.

    At first nce Baomultan looked like an undead dragon, but it actually had a mellow personality and did not attack approaching yers unless provoked. It was even possible to touch it a little.

    There was a certain yer recorded footage of what various monsters did in their natural habitat, how they reacted when yers approached etc. and posted it online.

    Eventually, the yer released a video with Baomultan as target.

    A few days after the video was released, things began to unfold.

    In the battle between the yers who wanted Baomultan¡¯s parts and the yers who wanted the parts that appeared after purification of the area, the ¡°Protection Squad¡± and the ¡°ypals¡± suddenly burst in.

    The video had instigated the secretly formedmunity of Baomultan fans into action.

    Their stance was close to the yers who wanted the parts that appeared after the purification, so the bnce of the two factions¡¯ conflict changed greatly.

    ¡°Eh? What are you saying? Protecting monsters? ypals¡­?¡±

    Shin¡¯s exnation utterly confused Tiera.

    For this world¡¯s denizens, monsters were creatures you either fight or run away from. Some made monsters their partners or worshipped them, but they were a very small minority.

    ¡°I know it sounds absurd but¡­ Baomultan is just adorable¡­wait, adorable? No, that¡¯s not it¡­anyway, it¡¯s hard to just go fight it as soon as you see it.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t quite know how to exin it.

    Maybe it was one of the game settings or they used a simple AI, but Baomultan and some other monsters could recognize yers.

    In Baomultan¡¯s case, if a yer approached it in a peaceful manner and touched it enough times, it would start being interested in the yer.

    When the yer entered Baomultan¡¯s area it would spontaneously approach the yer and walk together.

    When the yer left Baomultan¡¯s area, it would follow them until the edge of the area and watch the yer leave.

    Many yers were moved by the lonely expression on its face as they left.

    The posted video contained such a scene too, so the yers interested in interacting with Baomultan increased. What followed could be called the ¡°Baomultan Boom¡±.

    ¡°We started considering Baomultan a source of ¡®Moe¡¯¡­we¡¯re done for¡­¡±

    ¡°After ying a bit with Baomultan I started thinking that its nickname, ¡®Baltan¡¯, isn¡¯t strange at all.¡±

    ¡°ITT: monsters and moe¡±

    ¡°In my head Baltan is a cute loli: degenerate and proud¡±

    These and many other threads popped up like mushrooms. Baomultan¡¯s poprity exceeded even the creators¡¯ imagination.

    The fact that it spawned randomly, disappeared after a certain time and was a Divine Beast-like monster, making it impossible to tame, also contributed to its poprity.

    It never stayed always in the same ce, so after a while the time to say goodbye would definitelye. It was a half forced series of meetings and farewells.

    ¡°It¡¯s still a monster, though. There were always yers who wanted to defeat it for its parts, so there were often fights between those who wanted to fight Baltan and those who wanted to protect it. Sometimes they both lost, though.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Why, what happened?¡±

    ¡°When Baltan goes into fight mode, it sees all yers as enemies. So it would attack the Protection Squad and ypals too. It doesn¡¯t matter if they had be friends before. The yers who wanted to defeat it attacked it like before, while the Protection Squad and ypals tried to get in their way. And Baomultan attacked all the yers. The yers who didn¡¯t want to defeat Baomultan were fine with being attacked, so sometimes they clung onto other yers and were knocked out together.¡±

    They could do so since they wouldn¡¯t actually die, but it was an incredible episode nheless.

    It was unknown whether Baomultan had an affection stat.

    Maybe it was reset during battle, or maybe when it was attacked it considered those of the same species as the attacker -if the attacker was a monster, all monsters of the same species; if the attacker was a yer, all yers or all yers of the same species as the attacker- as its enemies, or so the yers theorized.

    ¡°Maybe Baomultan saw them all as the same person. If it was attacked by a certain species, it could see all people of the same species as potential attackers.¡±

    ¡°I wonder. We might know the truth if we could talk with it, but it¡¯s only possible in unique cases.¡±

    Shin replied to Tiera¡¯s words while recalling the monsters he met until now.

    The Element Tail and Kagutsuchi were primary examples. Kagerou understood what Shin and the others said, but it couldn¡¯t talk.

    Tamed monsters were the same. They even understood what the tamer wanted them to do from facial expressions and gestures.

    ¡°¡­.wait, we could just have Yuzuha trante what it says.¡±

    She did it for Kagerou before. If it was possible with Baomultan, they couldmunicate with it, Shin said excitedly.

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Yuzuha, however, mercilessly denied such a possibility.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same as you did with Kagerou?¡±

    ¡°Kagerou is like arade for me. That¡¯s why I understand. Kagutsuchi is a Divine Beast and it understands human speech too. But Baltan is very different from us.¡±

    Their role in the world, species, and ecology were all different. Yuzuha added that there was not anguagemon to all monsters.

    ¡°I can talk with monsters of my species or simr species, but Baltan and I are too different.¡±

    In this world, most people spoke the samenguage.

    Some species used unique alphabets, but they were only used on very rare asions within the same species, so not knowing them would never be an inconvenience.

    Among human-like creatures, then, there would never be a situation in whichmunication was impossible.

    For Shin and the others, Yuzuha and Baomultan both belonged to the monster category, so they thought that they couldmunicate normally.

    ¡°I see¡­not all people speak in the samenguage either, after all. I guess it can¡¯t be that easy.¡±

    In Shin¡¯s former world, it wasmon for people from different countries to speak differentnguages. To not be able tomunicate with other human beings was a normal urrence.

    Considering this, Yuzuha¡¯s exnation made sense.

    They decided that they would try once, just in case, then moved to the next topic¡ª or tried to, but Hydro and Oxygen stopped them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, you two?¡±

    ¡°Shin, You¡¯re talking like it¡¯spletely normal, but who is that boy? Or girl? I mean, I see the name, but it¡¯s beyond our imaginations¡­¡±

    ¡°If what we see is not wrong, it¡¯s an Element Tail? A real one?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro stared intently at Yuzuha, who was perplexed by their reaction. Shin¡¯s party was used to her, but their reaction was the normal one.

    Shin had asked them to stop calling him master, so both Oxygen and Hydro started addressing him without titles.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a real Element Tail. A lot of things happened, and now she¡¯s my partner monster.¡±

    ¡°I thought Divine Beasts were impossible to tame, but you overcame even that¡­I¡¯d like to know what happened in detail. Oh, and can we take some of her hair as a sample? I¡¯d like to perform an endurance test.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m intrigued too. Could we have some tears too? There¡¯s a concoction I would like to try.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, you two¡­¡±

    Shin was sure that they were really interested only in experimenting. After hearing the conversation, Yuzuha hid behind him.

    ¡°Hahaha, we are just joking, of course. We would never use Shin¡¯s partner for an experiment!¡±

    ¡°Of course not~.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a joke when you two say it¡­¡±

    ¡°True, true.¡±

    Filmamented with a sigh, followed by Sety nodding. They were a High Lord and High Pixie duo, so their words and movements were pretty simr.

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose we went a little overboard. Let us be a little more serious, then.¡±

    ¡°Just a little?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    Shin wondered if Hydro had always been like that, but he didn¡¯t know the other support characters¡¯ personalities in detail, so he concluded that she probably was always like this.

    ¡°Back to the topic of Baltan, then.¡±

    Shin returned the conversation on the right track and Tiera raised a hand.

    ¡°Ehm, that¡­Baltan, right? It appears to purify thend, right? In that case, I might be able to help too.¡±

    Shin had started calling Baomultan by its nickname, so Tiera adopted it too.

    After learning about Baomultan¡¯s abilities, she thought that maybe she could help it with her own.

    Shin, however, shook his head.

    ¡°No, Baltan¡¯s purification has nothing to do with miasma. Everyone started saying it absorbed pollution, so that became themon term, but it actually isn¡¯t all bad stuff. I guess it would be more correct to say that¡­it takes in minerals that are oversaturated in one spot and redistribute them. When certain things umte too much in the same ce, the environment and ecology can be damaged.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like when nts absorb too much nutrients and dry up instead?¡±

    Tiera apparently grasped the concept and tried giving her own interpretation.

    Its redistribution of materials was the reason why Baltan was called the ¡°environmental protection¡± monster.

    Probably because of the game settings, unnatural concentrations of specific materials sometimes randomly appeared. After Baomultan appeared, the affected area would return to normal.

    The areas visited by Baomultan became rich in resources because their bnce was restored and resources were better distributed, or so the yers thought.

    It wasn¡¯t enough to exin the phenomenon, but in this world there were many elements that did not exist in reality, so epting that exnation was the only way.

    Baomultan could even restore haunted forests and cursednds, so it definitely had abilities other than absorption.

    ¡°Yes, I think you got the gist of it. Of course, it also absorbs materials that would clearly have negative effects. I didn¡¯t see it all with my own eyes, so you just need to remember that it doesn¡¯t just remove impurities.¡±

    ¡°Okay. So does that mean that there is an unnatural concentration of something in Romenun now? If you say that the vegetation is currently receiving negative effects, I think I can see it¡­¡±

    Tiera recalled the nts she saw on her way to the building.

    Elves could sense the state of nts and the earth. She had felt that the situation was like what Shin exined.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Baomultan didn¡¯te to purify Romenun.¡±

    ¡°I thought so. That¡¯s the normal state of Romenun¡¯s vegetation, after all.¡±

    Oxygen answered Tiera¡¯s question, then Schnee interjected.

    Tiera was mildly shocked to learn that the nts she saw were in their ¡°normal¡± state, and rightfully so.

    Baomultan often appeared in areas so unnaturally changed that they seemed to be rotting, in decay.

    Around Romenun there were many nts scattering status ailments only because of the effects of the guild house, but thend itself was in its normal state.

    ¡°¡­is it Durgin?¡±

    Shin mentioned the name of a monster that formed a ¡°duo¡± with Baomultan.

    Durgin also removed pollution from the earth, but it didn¡¯t purify it like Baomultan, it simply absorbed noxious elements into its body.

    The difference was that it couldn¡¯t purify thend like Baomultan did.

    ¡°Correct. I think it happened about 500 years ago, after there was arge tremor and Romenun¡¯s position changed from its original one. A Durgin fell on the area next to Romenun, and it wasrger than any Durgin I had ever seen.¡±

    Hydro¡¯s words suggested that she probably did not know about the Dusk of Majesty. The tremors and Romenun¡¯s movement were probably caused by the crustal shift that urred after the Dusk of Majesty.

    Durgin fell into ake formed by the crustal shift, but did not float to the surface or move.

    Hydro added that the fall probably killed it, or it was already dead.

    ¡°After that, it was truly horrible. Maybe because it released everything it had absorbed until then, theke turned a nasty color and the smell was foul too. Thend around it started changing colors too. The area under Romenun¡¯s influence was safe, but the rest turned a horrible color, a sort of greenish-ck, in a radius of about 5 kemel.¡±

    Thend was dying: it was a scenery so horrible that such words came to mind.

    The Durgin had probably absorbed noxious elements beyond its capacity and then turned into a poison itself.

    It was said that some could contaminate the earth when theynded and could spoil the very air.

    In such a situation, the original rtionship of Durgin gathering pollution and Baomultan purifying would be broken.

    Baomultan could not purify such an extent of pollution.

    ¡°If I recall correctly, the first Baomultan arrived about 1 yearter, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s about right. The Durgin was prettyrge, so the Baomultan was ratherrge too. We¡¯re used to seeing it by now, so it doesn¡¯t really feel big anymore.¡±

    Oxygen thought for a bit, then replied to Hydro¡¯s question.

    ¡°The first? Do you mean that others came?¡±

    Shin thought that the first Baomultan probably failed to purify the pollutionpletely, but Hydro and Oxygen both shook their heads.

    ¡°No, only one Baomultan came. It probably reached full capacity, though, because it didn¡¯t stay long.¡±

    It couldn¡¯t fully purify the pollution and was severely exhausted, so after about 1 year it died.

    ¡°From here started phenomenons outside our knowledge. We were really surprised, I tell you. We tried burying the dead Baomultan, but its corpse disappeared, reced by another Baomultan.¡±

    More precisely, the remains of the dead Baomultan slowly turned transparent and disappeared, then after it vanishedpletely another Baomultan appeared out of the empty space.

    ¡°After witnessing it, I thought that Baomultan had a phoenix-like ability, that allowed it to return to life after death.¡±

    ¡°I, instead, thought that Baomultan wasn¡¯t a monster, but a purification device created by the to protect itself.¡±

    They were both researchers at heart, so they started theorizing about Baomultan¡¯s abilities.

    Thinking about it, how did monsters increase?

    Some monster species had both male and female versions, but they were rare cases.

    Cashmere¡¯s monster ranch mainly housed tamed monsters.

    Shin had heard Cashmere mention about monster babies being born, so she might have been knowledgeable about it.

    ¡°Okay, setting Baomultan¡¯s ecology aside for a moment¡­how¡¯s the current situation?¡±

    ¡°The purification progressed, I¡¯d like to say, but it looks like it will still take a long time. Just how much had that Durgin umted? Since we know how it looked like at first, we can tell that things are getting better, but I guess it will look different in your eyes. We can only stay in that area for 30 minutes max.¡±

    Baomultan¡¯s area was on the opposite side of the direction Shin¡¯s party came from, beyond Romenun.

    Shin knew that Hydro and Oxygen had high resistance to status ailments, as they had to perform all sorts of experiments, so if even they had a time limit the area had to be incredibly polluted.

    ¡°Should I go take a look?¡±

    ¡°It would be really helpful. We¡¯ll exin what we discovered first. You¡¯ll probably find it hard to believe, though.¡±

    After this premise, Hydro started talking.

    At first, not even moss would grow in the polluted area.

    At present theke looked very different, it changed from a mass of sludge to a blue surface.

    Even if it looked clean, though, it was actually something like sulfuric acid, a liquid that would melt anything it touched. Theke was also continuously spewing toxic gas.

    Thend too had regained a natural-looking color, but it exhaled toxic gases too, different than the ones emanating from theke.

    The toxic gases from theke and the ground interacted with each other and covered the ground in a sort of mist 1-2 cemel thick. It had to be cleared before you could see the actual ground.

    Another phenomenon that Hydro and Oxygen did not know about also urred.

    ¡°There are flowers blooming. A lot of flowers of all colors, covering the ground¡­or, considering how it looks, covering the fog.¡±

    Various flowers in full bloom, without any respect for the season, their usual habitat or the original vegetation.

    ¡°Are they really flowers?¡±

    ¡°We wondered that too and researched them, but did not find any poison or elements they wouldn¡¯t naturally have. The fact that they grow and bloom there is unnatural, but we could not find anything strange about the flowers themselves.¡±

    ¡°The vapors, poison gas and the mist emanated by theke and the ground are all noxious for nts. We can say with certainty that there are no ces in that area without poison. Normally, it would be impossible for any nt to grow there. We tried nting Bluehinnes and Harbes, which can absorb poison, but they shriveled and died in half a day.¡±

    Hydro mentioned nts that were also used as ingredients for antidotes and potions that gradually restored HP. Shin was familiar with them too and knew their effects well.

    Those nts had strong antitoxin effects and should be able to withstand even very strong poison. If they could only live for half a day, the area they were nted in had to be and of death.

    ¡°Is Baltan exhibiting any strange behavior?¡±

    If the situation was so unnatural, it might have affected the Baomultan too, so Shin asked about it to Hydro.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t acting differently from what I know about it, at least for now. It moves a bit in the area, but it generally simply stares at theke.¡±

    ¡°Normally it just needs to be there for the purification to take ce. As far as we have observed, it¡¯spletely calm.¡±

    Baomultan did not need to eat. It was so docile that you could approach it and touch it, so it hadn¡¯t caused problems at the moment.

    Its personality was just as Shin remembered; Hydro and Oxygen had interacted with it several times, so now it recognized them as individuals.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Shin noticed something in what Hydro and Oxygen said.

    When Baomultanpleted a purification, it normally lied down on the ground and disappeared. Then useful metals could be excavated from the ground and the ground itself grew richer.

    Judging from the way it disappeared, it didn¡¯t look like it died, but more like itpleted its task and was teleported somewhere else.

    It sometimes looked at the yers before disappearing; there had been barely any reports that a Baomultan died before fully purifying an area, too.

    ¡°¡­you said that it died many times, right? Do its remains disappear every time?¡±

    Shin thought that if its remains did not disappear Hydro and Oxygen would have collected them for research, so he asked them about it.

    ¡°That always goes ording to knowledge. We have witnessed it copse multiple times, but it turned transparent and disappeared every time.¡±

    ¡°¡­by the way, the flowers started blooming after the first Baltan died, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think so?¡±

    Hydro said that the first Baltan appeared about 1 year after the Durgin fell. It was more than 500 years ago already.

    Hydro asked Oxygen for confirmation, but after such a long time he couldn¡¯t say it with confidence either.

    ¡°Please wait a moment. The research records from that time¡­.here they are. Let¡¯s see, 351 days after Baltan died the first sprouts were found, which increased day by day. Eventually they increased so much that we couldn¡¯t keep track of the exact number.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro could stay in the polluted area only for a limited time, so they couldn¡¯t record the exact number of the flowers.

    ¡°As expected of a researcher, you kept really precise records.¡±

    Shin was impressed, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be that diligent.

    ¡°Observation and recording are the basis of research, after all. This is all we have observed in the polluted area. Then there¡¯s one thing that we noticed.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about the remains of the Durgin in theke. Since Durgins and Baomultans are a set, we thought that the Durgin mighte back to life too. It hasn¡¯t moved at all in 500 years, though.¡±

    It was a concern, but still just a possibility. Differently from Baomultans, Durgins were aggressive, so their ecology was still for the most part unknown.

    ¡°We¡¯ve built a long rtionship with that Baomultan, at this point. It looks like its memory resets every time it resurrects, but we¡¯ve watched over it all this time, so we¡¯re kind of attached. It¡¯s nearing its limit now, so we might be getting a little nervous.¡±

    About 10 years passed since the current Baomultan appeared, so based on past trends it should be nearing its death, Hydro continued.

    Berett said that they couldn¡¯t approach the area, but if Hydro and Oxygen wanted they could leave Romenun.

    The reason why they did not do so was Baomultan¡¯s presence. Even if it was a monster, they had grown attached to it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look after lunch, then. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to find out anything, but I want to see it with my own eyes. Even if ites back to life, I¡¯m sure I can chase it away.¡±

    Shin trusted Hydro and Oxygen¡¯s words, but after seeing the situation with his own eyes he could have a different impression.

    Additionally, using skills such as ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, and ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ he might also find out something about the Durgin¡¯s remains.

    ¡°Thank you. We are pretty confident in our research skills, but as you know our fighting power is low!¡±

    ¡°Not much we can do about it.¡±

    ¡°No reason to be proud about it either¡­¡±

    Hydro and Oxygen were far superior to average yers in their field of research, but being specialized in research meant that their fighting power was low, or rather, they had little to no battle experience.

    Even with level and stats inferior to theirs, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to defeat them with some battle experience.

    Depending on the situation, Tiera could probably win too.

    ¡°Besides, if you use the items you invented you can even win against people with higher stats, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s our job after all.¡±

    Oxygen replied while blushing and Shin sighed.

    They had little fighting experience and some of their stats were on the same level as advanced Chosen Ones, or a little lower. The stats they focused less on were probably around 300.

    The tools they developed, however, covered such disadvantages more than enough. Battles weren¡¯t only about punching each other, after all: they used all sorts of items causing status ailments.

    Items that prevented status ailments were extremely rare and depending on the quality of the materials and skill of the creator, it could be possible to break through the protective effects of such items.

    Hydro and Oxygen¡¯s master was Hecate, the most knowledgeable among all Rokuten members about item crafting.

    The items and materials she used hadpletely different rarity.

    Normal resistances and immunities meant nothing: her items would break through them, inflict all sorts of status ailments and gradually lead the opponent to a nightmarish death.

    Even Shin was careful not to risk having to fight her, despite being protected by most status ailments by his high immunities.

    ¡°I bet you made lots more in these 500 years.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, they have surely created dangerous items we have never heard of.¡±

    ¡°You know, there¡¯s a word for people like you: ¡°mad scientist¡±.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid agreed that Hydro and Oxygen probably had many more dangerous tools up their sleeves, and Sety used a word she learned who knows where.

    Shin mentally agreed with all three of them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk again after lunch. I¡¯ll borrow the kitchen, then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it sure is nice to be able to eat Schnee¡¯s cooking after all this time. Do you need me to show you the way?¡±

    ¡°No, I remember where it was. Do you have enough ingredients? I can bring more if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°I harvested this morning, but with these many people we¡¯ll need a little more. I¡¯ll go pick them up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, then. I want to see what you have too.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Come this way, then.¡±

    Hydro started walking in an affected way, maybe because she was leading Schnee.

    Schnee sighed a little. Apparently Hydro¡¯s passion for cute and beautiful things was still present.

    ¡°Sorry about her. Schnee is beautiful, so Hydro is feeling excited for the first time in a while.¡±

    ¡°I know she¡¯s that kind of person, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Oxygen exined apologetically, but Shin told him not to worry. His personality was not as extreme as Hydro: on the contrary, he was pretty normal.

    ¡°Hmm, what can I say, I¡¯m speechless.¡±

    ¡°I trulyment myck of vocabry.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro both felt their expression loosen as they tasted Schnee¡¯s cooking.

    Schnee prepared a simple menu: sd, soup, and pasta (carbonara).

    The ingredients grown in Romenun had very high quality, thanks to the soil, fertilizer, and environment. Cooked with Schnee¡¯s expertise, they would surely turn delicious.

    Shin and the others were very satisfied too, of course.

    ¡°Cooking, hmm. I always thought that as long as you could have the necessary nutrition you didn¡¯t need anything else, but after tasting something so delicious I must change my mind.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t recreate this ourselves, though.¡±

    ¡°You have the time, so why don¡¯t you train your Cooking skill?¡±

    ¡°That time is for research!!¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro turned down Schnee¡¯s proposal in unison.

    If they had the time to train their Cooking skill or anything else, they would use it for research. That was the basis for all their actions.

    They were concerned about Baomultan also because it was a subject of research.

    Many researchers cared little for anything they were not interested in. So Oxygen and Hydro had been created, and remained like that even now.

    ¡°That contradicts what you just said¡­¡±

    ¡°I said that I would have a change of mind, not that I would train my Cooking skill.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just sophistry!¡±

    Hydro did not seem to even register Filma and Sety¡¯s interjections. In a way, she was refreshingly frank about it.

    ¡°We have had our enjoyment, now shall we proceed to the research? I¡¯d like to observe you too, Shin, it¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°What did you say now, all casually like that?¡±

    Even High Humans were subjects of observation. Oxygen and Hydro had not changed at all.

    Shin checked how much poison resistance their equipment had. If it was higher than the equipment of Shin¡¯s party, it would be dangerous for them to enter the area.

    ¡°I should have expected it, your equipment¡¯s specs are higher than ours. To think there is such a gap between the items we made and the ones made by Shin.¡±

    ¡°The materials¡¯ rarity is different too. The technique isn¡¯t enough to cover for the base materials¡¯ quality, after all.¡±

    Hydro and Oxygen looked at Shin¡¯s equipment and expressed their opinions.

    Shin thought they were using equipment Hecate gave them, but they were both using gear they crafted themselves.

    ¡°If we used the equipment Mistress Hecate gave us, we could probably stay in the area longer. We have our pride as researchers, though. We cannot rely forever on something that was given to us, you see¡±

    Both Oxygen and Hydro strove to continue their research in order to one day create something on par too, then superior to Hecate¡¯s creations.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to use it this time, though. We cannot be a burden for you.¡±

    ¡°Can I see that equipment too, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. But I think you made these, Shin.¡±

    Oxygen then showed Shin an essory he knew well, the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡».

    On request by Hecate, it was specialized to prevent and weaken status ailments caused via physical matter and even weaken the effects of attacks that broke through status ailment immunity, often used by the highest ss of monsters.

    Shin crafted them with the highest rarity materials avable at the time, so paired with a High Human¡¯s natural resistances they could prevent most status ailments not caused by magic.

    ¡°Your goal is this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The materials are too rare for us to obtain, so we¡¯re trying to get closer to it with other methods.¡±

    ¡°We still have a long way to go, though.¡±

    ¡°The results are showing, though. At least, back then I couldn¡¯t have attached so many effects to these materials.¡±

    Shin talked while looking at the full-face gas masks Oxygen and Hydro had created, called Prototype 6522.

    Even with a high crafting level and advanced facilities, if the quality of the materials was poor there was a limit to what one could do.

    Shin knew more or less what effects could be attached to the materials used to make Prototype 6522, and concluded that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to craft the items he was looking at.

    It was the result of Oxygen and Hydro¡¯s efforts.

    ¡°It truly feels rewarding to hear that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro smiled proudly, praised by the creator of the items they were aspiring to one day ovee.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 16: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ¡°This is¡­.incredible.¡±

    After checking their equipment, Shin¡¯s group headed to Baomultan¡¯s area. Hydro and Oxygen had exined how it looked, but even so he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.

    ¡°The earth is weak and the air impure, but the flowers are brimming with life. Something like this should only be possible around the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as Tiera says. Looking at these flowers, I can see why your research didn¡¯t find any abnormalities. Without seeing this environment, one would surely believe they were raised in a location with high quality water, soil and a perfect environment for them to grow in.¡±

    Shin also thought they were impressive, but the two elves, Tiera and Schnee, praised the flowers in full bloom even more.

    The flowers werepletely different from the ones growing in Romenun: they were sets of toxic-looking and beautiful-looking ones.

    ¡°Since when did this area turn into this?¡±

    ¡°Let me see, they reached the edges of the area about 30 days after they started blooming. The flowers are blooming about 1 cemel from the spot where Baltan first died.¡±

    Theke where the Durgin was sinking had a circr shape, about 400 mel in diameter. It was about one kemel away from the border with the Romenun area.

    In the four kemel area on the opposite side of Romenun no flowers were blooming, it was just a barren wastnd.

    ¡°Looks like the flowers are blooming around the spot where the first Baltan died as their center. Its purification power might be somehow connected.¡±

    It was hard to tell because of theke and the border, but the flowers were blooming at a set distance from the Baomultan¡¯s remains. Shin agreed that it was a usible exnation.

    Shin¡¯s party proceeded, careful not to step on the flowers.

    Nothing blocked their sight, so they could see theke soon.

    It looked like ake of beautiful blue waters. It was hard to imagine that it was actually lethal.

    ¡°There it is.¡±

    On the shore of theke there was a massive silhouette, colored a burnt brown close to ck.

    Four robust limbs, a long tail equipped with a sharp de and one set of wings. Its shape resembled a western dragon.

    Its skin, however, was twisted as if it was scorched and its eyes clouded by what looked like stained ss.

    Its wings were tattered, suggesting that it would hardly be able to fly. The de on its tail was rusted and yellow, chipped here and there.

    ¡°That¡¯s the monster that purifies thend?¡±

    Tiera had already heard about Baomultan¡¯s main features, but was still shocked after seeing it with her own eyes.

    A monster that can purify the earth¡¯s impurities. Despite possessing such an incredible ability, there was nothing sacred or pure-looking about its appearance.

    It wasn¡¯t strange to be confused by therge gap between its appearance and its abilities.

    ¡°It looks better when it appears, though. After some time passes, it turns like that.¡±

    Before the purification begins, Baomultan is a beautiful dragon with white scales. In that state its character too is different: it flies away as soon as it sees someone approaching.

    In that state it didn¡¯t drop precious items, so most yers left it alone.

    ¡°Looks like it noticed us.¡±

    As Shin¡¯s party approached Baomultan, still sitting down, turned its long neck towards them. It was looking directly at the group.

    ¡ª ¡¾Baomultan ¨C Level 749¡¿

    ¡ª ¡¾Weakened¡¿

    ¡¾Analysis¡¿disyed information about Baomultan.

    The weakened state was a sign of its impending demise. Hydro probably said it would die soon because she noticed the change in status.

    Hydro and Oxygen waved to Baomultan, which cried in response. It was a mysterious sound, simr to a high-pitched flute.

    ¡±Looks like it¡¯s interested in you and the others too, Shin.¡±

    Baomultan slowly stood up and started walking towards the group.

    If it was standing, its height reached about 5 mel, while its length was about 7 mel. It was one sizerger than the Baomultan Shin remembered.

    Baomultan approached the group, making barely a sound, and stretched its neck towards Hydro and Oxygen first.

    The two talked to it and gently patted its head.

    Although they couldn¡¯t touch it with their bare hands due to the poison, Baomultan¡¯s expression did not change at all.

    Judging from its faint cries and the fact that it went closer to them, it was clear that Baomultan was happy.

    It also looked like its tail was wagging a bit faster than before.

    After a while, Baomultan turned towards Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°¡­.what does this mean?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I have never seen one act like this before.¡±

    ¡°It also seems particrly interested in Shin¡­¡±

    For Baomultan, all of the party members were supposed to be new faces, but for some reason it focused only on Shin.

    Its clouded eyes made it hard to tell where it was actually looking, but Shin felt that he was being watched.

    ¡°Yuzuha, can you try?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Simply staring at each other wouldn¡¯t solve much, so Shin asked Yuzuha to try tomunicate with Baomultan.

    ¡°No good¡­.hm?¡±

    After a while, just when Shin was about to give up, something changed in Baomultan. Its body was enveloped in a white light, which gradually gathered around its face.

    After the light disappeared, a diamond-like gemstone appeared. The fist-sized gem floated in the air in Shin¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    The floating gemstone suddenly started falling, as if it had lost all its powers, so Shin put out his hands to grab it by reflex. He then looked at it closely.

    ¡°It¡¯s a treasure gem.¡±

    Some monsters dropped items called treasure gems.

    The treasure gems somewhat resembled the characteristics of the monsters that dropped them, but they were usually chiseled to a round shape.

    Since the gem created by Baomultan fit the description, Shin thought it was a treasure gem. He then tried all his analysis skills on the item, which confirmed that his prediction was right.

    In THE NEW GATE, there were items called gemstones.

    They were items that glowed only after the yers processed certain basic materials, a different category from treasure gems.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s saying for me to have this?¡±

    It was difficult to think otherwise, but Shin tried to confirm it just in case. There was no response from Baomultan, however.

    ¡°Is it Tiera¡¯s turn now?¡±

    Baomultan had turned its head towards Tiera. Aftering up close, Baomultan stopped still, a stern expression on its face.

    ¡°Another unusual reaction¡­¡±

    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s observing her. Does she have any special powers maybe?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah, she does. I guess it feels like they have something inmon.¡±

    While Tiera¡¯s powers as World Tree priestess, purifier of impurity, were different from Baomultan¡¯s, they were probably simr enough to attract the monster¡¯s interest.

    It looked at Tiera from the front, from the left, then from the right, like a child that had found something never seen before.

    ¡°I-is it going to be okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not hostile. It wouldn¡¯t attack without reason either. Kagerou isn¡¯t worried either, see?¡±

    Tiera was anxious due to Baomultan¡¯s close attention.

    Kagerou was curious about the movements of Baomultan¡¯s head, but it just popped out of Tiera¡¯s shadow in small wolf mode and imitated the dragon¡¯s movements.

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one, it¡¯s pretty intimidating¡­¡±

    Baomultan¡¯s jaws wererge enough to devour Tiera¡¯s head in one bite. Since it was Tiera¡¯s first encounter with the monster, it was normal for her to be extremely concerned.

    Baomultan was eventually satisfied with its observation of Tiera, as it headed back towards theke and lied down again. It stretched its neck, apparently rxing.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like anything changed with Baomultan itself.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen plenty of them because of Cashmere. I¡¯ve seen it rest like that before.¡±

    Cashmere, being a huge fan of all monsters, naturally approached Baomultan many times too.

    Shin was forced to join her at first, but eventually started enjoying it too.

    Because of this, he was very knowledgeable about Baomultan¡¯s behavior patterns.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it create items like this or look at someone like it just did to Tiera, though. But Baltan used to give out ws or other items, and it looked at Tiera like it did whenever it found something curious. It doesn¡¯t look abnormal, at least.¡±

    The only thing that concerned Shin was that Baomultan didn¡¯t normally drop treasure gems.

    ¡°We should analyze this after we go back to Romenun.¡±

    Shin was slightly dejected: the golden crystal¡¯s analysis was still iplete, but they had another mysterious item to deal with now.

    ¡°Can we help with the analysis too?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our very best~¡±

    Hydro and Oxygen, however, reacted in the opposite way. Item research was their passion, after all.

    ¡°Please do. Honestly, I was thinking that it¡¯d be difficult for me alone to make aplete analysis.¡±

    Shin was especially knowledgeable in swords and minerals, but not so much about other kinds of items. Oxygen and Hydro were specialized in items, so their offer was very wee for Shin.

    ¡°Can I pick up some flowers? I want to analyze them too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would love to hear your opinion about them, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully the research can proceed a little~¡±

    Flowers weren¡¯t Shin¡¯s speciality, but the possibility that he found something new was still there. Shin thus decided to pick up some flowers to research them himself.

    ¡°Next up is Durgin, then.¡±

    The remains of the monster sunk into theke. In a way, it was the most important factor.

    Shin stood next to the resting Baomultan and looked at theke.

    The deep blueke was an outstanding view.

    It was impossible to see anything beyond the water surface, however. It was a brilliant color, but a very abnormal one.

    Shin collected some of theke ¡°water¡±, then looked at the depths of theke. He activated multiple skills and could thus see the entirety of theke.

    ¡°It¡¯s deeper than I thought.¡±

    Shin peered deeper into theke.

    100 mel, 200 mel, 300 mel. Skills disyed how deep he was observing.

    When he reached about 400 mel deep, something different brushed past his field of view.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s really huge.¡±

    At first he thought he had found a massive boulder.

    When he looked at the object in its entirety, however, he realized that there were protrusions too sharp for a boulder and some curves that were too smooth. They were Durgin¡¯s outer shell and its joints.

    Though it was lying down with its tail wrapped around itself, it still measured over 50 mels in length. It was an extrarge specimen, unthinkable in the game era.

    ¡°Its features look the same as before, though.¡±

    It was muchrger, but that was the only difference. A face like an extremely feral bat, four powerful limbs.

    Its arms were joined by a membrane that allowed it to fly. Its legs were very robust, in order to support its weight. Its tail was covered in scales from the base to the tip. It was said to use the wind to fly via its membrane and to change direction by maneuvering its tail.

    ¡°Does anything else catch your attention?¡±

    ¡°¡­the color, I guess.¡±

    The water was turbid, so light wouldn¡¯t reach theke¡¯s depths. But, thanks to his skills, Shin could see Durgin¡¯s color.

    ¡°The color? If I recall, it was ck when it fell. No, that was¡­¡±

    ¡°Many colors blended together, resulting in ck. I suppose you could define it this way. Besides, it used to have a sort of mist, or aura,the same color as its skin enveloping its body.¡±

    Hydroplemented Oxygen¡¯s words and furthermented about the aura-like substance that enveloped the monster¡¯s body as it fell.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see that mist now. But its skin is pitch ck. Durgin¡¯s skin grows cker the more pollution it absorbs, but¡­just how much did this one collect¡­?¡±

    Therger the body, the more capacity it had.

    Shin estimated the size of the Durgin¡¯s remains to be at least 10 times a regr Durgin. He couldn¡¯t imagine how much its absorption capacity could extend to.

    ¡°Baltan is taking hundreds of years to purify it, after all. I can¡¯t imagine it either.¡±

    ¡°With a sample we might learn something, but we can¡¯t exactly dive in to take it¡­¡±

    There was a high chance that the equipment made by Shin could withstand it. With the device used when they went to look for Celciutos it was probably possible.

    However, Shin wondered if it was safe to approach the monster.

    The purification was proceeding at present. It would take time, but one day this area too would probably turn back to normal.

    Because of this, he couldn¡¯t bear it if they triggered some response in the monster and the situation worsened.

    Especially in Shin¡¯s case, Yuzuha was living proof of that.

    Once approached, the remains might move. They might attack. Shin couldn¡¯t deny such a possibility.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for now. Let¡¯s go back and analyze the samples we took.¡±

    Better let sleeping dogs lie. Shin chose to be prudent.

    He then turned back towards Romenun.

    ¡°¡­hey, Shin. Behind us¡­is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group walked back towards Romenun. Behind them, Baomultan was following with heavy steps.

    It had grown attached to Hydro and Oxygen and knew that Shin¡¯s party wasn¡¯t hostile, so it followed them.

    Only one member of the party, Tiera, frequently turned around to check.

    She checked if everything was alright, but did not show signs of fear. Walking next to her, Kagerou looked at Tiera and Baomultan, wondering what was going on with them.

    When they arrived at the border of the area, Baomultan stopped walking and watched Shin¡¯s party walk away. It was one of its behavior patterns with yers it had interacted with enough times.

    Its feeble cries made it difficult to walk away.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel guilty for leaving¡­¡±

    ¡°If you stop now, it means Baltan¡¯s charm won you over.¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­I can¡¯t deny it¡­¡±

    Tiera appeared to have gone through ¡°Baomultan¡¯s baptism¡±.

    Despite the lingering desire to stay longer, Shin¡¯s party left the area. They had to return to Romenun and analyze the samples, with Hydro and Oxygen¡¯s help, in one of Romenun¡¯s research rooms.

    ¡°Okay then, hopefully the analyzer can tell us something.¡±

    The analyzer Shin used was a high spec device, also equipped with the function of breaking down itemsposed of multiple materials.

    Certain materials needed to be cleansed of specificponents before being processed, or the end product would have negative effects. Shin used that function for this reason.

    The analyzer could tell the variousponents that formed an item and their percentage, which could help estimating its usage and other things.

    ¡°¡­no good.¡±

    Shin tried analyzing the treasure gem Baomultan gave him, but it turned out to be impossible to analyze.

    Either the analysis failed or it was one of the unique materials the analyzer did not work on.

    The game creators had implemented this system because ¡°Being able to analyze anything and everything would take away the fun of trial and error¡±.

    Shin had tried using the analyzer on the golden crystal too, just in case, but it was impossible to analyze too.

    ¡°As expected of an item that could trouble even Shin¡­quite the tough nut to crack.¡±

    ¡°I thought it could tell us something about the treasure gem, at least¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that they¡¯re both non-standard items. Their data might not even be present in these devices.¡±

    The possibility that both items did not exist in the game era was high.

    ¡°Well, in these cases the important thing is to never give up. No need to fret, let us proceed slowly and steadily.¡±

    ¡°I would love to do that, but it all depends if the approaching trouble will be slow and steady too.¡±

    ¡°As expected of Shin, I suppose things have never been slow, steady or peaceful for you.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that with a smile!? I¡¯m not happy at all here!¡±

    Hydro nodded to herself, but Shin couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

 Book 16: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    Several days had passed since Baomultan gave the treasure gem to Shin.

    The party focused on researching the various items they found.

    They also tried determining the item¡¯sponents and elemental affinity.

    ¡ªhowever¡­

    ¡°After so much research, all we could find out is that it had a strong light elemental affinity and emanates faint purification power¡­this item is truly a researcher¡¯s bane.¡±

    ¡°The energy it contains is incredibly strong, though. If it can¡¯t be extracted, there aren¡¯t many ways to use it.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s one of those gimmick key items, you either throw it directly to the opponent or use it as it is, without any processing.¡±

    Items that had very specific usages were not umon.

    Keys that opened doors in special events only, key items that weakened specific monsters, items that couldn¡¯t even be used as materials.

    Most items in the ¡°Key Items¡± column of the item box fell in this category.

    ¡°Since Baomultan gave it to us, I guess it has something to do with purification?¡±

    ¡°Judging by how it shines, I believe that is very usible. The light it emanates has strong antitoxin properties too, so I can¡¯t help but associate it with Durgin.¡±

    ¡°Why would it go all the way as to give it to Shin, then? It could simply use that force to purify the area¡­¡±

    Shin and the others continued presenting various theories, sometimes agreeing, sometimes not.

    Shin wondered if Baomultan understood that he could dive into theke and wanted him to hit Durgin directly with the treasure gem, but concluded that he was probably thinking too much.

    Baomultan gave the treasure gem to Shin on the day of their first meeting. It seemed unreasonable that Baomultan could tell Shin was able to approach Durgin at the time.

    ¡°In any case, thank you for crafting so much equipment. It might have been impossible to analyze the items up to this point without you.¡±

    ¡°That is but one of the results of our research.¡±

    ¡°There is still much room for improvement, but we are d they were useful.¡±

    Probably because the items didn¡¯t follow the game¡¯s standards, the game era analysis devices were powerless. The golden crystal found in Lanapacea and Baomultan¡¯s treasure gem were both impossible to analyze.

    Any results were produced but only by the devices Hydro and Oxygen invented.

    They studied how the devices had produced their results, their internal structures, as well as theposition of items, and the devices¡¯ mechanisms and internal workings.

    For Hydro and Oxygen, all the machines Romenun was equipped with were also objects of research.

    Based on the knowledge acquired from such research, they invented new original devices.

    Among all guild houses, Demi Eden and Romenun contained thergest quantity of materials for creation, so they had all sorts of material at their disposal.

    ¡°I could learn about properties I didn¡¯t know before too. I might be able to improve my creations even further.¡±

    Hydro and Oxygen¡¯s inventions only produced small results with the golden crystal and the treasure gem, but could tell much more about the other items.

    Since the analysis of the two non-standard items was quickly curtailed, they tried analyzing other materials not present in Romenun, for a change of pace and to maybe find some hints.

    Even if there was arge quantity of materials present in Romenun, it still didn¡¯t epass all of them.

    Romenun tended to house vegetable materials, while Demi Eden focused on minerals: the stock depended on the owner¡¯s frequently used items. Thus they analyzed minerals they had never tried before.

    ¡°In this world, you can try all sorts of things if you have the right ideas, after all. Before you could reinforce items to 50%, but now it goes all the way to 100%. Doubling an item¡¯s effects isn¡¯t a dream anymore.¡±

    ¡°That smile tells me that Shin and Mistress Hecate are truly made of the same mold¡­¡±

    Oxygen looked at the grinning Shin and nodded to himself.

    Apparently Hecate too would often sh such devilish grins.

    Shin shook his head to bring himself back to a serious expression.

    ¡°Well, putting weapons aside¡­are there any other research methods? Honestly, I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡±

    Shin had Hydro and Oxygen attempt the magic power infusion-extraction method too, as well as Filma and Sety, who weren¡¯t present when he first tried it.

    As a result, they didn¡¯t see anything, just like Shibaid. With such a small sample base, it was difficult to draw any conclusions.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already used all our inventions, though. There are other things we¡¯d like to try, but you certainly know what those are, yes?¡±

    Shin nodded to Hydro. There were other tests they could do, but they required having multiples of the items to test.

    Since they had no guarantee of ever finding copies of the same item, they couldn¡¯t risk using tests that might change the items irreparably. Thus they werepletely stumped.

    ¡°About the treasure gem, if only we could talk with Baltan¡­¡±

    Shin agreed too.

    Baltan was its owner, after all. It had to know how to use the item.

    Yuzuha said that simr monsters might be able tomunicate with it, but monsters capable of speech were very few after all. Shin was already blessed enough by Yuzuha¡¯s presence.

    ¡°I can think of someone who could help, but¡­¡±

    Baomultan belonged to the dragon category: thinking about monsters that couldmunicate with it, Shin came up with a name.

    The problem was that he couldn¡¯t call it so casually. They acted together to defeat the evil deity, so if Shin exined the situation it would probably agree to cooperate.

    Shin, however, was not sure to have ite just to act as interpreter.

    ¡°You know of a dragon capable of speech?¡±

    ¡°Do you know Tzaobath? It should be a pretty famous monster.¡±

    ¡°The Moonlight Reaper, right? I never saw it, but heard Mistress Hecate talk about it. So Tzaobath would be the someone you know?¡±

    Hydro asked with a stern expression on her face.

    ¡°Exactly. Tzaobath might be willing to help. I just thought that if I had to ask it for help, I¡¯d do it in a much worse situation. It¡¯s immensely more powerful than normal bosses, after all. It was on our side for a while, but it was something else, I tell you.¡±

    Excluding monsters outside the rules like Reforgerer, Tzaobath was one of the most powerful beings in THE NEW GATE.

    It was not the most powerful because monsters too had opponents they had good or bad affinity with.

    In terms of pure fighting power, the monsters with ¡°God¡± in their name, which yers referred to as ¡°Divine ss¡±, upied the top spots of the ranking.

    Tzaobath, however, was one of the strongest even among them. In a book Shin read in the guild during the game era, it was even called the ¡°God-Killer Dragon¡±.

    It was the most powerful dragon monster yers could fight, barring a few exceptions.

    Shin thought again that it was a real blessing that it didn¡¯t attack unprovoked like before.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible that you could ask it for help¡­and that it can talk. I didn¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°I bet. Before you had no time to talk, you were usually dead as soon as you saw it¡­¡±

    Being a monster in a game, it was possible to defeat Tzaobath.

    Shin had fought and won against it too. At the time, he had all of Rokuten on his side, though.

    They picked the ideal equipment, thoroughly studied its attack patterns and formted a strategy before fighting.

    Shin could still remember how fulfilling it felt to defeat it.

    Incidentally, the first time they were utterly destroyed.

    Even if they had the right equipment and knew its patterns, Tzaobath was so strong defeating it was never a guarantee. If they encountered it without being prepared, even Shin and the others could only flee.

    Even Rokuten,uded as the strongest, could do only so much. It was obviously the same for the other yers too. Many yers were annihted before they even had a chance to escape.

    As far as Shin knew, other than Rokuten only 3 guilds ever managed to defeat Tzaobath.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, Tzaobath remembered that we defeated it.¡±

    Shin sessfully defeated Tzaobath twice. Afterwards, it was defeated by other guilds.

    It meant that the Tzaobath that Shin defeated had died.

    In the game it was normal for defeated monsters to respawn, but Shin wondered if their memories were inherited as well.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯d be faster to ask Tzaobath about that.¡±

    They had other things to deal with at the moment, so Shin discarded that doubt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put Tzaobath as pending for now. I¡¯ll go out a little, for a change of pace.¡±

    ¡°That thing you have been doing for a while?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I finally got the grasp of it. I¡¯m thinking of using it for research somehow.¡±

    Shin nodded to Hydro¡¯s question, then exined himself.

    They had tried most research methods currently avable, so he hoped toe up with new ones.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave that to you.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two try it too?¡±

    ¡°Well, Schnee is a bit too stoic for us¡­we¡¯ll do things our own way.¡±

    They were good at using their heads, but not at moving their body. So Oxygen added while scratching one of his cheeks and looking in the distance. They would never skip on research, but were scared of Schnee.

    ¡°Well, you know her, Schnee is really serious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too much for us, being specialized in mental work. I want to praise myself for not running away the first day, honestly!¡±

    Shin thought Hydro was exaggerating, but Oxygen apparently agreed with her.

    After all, everyone who received Schnee¡¯s training until now -even the advanced Chosen One Wilhelm- said the same thing.

    Shin wanted to defend her, but remembered the soldiers who agonized during the training, so he couldn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°Even so, Shin continues to go train¡­might you have a masochist streak?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you say another word!! Of course I don¡¯t!!¡±

    One reason was that Schnee was in charge of training, but Shin could continue it also because he didn¡¯t find it particrly harsh.

    He was also very interested in the possibility of bing able to do something he couldn¡¯t during the game.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Shin left Romenun and activated a skill in an area temporarily reserved for training.

    Shin tried moving his body, but it was forced to immobility.

    After a few seconds, the magic power that tried moving his body scattered and the skill was canceled.

    It was simr to the failed casting of a magic skill.

    The fixed movements necessary to activate a skill were said to be like chanting for magic spells.

    ¡°Pheew¡­.¡±

    Shin did not lose focus and gathered magic power again.

    He recalled how it felt when the previous skill was suppressed, confirmed that magic power was coursing through his whole body, then stepped forward.

    What he performed was the Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿.

    The eight strikes, starting from a thrust, started cutting through the air. After the final roundhouse kick, Shin¡¯s body stopped.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m finally getting it!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions. It¡¯s showing results.¡±

    Schnee, who had been watching Shin¡¯s movements closely, smiled.

    What Shin actually activated was not the skill ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿, but the art ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿.

    Even if the movements were the same, its power and speed were inferior to the skill version.

    But, since Shin performed it, the art would easily be more powerful than average skill users.

    ¡°It sure took a long time¡­it¡¯s so easy when forging, why is it so hard with martial skills and magic¡­?¡±

    Ever sinceing to this world, Shin practiced magic maniption techniques that didn¡¯t exist in the game.

    For yers like Shin, magic power meant MP. It simply disappeared automatically when using skills, but here the user required a certain level of control.

    They were especially important in Creation-type jobs such as forging or concocting.

    The mysterious thing was that Shin could deftly control magic power while forging, even if he had never trained to do so.

    In case of other skills, and especially martial ones, his grasp and maniption of the flow of magic power were sadlycking.

    If the requirement was simply infusing magic power, he could do it easily.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably true that things vary greatly if the target is a living creature or not. I recall hearing that the person who invented arts also said something simr.¡±

    People used magic power unconsciously. Skills made it more powerful and gave it direction.

    Movements and usage were fixed because they made magic power more powerful. So believed until now those who researched skills, or so Shin had heard from Schnee.

    In regards to creation skills, since minerals and nts could not use their own magic power or resist outside interference, using magic power on them was easier.

    ¡°I think that a major factor is that using skills feels natural for us, as is entrusting our body to them. I had a hard time too, honestly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our ¡°normal¡±, after all. In the game, suppressing skills or canceling them only meant creating openings, it would have been pointless.¡±

    In this world, however, such actions had a point. In the game, it was impossible to feel magic power flowing through your body.

    ¡°Arts were invented by a cleric, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if he truly existed, but records found in a church stated so.¡±

    The person that invented arts was said to be a cleric, a normal person who could not use skills.

    Shin too had connections with the church; curious about the topic, he asked them about it.

    The Dusk of Majesty had plunged society into chaos.

    Humans, who had inferior strength among the short-living species, would naturally seek salvation more than any other species.

    The clerics born in that era faced the necessity of saving people but also fighting.

    Thus they researched a way to fight for the sake of the weak, to ease their pain, even a little, even if they were unable to use skills.

    They routed monster attacks and went personally to harvest materials to make medicine for those in need.

    At the time clerics were also warriors, knights and researchers.

    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing, thinking about it¡­the church became such arge organization thanks to people like them.¡±

    If they simply continued preaching God¡¯s word, the church would not be what it is now.

    As they were frequently involved in battles, they could witness skills many times, so they could notice what was unique about them. The differences in the flow of magic power between those who used skills and those who couldn¡¯t.

    The cleric who noticed this performed further testing and research, ultimately seeding in creating arts, a weaker version of skills.

    The reason why both skills and arts were widely used was that skills were rare, but also that arts were easier to use and burdened the body less.

    In this world leveling up still meant an increase in stats, but most people were born with the stats of an initial avatar, without any resurrection bonuses.

    Naturally, their MP was lower than those with bonuses, so even if they obtained skills their low MP would prevent them from using skills repeatedly.

    Since highly effective healing skills also had a usage limit, it was obvious that people would start fighting for the right to receive healing.

    Skills required MP to be used and even the basic ¡¾Heal¡¿ could be used only about 10 times per day by an average person.

    To reach max level and resurrect with higher stats was normal for yers, but impossible for this world¡¯s denizens, most of which would never even reach max level, further exacerbating the problem.

    The average level of the people of this world varied by country, but was generally in the 20-30 range. Soldiers tended to be around 100. For a normal person, even 255 was an unattainable dream.

    Those blessed with resurrection bonuses -in other words, Chosen Ones- rarely reached level 255.

    If a substitute to skills -weaker but not requiring MP and easier to learn- appeared, what would happen? This world was the answer.

    Highly effective but hard to learn ¡¾Skills¡¿ and weaker but easier to acquire ¡¾Arts¡¿ filled separate niches.

    ¡°Wow¡­you¡¯re still doing it¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey, no need to say it like that¡±

    Shin and Schnee continued training seriously while talking. Eventually Sety approached them.

    Her expression clearly showed that she thought Shin was a bit hopeless. She had looked at them before, but this time she apparently had something to say.

    ¡°I mean, you can use skills and have ridiculously high stats. What¡¯s the point in learning to use arts?¡±

    Sety didn¡¯t mention it before, but she couldn¡¯t understand why no matter how much she thought about it.

    Shin was capable of repeatedly using not only basic ¡¾Heal¡¿ spells, but even area spells that brought down destruction and mayhem, so it was practically impossible for him to be out of MP.

    He also had items that fully replenished MP.

    ¡°Schnee taught me this, but training to use arts also means that the skills will be powered up.¡±

    ¡°Skills also get powered up?¡±

    Shin too was surprised the first time he heard about it.

    ¡°The maniption of magic power within your body, which is necessary to use arts. Once you fullyprehend it, your understanding of skills deepens too. As a result you can increase the magic power infused in them and arrange them in various ways. It¡¯s just like what you do when you adapt a spell to various situations. Doing this training would help you do that more smoothly and effectively.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, so that¡¯s why¡­¡±

    Sety had always stayed in the private area with the Tsumugins to protect it, so she wouldn¡¯t know about it.

    She did something simr on her own, however, as expected from a Pixie, specialized in magic.

    ¡°I suppose I should try it too, then.¡±

    Sety decided that just looking would be a waste and tried activating a skill.

    She was a mage, trained to fight as rear support; but to avoid being defeated as soon as the enemy managed to approach her, she had also learned closebat skills.

    The skill she activated was one all mages were said to know, the Staff-type Martial skill ¡¾Soundless¡¿.

    In terms of movement, it was a simple thrust attack.

    Its power was weak, and, as mages usually had low STR, it would cause little damage. It was even called a ¡°no damage skill¡±.

    However, all mages learned it because it had 3 effects attached.

    It was the fastest skill from activation to execution -though there were other skills with the same speed- and inflicted both knockback and stun.

    Since it had multiple effects, it knocked back the target only a short distance and the stun time was brief, but it could sometimes activate even if the target equipped essories that nullified such effects.

    Its greatest advantage was being able to stop a yer¡¯s attacks and put distance between them.

    ¡°Mmngh¡­bwah!¡±

    Sety wielded her staff, trembled for a bit, then copsed on the ground.

    ¡°This is hard¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? To grasp the flow of magic from that state is really hard.¡±

    ¡°The flow of magic power¡­can it be really so hard¡­?¡±

    Sety sat up and pointed her right palm upwards. Without a sound, a fireball the size of a fist appeared.

    ¡°So this is an art. When I was still outside I never heard about anything like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s an art.¡±

    ¡°You gotta be kidding me¡­¡±

    Schnee looked at the fireball and stated that it was definitely an art, so Shin was surprised and shocked.

    Sety had instantly grasped the feeling he had finally reached after many sessions of training. What she said was ¡°hard¡± was only suppressing the skill, apparently.

    ¡°I¡¯m not specialized in magic for nothing. Leave all your magic needs to Sety!¡±

    Sety proudly puffed up her chest, a truly smug look on her face. She could arrange magic spells in her own style, after all: she was surely very proficient at controlling magic power.

    ¡°Want me to tell you a hint? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Arrgh¡­¡±

    It was all to be ready if a powerful enemy appeared; Shin suppressed his frustration and listened to Sety.

    ¡°First feel the magic power coursing through your body, then squeeze it and make it do what you want, then let it flow again. Repeat that to make the magic power that flows when you activate a skill turn into your own color. That¡¯s the first step, at least.¡±

    ¡°How does that make sense!?¡±

    Sety was the type that learned through practice rather than theory: unfortunately, Shin could not process her exnations.

    ¡°I believe she is talking about controlling the flow of magic power which activates automatically when you use a skill. To make it do what you say means to control the flow yourself. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! As expected of big sis Schnee!¡±

    Schnee tranted Sety¡¯s ¡°practical¡± exnation. Elves were also proficient in magic, which probably helped her understand.

    Shin alsoplimented her in his mind.

    ¡°To put magic power under your control, huh¡­¡±

    Thanks to the magic power maniption training, Shin felt that when he used martial skills magic power would flow from his heart to the whole body, while when using magic skills magic power would focus in one spot of his hands or feet.

    While focusing on this, he tried activating a martial skill and controlling the flow of magic power to cover his whole body.

    ¡°Mmngh¡­¡±

    But it didn¡¯t go too well.

    If he focused on the skill too much, the magic power would flow automatically and activate it.

    Since he was so used to activating abilities through a skill to activate it, doing so via control of magic power was very problematic.

    At the moment the most he could do was force his automatically moving magic power to stay still and prevent the skill from activating.

    He previously seeded because he kept his magic output low, adding just a bit more made it impossible to control well.

    ¡°Gah, it just won¡¯t work.¡±

    It was Shin¡¯s turn to copse on the ground.

    He tried several times, but ended up just trembling, without anything happening. Maybe because he was doing something he wasn¡¯t used to, he found himself drenched in sweat.

    ¡°This is normal for those used to skills. Let us persevere.¡±

    ¡°It took a long time to get to this point too, after all. Guess I shouldn¡¯t give up yet.¡±

    Shin knew that mastering the activation of arts meant that he would be able to reinforce his skills.

    Things wouldn¡¯t always go so well on the first attempt: Shin resolved again to continue practicing, little by little.

 Book 16: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    Two weeks had passed since Shin¡¯s party arrived in Romenun, when a sudden event urred.

    Shin was engaging in his new daily activity of practicing arts, when a shrill cry reached his ears.

    ¡°Hey, Shin, that was¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, looks like we have an uninvited guest.¡±

    The cry came from Baomultan. Its shrill voice sounded like it was crying for help.

    Shin expanded his detection range and found 6 presences around Baomultan.

    Of the 6 presences surrounding Baomultan, 3 of them were approaching it, then stepping away, all from different directions. They were probably attacking it while preventing it from focusing on a single target.

    <>>

    Shin had ess to Romenun¡¯s functions, so he used them to send a message throughout the guild house. Schnee, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Filma, who were training with him, took out their weapons immediately.

    A few minutester, Shibaid and the others arrived too. Hydro and Oxygen were equipped not with the gear they invented, but what they received from Hecate.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the enemy¡¯s goal. From the icons¡¯ movements, I believe they are attacking Baomultan, but it¡¯s not clear. Don¡¯t attack them out of the blue.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know, let¡¯s go already!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words reflected everyone else¡¯s feelings as they looked at Shin. Tiera was scared of Baomultan during their first encounter, but now it spontaneously approached her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too close. If they are fighting, Baomultan might attack us too.¡±

    Shin said to Tiera as they headed towards the area. The other members had seen Baomultan attack other yers, so they would probably be wary.

    ¡°Will it attack us too?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say anything yet, unfortunately. I do hope it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Shin also thought he had be friends with Baomultan, so it would hurt emotionally if it attacked them. In that case, regardless of the attackers¡¯ objective, Shin thought they deserved at least one good punch.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re really fighting.¡±

    ¡°I was sure that no normal people would evere all the way here, but it looks like these people are pretty strong.¡±

    Once they crossed the forest-like clusters of nts, the view became clear. The members who could use ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ already looked at Baomultan and its surroundings.

    They saw three people in full body armor, two in robes, and one wearing a cleric garb.

    The armored warriors approached Baomultan from the left and right to attract its attention while the two in robesunched fire and lighting spells. The cleric-like member simply held a staff high and did nothing else.

    Baomultan was struck by the magic spells and cried, probably because it was in a weakened state. It did not move much, if at all. Its tail and w attacks struck the armored warriors. However, they protected themselves with their shields, so they were not blown away and simply retreated a few steps, then resumed the original formation. If the battle continued like that, there was a possibility that Baomultan would be killed by them.

    However, there was something unusual about the attackers. They were all affected by poison and paralysis and continued healing themselves, but the recovery speed was clearly too slow.

    ¡°Stop the fight!!¡±.

    Shin, Filma, and Shibaid leaped in the air andnded in front of the armored warriors. Kagerou then howled, attracting the attention of the robed spellcasters and the cleric.

    Shin, Filma, and Shibaid had their defenseless backs turned towards Baomultan, but they were prepared for the possibility that it attacked them.

    ¡°W-what are you people!?¡±

    One of the armored warriors drew his sword and shouted. Only his eyes were visible through the armor and his voice was muffled, but it was clear that he was a man.

    ¡°We have our own reasons. Why are you people attacking Balt¡­Baomultan, anyway? This monster doesn¡¯t harm people.¡±

    Shin pretended he wasn¡¯t about to say ¡°Baltan¡± and questioned the man who shouted.

    If they had mistakenly thought that the poison covering the area was generated by Baomultan, Shin nned to exin the situation.

    ¡°People in thisnd of death?¡±

    ¡°What a powerful presence¡­we cannot win.¡±

    The other two armored warriors seemed to be shaken. One of them had apparently perceived the strength of Shin¡¯s party, as he abandoned the fighting stance and raised his hands.

    The spellcasters and the cleric looked left and right, trying to assess the situation.

    ¡°We have no intention to fight. We wish to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you¡­human?¡±

    The armored warrior who shouted first asked this question to Shin.

    They were acting as if it was nothing, but the area they were in was a ce filled with deadly poison, where normal people would fall to the ground writhing in pain after just breathing the air a little.

    Someone who didn¡¯t know Shin and the others couldn¡¯t believe any human being would enter such an area without a protective mask or helmet, showing their face like that.

    It wasn¡¯t strange for their humanity to be doubted.

    ¡°We are. We don¡¯t need to hide our mouths like you because we have an essory protecting us from the poison. You have some decent equipment, can¡¯t you see that we do too?¡±

    Shin noticed that they were wearing medium or possibly inferior Mythology-grade equipment.

    In a world where even Legend-grade equipment was treated as national treasures, they were all d in equipment even superior to that. They were definitely bizarre by this world¡¯s standards.

    They were either rted to yers or were yers themselves. Or maybe some special corps skilled enough to be assigned such equipment. These were all usible options.

    ¡°Our equipment is¡­decent..? No, one look at your equipment is enough to understand. Lower your weapons, everyone. Resisting them would be pointless.¡±

    The man Shin spoke with seemed to be the leader: other than the armored man who had already put down his weapon, everyone else lowered theirs.

    ¡°Thank you for putting down your weapons. I would like to start our talks immediately¡­but first, let us offer a safe ce to do so. You won¡¯tst long with that equipment.¡±

    The attackers¡¯ HP was gradually decreasing as they talked.

    Shin knew they couldn¡¯t talk like that, so he took a card out of his item box and materialized it.

    What materialized in Shin¡¯s hand was a blue rhombus-shaped pendant. He then threw it in a direction away from theke.

    Before hitting the ground, the pendant glowed brightly, revealing a log house after the light dissipated.

    ¡°The poison won¡¯t affect us there. Follow me.¡±

    Shin went inside the log house first, followed by Schnee and Shibaid. He asked Filma and Sety to watch over Baomultan via Mind Chat.

    The attackers¡¯ leader hesitated a little, then shook his head and entered the log house. The other members quickly followed him, paying attention to Baomultan, Schnee, and the others.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe here. The poison¡¯s effects are gone, right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­the poison is really gone.¡±

    The first one to respond to Shin¡¯s words was the cleric. The equipment covered everything but the eyes, but the voice revealed that she was a woman.

    Once she removed her equipment, since her body did not show any particr features, Shin thought that she was probably a Human.

    ¡°You¡¯re the healer, don¡¯t remove your equipment first!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of being suspicious now? If this boy nned to get rid of us, he wouldn¡¯t have led us in here, one skill and we were gone. Am I right?¡±

    The cleric spoke so frankly that even herrades were at a loss for words. In terms of possibility, something was like that was indeed possible for Shin.

    ¡°We truly wish to talk with you, can I assume that you believe us?¡±

    ¡°It would be pointless to do this if you were lying, I suppose. We¡¯d appreciate it if you listened to our circumstances too.¡±

    ¡°It would be a problem if you didn¡¯t talk, actually.¡±

    Shin answered the cleric with a wryugh. Thanks to their exchange, the other members removed their equipment too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start from introductions. I¡¯m Shin, a Human. The Elf is Yuki, the Dragnil Shibaid. Together with the people outside, we¡¯re all adventurers.¡±

    Sety wasn¡¯t registered with the guild yet, but, since it would be troublesome to exin, Shin said they were all adventurers. Incidentally, Yuki was a fake name used by Schnee.

    ¡°So we¡¯re in the same business. Let us introduce ourselves too, then. I am Garon, a Dwarf. I¡¯m wearing armor like this now, but my main job is cksmith.¡±

    Garon removed his helmet and introduced himself while caressing his long beard.

    He was about as tall as Tiera, with thick arms and broad shoulders, so he looked wider than he was tall. He was equipping arge round shield and a mace.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Mavlov. I¡¯m a bear Beast, as you can see.¡±

    Mavlov also removed his helmet before introducing himself. He wasn¡¯t as tall as Shibaid, but he was easily over 2 mel tall. He was the one who suspected the humanity of Shin¡¯s party. He was equipping a tower shield over 1 mel tall and a mace.

    ¡°Agarj, wolf beast.¡±

    The final armored warrior, who spoke in a slightly nervous tone, was named Agarj. He held kite shields on both hands.

    Like Mavlov, he was a Beast type that looked like the base animal in human form. He was ratherrge, though not as much as Mavlov; standing next to Garon, they made him look like he was a childpared to them.

    ¡°My name is Risha, I¡¯m a Human like you.¡±

    Risha had the air of a tough, gutsy mother. She looked like nothing would scare her easily.

    ¡°Asha, Human.¡±

    ¡°Mesha, Human.¡±

    Thest ones to introduce themselves were two young girls, apparently twins. They were a bit taller than Sety and holding staffs taller than themselves.

    Apparently they could turn their gear into cards, which they did after removing it.

    ¡°So, why were you fighting with Baomultan? As I said before, there¡¯s no need to pick such a dangerous fight, is there?¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be doing this if we could avoid it either. At this point I care little about money or honor.¡±

    In other words, they had a reason to engage in such recklessness.

    ¡°(Schnee, I can¡¯t tell for sure, aside from the twins, aren¡¯t they all pretty old?)¡±

    Shin asked Schnee a question via Mind Chat.

    The Human Risha¡¯s white hair and wrinkles clearly showed that she was of advanced age.

    Mavlov and Agarj retained an animal-like face and Dwarves like Garon looked old no matter their age, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell their actual age.

    Their tone, gestures, and atmosphere, however, made Shin wonder if they weren¡¯t all pretty old.

    ¡°(All the men are, yes. I believe they are more than 70 years old. For short-living species, they are quite advanced in age.)¡±

    Schnee could apparently tell, but refrained toment on the female member for some reason.

    ording to Schnee, even if in that world skills and magic potions existed, short-living species could not expect to live very long lives.

    ¡°The twins weren¡¯t supposed toe this time.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Mavlov talked while looking at the girls.

    ¡°The request we received is a very important one: the existence of a country depends on this. If someone has to die, it would be best for someone old relics like us.¡±

    The eyes of the adults of the group focused on the girls.

    In case of emergency, they probably nned for the two of them to escape safely.

    ¡°Er¡­sorry but it doesn¡¯t look like we can do anything about that. Could you get to the point?¡±

    Mavlov¡¯s words seemed to upset the twins, so before the topic derailed further Shin brought it back to the original one.

    ¡°My apologies. Let me exin now. Our goal is Baomultan¡¯s materials: we need them to craft equipment in order to defeat a certain monster. That¡¯s the request we took.¡±

    ¡°And that certain monster is?¡±

    A name shed in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°A monster called Durgin. If you know Baomultan, you¡¯ve probably heard about it as well, yes?¡±

    Shin¡¯s prediction turned out to be true. A Durgin other than the one sunk into theke was apparently up to something.

    ¡°Well, more or less. Just to be sure, the extermination request didn¡¯te just because a Durgin was spotted, right?¡±

    ¡°If that was the case, we wouldn¡¯t have epted it¡­¡±

    Garon added that in Durgin¡¯s case, extermination requests would not be posted if it was only spotted and caused no damage.

    ¡°Durgin is threatening our country as we speak. That¡¯s why the extermination request was created.¡±

    ¡°Durgin is threatening your country? You mean that it¡¯s going to attack it?¡±

    As far as Shin knew, Durgin only attacked yers if they entered within a certain radius.

    Shin initially thought that someone had probably provoked it.

    ¡°Exactly. At first it was just flying over the country, but 2 weeks ago it descended, spreading poison in the surroundings. There aren¡¯t any casualties yet, but a growing number of people have been rendered unable to move.¡±

    ¡°Is there a possibility that someone attacked Durgin?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say there isn¡¯t. In that case, however, it woulde to attack directly, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Apparently, Durgin had been flying back and forth over the country for one month.

    As Garon said, if it wanted to retaliate after being attacked, it wouldn¡¯t do something like that.

    ¡°Have you noticed anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that could prove useful. We only came to find Baomultan because we happened to find records about it.¡±

    ¡°Is it a well-known fact that Baomultan is here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how well-known it is, but most people know about it in our country. It¡¯s a popr tale. Deep within the mists of death lives a dragon that feeds on poison. If you don¡¯t behave I¡¯m going to leave you in the dragon¡¯s den¡­parentsmonly say this to children to keep them quiet.¡±

    It was a variation of themon ¡°if you don¡¯t behave, ___ wille to get you!¡± spiel parents would use with unruly kids.

    It was used as a fairytale, but the mists of death really existed and the country¡¯s top brass, as well as the guild¡¯s executives knew about the dragon¡¯s existence. Thus Garon¡¯s party was sent to retrieve its parts.

    ¡°Since fighting Durgin without poison resistant equipment would be difficult, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Even if we try fighting it, the most we can do is resist the poison without dying.¡±

    In the game, poison would gradually decrease HP, but in reality it wouldn¡¯t be so simple.

    Weak poison would be one thing, but powerful poison like the one Durgin used would prevent anyone affected from even moving properly.

    Durgin scattered the most powerful type of poison: ¡¾High Poison¡¿.

    For Shin it was a rathermon status ailment, but apparently it was being buffed by something, as it took a very long time to heal.

    Anyone affected needed to be healed too, so, even if they focused on defense and healing, they could barely keep alive, said Garon.

    ¡°How high is Durgin¡¯s level? I¡¯m sure it usually varies a lot.¡±

    ¡°672. If it wasn¡¯t for the poison, I¡¯m sure we could take it down, even if it meant sacrificing our lives¡­¡±

    The level was not too high.

    Garon¡¯s party was equipped with Mythology-grade equipment, and, judging from how they fought, they had good control of their weapons and it didn¡¯t look like they were suffering from penalties because ofcking stats. If all of them were like that, they were quite powerful by this world¡¯s standards. Even in the game era, with the right strategy they could surely win. The problem was, just like Garon said, countering the poison.

    ¡°The level is the same as the Durgin I know. But it sounds like its poison was boosted by something. Could it be that it was instigated to attack your country?¡±

    ¡°Ours is a small country with little to no strength, though? I can¡¯t think of anything that could be earned by attacking us.¡±

    The country, Passner, was a small kingdom located to the north of Baomultan¡¯s area. When many new countries were founded after the Dusk of Majesty, Passner was built in a rtively dangerous area to reduce the appeal of outside forcesing to take it over.

    Passner was not easily essible and did not have any particrly interesting specialties. It was so small that there was little distance between the royal family, the nobles, and themon folk and it was ruled in a generally peaceful way. Being close to Baomultan¡¯s area, there were very few powerful monsters in the surroundings, so it was perfect to spend one¡¯s old years, or so Garon exined.

    ¡°We were rtively famous adventurers once, but now we¡¯re just a bunch of old geezers. We¡¯re supposed to be Chosen Ones, but we can¡¯t move like we did anymore. This time it¡¯s different, though: we have to do something about Durgin. What do you n to do with us?¡±

    Garon¡¯s whole body projected intimidation.

    His party intended to defeat Baomultan, while Shin¡¯s wanted to protect it. Shin could clearly feel that Garon¡¯s party would fight if Shin and the others stood in their way, even if they knew that they were no match for Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°We have our own reasons for not letting you defeat Baomultan.¡±

    Shin understood their circumstances, but had no intention of letting them have their way.

    ¡°Is that so. Unfortunately¡ª¡±

    ¡°There is one more thing I would like to confirm, though. Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    Garon¡¯s words were interrupted by Shin¡¯s question and the Dwarf found himself in an awkward posture. He was probably going to draw his weapon.

    ¡°Basically, all you need is a way to counter Durgin¡¯s poison, right? If you had that, you wouldn¡¯t need Baomultan¡¯s materials anymore.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We took this risky route just because we had no other options.¡±

    Shin asked for further confirmation and Garon nodded with conviction in response. Risha probably understood what Shin was going to say and looked at him with a serious expression.

    ¡°So if I can provide that poison resistant equipment all our problems will be solved, am I right?¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­no, after all you all were here in this area of deadly poison as if it doesn¡¯t affect you¡­¡±

    Garon recalled that Shin¡¯s party wasn¡¯t constantly healing themselves, nor equipped with any masks or other protection: they were walking in the poison mists as if they were taking a stroll through town.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay for us to ask, but¡­what exactly are you people?¡±

    Risha, who had been quiet during the conversation, finally joined in. Shin turned towards her, thinking that she probably didn¡¯t like the fact that he offered to give them equipment all of a sudden.

    ¡°We¡¯re suspicious, is that what you mean to say?¡±

    ¡°More than suspicious, you¡¯re iprehensible. Your equipment is so full of magic power that it¡¯s giving me the chills just by looking at it. But you¡¯re wearing it as if it waspletely normal. Are you sure you aren¡¯t monsters?¡±

    Risha, the party¡¯s cleric, seemed especially sensitive in regards to magic power. She could probably tell what grade Shin and the others¡¯ equipment was too.

    ¡°Risha! Why do you address them with such disrespect?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me, Mavlov. We don¡¯t have time to waste chatting like this. We can¡¯t stay here leisurely reading each other¡¯s intentions, can we?¡±

    Mavlov tried to appease Risha, but she wouldn¡¯t listen.

    Durgin could be attacking the country as they spoke. If they returned to find the kingdom in ruins it would all be pointless.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let us reveal our identities then. We are Schnee Raizar¡¯s party members. I¡¯m the cksmith of the group.¡±

    While talking with Garon, Shin and the others had discussed this n via Mind Chat, and finally put it into action. When in trouble, go with Schnee Raizar.

    ¡°Schnee¡­Raizar?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the name before?¡±

    ¡°Of course we have. I did wonder if it was really her, but since you spoke first¡­¡±

    Apparently, they had seen Schnee once, but many years ago.

    Since she was introduced not as Schnee, but Yuki, and Shin spoke for the party, they thought she just resembled Schnee.

    Schnee was not using her camouge this time.

    Female Elves, however, all had beautiful features and usually had long hair. Silver hair and blue eyes was amonbination, so there were many simr-looking Elves.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Schnee Raizar. Let me talk from now on.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    ¡°Wait just a moment. What proof do you have that you¡¯re the real one?¡±

    Garon was intimated by Schnee¡¯s smile, so Risha stepped forward in his stead.

    ¡°You¡¯re being disrespectful again¡­¡±

    ¡°The fate of the country is at stake! Don¡¯t go all gaga just because she¡¯s pretty!¡±

    Garon tried to stop Risha again, but she retorted sharply. Her eyes were serious, clearly expressing that she didn¡¯t tolerate lying.

    ¡°Proof¡­well, if you can use ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ you could try removing my camouge, if you think I am using one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stronger than us, though. Even if you showed camouged fake stats, we wouldn¡¯t see through them.¡±

    It was an effective method if the user¡¯s stats were superior to the target, but if the user was inferior the result would be like Risha said.

    ¡°Mmgh¡­what about her guild card?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just issued as a ceholder, so I wouldn¡¯t call it proof.¡±

    ¡°So¡­how about we materialize Tsuki no Hokora?¡±

    Tsuki no Hokora was ssified as ¡°Whereabouts: Unknown¡± officially. In this world, Tsuki no Hokora was known as Schnee Raizar¡¯s shop, so they thought it could work as proof.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Tsuki no Hokora, but I¡¯ve never seen it with my own eyes. If you had a good fake, I¡¯m not sure I could tell.¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡±

    Since Risha had never seen the real Tsuki no Hokora, she couldn¡¯t be sure that whatever Shin materialized was real or fake.

    Thinking about it, proving one¡¯s identity in a situation like this was rather difficult. The guild card too, even if it couldn¡¯t be used you could present someone else¡¯s card to fake your identity.

    Showing proof of identity was moreplicated than expected.

    ¡°¡­I have a proposal, can I speak?¡±

    Shin¡¯s party was wondering what else they could do, when Agarj, who had kept quiet the whole time after introducing himself, raised a hand.

    ¡°Please. Any method would be wee.¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you one thing first, don¡¯t misunderstand. Could you let me smell her?¡±

    ¡°Smell?¡±

    Agarj was a wolf-type Beast, so his sense of smell was probably very sharp. Shin didn¡¯t see how it could be useful in this instance, though.

    ¡°Let me exin. Before I joined Garon¡¯s party, I used to be in Falnido. It was just a short while, but I stood on the frontlines with the First King, Girard. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but it was when Lord Girard and Lady Raizar fought together.¡±

    Agarj¡¯s sense of smell was apparently unusually keen even among other wolf-type Beasts: he said that he remembered Schnee¡¯s smell and could use it to verify her identity.

    ¡°I just need to smell her weapon. I remember well the smell of Lord Girard¡¯s Swift Fang. It¡¯s still in my memory, though, so I don¡¯t know if it can count as proof.¡±

    ¡°No, that is enough. Your nose can be trusted. I have no doubts.¡±

    Agarj said thest words apologetically, but Mavlov, standing next to him, spoke with confidence. They were bear and wolf, but both being Beasts, Mavlov too knew that such senses could be trusted.

    ¡°Yes, his nose has saved us plenty of times already. If he says you are the real one, I will believe it.¡±

    After Mavlov, Garon nodded too. At the same time, Asha and Mesha were nodding too.

    ¡°Well, I do know that I¡¯m asking for a lot. I¡¯m not going to doubt the words of arade.¡±

    Everyone looked at Risha, who raised both hands in surrender.

    ¡°How close should Ie?¡±

    ¡°1 mel will be enough.¡±

    Agarj then walked up to 1 mel from Schnee and smelled the air. He didn¡¯t need to put his nose next to the weapon, apparently.

    Schnee¡¯s current main weapon was¡ºBlue Moon¡», but she didn¡¯t use it at the time, so she took out the weapon she had used then from the item box.

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake, she¡¯s the real one.¡±

    Agarj confidently stated that it was the same smell he felt when he was fighting behind Girard.

    ¡°You have a really good memory, though.¡±

    ¡°People like Lord Girard and Lady Raizar have particr smells.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t about being strong or weak, but it felt like a majestic and powerful aura, together with the smell, passed through one¡¯s whole body. Various people perceived it differently, but Agarj said that was the impression he got.

    Schnee added that the Beasts¡¯ sharp sense of smell allowed them to tell how strong someone was by their smell, which could have influenced it as well.

    ¡°Now that we have verified that I am the real one, can we proceed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. You said you could offer us poison resistant equipment?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If you are experienced adventurers, you surely know about Chosen Ones. He is an advanced Chosen One and a skilled cksmith capable of forging even Mythology-grade gear. He can craft equipment with higher poison resistance than what you could make with Baomultan¡¯s parts.¡±

    ¡°I suppose as much.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s exnation of the difference between them shocked the group, with the exception of Garon. Maybe because most Dwarves were well versed in smithing, he had already figured out that Shin was a cksmith.

    ¡°You are a cksmith too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I crafted most of their equipment too. I can¡¯t evenpare with your skills, though. You crafted the gear you are all wearing, yes?¡±

    Garon spoke with confidence while looking at Shin. He could tell that Shin made their equipment.

    Shin wondered for a second if he was being tricked in admitting it, but Garon¡¯s eyes werepletely serious. He was apparently sure to be right.

    ¡°If you can craft something like that, it¡¯s no wonder that you could create gear superior to what I could do with Baomultan¡¯s materials.¡±

    ¡°Are we settled, then?¡±

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s something I want to ask.¡±

    This time, the spellcaster twins raised their hands.

    ¡°Why do you help us? I don¡¯t think you need to go so far.¡±

    ¡°It would be easy for you to chase us away. That would be enough to protect Baomultan.¡±

    The two girls were encouraged to speak, and did so in a very frank tone.

    ¡°Well, you see. Looking at your fight, I could tell right away that you were putting your lives at stake. Then I heard about your reasons. I thought we could help. That¡¯s pretty much why we offered to help. Well, I¡¯m also curious about Durgin¡¯s behavior, to be honest. To put it simply, we¡¯re sticking our nose in your business.¡±

    To help or not help others. Shin did not have a clear basis to choose between these two options. In the end, it mostly depended on what he felt and what he thought. He didn¡¯t think he wanted to help anyone he saw in need.

    ¡°Can you ept my reasons?¡±

    Shin¡¯s words might sound too casual for the party that would receive his help. The twins¡¯ expression, in fact, was still clouded.

    ¡°That¡¯s reason enough to help others.¡±

    The first one to nod to Shin¡¯s words was Mavlov.

    ¡°We have done simr things in the past. This time we¡¯re going to be helped instead of being the ones helping. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Haha, now that you put it that way, you¡¯ve really hit the nail on the head.¡±

    The details were different, but they too did simr things in the past. Garon agreed to Mavlov¡¯s words andughed heartily. Agarj too nodded silently, while Risha emitted a small sigh.

    ¡°No one has any objections, yes? Please, tell us more.¡±

    Garon and the others were finally convinced and asked to go on with the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m the party¡¯s cksmith, so let me talk now. Well, it¡¯s just as I said before, though. We can offer you poison resistant equipment. But in exchange, let Baomultan go. I would also like to observe that Durgin, so I ask you to let use with you to your country.¡±

    Equipment with resistance to multiple status ailments was incredibly rare in this world.

    Equipment with a single resistance, like what was necessary in this case, was not so umon.

    It was rtively rare nevertheless, but after seeing the resolve of Garon¡¯s party, Shin wouldn¡¯t hold anything back.

    He did add the second request off the top of his head, but he was naturally serious about it.

    Shin was sure Durgin wouldn¡¯t attack human dwellings without reason, and since he was involved with Baomultan right as an incident involving Durgin happened, he felt that he would end up having to deal with it even if he chose to do nothing this time.

    ¡°We have nothing to lose in this offer. Are you really sure, though? This is more than just doing us a favor.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not doing itpletely out of the good in my heart anyway. Durgin and Baomultan share a connection, after all. If something had happened, gathering information about it will be valuable for us too.¡±

    Shin replied that it was reason enough for them.

    Garon¡¯s party probably did not know about the Durgin¡¯s remains in theke.

    Was there a connection with the Durgin threatening their country? That¡¯s all Shin wanted to know. He hoped there wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Information, I see. That could be valuable indeed. I apologize for derailing the topic. So, when could you give us the poison resistant gear? It pains me to push you like this, but we want to return to our country as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I have the gear ready. You just need to equip it, if there are any adjustments to be done I¡¯ll take care of them.¡±

    Shin then pulled out from his pocket -actually from the item box- a series of cards.

    When facing an enemy that inflicted specific status ailments, it was essential to be prepared to prevent them. Shin¡¯s item box was filled with various such gear, from prototypes toplete items.

    Garon¡¯s party, however, was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Equipment in card form, I see¡­it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if you had an item box, but to see you pull them out so casually¡­¡±

    ¡°Considering the ce we are, I prepared all sorts of things, you see. Rather than that, try them on and let me know if anything feels strange. You¡¯re in a hurry, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is no time to fret over the details.¡±

    The other members nodded to Garon¡¯s words too.

    The men changed on the spot, while the women used another room.

    ¡°¡ªincredible. I¡¯ve used equipment that adjusted itself to your size before, but it never fit so perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this isn¡¯t inferior to our current equipment.¡±

    Agarj and Mavlov talked while lightly moving their bodies.

    Garon changed too, but his expression looked sour.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing¡­nothing at all. It¡¯s simply perfect, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±

    Shin asked the Dwarf if he had any concerns, but his reply was in line with Agarj and Mavlov.

    After a while, the party¡¯sdies returned, wearing Shin¡¯s equipment. They did not have any problems either.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head to Passner immediately then. We made you spend time talking, after all.¡±

    Durgin could attack Passner at any time, so they decided to leave right away. Shin thought that, being Schnee Raizar¡¯s party, they had some leeway to do things out of the norm, so he materialized their modified carriage.

    There was no guarantee that Durgin wouldn¡¯t attack ces other than Passner, and since Baomultan was weak, he asked Shibaid, Tiera, and Kagerou to stay back.

    Baomultan understood that they had stopped the attackers, so it didn¡¯t do anything when they came out again. Shin looked at it lying on the ground, stroked by Tiera, and breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°If anything happens, let us know immediately.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The carriage would be pulled by Yuzuha. After making sure all members of Garon¡¯s party were on, they left quickly.

    ¡°Is this carriage floating?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t vibrate at all, does it. Is this a smithing technique too?¡±

    Agarj and the others were surprised by the utterck of vibration as the carriage moved.

 Book 16: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    Shin¡¯s party reached Passner less than a day after they left Baomultan¡¯s area.

    They had left after noon, so, when they arrived, the sun had already set, but, considering that with a normal carriage it would have taken days of travel, the speed of their arrival was incredible.

    Garon¡¯s party had also prepared a carriage, but the speed was too different so they let the horses go and recovered only their luggage and the carriage itself. The horses were trained to return to Passner on their own, apparently.

    Acting as Schnee¡¯s party also allowed them to use the item box freely, so they turned all the luggage into cards.

    ¡°I did think we were going fast, but to think we¡¯re already here¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely faster than us running. Even if the carriage was drawn by a tamed monster, this speed is truly incredible.¡±

    Kagerou had stayed back with Tiera in Baomultan¡¯s area, so this time the carriage was drawn by Yuzuha. She epted the task because it was an emergency along with the condition that Shin did one thing she asked too.

    Her size was about three mel, smaller than her original form, but she was strong enough to be able to go faster than any other animal suited to pulling carriages.

    If she pulled a normal carriage with the same strength, everything other than the pulling ropes would surely break into pieces. That¡¯s how much strength she had.

    Shin¡¯s carriage was much more durable and stable than a normal one because he modified it in various ways.

    ¡°We can¡¯t enter at night, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we asked to be let in even after they closed the gates at night. I¡¯m sure the sentinels noticed our arrival too. I will go talk to them, please wait.¡±

    At least, it seemed that Durgin did not attack the country while they were away. The walls and watchtowers stood tall, and they could see soldiers protecting them too.

    The soldiers had noticed the group¡¯s arrival; Garon approached them while waving and several of them hurried closer to him.

    There were bonfires alight, but in this world the darkness of the night was very deep. They had lit some light globes to prevent monsters from approaching the carriage, so the soldiers probably understood who had arrived pretty quickly.

    ¡°Usually, doing this makes monsters more prone to attack.¡±

    Risha recalled the trip and sighed. The night was the time of monsters: many animals were also more active during the night. Normal travelers used animals to avoid monsters and stood guard throughout the night. When traveling at night, they used as little light as possible, erased their presence as much as possible, and proceeded while avoiding to be spotted as much as they could.

    Advanced Chosen Ones could also travel as Shin¡¯s party did, but traveling at breakneck speed while being surrounded by lights waspletely insane by this world¡¯s standards.

    ¡°With a partner monster like that pulling the carriage, I bet even a dungeon boss would get out of its path.¡±

    After listening to Risha¡¯s words, Agarj spoke while looking at Yuzuha.

    When the wolf beast Agarj saw Yuzuha transform from small fox mode to her current form, in order to pull the carriage, he shook like he had been struck by lightning, kneeled down and shed warm tears.

    He probably felt something deeply in that sight. Yuzuha¡¯s power was gradually recovering to her original level, so simr monsters and Beasts might be able to feel something special in her aura.

    Though, Shin made him stop immediately.

    ¡°Ah, looks like everything went well.¡±

    Garon was heading back towards the party while waving his hands and Sety waved in return.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. We are going to exin the situation to the king, so pleasee with us. He doesn¡¯t doubt our words, but he would like to see us all in person.¡±

    Garon had an item that allowed him tomunicate over long distances, so he had informed the kingdom of their return ahead of time.

    Since they returned much earlier than expected, the king of Passner was worried that an ident had urred. Garon had already sent a brief exnation, but meeting people in an area of deadly poison was not normal, so he wanted someone toe.

    Shin thought that, if they used Schnee Raizar¡¯s name, they wouldn¡¯t be thought of as suspicious, but still they couldn¡¯t leave everything to Garon¡¯s party and move on their own.

    Shin knew that they would probably have to meet with the king directly to exin the situation, so he quickly agreed to Garon¡¯s request. The group was not veryrge, so they decided to go all together.

    ¡°I also heard that there were no attacks while we were away.¡±

    Seven days had passed since Garon¡¯s party left Passner. During thest attack, Durgin had not been wounded, so Shin wondered why it would do nothing for all that time, but could note up with an answer.

    Under the gaze of the gate guards and the night shift soldiers, Shin¡¯s party entered Passner. The king was already waiting in the royal pce, so they headed there immediately, led by Garon and his party.

    ¡°It¡¯s so dark. Are they keeping the street lights down to be ready in case Durgin attacks?¡±

    ¡°Unless you¡¯re in a big city, it¡¯s like this everywhere at night. What are those¡­street lights? you talked about, youngdy? Contraptions that emit light, I suppose¡­?¡±

    Based on what Garon said, there were no devices to illuminate the streets at night in Passner.

    Sety was lighting the party¡¯s path with globes of light, but the only other lights were the ones faintly filtering from the houses. When the people turned in for the night, the streets would turn even darker.

    Shin recalled that it was like this in most cities he had visited.

    The only illuminated areas were around shops that were open untilte at night. It wasn¡¯t umon for certain alleys or areas to be pitch ck.

    In this world, people rarely left their house at night. It sometimes happened, but going out in near total darkness entailed various risks.

    Sety exined that street lights were magic tools installed on the streets at fixed distances, used to illuminate the night. Not only was Garon surprised, but the other party members were as well.

    ¡°They¡¯re lit all night? They must consume an incredible quantity of magic power¡­¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re all over the city¡­I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how many mages they need to power them.¡±

    In the game era there was no need to worry about such magic power supply, so whole cities were illuminated just like the real world. Back alleys far away from the main streets were darker, but still pretty well lit whenpared to this world of total darkness.

    ¡°The world before the Dusk of Majesty¡­if I could see it I would want to see it, but it¡¯s all fairy tales for us.¡±

    Naturally, only a few members of the long-living species knew what the yers¡¯ hometowns looked like.

    Many NPCs also lived in the hometowns, but most of them lost their lives in the tumult after the Dusk of Majesty, and, even for members of long-living species, it wasn¡¯t umon to not know how the world was then. Naturally, no members of short-living species did.

    Even if they heard about how things were 500 years before, it was difficult to believe it was true.

    ¡°There are many things I would like to talk about, but let¡¯s keep quiet for now. We¡¯re going to have an audience with the king, I guess.¡±

    ¡°You guess¡­?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Schnee Raizar¡¯s party, aren¡¯t you? In terms of rank, you¡¯re higher than he is.¡±

    As Garon said, both in terms of fighting prowess and contributions to various countries, Schnee was superior to the king of a small country like Passner. Garon continued saying that, since they would save the country from a great crisis, they would be weed with all honors.

    ¡°Is it really fine to do this, though? It won¡¯t have grave effects, maybe, but there¡¯s still poison in the air.¡±

    ¡°The king is thinking about what happens after the battle, yes?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Besides if, by any chance, your temper turns sour, this country is finished, you know? If I was in his position, I would have done the same.¡±

    Garon agreed to Schnee¡¯s words and continued.

    ¡°We havee here with our own goals, so there¡¯s no need to do so much, though.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. I did tell them that you would probably say something like that, but it looks like they have to do something. In the future, we will have to tell people of a certain rank that Lady Raizar has visited the country. There are people connected with other countries too. I know that you wouldn¡¯t mind, but if others hear that Schnee Raizar came here and nothing was done to wee her, they would surely interpret it in the worst way possible.¡±

    Since Schnee offered her assistance to defeat Durgin, the king was already looking at the future beyond the battle. Based on her abilities, it was pretty obvious for him to do so. If the Durgin was as powerful as Shin expected, not even a horde of them could stand up to Schnee. Because of this, they had to think about what would happen after the battle.

    ¡°All politics, then.¡±

    ¡°If I could spare you this, I would. I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    From the king¡¯s standpoint, it was an inevitable step. Shin and his party had quite a few acquaintances among royalty too: he could understand what Garon meant.

    Eventually the group arrived at the royal pce¡¯s gates and Garon spoke to a guard. They had already been informed, so they passed through smoothly. They had not publicly announced the arrival of Shin¡¯s party, however, so they entered through a small entrance, reserved for the gate guards.

    ¡°¡­hey, Schnee¡­isn¡¯t the poison getting thicker?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The more we approach the royal pce, the thicker the poison bes.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    Schnee replied to Shin¡¯s question by agreeing with him.

    Garon heard their exchange and turned pale. If the poison grew stronger as they proceeded towards the castle, it was normal to think that the source of the poison was inside.

    If the ce where the king and the other individuals in charge of leading the country gathered every day was the source of the poison, they had a grave emergency on their hands.

    ¡°The gate guards did not look sick, though. If the castle was filled with poison the people inside would surely suffer from its effects, so the gate guards would be affected too. It can¡¯t be that they didn¡¯t notice anything, can it?¡±

    ¡°Something was done for them not to notice. You can feel it in the air.¡±

    After Sety¡¯s observation, Shin looked at the castle with more focus. Even if it was filled with poison, it looked like any other castle. Despite this, Shin could feel goosebumps on his skin.

    ¡°A mental maniption skill¡­it¡¯s a weak one, set to make small changes feel like they were your imagination, but it could surely trick anyone other than Chosen Ones.¡±

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it feels to resist a mental maniption skill¡­it¡¯s a bit different than before.¡±

    Sety added that since she had lived in a Faerie Vige for most of her time, it was her first time to be targeted by a mental maniption skill after the Dusk of Majesty. It felt in a different waypared to the game era.

    ¡°Why are you people so carefree? Aren¡¯t you even a little anxious?¡±

    Garon couldn¡¯t keep quiet while looking at Shin and hispanions¡¯ reaction.

    He didn¡¯t start hurrying towards the castle either. He knew well how dangerous it could be to act carelessly during an emergency.

    ¡°I¡¯m scanning the situation inside. Looks like most people aren¡¯t moving.¡±

    Shin could tell what was happening inside the castle even while still outside, thanks to the map and his detection skills.

    A few presences were moving, albeit very slowly. Their bodies probably couldn¡¯t move well because of the poison.

    Even so, there was one reason why Shin was not especially concerned.

    The poison filling the castle was not lethal: it was a type that limited the target¡¯s movements via paralysis.

    When his stats were still low he too used this kind of poison often, so he knew it well.

    ¡°Paralysis poison, I see. I can¡¯t feel anything either, is this equipment protecting us from that poison too?¡±

    Shin exined about the poison and Garon¡¯s party nodded in understanding, as it wouldn¡¯t outright kill anyone affected.

    If anyone with ill intentions had infiltrated the castle, not being able to move was naturally dangerous, but Shin could not spot any monsters or presences moving normally.

    ¡°The equipment I gave you is specialized against poison, so if the opponent uses magic or skills that cause paralysis, it won¡¯t have any effect. Since this paralysises from poison, the equipment can prevent it.¡±

    The poison status ailment simply decreased HP. As an item, however, poison was slightly different.

    The status ailment-causing attacks Hydro and Oxygen used were closer to that: the effects they caused and the countermeasures against them were different from regr status ailments.

    In this case, to prevent paralysis, it was necessary to adopt countermeasures against poison.

    On the contrary, even if one had taken countermeasures to avoid paralysis, they would be affected by this paralysis, at least to a certain degree. That was one reason why status ailment-causing attacks were so hated.

    Shin, who used poison himself, did not understand what the game creators had in mind when he first read the exnation and grumbled to himself ¡°I just don¡¯t get why it doesn¡¯t prevent it!¡±.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see the king first. If we find anyone affected by the poison on the way there we¡¯ll help them. Is this okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I feel bad for the others, but we have to prioritize the king. Any objections?¡±

    All party members shook their head at Garon¡¯s question.

    Shin took the lead and, soon enough, they found a copsed soldier. They erased the poison in the surroundings with a skill, healed the little energy he had lost due to the poison and woke him up.

    ording to the soldier, he had been feeling unwell sincest night and this morning as soon as he started his shift, his limbs were paralyzed. He lost consciousness, so he didn¡¯t know what happened afterwards.

    ¡°Considering the time, it must have been after I sent my message.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so. It¡¯s a slow-acting poison, so the symptoms probably vary from person to person. Even so, the soldiers being unable to move should be the perfect situation for the culprit to do whatever they were nning, but it doesn¡¯t look like anything happened¡­what is going on here?¡±

    Shin gave the soldier an item that temporarily subdued the poison¡¯s effects, then told him to leave the castle. They couldn¡¯t take the soldiers they helped along with them, after all.

    ¡°The king¡¯s chambers are up ahead. He¡¯s probably waiting there, but can you detect his presence?¡±

    ¡°Supposing the presences in the corridor are guards or attendants, there are five presences two rooms ahead and two in the room next to it. I¡¯m guessing the king is in one of these rooms.¡±

    To locate someone they had never met before using only the map and detection skills was rather difficult. Shin searched the room where the king was more likely to be, in order to find him as quickly as possible.

    Shin¡¯s prediction turned out to be correct: when they entered the room with five presences, they found all of them copsed on the floor. Garon quickly approached a man dressed clearly more elegantly than the others and helped him up. He was the king of Passner: the other presences were the queen and their personal guards.

    After administering the antidote and healing them, all five quickly regained their consciousness.

    ¡°Garon, is that you¡­? Looks like you have saved us yet again.¡±

    ¡°No, this time I have done nothing to deserve your thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for them, we would have been done in.¡±

    After the king stood up, Garon exined again the situation.

    ¡°So you people are the allies Garon spoke about?¡±

    The king first looked at Schnee, who was leading the group, then the other members behind her. He then slowly kneeled down.

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Graffior Passner, king of Passner. Lady Schnee Raizar, I have heard much about your exploits. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for helping my friend.¡±

    A country¡¯s king was kneeling to a normal person. It was something normally unthinkable.

    In Schnee¡¯s case, not so much. Her position was equal, or maybe superior, to the king of a small country like Passner.

    ¡°Please, that will be enough as a greeting. Rather, could you let us know what happened before you lost consciousness?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I fear I cannot give you any valuable information, though. At first my body felt somewhat heavy, but I did not notice anything else. I did not notice any intruders before I copsed, nor can I recall anyone forcing me to take any drugs or poison.¡±

    Graffior added that it all happened suddenly.

    The soldiers had said the same. The only difference was that Graffior might have copsedter than them. There were few clues.

    ¡°In the end, the people in the castle were just paralyzed? What is the culprit thinking?¡±

    ¡°A reason to force everyone inside the royal castle to immobility¡­maybe they wanted to kidnap an important person? But in that case they would just need to use a stronger poison on this person and take them away. Maybe they wanted to steal a valuable item¡­or paralyze the country¡¯s ruling powers¡­hmm¡­¡±

    Shin voiced all the possibilities he coulde up with.

    ¡°Are there any rare items of materials that other countries might not have here?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can think of¡­we have many precious items in our treasury, but nothing that could warrant such arge-scale n to steal. The equipment Garon¡¯s party is wearing right now seems more precious to me.¡±

    Graffior said that they had items other than gear, but nothing extremely precious.

    ¡°There might be items with yet undiscovered effects. Could we take a look at the treasury?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    In other countries it wouldn¡¯t be so simple, but Graffior gave them permission as they were Schnee Raizar¡¯s party.

    ¡°Shin, Schnee, I¡¯ll leave that to you two then. Sety and I will go take care of anyone in need of healing.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll also heal anyone if we find them.¡±

    Schnee and Sety often acted as the party¡¯s healers: having them act independently would be more effective.

    The poison filling the castle was something even Filma could heal without trouble, so Sety¡¯s burden would be smaller.

    ¡°Yuzuha, you stay here to protect them. Whoever scattered the poison might still be around.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Small fox mode Yuzuha cried, then turned into her two mel size. Graffior and the others were surprised, but were convinced when Shin said that she was his partner monster. She could use healing skills too, so even if other kinds of poison appeared, there was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°Do you have an inventory list or something simr?¡±

    ¡°I believe the person in charge of our resources does, but if they aren¡¯t in the department, I don¡¯t know where they could be.¡±

    Graffior, considering that Shin was a member of Schnee¡¯s party, answered his question politely.

    Shin and Schnee thus decided to check the department the king told them about first; if they couldn¡¯t find the functionaries in charge, they would just check the treasury for any traces of intrusion.

    While heading towards their destination, they healed and gave antidotes to any soldiers and functionaries affected by paralysis.

    ording to the words of one of the soldiers they helped, they learned that luckily the functionary in charge of storage and preservation were present.

    The functionary was surprised and wary of Shin and Schnee¡¯s sudden visit, but the royal guard that apanied them exined that they had obtained permission directly from the king, so they could act right away.

    ¡°I apologize in advance for the rude question, but can you confirm that this is the castle¡¯s treasury?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. Is there anything that troubles you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, actually¡­¡±

    Shin gave a vague reply to the functionary in charge, who led them to the treasury.

    If Shin¡¯s senses weren¡¯t betraying him, the poison grew stronger the more they proceeded. The source of the poison had to be close by.

    Shin had given the royal guard an item that nullified all poison under a certain threshold, so he would be safe.

    Shin informed the functionary of his findings. Since thetter was within the radius of the item¡¯s effects, he wouldn¡¯t notice that the poison was growing thicker.

    Shin proceeded while removing the poison, leaving a safe path in their wake.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. In a ce like this there wouldn¡¯t be a risk of anyone finding it by chance. There are traces that the lock was opened.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes could clearly see the traces ¡ª red handprints ¡ª that a skill was used to open the lock. Schnee should be able to see them too.

    ¡°Traces, sir¡­?¡±

    The royal guard and the functionary could not see the handprints, so they looked at the lock with stern expressions.

    Thanks to their skills, Shin and Schnee could see the fingerprints on the lock, so without using anything it would naturally look like any other lock.

    ¡°Since we can see them so clearly, I guess the culprit was confident no one would ever find out?¡±

    ¡°Or they didn¡¯t have any methods to erase the traces, I would say.¡±

    Most yers with thief-rted jobs would learn such skills. In a case like this, which involved more than just opening a lock, skills to remove any traces of unlocking were necessary too.

    Most yers who used such skills were PKs or those who stole from other yers.

    There were many yers who specialized in lockpicking, but even so, it felt unnatural for the traces to remain so clearly on the lock.

    The more skilled the user was, the fewer traces would remain. Shin¡¯s experience told him that only beginners would leave so many clear traces.

    ¡°The treasury is structured as to contain more valuable items the further you advance. Weapons and rted gear are on the right, while all other items are on the left.¡±

    The group opened the lock and entered the treasury. Shin advanced in the direction the poison felt stronger, while listening to the functionary¡¯s exnations.

    The treasury was a rectangle-shaped room, extending deeper and deeper.

    Shin stopped when they reached the middle of the room. He approached a disy of precious jewels, grabbed the edges of a stand housing a ne decorated with purple gems and moved it.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    The royal guard and the functionary swallowed their breaths. The stand concealed a stone-like object that could only be described as solid poison.

    The octagonal object was the size of a fist and, upon closer inspection, revealed that it could filter light. It was probably a gemstone originally.

    Shin picked it up and used his analysis skills. He knew there were no traps and the poison could not affect him.

    ¡°This gem is enchanted with a poison that causes paralysis. But that¡¯s it.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t enough to spread poison throughout the castle. Shin analyzed the base of the ne on a whim and discovered that it was enchanted with a spell to spread the poison.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take these with us. If they are turned into cards, the poison won¡¯t be able to spread anymore.¡±

    Schnee stored the gem and the ne base in the item box. They looked for any other such contraptions, but did not find any.

    ¡°(What did the culprit want to do with this¡­?)¡±

    Shin asked Schnee a question via Mind Chat. The timing had been perfect to do something, but no action was taken. Extremely visible traces. Something felt definitely wrong in the whole affair.

    ¡°(The gemstone enchanted with poison couldn¡¯t be analyzed, so this might just be an experiment.)¡±

    Shin tried to analyze the gemstone enchanted with poison, but couldn¡¯t tell exactly what type it was. It looked like a gemstone, but it could also be a mineral.

    Shin thought it resembled the gem Baomultan gave him, but he couldn¡¯t startparing them when the royal guard and the functionary were still around. Thinking they should make their report first, Shin¡¯s group headed back to the king¡¯s room.

    ¡°An item producing poison? Why would such a thing be in the treasury¡­?¡±

    Graffior¡¯s expression was grave.

    ¡°(Do you think demons might be involved in this?)¡±

    Graffior was deep in thought, so Shin connected a Mind Chat to Schnee and the others. Since they were in the same party, the message would reach Shibaid and the others too, even if they were far apart.

    ¡°(Waah!? Eh? W-why can I hear Shin¡¯s voice!?)¡±

    Before anyone could reply, however, they heard Tiera¡¯s confused voice.

    The chat function he used belonged to the ¡°old generation¡± of the game era, so Tiera, a member of the ¡°new generation¡±, wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to hear it.

    The chat message sent to the whole party, however, reached Tiera too.

    Shin heard her surprised voice and wondered if it was an after-effect of her fusion with Marino.

    He had never sent personal messages to Tiera, so he wouldn¡¯t know when she could start hearing them.

    Nevertheless, the fusion with Marino was the only trigger he could think of.

    ¡°(T-this is so embarrassing¡­)¡±

    Even if only Shin and the party would hear, Tiera was subjected to the embarrassment of all her thoughts being disyed publicly until she got used to the Mind Chat.

    ording to Shibaid, she was blushing so hard you would expect steam toe out of her head. Even Baomultan was looking at her with concern.

    ¡°(Er¡­I¡¯m sorry.)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think the Mind Chat would connect to Tiera, but he was the cause nheless, so he honestly apologized.

    ¡°(Don¡¯t talk about that anymore, please¡­)¡±

    ¡°(Got it. So, about the demons¡­what do you think, everybody?)¡±

    Tiera feebly implored Shin to change the topic and he promptlyplied, thinking of making amends to her in some wayter.

    King Graffior and the others were talking about what countermeasures they could take, so Shin continued the conversation while paying attention not to show any unnatural response.

    ¡°(It does feel like something¡¯s off. The demons we¡¯ve seen up till now wouldn¡¯t let a chance go like that.)¡±

    If Shin¡¯s party didn¡¯te, no one in the castle would have been able to move. Even if it was just a preparation for something, it was odd that there was no action at all after the poisoning.

    Furthermore, no miasma could be found in the gem and base that Shin collected.

    ¡°(Whoever infiltrated the treasury was probably controlled. It would exin why we didn¡¯t find any miasma. We still don¡¯t know the extent of what they could have done though.)¡±

    Schnee recalled cardinal Greyl, who had teleported Shin, Schnee, and second princess Rionne from Bayreuth to a Sacred ce.

    He had been affected by various status ailments and cooperated with the demons unbeknownst to him.

    ¡°(This time the n seems moreplex, if there really is a demon behind this, it must be a pretty smart one, no? But in that case, why would it set up something like this in the first ce?)¡±

    ¡°(Since it has a high degree of intellect, it¡¯s using it to make people suffer?)¡±

    Sety answered Filma¡¯s question with a theory. Something like that had happened in the past.

    The demon who kidnapped the church¡¯s holy woman crafted a n to make people suffer.

    It could easily have killed them at any given time, but didn¡¯t. Shin and the others learned directly that such demons existed too.

    ¡°(Based on the demons we have faced up until now, we can say that their methods have changed a little. It¡¯s also safe to say that they might have abilities we aren¡¯t aware of. There¡¯s not much we can do, but let¡¯s keep each other informed about anything we notice.)¡±

    If they continued the Mind Chat too long they wouldn¡¯t be able to follow Graffior and the others¡¯ conversation, so Shin cut it for the time being.

    Schnee looked like she could keep up without trouble, but Shin was struggling to keep up with two conversations at once. Especially this time, there were many things to think about, so he was afraid of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

    Schnee had taken the lead in the conversation with Graffior and the others, so it had worked out until now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use items and purify the poison in groups. The demons might do something, but if we go individually the castle and its functions will remain paralyzed. There might be some who could die because of the poison.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is inevitable. If the enemy is nning something outside the castle, spending too much time here would y right into their hands. This is quite a difficult decision. To think there might really be demons, though. I honestly thought they only existed in old tales.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party had faced them various times, but few people in this world were aware of the demons¡¯ activities.

    Even kings like Graffior were no exception.

    Shin thought that they should inform their connections that the demons were on the move again, once the current situation was resolved.

    After the conversation, they began purifying the castle of poison. The affected area was wide, but the poison itself was not very strong.

    Shin quickly crafted antitoxin items with his skills and gave them to the healed soldiers. He also asked Sety and Filma to continue removing the poison and administering antidotes.

    The healed soldiers would in turn be healers, so it didn¡¯t take much time until all the soldiers in the castle recovered.

    The menu disyed that it was still a little after 10 PM.

    The group arrived in Passner a bit after 7 PM, so about three hours had passed since they started heading for the castle. The actual poison removal took about two hours.

    ¡°I thought Durgin would attack, but looks like nothing¡¯s happening at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Right. Why did they spread that poison anyway? No attacks from Durgin or anyone else, nothing was taken, no one was kidnapped. It¡¯s beginning to sound like a sick joke.¡±

    In a room assigned to the party, Shin spoke while looking out of the window and Filma, sitting on a chair, replied while cocking her head in disbelief.

    They had been assigned individual rooms, but they gathered in Shin¡¯s room to discuss.

    ¡°If the enemy is truly intelligent, it might have noticed our presence and concealed itself¡­¡±

    ¡°The poison was spread before we arrived, though. That seems a bit far-fetched, no?¡±

    If the demon had only average fighting power, it might have perceived how powerful Shin¡¯s party was and fled, said Filma while thinking.

    As Sety pointed out, it didn¡¯t sound usible.

    ¡°Even if it was an indiscriminate terrorist act, the effects are too mild. Could it be that the mastermind is not a demon after all?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is there. It¡¯s not like demons are responsible for all bad things that happen.¡±

    Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s hypothesis.

    In this world monsters were an ever-present threat, but countries would still wage war against each other at times.

    At present, because of the power rtions between countries and the rtions between neighboring territories, norge-scale wars were going on, but the possibility of conflict breaking out in the future still existed.

    After the Dusk of Majesty smaller conflicts broke out in various regions, as Shin had learned from a document he had read earlier.

    The possibility that this act was caused by a foreign agent was not zero. Even if it was, there were still many unclear points about the whole affair.

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel miasma, but there is a strange aura here. Something like¡­a mixture?¡±

    Only Shin and his party was in the room, so Yuzuha took human form and spoke. Sitting on a sofa next to Shin, she looked perplexed.

    Yuzuha could also perceive miasma, but she confidently said that there wasn¡¯t any in the surroundings. She could feel an unusual aura, though.

    ¡°A mixture? How does that feel exactly?¡±

    Shin thought it would be difficult to exin such a sensation, but decided to ask Yuzuha all the same.

    ¡°Like a negative feeling, close to miasma¡­I guess?¡±

    It was not a strong impurity, but something closer to lingering negative emotions.

    Yuzuha added that Shin and Schnee couldn¡¯t feel it because it wasn¡¯t miasma and it was also very faint.

    ¡°Either a long time passed or it was faint from the beginning. We can¡¯t tell for sure about this either. We do know that it¡¯s definitely hostile towards us and that Durginnded here for a reason.¡±

    The causes were still unknown, but there definitely was a mastermind hiding in the shadows.

    Durgin, like Baomultan, was a creature necessary for the world. If possible, Shin wanted to do something for the monster.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up for today. I¡¯m thinking we should take turns sleeping, what do you all think?¡±

    Everyone nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal. They had all rested plenty in Romenun, so their condition was perfect.

    There were items that helped a user not feel sleepy.

    ording to Shibaid, while convenient these items let exhaustion umte faster and made it easier to lose focus, so it was better to rest when possible.

    Shin had never used such items aftering to this world, so he decided to follow Shibaid¡¯s advice.

    There also were skills that could alert the user if any monsters approached.

    Someone would stand guard just in case while the others slept, but there was no reason for everyone to force themselves to stay awake.

    ¡°First it¡¯ll be me and¡ª ¡±

    ¡°And me.¡±

    Schnee raised her hand before Shin could end his sentence. Filma and Sety nodded, knowing smiles on their lips.

    ¡°I will stay up too!¡±

    Yuzuha joined in while leaning against Shin. She had recuperated most of her powers and looked almost like an adult, but many of her gestures were still childish.

    She was taller than before, so her pointy fox ears could touch Shin¡¯s. They would move sometimes, which Shin found a bit ticklish.

    ¡°My my, looks like Schnee has a rival here.¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. Shin is not such a fickle person.¡±

    Schnee sharply replied to Filma¡¯s joke, smiling in return. Her behavior and words fully expressed her trust in him.

    ¡°Schnee would always panic a little in these situations, but look at her confident smile now¡­! They definitely did it¡­¡±

    ¡°This feels more like big sis Schnee, though. She isn¡¯t the type to catch someone and keep them chained, but to catch someone and make them feel like they don¡¯t want to escape. I bet Shin is already caught in all sorts of ways already. Like through his stomach.¡±

    ¡°You two? You do know that if you continue saying whatever you please like that, I will have to take the proper countermeasures?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s aura changed.

    Filma and Sety understood that they were about to step in dangerous territory and quickly left, saying they would go to sleep first.

    ¡°They¡¯re always ready to make fun of me, those two¡­¡±

    ¡°Your aura became softer, after all. I guess it¡¯s easier to joke like that now.¡±

    Shin was sure that they wouldn¡¯t have said so much before.

    ¡°It¡¯s a problem if they find me easier to make fun of.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just having fun at your expense, you know that. Just let them have a bit of fun.¡±

    ¡°You can say that because they don¡¯t make fun of you, Shin. Besides, they ask me all sorts of embarrassing things when you¡¯re not around.¡±

    Schnee looked really embarrassed, as she went red up to her ears. They apparently dug really deep, probably without restraint as they belonged to the same gender.

    Shibaid also wanted to know more about what happened, but, because of his personality, he would never ask intimate questions like Filma and Sety did.

    ¡°I kind of understand Filma and Sety. Shibaid never asks me anything though.¡±

    Like Filma and Sety with Schnee, for Shibaid it would surely be easier to ask Shin about what happened while he was alone with Schnee.

    Shin couldn¡¯t recall being asked such questions, though.

    ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s holding back?¡±

    When they met in this world, Shin told Shibaid to be unrestrained with him, but the Dragnil clearly still felt their master-servant rtionship strongly.

    They belonged to the same party and entrusted each other¡¯s backs to the other in battle. Even so, Shin felt that there may not be a wall, but a line clearly traced between them.

    ¡°In Shibaid¡¯s case, I think it¡¯s more due to his personality than restraint. If Girard was here, he would ask questions as brazen as Filma¡¯s, I think.¡±

    Shin agreed that Girard would have done just that. Even if they were both warriors, Girard and Shibaid¡¯s personalities were quite different.

    ¡°Shibaid¡¯s thinking has be more flexible. I suppose his time as king has been beneficial.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think that he changed much¡­no, I guess he did.¡±

    Shin recalled what Shibaid said when they met again, words like a general meeting his king, and retracted his statement.

    In the game era, Shibaid would never have casually addressed Shin unless ordered it.

    ¡°¡­everyone¡¯s changed. Everyone has lived all this time. Of course they would.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee, finding him different from usual, couldn¡¯t help but call his name.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never properly asked everyone about how they lived, what they did while I wasn¡¯t around.¡±

    He had talked about it with Schnee while they were alone, but apart from her, the only one Shin talked with at length was Girard.

    Considering he had lived over 500 years, it was just a tiny moment, but for Shin it was something unforgettable.

    He had heard very superficial things from Shibaid, Filma and Sety.

    While talking with Schnee and Yuzuha, Shin thought that he should talk with those three much more.

    ¡°Let me start by speaking about them from my viewpoint, then. It¡¯s better than just waiting, no?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    Shin agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal, had the sleepy Yuzuha turn into small fox mode and picked her up in his arms. She cuddled up and quickly drifted off to dreand.

    Yuzuha said she would stay awake, but evidently sumbed to sleep.

    ¡°It¡¯s already Yuzuha¡¯s bed time.¡±

    ¡°Hard to think that she is a legendary monster¡­¡±

    Yuzuha usually turned in early at night.

    Except when an enemy was near, on normal days she would always sleep soundly. So maybe today there would not be enemy attacks.

    Maybe she was getting ustomed to her body while she slept, so she could be doing it now too.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go to sleep too, okay Shin?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know.¡±

    Shin ced Yuzuha on hisp, careful not to wake her up, stroking her fur as he listened to Schnee.

 Book 16: Chapter 3: Part 2

    <h4>Book 16: Chapter 3: Part 2</h4>

    Shin¡¯s party reached Passner less than a day after they left Baomultan¡¯s area.

    They had left after noon, so, when they arrived, the sun had already set, but, considering that with a normal carriage it would have taken days of travel, the speed of their arrival was incredible.

    Garon¡¯s party had also prepared a carriage, but the speed was too different so they let the horses go and recovered only their luggage and the carriage itself. The horses were trained to return to Passner on their own, apparently.

    Acting as Schnee¡¯s party also allowed them to use the item box freely, so they turned all the luggage into cards.

    ¡°I did think we were going fast, but to think we¡¯re already here¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely faster than us running. Even if the carriage was drawn by a tamed monster, this speed is truly incredible.¡±

    Kagerou had stayed back with Tiera in Baomultan¡¯s area, so this time the carriage was drawn by Yuzuha. She epted the task because it was an emergency along with the condition that Shin did one thing she asked too.

    Her size was about three mel, smaller than her original form, but she was strong enough to be able to go faster than any other animal suited to pulling carriages.

    If she pulled a normal carriage with the same strength, everything other than the pulling ropes would surely break into pieces. That¡¯s how much strength she had.

    Shin¡¯s carriage was much more durable and stable than a normal one because he modified it in various ways.

    ¡°We can¡¯t enter at night, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we asked to be let in even after they closed the gates at night. I¡¯m sure the sentinels noticed our arrival too. I will go talk to them, please wait.¡±

    At least, it seemed that Durgin did not attack the country while they were away. The walls and watchtowers stood tall, and they could see soldiers protecting them too.

    The soldiers had noticed the group¡¯s arrival; Garon approached them while waving and several of them hurried closer to him.

    There were bonfires alight, but in this world the darkness of the night was very deep. They had lit some light globes to prevent monsters from approaching the carriage, so the soldiers probably understood who had arrived pretty quickly.

    ¡°Usually, doing this makes monsters more prone to attack.¡±

    Risha recalled the trip and sighed. The night was the time of monsters: many animals were also more active during the night. Normal travelers used animals to avoid monsters and stood guard throughout the night. When traveling at night, they used as little light as possible, erased their presence as much as possible, and proceeded while avoiding to be spotted as much as they could.

    Advanced Chosen Ones could also travel as Shin¡¯s party did, but traveling at breakneck speed while being surrounded by lights waspletely insane by this world¡¯s standards.

    ¡°With a partner monster like that pulling the carriage, I bet even a dungeon boss would get out of its path.¡±

    After listening to Risha¡¯s words, Agarj spoke while looking at Yuzuha.

    When the wolf beast Agarj saw Yuzuha transform from small fox mode to her current form, in order to pull the carriage, he shook like he had been struck by lightning, kneeled down and shed warm tears.

    He probably felt something deeply in that sight. Yuzuha¡¯s power was gradually recovering to her original level, so simr monsters and Beasts might be able to feel something special in her aura.

    Though, Shin made him stop immediately.

    ¡°Ah, looks like everything went well.¡±

    Garon was heading back towards the party while waving his hands and Sety waved in return.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. We are going to exin the situation to the king, so pleasee with us. He doesn¡¯t doubt our words, but he would like to see us all in person.¡±

    Garon had an item that allowed him tomunicate over long distances, so he had informed the kingdom of their return ahead of time.

    Since they returned much earlier than expected, the king of Passner was worried that an ident had urred. Garon had already sent a brief exnation, but meeting people in an area of deadly poison was not normal, so he wanted someone toe.

    Shin thought that, if they used Schnee Raizar¡¯s name, they wouldn¡¯t be thought of as suspicious, but still they couldn¡¯t leave everything to Garon¡¯s party and move on their own.

    Shin knew that they would probably have to meet with the king directly to exin the situation, so he quickly agreed to Garon¡¯s request. The group was not veryrge, so they decided to go all together.

    ¡°I also heard that there were no attacks while we were away.¡±

    Seven days had passed since Garon¡¯s party left Passner. During thest attack, Durgin had not been wounded, so Shin wondered why it would do nothing for all that time, but could note up with an answer.

    Under the gaze of the gate guards and the night shift soldiers, Shin¡¯s party entered Passner. The king was already waiting in the royal pce, so they headed there immediately, led by Garon and his party.

    ¡°It¡¯s so dark. Are they keeping the street lights down to be ready in case Durgin attacks?¡±

    ¡°Unless you¡¯re in a big city, it¡¯s like this everywhere at night. What are those¡­street lights? you talked about, youngdy? Contraptions that emit light, I suppose¡­?¡±

    Based on what Garon said, there were no devices to illuminate the streets at night in Passner.

    Sety was lighting the party¡¯s path with globes of light, but the only other lights were the ones faintly filtering from the houses. When the people turned in for the night, the streets would turn even darker.

    Shin recalled that it was like this in most cities he had visited.

    The only illuminated areas were around shops that were open untilte at night. It wasn¡¯t umon for certain alleys or areas to be pitch ck.

    In this world, people rarely left their house at night. It sometimes happened, but going out in near total darkness entailed various risks.

    Sety exined that street lights were magic tools installed on the streets at fixed distances, used to illuminate the night. Not only was Garon surprised, but the other party members were as well.

    ¡°They¡¯re lit all night? They must consume an incredible quantity of magic power¡­¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re all over the city¡­I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how many mages they need to power them.¡±

    In the game era there was no need to worry about such magic power supply, so whole cities were illuminated just like the real world. Back alleys far away from the main streets were darker, but still pretty well lit whenpared to this world of total darkness.

    ¡°The world before the Dusk of Majesty¡­if I could see it I would want to see it, but it¡¯s all fairy tales for us.¡±

    Naturally, only a few members of the long-living species knew what the yers¡¯ hometowns looked like.

    Many NPCs also lived in the hometowns, but most of them lost their lives in the tumult after the Dusk of Majesty, and, even for members of long-living species, it wasn¡¯t umon to not know how the world was then. Naturally, no members of short-living species did.

    Even if they heard about how things were 500 years before, it was difficult to believe it was true.

    ¡°There are many things I would like to talk about, but let¡¯s keep quiet for now. We¡¯re going to have an audience with the king, I guess.¡±

    ¡°You guess¡­?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Schnee Raizar¡¯s party, aren¡¯t you? In terms of rank, you¡¯re higher than he is.¡±

    As Garon said, both in terms of fighting prowess and contributions to various countries, Schnee was superior to the king of a small country like Passner. Garon continued saying that, since they would save the country from a great crisis, they would be weed with all honors.

    ¡°Is it really fine to do this, though? It won¡¯t have grave effects, maybe, but there¡¯s still poison in the air.¡±

    ¡°The king is thinking about what happens after the battle, yes?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Besides if, by any chance, your temper turns sour, this country is finished, you know? If I was in his position, I would have done the same.¡±

    Garon agreed to Schnee¡¯s words and continued.

    ¡°We havee here with our own goals, so there¡¯s no need to do so much, though.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. I did tell them that you would probably say something like that, but it looks like they have to do something. In the future, we will have to tell people of a certain rank that Lady Raizar has visited the country. There are people connected with other countries too. I know that you wouldn¡¯t mind, but if others hear that Schnee Raizar came here and nothing was done to wee her, they would surely interpret it in the worst way possible.¡±

    Since Schnee offered her assistance to defeat Durgin, the king was already looking at the future beyond the battle. Based on her abilities, it was pretty obvious for him to do so. If the Durgin was as powerful as Shin expected, not even a horde of them could stand up to Schnee. Because of this, they had to think about what would happen after the battle.

    ¡°All politics, then.¡±

    ¡°If I could spare you this, I would. I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡±

    From the king¡¯s standpoint, it was an inevitable step. Shin and his party had quite a few acquaintances among royalty too: he could understand what Garon meant.

    Eventually the group arrived at the royal pce¡¯s gates and Garon spoke to a guard. They had already been informed, so they passed through smoothly. They had not publicly announced the arrival of Shin¡¯s party, however, so they entered through a small entrance, reserved for the gate guards.

    ¡°¡­hey, Schnee¡­isn¡¯t the poison getting thicker?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The more we approach the royal pce, the thicker the poison bes.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    Schnee replied to Shin¡¯s question by agreeing with him.

    Garon heard their exchange and turned pale. If the poison grew stronger as they proceeded towards the castle, it was normal to think that the source of the poison was inside.

    If the ce where the king and the other individuals in charge of leading the country gathered every day was the source of the poison, they had a grave emergency on their hands.

    ¡°The gate guards did not look sick, though. If the castle was filled with poison the people inside would surely suffer from its effects, so the gate guards would be affected too. It can¡¯t be that they didn¡¯t notice anything, can it?¡±

    ¡°Something was done for them not to notice. You can feel it in the air.¡±

    After Sety¡¯s observation, Shin looked at the castle with more focus. Even if it was filled with poison, it looked like any other castle. Despite this, Shin could feel goosebumps on his skin.

    ¡°A mental maniption skill¡­it¡¯s a weak one, set to make small changes feel like they were your imagination, but it could surely trick anyone other than Chosen Ones.¡±

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it feels to resist a mental maniption skill¡­it¡¯s a bit different than before.¡±

    Sety added that since she had lived in a Faerie Vige for most of her time, it was her first time to be targeted by a mental maniption skill after the Dusk of Majesty. It felt in a different waypared to the game era.

    ¡°Why are you people so carefree? Aren¡¯t you even a little anxious?¡±

    Garon couldn¡¯t keep quiet while looking at Shin and hispanions¡¯ reaction.

    He didn¡¯t start hurrying towards the castle either. He knew well how dangerous it could be to act carelessly during an emergency.

    ¡°I¡¯m scanning the situation inside. Looks like most people aren¡¯t moving.¡±

    Shin could tell what was happening inside the castle even while still outside, thanks to the map and his detection skills.

    A few presences were moving, albeit very slowly. Their bodies probably couldn¡¯t move well because of the poison.

    Even so, there was one reason why Shin was not especially concerned.

    The poison filling the castle was not lethal: it was a type that limited the target¡¯s movements via paralysis.

    When his stats were still low he too used this kind of poison often, so he knew it well.

    ¡°Paralysis poison, I see. I can¡¯t feel anything either, is this equipment protecting us from that poison too?¡±

    Shin exined about the poison and Garon¡¯s party nodded in understanding, as it wouldn¡¯t outright kill anyone affected.

    If anyone with ill intentions had infiltrated the castle, not being able to move was naturally dangerous, but Shin could not spot any monsters or presences moving normally.

    ¡°The equipment I gave you is specialized against poison, so if the opponent uses magic or skills that cause paralysis, it won¡¯t have any effect. Since this paralysises from poison, the equipment can prevent it.¡±

    The poison status ailment simply decreased HP. As an item, however, poison was slightly different.

    The status ailment-causing attacks Hydro and Oxygen used were closer to that: the effects they caused and the countermeasures against them were different from regr status ailments.

    In this case, to prevent paralysis, it was necessary to adopt countermeasures against poison.

    On the contrary, even if one had taken countermeasures to avoid paralysis, they would be affected by this paralysis, at least to a certain degree. That was one reason why status ailment-causing attacks were so hated.

    Shin, who used poison himself, did not understand what the game creators had in mind when he first read the exnation and grumbled to himself ¡°I just don¡¯t get why it doesn¡¯t prevent it!¡±.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see the king first. If we find anyone affected by the poison on the way there we¡¯ll help them. Is this okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I feel bad for the others, but we have to prioritize the king. Any objections?¡±

    All party members shook their head at Garon¡¯s question.

    Shin took the lead and, soon enough, they found a copsed soldier. They erased the poison in the surroundings with a skill, healed the little energy he had lost due to the poison and woke him up.

    ording to the soldier, he had been feeling unwell sincest night and this morning as soon as he started his shift, his limbs were paralyzed. He lost consciousness, so he didn¡¯t know what happened afterwards.

    ¡°Considering the time, it must have been after I sent my message.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so. It¡¯s a slow-acting poison, so the symptoms probably vary from person to person. Even so, the soldiers being unable to move should be the perfect situation for the culprit to do whatever they were nning, but it doesn¡¯t look like anything happened¡­what is going on here?¡±

    Shin gave the soldier an item that temporarily subdued the poison¡¯s effects, then told him to leave the castle. They couldn¡¯t take the soldiers they helped along with them, after all.

    ¡°The king¡¯s chambers are up ahead. He¡¯s probably waiting there, but can you detect his presence?¡±

    ¡°Supposing the presences in the corridor are guards or attendants, there are five presences two rooms ahead and two in the room next to it. I¡¯m guessing the king is in one of these rooms.¡±

    To locate someone they had never met before using only the map and detection skills was rather difficult. Shin searched the room where the king was more likely to be, in order to find him as quickly as possible.

    Shin¡¯s prediction turned out to be correct: when they entered the room with five presences, they found all of them copsed on the floor. Garon quickly approached a man dressed clearly more elegantly than the others and helped him up. He was the king of Passner: the other presences were the queen and their personal guards.

    After administering the antidote and healing them, all five quickly regained their consciousness.

    ¡°Garon, is that you¡­? Looks like you have saved us yet again.¡±

    ¡°No, this time I have done nothing to deserve your thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for them, we would have been done in.¡±

    After the king stood up, Garon exined again the situation.

    ¡°So you people are the allies Garon spoke about?¡±

    The king first looked at Schnee, who was leading the group, then the other members behind her. He then slowly kneeled down.

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Graffior Passner, king of Passner. Lady Schnee Raizar, I have heard much about your exploits. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for helping my friend.¡±

    A country¡¯s king was kneeling to a normal person. It was something normally unthinkable.

    In Schnee¡¯s case, not so much. Her position was equal, or maybe superior, to the king of a small country like Passner.

    ¡°Please, that will be enough as a greeting. Rather, could you let us know what happened before you lost consciousness?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I fear I cannot give you any valuable information, though. At first my body felt somewhat heavy, but I did not notice anything else. I did not notice any intruders before I copsed, nor can I recall anyone forcing me to take any drugs or poison.¡±

    Graffior added that it all happened suddenly.

    The soldiers had said the same. The only difference was that Graffior might have copsedter than them. There were few clues.

    ¡°In the end, the people in the castle were just paralyzed? What is the culprit thinking?¡±

    ¡°A reason to force everyone inside the royal castle to immobility¡­maybe they wanted to kidnap an important person? But in that case they would just need to use a stronger poison on this person and take them away. Maybe they wanted to steal a valuable item¡­or paralyze the country¡¯s ruling powers¡­hmm¡­¡±

    Shin voiced all the possibilities he coulde up with.

    ¡°Are there any rare items of materials that other countries might not have here?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can think of¡­we have many precious items in our treasury, but nothing that could warrant such arge-scale n to steal. The equipment Garon¡¯s party is wearing right now seems more precious to me.¡±

    Graffior said that they had items other than gear, but nothing extremely precious.

    ¡°There might be items with yet undiscovered effects. Could we take a look at the treasury?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    In other countries it wouldn¡¯t be so simple, but Graffior gave them permission as they were Schnee Raizar¡¯s party.

    ¡°Shin, Schnee, I¡¯ll leave that to you two then. Sety and I will go take care of anyone in need of healing.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll also heal anyone if we find them.¡±

    Schnee and Sety often acted as the party¡¯s healers: having them act independently would be more effective.

    The poison filling the castle was something even Filma could heal without trouble, so Sety¡¯s burden would be smaller.

    ¡°Yuzuha, you stay here to protect them. Whoever scattered the poison might still be around.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Small fox mode Yuzuha cried, then turned into her two mel size. Graffior and the others were surprised, but were convinced when Shin said that she was his partner monster. She could use healing skills too, so even if other kinds of poison appeared, there was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°Do you have an inventory list or something simr?¡±

    ¡°I believe the person in charge of our resources does, but if they aren¡¯t in the department, I don¡¯t know where they could be.¡±

    Graffior, considering that Shin was a member of Schnee¡¯s party, answered his question politely.

    Shin and Schnee thus decided to check the department the king told them about first; if they couldn¡¯t find the functionaries in charge, they would just check the treasury for any traces of intrusion.

    While heading towards their destination, they healed and gave antidotes to any soldiers and functionaries affected by paralysis.

    ording to the words of one of the soldiers they helped, they learned that luckily the functionary in charge of storage and preservation were present.

    The functionary was surprised and wary of Shin and Schnee¡¯s sudden visit, but the royal guard that apanied them exined that they had obtained permission directly from the king, so they could act right away.

    ¡°I apologize in advance for the rude question, but can you confirm that this is the castle¡¯s treasury?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. Is there anything that troubles you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, actually¡­¡±

    Shin gave a vague reply to the functionary in charge, who led them to the treasury.

    If Shin¡¯s senses weren¡¯t betraying him, the poison grew stronger the more they proceeded. The source of the poison had to be close by.

    Shin had given the royal guard an item that nullified all poison under a certain threshold, so he would be safe.

    Shin informed the functionary of his findings. Since thetter was within the radius of the item¡¯s effects, he wouldn¡¯t notice that the poison was growing thicker.

    Shin proceeded while removing the poison, leaving a safe path in their wake.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. In a ce like this there wouldn¡¯t be a risk of anyone finding it by chance. There are traces that the lock was opened.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes could clearly see the traces ¡ª red handprints ¡ª that a skill was used to open the lock. Schnee should be able to see them too.

    ¡°Traces, sir¡­?¡±

    The royal guard and the functionary could not see the handprints, so they looked at the lock with stern expressions.

    Thanks to their skills, Shin and Schnee could see the fingerprints on the lock, so without using anything it would naturally look like any other lock.

    ¡°Since we can see them so clearly, I guess the culprit was confident no one would ever find out?¡±

    ¡°Or they didn¡¯t have any methods to erase the traces, I would say.¡±

    Most yers with thief-rted jobs would learn such skills. In a case like this, which involved more than just opening a lock, skills to remove any traces of unlocking were necessary too.

    Most yers who used such skills were PKs or those who stole from other yers.

    There were many yers who specialized in lockpicking, but even so, it felt unnatural for the traces to remain so clearly on the lock.

    The more skilled the user was, the fewer traces would remain. Shin¡¯s experience told him that only beginners would leave so many clear traces.

    ¡°The treasury is structured as to contain more valuable items the further you advance. Weapons and rted gear are on the right, while all other items are on the left.¡±

    The group opened the lock and entered the treasury. Shin advanced in the direction the poison felt stronger, while listening to the functionary¡¯s exnations.

    The treasury was a rectangle-shaped room, extending deeper and deeper.

    Shin stopped when they reached the middle of the room. He approached a disy of precious jewels, grabbed the edges of a stand housing a ne decorated with purple gems and moved it.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    The royal guard and the functionary swallowed their breaths. The stand concealed a stone-like object that could only be described as solid poison.

    The octagonal object was the size of a fist and, upon closer inspection, revealed that it could filter light. It was probably a gemstone originally.

    Shin picked it up and used his analysis skills. He knew there were no traps and the poison could not affect him.

    ¡°This gem is enchanted with a poison that causes paralysis. But that¡¯s it.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t enough to spread poison throughout the castle. Shin analyzed the base of the ne on a whim and discovered that it was enchanted with a spell to spread the poison.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take these with us. If they are turned into cards, the poison won¡¯t be able to spread anymore.¡±

    Schnee stored the gem and the ne base in the item box. They looked for any other such contraptions, but did not find any.

    ¡°(What did the culprit want to do with this¡­?)¡±

    Shin asked Schnee a question via Mind Chat. The timing had been perfect to do something, but no action was taken. Extremely visible traces. Something felt definitely wrong in the whole affair.

    ¡°(The gemstone enchanted with poison couldn¡¯t be analyzed, so this might just be an experiment.)¡±

    Shin tried to analyze the gemstone enchanted with poison, but couldn¡¯t tell exactly what type it was. It looked like a gemstone, but it could also be a mineral.

    Shin thought it resembled the gem Baomultan gave him, but he couldn¡¯t startparing them when the royal guard and the functionary were still around. Thinking they should make their report first, Shin¡¯s group headed back to the king¡¯s room.

    ¡°An item producing poison? Why would such a thing be in the treasury¡­?¡±

    Graffior¡¯s expression was grave.

    ¡°(Do you think demons might be involved in this?)¡±

    Graffior was deep in thought, so Shin connected a Mind Chat to Schnee and the others. Since they were in the same party, the message would reach Shibaid and the others too, even if they were far apart.

    ¡°(Waah!? Eh? W-why can I hear Shin¡¯s voice!?)¡±

    Before anyone could reply, however, they heard Tiera¡¯s confused voice.

    The chat function he used belonged to the ¡°old generation¡± of the game era, so Tiera, a member of the ¡°new generation¡±, wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to hear it.

    The chat message sent to the whole party, however, reached Tiera too.

    Shin heard her surprised voice and wondered if it was an after-effect of her fusion with Marino.

    He had never sent personal messages to Tiera, so he wouldn¡¯t know when she could start hearing them.

    Nevertheless, the fusion with Marino was the only trigger he could think of.

    ¡°(T-this is so embarrassing¡­)¡±

    Even if only Shin and the party would hear, Tiera was subjected to the embarrassment of all her thoughts being disyed publicly until she got used to the Mind Chat.

    ording to Shibaid, she was blushing so hard you would expect steam toe out of her head. Even Baomultan was looking at her with concern.

    ¡°(Er¡­I¡¯m sorry.)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think the Mind Chat would connect to Tiera, but he was the cause nheless, so he honestly apologized.

    ¡°(Don¡¯t talk about that anymore, please¡­)¡±

    ¡°(Got it. So, about the demons¡­what do you think, everybody?)¡±

    Tiera feebly implored Shin to change the topic and he promptlyplied, thinking of making amends to her in some wayter.

    King Graffior and the others were talking about what countermeasures they could take, so Shin continued the conversation while paying attention not to show any unnatural response.

    ¡°(It does feel like something¡¯s off. The demons we¡¯ve seen up till now wouldn¡¯t let a chance go like that.)¡±

    If Shin¡¯s party didn¡¯te, no one in the castle would have been able to move. Even if it was just a preparation for something, it was odd that there was no action at all after the poisoning.

    Furthermore, no miasma could be found in the gem and base that Shin collected.

    ¡°(Whoever infiltrated the treasury was probably controlled. It would exin why we didn¡¯t find any miasma. We still don¡¯t know the extent of what they could have done though.)¡±

    Schnee recalled cardinal Greyl, who had teleported Shin, Schnee, and second princess Rionne from Bayreuth to a Sacred ce.

    He had been affected by various status ailments and cooperated with the demons unbeknownst to him.

    ¡°(This time the n seems moreplex, if there really is a demon behind this, it must be a pretty smart one, no? But in that case, why would it set up something like this in the first ce?)¡±

    ¡°(Since it has a high degree of intellect, it¡¯s using it to make people suffer?)¡±

    Sety answered Filma¡¯s question with a theory. Something like that had happened in the past.

    The demon who kidnapped the church¡¯s holy woman crafted a n to make people suffer.

    It could easily have killed them at any given time, but didn¡¯t. Shin and the others learned directly that such demons existed too.

    ¡°(Based on the demons we have faced up until now, we can say that their methods have changed a little. It¡¯s also safe to say that they might have abilities we aren¡¯t aware of. There¡¯s not much we can do, but let¡¯s keep each other informed about anything we notice.)¡±

    If they continued the Mind Chat too long they wouldn¡¯t be able to follow Graffior and the others¡¯ conversation, so Shin cut it for the time being.

    Schnee looked like she could keep up without trouble, but Shin was struggling to keep up with two conversations at once. Especially this time, there were many things to think about, so he was afraid of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

    Schnee had taken the lead in the conversation with Graffior and the others, so it had worked out until now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use items and purify the poison in groups. The demons might do something, but if we go individually the castle and its functions will remain paralyzed. There might be some who could die because of the poison.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is inevitable. If the enemy is nning something outside the castle, spending too much time here would y right into their hands. This is quite a difficult decision. To think there might really be demons, though. I honestly thought they only existed in old tales.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party had faced them various times, but few people in this world were aware of the demons¡¯ activities.

    Even kings like Graffior were no exception.

    Shin thought that they should inform their connections that the demons were on the move again, once the current situation was resolved.

    After the conversation, they began purifying the castle of poison. The affected area was wide, but the poison itself was not very strong.

    Shin quickly crafted antitoxin items with his skills and gave them to the healed soldiers. He also asked Sety and Filma to continue removing the poison and administering antidotes.

    The healed soldiers would in turn be healers, so it didn¡¯t take much time until all the soldiers in the castle recovered.

    The menu disyed that it was still a little after 10 PM.

    The group arrived in Passner a bit after 7 PM, so about three hours had passed since they started heading for the castle. The actual poison removal took about two hours.

    ¡°I thought Durgin would attack, but looks like nothing¡¯s happening at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Right. Why did they spread that poison anyway? No attacks from Durgin or anyone else, nothing was taken, no one was kidnapped. It¡¯s beginning to sound like a sick joke.¡±

    In a room assigned to the party, Shin spoke while looking out of the window and Filma, sitting on a chair, replied while cocking her head in disbelief.

    They had been assigned individual rooms, but they gathered in Shin¡¯s room to discuss.

    ¡°If the enemy is truly intelligent, it might have noticed our presence and concealed itself¡­¡±

    ¡°The poison was spread before we arrived, though. That seems a bit far-fetched, no?¡±

    If the demon had only average fighting power, it might have perceived how powerful Shin¡¯s party was and fled, said Filma while thinking.

    As Sety pointed out, it didn¡¯t sound usible.

    ¡°Even if it was an indiscriminate terrorist act, the effects are too mild. Could it be that the mastermind is not a demon after all?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is there. It¡¯s not like demons are responsible for all bad things that happen.¡±

    Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s hypothesis.

    In this world monsters were an ever-present threat, but countries would still wage war against each other at times.

    At present, because of the power rtions between countries and the rtions between neighboring territories, norge-scale wars were going on, but the possibility of conflict breaking out in the future still existed.

    After the Dusk of Majesty smaller conflicts broke out in various regions, as Shin had learned from a document he had read earlier.

    The possibility that this act was caused by a foreign agent was not zero. Even if it was, there were still many unclear points about the whole affair.

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel miasma, but there is a strange aura here. Something like¡­a mixture?¡±

    Only Shin and his party was in the room, so Yuzuha took human form and spoke. Sitting on a sofa next to Shin, she looked perplexed.

    Yuzuha could also perceive miasma, but she confidently said that there wasn¡¯t any in the surroundings. She could feel an unusual aura, though.

    ¡°A mixture? How does that feel exactly?¡±

    Shin thought it would be difficult to exin such a sensation, but decided to ask Yuzuha all the same.

    ¡°Like a negative feeling, close to miasma¡­I guess?¡±

    It was not a strong impurity, but something closer to lingering negative emotions.

    Yuzuha added that Shin and Schnee couldn¡¯t feel it because it wasn¡¯t miasma and it was also very faint.

    ¡°Either a long time passed or it was faint from the beginning. We can¡¯t tell for sure about this either. We do know that it¡¯s definitely hostile towards us and that Durginnded here for a reason.¡±

    The causes were still unknown, but there definitely was a mastermind hiding in the shadows.

    Durgin, like Baomultan, was a creature necessary for the world. If possible, Shin wanted to do something for the monster.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up for today. I¡¯m thinking we should take turns sleeping, what do you all think?¡±

    Everyone nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal. They had all rested plenty in Romenun, so their condition was perfect.

    There were items that helped a user not feel sleepy.

    ording to Shibaid, while convenient these items let exhaustion umte faster and made it easier to lose focus, so it was better to rest when possible.

    Shin had never used such items aftering to this world, so he decided to follow Shibaid¡¯s advice.

    There also were skills that could alert the user if any monsters approached.

    Someone would stand guard just in case while the others slept, but there was no reason for everyone to force themselves to stay awake.

    ¡°First it¡¯ll be me and¡ª ¡±

    ¡°And me.¡±

    Schnee raised her hand before Shin could end his sentence. Filma and Sety nodded, knowing smiles on their lips.

    ¡°I will stay up too!¡±

    Yuzuha joined in while leaning against Shin. She had recuperated most of her powers and looked almost like an adult, but many of her gestures were still childish.

    She was taller than before, so her pointy fox ears could touch Shin¡¯s. They would move sometimes, which Shin found a bit ticklish.

    ¡°My my, looks like Schnee has a rival here.¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. Shin is not such a fickle person.¡±

    Schnee sharply replied to Filma¡¯s joke, smiling in return. Her behavior and words fully expressed her trust in him.

    ¡°Schnee would always panic a little in these situations, but look at her confident smile now¡­! They definitely did it¡­¡±

    ¡°This feels more like big sis Schnee, though. She isn¡¯t the type to catch someone and keep them chained, but to catch someone and make them feel like they don¡¯t want to escape. I bet Shin is already caught in all sorts of ways already. Like through his stomach.¡±

    ¡°You two? You do know that if you continue saying whatever you please like that, I will have to take the proper countermeasures?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s aura changed.

    Filma and Sety understood that they were about to step in dangerous territory and quickly left, saying they would go to sleep first.

    ¡°They¡¯re always ready to make fun of me, those two¡­¡±

    ¡°Your aura became softer, after all. I guess it¡¯s easier to joke like that now.¡±

    Shin was sure that they wouldn¡¯t have said so much before.

    ¡°It¡¯s a problem if they find me easier to make fun of.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just having fun at your expense, you know that. Just let them have a bit of fun.¡±

    ¡°You can say that because they don¡¯t make fun of you, Shin. Besides, they ask me all sorts of embarrassing things when you¡¯re not around.¡±

    Schnee looked really embarrassed, as she went red up to her ears. They apparently dug really deep, probably without restraint as they belonged to the same gender.

    Shibaid also wanted to know more about what happened, but, because of his personality, he would never ask intimate questions like Filma and Sety did.

    ¡°I kind of understand Filma and Sety. Shibaid never asks me anything though.¡±

    Like Filma and Sety with Schnee, for Shibaid it would surely be easier to ask Shin about what happened while he was alone with Schnee.

    Shin couldn¡¯t recall being asked such questions, though.

    ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s holding back?¡±

    When they met in this world, Shin told Shibaid to be unrestrained with him, but the Dragnil clearly still felt their master-servant rtionship strongly.

    They belonged to the same party and entrusted each other¡¯s backs to the other in battle. Even so, Shin felt that there may not be a wall, but a line clearly traced between them.

    ¡°In Shibaid¡¯s case, I think it¡¯s more due to his personality than restraint. If Girard was here, he would ask questions as brazen as Filma¡¯s, I think.¡±

    Shin agreed that Girard would have done just that. Even if they were both warriors, Girard and Shibaid¡¯s personalities were quite different.

    ¡°Shibaid¡¯s thinking has be more flexible. I suppose his time as king has been beneficial.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think that he changed much¡­no, I guess he did.¡±

    Shin recalled what Shibaid said when they met again, words like a general meeting his king, and retracted his statement.

    In the game era, Shibaid would never have casually addressed Shin unless ordered it.

    ¡°¡­everyone¡¯s changed. Everyone has lived all this time. Of course they would.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee, finding him different from usual, couldn¡¯t help but call his name.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never properly asked everyone about how they lived, what they did while I wasn¡¯t around.¡±

    He had talked about it with Schnee while they were alone, but apart from her, the only one Shin talked with at length was Girard.

    Considering he had lived over 500 years, it was just a tiny moment, but for Shin it was something unforgettable.

    He had heard very superficial things from Shibaid, Filma and Sety.

    While talking with Schnee and Yuzuha, Shin thought that he should talk with those three much more.

    ¡°Let me start by speaking about them from my viewpoint, then. It¡¯s better than just waiting, no?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    Shin agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal, had the sleepy Yuzuha turn into small fox mode and picked her up in his arms. She cuddled up and quickly drifted off to dreand.

    Yuzuha said she would stay awake, but evidently sumbed to sleep.

    ¡°It¡¯s already Yuzuha¡¯s bed time.¡±

    ¡°Hard to think that she is a legendary monster¡­¡±

    Yuzuha usually turned in early at night.

    Except when an enemy was near, on normal days she would always sleep soundly. So maybe today there would not be enemy attacks.

    Maybe she was getting ustomed to her body while she slept, so she could be doing it now too.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go to sleep too, okay Shin?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know.¡±

    Shin ced Yuzuha on hisp, careful not to wake her up, stroking her fur as he listened to Schnee.

 Book 16 Chapter 3: Part 3

    <h4>Book 16 Chapter 3: Part 3</h4>

    The next morning.

    Shin and Schnee had spent a peaceful night; Filma and Sety came to switch ces, so Shin and Schnee did not have to wake them up.

    ¡°No attacks after all.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself while looking at the town¡¯s citizens, busy with their daily activities.

    Even if there were rumors that Durgin might attack soon, if they stayed in their houses they couldn¡¯t keep on living. Everyone had all sorts of different reasons, but they tried to live their usual lifestyle without sumbing to fear.

    ording to the maid assigned to Shin¡¯s party, there were fewer people out and about.

    ¡°The presence of the item they installed is gone, so they¡¯re being more careful?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility.¡±

    Shin replied to Sety¡¯s question, a clouded expression on his face.

    The poison filling the castle did not belong to Durgin.

    Durgin¡¯s appearance and the poison incident could even bepletely unrted. There were too many possibilities to consider.

    ¡°What are we going to do today, anyway? We could stay in the castle and monitor the situation, I guess?¡±

    The castle was located in the center of the city: it was a location that allowed quick ess to any ce Durgin attacked. As such, Filma¡¯s proposal was valid.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to do something before ites over the city, though.¡±

    If Durgin¡¯s wings were damaged by weapons or magic attacks, it could be possible to make it crash into the ground, though that would cause damage to the city.

    Durgin was a flying monster, so no one could tell what location would turn into a battlefield until the battle started. Evacuating the citizens immediately would be difficult. If Durgin crashed on a building, the people inside might be hurt and would surely find it difficult to escapeter, even if they survived.

    If it scattered its poison, normal people without resistance would die on the spot. If possible, they wanted to bring the fight outside the city.

    ¡°Does it alwayse from the same direction?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about that. We should confirm it.¡±

    Schnee answered Filma¡¯s question after trying to recall if they had heard anything. Therefore, Shin¡¯s party decided to consult Garon and the others, who were lodging in the castle as well.

    ¡°The direction Durgines from? It was north, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. But we only know the direction, no one knows if there is something that way. It might being here after attacking another country¡¯s city or simr.¡±

    Durgin always came at different times, so that would be difficult to predict.

    ¡°So, as far as we know, it has alwayse from the north. Maybe it has a nest somewhere¡­though that doesn¡¯t sound very likely.¡±

    ¡°Even without a nest, a single Durgin would easily find a ce to rest, I¡¯d wager. Well, there¡¯s not much we can do even if we find out its dwelling, though.¡±

    Garon shook his head at how hopeless the situation seemed.

    To the north of Passner there were several cities, though none were the size of a country. There were several viges too, and Garon was worried about any casualties or damage they might have suffered.

    Shin tried recalling everything he knew about Durgin, but it was a monster that traveled all over the world and appeared randomly. Finding its dwelling was a nigh impossible feat. In the game era, the most effective way was to find cursed areas or polluted areas and monitor them.

    ¡°In the game, we would usually set items to attack iing monsters, though.¡±

    There were regr events in which monsters attacked cities.

    Most cities were equipped with magic devices created by yers specialized in item crafting, so except in the very early days of the game, monsters never dared to fly over cities.

    A certain city was so well armed that such events would be resolved without direct intervention from yers.

    Such a maniacal pursuit of item crafting and magic devices had left even the creators bbergasted.

    It was something impossible to recreate now, so it was quite the problem to deal with.

    ¡°Did youe up with something?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just talking to myself.¡±

    Garon had apparently heard what Shin whispered to himself. Shin replied that it was nothing and started thinking again.

    After more discussion, they decided that Shin would stay in the center of the city, while the other party members would stand guard on the city walls: Schnee on the north side, Filma on the west side, Sety on the east side and Yuzuha on the south side.

    Garon¡¯s party would guard the king, with the equipment Shin gave them. There were royal guards too, but since it was Garon and hisrades, the guards epted their cooperation. They were adventurers that could use Mythology-grade equipment and had braved the perils of a deadly area for Passner¡¯s sake, so no one expressed any discontent.

    ¡°(Bored, kuu.)¡±

    After half a day of guard duty, Yuzuha sent this message.

    Shin also understood how she felt.

    To wait for something that mighte at any time, or note at all, was more tiring than expected. Especially because it was something they¡¯d rather never came.

    The soldiers on guard duty had been informed that Schnee and the others would join them. They knew that the king had personally requested their help, but to see unknown adventurers do their job, it would be normal for them to think that they weren¡¯t trusted and re at Schnee and the rest of the party with looks of discontent.

    The soldiers, however, had directly experienced how terrifying Durgin was. They knew that now wasn¡¯t the time to act proud, and they weed Schnee and the others.

    The soldiers even acted politely and courteously to Yuzuha, who had the appearance of a young girl.

    Yuzuha¡¯s Mind Chat was delivered to Schnee and the others too, but they probably understood that she meant the message for Shin and did not say anything.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll groom you all nice and prettyter, so do this for me, please.)¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Okay!)¡±

    The Mind Chat was pretty peaceful, for the time being. Yuzuha sounded yful, but she was carefully watching the surroundings too.

    The changes finally happened after one full day of guard duty, just as the morning hustle and bustle began quieting down.

 Book 16 Chapter 4: Part 1

    <h4>Book 16 Chapter 4: Part 1</h4>

    ¡°(Multiple responsesing from the north. The sky looks abnormal. Dark clouds are gradually covering it. Can everyone confirm?)¡±

    Schnee sent a Mind Chat to the party.

    Shin looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds covering it.

    It wasn¡¯t the type of darkness one could see on cloudy days. It looked like someone was painting the sky with tar.

    The speed at which the sky was turning dark was unnatural too. It was spreading all over.

    Anyone recognizing clouds drifting through the sky would realize this was apletely different phenomenon.

    The clouds were progressively increasing, like a carpet being rolled over a surface. Once they appeared, they stayed in ce, heavy, unmoving.

    No one would think it was a natural phenomenon.

    The height of the clouds was a bit above the castle Shin was in: it was far too low for them to be real clouds.

    Shin could clearly see that the ck clouds were dividing the earth from the sky, where white clouds hung.

    Filma and the others too reported seeing the same phenomenon.

    ¡°(Multiple responses are heading our way. They are¡­)¡±

    Shin boosted his detection range and detected multiple presences heading towards Passner. He also reinforced his eyesight with¡¾irvoyance¡¿and uncovered their identity.

    The first thing he noticed was a gigantic dragon in the lead.

    It was smaller than the one Shin saw in Baomultan¡¯s area, but stillrger than Shin remembered. Its appearance was just as Shin recalled.

    ¡ª Durgin - Level 703

    ¡ª Brainwash VIII

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed the name of the rotten dragon, Durgin.

    Its name, however, was followed by a word Shin never wanted to see.

    ¡¾Brainwash¡¿.

    It was the most powerful of all mental maniption status ailments.

    Its effect was simple: for a limited period of time, it was possible tomand the target to ¡°Attack¡±, ¡°Defend¡± or ¡°Move¡±.

    In the case of ¡°Attack¡±, it was also possible to set the target to attack.

    In the case of ¡°Defend¡±, just as the name said, the brainwashed target would take a defensive stance.

    In the case of ¡°Move¡±, if the brainwashed target was ordered to move to its current location, it would simply stand there, defenseless.

    It was a skill superior to ¡¾Confusion¡¿, which forced the affected target to attack randomly, or ¡¾Charm¡¿, which inhibited the target from attacking the opposite gender. yers had to be especially careful with it.

    The reason was that ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ was mainly used by PKs.

    Despite the name, it was still limited by the game¡¯s settings. The affected yer¡¯s body would just move on its own, there was no actual interference with their mind.

    It felt unpleasant to feel one¡¯s limbs move on their own, but the same could be said for all mental maniption skills.

    ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ was more powerful than other mental maniption skills but also had a higher failure rate. Even if the caster leveled up its duration would not extend much, in the game it was pretty much just an annoying skill.

    Yes, *in the game*.

    ¡°Divine beasts and simr monsters shouldn¡¯t be affected by mental maniption skills, though.¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagutsuchi were divine beasts, while Baomultan and Durgin were monsters simr to them.

    In the game era, yers had tried using such skills against them, so it was recorded that they didn¡¯t work.

    It was also definitely proved that Durgin couldn¡¯t be affected by ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ or other mental maniption skills.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. But unless ¡¾Analyze¡¿ is wrong, Durgin is unmistakably under the effect of ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ right now. I wonder what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Things have changed from the game era, that¡¯s what. We¡¯ve seen other examples before, but if mental maniption has be reality it¡¯s really bad.¡±

    The duration was probably different too. A normal skill would have already worn out, even if it was maxed out. However, the Durgin approaching Passner did not show any signs of being released from ¡¾Brainwash¡¿.

    ¡°Those don¡¯t seem to be controlled, but they¡¯re dangerous for Passner nheless.¡±

    Shin turned towards the shadows under the ck clouds trailing behind Durgin.

    Running on the ground as if following the ck clouds were four-legged monsters with crocodile-like mouths, Garmag.

    Together with them there also were insect-like monsters with four thin wings and long straw-like mouths. Kikiuz.

    They were both monsters that appeared in polluted areas which Baomultan and Durgin often visited.

    Garmag disposed of flesh, bones, and other solid materials, while Kikiuz disposed of blood and other liquids. In the game, they were called ¡°sweepers¡±.

    ¡°(The area under the clouds is turning into a polluted area?)¡±

    Shin organized all information avable while running towards the north gate.

    Garmag and Kikiuz also appeared in uncontaminated areas, so regardless of the reason, it was not strange for them to be there. It was very strange, however, that the woods and ins turned ck after their passing.

    Garmag and Kikiuz dwelled in polluted areas but did not scatter pollution from their bodies themselves.

    The pollution was spreading only in the area under the ck clouds.

    The ck clouds spread in Durgin¡¯s wake; Shin thus thought that Durgin was the cause and sent instructions to Schnee as he proceeded.

    ¡°(We can¡¯t let it fly over Passner. The target to attack is Durgin. If possible, let¡¯s blow away the clouds behind it too.)¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee activate ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, the skill that annihted the monster hordes approaching Balmel, and prepared a magic skill himself.

    The sky dotted with white clouds was covered with grey ones and blue thunderbolts started raining down.

    The thunderbolts couldn¡¯t focus on Durgin, but they struck the Garmag and the clouds, so they weren¡¯t ineffective.

    ¡°The thunderbolts deviated¡­there¡¯s something up there.¡±

    The thunderbolts pierced the clouds, scattering them, and fell on the ground.

    Garmag and Kikiuz weren¡¯t especially weak to lightning, but did not resist it either.

    Their levels varied but were all-around 400-500, so unless other monsters happened to act as a shield, they would die on the spot if struck.

    The thunderbolts pierced any monsters they hit, so even if not hit directly they would be severely wounded all the same.

    Only Durgin remained almost untouched by ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿¡¯s furious attacks.

    It wasn¡¯t avoiding the thunderbolts: as Shin said, something had deflected them away from the dragon.

    Deflecting powerful magic spells instead of blocking them was a tactic used not only by yers, so Shin and Schnee were not surprised by this.

    ¡°I¡¯ll target it directly, then.¡±

    Sety, who had moved to the north gate too, wielded her exclusive staff, ¡ºDusk Moon¡».

    She had already prepared tounch the spell: a twoyered magic circle appeared over the tip of her staff.

    The magic circles started rotating slowly: after a few seconds, a beam of light wider than the magic circles was unleashed.

    Light-type Magic skill ¡¾Valtar Rem¡¿.

    The beam of light proceeded in a straight line, then about 1000 mel from the target split in countless threads of light, which attacked Durgin from all directions.

    The beam¡¯s afterimages made it look like Durgin was being enveloped in a globe of light.

    ¡¾Valtar Rem¡¿, like ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, was a magic skill ideal to cause a wide range of destruction.

    Originally, it would cause arrows of light to rain on the enemy. Sety had modified it to aim all arrows at Durgin.

    ¡°It resisted even that? I¡¯ve never seen an ability like that.¡±

    ¡°But it looks like it can¡¯t fly anymore. It won¡¯t be able to enter the city, at least.¡±

    Considering the skill¡¯s power and Sety¡¯s stats, the Durgin should have been turned into mincemeat by now.

    Durgin, however, defended itself as if it knew that ¡¾Valtar Rem¡¿ wasing.

    The ck clouds forming behind Durgin enveloped its body, functioning as a shield against the arrows of light.

    They couldn¡¯t protect itpletely. The clouds that surrounded Durgin were mostly gone.

    Durgin itself seemed to have suffered some damage, as it was descending at high speed. The few remaining clouds trailing behind the dragon made it look like an airne about to crash.

    ¡°The clouds won¡¯t form unless Durgin flies, then?¡±

    Shin confirmed that Durginnded and noticed that the ck clouds, spreading so quickly until moments before, were now still in the air.

    ¡°If it was a normal monster, the basic strategy would be defeating it without letting ite any closer¡­¡±

    Going any closer would be pointless, but this time it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.

    Durgin might have been attacking Passner, not on its own volition, but because it was being controlled.

    Items like the ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡», used to control people, existed. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if an item that could control monsters existed too.

    There were also beings like Devils and Demons, which could manipte others to do their bidding. If they defeated Durgin from a distance, they would lose any potential clues too.

    Durgin was also a monster necessary for the world¡¯s sustenance. They didn¡¯t want to kill it, if possible.

    ¡°I knew it already, but looking at them like this, they truly are terrifying¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky that they¡¯re on our side, really.¡±

    Garon and Risha, who happened to be close by, looked at Schnee and Sety¡¯s magic with a mixture of surprise, confusion, fear and various other feelings.

    Shin took advantage of the situation to ask them how long Passner¡¯s knights could resist against such an attack.

    ¡°Against that horde, it would be like sending them to a ughter.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they could handle one or two monsters, but there are just too many. We wouldn¡¯tst long either. The walls surrounding the city wouldn¡¯t give in right away, but they don¡¯t mean much against flying monsters. Even the gates wouldn¡¯t be able to resist long if those Garmags or whatever charged them. They could withstand one or two attacks, but if they came inrge numbers, I cannot say.¡±

    The gates were made of orichalcum mixed with magic steel and other metals enhanced with magic.

    Apparently they could resist the Garmags¡¯ attacks for a while. As Garon said, however, the monsters¡¯ numbers were veryrge.

    If they rushed the gates and charged them, they couldn¡¯t resist for long.

    The Kikiuz were a whole nother problem. Unlike birds, they could quickly change direction mid-flight, so they would be very difficult to hit with arrows. Arrows shot by average people wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce their shell either. Their mosquito-like bodies were small but very sturdy nheless.

    ¡°Schnee, Sety, Yuzuha, bombard the monsters with magic from the walls, so they can¡¯t get closer. Even a single Kikiuz would cause mayhem against normal people.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to us!¡±

    ¡°(Kuu!)¡±

    Schnee replied calmly, while Sety puffed up her chest and nodded. Yuzuha had not reached their location yet, so she replied via Mind Chat.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to charge them with Filma. We¡¯ll check Durgin¡¯s state from up close.¡±

    ¡°I can finally do something too.¡±

    Filma clenched her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» and her smile widened. Among all the support characters, she was the most specialized in one-on-one battles.

    Shibaid would lure in the enemy, Girard would disorient them, Filma would deliver the coup de grace. That was the usual strategy of the frontline members.

    Of course, she could fight without problems against multiple enemies too. Depending on the situation, Shin could leave Durgin to Filma and act as support.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited and slice Durgin in half, okay?¡±

    ¡°I know that much!¡±

    Both of them weren¡¯t concerned at all having to face the horde of monsters alone. In the game era, it was quitemon for the number of enemies to be superior to the number of allies.

    ¡°We¡¯ll check Durgin¡¯s state first. I told you that there are items that can control people, right? It could even control Chosen Ones. I¡¯ve never seen it myself, but Durgin might be affected by the monster version of that item. It could also be a Tamer¡¯s ¡¾Forced Subjugation¡¿ or an item that lures or maniptes others, so please check that carefully. Look for any clues like that.¡±

    Since Durgin was controlled, dispelling that meant that they didn¡¯t need to defeat it.

    Shin knew that it wouldn¡¯t be easy at all, but as long as they had a chance, he didn¡¯t want to give up.

    He wanted to think that there were options other than killing it.

    ¡°Garon, we ask that you and your party please stand by the gate. I hope such an emergency never happens, but whoever scattered the poison in the castle might make a move.¡±

    They could cause amotion inside the castle or open the gates. There were many ways they could create confusion in the current situation.

    Things would go south quickly if the enemy took advantage of theck of manpower on Shin¡¯s side, one of their current weaknesses, so he decided to ask Garon¡¯s party for assistance since they were the most powerful assets avable outside of Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°Mavlov and the others will be here soon, so it¡¯s no problem, of course. Even if we went with you we¡¯d only get in your way, I suppose.¡±

    Leaving the rest to the apologetic Garon, Shin and Filma jumped down from the castle gates.

    After their bodies drew a smooth arc in the air, they were dragged downwards by gravity. After using a skill tond lightly on the ground, they sprinted towards Durgin.

    They gained great distance during the leap from the castle walls, so with their stats, they would reach Durgin in no time.

    Durgin looked in Shin and Filma¡¯s direction, spread its wings, and roared.

    The spreading wings did not show signs of injury. It had crashed on the ground, but any damage was apparently already healed.

    Though, tt didn¡¯t try to soar again immediately. It was probably wary of any attacks that could shoot it down again.

    When Shin and Filma approached Durgin enough, they could see something that wasn¡¯t visible while it was flying.

    ¡°A cor¡­Durgin¡¯s status doesn¡¯t disy subjugation, but it¡¯s unnatural for Durgin to wear one.¡±

    The cor was the same color as Durgin and was hard to see, but it was definitely there.

    The ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡», an item used to control Millie and the Soothsaying Holy Woman. Durgin was wearing something very simr around its neck.

    If it was the real one, Durgin¡¯s status would show the subjugation status ailment, so it was probably something very simr. Shin had examined the ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡» closely in order to remove it, however, so he thought that Durgin¡¯s cor couldn¡¯t be unrted to it.

    It was also strange for Durgin to be wearing an essory. The suspicion that it was being manipted grew even stronger.

    ¡°Take care of the monsters around it, please.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    Shin asked Filma to dispose of the Garmags and Kikiuz that zoned in on them and continued running towards Durgin.

    If Durgin was only manipted by a status ailment or the cor, Shin just needed to remove them.

    He could deactivate even the real ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡», so he thought he could do something about the cor, which was likely to have simr effects.

    As Shin approached Durgin, the dragon, which was standing on its hind legs to intimidate him and put down its front ws on the ground. It was clearly extremely wary of Shin.

    ¡°¡­a person?¡±

    Shin noticed it for the first time.

    Durgin¡¯s body was massive: if it was standing, its back was not visible from the front.

    Even so, if someone was riding it the person¡¯s legs would be seen, and when Shin used analysis skills on Durgin the rider would have been targeted as well.

    No such thing was disyed before.

    If he was only looking at the map, the rider¡¯s icon would ovep with Durgin¡¯s, hiding it from sight.

    Shin¡¯s detection, however, did not rely only on the map.

    At the very least, he had not detected any presences on Durgin¡¯s back until now.

    ¡°(It felt like it appeared all of a sudden.)¡±

    ¡°(You too, Filma? So I didn¡¯t just fail to notice it.)¡±

    After a Mind Chat exchange with Filma, Shin looked at the man riding on Durgin¡¯s back.

    ¡ª Mister XXX - Level 233 - Tamer

    ¡ª Possessed - #S#%$#

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ did its job. It disyed a name quite bizarre for this world¡¯s denizens and a unique status ailment.

    ¡¾Possession¡¿ was a unique enchantment certain jobs could cause or the state of being possessed by certain monsters without material form, like Ghosts or Raised.

    The unique enchantment was caused by a skill that only jobs such as Summoner and Necromancer acquired, which mainly reinforced the user¡¯s body.

    ¡¾Possession¡¿ caused by monsters, on the other hand, was a nasty status ailment said to be even superior to ¡¾Brainwash¡¿. Possessed yers would start attacking other yers with skills.

    ¡¾Possession¡¿ could be removed either by skills or items or defeating the affected yer, but even if the possessed yer was defeated the monster that caused the possession wouldn¡¯t be affected.

    In a way, yers feared it more than mental maniption skills.

    ¡°Wait, this guy is a yer!?¡±

    The mysterious tamer had a joke-like name, the likes of which were prettymon in online games. The moment Shin saw it, he became much more alert.

    Some yers chose to embrace the ¡°evil¡± in their ystyle.

    Mister XXX had appeared out of the blue and had a name that people in this world would never give to their children. If he had lived long in this world, he might have created skills or techniques that didn¡¯t exist in the game era.

    It was more than enough reason to tread carefully.

    ¡°(Could he be using a skill we¡¯re not aware of?)¡±

    ¡°(Who can say¡­I, for one, don¡¯t recall anything like that.)¡±

    Filma came to Shin¡¯s side.

    She left the Garmags and Kikiuz alone, but they were probably scared of Shin and Filma¡¯s presence or were terrified by Filma¡¯s rampage, as they stopped their advance.

    They couldn¡¯t risk talking normally in front of the enemy, so they continued using Mind Chat tomunicate, while keeping their guard up.

    Mister XXX, still riding on Durgin¡¯s back, did not move at all. He was wearing a hooded robe,pletely hiding his appearance.

    ¡°(He¡¯s not moving.)¡±

    ¡°(But he¡¯s looking at me.)¡±

    Shin could feel the man¡¯s eyes on him, despite his obscured face. The hood probably had an enchantment that hid the user¡¯s face, but it didn¡¯t work on Shin.

    Since he was a yer, Mister XXX had handsome facial features.

    Some yers had very feminine features, but Mister XXX was clearly a man.

    His wide-open blue eyes stared at Shin. Hisplexion was sickly pale, so his eyes looked like they were glowing.

    He was surprised, maybe. He looked like he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    ¡°You¡­what¡¯s your name¡­?¡±

    A faint, raspy voice. It would be difficult to hear normally, but Shin¡¯s enhanced hearing caught the words easily.

    His tone suggested that he hoped Shin was the person he thought, that he strongly wished Shin was the person he expected.

    In the game era too possessed yers could talk. Shin didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t attack them, but since he might be a source of information, Shin decided to continue the conversation.

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell with ¡¾Analyze¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Not with¡­mine¡­please¡­tell me¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s expression was getting progressively more and more twisted.

    Shin thought he probably looked in pain because he was resisting the ¡¾Possession¡¿.

    Depending on the stats gap between possessing monster and possessed yer, it was possible to resist to an extent.

    Durgin looked like it was leading a horde of monsters to assault Passner. Then a man appeared on its back. It might seem like the mastermind controlling Durgin had finally shown himself, but the man did not look like he had nned such a thing.

    His face, twisted in pain, was not the face of whoever nned the assault on Passner. It was almost certain that he had been forced to act via ¡¾Possession¡¿.

    ¡°My name is Shin. They called me a Hero or God of Death. I used to be pretty famous among yers.¡±

    Schnee and the others were in Passner, a few hours from Shin and Filma¡¯s current location.

    Even if the man was a decoy or was painstakingly acting, any situation could still be handled. Based on this, Shin decided to reveal his name.

    Mister XXX¡¯s reaction was nothing short of dramatic.

    ¡°Aaah¡­! Aaah¡­aaah!! I was¡­wasn¡¯t wrong¡­finally¡­finally!!¡±

    Joy.

    The man was still clearly in pain, but he also expressed pure joy, as if he had finally found the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

    His eyes welled up with tears, his arms stretched towards the sky.

    With such dramatic gestures, it looked like he was expressing an uncontroble wave of emotion.

    ¡°I answered your question. Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    Shin, his weapon still in hand, called to the man.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure the man was capable of proper conversation, but after a while, thetter¡¯s expression turned serious.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I forgot¡­myself. Yes¡­I must¡­tell you¡­some¡­thing.¡±

    Sweat ran down the man¡¯s cheeks. He was enduring the pain, squeezing out word afterword.

    ¡°¡­manip¡­ting¡­monsters¡­to atta¡­ack¡­count¡­ries¡­y¡­ers¡­too¡­mani¡­pu¡­ggh!!!¡±

    He was clearly trying to say something important, but when it came to the most important part, he looked like he was gasping for air and no words came out.

    The man realized he couldn¡¯t say it in words and tried ripping off his robe.

    After ripping about 10 cemel of his robe, the man¡¯s hands stopped. He was probably limited by some kind of restriction.

    The ripped robe revealed the man¡¯s neck: Shin clearly saw what was around it.

    ¡°That cor is¡­!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­only¡­this¡­but¡­this is the¡­most¡­danger¡­ous¡­¡±

    The man noticed by Shin¡¯s reaction that he knew what it was.

    The man moved the ripped part of his robe, to show his neck as much as possible.

    His eyes wanted them to look, implored them never to forget what they were seeing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can remove both ¡¾Possession¡¿ and the ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡».¡±

    If he was only being manipted, he could be saved. So thought Shin as he spoke to the man, but thetter shook his head.

    ¡°Not¡­just¡­that¡­¡±

    The man talked while pressing his chest. Maybe he couldn¡¯t support himself on Durgin¡¯s back anymore, because he fell down on the ground.

    He did not even try breaking his fall, dropped headfirst, and did not budge. His HP did not decrease, so he shouldn¡¯t have suffered any damage, but his state was clearly abnormal.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Shin immediately used a skill to heal his status ailments. The ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡» had to be touched directly, but status ailments could be healed from a distance.

    From the status disy, however, ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ would not disappear.

    Durgin wasn¡¯t moving. Shin, wondering if it was because the man was suffering, approached them with caution.

    ¡°Filma, please make sure the other monsters don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything reckless, okay?¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma and went closer to the man. When he arrived at a distance of about 10 mel, the man moved.

    ¡°Gh¡­gaah¡­AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Screams.

    The man, still lying on the ground, screamed in terrible agony.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening now¡­?¡±

    Shin stopped in his tracks.

    The man looked like he was struggling with something, then stopped shouting.

    After a while, he stood up.

    He did not do so normally, by using his hands to raise himself up, however.

    Not his hands nor his legs moved. Despite it, his body assumed an erect posture, without making a sound.

    It was like he was a doll set in standing position, lifted up unnaturally like a marite.

    ¡°Ple¡­ase¡­¡±

    The man¡¯splexion was beyond pale, almost the color of the earth. He looked straight at Shin and moved his mouth. Only his mouth moved, his arms and legs did not budge an inch.

    ¡°Kill¡­me.¡±

    He barely managed to emit a sound.

    As if that was a signal, his body started changing.

    Part of the ck clouds hanging in the sky gathered around him.

    The ck clouds swirled around the man and formed a two mel wide globe, then disappeared.

    The man continued to simply stand, still.

    It was like the clouds had be part of him: even his clothes turned ck. His eyes, his mouth, everything turned ck. Then the man moved.

    His body started swelling, with grinding, gnashing noises.

    His arms, his legs, his chest¡ªeven his head.

    His arms and legs stretched, then split in two. His chest swelled too in response.

    His clothes changed as well: the trousers and shirt the man was wearing fused together with his robe.

    The man¡¯s chest and head were swelling as well.

    The head wasn¡¯t simply growingrger. It looked like it was swelling from the inside.

    It was like a balloon with a human face drawn on it. That was the only way to describe it.

    When the swelling stopped, the man¡¯s facial parts melted away.

    Just like they were just pieces glued on the balloon, the man¡¯s eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair slipped off his face and fell, leaving a ck oval shape as if suspended above his neck.

    ¡ª Hellscream - Level 804

    The information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ turned Shin¡¯s expression very stern.

    At the same time, a crescent-shaped line appeared on the formerly empty oval face. A mouth.

    A grin that would inspire disgust in anyone who saw it. Since no other parts were present on the monster¡¯s face, it stood out even more.

    The evilugh monster. Its appearance and fighting power inspired the yers to give it such a nickname.

    Hellscreams were one of the most powerful Ghost-type monsters and at the same time one of the monsters that yers hated the most.

    Despite having a corporeal body, it could move in midair like a ghost and used spells too.

    If that was all it could do, it wouldn¡¯t pose too much trouble. Most incorporeal monsters fought like that, as well as flying monsters.

    The problem was the unique attack Hellscreams could use. The screams emitted by theirrge mouths could inflict ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ignoring any resistance granted by equipment.

    Hellscreams didn¡¯t attack while screaming, so when facing a single one, the yer just needed to attack after it stopped screaming.

    When multiple Hellscreams started screaming in turns, however, only yers that belonged to a species that granted high resistance to status ailments could move: the others would be attacked one-sidedly, unable to do anything.

    They were basically stun-locked.

    The only silver lining was that ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ screams could miss, but if they were used in rapid session it was very difficult to escape them, so without a proper strategy even fleeing from the battle was an arduous feat.

    If this was everything, Hellscream still couldn¡¯t pose a threat to Shin.

    High Humans were much more resistant to status ailments than other species, so they would rarely if ever be paralyzed, and he also knew how to counter it.

    The enemy was also only one Hellscream. Even if it was troublesome, there was no need to fear it.

    This Hellscream, however, looked different than usual. It reached towards the Durgin with a hand, and a scream followed. The source was the rotten dragon, Durgin.

    Small grains of light emanated from Durgin¡¯s body and were in turn absorbed by the Hellscream¡¯s hand.

    It allsted mere seconds: Durgin couldn¡¯t stand anymore and copsed on the ground, while the Hellscream, surrounded in ck aura, stood above it.

    ¡°Okay, I wouldn¡¯t have expected this.¡±

    Shin looked at the Hellscream, which projected apletely different kind of intimidation, and frowned.

    A yer transforming into a monster was unthinkable in the game era. The drain-like attack used by the Hellscream was something never seen before too.

    There wasn¡¯t such a clear gap between Durgin and the Hellscream to allow thetter to attack the dragon so easily. The cause had to be the yer.

    Judging from the way it transformed, rather than possessed it could be said that it was taken over. It clearly wasn¡¯t normal ¡¾Possession¡¿.

    ¡°So this is the mastermind behind it all?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. It wouldn¡¯t have needed cheap tricks like that.¡±

    A horde of Garmag and Kikiuz would be enough to devastate Passner. There was no need for a Hellscream, or to scatter poison in the royal castle.

    ¡°No matter what the goal, we have to take this guy down first.¡±

    Shin held his weapon firm and targeted the Hellscream.

    Shin considered that the Hellscream might be different from what he knew, so he decided to strike it once without getting closer first.

    What he activated was the me-type Magic skill ¡¾Spear Maser¡¿.

    Six me beams, each about 10 cemel wide, were shot towards the Hellscream.

    It wasn¡¯t a Light magic skill, but the me beams were rather fast nheless.

    The Hellscream that Shin knew wouldn¡¯t be hit by all beams, but it would not be able to avoid them all. However, the Hellscream facing against Shin managed to dodge them all.

    ¡°¡¾Mirage Step¡¿¡­¡±

    While floating in midair, the Hellscream moved as if kicking the ground.

    It was awfully simr to a Movement-type skill often used by closebat yers: it didn¡¯t reduce distance instantly like ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, but allowed them to move while leaving behind an afterimage.

    The afterimage would linger in the original spot for a few seconds. By moving to the side and then retreating, the user couldpletely hide behind it. It all fits with what Shin remembered.

    There was only one bizarre thing: ¡¾Mirage Step¡¿ was supposed to be a yer-only skill.

    Some monsters had skills and attacks with simr effects, but the Hellscream¡¯s movements were too simr to the skill in question.

    The name of skills used by the opponents was not disyed, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell for sure if Hellscream had actually used ¡¾Mirage Step¡¿.

    Not only Shin, but any yer who knew the effects of this skill well would have said that Hellscream had indeed used it.

    ¡°I guess it can use the skills of the yer it took over?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most convincing exnation, yeah.¡±

    Monsters and yers shared many skills, but some were clearly different. ¡¾Mirage Step¡¿ was a yer skill, but monsters had simr ones too.

    Monsters who floated in midair, like Hellscream, would never use skills that implied movement using their legs in the game.

    They could float, after all. They could move in all directions, even up and down, with no need to do any steps.

    ¡°I see¡­that was the Tamer¡¯s ¡¾Lifethread Offering¡¿!¡±

    Shin was not too knowledgeable about Tamer skills, but he could recall it because it had left an impression on him when Cashmere talked about it.

    When used by a yer, this skill would transfer HP from a tamed monster to its master.

    In this case, it was a sort of forced HP drain, so the tamed monster¡¯s affection level to its master would decrease.

    Cashmere said that a yer that treasured their tamed monsters would never use it.

    Incidentally, if a tamed monster had high affection levels, they would use it spontaneously when their master was in danger.

    ¡°He was under someone¡¯s control, after all. Can a normal monster really do this to a yer, though¡­?¡±

    Shin thought that only a demon or a devil could do something like that.

    Undead monsters like Ghosts and Raised were thought to be born when strong grudges fused with magic essence.

    This would exin why the Hellscream wanted to attack Passner or torture yers.

    Scattering poison via Durgin and making the area habitable for Garmags and Kikiuz too could be considered attacks to living creatures.

    The royal castle incident too could be exined as a n to make people suffer.

    If scattering poison was the main objective, it would also exin why nothing else happened.

    Considering the existence of someone or something that was controlling monsters and yers, which the Tamer alluded to, things were probably not so simple.

    ¡°I knew that things that didn¡¯t exist in the game or couldn¡¯t be done in the game are possible now, but¡­¡±

    Thinking back on what he saw and experienced until now, Shin whispered to himself.

    At present, without resurrection bonuses, normal people could only grow to a certain point. Even Chosen Ones had an upper limit they couldn¡¯t breakthrough.

    Monsters had no such limits, however: their potential for growth was muchrger. Most of them had very high levels since their birth too.

    For a yer like Shin, monsters having fixed levels was prettymon, or rather, it was the rule.

    To offer all sorts of monsters, with different levels and characteristics, so that yers would not grow bored was normal in a video game.

    Monsters attacking people (NPCs) ¡ª was amon signal that an event was starting.

    Spurred by such a virtual tragedy, yers briskly headed to the battlefield.

    Some waited for monsters to spawn to acquire rare items, others only rolled the special gotcha added for the event, without participating in the event itself.

    In the game, yers were such creatures.

    Of course, in this world that did not work anymore. Shin understood it well too.

    Status ailments still existed and people could be controlled, such as how Milt was manipted to kidnap the church¡¯s Holy Woman. There was no respawn anymore: being killed meant dying forever.

    In the game, getting a status ailment or dying was verymon. Both were obvious urrences. Shin didn¡¯t find it strange that such things happened in this world too.

    This time, however, things were slightly different.

    It wasn¡¯t a transformation by a monster.

    It wasn¡¯t a person of this world-changing either.

    A yer had transformed into a monster.

    This reality shocked Shin.

    It was a small thing, not worth being shaken or confused by.

    He felt, however, as if he was told that he wasn¡¯t such a special existence anymore.

    (I guess that somewhere in my mind, I still believed that yers were special¡­)

    When the church¡¯s Holy Woman, Hermie, was kidnapped, the female messenger changed into a monster. People could turn into monsters: Shin already knew that.

    That woman, however, wasn¡¯t a former yer. Thinking about it, Shin realized he hadn¡¯t seen a former yer die in this world.

    ¡°I want to get rid of this guy as soon as possible, are you ready to go?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, I¡¯m okay. We can¡¯t allow them to get any further, after all. Let¡¯s finish it quickly.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma and stopped pausing to think for the time being.

    He could ponder the situation further after taking care of the current situation.

    The Garmags and Kikiuz were still keeping their distance, afraid of Shin and Filma¡¯s strength.

    They weren¡¯t opponents that could ever pose a threat to them, but it could be troublesome if they joined in the fight. Their numbers were great, and they would have to face Hellscream at the same time too.

    It wouldn¡¯t be an issue if the Hellscream was like the monster Shin remembered, but this one was very different. That was the problem.

    Shin and Filma only saw it use a skill, but it could have other different abilities too.

    Among the skills yers could use, there were some which allowed them to reflect magic.

    If Shin used arge scale spell to wipe out the Garmags and Kikiuz, but it was reflected back at them, they couldn¡¯t remain unscathed.

    The skills acquired by the yer depended on their job. Jobs could be switched, however, and the skills learned in the previous job could still be used after switching.

    Changing jobs was not enough to learn skills, of course: it took effort as well. It was the same thing with stats: effort made it possible to learn all skills.

    Because of this, the Hellscream ¡ª who was supposed to be able to use the skills of the yer it took over ¡ª could be able to use magic reflection skills.

    ¡°(Shin, couldn¡¯t your magic wipe them all out at once?)¡±

    ¡°(If that thing was like a yer, yeah. But the way it appeared isn¡¯t normal. We need a lot of power to kill it in one blow, so if it was reflected back we¡¯ll be in trouble.)¡±

    Filma too thought of using magic to destroy all the monsters in one fell swoop.

    If the Hellscream was normal, they could do it without needing to think much about it, but because of the unique situation, Shin decided to be careful and use closebat skills.

    Since the Garmags and Kikiuz weren¡¯t moving yet, now was the best time.

    ¡°(Just in case, I¡¯ll try to turn him back.)¡±

    ¡°(Turn him back from that?)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s why I said just in case.)¡±

    To try to undo the ¡¾Possession¡¿ while fighting in close quarters. It was possible in the game era.

    Mister XXX, however, had not been affected by the usual ¡¾Possession¡¿.

    Shin himself didn¡¯t think he could turn him back. A creature outside the game¡¯s standards probably wouldn¡¯t be affected by game methods.

    Shin would try all the same, though. There was much to gain from seeding and, even if he failed, there was nothing to lose for Shin.

    Mister XXX was a former yer too, but Shin had no recollection of his name or face. He might have been a rtive or a friend of someone Shin knew, but there was no way for Shin to know.

    Thus Shin would try to do what he could, and if nothing worked, defeat the Hellscream. Even if he thought aboutplex things, what he had to do was simple.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After a faintly spoken signal, Shin approached Hellscream.

    High-speed movement via the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿.

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s stats, he appeared right in front of the Hellscream as quickly as if he was hidden by a drop in framerate.

    His sword was already unsheathed. The Ancient-grade katana ¡ºMoonless¡» sliced through the air and targeted the Hellscream.

    The monster¡¯s silhouette blurred.

    What¡ºMoonless¡»had sliced through was a mirage. The Hellscream used ¡¾Mirage Step¡¿ again, just like it did when avoiding Shin¡¯s ¡¾Spear Maser¡¿.

 Book 16 Chapter 4: Part 2

    <h4>Book 16 Chapter 4: Part 2</h4>

    Mister XXX knew who Shin was.

    He probably knew about Shin¡¯s fighting style and prowess too. There was no way to tell if Hellscream had acquired this information, but Shin attacked as if it did.

    Shin attacked in a way that, even if the monster didn¡¯t react, it would only be damaged, not sliced in two; as the monster dodged, Shin continued as nned and activated a skill.

    ¡°¡¾Cure All¡¿¡±.

    Shin cast the highest level healing spell, which could heal even unique status ailments, on the Hellscream.

    ¡¾Mirage Step¡¿required the user to touch the ground, so looking at the user¡¯s feet could reveal which direction it would dodge to. A way to counter it was to make the opponent dodge on purpose, then *ce* an attack in the position it was expected to move to. Shin tried it and seeded.

    Golden light enveloped the Hellscream.

    In the case of normal ¡¾Possession¡¿, the possessed and the possessor would have been separated after a few seconds.

    The Hellscream, however, did not even flinch because of the light and attacked Shin instead.

    Its four arms stretched out of the robe, wrapped in ck and purple light. With them it absorbed the golden light, then itsrge hooked ws reached towards Shin.

    Shin blocked the venomous ws with ¡ºMoonless¡». The coldly shining katana reflected the light and drew two arcs in the air.

    The devilish smile on Hellscream¡¯s face turned into a grimace of pain.

    It probably used physical attacks over the magic it was more proficient with because it had acquired information about Shin. As a strategy, however, it was rather poor.

    Shin nned to sh the right arms¡¯ hooked ws with the first sh, then cut both ws and wrists of the left arms with the returning strike.

    ¡ºMoonless¡»could affect undead spirit-type monsters like Ghosts and Raised too, so such a result should be inevitable.

    Even if the monster had a yer as its base, it shouldn¡¯t be able to fill the gap in ability between itself and Shin.

    ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work either, I¡¯m all out of options.¡±

    The Hellscream shrieked in pain as it retreated and Shin used his final resort: he activated ¡¾Purification¡¿.

    Normally this skill was only used to remove Cursed Gifts, but in this world, it had other effects as it had shown in Tiera¡¯s hometown.

    ¡¾Cure¡¿ had no effect both before and after the transformation, so Shin did not expect much from it, but maybe ¡¾Purification¡¿ could. Shin reached this conclusion, tried it and¡ª

    ¡°¡­no good?¡±

    The Hellscream did not show any changes. On the contrary, in the short time Shin used to cast ¡¾Purification¡¿ its arms reformed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take it down, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s finish this.¡±

    Shin and Filma had no other options. He nodded to her and changed his grip on ¡ºMoonless¡». He activated a skill and the katana¡¯s steel-colored de glowed white.

    Katana/Lightbination skill ¡¾Evil Cleanser de¡¿.

    It was one of the skills that caused extra damage to certain types of monsters, the one especially effective on undead spirits.

    The Hellscream probably sensed the de was dangerous: it concentrated power in its hooked ws to the maximum and prepared to counterattack.

    Shin stepped closer.

    He used ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ doing the same movements as before, but at a much higher speed.

    Overwhelming speed, almost like instantaneous movement. The Hellscream had no time to move its hooked ws.

    Shin swung ¡ºMoonless¡».

    One sh on the monster¡¯s defenseless body and everything would be over.

    Just when the de was about to hit¡ª

    <<I don¡¯t want to die>>

    Such a voice reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°!?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t enough time to say those words. No voice actually made the air vibrate. But Shin was sure that it was the voice of the man before he transformed.

    Are you in there?

    Is your conscience still there?

    Since Shin was the one elerating, he could have time to act before the attack connected.

    The hesitation in his heart transmitted to his sword arm.

    The de that was about to cleave Hellscream in two stopped.

    The monster¡¯s mouth twisted into an arc. Its iconic scream, which had brought so many yers to ruin, resounded in the surroundings.

    ¡°Yeah, I should have expected that.¡±

    Shin whispered to himself while hearing the scream.

    Hellscream probably had the ability to use the yer¡¯s voice to make the opponent hesitate. It could be a trump card against opponents it thought were too much for it.

    Unfortunately, the scream was just noise: Shin could cut down the Hellscream at any time. He was slightly irritated, however, by the Hellscream gloating about its sessful move.

    Thus Shin decided to teach the monster a lesson.

    ¡°You better watch your back.¡±

    Shin pointed behind the monster, to show that he wasn¡¯t paralyzed at all.

    Shin¡¯s presence and his skills attracted Hellscream¡¯s attention too much. Shin was not fighting alone, after all.

    ¡°Rest in peace.¡±

    The Hellscream turned towards the source of the voice. There it found ¡ºScarlet Moon¡»¡¯s de, swinging at a speed it could never hope to dodge.

    Filma specialized in cutting down her opponents head-on.

    However, she could erase her presence and ambush them with ease too.

    Filma¡¯s own ability and speed, paired with the speed boost granted by the magic power output of her equipment. Together, they would let her easily ambush the Hellscream, focusedpletely on Shin.

    The Hellscream was cleaved in half, without even a chance to let out a final scream, then vanished in midair.

    ¡°It won¡¯t leave a corpse behind?¡±

    Shin whispered to himself while looking at the empty space where the Hellscream was.

    It wasn¡¯t an unusual way for an incorporeal monster to die, but because of the way it manifested, Shin thought that something would have remained.

    ¡°Shin, this isn¡¯t the time to get all sentimental.¡±

    Shin looked closely in search of any remains, then Filma called him.

    He looked in the direction Filma was looking at and saw the horde of Garmags and Kikiuz. Durgin was still copsed on the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s call Sety and wipe them out. Durgin had a sort of ¡ºCor of Subjugation¡» on, so I¡¯ll try to remove it.¡±

    The Garmags and Kikiuz wererge in number, so Shin decided that it was Sety¡¯s turn, since she specialized inrge scale offensive spells.

    Shin contacted her via Mind Chat, asking her toe with Yuzuha, while Schnee would stay in Passner, in case anything happened.

    ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s my turn, finally!¡±

    Sety, who arrived riding on Yuzuha¡¯s giant form, was very gung-ho about the task she was assigned. The Garmags and Kikiuz didn¡¯t leave the contaminated area created by the ck clouds, so she said she would erase them from one end of the area to the other and started attacking. The area was very wide, so Filma went with her to get rid of any survivors.

    ¡°You¡¯re next, then.¡±

    Shin watched Sety and Filma go, then turned towards Durgin.

    During the fight against Hellscream and afterwards, it didn¡¯t move at all. ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed that it was still affected by ¡¾Brainwash¡¿.

    Its state was a little different from the effect of the ¡ºSubjugation Cor¡».

    The cor itself had a different design than the one Shin was familiar with. It looked even more ominous than the one Shin had previously found.

    Its aura, or rather, the evil air it emitted was the same. When Shin touched it, the cor emitted a faint metallic sound and shattered.

    Shin used ¡¾Heal¡¿ and Durgin regained HP and its status recovered. It didn¡¯t look weakened as it did when it had copsed.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Durgin stood back up, looked at Shin for a while, then its body suddenly started glowing. The light then gathered in front of the monster.

    ¡°This light¡­I¡¯ve seen it recently.¡±

    As Shin expected, the light formed a gemstone, which dropped into Shin¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What do you two want me to do¡­?¡±

    Shin looked at the gemstone. He knew no one would answer, but couldn¡¯t help but ask all the same.

    He had predicted that he would have had to use Baomultan¡¯s treasure gem on Durgin, but Durgin gave him a treasure gem instead.

    The two treasure gems were probably a pair, but Shin had no idea how to use them.

    They could be used as materials to craft items, but since he already equipped powerful gear, there was no need to use them for something like that.

    Durgin had nothing else to do there, apparently: after roaring once, it soared in the sky and flew away. The ck clouds did not form behind it any longer. It would probably be safe to leave it alone now.

    ¡°Sety and Filma don¡¯t seem to be having problems, so what¡¯s left is¡­¡±

    Shin looked at Setyunchingrge scale destruction spells in the distance, then looked at the shattered cor.

    He predicted that the cor was the cause behind Durgin¡¯s ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ status.

    Shin picked up one of therger fragments and examined it.

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s the creator¡¯s name?¡±

    yers with creation-type jobs could see the name of the creator of other items. The hawk emblem Shin put in his creations had to be chiseled manually, but the creator¡¯s name appeared automatically.

    And the cor showed it.

    Maybe because the cor was broken, the creator¡¯s name had turned into unreadable gibberish.

    Since a name was there, it was clear that the cor had been crafted by someone.

    The creator might have crafted it while under someone else¡¯s control.

    Or maybe they had created it of their own free will.

    In any case, there was surely trouble ahead.

    If the cor could be mass-produced, the entire continent would fall in chaos and turmoil.

    The words left by the man and a dangerous cor. It was something that needed to be investigated not by a small party like Shin¡¯s, but by arge organization like a country.

    ¡°I should talk about it with Schnee first.¡±

    Fortunately, during their adventures, they had built connections with royals and powerful merchants. If they used them, they might be able to do something.

    While thinking this, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

 Book 16 Side Story Part 1

    <h4>Book 16 Side Story Part 1</h4>

    The Dusk of Majesty.

    For those living in THE NEW GATE¡¯s world, this day was like a bolt out of the blue. Large scale tectonic shifts and simr natural disasters. Of course, the Rokuten guild¡¯s NPCs were affected too.

    Oxygen and Hydro, servants of the ¡°Red Alchemist¡± Hecate, braved the tremors in the ¡°Fifth Daze Garden Romenun¡±.

    ¡°Aaah! Our precious prototypes!¡±

    ¡°This ce shouldn¡¯t shake even a bit during normal earthquakes¡­!¡±

    The whole building shook violently, first vertically, then horizontally. This continued for a good while, at an irregr pace.

    Not only the medicine prototypes on the desks but also tubes, dishes, bnces, and other tools came crashing on the floor.

    The racks were specially reinforced, so their contents were still safe at least.

    Tremors that made it difficult to even stand up continued for one whole day.

    ¡°That was really violent¡­¡±

    Oxygen stood back up. Because of the long tremors, his hair was all messy and he had trouble standing straight.

    ¡°Agreed. Not only is Romenun built to withstand quakes, but also suppresses tremors. Despite all this, to experience tremors of this scale¡­I suppose it¡¯s enough for smaller cities to bepletely destroyed.¡±

    Hydro reflected on the tremors and went to look outside. From Romenun¡¯s location, it was possible to see the nearest city in the distance.

    Using sight boosting skills or items, it could be possible to see the state of the city walls and their surroundings. There was also the need to check the state of the area around Romenun.

    ¡°¡­well well, I did think that something unprecedented happened, but¡­what is going on here?¡±

    Hydro looked outside the window, thenughed wryly. Afterwards, she shrugged and sighed.

    ¡°Ahaha¡­really, there¡¯s nothing to do butugh.¡±

    Oxygen stood next to Hydro, carefully avoiding the broken prototypes and materials.

    The edges of hisb coat touched the ground, so avoiding them did not mean much, but that wasn¡¯t a concern at the time. Heughed hopelessly, then sighed like Hydro.

    The scenery outside the window waspletely changed.

    The guildhouse itself was still intact, but the various nts that were growing around it were gone. What remained was but a desert wastnd, a ravagednd filled with cracks.

    ¡°The vast forest that extended all around the guildhouse is gone, and there¡¯s ake over there too. But¡­how could the mountain disappear too? I suppose this is nature¡¯s power.¡±

    Oxygen looked in another direction, then exhaled, impressed.

    Romenun was located in a mountain range, about 30 kemel from the nearest city.

    No matter where they looked, however, the city was nowhere to be found. The ground level had probably sunk deeply, as Romenun¡¯s position was much lower than before.

    ¡°Are you saying that a phenomenon like this was caused naturally? Easy there, Oxygen, did you identally inhale a prototype during the tremors? The mountain disappearing is not an illusion.¡±

    ¡°The possibility isn¡¯t zero, right? That was a joke though. Not even our mistress could do something of this scale. The only cause I can think of is the ¡°management¡± the mistress once told us about. But the scale ispletely different this time. This is not just a new dungeon appearing out of nowhere¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you are still sane. So then¡­¡±

    Hydro was about to start discussing what they should do next, when she noticed something and stopped mid-sentence.

    Oxygen did not say anything about it, and they continued looking at each other for minutes.

    After about five minutes passed, they opened their mouths at the same time.

    ¡°This is too strange. I cannot find any exnation.¡±

    ¡°This is too strange¡­a lot stranger than the scenery out there¡­¡±

    What they noticed was not something external, but something rted to their own bodies.

    Something so shocking they almost forgot about the violent tremors they just experienced.

    ¡°Why can we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why can we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why can we talk so normally?¡±

    It was so natural that it took time for them to notice.

    The behavior limitation that always apanied them had disappearedpletely.

 Book 16 Side Story Part 2

    <h4>Book 16 Side Story Part 2</h4>

    ¡°I believe that we were in this state since the experiment started.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro realized their current state. Thinking back on their recent actions, Oxygen stated his conclusion.

    ¡°I agree. I recall that we discussed things like this during the experiment too.¡±

    Hydro added that the temptation to connect the changes with the tremors was strong, but agreed with Oxygen¡¯s theory. They were both alchemists: even if the earthquakes were a very suspicious phenomenon, they wouldn¡¯t tie all unexinable things to it. They simply registered it as one of the possibilities.

    ¡°We have undergone a change once in the past. This would be the second then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is true. Let us consider any simrities with that time.¡±

    The first change had also happened suddenly. They recognized their own existence, processed all iing information, ultimately leading to independent thinking. What made all of this possible was¡ª

    ¡°The ¡°Death Game¡± that was what our mistress¡¯ friend, Master Shin, talked about, right? Since our mistress wasn¡¯t around we acquired the information rtivelyte, but that is surely the case. I do find it unpleasant that there are simply no other viable options.¡±

    When they became able to think independently, they acquired information about what was going on in the world.

    The formerly immortal yers became mortal: when the ¡°Death Game¡± swept through the whole world, the yers who were not present could note to that world anymore.

    ¡°That time, even we were at a loss for what to do. Of all Rokuten members, only Master Shin was on this side too.¡±

    ¡°We were lucky that at least he was though. They said that many were left by themselves and simply did not know what to do.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro could move a little by themselves as the world underwent such dramatic changes, but they weren¡¯tpletely shut out from the outside world.

    Even when the yers weren¡¯t around, NPCs had an auto-mode that allowed them to manage shops, take small quests, acquire items, and manage finances automatically.

    The results were flimsy, but this mode was set in Hydro and Oxygen too, and they exchanged information with other NPCs through it.

    ¡°There weren¡¯t any geographical changes that time. It¡¯s not rare for new dungeons to appear and unlocking new areas happened before too.¡±

    The ¡°Gate to the Netherworld¡± dungeon Shin entered was one of such areas. Some dungeons were essible only during what yers called ¡°events¡± and some dungeons also formed automatically.

    Oxygen and Hydro agreed that there weren¡¯t anypletely new changes.

    ¡°As for us, we acquired the ability to think and our behavior limitations were slightly reduced. The same thing happened this time too. Our limitations were further removed this time as well.¡±

    Even if they had be able to think, it felt like dreaming for the most part. Their movements were mostly fixed patterns, so most yers did not realize that something had changed.

    Inparison, the change this time was nothing short of dramatic. It was like the puppets of a controlled world had suddenly turned into living creatures.

    ¡°Will another ¡°Death Game¡± be forced upon us?¡±

    ¡°Both ¡®Logout¡¯ and ¡®Login¡¯ are not possible anymore; what would be the point of doing another? The most important factor for the yers, that dying here means their actual body dying too, would be the same.¡±

    Oxygen recalled the changes undergone by the yers and stated his opinion.

    It was like trying to turn off a magic tool that was already inactive. There was no point.

    ¡°Wait a moment. If we hypothesize the first ¡®Death Game¡¯ was meant to instill a change in us, and the effects on the yers were just a secondary effect, could it be that causing it again gave us more freedom?¡±

    The effects on yers were just a bonus. Hydro considered this possibility, resting her chin on her hand.

    ¡°It would be difficult to disprove that theory. I suppose it is possible. But isn¡¯t the effect aimed at us and the effect the yers received too different? Even if we acquired the ability to think, the first time didn¡¯t change much for us. It was a muddled feeling, a state between awakening and slumber. Thinking about it now, it was quite unpleasant. But the confusion on the yers¡¯ side was somethingpletely different. If that was what actually happened, it would be an extremely inefficient method, something you¡¯d maybe try just because you could. Definitely not something well researched before the implementation.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose it was a bit too far-fetched¡­¡±

    Hydro would not be bothered even if her theory was doubted. She knew that it wasn¡¯t a usible story.

    ¡°Even if we want to examine the current situation, we know nothing except the changes that urred to thend. We need to do more research before we discuss it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. We got caught up in conversation¡­I suppose this is a sign of our change as well.¡±

    The first topic was to look for simrities with the past event, but it shifted to the goal of the current event. Despite the fact that they didn¡¯t yet know if it had been caused artificially or was a natural phenomenon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have some coffee first. What we need to do now is calm down.¡±

    Hydro made this proposal after hearing what Oxygen mumbled.

    They concluded that they were both too restless, decided to take a break and started boiling a pot of water.

 Book 16 Side Story Part 3

    <h4>Book 16 Side Story Part 3</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s start by researching our surroundings then. The nts are gone and with them the poison has disappeared too, which I suppose is lucky in these circumstances.¡±

    Hydro wore her equipment and looked at the surroundings from the entrance to Romenun.

    Normally, because of the many nts growing everywhere around the guildhouse, any research would be impossible without proper equipment.

    For added safety, they brought anti-poison items in their item boxes.

    ¡°Where should we go first? Romenun¡¯s self-defense functions are still active, so we know there are no abnormalities in a radius of several hundred mel.¡±

    ¡°All the nts being gone isn¡¯t abnormal?¡±

    ¡°I can see them buried here and there. The nts around here won¡¯t die because of something like this. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The sleeves of Oxygen¡¯sb coat pointed in a direction where nt-like vines were climbing out of the cracks in the ground.

    Thanks to ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, Oxygen had confirmed that they belonged to a species of nts growing around Romenun, so he nodded back to Hydro.

    The nts were buried in the ground, but were not in danger of dying.

    ¡°This looks quite unnatural too.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro left Romenun and headed towards theke they had seen from the window. The surroundings were nothing but wastnd, so there was no other difference with the rest of the environment.

    Hydro described it as unnatural because theke was much wider and deeper than expected. The ground hadn¡¯t just formed a depression: a depth like that would have required extensive work to be formed.

    With their sight boosting skills they could only see theke¡¯s surface from Romenun. When they arrived at theke and used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, they couldn¡¯t help being surprised.

    ¡°You think this is natural?¡±

    ¡°That would be difficult to say¡­¡±

    It was toorge to believe that only in that area the ground had sunk in. It was also filled with water, brought from who knows where.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything on the bottom though? If at least there was a monster or something, this situation could be easier to exin.¡±

    ¡°No, that might not be wrong though¡­¡±

    Hydro was peering into the depths of theke. Oxygen¡¯s response prompted her to ask what he meant. Oxygen then said that it would be faster to look, and pointed towards the sky. Still doubtful, Hydro looked up and noticed a ck spot.

    ¡°Take a look at the map.¡±

    ¡°Map? Oh yes, we can use that.¡±

    The map was normally only essible to yers, but Oxygen¡¯s words made Hydro recall that they could use it too now. Then she marveled at the size of the response.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too big?¡±

    ¡°We can flee at any time.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro could fight, but it wasn¡¯t their primary role. They didn¡¯t have high fighting power like Schnee or Shin¡¯s other support characters.

    They prepared smoke bombs that disrupted the opponent¡¯s eyesight and even magic power with sounds and smell and their trump card, a teleport crystal, then hid.

    They hid behind arge rock and used camouge mantles to blend with the surroundings.

    After a while, the silhouette of the ck spot became visible.

    ¡°It really looks like Durgin.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s much bigger than usual though.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro had seen the falling monster before. It was rather well known as an environment preservation monster. Its appearance hadn¡¯t changed much, so they could identify it with certainty.

    The only difference was that each one of its body parts had grown many times in size while maintaining the original ratio. Such was the Durgin currently falling from the sky.

    ¡°There seems to be a sort of ck mist trailing behind it?¡±

    ¡°The mist too, but the Durgin itself is pitch ck as well. I suppose it¡¯s in that state after absorbing pollution.¡±

    Oxygen knew of the cause behind the change in the color of Durgin¡¯s body surface. He recalled Hecate telling them about it.

    The Durgin eventually fell inside theke, as if aiming for the center of the water surface.

    The fall of Durgin¡¯srge body disced arge amount of water. A wave the size of a small tsunami struck the surroundingnd.

    The wave reached even the boulder behind which Oxygen and Hydro were hiding and left them drenched.

    Making amotion could alert Durgin, so they quietly observed the situation. Thanks to ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, they could observe Durgin from behind the boulder.

    ¡°¡­did it sink?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    Durgin wasn¡¯t incapable of swimming. It appeared wherever there was pollution, so it could act both onnd and in water. Oxygen and Hydro continued to observe theke, but it did not look like Durgin was swimming up.

    Then they both expressed their thoughts.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t moving.¡±

    Durgin came falling, its body huddled in a ball, without moving. Their impressions about the monster matchedpletely.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see the level, but was it dead?¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t look injured though. Judging from the color, it could have absorbed an excessive amount of pollution.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro had never seen Durgin in a state of maximum absorption of pollution, so they didn¡¯t know what actually happened to the Durgin that fell into theke.

    They could not see its HP, so they couldn¡¯t confirm whether it was alive or dead.

    ¡°Should we try to get closer?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see its level with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, so it¡¯s definitely stronger than us¡­¡±

    Since they couldn¡¯t see its name or level, there definitely was a stats gap so wide that it couldn¡¯t be filled with technique.

    They couldn¡¯t approach it with confidence just because they had high-performance equipment and items.

    Oxygen and Hydro weren¡¯t battle-oriented characters, so if Durgin was alive they could be in danger.

    ¡°The curiosity engraved in my soul is telling me to go though.¡±

    ¡°I know¡­I suppose this is the ¡°setting¡± our creator infused in us. It feels kind of mysterious.¡±

    Hydro expressed her restlessness and Oxygenughed at the new sensation. They hadn¡¯t heard it from anyone, nor read about it anywhere. They could tell, however. It was set as top priority in their behavior.

    ¡°Curiosity killed the cat, they say.¡±

    ¡°But also that even death can¡¯t cure stupidity.¡±

    It was too dangerous to approach theke just out of curiosity. Would it be right to go back like that however?

    Wasn¡¯t it better to rify Durgin¡¯s current status?

    They could easilye up with such excuses. Neither of them said them aloud, however.

    ¡°Are we cats, or are we stupid?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re both, obviously.¡±

    Using their ¡°setting¡± as an excuse would be easy. They had already understood, however, that their ¡°setting¡± wasn¡¯t forcing them to act anymore.

    Thus this was an ovep of their ¡°setting¡± and their thoughts. They simply happened to be both going in the same direction.

    ¡°Shall we stop looking for excuses to go back?¡±

    ¡°Right. There are so many *interesting things* happening, so going back to Romenun without doing any research wouldn¡¯t be like us at all!¡±

    They were cats afflicted with the sickness called stupidity. Hydro confidently stated that they were beings with no shred ofmon sense, who valued curiosity over their own lives.

    Oxygenughed and agreed wholeheartedly.

    We could get better equipment. We could get other items. They could easily find reasons to go back.

    However, they would still go.

    They didn¡¯t want to wait until ter*, they wanted to see it *now*. They wanted to know *now*. If they died, then that was that.

    They were both sure that if Hecate was there, she wouldn¡¯t scold them: she would send them off with her blessings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Their mantles¡¯ camouge was still active. They activated skills that concealed sound and smell and left the boulder.

    They prioritized their curiosity, but had no intention of dying. They would obviously do everything they could to prevent any risks.

    Therge wave had been absorbed by the ground, which turned muddy as they approached thekeshore.

    The terrain, changed by the tremors, had a rather firm quality, so after absorbing water it was rather slippery to walk on.

    ¡°It makes me want to harden it with magic.¡±

    ¡°Durgin is sensitive to magic, so don¡¯t.¡±

    Hydro disliked how hard it was to walk, but Oxygen stopped her ns.

    They didn¡¯t know if Durgin would react, but since they were hiding it would be ridiculous to show their presence like that.

    Although, Oxygen shared Hydro¡¯s displeasure.

    Theirb coats had been crafted by the ¡°Dark cksmith¡± Shin. They were one rank higher than other equipment of the same category. That was why they were using them now too.

    Oxygen¡¯sb coat was too long for him, however, so the edges that touched the ground were getting muddy and dirty. It waspletely white before, so now it was so dirty that it looked pitiful. The water it absorbed also made it heavier.

    Oxygen and Hydro approached theke, the former making dragging sounds, thetter without any noise.

    They arrived close enough that they could touch the water if they crouched, but Durgin did not show any reaction.

    ¡°It¡¯s huddled like before, not moving an inch. Either it died or is resting¡­but we can¡¯t tell which.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have handled it if it attacked us, so this is better for us.¡±

    Oxygen whispered while peering at the bottom of theke and Hydro replied with a shrug. If Durgin moved, their only option would be to run.

    ¡°Oh, something changed.¡±

    ¡°The water is getting turbid. I suppose we should go a bit farther away.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro realized that the water around Durgin was changing and moved away from theke.

    The water was changing in a ripple-like fashion, with Durgin as its center.

    Would the change affect only the water? Or the ground too? Careful to keep the ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skills active, they continued their observation.

    The water wasn¡¯t crystal clear to begin with, but because of Durgin it started turning to mud-like colors.

    The change eventually affected the wholeke and a sort of steam started rising from it. The ground¡¯s color started getting darker as well.

    Hydro and Oxygen did not need to talk before taking gas mask-like items from their item box and wearing them.

    The gas masks were equipment that protected against poison absorbed via the nose and mouth, like powder or steam.

    The white steam that started rising from theke after the changes caused by Durgin took ce did not look safe to breathe at all.

    It could also be absorbed through the skin, so they used another item for protection too.

    The white steam, carried by the wind, approached them.

    It wouldn¡¯t be wise for both of them toe in contact with it, so Oxygen stayed in the same ce while Hydro wrapped a rope around Oxygen and moved away.

    If the items¡¯ effectiveness ran out she would drag Oxygen away and go back to Romenun together. Incidentally, they decided who would stay with a round of RPS.

    ¡°The items are effective, but it¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±

    After a while, Oxygen stated his observations aftering in contact with the white steam.

    Thanks to the items the poison didn¡¯t affect him, but the items¡¯ durability was decreasing at great speed.

    The gas mask, which could sustain ¡¾High Poison¡¿ for 3 hours, wouldn¡¯tst 10 minutes.

    To gather as much information as possible, Oxygen collected a sample of the white steam with a preservation item prototype. He also collected a sample of the changedke water and the ground that started changing colors.

    After putting the samples back in the item box, they ran away through the white steam, carefully monitoring the items¡¯ durability.

 Book 16 Side Story Part 4

    <h4>Book 16 Side Story Part 4</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s really poison then. The range is too wide, it couldn¡¯t just be evaporated water from theke after all.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro returned to Romenun and immediately analyzed the samples.

    The steam was spreading in all directions from theke. It apparently couldn¡¯t enter Romenun¡¯s area and continued to shift along its edges.

    ¡°The poison is abined type that causes weakness, paralysis, and confusion. It is also three times more powerful than other poisons with the same effects. Without protective items, we wouldn¡¯t evenst 10 minutes, I suppose. If we equip an ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡» we could stay longer.¡±

    ¡°They were given only to our mistress, the other guild members, and Master Shin¡¯s support characters, after all. We can¡¯t craft them ourselves.¡±

    At the moment, they could use the byproducts of Hecate¡¯s research and the samples prepared during joint development with other yers. There were finished products too, but naturally the highest grade status ailment prevention essory was not among them.

    ¡°In that case¡ªwait, that¡¯s!!¡±

    Oxygen was about to say something, then his face glued to the window.

    Hydro looked outside too and saw a monster flying in theke¡¯s direction.

    ¡°A silver Dragon-type. It must be¡­¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s Durgin, it¡¯s no wonder for that toe too. They¡¯re a pair after all. Not even one hour passed since Durgin fell in theke though. Was it always so fast?¡±

    The newly approaching monster was identified quickly: that¡¯s how famous it was.

    ording to what they knew, however, it would never appear so quickly. Both Oxygen and Hydro cocked their heads, deep in thought, considering what they should do next.

    Being Hecate¡¯s assistants, their creation-type skills rted to item crafting, such as ¡ºAlchemy¡» and ¡ºCompounding¡» were quite advanced.

    If they reinforced the anti-poison items they had, they could stay in the poisoned area longer.

    ¡°To see Baomultan before it changes is quite a rare event.¡±

    ¡°We have to go.¡±

    Curiosity was their driving force after all. Oxygen and Hydro quickly stored the samples, prepared the necessary items, and left.

    Baomultan, the monster forming a pair with Durgin.

    A monster that purified the pollution absorbed by Durgin and brought blessing to the earth.

    Usually it had the horrifying appearance of an undead dragon, but before absorbing pollution it was a beautiful silver dragon.

    There was very little footage of its original appearance and very few people had ever seen it.

    If they moved now, they could see what kind of pollution it absorbed and how it changed in the process, so they rushed outside. They hadpletely forgotten about the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡» already.

    Oxygen and Hydro equipped as much anti-poison protective gear as they could and charged into the white steam.

    Even if they had forgotten about the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡», they remembered to equip their concealing mantles. Though it was something like a habit for them.

    Since they hurried outside, when they arrived at thekeshore Baomultan was still in its original form.

    It was covered in silver scales, which produced jangling sounds whenever it moved.

    One set of wings, two sets of limbs, a long neck and tail. It was just like what anyone would imagine after hearing the word ¡°dragon¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s huge. Durgin wasrge too, might there be a connection?¡±

    The Baomultan on thekeshore was three times the size Oxygen and Hydro knew it had.

    ¡°What is it doing?¡±

    Baomultan was spreading its wings, facing theke. It didn¡¯t look like it was doing anything in particr.

    They supposed it would do something to turn into its familiar form, so they observed it and its surroundings.

    What they noticed in their careful observation of any changes was that Baomultan¡¯s appearance was starting to change.

    Its beautiful scales visibly lost their gloss and color and started cracking. It looked like fast-forwarded footage of rusting metal.

    When Baomultan moved, sounds of creaking metal could be heard. It was very different from the shrill, light sounds of before.

    The change spread to Baomultan¡¯s whole body, which turned into a horrible sight in less than 5 minutes. A block of rust, shaped like a dragon. That was the most convincing way to describe it.

    The change was too quick, too sudden. Oxygen and Hydro swallowed their breaths.

    ¡°I see why so few people ever saw it. This is too fast.¡±

    ¡°So it can absorb pollution from a distance.¡±

    Oxygen focused on the speed of the change, Hydro on Baomultan¡¯s pollution absorption ability.

    They didn¡¯t worry about Baomultan itself because they heard that it wouldn¡¯t die because of the pollution it absorbed.

    ¡°What? A reaction from ¡¾Analyze¡¿?¡±

    Their ¡¾Analyze¡¿ couldn¡¯t scan Baomultan until now, but it suddenly showed its HP. They couldn¡¯t see its name or level, but another change surprised them.

    ¡°If it turns like this it¡¯s in a weakened state? Its HP is only half too.¡±

    ¡°After seeing that Durgin, it¡¯s not surprising. Not only the quantity, but the quality of pollution might have been different too.¡±

    Around Baomultan the ground was regaining its original color. Around theke, however, the steam had only decreased a little.

    ¡°Will healing items work on it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s worth a try. They say that when it turns like this, it bes more docile too.¡±

    Oxygen took out an ¡ºElixir¡» he had brought in case anything happened and approached Baomultan. He told Hydro to stay where she was.

    Even if they had information about it, the situation was still dangerous. Their equipment, however, would prevent them from dying instantly even if Baomultan attacked.

    If they didn¡¯t have such insurance, they wouldn¡¯t approach the dragon even if they knew it was supposed to be docile.

    Baomultan noticed Oxygen¡¯s presence and turned towards him. As the High Pixie boy was rather short, their size difference was striking.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to heal you, so don¡¯t attack, okay¡­¡±

    Oxygen thought it would be okay, but the dragon¡¯s form and stats were intimidating all the same. He couldn¡¯t help but hesitate a little.

    As Oxygen approached, Baomultan lowered its head towards him. It was close enough that Oxygen could almost touch it.

    Its dull eyes made it impossible to see any emotion. Oxygen poured the container¡¯s contents and Baomultan received the golden liquid on its snout, without reacting in any way.

    The dragon¡¯s HP recovered, but its appearance did not change.

    Baomultan faced theke and spread its wings again. Itsrge wings were tattered, it surely could not fly in this state.

    ¡°The HP is going down.¡±

    Baomultan¡¯s HP gauge already decreased to the point it was before Oxygen healed it.

    The ground regained its color and part of the water surface recovered too. When Baomultan¡¯s HP stopped decreasing the water returned to its previous color, but the ground didn¡¯t change.

    Baomultan retracted its wings andy on the ground.

    Its HP gauge was pretty much the same as before Oxygen healed it. The dragon, however, was crying in a pained tone.

    ¡°Healing it might not have been a good move.¡±

    Hydro spoke from behind Oxygen.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s true that it uses its own lifeforce to purify the area.¡±

    ¡°It surely looks like that.¡±

    Despite the HP gauge not changing much, Baomultan was progressively weakening. Something other than HP had to be decreasing.

    ¡°¡­Hydro. We came all this way, why don¡¯t we develop an item to get rid of this poison?¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, I was just thinking of the same thing.¡±

    Oxygen and Hydro made a decision before the suffering Baomultan.

    They couldn¡¯t let such an unprecedented research material slip away. With such an excuse in their minds, they proceeded to collect samples.

    Anyone would realize that it was nothing but an excuse.

    Rokuten¡¯s support characters were generally too kind for their own good.

 Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 1

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 1</h4>

    In the tiny kingdom of Passner, Shin engaged in battle against a monster that attacked its capital city.

    After freeing the giant dragon Durgin from its ¡¾Brainwash¡¿ status and defeating the Hellscream monster ¡ª thought to be the mastermind behind the attack ¡ª Shin and Filma, one of his support characters, carefully observed the surroundings for a while.

    But there did not seem to be any more hidden hostiles or traps.

    Shin and Filma joined with Sety, another one of his support characters, and disposed of the remaining Garmag and Kikiuz monsters.

    ?

    ¡° ¡ªI guess we¡¯re done for now.¡±

    Shin sheathed his katana and exhaled deeply.

    Even if they could castrge-scale magic spells, the cloud spawned by the Durgin was veryrge and the spell width was limited to a specific area.

    The Garmags and other monsters spawned only in the polluted area under the cloud, but, maybe because the Hellscream was defeated, they started trickling outside the polluted zone little by little.

    For the average denizen of this world, even just one of them was a dangerous foe.

    Shin also called Schnee, then they continued using magic to exterminate as many monsters as possible.

    They used the map to make sure there were no allies or unrted presences in range while attacking.

    The monsters had been following the Durgin, so they weren¡¯t spread throughout the polluted area.

    After the cloud created by the Durgin disappeared, the polluted area also started returning to normal. Any nts and trees which had diedpletely could not return to their original state, but it was still better than the area staying polluted like that.

    Shin¡¯s group eliminated all the Garmags and Kikiuz that showed on their map, then headed back towards Passner.

    Some monster units might have slipped through, but it would be nearly impossible for Shin¡¯s current party to eliminate every single one of the monsters that spawned on this asion.

    The map could not conveniently disy all Garmags and Kikiuz only, after all.

    At the very least they could effectively perform their cleanup thanks to the Durgin scaring off other monsters and animals.

    If the Garmags and Kikiuz moved to an area with other monsters, however, they would have to check and deal with every single monster presence: Shin¡¯s current group was too small for such an operation.

    ¡°Hopefully nothing bad happens¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do, the area is just toorge.¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, those monsters do not proactively attack humans, so we can only hope that applies to them too.¡±

    Sety shook her head in denial and Filma frowned, a troubled tone in her voice.

    Garmags and Kikiuz were nicknamed ¡°cleaners¡±. ording to the game¡¯s settings, they could survive by feeding on corpses, without having to attack live humans or monsters.

    It would be another issue if a ce with a great number of corpses was easy to find, but Shin had heard that monsters had the ability to detect such ces.

    He wanted to hope they really wouldn¡¯t go attacking human settlements.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to exin what happened.¡±

    ¡°How much do you n to tell them? It¡¯s rare in the current world for a human being to turn into a monster¡­right?¡±

    Sety tilted her head to the side.

    Filma had been sealed into a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» for a long time and wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable on the current state of the world.

    Sety too had spent a long time in a Faerie Vige, so her situation was simr. However, she wasn¡¯t forced to stay inside, so she had gathered information to a degree.

    ¡°I think we have to talk about that too, it¡¯s something too grave to just gloss over it. Whether they believe us or not is up to their judgement, though. But the monsters dide out like this, and they don¡¯t know the game like we do, so maybe it will be easier for them to ept it?¡±

    A human, a yer at that, had turned into a monster. An item that could control its target, much like how the Cor of Subjugation controlled the Durgin.

    These two elements alone differed greatly from what Shin knew of how ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿ worked.

    The people of this world knew very little of what Shin and the others knew.

    Royals, nobles, and such higher caste members could have ess to a vast range of information, but it still was very littlepared to what Shin and his party knew.

    Shin thus thought that they might have an easier time epting the existence of such phenomena.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that technology has regressed a lotpared to the past. They were surprised to see street lights, weren¡¯t they? Well, I guess in the past it was even too advanced, maybe.¡±

    Sety recalled what happened when they reached the town as she looked up to the sky.

    ¡°I doubt things will ever return to how they were in the past. The circumstances are too different now.¡±

    Schnee too probably recalled the past, as she answered without changing her expression.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go back first. I¡¯ll tell Yuzuha what happened via Mind Chat.¡±

    Shin and the others looked around carefully to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, then started running.

    Shin was running at his normal pace.

    Schnee and Filma kept up with him by using physical boosts.

    Lastly, Sety kept up by sliding on the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re not flying, is that a modified movement skill?¡±

    Sety¡¯s hovering looked slightly different from the ability attached to Filma¡¯s armor, that allowed it to expel magic power to boost her leaping abilities.

    ¡°This is an original skill I made, bybining non-elemental and wind magic¡­well, I¡¯m just using wind as propulsion while floating, though. I¡¯ve been practicing for a while actually, I can go pretty fast, right?¡±

    Shin was not running at full speed, but she still could keep up with him easily: it certainly wasn¡¯t a speed easily attained by a magic user.

    Sety¡¯s stats were focused on magic power and control, so she couldn¡¯t move fast enough to leave afterimages in her wake, as Shin and Schnee did.

    This technique was the result of her attempts to ovee such a disadvantage.

    Incidentally, Filma¡¯s armor did not simply make her jump by expending magic power, so it worked a bit differently than Sety¡¯s original skill.

    Sety apparently came up with it after seeing a yer hit themselves with a fire spell to fly in the air. It was difficult to control, however, so she couldn¡¯t fly with it.

    With a bit of luck she might manage to fly a little, but she could drop down to the ground at any moment.

    ¡°With a little more control, you could fly with that¡­tell me how it workster.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes were sparkling as he inquired about the details.

    He could use the skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to jump in midair without limits now, so he could do something simr to Sety¡¯s hovering, but in the end he was only jumping, just kicking tforms created in midair.

    It wasn¡¯t rare to see flying magic in fantasy fiction, so he always dreamed he could do the same.

    ¡°Will you be able to fly, when I¡¯m having such a hard time with it?¡±

    ¡°People can and will surpass their limits, for the sake of a dream.¡±

    Shin tried closing the topic with a cool quote: he was really looking forward to trying.

    The only problem was that Sety¡¯s exnations were always extremely hard to understand: he would probably have to ask Schnee to interpret for him.

    ¡°You two, we¡¯re almost arrived. Let¡¯s leave the chatting forter.¡±

    The group could move many times faster than a horse, so they arrived at Passner in no time.

    They rejoined Yuzuha, who was waiting outside the gates, and entered the town.

    Shin had told Yuzuha what happened via Mind Chat; in turn she had informed Garon and through him the authorities, so the news that the monsters advancing towards Passner had been eliminated was already known.

    The previously tightly sealed gates were now wide open.

    ¡°You really took care of it, just like that¡­¡±

    ¡°We could see the lights caused by magic all the way here. I almost felt pity for the monsters¡­¡±

    Garon¡¯s tone was a mixture of surprise and incredulity. Risha sighed helplessly too.

    The soldiers posted on the city¡¯s outer walls could see the shes of magic caused by Shin and the others as they defeated the Garmags and Kikiuz, apparently.

    Some of the magic users even trembled as they felt the power of their magic spells, transmitted through magic power shockwaves.

    ¡°There¡¯s something we have to tell the authorities. Can we go right now?¡±

    ¡°We could never ignore Lady Raizar¡¯s words, naturally. We were already told that they wished to speak with you as soon as you returned, anyway.¡±

    ¡°That is good to know.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group then headed to the royal pce, with Schnee in the lead. The members other than Garon and Risha were already inside.

    They arrived in the room where the king was waiting and found Graffior already there, together with a few other people, likely high-ranked figures of the kingdom.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait, sire.¡±

    ¡°Please, do not say that, you are our saviors. I should apologize instead for making youe all the way here.¡±

    Graffior then bowed his head. The other figures apparently already knew what Shin¡¯s party had done for the kingdom, as they bowed their heads as well.

    ¡°I believe you were already informed that the Durgin which threatened the city has been neutralized. We sent the information first as we thought it was of the utmost priority, but there are also other things we must tell you about.¡±

    ¡°What would those other things be?¡±

    ¡°There is the possibility that this incident was caused by human hands.¡±

    ¡°!? ¡­please, do go on.¡±

    Schnee nodded and started exining. The event was actually witnessed by Shin and Filma, but they had already told Schnee about it in detail.

    Upon learning about the item that controlled the Durgin and the former yer transforming into a monster, Graffior and the others had even graver expressions on their faces.

    They were surely concerned about the existence of items that could control powerful monsters, but even more by the fact that humans could turn into monsters.

    ¡°This is certainly not information we can simply make public¡­the human turned monster appeared to be extremely powerful too. We would risk causing confusion among the popce, and nothing more.¡±

    ¡°I fully agree. I believe it is sufficient to inform only the country¡¯s upper echelons first.¡±

    In this world, it wasn¡¯t as easy as before to gather or transmit information.

    If a country made a public announcement it would be known to a certain extent, but even in such a case its contents would get twisted as it spread. As the information left the capital, it sometimes even changed to theplete opposite of how it started.

    ¡°Drawing up a countermeasure¡­is going to be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, unfortunately we do not know of any effective means either.¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could reveal if the target was possessed, but as few people could use skills at present, it would be very difficult to find anyone in such a state.

    Shin and the others were sure that any possessed humans couldn¡¯t be found easily either.

    If they weren¡¯t registered as monsters when in human form, they could probably go through monster-repelling barriers too.

    ¡°Hmm, first of all, may I inform the kings of our allied countries? I do not know how much we will be able to do about the issue, but something might change even by just knowing about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We are going to inform people we deem trustworthy as well.¡±

    Ability and trust. They could share information only with those who had both.

    That was the opinion shared by all members in Shin¡¯s party.

    In concrete terms, they were thinking of Wolfgang from the Beast Alliance Falnido, Wilhelm in Bayreuth, former yers and the support characters of ¡ºRokuten¡» members.

    ¡°Countermeasures, hmm¡­¡±

    After the meeting with Graffior, Shin¡¯s party gathered in the room assigned to them to discuss the issue. As Schnee had told Graffior, there was nothing they could do at the moment.

    ¡°Could it be possible to add a status effect removal enchantment when you pass through a barrier? No, the barrier needs to have specific materials to hold enchantments, right¡­¡±

    In the game era, a possessed target would be found out and exterminated or healed as soon as they got near a town. In the current situation, however, it wasn¡¯t possible to fully defend all locations at the same time.

    ¡°We cannot deal with this on our own. Even if we spread our forces there is a limit to the number of locations we can protect, and there is no assurance we could prevent all threats either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    The enemy¡¯s numbers and fighting power were unknown too. Even if they set up countermeasures for possessed yers, it would be pointless if the enemy attacked withrge numbers of high level monsters.

    In the current world, it was impossible to assemblerge numbers of former yers or Chosen Ones. If arge horde of powerful monsters appeared, evenrge countries would easily fall.

    ¡°A monster might be trying to pull off something on a grand scale.¡±

    ¡°You mean that item was made by a monster too? I know that some monsters have intellect higher than humans¡¯, but¡­¡±

    Sety and Filma voiced their thoughts out loud.

    ¡°There might be demons or devils involved too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the first thing thates to mind, yeah. Then, the ¡ºSummit Faction¡», I guess.¡±

    The church cardinal who had attempted to sacrifice a Holy Woman to a demon was part of the ¡ºSummit Faction¡» as well.

    A demon had been pulling the strings behind their ns, but even without demon intervention the faction was always up to no good, as Shin and the others knew.

    ¡°By the way, it wasn¡¯t yers before, but the ¡ºSummit Faction¡» was involved in transforming people into monsters, right? We cannot be sure that demons are involved, but the enemy might be not only monsters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The people who coborate on their own free will are the most troublesome ones to deal with.¡±

    Shin nodded bitterly to Schnee¡¯s theory.

    There were people not controlled by skills, items or through hostages, people that walked the path towards destruction on their own will, and they were the most difficult enemy to deal with.

    They brought nothing but trouble to those around them, which made them even worse than others.

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s regroup with Shibaid and the others first. I want to check on Baltan too, just in case. I didn¡¯t use the gem it gave me, in the end.¡±

    Shin answered Yuzuha¡¯s question with his thoughts.

    He thought Baomultan¡¯s gem might be useful in the fight against Durgin, but had no chance to use it.

    He could remove the item that controlled Durgin without it, so he was confused about how he was supposed to use it.

    ¡°That pretty stone¡­I think you¡¯ll use it soon.¡±

    ¡°You know how to use it?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s cryptic words came right when Shin was furrowing his brow about it, so he asked back.

    ¡°I feel like I do!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me anything concrete?¡±

    ¡°¡­kuu, no¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ah!, no no, I don¡¯t mean to me you. Based on the timing I received it, I was sure I was going to use it in thest fight, so¡­¡±

    Yuzuha pouted and Shin hurriedly apologized. She was in small fox mode, so he gently patted her to cheer her up.

    After a while she started enjoying it, so he sighed in relief.

    ¡°¡­can I pet too?¡±

    ¡°¡­kuu.¡±

    Sety approached Shin to join in the patting.

    Yuzuha looked at Sety for a few seconds, then cried once to signal her approval and rested her head back on Shin¡¯sp.

    ¡°Ooh, so fluffy and soft¡­I could pet her forever¡­¡±

    ¡°I keep her fur in top form, after all.¡±

    Brushing Yuzuha was one of Shin¡¯s duties too. Thanks to ¡ºGroomeister¡», the highest quality grooming brush, Yuzuha¡¯s fur never lost its luster.

    ¡°Guys, you¡¯re going off topic¡­anyway, we¡¯re not going back to Shibaid and the others immediately, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. We repelled the monsters, but something else might happen. I¡¯m thinking of inspecting the town for any devices, traps or simr. It might be difficult in the royal pce, though.¡±

    Every royal pce had secret rooms or passageways: if Shin inspected in detail he would surely find them, but Graffior would surely not enjoy that. Such rooms and passageways were worthy as long as they stayed secret.

    ¡°The king and knights could not deal with the current threats by themselves, so I think they will ept, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there might be something beyond their understanding hidden here, after all.¡±

    Would they rebuild the secret rooms or passageways after Shin¡¯s inspection? In any case, he doubted they would leave them like that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go ask right now, then. It¡¯s going to take some time.¡±

    As Schnee had guessed, Graffior immediately epted Shin¡¯s proposal.

    A few of the other officials made rather sour faces, but did not object.

    They probably prioritized eliminating any dangerous hidden contraptions more than an outsider exploring the castle.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡±

    In one of the secret passageways connecting the interior of the castle to a forest just outside the walls, they found a trap that paralyzed and immobilized anyone who passed.

    What Shin found intriguing was the fact that the paralysis gas tank that served as fuel for the trap was almost empty. There wasn¡¯t enough to paralyze an adult human being.

    ¡°It does not seem like there are other traps.¡±

    ¡°¡­maybe this was his final attempt at rebellion.¡±

    The man who begged Shin to kill him before transforming. Shin thought he might have set up the trap himself.

    The inspection finished after 2 days, without any relevant discoveries.

    Obviously enough, Shin and the party were asked to keep the castle¡¯s secret sections to themselves.

 Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 2

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s kick it up a notch.¡±

    After the horse carriage left the gate and they had traveled some distance, Shin concealed it with a skill. They could move faster if they ran themselves, rather than driving at full speed.

    Yuzuha couldn¡¯t keep up with their speed for a long time, so she hopped on Shin¡¯s shoulder. Shin¡¯s speed was ludicrous, but she was a Divine Beast after all: she wasn¡¯t going to fall off easily.

    ¡°Kuu! She¡¯s floating!¡±

    Yuzuha looked at Sety as she ¡°skated¡± over the ground and wagged her tail in excitement.

    She had stayed in town for safety as Shin and the others exterminated the monsters, so she had not seen Sety¡¯s movement technique yet.

    Floating or flying monsters weren¡¯t a rare sight, so Shin didn¡¯t expect Yuzuha to be surprised, but it apparently wasn¡¯t somon to her.

    ¡°Hehehe, I might teach you how it¡¯s der!¡±

    Sety was pleased by Yuzuha¡¯s sincere reaction and gloated a bit.

    Yuzuha realized that she might gain the ability to fly and was very eager to learn. Shin could tell by how wildly her tail wagged.

    Would Yuzuhaprehend Sety¡¯s ¡°unique¡± exnations? So wondered Shin.

    ¡°Oh, there it is.¡±

    Thanks to traveling at a speed physically impossible for a horse carriage, the group reached Romenun the same day.

    ¡°Hm? I detect monsters other than Baltan.¡±

    On the edges of the poisoned area next to Romenun, Shin detected several monster presences that were not there when they left.

    Shin turned towards the direction of the presences and activated the ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ skill.

    There he found 5 Garmags: probably survivors of Shin and the others¡¯ cleanup operation, which managed to travel all the way here.

    Shin¡¯s party had stayed in Passner for two and a half days, more than enough time for the Garmags to cover the distance at their usual speed.

    ¡°Should we get rid of them first?¡±

    ¡°This is a type of polluted area, so for Garmags it¡¯s a natural habitat. They aren¡¯t going to do any harm even if we leave them be.¡±

    Poisoned areas did not invite human settlements or even animal presence: thus there was no need to go out of their way to hunt down the Garmags.

    From the monsters¡¯ standpoint, they had finally reached a ce ideal for them to live.

    Shin didn¡¯t know if there were corpses for them to feed on, but looking at the Garmags huddling together, he did not feel like taking them down.

    They looked very weak and debilitated, without enough energy to move elsewhere.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we tell Hydro and Oxygen about them? They might even start raising them as pets, saying they need to collect data or something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    If they left this area and headed towards human settlements, they would take them down.

    After making a decision, Shin then headed in Romenun¡¯s direction. Soon enough, they reached theke with the sunken Durgin.

    Baomultan was on thekeshore, as always, and Tiera and Shibaid were next to it. Oxygen and Hydro were likely gathering samples.

    ¡°Wee back¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Shin replied to Tiera and waved to Shibaid.

    Baomultan too cried softly, as if weing the group¡¯s return.

    There weren¡¯t any particr changes to report in Romenun.

    The freed Durgin had passed over Romenun during its flight: Baomultan looked up at it and the Durgin looked down too, then flew on.

    ¡°Did we do the right thing?¡±

    Baomultan answered by crying louder, then rubbing its snout against Shin.

    Judging by its behavior, the previous cry was a form of approval: it was probably a correct assumption.

    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I need to tell you, Hydro, Oxygen. Oh, I guess Baltan should hear too.¡±

    If the Garmags were going to settle here, they would be inside Baomultan¡¯s territory.

    Baomultan was a peaceful monster, so unless the Garmags attacked first it would not go hunt them down.

    So Shin thought, but he didn¡¯t want for any trouble to happen because he didn¡¯t tell them.

    Hydro and Oxygen listened to his exnations about the Garmags while nodding with interest.

    Baomultan too moved his head up and down, as if imitating them.

    ¡°Let us go capture them immediately. A monster spawned in the area created by Durgin is too rare to ignore. I wish to catch at least one.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. There¡¯s a lot of research potential.¡±

    The two immediately started their preparations, grinning and chuckling.

    They packed their item boxes withs and artificial lure, then wore equipment that let them temporarily use the Tamer job.

    Such equipment was used by yers that were not Tamers but wanted to catch a monster to keep as a pet.

    Any yer could easily gain the Tamer job with a little time, but most yers preferred to use their time in other ways.

    The equipment allowed the user ess to several Tamer skills, so it was also used to test out the job.

    ¡°Okay, off we go!¡±

    Prodded by Hydro, Shin led them to where he detected the Garmags. The monsters were beyond the range of Oxygen and Hydro¡¯s detection skills.

    The map showed that the Garmags had not moved away from their initial position, so the group reached the location quickly.

    The Garmags apparently noticed that Shin¡¯s group was approaching and were acting warily.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re weakened. Just perfect.¡±

    Armed with the capture, Hydro looked like a viin through and through. Oxygen did not say a word but looked as dangerous as her.

    If the Garmags saw Baomultan they would likely escape, especially considering the difference in their stats, but they didn¡¯t: they just tucked their tail between their legs and stood there, trembling, with no sign of attacking.

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t even need thes? Look, we brought you food.¡±

    Oxygen put out artificial feed created to make monsters more docile. The Garmags, however, simply continued trembling, not even daring to move an inch.

    ¡°Kuu, they¡¯re scared of Shin.¡±

    ¡°Of me?¡±

    Shin was surprised by Yuzuha¡¯sment. He thought they would be scared of Baomultan instead, as they were both monsters.

    The Garmags had apparently witnessed Shin¡¯s massacre of their brethren and the Kikiuz, so they were expecting to be his next prey and had half given up on life.

    ¡°I see¡­hey Yuzuha, if you canmunicate, can you tell them that Hydro and Oxygen want them to be theirpanions?¡±

    The Garmags were rtively close to Yuzuha in terms of species, so they couldmunicate. Yuzuha exined the situation and the Garmags agreed to go with Hydro and Oxygen, without a single objection.

    Hydro and Oxygen had only equipped the Tamer job temporarily and could not benefit from most of its bonuses, but since they didn¡¯t n to fight it wasn¡¯t an issue, or so they said.

    ¡°We aplished what we came for, should we go back to Romenun? I have to tell you about what happened in Passner too.¡±

    It was also the reason why Garmags hade all the way to Romenun, so Shin wanted to exin it in detail.

    ¡°A yer transforming into a monster and an item capable of controlling a Durgin¡­quite worrying.¡±

    ¡°We will try analyzing it on our end too.¡±

    Shin took out the cor that controlled the Durgin for Hydro and Oxygen to see.

    Shin had performed a simple analysis too, but, at the moment, he only knew what materials it was made of. He found no clues about who made it.

    ¡°This is all I know about its contents. You can tell at first nce that it definitely wasn¡¯t made to do good.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, the main materials are orichalcum and scarletite. I supposed as much. Then¡­I see, nothing that you would go around gathering proactively¡­¡±

    Shin rted the results of his analysis and Oxygen reacted with a frown.

    For Shin and Oxygen, it wasn¡¯t strange for unique items to be made with magic metals. The problem was that the non-metalponents of the item included things like blood and hearts.

    In the game, these were nothing but item drops, but in this world, if you needed blood you needed to have a fitting container prepared and go actually harvest it.

    If you had an item box like Shin had, you could store blood as an item card, but Shin would honestly prefer to avoid having to do that. cksmithing sometimes required blood to temper weapons, so he had built a certain resistance to it, though.

    ¡°You won¡¯t use our facilities?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rte what happened in Passner to several people via message card, but I think it¡¯s better to go talk to Wolfgang in person.¡±

    ¡°Wolfgang¡­?¡±

    Hydro and Oxygen seemed perplexed by the unfamiliar name, so Shin exined that he was Girard¡¯s descendant. Beast types would give birth to several generations of descendants over 500 years, after all.

    Shin preferred to meet him directly because he shared the blood of Girard, an important person for Shin. Wolfgang was also the king of the Beast Alliance Falnido, thergest Beast country in the continent of Eltnia, so he was sure it would be best to talk in person.

    ¡°That Girard, hmm¡­to think he lived until recently. That¡¯s surprising in itself, but if he could pass on without any regrets, I suppose it¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    Shin expected Hydro to ask how a Wolf-type beast could have lived so long, but her expression did not show any such intentions.

    Oxygen was the same too.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I am not interested, but I don¡¯t want to think of mypanions as research specimens.¡±

    Shin jokingly asked about it and received this reply. They were interested to a degree, after all.

    Shin was relieved to know that both Hydro and Oxygen did not think of theirpanions as research specimens.

    Even if Hecate had created them with a mad scientist-like nature, they still treasured the people important to them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave Girard¡¯s descendant to you then. Leave Baltan and the monster in our care.¡±

    Hydro spoke while looking at the Garmags. They normally dwelled in polluted areas, so they apparently felt right at home in Romenun¡¯s poisoned zone.

    Shin¡¯s party thus left Romenun for Falnido. It was a fairly long distance viand, so they used a teleportation crystal to instantly warp to the location they registered thest time they were in Falnido.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice you registered a spot.¡±

    ¡°Well, no need to make a show of it, right?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t exactly tell he did it while taking a toilet break.

    The party teleported to a forest, then moved by horse carriage, though Kagerou was the one to pull it.

    Lulled by the vibrations of the reinforced horse carriage, Shin¡¯s party headed towards the gate they were told about during their previous visit to Falnido. It was a gate reserved for those who had special permission to enter, unlike the regr one used by adventurers and merchants.

    ¡°Schnee and I will act as the coachmen. If the gate guards remember our faces, they shouldn¡¯t be too wary.¡±

    Shin had sent a message already, so he didn¡¯t think they would be refused entry, but there was still the possibility of mimunication or human error.

    Schnee¡¯s presence was likely to solve any issues they might have, but he wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible.

    ¡°Looks like they recognized us.¡±

    ¡°They were already informed of our arrival, apparently.¡±

    The gate Shin¡¯s party headed to was normally concealed by illusion skills. They didn¡¯t affect Shin, however, so he waved to the gate guards and they waved back.

    If Shin¡¯s memory served him, one of the guards was there when they left Falnido thest time.

    ¡°Ehm, has His Majesty the Beast King informed you about our arrival?¡±

    ¡°Yes. However, for added safety could you show me the fang emblem His Majesty has entrusted you with?¡±

    Shin stored the horse carriage and approached the gate, then one of the guards asked for such proof. Shin did as he was told and took out the essory Wolfgang gave him from the item box.

    ¡°Duly confirmed. Wee back to Falnido.¡±

    The gate guard checked the essory, nodded to another guard, and politely greeted Shin and the group.

    The guards had already sent a horse messenger to inform Wolfgang of their arrival.

    The guard said that someone would be there to pick them up and soon enough a gorgeous horse carriage arrived. It was avishly decorated vehicle, used to wee important guests.

    It was also ratherfortable, definitely of high quality for this world¡¯s standards.

    Horse carriages used by nobles and the royal family, while better than those used by the average citizen, still shook considerably; theck of vibrations in this carriage clearly showed that a lot of money had been invested in it. As expected of the wee carriage for royal guests.

    Shin¡¯s party was led to the same room they used when they reunited with Girard. There they found Wolfgang, Cuore, and two other Beastmen.

    After a simple greeting, Wolfgang urged the two new faces to introduce themselves.

    ¡°I am honored to meet you. My name is Volk Degaro, I am a minister in the service of King Wolfgang.¡±

    Volk, the Beastman who spoke first, was the type closer to Beast than human. He wore a loose-fitting uniform simr to a folk costume.

    He had white wings, a ck beak, and ck hair. His physique was alsorger than Wolfgang¡¯s: if he stood up he would probably measure over two mel. He was likely a Type Eagle beast.

    It was generally hard to tell the gender of Beastmen leaning to the Beast side, but judging from Volk¡¯s low voice and physique he was a male, or so Shin thought.

    His level was 244. Despite the bulky physique, his job was Mage.

    Maybe because he could detect Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic power, he seemed slightly nervous.

    ¡°I am a minister too, my name is Ciel Tio.¡±

    The other beastman was closer to a human: the only signs of the Beast species were animal ears and a tail.

    Ciel had short blond hair with hints of ck here and there. Her thin ck eyes were darting around, observing Shin¡¯s party closely.

    Ciel¡¯s slender physique suggested she was female: she also wore an easy to move outfit, simr to Cuore. She did not seem as nervous as Volk.

    Her level was 239, her job Beast Warrior.

    ¡°Do they know about us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve told them already. Think of them as Lord Girard¡¯s Rajim and Van.¡±

    Close retainers worthy of trust.

    Wolfgang said he had already told Volk and Ciel about them, but they introduced themselves all the same. As they revealed their identities, they could tell the two Beastmen looked tenser.

    ¡°How could I put this¡­your party has be even more incredible than before.¡±

    Wolfgang knew about Shin and the others¡¯ exploits already, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit awkward.

    The cause was the presence of the former Dragon Emperor, Shibaid, as well as Sety and Filma, who were on the same level of prowess as Girard. They had heard about them from Girard, so they had an idea of how powerful Shin¡¯s party was.

    ¡°Er¡­I know it¡¯s weird for me to say this, but try to rx and listen.¡±

    The atmosphere had turned tense after they just introduced themselves.

    The sole exception was Cuore, who wasn¡¯t nervous but looked extremely excited instead.

    Shin started rting what happened in Passner and the air surrounding Wolfgang changed again. It was tense, but in a different way from before.

    He was listening closely, asmanded by his responsibility to rule the country. Volk and Ciel too listened intently.

    ¡°I thought I had understood the situation after reading your message, but I cannot help feeling shocked.¡±

    Wolfgang and the others took the situation gravely.

    Wolfgang especially knew well how different yers were from normal humans, thanks to knowing Girard.

    Their knowledge and skill were very advanced, of course, but more than anything they had a certain something that set them apart from others.

    Many of them were also famous: while Shin did not know them, the people of this world would ept most incredible events if one of them was involved.

    ¡°Those who know yers well would be even more shocked to know this. Of course, yers are living creatures like us, so they too will die eventually¡­but still, there is something that sets them apart from us.¡±

    Volk and Ciel too nodded to Wolfgang¡¯s words.

    Chosen Ones were different from normal people too, but since they were born and raised in this world, they felt they did not have that different ¡°something¡± yers had.

    ¡°Really¡­well, let¡¯s leave that aside for now. I wanted you to know that there¡¯s someone out there who can do things like what happened in Passner. It¡¯s frustrating, but we haven¡¯te up with any effective countermeasures, though.¡±

    ¡°No, simply knowing about it makes things very different. You have my gratitude for all your information.¡±

    Wolfgang bowed his head and the other three followed suit. Shin knew that they were acting like that also because he was Girard¡¯s master, but still thought they lowered their heads too much.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s all the reason why we came here. Thanks for lending us your time.¡±

    Kings and royal retainers were certainly not people you could easily meet for a casual chat.

    Considering the contents of the ¡°chat¡± and the person it came from, Wolfgang and the others would surely ept to meet them, but Shin didn¡¯t want to take too much of their time.

    ¡°Where will you be headed now?¡±

    ¡°I n to visit several countries to talk with the people we know there. Some of them I can¡¯t contact via message card, after all.¡±

    Only yers and support characters knew of message cards. The only exception to this rule was high-ranked people who had ess to such rare items. It wasn¡¯t unusual for even Chosen Ones to not be aware of their existence.

    The first people that came to mind to Shin were Todo Kankuro and the Five Supreme des in Hinomoto, Hibineko, Shadow, and Holly in Balmel. The Five Supreme des had knowledge of the game as characters, so they were pretty simr to yers, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°In that case, I would like to ask you to inform the Dragon Emperor. The empire holds a vital position in the continent, so I would like them to know such information quickly. Falnido will send an official document about your report as well, but I believe that they will understand better the gravity of the situation if Sir Shibaid appears in person. If you have not decided on your next destination already, please consider it.¡±

    Wolfgang added that had the reporte from someone other than Shin and Schnee, they wouldn¡¯t have believed it at first. Information from the Beast Alliance would certainly be treated with due priority, but meeting them directly would add more importance to the matter.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. I know a bit about the empire too. It¡¯s the country Shibaid used to be in, we can trust them. I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Shin actually meant to go there immediately. The Beast Alliance usedmunication via Mind Chat, so information could be exchanged quickly.

    As Wolfgang said, however, they could not know if the empire viewed the situation as grave or not. The greater the country, the more information it needed to parse. There was even the possibility that the Emperor hadn¡¯t learned about it yet.

    Shin strongly wished for them to realize the gravity of the situation, so he had no objections to having Shibaid or Schnee act as intermediaries to provide the information to the empire.

 Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 3

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 3</h4>

    After leaving the Beast Alliance Falnido, Shin¡¯s party promptly headed towards the Dragon Empire of Kilmont.

    Kagerou was pulling the horse carriage at the usual breakneck speed. He made sure to elerate only when there weren¡¯t merchants around, though.

    ¡°Shibaid, can I entrust you with meeting the Dragon Emperor?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, things should work quickly if I go in person. I might have left the empire, but I have no objections to informing them about impending danger.¡±

    Shibaid was prepared for the empire to turn hostile after his departure, as Shin heard from Schnee. Shin thus wasn¡¯t sure it was a good idea to send him as a messenger, but both Shibaid and Schnee assured him that the empire didn¡¯t actually consider them to be enemies.

    ¡°Hmm, by the way, how much do you know about Kilmont, Shin?¡±

    On the path to Kilmont, this topic came up in the conversation between Shin and Shibaid.

    ¡°All I know is from documents I read in Falnido or what I heard while traveling, but I know that the empire acts as a breakwater against the monstersing from the Sacred ce. Like I said before, I¡¯ve never been there, though.¡±

    ¡°Your understanding is correct. The method they use is to build forts at fixed intervals between the capital and the Sacred ce. Troops stationed in the fortsmunicate regrly and cull the monsters. Monsters have a tendency to avoid the forts and move ind, so the remaining monsters are dispatched by mobile units. They cannot stop thempletely, like in Balmel, however.¡±

    The terrain grew thinner from the empire towards the Sacred ce, apparently as a consequence of the crustal movements.

    Monsters spawned in the Sacred ce spread in all directions, so it wasn¡¯t possible to eliminate every single one.

    If the number of spawned monsters was low they attempted to eliminate them all, but when there were many, the stronger monsters or the ones with higher mobility were prioritized.

    ¡°One more thing, the empire also receives reinforcements from the alliance and the church. The scale of the conflict is different, so there are more people than the Balmel battle you participated in, Shin.¡±

    Like what happened in Balmel, if Kilmont fell the hordes of monsters spawned from the ¡®flood¡¯ would scatter throughout the continent.

    Considering the size of the continent, the number of monsters that spread through it could not be too high, but for the people living there, it was definitely a serious problem.

    Animals other than human beings would suffer grave casualties as well, and, if nothing was done about them, the continent would be a den of mindless beasts.

    For this reason, military aid to the empire was never neglected, barring emergency situations.

    ¡°I guess there are a lot of Chosen Ones too, then. Or rather, it would be dangerous if there weren¡¯t many.¡±

    Average soldiers could maybe deal with monsters around level 200, but if they started nearing 300, there was little the average soldier could do.

    That was exactly what happened in Balmel, but Shin thought the empire housed greater numbers of Chosen Ones. He might even meet people he knew.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are acquainted with them, but there are a few former yers as well. Do you want to meet them?¡±

    ¡°If we have the chance, sure. Considering how many yers there were in total, chances are I don¡¯t know them, though.¡±

    Having met Hibineko, Holly, and Shadow in Balmel had been a truly rare event.

    ¡°¡­or maybe not¡­?¡±

    Could it be that the yers who were transported to this world shared a connection with him?

    The possibility had crossed Shin¡¯s mind before.

    Not only the three former yers in Balmel, but all former yers he met until now were people he knew.

    Milt, who he met during the Holy Woman kidnapping incident. Hameln, who used an evil tag on Schnee, and Hmee and Masakado in Erkunt.

    Thinking about them, Shin started wondering if his theory was actually true. He had met too many people he knew, after all.

    There were also yers he didn¡¯t know, such as the one who was transformed into a monster in thetest incident. Shin thought that there might be other conditions involved.

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡±

    Shin told Shibaid about themon thread among the yers he met.

    ¡°Hmm, one of the yer killers Schnee investigated, was it. Most of them were rted to you somehow, weren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­you could say they were rted, but at that time Shin simply cut down any and all yer killers he found. Thinking about it now, they did not have a close rtionship with Shin, unlike Holly or Shadow, they simply happened to meet.¡±

    Schnee answered Shibaid¡¯s question after reflecting for a short while.

    Shin had already seen the yer killer list Schnee hadpiled.

    Some of them he remembered, others did not stir any recollection from him. He cut down PKs in the same way as he did with monsters, so he did not care too much to remember each of their names.

    ording to the moral standards of his former world, it was a very dangerous way of thinking.

    In the game world, however, where there were no police, no organizations to maintain public order, so there was no other way.

    Shin was convinced of this even now. In ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿¡¯s game era real-worldws were meaningless.

    ¡°Is that so important?¡±

    Tiera, who had been listening, joined in the conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to to find everyst one of them, but I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t concerned.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not like you chose those¡­ ¡®yers¡¯ yourself, right? So I don¡¯t think you should worry about them¡­¡±

    What Shin did, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, was still within the bounds of how the game operated.

    Things you could do and things it was OK to do were certainly different, but in the game defeating PKs did not have any penalties. Naturally, it was impossible to somehow purposefully send an opponent into another world such as the game world.

    In that sense, what Tiera said was right. Shin hadn¡¯t sent them to this world himself, nor did he even think that was possible.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, but¡­¡±

    ¡°While listening to you, I got the feeling that you were the one dragged into it instead.¡±

    ¡°I was dragged into it?¡±

    Thement came from Filma, so Shin turned towards her.

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like you were supposed toe here in the first ce, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Filma and Sety had joined the party rtively recently, so Shin hadn¡¯t yet told them how he hade to this world. Schnee had probably informed them.

    As far as he knew, the only people he knew that came to this world were yers who died during the death game. Shin was the only exception.

    Filma¡¯sment might not be far from the truth.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like our present situation is going to change anyway, so it¡¯s pointless to think about the issue any longer if you ask me. Let¡¯s talk about something more constructive instead.¡±

    Shin agreed with Filma¡¯s conclusion and stopped thinking about things he couldn¡¯t figure out.

    Even if he dragged others into this world, or was dragged into it, the present was not going to change.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s this constructive topic of yours?¡±

    Shin bounced the ball back to Filma.

    ¡°The design of the ring you are nning, of course.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second, I only told Schnee about that, why do you¡ª¡±

    Shin turned towards Schnee, who was looking outside the horse carriage. The bright red color of her ears clearly exined what happened.

    ¡°She let it slip while telling me about your lovey-dovey days, you see.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t make her slip yourself?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how could I ever do such a thing?¡±

    Shin red at Filma, who looked away from him immediately.

    Seeing her poke her tongue out yfully, Shin realized he had guessed right.

    Next to Filma, Sety had the same expression on her face. They had ganged up on Schnee and forced her to sing, apparently.

    ¡°Sheesh¡­it¡¯s not like it was an absolute secret, but¡­¡±

    ¡°She was so happy with you, that she slipped a bit, that¡¯s all¡ª ¡±

    ¡°Big sis Schnee got so chatty when she started talking about it¡ª ¡±

    Filma and Sety looked at Schnee as if they were real sisters.

    Schnee was usually quiet, but notconic. Shin knew that she actually talked a lot to people she trusted. To Filma and Sety, even more so.

    ¡°I must know more about that matter.¡±

    ¡°You too, Shibaid¡­?¡±

    Shibaid joined in the conversation, intrigued by a topicpletely new to him. His dragon-like face made it hard to tell, but his lips were definitely curved into a grin.

    ¡°Of course, I will tell you all about it, even the tiniest detail.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful. I cannot join in yourdies¡¯ talk, after all.¡±

    Shibaid nodded to Filma¡¯s answer, very satisfied.

    Schnee, still looking at the scenery, seemed to be shaking ¡ª but it definitely wasn¡¯t because of the road. Her ears, even redder than before, proved it.

    ¡°You can ask me about it too, Shibaid, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no Shin, I would much prefer to hear everything from Schnee.¡±

    Living alone with Shin was something Schnee had desired for the longest time. As a support character like her and herrade, Shibaid surely preferred to hear her talk.

    ¡°You guys¡­¡±

    For Schnee, this conversation was nothing but embarrassing, but she had no way to escape as long as they were traveling in the carriage.

    Tiera, who had stayed out of the conversation, was conflicted as to whether she wanted to hear more about it or not, and simply looked at Filma and the others.

    Yuzuha was on Schnee¡¯sp and looked up, as if peeking at Schnee¡¯s face, but Shin didn¡¯t know what she wanted to do.

    Shin¡¯s party thus spent a peaceful journey towards Kilmont: they arrived at their destination after a few days.

    Because of the monsters, it wasn¡¯t strange for the borders between countries to be unclear. In Falnido and Kilmont¡¯s case, the border area was managed jointly by the two countries.

    The actual reason was that no towns or viges were built in that area, in order to use it to gather the monsters spawned during the ¡®flood¡¯, so they decided to govern the area in such a manner, as Shibaid exined to Shin.

    Maybe because the area was used to channel monsters inside, there wererge quantities of them everywhere.

    Extermination priority was given to the monsters heading towards Kilmont, for matters of protection, so the monsters tended to move towards the alliance.

    Falnido was aware of this and sent troops to the area, who cooperated with Kilmont¡¯s troops to exterminate the monsters.

    ¡°If only there weren¡¯t so many monsters, you could build towns here. It¡¯s not an incredibly rich area, but the soil is very fertile.¡±

    Apparently, they had inspected the terrain too. There was a small settlement near the fort used for defensive maneuvers.

    From the countries¡¯ standpoint, building an unauthorized settlement was surely a problem, but, because of the nature of the area and the small scope of the settlement, they turned a blind eye to it.

    As it was unauthorized, there would be nopensation even if they suffered monster casualties.

    ¡°Without the ¡®flood¡¯, this area would have developed as a center for trade andmunication between the two countries.¡±

    It took one whole month to go from Falnido to Kilmont, even by driving a horse carriage in a straight line. Any travelers between the two countries would need to stop at the various settlements along the way during the trip, so it actually took more time. These settlements were authorized, however.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that?¡±

    Shin and the others were thus chatting as they advanced towards Kilmont, when they spotted a group of horseback knights ahead of them.

    They were 24 in total: the knight in the lead was carrying Kilmont¡¯s g, if Shin¡¯s memory served him.

    The knights motioned at the horse carriage to stop, so Shinplied. Two knights left the group and approached the carriage.

    ¡°We are the 12th knight division of the Kilmont empire. I am Raekker, the captain. Are you headed towards Kilmont?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Do you have business with us?¡±

    The knight who spoke first had ming red hair and sparkling armor. There was one more knight behind him, wearing the same armor and a helmet.

    The knights did not seem to bear hostility or ill will, so Shin and the others decided to act like they were normal adventurers.

    ¡°So you came from Falnido¡­that is why you do not know about the ¡®flood¡¯, then. Most of the monsters have already been exterminated, but some managed to flee in this direction, ording to the reports. Our forces are fully concentrated on locating and exterminating them, but the area cannot be said to be safe yet. If you will proceed, please exercise the utmost caution. That is all, thank you for your time.¡±

    ¡°No, we are thankful for your warning.¡±

    The knights immediately left, quickly disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

    They were warning all travelers and merchants they found about the remaining danger, telling them to flee or ask nearby knights for help if necessary.

    Their attitude was extremely polite, without the slightest sign of intimidation.

    Shibaid said that they were one of the divisions posted in the border forts.

    ¡°Look, over there.¡±

    A short time after the meeting with the knights, Shin¡¯s party came in view of the fort. It had been built in a location surrounded by ins, to make it easy to scan the surroundings.

    The fort gates were wide open, as files of troops wereing out of it.

    ¡°Reinforcements to deal with the ¡®flood¡¯? Maybe the fighting hasn¡¯t ended yet.¡±

    ¡°ording to the knights, they are dealing with the remnants now, but¡­there might have been extensive casualties.¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question with a worried tone.

    There were provision units among the troops heading west, and the number of soldiers was high, so her hypothesis sounded convincing.

    ¡°That standard¡¯s emblem belongs to the 3rd royal knights division. They are elites who are only deployed when monsters over level 500 appear. That could be one of the survivors the knights talked about.¡±

    Shibaid exined that it was a special division formed by Chosen Ones and high-level knights. It had been deployed a number of times in the past as well.

    ¡°Do they act outside of emergencies?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. They have been deployed on several asions during my time as well. The situation is without a doubt risky, but it might not be an emergency.¡±

    Shibaid added that if it wasn¡¯t like that, the empire could barely continue functioning as a country.

    ¡°The situation must be dire, however. It might take some time before we can have an audience with the Emperor.¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid¡¯s whisper while looking at the soldiers¡¯ advance.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 4

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 4</h4>

    After looking at the troops depart, Shin¡¯s party joined the queue of adventurers and travelers to enter Kilmont.

    During the immigration inspection, they were asked to join the monster extermination efforts, possibly because Shin and Shibaid were rank A adventurers, and the guards saw Kagerou in hisrge form.

    Emergency requests were posted at the guild as well, to inform adventurers who arrived in the country after the ¡®flood¡¯, like Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°We got in easier than expected. The townspeople don¡¯t seem too concerned either.¡±

    ¡°¡®Floods¡¯ happen more frequently here than any other ce in the continent, after all. The townspeople must be used to it. The warriors¡¯ line of defense has never been broken through, I imagine.¡±

    Shibaid used the example as he knew of Shin¡¯s exploits during the Balmel ¡®flood¡¯.

    The ¡°flood¡±, phenomenon caused by magic power umting in Sacred ces and turning into monsters, happened with different frequencies based on the location.

    Some ¡®floods¡¯ happened in locations surrounded by cliffs or the sea, so they could not cause any damage, others had to be countered every time, as it happened in Kilmont.

    ¡°How is the inspection of the Sacred ce going?¡±

    ¡°That is probably the one thing that isn¡¯t going well at all. Some parts are surrounded by the sea, so reaching them is arduous in itself. Besides, in the sea, there¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°That what?¡±

    Shin judged from Shibaid¡¯s frown that whatever ¡°that¡± was, it was definitely something very troublesome. It was something rted to the sea, that much was clear.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t fought it personally, but Rah Muon has been confirmed to be there.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­that.¡±

    Hearing the monster¡¯s name, Shin understood why Shibaid would react like that.

    Rah Muon was a gigantic merman-like monster: it was a fish in human form and looked very simr to mermen. The only difference was the size.

    Rah Muon¡¯s total length, its height in human terms, was about 40 mel, as far as Shin remembered. Its arms alone spanned over 20 mel. Inparison, Reforgerer looked like a cute little pet.

    ording to certain websites, it sometimes exceeded even 50 mel. It was one of thergest monsters in ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, barring irregr ones.

    Its mouth alone was big enough to easily swallow a small boat. Encountering it in the sea depths scarred many yers forever, it was a monster through and through.

    ¡°There are no records of it ever attacking unprovoked, but anyone that approaches the Sacred ce inds is beaten mercilessly. I¡¯ve seen it grab Serpents as if they were small fish and rip them apart. Even if there aren¡¯t any records, I doubt humans could survive that.¡±

    If someone was dragged in the sea by Rah Muon, they wouldn¡¯t be found anymore.

    Monsters that average humans would see as enormous were nothing but ants for Rah Muon. Humans were smaller than mice in its eyes: crushing them would be a cinch.

    ¡°It only attacks whoever approaches the Sacred ce? Not in any other circumstances?¡±

    ¡°There are records about it saving people stranded at sea before. I think its nature might be the same as before.¡±

    In the game, Rah Muon was a boss monster that roamed the open seas.

    It never did anything to yers unless provoked, however. It swam in the ocean depths, so it was a rare urrence just to encounter one.

    Maybe it appeared sometimes in shallow waters and surprised yers, but that was it. That was the reason why it was only treated as a possible source of trauma.

    ¡°For the time being, the best course of action is to stay away from it, then. Research of the Sacred ce won¡¯t proceed, but to charge into a ce protected by Rah Muon on purpose is a bit¡­¡±

    There were other Sacred ces after all, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to go stir that particr beehive.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find a ce to stay, first of all.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I know a good one.¡±

    Since the party entered the empire on their horse carriage, they needed to find an inn with arge enough space to amodate it.

    It was technically possible to turn it back into a card, but considering the carriage¡¯s size, there was no way to do so without looking conspicuous. Shin asked Shibaid if he knew of any inns that could fit the carriage, and thetter replied positively.

    Soon enough, they reached their destination: an inn for adventurers named ¡°Blue Breeze Lodge¡±.

    It was an inn for middle to high-ss adventurers,plete with facilities such as parking spaces for horse carriages and stables for mounting beasts.

    Shin approached a young staff member working outside and asked where he should put the horse carriage.

    He told Shibaid and the others to go ahead and rent their rooms. It was Shin¡¯s first time in a Dragnil country, but Shibaid and the others did not risk making mistakes due to not knowing the ce.

    After securing the rooms, the next scheduled stop was the guild. Because of its position as overlookers of adventurer activities, they could surely find information about the current state of the flood there.

    Shibaid had already contacted the Dragon Emperor via a message card.

    ¡°You know, while we wereing to the inn I thought that the city looked really modern. The buildings are pretty much the same as they were in the game era.¡±

    ¡°Dragnils are a species with high longevity, after all. There are many of them who¡¯ve honed their skills to high levels, as well as many people living ever since before the Dusk of Majesty. Since they don¡¯t have particr preferences for the ce they choose to live in, unlike other long-living species, the town developed like this, I suppose. Lord towns are also pretty close to the old capital.¡±

    Pixies built viges to live in.

    Elves stayed in forests.

    Beasts too chose to live in specific ces, ording to their type.

    Dwarves often lived close to mines or woonds, but only because it was easier to gather materials there.

    On the other hand, Humans, Dragnils, and Lords did not have particr preferences for the ce they lived in. Dragnils generally preferred warmer ces, but that was it.

    They were all long-living species, with the exception of Humans; as Shibaid said, they had the advantage in terms of honing their craftsmanship. Many of them possessed unique techniques.

    Maybe, because of a sort of racial pride, Dwarves still were superior in terms of craftsmanship. They supervised all technical work, with the exception of magic-rted crafts.

    ¡°The union, right? I¡¯d like to see any documents about them, if we have the chance.¡±

    Vulcan, a Dwarf Shin met in Erkunt, had procured materials about anti-devil weapons from the union.

    Judging from the fact that they retained material about things that were considered mythical at present, the union¡¯swork of information was not to be underestimated.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost at the guild, you two.¡±

    Shin and Shibaid were engrossed in conversation, so Filma let them know they had reached their destination.

    Shin looked at the guild and noticed many armed warriors going anding out. They all seemed to be in a hurry, maybe because of the flood.

    ¡°Is it just me, or are we attracting an awful lot of attention?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s always like this.¡±

    Shin calmly replied to Sety¡¯s observation. They always attracted attention, ever since Bayreuth, so he had grown used to it.

    Schnee and Tiera alone attracted envious gazes just by walking side by side.

    Now there were also Filma, a different type, but beautiful nheless, and the adorable Sety; it was almost like they were asking for people to look.

    Because of Shin, Shibaid, and Kagerou, still in hisrge form, apanying the women, no one dared to go beyond looking at the party.

    ¡°It¡¯s more crowded than expected.¡±

    The door leading into the guild was clearlyrger than the ones they were used to seeing, as it was probably built for Dragnils. Inside, they found a packed entrance hall.

    There were people huddled around the request board and others enjoying a meal in the adjacent tavern.

    ¡°Some people are standing by as reserve forces, others never joined in the anti-flood efforts in the first ce. It¡¯s usually like this unless the flood is veryrge in scope. Some adventurers go gather consumable materials too.¡±

    ¡°That looks difficult in its own right.¡±

    The more Shin learned about Kilmont, the more he realized that without it the continent would easily fall into chaos.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re treating it as a crisis, but things might take a turn for the worse.¡±

    Shin and the others waited for the reception to be less crowded, then went to ask about the current state of things.

    The monster attacks caused by the flood had already happened four times. Their numbers were great, but their level was not too high, so the forts were not at risk of falling yet.

    Among the many low-level monsters, however, there were several units of absurdly high level: the troops Shin¡¯s party saw leave when they entered the country were headed to exterminate such dangerous foes.

    ¡°Should we help a bit with the counter-flood operations?¡±

    ¡°Adventurers ranked B and above are contacted if a state of alert is dered. ording to the receptionist, we¡¯re not at that stage yet.¡±

    In case of a real emergency, the soldiers stationed in forts would contact the capital. The guild would also be informed immediately, so there shouldn¡¯t be substantialgs inmunication.

    Shin and Shibaid were both rank A adventurers.

    Even if the information was being restricted to avoid panic, adventurers of their rank could be informed privately, added Shibaid.

    Shin, however, was concerned by the fact that he had already heard voices and rumors about the counter-flood reinforcements beingte from the surroundings.

    Because of the crowds, he couldn¡¯t tell who said what, but he felt like he heard the same kind of worriedments multiple times. Just like someone was spreading such rumors on purpose.

    ¡°¡­anything from the Dragon Emperor?¡±

    ¡°They said someone woulde to pick us up ¡ª there it is.¡±

    Shibaid and the Dragon Emperor could use the new generation Mind Chat through their adventurer cards, so Shibaid had already informed him of the situation while they were on the move.

    The guild was closer to the castle than the inn, so the carriage had been sent to the guild to pick up the party.

    Shin and the others left the guild and waited away from the main flow of people going in and out of the guild. Soon enough, a carriage with strikingly gorgeous decorations appeared.

    The horse carriage was even drawn by a horse-type monster, ¡ºBullhorse¡», roughly two timesrger than the average horse.

    ¡°It sure stands out¡­¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t have any time to waste, after all. Forgive them this one time. They also have something to discuss with us, apparently.¡±

    They could talk via Mind Chat, but apparently, the Dragon Emperor wished to see Shin and the others in person. There might be something else happening that Shin¡¯s party did not know about yet.

    ¡°Could it be that what we came to tell them about is already happening?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t look like that, at least for now. I think it¡¯s about the flood.¡±

    Shibaid had not heard the details yet either, so he pondered what the Dragon Emperor wanted to talk about, his chin resting in his hand.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. We will depart immediately, please board the carriage.¡±

    The coachman stopped the carriage in front of Shin¡¯s party, quickly stepped down, and opened the door for them.

    The surrounding adventurers and citizens looked curiously, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    The party got on the carriage, which proceeded to the castle without being stopped at the gates for inspection, as expected from a convoy for official guests.

    When Shin and the others got off, someone was already waiting to guide them inside.

    ¡°(Whoa, the soldiers¡¯ eyes are sparkling¡­)¡±

    Shin talked to the others via Mind Chat while they followed the guide.

    The soldiers looked at Shibaid as one would look at a famous athlete or singer.

    ¡°(Well, he¡¯s the first emperor after all. He doesn¡¯t disguise himself like Schnee either. It¡¯s kinda strange to see adults excited like that, though.)¡±

    Filma nodded as she replied, though to anyone else it would only look like she was nodding to herself.

    ¡°(The ¡®ck Dragonlord¡¯, the living legend who led and fought for all Dragnil¡­a hero among heroes who always protected his allies and bravely faced any and all foes. His halberd knows only victory, no enemy could stand after a single swing ¡ª they say that Dragnil kids all dye their scales ck these days.)¡±

    Something had apparently flipped Sety¡¯s switch: she wrapped herself in her robe in some strange pose and started talking about the trends among Dragnil children.

    ¡°(Now that you mention it, I saw lots of Dragnils with ck scales in town.)¡±

    Schnee recalled seeing them on their way from the town gate to the guild.

    ¡°(Enough jokes.)¡±

    ¡°Ouch!?¡±

    Sety¡¯s switch had turnedpletely on, so Shibaid unleashed a sharp chop to stop her.

    It didn¡¯t look like he had put force in it, but it was still a chop from someone with very high physical attack and defense.

    Sety was focused on magic attack and defense, so, even if he held back, the attack would be powerful all the same.

    It was painful enough for her to express her pain out loud, instead of in the Mind Chat.

    Shibaid signaled to the guide that nothing happened and they continued walking.

    ¡°(You went a little overboard there, Sety.)¡±

    ¡°(Big sis Schnee¡­I wanted to hear that earlier¡­)¡±

    Despite her words of reproach, Schnee caressed Sety¡¯s head.

    ¡°(Well, you¡¯re so respected in this country, Shibaid, so you could overlook Sety¡¯s antics, no?)¡±

    ¡°(Truthfully, I had the feeling that was not to be overlooked.)¡±

    If she was allowed to continue, she might even have started pretending a dark power was awakening in her right eye or something.

    Shibaid looked at her with a mixture of pity andpassion in his eyes.

    ¡°(I suppose that is a symptom that certain people develop in their teenage years.)¡±

    ¡°(Definitely.)¡±

    Shin realized Sety had the same ¡°sickness¡± he had contracted too. He could only hope she wouldn¡¯t do things that she was going to be embarrassed about in the future.

    ¡°(We¡¯re not going to the throne room?)¡±

    Shin was mapping the castle via ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and noticed they weren¡¯t heading to anyrge chambermonly used for royal audiences.

    ¡°(It seems they don¡¯t have time for ceremonies.)¡±

    Shibaid seemed to be already aware of the fact.

    As they proceeded through the castle, the number of people around them progressively decreased. There were, however, more and more guards, so Shin concluded they were heading towards a tightly guarded section of the castle.

    After about ten minutes of walking, Shin¡¯s party arrived before one of the rooms in the furthermost part of that section of the castle. Each door was decorated exquisitely and engraved with emblems and crests, showing the importance of the rooms they led to.

    Two guards were standing before the door: both were Dragnils and had the Pdin job. Their level was 255, so they certainly weren¡¯t ordinary soldiers.

    Their equipment was very simr too, but the Dragnil to Shin¡¯s right had an appearance closer to oriental dragons, with blue scales. The one on the right was more simr to a western dragon, with red scales.

    ¡°His Majesty has been expecting you.¡±

    The guide silently stepped to the side of the corridor, then the red-scaled Dragnil addressed Shibaid with these words and opened the door.

    Shibaid had contacted the Dragon Emperor, so he led the party inside the room. The rest followed him following the order: Shin, Schnee, Filma, Sety, Tiera, and Kagerou. Yuzuha rode on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°It has been a long while, Shibaid. I am d to see you again.¡±

    As they entered the room, the ck-scaled Dragnil sitting on the chair in the middle of the room stood up and spoke.

    Shin felt the same air he had perceived from the kings he met until now emanating from him: the aura of a monarch, someone who ruled over people.

    ¡ª Zaikuin Baal Kilmont Level 255 Dark Knight

    His level was maxed out, obviously.

    Not all the kings Shin had met had high levels, but it felt natural for Zaikuin¡®s level to be so high.

    It was no surprise that he had fought alongside Shibaid either.

    ¡°I believe I haven¡¯t met your otherpanions, other than Lady Schnee. My name is Zaikuin Baal Kilmont, emperor of the Dragon Empire of Kilmont. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Schnee had deactivated her disguise: having worked alongside Shibaid in the past, she had met Zaikuin before.

    Shin and the others introduced themselves too.

    ¡°Shibaid, so this man is your master.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Shin felt Zaikuin¡¯s eyes on him while he introduced himself and presumed that the emperor already knew about the High Humans. Zaikuin¡¯s eyes were fixed on him, easily proving Shin¡¯s assumption.

    ¡°Seeing him with my own eyes, I can truly feel that the myths were reality. So this is what it means to look at something apparently infinite¡­¡±

    Zaikuin was apparently trying to gauge Shin¡¯s capabilities, but thetter did not expect to be described as ¡°infinite¡±.

    What most people perceived and sometimes feared were the abilities provided by the game avatar and the powerups provided by the mysterious titles he received, but, if he returned to his reality, Shin was nothing but a student.

    (If the real me hade to this world, would Schnee and the others have treated me the same?)

    Such a thought surfaced in Shin¡¯s head while he listened to Shibaid and Zaikuin talk.

    ¡°(Kuu~ No problem.)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha?)¡±

    Shin was sure he hadn¡¯t voiced his thoughts, but Yuzuha responded to them via Mind Chat, while pressing her paws on his cheeks.

    ¡°(No one stays with you because of your strength. So, no problem, kuu~)¡±

    Yuzuha rubbed her cheeks against Shin¡¯s and he felt all tension leave him.

    He didn¡¯t know why he had thought about something like that. But he immediately epted Yuzuha¡¯s words as true: if she said it, it had to be so.

    ¡°(Thanks.)¡±

    Shin thanked Yuzuha, then looked at Zaikuin. As Shibaid¡¯s master, he had to maintain a proper attitude.

    ¡°You are aware of the information already, sire?¡±

    ¡°About the transformation of humans into monsters, yes. I have seen zombies and simr creatures before, but nothing like what Shibaid told me.¡±

    Not even the emperor of arge country such as Kilmont had ever heard of such happenings.

    ¡°Please let me know what you felt when you saw it, Sir Shin.¡±

    What Shibaid knew was all through Shin, so thetter¡¯s opinion as an eyewitness was important too.

    Shin talked about everything he saw that day in as much detail as possible: how the human seemed to be possessed and retained part of his conscience. He also mentioned the bizarre traces of intrusion into the castle and the trap set in the secret escape passage.

    ¡°Hmm, if the state of possession could be dispelled, we might learn about the mastermind, but it seems that would be quite difficult. It would not be reliable either.¡±

    ¡°If they are just kept alive in the possessed state, they might turn back into corpses once it¡¯s dispelled.¡±

    Shin thought that the possessed yer was alive when he saw him.

    After seeing him bloat beyond his original form, he began wondering if it wasn¡¯t already toote to save his physical body from the moment they met.

    ¡°If there is no way to save them, I suppose they should be taken down at first sight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. The yer expressed the same wish.¡±

    What happened to him to make him plead to be killed so much? Even if Shin knew monsters were creatures that normally did such things, he couldn¡¯t help but feel furious.

    ¡°You have my thanks for sharing such precious information. What are your ns now? Will you leave already? Shimaia wanted to see you too.¡±

    The main conversation was over, so Zaikuin inquired about the party¡¯s ns.

    Shimaia was Zaikuin¡¯s daughter: she could have attended the meeting, but apparently didn¡¯t as she was not told about Shin¡¯s High Human identity.

    ¡°We n to visit several countries. In any case, I have refused already. I serve my master now, thus I cannot respond to her feelings. It would not be right to give her any expectations.¡±

    Based on their exchange, Shin thought the princess had feelings for Shibaid. He had the feeling he had heard something like that before, but couldn¡¯t remember well, so he asked Schnee for confirmation.

    ¡°(Shibaid stated it clearly, so I don¡¯t think there can be doubts about it. He took care of her since she was a child, so he only sees her as a daughter, apparently.)¡±

    Shin imagined that taking care of a princess was the duty of maids or servants, but since she was the first daughter, not only Shibaid but also Zaikuin and the empress tended to her as much as they could.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who¡¯d ever take that girl as a bride, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, that¡¯s not funny. I am sure she has people vying for her affections everywhere.¡±

    ¡°If we disregard session rights and hierarchies, there are many other princes and princesses. If necessary, she¡¯d throw away her status without a second thought. She¡¯s tougher than you think, my friend.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re starting to talk like when you were young, my friend.¡±

    Shibaid noticed that the emperor had changed to a more frank kind of speech.

    ¡°In this room, there is only you, your master, and yourpanions, no need for formalities. I used to be an adventurer too. Besides, I never was a serious stick in the mud like you.¡±

    ¡°You never change, do you¡­¡±

    Schnee smiled helplessly: Zaikuin was always that kind of person, apparently.

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t proper for an emperor to act like that, but Shin found him much more approachable now.

    ¡°Hm? Someone¡¯sing this way.¡±

    After smiling relieved at Shibaid and Zakuin¡¯s casual exchange, Shin¡¯s detection skills picked up something. The map clearly showed an icon heading towards the room.

    It was a single icon, moving too fast to be walking.

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry friend, looks like she found out.¡±

    Zaikuin answered Shibaid¡¯s doubt in a troubled tone, putting his fingers to his temples.

    The new presence was going to barge in the room just like that, or so thought everyone present.

    ¡°It stopped?¡±

    The icon stopped in front of the door, and they could hear the guards talking with someone. An endless cycle of ¡°let me in!¡± and ¡°no can do¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should say she has grown, or she¡¯s still the same¡­¡±

    Shibaid seemed to know who this new guest was. Shin had a pretty clear idea too.

    ¡°Let her in.¡±

    Shibaid nodded and Zaikuin signaled to the guards to let the ¡°guest¡± in the room. The door opened, revealing a female Dragnil.

    Judging from her wings and tail, she was the type closer to the human side of the species.

    The beautiful young girl had jet ck eyes and deep crimson hair tied behind her head.

    Shin thought she was the princess they talked about but was surprised to see that she was not wearing a dress, but a suit of armor.

    ¡ª Shimaia Uru Kilmont Level 232 Dragon Knight

    She definitely was not the type of princess Shin had envisioned: she was more like Princess Rionne of Bayreuth.

    ¡°Shibaid!! I heard you were visiting, so I came!¡±

    ¡°Greet us properly first.¡±

    The girl¡¯s high spirits were promptly silenced by Shibaid¡¯s chop. It was probably more powerful than the one delivered on Sety¡¯s head: the girl held her head in pain.

    Shin wondered if it was alright to treat a princess like that, but since Zaikuin did not say anything, it might be a normal routine for them.

    ¡°M-my apologies. I am the daughter of King Zaikuin, Shimaia Uru Kilmont. I was in a bit of a rush because I heard Shibaid was visiting. Please forgive my rudeness.¡±

    Shimaia stood up tall and greeted the group with a polite, noble air to her,pletely different from before. Her expression was still a little awkward, probably because of the lingering pain.

    ¡°Honestly¡­I¡¯m sorry, everyone.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have already talked about the important topics, anyway.¡±

    They were just going to leave, so Shin thought the timing of her arrival wasn¡¯t bad at all, so he reassured Zaikuin and Shibaid, who looked at him apologetically.

    ¡°You have finished talking? Thus you have already asked Shibaid for support, father?¡±

    ¡°Support?¡±

    Shibaid looked at Zaikuin, his eyes narrowed.

    Zaikuin first acted like he didn¡¯t know what she meant, but he probably understood he couldn¡¯t keep pretending and reluctantly started talking.

    ¡°You and your big mouth¡­don¡¯t look at me like that, Shibaid. Now that you have left the country, I am not going to rely on you so easily¡±

    ording to Zaikuin, the number of monsters spawned by the Sacred ce was unprecedented, so the defensive lines were starting to crack.

    The knights who approached Shin¡¯s party before their arrival in Kilmont did not give out any hints about such a situation, so they were either unaware or kept it hidden.

    ¡°Are there reinforcementsing from other countries?¡±

    ¡°The reinforcements from the church are expected to arrive today. We have contacted our allied countries as well.¡±

    Zaikuin added that the situation was still rtively secure, at least until the expected arrival date of the reinforcements.

    The monsters spawned this time, however, exceeded even the greatest floods ever recorded.

    There were many kinds of monsters as well, especially insects and four-legged beasts.

    ¡°There are many high-level monsters too, I suppose? We have seen the 2nd division leave when we arrived in Kilmont.¡±

    ¡°You guess correctly. More than 10 monsters over level 500 have already been confirmed. The damage to the forts is escting quickly.¡±

    ¡°If so, why?¡±

    ¡°When you left the country, you said you were prepared for us to be enemies. Thus ¡ª no, that is just the facade.¡±

    Zaikuin paused for a moment, then looked at Shibaid straight in his eyes.

    ¡°Shibaid. To rely on you means to rely on your master as well. I know ¡ª know the world before the Dusk of Majesty, know how powerful your master can be. Because of this knowledge, I cannot rely on you so easily.¡±

    Zaikuin had probably seen what Shin and his party could do with his own eyes.

    He knew what the High Humans had done, how powerful they were, not through tales or legends, but as reality.

    ¡°Since you are the only ones listening, I will speak frankly. I was scared out of my wits. My responsibility as the emperor allowed me to stand as if I was unfazed, but when I heard you wereing, I trembled. And after actually looking at you, I realized it: you did not simply exceed my imagination, but much more. I recalled witnessing how you faced monsters and yers much stronger than us and pulverized them as if they were nothing.¡±

    Even if Shin and the others did not mean to, the overwhelming power they possessed made them difficult to approach.

    Zaikuin had actually witnessed Shin¡¯s battles; even if he knew of Shibaid¡¯s connection to him, he could not approach Shin without hesitating.

    His sense of duty as emperor was what made it possible for them to meet, apparently.

    ¡°Shibaid and Lady Schnee have told me about you. Now that we have met and I could learn a bit more about you, I understand there is no need to fear you so much.¡±

    Zaikuin¡¯s casual attitude had been an act too. He thought he could act like that because of Shin¡¯s nature, but was still very worried that he was being too informal.

    ¡°If we rely on you, however, it will be difficult to continue hiding his existence. Sir Shin¡¯s power is far too great. People will notice, and even if they don¡¯t, someone will surely want to know more about you.¡±

    High Humans were spotted in Kilmont. It was likely for such rumors to arise.

    ¡°What I fear the most is to start thinking that we can rely on you when the timees. I am not a saint: that power of yours, greater than any monster, is terrifying but also awfully appealing. I have witnessed how fearful it can be in battle, but can¡¯t help but think like that. Those who only know it through tales and legends are in even more danger of being enthralled. Simr things happened many times when Shibaid was here too. Some of those who support Shimaia and Shibaid¡¯s marriage do so because of his strength. Even if we did not receive your direct help, but only Shibaid¡¯s assistance, the same concerns would arise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we were always relied on, anyway. There were people who feared us, even if we did not mean to make them feel that way.¡±

    Schnee reacted to Zaikuin¡¯s words.

    Schnee and the other former support characters too possessed powers far beyond the average in this world. Because of her connections with various countries, she had surely experienced herself what Zaikuin talked about.

    People feared and avoided the strong, but at the same time relied on and clung onto them. Shin had had simr experiences, so he couldn¡¯t help but nod in agreement.

    Zaikuin was slightly relieved to see Shin agree. He spoke frankly but was afraid he had gone a bit too far. Shin understood Zaikuin¡¯s momentum grew as he talked, so he ended up saying more than intended.

    Only Shimaia, who did not know Shin was a High Human, could not keep up with the conversation.

    ¡°Father? What on earth are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°There is no need for you to know¡­is what I¡¯d like to say.¡±

    Maybe because she was surprised by Zaikuin¡¯s uneasy air, Shimaia did not realize Shin¡¯s real identity.

    From Zaikuin¡¯s words, it was possible to guess that a High Human had returned, so she might realize it in the future.

    Zaikuin seemed to be thinking about how he should exin it to Shimaia.

    There were no ministers or generals in the room, even though it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to join in on their conversation. Zaikuin was probably the only one who knew Shin¡¯s true identity.

    ¡°Shimaia, all of the people here have powers on par with Shibaid. Lady Filma and Sety too were subordinates of the High Human called the Dark cksmith. You know about Sir Girard, don¡¯t you? All of the Dark cksmith¡¯s subordinates except him are here now. Even I would get nervous.¡±

    ¡°Oh my! All those people who vanished for such a long time!¡±

    Zaikuin shifted the topic from the High Human¡¯s presence to his subordinates. He did not n to reveal such a truth just like that, not even to his daughter.

    Filma and Sety¡¯s existence was known, but after the Dusk of Majesty they had be part of legend, so what he said was not exactly wrong.

    Filma had been trapped in a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡», but Sety could leave her vige if she wanted, so Shin did not know she was treated as a myth in the same way.

    He asked her via Mind Chat and Sety replied that she concealed her appearance whenever she left the vige. Considering the ce she was protecting, her decision was surely the right one.

    ¡°In that case, I believe there is all the more reason to petition for their assistance, is it not?¡±

    ¡°No, it is not such a simple matter.¡±

    The empire was in a critical situation and needed all the help it could get. So said Shimaia, but Zaikuin seemed to be conflicted.

    Shimaia¡¯s opinion was not wrong: as the emperor, Zaikuin had the duty to resolve the current emergency and limit casualties as much as possible.

    ¡°Hmm, now that I think about it, you have only seen ourrge-scale battles, haven¡¯t you.¡±

    Shibaid had been listening to Zaikuin and Shimaia¡¯s exchange, then spoke up as if he recalled something. At the same time, hemunicated with Shin via Mind Chat.

    He stated two of his opinions:

    How the current flood was suspiciously different from all others before it.

    That he wished to help with the counter-flood efforts.

    ording to Shibaid, Zaikuin¡¯s excessive concerns stemmed from the fact that he believed Shin¡¯s power to be uncontroble: once it was unleashed it would bring indiscriminate destruction, much like a nuclear warhead.

    If they showed him that it was not the case and that Shin¡¯s abilities were more limited in scope than Shibaid or Schnee¡¯s, people would not realize Shin was a High Human.

    Shibaid had parted ways with Kilmont, but it was still the country he used to rule, now protected by his formerrade in arms. It was natural for him to wish he could help.

    Shin could understand that much and was concerned himself by the fact that the flood was greater than any other one yet.

    Shin quickly nodded to Shibaid. He had helped Shin many times since they reunited, so Shin would never refuse an earnest request from him, even if there wasn¡¯t a greater cause involved.

    ¡°In simple terms, it¡¯ll be fine if no one finds out.¡±

    ¡°Shibaid?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s unusual smirk left both Zaikuin and Shimaia dumbfounded.

 Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 5

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 1: Part 5</h4>

    After it was decided they would cooperate with Kilmont, Shibaid became extremely talkative.

    He would participate in the emergency efforts as an adventurer: Shin and the others would also be dispatched as high-ss adventurers.

    Not even the monsters over level 500 Zaikuin mentioned could pose a threat to Shin¡¯s party. If they fought on the same level and each did a simr share, Shin didn¡¯t risk standing out too much. Depending on the circumstances, Tiera might end up standing out more, since she fought with a divine beast as her partner.

    ¡°With Shibaid and Schnee fighting together, I bet most people will focus on them.¡±

    Two of the most famous warriors on the continent were fighting side by side: they would obviously attract a lot of attention.

    Since standing out was one of their goals this time, Shibaid and Schnee would fight without disguises.

    The other party members would surely attract attention too, just not to the same degree, or so Shin predicted.

    ¡°So now the leaders have gathered to exchange information¡­¡±

    Shin and the others moved to arge conference room, to be introduced to the empire¡¯s leading figures aside from Zaikuin and Shimaia and decide their uing strategy.

    Looking at the imperial officials, generals, officers, and other major members, Shin muttered something under his breath.

    ¡°(So¡­why are you here?)¡±

    ¡°(Hmm, maybe because I¡¯m the strongest in the church¡¯s reinforcements, right?)¡±

    ¡°(Why are you asking me¡­)¡±

    It would be suspicious to mumble by himself, so Shin switched to yer chat.

    The person he talked to was a short girl with unusuallyrge eyes, Milt.

    She had been manipted by demons and forced to do their bidding. After Shin brought her back to her senses, she assisted the church in order to make amends for kidnapping the Holy Woman.

    As part of such efforts, she joined the reinforcements sent by the church to Kilmont.

    They talked via chat, but Milt smiled and waved at Shin.

    ¡°(I¡¯m not a follower of the church, but just a coborator, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in charge of their troops, though. I was told that I should join in this briefing because I¡¯m their greatest asset in battle, you see.)¡±

    Milt looked upwards as she continued talking via Mind Chat.

    Her gaze pointed at a man d in the armor reserved for church knights and a woman wearing monastery robes. They were talking with a Kilmont officer, so they were probablymander and vicemander of the church reinforcements.

    The man introduced himself as Reiner, the woman Lourie.

    ¡°(I didn¡¯t expect to see you here though, Shin. Is there a demon behind this flood?)¡±

    Demons were involved in the event that led to Milt and Shin¡¯s reunion, so she thought they might be this time too.

    ¡°(We came to Kilmont for another reason, we just heard about this crisis. I have no idea what caused the flood either.)¡±

    ¡°(Oh really. Can I ask about this other reason?)¡±

    ¡°(You know about it already, Milt. I contacted you a couple of days ago, right? About the yer transforming into a monster.)¡±

    On the way to Kilmont, Shin had contacted everyone he could about the events that transpired in Passner.

    ¡°(Oh, that. I was surprised, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it myself. There are few people who use the possession statuses to attack, so protecting myself with the item you sent is pretty much all I can do¡­)¡±

    Shin had sent an item that neutralized the possession status with the message card, for added safety. It was a ne, so it wasn¡¯t visible, but Milt probably equipped it already.

    ¡°(Aside from that, did you talk directly with the emperor? Don¡¯t tell me you sneaked in¡­wait, Schnee¡¯s with you, so it¡¯s possible¡­)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m not sneaking in anywhere, with or without Schnee! Shibaid is the former emperor, so we got in thanks to his connections.)¡±

    Milt was apparently unaware that Shibaid was the former Dragon Emperor, so she was very surprised.

    ¡°(I see. I didn¡¯t know much about the empire, now that I think about it¡­)¡±

    ¡°(What have you been doing until now? Weren¡¯t you traveling all over the continent?)¡±

    ¡°(I got manipted once, after all. At first, I was hunting monsters close to where I lived.)¡±

    She had returned to her senses thanks to Shin and helped rescue the kidnapped Holy Woman, so she was probably trusted to an extent.

    ¡°Milt, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh? I saw someone I know, so I just said hi.¡±

    Reiner noticed what Milt was up to and looked at Shin. There was a rather sharp re in his eyes.

    ¡°The war council isn¡¯t over yet. Focus.¡±

    ¡°Yessir!!¡±

    Milt saluted and winked in response.

    Shin caught Rainer¡¯s eyes slipping down towards Milt¡¯s ample bosom.

    He understood well what Reiner was probably feeling, so he pretended not to notice.

    ¡°Shin, please.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

    Schnee noticed Shin and Milt¡¯s conversation, then urged him to focus again on the meeting. He looked down at the map: the current topic was how to move the armed forces.

    The map showed Kilmont on the right and an approximate location of the Sacred ce. The forts and symbols unknown to Shin were marked as well.

    ¡°We have received a report that the sixth wave of the flood is currently heading towards fort 11. The 3rd imperial knights division is heading to take down the Stoluz that spawned in the fifth wave. Based on the speed of the sixth wave they are likely to encounter it during the battle or immediately afterward. Even if the level of the monsters is low, to face a horde of them while fighting with a high-level monster would be too risky. Reinforcements have to be sent to all forts, but I wish to prioritize making sure that the 3rd division does not encounter the sixth wave horde of monsters.¡±

    ¡°The closest fort is the 9th, so sending reinforcements there is our only option, I suppose. Should we increase the numbers?¡±

    ¡°Focusing on that fort would increase the burden on the other ones, though. ording to the reports, the repairs of the frontline forts are running behind schedule.¡±

    The council was clearly split on the usage of their limited forces.

    ¡°¡­what do you think, Shibaid?¡±

    While themander in charge of the reinforcements and the Kilmont general were exchanging opinions, Shimaia asked what was on Shibaid¡¯s mind, since he had only been listening quietly.

    The people who were discussing so fervently until a moment ago turned suddenly quiet. Everyone wanted to know, apparently.

    ¡°I have a general idea of the casualties and damage. I wish to know more details about the enemy. What happened to the monsters from the first to fifth wave?¡±

    The conference room turned deadly silent, in stark contrast with the previous heated discussion. Shibaid¡¯s low, calm voice echoed clearly, and the captain of the first division of the imperial knights rose to reply.

    He was a Dragnil with ck scales like Shibaid, though they were slightly lighter in color, named Rhubaid.

    Like Shimaia, his name was simr to Shibaid¡¯s because of the Kilmont custom to name children after the country¡¯s heroes.

    Shin had heard about this from Schnee before.

    ¡°We do not have aplete understanding of the monsters that moved to the Falnido area, but all monsters up to the fourth wave should have been exterminated. Some smaller packs of the fifth wave are still scattered, however. We have dealt with therger packs, but not with all the smaller ones.¡±

    ¡°I have heard there are several high-level monster units too?¡±

    ¡°The 3rd royal knights division is supposed to deal with them. ording to our scouts, most high-level monster units are moving independently. A few of them, however, have joined smaller packs. I believe it will be necessary to send more reinforcements, from the forts or here, to eliminate them. We have already sent orders to the 2nd royal knights division not to engage in fighting beyond their capabilities.¡±

    Shibaid was the former emperor, but now he was just an adventurer, so Rhubaid did not use especially polite speech to him. Shibaid did not seem to mind either.

    The 3rd royal knights division was apparently scheduled to deal with the monster units acting independently. Even that division, created to eliminate high-level monsters, would have a hard time if said monsters joined packs of lower-level monsters.

    ¡°In that case, let us send Shin and Tiera to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin and Tiera reacted with surprise at being called out all of a sudden.

    Shibaid did not use a title to address Tiera because he did not use it with the other members either.

    Shibaid normally addressed other support characters with a title, but Schnee and the others were an exception.

    ¡°The adventurers with you, I see. Can they handle it?¡±

    ¡°Schnee and I both vouch for them. Think of them as having abilities on our level.¡±

    ¡°¡­at a time like this, I should be d to hear that.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s clear words made Rhubaid¡¯s expression cloud a little.

    He probably thought they couldn¡¯t bepletely on the same level.

    From Rhubaid¡¯s standpoint, however, it meant that there were six people capable of annihting the entire country, or at the very least bringing it to its knees, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive.

    Schnee and Shibaid¡¯s character was well known, but the same could not be said for the others.

    ¡°A skilled adventurer by the name of Shin¡­could you be the ¡ºshing Hammer¡»?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, well, I have been called that before.¡±

    Shin¡¯s nickname was mentioned by Reiner, the church knight who had reprimanded Milt before.

    ¡°So you are the adventurer who became famous after the Balmel flood. But wait¡­if Sir Shin is the ¡ºshing Hammer¡», then Lady Tiera is the ¡ºBow Princess¡»?¡±

    ¡°Er, I don¡¯t know about that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the name given to the archer who shot arrows of light on the battlefield. I heard she was an elf with unusually ck hair. And a party member of the¡ºshing Hammer¡», if I recall correctly.¡±

    Shin thought that he was definitely talking about Tiera.

    He was as famous as Schnee in Balmel, so it was not strange for him to receive a nickname. He honestly wondered why only his ¡ºshing Hammer¡»title had gotten so popr, though.

    He did not think that Tiera had received a nickname matching her ¡ºBow Princess¡» gear set, though.

    She had not used that equipment in Balmel, so the nickname probably came from the fact that she was a beautiful bow user.

    ¡°I have heard of your exploits as well. This flood has already reached levels close to the one in Balmel. If you have fought sessfully then, we can expect great things from both of you.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    Rhubaid¡¯s words were answered not by Shin, but by a vigorously nodding Shibaid.

    Shin considered the Balmel events to be in the far past already, but maybe because information spread slowly, or maybe because they were adventurers, many of the people present were surprised by Rhubaid and Reiner¡¯s words.

    ¡°If you allow me a proposal, could Sir Shin and Lady Tiera apany us? Our church reinforcements are set to head to the 9th fort. If necessary, we will join with the 3rd royal knights division. As our destination is the same, I do not believe it necessary to move separately.¡±

    Reiner waited for a lull in the conversation to make this proposal. Shin intended to move independently, so Reiner¡¯s words took him by surprise.

    ¡°As long as the schedule we decided on is respected, we have no objections. What do you say, Sir Shin? We have been informed that Sir Shibaid and hispanions are allowed to move independently.¡±

    Rhubaid then turned towards the back of the conference room, where the emperor was seated.

    He meant to implicitly ask Zaikuin for his confirmation, and thetter nodded. All final decisions about the movements of the imperial armyy with the Dragon Emperor.

    In the case of Shin¡¯s party, it was definitely more effective for them to move freely than to join other divisions.

    ¡°We will go ahead by ourselves if urgent reinforcements are needed, but unless such circumstances happen I have no issue apanying you. What do you think, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have no objections either.¡±

    Tiera, who would have never expected to know that a nickname for her was also spreading, was still a little shaken.

    Shin suspected that there was something behind the proposal, but as long as they went to exterminate dangerous monsters he had no reason to refuse.

    He did not know where the monsters were, nor was he familiar with they of thend, so he wasn¡¯t sure he could locate the monsters quickly.

    It was still possible for them to act independently, but he probably wouldn¡¯t charge into a monster horde and go wild as he did in Balmel.

    The imperial army seemed to have precise information about the monsters¡¯ whereabouts, so there was no reason to act on his own and risk going in the wrong direction.

    Another reason was that he wanted to ask Milt about what happened to the Holy Woman Hermie, after they left.

    ¡°What should the other members do?¡±

    Shin asked Shibaid, to reinforce the impression that Shibaid was the leader of the party.

    ¡°I am thinking that I will go with Sety while Schnee will go with Filma. It will be more effective to deal with the monsters like this.¡±

    Groupsposed of one front and one rear guard member. Shin and Schnee could take both roles if needed, so the bnce was not bad.

    Tiera¡¯s stats had grown remarkably and she had equipment provided by Shin, so she could surely perform well as a rearguard fighter.

    Her fighting ability was the lowest in the party, but with Shin as her partner and Kagerou at her side, she would not drag him down.

    Or rather, it was simply unfair topare her with them: for a denizen of the new world, Tiera¡¯s strength was already at nigh impossible levels. She was the only one unable to believe it.

    Shibaid and Schnee¡¯s fame would also help boost the morale of the soldiers who did not know of their participation yet.

    ¡°Sety and I will proceed west towards the Sacred ce. Schnee and Filma will head north, destroying any monster groups on the way. Shin and Tiera will act as mobile units, prioritizing the elimination of high-level monster units.¡±

    ¡°No objections.¡±

    Shin had no qualms about the strategy.

    The most important point when dealing with floods was the number of monsters.

    Shibaid and Filma would gather them in one ce, then Sety and Schnee would eliminate them withrge-scale magic: that was the most effective method. Moving in small groups allowed high flexibility and prevented the possibility of friendly fire.

    It also meant being able to cover a smaller area, but the high speed provided by their statspensated for more than enough. Their movement and extermination speed were overwhelmingly greater than any single army.

    ¡°The numbers are different, but the strategy is the same as during Shibaid¡¯s era. Its effectiveness is proven and we do not have to take special measures. I personally agree.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Adopting unusual strategies could lead to confusion among the troops. Are there any objections?¡±

    Shimaia agreed and Rhubaid finally asked for any different opinions, but everyone nodded in response.

    During Shibaid¡¯s reign, they used a simr strategy of gathering monsters into one spot and eliminating them in one fell swoop. For Kilmont, it was a tried and true method they were familiar with, so many nodded with conviction.

    After the movements of Shin¡¯s party were decided, the meeting proceeded smoothly. The usage of the avable forces had been the bottleneck, evidently.

    ¡°So, why are youing with us? Like it¡¯s the most natural thing in the world?¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so mean! With all the things that happened between us!¡±

    After the conference, Shin and the others returned to their inn. They were offered a room in the castle, but they were adventurers, so Shibaid opted out of such special treatment.

    Their numbers increased as they returned to the inn, however: Milt had followed the party.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to stay with the church people?¡±

    ¡°I said I wanted to go with you, and they said it was a good idea, instead. I guess they want to make connections with Shibaid and Schnee, more than you, though. They¡¯re from the ¡ºHealing¡» Holy Woman faction, not the ¡ºSoothsaying¡» one.¡±

    The fact that adventurers had coborated with the church to rescue Hermie, the ¡°Soothsaying¡± Holy Woman, was known: it was said that they were powerful Chosen Ones.

    The Holy Women were not in direct conflict with each other, but they had different factions backing them, probably interested in making connections with powerful figures, or so Milt said.

    ¡°Well, I have no intention of making connections either.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I thought so.¡±

    Milt had used the connection building as an excuse to go with Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°I have a few old acquaintances here, and it¡¯s not like wemunicate often. We have to use chances like this to talk. I¡¯ll tell you about what I heard in the church too, how about it?¡±

    ¡°Talking is fine, but you¡¯re a tad too close¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on, what¡¯s the problem?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if she was aware of it or not, but Milt was hugging Shin in a way that his arm was squeezed between her breasts. Shin already pushed her away, but Tiera¡¯s gaze was piercing him like a dagger.

    Shibaid and Schnee had already departed, so only Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou were left.

    If Schnee was present, she would have definitely looked at Shin the same way Tiera did.

    ¡°I see you have new people with you too, I bet you have lots of interesting stories to tell.¡±

    ¡°I have a really bad feeling about this¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s group would leave the next day, together with the church troops.

    Milt said she was going to spend the night with them and wouldn¡¯t be persuaded, so Shin already had a headache from her far too easygoing attitude.

 Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 1

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 1</h4>

    The next day¡­

    Shin had managed to push the overly excited Milt into Tiera¡¯s room and avoid spending the night in the same room with her. Nothing would have happened even if they slept in the same room, but there was no need to act in a way that could create misunderstandings.

    ¡°So, somehow Tiera slept while hugging me like a pillow and¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope, not listening.¡±

    When Shin entrusted Milt to Tiera the night before, she had almost fallen asleep on her feet, so they probably slept in the same bed. Tiera¡¯s expression seemed positively glowing, but Shin thought it might be just his imagination.

    ¡°Ahaha, she¡¯s so small and cute, so I couldn¡¯t resist¡­¡±

    ¡°Go easy on her, please. But doesn¡¯t Sety fit those criteria too, though?¡±

    The two were very simr in appearance, barring one major exception.

    ¡°Looks-wise, that¡¯s true, but Sety is so much older than me¡­¡±

    No matter how young Sety looked, Tiera couldn¡¯t treat someone older than her like that. The age difference between Tiera and Milt was nothingpared to Tiera and Sety, after all. Because of that, Tiera felt the urge to cuddle with her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have older siblings, so this feels pretty new to me.¡±

    ¡°Really? I was sure you were the type to get angry if they treated you like a little kid.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe¡­thanks to my motherly assets, no one ever treats me like that, actually.¡±

    Milt puffed up her chest proudly and her symbols of maternity, as most men regarded them, swayed visibly. That was the one part of her body which could rival or even exceed other adult women.

    ¡°Well, a lot of men just give me lewd looks, while women look at me with envy, though. Sometimes I would get the mascot treatment, but as soon as they knew how strong I was they¡¯d get scared and stay away.¡±

    On one hand, she had an adorable appearance, on the other, she fought by swinging ¡ºBreogand¡», a giant halberd that not even adult men could carry, to slice enemies in two or using all sorts of poisons.

    Her fighting style leaned on the physical side, despite her appearance.

    One time, a High Wyvern flew at low altitude over a small town: Milt jumped up and cleaved it in half with ¡ºBreogand¡», causing all the other adventurers present to look at her with a mixture of terror and admiration.

    Even the adventurers closer to Milt ended up putting more distance between themselves and her. The male ones continued to give her lewd looks, however, which Milt said was just uneptable.

    ¡°I get where you¡¯reing from¡­maybe?¡±

    Shin never experienced such radical changes in how people approached him, so he could only understand superficially what Milt said.

    ¡°I know well what you mean by lewd looks.¡±

    Tiera nodded vigorously to Milt¡¯s confession.

    Shin also knew that Tiera attracted attention wherever they went. While she wasn¡¯t on Milt¡¯s level, Tiera was also very well endowed.

    She was beautiful to boot, so it was only natural for her to attract the gazes of men.

    ¡°Shin, you can stare as much as you want, you know? Here, here.¡±

    Milt raised her chest seductively, pushing it closer to Shin.

    Her usual equipment, the ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡», did not show much skin on the upper body, so even a pose like this wouldn¡¯t show the ssic cleavage.

    While it didn¡¯t show any, the pose made Milt¡¯s clothes take the shape of her breasts: there was no skin exposure, but it was very sensual nheless.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting aggressive again, Milt. Easy, easy, don¡¯t get so close.¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha were present too, so Shin stepped away from Milt, to prevent any misunderstandings. Thanks to his rtionship with Schnee, he had be more resistant to such temptations.

    ¡°There are very few people I can y with like this, you know. With the people here, I can¡¯t help but wonder if what they really want is my power or my equipment. It¡¯s really hard to find people you can trustpletely¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t y with me either¡­does the church feel cramped?¡±

    Milt¡¯s tone became serious, so Shin asked seriously too.

    ¡°There are good people too, like Hermie and Rashia, but when I think about someone to marry¡­sometimes they introduce people to me, but most of them are like ¡®I¡¯m strong, right?¡¯, ¡®I¡¯m a badass, right?¡¯ or ¡®I bet you¡¯re head over heels already!¡¯ or stuff like that.¡±

    In this world, physical strength yed a veryrge part in how attractive a person was.

    A strong adventurer could earn more, while a high-ss individual could gain better treatment or a better position. People like that would naturally unt their strength before anything else.

    However, it did not always create a good impression.

    ¡°You always loved fighting strong opponents, so don¡¯t you like strong people in general?¡±

    ¡°In the game, I simply enjoyed fighting, and, during the death game, I was looking for someone that could kill me. But now, I don¡¯t think like that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Just now¡­did you say¡­you wanted someone to kill you¡­?¡±

    Among the things Milt talked about withplete nonchnce, Tiera heard something shocking and couldn¡¯t help but react.

    ¡°Shin, did you tell Tiera about what happened in the past?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, from when Marino was around till after she was gone.¡±

    ¡°If she already knows that much, then I guess it¡¯s okay.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t something suitable to talk about in public, so they had their meals brought to their rooms. Milt spoke briefly about what happened while they ate.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, so don¡¯t think about it too much. I¡¯m alive and well, plus Shin and I are good friends now, see?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call us that¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on, you could at least agree to that!¡±

    Milt huffed and pouted. From how they acted, no one would have guessed that in the past she had died at his hands.

    ¡°So anyway, what I said before was half a joke, half the truth.¡±

    ¡°Which half was the truth then¡­?¡±

    ¡°That I wouldn¡¯t mind giving my hand in marriage to Shin, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Stop that already, Schnee is¡­oh, right.¡±

    Shin recalled that he hadn¡¯t told Milt yet, so he exined that he and Schnee were now married.

    ¡°I see, so you chose to stay here.¡±

    Milt probably realized that only Shin might have had a chance to go back.

    She spoke with a calm tone, without a trace of the joking mood from before. But that sincerity onlysted an instant.

    ¡°There are plenty of things I¡¯d like to say about that, but first of all, it¡¯s perfect for me if you stay here. If Schnee is the firstdy, then it means the seat of the second one is still free, right?¡±

    Milt smirked, but Shin put a stop to her enthusiasm immediately.

    ¡°There¡¯s no seat in the first ce! We practice monogamy where Ie from!¡±

    ¡°But all men dream to have their own harem, right? Filma, Sety, etc, etc¡­I thought you nned to make them all yours, one by one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve read too many manga and novels. I don¡¯t look at them that way.¡±

    Shin flicked the puzzled Milt¡¯s forehead and wolfed down the rest of his meal. He could treat what Milt said as a joke, but he was concerned about how Tiera would take it.

    ¡°Hmm, a harem, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you hear what I said? I¡¯m not interested at all in that stuff.¡±

    Tiera had a rather cold look in her eyes, so Shin made sure she didn¡¯t get the wrong idea.

    He definitely didn¡¯t want her to think that she might have been one of his targets. Elves were also monogamous, so Shin spoke clearly to avoid any unwanted misunderstandings.

    ¡°Kuu, strong males have many females!¡±

    ¡°Not you too, Yuzuha¡­¡±

    Yuzuha had been quietly munching on meat until now, but for some reason spoke such words with a very serious look on her face. In small fox mode her train of thought leaned on the animal side, so what she said was a bit different from a harem.

    ¡°Well, you better make sure the master doesn¡¯t hear anything about this. She¡¯s terrifying when she¡¯s angry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know that¡­no, I mean, I¡¯m sure Schnee would understand anyway.¡±

    Shin thought he never showed any signs of being interested in other women.

    ¡°Tch, how disappointing.¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest. Why did you even start talking about marriage?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t treat me weird because of my strength and you would treasure me, right? Even in your reaper phase you took care of me, one way or another, you didn¡¯t ditch me or anything. That¡¯s when I thought that deep down you hadn¡¯t changed. Besides, it¡¯s nice to know that we¡¯d be okay even if a whole country turned against us.¡±

    ¡°I want to deny that so bad, but I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Milt was very good friends with Marino, Shin¡¯s former lover, to the point that they also talked about their real lives. She was also involved with Shin in the game era, in both his ¡°normal¡± and ¡°abnormal¡± phases.

    Milt knew what kind of existence Shin was in this world. It could be said that she understood him well, in a different way from Schnee.

    ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen, though, so go look elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe¡­don¡¯t forget about how long a High Pixie lifespan can be. I¡¯ll take my time and work on you bit by bit. I have the hunch that it might work out if Schnee gives the OK.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even try, seriously.¡±

    Milt was definitely joking again¡­right?

    So thought Shin as he brought the conversation to an end.

    They still had plenty of time, but there was no harm in going early.

    There was also the chance of leaving earlier due to unforeseen trouble, so Shin decided to head for the meeting point after the meal.

 Book 17: Chapter 2: Part 2

    <h4>Book 17: Chapter 2: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re all ready to go.¡±

    The church forces were performing a final check of their provisions: once it was done, they could depart at any time.

    Shin¡¯s party headed to their assigned position, ahead of the group.

    There they found Reiner, leader of the church forces, talking to someone. Judging from his attire, Shin guessed he was a scout.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°The information about the high-level monsters has been updated. The 2nd royal guard¡¯s division has defeated the Stoluz, but the presence of previously undetected monsters has been confirmed.¡±

    Reiner used a fairly polite tone of speech with Shin, probably because of his affiliation with Schnee and Shibaid.

    Shin had told him there was no need to speak so formally: as Schnee had previously taught him, he might be mistaken for a noble if he spoke or was spoken to very politely, so Shin used a casual kind of speech as well.

    ¡°At present two units have been confirmed by name, Azathoth and Pharshax. It appears there are also wolf-type and a scorpion-like insect monster. The scouting team¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ users could not glean their names.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me any characteristics of those monsters?¡±

    Shin added that he might be able to identify them if he knew some more details.

    The wolf-type monster¡¯s body spanned over 10 mel and had a brimming yellow mane.

    It hadrge, sharp fangs on both its upper and lower jaw, deep red fur, and two long tails. It was said that the ground burned in its wake.

    The scorpion-type monster had wson its front limbs and three other pairs of legs. On the tip of its tail, it had an alligator-like mouth in ce of the typical hook-shaped appendage.

    ¡°Wolfreet and Dylebion, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Sounds pretty likely.¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement with Milt¡¯s guess. They were pretty well-known monsters with easily distinguishable traits.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume that the wolf monster is Wolfreet and the scorpion monster Dylebion. If the group who defeated Stoluz had even the slightest trouble against it, they should steer clear of them. Those two monsters both prey on Stoluz: Wolfreet is especially dangerous.¡±

    So Milt exined to Reiner.

    Dylebion¡¯s level ranged between 700 and 750.

    It had a sturdy carapace that resisted not only physical attacks but also magic to an extent. Its ws were capable of tearing through Legend-grade gear like paper.

    Its most lethal weapon, however, was the mouth that grew where a scorpion usually had a poisonous tail. That was the monster¡¯s primary mouth it used to feed: it looked like crocodile jaws protected by an outer shell.

    It could rip even Mythology-grade gear to shreds, depending on their stats, and could even shoot corrosive acid. The only blessing was that it didn¡¯t use magic.

    Stoluz was a bird-type monster wrapped in lightning, which had great mobility and used fearsome thunder attacks, but its level was usually between 500 and 600, so there was a clear gap between them.

    The difference inbat abilities was also great. Even if the 2nd division had won against Stoluz without any trouble, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the other monsters so easily.

    What Shin feared the most, however, was Wolfreet.

    Its level ranged from 750 to 800, even higher than Dylebion. It was a wolf-type monster with very thick and powerful legs, but it was also very agile.

    The most important characteristic, however, was that Wolfreet was ssified as a divine beast.

    ¡°A divine beast¡­? You can¡¯t be serious. It¡¯s rare for even high-level monsters to spawn during a flood, and you say this is a divine beast? There aren¡¯t any records of divine beasts ever spawning during a flood.¡±

    Reiner shook his head in disbelief.

    Shin understood his sentiments very well: floods tended to spawn low-level monsters inrge quantities.

    This was based on the data collected by the countries and cities that fought against the floods over the years, however, so there weren¡¯t any rules set in stone.

    Floods had happened in the same manner for hundreds of years after the Dusk of Majesty, so it wasn¡¯t strange for them to think like that.

    The crucial point was that the flood¡¯s ¡°rules¡± were apparently changing.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure that those monsters were spawned by the flood. They might havee from somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°That is true too¡­¡±

    No one had witnessed the instant of their spawning, so Shin stressed the fact that he merely proposed a possibility.

    Even if the Wolfreet had spawned in the flood, it should be easier to fight against if its intellect was lower.

    ¡°¡­you have heard everything, right? Contact the 2nd division at once!!¡±

    Reiner gave orders to the man standing next to him. His tone clearly stated the gravity of the situation.

    The man also had a stern expression on his face and left immediately.

    Reiner ordered him to rush as soon as possible probably because he understood the 2nd division¡¯s ability. They couldn¡¯t deal with monsters on Dylebion¡¯s level, apparently.

    ¡°We will head to the 9th fort as reinforcements. Sir Shin and Lady Tiera nned to engage directly with any high-level monsters that were spotted, but can you go right away? It appears that other than the two monsters we talked about, there also are Azathoth and Pharshax units.¡±

    Reiner did not seem to doubt Shin¡¯s information.

    He probably epted it as true because Milt supported it too.

    Azathoth and Pharshax were both monsters around level 600. They were clearly less of a threat than Dylebion and Wolfreet.

    ¡°No problem, they¡¯re all monsters I have defeated before.¡±

    Shin would face them for the first time in this world, but, with proper countermeasures, there was nothing to fear.

    Even without countermeasures, Shin could win easily thanks to his overwhelmingly superior stats. Any countermeasures were more for Tiera and Kagerou.

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to face a divine beast, I guess I should stay away.¡±

    ¡°I need to prepare too.¡±

    In some cases several monsters appeared together, so Tiera and Milt were thinking about how to act in such a case.

    Shin hoped that they wouldn¡¯t have to face multiple divine beasts at once, but if they had to face several Dylebions, Tiera might end up struggling.

    ¡°(Hey Milt, want me to upgrade your equipment?)¡±

    ¡°(Really? That¡¯d be great for me, but they might found out about your true abilities.)¡±

    ¡°(There¡¯s still plenty of time till we arrive, so I¡¯ll think of something. If we say you borrowed something from Schnee I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t confiscate it.)¡±

    There was nothing to worry about if they faced low-level monsters.

    Milt was a very powerful warrior by this world¡¯s standards, but she did not possess overwhelming power on par with Shin¡¯s party. Her stats were very unbnced, so she might end up in lethal danger if she had bad affinity with an opponent.

    Milt was one of Shin¡¯s few yer acquaintances and also Marino¡¯s friend. He didn¡¯t want her to die just because her equipment wascking.

    ¡°Troops, onward!¡±

    Preparations were finallyplete, so the church reinforcements ¡ª officially named Church Warband ¡ª started their advance towards the 9th fort. Most of them were foot soldiers, but there were also knights like Reiner, riding on mounting beasts.

    Some of the knights appeared to be tense, probably because Reiner told them about the monsters they might encounter at their destination, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s really convenient that they can change size.¡±

    ¡°I thought the same thing. If they were always in their original size, we¡¯d cause a mess every time we entered a town¡±

    Shin and the others were riding on Yuzuha and Kagerou, both very eager for some reason. Those who saw them for the first time were surprised, but not to the point of creating amotion.

    Milt was riding behind Shin: she never expected to see the day she could ride an Element Tail, so she was very excited too.

    Since they had to match the foot soldiers¡¯ pace, they expected to go fairly slowly, but, thanks to the magic users casting physical boost skills and arts over the whole group, they advanced at a decent speed, quicker than a normal person could run.

    ¡°I can¡¯t detect any monsters. Being in a ¡®flood¡¯, I expected to pick up some more presences, but is it always like this?¡±

    ¡°Based on my experience, we should be encountering more monsters. In the summit, they did say they hadn¡¯t taken them all down.¡±

    Three days had passed since their departure.

    Shin used the map and his skills to scan the surroundings in a wide range, but curiously could not pick up any monster presences, so he turned around to ask Milt about it and she replied pensively.

    Even if most monsters had already been defeated, the numbers spawned during a flood were massive.

    The area extending from the Sacred ce to Kilmont was veryrge too, but it was bizarre to not detect even one monster around them.

    Even excluding the monsters spawned by the flood, there should be monsters and animals naturally inhabiting the area.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a coincidence is it.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t rule out not encountering any monster as simply ¡°happening¡±.

    There was nothing they could investigate toe up with an answer, however, and thus one week passed without encountering a single monster.

    The group was half a day away from their destination, the 9th fort when finally Shin could pick up something.

    ¡°As they had said, they¡¯re really not moving much.¡±

    Shin had heard a report about the monsters one week before.

    They were heading towards Kilmont, the direction Shin and the others came from, so based on their physical energy and mobility, they should have encountered them earlier.

    ¡°The monsters¡¯ senses were deceived, in order to keep them from moving. Impressive.¡±

    Milt spoke while looking at a Dylebion, which was raising its tail to intimidate the party.

    The current forts and troops were not enough to protect the vast expanse ofnd.

    It wasn¡¯t possible to station troops or adventurers there permanently anyway. As an alternative countermeasure, the idea of luring monsters was implemented.

    Items buried deep underground constantly projected illusions towards the monsters.

    The monsters thus gathered and roamed near one ce, sometimes even fighting each other.

    The knights and soldiers would wait for the numbers to dwindle and the remaining monsters to be weakened, then intervene to eliminate the rest.

    Monsters spawned during the flood had a lower intellect and less resistance to illusion spells, so this method was very effective against them.

    ¡°But I guess it wasn¡¯t enough to hold them all.¡±

    Shin and the others observed the monster, concealing their presence just in case. Shin looked via his skills, Milt and Tiera with binocrs.

    Asmander of the church forces, Reiner and Lourie, his aide, joined them in observing the Dylebion, while the rest of the reinforcements were standing by farther back.

    They could only see the Dylebion: there was no sign of the Wolfreet anywhere.

    Shin heard that the monsters gathered in one ce sometimes fought each other, but this time only moderate results were achieved.

    The reason why the results were ¡°moderate¡± was that there were no monsters other than the Dylebion present: or more precisely, no living monsters.

    The area where the Dylebion likely roamed was covered with all sorts of monster corpses: small ones less than 1 mel,rge ones with height spanning several mel.

    The biggest one was a monster with a long torso, chopped into several parts.

    It was the Azathoth mentioned in the report. Its body was melted and sliced here and there, signs of battle or that other monsters had fed on it.

    The item creating illusions was set not to stop until thest monster died of hunger, so without monsters acting as feed the Dylebion might have moved elsewhere.

    ¡°Dylebion below and Pharshax above, huh.¡±

    Shin looked up and found a four-winged monster flying leisurely in the sky.

    Jet ck wings, a golden crown, and colorful tail feathers: it was the flying monster Pharshax.

    It tended to swoop on its enemies and deliver fierce blows with its sharp ws, capable of dealing considerable damage even to monsters above its rank.

    It did not seem to have attacked the Dylebion, however. It probably instinctively realized that their difference in level and bad affinity with the scorpion monster meant that Pharshax was likely to be killed if it attempted to attack.

    ¡°Let¡¯s drop Pharshax first, then deal with Dylebion. The church forces should take a detour or wait for us to take them down.¡±

    ¡°If you can take them down without trouble we will wait, but will you really be okay?¡±

    Reiner looked more apprehensive after seeing Dylebion with his own eyes.

    As he was assigned the role of leading the counter-flood forces, Reiner had confidence in his battle prowess.

    Because of that, he could tell how powerful the Dylebion and Pharshax were.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they underwent any sort of mutation, so we¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Dylebion was level 722 and Pharshax 602.

    Those were pretty average levels for them, so it didn¡¯t look like they were mutated variants or unique units.

    Since they kept circling the same area over and over, their intellect couldn¡¯t be too advanced either. Monsters with higher intellect weren¡¯t affected by luring items after all.

    ¡°We will stand back so we don¡¯t interfere with your battle, then. We¡¯ll be in your hands.¡±

    Shin nodded vigorously, also to dispel any concerns Reiner might have. The knight was probably relieved to see it and announced he and Lourie would join the reinforcements waiting a bit farther away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel nervous, I wonder why.¡±

    After Reiner and Lourie left, Tiera whispered her thoughts to Shin.

    Their current n was for Tiera and Milt to fight first: Shin would join only if there was any trouble. That was probably one additional reason why Reiner was worried.

    The n was proposed by Tiera and Milt themselves.

    ¡°If we stand out you¡¯ll attract less attention, right? Besides, I have to be more used to fighting too.¡±

    Apparently, the battle against Reforgerer had changed Tiera¡¯s mindset. There was the issue of preventing Shin from attracting too much attention, but she also thought that she couldn¡¯t just stay behind while he fought forever.

    She was now wearing the Heat Haze gear set but would change to an upgraded Bow Princess set for the battle.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­we have the best opponent to test my new gear too!¡±

    The reason why Milt was eager to fight was very simple: Shin had upgraded her equipment during the journey.

    ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s massive de had been slightly reduced in size and a de the size of a short sword had been ced on the hilt, upgrading it to the even more lethal ¡ºOrdgand¡».

    Its appearance changed, but its sturdiness and sharpness also improved by arge margin.

    Milt¡¯s ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡», which had a traditional Japanese-like design on the upper body, changed too.

    It was still sleeveless but had now a white base decorated with blue lotus flowers and petals and a form-fitting silhouette. It also included navy blue armbands extending from the hands to the elbows.

    The lower half, formerly traditional Japanese clothing cut short like a skirt, changed to a knee-long design, colored ck with golden petals. Leggins with the same color as the armbands also protected Milt¡¯s legs from the knee below.

    The name was ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡».

    ¡°Shin, out of curiosity, you didn¡¯t pick this on purpose, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time making one, but it¡¯s the best armor in the ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡» line. You could make it look more modest, but I kept the same design as before because Milt requested it, okay?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s rather chilly stare caused Shin to turn his eyes from the Dylebion to Milt.

    In the game era, the ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡» was also called ¡°amped-up Chinese dress with lots of exposure¡±.

    The design made it a bit awkward and embarrassing to look at, qualities enhanced by the fact that Milt was wearing it now.

    The cloth covering the upper body had arge diamond-shaped hole over the chest, which exposed her deep cleavage.

    The lower part too, upon closer inspection revealed that the front and rear ps were attached from the outside, so they barely did anything to hide the legs from sight. Without the armbands, leggings, and ps, it looked just like a sexy swimsuit.

    ¡°Pretty cool, isn¡¯t it!!¡±

    Tiera was blushing because of Milt¡¯s exposed thighs, but thetter was smiling joyfully.

    Excluding the legs and chest area, the¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡»had a distinctively Chinese style: a lighter design on the upper body, white with blue decorations, and heavier gold on ck in the lower body, which blended well and contributed to its poprity.

    Naturally, its stats were far superior to the ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡».

    It gave great boosts to STR and AGI, so it fit well Milt¡¯s fighting style of moving quickly to deliver powerful single blows.

    Her new weapon and armor were both inferior Ancient-grade gear.

    As far as Shin remembered, however, Milt¡¯s stats were a bitcking for her to be able to equip Ancient-grade gear, so he was worried about this point when he started upgrading her gear. If he upgraded it too much for her to use it, everything would be meaningless.

    ording to Milt, however, her stats increased as she fought monsters as part of her activities for the church.

    Her status window proved it: her stats showed increases from at least 100 to over 200 points.

    At this point, it was a necessity to either upgrade ¡ºBreogand¡» and the ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡», or even to switch them for different gear altogether.

    And with perfect timing, Shin had appeared. Milt was extremely excited when they discussed how to upgrade her equipment,

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that embarrassing to wear?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m used to people staring, so it¡¯s okay. If I can get Shin to upgrade my gear, I want the best there is!¡±

    It would be a waste to show restraint, added Milt while pushing up her chest.

    ¡°So? What do you think? I can give Schnee a run for her money, right?¡±

    ¡°Stop ying around.¡±

    Milt grinned but was countered by Shin¡¯s chop. That was the whole reason why she requested this design for the chest part.

    ¡°Honestly, we have monsters right in front of us and you still act like that. You¡¯ll never change.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my own way to keep from being nervous. I did it every time before fighting a boss.¡±

    Shin recalled the game era from Milt¡¯s words.

    She always teased nervous yers, that was true. Sometimes she was told that she never acted seriously enough, but Milt too felt nervous in her own way, even if she didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­see? You don¡¯t feel as nervous as before, right Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s right, I do feel more rxed. I guess I could try teasing Shin too next time.¡±

    ¡°Anything but that¡­¡±

    Tieraughed wryly and Shin frowned. If Tiera started acting like Milt, he didn¡¯t know what Schnee was going to say¡­or do.

    ¡°Shall we get started?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Reiner joined the troops, so we can go. I think we¡¯ll do fine, but if anything unexpected happens, give us a hand.¡±

    Shin asked the question seriously and Milt answered in the same way while materializing ¡ºOrdgand¡». The yful mood waspletely gone, and she turned towards the Dylebion with a sharp re in her eyes.

    Including their equipment, Milt and Tiera together were clearly stronger.

    What worried both Shin and Milt was that the Wolfreet might join the fray.

    Among the high-level monsters spotted by the scouts, Wolfreet was on a whole other level. Milt alone would have trouble defeating it, even with her upgraded gear and higher stats.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou stayed behind with the church reinforcements, to protect them in case of any sudden attacks on their end.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first, then.¡±

    Tiera stood up and materialized her equipment. Her attire changed to a glowing armor and bow.

    All the equipment had been already upgraded by Shin: a silver circlet on her head, chest armor, and gauntlets both studded with green gems, to provide higher defense.

    The armor provided higher defense despite exposing shoulders and stomach thanks to being originally created in a fantasy world, perhaps.

    The armor extending to Tiera¡¯s lower body, acting as a skirt, and the knee-high boots too were decorated in the same way. The skirt was rather short, thus Tiera¡¯s thighs were exposed between the skirt and the boots, creating an effect simr to the fabled ¡°absolute territory¡±.

    Tiera¡¯s ¡ºEmerald Dazzle Bow¡» was modified by adding Scarletite to Chimeradite, thus creating the ¡ºEmerald Brilliance Bow¡».

    It was an exquisitely crafted item, with decorations reminiscent of wings and wind, even brighter and easier to use than before.

    The shield on Tiera¡¯s back, formed by four half-transparent rhombus-shaped tes glowing blue, had been upgraded as well.

    The range of the magic barrier it produced had grown wider and it could also produce wind-based support attacks, so long as Tiera willed it.

    In the game era, it attacked automatically, but in this world, it could be controlled.

    It was still too tricky to fully control for Tiera, so for now she only used it as a shield, but once she mastered it she could attack multiple targets at once.

    ¡°Tiera, once you shoot I¡¯ll go. The timing¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Tiera nodded and pulled her bow¡¯s string.

    The arrow set on the bow was glowing green. Her posture was not excessively tense, a sign that she was focused.

    Milt looked at Tiera and took a lower stance, ready to rush with her ¡ºOrdgand¡» at any moment. Shin prepared support spells, ready to cast them as soon as the need arose.

    Tiera¡¯s hand-stretched without a sound: the arrow had been shot. It flew towards its target at high speed, leaving a single streak of light in its wake.

    The target, Pharshax, twisted its body the instant before the arrow struck.

    There was no trace of any elegance in its flight anymore: the base of its right wing was pierced and fell, but the monster did not have two pairs of wings for show: it lost altitude but was not going to fall to the ground.

    The sharp re in its eyes was already directed at Tiera: it had twisted its body to stop its head from being struck.

    Before Pharshax could even attempt its famed swooping attack, however, Tiera shot again.

    Three streaks of light flew through the sky.

    The first arrow had been shot with the bow upright, asmonly seen in archery, but for the second shot, Tiera held her bow horizontally andunched three arrows at once.

    Pharshax danced in the air to avoid the three arrows.

    Despite itsrge body, it was extremely mobile in the air.

    For Pharshax, arrow attacks were nothing but dots no matter how fast they were. In the air it could dodge in all directions, so it would be not difficult to emerge unscathed.

    The first arrow reached its target only because the monster was too slow to notice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show that I¡¯ve grown too!!¡±

    Tiera shouted and shot her third barrage. There was only one arrow, which might seem easier to dodge than the second arrow, but, when it was still a bit far from Pharshax, the arrow burst and scattered.

    It looked like it simply exploded, but it actually burst into many smaller arrows.

    Bow-type Martial skill ¡¾Split Arrow¡¿.

    The skill allowed one to split one arrow in many smaller ones. Each smaller arrow had lower offensive power, but, since they spread in front of the target, they were much more difficult to dodge.

    In the game era, it was often used to disrupt flying enemies.

    Tiera used it in the same way: because of the sudden explosion of arrows, its flight was thrown out of control.

    Pharshax tried to dodge as many arrows as possible, but then three arrows rained from above.

    The monster screeched in surprise, then fell.

    The three arrows precisely struck its three remaining wings out ofmission. They weren¡¯t ripped off, but could not be used for flight any longer.

    The three arrows were the ones Tiera shot in her second attack: after Pharshax dodged them, they changed direction and continued pursuing their target.

    Tiera had used the Bow-type martial skill ¡¾Hound Arrow¡¿ for this second barrage.

    Arrows shot with this skill homed in on their target for 10 seconds.

    The ¡ºEmerald Brilliance Bow¡» also granted great bonuses to range and uracy.

    The ¡ºBow Princess¡» gear sets were generally used for long-distance shooting, so its weapons were reinforced ordingly.

    Thanks to the bow¡¯s boosts, ¡¾Hound Arrow¡¿ had double the power and homing effect time.

    ¡°Here I go!!¡±

    Milt started running towards the falling Pharshax. Her ¡ºOrdgand¡» glowed blue, tracing a streak of the same color on her path.

    Pharshax was only able to lower the speed of its fall: it couldn¡¯t attack the approaching Milt in any way.

    The monster would suffer heavy damage simply from falling, but Milt went to finish it off.

    The reason was that Pharshax could use a wider range of attacks on the ground.

    It kept itself afloat with the help of magic, so it only used its powerful swooping attack and low-level wind magic in the air: the way it acted had not changed from the game era.

    Once on the ground, it didn¡¯t need to use magic to support itself, so it unleashed wide-range magic without restraint.

    ¡°Sorry!¡±

    Milt took advantage of her momentum and jumped.

    She leaped as if she soared in the sky, boosted by her rush. Her lethal, glowing halberd in her hands. The moment she swung ¡ºOrdgand¡», the Pharshax¡¯ neck was cut off its body.

    Axe/mebination skill ¡¾Sparnisch¡¿.

    The blue glow was caused by mes burning at a high temperature. It was so high that the Phrashax¡¯ severed neck and torso caught on fire.

    Before Milt could evennd, the Pharshax¡¯ whole body burned to ashes, which were carried away by the wind.

    ¡°Ahaha¡­even stronger than expected.¡±

    A massive body over six mel, wingspan included, burning to ashes in mere seconds. The firepower and the sensation Milt felt when she struck down the monster¡¯s neck made her tremble in excitement.

    Shin had exined what changed in her weapon and she had practiced with it too.

    Even then, its power exceeded her expectations.

    ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the next one!¡±

    ¡°Right on!¡±

    After Tiera¡¯s signal, Milt turned towards the Dylebion.

    The monster probably did not notice that the Pharshax had been defeated: it was pretty much in the same position as before.

    Milt ran towards the monster, ¡ºOrdgand¡» ready to strike again. Tiera¡¯s ¡¾Split Arrow¡¿ flew over her head.

    Just as the arrows were about to strike the monster¡¯s head, something white struck against them. When the white object disappeared, nothing was left.

    Even before ¡¾Split Arrow¡¿ could perform its characteristic burst, the arrow shot with it was much more powerful than any regr one.

    The whole arrow disappeared because of the acid sprayed from Dylebion¡¯s tail mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors about it, but it¡¯s even more powerful than magic!!¡±

    Based on the fact that the acid had melted an arrow flying at high speed, it had to have very high power and precision.

    ¡°Milt, you don¡¯t have a shield with you, will you be okay?¡±

    So Tiera asked Milt, while continuing to shoot arrows to prevent thetter from being targeted.

    The arrows Tiera shot were Legend grade, but the monster could spray acid strong enough to dissolve them instantly, as fast as a sh of light. It was natural for her to worry.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. My ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡» won¡¯t melt immediately even if Dylebion¡¯s acid hits: as long as the equipment wasn¡¯t fatally damaged, even the wearer¡¯s exposed areas would be protected.¡±

    It was one of the characteristics of gear at the Mythology grade and above.

    Defensive power and scope varied wildly from armor to armor. Some yers chose not to add this ability, so not all gear was equipped with it.

    Regardless, most gear at that level had this characteristic.

    Incidentally, all of the equipment crafted by Shin had it by default. Filma¡¯s ¡ºArmor of Hollow Lacquer¡» was like this too. It exposed more than half of her body, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense if only the covered parts had high defense.

    ¡°If things get really bad I¡¯ll join in, anyway.¡±

    Milt and Tiera would take down Pharshax and Dylebion.

    This was the n they proposed, but Shin¡¯s participation would make their victory safer and more secure.

    The reason why he didn¡¯t was that Milt asked him to stay alert for Wolfreet¡¯s potential appearance.

    Wolfreet was a divine beast, a creature different from normal monsters in a variety of ways. If it attacked the Church Warband, it could annihte them in seconds.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou were with them, so it wasn¡¯t likely to happen, but Shin was standing back to intervene in case of necessity.

    ¡°I prefer if you believed in¡ªaah!¡±

    Before Tiera could finish her sentence, the shields on her back moved. The next instant, the sound of a spray of acid sshing against them was heard.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the shield¡­it gives me the chills just thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it moves automatically, but don¡¯t rely on it too much.¡±

    Tiera spoke while shooting more arrows, to hide the fact that she couldn¡¯t react in time.

    She had been targeted the instant she looked at Shin. The monster¡¯s acid had been targeting only Milt until then, so Tiera reactedte.

    Looking at the tail mouth would let one know where it was going to shoot, but the acid was sprayed so fast that many yers melted down before they could react.

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting me with the same move twice!¡±

    Tiera dodged the acid that came flying at her after she shot her arrows. She carefully observed the tail mouth this time, so she avoided it easily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go forgetting about me now.¡±

    Milt managed to bypass the acid barrage and ran up close to the Dylebion.

    The monster used itsrge scissor ws to counterattack: because of itsrge body, the ws by themselves were wider than Milt was tall. They could crush several men in one blow with just their t side.

    Milt swung her ¡ºOrdgand¡» towards the monster¡¯s right scissor w.

    Judging from their size difference, it might have seemed like a reckless move, but Milt didn¡¯t hesitate.

    Instead of her old partner,, ¡ºBreogand¡», she was wielding version reborn at Shin¡¯s hands, ¡ºOrdgand¡».

    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to mess up in front of him!¡±

    Milt poured all of her strength in the swing.

    Her boosted stats and the gear bonuses blended together in the strike delivered to the monster¡¯s ws.

    Dylebion¡¯s jagged des, painful just to look at, versus ¡ºOrdgand¡»¡¯s lethal yet artistically beautiful smooth de.

    Ultimately victory went to thetter.

    ¡ºOrdgand¡» cracked the monster¡¯s ws and tore through.

    It couldn¡¯t cut them in two, but if Milt put more strength in her grip, she could continue cutting through the ws.

    Before its right w could be severed, Dylebion tried to sh Milt with its left one.

    ¡°I got you figured out!¡±

    The ground under Milt¡¯s feet cracked. Using ¡ºOrdgand¡», still locked against the monster¡¯s ws, as a base, she spun in the air.

    Milt had jumped up while holding ¡ºOrdgand¡»¡¯s handle and did not let it go.

    Her halberd¡¯s de had already ripped into about 70% of the monster¡¯s right w: with one more push, she should be able to cut it offpletely.

    Milt avoided Dylebion¡¯s attacks from the right and left, but the monster¡¯s offensive wasn¡¯t over yet. Its tail mouth had shot acid in her direction.

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    Milt used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, a skill that allowed the user to jump in midair, and escaped the range of the acid.

    For closebat yers, a skill like ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, that allowed one to move freely in midair, was nothing short of a necessity. Milt had also mastered its usage.

    Shended with nonchnce right behind Dylebion, where the monster¡¯s ws couldn¡¯t easily reach. It wasn¡¯t an actual blindspot, but it would be easy to dodge any attacks.

    ¡°Eh, seriously!?¡±

    Milt wanted to cut off the monster¡¯s tail at the base with ¡ºOrdgand¡», but jumped away instead. A shot of acid rained on the monster¡¯s carapace, despite there not being anyone there.

    Milt was shaken because the game era Dylebion never hit itself with acid. The monster produced the acid within its own body, but its outer body wouldn¡¯t be unaffected by it.

    The acid could dissolve Dylebion¡¯s carapace or its body: the only exceptions were its tail mouth and the organ that created the acid.

    ¡°I see, so this happens when its intellect goes down¡­¡±

    After spraying the acid on its own back, Dylebion was writhing in pain as it tried to face Milt.

    Because of the acid¡¯s corrosive power and firing speed, the monster¡¯s torso was riddled with holes, and other ces started melting too. Insect monsters were infamous for being tough to kill, but at this point, it would have a hard time continuing to fight.

    Milt activated ¡ºSparnisch¡»again , the skill she used to cleave Pharshax in two, and put Dylebion out of its misery.

    The monster¡¯s torso was already dissolving, so she managed to split it in two almostpletely. It shouldn¡¯t be able to move anymore.

 Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 3

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 3</h4>

    ¡°Hmm, that was a pretty disappointing way to end it¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s done is done.¡±

    Shin consoled Milt, saying that stuff like that happened sometimes. He was d he didn¡¯t have to use the magic spells he had prepared just in case.

    Even if the monster didn¡¯t damage itself with the acid, Milt¡¯s stats and equipment pretty much ensured her victory. She wanted to face the monster head-on and win, however, so a victory like that left her dissatisfied.

    ¡°To think that Milt and Lady Tiera could defeat such monsters on their own¡­¡±

    Shin and the others signaled to Reiner and the church troops that the battle was over and regrouped.

    They hadn¡¯t actually witnessed the fighting, so Milt told him how it went down ¡ª first with excitement, then with some annoyance.

    Shin collected the corpses of the monsters probably killed by Dylebion before Reiner and the troops arrived.

    He also had to offer part of Dylebion¡¯s body for Yuzuha and Kagerou to eat: they didn¡¯t have any chance to fight, so their mood was more sour than Milt¡¯s.

    ¡°It was a bit disappointing to win like that, but having good equipment really makes things different. I don¡¯t have to worry about my weapon anymore either.¡±

    ¡°Just ¡®good equipment¡¯? Aren¡¯t those historical artifacts?¡±

    From Reiner¡¯s standpoint, or any other denizen of this world, Mythology and Legend grade gear was the stuff of legends and fairy tales.

    It was natural for him to look at ¡ºOrdgand¡» with a grave expression on his face after Milt told him about it in detail.

    His gaze sometimes wandered over to Milt¡¯s exposed chest and thighs, but it was pretty normal for a man. Shin was sure Milt had noticed his gaze too but said nothing.

    ¡°It is indeed valuable as a weapon, but it doesn¡¯t have any historical value.¡±

    He replied to Reiner¡¯sment instead. They said that ¡ºOrdgand¡» was just a borrowed item, but, since it was created from ¡ºBreogand¡», it couldn¡¯t be turned back anymore.

    User restrictions had been applied to it, so it was solely for Milt¡¯s hands.

    Shin had crafted it just a couple of days before, so there was nothing historical about it.

    ¡°I would aspire to be able to wield such a weapon one day¡­as of now, I doubt I could even lift it.¡±

    ¡°Because it looks like it chooses its own wielder.¡±

    If the yer¡¯s stats were too lowpared to the weapon, the resulting penalty made it impossible to wield.

    In some cases, depending on the gear and the yer¡¯s stats, the penalties could evene in handy.

    In the game era, obviously, stats only decreased and the gear itself weakened too in most cases. In this world, however, just equipping such items became difficult.

    Shin had rarely ever experienced such circumstances.

    Seeing that Reiner couldn¡¯t even move the halberd¡¯s handle an inch, Shin realized that it could be one of the reasons why advanced equipment was so scarce.

    ¡°Is gear above Rare grade that hard to find?¡±

    ¡°In my experience, Rare grade gear is rtivelymon. It¡¯s not strange for high-rank adventurers to have Unique grade stuff too. But there are very few people with Legend grade gear in their hands. They¡¯re considered national treasures, so it would take a fortune to buy one. A lot of adventurers and country officials told me that they¡¯d buy my ¡ºBreogand¡» and ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡» at any price. No one would ever let go of such items unless they have serious money problems or n to retire or something.¡±

    For the people of this world, possessing Legend grade gear meant a boost in ability, even if the penalty was factored in.

    Shin thought that some very wealthy people could use their finances to gather them, but, apparently, things weren¡¯t so simple. Even in arge country, having elite forces all armed with Legend-grade gear was a nearly impossible feat, or so Milt said.

    ¡°I heard there are craftsmen capable of making new Legend-grade gear in the east, but a person like that would be sought after by countries all over the world. The cksmith that fixes our gear said that it¡¯s not possible to make items like that on purpose. There are several countries that probably have craftsmen who can replicate items of that level if they can see them, though.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin thought that it was better not to mention Kanezuka Araki, the cksmith he met in Hinomoto.

    ¡°(I think there¡¯s someone like that in Kilmont too. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re a former yer, but apparently, the generals are equipped in Legend grade gear and above from head to toe, and their elite troops are apparently supplied with a lot of Legend grade gear. Shibaid might know about them, though.)¡±

    ¡°(Even if he does, don¡¯t ask, okay? If they say there isn¡¯t anyone like that, I guess it¡¯s true, but it would be pretty difficult to develop your skills that far¡­)¡±

    Since they couldn¡¯t let anyone else hear them talk about the topic, Shin replied to Milt¡¯s question via Mind Chat while he looked up at the sky.

    Anyone could train cksmithing skills to a certain degree. Precious metals were necessary to do it, but, if you were in an area rich with them, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult.

    Raising skills over a certain level ¡ª more precisely, over level VII ¡ª would be a nearly impossible task.

    When Shin took out an Orichalcum ingot in Falnido, he was told that it would fetch a very high price.

    The same probably applied also to rare metals like Adamantite or Mithril.

    In order to raise cksmithing skills over level VII, it was necessary to use such precious metals and materials in great quantity.

    In the game, they were monster drops, an essentially endless resource, but to do the same thing in this world was practically impossible.

    At the same time, the only ones capable of crafting Ancient grade weapons were either former yers, who had the ability to do so from the beginning, or Chosen Ones, who were born with the ability.

    ¡°(But there are also those you call geniuses in this world. There might be someone who can train by themselves and be able to forge maybe not Ancient, but at least Mythology grade gear.)¡±

    Hinomoto¡¯s Kanezuka Araki had in fact seeded in crafting Legend grade gear, even though with his abilities it wouldn¡¯t have been possible in the game era. They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility.

    ¡°(Weapons are scarce everywhere, after all. There are people who can¡¯t fight at full power because of that, so hopefully the number of cksmiths will increase.)¡±

    ording to Milt, most yers and Chosen Ones tended to bebat-oriented.

    Production specialists were few and far in between: they were all closely guarded by their countries, cksmiths included.

    In battle not only were weapons and armor necessary, but also healing items or temporary stat boosting items. Shin also struggled with procuring sufficient equipment at the start of his career as a yer.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hear Shin and Milt¡¯s conversation, but she figured it out from their looks. She prompted them to go and they resumed their advance towards the 9th fort.

    There they would gain new information about high-level monsters or other threats.

    If the situation was really critical, they would be informed directly, so things were probably still not so grave at the moment.

    So thought Shin and the others, but once the knights who had galloped ahead to the fort returned, they realized their assumption was incorrect.

    ¡°Is that really true?¡±

    Reiner couldn¡¯t believe the report he had just received from the knight.

    ¡°No mistake about it. The 9th fort has already fallen, or more precisely, it has beenpletely erased.¡±

    The knights who actually witnessed the scene had a sickly look on their faces.

    Since they were sent as anti-flood reinforcements, even the soldiers in charge ofmunication had fairly high levels and were battle veterans. Not even such experienced soldiers could hide their agitation.

    After proceeding for a while more, the church troops prepared to set up camp.

    They originally nned to reach the fort before the evening, but it wasn¡¯t rare for schedules to change during the flood. The soldiers were not told the news about the fort, but they started setting up camp without objections.

    In the meantime, Shin went ahead to the 9th fort to see what happened to it.

    Judging from the contents of the report, there was the possibility that Wolfreet was involved, so Shin went there with Yuzuha: the strongest duo in the current party.

    ¡°This is something¡­¡±

    At their destination, they did not find anything remotely resembling a fort.

    If it had fallen to a monster attack, normally one would find crumbling walls and buildings, as well as the corpses of monsters or people.

    Things were very different here, however.

    There were objects protruding from the ground here and there, probably the remains of the walls. But nothing else.

    All the buildings, the remains of living beings, and any traces of fighting were probably buried in the hardenedva covering the surroundings. It was still burning hot and steaming in some spots.

    ¡°Do you think this is Wolfreet¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°The ground is melting. There aren¡¯t many monsters with this kind of ability.¡±

    Wolfreet¡¯s territory was like hell on earth, an area of scorching hot mes that burned anything and everything.

    Whatever constituted Wolfreet allowed it to burn forests or vaporizekes just by walking through them. In the game era, its original habitat was rivers ofva in volcanic areas.

    The current state of the 9th fort resembled what happened in the game when one failed to repel Wolfreet¡¯s attack on a base or home town.

    ¡°Kuu! I feel a presence still alive!¡±

    After Yuzuha pointed it out Shin detected it too. In the forest close to the fort, there were several presences huddled together.

    If there were survivors, Shin might learn exactly what happened, so he and Yuzuha started running towards their location.

 Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 4

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 4</h4>

    The presences detected by Shin and Yuzuha belonged to soldiers stationed in the fort.

    Shin stated he was a scout for the reinforcements sent to the 9th fort and the soldiers, relieved, lowered their weapons. They were rather tense when they first noticed someone wasing.

    ¡°So you weren¡¯t attacked by Wolfreet¡­I mean, a wolf monster surrounded in red mes?¡±

    One of the soldiers was apanymander, someone in charge of several toons, so Shin immediately asked him what happened.

    He also showed the soldiers proof that he was one of the adventurers hired for the anti-flood efforts, just in case.

    The certificate serving as proof given to special cases such as Shin and Shibaid was signed by the Dragon Emperor.

    In Kilmont there would be no higher proof, so thepanymander answered Shin¡¯s questions without any hesitation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. At first, we were attacked by a few giant centipedes and many bee-like monsters. The bee ones flew right over the fort walls and attacked. While we were dealing with those, the centipede monsters broke through the walls. We could have taken care of the bees somehow, but the centipedes were too much for us. Our weapons just bounced off of them and it didn¡¯t look like our magic affected them either.¡±

    Thepanymander added that they had requested reinforcements, but likely could not hold until they arrived.

    The monsters¡¯ offensive continued relentlessly: as soon as the fort¡¯smander realized they were doomed he ordered all troops to withdraw, while he stayed inside the fort.

    Shin had heard from Milt that the forts were equipped with a special barrier used in case monsters overwhelmed them.

    It was a very useful barrier that would prevent all monsters inside from going out, while also barring people outside from going in: it was to be used in case of emergency, after allowing as many soldiers as possible to escape.

    The switch for the barrier was inside the fort, however, so those who pressed it had little chance to flee. The fort¡¯smander had decided to let the troops flee in exchange for his own life.

    The problem was what happened afterward.

    ¡°The barrier can¡¯t endure monster attacks forever. Even if it was possible to trap a good number of them inside, some of them had enough intelligence to figure out that there was a strange wall, so they would often give up on the fort and chase the fleeing soldiers instead. It happened this time too: three of the centipedes chased the soldiers running from the fort. The bees were too numerous to count.¡±

    The bees could be defeated with two or three me magic Arts, but their numbers were great: the centipedes, on the other hand, were at levels too high for the soldiers to damage.

    The ballistae in the fort could damage them to an extent, but the soldiers escaping the fort had no way of using them.

    ¡°We were resigned to die, but just then a monster wrapped in blue mes appeared. It looked like a wolf, but the mes weren¡¯t red like you said.¡±

    It suddenly appeared in the center of the fort. Thepanymander was desperately fighting the centipedes, so he had no idea how it appeared there out of the blue.

    The wolf roared, summoning a heatwave that burned all bees to a crisp and set the centipedes on fire as well.

    Naturally, there were casualties among the soldiers as well. The ones who had fled far enough from the fort used their shields or the monsters to protect themselves from the heat.

    The soldiers who were still inside or too close to the fort, however, turned to ashes in mere seconds or burned to a crisp.

    ¡°The fort, the ground, everything was melting down because of the heat, but that thing just walked out as if it was nothing. At that point, it was like a natural disaster. Well, we could survive thanks to it.¡±

    The heatwave caused casualties among the soldiers too, but, considering that it eliminated all monsters and some soldiers survived it, they were saved by the wolf monster¡¯s sudden appearance. Thepanymander was aware of what would have happened if they just continued fighting the bees and centipedes like that, as he admitted with a sour look on his face.

    The wolf monster walked around the fort for a while, then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, as if melting into thin air.

    Thepanymander ordered most of the surviving soldiers to head to the 8th fort, the closest one, and remained to inform the approaching reinforcements about what happened.

    They were going to wait for a while more, but if no one came they nned to head to the 8th fort too.

    ¡°I will report to the church forces myself. On behalf of them, thank you for the information.¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha parted from the soldiers and headed towards the fort to look for any clues about the wolf monster. He already sent the information gained by thepanymander to Reiner via Milt.

    ¡°Yeah, I can see why they thought the fort had disappeared.¡±

    If someone who didn¡¯t know of the fort¡¯s presence saw the current scenery, they wouldn¡¯t have imagined anything had been built there before.

    Shin went closer and examined the hardened molten rock. There he realized that there were traces of lingering magic power on the cold, hardenedva.

    ¡°A monster simr to the wolf wrapped in blue mes, capable of producing heat strong enough to melt the walls of a fort reinforced by skills¡­could it be a ¡ºBlessed¡» one?¡±

    Monsters sometimes left traces of their magic power behind when they attacked.

    Shin had not actually seen the monster yet, so he couldn¡¯t be sure, but he had an idea of what it could be.

    Certain monsters, called ¡ºBlessed¡», spawned with special god-given powers.

    The actual conditions were a mystery, but yers spected that it was either because the monsters in question had a good affinity with certain gods or they exceeded a certain level.

    Wolfreet matched both of these conditions: Shin had actually seen ¡ºBlessed¡» Wolfreets in the game era too.

    Shin had yet to meet gods in this world, but judging from his experiences until now, he was sure that they existed.

    While iplete, a true monster like Reforgerer existed, after all. There was no reason to doubt the existence of divine beings.

    ¡°But, the scout man said the mes were red.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­the people here said they were blue, and I can¡¯t imagine a professional scout making a mistake like that.¡±

    It was impossible to mistake the difference in the color of the mes between a¡ºBlessed¡»Wolfreet and a regr one.

    The Wolfreet that appeared in the fort might not have been the one that was first spotted. Or maybe it became ¡ºBlessed¡» after it was spotted the first time.

    There was also the possibility that it was apletely different monster, so it was difficult to draw a conclusion.

    ¡°I guess we should contact the others.¡±

    Shin rted the information he obtained to Schnee via Mind Chat. He hadn¡¯t seen the Wolfreet yet, so he mentioned it simply as a possibility.

    ¡°I cannot believe it¡­the 9th fort¡­¡±

    Shin rejoined the church forces and told Reiner and the others about what he saw at the 9th fort. Reiner had a tense expression on his face as he listened.

    ¡°Sir Shin, do you think the other forts might have been attacked as well?¡±

    ¡°I have not heard any such reports from the other members yet. If they really were attacked, I believe we would be informed by the army.¡±

    ¡°We did not hear anything about the 9th fort either, though. It might be impossible to send emergencymunications at the moment. The soldiers will surely send a report when they arrive at the 8th fort, but we should sendmunication too. Based on what you told me, even if the flood monsters hadn¡¯t attacked, the monster that appearedst would have taken down the fort by itself, surely.¡±

    As Reiner said, Wolfreet ¡ª ¡ºBlessed¡» or not ¡ª just needed to walk around the fort to destroy it. That¡¯s how powerful it was.

    The fort¡¯s defenses had been bolstered by skills, but judging from how everything was melted, they definitely weren¡¯t enough to stop the destruction.

    ¡°I wonder why it attacked the fort¡­or if it really attacked it in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­oh, I see.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t understand what Milt meant at first but grasped the meaning after thinking a little.

    ¡°Ehm, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°ording to the soldiers¡¯ report, the fort was first attacked by arge horde of monsters. Large enough to make them decide to abandon the fort. The Wolfreet appeared when the soldiers were fleeing: it unleashed an attack strong enough to eliminate all monsters at once, but it didn¡¯t attack the soldiers directly. The Wolfreet¡¯s goal could have been not to take down the fort, but the monsters instead.¡±

    Shin hypothesized that the monster d in blue mes was Wolfreet for his theory.

    He continued exining to the puzzled Tiera by saying that Wolfreet could have decided toe out because the monsters had conveniently gathered in one ce.

    ¡°I see, that would also exin why it didn¡¯t attack the soldiers that survived.¡±

    Reiner nodded to Shin¡¯s theory.

    A rather numerous group of soldiers had managed to escape into the forest near the fort. If Wolfreet¡¯s goal was to destroy the fort, it would have gone after them as well.

    There were no Chosen Ones among the soldiers: Wolfreet would have simply needed to run past them to turn them into cinders. Considering their stats, it would have taken mere minutes.

    It might have also spared them for whatever reason, but, at the moment, they could only try to guess Wolfreet¡¯s goal. Even if they had some convincing leads, all they could do was make hypotheses.

    ¡°What in the world is going on with this flood, anyway? The scale is far toorge.¡±

    Reiner said that while floods often happened in Kilmont, this time the number of monsters was far higher than usual.

    Shin had experienced the so-called ¡°Great Flood¡± in Balmel, but this flood had apparently exceeded the scope of a regr Great Flood.

    The Church Warband arrived at the 8th fort in an atmosphere of disquiet. Reiner and the other immediately went to meet themander in charge of the fort.

    ¡°There¡¯s the g of the royal guards, the 2nd division must be stationed here too.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the g, the one with two dragons drawn from the side. The number of dragons stands for the number of the division.¡±

    Reiner pointed to a g showing two dragon heads baring their fangs. As fitting for the g of one of the divisions representing the country, the dragons were depicted in intricate detail.

    Information about the 9th fort had already circted: Shin and the others were immediately led to a meeting room where the people in charge of each group had gathered.

    ¡°First, let me thank you all foring all the way here. I am Raig Fa Kilmont, themander in charge of this 8th fort.¡±

    Reiner greeted Raig first, then Shin and the others introduced himself. Raig, a Dragnil with red and ck scales, stepped forward and shook hands with them one by one.

    He had a dragon-like face, simr to Zaikuin or Shibaid, but the white beard growing from his chin suggested that he was much older than them. Raig apparently guessed such a thought crossed their mind and started talking.

    ¡°Some of you might not be aware, but I am Zaikuin¡¯s father. I don¡¯t have a shred of royal authority though, so don¡¯t start trying to butter me up, all right?¡±

    ¡°Sir Raig, please. Your jokes are going to confuse Sir Shin and hispanions.¡±

    A Dragnil officer, closer to Humans in appearance, rebuked Raig with a slightly tired expression on his face. He was probably in charge of keeping the old general in check.

    ¡°Hahaha! I always enjoy surprising people with this. I¡¯m old enough to get away with this much, right?¡±

    Raig¡¯s air of a seriousmander quickly changed to a pleasant old man.

    Shin wondered how a member of the royal family could be so close to the frontlines, but, looking at Raig, he thought that he surely wasn¡¯t the type to quietly stay away from the fighting.

    ¡°Well then, now that the stiff mood in the room has eased a bit, let¡¯s start the meeting by exining the current situation to Sir Shin and hispanions.¡±

    The atmosphere changed again.

    Raig¡¯s tone too changed, assuming the firm speech style of a hardened warrior.

    The air in the room felt very tense when Shin and the others entered, but now, while it was tense, there was no restlessness to be felt.

    This could not be said for all present, however: most had stiff expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Let me confirm one thing first: Sir Shin, how much do you know about the current situation of the flood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, even after we departed from the capital we constantly receive information about the situation at the frontlines and the monsters¡¯ attacks, thanks to the people apanying us. Looking at you all, however, I have the feeling this is not what you n to talk about.¡±

    Shin expected Raig to talk to Reiner, so he was a bit surprised, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t tell him he asked the wrong person, so he replied.

    ¡°We have just received an emergency report, about the 9th fort. The capital seems to be in a rather confused state too. Which is no surprise, after the appearance of a monster capable of melting an entire fort. Another piece of information, however, is more troubling for us.¡±

    ¡°Another one, sir?¡±

    Raig said that the incident at the 9th fort was definitely not to be treated lightly, then continued.

    ¡°Monsters have spawned again. This time, it is an armyrger than ever before.¡±

    All floods had a fixed number of monster spawns.

    The flood in Kilmont was caused by magic power leaking from the Sacred ce, but, since they were beyond the sea, the numbers were smaller than floods created onnd, like in Balmel.

    Things were different this time, however. Not only the monster spawns were much more frequent, the number of monsters created in each spawn was also incredibly high.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go as far as to say they covered the wholend, but the numbers of the monsters exceed any recorded flood. ording to the scouts, they were ten times the usual. And apparently, it hasn¡¯t stopped yet.¡±

    Raig added that even the scouts, who should be used to observingrge groups of monsters, couldn¡¯t help but be shocked and distressed by the situation.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t stopped yet? Do you mean that the monsters are increasing as we speak?¡±

    ¡°I gave orders to send a report when they stopped increasing¡­and no word hase yet. They could appear at any time. The only good news, if you can call it that, is that the monsters¡¯ numbers are so high that they can¡¯t even walk without getting in each other¡¯s way, so they still haven¡¯t advanced this way.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they fighting among themselves, though? We have found high-level monsters on our way here, which were surrounded by monster corpses, apparently defeated by them.¡±

    Shin recalled the monster corpses strewn all around Dylebion.

    ¡°It seems there are some instances of that, yes. It¡¯d sure be a great help if they continued till thest monster standing, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°That would also mean creating a high-level monster with a great amount of experience.¡±

    In the game, the level and stats of monsters were decided when they spawned on the map: unless they used skills or items to buff themselves, they couldn¡¯t change.

    The only exception was monsters in certain quests, *programmed* to grow stronger unless certain conditions were met.

    In this world, however, it wasn¡¯t rare for monsters to fight each other.

    Monsters were also known to gain experience from fighting their kin, leveling up and growing stronger as a result. Some of them even evolved into the advanced version of their species.

    ¡°We had the same concern when we heard the monsters were fighting each other. But, as of now, their numbers are too high for us to do anything. If we ended up triggering an assault, we would bepletely trampled. They¡¯re discussing what to do in the capital too, but they haven¡¯te up with a good n yet.¡±

    The monsters¡¯ spawn point was at the edge of the continent: there was no way to estimate how many there were at this point.

    Even if the Kilmont and allied forces had superior firepower, it would take time just to move their forces.

    (Should we get rid of them all with arge scale magic spell? If Schnee and Sety work together¡­no, even if they do, it¡¯s too wide¡­)

    Arge scale spell specialized in destructive power, like the ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿ spell used in Balmel, would be able to take down even a superior monster.

    To cover a whole swath of the continent with a single person¡¯s spell, however, was not realistic.

    Not even Schnee and Shibaid could defeat all the monsters in their path: they were focusing on high-level monsters and locations with a high concentration of monsters, leaving the rest to the army.

    ¡°We¡¯re trying toe up with a n too, but haven¡¯t had any luck yet. Sir Shin, Sir Reiner, your duties and requests bring you to all sorts of ces, right? We thought you might have different viewpoints from us, who have always been fighting here. Could you lend us your help?¡±

    Raig and the other officers bowed their heads. The current situation was clearly seen as critical.

    The advanced high-level monster expected to appear could be the type that instinctivelymanded other inferior monsters.

    The soldiers could fight againstrge groups of monsters because they simply moved together in groups: they easily fell prey to the various illusion items scattered across thend and when they fought it was always by themselves, there was no cooperation among monsters.

    If an advanced monster took control of them, however, things would change drastically. They might not be able to rely on illusions anymore. Shin could understand well where Raig and the others¡¯ restlessness came from.

    ¡°The best way would be just charging in the middle and going all out¡­¡±

    Shin had used this strategy both in the game and in this world, but this time the scope of the enemy forces was just toorge.

    His current energies and stats would allow him to hunt them all down: if he called Schnee and they went at it for enough time, they might be able to take them all down.

    The monsters spread over such arge area, however, wouldn¡¯t all conveniently head in Shin¡¯s direction.

    Kilmont managed to repel the flood until now because the number of monsters spawned in one ce was less than other floods, the monsters scattered as they proceeded, were blocked or tricked in fighting each other via items, etc.

    When Shin¡¯s group arrived, Kilmont was already at its limits.

    If therge monster horde mentioned in the most recent report started moving, the defensive lines were likely to fall.

    (Is it better to use Rashugum? Considering the preparations and range of attack, though¡­Raster is always doing maintenance on it, but only on the facilities they use daily. Even if it can move, we don¡¯t know the state of its weaponry.)

    Shin thought that the anti-guild war machine could exterminate monsters in a very wide range.

    Rashugum, however, could not be said to move very quickly, and he didn¡¯t know if its weapons were ready to be used.

    In the game era, Shin always kept it ready to be used anytime, but since this kind of maintenance was probably not performed for over 500 years, he wasn¡¯t sure about using it. There was no time to inspect all of its weaponry.

    It was still better than nothing, however, so Shin decided to send Raster a message after the meeting.

    ¡°Our next strategy also depends a lot on how many monsters can be lured by the items in the wastnd.¡±

    ¡°Yes, if we have enough time we can definitely take them all down. Time, that¡¯s what we need now more than anything.¡±

    As someone said, war is all about numbers, and the current situation was proof that it was true. Overwhelming power was indeed a great asset, but, no matter how strong someone was, the area a single person could defend was pitifully small.

    The spawned monsters might be low leveled, but even a few of them could be very dangerous for a normal resident to face.

    If there were hundreds, thousands of them, with high-level monsters mixed in, it wasn¡¯t strange for Raig and the other officers to throw away their pride and bow their heads.

    ¡°Time¡­hmm, well, there is a way, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    There was a way to supplement for ack of time. So suggested Raig, but it looked like something was troubling him. Shin asked what that was and he nodded.

    ¡°The monsters¡¯ spawn point, the Sacred ce, is beyond the sea. There are no towns or inhabited areas in the surroundings. They don¡¯t even offer useful materials. So someone suggested raising a barrier all around it, to keep them froming ind.¡±

    Shin thought he read a very simr concept in a manga or novel once.

    He also recalled various works where dangerous areas were sealed off with high walls, so the area outside was safe for living. It didn¡¯t look like a bad idea to him.

    Many countries actually surrounded their cities with tall walls to ensure their safety. It was the same concept, for the opposite reason: to keep the dangerous elements confined inside the walls.

    The location where the monsters appeared was also on a penins, so it would be unnecessary to build a wall on the northern and western sides.

    If the parts connected to the continent could be blocked, the sea would act as a natural barrier. It would also let them save the resources and materials needed to build a wallpletely surrounding the area.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple n in theory, but executing it is a whole different matter. How far from the Sacred ce will the wall be built? How wide? How tall? How sturdy? Considering that high-level monsters could spawn too, it had to be extremely strong, or it would all be pointless. Even if the sea can act as half of the wall, the other half was still arge distance to cover.¡±

    When the proposal was first made, it was treated as absurd.

    The person who came up with it, however, did not give up.

    Many ideas were considered and some of them implemented, such as the usage of items to lure the monsters.

    During experiments, it was discovered that if the monster¡¯s advance was blocked by a wall, the monsters would continue moving along the wall, without attacking it.

    Furthermore, if the monsters were led to a location surrounded by walls and the sea, they would continue walking till they fell into the water.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gone over this many times, but I¡¯ll spare you the details. In the end, the ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project was approved.¡±

    The project involved using items that created gigantic walls instantly, cing them at fixed intervals, and activating them all at the same time to instantly create the wall, without the risk of monsters getting in the way.

    ¡°Implementation of the project started 252 years ago.¡±

    ¡°So much time has passed already!?¡±

    The n hinged on the Dragnils¡¯ long lifespan.

    Shin thought that building a normal wall might have been faster, but the wall building technology of this world was not very advanced.

    Using skills would have improved things a bit, but, since they wanted to build a permanent, instead of temporary, line of defense, they needed a very long time.

    Every time a flood manifested there was the risk to be attacked by monsters and for the wall to be destroyed.

    Gathering materials and manpower was surely not easy either. In the end, they reached the conclusion that using items to create walls instantly and activating them all at the same time was cheaper and less work.

    The walls would be made with Earth magic, 60 mel tall and 40 mel wide, so they would be very difficult to cross.

    The walls would be reinforced via automatic skills immediately after their creation, so they wouldn¡¯t crack even if attacked by a level 700 monster.

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you can build something like that. I didn¡¯t think that the current technology was so advanced.¡±

    Even in the game era, a project like this would have been deemed impossible. There was something that bothered Shin, however, about the fact that the n involved building a wall.

    ¡°There were engineers alive since before the Dusk of Majesty at that time, after all. It would probably be impossible to make the same thing now. The walls are based on an item called ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡», have you ever heard about it, sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°I see, so you use that as a medium for the wall. Now I can see how it would work.¡±

    The size and type of processing were different, but it was also used to power the 6th Sky Castle Rashugum.

    Using arge quantity of ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» could indeed make it possible to build the massive wall Raig talked about, equipped with reinforcement skills.

    ¡°The cement of the items is almostplete: if we seed, we should be able to narrow down the monsters¡¯ advance routes to very limited areas. I would have preferred to activate it when it wasplete, but we can¡¯t afford to wait any longer, can we.¡±

    ¡°If we go take a position where there are gaps in the wall¡­even so, it¡¯s still too wide¡­¡±

    Even if the wall was 90%plete, the remaining 10% was still an area over 500 kemel. It was impossible for Shin¡¯s party to cover itpletely.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you ce the remaining items faster? Looks like we have some time before therge monster horde starts moving and they¡¯re still at the edge of the continent, even if they start moving now it¡¯ll take time before they arrive, right? The empire¡¯s troops can handle the ones who spawned first, except the high-level ones. If we ce the remaining items at full speed, we can reduce the gaps in the wall to an area Shin and the others can cover, no?¡±

    ¡°If we go ourselves, huh¡­do you need any particr skills to set the items?¡±

    ¡°No, the items must be set at a certain depth, but any magic user of a certain level can do it, even if they aren¡¯t Chosen Ones. It would be easy for Sir Shin, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Raig and the other officers seriously considered Milt¡¯s idea. Both the items¡¯ cement and the subsequent counterattack relied on Shin¡¯s party, but the current situation didn¡¯t give them other choices.

    Shin was curious about who created the items in the first ce but decided to ask about itter and continue with the n.

    ¡°Can I discuss it with Schnee and the others first?¡±

    ¡°We would be grateful if you did. Please go ahead.¡±

    Raig and the other officers nodded, so Shin immediately opened Mind Chat. None of the other pairs were currently engaged in battle, so they answered right away.

    ¡°(I have just heard the same information. I see, the ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project. I can understand why Raig wishes to wait for it to beplete, but considering the monsters¡¯ numbers, it cannot be helped, I suppose.)¡±

    ¡°(However, even if that will stop the current flood, will the wall resist in the future too? Unlike now, the monsters would all gather into that hole in the wall.)¡±

    Shibaid heard about the n and agreed that it was a valid one.

    Schnee worried about what would happen after the wall was created, though. Floods would continue as long as there was magic power in the sacred ce: the goal was not to stop only the current one.

    ¡°(If they set more illusion items and gather the previously scattered troops in one ce, won¡¯t it work out somehow?)¡±

    ¡°(I remember that in some battles they put ballistae, magic cannons, and stuff on the walls, together with magic users. What was the size of the wall again?)¡±

    Filma and Sety continued by suggesting some countermeasures.

    Shin was thinking of the same thing too.

    Climbing the wall would be terribly difficult, so unless they used teleportation devices cing troops and cannons or other weaponry on the wall was pretty much impossible. They could lend them temporarily, using Schnee¡¯s name.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin¡­I¡¯ve thought of something, but I¡¯m not sure if it can work out, can I say it?¡±

    Shin felt his sleeve was being pulled and turned around to find Tiera. She did not seempletely confident, so she hesitated a bit.

    ¡°Hm? Sure, we have to throw out ideas first, we¡¯ll thinkter if we can put them into practice or not. So, what did you think of?¡±

    ¡°Those items that will create the wall, they say they¡¯re going to be activated all at the same time, but I thought that you could activate them also by themselves. So that when we¡¯re finished dealing with this flood, you can fill the gaps in the wall.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh yeah, that couldn work too.¡±

    Thinking about it, it didn¡¯t seem impossible. Shin had a creation-type job, if he knew the details of the item in question he might be able to do something about it.

    ¡°To change the timing of the items¡¯ activation? Is it possible?¡±

    Raig heard Shin and Tiera¡¯s conversation, so he joined in.

    ¡°I cannot say for sure without dismantling the item, but if it¡¯s the one I¡¯m thinking about, it might be possible. Can you take a look at this?¡±

    ¡°Is that an item card?¡±

    Shin took a card out of his item box and materialized it: it was a transparent sphere the size of a table tennis ball.

    The item¡¯s name was ¡ºSpace Rift Crystal¡». It could be used to cast the Earth magic spell ¡¾Soil Wall X¡¿.

    Its effect was simple: throwing it on the ground created a barrier of earth.

    It was normally used to stop chasing monsters or to block enemy attacks.

    Shin¡¯s item had greater effectiveness, however: the ¡¾Soil Wall¡¿ it created was sturdier andsted longer than normal.

    Shin took it out because, while hearing about the wall and how it was conceived, a certain person came to mind.

    So he took out that item card to verify his supposition.

    ¡°¡­hmm, I see Sir Shin is very knowledgeable about items as well. Please follow me. The items used in the project are a military secret, I cannot talk about them here.¡±

    Raig took a little while before answering, probably because he read the information about Shin¡¯s item first. He had unlocked it, so it could be essed via¡¾Appraisal¡¿.

    Raig shot a wave of intimidation that made the other officers in the room tremble.

    ¡°Men, I must apologize, for we have to leave for a while. Proceed with the meeting while we are gone.¡±

    Raig then motioned for Shin and the others to go with him.

    The officer charged with continuing the meeting looked at Raig with ¡°again?¡± written all over his face. He was the same human-like Dragnil who had scolded Raig at the beginning.

    The officers realized the gravity of the situation, so no one raised any objections or expressed disappointment.

 Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 5

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 5</h4>

    ¡°I suppose this means I guessed right?¡±

    Shin had followed Raig in a private room, with Tiera and Milt in tow, then asked this question.

    ¡°My apologies, Sir Shin, but I would like you to speak first. As I said before, the items used in the ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project are a military secret. One of utmost secrecy.¡±

    The information about the n and the items themselves were guarded very closely, to prevent ill-intentioned people from stealing them.

    There were also several disputes within the empire concerning the creator of the items in the first stage of the project, so the creator¡¯s identity was kept hidden to protect the people rted to them from harm.

    The creator was a nobody at the time, so they used their name for the project¡¯s name too at first.

    ¡°The items¡¯ creator is Barakia Wallcraft. In current terms, you¡¯d call him a Chosen One. He was a cksmith and alchemist, someone very passionate about building walls. His favorite words were ¡®Parapets are the best thing ever¡¯. That¡¯s the Barakia I know. The items used for the ¡ºWorld Rift Project¡» are powered up versions of that item, maybe?¡±

    Shin pointed to the item card in Raig¡¯s hands. Since this world offered more freedom than the game, it wasn¡¯t strange for Barakia to have be able to create such items.

    ¡°¡­to be able to figure out so much¡­Sir Shin, are you rted to Sir Barakia?¡±

    Raig did not answer directly and asked another question, but implicitly answered Shin¡¯s question in the process.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve done some things together.¡±

    In the game era, cksmiths exchanged information and critiqued each other¡¯s works.

    Barakia was a victim of a monster attack on a Home Town.

    ¡°That man was really passionate, but in a pretty strange way¡­the same type as Shin.¡±

    ¡°Oi Milt, don¡¯t call me weird so naturally.¡±

    ¡°You were pretty high on the weird scale at that time, you know? Birds of a feather is what pretty much everyone said.¡±

    ¡°What¡­did you¡­just¡­?¡±

    Shin was not aware at all.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done things together, you say.,.I thought you had heard about him from Sir Shibaid. What exactly do you mean by ¡®doing things together¡¯? Barakia died more than 200 years ago¡­hmm, also considering what Lady Milt said¡­I thought you were a High Human, but apparently, you are a long-living species instead. A Lord or a Pixie, maybe?¡±

    Raig heard from Barakia about where he used to live and what he used to do in the past, so while surprised he asked for more details, a serious look on his face.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what Barakia had been up to aftering to this world, so he thought that the Barakia he knew was different from the one Raig knew, but, apparently, that was not the case.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination. About the item, I pretty much know how it is made, so I believe I can work on it.¡±

    Things would getplicated if they started talking about his species, so Shin changed the topic.

    ¡°This is not the right time to talk about that, is it? In any case, I would never have expected you to know him personally¡­that was rather surprising.¡±

    Raig pondered silently for a short while, then looked at Shin again.

    ¡°¡­very well. I have had some of the wall creation items, named ¡ºEnd Wall¡», brought to this fort. There were concerns that they could be broken or lost, so we stored some of them here as spares. I shall let you see them. If it¡¯s possible to activate them separately, it will be worth reporting to the emperor.¡±

    Raig told the soldiers standing by outside the room to inform the other officers that the meeting was suspended.

    ¡°This way, follow me.¡±

    Raig started walking away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the two of us are going to be much use, but should wee too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was thinking the same thing.¡±

    Raig did not tell Milt and Tiera to wait there.

    They had followed Shin and heard the conversation too: Shin thought that if their presence was problematic, Raig would have said as much, so he said it would be probably fine for them toe too.

    ¡°Lady Milt is a former yer and Lady Tiera is a priestess, right? We wish to hear ideas different from ours more than anything, after all. Do not fret, we will change the items¡¯ hidden storage location after we have shown them to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can see how you know about Milt, but you knew about Tiera too?¡±

    Raig had spoken in a casual tone, but Shin couldn¡¯t help but ask about it.

    It wasn¡¯t strange for a long-living species like Raig to know about yers, but the fact that Tiera was a priestess was only known to those who lived in the elven vige or had a connection to it. The only exception was Shin and his party.

    ¡°I have been living since before the Dusk of Majesty, after all. I¡¯m not this old for nothing. I have actually met a priestess before, though I don¡¯t know what generation she was. Lady Tiera¡¯s aura feels simr to hers. I was notpletely sure, but it looks like I struck gold, yes?¡±

    Shin¡¯s reaction proved that Raig¡¯s assumption was right.

    Shin thought that he messed up: he would have never expected a Dragnil to know about the priestesses.

    ¡°I will not speak about this to anyone, of course. I know very well how important priestesses are.¡±

    Raig spoke in a more firm, serious tone. Having met a priestess before, he was well aware of their position and role.

    The group soon arrived in a room used by the fortmander for paperwork and meeting guests.

    ¡°We¡¯re going in the secret passage now. The rest is up to you.¡±

    So Raig said to the Dragnil in the room ¡ª the officer who had rebuked him for his jokes ¡ª and opened a hidden door in the back of the room.

    Beyond the door there was a small room: Raig manipted a device and a bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a corridor.

    ording to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, the spiral staircase beyond led all the way underground.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Raig then proceeded into the hidden passage. Shin thought it would take some time for him to go all the way underground, but Raig was back in about 5 minutes.

    ¡°That was pretty quick.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you are aware of how far this corridor goes. But you shouldn¡¯t be able to tell where the items actually are.¡±

    Raig smirked and Shin raised his hands in surrender.

    He wasn¡¯t going to show both the hidden passage and the items¡¯ storage location, after all. Nheless, it was also true that he had already revealed arge part of the fort¡¯s secrets.

    ¡°What about the items, then?¡±

    ¡°Here. You¡¯ll understand that I cannot simply give them to you. I¡¯ll be here while you analyze them, I trust that is fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I have nothing to hide.¡±

    Shin took the item from Raig. It had a spherical shape, very simr to his ¡ºSpace Rift Crystal¡». The rainbow-colored glow in the center was probably created by a¡ºDrop of Erathem¡».

    Shin activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿ and ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, the same method he used in Hinomoto when forging ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡».

    Since Shin already knew how to craft the base item, he could easily find out the materials andposition. He also found out why they were set to be activated all at the same time.

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s because of ack of materials¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Apparently there weren¡¯t enough ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡» at the time. The spell to create the walls and the skills to reinforce them both depend on them, but they couldn¡¯t gather enough for all the items.¡±

    ¡°The prototypes created the wall without problems, though. I saw them with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°They were probably designed for testing or demonstrations. These items are all connected by magic power. How do I say it¡­it¡¯s like there¡¯s an invisible thread of magic power tying them all together. When they are activated, they beplete together, creating not the faint light you see here, but a whole ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» crystal.¡±

    It was one of the methods used when there weren¡¯t enough materials to make an item.

    In¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, magic power worked more effectively when crystallized rather than when infused into an item.

    If magic power was infused into items and then split into several parts, the resulting items or gear would have an inferior effect than magic power in its crystallized form. In the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» item, magic power was still crystallized.

    As far as Shin could see, the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» used when crafting ¡ºEnd Wall¡» did not have enough potential output to create a wall that could cut off part of the continent.

    What made it possible was using this method.

    By distributing a uniform amount of magic power to all items and arranging them to activate at the same time in perfect bnce, it was possible to create an amount very close if not equal to magic power in crystallized form.

    It was also possible to break down the magic power crystals in powder or melt them, which was more effective in terms of simultaneous activation, but this method had its own unique advantages.

    If an entire ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» was used in a single item, the magic power effectiveness was 100%. If the magic power crystal was shattered or liquefied and split into two items, the effectiveness fell to about 48%.

    If the magic power was infused, the effectiveness fell further to about 40%.

    The more items magic power was infused into, the lower the effectiveness. By using this connection method, however, it was possible to keep magic power effectiveness close to 50% even if the magic power was infused into two items.

    Shin remembered well that, when this method was found out, it created quite a stir among Creation job specialists, with everyone wondering how it could be possible, some iming it had to be a bug.

    Many yersined that magic power effectiveness should be made equal in every case, after all.

    This method had its advantages, but since there weren¡¯t many cases in which it would be really useful, most yers either forgot about it or never knew about it in the first ce.

    There was no simpler method, however, to increase magic power effectiveness.

    There was a solid reason why it was used in the wall creation n: to keep magic power bnced, the items absorbed the surrounding magic power.

    In order to create a wall across a whole continent, an incredible quantity of items was needed.

    To keep magic power bnced between so many items, the total amount of magic power that needed to be absorbed far surpassed the amount of the ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡» used to craft the items.

    After a quick calction, Shin realized that the method could indeed provide for thecking magic power.

    ¡°Hey Shin, is it really fine to activate some of the items by themselves, then? If they are set to absorb magic power together to work properly, won¡¯t we mess it up if we change things?¡±

    Raig probably thought the same thing as Milt, as he nodded to her question.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, thanks to Barakia. He didn¡¯t use pretentious methods or newly found techniques not thoroughly tested. He also made it possible for the items to be incorporated, in case other yers found them.¡±

    The results of the analysis appeared in Shin¡¯s mind. There were no defects to be found.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Shin? You have a pretty scary look on your face.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. I just felt how serious he was when he made this. I guess this might be fate too¡­¡±

    Barakia was not part of ¡ºRokuten¡», but he was still a yer Shin felt close to.

    ¡°So, about the magic power. At this point, there is a great amount of magic power being added. The items were made with this method because they didn¡¯t have enough¡ºDrops of Erathem¡», basically not enough magic power, so if we use the¡ºDrops of Erathem¡»I have we can make the items activate normally even in this state.¡±

    The items were connected via an invisible bond of magic power, so it was possible to add ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡», their primary source of magic.

    ¡°If we use the same process on the items set to activate individually, their effects shouldn¡¯t change. I have to actually try it before I can be sure, though.¡±

    The n had been carefully perfected over 200 years: Shin was not so reckless as to go and fiddle with its key items just like that. He had the blueprints now, so only the final checks remained.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of doing the necessary testing first, then actually work on the items if there aren¡¯t any problems. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Please go ahead with the testing. I cannot approve work on the items on my authority alone, though. We will have to wait for the emperor¡¯s final say.¡±

    Even if Shin was Schnee and Shibaid¡¯spanion, to modify the core aspects of such a project naturally needed the approval of the country¡¯s ruler.

    On the contrary, it was almost a miracle that someone as little known as Shin could be allowed to see and analyze such top-secret items, even if Schnee and Shibaid vouched for him.

    Things could be different if he revealed his identity as High Human, but Raig did not know of it.

    ¡°When do you expect to have the results?¡±

    ¡°With the situation as delicate as it is, I want to be as thorough as I can. Even if I start right now, it will take at least three days. Then it all depends on the results of the tests.¡±

    The analysis of ¡ºEnd Wall¡» wasplete.

    Shin could have started experimenting on it immediately, but he wanted to try other tests first before actually working on it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the meetings here will reach a conclusion, but can you proceed like that?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Raig was quick to decide, probably because of his personality.

    ¡°If you have any other ideas, let us know. I don¡¯t mean to doubt your ability, but the more countermeasures we have, the better.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    There was always the chance of the tests leading to negative results. It was natural to try to have reserve ns.

    ¡°Shall we go back, then? I do hope a good n wille out of this.¡±

    Raig put back the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» in storage, then they all returned to the meeting room.

 Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 6

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 2: Part 6</h4>

    Reacting to the sound of the door opening, all present turned towards Raig, Shin, and the others.

    ¡°Were there any developments while we were gone?¡±

    ¡°The monsters do not seem to be moving yet. About the countermeasures, the proposed ns include burying explosive items on the monsters¡¯ expected route, dropping explosives from the sky, and even reckless ones such as taking the monsters down with all of our forces, before they can scatter.¡±

    ¡°The army would spread not to let the monsters flee, while Lady Schnee and Sir Shibaid would charge into the main horde?¡±

    ¡°That is one proposal, yes.¡±

    ¡°I can see where ites from, but¡­¡±

    Judging from the expressions of the members of the meeting, it really was simply one of the proposals they came up with. No one pushed it proactively.

    It would be effective, of course. Schnee and Shibaid were far stronger and could attack in a far wider range than any of the army¡¯s Chosen Ones.

    They also had great mobility: if the battlefield didn¡¯t epass an area asrge as the continent, it would be a solid n for sure.

    The only problem was it wasn¡¯t enough to solve the current situation.

    ¡°Landmines and air bombing could work to an extent. Among the monsters, there are flying types too, however. A number of casualties in the dragon knight divisions would be unavoidable. Is there any news about the monster species?¡±

    ¡°As before, the confirmed monsters include animals, insects, and shapeshifters. At present no monsters capable of flight over the highest point have been spotted, so air bombings would be effective. ording to the most recentmunication from the capital, preparations are underway.¡±

    ¡°I see. Hopefully, that can thin the numbers a bit.¡±

    More precisely, the best result they could hope for at present is to prevent the monsters¡¯ numbers from increasing.

    ¡°Let us close the meeting for now. I wish for you all to keep thinking of possible countermeasures, however. If youe up with any useful ideas, you may contact me anytime.¡±

    The ever-increasing monster spawn was a grave issue, of course, but the problem of the monsters spawned from before remained as well. They could not just keep using their time for meetings.

    After all the officers returned to their posts, Shin and the others left the meeting room as well.

    ¡°Sir Shin, Lady Tiera, what will you do now? You spoke in private with Sir Raig, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I have to do some tests. If it all goes well, we might be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.¡±

    ¡°I would very much like to know more, but maybe it is not something for us to hear?¡±

    ¡°I cannot decide on my own if I can talk about it or not. I¡¯m sorry, but you would need to ask Raig about it.¡±

    Reiner thought for a moment, then nced at Milt.

    ¡°If Shin doesn¡¯t talk, I can¡¯t say anything either.¡±

    Milt covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head. She was a subordinate of the church, but even so, could not speak of other countries¡¯ military secrets so easily.

    ¡°I have no intention of making you be a spy. But if you act like that it¡¯s clear that you also know what we¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°!? You tricked me!!¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­you went with Sir Shin when he left the meeting, so anyone could figure it out¡­¡±

    Reiner simply meant it as a joke.

    ¡°Since you know about it, go with Sir Shin, for the time being, Milt. Our reinforcements and the troops in the fort are enough to deal with the monsters for now, as long as no high-level monsters appear.¡±

    So said Reiner, but Milt did not agree with his orders at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a creation job specialist, so it would be pointless for me to stay. I¡¯d definitely be more useful if I was out there swinging my halberd. Don¡¯t you think so too, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say pointless, but¡­there¡¯s nothing I need you to help with, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s not your specialty, after all.¡±

    Shin thought for a moment before replying, but the conclusion was the same.

    Since she used poison, Milt acquired ¡ºConcoction¡» and several other creation-rted skills. However, they wouldn¡¯t be useful with the item Shin was going to work on this time.

    It was amazing enough for her to have honed those skills despite being a battle-oriented yer.

    ¡°And so, I¡¯ming with you.¡±

    ¡°I see. We¡¯re leaving immediately, then. We received orders to eliminate as many monsters as possible in the surroundings before therge horde starts moving.¡±

    ¡°Roger! See youter, folks!¡±

    Milt winked as she left, joining Reiner¡¯s forces in the monster extermination expedition. Shin and Tiera watched her go, then they also exited the fort.

    They rode on Yuzuha and Kagerou for about two kemel, then Shin took out a certain item.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the item from before? But you couldn¡¯t take it with you, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is a different item. But the sphere infused with magic power is definitely this ¡ºin Stone¡». I confirmed it during the analysis. If you infuse this with the right magic power and skills, it¡¯s possible to create the item Raig showed us. At least in theory.¡±

    The item Shin materialized from a card, ¡ºin Stone¡», was a material normally used for infusing skills.

    There were other simr types too, all used in conjunction with skills. The only difference was the level and type of skills that could be infused in each one.

    ¡°If we take a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» and wrap it in our hands with this ¡ºin Stone¡», we have¡ª ¡±

    The one cemel wide ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» fragment fused with the ¡ºin Stone¡» in Shin¡¯s palm. The ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» disappeared and the ¡ºin Stone¡» started giving off a rainbow light. It looked exactly like the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» item Raig showed them.

    ¡°¡­eh? You did it already?¡±

    ¡°No, now we have a base for skill infusion. I have to attach skills in it now.¡±

    The ¡ºin Stone¡» gave a faint glow as Shin spoke.

    ¡°Done. Since it¡¯s still experimental¡­let¡¯s just call it ¡ºWall Stone¡». Okay then, here goes.¡±

    Shin buried the ¡ºWall Stone¡» in the ground, walked away from it, then activated it. It was the remote activation function also present in the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» items.

    ¡°I can see how this could stop the monsters¡­¡±

    Tiera was staring, dumbfounded, at a massive wall of soil, 10 mel tall, 20 mel wide and 5 mel thick.

    It was already hard rock, as solid as metal. Seeing such a small sphere give birth to a fortress-like wall would certainly leave anyone speechless.

    ¡°Next is this.¡±

    Shin took out the same number and size of ¡ºin Stone¡» and ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» and fused them.

    ¡°It looks like the same to me, is there anything different?¡±

    ¡°I attached twoyers of skills. The first wall only had one max level ¡¾Soil Wall¡¿, but I cast the same skills twice this time.¡±

    Shin then activated the item. Nothing happened, however.

    ¡°Did it not work?¡±

    ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t enough magic power.¡±

    The¡ºEnd Wall¡»Shin analyzed had a doubleyer of skills too.

    Infusing an item with the same skill twice raised its effectiveness, but also required more magic power than infusing it with two different skills.

    The magic power in the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» Shin used to create the item clearly wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°It¡¯s all ording to calctions, at least for now. Let¡¯s fuse another ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» in it.¡±

    Shin dug out the item, fused one more ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» in it, and buried it again. Once he activated it a wall much more massive than the first one was created.

    He used a skill to measure it: the new wall was about 60 mel tall and 40 mel thick.

    Because of the item¡¯s capacity, the wall¡¯s width capped at 10 mel, but the height and thickness were the same as what Raig said ¡ºEnd Wall¡» to be.

    ¡°If I add a hardening skill, the magic power consumption is exactly the same. A hefty quantity, as expected. I guess I should try testing the magic power absorption quantity when the items¡¯ magic power is bnced together¡­?¡±

    Shin already had information about how the item was made:bined with the analysis of the item itself, there were no holes in the information he had. The experiments were proceeding extremely smoothly.

    Additional fusion of a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» to the ¡ºEnd Wall¡».

    Measurement and calction of the magic power absorption at the moment of activation of connected items with equal amounts of magic power. Activation time variation, and more. Shin thoroughly performed test after test.

    He had to delete and re-create the walls a number of times, thus inadvertently causing a bit ofmotion in the fort, but could ultimately produce positive results.

    Then, two days after he began his research¡­

    ¡°To be able to create a top-secret item in such a short time¡­so this is why Zaikuin¡¯s answer arrived so quickly.¡±

    Raig was holding one of the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» items made by Shin. After scanning the results of Shin¡¯s experiments and the materials about the item, he felt almost tired to be surprised so often.

    As Raig said, they received an answer from the royal capital the next morning after he sent the materials: an unprecedented approval to give Shin unlimited freedom.

    It was so fast that Raig sent more documents and asked for confirmation a second time. Shin thought it was probably because the emperor knew he was a High Human.

    Once again, he felt that, for the people of this world ¡ª yers excluded ¡ª ¡ºRokuten¡» was that special of an existence. They weren¡¯t treated as the gods of creation jobs for nothing.

    The Dragnils involved in the creation of ¡ºEnd Wall¡» were amazed to see that Shin seemed to know its structure better than them.

    ¡°The n will be put into action as soon as the soldiers retreat from the front lines.¡±

    ¡°Understood, let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    In order to implement the n, the 1st and 2nd fort were going to be abandoned, as they were located beyond the nned wall. The soldiers had begun withdrawing already: they were scheduled topletely leave the forts in two days and would cross the nned wall in seven days.

    Once they crossed the wall line, there would be no need to fear therge monster horde anymore. They could keep the great number of monsters that spawned this time at bay as well.

    Cultivating such optimistic thoughts was what triggered it all, maybe.

    Shin and the others heard furious knocking at the door. The soldier that rushed inside looked as pale as death.

    ¡°Emergency report!! Therge monster horde¡­has started moving!!!¡±

    As it turned out, the monsters weren¡¯t going to stay quiet until the wall was built.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 1

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 1</h4>

    ¡°Exin in more detail.¡±

    Raig talked to the agitated soldier in his usual tone.

    He took a solid, unfazedmander-like stance.

    The soldier seemed to regain someposure thanks to Raig¡¯s calm. He took a deep breath and started talking again.

    ¡°Yes sir! The report arrived just now: the scouts stationed in the 1st fort witnessed severalrge monsters separate from the horde at high speed. Afterward, the rest of the monsters started moving as well, as if following their lead. Lastly, the scouts could not read the names or levels of therge monsters that left the group first.¡±

    The scouts stationed in the 1st fort were experts of concealing their presence and analyzing their targets. Most of them were Chosen Ones, so their stats were far higher than the average person.

    If they couldn¡¯t analyze their levels, the monsters either had very high levels or skills that hid their information.

    ¡°How many of thoserge monsters were there, exactly?¡±

    ¡°The report mentioned that three were spotted at the moment. They headed respectively northeast, east, and southeast of the starting point. Each of them leading monsters of their same type.¡±

    The scouts confirmed that the monsters heading northeast were of the shapeshifter type, the ones heading east the animal type, and the ones heading southeast the insect type.

    The animal types were led by a tiger-like monster with two heads.

    Its body was approximately five mel long, mostly covered in ck fur, with red patches here and there.

    A pair of yellow horns grew from both of its heads. It was also reported that there were sparkles of somethinging from its mouths.

    Based on this information, Shin guessed it was Heltoros. What sparkled in its mouth was probably lightning.

    Heltoros could spew lightning from its left mouth, mes from its right.

    It was highly skilled atmanding feline and canine monsters: it was the kind of monster powerful on its own, but much more fearsome in a pack.

    It also possessed very high mobility: even if the prey managed to run away from it, it could track it via smell and would chase it obsessively.

    In the game, its level was between 700 and 750. If it was leading a pack, it was better to regard it as being 100 levels higher.

    The insect-type boss monster had a lizard-like head,pound eyes, a centipede-like body with six pairs of thin dorsal wings. It also had long spider-like legs.

    Shin was sure that it was a Selcikeus. Its characteristics were too unique: as long as it was a monster from the game, there was no mistake about it.

    Even if it had wings, its flying capabilities were limited and it could only fly very slowly, so it normally used its long legs to move on the ground.

    Its most dangerous abilities were an extremelyrge range of enemy detection and long-range attacks.

    Its lizard-like head could split in four to release a very powerful searing hot beam. Its offensive power was so high that Selcikeus itself was blown away from the recoil, so it used its long legs to anchor itself to the ground.

    Its level ranged from 800 to 850. As far as Shin knew, it did not have the ability tomand other monsters of the same type, so this Selcikeus might have acquired new abilities.

    Finally, the shapeshifter monster was one the scouts had the most trouble with.

    Slimes and other shapeshifter monsters were very difficult to identify from their external characteristics, as suggested by the name. Since they could change their shape, such characteristics could not be relied on.

    What was known at present was that its body was blue and purple and had three pairs of thin stick-like limbs, six in total, growing from its oval body.

    It used such insect-like features to move. Most spherical shapeshifter monsters either rolled or crawled on the ground, but this one was different.

    The soldiers¡¯ report confirmed that only the monster leading the pack moved in such a way, however.

    Heltoros, which was more dangerous therger its pack, had thus found its ideal conditions.

    Selcikeus¡¯s long-range beam attacks would be very dangerous if it sent other monsters ahead.

    The shapeshifter monsters¡¯ abilities would be unknown until the battle started.

    Considering their numbers, each pack was dangerous enough to wipe a small country off the map. Maybe even arge country could not fend them off for long.

    ¡°They¡¯re all going to be a pain to deal with.¡±

    ¡°A pain? Shin, these are cmities for the normal people here. By the current standards, they¡¯re basically screwed.¡±

    Milt sighed helplessly at Shin¡¯sment.

    In the game era, yers from everywhere would have gleefully charged at the monster packs, excited to join the new event, but things were very different in this world.

    Now that the ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project was nearingpletion, however, there were ways to deal with the issue.

    ¡°I know that. But there are still things we can do. Because we have a bunch of ¡°abnormal¡± people on our side, me included.¡±

    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯ve got self-awareness. If they weren¡¯t scattered you could wipe them all out by yourself, after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re praising me there, Milt.¡±

    Shin was slightly bothered by Milt¡¯s response. He wasn¡¯t going to say that he was a perfectly normal person, but it felt a bit ufortable to hear others say it.

    ¡°There are way too many monsters for me to wipe outpletely by myself anyway¡­wait, why are you two nodding like that?¡±

    Shin told Milt that what she said was beyond ridiculous, but both Tiera from behind him and Yuzuha on his shoulder nodded in approval.

    ¡°Well, thinking about the battles until now, that seemed like the natural order of things. I honestly expected that after building the wall you¡¯d say something like ¡®I¡¯m still worried after all, so let¡¯s defeat them all to be sure¡¯, go over the wall and start fighting. Once the wall isplete and the monsters can¡¯t advance, the time issue is solved, after all.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t¡­deny that possibility¡­¡±

    Shin scowled a bit at Tiera at first but soon realized that he was really prone to say something like that.

    Even if the wall prevented the monsters from spreading through the continent, leaving such arge horde of monsters alone was definitely worrying. It would not be strange if they decided to exterminate all the monsters that spawned this time.

    Shin thought so because it was not beyond their capabilities.

    ¡°(Kuu! Time for Shin to show what Shin is made of!)¡±

    Yuzuha seemed to agree too. She deftly used her tails to support her body upright and punched the air with her paws, as if shadowboxing.

    ¡°You people are sure taking it easy. The 1st and 2nd fort soldiers are going to be attacked by the monsters, remember?¡±

    Reiner interjected in the conversation with a mixture of confusion, disappointment, and a pinch of anger.

    Most of the troops stationed in the forts were foot soldiers. Even with the support of arts and skills, they definitely could not outrun high-level monsters.

    The physical abilities of monsters outmatched humans too. Compared to the average person, a high-level monster¡¯s energy was practically endless.

    The monsters were overwhelmingly superior in both strength and speed. There was a high chance that the 1st and 2nd fort troops would be attacked before they could cross the wall line.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we aren¡¯t just messing around.¡±

    Shin understood that the atmosphere surrounding Milt and Tiera was very different from the other officers.

    ¡°Yes, Shin could really pull it off.¡±

    ¡°Right, Shin definitely could¡±

    ¡°(Kuu, Shin will do his best!)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a proper reason¡­look, everyone¡¯s ring.¡±

    Shin urged them to act more seriously, but the officers¡¯ looks did not change much.

    ¡°Hahaha! It appears that even monsters unknown to us aren¡¯t much of a threat to Sir Shin. We couldn¡¯t hope for a more reliable ally, could we?¡±

    Loudughter erupted in the conference room. Raig saw the situation differently from the other officers.

    ¡°Do you have any ns other than the wall project? Everyone is anxious, as you can see. Can you tell us about them?¡±

    Raig stoppedughing and took a serious expression. The retreating troops would soon be in danger: they couldn¡¯t keepughing forever.

    ¡°The number of humans on our side is next to nothingpared to monsters. So I propose to use these to transport the troops quickly to a safe location.¡±

    Shin took out a crystal enchanted with teleportation magic. He was involved in the current situation as Schnee¡¯s ally, and it would not be strange for her to use such items, since she lived since before the Dusk of Majesty; Shin thus decided to use them without hesitation.

    ¡°A crystal to transport the troops¡­? Could that be¡­¡±

    The officers seemed to be puzzled, not understanding how the crystal could move the troops.

    Raig thought for a bit after seeing the crystal, then his eyes opened wide.

    ¡°We can bring the troops close to the 9th fort in an instant with this. It¡¯s not possible to transport the whole army at once, of course, but based on their numbers, we should be able to bring them all in using them 10 times or so. We¡¯ll go there ourselves and start transporting the troops. I heard that there is a wyvern in this fort, to be used when messages do not work, so if we borrow it we should be able to reach the forts before the monsters do. This will also give us more time to prepare to engage the monsters after the wall has been built.¡±

    ¡°¡­a crystal enchanted with teleportation magic, I see. It surely would dispel all concerns of the troops being chased by the monsters.¡±

    Raig sighed while looking at the crystal in Shin¡¯s hands.

    ¡°I thought I knew how skilled you were, Sir Shin, but I cannot help being surprised nheless. Disposable teleport crystal shards can sometimes be found in ruins or dungeons, but not crystals capable of transporting groups of people. I know that it was the norm once, but there are very few people capable of such a thing nowadays.¡±

    ¡°Where in the world did Lady Schnee find such a person¡­?¡±

    Raig¡¯s vice officer seemed stupefied too.

    ¡°Well, enough about that. If we have our allies retreat without forcing them to suffer casualties, there will be no better n. The 1st and 2nd fort troops will be sent to guard the soldiers in charge of setting the wall creation items. With Shibaid and Lady Schnee present, I doubt anything will happen, but more manpower could be useful in case of emergency, at least as a defense.¡±

    ¡°I agree. We cannot rule out the possibility of a situation we could not handle on our own.¡±

    Numbers equal power. Even if Shin and his party members were individually very strong, they could not be everywhere at the same time. All the situations they had faced until now could somehow be resolved by brute-forcing their way in specific locations, but they had to be ready for a situation where that method would not work.

    ¡°Can you move immediately?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There are still many unknown factors, so we should act as soon as possible.¡±

    The unconfirmed Wolfreet-like monster was another issue Shin wanted to deal with, but the monster horde had higher priority.

    ¡°Our side shall proceed with building the wall, then. Item setting and escort troops have already been dispatched to forts 3 to 7. Let us depart too.¡±

    Activating the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» required a certain amount of manpower, to prevent the mistaken activation of a single item that activated all of the others in a chain reaction.

    There were so many items used in the ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project precisely to prevent human error or people misusing the items with malicious intent.

    Schnee and Filma were going to act on their own, by borrowing a wyvern like Shin¡¯s group and visit the various item activation points, defeating monsters on the way.

    In case of emergencies, they would contact Shin and deal with it.

    Shibaid and Sety were going to continue on their way to regroup with Shin, defeating any monsters they found.

    The party was going to regroup where the¡ºEnd Wall¡»items hadn¡¯t been set yet.

    The item setting operations had proceeded at a feverish pace while Shin was doing his experiments.

    The item setting could proceed more smoothly thanks to items that allowed the workers not to be spotted by monsters, provided by Shin.

    The workers would continue setting up the items as much as they could until the monsters arrived; if they couldn¡¯t make it in time they would activate the items on the spot: Shin and the others were going to fill in the gaps.

    Depending on the wall¡¯s structure, it might not be possible to block all the gaps, so Raig, the imperial army, and Reiner¡¯s church forces were ready to be deployed too.

    A report from the capital stated that the dragon knights had departed already.

    ¡°First, we will head to the 1st and 2nd fort to assist the withdrawal of the troops there. We will decide the teleport location once we arrive: please inform any deployed troops about the teleportation n first. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if they are deployed, but if they know about the n in advance we can avoid needless confusion. Would it be eptable to inform the soldiers hereter?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. I leave the troops in your capable hands.¡±

    Raig nodded and Shin jumped on the wyvern.

    Wyverns usually had rough temperaments, but this one was trained well, so it didn¡¯t run wild even if it was its first meeting with Shin. It trembled when Yuzuha hopped on its head first, so that might be the reason.

    Shin made sure Tiera was sitting properly behind him, then lightly pulled on the reins.

    The wyvern understood what that meant and started running. After a short run, it spread its robust wings and soared in the sky.

    It was probably supported by skills or magic: after kicking the ground it pped its wings just a few times but was already high up in the clouds.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s used for emergencymunication, I expected this wyvern to be very fast, but it¡¯s nothing special¡­maybe?¡±

    Tiera was hugging Shin¡¯s back, but after the wyvern stopped soaring and started flying in a more stable manner, she moved away a bit.

    She didn¡¯t let go of his hands, though. There was a lot of shaking while the wyvern pped its wings, so she might still be worried.

    It had shaken strongly enough that Tiera could have fallen off if she didn¡¯t hold Shin¡¯s hands, as she wasn¡¯t handling the reins.

    ¡°Seems pretty fast to me, though. Until now you¡¯ve flown only on the Ancient Dragons and Tzaobath, so I guess this guy seems slow inparison.¡±

    They did not fly many times together, so it was easy for Shin to recall.

    The Ancient Dragons and Tzaobath both had much higher levels than the wyvern. Even if it was trained to fly at high speed, it couldn¡¯tpete with them.

    The wyvern cried softly, and Shin thought it said ¡°Don¡¯tpare me with beasts like those, please¡­¡±.

    It wasn¡¯t the kind of gap that could be filled via training, so Shin softly caressed the wyvern¡¯s neck to console it.

    ¡°How long will it take to reach the destination?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about three hours till the item setting area. We¡¯re going to set a teleport spot there, then head to the 1st fort. They should have been informed already that the monsters are moving, though, so they might have started retreating already. In that case, we¡¯ll arrive earlier.¡±

    Raig said that it would take the troops 2 days before leaving the fort, but that included the time necessary to prepare food supplies and equipment.

    If the troops only prepared enough supplies and gear to move to a nearby fort, 1 day would be enough to make preparations.

    The only other factor was how much time they could buy before the monsters arrived.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make it in time¡­right?¡±

    ¡°If the monsters moved exactly as the report said, yeah.¡±

    Tiera was worried, but Shin chose not to be optimistic.

    Most of the information in the reports they recently received was about therge monster horde.

    The 1st and 2nd forts were the closest ones to the monster spawning point, but they couldn¡¯t focus on only those two spots.

    While the monsters were heading deeper into the continent, not all of them acted in the same way.

    Maybe because of their lower intellect, some monsters stopped advancing halfway, roaming the surroundings instead.

    Some monsters also formed packs, so there was the chance they attacked people or settlements during their advance. They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that such monsters might be attacking forts right now.

    Raig had warned them about this before they left to rescue the soldiers. He decided to tell them because Shin was not especially knowledgeable about Kilmont¡¯s floods, so he might not know about it.

    After about three hours of flight, they spotted the silhouettes of what seemed to be the item setting troops.

    ¡°Looks like the item setting operations are going well.¡±

    ¡°Right. I can feel several strong magic sources from under the ground.¡±

    Shin too detectedrge globes of magic power, set underground at fixed intervals.

    Maybe because he knew the items¡¯ structure in detail, he could tell that they were properly connected by threads of magic.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t mistake us for monsters.¡±

    Shin, still riding the wyvern, took out the imperial army g borrowed from Raig.

    All the Kilmont troops knew that wyverns were used for emergencymunication. If Shin waved the g on top of that, there shouldn¡¯t be any risk that they would be mistaken for monsters.

    ¡°We havee to secure a teleportation location to assist the withdrawal of troops from the 1st and 2nd fort. Have you receivedmunication from Sir Raig?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have. Based on the number of troops, I believe an area about one kemel away from here would be fitting. What do you think?¡±

    The fieldmander checked Shin and the others¡¯ names and identities, then made this proposal. He said the distance to be one kemel, but since the troops would be stationed starting from the center, it was actually closer.

    If it was too far away they could have trouble dealing with sudden developments, but the wastnd had little obstacles and offered a clear field of view. They could notice any changes immediately.

    The fieldmander also considered the fact that positioning the troops too close to the wall building points might cause idents.

    ¡°We will head to the 1st fort immediately after setting the teleportation point. Please continue your operations.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to us. The safety of many of ourpatriots depends on this mission. We shall carry it out perfectly.¡±

    The fieldmander saluted Shin in the Kilmont style, by holding his right first over his sr plexus, then returned to his work.

    Shin and the others did as they said: after setting the teleportation point, they soared back into the sky on the wyvern, heading towards the 1st fort.

    It took them about 30 minutes: as the map and detection skills already told them, there was no one to be found there.

    ¡°Looks like they left already. A lot sooner than what we were told, though.¡±

    Even if they started their preparations immediately after the messages were sent, after the council in the royal capital, not even half a day had passed yet. Raig had said that even if they had to abandon the fort it would have taken some time to prepare, so Shin was worried that something unexpected happened.

    Even if unforeseen trouble struck in the 1st or 2nd forts, however, they were supposed to be contacted immediately.

    Since there was no suchmunication, Shin guessed they either left ahead of schedule or had to leave immediately for a specific reason.

    ¡°There are tracks of the troops¡¯ retreat. It doesn¡¯t look like they were attacked by monsters, more like they left in a hurry. They shouldn¡¯t be too far.¡±

    The troops had clearly used the same arts used by the Church Warband to move more quickly. The numbers of the troops were great, however, and Shin¡¯s party could move faster by flying.

    After about five minutes of flying while scanning the surroundings with detection skills, they found a cluster of soldier presences and other presences scattered here and there.

    ¡°Thanks to their experience fighting on the frontlines, themander¡¯s judgment was swift, I suppose. Their movements are coordinated very well.¡±

    From above it was easy to see that the troops moved in orderly files. They were using physical boost magic, as expected: they could move very quickly.

    Shin thought their movement speed was even higher than the Church Warband. They might be using skills, not arts, to boost their physical abilities. Since they were fighting in dangerous frontlines, their abilities had to be higher as well.

    ¡°Even so, there are things you can¡¯t avoid.¡±

    Shin looked towards a group of presences that repeatedly went closer, then away, then closer again to the 1st fort troops.

    As Raig had warned Shin, a group of roaming monsters was attacking the troops.

    The soldiers were prioritizing their advance, so they did not stop to fight the monsters.

    Some of the monsters that did not attack the soldiers left the pack, without paying too much attention to the soldiers, so themander judged there was no point in engaging them in battle.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take down the monsters that left the pack. Tiera, please go help the soldiers fighting against the monsters. Yuzuha, control this guy so that Tiera can shoot more easily.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, leave it to me!¡±

    ¡°Eh!? What!?¡±

    Shin entrusted the reins to Yuzuha, now in human form, and jumped off the wyvern. While cutting through the wind, Shin activated a magic spell and two fist-sized globes of magic power appeared in his hands.

    Shin used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to regain an upright stance, then aimed at the monsters away from the soldiers.

    Lightning-type Magic Skill ¡¾Giant Spark¡¿.

    Shinunched one fist-sized globe of electricity for each pack of monsters. The globes would erge once they hit the center of the pack, engulfing it fully in a lightning storm.

    After the skill subsided, only charred corpses remained.

    All the monsters other than the ones engaged in battle with the soldiers or too close to them were thus quickly exterminated by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Giant Spark¡¿ barrage.

    ¡°What power is that¡­!?¡±

    ¡°All troops, be alert! Where did the attacke from?¡±

    ¡°Captain! I-it came from the sky!¡±

    The soldiers trembled in their boots as they witnessed the monster packs being annihted one by one.

    One of the soldiers pointed to the sky and shouted.

    The soldier riding on the most majestic horse of the group looked upwards too.

    Shinnded right next to this soldier on horseback and started running along him.

    ¡°Sir, I assume you are themander of the 1st fort troops. I havee from the 9th fort to assist your retreat, my name is Shin. Are the soldiers here with you your whole division?¡±

    Judging from how the other soldiers addressed him, Shin thought the man on horseback was themander and talked to him as such.

    Shin¡¯s suddennding surprised all the surrounding soldiers, so it took a few seconds before the man replied.

    ¡°¡­Yes, I ammander Gunoit. We have indeed heard that they sent a wyvern as emergency reinforcements. Let us talk more once we have repelled the monsters, shall we? We have encountered arge pack while retreating, and our numbers make it difficult to lose them.¡±

    ¡°Let us deal with them first, then. Have you heard the details about your transportation?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did find it hard to believe, but if Sir Raig says so, I have no choice. Are there any additional orders?¡±

    They were still under attack, so Gunoit wanted to deal with the monsters first. He probably noticed that the lightning only targeted monsters.

    Shin too knew that it would be difficult to transport them like this and didn¡¯t want to waste time talking about details.

    ¡°Nothing in particr. It would be better for you to be still for the transportation to work, so let us deal with the monsters first. If we can defeat the monsters surrounding us, we can proceed with the transportation immediately.¡±

    ¡°Understood. We had grown irritated with the persistence of those beasts too. All troops, stop where you are! Prioritize defeating the monsters!¡±

    The captain probably used a magic tool tomunicate: even the soldiers too far to hear him normally stopped to fight the monsters.

    The soldiers were probably as fed up as Gunoit with the monsters: starting from the spots with a lower concentration of monsters, the soldiers blew them away with their shields or pierced them with their spears.

    Their way of fighting was rather wild for imperial soldiers, but they positioned themselves in a way to support each other, showing they were indeed battle veterans.

    ¡°Ah, mypanion is shooting the monsters from the sky, so please don¡¯t attack that.¡±

    ¡°I shall inform the soldiers ordingly.¡±

    Shin nodded as Gunoit shouted the order to his troops, then leaped in the air.

    He jumped again with ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, then headed towards a pack of monsters too close to use ¡¾Giant Spark¡¿.

    The soldiers could take down smaller groups of monsters, so he headed towardsrger groups.

    Most monsters were four-legged animal types. They attacked the soldiers using a hit-and-run strategy, switching ces with other monsters every time, possibly due to their instincts.

    The soldiers did not risk going to the spots where Shin went, consistently culling the monsters¡¯ numbers instead.

    Shin jumped over the soldiers¡¯ heads as they deftly defended themselves against the monsters¡¯ ws and fangs, sometimes with their shields, sometimes with their weapons and armor.

    Since the soldiers were on the defensive, Shin assumed the monsters¡¯ attacks were bing more aggressive. Hended between them, without a sound, then shed his ¡ºKakura¡».

    The monsters probably did not even notice that an enemy hadnded behind them. Before they did, they had already dissolved into blood and smoke.

    Before their severed heads or torsos fell to the ground, Shin swung ¡ºKakura¡» again.

    All monsters in the sword¡¯s range were torn to shreds.

    Most monsters were under level 200, so he could easily cut down their numbers without using skills.

    Shin performed his attacks in directions where there were no soldiers, to prevent the shockwaves from damaging them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished off the monsters in the back! The ones in the front are the only ones remaining!!¡±

    Shin shouted to the surprised soldiers.

    They were having a difficult time because of the monsters¡¯ battle strategy too, but especially because of their numbers.

    Even if they managed to wound the monsters, new ones soon took their ce. The soldiers couldn¡¯t run at full speed either, so they couldn¡¯t outrun the monsters. Their energy was thus gradually whittled away.

    Since they were veterans that fought against the floods on the frontlines, monsters around level 200 were no match for them.

    They stayed on the defensive because they couldn¡¯t see how many monsters in the back rows had been defeated by Shin.

    The greatest threat of the monsters¡¯ number was gone, and the monsters themselves were shaken by Shin¡¯s appearance, so there was no need to fight defensively anymore. The soldiers in this area too started proactively exterminating the monsters.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 2

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done here.¡±

    There were still some spots where monsters remained: Shin checked where Yuzuha and Tiera were providing support and headed in the direction farthest from them.

    The monsters¡¯ numbers had been severely reduced through the intervention of Shin¡¯s party; the soldiers¡¯ counterattack thus quickly exterminated the rest of the pack.

    ¡°You have my gratitude for assisting my troops. There are many things I¡¯d like to ask, but please let me know about the message first.¡±

    If they lingered too long they might be attacked by monsters again. Gunoit seemed intent to begin the teleportation immediately.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great help. I have been informed of the numbers of squads in the 1st fort: if the troops gather ording to their squad, we can start transporting them right away.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem then. The troops were fighting the monsters in groups ording to their squads just now. Some might be mixed inrgerpanies to cooperate, but it won¡¯t take much time to reassemble the squads.¡±

    ¡°Let us start immediately then. The destination has already been secured.¡±

    The troops were grouped by squad, leaving 10 mel open between each. It was done pretty quickly, as Gunoit said.

    Shin stood in the center of the squad to be transported and infused magic power into the teleportation crystal. The scenery surrounding them twisted and turned, and the next instant they were in the wastnds Shin registered as the teleportation destination.

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s the item setting division?¡±

    After the teleportation, Shin heard one of the soldiers close to him whisper to himself. The soldiers of the item setting division, whom Shin¡¯s party had spoken to some time before, were now in front of them.

    It was obvious from Shin¡¯s standpoint, but it was nothing but shocking for the transported soldiers, who stood there speechless.

    ¡°I will go back to transport the other squads. Please stand by here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Understood.¡±

    So Shin addressed the still awed squad leader, then teleported away. As he did, the soldiers¡¯ gazes all focused on him.

    ¡°He¡¯s back. They really teleported¡­¡±

    ¡°Seems like they¡¯re going to teleport all of us like that.¡±

    ¡°So that is the strength of those chosen by Lord Shibaid¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s hearing skills brought various whispers to his ears.

    Teleportation was not exactly an unknown technique.

    What remained of it at present, however, was only an adaptation of the teleportation devices from the ruins or guild houses of old, as used in the adventurers¡¯ guild and royal castle in Bayreuth.

    The technology to create teleportation devices and ce them anywhere was said to be lost.

    The soldiers¡¯ reactions reminded Shin of how Tiera acted when Shin first used a teleportation crystal in this world.

    ¡°There are no remaining presences: all soldiers have been transported. I will head to the 2nd fort now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your service.¡±

    Shin transported thest remaining squad, then returned.

    ¡°Off to the 2nd fort then. Let¡¯s get this done quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin and Tiera climbed on the wyvern. He made sure Tiera had firmly wrapped her arms around his stomach, then they soared.

    ¡°Hm? Is it just me, or is the wyvern shining?¡±

    As soon as they flew up, the wyvern started glowing faintly with a green light.

    ¡°Kuu! Movement speed up!!¡±

    Yuzuha gloated while wagging her tails. Apparently, she was behind it.

    She had modified a skill that boosted movement speed to affect the wyvern¡¯s flight speed.

    It was something that no yer would have easilye up with, as they could not fly in the sky by themselves. Summoners and Tamers were more likely to think of such a technique, maybe.

    Yuzuha didn¡¯t use it when they first left the 9th fort because she wasn¡¯t sure she could control it sufficiently: she didn¡¯t want to risk a crashnding.

    She had perfected her control of the skill during the previous battle.

    During the battle, they flew at low altitude and speed, did not face many enemies at once, and, even if they crashed, remained safe since Tiera could save herself and the wyvern wouldn¡¯t suffer lethal wounds; it still sounded impossible to pull off to Shin¡¯s ears though.

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you could support the soldiers in a situation like that.¡±

    ¡°I could somehow feel when we were going to speed up. Besides it¡¯s not like the wyvern elerated abruptly, so I didn¡¯t risk falling off.¡±

    So Tiera, who had assisted the soldiers by firing her bow from the wyvern, answered Shin¡¯s question. Shin thought that her proficiency as a Tamer had probably increased.

    ¡°You could also ask Kagerou for more riding practice.¡±

    Kagerou probably heard the conversation too: he emerged from Tiera¡¯s shadow and looked at her as if asking ¡°I wonder if Tiera will ride on me too¡­?¡±, so Shin gave him an assist.

    He had been supporting Tiera from inside the shadow so that he wouldn¡¯t be mistaken for a monster.

    ¡°It should be in sight already¡­¡±

    Thanks to Yuzuha¡¯s support skill, they could reach the 2nd fort area in less than 30 minutes.

    They nned to go to the 2nd fort first, then switch to the direction the soldiers moved.

    ¡°Hey, can I ask something?¡±

    ¡°Eh? W-what¡¯s up?¡±

    Tiera had been quiet during the flight but finally broke her silence. Shin used a skill to decrease the wind pressure around them, so they didn¡¯t need to speak loudly to understand each other.

    Shin¡¯s awkward pause and his reaction were caused by the way they were sitting, Tiera talked right next to his ear. She also spoke up suddenly, so Shin was caught off guard.

    ¡°It might be just my imagination, but from the ce you transported the 1st fort soldiers until here, the monsters¡¯ presences felt kind of weird.¡±

    ¡°Weird?¡±

    Shin scanned the monsters¡¯ presences as they flew, but they felt the same as always to him.

    As far as Shin could tell, regardless of whether monsters spawned due to the flood or not, their presence felt the same.

    ¡°What exactly is weird about them? I detected monsters here and there too, but they didn¡¯t feel weird.¡±

    ¡°I feel that there are monsters that are hostile and monsters that aren¡¯t¡­it¡¯s not clear, though, that¡¯s why I said it felt weird.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t as clear to state it outright, but also not faint enough to treat it as just her imagination.

    ¡°Yuzuha, can you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­lots of hostility. But something else is mixed in?¡±

    So said Yuzuha while cocking her head to the side. It was a faint sensation for her too.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s see if we can confirm it after we¡¯ve transported the 2nd fort soldiers.¡±

    Something that Shin couldn¡¯t feel, but Tiera and Yuzuha did. It was a matter of senses, but Shin thought that even something as small as that shouldn¡¯t be ignored.

    The ¡ºWorld Rift Wall¡» project would be realized very soon: he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that this might be a hint that something unexpected was going to happen.

    They were simply going tond and approach one of the presences to analyze it more closely. Even if nothing came up, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a loss of time.

    ¡°Can you focus on searching for the presences around us? If you can find one clearly different, we¡¯llnd and analyze it from up close.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will try.¡±

    Yuzuha sat on the wyvern¡¯s head, her ears and tails springing right up. Shin could understand why her ears would do so, but it was a mystery if there was a point to the tails standing up too.

    On the other hand, Shin felt Tiera¡¯s arms around his stomach tighten. She also leaned more closely against him: even through the clothes, he could clearly feel the softness of her body.

    ¡°Er¡­Tiera¡­?¡±

    ¡°I can keep my body more stable like this. I¡¯ll tell you when I find something, so let me stay like this for a while.¡±

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s tone waspletely serious: Shin could tell she wasn¡¯t joking at all, even without looking at her.

    It would be wrong to think of it in a weird way, so Shin also focused on scanning the monsters¡¯ presences. Ignoring the sensations pushing against his back.

    ¡°Sorry to break your concentration, but we¡¯ve arrived at the 2nd fort.¡±

    They were already close in the first ce, so it only took minutes to arrive at the 2nd fort. There were no silhouettes to be seen, no presences to be felt. The map did not show anything either, so they assumed the soldiers might have left already, like in the 1st fort.

    Shin then spread his detection field in Kilmont¡¯s direction.

    As there were no hits yet, the troops had to have moved a considerable distance already. Because of the great number of soldiers involved, tracks of their passage clearly remained on the soil. They weren¡¯t going to have trouble catching up to them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go after the soldiers. If you catch anything on the way, let me know.¡±

    The wyvern¡¯s flight route was directed towards Kilmont. After about five minutes, Shin picked up on a group of presences, likely the soldiers.

    ¡°Looks like they haven¡¯t encountered monsters this time.¡±

    Shin took out and waved the g as they approached the soldiers. They waved their own Kilmont g in response.

    Shin flew over the troops once to let themselves be seen, thennded in a nearby clearing.

    The soldiers followed them to the wyvern¡¯snding spot. They separated into two files and a man on horseback, probably themander, approached through the middle path.

    ¡°My name is Shin, I came at Sir Raig¡¯s request to transport you to a safe location. Have you received the message?¡±

    ¡°I am Ahd Dey Kilmont, themander in charge of the 2nd fort. We have received amunication, yes. Please go ahead with the transportation as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Themander bore the surname Kilmont; he was either part of the royal family or shared a connection with them.

    The troops were already separated in squads, so it was simple to transport them. After the 2nd fort soldiers, the next troops to be transported were the 2nd royal guards division and the Church Warband, stationed in the 9th fort.

    ¡°I will start the transportation now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±

    A Dragnil d in full armor nodded and Shin activated the teleportation. The 2nd royal guards division was transported first.

    ¡°Teleportation makes it all so much easier.¡±

    Milt said so to Shin after he finished transporting the 2nd division. She was going to be transported together with the Church Warband.

    ¡°Want to learn it?¡±

    ¡°I honestly would, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d make things more troublesome in the end, so I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    Milt answered Shin¡¯s question after ncing at Reiner and sighing. The 2nd royal guards division had also invited her to join their ranks after they learned of her upgraded weapons.

    The Dragnilmander of the 2nd royal knights division was equipped with Legend gear, but it was all either mid or inferior grade.

    That was impressive in its own regard, but Milt¡¯s equipment was much superior to that, and she also had enough ability to use it.

    Milt couldn¡¯t use her full strength before because of her equipment, but now that she had a weapon capable of withstanding her strength, her fighting ability was higher than before. It would be strange if they didn¡¯t try to get her to join their ranks.

    ¡°In any case, I wish you will give a proper and fair consideration to the marriage issue.¡±

    ¡°You have my heartfelt wishes that you will find your special someone in the future.¡±

    Shin had gotten rtively used to Milt¡¯s teasing, so he answered with a very serious look on his face.

    ¡°Aah, Shin is being mean!¡±

    ¡°Stop joking around then.¡±

    Milt dramatically fell to her knees and pretended to cry, so Shin gave her a light chop over the head. It reminded him of their exchanges in the game era and he felt a wave of nostalgia.

    ¡°Hmm, this is fun in its own way, but seeing you get used to it makes me feelplicated too. I have to think of something more amazing after this mission is over.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to jinx it if you say it like that. Let¡¯s go,e on.¡±

    Milt might be an acquaintance, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to be chatting.

    Shin activated the teleportation and transported the Church Warband. After transporting all of its members, he once again reminded Milt to be careful, then joined with Tiera and Yuzuha again.

    ¡°Tiera, Yuzuha, please go help the soldiers in charge of the items. I¡¯ll set down some traps in the direction the monsters areing from, just in case.¡±

    Shin thought of helping the item setting division, depending on the situation.

    Based on the speed at which they were advancing, they were definitely going to cross the wall line before all the items could be ced and the wall activated. They would be forced to activate the items with a hole in the wall.

    The hole would be formed where Shin and the others were, so he thought of setting traps there to slow down the monsters¡¯ advance.

    The most important trap was an item that created smaller walls, which Shin had crafted while working on ¡ºEnd Wall¡». Its size was rather small, but it was more than enough to serve as an obstacle.

    He also thought of testing various trap items he made during the game era, which were now lying unused in his storage.

    He could detect where he set the items, so recovering themter would be easy. He wasn¡¯t going to create andmine situation, where he knew the items were buried but did not know exactly where.

    ¡°Okay, my good wyvern friend, you have one more job to do.¡±

    Shin¡¯s traps could be simply scattered from the sky; it was faster to do so while flying on the wyvern than while running.

    The wyvern cried loudly, expressing that it was ready and willing to go.

    ¡°Around here should work.¡±

    After 20 minutes of flight, once they were far enough from the wall creation line, Shin took out the traps from his item box.

    ¡°You can only do something like this because no one lives around here.¡±

    Shin tossed the item cards while shifting the wyvern¡¯s course. The materialized items fell on the ground.

    They didn¡¯t crash with loud sounds, raise dust or smoke, however: they sank into the ground like pebbles in water.

    It was a function created for items to be buried more easily, often present in items used by scattering them on the terrain.

    It wasn¡¯t possible to aim at specific spots while dropping them, however, so this method couldn¡¯t be used with the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» items.

    The items Shin scattered were traps that, when monsters got close enough, caused the soil to spike upwards. The shape these ground protrusions took was random: Sometimes they were sharpnces, sometimes strange statues, etc.

    They were veryrge and not even Shin, who set them, knew what shape they were going to have, so the monsters were definitely going to be confused. The ground protrusions would also work as physical obstacles.

    When these traps were used to protect an allied facility the function to distinguish friend from foe was added too, but it was not needed this time: they were too many to do so. The traps were going to activate even if a normal person walked too close to them.

    Luckily, no one lived in the area so there was no risk of such a thing happening.

    After the operation, if Shin reported to the authorities about the traps they could make it possible for no one to get closer until all of them were removed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s turn around now. Go back about one kemel, then start flying in the same way as now.¡±

    The wyvern Shin borrowed was very intelligent and understood his wordspletely.

    Maybe because of his riding skills as well, he only needed to say what he wanted to and pull the reins a little for the wyvern toply.

    Thanks to that, Shin could concentrate on dropping the items. The next types of traps he scattered were exploding or freezing ones. They would cause confusion or dys, allowing the monsters to be finished off more easily.

    ¡°I¡¯d liked to have scatter some more, but it can¡¯t be helped, I guess.¡±

    Shin had prepared a considerable quantity of items, expecting to scatter them from the sky, but there was a limit to how many he could prepare on his own. He dropped the traps as widely as he could, but, after about one hour, he had no more left.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s just a fight against time.¡±

    He was going to help with setting the wall items in the remaining time. They split into small groups and set down as many items as possible.

    The item setting division troops and Tiera worked on the areas closer to the sea, while Shin flew ind with the wyvern and took over from the point until which the items had been set already.

    He had practiced what to do to the point of memorization while working on the items: in the game era Shin and Barakia had done simr things together, so he could work faster and more precisely than the item setting division.

    Even so, there was not enough time.

    The monsters did not stop moving.

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±

    A few days after the operation started, the word finally came. The ¡ºEnd Wall¡» was going to be activated.

    The messenger from the scout division contacted the fieldmander, so Shin and the others ¡ª the heart of the operation ¡ª were informed immediately.

    ¡°ording to the scouts¡¯ report, the monsters are expected to arrive 3 days from now, at noon, as long as nothing unexpected happens.¡±

    Themander¡¯s expression was grave. The report finalized the ¡ºEnd Wall¡»¡¯s activation date. The gap that would be formed in the wall was approximately 10 kemel wide. A gap that they could fill if they had just 5 more days.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t make it, in the end.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. We knew it from the start after all.¡±

    Shibaid red at the map and one of the blocks ced on it, which marked the monsters¡¯ position. Filma shook her head lightly and replied.

    Together with Schnee, they had rejoined with Shin in thest few days. While Shin and Schnee were helping the item setting division, Filma and Shibaid used the wyvern to scout the monsters¡¯ activities. They also set more traps and helped the imperial forces and the Church Warband to build a defensive line.

    They also had Rashugum move towards Kilmont, for added safety, but because of the flying fortress¡¯ speed and its initial location, it hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    Without proper maintenance of its armaments, it would be difficult to use on the front lines anyway.

    ording to Raster, there didn¡¯t seem to be any major problems with it. He had performed maintenance on Rashugum for many years, so his words definitely had credibility, but in any case, there was no way to use it if it was still so far away.

    ¡°What¡¯s the condition of the monster packs?¡±

    ¡°It looks like each pack is starting to behave differently. The monsters led by Heltoros have formed many smaller packs. Heltoros is still the supreme ruler, but now it has servants ruling each smaller group.¡±

    Schnee replied to Sety¡¯s question while looking at the documents she received. Because of Heltoros¡¯manding abilities, its pack was well organized. Their movement speed was also the fastest.

    ¡°Selcikeus is moving with monsters all around it. It probably intends to use them as a shield. They are all matching its pace, so they¡¯re not very fast. We might be able topletely eliminate Heltoros¡¯ pack before they even arrive. While their methods are different, we can say that this pack is also tightly organized.¡±

    Some of the monsters surrounding Selcikeus normally acted independently, but this time none apparently strayed from the pack.

    ¡°Their intellect is lower than normal, so maybe they¡¯re obeying the strongest monster of their kind?¡±

    ¡°That could be. For monsters, the leader is always the strongest.¡±

    The monsters had clearly been fighting each other.

    It wasn¡¯t clear if leveling up also boosted their intellect, but it was enough to establish a power rtionship.

    Even if they were insect types, they still belonged to the ¡°monster¡± category above all. They did not share all of the characteristics of normal insects.

    As far as Shin knew, the monster hierarchy was determinedpletely by individual ability. Subjugation by force, as Sety and Filma suggested, was very possible.

    If the two packs attacked together, with Heltoros¡¯ herd attacking directly and Selcikeus bombarding from afar, the Kilmont allied forces would certainly suffer many more casualties.

    Shin and the others all thought that it would definitely be better to fight the two packs separately.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s Gelganger.¡±

    The identity of the shapeshifter monster was confirmed as soon as they saw it.

    Gelganger was a type of slime, a monsterpletely focused on defense.

    It was a top-ss monster in terms of ways of mitigating damage: it could minimize blunt damage to a tenth, reflect magic, and more.

    On the other hand, its offensive power was extremely low: in the game, yers often ended up in a situation where they couldn¡¯t defeat Gelganger, but the monster couldn¡¯t defeat them either.

    It was a non-active type of monster: it never did anything as long as yers didn¡¯t attack it. Even if other monsters around it were attacked, Gelganger would just slime away, unfazed.

    Shin fought it in the past too: his sword attacks simply bounced back on the slime monster¡¯s stic skin. Like many other slimes, it didn¡¯t seem interested at all in fighting.

    It even let yers ride on top of it (on its back?), so it was regarded as a very unusual kind of monster.

    ¡°Does this one attack?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s likely, yes. All monsters spawned by the flood tend to be aggressive, even if they aren¡¯t normally. It might be dangerous to consider it an exception.¡±

    ¡°¡­well, it¡¯s easy to defeat as long as we have more attack power at least.¡±

    It was a foe difficult to fight against, but it had a clear weakness.

    It was the weak point all monsters focused on defense had: they had no way to defend themselves from attacks that exceeded their defensive powers. It was enough to make Shin feel optimistic.

    Something also felt off, however. Heltoros and Selcikeus were both aggressive monsters, but Gelgengar was theplete opposite.

    It was strange that such a monster was born from the conflict between other monsters. Only a monster that overwhelmed its opponents with absolute power would triumph in the end.

    ¡°What will we do about our positions? At present, the monsters led by Heltoros are expected to arrive first, but, considering Selcikeus¡¯ presence, it would not be a good idea to fight them close to the wall.¡±

    Schnee spoke up and Shin decided to stop thinking about that for the moment.

    He had no hard evidence at the moment and drawing a counter-strategy against the monsters¡¯ advance had higher priority.

    Unlike Shin and his party, the soldiers posted behind them probably wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand Selcikeus¡¯ long-distance attacks.

    The defensive line wasn¡¯t going to crumble after just one shot, but if they continued being attacked from a position too far to respond in kind, they would eventually be annihted.

    ¡°The best thing would be to make the monsters target us. In that case, Schnee and I, being the fastest, would go ahead, while Shibaid and the others stay back to defend against the bombardment. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Even with your shields, Shin, we cannot defend the whole army. Fortunately, there is only one Selcikeus. If we get close enough to disrupt its line of fire, we should be able to take care of it all.¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid¡¯s proposal.

    If they stayed away, they would never know where Selcikeus was going to shoot and couldn¡¯t defend the whole allied army anyway. The only other way was to get closer themselves.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with Shibaid then. The monsters other than Selcikeus can¡¯t perform attacks at that range, and even if there are some who can, we just have to torch the whole lot.¡±

    Sety was clearly raring to go, as evidenced by her rather colorful choice of words.

    She gave a bit of a reckless impression, but for Sety, the party member specialized in offensive magic, to shoot a barrage of spells from behind Shibaid, the party¡¯s greatest shield, was not a wrong choice at all.

    ¡°Okay, so you two will head there from the start. If our calctions are correct, not even Selcikeus¡¯ cannons should be able to bring down the wall, but we don¡¯t need to put that to the test. If we have to crush it, I prefer doing it as soon as possible. Filma and I will go take care of Heltoros. Tiera, you and Kagerou will take down any monsters that we missed. Schnee will support Tiera and stand by in the middle between the wall and our positions, ready for any emergencies. How does it sound?¡±

    Shin and the others did not think they could handle everything by themselves.

    If the monsters¡¯ objective was to advance ind more than anything else, many of them were likely to slip by Shin¡¯s offensive advance. The imperial army and the Church Warband would have to deal with them.

    The soldiers weren¡¯t average citizens who would be helpless before a monster.

    He told Schnee to stand back primarily to be ready to counter any unexpected situations, though she would help the soldiers if needed. She may not go as forward as Shin or Shibaid¡¯s groups, but she was going to see her share of fighting anyway.

    Furthermore, Shin didn¡¯t mention Yuzuha¡¯s name because it had already been decided that she would go with him.

    There was the possibility that all monsterspletely ignored Shin or the others and went straight towards the hole in the wall.

    The fast monsters following Heltoros were the ones more likely to slip past Shin, so Yuzuha served as a countermeasure for them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use this strategy as a basis then.¡±

    Shin and his party couldn¡¯t decide the whole strategy by themselves: the conclusion would be decided through discussion with the imperial officers and the Church Warband.

    Even if the result was going to be the same, they couldn¡¯t simply decide on their own.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any other way though.¡±

    ¡°Sshh, they¡¯ll hear you!¡±

    Shin and Milt talked while looking at Schnee and Shibaid to discuss the strategy with the officers.

    The most important objectives were to minimize casualties and stop the monsters from advancing: any strategy would end up being simr to the one Shin¡¯s party thought of.

    Since level and equipment were a major factor in this case, there was a limit to how tactics or strategy could influence the oue of the battle.

    It wasn¡¯t a battle between human creatures, so they also had to ount for the monsters making unexpected moves.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, the fact that a world just like a game exists is pretty weird.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only thinking about it¡­now?¡±

    The concept of level was maybe the greatest example: in the game, it was an element meant for yers to enjoy the game for a long time. In reality, however, it just became a binding chain.

    Leveling up was not a simple or quick process, so if they fought normally humans would simply be routed by the monsters.

    ¡°There are things that we can do because this world is just like a game, though.¡±

    To fight against hundreds, thousands of monsters on your own or as a small party. And be able to make an impact.

    Such a fantasy became reality in this world.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve reached a conclusion.¡±

    ¡°Right. Okay then, time to get serious.¡±

    Shibaid nodded in Shin¡¯s direction: it was the sign that the talks went as they expected.

    Three more days until the operation.

    A monster horderger than ever seen before was drawing closer every minute.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 3

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 3</h4>

    ¡°They¡¯re finally in sight.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at a cloud of dust and smoke in the distance, raised by the monsters.

    His current position was approximately one kemel away from the area where he had scattered the traps. As expected, the first to arrive was the pack of animal-type monsters, led by Heltoros.

    The tiger-like monstermanding them was running ahead of the herd, naturally.

    There were some differences from the information they received, however. Both of its heads had grown to a size muchrger than normal.

    Furthermore, the beast¡¯s fangs now stretched down to the base of its neck.

    ¡°It must have evolved on the way here.¡±

    ¡ª Heltoros Garze Level 840

    Not only its head, but the whole body was about twice the size of an average Heltoros.

    An advanced specimen with higher speed and muscr power. Its jaws could go even over its neck, reaching its torso if wide open. It looked just like its mouth made up for one-third of its body.

    ¡°(I confirmed that Heltoros evolved to an advanced form. Selcikeus and Gelganger might have done the same. On your toes, everybody!!)¡±

    Shin urged his teammates to take care via Mind Chat, then sent a message to the troops stationed behind him.

    He had no intention of letting Heltoros break through his line of defense, but the other monsters might have powered up as well.

    The monsters¡¯rge numbers were enough of a threat: if the soldiers fought them without the knowledge that they might be stronger than usual, they might end up paying a steep price.

    ¡°Our first target is that one, right?¡±

    Filma looked at Heltoros Garze, her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» slung on her shoulder. She was eager to let loose.

    ¡°Yeah, the leader¡¯s presence alone makes the pack much more dangerous. Yuzuha, you handle the monsters that slip through. I¡¯ll deliver the first blow, but I think that several monsters will slip through until we take that beast down.¡±

    ¡°You have my word!¡±

    Yuzuha was standing next to Shin in her original form.

    She still had notpletely returned to her true form, but was very close to it: her body now measured about 10 mel, tails excluded.

    Her mental faculties seemed to grow together with her body: her speech had nothing of her usual childishness. Her intimidating aura as one of the strongest monsters in the world was much more powerful.

    She transformed in front of the imperial army and the Church Warband, so that they would not mistake her for an enemy monster, but even some of the officers stepped back in fear and awe.

    ¡°I¡¯ll throw something big for the first blow. Filma, tell that to the messenger, please.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the massive wall standing behind them, so tall you had to look to the sky to see the top.

    The wall building operations continued for as long as the monsters¡¯ advance speed and counterattack preparations allowed: the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» was finally erected the day before.

    The figure of the massive structure shaking the ground as it rose to the sky was simply breathtaking.

    No monster, no matter how powerful or high leveled might be, would pass any longer.

    The wall¡¯s overwhelming presence and mass inspired such a belief in the hearts of whoever saw it. Even Shin, who had seen many giant monsters in his life, could not help but be impressed.

    His old friend had dedicated his life to making ¡ºEnd Wall¡». The fruit of his efforts now stood tall, to protect all the people behind it.

    The troops stationed in the other forts, preparing for the monsters¡¯ attack, also reported that the wall had been erected on their side as well.

    The fact that no unexpected idents happened during the construction of the wall was one of the reasons why Shin, his party, and the soldiers felt confident.

    If other holes opened in it, they would have to send someone there as soon as possible.

    Such a thing did not happen, however: they all knew they only had to protect this one gap. Their morale was at an all-time high.

    ¡°I got a response. We can go anytime!¡±

    ¡°Here goes¡­!¡±

    Magic power overflowed from Shin¡¯s body. He chose the same skill he used during the great flood in Balmel, ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿.

    The thunderstorm it caused spread all around after hitting the ground, so it affected a wider range than the initial one. It was an ideal skill when the primary objective was to sh the enemy¡¯s numbers.

    The sky, where previously only thin clouds could be seen, soon became heavy with dark clouds. Clouds that rained pale blue thunderbolts.

    It might have looked like a beautiful sight from a distance. For anyone under the clouds, however, it was nothing but a catastrophe.

    The monster horde led by Heltoros Garze moved as a tightly controlled pack, so they were all rather close together.

    It was like the situation was asking for Shin to cast ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿.

    The thunderbolts struck the area with the highest monster density, slightly behind Heltoros Garze.

    Shin delivered this blow with ¡¾Limiter¡¿pletely removed. Its offensive power and range were approximately twice of Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿.

    It was a view so unnatural for the people of this world. One of the Kilmont imperial soldiers who witnessed itter described it this way: ¡°Rather than a thunderstorm, it looked like pirs of blue light were falling from the sky.¡±

    ¡°I thought I knew how it was going to turn out, but you went above and beyond once again¡­the majority of the monsters must be gone already, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a hole opened in the middle of the pack, yeah. But there¡¯s still more than half remaining. They spawned continuously for several days, after all.¡±

    The monsters defeated by Shin¡¯s attack were the ones with enough speed and level to keep up with Heltoros Garze.

    The hole opened in the pack was soon filled by the monstersing up from behind. On the map, the area behind¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿¡¯s range of effect was covered in red dots.

    They already knew about the size of the pack, but couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how ridiculously high their numbers were.

    Shin¡¯s detection skills, however, told him that the average level of the monsters trailing in the back was considerably lower. Not all monsters were in the same high-level range, after all.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a test of endurance from here on.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯d love to shoot another ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, but it looks like it wouldn¡¯t work out. Ah, make sure you don¡¯t go to the areas where I set up the traps, okay? We¡¯ll charge in after they get caught.¡±

    Shin tried to cast another ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, but it didn¡¯t feel like the skill was going to activate anytime soon. He felt like the magic power he released scattered in a mist all around.

    He also felt that the magic power wasn¡¯t just disappearing meaninglessly.

    Maybe because of the magic power control training he started aftering to this world, he felt his mastery of magic power had changed. It was too vague a sensation to put into words, but he was sure something was different from before.

    ¡°I have to go over this again when I have the time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Well then, let¡¯s see how much the traps are going to help.¡±

    Even after ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, the Heltoros Garze showed no signs of slowing down or looking back.

    The same could be said for the monsters around it. They all kept running straight forward, without sparing a nce to their defeated or wounded brethren.

    Based on the fact that they proceeded straight towards Shin¡¯s position, even though they weren¡¯t supposed to be able to see him, their goal was probably decided from the start.

    It was the gap in the wall behind Shin.

    ¡°No hesitation at all.¡±

    The monsters led by Heltoros Garze rushed straight into the area riddled with traps.

    Aided by magic power detection skills, or maybe its wild instincts, Heltoros Garze deftly zig-zagged around the earth spears and strange statues rising from the ground. It also opened its jaws, extending close to its torso, to spew mes wrapped in lightning.

    Monsters¡¯ breath attacks looked like mes, but they were different from normal fire. The breath attack¡¯s nature could change if the monster willed it.

    Heltoros Garze was no exception: its breath ran on the ground, scorching it and destroying Shin¡¯s traps in the process.

    ¡°Looks like it noticed the traps. It didn¡¯t do it from the start because it could dodge them, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so too. Well, I put the traps to slow them down anyway. As expected of an advanced high-level monster, it can destroy even the main ones.¡±

    Some of the monstersing up from behind Heltoros Garze were pierced by the spears or crashed against the obstacles and were sent rolling on the ground.

    Overall, only a few monsters could dodge the trapspletely. The closer they were to Heltoros Garze, the more likely they were to do so.

    Even so, they couldn¡¯t destroy the traps in the same manner as their boss.

    The monsters that followed Heltoros Garze¡¯s path exactly were more or less unscathed, but the others were sometimes caught by traps and damaged themselves or the surrounding monsters.

    Some were torn to shreds by explosions, others froze and shattered in a thousand pieces, others sank into the ground.

    The various traps hidden in the environment turned it into a scene of carnage.

    ¡°Honestly, I almost feel sorry for them!¡±

    So said Filma after swinging her me-d ¡ºScarlet Moon¡», unleashing burning hot shes that turned several monsters to ashes.

    Thanks to the traps, only a few monsters had emerged. It was possible to whittle down their numbers with long-range attacks.

    They weren¡¯t heading straight towards Shin¡¯s position, probably because they were still quite far from them.

    Shin and Filma were using skills that enhanced their sight and could see the monsters well, but the same could not be said for their opponents.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re traps originally used by high-level yers to defeat lethal monsters, after all.¡±

    Shin used magic skills with high precision to snipe down the iing monsters without destroying the traps. It would be a waste to break them while they were still effective.

    It wasn¡¯t going tost long, however. Heltoros Garze, which kept running while destroying the traps, had finally crossed the trapped area.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any time to waste, let¡¯s finish it off quickly. Yuzuha, you take care of the rest!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Shin!¡±

    Yuzuha howled loudly. A howl so powerful it shook the very atmosphere and disrupted the movements of the monsters following Heltoros Garze.

    Now that Yuzuha was more familiar with her original powers, her level exceeded 900.

    Her tails too grew to 8. Her aura was already fearsome enough, yet she was still far from herplete form.

    Leaving Yuzuha, bristling with a fighting spirit, to handle the lesser monsters, Shin and Filma headed towards the Heltoros Garze.

    Shin was now holding a straight single-ded longsword. From its handle stretched four fang-like protrusions, giving the impression of a carnivore beast hunting for its prey.

    It was the Superior Ancient-Grade katana ¡ºHunter Fang¡».

    It was one of Shin¡¯s finest weapons for killing beast-like monsters: its abilities and stats were mostly focused on dealing critical damage to four-legged and other animal-like monsters.

    ¡º!?¡»

    Heltoros Garze, as well as all the monsters running ahead of the pack in Shin¡¯s general direction, turned towards him. They were still too far to be able to see him.

    Even if they couldn¡¯t see him, they all headed in the same direction.

    The reason was naturally Shin¡¯s ¡ºHunter Fang¡».

    Weapons that caused critical damage to specific monsters had a particr characteristic: the more their critical damage ability was honed, the more attention ¡ª in game terms, ¡°aggro¡± ¡ª they attracted from that category of monsters.

    ording to Yuzuha, the weapon itself emitted killing intent.

    Thanks to the information they had about the iing monsters, Shin could reinforce his specialized weapons to deal critical damage in advance.

    ¡ºHunter Fang¡» and the other specialized weapons in Shin¡¯s item box were now even more lethal than they were in the game era.

    Their boosted ability also caused them to attract more aggro than before.

    Unfazed by the increased attention, Shin prepared ¡ºHunter Fang¡» to attack.

    He pointed the sword¡¯s tip towards Heltoros Garze and thrust it straight. The monster was still too far for the sword to reach, but ¡ºHunter Fang¡» filled the distance with a beam of light.

    ¡°Hmm, guess it can dodge this much.¡±

    Because of the distance between them, Shin had to perform the skill much faster than normal to be able to hit Heltoros Garze with it. Even so, Heltoros Garze moved away from the beam¡¯s trajectory. Its movements showed that it would take much more to sessfullynd a hit.

    What Shin had shot through ¡ºHunter Fang¡» was a long-range attack via the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Katana Strike¡¿.

    The skill was used to turn a thrust attack to long-range: its range was very narrow, but it was difficult to see, so it could be used as a sniping attack.

    Not only shing weapons, but all kinds of weapons hadmon skills with simr names and the same type of effects.

    After dodging Shin¡¯s ¡¾Katana Strike¡¿, Heltoros Garze detected the source of the attack and turned exactly in Shin¡¯s direction.

    Only Shin and Filma were going in Heltoros Garze¡¯s direction: based on the attack¡¯s origin, it was probably not difficult to tell that it hade from Shin.

    Heltoros Garze was rushing towards Shin, baring its fangs. A few secondster, however, its movements changed unexpectedly.

    It stopped dead in its tracks, still staring in Shin¡¯s direction. They were now close enough for the beast to be able to see him.

    ¡°What? They stopped?¡±

    Not only Heltoros Garze, but most of the monsters following its lead stopped as well.

    The monsters scorched by fire traps, the ones with parts of their body frozen, the ones pierced by earth spears ¡ª they all looked at Shin and Shin only.

    Even the monsters too far to be able to see him did. Shin could tell that all eyes in this area, except his allies, were fixed on him.

    ¡°Hey Shin¡­did specialized weapons always attract so much aggro?¡±

    ¡°It feels different from that, though. Besides, even the monsters outside the aggro¡¯s range stopped. What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Until seconds ago, the battlefield was filled with monster roars, growls, screams in pain, loud explosions, and the high-pitched sounds of the activation of freezing traps. Now, however, nothing but silence remained. The dust and smoke raised by the explosions slowly drifted away in the wind.

    Even Filma, sword in hand, eager to fight, was puzzled by the monsters¡¯ reaction. Her voice showed it too.

    It was the same for Shin: there was the fact of ¡ºHunter Fang¡»¡¯s aggro range, but also because he did not use any skills to focus aggro on himself.

    He had never seen monsters react in the way Heltoros Garze and the other monsters did. It was like the whole pack could see what Heltoros Garze saw.

    ¡º¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡»

    Heltoros Garze¡¯s mouths moved. Shin was watching it with special attention, since it was the leader of the pack, so he noticed.

    It wasn¡¯t just growling. It wasn¡¯t just opening and closing its jaws. Its mouths were moving unnaturally, as if a monster was articting actual words.

    ¡ºAWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!¡»

    A few empty minutes passed. Before Shin could decide whether to go closer to see what was going on or to use the chance to attack, Heltoros Garze moved.

    A loud roar echoed throughout the silent battlefield.

    ¡°(It said, ¡®FOUND!¡¯.)¡±

    Yuzuha sent a Mind Chat. Heltoros Garze was rtively close to her in terms of species, so she could understand the beast¡¯s roar.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 4

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 4</h4>

    ¡°Found? Do they mean Shin?¡±

    ¡°I think so, judging from how they¡¯re staring a hole in me. It can¡¯t be just this sword.¡±

    Shin answered Filma¡¯s question while ncing at ¡ºHunter Fang¡» in his right hand.

    Specialized weapons, regardless of ability or critical damage ratio, were not especially rare items.

    Even if it was extremely dangerous for Heltoros Garze and the other monsters, Shin was sure that they wouldn¡¯t react to it by saying something like ¡°Found¡±.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say they¡¯re giving us time to do some stretching before the real thing!¡±

    A magic circle appeared on the ground around Shin. He didn¡¯t just stand there watching the monsters and talking: he had prepared a magic spell for the monsters other than Heltoros Garze.

    The reason why he used a magic circle for the spell, despite the fact that Shin could cast powerful magic without chanting, was that pouring more MP allowed the spell to continue even after Shin left the magic circle.

    The spell created a small automatic cannon.

    ¡°Okay then, regardless of how the monsters might have acted unusually just now, what we have to do doesn¡¯t change.¡±

    While Shin finished setting up the magic circle, Filma leaped in Heltoros Garze¡¯s direction.

    The high-speed movement provided by her armor¡¯s magic power expulsion made it look like she was flying.

    If too much time passed they would get surrounded by the monsters, but thanks to her mobility she could break through any time.

    For the first attack, Filma wrapped her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» in mes and charged from the front.

    Her opponent was an advanced high-level monster, however: no matter how much mobility she had, if it could see the path of her de, there was no way for her to get a clean hit.

    Heltoros Garze crouched and easily avoided the sh searing the air.

    Filma¡¯s¡ºScarlet Moon¡»was upgraded by Shin into newer version. The beast probably understood that it would be dangerous to block it.

    ¡°You won¡¯t y with me?¡±

    Filma, her momentum boosted by the magic power expulsion, and Heltoros Garze crossed each other.

    Filma experienced the recoil of drawing ¡ºScarlet Moon¡», her own weight, and the eleration by magic power expulsion. As Filma did not have sub-weapons equipped, she could only perform additional attacks via magic in such a situation.

    It wasn¡¯t clear if Heltoros Garze was aware of this or not, but it was clearly not paying attention to her.

    It underestimated her.

    Because after¡ºScarlet Moon¡»sliced through the air above the monster, she attacked again from above the monster¡¯s head, and it couldn¡¯tpletely dodge the de this time.

    ¡°Animal instincts, huh?¡±

    So Filma whispered to herself while chasing down Heltoros Garze. Even if wounded, the monster did not stop running.

    She had swung ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» aiming to crush the beast¡¯s left head, but Heltoros Garze twisted its body out of the way at thest second.

    It couldn¡¯t dodgepletely, however: the de, glowing in an emerald light different from the mes of the first sh, left arge gash on Heltoros Garze¡¯s back.

    ¡°If you keep ignoring me like that you¡¯ll wound my pride.¡±

    The cut was by no means light, so it would be normal for Filma to draw aggro because of it.

    Heltoros Garze, however, did not stop one second. Moreover, it didn¡¯t even spare a nce at Filma. It looked like it escaped her attacks and what could have proven fatal too.

    ¡°(Was that roar from before a special skill?)¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t see any particr buffs or special status, though.)¡±

    Shin replied to Filma¡¯s Mind Chat, then prepared his ¡ºHunter Fang¡» to strike Heltoros Garze.

    Monsters facing a specialized weapon normally acted wary of its dangers, but there was nothing of the sort this time.

    ¡°(It seems to me that it¡¯s not like it won¡¯t bother to look at me, but that it can¡¯t. It reacts a little if I¡¯m in its field of vision, but then it just gives me the bare minimum instinctive reaction!)¡±

    Filma did not let go: she attacked Heltoros Garze again while thetter kept running towards Shin.

    Chains of light extended from the tip of her sword towards the monster.

    It was ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿, one of the most powerful restricting-type skills.

    Even if Heltoros Garze was over level 800, it would be forced to stop if hit by such a skill.

    The skill¡¯s chains were very sturdy and difficult to break. The best option avable was to dodge them.

    The chains spread widely to eliminate any possible escape route for Heltoros Garze. Before it could bepletely surrounded, however, the monster leaped in the air.

    ¡°As expected.¡±

    So said Filma, waiting in the spot Heltoros Garze was leaping to, her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» ready to strike.

    Since Heltoros Garze seemed hell-bent on pushing forward, she expected it would jump that way and prepared for it.

    Golden mes danced around ¡ºScarlet Moon¡»¡¯s de. Filma leaped in the air and spun once: the mes released by her sword made her look like a phoenix with golden wings.

    Triplebination skill ¡¾Regal de of the Soaring Phoenix¡¿.

    It was one of the ultimate ¡°Shiden¡± skills of sword arts,bining sword arts, me magic, and light magic.

    Heltoros Garze had no way to move in midair. As a final struggle, it tried smashing the golden de descending diagonally from the right with its left head¡¯s jaws, but the de crushed its fangs and proceeded to slice through the beast¡¯s torso.

    The skill didn¡¯t stop there, however.

    Filma spun once more, adding centrifugal force to ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» and swinging it again upwards.

    Heltoros Garze¡¯s right head was severed and finally, the monster stopped moving.

    Two shes in midair from a position higher than the opponent. That was the basic form of ¡¾Regal de of the Soaring Phoenix¡¿.

    For the monster pack, however, losing their leader was not thest of their misfortunes.

    ¡¾Regal de of the Soaring Phoenix¡¿ concentrated energy in the de and unleashed powerful shes on the enemy. The stronger the enemy, the more energy was consumed.

    The power Filma infused in ¡¾Regal de of the Soaring Phoenix¡¿ could not be spent simply by performing the two basic shes.

    Because of her higher stats and the weapon¡¯s upgrades, the skill ended up being more powerful than she expected.

    The golden shes that severed Heltoros Garze¡¯s body, still burning with energy, flew towards the monsters in the back.

    Afternding, the shes scattered golden sparks in a ripple fashion.

    It was a beautiful view, but any monster that touched the sparks turned to cinders in mere instants. Even the tiniest spark could incineraterge monsters in no time.

    From the monsters¡¯ standpoint, it was like a wall of unbearably hot mes was approaching. Any normal monster would have fled at the sight.

    ¡°The skill¡¯s power went up, perhaps too much. It¡¯s useful now, but I have to adjust a bit more.¡±

    Lack of control of a skill¡¯s power could be dangerous during training. However, this could be a good chance for Filma to test it out.

    ¡°Anyway, not only do they not stop, but they don¡¯t even hesitate a little.¡±

    Before gravity forced her on the ground again, Filma looked down at the monsters.

    They kept running as if they couldn¡¯t even see the golden sparks, charging headlong into the fire. The grotesque sight sullen her expression.

    Filma eventuallynded and readied her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» again. Even if the leader of the pack, Heltoros Garze, was gone, the monsters¡¯ advance did not stop.

    The only way to solve the situation was to defeat every single monster.

    A small distance away from her, a fireball struck the ground.

    Despite its moderate 50 cemel size, the fireball caused a massive explosion that rocked the ground all around it. Shin¡¯s magic circle had started its barrage.

    He did not shoot only fireballs.

    Thunderballs that rained lightning bolts all around them. Ice balls that froze the ground and all monsters in the vicinity.

    Wind balls that scattered transparent des of wind everywhere. The magic circle shot spheres of various magic elements.

    After a little while, a blue and white sphere, clearly charged with much more magic power than the others,nded in a spot with higher monster density. This sphere was shot by Shin himself.

    Once it hit the monster cluster, the ground under them froze. The freezing effect upon impact was the same as the ice balls, but the differences were its range and that the frozen monsters shattered even if nothing hit them.

    The area where the spherended was filled with tiny fragments of shattered monsters, much like diamond dust.

    ¡°There¡¯s still too many.¡±

    They had already defeated more than a hundred, but the horde of iing monsters had no end in sight.

    ¡°Do you think that the other packs wille this way if I stay here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to protect others like that, but I wonder if something convenient like that will really happen¡­?¡±

    Did the bizarre focus on Shin affect only Heltoros¡¯ pack, or also the other packs roaming the continent? It was too early to draw a conclusion.

    Shin tried contacting Shibaid and the others about it, while swinging his sword and casting spells, when it happened.

    Shin¡¯s instincts told him that an attack wasing. He turned around and his whole field of view was submerged in white light. He had no time to evade.

    ¡°Woooohhh!?!¡±

    He reacted with surprise but activated a skill at the same time. His body moved before his mind did: Shin waved his left palm in the attack¡¯s direction, in a backhand-like fashion.

    His palm was infinitely smaller than the approaching beam of light, which wasrge enough to engulf his whole body.

    The skill had been activated in the spur of the moment, but its user was Shin nheless. The magic power concentrated in his palm was imensurable.

    The white light and the fist shed.

    The beam annihted any monsters in the vicinity, without losing any of its power, but Shin¡¯s fist did not fall. On the contrary, the white light was deflected away and scattered before it could strike, as if it had crashed against a transparent wall.

    The white light deviated to the left and right around Shin: some sparks fell on his feet, but his reinforced defensive gear was unscathed.

    Despite the attack dissolving around him, Shin did not even feel any heat: he realized that even if he was hit his armor would have protected him fully and felt relieved.

    Even if he knew on paper that the attack wouldn¡¯t have affected him dramatically, being targeted like that was still shocking.

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    Filma was surprised to see Shin suddenly attacked by the beam of light. She was so focused on the many monsters around them that she didn¡¯t notice the iing attack.

    ¡°I¡¯m all right!¡±

    Shin barely managed to catch Filma¡¯s shout while he was parrying the beam and shouted back at her not to worry.

    The beam of light continued for about five seconds: after three seconds it started growing thinner and in the end had little to no offensive power.

    ¡°What the heck was that?¡±

    After the beam died out, the surviving monsters started attacking again: while fighting against them, Shin looked in the direction of the source of the beam.

    The white light annihted any monsters and carved the ground in its wake. The spots where the light was deflected to or scattered were in a simr state.

    The attack came from the direction of Selcikeus and the insect monsters pack. Just when a certain possibility crossed his mind, a flood of voices hit him.

    ¡°(HEY SHIN!! CAN YOU HEAR ME!? SHIN!!)¡±

    ¡°Whoa!!¡±

    A voice by Mind Chat would not hurt the ears even if it was loud, but the loud volume of the call took Shin by surprise. Because of that, he swung ¡ºFang Hunter¡» so hard that he carved through a monster and the ground.

    ¡°(I can hear you Sety, no need to shout. What¡¯s wrong?)¡±

    ¡°(Ah, you¡¯re okay! Shibaid, Shin replied!)¡±

    Shin¡¯s response caused a reaction he found almost exaggerated,

    The situation seemed to be fric: they were speaking normally, but he could hear the conversation via Mind Chat. Shin thought that Shibaid might have been trying to call him too.

    He seemed to recall hearing a voice while he was blocking the beam attack.

    He was fully focused on deflecting the beam of white light, so he couldn¡¯t hear the voice clearly over the noise of the ground being carved and the monsters¡¯ wailing.

    ¡°(You weren¡¯t responding, so I felt a chill down my spine.)¡±

    ¡°(I was probably defending against an attack right at that time. Sorry Shibaid, I didn¡¯t notice.)¡±

    ¡°(No, we didn¡¯t expect it to target you either. The monsters suddenly stopped, so we were looking closely to see what happened when all of a sudden again the beam of light shot in a direction different than their course. We haven¡¯t engaged them yet, so my shield skills didn¡¯t reach it. I¡¯m sorry.)¡±

    ¡°(The monsters here too started targeting me all of a sudden, and we don¡¯t know why. Anyway we¡¯re fine, so don¡¯t worry about us.)¡±

    Since Selcikeus used the other monsters as a barrier, Shibaid and Sety hadn¡¯t actually seen it yet. The beam attack was shot out of the blue too: as soon as they realized it had gone in Shin¡¯s direction, they hurriedly contacted him via Mind Chat.

    The distance Selcikeus¡¯ beam covered was higher than the long-range attacks Shin remembered, so it was likely to have evolved to an advanced or mutated form, like Heltoros.

    ¡°(By the way, Shibaid, have the monsters on your side changed their course?)¡±

    Shin sent the question while slicing the monsters around him with flying shes.

    If Selcikeus targeted Shin too, the possibility that Heltoros¡¯ roar served to inform the other monsters of Shin¡¯s position was high.

    Shin had no idea why the monsters would target him, but it was rather convenient if they didn¡¯t go after anyone else.

    Since the cause was still unknown, he told Schnee to stay put but asked Yuzuha to switch from picking off stragglers to fighting all out.

    If the monsters¡¯ sole target was Shin, Filma and Yuzuha could attack as they pleased.

    ¡°(I can only see the front rows, but yes, they clearly changed course.)¡±

    ¡°(Right. They were heading straight towards us first, but now they¡¯re going in a totally different direction.)¡±

    Shibaid and Sety noticed that the monsters were heading towards the coastal part of the ¡ºEnd Wall¡» gap at first, but now changed to the opposite direction and headed ind.

    ¡°They¡¯reing straight for you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma as they unleashed a wide range me spell together.

    The insect monsters were still too far to know with any certainty, but their behavior and timing made it seem very likely.

    ¡°Oh, I just received a message saying that Gelganger¡¯s pack changed course too.¡±

    So said Filma while releasing a ming sh.

    The monsters they were currently fighting were all level 300 on average, so they could afford to fight while talking.

    Filma opened the menu window to check the message contents, but her hands did not stay idle as she did. She only needed her eyes to use the menu. It could also be moved ording to the user¡¯s head movements, so she didn¡¯t need to look into one specific point.

    If the opponent¡¯s level was low enough, they could easily fight while browsing messages, as Filma did.

    ¡°That pack is targeting me too, huh?¡±

    ¡°They were going straight from the wall, but suddenly switched to a south-south-east direction. No doubt about it, really.¡±

    It was all too unexpected. Shin too couldn¡¯t help but assume the monsters were targeting him.

    It was definitely a better situation than all the monster packs targeting the gap in the wall, but after all the time spent worrying about how to keep casualties to a minimum, it was kind of disheartening to find out that all their nning may not have served much of a purpose.

    ¡°Let us put it this way. This situation has just be a lot easier to deal with.¡±

    Yuzuha rejoined Shin and Filma, while raining fireballs and thunderbolts on the monsters. Wide range attacks were her specialty: her eight tails continuously shot spells to whittle down the enemies¡¯ numbers.

    She fought in the same way as the Element Tails, the bane of yers¡¯ existences in the game. The intimidating aura she projected was difficult to imagine from her small fox form.

    ¡°Okay then¡­if they want me so bad¡­they¡¯ll have me all right!¡±

    Shin shouted in order to renew his focus in the battle and swung ¡ºHunter Fang¡».

    Around him, there were few allies and a massive number of enemies.

    Monsters born not in a natural manner, but from the umtion of magic power. Monsters that would bring chaos and destruction to the continent if left alone.

    There was no need for any concern about habitats, territories, power bnce, nothing.

    The imperial army¡¯s scouts were not posted in the vicinity, so they wouldn¡¯t be dragged into the fighting. There was no need for Shin to limit his powers, nor the risk to be seen by them.

    In other words¡­

    He could go on a¡­

    Full-powered.

    No holds barred.

    Rampage.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 5

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 5</h4>

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shibaid was running towards the insect monster pack, but a cold chill running down his spine turned his attention to the area behind him. In the direction, Shin and the others were fighting.

    ¡°Hey, Shibaid, do you feel it too? A weird presence¡­¡±

    ¡°You felt it too?¡±

    Sety, perched on Shibaid¡¯s armored shoulder, apparently felt the same aura. Her expression looked troubled.

    It wasn¡¯t an unpleasant-feeling aura, however. Shibaid felt something akin to excitementing from it.

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s rted to the monsters¡¯ sudden change of course?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I doubt it. We could not hear Heltoros Garze¡¯s howl that Filma talked about, but it was a signal for its monster allies to concentrate their aggro on a specific target. That was what prompted them to change their course, but I think that this sensation we just had is unrted.¡±

    The chill that ran down their spines came considerablyter than the monsters¡¯ change of course. Shibaid pointed out that the timing was too different.

    ¡°Something tells me that this sensation is not ominous for us.¡±

    The battlefield¡¯s atmosphere changed. What did make him feel like this? Was it the chill, or something else?

    Shibaid himself felt that his senses were sharper than normal.

    It wasn¡¯t a forced stimulus of battle spirit, like skills such as ¡¾Berserk¡¿ caused. He felt a sort of excitement gradually welling up from inside.

    ¡°Ah, I see. This feeling¡­¡±

    Something surfaced in Shibaid¡¯s memory. He actually knew that feeling well.

    He had experienced it many times, so he didn¡¯t find it unpleasant.

    It was the first time he felt in a long while, so he didn¡¯t recognize it immediately.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t solve it all on your own! Hey, Shibaid¡­are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t help it¡­yes, I just couldn¡¯t.¡±

    Sety pointed out that he was smiling, unlike his normal self, but Shibaid thought it was not important.

    Now that he remembered it, he realized it wasn¡¯t anything to worry about. He wondered instead why he had forgotten about it until now.

    Shibaid assumed that Sety was going to remember too, soon enough.

    It was a sensation that all the support characters who fought alongside Shin knew. Filma, who was fighting close to Shin, surely recalled it already. Shibaid was positive, even if he couldn¡¯t see her.

    ¡°You know this sensation too. Try to remember.¡±

    ¡°I do? Hmm¡­¡±

    The sensation might have been different between close-range and long-range fighters. Sety fell deep in thought.

    They were almost in range for her magic spells to reach the monster pack, so Shibaid decided he was going to tell her, but he was interrupted.

    A red sh of light shot directly towards the monster pack. Shibaid and Sety were still a considerable distance away, but they could clearly feel its imensurable heat.

    ¡°Aah¡­yes, now I remember. It¡¯s the feeling when Shin goes all out¡­¡±

    Part of the monster pack they were approaching was blown away.

    After the st came the sound and wind caused by the explosion. After seeing, hearing, and feeling it, Sety made her realization and expressed it with a sigh.

    ¡°Wait a second¡­was that Full Prominence? At this range!? The offensive power was insane too¡­!¡±

    Thanks to her specialization in offensive magic, Sety quickly recognized the spell that just causedplete destruction before their eyes.

    me Magic Single Element Combination Spell ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿.

    There were several skills that allowed the user to shoot heat beams, but ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿ had particrly high offense.

    The so-called ¡°Skill Combination¡± system allowed yers tobine two or more types of skills to form a different skill.

    It was a ratherplicated system: at first, yers thought they just had tobine any two skills of two different elements. It was also possible, however, tobine skills of the same element.

    ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿ was a skill born from thebination of two skills of the same element. It was used mainly to open a path in a pack of monsters or to cause confusion in the enemy as a pre-emptive attack.

    Magic was usually used from medium to long range, however, this skill did not have particrly long range. Shooting it without protection also meant one would be hit by its aftershocks, so it was considered a sort of suicide bombing skill.

    If a short-range skill that caused a wide explosion like ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿ lost its only weakness, its range, what would be the result?

    The scorched earth Sety and Shibaid were witnessing was the result.

    ¡°We¡¯re not getting hit with one of these¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Shin would never attack us without reason.¡±

    ¡°I mean, this kind of ¡°going all out¡± is a lot more than what I remember¡­¡±

    Sety looked at the monsters vanishing among the shes and explosions. Many insect monsters were weak to fire, so ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿ not only had great range and power but also a perfect affinity against them.

    The monsters, despite the sturdy carapace protecting them, disappeared without a trace. Literally, nothing remained in the st¡¯s wake: the monsters truly ¡°vanished¡±.

    Overwhelming firepower that burned everyst fragment of the monsters to cinders. Some of the insects had to be resistant to fire, but they were swept away the same.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯d better target the monsters outside Shin¡¯s range. What should we do about Selcikeus?¡±

    Selcikeus, the monster which had shot a long-range beam attack towards Shin, was still inside the monster barrier it created. Shibaid and Sety were the closest, but still couldn¡¯t actually see it.

    ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿ was shot sporadically in a wide range, so the monsters protecting Selcikeus hadn¡¯t decreased yet.

    ¡°If all the monsters are targeting Shin, we should not stay focused here. Let us go on the offensive.¡±

    Shibaid contacted Shin via Mind Chat, just in case. He could probably tell what they were up to from their movements, but it was faster to send a message.

    ¡°Let us go, then. Hold on tight!¡±

    Shibaid started running, Sety on his shoulder. He held his shield, the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», in front.

    Because of their difference in agility, Shibaid was considered slowpared to Shin or Schnee. That, however, did not only depend on his stats.

    The greatest difference between Shibaid and the others was the weight of his equipment.

    The ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», the giant halberd ¡ºcid Moon¡», and the full body armor.

    There was no great difference in terms of stats with Shin and the others¡¯ equipment, but Shibaid¡¯s gear was much heavier.

    Shin¡¯s equipment used metal only in certain parts. Schnee and Sety¡¯s equipment contained little to no metal.

    Filma¡¯s equipment was mostly metallic too, but it was reduced wherever possible, so its weight was more or less the same as Shin and the others¡¯. The deceased Girard¡¯s gear belonged to this category too.

    On the other hand, the strategy of using skills to increase one¡¯s own weight and charge into enemy groups was exclusive to Shibaid.

    Skills that increased weight were more effective the greater the user¡¯s base weight.

    Shibaid could also use such skills in tandem with skills to increase his own speed and blow away enemies with devastating results.

    ¡°NNNUUUOOOHHHHH!!!¡±

    Shibaid roared as he rushed forward.

    The monsters would bounce and leap in the air: not because they wanted to, but because the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»unched them.

    Shibaid charged straight and true towards the core of the monster pack.

    At first, he only bumped against the few monsters running ahead of the pack, but once he hit the dense group protecting Selcikeus, the resulting effects were almostical.

    The monsters that were knocked in the air, due to their defense and the angle of collision, could consider themselves lucky.

    The ones who faced Shibaid¡¯s shield head-on, instead, popped like water balloons thrown against a concrete wall.

    ¡°As terrifying as usual¡­¡±

    Sety whispered while looking at the monsters blowing up in patches of blood.

    They couldn¡¯t see in front at all, but Shibaid had activated detection skills and visual skills such as ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to see the path ahead.

    There was no risk of going wrong way or picking a dangerous path.

    ¡°Are you so different, though?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s barrier was only in front, so their sides and rear were wide open.

    The sigh apanying Shibaid¡¯s reply was prompted by the fact that Sety¡¯s magic fully covered those ¡°wide open¡± spaces.

    The monsters prioritized Shin rather than fighting against Shibaid or Sety, so they didn¡¯t even attack them. There was no need to be particrly careful during their offensive.

    That didn¡¯t mean that she could sit there doing nothing, however.

    The monsters that dodged Shibaid¡¯s charge and those outside his path became targets of Sety¡¯s spells.

    She repeatedly cast spells that scattered upon hit, without chanting.

    Just like her upgraded movement skills, Sety honed her magic via the unique method she boasted about: her spells had be much more lethal than Shibaid remembered.

    The number of elemental bullets she could shoot at once had increased, as well as their piercing capabilities.

    One bullet was enough to finish off the lower level monsters and the subsequent explosion carved holes in the surrounding terrain. Higher-level monsters would see their bodies perforated.

    The bullets would also retain their original power even after piercing one or two monsters.

    Each elemental bullet could knock any monster in its range out ofmission, and Sety was shooting a barrage of them, as it was the easiest thing in the world.

    Shibaid charged in the monster pack and Sety widened the path he opened. Their destination was Selcikeus.

    ¡°Mph! Sety, I¡¯m going to jump a bit!¡±

    Shibaid detected a surge in magic power from Selcikeus¡¯ direction and jumped between the monster¡¯s position and Shin.

    The next instant, a beam of white light sted through the monster barrier. Just like the first time, the white beam burned through the monsters, but this time Shibaid blocked it with his shield and a barrier skill.

    The beam was shot upwards, so Shibaid and Sety had to block it in midair, but creating a foothold with ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ allowed him to stand firm while repelling it.

    Shin had upgraded Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» too: its barrierpletely blocked the white st, deflecting it towards the surroundings.

    Part of the beam shot upwards through the clouds while the rest scorched the ground and the monsters on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s shorter than the first one.¡±

    The white-hot beamsted for approximately three seconds and was at maximum output for only two.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a pain if it starts shooting more often though. Look, it¡¯s finally in sight.¡±

    The monster barrier was partly cleared, revealing Selcikeus¡¯ silhouette.

    ¡ª Selcikeus Heim - Level 870

    It was an advanced monster, as expected. Shibaid and Sety, even without giving each other a signal, activated the next skill at the same time.

    Triple Combination Skill ¡¾Diamond st Thurst¡¿.

    me/Ground Combination Magic Skill ¡¾re Comet¡¿.

    Shibaid¡¯s tinum white ¡ºcid Moon¡» was thrust in Selcikeus¡¯ mouth, the cannon that fired its long-range beams, and shook the monster¡¯s whole body.

    The de, stabbed deep inside the monster¡¯s mouth, produced a vibration that ruptured its internal organs. That was the effect of ¡¾Diamond st Thurst¡¿. As a secondary effect, it limited the target¡¯s movements as well.

    Once the target stopped moving, red hot meteors started raining.

    Several skills, of different range and power, allowed the user to rain burning boulders or masses of earth on the opponent, but ¡¾re Comet¡¿ was famous for having the highest offensive power among them.

    The meteors caused a great shock upon impact, so they were especially effective when the target was veryrge or moved in a pack.

    The only weak point was that the meteors created shockwaves that caused damage to anyone, friend or foe, located within range.

    Using it at the wrong time would blow away the user too: in a way, it belonged to the same category as ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿.

    Shibaid and Sety, however, were unaffected by such a weakness. The shockwaves and heat waves caused by the meteors were neutralized by Shibaid¡¯s shield and barrier, so they did not suffer any damage.

    ¡°Hehehe, how about it?¡±

    ¡°You definitely overdid it.¡±

    After stopping Selcikeus in its tracks, ¡ºcid Moon¡» automatically returned in Shibaid¡¯s hands. With his weapon retrieved, the Dragnil shrugged and shook his head.

    Sety had taken advantage of the situation to cast a *barrage* of ¡¾re Comet¡¿ spells.

    After the meteor storm subsided and the debris cleared, Selcikeus Heim was nowhere to be seen.

    There was no trace of the parts that made up its body. It was an ¡°overkill¡± through and through.

    Insect-type monsters were known to be tough to kill, that was true, but this was definitely too much.

    ¡°Shin upgraded my ¡ºFlower Moon¡», so it¡¯s more powerful than before. If it wasn¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take it down so fast.¡±

    Sety knew her abilities full well, so she protested that the destruction caused by the meteors was not solely her fault.

    ¡°But even after doing all this, there are still monsters left.¡±

    So Sety continued while looking at the mayhem she caused.

    ¡¾re Comet¡¿ and its aftershocks had opened a gaping hole in the monster pack.

    Even that hole, however, did not take long to get filled. The monsters¡¯ numbers were thatrge.

    ¡°I tried using a skill to draw their attention, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. I guess we¡¯ll have to prate the pack and go wild from there.¡±

    ¡°My specialty, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed it is.¡±

    Any monsters they failed to take down would head towards Shin, so Shibaid and Sety focused on eradicating everyst one.

    Shibaid readied his ¡ºGreat Shield of Collision¡» and ¡ºcid Moon¡» again to charge into the monster horde, while Sety swung her ¡ºFlower Moon¡» from his shoulder to cast wide range spells.

 Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 6

    <h4>Book 17 Chapter 3: Part 6</h4>

    While Sety and Shibaid started their rampage, Shin was going all out as well.

    A rainbow of magic elements shone in thend dominated by monsters. The magic power changed color ording to the caster¡¯s will and turned into physical phenomena that attacked the monsters.

    The red light turned into mes that burned everything to cinders.

    The blue light turned into chilling air that froze solid anything they touched.

    The brown light turned into massive rocks that crushed everything in their path.

    The green light turned into des of wind that ripped through everything.

    The yellow light turned into thunderbolts that pierced everything.

    The white light shed in the blink of an eye, melting anything it touched.

    The ck light spread instantly and silently, corrupting everything it came in contact with.

    To use seven elements of magic at the same time was theplete form of a secret technique for users specialized in offensive magic.

    Shin was not a magic focused yer, but his stats and skills allowed him to perform the same techniques.

    He basically looked like a human magic-casting cannon, casting spells to exterminate monsters all around. Many of the yers that saw him in action protested that he looked like he was in a category all of his own.

    Behind Shin, Yuzuha used her nearlyplete Element Tail powers to cast the magic of all elements in a simr way to Shin. Any monsters lucky enough to escape the double magic barrage were sliced in two by Filma.

    The trio had settled on a fighting strategy based on the fact that the monsters kept targeting only Shin.

    Their strategy had overwhelming offensive power, but there was still one issue it could not solve: their natural MP recovery could not catch up with their MP consumption.

    Even though there were skills and abilities that allowed the user to absorb MP from defeated foes, if their attacks were too effective, the user would still be unable to cast spells or use skill endlessly.

    In such a situation, having enough tanks meant being able to defeat more monsters.

    The effects of such MP absorption skills were thus severely limited, to prevent the defeat enemy -> absorb MP -> defeat enemy endless loop.

    The limit was only on the amount of MP that could be absorbed from a single enemy, however.

    In the game, a situation like the present one ¡ª a very small party against monsters as far as the eyes could see ¡ª never happened. No matter how bad the MP absorption ratio was, if a single skill could defeat several monsters at the same time, the MP recovery ratio became quite high.

    Additionally , Shin had a wide collection of MP recovery items at his disposal.

    He was regrly using such items now, so his actual MP consumption ratio was about ten percent of what a typical ¡°human magic cannon¡± style user would consume.

    His maximum MP had broken the upper limit in the first ce, so he was in no danger of running out.

    ¡°Thest time you and the other Rokuten members did this, theyughed at you guys and said you were ying a different game, right? Haha!¡±

    They had used this strategy during a town invasion event, only for other yers to say ¡°We¡¯re ying a MMORPG, but those guys are ying a bullet hell game!!¡±

    They endlessly consumed items and annihted any monster that came close, causing other yers to look at them speechlessly. In the end, they used up so many items that they werepletely in the red, but for them, it was a very fun strategy.

    ¡°(Looks like we¡¯re about done with the animal types. Are you tired, you two?)¡±

    ¡°(Nah, I¡¯m fine, I still have plenty of items left too.)¡±

    ¡°(This much is nothing.)¡±

    Shin used Mind Chat, since the explosions and the monsters¡¯ growls would make it hard to speak normally. Even while talking, they continued moving to take down as many monsters as possible.

    Magic users that acted as human magic cannons did not move around normally.

    They were fully focused on using healing items, checking the cooldown time of their spells, and choosing which spell to cast next and when, so normally they couldn¡¯t afford moving too.

    In this world, however, there was little to no cooldown for casting spells.

    Shin only experienced something like that forrge scale spells such as ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿, but most other spells could be fired in rapid session.

    Thanks to that he didn¡¯t have to think about how tobine various spells and could take advantage of his innately high mobility.

    Shin unleashed a barrage of magic spells while moving because he realized that among all monsters that gathered towards him, a small number of them went in the opposite direction sometimes.

    If he continued moving while attracting their attention, he could be less worried about monsters straying from the pack.

    For added safety, Shin contacted Milt and told her to continue setting the walls that could be activated independently.

    It would help fill the gap in the wall, in case the monsters changed their target. At present, all monsters that strayed from the pack were dealt with by Schnee.

    ¡°If only I could figure out the conditions for usingrge scale magic again¡­¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself while picking the spell with a wider range among the list of magic he had be able to use again. At the moment, he could use onerge scale spell every 30 minutes.

    Two hours had passed since he had started going all out.

    Shin asked about Yuzuha and Filma¡¯s condition at this time because he finally saw an end to the horde of monsters, previously stretching beyond the horizon.

    The other reason was that Gelganger¡¯s pack of shapeshifting monsters was drawing closer.

    Shibaid and Sety were decimating the insect monster pack, so it would still take time to reach Shin¡¯s position.

    As a result, Shin¡¯s group focused their attention on the shapeshifter monster pack, as it was still unscathed.

    ¡°(¡­looks like they arrived.)¡±

    After a while, the shapeshifter monsters reached the rear end of the animal monsters pack.

    They were too far for Shin and the others to see, but the map, which had gradually be transparent after the animal monsters decreased, colored itself red again.

    There were too many monster icons to be able to locate Gelganger.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s continue the magic barrage for a while. Once the shapeshifting monsters be visible, we¡¯ll leave this ce for a while and review the current situation.)¡±

    There was little doubt that Gelganger had also evolved to an advanced or mutated form.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what attacks it was going to use, so he sent this message to Filma and Yuzuha.

    The scouts reported that Gelganger was advancing ahead of the pack, so Shin thought that it would be easy to spot. Heltoros Garze also marched ahead of the pack and targeted Shin before all the other monsters it led.

    Contrary to Shin¡¯s predictions, however, something changed on the map. The icons belonging to the shapeshifter monsters changed from the hostile red to the neutral green.

    ¡° ¡ªthey¡¯re fighting against the animal monsters?¡±

    The change was not only in the color of the icons.

    As the animal monsters gradually decreased, the shapeshifter monsters became visible.

    Some pierced the animal monsters with the tentacles stretching from their bodies, others tackled them and absorbed them within their bodies.

    ¡°(They¡¯re not on the same side¡­I guess? Selcikeus¡¯ long-range attack was kind of simr too¡­)¡±

    ¡°(It damaged the monsters in its own pack too, after all. I don¡¯t know if we can say it¡¯s the same thing.)¡±

    Selcikeus Heim¡¯s beam attack did damage the animal monsters in its path, but it also did the same to any insect monsters in its trajectory too.

    ording to Shibaid, the insect monster icons were still red, so Shin thought that only the shapeshifter monsters were acting in a different way.

    While they talked, the number of animal monsters continued to decrease.

    They were essentially pincered between Shin¡¯s group and the shapeshifters.

    The shapeshifter monsters could absorb the animal monsters in their bodies, so their corpses were not obstacles in their path.

    The animal monsters were overwhelmed just like pebbles sinking among sea waves.

    ¡°¡­they¡¯re not attacking us.¡±

    ¡°The icons are still colored neutral too.¡±

    ¡°I cannot feel any hostility.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group decided to gather to wait for the monsters¡¯ next move.

    The shapeshifter monsters stayed out of Shin¡¯s ¡°human magic cannon¡± spells.

    If he shot another ¡¾Full Prominence¡¿, as he previously did against the insect monsters Shibaid and Sety were upied with, he could reach them, but as the shapeshifters weren¡¯t attacking yet, he wasn¡¯t sure it was a good idea to make the first move.

    Shin and the others were wondering what to do when Shibaid messaged him. The shapeshifters apparently attacked the insect monsters too.

    Once it had been verified that the monsters were targeting just Shin, they had the imperial scouts take shelter behind the wall.

    Shin¡¯s party would have been contacted immediately if the monsters showed signs of targeting the hole in the wall again.

    No one had continued tracking the shapeshifter monsters¡¯ pack, so they didn¡¯t know that it had split into two.

    Because of therge size of the pack, however, even if it was observed from up close it would be difficult to tell what was going on at the other end.

    ¡°Gelganger¡­is there too.¡±

    Its size overshadowed the other shapeshifters. The half-transparent, light-purple jelly-like monster was Gelganger.

    Its appearance did not show any particr signs of mutation.

    ¡ª Gelganger Yvr - Level 876

    However, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could reveal its new identity.

    Its appearance might look the same, but it had evolved, just like the other two pack leaders.

    Gelganger Yvr probably noticed Shin¡¯s gaze, as it moved forward.

    Gelganger Yvr alone approached Shin¡¯s group, alone.

    It was already in range of their magic. If Shin wanted, he could attack it anytime.

    ¡°(Should we attack?)¡±

    ¡°(No, wait a moment. I¡¯ll go ahead first. It¡¯s acting differently than the others, but based on Heltoros¡¯ howl and all the monsters changing direction, they must have some business with me.)¡±

    Shin walked forward, leaving Filma and Yuzuha behind. After a while, Shin too entered Gelganger Yvr¡¯s attack range.

    The monster stopped moving, so Shin did so too.

    For a while, the two looked at each other silently.

    The first one to move was Gelganger.

    The surface of his body trembled and its shape changed. Its massive body became smaller and smaller, eventually assuming a human silhouette.

    After a while, Gelganger Yvr was reced by an old gentleman with a shining monocle, silver hair slicked back, and a ck swallow-tailed coat

    ¡ºPleased to make your acquaintance. I havee to meet Lord Shin as per my master¡¯s orders.¡»

    The old gentleman formerly-known as Gelganger Yvr then exhibited an impable bow.

 Book 17 Side Story Part 1

    <h4>Book 17 Side Story Part 1</h4>

    After being freed from the demons¡¯ control and fighting alongside Shin to defeat Scoruas and Adara, Milt started living with the church.

    The assault on the Summit Faction had seeded thanks to her ability in battle, earning her a degree of credibility from the knights of the church.

    In order to atone for the guilt of participating in the kidnapping of the Holy Woman, Milt¡¯s next goal was to earn the trust of those who worked for the church but not through her skills on the battlefield.

    ¡°So, why should I dress like that?¡±

    Milt asked the female elf next to her, while looking at the robe supplied to her. The elf was Lilish, a priestess who helped Shin during the Holy Woman rescue mission.

    ¡°Miss Milt, you will be helping the church¡¯s activities for themunity. I understand that you have not be a believer, but we will attract unwanted attention if you participate in our sisters¡¯ and apprentices¡¯ services with an outfit different from them. We live every day upholding our faith above all else, but even so, sometimes malicious thoughts are born even in our hearts. Frankly, I do not know how effective this measure will be, though.¡±

    Few people were aware of Milt¡¯s reasons for helping the church¡¯s activities, but there was always a chance the information could leak. Lilish concluded by saying that the less attention she attracted, the better.

    There were some in the church who, while they were aware of Milt¡¯s exploits in battle, doubted she would act properly in other situations.

    ¡°We are indebted to Lord Shin and hispanions in many ways. They say that you are not a bad person, so please do not betray their trust. Am I clear?¡±

    ¡°Egh¡­yes.¡±

    Milt couldn¡¯t refuse if Lilish exined it that way. She didn¡¯t want to imagine what would have happened if her mind control wasn¡¯t broken.

    To suffer defeat after fighting head-on with a strong warrior was perfectly eptable, but to be manipted and bent to someone¡¯s will was the worst possible situation for Milt.

    ¡°Well, what kind of work should I help with?¡±

    ¡°Chores such as cleaning the sanctuary and preparing meals for our believers and workers, personal training, and various other things. Normally we would assign you a sister as an instructor, but considering your circumstances, you will have to learn the basics by yourself.¡±

    ¡°W-well, that¡¯s a mouthful¡­¡±

    The list of jobs assigned to the sisters seemed to be endless, so Milt started wondering if they were all Chosen Ones. Since Lilish also mentioned training, it was clear that they did not only domunity service.

    ¡°Why do sisters train too? They don¡¯t go into battle, do they?¡±

    Milt looked at the sisters they saw in passing while they went to Lilish¡¯s room. It didn¡¯t look like they had any skills useful in battle.

    ¡°Sisters mainly learn healing arts. Once they be skilled enough, they are sent to churches across the continent. In some ces, healing potions are a raremodity, so they learn the skills necessary to help as many people as possible.¡±

    Some sisters aimed to be church knights, so they also learned battle arts and underwent training for actual fighting.

    ¡°Miss Milt, you will join the church knight apprentices for training. Even in the church, there are few people with your level of battle prowess, so I am sure you will be an excellent stimulus for them.¡±

    ¡°It feels like the more you exin, the more my workload increases¡­¡±

    Milt couldn¡¯t help but think that it would have been so much easier to fight monsters or Summit Faction members with the other church knights.

    ¡°This concludes my exnation. If you don¡¯t have any questions, I would like you to start right away.¡±

    ¡°Oh, excuse me, it¡¯s not an actual question, but can I ask just one thing?¡±

    Lilish seemed puzzled by Milt¡¯s choice of words, and thetter continued while pinching her robe.

    ¡°It¡¯s too tight on the chest area, could I have arger size?¡±

    ¡°¡­we will have to order a special size for you.¡±

    Lilish looked at the tight robe, which seemed ready to burst at any moment, with a tense expression.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Milt had been fighting monsters day in, day out for a long time, so life in the church was a whole new experience.

    Things didn¡¯t go too well in the beginning, but thanks to her high stats and her efforts, she became able to handle three sisters¡¯ share of work by herself every day.

    One day, Milt was told by Lilish toe to the training grounds, having recalled being told that training was part of her job too.

    The church had arge number of believers and many people visited it every day. Milt first took the chores lightly but was surprised by how many things there were to do.

    ¡°I was so busy that Ipletely forgot about training, I tell you.¡±

    ¡°Normally, training begins at ater stage. It would take a toll on the body if one isn¡¯t used to the lifestyle here, but you have more energy than the average apprentice, Miss Milt. Please mind your speech, though.¡±

    For a woman to have physical skills surpassing men was one of the advantages of being a Chosen One. Though there still were people to be respected even if you were stronger than them physically.

    In Milt¡¯s case, that person was Lilish.

    ¡°I will be more careful. By the way, I don¡¯t have to wear the usual robe, do I?¡±

    Milt was wearing her ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡» and the rest of her usual equipment.

    Milt was told her opponent was a knight chosen among the civilians. They were going to train for battle, but if she wore Legendary-grade gear it wouldn¡¯t be much of a training session for them.

    ¡°You will fight against one of the church¡¯s Chosen Ones; to show the soldiers how strong a Chosen One can be is also part of our job. Please do control your strength carefully.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I see, so I have to y the monster role.¡±

    No matter how much one might read and hear about something, there were many things that could be truly understood only by witnessing them directly.

    The danger and strength of a high-level monster were taught by using a Chosen One with powers on the same level.

    The training grounds were the same as Milt remembered when Shin showed them to her.

    Lilish and Milt used teleportation to go to an underground facility of the training area. It was a room surrounded by solid walls, so those who didn¡¯t belong to the guild could also use it.

    There were about 50 people in the training area, all wearing simr equipment. The only differences probably depended on their various specialties.

    Armored knights had maces andrge shields, so they were easy to tell.

    The other soldiers had simr armor but different weapons: bow and arrow, greatswords, spear, etc. Their roles were clearly expressed.

    All soldiers present looked at Lilish and Milt when they entered. Most of them seemed to wonder why a child had been brought to the grounds, however.

    They looked puzzled probably because they had talked to her before or at least noticed her doing chores with the other sisters.

    Milt couldn¡¯t help but notice something, however.

    Regardless of the emotions projected towards her, many of the gazes were pointed not at her face, but lower than that.

    It was likely because most of the soldiers on the grounds were male.

    The robe she usually wore had been made especially for Milt, so it kept her physical features hidden.

    Instead, the ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡» showed her physical assets clearly, so even the knights that were already familiar with her to a degree couldn¡¯t help but look.

    ¡°I see some of you know Miss Milt already. She will be your virtual enemy today. She is a very powerful Chosen One, so do not underestimate her because of her looks.¡±

    Many of the knights were surprised by Lilish¡¯s words. Some of those who weren¡¯t probably perceived Milt¡¯s strength already.

    ¡°The rest is up to you, Miss Milt.¡±

    Milt nodded and materialized her ¡ºBreogand¡».

    Again, the knights were shocked by the sudden appearance of the giant weapon. It was longer than Milt was tall, after all.

    Milt lightly spun ¡ºBreogand¡» to signal the knight in charge of supervising the training that she was ready to go. The knight replied that she could start whenever she wanted, so Milt¡¯s lips curved into a feral smile.

    The knights¡¯ opponent was a creature much more powerful than them, an enemy they couldn¡¯t afford taking their eyes off for one second. She was going to pound this teaching into their bodies.

 Book 17 Side Story Part 2

    <h4>Book 17 Side Story Part 2</h4>

    Approximately one month after she started working for the church, Milt¡¯s name was already well known.

    Having a bright personality, talkative and easygoing with anyone, and with a lovely appearance, Milt topped it off with highbat prowess as a Chosen One.

    Lilish had done what she could to keep Milt from attracting much attention, but as she had previously said, it would be only a matter of time.

    That day too, what had be an everyday urrence was happening at the entrance of the church.

    ¡°Look, Miss Milt! I have dispatched this Wild Boar myself! It is muchrger than normal, is it not!? Please, enjoy it with the other good folks of the church!¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°Honestly, that thing is just getting in the way of traffic. On the other hand, the Core Frog I dispatched offers a great variety of gemstones! I shall have them crafted into an essory for you, Miss Milt!¡±

    ¡°Please, never mind me¡­¡±

    Some were attracted by her beauty, others enticed by her strength: many men started gathering in front of the church, hoping to woo her.

    As the rumors spread, the sight of adventurers, knights, and other men unting their qualities could be seen all over.

    For the men of this world, strength was one of the points of appeal easier to show.

    Both the knights and sisters of the church were free to engage in romantic rtionships.

    Milt, however, was still an apprentice on paper. She was not full-fledged yet and the men who came to court her did so in public: their antics were nothing but an annoyance to her.

    Milt was the target of jealousy at first, but her solicitors became so many and so straightforward that the jealousy turned into pity.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±

    Milt faked a smile to dodge the men¡¯s advances and quickly went to the sisters¡¯ cafeteria. There she sighed deeply as she chewed on a piece of bread.

    ¡°You had it rough today too¡­¡±

    Next to her sat one of the sister apprentices that worked alongside Milt since the first cleaning activities. She was not a Chosen One, but the church epted anyone as an apprentice, regardless of their status.

    Milt didn¡¯t like using the fact that she was a Chosen One to lord over others, so they became friendly enough to chat casually.

    ¡°Honestly¡­they won¡¯t stop pestering me even if I say they get in the way of cleaning.¡±

    Milt couldn¡¯t help but voice herints.

    The sister took turns in cleaning the various areas of the church: the entrance was the ce where the solicitors could gather more easily.

    Many of them boasted about their hunts there because it was forbidden to bring them inside the church. There were guards at the gate, but if the men only boasted about themselves they couldn¡¯t be forced to leave.

    Many of them also made offerings or participated in the church¡¯smunity activities, hoping for Milt to notice them, so they couldn¡¯t be treated harshly in public.

    People cannot be saved only with pleasantries and ideals, after all.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit envious though, to be honest¡­I mean, looks like even famous peoplee to see you sometimes.¡±

    The apprentice sister sitting in front of Milt was the roommate of the one sitting next to her.

    One was gentle and meek, the other more straightforward and frank: their very different personalities created good chemistry, so they became friends quickly.

    They were two of Milt¡¯s few friends, who talked with her without being scared even after knowing her true strength.

    ¡°Do they really think that showing me monster corpses is going to win me over, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re adventurers, what else can they do? If they can take out monsters like that, I bet they¡¯ve got plenty of this too.¡±

    The girl then rubbed her thumb and index finger together. Some gestures were the same no matter the world, apparently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really see the appeal in that, honestly¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoa, listen to this girl¡­I¡¯d like to be able to say something like that too¡­¡±

    The girl¡¯s shoulders dramatically dropped.

    ¡°Then what kind of men do you find appealing, Milt? You don¡¯t really care about strength or money, right?¡±

    ¡°I want to know too! You never talk about things like that, Milt. So? So? Could it be that you already have someone you like?

    Though they were sisters, they were still young girls. It was natural for them to be very interested in such matters of romance.

    ¡°Hmm, well, he has to be stronger than me, first of all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s super hard already¡­¡±

    ¡°Quite¡­difficult, I guess.¡±

    The two girls furrowed their brows.

    They couldn¡¯t think of any church knight or adventurer that matched Milt in strength, surely.

    Her individual strength was impressive on its own, but her Legendary grade gear was normally considered a national treasure. To be able to surpass both was an amazing feat.

    ¡°You¡¯re that strong and so pretty too¡­god blessed you too much, Milt.¡±

    ¡°Really now¡­?¡±

    ¡°You could pick any man you wanted, with that face and these bad girls here!¡±

    The girl pouted and poked Milt¡¯s chest, which was resting on the table.

    The specially ordered robe hid her physique as much as possible, but it had its limits.

    ¡°So soft, yet firm and stic enough to bounce back finger pokes¡­if only I had it too¡­¡±

    ¡°That would be¡­difficult, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Milt and the girl sitting next to her both looked away. The chest area of the girl poking Milt¡¯s chest was very much t.

    ¡°You¡¯re horrible, you two!!¡±

    ¡°You have to ept reality. Besides, I get lewd looks all day, you know? A lot of people talk to me like my face was on my chest too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s disturbing, to be honest.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t quite on Milt¡¯s levels, but the girl sitting next to her was well endowed too.

    ¡°Aah, I wish I could say the same thing¡­¡±

    The girl sitting in front grumbled out of frustration and Milt smiled.

    Her gestures and reaction were exaggerated because she wanted to lighten the topic, and Milt understood. The two girls with her were capable of such kindness.

    ¡°Someone I like, huh¡­¡±

    Milt returned to the room assigned to her,y on the bed, and mumbled to herself.

    When she was asked if there was someone she liked, she did think of someone.

    ¡°Hmm, but this is different¡­¡±

    Someone stronger than her. There wasn¡¯t such a person around her at the moment, but there were several around the continent.

    There were adventurers equipped with Mythology grade equipment, which surpassed her Legendary grade gear. The oue wasn¡¯t set in stone if they ever fought, but Milt was sure she wasn¡¯t the strongest.

    Milt knew, however, the man who was likely the strongest among them all.

    ¡°Shin.¡±

    There was probably no one stronger than Shin in the whole continent.

    His stats from the game era had been boosted. He also forged the highest grade equipment by himself.

    Even without counting the power boost he received aftering to this world, Shin¡¯s original stats were the fruit of the time and efforts he spent honing them.

    Milt enjoyed the same benefits as him, so she couldn¡¯t say things were unfair.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point though, is it.¡±

    She was thinking about the fact that Shin¡¯s face came up when she was asked if she had someone she liked.

    It was just a casual conversation: there was no need to think deeply about it. Even so, she didn¡¯t want to stop thinking about it.

    Milt thought about why she thought of Shin.

    Because he¡¯s strong? Because she knows him well? Or maybe because she liked him like the girls wanted to know?

    ¡°No, no, no.¡±

    Milt sat up on the bed and shook her head left and right. There wasn¡¯t space for such romantic feelings in her rtionship with Shin.

    They lived under the same roof for a time, but it was only because their goals were the same.

    ¡°At that time, Shin never showed he was interested in any of that¡­¡±

    Milt knew how Shin was before the death game.

    Shin the yer, as most THE NEW GATE users knew him, and the person Milt¡¯s close friend told her about.

    Milt felt Shin as someone rtively close, because of what she was told about him.

    Then, in the world after the death game¡­

    They fought together in order to clear the game, but he felt very distant. The burden of the yers¡¯ expectations on his shoulders made him look tired, exhausted.

    When they met again and they started cooperating, he was no longer the Shin she knew.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Even if he was much different from before, some things were unchanged. Milt noticed by being at his side.

    Maybe it was because Milt was a friend of his lover, or maybe because she was a woman: she didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but she felt Shin was looking out for her at times.

    Then, in the final moment¡­Milt remembered very well the expression on Shin¡¯s face when he cut her down.

    ¡°I wonder if Shin remembers too.¡±

    At that time, Shin looked like he was about to cry.

    For Milt, Shin¡¯s de saved her, but he certainly did not see things the same way, as she knew well.

    He might have seemed different but was the same person deep down. If he wasn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t have had such an expression on his face.

    When they met again in this world, Milt realized he had returned to the original Shin and felt a bit relieved.

    ¡°Now that I think about it¡­¡±

    Milt recalled what happened when they met again and found herself blushing. She was toldter what state she was in at that time.

    She didn¡¯t know why she was taking a bath. She only knew that Shin saw her naked. She attacked him like that, apparently, so she couldn¡¯t tell him not to look.

    ¡°Why did I do something so embarrassing¡­?¡±

    In the real world, she was taken care of by nurses. They were all female, however, so there was no shame in being seen naked.

    The situation with Shin was very different, though. Her naked body had been seen by a man for the first time, outside of a hospital setting. Not even Milt could say she didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the reason.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t the person she liked, but this episode made her think of him. Milt then closed her eyes.

    The next day, she was in the cafeteria, sighing again.

    ¡°Will they ever stop¡­¡±

    The boasting battle had broken out that day too. This time a noble¡¯s messenger even pestered her to sell them her equipment.

    Milt¡¯s gear was extremely precious: it wasn¡¯t rare for such negotiators to visit her. She simply didn¡¯t want to deal with them when she was feeling down.

    ¡°Will I ever find someone stronger than me, that doesn¡¯t care about my equipment, and doesn¡¯t give me lewd looks?¡±

    ¡°What is this girl going on about now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s tired, let her be. Today they were even more annoying than usual, I suppose.¡±

    The girls, sitting with her as usual, were conflicted too. Milt knew she was asking for a lot, but if she found someone like that her worries would disappear.

    She could at least think about him, though. If he could understand her as a person it would have been even better. If he was fun to tease, even better.

    The only person Milt knew that fit these criteria was Shin, after all.

    Even Shin was caught ncing at her bust sometimes, but he was still much more forgivable than the rabble who talked with her with their eyes glued to her chest.

    He was overwhelmingly stronger and had a load of equipment on the same level as Milt¡¯s.

    He was also the person that knew her the best in this world.

    As he was now, Shin was also a lot of fun to tease. Milt recalled how he acted awkwardly when she just hugged his arm a little and chuckled.

    ¡°Definitely a great asset, he is.¡±

    So she said, thinking that her motives were not the purest.

    She was sure that what she felt wasn¡¯t love, just something simr.

    Maybe all the lovey-dovey episodes she heard from Marino, Shin¡¯s former lover, got imprinted onto her somehow.

    Milt never experienced talking so happily about someone, so she was a bit irritated, yet envious of Marino¡¯s expressions and the feelings she conveyed.

    Was this a form of love, or maybe something else?

    Milt did not know yet. Even so, she was strangely positive that it wasn¡¯t something bad.

    ¡°Aah, I¡¯d like to see him again soon.¡±

    She wanted to see him, to chat about the silliest things. To give him a good hug and see him feeling awkward. Milt felt her irritation leave herpletely.

    ¡°Oh, you want to see him, hmm?¡±

    ¡°We must inquire about *him* further, yes?¡±

    ¡°Whoops, did I say that out loud?¡±

    Milt renewed her resolve to keep doing her best, hoping to see him soon.

    She then switched her focus to dodging the barrage of questions of the curious girls surrounding her.

 Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 1

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 1</h4>

    In order to halt the unprecedented advance of a massive monster horde on the Dragon Empire of Kilmont, Shin and his party participated in the construction of a great defensive wall.

    Thanks to their efforts, the battle was nearing an end: at that time, the swarm of shapeshifting monsters, which had maintained a neutral stance until then, moved towards Shin¡¯s position ¡ª while eliminating the other monsters in their path.

    The giant slime monster leading the group, Gelganger, morphed into the silhouette of an old gentleman with slicked back white hair¡­

    ~

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I havee to meet Lord Shin as per my master¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°You came to meet me?¡±

    Shin carefully observed the old gentleman formerly known as Gelganger.

    Even if it was a shapeshifting monster, the size and silhouette were too different from the original one.

    Being capable of human speech, coupled with its near perfect reproduction of a human being, made the Gelganger a creature Shin had never known before. There was no reason not to be cautious.

    ¡°My master wishes to speak with you, Lord Shin. Due to certain circumstances, however, they cannot move beyond certain limits. I fully understand how brazen such a request may seem, but I have thuse to humbly petition Lord Shin to visit my master.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that you monsters were created by the magic power overflowing from the Sacred ce. Especially this time, the massive spawn of monsters started fighting among themselves?¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s so-called ¡°master¡± had prepared a ¡°wee¡± for Shin, in order to have the chance to meet him. In that light, the current monster horde was an unnecessarily dangerous means for such an end.

    ¡°I surmise that it bes necessary to speak of the circumstances behind my master¡¯s birth. I am afraid it will require a bit of time to do so however. Would that be eptable for you, Lord Shin?¡±

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m listening.¡±

    Shibaid and Sety were still fighting, but thanks to the shapeshifting monsters¡¯ reinforcements, there was no actual danger anymore.

    Based on the monsters¡¯ movements, Shin judged that if they were nning something, the target was likely him; he told Schnee ¡ª who hade close to his position ¡ª to conceal her presence and stand by.

    ¡°As you are surely already aware, the monsters you have been engaging are divided into three categories. On that lone ind, which you define as the source of magic power, there are three cities ¡ª three of what you call ¡°Sacred ces¡±. The monsters spawned in the current event were born from each of them. Finally, my master supervises one of these three locations.¡±

    ¡°There are¡­three Sacred ces?¡±

    Shin was mildly confused: he had never heard of such a thing before.

    He asked Schnee and Shibaid for confirmation via Mind Chat, but the information gathered until then only mentioned one Sacred ce apparently.

    The Empire¡¯s investigations only covered the areas close to the continent, however: more than half of the ind was still unexplored. It would not be impossible for two more Sacred ces to exist there.

    ¡°My master also said that you will understand if I introduce them as a ¡®Boundary Guardian¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­thest one of those I met tried killing me out of the blue though?¡±

    Ishkar ¡ª or more precisely, the Guardian that took control of it ¡ª had even erected a barrier in order not to let anyone other than Shin onto the battlefield.

    There was no time for peaceful conversation, as the Gelganger proposed.

    If the Gelganger¡¯s master was truly a ¡°Boundary Guardian¡±, its actions became more suspicious.

    Shin honestly thought that it would be more convincing if it all turned out to be a trap and they started fighting as soon as he arrived in the master¡¯s area.

    ¡°My master is what you would call an exception among the Guardians. It is not a rare urrence for us to be subject to attacks from the two Sacred ces located next to ours.¡±

    ¡°Why would something like that happen?¡±

    Shin was positive that all Boundary Guardians were hostile to him.

    Meeting one meant starting a fight to the death: there was no room for any words or negotiation, nor was there any information about them. If it was possible to gather even a little bit of intel, it was worth the risk to meet the ¡°master¡±, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°The ¡®Boundary Guardians¡¯ are the protectors of this world itself. It appears that they did not view positively the appearance of those called ¡®yers¡¯, but they had reasons to tolerate them. That does not go for you, however, Lord Shin. Surely you are already aware that you possess something other yers do not. To be considered such an abnormality is certainly not in your intentions, but it is a sort of instinctual reaction for the Guardians to do so. Their actions are limited to specified areas, however, so they cannot attack you directly. It is definitely something vexing for them: that is probably the reason why you were attacked without a word in between.¡±

    Gelganger was quite the talkative ¡°person¡±. If Shin had not witnessed his slime form, he would hardly believe he was talking with a monster.

    ¡°So based on what you said, all Guardians are restricted to certain areas?¡±

    ¡°As far as I am aware, yes. The Guardians residing in Sacred ces are all barred from leaving them. That is the first and foremost reason as to why my master could not personally appear before you.¡±

    Shin thought that the exnation made sense. Most of it matched with his experiences.

    He decided to set aside whether to believe Gelganger¡¯s words or not, for the moment.

    ¡°About the ¡®Flood¡¯, then¡­this massive spawn of monsters. Why did it happen? We have suffered severe damage and casualties because of it. You¡¯re not going to say that it was all to look for me, are you?¡±

    The monsters had been fighting among themselves. Even in that case, however, Shin wasn¡¯t going to ept the excuse that the monster hordes had spawned in order to find him.

    ¡°In order to avoid any harmful misunderstandings, allow me to exin that the massive spawn of monsters ¡ª a phenomenon which you call ¡®Flood¡¯ ¡ª , caused by the overflowing of magic power from the Sacred ces, is not caused on purpose by the masters of the Sacred ces.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    Shin frowned, wondering if there were two types of Floods: those caused on purpose, and others happening spontaneously.

    ¡°The magic power leaking from the Sacred ces is the same magic power emanated by all living creatures. It is possible to subdue it to a point, of course, but doing so would decrease the number of monsters protecting the Sacred ces, which would create a risk of invasion from outside threats. Because of this, a certain degree of magic power has to be released continuously. The ¡®Floods¡¯ humans deal with are the result of the transformation of part of such magic power I imagine.¡±

    ¡°They are not created with hostile intentions, is that what you mean?¡±

    Regardless of the reason, the existence of such monster attacks was a fact that could not be epted so easily.

    Shin red at Gelganger, and the white-haired gentleman shuddered. It looked just like a ripple traveling through a surface of water.

    ¡°We do not give such orders. I understand, however, that humans and their settlements suffer because of such monster attacks. I am sure that you cannot ept such a reason; that is precisely why my master wishes to speak with you. If I may hazard a guess, my master is thinking of ways to reduce or even nullify the burden of those protecting human settlements against monster attacks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the messenger, aren¡¯t you? Why can¡¯t you tell us everything directly?¡±

    You might as well spit out everything, if you can, or so Shin honestly thought.

    ¡°There are limits to what I am allowed to say, and to my knowledge as well. Unlike you, Lord Shin, and your esteemedrades, I do not possess the means to contact others over long distances. I am afraid that you will have to speak with my master for further details.¡±

    Gelganger had spoken at length already, but in the end it was just a messenger.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s inevitable¡­by the way, you mentioned the circumstances you were created in before. What about that?¡±

    ¡°As you surely have noticed, we have been fighting the other monsters after we appeared.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we had the time to build the wall and set up traps.¡±

    Shin looked to the side.

    Thanks to the shapeshifting monsters absorbing the corpses of other monsters, the scene of carnage had returned to a rtively normal scenery.

    After all, they could not leave such arge quantity of monster remains there like that.

    If Gelganger and its followers had note, Shin¡¯s party would have had to use item boxes to collect the remains.

    ¡°That was a process to let powerful monsters grow stronger. Magic power would be gathered around specific monsters created by the master, to give form to groups of monsters once enough magic power is umted, so that those powerful monsters, such as I, can level up quickly and effectively. This is the truth behind the massive spawn of monsters. In this case, however, the other powerful monsters created in the same fashion had different objectives.¡±

    Shin realized it was basically a form of power leveling.

    If it was possible to create monsters at will, then this kind of method was feasible as well: yers used such strategies in the past too. There was no reason for monsters with enough intellect not to be able to do the same.

    ¡°My master, due to certain circumstances, was researching the beings living on this continent. They thus obtained information that created the necessity of giving birth to monsters like me.¡±

    ¡°Might I ask what that information is?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. It is something deeply connected with you after all, Lord Shin.¡±

    Shin wondered what this ¡°deeply connected¡± information could be.

    The first connections that came to mind were Demons and Devils. There was no denying that he was connected to both.

    He could not think of anything else grave enough to force a Boundary Guardian to act.

    ¡°The information in question regards the World Tree. Due to the loss of the World Tree, this world¡¯s self-purifying function was lost as well, prompting the appearance of Reforgerer. That being is part of this world¡¯s system, but it is also capable of destroying the world. Because of that, my master has decided to investigate the events that transpired.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    The answer was very unexpected for Shin, so he couldn¡¯t help but react out loud.

    One reason for his surprise was that he was directly connected with the event; another one was how slow the Guardians responded. The events in Lanapacea had happened quite a while ago.

    Filma and Yuzuha probably thought the same thing: they nced at Shin, who replied via Mind Chat to listen to what else Gelganger was going to say for the moment.

    ¡°The other Sacred ce masters, while their stances might be different, reached a simr conclusion and started their own investigations. The only method they possess, however, is to release monsters under theirmand, which led to the currentmotion. It would have been optimal if we could arrange negotiations with the empire beforehand, but other than my master, the other Sacred ce masters have very little interest in human beings¡­to be perfectly honest, we should agree that it was fortunate for the timing of the monster spawns from all Sacred ces were the same.¡±

    Gelganger probably took Shin¡¯s surprised reaction as to mean he did not know about the Reforgerer events and continued.

    Shin and his party, on the other hand, could not help thinking that there had to be other ways to deal with the situation.

    ¡°I and other monsters were released from the Sacred ces, on the basis that we would share any and all information we obtained. We located you, Lord Shin, however, so the orders to investigate turned into orders to attack.¡±

    ¡°Defeating me is more important than investigating the Reforgerer? A monster that can destroy the whole world?¡±

    Gelganger added that the monsters were ordered to attack Shin if they ever found him from the start, but their priorities seemed nothing but skewed to Shin.

    ¡°Reforgerer¡¯s rampage does not entail the death of all living beings, you see. After cleansing all of the impurities, Reforgerer bes a hotbed for new life, as a new world takes shape. We were ordered to investigate Reforgerer, but not to defeat or stop it. We were to find out only where it appeared and what it was doing.¡±

    Reforgerer¡¯s appearance was a way for the world to purify itself. The Boundary Guardians seemed to think that if a world was impure enough to trigger Reforgerer¡¯s appearance, it might as well be created anew.

    In other words, a reset of the whole world.

    Even if Reforgerer aplished its function, new life would be born, gradually giving shape to a new world. The Guardians allowed for such a development, apparently.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why they took their sweet time with it.¡±

    ¡°That is correct. The Guardians are not on the side of you humans.¡±

    Their stance was to protect the world, but not all living creatures in it, apparently.

    ¡°Nevertheless, your master is calling for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes. As I mentioned before, my master views things in a slightly different way. They do not disapprove of your existence.¡±

    A Boundary Guardian that did not disapprove of Shin¡¯s existence, despite him being something of a natural enemy for them. Shin could understand how that could attract the other Guardians¡¯ ire.

    ¡°Why is that, if I may ask?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I was not told the reason.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­what did you mean by relieving the burden of defending this area?¡±

    ¡°That is simple: if my master gains control of the other Guardians¡¯ Sacred ces, there will be no need to release magic power to create monsters to defend our territory. In that case, the magic power flowing to this continent will cease as well. Without magic power flowing from the Sacred ces, there will be no massive spawns of monsters either.¡±

    Apparently, Gelganger¡¯s master was even open to negotiations with the empire.

    The empire¡¯s finances would be greatly relieved if they didn¡¯t have to bear the burden of defending the frontlines. There would be more leeway for developing the region or enacting new policies for the people.

    The area was always left undeveloped because of the monsters¡¯ attacks, but if all went well they could finally put it to use. The empire would gain tremendously from such an arrangement.

    ¡°(If it¡¯s really possible, the empire would definitely benefit from it.)¡±

    Shibaid, who was receiving Gelganger¡¯s information via Mind Chat, expressed his thoughts.

    ¡°(Is there anything that worries you?)¡±

    ¡°(If monsters stop spawning, it would be a very positive development, in more ways than one. But is it really a good idea to defeat one of the creatures protecting the world?)¡±

    Shin and his party would never ept being targeted and were ready to defeat anyone that attacked them. The Boundary Guardians, however, were literally the world¡¯s protectors.

    Hence Shibaid had such a concern. If they really were confined in specific areas, Shin just needed to stay away.

    Shin, being the Guardians¡¯ target, was not against taking them down, but Shibaid¡¯sment made him cool his temper a bit.

    Gelganger also mentioned the appearance of yers in the world.

    Shin, who thought of this world as a world very simr to the game, or as the game world turned into reality, once again faced the mystery of what this world really was.

    ¡°Does your master know of this world¡¯s origins too?¡±

    ¡°As a mere creation of my master, it is beyond me to know the extent of their knowledge. I believe I can say, with confidence, that they know much more than any ¡°human¡± in this world.¡±

    Gelganger nodded lightly.

    Shin had the feeling that he actually knew the answer, but Gelganger¡¯s poker face did not reveal the slightest hint as to whether he was telling the truth or not.

    It wasn¡¯t his real face, after all. His emotions would probably never surface.

    Shin himself was aware that the monsters knew more than the humans about the nature of this world.

    Even among species with high longevity, such as Elves and Pixies, few were alive at the time of the Dusk of Majesty. Stories and legends remained, but no credible ounts.

    What exactly happened at the time had be mythology at present.

    Sentient monsters such as Fuji¡¯s Kagutsuchi or Tzaobath, the dragon living in Rashugum, one of Shin¡¯s homes, were more knowledgeable about the world¡¯s true nature.

    (In terms of age, Yuzuha belongs to this group too¡­)

    Shin nced at Yuzuha.

    Element Tails were famous even among the monsters possessing extensive knowledge. It might be difficult to imagine from her small fox form, but originally Yuzuha was supposed to possess knowledge about anything and everything concerning this world.

    ¡°¡­very well then, I epted the invitation. I¡¯m going to decide how to deal with the other Guardians only after talking with your master, though.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Shin did not want the defeat of the other Sacred ces¡¯ Guardians to be one of the conditions for epting Gelganger¡¯s offer.

    He was going to talk with its master first: he would then defeat the other Guardians if it was necessary. If it wasn¡¯t, he would simply go back. Not that he thought he would be allowed to go back just like that, though.

 Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 2

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°(Are you really going? The Sacred ce is a Guardian¡¯s home ground, they could have prepared traps too.)¡±

    Schnee sent a Mind Chat immediately after hearing Shin¡¯s decision.

    Their past encounters with the Guardians had been unnned, but this time things were different. The fact that the Guardian sent a subordinate to negotiate with Shin was clear proof.

    Shin and his party did not even know if it was really true that the Guardians were fighting each other.

    Schnee¡¯s worries were not unfounded: in the worst-case scenario, Shin could end up fighting three or more Guardians at the same time.

    ¡°(I know that. But I think that I can¡¯t stay ignorant about this world any longer.)¡±

    Shin did not even know why he arrived in this world in the first ce.

    What exactly was the reason, if there was one? He thought about it a lot at first, but recently it barely crossed his mind.

    He was much more upied with thinking about how to live in this world and other more immediate problems.

    Gelganger stated that differently from other yers, Shin was regarded as an abnormality.

    Shin assumed it was because he came to this world without dying. Or maybe because he defeated Origin, the previous world¡¯s ¡°final boss¡±.

    He did not know if the reason was one of these, or something else entirely.

    ¡°(Hmm, it¡¯s not exactly that, I guess.)¡±

    He replied with a seemingly proper reason, but thinking about it seriously, something else came to mind.

    If the wall across the continent waspleted, there would be no reason to worry about the monsters¡¯ invasions anymore, even if Gelganger¡¯s master and the other Guardians started fighting again and new hordes spawned.

    Thend would remain unusable, but there was no way to know if negotiating with monsters was even possible, much less sessful. If the Guardians couldn¡¯t leave their territory, they just needed to leave them alone.

    It was definitely the easiest, most convenient solution. No matter what the Guardians said, Shin would live in this world as he wished.

    He had no ns of ruling over any territory or using his strength selfishly, after all.

    He simply wished for a normal life: as of now, he could settle down somewhere and make a living as a skilled adventurer. With his skills, hiding his true identity would be simple.

    Why not simply do that, then? Why go all the way to meet face to face with a Guardian?

    There were various reasons, but more than anything, Shin wanted them to approve of him.

    He wanted to show that he harbored no hostility towards this world. That he wanted to live in it. And for the Guardians to concede he could.

    ¡°I shall send a messenger to my master. Do you n to depart now, Lord Shin?¡±

    ¡°I have to let some people know first, but is it possible to wait?¡±

    As the master could not move, there was no choice but to wait for Shin, but he didn¡¯t want to be toote and cause the appearance of a second Selcikeus or Heltoros.

    ¡°Large spawns of monsters such as these cannot be created so frequently, even by a Guardian. In human terms, I believe you have one month of leeway.¡±

    Monsters understood human concepts of time, apparently. Shin expected them to use terms rted to the movements of the sun, but that was not the case.

    ¡°Very well, then let us meet again two days from now, at¡­no, wait. Can you monsters measure time?¡±

    ¡°On a day to day basis, yes, but it will be difficult for us if you set a specific time. We do not have the ability to measure time as precisely as you humans.¡±

    Shin, the other yers and support characters could use their status window¡¯s clock disy.

    Other human beings, if they had a high enough social status or finances, often owned clocks. They were not easily essible for monsters, however.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this, then. Do you know how to read it?¡±

    ¡°I have never seen one before. Could you please tell me how to use it?¡±

    What Shin had picked from his item box and given to Gelganger was a pocket watch. He had made it in the game era, but it didn¡¯t have any special functions. He taught Gelganger how to use it, then told it toe back two dayster at the same time.

    ¡°Okay then, first let¡¯s see what happened to the monsters, then I¡¯ll have to report what Gelganger said to the people in charge¡­¡±

    Gelganger sent a messenger to the master, while it would stand by there.

    Shin and the others rejoined Shibaid and Sety, then warped close to the wall. Gelganger already knew that they possessed such an ability, so they didn¡¯t bother hiding it.

    ¡°Is that all really true?¡±

    ¡°It feels very sudden, honestly¡­¡±

    Sety and Filma had been quiet while Gelganger talked: after the party reunited, they actively expressed their opinions.

    ¡°Are you really going to go? If it happens like the time with Ishkar, and you get isted and it turns out they¡¯re hostile, we can¡¯t do anything to help.¡±

    Unlike Gryphon, Ishkar used a unique barrier that restricted the movement of all of Shin¡¯s support characters, including Schnee.

    Sety thus hypothesized that Gelganger¡¯s invitation could be a trap.

    ¡°That technique, or should I say power, is somethingpletely beyond our knowledge. To be honest, even if we knew about it we have no way to counter it. Even if it¡¯s true that the Guardians can¡¯t leave the Sacred ces, it might not be the case for all of them. Gelganger only said what it knew. The barrier¡­wall¡­or whatever Ishkar used came up in a particr situation, but it was still a dungeon. We know that the Guardians can use their powers even outside Sacred ces.¡±

    Ishkar lurked in the depths of a location born from the fusion of two dungeons, the Castle of the Depths and the Seafloor Sanctuary.

    Ishkar itself had been possessed by a Guardian, but its abilities were the same as the original. They couldn¡¯t just ept everything Gelganger said as facts.

    On the other hand, Gelganger clearly stated that there were limits to the information it was given.

    They didn¡¯t know if it was instructed to say so or decided to do it on its own will, but it could have been a hint for Shin and the others to realize that Gelganger¡¯s information was notplete.

    ¡°They see us as enemies: even if we keep avoiding them, there will always be the possibility that they attack us one day. We can¡¯t call them allies yet, but it might not be bad to speak with someone with a different stance than ours. Well¡­since we¡¯ll be in the enemy¡¯s home base, we can go all out without any restraint.¡±

    The first Guardian they fought, Gryphon. The seafloor Guardian, Ishkar. They were both powerful opponents, though in different ways.

    Gryphon¡¯s unnatural regenerative powers made it impossible to tell when it was defeated, unless the mysterious power manifested. Ishkar¡¯s strength, on the other hand, was vastly superior to Gryphon¡¯s.

    In the fight against Gryphon, Shin could concentrate on the enemy thanks to the presence of Rionne, a Chosen One. If she had been a normal person, things would have been much more difficult.

    ¡°If it uses that barrier again, I wille to your aid.¡±

    Yuzuha, walking beside Shin in her four mel sized form, casually spoke.

    She had taken that form because of the serious tone of the conversation: Shin wondered if her small fox mode¡¯s childishness was all an act, but apparently while in that form her own intellect was lower.

    ¡°If the same thing happens, maybe I can help too?¡±

    ¡°There must be a sort of condition, something Yuzuha and Tiera have inmon¡­¡±

    While they coulde up with some possibilities, there was no way to confirm them. It could be hasty to conclude that Schnee and the others couldn¡¯t pass the barrier just because they were Shin¡¯s support characters.

    ¡°There¡¯s still so much we don¡¯t know, huh.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it, that¡¯s how things are supposed to be, though.¡±

    Sety sighed and Shibaid replied calmly.

    ¡°We know a fair share about this world, but there¡¯s still a lot more to learn. Especially about creatures we didn¡¯t even know existed: it¡¯s normal not to know almost anything. Most of what we know, we only learned because someone else faced danger to acquire such information. In the end, to obtain what you want to know you have to put your life on the line, there¡¯s no other way.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but we can¡¯t do things like we did in the past anymore¡­what¡¯s wrong in wanting to do things the easy way?¡±

    ¡°Listen to you¡­¡±

    Sety continued grumbling, as Shibaid sighed.

    He was a natural born warrior: even after Shin disappeared, he continued fighting on his own. If you wish for something, you shall earn it through battle. It was not strange for him to think it obvious to take great risks to achieve one¡¯s goals.

    Sety, on the other hand, was not as eager to do battle. She did not despise fighting and was willing to fight and destroy clear enemies, such as Demons or Devils, but she was not particrly inclined to look for trouble if she could help it.

    In addition, they could not be revived like during the game era, so the strategy of taking deadly risks to gain information was not possible anymore.

    Shibaid and Sety¡¯s opinions were different, but both were correct in their own way.

    ¡°They said that they would leave us alone if we kept quiet, so to be honest I think that wouldn¡¯t be too bad either.¡±

    Shin wanted the Guardians to approve of his existence, but he was not eager to stick his neck into a conflict between Guardians. He knew that the situation was not so simple, though.

    Shin never met or fought Gelganger¡¯s master, but thetter somehow knew about him: it was highly likely that the Guardians exchanged information among themselves. Shin was attacked first, but he had still defeated two Guardians already. There was no guarantee that they¡¯d leave him alone forever, even if he lived quietly somewhere.

    ¡°If you decide to go, I will simply follow you. Next time, I will definitely pass.¡±

    Since they started talking about the barrier, Schnee was quietly brimming with fighting spirit. Shin felt her determination to break through the barrier burning brightly within her.

    ¡°Ipletely agree with Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we cannot have them think they can use the same move every time.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid too were frustrated by not being able to do anything before the barrier: their determination was as resolute as Schnee¡¯s.

    Shin knew that his support characters and Tiera sparred and trained whenever they had time, so he thought that they might have learned new skills he wasn¡¯t aware of.

    ¡°Easy there, guys¡­look at Sety, she¡¯s¡­not calm either, is she.¡±

    Shin did not feel the same determination or fighting spirit from Sety, but she was leaking magic power instead.

    Her spirit was different from Schnee and the others, but she was burning in her own way. She was faintly grinning, but her eyes brimmed with the intent to break through the barrier.

    ¡°Anyway, keep it down when we meet with the Empire people, all right? Or they¡¯re going to soil themselves.¡±

    Tiera, cold sweats trickling down her forehead, looked at Shin with pleading eyes.

    Thebined fighting spirit and magic power emanating from Schnee and the other three was more than enough to knock the average person unconscious.

 Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 3

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 3</h4>

    ¡°The monsters came to talk¡­frankly speaking, I find it hard to believe. However, I am sure that Sir Shin would not lie about such a thing.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party regrouped with the Empire¡¯s forces and immediately reported to themander, Raig. The information revealed by Gelganger naturally surprised him, so he found it difficult to decide the next move.

    ¡°The Sacred ce monsters¡­I¡¯ve participated in scouting missions there, but I¡¯ve never seen monsters like those you described¡­¡±

    Milt, whose standing within the army had risen thanks to her Shin-upgraded gear, spoke while tilting her head. Her arms were crossed, enhancing the visibility of her assets even more.

    Most of the monsters she encountered during the scouting missions were small or medium sized, all monsters she already knew.

    ¡°I thought you might know something about them, but I guess it won¡¯t be so easy, huh.¡±

    Shin asked her via Mind Chat if she felt like she was being pulled, as it had happened to him when he encountered Gryphon, but she replied negatively.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to the Sacred ce, right? Can Ie too?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to confirm something, so I wanted to ask you to apany me. Don¡¯t you need to stay with the Church Warband though?¡±

    Milt was a former yer, a different existence from this world¡¯s denizens.

    She had also reached this world in different circumstances from Shin, so he wanted to see how the Guardians would react to her.

    It was a dangerous gamble, so he was surprised to hear her ept immediately.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to find out the true cause of this whole mess, so no problem.¡±

    The Church Warband had been dispatched in order to limit the damage caused by the monster hordes. If what Gelganger said was really true, not only would the Empire reap benefits, but also the Church and other countries sending reinforcements too.

    Milt was stronger now than in the game era, both in terms of personal stats and gear, so she wouldn¡¯t be a liability in battle.

    ¡°We would like to send someone of ours with you too, but I doubt anyone could keep up with your party¡¯s strength.¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s master was apparently ready to negotiate with the Empire if Shin cooperated with them to take over the other Sacred ces, so the Empire wished to send a representative with Shin.

    ¡°Depending on the situation, we might have to face opponents more dangerous than the previous Flood, so I¡¯m afraid that even a Chosen One would be in grave danger.¡±

    The destination waspletely unknown to Shin: he couldn¡¯t make promises to protect others. Some of the high level Chosen Ones among the troops tasked with erecting the wall offered to go, but Shin drew this conclusion after inquiring about theirbat skills.

    Compared to Shin and his support characters, Tiera and Milt were of a lower grade of battle prowess; thanks to his equipment, however, they could manage fighting against Divine Beasts.

    Shin could have provided the Empire representatives with gear too, but if their skills did not match it, even advanced equipment would just be a burden.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they are open to negotiating right away, so we will monitor the situation first. We have to talk before we decide whether to ept their conditions or not after all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, in the end, they have their own ns. There¡¯s no ce for us at this point, I suppose. I¡¯ll leave the decisions to you, Sir Shin.¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s master had requested for Shin: Raig realized they could not intervene yet. He was, however, very interested in the possibility of protecting the continent without having to use a wall, thus putting the previously abandonednd to better use.

    ¡°So, are we leaving right now?¡±

    ¡°I told them we¡¯d go two days from now, so there¡¯s still time. I didn¡¯t think we could just make our report and go, you see.¡±

    ¡°They left it all to you pretty easily though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­I expected them to be more persistent about sending someone with us, or about whether we could really trust monsters, things like that¡­¡±

    The matter waspletely entrusted to Shin in a matter of minutes, so he was a bit at a loss.

    ¡°Since Shibaid used to be the Dragon Emperor, I guess they thought he wouldn¡¯t allow for things to go in a bad direction for the Empire. Schnee is also well trusted on an international level, so maybe it¡¯s not too weird for you to be treated as an ambassador.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. It¡¯s also a fact that they don¡¯t have anyone that could keep up with us.¡±

    ¡°The only people from the Empire who could are the current Emperor¡¯s personal guards, I guess.¡±

    Both in terms of stats and equipment, the Dragon Emperor was the Empire¡¯s apex. He had fought with Shibaid in the past, so there was no doubting his skill.

    ¡°He is definitely strong enough to keep up with us: I¡¯ve never seen a Chosen One like him, among all the people I¡¯ve met until now. The captain and vice captain of his personal guards could also equip your gear without trouble, Shin.¡±

    Shibaidplemented Milt¡¯s words. The Empire apparently had some powerful assets, though they might be inferior to the samurai they met in Hinomoto, Toudou Kankurou.

    Shin recalled that he didn¡¯t see the Emperor¡¯s personal guards when he met Raig in the castle; Shibaid, perceiving such a thought, exined that they were the guards posted outside the room.

    ¡°I see¡­no way normal guards are posted outside the Emperor¡¯s chambers, after all.¡±

    Shin remembered noticing how high their levels were. He didn¡¯t recall the exact numbers, but they were definitely over 200.

    ¡°So, we have to kill time for two days? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much we can do, is there?¡±

    ¡°Well, we all fought against the monsters, so make sure you get enough rest. I¡¯ll do maintenance on our weapons and stock up on items.¡±

    Shin and his party had not suffered particr damage, but had still engaged a great quantity of monsters. He thus told them to rest and recover.

    Raig and his troops shared the same opinion: they were told they didn¡¯t need to help setting the remaining wall-creating items and to rest.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to rest, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to analyze weapons like in Hinomoto, so it won¡¯t be strenuous work. I¡¯ll rest as soon as I¡¯m done.¡±

    Compared to analyzing Ancient Grade weapons, maintenance and repair were simple tasks, and he could do them however he wanted. It wouldn¡¯t take hours or be a burden, as Shin reassured the worried Tiera.

    Shin and the others walked along the wall, then used the Magic Skill ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and materialized Tsuki no Hokora.

    They did not need to hide Tsuki no Hokora from the imperial soldiers, but they didn¡¯t want to openly show they were resting while everyone else was working.

    ¡°Are you really sure you want to stay here? It won¡¯t be fun, you know.¡±

    In Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s workshop, Shin warned Milt, who hade with him. She said she wanted to watch him work, so he exined he was only going to do maintenance.

    Milt did not have any cksmith skills, so there would be no point in showing her anything, but she insisted.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I promise I won¡¯t get in the way.¡±

    For some reason, Milt seemed awfully giddy.

    They changed to casual clothes once inside Tsuki no Hokora. They were both wearing T-shirts and trousers simr to jeans, though in different colors.

    Shin¡¯s were crafted by Cashmere: despite the in appearance, they had defensive capabilities on par with Legend-grade equipment. They were easy to move in, perfect for smithy work.

    Milt was wearing the same trousers she used in the game era, while the T-shirt came from this world. It was very loose-fitting, definitely not matching her size: the neck part was sorge her left shoulder waspletely exposed.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You bet. Clothes with the automatic fitting function adjust perfectly to your body, right? It¡¯s convenient, sure, but it always feels too tight for me¡­so most of my casual wear is loose andfy. Well, it¡¯s also because casual wear doesn¡¯t usuallye with automatic fitting here. I also don¡¯t want to fall in the trap hiding within automatic fitting clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Trap? What trap?¡±

    Milt¡¯s expression had turned somber, so Shin worried he had overlooked a dangerous defect in that function.

    ¡°That kind of clothes automatically matches your body, so even if your size changes, it adjusts automatically and you don¡¯t realize it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­? Well, yeah, that¡¯s the whole point¡­¡±

    Shin could not see what the problem was with what Milt pointed out.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good!! Listen! If you don¡¯t realize it when your size changes, it means you will gain weight without realizing it!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the trap!?¡±

    Shin sighed, dejected. He expected something more dangerous, so he felt worried for nothing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you, Shin¡­to gain weight without realizing it is a big problem for a girl.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay?¡±

    Weight and body size were delicate matters for women. Milt¡¯s words reminded Shin how his mother and little sister used to urge him to pay attention to such things. Even his little brother had scolded him about it at one point.

    ¡°Ah, but I want that function on my bras, so can you do itter? Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Wait wait wait. Why do I have to do it!?¡±

    Milt suddenly started talking about underwear, so Shin stepped away from her, warily.

    ¡°They don¡¯t use them much in this world, that¡¯s why. You can barely find any on sale and the sizes are very limited too. I¡¯m really troubled, you know. With some nudging I can get craftsmen to attach the function to clothes, but they always get angry when I ask about underwear.¡±

    The automatic fitting function existed to help warriors fight on the battlefield: that was the general idea.

    Shin knew that people saw Skills differently in this worldpared to the game era, but never expected craftsmen to get angry over something like that.

    ¡°You can¡¯t acquire it without training Creation type Skills over a fairly long time, after all¡­¡±

    ¡°Right. Those who have it are all pretty famous craftsmen.¡±

    It was a symbol of pride for a craftsman to be able to use such a Skill.

    ¡°And so poor little Milt is in a pickle. I mean, ites off every time I fight¡­and now too.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I know how that feels¡­are you okay?¡±

    Shin felt Milt dropped a bomb with herst words, so he thought it wiser to ignore them.

    ¡°The equipment¡¯s size is just right, so it¡¯s not like they hurt, and they¡¯re designed to allow me to move a lot, so they don¡¯t bounce around like in normal clothes.¡±

    Shin realized that if Milt¡¯s armor was to break, the consequences would be outrageous. Though, if Milt received an attack powerful enough to destroy her armor, it meant she would be in real trouble.

    ¡°And so I humbly request you to take care of at least one pair of underwear. You can look if you want, but just a little bit.¡±

    Milt then leaned forward and pulled on the exposed shoulder.

    The neck was already wide enough to fully show her shoulder: if she pulled it to cover her shoulders, her cleavage became even more exposed.

    ¡°I knew you were going to do that¡­¡±

    Because of Milt¡¯s previous words, Shin predicted she was going to pull a stunt like that. Before he could see too much of her chest, Shin looked up at the ceiling.

    ¡°My strategy has been foiled!? But you can¡¯t dodge my next attack from that stance!!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Stop clinging! Don¡¯t push! Or squeeze either! I got it already, I¡¯ll do it!!¡±

    Shin tried pushing Milt away, but her hold on his body was iron tight.

    He could have pushed her away with force, but his force in this world could cause catastrophes.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­my boy Shin prefersrger sizes, I know¡­¡±

    ¡°H-how do you¡­!?¡±

    ¡°One look at your support characters, and anyone could tell¡­¡±

    The appearance of support characters could be changed at will, so many yers created them ording to their preferences. In the end, they often turned out to be the creator¡¯s ideal male or female figure. In other words, the creator¡¯s preferences could be easily guessed through them.

    ¡°Well, in that case, what about Sety?¡±

    ¡°A camouge attempt, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­you say it like it¡¯s obvious¡­!¡±

    Milt nodded, the grin on her face vexing Shin to no end.

    The two walked towards the smithy while partaking in a nostalgic exchange, very close to their conversations in the game era. Shin felt like he had taken a trip to the past.

    As they arrived closer to the workshop, however, Milt spoke less and less.

    Her hold on Shin¡¯s arms grew weaker and weaker: he could shake her off easily now.

    Shin was thinking that if she acted too clingy in the smithy, he would really have to force her off him, but the change in her behavior felt unnatural.

    Shin turned towards her and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

 Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 4

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 4</h4>

    ¡°¡­hey, Milt, are you okay!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s with you, all of a sudden?¡±

    Milt replied as if she had no idea what Shin was talking about.

    She was probably being sincere: Shin took a handkerchief from his item box and put it against her cheek, without a word.

    ¡°Er¡­Shin¡­?¡±

    ¡°It really looks like you didn¡¯t realize¡­Milt, you¡¯re crying.¡±

    Milt¡¯s eyes were zed with tears. They started trickling down her cheeks, so Shin wiped them gently.

    ¡°Eh¡­? No, why¡­haha, it¡¯s too weird¡­why¡­why¡­?¡±

    Even after Milt realized it, her tears wouldn¡¯t stop. Thinking that she wanted no one else to see her, Shin gently pushed her inside the smithy.

    When he closed the door and looked at her again, he felt a light impact: Milt had hugged him, her shoulder exposed again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­just for a little bit.¡±

    Her voice was faint, shaking. It happened so suddenly that Shin didn¡¯t know how to react.

    After about 10 minutes, Milt seemed to calm down. She let go of Shin.

    Her face was bright red, out of embarrassment and awkwardness. Shin pulled up a chair and motioned at her to use it.

    ¡°Do you feel better?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ehm¡­sorry about that¡­crying all of a sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°I was surprised, sure, but you don¡¯t have to apologize. Actually, I felt something was wrong with you on the way here.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­I guess¡­right.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure if he should ask what was wrong. Even if they knew each other since the game era, he didn¡¯t know Milt all that well.

    They often talked andughed about silly stuff, other video games, manga or the like, but barely ever talked about their real life circumstances.

    Shin now knew one of the reasons why, but even so he had no idea why she would start crying all of a sudden.

    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­I remembered.¡±

    After a brief silence, Milt muttered those words.

    ¡°What did you remember?¡±

    ¡°When we were ying THE NEW GATE¡­ just having fun.¡±

    When THE NEW GATE was just a VRMMORPG, before the death game started. Milt seemed to feel the same way as Shin.

    ¡°Aftering here, I¡¯ve traveled all over too¡­since you saved me, and I started working at the church, so I could visit many more ces.¡±

    Shin quietly listened to Milt. He felt he shouldn¡¯t interrupt her for the time being.

    ¡°I met other ex yers too. Some of them knew my name, but they didn¡¯t know me personally. Well, that¡¯s better, of course¡­¡±

    THE NEW GATE was said to have tens of thousands of yers, and no one knew how many were actually caught in the death game.

    Even if a yer had an in-game friend list of over 1000 people, it was but a small part of the whole. The chances of meeting again in this world were definitely not high.

    Shadow and Holly, a married couple who managed to meet again. Hibineko and the others, who started a shop together. Their cases were akin to miracles.

    ¡°Like I told you before¡­I¡¯m not as strong as you, but in this world, I¡¯m still one of the strongest. Because of that, I got connected to all sorts of people, but¡­there¡¯s no one I can talk to about stuff like this with.¡±

    Some respected strength, others feared it. Maybe because Milt was a High Pixie, even other Pixies kept their distance from her apparently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think requesting that to you, at that time, was a mistake¡­and I also think I¡¯m lucky I coulde to this world. But¡­no, because of that, sometimes I remember¡­when I was simply enjoying this game, as a yer.¡±

    In real life she was stuck on her hospital bed, but in the game no one pitied her. She could talk andugh with others like a normal person.

    In the game world, everyone was equal.

    Milt could forget about her endlessly worrying family and forget about her loneliness.

    ¡°I wanted someone I could talk with at that time, without status, social standing, or race getting in the way. I thought it could be possible with other ex yers¡­but it didn¡¯t go well. I almost gave up, to be honest. I knew from the start that this world is different from the game.¡±

    Milt thought she had gotten over it.

    Talking with Shin, however, revived the memories within her.

    ¡°This is so fun, I thought¡­just like old times. And then no words woulde out anymore.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡±

    Shin too could understand how she felt. How she sought someone who looked at her without prejudice.

    In this world, Shin was a very special existence too. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if he ended up in a position like Milt¡¯s.

    The reason why he didn¡¯t was that he met Schnee and the others, people who did not put him on a pedestal.

    If he hadn¡¯t reunited with them, he would be thinking the same things, feeling the same emotions as Milt, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°If things get really bad, call me anytime. You can vent as much as you want with me.¡±

    ¡°Eeh? Isn¡¯t this the part where you say ¡°I¡¯ll always be at your side¡±?¡±

    Milt sounded mildly disappointed, but clearly wasn¡¯tpletely serious. After having a good cry, she had recovered enough to make jokes.

    ¡°Like I¡¯d ever say something so corny?¡±

    ¡°You could have given me a bit of hope, you know!¡±

    Shin responded by joking in turn and Milt pouted back at him. Her dark mood seemed to bepletely gone.

    ¡°I guess the only way is to convince Schnee first¡­hmm, maybe I could say that Shin told me to stay at his side? That he suddenly started to seduce me and¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop, I can already see the carnage that¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    Shin could easily imagine the cial smile on Schnee¡¯s lips and a chill ran down his spine.

    ¡°Aah, it¡¯s always fun to tease you, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Honestly¡­anyway, don¡¯t bottle up too much, okay? When you feel like you can¡¯t take it anymore, you can really call me anytime.¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah, thanks.¡±

    Milt smiled faintly. Shin wondered if there wasn¡¯t anything else he could do.

    Things could be different if she had a Creation-type job, but battle-oriented jobs would often end up in the situations she described in this world.

    The reason why Shin thought things were different for Creation-type jobs was that in Erkunt he had engaged in passionate discussions with the Dwarf cksmith Vulcan about their craft.

    Vulcan said that craftsmen normally kept their precious techniques secret, but the joy of meeting someone who pursued the same path probably won over that.

    In the same vein, battle-oriented job holders could establish a positive rtionship by pushing each other to new heights, but Milt was an advanced Chosen One. It was not easy at all to find someone on her level.

    ¡°Someone to honestly talk with¡­by the way, what kind of people do you know here? You might ask them to look for someone suitable, maybe?¡±

    ¡°I have some friends from the game era, but if you say someone I could really trust and talk with about anything, I can only think of Marino. You know my real life situation, right?¡±

    ¡°Right¡­so that¡¯s not a possibility.¡±

    Marino was no more: resurrecting the dead was obviously not possible even for Shin.

    Shin had learned that Milt was confined to a hospital bed in real life, but only after the death game started. It was rare to speak of such private matters with in-game friends.

    ¡°You also have to consider that, as you can see, I¡¯m a pretty shy girl.¡±

    ¡°You are what now?¡±

    Shin poked Milt.

    ¡°I feel better, thanks to you, so I guess I¡¯ll be fine for a while. I n to use this topic as an excuse to get closer and closer to you, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Great, now I feel relieved¡­¡±

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    Shin punished Milt with a rtively fierce forehead flick for joking again. The ¡°victim¡± reacted dramatically, but seemed happy at the same time.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of energy already, you can go back to your work, Shin.¡±

    ¡°What, you¡¯re going already?¡±

    There was still plenty of time until dinner: the reasons that made Milt cry were another issue, but casually talking with her was a good mood changer for Shin, so she didn¡¯t have to show restraint about that.

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear you say that, but I¡¯d feel bad if your work didn¡¯t progress¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wrap things up quickly then.¡±

    Shin told Milt not to get too close, then took out some item cards: Schnee and the others¡¯ equipment. In order to avoid any unexpected trouble, he checked them all carefully.

    ¡°I can understand you checking weapons and armor, but Schnee¡¯s maid uniform too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s outside a cksmith¡¯s expertise, but crafting equipment requires knowledge about cloth and monster materials too, so I learned the necessary rted skills too. You can make all sorts ofbinations like that, it¡¯s pretty fun.¡±

    In the end, the most interesting craft was still cksmithing, added Shin.

    ¡°There¡¯s barely any wear¡­a touch of maintenance and we¡¯re done.¡±

    The equipment was barely even damaged, so Shin¡¯s maintenance could hardly even be called as such.

    The weapons, which hade in direct contact with the monsters¡¯ hide, fangs etc were barely damaged: in less than a hour, the party¡¯s equipment was like new.

    ¡°Your equipment is next, Milt. Get it out,e on.¡±

    ¡°You just upgraded it, can it be damaged so easily?¡±

    ¡°You fought against a Dylebion, after all. The sharpness is¡­a little lower.¡±

    Shin took Milt¡¯s ¡ºOrdgand¡» and ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡» and checked their condition.

    As he stated, Milt¡¯s weapon had lost some of its sharpness, but it was a minimal difference. He only needed seconds to restore it.

    As for the ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡», he quickly examined the metal parts, but the cloth needed a more careful inspection. It was probably rted to his Job or Skills. In any case, it took more time to check cloth than metal.

    ¡°Looking at you, it seems like you are inspecting every inch of my body¡­it¡¯s kind of embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that then¡­¡±

    Milt held her body and blushed. Shin remembered that Schnee had reacted the same way before too.

    ¡°I guess it bothers you, huh.¡±

    ¡°Compared to armor, for me and Schnee this equipment feels more like clothes, after all. The fact that the automatic fitting function always lets you know our actual size is kind of bothersome too. Especially around the stomach and upper arms¡­¡±

    ording to Milt, those were a much more delicate matter than breast size.

    The points they were concerned about were different from the average man: nevertheless, Shin couldn¡¯t properly perform maintenance without checking those parts, so he asked her to be patient.

    ¡°Okay, done. Let me see your subweapons next, might as well upgrade them too.¡±

    Milt originally equipped a set of twin daggers, ¡ºMirbal¡», as subweapons. She did not use them often, so Shin had forgotten to upgrade them during the most recent upgrade.

    In mere minutes, Milt¡¯s twin daggers had transformed into the inferior Ancient grade weapons ¡ºMarcusta¡». Stupefied, sheughed wryly.

    ¡°If a cksmith from this world saw these, their jaws would hit the floor.¡±

    ¡°There are all sorts of limitations, after all. Anyway, work¡¯s done. Go get some rest and be ready for tomorrow.¡±

    Shin quickly put his tools in order, then pushed Milt out of the smithy. He knew they wouldn¡¯t have much time to rest for a while, so he wanted to do so as much as possible, while he still could.

    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Attach the automatic fitting function on my underwear, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡±

    Shin hadpletely forgotten about it. He decided to get the attachment done immediately.

    ¡°Finally, I won¡¯t have to feel cramped anymore.¡±

    ¡°Female underwear isn¡¯tmon here, is it¡­I wonder why, maybe there isn¡¯t enough demand?¡±

    Shin had once experienced the utterly unexpected situation of having to pick underwear for Schnee, so he felt something unconvincing about what Milt said.

    ¡°You have to go to the right ces, likerge towns, I guess. But very few are close to real world underwear. I had a hard time finding even these, you know. But the design¡­don¡¯t you think they could have made them cuter?¡±

    Milt waved her bra item card in front of Shin¡¯s eyes. Thetter, however, knew nothing about what made bras cute or not.

    Shin felt he shouldn¡¯t say that out loud, so he gave an ambiguous reply.

    ¡°¡­hey, Shin. Since you can craft things with cloth too¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not making any.¡±

    Milt held her chin, deep in thought, but Shin refused before she could finish her sentence. He knew what Milt was going to ask.

    ¡°Come oooon, why not? I can give you a peek when I try it on too¡­¡±

    ¡°Absolutely NOT!¡±

    Attaching the automatic fitting function was one thing, but making underwear from scratch was definitely a no go for Shin.

    ¡°I can attach the fitting function and give you some cloth if you need it, but you¡¯ll have to find someone else to make it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so stingy¡­¡±

    They could joke around like this because they knew each other well: so thought Shin as he pushed Milt into her room.

 Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 5

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 5</h4>

    The next day, after breakfast, Shin and the others checked their items and equipment for thest time, then teleported to Gelganger¡¯s waiting spot.

    ¡°It¡¯s still rather early, sir. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, our preparations ended early, that¡¯s all. Can we go right now?.¡±

    ¡°Very well, our preparations areplete too. Let us depart.¡±

    As Gelganger promised, they had taken care of the remaining monsters and their remains: there were no traces of them to be seen anywhere. The shapeshifter monsters probably made use of their greater numbers to absorb them all.

    Gelganger undid its transformation and regained its original form. It then transformed again, this time into a dragon-like creature with two sets of wings.

    The other shapeshifter monsters transformed into winged creatures too, some of them by fusing with others first. Some turned into birds, others into insects: there was quite a variety of transformations.

    ¡°Pleasee aboard.¡±

    As Shin had guessed, Gelganger offered itself as a means of transportation. Shin wasn¡¯t sure where it spoke from, but decided toply with the offer.

    He was getting ready to jump on Gelganger, as its new body was toorge to climb on, when part of the monster¡¯s body lowered and formed a sort ofdder. Contemting how convenient shapeshifters were, Shin rode on the creature.

    ¡°(It¡¯s really convenient not to have a fixed shape, huh.)¡±

    ¡°(They can even freely change their size.)¡±

    Milt seemed to share Shin¡¯s opinion and nodded to him. Shapeshifter monsters, normally called slimes, had a round shape by default: they could change their shape to a degree in battle, but not in such a drastic way.

    ¡°We are going to fly, so please take a seat. They are fixed to my body, so there is no risk of falling.¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s back was t and easy to walk on: it really resembled the interior of amercial ne. It even formed airne-like seats.

    It was a bit worrisome to be fixed to the seat, but even if they were attacked their defensive gear couldn¡¯t be prated and they could easily break free. Shin and the others did as they were told and sat down.

    ¡°Let us depart.¡±

    Gelganger spread its wings wide. It was probably supporting itself with magic: just one p of its wings brought them high in the sky.

    After a few more ps to reach a sufficient altitude, Gelganger started using its wings to propel itself forward. Each p let the monster proceed a rtively long distance, so it didn¡¯t need to move its wings frequently.

    It was a style of flying that no real creature could ever emte.

    The other monsters flew the same way too: their speed was proportional to their size, as thergest ones were also the fastest. The monsters which couldn¡¯t keep up followed in Gelganger¡¯s trail, to gain advantage of the path created in its wake.

    Even the wall painstakingly built by the empire over years could be easily crossed by them, Shin thought.

    Monsters that attacked from the air needed a great quantity of equipment and people to be countered efficiently, as Shin knew from experience.

    Gelganger and the others might have adopted this method simply to move faster, but from Shin¡¯s standpoint, it was one more reason why it would be better to negotiate with the monsters.

    ¡°(Tiera, Milt, are you cold?)¡±

    The winds were chilling at their current altitude. Shin and his support characters were surely fine, but the other two members of the group did not have the same resistance to the cold.

    Gelganger¡¯s flight ability was higher than the Wyverns Shin borrowed in the past, but the duration of the flight was not affected much.

    They were going to be in the air for a good while, and Milt¡¯s and Tiera¡¯s equipment did not protect thempletely from the sharp winds, so Shin offered to give them something to drape over their shoulders.

    ¡°(I still have what you lent mest time, so I¡¯m fine.)¡±

    Shin turned towards Tiera and found her wearing a fur cape: he recalled he had lent it to her before and hadn¡¯t got it back.

    ¡°(I¡¯m OK too!)¡±

    Milt was also wearing a coat, which she probably brought herself. It was not rare to travel to extremely cold areas in the game era, so a yer like her would surely have proper equipment.

    ¡°(This guy sure can do anything, huh? I didn¡¯t expect a defense-oriented monster like Gelganger to transform into a flying monster, of all things.)¡±

    Onnd, it could sprout countless legs and move at high speed; in the air, it could fly as fast as a Wyvern. Anyone who knew Gelganger from the game era would be surprised, like Milt was. Shin was no exception either.

    ¡°(To be able to turn into a human isn¡¯t normal either. It¡¯s definitely a unique monster, and it¡¯s definitely powerful enough to defeat other monsters and level up.)¡±

    Like Kagerou and others, there were very special rare monsters in that world, which Shin and his party were surely ignorant of.

    Even if they knew the base monster, it was not strange for their special versions to have unheard abilities: the Gelganger, which also had Yvr attached to its name, was for all intents and purposes an unknown entity.

    ¡°(If you put it like that, it¡¯s a bit unsettling to just sit here.)¡±

    Shin and the others were secured to their seats, although they could easily rip off the seatbelts.

    Both the seats and belts were part of Gelganger¡¯s body, however: it could attack them at any time, if it so wished. It would not be unreal for tentacles to sprout from the back of the seats, for example.

    They were not incapable of movement, but it was surely limited. As Tiera said, Gelganger could theoretically attack from a position of advantage. It definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought.

    ¡°(Normally, from this height it¡¯d just need to flip over and drop us.)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s even more scary!!)¡±

    Filma¡¯sment prompted Tiera to peek at the scenery rushing by below them, and she froze.

    They were traveling at a speed on par with a small airne: falling from such a height would signify certain death for most people. Without a parachute, there was no way to survive.

    ¡°(That wouldn¡¯t work on us, you know that. Besides, what¡¯s the point ining to meet us, if that was their goal?)¡±

    Thanks to their magic and items, Shin and his party had multiple ways tond safely.

    Tiera too could use her¡ºBow Princess¡»equipment series¡¯ Floating Shield as a tform to slow down her fall and reach the ground without a bruise.

    ¡°(Of course, but Tiera¡¯s reactions are so funny¡­)¡±

    ¡°(P-please stop¡­)¡±

    It was extremely umon to experience flight in this world. To be knocked off a flying object at high altitudes was even rarer, naturally. More precisely, to have such an experience and live to tell the tale.

    Tiera had already experienced flight several times, riding on the Elder Dragons and Tzaobath, so she could imagine what would happen if she were to fall.

    ¡°(Being knocked off at this height is a different kind of fear than falling off a cliff or a tall building. It¡¯s fine once you get used to it, though.)¡±

    ¡°(Um, I don¡¯t n to get used to it, thank you very much¡­)¡±

    Sports such as sky diving did not exist in this world. It was only natural for Tiera to reply that way to Shibaid¡¯sment.

    ¡°(If anything happens, Shin will do something, don¡¯t worry. He can use ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ without limits now, I heard. That would be enough to catch you andnd safely, Tiera.)¡±

    Shin¡¯s party members were already aware that ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ ¡ª a skill that allowed the user to create temporary footholds in midair ¡ª had gone through a transformation following the events in the Lanapacea vige.

    As Shibaid said, thanks to his improved mobility in midair Shin could easily catch Tiera and leisurelynd with her.

    ¡°(How did that happen, anyway? Using the skill feels the same as before, right?)¡±

    ¡°(Right. It¡¯s hard to put it into words, but it feels just like before. It¡¯s like¡­I somehow felt that I could do it.)¡±

    The sensations Shin felt when using Skills were the same now as in the game era. He just needed to think about using them.

    Martial Skills caused his body to move on its own, while Magic Skills marked their targets with light effects.

    Beginner yers could use a function that disyed the words ¡°Chanting in Progress¡± on the field of view when using a Skill, to be used to them.

    Needless to say, Shin had turned most of the options rted to the field of view off.

    The visual effects of the Skills themselves could not be turned off, but the visual cues for beginners and other visual support functions were not disyed anymore.

    These support functions sometimes caused the yer to misinterpret the enemy¡¯s movements, so Shin had decided not to use them, like most other advanced yers.

    ¡°(If possible, I wanted like to learn how to do that too.)¡±

    ¡°(The way Shin exins it makes it pretty much impossible to imitate, though.)¡±

    While they were in Romenun, Schnee and the other closebat specialists of the party attempted to do the same thing as Shin.

    It was maybe to be expected, however, that they could not surpass the Skill¡¯s original usage limits.

    In this world, Skills could be used more freely than in the game era: it was not umon to be able to use them in ways impossible in the game.

    Jumping around forever in midair, however, was only possible to Shin at the moment.

    ¡°(Maybe you received a blessing from the World Tree?)¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t have any new titles, though. Though judging from the timing I realized I could do it, that seems to be the most likely possibility.)¡±

    Shin mulled for a moment, then answered Milt¡¯s question. A new power awoke in him, right when the World Tree was in danger. Could something so convenient happen naturally?

    ¡°(At that time, I was only thinking that I needed to act as fast as possible. It felt¡­right, it felt just like acquiring a new Skill.)¡±

    In the game era, the acquisition of a new Skill was apanied by a ¡°___ acquired¡± message on the yer disy. Some Skills also had their own exclusive visual effects.

    At the same time, the yer felt something difficult to put into words, the feeling of being somehow able to perform something new.

    It depended on the yer, however: some did not feel it at all, some only every now and then, others every time. Shin was the ¡°every now and then¡± type: his first time, he realized that it was really difficult to describe in words, so he understood the feelings of the yers before him.

    Because of that, he was at a loss for words this time too. It was a sensation you needed to experience firsthand to truly understand, there was no way around it.

    ¡°(Just like the feeling of a new skill. Hmm¡­)¡±

    ¡°(You know that, don¡¯t you Schnee? It¡¯s impossible to exin, but you strongly feel you can do it¡­yeah, I don¡¯t know how to say it better¡­)¡±

    Schnee was deep in thought; she was probably the type that never experiences the sensation.

    Shin tried describing the sensation, but could onlye up with a vague exnation.

    ¡°(It¡¯s that kind of feeling you have to experience yourself, huh.)¡±

    ¡°(Exactly. If you felt it at least once, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d understand what I mean.)¡±

    Milt was apparently the type that felt it often: she quickly understood Shin¡¯s exnation, and agreed that it was impossible to put into words.

    ¡°(What about big sis Filma and Shibaid? As for me, I kind of get it¡­)¡±

    ¡°(I don¡¯t get it, to be honest. I haven¡¯t learned any new skills since Shin disappeared, and even in the past I don¡¯t recall ever feeling anything like that.)¡±

    ¡°(I can understand that sensation. In my opinion, it¡¯s close to the feeling of activating a Skill by instinct, without thinking about it first.)¡±

    The support characters had conflicting experiences, apparently. Shin nodded to Shibaid¡¯s words, agreeing that the sensation was simr. It was like how it happened in manga or anime: in certain situations, you felt something was ing¡± and your body almost moved on its own.

    ¡°(What about you, Tiera? You should have learned new Skills recently, other than ¡¾Analyze¡¿.)¡±

    Among them, Tiera was surely blessed with the most chances to learn new Skills.

    ¡°(Right¡­I think I know what sensation you¡¯re talking about. When I used the Secret Book, I felt like the way to use the Skill flowed into my head, but for the other Skills, I felt I just started using them naturally.)¡±

    Tiera too was the type that felt the sensation often: she added that it took some time to get ustomed to that sudden feeling.

    ¡°(Honestly, I sometimes wonder why I couldn¡¯t do that before, when the feelinges. Like with the dagger Skill ¡¾sh¡¿. The movements are simple, and I definitely did them before, but I didn¡¯t think I could perform them before I actually learned the Skill. The simpler the Skill¡¯s movements are, the weirder it seems to me.)¡±

    ¡°(When you put it like that, it is a strange sensation¡­)¡±

    In game terms, Tiera was describing the feeling of reaching enough proficiency to perform a Skill.

    The proficiency of Martial Skills increased by performing the same movements over and over: many Skills could only be learned by raising proficiency to a certain level.

    Proficiency rose on its own just by ying the game normally, so the basic Skills were easy to acquire.

    It was amon phenomenon in games, but Tiera couldn¡¯t find any difference in herself before and after learning the Skill.

    ¡°(Hm? Looks like we¡¯re descending.)¡±

    Shin realized that Gelganger was flying lower. They were still at the edge of the continent, however.

 Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 6

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 1: Part 6</h4>

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°We are going to travel by sea now. If we continue flying towards the Sacred ce, we will be attacked by Rah Muon.¡±

    ording to Gelganger, Rah Muon systematically sank any and all flying objectsrger than a certain size. In the game era, the monster was known for causing tidal waves andunching barrages of ice spears, so it was not hard to believe.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why we can¡¯t fly¡­does that happen when you fly out of the Sacred ce too?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That is the reason why flying monsters from the Sacred ce could never reach the continent.¡±

    Around the Sacred ce dwelled all sorts of monsters over level 500: if they all crossed the ocean at the same time, who knows what would happen.

    It was apparently rare for monsters born from magic power to be powerful since birth: that was surely one reason why the people on the continent could repel the monsters¡¯ invasions until now.

    ¡°It won¡¯t attack if you travel by sea?¡±

    ¡°Not if we move in small groups like this. Rah Muon is not a bellicose monster, originally. It seems to have certain standards, however: sometimes it attacks even if we move by sea.¡±

    Gelganger added that the limited knowledge it was given had no other information. To Shin it sounded like Rah Muon acted in order to prevent powerful monsters from leaving the Sacred ce.

    ¡°Schnee, Shibaid, you came here before on inspection, right? Were you ever attacked by it?¡±

    ¡°It watched us sometimes, but never actually attacked, so no.¡±

    ¡°I have also never heard of any attacks.¡±

    The Empire¡¯s inspection patrols were never attacked by Rah Muon, apparently.

    Shibaidmented that because of the difficulty of transportation, the patrols were alwaysposed of small numbers, which might have been a reason.

    ¡°We will perform the necessary preparations, please wait a moment.¡±

    Gelganger let Shin and the others down, then returned to its spherical shape. It then assumed the form of a ship.

    It now looked like a simple boat, but log-like protrusions extended from the bottom, probably to prevent it from toppling sideways.

    ¡°Pleasee aboard.¡±

    Like before, Gelganger morphed part of its body into a staircase-like structure. As soon as Shin and the others reboarded, the monster started moving. The log-like protrusions moved to propel it forward.

    Gelganger headed straight towards a cliff: Shin worried it was going to drop down into the sea like that, but the protrusions stuck to the side of the cliff, as Gelganger slowly descended towards the water.

    The monster moved without shaking at all: its body rocked more when it finally entered the water.

    ¡°Do you have a propeller on too?¡±

    Shin looked at the back of the ¡°boat¡±, where water was being sprayed upwards.

    ¡°It¡¯s faster to move like this, so I mimicked the shape.¡±

    In the present world boats used sails to let the wind move them, often supported by magic.

    In the game world, however, most boats were equipped with screws or simr propulsion devices.

    Gelganger moved just like a boat in the game era. The other previously flying monsters had taken simr shapes and followed Gelganger: a long line of empty ships trailed behind them, forming quite a bizarre scene.

    No other monsters mimicked screws like Gelganger, however. Because of that, there was a rather long distance from Gelganger to the back of the line.

    This too was caused by the difference in the knowledge they were given, apparently.

    Unlike a Dragon, Gelganger ¡ª a monster born on a corner of the continent ¡ª had no way of knowing about propulsion devices used on boats before the ¡ºDusk of Majesty¡».

    The other monsters were apparently not given the same knowledge.

    After a while, Shin noticed the approach of a massive presence.

    ¡°The boss of this area is showing up, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Esteemed guests, please refrain from attacking unless absolutely necessary.¡±

    Based on the size of the presence, it was most definitely Rah Muon. Schnee and the others noticed it too and prepared to be able to act at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Gelganger stated that the risk of being attacked was close to zero, but they could not afford to lower their guard.

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    Tiera, who was looking at the direction Rah Muon wasing from, emitted a small yelp. Shin mentally nodded, as he could understand how she felt.

    The first sign of the monster¡¯s appearance were two sources of light, slowly rising from the depths of the sea. Even just one of them wasrger than Gelganger¡¯s actual size.

    Next, Rah Muon¡¯s silhouette appeared, painting the waters ck. It was enough to create tall waves, which rocked Gelganger.

    As the waters subsided, the marine monster¡¯s giant face emerged.

    It looked like a fish head had been forcibly twisted to be more humanlike. It was enough for some to feel disgusted.

    The only visible part was up to the nose: the monster¡¯s size easily surpassed Reforgerer.

    Rah Muon¡¯s eyes, currently ring at Shin and the party, seemed to be glowing underwater, but once above they looked as vacuous and hollow as a dead fish, worsening its unsettling appearance even more.

    It was no wonder Tiera would react that way after seeing such a view for the first time.

    ¡°Looking at it up close, it¡¯s pretty impressive, huh.¡±

    ¡°Are we going to be okay? We are, right!?¡±

    Filma¡¯s casual tone had a tinge of nervousness. Sety hid behind her when Rah Muon emerged, while Tiera had taken shelter behind Shin.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    The following silence was then broken by Yuzuha. She hopped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder and moved to the front of the ship, facing Rah Muon.

    The atmosphere was not worrying: she raised a paw as if greeting the monster.

    Rah Muon reacted to Yuzuha¡¯s cry with its eyes. The monster¡¯s wide-eyed stare was definitely not pleasing to watch.

    A few secondster, the waters rumbled again. A vibration different from seawaves, growing progressively louder. Ultimately, it turned into a sound that reached Shin and the others¡¯ ears.

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    It felt like a cacophony of string instruments. There was no actual impact or intimidation, however: it was just Rah Muon¡¯s cry.

    It was so loud, however, that they couldn¡¯t help but press their hands against their ears.

    Even if it wasn¡¯t an attack, Yuzuha ¡ª the one standing closest to the monster ¡ª was not unscathed, apparently.

    All of her hair was standing on its end, as she cried angrily. Her ears were folded tight.

    Probably thanks to her protests, the next cry was much more gentle.

    ¡°Is she¡­scolding it?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    As Filma guessed, Yuzuha¡¯s gestures and cries suggested she was angry at Rah Muon. In a manga, she would surely have smoke and angry sound effects around her head.

    Maybe Yuzuha had the upper hand in their power rtionship: Shin had the feeling that Rah Muon sank a little lower every time she cried.

    ¡°Er, Yuzuha, I think it¡¯s had enough.¡±

    Shin started feeling pity for Rah Muon, so he tried extending a helping hand.

    It was fairly surreal and almostical to see the gigantic Rah Muon all contrite before small fox mode Yuzuha: thanks to that, the party¡¯s nervousness had dissipated.

    ¡°Kuu, it said it¡¯ll take us there!¡±

    As Yuzuha spoke, Rah Muon pulled up the Gelganger ship. Its giant webbed hands emerged from the water, pulling up the ¡°ship¡± with Shin¡¯s party on it, surrounding water and all.

    Rah Muon then switched directions and headed towards the remote ind the Sacred ce was located on. It was probably keeping the ship tightly bnced, as it did not shake at all.

    ¡°So, why is it so helpful?¡±

    ¡°Rah Muon came to say hello to me, it said. Also that it¡¯s annoyed by the monsters leaving the Sacred ce.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t decipher their cries, but Yuzuha and Rah Muon apparently discussed their current circumstances.

    Apparently, Rah Muon attacked the monsters going from the Sacred ce to the continent because it knew they were not formed naturally. For this world¡¯s monsters, the ones born from the Sacred ces¡¯ magic power were seen as enemies.

    Despite being monsters themselves, they did notmunicate and even attacked other monsters, so it was not strange for Rah Muon to be hostile. It was not protecting the continent¡¯s habitat or anything grand-sounding like that, but simply viewed those monsters as noxious, or so Yuzuha exined.

    If the Sacred ces stopped producing monsters, it would be d there was less trouble to deal with.

    ¡°It¡¯s really fast.¡±

    Shin watched the scenery speed by past them. Rah Muon proceeded without any regards for waves, tides or currents, even faster than a magic-powered ship.

    Since it had a humanlike silhouette, it should be hard for Rah Muon to swim while holding up their ship, but it moved quickly and smoothly, without sshes like a human swimmer.

    The Sacred ce was surrounded by rocks and coral, so Rah Muon took them up to the edges of the ind.

    The teams that inspected the ind in the pastnded near the cliffs, then climbed the rocks up to enter the ind.

    This time, thanks to Gelganger, they didn¡¯t have to worry about the cliffs, rocks or coral. The monster could simply change to flying mode again and carry them over the rocks.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not flying anymore?¡±

    After crossing the cliff, Gelgangernded immediately, so Shin inquired about its intentions.

    ¡°We might be targeted by other flying monsters if we did, so we will travel bynd.¡±

    Gelganger then changed to the multi-legged shape they first saw it in. Its main body was an elongated oval shape, simr to the ship form. The only difference was that the space where Shin and the others rode on was now covered by a dome-like structure.

    ording to Gelganger, it could change the pattern on the dome¡¯s surface to camouge itself. Most of the ind was a wastnd, so mimicking the terrain¡¯s color made it difficult to be detected from the sky.

    ¡°In that case, I could use a concealment skill to hide uspletely.¡±

    ¡°That would indeed allow us to move faster, but would that not trouble you, sir?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Flying was much faster, after all: Shin had Gelganger take its flying form again, then used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on the monster.

    A few minutester, they started spotting the high level flying monsters Gelganger had warned about.

    Hespenias, centipede-like monsters with firefly wings. Sanguers, a half tiger, half crocodile monster which used the membranes on its limbs to soar. Foaspors, jellyfish-like monsters which could float in the air¡­and many more flying monsters of all kinds popted the area. SOme of them floated rather than flew, though.

    ¡°No battles going on¡­these monsters don¡¯t fight each other?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes they do, but upon reaching this level-range monsters rarely attack each other indiscriminately.¡±

    Shin observed the monsters while listening to Gelganger¡¯s exnation.

    They were all over level 500, some of them even over 600. If they all crossed the sea together, the continent would undoubtedly fall into chaos. From this standpoint, the people owed Rah Muon a great deal of gratitude for keeping the monsters in check.

    ¡°Hm? Hey, Shin, there¡¯s smoke rising in that direction.¡±

    ¡°You think so too? Aren¡¯t there monsters fighting there?¡±

    The direction Milt pointed to was on the path of Shin¡¯s group: in the distance, they could see several columns of smoke.

    Shin could see several monsters fighting in front of a wall, likely protecting the Sacred ce. The smoke was rising from beyond the walls, so the monsters had probably broken inside.

    ¡°The invaders are nt-type monsters, as far as I can see.¡±

    A species of monsters named Trent.

    The low level monsters of this type were literally walking trees. They moved slowly and employed simple attacks with their branches. It was not difficult to fell them using axes or swords.

    The monsters currently attacking the Sacred ce, however, were advanced Elder Trents, Hellforrests, monsters also called the ¡°Tree Army¡± and more. All monsters that required strategy to be defeated.

    They were not as powerful as Heltoros or Selcikeus, but their levels were much higher than the monsters that formed the Flood.

    ¡°The monsters protecting the walls seem to be pretty few.¡±

    ¡°They probably were a poor match against the invaders, and were turned into nutrition.¡±

    A closer look at the surroundings revealed the presence of trees and nts unnaturally sprouting here and there.

    Some of them had mummified monster corpses impaled on the branches: as Gelganger said, the fallen monsters were probably used as nutrition.

    ¡°Okay then, what should we do here?¡±

    They had not decided whether to cooperate with Gelganger¡¯s master or not, so Shin hesitated.

    The Guardians of the other Sacred ces clearly viewed Shin as an enemy, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem in defeating monstersing from such Sacred ces.

    ¡°My deepest apologies for the trouble. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Gelganger let Shin and the party down, in a ce not too far from the battlefield, and returned to its original oval shape. It then charged straight towards the nt monsters.

    After getting close enough, Gelganger¡¯s body grewrger and swallowed the Trents.

    ¡°Wow, they¡¯re snapping like twigs¡­¡±

    ¡°It relies on physical attacks even now, I see.¡±

    Trents, unlike animal-type monsters, would not suffocate immediately after being swallowed. They would surely fight back, so Gelganger crushed them under its weight to suppress their resistance.

    In a way, it could be said its body was all muscles: inside or out, the output was the same.

    Gelganger used its tentacles to catch the Trents that escaped the range of its body press, crushing them one by one.

    ¡°Monsters over level 600¡­dropping like flies¡­¡±

    ¡°After all, Gelganger¡¯s level is higher than 800. This is pretty normal if there¡¯s a gap that big. It¡¯s a good match for them too.¡±

    Tiera tensed up after checking the monsters¡¯ level with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    The Trents attempted to use Gelganger to absorb nutrition, but their roots and branches were snapped and melted in the slime¡¯s body.

    Their trunks would also melt immediately, if it wasn¡¯t for their thickness.

    The battle might have gone differently if they used magic, but none of the Trents that attacked the Sacred ce could use high level magic.

    ¡°Shapeshifter monsters with a high level of intellect can use a great variety of attacks, I see¡­we must draw appropriate countermeasures.¡±

    ¡°Right. Those tentacle attacks are a pain, it can turn the tips into des too¡­and I bet it has more tricks up its sleeve.¡±

    Shibaid and the others became more alert after witnessing Gelganger¡¯s attack patterns. It was attacking with methods impossible in the game era, after all.

    Gelganger¡¯s body might look soft, but it could repel even Legend grade weapons. It could turn its tentacles sharp and thin like spears, so their attack power had to be quite high.

    Right in front of their eyes, Gelganger¡¯s tentacles turned into broadsword-like shapes and swept through the Trents. They couldn¡¯t think of it as a monster with nothing but defensive power anymore.

    Shin and the others could only seebat happening at the point breached by the invading monsters: there were no other groups of monsters in the vicinity.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. If you would be so kind as to follow me inside.¡±

    After disposing of the monsters, Gelganger took the old gentleman form again and guided Shin¡¯s party inside the Sacred ce. The gates opened when they approached, without any sign of anyone opening them.

    The group thus entered the Sacred ce.

    There were monster-like presences here and there, but they did not appear in the group¡¯s field of view.

    The spot with the highest concentration of monsters was where the walls had been breached: they were probably already working to fix them.

    (We¡¯re on an ind, so this was probably a port town?)

    Many of the shops they saw around them were rted to ships: Shin thus thought that this Sacred ce was once Algaraz, a port city like Barbatos.

    Algaraz was one of the ports Celciutos, one of Rokuten¡¯s guildhouses, sometimes anchored at. Shin recognized a few shops, so he was positive.

    Since part of the city faced the sea, the walls did not surround itpletely: Shin observed the surroundings with ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and noticed that the walls¡¯ materials had changed at one point. They probably rebuilt them.

    The building they eventually reached was used by a government organization in the game era.

    It was one of thergest buildings in the city, but yers rarely had any reason to visit it. Shin just remembered it was used to give awards to people after events.

    ¡°(Looks like it¡¯s different inside)¡±

    ¡°(Frankly, I¡¯d be surprised if they just told us to take a seat in the guest room¡­it¡¯s alsorger inside than it looks. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a dungeon, though.)¡±

    Shin jokingly replied to Milt, then checked the map.

    The space inside the building was roughly three timesrger than it looked from the outside. There was a second floor and underground space as well.

    The interior, previously simr to a town hall¡¯s reception, was changed to resemble a typical human castle, like they had visited in the past.

    ¡°Please wait here.¡±

    Gelganger stopped before arge door, on the center of the second floor.

    It was about 5 mel tall and 3 mel wide, as if built for giants¡­or monsters.

    ¡°This is as far as I am allowed to go. Please proceed by yourselves from this point.¡±

    Gelganger bowed obsequiously, as the door opened by itself ¡ª surely an invitation to go in. In the hall beyond the door was only a single,rge presence.

    Shin proceeded inside, wary of any traps. After they walked in, the door closed by itself.

    ¡°Er, we¡¯re locked inside¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a boss room, pretty much, Basic stuff.¡±

    ¡°You have a point.¡±

    Tiera sounded worried, but Milt and Shin¡¯s reactions were pr opposites. In the game, it was the norm for boss rooms to open only after the boss was defeated, so there was nothing to be surprised about.

    They walked straight across the hall. The floor ahead was slightly elevated, with a gorgeously adorned chair at the end of the carpeted path. There were no vassals or servants around, but it looked indeed like a throne room.

    On the throne sat a man.

    ¡°Thank you foring all this way,dies and gents.¡±

    The casual greeting came from a man ¡ª who looked exactly like Shin.

    The only difference between them was their color. The man sitting on the throne did not have only ck hair and eyes, but its skin, teeth, even tiny details like the insides of his mouth, with varying degrees of density, were perfectly monochromatic.

 Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 7

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 1: Part 7</h4>

    ¡ª ¡¾Boundary Guardian - Level 834¡¿

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ clearly showed the man¡¯s identity.

    It was the same as the Guardian that took the appearance of a Gryphon, which Shin fought alongside Rionne, princess of Bayreuth. A monster only in appearance.

    The fact that it looked just like himself, but with a different color scheme, reminded Shin of Faceman, an advanced type of Doppelganger.

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to go out of your way to speak politely. I know the room might suggest otherwise, but I have no intention of acting like a king. Anyway, you probably know already, but I guess I should introduce myself. I am one of the beings called Boundary Guardians, put in charge of this Algaraz.¡±

    The guardian stepped down from the throne and walked towards Shin and the others. His expression was bright, but because of the colors of his body he gave the impression of a clown.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. Do you need introductions for the others too?¡±

    ¡°I suppose yours is enough for now.¡±

    The guardian was apparently satisfied with just that: he nced at the others, then looked back at Shin.

    ¡°Well then¡­I heard you want us to defeat the other Guardians?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Don¡¯t you have anything to say about my looks?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re imitating a Doppelganger or a Faceman, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Oops, you found out. You¡¯ve already met Guardians already¡­I guess it¡¯s natural. Indeed, my appearance is based on a Faceman.¡±

    The guardian¡¯s imitation of Shin then melted into an all ck human silhouette. More than a man, he looked like a stick figure, like the ones signaling emergency exits.

    ¡°I kind of worked hard to transform like that¡­oh well. Anyway, as Yvr told you, I have no intentions of opposing you. I only create monsters when I have to defend myself against attacks from the other Guardians.¡±

    The Guardian called Gelganger by its second name. It waved its arms as it spoke: finally, his shoulders dropped, helplessly.

    It then continued by stating that, if they could take over the Sacred ces on the ind, they would notunch monster attacks on the continent anymore, exactly as Gelganger had anticipated.

    ¡°Hmm, using the word Guardian might make it confusing, since there are others too, so please call me Eleven. After all, I was creation number 11.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second¡­number 11?¡±

    The Boundary Guardians do not receive individual names. The reason was simple, but Shin couldn¡¯t gloss over the matter just like that.

    The Guardian ¡ª Eleven looked at Shin funny, not understanding why thetter was so surprised.

    ¡°The Guardians have different numbers? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know. We Guardians have numbers based on the order we were created. I¡¯m the 11th.¡±

    ¡°You mean that¡­you and the other Guardians were all created by someone?¡±

    ¡°Correct. We¡¯re basically an army.¡±

    Eleven did not sound like he was talking about himself.

    ¡°¡­what exactly are the Boundary Guardians? What are you supposed to be guarding?¡±

    Shin voiced the questions that he wanted to ask since his first encounter with a Guardian.

    ¡°You can probably guess the answer, can¡¯t you? Since you know about the other world too.¡±

    Eleven replied calmly. His head was just a ck sphere now, so there was no expression, but it was easy to imagine a faint smile on his lips.

    ¡°Can you tell me if I¡¯m right?¡±

    ¡°I can tell you what I think. I guess you wouldn¡¯t cooperate with us if I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Eleven¡¯s reply was rather vague, but Shin concluded there was no harm for them in talking, so he expressed his thoughts.

    The Boundary Guardians were tasked with protecting the ¡°Boundary¡± between this world and other worlds, attacking any creatures that came to this world from outside.

    Shin¡¯s theory, however, had a hole in it.

    Like him, there were many other living beings who were transported to that world: Milt and all the other former yers. It could also be said that the Guardians exhibited little to no ¡°protective¡± behavior ¡ª though there was the possibility Shin and his party simply hadn¡¯t witnessed it.

    ¡°The boundary between worlds, hmm. I see you really think there exists a world different from yours.¡±

    Eleven nodded, as if he wanted to confirm Shin¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°I said what I think. It¡¯s your turn now, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. First of all ¡ª this is a different world from yours, just as you said. The greatest difference is that your world is higher, basically.¡±

    ¡°Higher?¡±

    ¡°Higher in what way, you ask? Well, it¡¯s hard to exin. Any action from your world can change even thews of nature here. This makes it clear which world¡¯s position is higher or lower, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    A world different from ours.

    Parallel worlds or dimensions were amon theme inics and fiction. Shin had a general understanding of such concepts.

    His understanding was limited to fiction though. He couldn¡¯t just nod and ept that such things truly existed.

    ¡°You have to exin everything, from the start.¡±

    ¡°Aah, I guess I gave you the wrong idea¡­actually, I also don¡¯t know how this world came to be. If any of the Guardians know, it¡¯d probably be the single digits.¡±

    So replied Eleven while scratching its head. Shin hoped to finally learn this world¡¯s secrets, so he felt rather dejected.

    ¡°You¡¯re two ces from a single digit yourself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but there¡¯s a huge difference between single and double digits. I wasn¡¯t given very much information actually. What I told you just now is pretty much all I know about this world. But I know who can surely tell you more. The Origin that you fought ¡ª or rather, we might call it Origin I ¡ª definitely knows about the core principles of this world.¡±

    ¡°Origin I¡­I know a little about it, but¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t expect to hear the name of the being Yuzuha talked about in that situation.

    Origin was the boss Shin defeated in the game¡¯s final dungeon.

    The reason why Shin obtained titles and skills he had never heard of before.

    Shin searched through his memories, but couldn¡¯t think of any other dungeons simr to that. When he defeated Origin, he clearly heard the message that announced he had cleared the game after all.

    If there were other bosses on the same level as that final boss, the game¡¯s announcement would probably say so. It wouldn¡¯t have let them log out in that case.

    Shin couldn¡¯t think of any reasons as to why that happened.

    ¡°The first seven people born into this world are the ¡°Origin Series¡± prototypes of humankind. Origin I is the prototype for the Dragnil race. It looked like one, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    As Eleven said, Origin ¡ª more precisely, Origin I ¡ª had an appearance close to a dragon, like Shibaid.

    If its size was smaller, it would look like any other Dragnil avatar.

    ¡°What I know is the location of the creature said to be half of Origin I. If I recall, it calls itself Hades now.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Shin was surprised to hear the word Hades: the first word of the skill he still couldn¡¯t use. The ¡°half¡± of Origin I surely was connected somehow.

    ¡°Looks like you know something about it. I offer this information and the suspension of monster attacks on the continent in exchange for you taking over two cities for me. What do you say?¡±

    Shin did not reply right away.

    Eleven offered the information about someone who likely knew the circumstances behind the birth of this world. Shin was naturally very interested in it.

    The information already obtained from Eleven provided plenty of food for thought already, but if there was more information avable, acquiring it was definitely a plus ¡ª as it also meant peace for the continent.

    ¡°Let me ask one thing first. Who or what are the Guardians fighting against? You said that our world is higher than this one, but you haven¡¯t answered anything else yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, about that¡­actually, I haven¡¯t fought anyone that crossed the boundary yet.¡±

    Shin pressed Eleven about what he hadn¡¯t answered yet, but received an unexpected reply.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I said. In simple terms, we Guardians are pretty much support characters. We were created and move as ordered. We¡¯re machines with a certain degree of autonomy basically.¡±

    Support characters in the game were exactly what Eleven described.

    No one in Shin¡¯s group, however, thought that Eleven fit such a description.

    ¡°Everything changed on the day you called ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±. That day, the very nature of this world changed¡­and we lost our master.¡±

    Eleven¡¯s casual tone sank for a moment.

    ¡°Your master¡­Origin I?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Well, our rtionship was different from yours, so nothing really changed even after it disappeared. We were created to fight against specific foes, but never had the chance¡­the rest is history.¡±

    ¡°So why do the Guardians target me? Am I that specific foe?¡±

    If the Guardians truly did not know what they were expected to fight against, Shin found it absurd to be their target, so he shot a criticizing re at Eleven.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, you¡¯re the only one who crossed the boundary while still having a physical body. You¡¯re the only one close to the ¡°foe¡± we are supposed to fight. Most of the Guardians only think of fulfilling their roles. Or rather, that¡¯s all they try to do. They have their own wills, but never stray from that priority.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about us?¡±

    Milt interjected. Shin looked at Eleven with curiosity: he wanted to know that too.

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder. What I can say is that you former yers don¡¯t conflict with the standards we were given.¡±

    Eleven added that still having a physical body was probably a key reason.

    ¡°You also defeated our master, but that¡¯s not very important, actually. Even though we are its creations, we are only tools. I never even talked to it.¡±

    The rtionship between the Guardians and Origin I was simply one of tools and creator, so there were no ill feelings towards Shin for defeating it apparently.

    ¡°Right, it feels like when the guy sitting next to you on the first day of school stopsing on the next day, without you two even exchanging a word.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where that example came from¡­but I kind of get your point. Is that alright with you though?¡±

    Shin was a student in his former world, so Eleven¡¯s example felt rather realistic. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that losing one¡¯s master had to feel different from that.

    The way Eleven talked about Origin I was far too casual.

    ¡°I have no desire for revenge, so what else should I say? Our rtionship was unique, I guess, but my loyalty was just nted into me. I don¡¯t think there are any other Guardians who think and act as freely as me, though.¡±

    ¡°I bet.¡±

    Compared to the other Guardians Shin had met until now ¡ª who wouldn¡¯t even exchange a word with him ¡ª Eleven was perhaps too talkative. The greatest difference was how he expressed his own will.

    Thinking about it again, the actions of the Guardians which controlled Gryphon and Ishkar felt rather mechanical.

    ¡°What about you then? I¡¯m supposed to be your enemy, right?¡±

    ¡°I am based on a shapeshifting monster: that is also probably the reason why I can think of all sorts of things,pared to the other Guardians. And that¡¯s what I did: I thought about things I never did before, imagined them¡­and during that process, I realized I was my own individual. A conscience sprouted in me, you could say. I had a will even before that, but from my current standpoint, it¡¯s like I was thinking, but not really thinking. I was just absent-mindedly repeating a series of tasks.¡±

    Eleven added that he was just reacting to situations, using a set of patterns.

    ¡°But I¡¯m different now. I have enough of a conscience to understand that I am. If I wasn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t be chatting with someone I¡¯m supposed to eliminate.¡±

    The tone of Eleven¡¯s voice dropped. His expression was naturally unchanged, but he was clearly serious.

    ¡°In all honesty, I don¡¯t think of you as an enemy. I don¡¯t have a clear idea of what our enemies are after all. Why are those whoe from the other side of the boundary enemies? Why are we supposed to fight them? I don¡¯t know. The current me would not fight because of such iprehensible, non-existent reasons. The other Guardians, however, do not have the same doubts. They see me as an abnormality and try to erase me, because I have those doubts. I have no intention to die like this, without even knowing why.¡±

    Eleven said he was someone¡¯s creation. In those words, however, Shin felt the presence of his sincere will.

    ¡°¡­understood. I ept your offer.¡±

    ¡°Will you really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just one thing: that Hades person is in a ce essible even to us, I hope? The geography of this world changed after the Dusk of Majesty. Old maps are pretty much useless now.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. It¡¯s in a ce you can definitely reach, I¡¯m sure¡­though I don¡¯t know exactly where that is. After all, we can¡¯t go there to check¡­but I can feel where that creature is: it¡¯s half of my creator. Even if I¡¯m fighting against the other Guardians, I¡¯d never get that wrong.¡±

    Eleven added that he wanted Shin to believe his words.

    Shin thought that, as long as Eleven could tell them the location in real time, they could surely reach the ce in question. He still didn¡¯t know how exactly the world had changed since the Dusk of Majesty: If Eleven pointed to a ce in the game era world map, they risked never finding the destination.

    ¡°Oh, and one more thing. If we take over the Sacred ces and you be the new ruler, what happens to the Guardians who ruled them before?¡±

    ¡°They disappear.¡±

    Eleven¡¯s reply was perfectly in. There was no emotion in it.

    ¡°Our life is tied to the Sacred ce¡¯s core. Taking over a Sacred ce means to take over the ownership of the core. Without that connection, a Guardian cannote back to life. If that happens, they¡¯re just like any other high level monster. The only difference is that once defeated, they turn into magic essence and disappear.¡±

    They wouldn¡¯t leave a corpse, apparently.

    ¡°Is there a chance they¡¯de back to life immediately after we defeat them? The Gryphon Guardian in Kalkia came back no matter how many times we defeated it.¡±

    ¡°Number 13, right. That one was made with a focus on regeneration rather than fighting power, so it could revive quickly. You have to seal it instead. Not even I know how many times you have to kill it before it stops regenerating. The Guardians I want you to defeat don¡¯t have extreme regeneration powers like that, so don¡¯t worry. As long as they¡¯re connected to the core, they can revive after being defeated, but it takes them at least one week. We just need to take over the core in the meantime.¡±

    If the Guardian was defeated, the core became defenseless. Eleven could even take over its ownership through Gelganger, without touching it directly.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s not an issue then. You knew that I fought against Number 13?¡±

    ¡°We exchanged that much information before. After I started fighting against my rowdy neighbors, I was cut off from thework though. It¡¯s be a pain to gather intel outside.¡±

    For an instant, Shin thought of asking Eleven about why his weapon and body glowed for an instant when he defeated the Gryphon Guardian. If Eleven did not know of that phenomenon, however, it would mean giving him potentially damaging information.

    If Eleven knew what that was, Shin would surely like to know, but there was no way to be sure that Eleven would tell the truth. There was no trust between them.

    Shin thought for a moment, then decided not to say anything. It would be better to ask Hades, as it likely possessed more information.

    ¡°Tell me what you know about the enemies.¡±

    Shin decided to give priority to the opponents they were going to fight next and asked Eleven about the information he had.

    He didn¡¯t know when Eleven was cut off from the Guardians¡¯ informationwork, but he had to know at least who his enemies were.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen monsters attacking this ce on your way here, haven¡¯t you? They came from the closest Sacred ce. The ruling Guardian is based on a nt-type monster called Vanwood. The other one is based on a golem-type monster, Arahabaki. The Guardians¡¯ form shouldn¡¯t have changed, so I¡¯ll exin about their abilities too.¡±

    Their abilities shouldn¡¯t have changed too much, or so continued Eleven. Shin nodded and started thinking of countermeasures.

    That instant, a bell sounded off in Shin¡¯s head, alerting him of approaching hostility.

    Insight had activated. An attack wasing, for whatever reason.

    Shin turned around. Schnee, Filma, Shibaid, and Milt ¡ª who also possessed Insight ¡ª were looking in the same direction. With so many ¡°witnesses¡±, there was no doubt about it.

    A few secondster, the ground shook. Not long after, an explosion could be heard in the distance.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The neighbors are attacking. Though, it feels different than the usual.¡±

    Shin¡¯s map and presence detection abilities could not differentiate between the Algaraz monsters under Eleven, led by Gelganger, and other monsters.

    The Trents that attacked Algaraz when the group arrived and the idle flying monsters all had the same presence.

    Special monsters showed a different presence, but that was not the case this time.

    Currently, the only unique presence Shin could pick up was Eleven.

    The others were only ssified as active or inactive, but their size was mostly the same.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve been attacked from the air. I wonder what happened?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty calm, don¡¯t you need to go fight?¡±

    ¡°Yvr and the others will take care of it.¡±

    Elevenpletely left the counterattack to Gelganger. Despite the unprecedented nature of the attack, he didn¡¯t seem worried in the slightest.

    ¡°(Can anyone determine which of the presences outside are attacking?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s pretty hard to do from here.)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s a hot mess out there.)¡±

    Shin¡¯s question via Mind Chat was met by a cool and collected reply from Schnee and a frown from Milt. Filma and Shibaid nodded in agreement.

    The flying monsters could move in regardless of the walls: they had been flying around the area since before Shin¡¯s arrival.

    Not even Schnee and the others could tell exactly which monsters were attacking. Most of the monsters around the Sacred ce had active icons, despite the fact that Shin¡¯s party hadn¡¯t fought them directly.

    If Shin and the others hadn¡¯t concealed their presence on their way to Algaraz, those monsters would have surely gathered. The only monsters not fighting were the ones which traveled here from the continent with Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°They¡¯re flying to surround Algaraz.¡±

    ¡°Like they want to make sure someone doesn¡¯t get out.¡±

    The presence on the map showed that the flying monsters, supposedly the attackers, were spreading all around the walls. Eleven noticed it too and guessed their intentions.

    ¡°The monsters sticking to the walls were just defeated: it¡¯s far too early for any new action. I can only think of one cause for such an abnormal development.¡±

    ¡°Some of the flying monsters were spying on us?¡±

    There were various types of flying monsters in the area, so it would be hard to notice if a monstering from elsewhere had mingled among them.

    ¡°The monsters here are born from my magic power, so I can tell them apart, at least¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s faster to go see them directly then.¡±

    Shin and his party couldn¡¯t tell the difference, but Eleven could.

    There was nothing else they could learn by staying there, so they decided to conceal their presence and go observe the situation outside.

    ¡°I see, they used parasites. The Trents were in charge of sowing seeds too then.¡±

    nt-like appendages sprouted from the bodies of the flying monsters.

    The parasites Eleven mentioned were one of the abilities of nt monsters: they buried seeds in the bodies of other monsters to take control of them.

    The Guardian in the closest Sacred ce was apparently based on the Trent-type monster Vanwood, so it was likely the culprit.

    ¡°They¡¯ve started fighting inside the walls. Can your monsters take care of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no problem. You¡¯re wee to break through and go to the Sacred ce.¡±

    Even if the invading monsters started rampaging inside the walls, Eleven was as calm as ever. He was probably confident they could take care of the situation by themselves.

    Shin thus decided to leave the monsters to him and move out.

 Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 1

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 1</h4>

    As soon as Shin and his party escaped Algaraz, the monsters broke their siege and started chasing after them.

    ¡°If theye from the sky, I guess it¡¯s my turn?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me and Sety will start a barrage. Schnee, Tiera, take care of any stragglers. Milt and the others, please stay alert for threats in other directions, especially underground. Trents love using their roots to attack, after all.¡±

    While giving instructions to the party members, Shin prepared his magic offensive. Next to him, Sety was conjuring Magic Skills too.

    The pack of flying monsters was very numerous: as the monsters previously surrounding Algaraz chased Shin¡¯s carriage, another group appeared out of nowhere and approached from the front.

    The average level of the monsters in the back was over 500, but most of the ones in the front were lower. Their formation clearly focused on quality in the back and quantity in the front.

    They had picked the wrong opponent, however. Before Shin¡¯s party, even such a quantity only resulted in a mild annoyance.

    ¡°Should we get the ones in the back first, since they¡¯re closer?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they have higher levels and can probably fly long distances too.¡±

    Shin felt magic power surge in his hands and pointed his palms at the monsters approaching from the back. Sety raised her wand as well.

    Sety¡¯s magic activated first: they both skipped chanting, but, being specialized in fighting with magic, Sety¡¯s spells required less time.

    Several globes of light, approximately 30 cemel in diameter, formed near the carriage. From the globes, which floated around the caster, erupted beams of light capable of smashing boulders to smithereens with ease.

    Light-type Magic Skill¡¾Avraid Ray¡¿.

    The beams of light, as wide as the globes, sniped the flying monsters one after the other.

    Light magic, like Lightning, moved too fast to be seen by anyone ¡ª barring specialized yers or monsters.

    To avoid such an attack in midair was a feat for contortionists. If the attack was shot repeatedly and with high precision, it was simply tragic to be on the receiving end.

    The Wyverns struck head on by the beams were engulfed head to tail and vanished into thin air. The Hesbenias, unfortunately struck sideways by multiple beams, were split in two: their insect-like regenerative powers allowed them not to die on the spot, but they crashed down while squirming.

    ¡°Are they being controlled? They don¡¯t hesitate at all.¡±

    Despite theirrades falling all around them, the monsters advanced relentlessly. Shin confirmed it, then activated another spell.

    Multiple fist-sized globes of fire formed in the air. The 10, 20 and growing fireballs spread throughout the space between Shin¡¯s party and the monsters.

    me-type Magic Skill ¡¾re Mine¡¿

    Each fireball was capable of felling a level 300 monster in one shot.

    Once set, the mines couldn¡¯t be moved, unless deactivated: they were used to set traps onnd or on walls, to limit the opponents¡¯ movements.

    Shin set them all around the approaching monster horde.

    The especially fast monsters and those that, despite being under control, detected the danger and dodged were sniped by Sety; the formation of the chasing monsters had now assumed an oval shape.

    What would happen if an array of ¡¾re Mine¡¿ was scattered before them? An explosion that rocked the air.

    Shin hadid so many ¡¾re Mine¡¿ fireballs. that even Sety found it pointless to continue shooting ¡¾Avraid Ray¡¿.

    An especially thickyer had been set directly in front of the monsters, enough to hide them from the party¡¯s sight.

    If they charged straight ahead, all that awaited was a countless barrage of fiery impacts. Swerving to a new route would be futile: the ¡¾re Mine¡¿ field had the monsterspletely surrounded.

    ¡°I almost feel sorry for them¡­¡±

    Each exploding ¡¾re Mine¡¿ triggered the others in the surroundings: ultimately, they formed a massive explosion that shook the atmosphere.

    The trapped monsters were blown to bits and pieces, none escaped destruction. Milt looked at how some of them crashed while burning and smiled wryly.

    ¡°If they were only controlled, I might have felt that way too.¡±

    Even if they were controlled, they were still monsters born from the Sacred ce¡¯s magic power. Shin¡¯s party would have had to fight them sooner orter in their mission. It would have been troublesome if they interfered in the battle against Vanwood, so getting rid of them here was actually convenient for the party.

    They could have proceeded while concealing their presence, but the Guardian of the Sacred ce they were heading to was based on the monster Vanwood, which had the ability to negate concealing abilities on terrain infiltrated by its roots.

    If the Guardian possessed the same ability, ¡¾Hiding¡¿ would be meaningless: the party thus charged towards the Sacred ce openly.

    ¡°Anything from underground?¡±

    ¡°Nothing yet.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Are they not attacking because they know we are approaching, or because their roots do not reach this far? Considering the distance to the Sacred ce, I am inclined to thetter.¡±

    Milt and Shibaid answered Shin¡¯s question by reporting the current situation.

    The party focused on any underground attacks, plus most of its members had Insight and other danger detection skills, so unless something truly extreme happened they did not risk to run into an ambush.

    ¡°We might as well take care of the ones in front, yes?¡±

    ¡°For sure.¡±

    Sety was raring to go. She pointed her trusted wand, ¡ºDusk Moon¡», at the approaching flying horde.

    As soon as Shin gave the OK, she activated a spell.

    The horse carriage was surrounded by 2 mel wide football-shaped fireballs. With a nce, Shin understood what spell Sety had cast.

    me-type Magic Skill ¡¾Fiery Cluster¡¿.

    Some of the massive oval fireballs contained smaller ones inside them: they would explode in front of the opponent, scattering the smaller fireballs all around. The spell worked simrly to real life cluster bombs.

    In ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿ existed many skills modeled after real life weapons and firearms.

    Unlike cluster bombs, the small fireballs in ¡¾Fiery Cluster¡¿ could be controlled precisely, sending them flying against the desired target.

    The small fireballs burst as soon as they came in contact with anything, triggering the explosion of any other fireballs in the vicinity. Launching them against a monster horde meant a long string of explosions, triggered or upon impact: therge and small fireballs could turn the area into a sea of mes.

    Even if they did note in contact with or were triggered by anything, the fireballs were set to blow up after a set time.

    The fireballs would fall to the ground and explode after a while: they were thus useful as antind countermeasures as well. Incidentally, some yers preferred to use them that way.

    Thirty of such fireballs were shot ¡ª not too fast, not too slow, with precisely calcted distance between each one. Theunch timing differed slightly, because of the distance between the fireballs and their targets.

    The monsters targeted by therge fireballs changed course, clearly trying to dodge: they had that much intelligence, apparently.

    ¡°Too bad, you won¡¯t escape like that.¡±

    About 10 mel before the expected impact, therge fireballs blew up. They popped like balloons, without explosions.

    The baseball-sized small fireballs then came out in the open.

    The unnatural movement, in a way typical of magic, caused fireballs to appear right in front of all the monsters, both those that tried to dodge and those that continued flying straight ahead.

    Any modern aircraft would end up as ming debris after simply brushing against one of the fireballs; monsters would surely be damaged too, but, unless their wings were destroyed, they could keep flying.

    Thanks to their robust bodies, in some cases they wouldn¡¯t even lose their bnce after being hit by the fireballs.

    That would only happen if the fireballs¡¯ power was proportional to their size, however.

    The small fireballs that came in contact with the monsters exploded. They were small fireballs, like what a novice spellcaster could conjure as training, but they caused explosionsrge enough to engulf multiple monsters.

    The monsters closer to the small fireballs at the time of the st were torn to shreds. The ones farther away were damaged by the st and heat wave. The small fireballs traveling slower would then reach them, causing additional explosions.

    The slower fireballs flew through the sizzling air, carving deeper in the horde. In this way it was possible to strike deep into any pack of monsters, no matter how dense.

    ¡°Er, will we have a chance to fight too¡­?¡±

    Looking at the monster bits and pieces raining all around, Tiera sighed.

    Schnee and Tiera were charged with eliminating any monster that escaped Shin and Sety¡¯s barrage, but thetter two¡¯s spells were too destructive for any monster to survive.

    Sety continued firing ¡¾Fiery Cluster¡¿ shots: part of the sky was perpetually engulfed in mes.

    Any monster which miraculously survived the bombing was then shot down by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Avraid Ray¡¿, effectively taking any chance to act away from Schnee and Tiera.

    ¡°No chance, honestly. This happened to me too sometimes, when teaming with a spellcaster specialized in wide range magic. You get all like ¡°what am I here for?¡±¡±

    Milt replied while contemting the explosion-riddled sky. Shin then added ament.

    ¡°Normally, this kind of magic can¡¯t be used for a while after you cast it, so it¡¯s not useless to have backup. Frankly, I didn¡¯t expect Sety to be able to fire so many.¡±

    In the game era, barring unique exceptions, all skills had a cooldown. This period varied from skill to skill. yers decided on an order for skill usage based on their cooldowns.

    Spellcasters specialized in recovery and offensive magic had to be especially strict with their timing: therger the numbers involved in the battle, the more difficult managing MP and skills became.

    In this world, the cooldown was almostpletely gone, but that did not mean that powerful skills could be used in rapid session.

    The most important thing was magic power maniption, something Shin was still training in. As one controlled magic power more smoothly, spells could be cast faster and with higher frequency, ording to Sety.

    The words came from experience: Sety¡¯s maniption of magic power surprised even Shin. He couldn¡¯t fire ¡¾Fiery Cluster¡¿ at the same pace as her now.

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t prove my worth in a magic-based battle, I¡¯d be the useless one, though. If Shin and big sis Schnee change weapons, they can pull off the same stuff I do, anyway.¡±

    Shin had maxed out stats from the beginning, while Schnee¡¯s skills were unsurpassed among the support characters.

    As Sety said, if they used equipment geared for long range spellcasting, they could probably perform simr feats.

    Not counting abilities based on personal expertise, like magic maniption, Shin¡¯s innate strengths surpassed anyone in this world. He didn¡¯t have maxed out stats for nothing, after all.

    On the other hand, Sety would have difficulty fighting in the same way as Shin and the others.

    In the same way, closebat-oriented Shibaid and Filma would be hard pressed to fight with magic like Sety did. Even if she used close range weapons, she couldn¡¯t fight like them.

    Shin and Schnee were simply too skilled as all-rounders. To be able to handle close, mid and long rangebat was a talent anyone in this world would dream of.

    Yet Sety, even with her limitations, could make short work of any Chosen One: Shin¡¯s party was simply too abnormal.

    ¡°They¡¯re fighting while chatting, but the monsters keep dropping like flies¡­¡±

    Like Tiera, Milt gazed up at the ming sky. She was a closebat specialist too, so there was nothing she could do in a magic-based battle. That was also the reason why Shin told her to watch for ground level threats.

    ¡°There¡¯s just a lot of them, that¡¯s all¡­¡±

    Shin replied, wondering what the enemy tried to aplish with such an attack.

    He had barely done anything to the monstersing from the front: Sety¡¯s attacks annihted most of them.

    He did his part too, but things would have worked out even without him. The monsters would have never reached their horse carriage, even if Shin was elsewhere.

    ¡°It looked like they targeted us, but they were probably gathered for a different purpose at first. It does not seem like they used higher numbers to make us waste our reserves¡­¡±

    Schnee replied to Shin¡¯sment, while looking at the dropping monster remains. As soon as Sety activated ¡¾Fiery Cluster¡¿, she expected such a result.

    If the enemy really nned to tire the group, they would need a number of monsters on the level of a Great Flood. They had enough time until their destination for their MP to fully replenish, after all.

    ¡°I guess they were created to attack Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably it. I did not see any anti-air countermeasures back there.¡±

    ¡°No ballistae on the walls, or simr?¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I could see.¡±

    Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce was very close as the Algaraz Shin remembered. If they used walls without modifications, there should have been some anti-air defenses.

    ¡°Maybe they broke, or they took them away¡­it¡¯s weird to use a town as a Sacred ce, anyway.¡±

    Even if it looked the same, it did not mean that the town had been used as it was: they might have simply copied its appearance. This would prompt the question as to why they would do such a thing ¡ª but Shin shelved his doubts, thinking he could just ask Eleven after they returned.

 Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 2

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°All done, what should we do next?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s Sacred ce before anyone else gets in our way. No reason to take it easy.¡±

    Shin asked Kagerou to speed up, while they continued watching out for any threats in the surroundings.

    They were using Shin¡¯s special horse carriage, which wouldn¡¯t break even if Kagerou pulled it at full speed. It barely shook inside, of course, making it an extremelyfortable ride.

    ¡°No monsters to be seen. It can¡¯t be that Sety took down all of them¡­can it?¡±

    ¡°There were plenty of them close to the Sacred ce, but I guess the farther areas are different.¡±

    Filma carefully scrutinized the surroundings andmented, then Shibaid nodded. Since they couldn¡¯t do much during the previous battle, they kept watch during the ride.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there any wild monsters?¡±

    ¡°After all, there are monsters over level 500 roaming freely around here. Monsters which would even attack others of the same species. Lower level monsters have little to no chance of survival, I guess.¡±

    If they were specialized in concealing their presence or running away, they might have some slight chances, but not in any other case, Shin thought.

    ¡°By the way, some monsters are strong from the start, right? Maybe those could make it?¡±

    ¡°Around here, magic power flows strangely. I don¡¯t think they can.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Yuzuha was surely a reliable judge of such matters: Shin thus tried using magic power maniption to scan the magic power in the surroundings.

    Compared to detection-type skills, he could only get a hazy response; he neededplete concentration, so he could only try when there weren¡¯t immediate threats in the vicinity, like now.

    Shin had previously asked Sety if he could use magic power maniption in that way, even if he still failed to apply it to skills, and was told to ¡°synchronize your magic power with the atmosphere. Make it light and airy.¡± in her usual enigmatic fashion. It was indeed light and airy, too much for Shin¡¯s mind to grasp the meaning, so he still struggled with it.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s still hard without using Magic Vision¡­¡±

    Magic Vision allowed the user to partially sense the flow of magic power. Shin had used it until now as a crutch, in order to grasp the flow.

    The flow of magic power usually appeared as a gentle, semi-transparent band of light, but here the light was weak and flickering, popping and cracking ¡ª extremely unstable.

    Shin now understood what Yuzuha probably meant. The sensations felt outside Magic Vision were very vague and ambiguous, to frustrating levels.

    ¡°Hm? There¡¯s something weird ahead?¡±

    The magic power in the surroundings was unstable and hazy ¡ª except for a single spot, where it was perfectly calm. An inspection with Far Sight revealed a change in scenery.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a desert?¡±

    ¡°¡­it is.¡±

    Milt also checked with her own Far Sight.

    Highly irregr terrain with little to no visual obstacles. A wastnd with trees few and far in between. That was the kind of scenery Shin and the group had been traveling through until now; yet now before them appeared the kind of environment that required specific equipment to be traversed.

    Hardened, solid terrain right next to an expanse of formless sand. There was no clearer proof that they were at the border between the two areas.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard about it¡­so this is a desert.¡±

    Tiera let out an emotional whisper. She only knew of the existence of deserts through books.

    ¡°The Sacred ce should be beyond the desert, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all just as we were told.¡±

    Eleven had given them information not only about the Guardian, but also its Sacred ce and the area around it. He also added that the information dated to when he was still part of the Guardians¡¯ informationwork, and things could be different now: Shin thus thought that they¡¯d be lucky if it proved to be useful at all.

    The Sacred ce closest to Algaraz was located in the middle of a desert.

    ¡°Stop here for a while.¡±

    Shin told Kagerou to stop right before they entered the desert.

    Like snowy mountains and swamps, deserts ¡ª and all areas with difficult terrains ¡ª needed special preparations before entering. The danger of carriages toppling and getting stuck, for example, gued all yers.

    Shin¡¯s carriage was specially customized, but not enough to simply keep running just like that.

    Shin thus switched the wheels with lighter ones that would not sink in the sand, also making sure the carriage would not topple over even if tilted.

    He also had Kagerou wear equipment to prevent his legs from getting stuck in the sand. The ¡ºExploration ws¡» were made especially for four-legged monsters with sharp ws, like Kagerou.

    The name and shape of such equipment changed ording to the type of monster, but the effect was the same. If the monster pulling the carriage was a horse type, it would be equipped with matching ¡ºExploration Hooves¡».

    ¡°This is really¡­all sand.¡±

    While Shin was exchanging the equipment, Tiera scooped up some sand and let it trickle away in the wind.

    They had been traveling together since Bayreuth, but it was the first time they encountered a desert. Unlike snow, which could be seen in winter if the temperature became low enough, the desert was an environment that could not be experienced unless actually visited.

    In this world there was no television: there was no way to be prepared for such scenery.

    ¡°I see, it makes it hard to just walk.¡±

    Tiera touched the ground and tried stepping on it.

    In the game, yers wearing full body armor would sink and be unable to move.

    Shin watched Tiera lean on one leg, to see how far it would sink, and thought he should check directly too.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s harder to move than before.¡±

    Shin stepped inside the desert and moved around a bit: he soon realized it was much harder to walk on the sand now,pared to the game era.

    The yers¡¯ leg equipment made it easier to handle rough terrain the higher its grade was; however, it could notpletely prevent slipping and sinking.

    Shin asked the shield-wearing Shibaid to poke him lightly: he ended up sliding double the expected distance.

    ¡°Hey, won¡¯t this make it pretty hard to fight?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. I guess we need more preparation.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma, then asked everyone to take off their leg gear.

    He made sure all equipment he made had some leeway for customization: it was a technique that not only Shin, but all skilled cksmiths employed.

    The enchantments that made it possible to handle rough terrains such as deserts or snowy mountains required very little capacity; cksmiths thus left some open space, so that kind of enchantment could be applied easily. Now was exactly that time.

    This made it possible to explore any kind of field with the same equipment. Though it did not neutralize the environmental threats outside terrain, of course.

    ¡°Just one enchantment makes it feel so different¡­it¡¯s like I¡¯m walking on normal ground.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s harder to walk on sand nowpared to the game era, so I guess the equipment¡¯s bonuses are even greater¡­¡±

    Shin replied to Milt, then tried walking on the sand himself. As she said, his feet did not sink anymore: he could feel them step firmly on the ground.

    ¡°By the way¡­is it just me, or is the sunlight a lot stronger too?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not just you. Our equipment protects us to an extent, but it¡¯s burning hot out here.¡±

    After changing equipment, Miltmented about the temperature while fanning herself, and Shin agreed.

    Even without urate measurements, they could tell that the temperature rose as soon as they stepped over the area border. The sun rays felt like tiny daggers.

    ¡°It does feel like my skin is prickly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel it as much, but it¡¯s definitely hotter here.¡±

    Tiera and Filma¡¯s equipment exposed their arms and legs: the difference in their impressions probably derived from the difference in grade of their equipment, as well as their own stats.

    ¡°I guess we should wear capes too. Strong sunlight takes away more energy than you think.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Use these.¡±

    Shin materialized a set of sand-colored capes.

    Simply attaching the button on the neck protected the user up to their mouth. Pulling up the hood would then hide the body almostpletely.

    The addition of enchantments protecting against me and Water magic allowed the cape to regte the wearer¡¯s body temperature too: it would thus protect not only against the searing heat during the day, but also chilling desert nights.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s cape feels better than mine!!¡±

    Milt, the first one to point out the heat, deftly nabbed one of the capes and tried it out. She had her own cape, but since braving a desert was not amon urrence, it was just a makeshift cape. Shin thus did not protest and let her have one too.

    Shin had a Creation-type job and created items with all sorts of purposes in mind; Milt, on the other hand, was a battle-oriented member, so he did not expect such things from her.

    Even in the game era, very few yers prepared equipment focused solely on clearing desert areas anyway.

    If Milt had high-level desert gear with her, Shin would have been sincerely surprised and impressed.

    Shin made sure everyone¡¯s desert movement issue was handled, then the group started moving again.

    Eleven said that the monsters would increase in number as they got closer to the Sacred ce: but, aside from the swarm they defeated after leaving Algaraz, Shin¡¯s party had not encountered any other monsters yet.

    ¡°They might be expecting us toe, so they gathered all their forces in one point.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Apparently, the Gryphon Guardian Shin fought in the past just attacked relentlessly, but their strategy is definitely different here.¡±

    Eleven¡¯s manner of speech and thought were not too different from normal human beings; it would be not strange if a Guardian capable of manipting monsters to spy on Algaraz had a simr level of intellect.

    ¡°If the Guardian is based on a nt monster, howe the Sacred ce is surrounded by desert then? I expected to find it in a pluvial forest, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°This kind of environment makes it hard for us, that¡¯s for sure. It¡¯s hard to move and there are no obstacles to hide behind. Perfect conditions to easily target us.¡±

    Filma¡¯s question and Sety¡¯s theory were both understandable. Not even Eleven knew why the Sacred ce was in the middle of a desert.

    ¡°I guess the Guardian is just *based* on a nt monster, simr to how Eleven is different from a normal Faceman.¡±

    ¡°Right, the Guardian here is probably a lot different from a normal Vanwood, not just the way they think. There must be a reason why the area around the Sacred ce is mostly unchanged too.¡±

    Shin nodded to Milt¡¯sment.

    During the exnation, Eleven had touched upon its own abilities a little, but they were all abilities any Faceman possessed. Judging from the Guardians they had fought until now, Eleven and the Vanwood Guardian surely had their own unique abilities too.

    The area around Algaraz had trees scattered here and there,pared to the wastnd Shin and the group had traveled through since theynded on the ind. The desert they were facing now, however, was apletely different environment.

    ording to Eleven, the transformed environment was not only the desert: the area beyond the Sacred ce they were heading to, home of the Guardian based on the golem-type monster Arahabaki, was very different from a wastnd too.

    In other words, only the area ruled by Eleven had changed very little. This exception had to have a meaning.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Kagerou?¡±

    As the group was exchanging opinions, the carriage¡¯s pace suddenly dropped. Shin had let Kagerou take charge to participate in the conversation, but now turned towards their ¡°coachman¡±.

    Kagerou cried faintly, then slowly moved to a leisurely pace. A small hilly in front, which made it difficult to see ahead.

    If they proceeded at their current pace, they could cross the hill in no time. Kagerou did not seem concerned, so Shin waited without using Skills to check.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything unusual¡­?¡±

    Kagerou stopped on top of the hill.

    Just like before, the scenery showed sand as far as the eye could see. They had been traveling through the same environment until now: there were no particr differences.

    Since Kagerou had slowed down, however, there was probably something different ahead.

    ¡°Yuzuha, can you trante?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    The two animal-like creatures started growling and yelping at each other; at that moment, Schnee noticed something in the sea of sand and her expression changed.

    ¡°May I try something?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yeah, sure, I guess?¡±

    Earth-type Magic Skill ¡¾Rock Bullet¡¿.

    A skill to shoot a football-sized boulder. The rock appeared to fly through the air, but soon slowed down and was caught by gravity, tumbling down on the sand.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s sinking?¡±

    The ¡¾Rock Bullet¡¿ disappeared under the sand in mere seconds.

    Earth magic spells had the most mass out of the seven elements, but there was no way it would have disappeared so quickly in a normal desert.

    ¡°Kagerou says the area ahead is different.¡±

    Yuzuha rted Kagerou¡¯s message with spot-on timing, her paws pointing to a spot beyond the hill they were on.

    The scenery looked exactly the same, so it took Shin time to notice, but looking more closely, he could tell something was off. Unlike the area they had traveled in until now, the scenery ahead waspletely t.

    The only variations were swellings or depressions in the sand, scattered here and there.

    ¡°It looks like a¡­sand sea¡­¡±

    ¡°This ce just turned into even more of a pain¡­¡±

    Milt noticed the unnatural change in the desert and frowned.

    Shin, Schnee, and Shibaid shared her feelings, though maybe not as overtly. The only ones who, not understanding why, cocked their heads to the side, were Tiera and Kagerou: they had never seen a sand sea.

    ¡°Judging from that look on your face¡­it must be really dangerous?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious what kind of look that is¡­¡±

    Shin touched his face, wondering if he had a strange expression on. He had no idea.

    ¡°Leaving these pointless things aside¡­¡±

    ¡°Pointless¡­?¡±

    ¡°A sand sea is¡­basically, just like the name says. It¡¯s like a sea, but with sand instead of water. It¡¯s not actually the same thing, obviously: you can¡¯t just cross it with water equipment, but desert equipment isn¡¯t going to help either. In any case, it¡¯s a real pain.¡±

    Milt glossed over Shin¡¯s ¡°concerns¡± and gave a rather vague exnation ¡ª though the only one possible.

    A sand sea sucked in the traveler like quicksand in some ces, but most of it flowed just like water: it was a mock sea, made with sand.

    That was the true nature of the scenery spreading before them.

    There were living creatures in it, just like a real sea: in the game era, they were mainly fish-like monsters,plete with predators, shark or whale-like creatures.

    ¡°The sand here is even smoother than normal: it flows and trickles from your hand just like water. Just touch it and you¡¯ll see. You might think that this makes it possible to swim in it, but be careful: without the proper skills, even expert swimmers would drown easily. The environment underwater ¡ª or, in this case, undersand ¡ª is extremely difficult to escape once entered. Unlike normal water, it is not possible to float naturally here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. In the past, falling into the sand sea meant to die: that wasmon sense. We dived into the sea before, didn¡¯t we? To sink into the sand feels just like being pulled into that darkness.¡±

    ¡°Eep¡­¡±

    Schnee delivered a more detailed exnation, to which Filma added her personal experience. Tiera could easily imagine how it felt to be pulled into the abyss, as she turned pale and stepped away from the sand sea.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to camp out here for today. I don¡¯t suppose the Sacred ce sank into the sand sea, but if we go on we¡¯d risk having to spend the night on the ¡®waves¡¯.¡±

    Shin stopped the carriage: he had no intention to face that risk.

    ¡°Can it be so bad that not even you can handle it, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that bad. A monsterrge enough to swallow the ship we used in Barbatos in one gulp.¡±

    Such a monster dwelled in the sand sea in the game era: it might not be around anymore, but it would not be strange if it still was. Shin did not want to be the guinea pig for this experiment.

    The monster¡¯s name was Giant Caput: it was basically a whale, just many timesrger.

    A pair of twisted horns sprouted from the sides of its head, which it used to emit magical waves to detect its prey. It usually looked for prey or a hunting ground during the day and actually hunted at night. Because of that, until its habits were posted on the game¡¯s bulletin boards, many yers were silently tracked down, then swallowed, ship and all, while they were resting at night.

    That did not mean that the sand sea would be safer during the day however.

    ¡°The depths of the sea were scary, but the sand sea is pretty nasty too¡­¡±

    The name Barbatos reminded Tiera of when they dove deep into the sea, so she trembled a little. Falling into the sand sea would be simr to diving into that world of pitch-ck darkness.

    ¡°We have countermeasures, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re leaving tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll fix up the equipment for Schnee and the others. Tiera, Kagerou, Yuzuha, I¡¯ll have to add some enchantments on yours too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Tiera seemed a little tense, hence the unusually polite reply. Shin worried he might have scared her a bit.

    The sand sea was truly dangerous though. Tiera¡¯s current stats surpassed even advanced Chosen Ones, but if she fell into the sands, she would be probably done for.

    The desert equipment would prevent her from sinking immediately, but if she couldn¡¯t get out in the very short window between falling and sinking, the sand would swallow her without a doubt.

    The greatest danger of that environment was the sand¡¯s ability to capture anything that touched it. If you were standing onnd, touching the sand with arms or legs would feel simr to touching seawater: it would even feel more pleasant, since there was no risk of getting wet.

    However, such carelessness could prove fatal. The moment you leavend, the sand would never let go.

    Some yers hypothesized that the effects changed depending on the size of thend surface one was in contact with, and that the sand sea was made of a particr kind of material, or so Shin had heard.

    ¡°How about you, Milt? I can check your equipment too if you want.¡±

    ¡°Please!! Sir!!¡±

    Milt sounded more polite too, though not as much as Tiera. On the other hand, she was far more eager to have her equipment tuned.

    ¡°Okay then. Might as well take out Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    Shin moved a bit farther away from the border between the desert and the sand sea, then materialized Tsuki no Hokora. If it was too close, it could get in the way if monsters emerged from the sand waves.

    ¡°I will make preparations for dinner then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡±

    The sun was still high, but it certainly wasn¡¯t too early to start preparing dinner. Sety, who used to cook for herself in the Faerie Vige, joined Schnee in the kitchen.

    ¡°I will patrol the surroundings. We may have a barrier, but we are still in enemy territory. There is no reason to let our guard down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you then. All I can do in the kitchen is set up the table anyway.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma left, weapons in hand.

    In the desert, it was not unusual for monsters to attack from underground. They couldn¡¯t feel any presence at the moment, but they might be concealed by the Guardian¡¯s roots.

    Shin was sure that Shibaid and Filma would be fine, so he simply watched them go.

 Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 3

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 3</h4>

    ¡°Let¡¯s prep the equipment then. Schnee and the others¡¯ equipment just needs checking, so let¡¯s take care of yours first, Tiera.¡±

    Shin headed to the smithy, followed by Tiera and the rest.

    He didn¡¯t need to be in the smithy to perform enchantments, but it was always the ideal ce for him to work on equipment. In this world, the craftsman¡¯s mental state greatly influenced the results of their work, which was probably a reason as well.

    Shin thought of exining the enchantments while he applied them, so he chose Tiera as the first ¡°subject¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s so dangerous that you have to make specialized equipment?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Like Filma said, if you fall into the sand sea with normal equipment, you¡¯re as good as dead. That¡¯s how hard it is to escape. We could probably brute force our way out with skills, but if we fall into the sand, it means that we¡¯re fighting: it¡¯s very likely that even if you can get out, the monsters¡¯ attacks will hit you and make you fall in again. Or that you can¡¯t reachnd or the ship even after getting out.¡±

    Most yer deaths in the sand sea were monster attacks causing them to sink.

    Shin too had experienced falling into the sands, managing to escape, just to be knocked back in by monsters: he knew it was very possible. The monsters were naturally dangerous, but the greatest enemy in that area was probably the environment.

    ¡°To adapt to this environment, we have to give up on using equipment sets, so the overall quality will drop a bit. I¡¯ll power up the mantle I gave you when we entered the desert, to regte your body temperature, as well as the support magic enchantments. Finally, an emergency escape skill in case you fall in.¡±

    The skill in question would teleport the user to the nearest firm foothold, a ship, or actualnd. It only worked if there was such an area in its radius, but it would make a great difference nevertheless.

    ¡°Oh¡­I want that. Definitely.¡±

    Tiera heard the exnation and nodded vigorously. The terrifying sinking experience she had heard from Filma sounded positively traumatic.

    ¡°About the equipment, I¡¯d like you to try Schnee¡¯s spare gear first. If that works, we just need to adjust it a little. If not, I have to make new ones. Your stats are higher now, so you might be able to wear it.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s spare gear was all Ancient grade.

    Even within the same grade, some weapons or armor had slightly different requirements.

    The more advanced the equipment, the higher the stats required: Tiera and Milt could have incurred penalties when wearing it.

    ¡°¡­Shin¡­you¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°Since they¡¯re just spares, I didn¡¯t change the design: it¡¯s all official, standard sand sea gear. Let me say it again: I didn¡¯t edit even one detail.¡±

    Tiera looked at the materialized equipment, then red at Shin, who painstakingly exined he had no part in it.

    ¡°Arabian style, I suppose? Though calling it like that would probably piss off the people from those countries¡­female yers had a love/hate rtionship with this.¡±

    Miltughed wryly: she couldn¡¯t defend it either.

    The gear featured loose-fitting trousers, but the upper body only had a thin, semi-transparent veil covering the mouth, a piece of cloth over the chest and a pair of bracelets: it was rather stereotypical. There was even a sexier version for dancers.

    The male version was simr: the same kind of trousers, a light jacket and a turban-like hat.

    ¡°Some people had this mixed with the Amazoness series gear, if I recall.¡±

    ¡°That too has only one piece of cloth for the upper body, after all. At least it covers a little more.¡±

    It was nheless quite alluring. It stood out even more if the wearer was a woman with developed physique, such as Milt and Tiera were.

    ¡°If you let me fiddle with the design, I can make it more conversative, though.¡±

    It would not be difficult to reduce the skin exposure: change the upper body design to a t-shirt, add something to drape over the shoulders, and so on.

    It was just a spare, so Shin left the default design; if he made a new one from scratch, however, he could modify the visuals with rtively high freedom.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine like this for me. No one other than this party is going to see, anyway. I bet you¡¯d like this one better too, right Shin?¡±

    So said Milt, a smirk on her face.

    Some yers did look forward to seeing female yers wear sexy equipment, so Milt wasn¡¯t surely spouting nonsense.

    ¡°Schnee¡¯s going to do that cold smile of hers, so please don¡¯t. Or I¡¯m going to change it into a mummy design and wrap you in bandages from head to toe.¡±

    While Shin used the word mummy, this design would mean being wrapped like a package, so it certainly wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Even in the game era, it was only used as a joke.

    ¡°Ah, that one¡­I wore it once, it was easier to move in than I expected, actually.¡±

    ¡°The appearance is the only thing that actually changes, after all. So, what do you want to do, Tiera? You don¡¯t like this kind of design, right?¡±

    When Shin changed the Heat Haze equipment series, Tiera was concerned about the amount of skin exposure. He was sure that she would say something about the sand sea gear.

    ¡°Er, can I try wearing it once?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave the room then. Call me when you¡¯re done.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s reply was unexpected, but Shin thought it would be weird for him to insist on changing the design, so he simply nodded and left the smithy. A short whileter, he was called back in: Tiera and Milt had both changed into the sand sea equipment.

    ¡°The automatic fitting function is really convenient¡­it suppresses jiggling too. You really are the best at these attachments, Shin.¡±

    ¡°If you learn it with a Secret Book and raise your proficiency, you can do it too, you know that. It¡¯d be enough to apply attachments to normal clothes.¡±

    Shin replied, looking away from the cleavage Milt was pushing up with both arms. She definitely did it on purpose to make him look, but if he pointed it out she would just tease him more.

    Immediately after learning the automatic fitting enchantment skill, it was only possible to use it on equipment up to Rare grade. Shin thought that would be enough for normal clothes, but Milt apparently had no desire to learn it herself.

    ¡°The important thing is to have you do it for me, Shin. Because it makes me feel like I¡¯m in your embrace.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Shin recalled that one of the Seven Deadly Sins had said something simr, but kept it to himself.

    ¡°My body feels a little heavy, though. I guess that¡¯s the penalty.¡±

    Milt¡¯s stats had improved, but it was probably not enough.

    Checking the status revealed that shecked VIT. It was only one parameter, so the penalty was small.

    ¡°Penalties used to be pretty heavy even if part of your stats werecking, but I guess things are different now.¡±

    ¡°Probably. It¡¯s the first time I get a penalty aftering here, so I don¡¯t really know for sure.¡±

    In the game era, incurring a penalty felt like your body suddenly became heavier too. There were no degrees in the extent of the penalty, however: no matter if you missed the stat threshold by 1 point or 100, the resulting penalty was the same, or so Shin recalled.

    ¡°Ah!! If you have to remake the equipment from scratch, does it mean you have to measure my whole body? Every nook and cranny??¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­no.¡±

    The automatic fitting function would make the equipment fit regardless of the wearer¡¯s height or size. Equipment made for a tall woman would fit a young girl without problems¡­

    ¡­which also meant that equipment made for a young boy could fit arge, burly man too.

    Normally, crafting equipment required measurements, but that was not the case for Shin.

    ¡°How is it, Tiera?¡±

    Shin ignored Milt, huffing and puffing at his dry reply, and turned toward Tiera.

    The automatic fitting function adjusted the size, so the only remaining issues were mobility and visuals.

    ¡°It feels easy to move in, like all equipment you¡¯ve given me until now. I feel a bit heavy too, though.¡±

    Since Milt reported the feeling of heaviness, Shin thought of a possible cause: as expected, Tiera reported the same sensation.

    Her stats were very close to game-era Schnee, however. The required stats shouldn¡¯t be that high, but if the penalty was there, he had to remake the equipment from scratch.

    ¡°Also, ehm¡­¡±

    Shin was thinking that since he had to remake the equipment, he could change the visuals too. At the same time, Tiera was fidgeting, staring at the floor.

    She looked like she wanted to say something, so Shin waited.

    After about 10 seconds of mumbling and murmuring, Tiera gathered her courage and spoke up.

    ¡°How do¡­I look?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s cheeks were bright red. She held her left elbow with her right hand, as she leaned a bit forward and looked up at Shin.

    Both the outfit and expression were different from the usual Tiera: Shin felt his heart skip a beat. It was clear what she wanted to know.

    ¡°I think¡­it looks good on you.¡±

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Shin thought it would be bad to just say nothing, so heplimented her. Tiera turned bright red, almost steaming.

    Shin was at a loss about what to do next, when Milt suddenly hugged him from behind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, sticking to him as much as she could.

    ¡°You ignore me, but get all lovey-dovey with Tiera, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡­anyway, how about you get off me first?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­nah.¡±

    Milt put her head on Shin¡¯s shoulder and whispered into his ear.

    It felt ticklish. More stimting than that, however, was the soft, plump weights he felt on his back. Milt was wearing the sand sea equipment too, so her breasts were squished against Shin¡¯s back.

    ¡°¡¾Willow Throw¡¿!!¡±

    Before it stopped being just a prank, Shin announced the activation of a non-lethal Skill. Milt¡¯s body all too easily slipped away, spun once in the air, thennded in Shin¡¯s arms.

    ¡°¡­I wouldn¡¯t have expected to end up in your arms from that pose.¡±

    The Skill used by Shin normally smacked the target on the ground, but he couldn¡¯t do that to Milt, so he caught her: which made things more awkward, however.

    ¡°Enough jokes, all right? Anyway, since you got a penalty I have to redo the equipment from scratch: what kind of design do you want? The default one is the easiest, but it¡¯s not a problem to make modifications. If you have any requests, I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    Almost all female yers that requested Shin to craft that equipment for them also asked for design modifications.

    A very small number of them asked to keep the default design or to make it even sexier, so he had several samples of designs with less exposure.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see¡­oh, what kind of design did you make for Schnee and the others¡¯ sand sea outfit?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Okay, wait a moment.¡±

    The sea sand equipment was not something they used often, so Shin didn¡¯t remember the designs in detail. He picked up the cards from the item box, looked at the picture ¡ª and froze.

    The sand sea outfit for Schnee and Filma consisted of a thin veil covering the head and back, a bikini and another thin veil wrapped around the waist. Nothing else. The sexy dancer type, basically.

    Shin had no idea why he chose such a design: since no one else was going to see them anyway, he probably let his more carnal emotions take over.

    That was probably the reason why Sety¡¯s equipment had the default design.

    ¡°My, my, quite the bold design we have here¡­¡±

    ¡°Gh¡­I have no excuses¡­¡±

    Milt grinned and nudged at Shin, who could not defend himself this time.

    The other Rokuten members couldn¡¯t have changed the design without his knowledge: he was definitely the author of those ¡°scandalous¡± designs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll use this too, then.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Shin was sure Schnee and the others were going toin, so he asked Milt if she was really sure.

    ¡°I mean, this is the style you like, right?¡±

    ¡°Gah¡­I can¡¯t deny it, with these cards in front of me¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s understanding nce felt painful.

    The unusually quiet Yuzuha¡¯s gaze felt stinging too, as did Tiera¡¯s eyes throwing daggers on Shin¡¯s back. Shin had to ask her too, however, so he timidly turned around.

    ¡°Er, so, Tiera, you want a more, let¡¯s say, modest design, right? I have a few samples, you can take a look at them and choose freely¡­¡±

    Shin carefully chose his words, as Tiera¡¯s stare was fixated on the pictures depicting the designs for Schnee and Filma.

    Milt was joking, but Tiera seemed to be sincerely disgusted, which terrified Shin. He felt cold sweats run down his back.

    ¡°¡­me too.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I want this too.¡±

    Tiera inly pointed at the sexy dancer-type sand sea wear, without the slightest change in her expression.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    With just those words, Tiera turned around and left the smithy.

    The automatic fitting function made any measurement unnecessary: since the design was the same, Shin could make Tiera¡¯s even without her presence. It wasn¡¯t like her to just make a request and leave like that.

    ¡°Even her ears were red.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She had managed to return her expression back to normal, but not her ears. The door was closed, but Shin and the others knew that Tiera was just behind it.

    The Listen Skill picked up a feeble ¡°what am I even doing¡­!¡± Tiera was surely blushing fiercely again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s pretend we didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    They could imagine Tiera¡¯s reaction if she knew they heard, so they decided to keep quiet.

    ¡°So Milt, why do you think she acted like that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m afraid it was my fault.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­you haven¡¯t teased her too much again, have you?¡±

    Shin red at Milt, using her of provoking Tiera. That would exin why she asked Shin how she looked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t, actually. That¡¯s just how it went, but¡­I didn¡¯t expect her to be so proactive.¡±

    ¡°She told you something, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just about the thing of you removing her curse.¡±

    When Shin told Tiera about his past, he mentioned Milt too: that was probably the reason why Tiera feltfortable enough to talk about her curse.

    ¡°Looking at Tiera, I get the impression that you also did other things to her too¡­didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±

    Shin did his best to hide the surprise in his voice.

    ¡°I get the feeling of being interested or getting a crush on the person that freed you from the curse that trapped you for such a long time. But her rival is Schnee, right? And you two became a couple already. Unlike yers, the Elves here are monogamous, so normally they¡¯d just give up.¡±

    Elves were people too: to fall in love with someone already taken, or snatch away someone¡¯s lover were not unknown things to them.

    In this world, however, most Elves simply gave up when their loved one formed a rtionship of mutual affection with another person. Tiera too was raised in such a culture, until she was exiled from her vige.

    Milt thus guessed that there had to be something more than just falling in love with the person that saved her from a curse.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that¡­nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, go on.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on, we¡¯re basically longtime friends at this point.¡±

    Milt¡¯s tone was light, but the pressure she emanated was not.

    ¡°Well, I can just go ask Tiera, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll talk, all right?¡±

    It also involved Marino, Milt¡¯s closest friend. Shin thus decided to reveal what happened in Hinomoto.

    ¡°I see¡­she¡¯s interested in you, but not to the point of thinking of taking you for herself.¡±

    Milt, resting her chin on her hand, voiced her opinion on the situation.

    ¡°Wait, wait, I announced my marriage with Schnee, you know? She wouldn¡¯t think she has a chance.¡±

    The biggest reason for Tiera¡¯s actions was definitely what happened in Hinomoto. Or so Shin thought.

    Those events, however, were strongly influenced by Marino¡¯s presence within Tiera. A presence that was now gone: she shouldn¡¯t have any influence on Tiera anymore.

    There shouldn¡¯t be anything powerful enough to change the views and morals Tiera had grown up with.

    ¡°Hahaha, Shin, you just don¡¯t get it¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what.¡±

    Milt smiled at Shin¡¯s helplessness, so he asked back. He tried to think about any sign he could have missed but came up with nothing.

    ¡°Having a crush on someone or falling in love can blow away any racial differences, morals, ormon sense. Maybe not in the exact same way, but I think you¡¯ve experienced it too, haven¡¯t you? Something that can motivate you to do what is normally taboo.¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah, I can see it now.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t protest. He too had drenched his hands in blood for love.

    ¡°In that case, should I clearly tell her that I can¡¯t ept her feelings?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know exactly how serious Tiera is about it¡­she might be trying to give up already, who knows.¡±

    Her feelings might be not intense enough to destroy her morals, but not fickle enough to simply give up on either. That was Milt¡¯s guess.

    Tiera¡¯s actions did not express everything she felt, after all.

    ¡°If she¡¯s serious, though, it means I have a new ally, so it¡¯s all good for me.¡±

    ¡°Only for you!!¡±

    To Shin¡¯s chagrin, Milt apparently hadn¡¯t given up her wish to be his ¡°number 2¡± either.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Pixie, but I don¡¯t really care for the values they have in this world. No problem! Let¡¯s get this harem started!¡±

    ¡°I said no way!!¡±

    Milt¡¯s enthusiastic encouragement was countered by a chop to the head. He had no intention of increasing the number of lovers.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking, why are you so focused on that? There are other possible rtionships a man and a woman can have, right?¡±

    Shin, thinking about Milt¡¯s actions since they met again in this world, asked her for an exnation.

    It felt different from love or a crush ¡ª the types of affection Milt herself had just mentioned.

    Even if she wanted to be with the only person she shared a past with, there was no need to build a harem.

    ¡°I¡¯ve talked about it before, but the values of the people here are a bit¡­I mean, someone very strong, not arrogant or narcissistic, who would take good care of his partner, excellent at his craft too¡­someone like that would be super popr in this world, no? You¡¯ve had offers before, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    So said Milt, while rubbing the sore spot on her head. She thought that Shin probably had had simr experiences to her.

    ¡°In this world, strength is one of the most important traits, after all. If you put it like that, I guess I did have offers, but being popr because of that is kinda¡­¡±

    Shin had indeed experienced something like that. He didn¡¯t agree with that type of thinking, however.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve gone through the same things too. The first reason why I¡¯m so ¡°focused¡± is Marino. You won¡¯t imagine how many times I had to hear about her love for you.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    Shin was very curious to know exactly what Milt had heard.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to show you how head over heels she was, really. So anyway, because of that I knew that you were definitely a good guy. Then we went on quests together and I realized it was all true.¡±

    ¡°When we did stuff together, I was in a pretty dangerous phase, though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s appearance might have been the same as before, but what he did was simply murder. Certainly not an activity a ¡°good guy¡± would engage in.

    ¡°What I feel is for me to decide, after all. Anyway, the final touch was that you granted my wish. You helped my cowardly self meet her end.¡±

    Milt¡¯s tone became fully serious. Her calm voice suggested her current state of mind.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a reason to fall in love with someone to me.¡±

    ¡°The reasons why you love someone are always hard for other people to understand. You didn¡¯t tell meaningless nonsense, like ¡°if you live good things will definitely happen to you¡±. You knew I would really die, but did it all the same. That was enough for me.¡±

    In stark contrast with the grim nature of the event she recalled, Milt had the brightest smile on her face. It really looked like she sincerely thought what she said.

    ¡°You kill someone, and they fall in love with you¡­I wonder if anyone other than me ever had this happen to them.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, right? To be alive again after death is just fantasy.¡±

    Shin sighed helplessly and Miltughed. She then dramatically pointed at him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to take responsibility for killing me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, I did it because I wanted to!!¡±

    After Milt said her original version of that cliched line, Shin pushed her out of the smithy. Since she wanted the default design for the equipment too, there was no need for measurements.

    ¡°Honestly¡­¡±

    Shin sighed again. She joked again in the end, so he couldn¡¯t be sure that she was really being serious with her deration. It did feel like she confessed her true feelings, but he decided to not think about it for the moment.

 Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 4

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 4</h4>

    ¡°Okay, next up is Yuzuha. Which one do you¡­hmm, might as well do both.¡±

    Yuzuha could use the monster-type and human-type equipment. Preparing both would make it possible for her to have the equipment avable no matter what form she was in.

    Equipment she wore in human form was not removed when she turned into monster form: she could equip items in a way impossible for humans as well.

    ¡°Then, do this one first.¡±

    Yuzuha, who had been just listening in small fox mode until now, turned into human form. When she did, she usually turned into a child-like size, but this time she changed to her most mature-looking form, which appeared to be in thete teens.

    ¡°You¡¯ll use that form this time?¡±

    ¡°In child form, it¡¯s harder to make quick decisions.¡±

    Yuzuha apparently judged the small fox mode to be unsuited for battle.

    Her tone was different than usual, as well as her behavior and atmosphere: she was more calm andposed, closer to how Shin remembered the Element Tails.

    He recalled her monster form tone to be a little more archaic, but it probably changed depending on the degree of her transformation.

    ¡°Have you grown again?¡±

    Shin noticed that Yuzuha looked a bit more mature than hest saw her.

    ¡°A little. I am returning to the Yuzuha you knew.¡±

    Yuzuha had previously said that, as she became more familiar with the energy she absorbed, her body would grow too. At this stage, however, her growth was not so easy to notice anymore.

    Shin had witnessed her rapid growth a few times already, so he felt relieved.

    The reason was that every time she experienced a bout of rapid growth, a bizarre phenomenon urred: all of her equipment woulde off, leaving her naked.

    Yuzuha usually wrapped herself in Shin¡¯s nkets, and that phenomenon often happened while she was sleeping. Because of that, Shin would end up seeing her like that while they were in bed together.

    Things were different when she was still child-sized, but now that she looked almost like an adult woman, it was a big problem for him to discover her naked under the covers. Yuzuha did not even try to hide anything in those situations: if anyone saw them, Shin would be hard-pressed to find a believable exnation.

    ¡°Okay, choose the design then. The size will adjust automatically, so I can do the rest by myself.¡±

    Shin took out samples of the designs he made until now and showed them to Yuzuha in the form of a pamphlet, materialized from the item box.

    Tiera and Milt had decided the design they wanted after seeing the designs of the spares made for Schnee and Filma, so Shin was showing the samples for the first time.

    ¡°I want this.¡±

    ¡°This one¡­? Frankly, I wonder how I changed it this much.¡±

    Some samples werepletely different from the default design, making one wonder if they were even the same equipment.

    There was a lot of freedom, but also videogame-like limitations. For whatever reason, however, equipment meant for specific environments, like the sand sea gear, had less strict limitations.

    The design Yuzuha picked was one of those. It was basically adies¡¯ hakama with a piece of cloth draped over the shoulders. No Arabian traits to be found anywhere.

    Yuzuha also requested for the lower body design to be changed to a mini skirt and long boots. She was used to wearing a hakama, but when she wore other kinds of clothing she felt ufortable if she couldn¡¯t let out her tails. Even if her requested design was basically a hakama, ording to Yuzuha they were not exactly the same thing.

    ¡°About the monster form equipment, here is a set of ws and one essory.¡±

    The ws would allow Yuzuha to run on the sand for a limited time, even without using Skills. The essory could not let her run on the sand sea, but would save her if she fell in.

    One item to help her stay out of the sand, another to rescue her if she ever fell in. In the game era, only one could be used at the same time, but in the current world such limitations were no more.

    Shin had Yuzuha changed to monster form and upgraded her desert gear to ¡ºExploration ws Plus¡», then put the ¡ºLiquid Band¡» on her right ear.

    Now she would have an easier time staying out of the sand sea and also getting out if she ever did. If they also added sticking-type essories, she would be fully ready to face the treacherous sand waves.

    ¡°Hmm, feels good.¡±

    Yuzuha waited until the equipment was ready and wore it immediately. Back in human form, she twirled happily, showing off the costume.

    The smithy was rather narrow, but she was not so clumsy as to bump against anything.

    The one thing that concerned Shin was that with every twirl, Yuzuha¡¯s skirt would rise higher.

    The length was adjusted to Yuzuha¡¯s preference, but it was pretty short. Apparently, it would feel oppressive if it was longer.

    Shin couldn¡¯t see the parts hidden by the skirt, but other people probably could. Yuzuha was originally a monster, but when she was in human form he wanted her to mind such things more.

    ¡°If you want to see, go ahead.¡±

    Shin warned her to be careful, but Yuzuha¡¯s reply was all too nonchnt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start acting like Milt now.¡±

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    Yuzuha was about to lift the edges of her skirt, but Shin¡¯s light chop was faster. He knew she was joking, so he just poked her lightly.

    ¡°By the way, when you grow you retrieve some of your memories too, right? Have you recalled anything about this world?¡±

    Yuzuha was holding her head, ring dramatically at Shin, when he asked this question.

    She could not remember much when her powers were still mostly gone, but she might know more now. Shin bet on this faint hope, but Yuzuha shook her head in reply.

    ¡°The most important, precious memories are sleeping deep within me. If I temporarily turn into my adult form I can remember a lot, but not everything. I still can¡¯t recall the things you want to know.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy, huh¡­hey, I just asked in case you remembered anything, don¡¯t make that face.¡±

    Yuzuha all too clearly expressed how she felt sorry, so Shin patted her head. Shin really meant that he thought it might be a lucky chance if she remembered anything: he had no intention of using her at all.

    ¡°Okay, it should be time for dinner, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    The equipment was ready, they just needed to cross the sand sea. Shin and the others thoroughly enjoyed Schnee¡¯s cooking and took a good rest to be ready for the next morning.

    ¡°First, the ship.¡±

    Shinbined parts to make a ship, like he did in Barbatos.

    The ship was also customized for the sand sea: it had special propulsion devices, equipped with me, Water, Wind, and Earth magic enchantments, set in pairs on each end of the ship. The propulsive power of the ship was extremely high, enough to make a normal ship spin around.

    The reason why they needed something so powerful was that any object over a certain weight would be greatly influenced by the sand sea: ships with sails could not advance unless yers used powerful Wind spells. Some yers rumored that this special effect was a trap set in advance by the creators.

    ¡°Next, the equipment.¡±

    Shin distributed the equipment to the party members.

    Part of the equipment turned out to have risque designs, so Shin thought of changing it. Milt and Tiera had requested that particr design, so even if Shin changed it for Schnee and Filma, he would get usatory looks either way, so he gave up on making any changes.

    He would be on the receiving end of funny looks anyway, once the original design was found out.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s embarrassing, after all¡­¡±

    After changing, Tiera blushed fiercely and squirmed, hiding her body. Because of the equipment¡¯s design, that gesture made her look even more seductive.

    ¡°I prepared a more moderate design too, just in case.¡±

    Since Tiera was not exactly in her ¡°right mind¡± when she picked the design, Shin had also prepared the conservative version.

    ¡°¡­no, thank you. I chose this myself.¡±

    Tiera nced at Schnee, then rejected Shin¡¯s proposal. Just like Milt, Schnee and the others wore the equipment without any particr embarrassment.

    ¡°Your mistake is thinking that it¡¯s embarrassing. Just treat it as swimwear¡­¡±

    Tiera was mumbling, trying to convince herself. Shin thought it best not to stimte her further and looked at the others. Just then, someone clenched his shoulders.

    ¡°Hey, Shin? Why does everyone other than me have that design? Basically, you¡¯ll only let someone wear it if they have certain assets of a certain size?¡±

    The tone was calm, but terribly intimidating. Naturally, it was Sety.

    Excluding Yuzuha, currently in monster form, all female members of the party wore the same design ¡ª except Sety.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!! It¡¯s not on purpose!! Tiera and Milt saw the design of Schnee and Filma¡¯s equipment and said they wanted the same! We barely ever used your sand sea equipment, didn¡¯t we? So it just stayed as default. You wouldn¡¯t like to change it to something with more exposure either, would you?¡±

    Cold sweats were running down Shin¡¯s back. Looking at the party members, lined up on the ship¡¯s deck, there was no need to rify which ¡°asset¡± Sety was referring to. It jiggled every time they moved, further enhanced by the costume¡¯s unique traits.

    ¡°Reeeally? That¡¯s all?¡±

    ¡°Of course!! I showed the other designs to Milt and Tiera, it¡¯s not like I forced them to wear that!!¡±

    Shin desperately defended himself against Sety¡¯s vehement usations. All the other party members knew that the size of that ¡°asset¡± was a matter she was particrly sensible about.

    Things may have been different if there were other members with a physique like hers, but in this party, the average size was quite high.

    Other than Tiera, however, their proportions were all set by the yer who created them: with such stark differences, it wasn¡¯t strange for Sety to feel there was something behind it, or so Shin thought.

    ¡°Please, Sety, do not trouble Shin like this.¡±

    Schnee knew that Shin avoided using this equipment after gathering materials at the sand sea, so she lent him a helping hand.

    In the game era, only Schnee and Filma had experienced the sand sea multiple times. Their stats were already high at the time, and since in the sand sea it was more effective to gather materials by sneaking in small numbers, they decided to move in small groups.

    Girard, Shibaid, and Sety had been in the sand sea before, but had not participated in many material-gathering trips like Schnee and Filma. Sety¡¯s equipment thus still had the default design.

    Shin had changed Schnee and Filma¡¯s design because of the eye candy it could provide.

    ¡°Ngh¡­that is true, but¡­¡±

    Sety knew what Shin said was true, but could not ept it so easily.

    Was she gazing at Schnee¡¯s impressive assets or the veil that wrapped them? Probably both.

    ¡°Why not make something special for Sety, then? Even if you didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it¡¯s true that she¡¯s the only one left out.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s not why I¡¯m angry, though¡­¡±

    Sety objected to Schnee¡¯s suggestion, but her words trailed off.

    The ¡°killing intent¡± she showed before was definitely real: as Schnee said, she probably disliked being left out.

    Feeling apologetic, Shin agreed to craft equipment for her too.

 Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 5

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 2: Part 5</h4>

    ¡°As long as we go like this, it¡¯ll feel like the sea, just without waves.¡±

    Tiera seemed to have made up her mind: she did not hide anymore, as her hair fluttered in the wind.

    Maybe, because they were sailing on waves of sand instead of the sea, the ship did not rock much, if at all. The currents were far more subdued in the sand sea.

    ¡°No monsters to be found¡­¡±

    The party had been wary of monsters emerging from the sands at night, but nothing happened.

    They had been on the lookout ever since they set foot in the sand sea, but could not detect any hostile presence. They spotted a few rare monsters moving about on their own, but they showed no intention of attacking the party.

    ¡°I suppose they¡¯re all waiting to ambush us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s likely. I¡¯ve been having a harder time scanning for monsters ever since we entered the sand sea, though. They might be jamming our senses somehow.¡±

    Shin did not feel like his scanning abilities were halved or neutralized: but if he tried to extend the detection field, he felt as if he was looking at smoked ss: he could see, but not with rity.

    It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t see anything, but the unusual sensation gnawed at him.

    ¡°Schnee, Milt, do you feel anything?¡±

    Shin asked for Schnee and Milt¡¯s opinion, as the former had the widest detection range after him and thetter was a former yer like him.

    ¡°I do feel something is off, but it¡¯s so small that I¡¯m honestly not worried.¡±

    ¡°Same here. It feels like something is strange, but if you told me it was just my imagination, I¡¯d agree.¡±

    The sensation they felt was smallerpared to Shin. He asked the same to Shibaid, but received a simr reply.

    ¡°It feels like something is trying to trick our senses. The Boundary Guardian here is based on a Vanwood, so that might very well be true.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, it does feel like that.¡±

    In forest areas and dungeons dwelled monsters with the ability of disrupting detection fields: certain locations also had an innate ability of blocking detection.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident if it¡¯s about nt-type monsters, actually. I¡¯m a priestess of the World Tree ¡ª the apex of nt life, after all.¡±

    Tiera proudly stated that she wouldn¡¯t lose even to Schnee in that area.

    What she said was the truth: if dealing with nts, her senses were sharper than Schnee¡¯s or even Shin¡¯s. It was something she was born with, so Shin couldn¡¯t match her abilities.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin nodded, impressed, when his scan picked up something.

    They had ignored the asional lone presences they had felt until then, but the newly appeared monster had an aura that was simply toorge to discount: Shin elerated the ship.

    ¡°Ah¡­could this be¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s here after all.¡±

    Judging from Milt¡¯s reaction, she had surely detected it too. She nodded, showing there was no need for further exnations. Schnee and the others reacted in a simr way too.

    ¡°Eh? What?¡±

    ¡°I have a real bad feeling about this¡­¡±

    Tiera and Sety had smaller detection fields than the rest: one looked at the party with worry and confusion, the other instinctively understood something was up.

    ¡°The monster we talked about yesterday, Giant Caput, decided to show up.¡±

    Judging from the size of the presence, it was easily five timesrger than the ship. Five timesrger than a ship equipped with individual rooms for each party member, a kitchen, and a living room.

    Many of the monsters dwelling in the sand sea were veryrge in size, but even by such standards Giant Caput was incrediblyrge.

    ¡°F-five timesrger than this ship? Are you serious? We¡¯re going to fight something like that in a dangerous ce like this?¡±

    Shin told Tiera about the monster in more detail, but she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Shin¡¯s answer to her question, however, was a clear no.

    ¡°No way. That thing is massive, but it can¡¯t swim very quickly. We didn¡¯te here to fight it anyway, so we¡¯re steering clear.¡±

    Giant Caput usually hovered in the 600-700 level range. It was an opponent that required fairly high stats and specialized equipment.

    The party¡¯s current objective was the subjugation of the Sacred ce beyond the sand sea: they had no reason to deal with the Giant Caput.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to use the eleration device to propel the ship away from here. We¡¯re going to rock the ship, get ready.¡±

    Shin tapped the control panel and propulsion devices emerged from the sides of the ship. They were more powerful versions of the devices used to move the ship forward.

    ¡°Are you ready, everyone? Here we go!¡±

    The ship sted forward, as Shin was pressed against the pilot¡¯s seat.

    Schnee and the others, who had experienced the same eleration before, remained on their seats, keeping alert of the surroundings. Only Tiera waspletely tense.

    It was probably the first time for Kagerou and Yuzuha too, but they looked perfectly calm.

    Yuzuha, in human form, was even sitting on Shin¡¯sp, leisurely dangling her legs. It was a mystery how the sudden eleration didn¡¯t knock her off.

    ¡°Woow, so fast! Are we busting into the Sacred ce like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to slow down once we¡¯re far enough. If we keep going like this and they have a barrier up, it won¡¯t be pretty.¡±

    The ship was not built to be able to stop immediately. It had brake-like devices, but they could only slow it down. There was no emergency brake. If they encountered an invisible barrier, they would definitely crash.

    ¡°Not pretty? What do you mean?¡±

    As they were surrounded by sands, it was hard to tell, but the scenery was still blowing past them at incredible speed: Tiera imagined the ¡°not pretty¡± result and timidly inquired. She probably imagined the ship crashing to pieces.

    ¡°Well, frankly speaking¡­¡±

    ¡°F-frankly speaking¡­?¡±

    While paying attention to any obstacles on their path, Shin whispered after a dramatic pause.

    ¡°¡­our rooms below would get pretty messy.¡±

    ¡°¡­huh?¡±

    Tiera drew a nk, unable to process Shin¡¯s answer. When she finally managed to, she blushed fiercely.

    ¡°Shiiinn!!!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Even if we crash against a barrier, this ship¡¯s sturdy enough to withstand the impact. We¡¯ve also got safety devices so that no one is flung against a wall, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Tiera realized Shin was teasing her and protested, raising her hand in a fist. Shin was not so irresponsible as to respond to that while piloting the ship, however, so Tiera¡¯s fist had nowhere to go, causing her bright red embarrassment.

    ¡°Hehe, so cute.¡±

    ¡°If you really think so, you could have saved her the embarrassment¡­¡±

    Filma looked at the exchange and chuckled. She then added that she understood Shin¡¯s desire to tease her, and Shibaid sighed helplessly.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go to my quarters a bit, then. Once the mission starts for real, there won¡¯t be time to rx, after all. ¡±

    The Sacred ce was still quite far: that was one reason why Shin had the leeway to tease Tiera.

 Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 6

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 2: Part 6</h4>

    ¡°¡­can I help you?¡±

    After watching Filma walk towards Shin and the others, Shibaid turned to another direction. His gaze was directed at Milt.

    ¡°As we still have some time until our destination, I thought it could be a good opportunity to talk.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to be so polite. This is the way of speaking I find mostfortable, so you should do the same, Milt.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Thank you, then.¡±

    Despite being with Shin¡¯s party pretty often, outside of Shin and a developing rtionship with Tiera, Milt had never really interacted with the others.

    Thanks to his experiences, Shibaid quickly understood that she was nervous. She looked like the kind of person who could easily get along with anyone, but that was just a front she put on.

    Shibaid knew such a person already, so he did not have trouble understanding Milt.

    ¡°We never talked much, but I guess we go a long way back too. It¡¯s a strange feeling, to be honest¡­but I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re here to chit-chat.¡±

    Shibaid retained his memories of the game era, including the period during which Milt joined Shin¡¯s party.

    Milt too knew Shibaid, as a support character.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of strange to say this after I¡¯ve joined you guys plenty of times already¡­but I was wondering what you thought of what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. About what exactly?¡±

    ¡°Shin and Schnee are officially together now, so I wondered if you didn¡¯t have a bad opinion of me. I know it¡¯s probably toote to say something like this, but since you were a support character like Schnee, I thought you might see me as someone just getting in their way, right? When I¡¯m with Shin I tend to lose restraint, I mean, I get a bit bold¡­thinking about it, it¡¯s like I¡¯m trying to mess with someone who¡¯s actually not avable¡­¡±

    After objectively looking at Tiera¡¯s position, Milt also reviewed her own actions.

    ¡°Meeting Shin for the first time in a long while made me lose my cool, I guess.¡±

    After such a ¡°review¡±, Milt found her conduct to be not very appropriate, at all.

    She also added that the otherdies of the party did not seem to mind. That was something Shibaid could not quite understand himself.

    Shibaid hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

    ¡°I do not know what Schnee truly thinks, but as you say, she does not seem crossed.¡±

    All people, not only Elves, would find it unpleasant if someone got too close with the person they loved. Even if they weren¡¯t, they would surely try to prevent the ¡°intruder¡± from persisting in such behavior.

    Milt did not try to hide her advances, so Schnee surely knew about them, unless she was elsewhere.

    ¡°She definitely ces deep trust in Shin, or maybe she thinks the same thing as us, even now.¡±

    ¡°The same thing?¡±

    ¡°Milt, did Shin tell you how he returned to this world?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±

    Milt knew that Shin had not actually died in the game world. Shibaid then continued.

    ¡°There are many people that act as ties between Shin and this world. That is what we think. To entertain a rtionship with someone else is one of them: emotions can tie people more strongly than anything else, after all.¡±

    For better or for worse.

    Shibaid¡¯s words were based on his experience as ruler of an empire.

    ¡°Do you really need to think like that? Shin has decided to stay here, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Shin has disappeared from us once. Knowing what the circumstances were at the time, I believe it was natural. I also know that the current circumstances are different. No one can say, however, that it will not happen again. If a way for Shin to return is found¡­we need as many ties as possible, in order for him to choose this ¡ª hmm. This is not good¡­when facing this topic, I tend to return to my old emperor self¡­¡±

    Shibaid rubbed his chin.

    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t exactly how an emperor would think. I have lived long in this world already¡­to be perfectly honest, it is not unusual here for a strong man to have multiple wives. In Human and Beast societies it¡¯s rmended, actually. With strong descendants, you will be able to brave all sorts of dangers.¡±

    From the more normal monsters to extraordinary creatures such Demons, Divine Beasts and Devils. In a world where such things existed, one could never be strong enough.

    ¡°In conclusion, I have no intention to chastise your behavior, Milt. Because I think you have not overstepped your bounds or done anything outrageous.¡±

    It would be different if her actions offended Shin or the others. After this implication, Shibaid looked at Shin¡¯s group, where Filma¡¯s addition had made things rather noisy. He could tell the mood was cheerful, though.

    ¡°I see. Well then, now that I have your seal of approval, guess I¡¯ll join them too.¡±

    ¡°Hah, Shin truly has it rough¡­¡±

    The party certainly did not look like they were heading off to battle at all, yet Shibaid knew that no one had actually lowered their guard.

    They had not met their opponents yet, but they were still in enemy territory. Despite appearing to have fun, all members were ready to act if anything happened. Only Tiera was probably not as ready as the others, but that was just the difference in experience.

    ¡°To think that I would act as a chaperone¡­¡±

    So Shibaid whispered to himself, while looking at Shin¡¯s group.

    What he said to Milt was true for himself too. To find partners and give birth to powerful descendants. In this world, this was a sort of duty for the strong: and Shibaid was no exception.

    When he was emperor, the ministers, functionaries and even militarymanders rmended ¡ª sometimes subtly, sometimes openly ¡ª consort candidates.

    Shimaia, the daughter of the current emperor, renewed her marriage proposal to him every time they met.

    I thought I had no time for such things, but now that I¡¯m a chaperone myself, it feels so different¡­how quaint.

    ¡°In any case, whenever your children are born, I do wish to instruct them in the martial arts.¡±

    Shibaid imagined being the instructor of Shin¡¯s children and remembered the words of a militarymander, who once confessed that it was his dream to one day instruct Shibaid¡¯s children.

    Finally understanding the man¡¯s feelings, Shibaid nodded to himself.

    He then silently sent a look of support to Schnee.

 Book 18: Chapter 3: Part 1

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 3: Part 1</h4>

    ¡°Found a presence¡­wait¡­what the¡­?¡±

    One hour after the party embarked on their sand sea journey, thanks to the magic-powered ship¡¯s speed they finally reached what seemed to be the location of the Sacred ce. The sheer size of it, however, left Shin almost speechless.

    ¡°To say it¡¯s huge¡­would be a severe understatement.¡±

    Schnee apparently picked it up too: her expression tensed slightly. The more they approached the presence, the clearer its size became: it was already enough to dwarf a Giant Caput.

    ¡°The Sacred ce is fused with a monster¡­?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other exnation¡­¡±

    Milt whispered while looking at the scenery and Shibaid nodded in agreement.

    The party¡¯s eyes were focused on a gigantic root, piercing through castle walls. ck and red vein-like objects bulged and pulsated on the root: a characteristic unique to certain nt-type monsters.

    If their information was correct, that probably belonged to the Vanwood Guardian.

    ¡°Can monsters fuse with cities now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Based on what Eleven said, I guess?¡±

    Sety was in utter disbelief, while Filma struggled with the concept as well.

    ¡°So, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°First, let¡¯s check what that actually is. If it has eyes or simr organs, it will already know we¡¯re here, but at least it¡¯s not acting like that now. I can see a ce we can use tond. We¡¯ll go there, and, if nothing happens, me and Schnee will go down first to scout the area.¡±

    Shin replied to Tiera¡¯s question; they would investigate the area first.

    If their only goal was to defeat the enemy, Schnee and Sety would be firing wide-range spells to burn down most of the monster¡¯s body. In that case, however, they didn¡¯t know what would happen to the Sacred ce¡¯s core. They didn¡¯t know how sturdy it was, or even its location.

    If they attacked where the core *probably* wasn¡¯t, but ended up destroying it in the process, it would all mean nothing. Large scale magic was the group¡¯sst resort; they already knew that cores could be destroyed.

    If they could fire such spells in rapid session, they could control their firepower and systematically attack the monster from the roots up, but it wasn¡¯t possible to use the spells so quickly at present. In the end Shin decided not to use them, also as a form of insurance.

    ¡°We¡¯re already pretty close, but I can¡¯t see or detect any other monsters.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­could it be that it turned them all into nutrients?¡±

    Shin followed Schnee¡¯sment with a possible exnation.

    The monsters around Sacred ces were born from the magic power overflowing from it, but they were not immune to the Sacred ce master¡¯s attacks.

    It would not be strange for the master to absorb the monsters in order to recover excess magic power.

    ¡°That monster¡¯s presence is so strong that it¡¯s hard to scan inside the Sacred ce. It¡¯s definitely inside though.¡±

    ¡°There might be monsters under the master¡¯s control. If it can nt seeds in them to control them, it¡¯s definitely more effective than just unleashing a horde of monsters in the city.¡±

    The presence likely belonging to the Guardian enveloped the whole city, probably as a consequence of having fused with it.

    On the map, the area slightly ahead of the party¡¯snding point waspletely red. The icon was sorge that there might be all sorts of things hiding under it though.

    The icon was a shade paler than usual monster icons, which made it possible to have a general idea of the city¡¯s structure.

    However, as Filma said, it made it impossible to detect if there were any other monsters inside.

    In the Gryphon Guardian¡¯s Sacred ce, where Shin had been sent to in the past, monsters moved and acted freely.

    Things were clearly very different here. As Shibaid pointed out, monsters of various types could be manipted to cooperate, making them more dangerous than their level suggested.

    ¡°Yuzuha, can you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°The presence is too fuzzy¡­but I have a bad feeling about it.¡±

    Being a monster, Yuzuha detected presences in a different way from Shin and the others. Shin thus asked her if she felt anything they didn¡¯t: Yuzuha replied while staring in the direction of the Sacred ce.

    She couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was inside either, but her mention of a ¡°bad feeling¡± piqued Shin¡¯s interest.

    ¡°A bad feeling, hmm¡­if you can tell me more¡­I guess you¡¯d have done so already. Does anyone feel anything else?¡±

    So Shin asked the other members.

    Like Yuzuha¡¯s ¡°bad feeling¡±, sensations difficult to put into words were not to be underestimated. They might have subconsciously found something very important.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit different from what Yuzuha said, but I have the feeling it¡¯s in pain. Maybe the Guardian didn¡¯t n to reach this state.¡±

    Tiera was the first to reply. Since the Guardian was based on a nt-type monster, she could probably sense things Shin and the others could not feel.

    ¡°In pain¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Shin, could it be that the core is going berserk?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder¡­yeah, you might be right.¡±

    For Shin, avid consumer of manga and games, the enemy losing control and going wild, even if the heroes¡¯ party did not do anything, was not an umon development.

    Milt¡¯s idea was probably based on the fact that she too was aware of such stories.

    ¡°The core is going berserk? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure yet, but I¡¯ve read about this kind of thing before. Eleven didn¡¯t really exin much about the core either¡­anyway, it might be that something unexpected happened ¡ª something that not even the core¡¯s master predicted. Well, it¡¯s just a possibility.¡±

    As they talked, the ship finally crossed over the edge of the sand sea.

    The Sacred ce was surrounded by 50 mel widend, beyond which were the castle walls, ravaged by the roots.

    Shin stopped the ship and put it back into the item box. There was no sign that monsters were going to attack yet.

    ¡°Like I said before, me and Schnee are going scouting first. If anything happens, let us know with Mind Chat.¡±

    Shibaid and the rest of the party nodded, then Shin and Schnee headed for the castle walls. The fact that they did not crumble anywhere, despite the giant roots prating them, was testament to their resilience.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it means anything, but let¡¯s conceal our presence, just in case.¡±

    Shin and Schnee used ¡¾Hiding¡¿, as well as skills to erase their scent. They used their stealth capabilities to the max, also as a way to test the Guardian¡¯s detection ability.

    They climbed on the walls, carefully avoiding the roots, then observed the interior of the city.

    ¡°I knew we weren¡¯t going to find anything pretty¡­but this exceeds my expectations.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­the direction we came from is the only one that retained any city-like features, apparently.¡±

    Beyond the castle walls extended a sea of trees.

    There were building-like structures here and there, but they were covered in vegetation, roots and branches growing through their walls and roof, barely retaining their original shape.

    ¡°It has to berger than the original city¡­at least, I don¡¯t remember any city of this size in the game era.¡±

    The sea of trees spread beyond what Shin and Schnee could see. Some cities in the game era were veryrge, but not to this extent. The sea trees had taken over the city, then continued expanding.

    ¡°This makes it quite difficult to locate the core, though.¡±

    ¡°Right. Eleven said it¡¯s probably in the center of the city, now that the original city is barely recognizable, we don¡¯t even have a clue about where to find it.¡±

    Thanks to the presence of the castle walls, they knew that the city center shouldn¡¯t be too far, but that was all they knew.

    ¡°Will the core really be in the center of the city, I wonder.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it moved?¡±

    Eleven had told Shin and the party that they just needed to head for the city center, but he didn¡¯t say that the core couldn¡¯t be moved.

    ¡°I cannot say with certainty, but there¡¯s something off about the current situation. Because of these walls, we know there was supposed to be a city here. Assuming that the core was in its center, it started from there, turned the area closer to Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce into a sand sea, then formed a sea of trees on the other side. I think that was done only to make it more difficult for Eleven to attack.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if it can do all this, it would have been easier to stretch its roots all the way to Eleven¡¯s base and attack, right¡­¡±

    There were monsters in the sand sea, but their usefulness was severely limited onnd.

    Schnee¡¯s idea that the sand sea was purely a defensive measure was well-grounded. While not perfect, it could work nicely as a buffer zone between Sacred ces.

    The core¡¯s exact capacity was unknown, but Shin thought that expanding one¡¯s territory would definitely be an advantage,

    If the Vanwood Guardian could stretch its roots, nting seeds in any monsters they found and feed on them, it could be greatly advantageous in battle.

    ¡°The roots here could stretch all the way to the Sacred ce allied with this Guardian. Maybe it can do that since they¡¯re allies? But to be honest¡­¡±

    ¡°It feels more like an invasion.¡±

    ¡°Right. Eleven said that the two Guardians joined forces to fight him, but the truth could be different¡­¡±

    At the very least, Shin¡¯s party did not experience any enemy attacks as they traveled across the sand sea, nor did they see any monstersing from the Sacred ce.

    The monsters that attacked Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce were nt-type monsters and monsters controlled by parasite seeds.

    The monsters formed by the Sacred ces¡¯ magic power did not necessarily follow the type of monster the Guardian was based on: there could have been monsters from this Sacred ce among the ones attacking Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce, but there was no way to be sure.

    ¡°This feels very different from what we¡¯ve been told¡­¡±

    ¡°He fed us false information and offered a false reward in order to use us. Is that what you think, Shin?¡±

    ¡°A little, yeah. Eleven definitely knows things we don¡¯t. He might be trying to use us, and also have something up his sleeve to use in case we find out¡­but if we start questioning things we¡¯ll be here all day.¡±

    There were so many things suspicious about the whole situation.

    ¡°Even in the worst-case scenario, we should at least be able to stop them from sending monsters towards the continent. That¡¯s the reason why the empire agreed to cooperate: Eleven¡¯s request is just a bonus.¡±

    Once Yuzuha regained her original powers and memories, she would likely be a source for all the information Shin wanted to know.

    Shin, embarrassingly enough, only realized it the night before, when he fitted her equipment for the sand sea.

    ¡°In any case¡­I didn¡¯t expect to have to send an emergency message so quickly.¡±

    ¡°If things are so different from what we expected¡­I think we must.¡±

    Shin looked up at the sky.

    The way to contact Gelganger after securing the core had already been decided.

    Shin and Schnee climbed down the castle walls, regrouped with the rest of the party and exined what they found. Next, Shin shot a ¡¾Fireball¡¿ towards the sky.

    A little whileter, a bird-sized dragon came flying. Strictly speaking, it was a dragon-shaped slime, as the creature was formed from part of Gelganger¡¯s body. It could be used tomunicate over short distances, apparently.

    Gelganger¡¯s main body was standing not too far away, at an altitude where it didn¡¯t risk encountering other flying monsters.

    ¡°I have not been summoned because the core has been retrieved, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°The Sacred ce is in a state like this, after all. To be honest, we have no idea where it could be. Can you find any hints from above?¡±

    ¡°The city is covered by clouds, so my main body cannot see anything either. Based on what my other copies can see, the forest extends for roughly 10 kemel.¡±

    ¡°No particr buildings, or any areas that stand out?¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s copy shook its head.

    ¡°Okay then¡­we need a n.¡±

    All clues were gone. Even Shin¡¯s party would need a long time to search such arge forest without any hints.

    ¡°I suppose there is no other way. I will take my main body to your group and search from there.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a way to find the core?¡±

    ording to Gelganger, being created as Eleven¡¯s retainer gave it the ability to detect the core¡¯s wavelength.

    While it could not pinpoint its exact location, knowing the general direction was a big step forward.

    At present, Gelganger was Eleven¡¯s sole retainer, so taking control of the core was also its task.

    If anything happened to Gelganger it wouldn¡¯t be possible to take over the core, so it was waiting away from the Sacred ce, but the situation demanded otherwise.

 Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 2

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 2</h4>

    After a while, Gelganger¡¯s main body came down from the sky. Itnded close by and changed to human form.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. I have scanned the area again while descending, but could not see any buildings of note, after all.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got nothing better than your detection abilities then. We¡¯re going to stand guard, so please focus on that.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Never would I have dreamed to have the honor of being escorted by a High Human, though.¡±

    Gelganger finished its words with a smile.

    Its expression looked perfectly human: Shin had the feeling that after meeting them, Gelganger was resembling a normal human being more and more. Its expressions and gestures werepletely natural.

    ¡°Shall I start right now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but today we¡¯re only going as far as we can while being able toe back here before nightfall. I want to see how this forest changes during the night before we set out for real.¡±

    What the group was facing was not any normal forest, but one created by a Boundary Guardian in a Sacred ce.

    Tsuki no Hokora was protected by powerful barriers, but Shin was not so overconfident as to leisurely spend the night in a ce with so many unknowns.

    Like before, he scouted the surroundings with Schnee, then they made a formation with Gelganger in the center.

    Shibaid walked in front, while Filma took up the rear. Tiera and Milt stood on the left and right sides. Finally, Sety was next to Gelganger.

    ¡°Schnee, have you ever seen these nts before?¡±

    Shin had never paid much attention to nts in the game era, so he couldn¡¯t identify the vegetation around them.

    He could more or less figure out if they could be used as crafting materials, but did not know anything about their habitat.

    The reason why he asked Schnee such a question was that the nts he saw looked fairly different from what he expected to find in a tropical forest or a jungle ¡ª as far as he knew from TV documentaries.

    ¡°Yes, these nts grow on the continent too. However, there are nts growing in the south mixed in with vegetation from the north¡­please look at that.¡±

    Schnee pointed at a thicket of trees with zig-zagged leaves zed by a light sheen.

    ¡°Those trees normally grow in temperate areas. They cannot grow in any other environment. It is bizarre to see nts of many different habitats growing together like this.¡±

    ¡°I see, I did feel something was off¡­the flora is all over the ce, huh.¡±

    Even if Shin was not knowledgeable about nts, the difference from the vegetation he saw on TV was clear enough for him to notice.

    ¡°You know, even if we¡¯re right next to the sand sea, this ce is really humid. Is this also because of the Guardian? We¡¯re still supposed to be inside the Sacred ce, though.¡±

    The forest was dimly lit, as the tall trees popting the surroundings blocked most of the sunlight.

    The roots poking out of the ground could easily snag feet, while the carpet of dead leaves treacherously concealed sharp and pointy rocks: all in all, just walking in the forest was a draining task.

    ¡°Even just walking straight is a pain here.¡±

    ¡°We can manage only because it¡¯s us, really. The fact that you can¡¯t detect monsters normally is pretty annoying too.¡±

    As before, the map was mostly upied by the Guardian¡¯s icon.

    More than a Sacred ce, the forest was more aptly described as being its own body. The party¡¯s detection skills started functioning a bit more after the party entered the forest, however, so they didn¡¯t risking face to face with monsters without warning.

    They could never be too sure, though: many monsters had the ability to conceal their presence or appearance, especially in an environment like the forest.

    ¡°The spell I sent forward caught something. Threeing from the right.¡±

    Sety spoke up. In addition to Shin and the others¡¯ detection abilities, she had conjured magic decoys to scout the surroundings and attract the monsters¡¯ attention.

    The group thoroughly scanned the surroundings. Shin detected 3 presences as well: he nced at Schnee and she nodded.

    ¡°Keep your guard up, guys, I¡¯ll go take care of these.¡±

    Shin ced his hand on the katana¡¯s hilt and sprinted. The monsters apparently noticed, as they wereing straight for him.

    He could see them through the trees: ck and brown fur with red streaks,rge, powerful limbs, and will-o¡¯ wisp-like mes floating around the neck.

    They were Warhunds, four-legged beasts with bodies spanning about 4 mel. Their levels were respectively 533, 510 and 739.

    Thest of the group, unlike the others, had six will-o¡¯wisps around its neck and a body twice their size. Its level was 200 higher too.

    Shin thought that even if it was the leader, its level was too far removed.

    ¡°They¡¯re not being manipted?¡±

    Shin could not detect the parasitic nts that controlled the monsters that attacked Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce. They seemed to be moving and acting on their own will.

    The three Warhunds were charging straight at Shin, as if they couldn¡¯t feel the difference in fighting power between them and him.

    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡±

    Eventually the three monsters slowed down: when they appeared before Shin, they had dropped to a walking pace. They quietly looked down at him, standing on a ruined building.

    From their momentum, Shin expected them to attack like that, so he was rather perplexed.

    For about a minute, nothing happened between them, bizarrely so. Suddenly, the Warhund leader raised its head and howled.

    It was clearly a signal: the other two beasts quickly jumped down and attacked Shin by pincering him from the left and right side.

    One targeted his shoulder, the other his legs: even if Shin dodged at thest second, they weren¡¯t going to crash into each other.

    The leader, on the other hand, was keeping its distance: it was apparently observing both Shin and the rest of the party.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Shin felt something was off about the Warhunds¡¯ movements and sheathed his katana. He swung his left arm, striking the Warhund targeting his shoulder with the scabbard.

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    The other Warhund took advantage of the opening to try to bite Shin¡¯s leg, but he switched the scabbard to his right hand and pointed it at the monster.

    The Warhund, its fangs bared and ready to pierce Shin¡¯s leg guards, stopped dead in its tracks. Despite the grinding sounds of teeth against metal, Shin¡¯s leg guards were unscathed.

    It then tried pulling to knock Shin on the ground, to no avail: Shin didn¡¯t budge.

    The monster seemed to realize that it wasn¡¯t doing any damage: it stopped after Shin¡¯s question, then moved away from him.

    The Warhund sent flying by the scabbard stood back on its feet and rejoined its brethren. Shin had held back, so it still had enough energy to move.

    ¡°You guys are acting way too suspiciously¡­hmm, Warhunds are canine monsters, so¡­Yuzuha,e here!¡±

    The Warhunds simply looked at Shin, without attacking. He decided to call for Yuzuha¡¯s help.

    Their species was rtively close to Kagerou and Yuzuha: Shin hoped she would be able to interpret and find out some information from them.

    ¡°You won¡¯t fight them?¡±

    The Warhunds heard Yuzuha¡¯s words and stepped backwards.

    She was currently in her 1 mel-sized fox form, as it was easier to move in, which was much smaller than the monsters. Even so, their eyes were all fixated on her.

    Their reaction was different to when they faced Shin: he thought that there might be a sort of pressure that only monsters close in species could sense.

    ¡°These guys aren¡¯t fighting seriously, you see. It feels like they charged forward to test our strength.¡±

    When Warhunds fight with all their might, the will-o¡¯wisps around their neck disappear and their whole body is enveloped in bluish mes. This would help them sustain less physical damage and inflict me damage with their attacks.

    The Warhunds, however, did not exhibit these changes and fought like any canine monster could.

    It did not look like they were weakened orcked the strength to do it.

    Despite this, they very clearly didn¡¯t fight seriously. There was more than enough proof to suspect that something was up with them.

    The Warhund leader stepped forward, as if it could understand Shin and Yuzuha¡¯s words. Yuzuha too approached it and talked.

    ¡°¡­kuu? We came here over the sand sea. We don¡¯t know anything about that.¡±

    Yuzuha and the Warhund leader exchanged some more ¡°kuus¡± and ¡°growls¡±. Yuzuha suddenly voiced a sentence in humannguage, which was apparently understood by the leader, then they returned to animal-like cries.

    ¡°The Guardian of the Sacred ce next to this is attacking them, apparently. Their master is expanding its territory to protect its subordinates.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    It was an unexpected piece of information. Eleven had said that the Guardians of two cities were attacking him, but the Warhund leader painted a very different picture.

    ¡°We were attacked by monsters controlled by nt parasites on the way here. What about those?¡±

    Shin and his party thought that the nts manipting monsters to attack Eleven¡¯s Sacred ce originated from one of the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s abilities.

    The Warhund leader, however, stated that none of them ever crossed the sand sea to attack other cities.

    It could say so with certainty because the Warhund leader had a position simr to Gelganger.

    That exined its high level: while it couldn¡¯t speak humannguage, it seemed possessed rtively high intellect.

    ording to Yuzuha¡¯s trantions, in the recent months they had been upied with defending from the attacksing from the neighboring Sacred ce, so they had no time or leeway to attack elsewhere.

    Just like Eleven, their master had been cut off from the Guardians¡¯ informationwork.

    They were being attacked now too: they had noticed the arrival of Shin¡¯s party, so the Warhunds came to scout their intentions.

    They correctly guessed that Shin¡¯s party hade on behalf of Eleven.

    ¡°This is weird¡­¡±

    Shin furrowed his brow. Eleven¡¯s side of the story was very different from what the Warhund leader said.

    ording to Eleven, the Guardians were cooperating and exchanging information to a degree, for the sake of investigating the events concerning Reforgerer.

    The groups of monsters that invaded the empire were also three, eaching from one of the Sacred ces. Or at least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be.

    ¡°You really can¡¯tmunicate with the other Guardians?¡±

    Shin asked again to confirm and the Warhund leader nodded.

    ¡°The Guardian that attacked Eleven pretended to be this Sacred ce¡¯s Guardian?¡±

    ¡°I think so. Judging from the situation, the culprit should be the Guardian of the third Sacred ce, the one next to this¡­still, there¡¯s something weird about all this.¡±

    The Guardians of the Sacred ce Shin¡¯s party was currently in and the one next to it ¡ª ording to Eleven ¡ª ¡°only thought of aplishing their functions¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk with myrades, can you wait here?¡±

    The Warhund leader nodded, so Shin and Yuzuha rejoined the others.

    He told them what he learned from the Warhunds, then looked at Gelganger.

    ¡°How could such a thing be¡­?¡±

    If Gelganger already knew about the situation, they would have to think again about how to move. Its wide-eyed surprise, however, suggested that it was all new information for it too.

    Schnee and the others agreed that it couldn¡¯t be all an act.

    ¡°Is it possible to pretend to be a different Guardian in thework?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. Only Guardians can ess thework, that is everything we know.¡±

    ¡°So Eleven didn¡¯t realize what was going on and focused on strengthening his defenses, thinking that two Guardians were attacking at the same time¡­?¡±

    Or he realized the truth, but neglected to address it¡­Shin considered this possibility, but concluded that Eleven would have exined things in a different way in that case.

    Once the party arrived in the Sacred ce, they would quickly realize that the circumstances were different. If the Guardians that were supposed to be allies were actually fighting each other, Shin¡¯s party was highly likely to return, in order to gather more information.

    If Eleven really nned to use Shin¡¯s party to take over the Sacred ces, he would have given them an exnation that justified what they just learned.

    ¡°It could be trying to buy time in order to take over this Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. The more cores a Guardian has, the more powerful it bes, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, that is correct.¡±

    Shin added his thoughts to Schnee¡¯sment, then turned towards Gelganger. After a brief pause, thetter nodded in agreement. Shin expected it to, so he was not particrly surprised.

    ¡°I guess you want to exchange some more information with the subordinates of the Guardian here, right?¡±

    ¡°This situation ispletely unexpected for me as well. If possible, I would very much like to do so.¡±

    Guardian subordinates couldmunicate without the need for interpreters: Gelganger approached the Warhund leader, who seemed to share the same intentions.

    Shin hoped that this would lead to a clear understanding of the situation¡­when a tremor shook the ground.

 Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 3

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 3</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    The ground shook violently up and down, much more than any quake could on Earth.

    The sudden tremor made Shin and the others stagger, but, in the game era there were plenty of monsters that shook the ground just by walking, they quickly regained their bnce and scanned the surroundings for any threats.

    Tiera had less experience than the others, but managed to keep standing and ready her weapon, thanks to her training.

    The Warhunds then started growling, in a direction different from the one Shin¡¯s party came from.

    ¡°They said, they¡¯reing again.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯sing?¡±

    The Warhunds growled for a specific reason, which Yuzuha tranted. The tremor was not a natural phenomenon, and ording to Warhunds, it had happened before.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be the Guardian from the next Sacred ce, can it?¡±

    The enemy was powerful enough to send the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s subordinates, the Warhunds, on high alert. It had to be the Guardian from the other Sacred ce or its subordinates.

    Shin thought the Warhunds would immediately go fight the enemy, but they showed no signs of moving.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Because of the deep vegetation, Shin couldn¡¯t see what the Warhunds were growling at.

    Shin had to activate ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to see beyond the trees, but the forest seemed to extend forever, so he could not see past it.

    He looked for any likely sources of the tremor within the radius of his skills, but could not find anything.

    ¡°They say it¡¯sing from underground.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that makes it harder to fight¡­¡±

    yers have few ways to attack monsters located underground. Against flying monsters, they could simply chuck rocks or, more effectively, use tracking spells, arrows or projectiles, but underground monsters were not as easily dealt with.

    The ground itself acted as a shield, which prevented the yers from getting closer. The monsters, on the other hand, could move freely, putting them at a great advantage.

    Before Shin attained his current strength, he never went out of his way to fight underground monsters. They were difficult to hit properly and could hardly be stopped if they tried to run away.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s over?¡±

    Shin was trying toe up with a good countermeasure, but the Warhunds apparently did not intend to fight.

    After a while, they retracted their exposed fangs and turned towards Shin and the others.

    ording to Yuzuha, other servants would deal with the invader. Unlike Eleven, the Vanwood Guardian apparently had multiple close subordinates.

    Shin looked in the direction the Warhunds growled at and noticed a column of smoke. The battle had probably started.

    ¡°I suppose we can start exchanging information now, yes?¡±

    ¡°Judging from the Warhunds¡¯ behavior, I think so. We¡¯ll stand guard.¡±

    In case of attacks from underground, to be able to detect them early was of vital importance. Shin and the rest of the party scanned all directions ¡ª sky, ground and forest ¡ª for any hostile activity.

    On the other hand, the Warhund leader and Gelganger started exchanging information.

    Shin was surprised to see Gelganger transform its hand into slime form and touch the Warhund¡¯s leader¡¯s will-o¡¯wisp cor with it. As far as he knew, those globes of light did not have a material body.

    Shin wondered what was going to happen next, but nothing did. The two monsters stood there silently: it certainly didn¡¯t look like they weremunicating in any way.

    Shin thought that the tentacle between the Warhund¡¯s light globe and Gelganger¡¯s tentacle probably allowed them tomunicate.

    A faint light could be seen traveling through Gelganger¡¯s slime-like arm. Thinking that it might be working like optical fiber, Shin marveled at the versatility of slimes in this world.

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait. As it turns out, various things have happened since my master was cut off from the Guardianwork.¡±

    After about five minutes, Gelganger detached its tentacle from the light globe.

    The information exchange had ended: the sour expression on the elderly gentleman¡¯s face, however, suggested that the situation had not improved.

    ¡°Tell us more.¡±

    Shin prompted Gelganger to go on, while maintaining alert about any threats in the surroundings.

    ording to the information obtained from the Warhund leader, several months prior ¡ª though, since Warhunds did not keep track of passing days, Gelganger estimated the period based on the times the sun rose in the monster¡¯s memories ¡ª any contact from the Guardian of the neighboring Sacred ce had ceased and they lost ess of thework.

    Only the Guardian itself could ess thework, though, so the Warhunds could not know if it was really impossible to ess it.

    In any case, this development became known several months before.

    Then, a few dayster, the monsters from the neighbor Sacred ce started invading, expanding their area of influence.

    Probably because the Guardian was based on a Arahabaki, the area under its influence increased in temperature to the point the ground turned red hot; in certain parts it even started melting. The most recent attack too, while it didn¡¯t melt the ground, seeded in setting fire to part of the forest.

    ¡°The matchup couldn¡¯t be worse, huh¡­¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, most nt monsters were weak to fire. Monsters like Arahabaki, which could emit mes at temperatures much higher than normal fire, were natural enemies for them.

    The Wolfreet, its whereabouts still unknown after itsst appearance, was the same: it could damage nt monsters just by being there.

    After detecting the Arahabaki Guardian¡¯s expansion, the Warhunds¡¯ leader and Guardian started doing the same. It took over areas still untouched by the Arahabaki Guardian, to dy its advance.

    The two territories came into contact about one week ago: because of the affinity problem, the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s territory was gradually being eroded.

    The earthquake was also caused by this conflict: the Vanwood Guardian apparently knew that its dominion wasn¡¯t going tost much longer.

    ¡°To think that the situation would be this different¡­¡±

    ¡°I am very surprised too, sir. Even if we were incapacitated from obtaining new information, we would have not expected such drastic developments¡­¡±

    Gelganger frowned at the unexpected circumstances.

    Shin¡¯s party could not simply continue with their n of defeating the Guardians one by one, starting from the closest one. If the Guardians were fighting among themselves, there was a high probability that they were acting of their own free will, like Eleven.

    In that case, they might act differently from the Guardians had met before ¡ª which attacked him on sight.

    Shin did not consider all Guardians to automatically be enemies, so it was necessary to gauge their intentions and revise their ns.

    ¡°If things are like this, maybe it will be possible to negotiate with this Guardian? If it doesn¡¯t n to attack us or Eleven¡¯s territory, there¡¯s no need to defeat it, is there?¡±

    They didn¡¯t know the intentions of the Vanwood Guardian yet, but using them to their advantage was a strategy as well. Solving the situation without fighting was ideal, after all.

    If possible, Shin wanted to spare himself and the party having to search the sea of trees for the core, while fighting its monsters.

    ¡°Indeed, we are just defending ourselves against the monsters invading our area. If this Guardian¡¯s intentions have changed, there is the possibility of a peaceful resolution.¡±

    The two Guardians on this side of the ind, Vanwood and Arahabaki, originally attacked to remove Eleven, the ¡°irregrity¡±.

    Eleven was seen as irregr by all other Guardians, but judging from the situation one of the two Guardians ¡ª probably Arahabaki, who turned against its fellow Guardian ¡ª had changed somehow.

    If the negotiations failed, they would start looking for the core again with Gelganger. In that case, the Warhunds would take the matter seriously. Shin had no intention of holding back.

    ¡°I shall try to talk to them once more. Please wait.¡±

    Gelganger then turned its hand to slime form again and stretched it towards the Warhund leader.

    The leader seemed a little wary at first, but rxed when it realized Gelganger did not have hostile intentions.

    ¡°(Did anything happen between the Guardians that we are not aware of?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s possible. I don¡¯t know how many Guardians there are, but it wouldn¡¯t be too far-fetched if Guardians other than Eleven developed their own unique conscience.)¡±

    Shin watched over Gelganger and the Warhunds while talking with Schnee via Mind Chat.

    The Guardians were capable ofmunication and had their own informationwork. Shin thought that all Guardians had their own conscience, at least to a degree.

    Judging from what Eleven said, it probably depended on the monsters they were based on; there were other human-like monsters like the Doppelganger, however, and some monsters were capable ofmunication even if they didn¡¯t have human-like traits.

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait. The negotiations areplete, so allow me to exin.¡±

    After about 10 minutes, Gelganger retracted its slime arm and turned towards Shin and the party.

    ¡°In short, if the currently invading Guardian can be defeated and subjugated, Number 37 agrees to be my master¡¯s subordinate.¡±

    ¡°¡­just to make sure, that means that the Guardian itself will, right? Not only the Warhund?¡±

    Eleven said it was ¡°Number 11¡±; ¡°37¡± probably referred to the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s number.

    Shin asked if the Warhund leader could really decide something like that; the answer he received was that as long as they were in the forest, all subordinates couldmunicate with the Guardian. Gelganger had apparently negotiated directly with the Vanwood Guardian, using the Warhund leader as medium.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know much about the Guardians¡¯ power rtionship. Is something like that really possible?¡±

    Was it as easy as the idiom said, that ¡°yesterday¡¯s enemies are today¡¯s friends¡±? Shin asked to make sure that former enemies could really turn into allies like that.

    It wasn¡¯t a crazy development for humans, but Guardians were a different kind of creature. Did they possess concepts of betrayal of alliances and reconciliation with former enemies?

    ¡°Apparently, the invading Guardian is in an unprecedented state, thus the Vanwood Guardian judged it too risky to be subjugated by it. My master is considered a heretic, but the fundamental difference is only in its way of thinking: its very existence is not seen as abnormal. This is probably the reason behind the Guardian¡¯s decision. It is the same as taking over the core to gain control over its Guardian, so we do not need to worry about betrayal either.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, if it can keep its promise, we don¡¯t have any objections.¡±

    Shin nodded to Gelganger: there was no change in what they had to do, after all.

    The Vanwood Guardian was going to fall under Eleven¡¯s control: the only difference is that it happened through negotiation instead of battle. If both parties agreed with it, there was no need to object and ruin the negotiations.

    ¡°We have only one issue left to deal with, then.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. As we spoke at first, I humbly ask you to conquer the third Sacred ce.¡±

    The second Sacred ce was dealt with little to no fighting, but things weren¡¯t going to go so easily with the third.

    Shin immediately gathered information about the invading forces, with Gelganger¡¯s help. He knew the monster the Guardian was based on, but the Guardian version might have abilities the monster did not.

    ¡°Looks like it can attack in ways we aren¡¯t familiar with.¡±

    ording to the information gathered from the Warhunds, the Guardian could attack in ways the monster did not possess in the game era.

    It could always heat the ground to its melting point, but could not mold the melted terrain in human-like dolls that moved and attacked.

    The dolls looked human, but only their upper bodies could emerge from the ground, which reminded Shin of a certain Devil.

    The dolls did not have defining features: they apparently looked like someone haphazardly made a torso with y, then stuck a head and arms on it.

    The Warhunds and their brethren called them ¡°Lava Giants¡±. They did not have eyes or a mouth, so they really looked likeva molded in a sort of human-like shape.

    The Lava Giants, however, attacked the Warhunds or other subordinates of the Vanwood Guardian on sight, so they seemed to have a degree of sensory functions.

    Their attack patterns were simple: they either tackled their targets, spun their arms around or shotva from their head and torso. Their body was made of high temperatureva, so it burned trees just by contact and could melt most things it touched.

    Until now, up to 10 Lava Giants appeared at the same time. They apparently had a red sphere in the center of their bodies, serving as core: if it was destroyed they also fell.

    ¡°I guess freezing will be the quickest way to deal with them.¡±

    To lower the temperature of burning enemies by freezing was amon strategy in the game era.

    When cooled, high-temperature monsters moved more slowly and their defense dropped as well. Freezing thempletely, then hitting them with a blunt weapon was the basic tactic.

    If the yer and the monster had simr stats, however, the monsters would quickly melt back to normal after being frozen. Freezing them quickly and weakening them before they melted was key.

    ¡°I thought I could show off this time, but I guess I was wrong, huh.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Milt, you mean that. Yeah, the scope this time is a bit¡­¡±

    Milt grumbled to herself: the reason was that the spirit she used was a water elemental.

    In some ways, THE NEW GATE could be rather realistic: if high-temperature monsters were sprayed with water, they could cause steam explosions. This could happen with water as an item or water created by magic.

    The monsters were damaged by the explosion, so if the objective was just to defeat them, spraying water on them from a distance could be a viable tactic.

    Milt was specialized in close-quarterbat, so she often used Spirit Magic when fighting monsters like Arahabaki.

    This strategy failed to work if the target had high defense, however, so it could not be used with any and all high-temperature monsters.

    The Warhunds¡¯ strategy was to focus their attacks on the Lava Giants¡¯ core. This had causedrge swaths of the forest to be burnt down, however, so it was a risky n too.

    ¡°I guess me and Shibaid would have a tough time too, but if Schnee and Sety can freeze them it¡¯ll be a piece of cake, no?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    They had managed to freeze even Arahabaki in the past, so Filma spoke nonchntly. Shibaid nodded in agreement.

    Schnee was especially proficient in Ice Magic, while Sety was a specialist of all kinds of magic. If Shin joined in too, they should be able to turn even a volcanic area into a frozen wastnd.

    ¡°I guess Shin and the others could¡­hm? Wait, didn¡¯t you do something like that before? I recall hearing news of a volcano half turned into a tundra¡­¡±

    ¡°That happened when all six Rokuten members used ¡¾Absolut¡¿ all at the same time. We didn¡¯t know we¡¯d end up doing something like that, to be honest.¡±

    The event happened when Rokuten was not well known either, so the boards buzzed for a while, wondering what happened.

    The six members of Rokuten had used ¡¾Absolut¡¿, a Water magic spell, to freeze the surroundings and hinder the enemy¡¯s movements.

    It worked on both enemies and allies, but thanks to the High Humans¡¯ high magic resistance, Shin and the others managed to freeze the surroundings without sustaining damage.

    It was never expected for six yers with maxed out stats to use such a spell all at the same time, however: part of the volcanic area they used it in literally froze.

    The mere contact of the resulting icy surface would cause freezing as well: it was a different kind of deadly environment than the molten rock it once wasposed of.

    The following update fixed the environment, so it failed to make the news anymore, but Milt still remembered it.

    ¡°I want to see how it¡¯d work in this world, so I guess we could try fighting on the way to the third Sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°That would reveal your hand a bit too much, wouldn¡¯t it? Though I guess it wouldn¡¯t change much even if you show a little of what you can do.¡±

    Shin wanted to test how freezing affected the Lava Giants, but Tieramented that if they had an effective strategy, it might be wiser to hide it until thest moment.

    ¡°Tiera makes a good point¡­if my guess is correct, the next Sacred ce will be a sea of magma. I can provide everyone with resistant equipment, but it¡¯ll all be easier if we can freeze it. It might get troublesome if we give them a chance to be resistant to freezing, ore up with other countermeasures.¡±

    It was also concerning to face the enemy head-on without prior experimenting, however.

    Even if it was based on a known monster, the Guardian could possess all sorts of unknown abilities.

    Because of that, Shin was very curious about how Ice Magic would work on the Lava Giants, as in a way they were created from the Arahabaki Guardian¡¯s own body.

    How the Guardian created the giants was still unknown, but it was more than likely that it could gather information through them.

    Shin understood Tiera¡¯s concern, so he was unsure about what to do.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it coulde up with a countermeasure so easily, though. If me, Shin and big sister Schnee work together, we can turn a whole city into a snow globe, can¡¯t we? I don¡¯t want to imagine anyone capable of countering that¡­¡±

    So said Sety to the undecided Shin, a sour expression on her face as well.

    Shin inquired Gelganger and the Warhunds for any useful information, but they both said they did know the enemy to that extent.

    ¡°It is quite difficult to predict, I agree. This Guardian is already a creature outside the system, so it could exhibit unpredictable behavior. Though the same can be said about you Shin.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got ridiculous stats, after all.¡±

    Even Schnee, who had lived in that world for a long time already, could not draw a conclusion. Filma nodded to herst sentence andmented to herself.

    ¡°You and this Guardian are both outside the system in the same way, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I do have high stats, but not a lot of special abilities, though.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t yet use the ¡¾Surge¡¿ skills he had newly acquired. There weren¡¯t many other differences he could point out between him and the others.

    ¡°I see we will hardly agree to a conclusion by standing here and talking. I propose to advance while using Milt¡¯s Water Spirit Magic as our main weapon, while preserving Ice Magic as much as possible. This time, we will have to face our enemies and only then will we know.¡±

    Shibaid realized that it was going to be difficult to reach an agreement, so he broke his silence.

    ¡°¡­right. I guess there¡¯s no way to know without fighting this time.¡±

    Their current questions couldn¡¯t be answered by mulling over them. Shin looked again at the direction the smoke column rose from, but the smoke was now gone.

 Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 4

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 3: Part 4</h4>

    Shin¡¯s party obtained the information about the quickest way out of the forest from the Warhunds, then proceeded immediately.

    There was no need to search for the core anymore, so Gelganger returned to its hiding spot above the clouds. In order to react in time in case anything happened, however, it left a copy of itself with Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°Just to make sure¡­if we defeat the Guardian in the next Sacred ce, the Guardian here¡­number 37, was it? It won¡¯t attack us, right?¡±

    Shin thought it best not to talk about it with the Warhunds around, so he waited until they left before asking Gelganger.

    The Arahabaki-based Guardian was number 43 apparently.

    ¡°In my humble opinion, I believe it is unlikely that they will discard their promise and attack us. Number 37, unlike my master and the clearly warped Number 43, should prioritize its mission and rationality¡­in other words, act like a normal Guardian.¡±

    Number 37, the Vanwood Guardian, was loyal to its mission, like the Gryphon Guardian and the Guardian that controlled Ishkar.

    Gelganger added that in a normal situation, it would have surely attacked Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s like a machine that moves ording to its program.¡±

    Or maybe a robot equipped with an AI with limited capabilities. That¡¯s what Gelganger¡¯s exnation suggested to Shin.

    In this situation, halting Number 43¡¯s advance was considered of higher priority than attacking Shin.

    ¡°Hmm, but what if it decides that betraying its promise is the most rational course of action?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that now.¡±

    Shin rebuked Milt, but the same thought came to his mind too.

    After all, Number 37 would be Eleven¡¯s subordinate only after Number 43 was defeated.

    It could very well take advantage of the battle between Shin¡¯s party and Number 43 to take over its core and attack Shin before he recovered from battle.

    Was it going to be Eleven¡¯s subordinate as promised or turn against them? All ¡°normal¡± Guardians Shin met until then had attacked him at first sight, so he couldn¡¯t fully trust the Vanwood Guardian¡¯s promise.

    ¡°If that happens, we¡¯ll just have to fight back with all our might. The core might be damaged, but the opponent might be too strong for us to afford to hold back. Even if we can¡¯t take over the core, once the Guardian is gone it¡¯s easy to take control of the Sacred ce isn¡¯t it? The most important thing now is to get rid of the other Guardian, right?¡±

    ¡°I fully agree with Miss Sety. If the worst happens, there is nothing to be done. Since Lord Shin was going to fight, our master already considered that the core might be damaged.¡±

    If the core was intact there were more options avable, but in the end it was just as Sety said: as long as Eleven was the top Guardian of the ind, Shin¡¯s party¡¯s objective was achieved.

    The other cores were not strictly necessary.

    ¡°I nned to return to the coast if we continued searching for the core, but since our ns changed I say we spend the night here. I have to check the equipment too.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t expect to have to prepare other specialized equipment immediately after providing the sand sea gear: he was slightly annoyed.

    For Schnee and the others, he could use the equipment from the game era, so he only had to prepare it for Tiera and Milt, like he did before crossing the sand sea.

    It was not a lot of work by any means: it was more of a matter of mood.

    They couldn¡¯t use the horse carriage in the forest, so they normally advanced on foot.

    Probably thanks to Number 37 agreeing to cooperate, the party¡¯s detection skills now worked normally. There were no obstacles anymore: they could clearly see the monsters scattered around the forest.

    ¡°I wonder why some are in a group, while others are scattered like that?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they are concentrated in a specific area, so maybe that¡¯s just the type of monster they are? Judging from the size of the icon, they¡¯re all small-sized monsters.¡±

    Milt touched upon the monsters¡¯ distribution, so Shin gave his view on the topic.

    The distribution of monsters in the forest was not uniform: most of them were located in the area Number 43¡¯s attacks came from. The size of the various groups was irregr, however, and their cement seemed to be haphazard as well.

    ¡°Thinking about it, we know about their affinity, but not about their difference in level or strength, if there is any.¡±

    ¡°Right. In case of fighting, I imagined we¡¯d only have enemies around us, so I never thought about it.¡±

    Schnee and Filma¡¯s conversation led Shin to the same realization.

    When Eleven requested Shin for help, he didn¡¯t think there would be a great difference in strength between himself and the other Guardians: he might have a very hard time winning if they faced him two on one, but that was it.

    He didn¡¯t ask about the differences in strength among Guardians.

    ¡°What do you know about this?¡±

    ¡°I believe it depends on the monsters the Guardians were based on, location of battle, and affinity between the Guardians. The single number Guardians are an exception, however. Two digit Guardians such as my master have no chance against them, even if they were to fight as a team.¡±

    Gelganger¡¯s copy inly replied to Shibaid¡¯s question: it apparently had nothing to hide.

    Putting aside the veracity of Gelganger¡¯s assessment for a moment, Shin wondered what manner of creature could be too strong for multiple Guardians to defeat ¡ª as he looked at the scenery moving past them, he felt a sense of danger creep up from within.

    Number 37 created a sea of trees. Number 43 expanded its volcanic area.

    These Guardians, creatures capable of changing the environment with rtive ease ¡ª were far inferior to their single-digit peers.

    Even if Shin¡¯s powers had grown exponentially since the game era, the scale of such opponents was simply absurd.

    By reflex, his left hand reached for the katana at his waist ¡ª but ¡ºTrue Moon¡» was not there. He had tried many times to reforge it and fix it, but had not achieved satisfying results yet.

    Shin thought that the solution was probably one: to use the most ideal environment he had for such work, the furnace in his guild home, the ¡º1st Mysterious Studio Demi Eden¡».

    Golden Company¡¯s Berett, however, had not found any information about Demi Eden yet.

    ¡°Shin, is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about everyone¡¯s equipment.¡±

    There was no point in thinking about issues he couldn¡¯t solve. The current highest priority was the issue at hand: so said Shin to himself as he shook his head.

    As the sun set and the surroundings grew dim, the group stopped its advance. They were almost out of the sea of trees: they found a clearingrge enough to house Tsuki no Hokora and prepared for the night.

    ¡°We ran for half a day, in the end¡­I need some rest¡­¡±

    ¡°Same here¡­¡±

    All members of the party had abilities far beyond the average person, but they had different specialties.

    Those with fatigue in their voices were Tiera, as not much time had passed since her stats had grown, and Sety, who sacrificed physical stats to prioritize magic.

    Tiera had lived in the forest for a long period, so today¡¯s long day of running had taken its toll on her mentally rather than physically, as she had never done such a thing before.

    Sety, on the other hand, achieved high speed running through magic, but it couldn¡¯t be used in a ce riddled with obstacles such as the sea of trees they were in: she had been forced to run on her two legs.

    Pixies often lived in forests, but Sety ¡ª due to her particr circumstances ¡ª was shut in her Faerie Vige most of the time.

    She did not run out of energypletely, but to run in a forest packed with obstacles after a 100 years¡¯ nk was not an easy feat.

    ¡°Tiera hasn¡¯t grasped the limits of her stats yet, so that¡¯s okay, but you¡¯re really out of shape, Sety.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, a new training regimen is required.¡±

    ¡°Heh!?¡±

    Sety was slumped down on the living room¡¯s table ¡ª as Schnee gently smiled at her, while Shibaid had a very serious look on his face.

    No wonder that Sety reacted with surprise after seeing the menacing glints in their eyes. Even Shin, who was just looking at them from the side, could tell.

    ¡°D-does that mean, I do too¡­?¡±

    ¡°I think it is a good opportunity for you to understand the extent of your abilities, Tiera. To have your stats change drastically is a rare experience in this age after all.¡±

    ¡°It is surprisingly difficult to grasp one¡¯s limits. After this battle concludes, you should participate in Sety¡¯s training. I think you have achieved enough strength too.¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s shoulders dropped in resignation. Sety gently put a hand on her shoulder: she had found apanion for her ¡°misery¡±.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join them too, Milt? Your stats got higher as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh please don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯ll just see what changed while fighting monsters, no problem.¡±

    Shin whispered the question to Milt, so that the others wouldn¡¯t hear, and she quickly hid behind him, politely refusing with a stretched smile on her face.

    ¡°Have you received Schnee¡¯s training before by any chance?¡±

    ¡°And I thought I was going to die¡­she went way harder on me than the others¡­¡±

    Shin had guessed right: Milt had been put through the proverbial wringer apparently. Schnee had been especially strict because she was a former yer, maybe.

    After dinner, Shin headed to the smithy. He had to add heat resistance to the party¡¯ equipment, prepare the additional equipment and decide on what gear to give to Yuzuha.

    They had already experienced a high-temperature area in Hinomoto, but they were going to face a Guardian this time. They could never be too prepared.

    Shin duly added heat resistance to the equipment, then manufactured the additional essories with thorough care.

    ¡°All right, let¡¯s see how it fits.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there. That¡¯s your left ring finger.¡±

    Milt had followed Shin this time too: she tried to test how the ring essory fit, but Shin stopped her before she could slip it on her left ring finger. He had a hunch she would pull something like that, so his movements were smooth.

    ¡°When you said you wanted a ring-type essory, I knew you were going to do this¡­and I was right, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yep, I guess you were. Well, it¡¯d be a good deterrent for anyone else thinking of proposing to me actually. If Schnee gives the OK, can I wear it on my ring finger?¡±

    Unbeknownst to Shin, in this world wedding rings were rathermon: especially richer castes such as nobles and merchants had them made with precious materials, either as just rings or magic tools in the shape of rings, to gift their partner with.

    In case of multiple partners, having a ring more precious than the others signaled higher status. Shin couldn¡¯t help but think thatpared to the value of the ring, the partner¡¯s thoughts, emotions, and intentions were more important though.

    The ring-type essory Shin made was in Orichalcum: he also used ruby and sapphire fragments, although only in order to attach the enchantments.

    The enchantment itself was high level as well. To procure a more valuable ring was next to impossible in a small country, while in arge country it would be considered a national treasure.

    Milt added that most people would give up on her when they saw the ring.

    ¡°Well, if you put it like that, I guess¡­as long as Schnee¡¯s okay with it. At least it¡¯ll give you some peace and quiet.¡±

    ¡°All right then.¡±

    Milt didn¡¯t waste any time; she immediately fit the ring on her left ring finger.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­actually, I already asked Schnee for permission.¡±

    ¡°You could have said that first¡­¡±

    The previous exchange was all for nothing, Shin thought. He was also a bit surprised about how easily Schnee gave permission.

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s wedding rings were notplete yet actually. They were not betrothed in an official manner, but Shin thought she would care more about such formalities.

    After preparing Yuzuha¡¯s equipment, Shin went to bed.

    Incidentally, while Shin was preparing Yuzuha¡¯s equipment Milt was in a corner of the smithy, gazing at her new ring with a grin on her face.

 Book 18: Chapter 3: Part 5

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 3: Part 5</h4>

    The next day, Shin¡¯s party moved out at dawn.

    In Number 43¡¯s territory, there was no area that could be considered safe.

    Using Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Barricade¡¿, together with the party¡¯s defensive abilities, they could probably spend the night safely even there, but Shin was sure they would be attacked during the night.

    He nned to cover as much distance as possible during the day and reach the Sacred ce as soon as possible.

    ¡°We¡¯ll enter the volcanic area soon. Is your equipment ready and working, guys?¡±

    All members replied positively. They were all wearing the additional essories and short mantles, ready to fight at any time.

    The short mantle was the ¡¾Mantle of Searing mes¡¿, gear equipped with anti-heat properties. Shin had added heat resistance to the mantle¡¯s innate properties, providing double protection against the heat.

    Shin checked his own equipment too, then stepped out of the sea of trees.

    They were going to move on foot, like they did in the forest. Only Sety and Tiera were a little different: since the terrain was t, Sety used her specialty, magic-powered high-speed movement. Kagerou wanted Tiera to ride him, so she got on his back and used the chance to scan the surroundings for any threats.

    ¡°This is just the beginning, I guess¡±

    In the area adjacent to the sea of trees, the ground was charred ck, burning here and there. For a high-temperature area, it was still pretty mild: thanks to the equipment, the party still felt cool.

    A single spot, however, was bright red, clearly much hotter than the surroundings. They couldn¡¯t be sure that something was there, but it stood out too much for it to mean nothing.

    Shin¡¯s party shifted their course slightly in order to check the spot, which grewrger as they approached it. Soon, they realized it resembled a human torso.

    ¡°So that¡¯s one of the Lava Giants they talked about? It really looks like someone smashed putty together to make a person¡­¡±

    The head had no facial features, just lights blinking red and ck. It was approximately 4 mel tall.

    ¡ª¡ª Red Mound Level 373

    ¡¾Analysis¡¿ showed the official name and level of the Lava Giant. Shin and the others did not recall ever seeing such a monster, but its data was avable.

    ¡°The level is lower than expected. I guess it¡¯s dangerous enough if you have a bad affinity, though.¡±

    The Warhunds were over level 500, but few of the other monsters they saw in the sea of trees had a level higher than them. Considering the affinity and difference in size, the Red Mound would be a troublesome opponent. If the sea of trees monsters had to face multiple of them at the same time, they would surely have a very hard time.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s see what I can do.¡±

    Sety was already prepared: she used a Skill on the Red Mound.

    A gigantic ball of water appeared over the monster¡¯s head, then flew in its direction with the speed of a flying arrow.

    The Red Mound raised its arms, probably in defense, but the water ball scattered before it could do anything.

    Water-type Magic Skill ¡¾Giga Ssh¡¿

    Therge water ball split into numerous smaller spheres of various sizes, which rained on the Red Mound. The smaller ones measured about 20 cemel, while therger ones were as wide as 60 cemel.

    Normally, a Magician¡¯s water ball impact amounted to an adult male¡¯s full-power punch if it was small or being run over by a horse carriage if it wasrge.

    The force of impact of Sety¡¯s water balls was clearly shown by the Red Mound¡¯s body, now riddled with holes.

    The monster¡¯s four-mel body was not for show: it had as much mass as its appearance suggested and defense befitting its level; its half-liquid nature also granted it considerable flexibility. It had all these traits, and yet¡­

    The scattered water balls literally punched holes through its defense.

    The monster¡¯s core had been probably destroyed as well: its arms still stretched, the Red Mound fell forward and melted into the ground. The terrain sizzled as smoke rose in the air, but there was no sign of resurrection.

    ¡°¡­well, it was around level 300, I guess this is normal¡­¡±

    ¡°Right. We might find higher-level ones ahead.¡±

    It was all over very quickly. Sety, who had prepared to give her best in battle, felt deted.

    Milt¡¯s Water Spirit too was standing by in ance-like form, but had no chance to join in the fray and looked rather dejected.

    A short whileter, the former Red Mound turned gradually darker and darker, until it became a charred ck mass.

    Since its appearance barely changed after it was defeated, they thought it mighte back to life, but that did not seem to be the case.

    ¡°Hey, do you think the Sacred ce could havepletely turned into magma? And we¡¯re going to have to face a horde of these things.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s possible. There were magma fields in the game too, anyway. We¡¯ve made preparations, so it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll end up swimming in it out of the blue.¡±

    Unlike the sand sea, magma did not have the ability to suck in careless trespassers.

    Shin did not know how it acted in real life, but he knew how it worked in THE NEW GATE world well enough. He also asked Schnee in advance, to be sure.

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s fighting elsewhere too.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if this guy strayed from the pack?¡±

    Prompted by Shin¡¯sment, Shin turned around and focused on the fighting presences.

    He scanned the area using the Red Mound¡¯s presence as base: there were simr presences not only on their path, but also behind them. They were still close to the sea of trees, so it was not difficult to detect their movements.

    The Red Mounds attacking the sea of trees were always in groups of 3 or 4: the one Shin¡¯s party just defeated was probably part of such a group.

    They couldn¡¯t go back to provide support, however, so they proceeded while focusing only on the presences ahead of them.

    ¡°They don¡¯te out unless you get close enough, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Judging from the presences, I think you¡¯re right.¡±

    On the path of Shin¡¯s party there were multiple magma spots, just like where they found the Red Mound.

    Once they were close enough they took human shape and attacked, but as long as the party was far enough they could pass them without anything happening. In human form, they could move, albeit slightly, but they did not seem to be closing in on the party.

    ¡°They¡¯re bing more numerous.¡±

    ¡°I guess it means the Sacred ce is closer. It¡¯s strange that they aren¡¯t increasing in level, though.¡±

    At the pace the party was advancing, they were going to reach the Sacred ce in about one day and a half. They hadn¡¯t covered half the distance yet.

    They defeated all monsters they couldn¡¯t avoid, but their levels were still only around 400.

    It was a serious threat by the standards of this world, but for Shin¡¯s party they were just fodder for Sety¡¯s Water magic.

    ¡°It¡¯s always the same monsters, is this their strategy?¡±

    ¡°The Guardian should be able to choose which monsters to create, so I guess it¡¯s on purpose. It does feel strange though.¡±

    The monsters that appeared on the continent, which Shin¡¯s party fought against alongside the Empire forces and the Church Warband, were of three types: the shapeshifter type monsters led by Gelganger, four-legged beast types, and insect types.

    Moreover, if Number 37 had spoken the truth, and had really never attacked Eleven, the Arahabaki Guardian should be able to spawn nt-type monsters as well. Yet the party had encountered nothing but Red Mounds.

    The Red Mounds only seemed to be scattered at random, not to send in invading missions.

    Filma voiced her doubts and Shibaid tried to find an answer, but he found it suspicious as well. He cast a sharp re at the Red Mounds.

    Afterward, the party¡¯s advance became truly uneventful.

    They fought against the Red Mounds more frequently, but they all fell with a single Water spell from Sety. They rarely had to stop to fight.

    Shin wanted to advance as much as possible that day, so it wasn¡¯t a bad situation at all, but he found it strange that there didn¡¯t seem to be any reaction to their ¡°intrusion¡±.

    ¡°The Guardians are supposed to see me as a top priority target¡­but I wonder if this one is different too.¡±

    ¡°The boss here pretended to be a different Guardian, right? Maybe it¡¯s not tied down by the same rules as the others, like Eleven.¡±

    A Red Mound appears, the party slows down, Sety fires a spell, they elerate again.

    It was starting to be a routine, much to Sety¡¯s boredom.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to try to negotiate, is it?¡±

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know if it¡¯s serious about the invasion thing, but it¡¯s clear that it¡¯s the one attacking. I doubt we¡¯ll get out of this peacefully. ording to Number 37, Number 43 was the one behind the monsters¡¯ invasion of the continent. If that¡¯s true, it is definitely targeting me. Even if it says they didn¡¯t n to actually kill me, there¡¯s no way I can believe it.¡±

    Both Heltoros and Selcikeus clearly saw Shin as a target to eliminate.

    Which was not unusual, considering the Guardians¡¯ motivations. But attacking other Guardians clearly showed there was something irregr going on. Shin did not expect the Arahabaki Guardian to propose negotiations.

    ¡°Besides ¡ª hmm? What¡¯s that?¡±

    Halfway through his sentence, Shin spotted something in the wastnd. It was a red pir, clearly visible in the distance.

    He checked it again with ¡¾irvoyance¡¿: the red pir was semi-transparent and housed a core colored red and ck, as if it was made of coagted blood.

    The pir had vein-like strings running over it, from which the Red Mounds seemed to be generated.

    ¡°So the magic power isn¡¯t flowing naturally, that thing is creating them. I don¡¯t remember ever seeing that monster, though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know each and every monster either¡­and I¡¯ve never seen the Red Mounds in the game.¡±

    Shin shook his head to Milt¡¯s question. He thought he knew most of THE NEW GATE¡¯s monsters, but could not recall anything like that.

    There were monsters he knew even though he had never encountered one, but that was not one of those either. It was apletely unknown monster.

    ¡°I have never seen anything like that either. What about everyone else?¡±

    No one replied positively to Schnee¡¯s question.

    Filma, who had been sealed for a long period, and Sety and Tiera, who had lived in a secluded area, could be excused: but not even the long-living and experienced Schnee and Shibaid knew anything.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s use the same strategy, have Sety attack first and see what happens. Doesn¡¯t look like it will let us through anyway.¡±

    The unknown monster¡¯s presence was different from the Red Mounds the party fought until then. It was much more clear and intense than the Red Mounds¡¯ faint, ambiguous presence.

    Maybe it had detected the party¡¯s approach: three eye-like patterns appeared on the surface of the red pir. The left and right eye patterns opened: not only the eyes, however, but the very pattern moved up and down.

    ¡°It¡¯s kinda creepy.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more.¡±

    The red and ck core of the pir was not dissimr to a heart. The eye-like organs appeared strangely realistic, which did not give a pleasant impression.

    After darting nces left and right, the eyes spotted Shin¡¯s party and fixated on it.

    As they came closer, the pir¡¯s actual size became clear. It was about 6 mel tall and 3 mel wide.

    The eyes turnedpletely still once they found Shin, with unsettling effects.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s more.¡±

    Before the inevitable battle, Shin scanned the surroundings while expanding his ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ radius to the maximum: he then found other pirs simr to the one in front of them.

    Thanks to his boosted stats, his detection range was wider too: he could spot several other pirs. While he couldn¡¯t actually see them, his detection skills also found many other presences.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s trying to take over the sea of trees, no way there was only one of these.¡±

    Filma¡¯s assessment was spot on.

    The invading monsters attacked only the western side of the forest, but it was an area much wider than the original Sacred ce.

    The pir was continuing to produce Red Mounds, but just one could not provide enough ¡°manpower¡± for the invasion to seed.

    ¡°I have found two more pirs. What about you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Four here. Two beyond this one, then one each in the east and west. The ones ahead seem to be farther away than the ones on the right and left. If we count the areas I can¡¯t actually see, there¡¯s more. That¡¯s probably the Sacred ce¡¯s defensive barrier.¡±

    Shin checked the map and saw that the monsters were located at fixed intervals from the Sacred ce.

    It looked just like the defensive trenches small viges set up in order to protect themselves from monsters or bandits.

    If they had ropes or simr objects tied between them, they would look exactly the same, but there did not seem to be anything of the sort.

    ¡ª¡ª Red Core Pir Level 700

    Once they were closer, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed the monster¡¯s name, though Shin had never heard of it. He asked Schnee and the others, but their reaction was the same.

    ¡°I guess we can only try hitting it once and see what happens. Keep your guard up, everybody.¡±

    They had to fight it if they wanted to know what attacks it used. Shin wanted to take care of the situation as quickly as possible, but they weren¡¯t exactly on a timer: they wouldn¡¯t rush ahead recklessly.

    If the monster had really high defense and took a long time to defeat, could revive itself indefinitely, or had any other unexpected abilities, they would fall back ande up with a new strategy. They had enough time for that.

    They were in the territory controlled by Number 43: there might be other monsters besides the one in front of them. They had to watch out for threatsing from any direction.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first, then.¡±

    Sety shot ¡¾Giga Ssh¡¿ at the Red Core Pir, the same spell which had buried so many Red Mounds until then.

    They were still too far for even sniping skills to reach the monster, but Sety¡¯s ¡¾Giga Ssh¡¿ naturally had a longer range than normal. The water ball drew an arc in the air, just like a cannonball, heading straight for the Red Core Pir.

    The water projectile, however, was intercepted and annihted by a burning hot beam released by the eyed monster.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s different from the magma the Red Mounds could spit out.¡±

    ¡°It looks just like a concentration of me magic. Another 50 mel and we¡¯ll be in range, I think.¡±

    Among the Red Mounds defeated by Shin¡¯s party, some used attacks that coincided with what the Warhunds said.

    These attacks were close to a shot of pressured liquid, like a water gun. The Red Core Pir¡¯s beam, however, waspletely different, both in offensive power and appearance.

    Even if her spell was neutralized, Sety was unfazed. She shot more water balls, in order to analyze the range, offensive power and frequency of the monster¡¯s attack.

    Tiera used a skill that split her arrows in many smaller ones, to assist in the analysis.

    ¡±I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s its full power, but Shibaid¡¯s shield can take it no problem. I say we go on like this while I keep shooting ¡¾Giga Ssh¡¿.¡±

    ¡°I concur.¡±

    Shibaid nodded to Sety¡¯s proposal.

    Just in case, Shin took out three small teardrop-shaped shields from the item box. He equipped one and gave the other two to Schnee and Milt.

    Their range was smaller than Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», but they could create a protective barrier.

    In case they had to quickly cover the other party members, the shields would be more useful than their gauntlets or weapons. They could not discard the possibility of the closest Red Core Pir¡¯s attacks reaching them.

    ¡°The beams are getting stronger and faster as we get closer. Stay on your guard!¡±

    The party was now about 500 mel from the Red Core Pir.

    At first, it used multiple beams to pierce Sety¡¯s water spheres over the span of several seconds, but now ¡ª while the number of beams fired at the same time did not change ¡ª the beams could pierce the water spheres on impact. It could manage even if Sety increased the number of water spheres.

    Tiera shot arrows and Milt spear attacks through her Water Spirit, but they were all shot down by smaller beams.

    The Red Core Pir shot the beams from its eye-like patterns, but each pattern could shoot multiple beams.

    ¡°Can you leave this to Shibaid and me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re the best for this. Go ahead.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma.

    In order to break down a sturdy barrier, a forceful blow from a blunt weapon was ideal. While their types were different, Filma¡¯s ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» could both smash as they cut their target, thanks to their mass.

    They were also much more resilient than high-ss blunt weapons, so Shin entrusted such situations to them.

    After Filma gave the signal, Shibaid elerated too. As they jumped ahead, the beams immediately concentrated on them.

    ¡°Bring it on!!¡±

    They reacted with the exact same timing.

    Filma dodged the beams, running in a zig-zag pattern. She sometimes jumped over them, using her armor¡¯s magic power expulsion function to change directions in midair.

    Shibaid, on the other hand, rushed straight towards the Red Core Pir, holding his ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» in front.

    The beams hit him head-on, but were all deflected: he could proceed on the shortest route to the target without slowing down.

    As the beams concentrated on the two, Sety¡¯s water spheres and arrows were left unattended.

    The water spheres burst in front of the Red Core Pir, damaging its barrier.

    Dull sounds of hammers striking metal resounded in the surroundings. After one, two blows, a static noise-like pattern ran across the monster¡¯s surface.

    There, the arrows and water spears struck. They couldn¡¯t fully pierce through the pir, but took advantage of their numbers to wear the barrier down.

    Maybe because of the umting damage, the number of beams gradually decreased. Filma and Shibaid did not miss the opportunity to close in on the monster.

    Both of their weapons started glowing.

    Filma¡¯s was red, Shibaid green. The Red Core Pir did not seem to have any ways to defend itself at close range: Shibaid struck first with a vertical sh from his¡ºcid Moon¡» as if scooping the pir upwards.

    Axe-type Martial Skill ¡¾Steel Splitter¡¿.

    A full swing of ¡ºcid Moon¡», apanied by the sound of ss shattering. A green arc was drawn in the air, ripping through the monster¡¯s barrier.

    ¡¾Steel Splitter¡¿ increased in damage ording to the target¡¯s defense and caused additional damage to carapace and armor.

    Pairing it with Shibaid¡¯s arm strength and the offensive power of ¡ºcid Moon¡» resulted in the destruction of more than 70% of Red Core Pir¡¯s barrier.

    And it was Filma¡¯s turn.

    She acted after Shibaid because she trusted him to cause that much damage. ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» swung down on the monster¡¯s exposed body.

    Sword-type Martial Skill ¡¾Core Hunter¡¿.

    From their battles against the Red Mounds, Shin¡¯s party had learned that they were susceptible to attacks effective against Mineral-type monsters. It was likely that the Red Core Pir, their creator, shared the same characteristic: hence Filma chose this Skill.

    The monster created another barrier, probably as a final struggle, but it was smaller and much weaker than the one Shibaid shattered.

    Filma¡¯s ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» cleaved the Red Core Pir in half, semi-transparent barrier and all.

    The severed half fell on the ground. After a little while, it turned ck.

    ¡°¡­looks like it¡¯s noting back to life.¡±

    Shibaid, his weapon still at the ready, made sure the core waspletely out ofmission. Filma, after checking the surroundings for any new threats, looked at the core and nodded in agreement.

    The rest of the party then caught up with them.

    They had been wary of the other Red Core Pirs joining in the fray, but maybe because of the distance, or because they never intended to, they did not show any movements.

    ¡°Should we go on like this?¡±

    ¡°No, there are many of these pirs ahead, and it¡¯s almost evening. Judging from their position, we might need the whole night to get past them. Let¡¯s retreat for now, find a ce to spend the night.¡±

    Shin¡¯s gut told him that the real fighting had yet to begin. Based on the monsters¡¯ position, they clearly focused on defense.

    The party still had plenty of energy left, but they also had been running since early morning.

    They didn¡¯t know what would await in the Sacred ce, so they wanted to face it in the best possible condition.

    ¡°There is a risk to give the enemy leeway to fortify their defenses, though.¡±

    Shibaid agreed that Shin made a reasonable point, but voiced his concerns nheless.

    The enemy surely already knew that someone capable of obliterating their defensive forces had appeared. They would surely bolster their defenses as much as they could.

    ¡°There¡¯s still a long way till the Sacred ce, though. Even if we go now, they¡¯ll have enough time to reinforce their defenses, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Both opinions had an ounce of truth to them.

    Sety, however, said that the Sacred ce was still quite far: the distance they had covered from the sea of trees until the current position was roughly two-thirds of the way until Number 43¡¯s Sacred ce.

    Even if they pushed ahead without resting, they still had several hours to run before they reached their destination.

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose we should not push ourselves so much.¡±

    Shibaid looked in the direction of the Sacred ce and whispered.

    After a brief discussion and exchange of opinions, the party decided to retreat for the time being and rest for the night.

    Shin had something on his mind: after dinner, he left Tsuki no Hokora to go talk with Shibaid.

    ¡°You seem a bit restless.¡±

    ¡°¡­that might be.¡±

    When Shin opened the door, Filma and Shibaid¡¯s voices reached his ears.

    ¡°There might be new monsters spawning on the continent, after all. The wall should be up by now, but you can¡¯t help but worry, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Shibaid could not deny Filma¡¯s ims.

    Of the three hordes of monsters that appeared on the continent, two had been exterminated by Shin. The other had returned to the ind with the party. It could be said that the situation was not a dangerous one anymore.

    Monsters could spawn for causes other than the Guardians¡¯ intentions, however. There was also the suspicious absence of Wolfreet: the monster had not shown itself once after its first appearance.

    Shibaid wished to take care of the current matter as quickly as possible and make sure monsters did not invade the continent anymore: he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.

    ¡°We should trust in them, the people who protected the continent from the monsters all this time. They might not be as strong as us, but they aren¡¯t weak at all, are they?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­hah, it seems I have grown more apprehensive with age.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you put it like that you¡¯re talking about me too!!¡±

    Filma pouted and the mood changed.

    Shin quietly slipped back inside Tsuki no Hokora, acknowledging there was no need for his assistance anymore.

 Book 18 Chapter 4: Part 1

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 4: Part 1</h4>

    The following day, Shin¡¯s party moved out again at dawn. They were not attacked during the night and they could confirm that the Red Core Pir they defeated the previous day had not reformed.

    The enemy either wanted to observe their movements or, as Shibaid suspected, focused on bolstering their defenses. They did not know which it was, but could only advance.

    The party expected the Red Core Pirs¡¯ level to rise as they approached the Sacred ce, their attacks and tactics to change, but nothing of the sort happened: they defeated the monsters in the same way as before.

    Shin¡¯s party advanced too smoothly even ¡ª until they came upon six Red Core Pirs, arranged in a trench-like formation.

    When they attacked the Red Core Pir in front of them, the ones next to it ¡ª though they were quite a distance away ¡ª shot their heat beams too.

    They knew something like that wasing sooner orter: Shin and Schnee promptly parried the beams, which targeted Sety and Milt.

    ¡°Their range finally started to ovep. I¡¯d have preferred getting closer while it was still easy, though.¡±

    ¡°It was a matter of time, nothing we can do about it.¡±

    Milt replied to Shin¡¯sint while recalling her Water Spirit next to her.

    The Red Core Pirs were spread in a radial pattern, with the Sacred ce at the center: the farther they were from the Sacred ce, the greater the distance between them.

    In other words, near the Sacred ce they were set closer together. Once the party arrived in front of the Sacred ce, they would surely be greeted by the concentrated fire of multiple Red Core Pirs.

    ¡°Looks like they aren¡¯t targeting Gelganger, though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s getting closer, just like us, but I guess they can¡¯t reach that high.¡±

    A copy of Gelganger was with the party, but its main body was flying in the sky.

    They could see its icon on the map, even if the clouds hid its actual figure.

    It was unknown if the Red Core Pirs could detect its presence or not, but they never attempted to shoot outside their range: it did not matter if the target was onnd or in the sky.

    ¡°We could get to the Sacred ce a lot quicker if we flew¡­¡±

    ¡°The moment wend, they¡¯re all going to fire at us though.¡±

    The party had not reached the area with the highest density of Red Core Pirs, so there was still some time between each encounter.

    While munching on a snack, to replenish water and energy, Sety wistfully looked up at the sky.

    The only monsters on the way to the Sacred ce were the Red Core Pirs, so at this point the ¡°sky path¡± waspletely clear.

    Even if they didn¡¯t fly as high as Gelganger, as long as they could go higher than the Red Core Pirs¡¯ range they could definitely reach Number 43¡¯s Sacred ce in less than a day.

    As Filma said, however, thending would be a whole different issue.

    If they traveled onnd, they could ignore the Red Core Pirs too far away to target them.

    Things would be different in the sky though: they woulde under fire from all directions while they descended to the ground.

    Shin and Filma could move rtively freely in midair, so they would probably be able to dodge, but not the other members.

    The magic power expulsion function attached to Filma¡¯s ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡» was very tricky to use: even if Shin attached to the others¡¯ equipment, it would take time before they learned to use it well.

    If the enemy fire concentrated on the less agile members, they would be helplessly under fire.

    It was simply too risky; magic boost also required a considerable amount of MP, so they might run out before they even entered the Sacred ce.

    ¡°Hmm¡­if me, Shin, and big sis Schnee used concealing skills, maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you want to say, believe me.¡±

    Shin had also considered flying through the sky and staging a surprise attack.

    The problem was that if they were found they would have no escape route. If the enemy detected them before theynded, they wouldn¡¯t let them do so safely.

    He didn¡¯t want to attempt something so risky; even if they used a decoy, the enemy would probably find out.

    The enemy boss here was someone capable of pretending to be another Guardian, after all. The sky could have been left unguarded on purpose.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯vee this far already anyway. Might as well go on like this.¡±

    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t say that¡­¡±

    Filma had a point: they had already started breaking through the enemy lines onnd, after all.

    Sety wasn¡¯t seriouslyining either. Even if she was pouting, she never missed the perfect timing to switch from attacking to replenishing her resources, and vice versa. It was just lighthearted banter, in order to keep up her concentration.

    ¡°We should be about one kemel away.¡±

    A few hourster, Schnee announced the remaining distance to the Sacred ce.

    The Red Core Pirs surrounded the party in all directions at this point. All shooting their beams, naturally.

    Shibaid was in the lead, Schnee and Milt on the sides, while Shin held up the rear, protecting the party from the beams.

    They had all switched to shields capable of projecting barriers with the same size of Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡».

    From inside the formation, Tiera targeted the Red Mounds and Sety the Red Core Pirs, with arrows and magic spells respectively.

    ¡°If we defeat them all we¡¯ll never get there: just focus on keeping the Red Core Pirs at bay and the Red Mounds on our path. We¡¯ll pass them so they can¡¯t attack.¡±

    They were not threatening alone, but they weren¡¯t so weak that they could take them down in one shot.

    They could see that the Sacred ce¡¯s outer walls were still up, so once they got inside they would be safe from the attacks from enemies outside: the party thus prioritized the speed of their movement above all else.

    Defending against multiple beams from the Red Core Pirs would take its toll, so Sety focused her spells on the closest ones, to prevent them from firing and use them as walls.

    Sety¡¯s spells could notpletely stop them from firing, but the burden on the party¡¯s defenders was lighter nheless.

    ¡°(I can¡¯t see the entrance yet, what should we do?)¡±

    ¡°(We¡¯ll tear down the walls and force our way in. We can¡¯t circle the walls hoping to find a door, there might be no entrance in the first ce anyway.)¡±

    A silent voice reached Shin¡¯s ears. They set the Mind Chat to automatically reach the whole part, so not only Sety, but Schnee and the others nodded too.

    They switched to talking via Mind Chat because the deflected beams of the Red Core Pirs caused explosions when they struck the ground,

    This meant a never-ending series of explosions; there was no way to hold a normal conversation. The inability tomunicate could prove fatal in battle, so they decided to talk via Mind Chat only until they entered the Sacred ce.

    ¡°Okay then, time to barge in.¡±

    While defending against the barrage of beams, Shin materialized a weapon.

    Though it was ssified as ance, its 20 cemel handle showed no decoration other than the pommel: all it had was a spiral-shaped de.

    It was clearly something that could only exist in a fantasy setting, a weapon that gained piercing power through rotation.

    It was the Ancient grade javelin ¡ºEuradol¡», affectionately called ¡ºDrill Spear¡» by yers.

    The de portion, about 1.5 mel long, started spinning once the weapon was thrown; it could pierce through people, monsters and even solid rock.

    Its sole focus was piercing power: it wasmonly used to break through monsters with very high defense or that could use multiple barriers.

    ¡ºEuradol¡» was often used as a joke weapon, but some yers had found out where it could really shine.

    And that was in case of a siege or assault on a castle or other heavily fortified buildings. ¡ºEuradol¡» ¡ª though it was also possible with other weapons ¡ª could be equipped with self-detonating function before being thrown.

    The strategy was to throw multiple ¡ºEuradol¡» at the walls and have them explode. It had be standard practice during siege battles.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll throw now! Yuzuha, cover me!)¡±

    In order to defend himself against any unexpected enemy attacks, Shin handed his shield to Yuzuha, who was not actively participating in the fight yet.

    Even if she was in human form, her stats matched her monster form. She could repel the Red Core Pirs¡¯ beams without flinching.

    Shin thus left the defense to Yuzuha and prepared to throw the ¡ºEuradol¡».

    He hadn¡¯t thrown a spear while running in a good while, but his body still remembered the motions. Shin felt he could target with confidence.

    The only concern was that the spear could be intercepted by a beam, as it happened to Sety¡¯s spells.

    Shin thought that would work out, however. In the game era, the defending parties had tried to do the same.

    After it became a trending weapon, ¡ºEuradol¡» was improved in all sorts of variations.

    cksmiths crafted various types of ¡ºEuradol¡», vying to create the one that could bring the greatest results.

    Thanks to this experience, Shin was now wielding thetest edition of ¡ºEuradol¡».

    ¡°(Here it goes!)¡±

    Shin gave the signal and stomped the ground. As he leaped over Shibaid, the party¡¯s lead, he propelled thence forward.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how sturdy the walls of Number 43¡¯s Sacred ce would be, so he threw thence at full power, ¡¾Limiter¡¿ fully removed. ¡ºEuradol¡» flew straight and true towards its target.

    The Red Core Pir density was at its highest close to the walls, but there were a few routes leading to the outer walls void of any obstacles. Shin had picked one of them for the throw¡¯s trajectory.

    It was also the direction Shin¡¯s party was advancing: thus, in order to shoot down the¡ºEuradol¡», the Red Core Pirs would have to snipe it down if they could see it flying between their ¡°brethren¡±, hitting each other in the worst-case scenario. In any case, it worked to Shin¡¯s advantage.

    In order to strike the outer walls, Shin could have also thrown thence over the Red Core Pirs, but it flew while drawing an arc and there were no obstacles in the air. The flight time would increase too, making it easier to counter.

    The chance of the enemy shooting it down also increased, so Shin opted for a long-distance low altitude throw.

    ¡°(The beams can¡¯t even get close¡­)¡±

    ¡°(Not only speed and piercing power, it¡¯s made with defense in mind too. There were whole toons dedicated to throwing it in the game era¡­I remember walls turned into rubble in seconds. It must have been a nightmare for the other side, though.)¡±

    Shin replied to Sety¡¯s incredulousment by recalling an episode from the game.

    The de¡¯s spiral served not only to drill into the target, but also let it elerate during the flight.

    ¡ºEuradol¡» was also buffed with a Wind magic enchantment that boosted its rotation speed and created a kind of protective barrier around it.

    It was not as resilient as a barrier created by a Skill, but coupled to its rotation power it could deflect iing attacks to an extent.

    In the game era it could dodge arrows and other light projectiles, as well as magic spells that relied on quantity.

    The ¡ºEuradol¡» Shin threw had been modified by himself too.

    Its flying power was overwhelmingly higher than others: the Red Core Pirs¡¯ barrage of beams could barely hit the streak it left in the air. They clearly couldn¡¯t keep up with thence¡¯s speed.

    As the enemy barrage relied on quantity more than quality at its point, a few of them happened on a collision path with ¡ºEuradol¡».

    As Sety said, however, they bent away before they could hit it, flying off into the sky or crashing in the ground or against other pirs.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s it going to be?¡±

    ¡ºEuradol¡» safely passed the barrage and nted itself in the outer walls. As Shin whispered to himself, a sh of light burst from thence.

    Shin and the others looked away before the light blinded them, and the sound of an explosion reached their ears. Shortly followed by crumbling sounds.

    The cloud of dust and smoke made it impossible to see the results immediately. Shin tried using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, but from beyond the walls flowed something like moltenva.

 Book 18 Chapter 4: Part 2

    <h4>Book 18 Chapter 4: Part 2</h4>

    ¡°(Kuu?)¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s ears suddenly stretched. She looked at theva as if scanning it for something, her ears twitching.

    ¡°(I thought there might be magma inside, and I guess I was right.)¡±

    ¡°(I know we¡¯re equipped against the heat, but I would¡¯ve been happier if you were wrong¡­)¡±

    The magma spread in all directions, scorching the ground in its wake, even swallowing the Red Core Pirs. Its temperature had to be extremely high: the pirs toppled and sank in it in mere seconds.

    The magma continued spreading wider and wider, but for the time being it was damaging the Red Core Pirs more than Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°(I doubt we can enter from there. From the looks of it, going inside from underground would be impossible too.)¡±

    ¡°(I guess we have to climb over the walls.)¡±

    Shin had prepared other ns in case they couldn¡¯t destroy the walls or couldn¡¯t get inside even if they did. Based on the presence of overflowing magma inside the Sacred ce, going inside from underground would surely be dangerous, Schnee pointed out.

    The remaining n was to climb over the walls.

    Shin and the others, staying far from the spreading magma, started circling the walls. As the Red Core Pirs sank one after the other, their barrage of beams was dwindling.

    Shin, still protected by Yuzuha, shot a magic spell over the walls.

    Light-type Magic Skill ¡¾Ray Line¡¿.

    It was the Light elemental version of ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ ¡ª a spell that allowed the user to freely manipte lightning ¡ª as used by the Elf Lecus, one of the three students of Erkunt¡¯s magic academy that Shin had trained.

    Shin simply sent the spell upwards, then bent it to cross over the walls. He sent 20 such light bullets: some of them were shot down by the Red Core Pirs¡¯ beams, but more than half of them still managed to go over the walls and disappear inside.

    Shin put the bare minimum magic power in them, so they vanished quickly.

    ¡°(Looks like there aren¡¯t invisible barriers over the walls. Let¡¯s get inside.)¡±

    In the Sacred ce where Shin was transported to when he visited Bayreuth, the outer walls were protected by an invisible barrier which were said to not allow anyone inside or outside.

    Shin thus tested this possibility with magic, but things were apparently different here. The light beams were struck down by the Red Core Pirs, but nothing attacked them from inside, nor did they hit anything on their way in.

    (Could it be that there¡¯s only magma inside? It can¡¯t be, though¡­)

    As Shin considered such thoughts, the party started climbing the walls. The Red Core Pirs¡¯ barrage, however, did not stop.

    Using climbing skills, the party quickly moved up the walls.

    Tiera and Sety did not have wall climbing skills, but Kagerou easily lifted them over.

    As they arrived on top of the 20 mel tall walls, the burning beams stopped targeting them.

    The walls were more than 5 mel wide: as long as they didn¡¯t stand on the outer edges, Shin and the others couldn¡¯t be seen by the Red Core Pirs.

    Their beams could only shoot straight, so it could be said that they had finally ovee that obstacle.

    Shin suspected that their arrival was already known by the enemy, but he used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on the whole party all the same.

    ¡°Whenva started pouring out of the hole, I knew it¡¯d be a mess inside, but this¡­¡±

    Shin carefully approached the inner edge of the walls and looked inside the Sacred ce.

    As expected, magma was everywhere.

    What he didn¡¯t expect, however, was to see buildings still standing. They were not normal buildings anymore of course.

    Even if they were built before the Dusk of Majesty, no buildings could survive in moltenva.

    Even if they were generally sturdy, most buildings could be destroyed by monsters. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t melt inva.

    What surprised Shin was that all the buildings were encased in a transparent crystal-like material.

    From the smallest trade shop to the guilds where yers undertook quests, there was no exception: all the buildings were in the same state.

    If the Sacred ce was overflowing with water, the scenery would look quite magical.

    The liquid currently filling the premises, however, was colored red and yellow and was of rather sticky quality,pared to water.

    Shin and the party were standing on the tall castle walls, but could still feel the heat trying to burn their skin. If they got too close they would surely end up in mes.

    Their stats and equipment were their only protection from a fiery death. In the real world, this environment could only be survived with fireproof wear and heavy protective gear.

    ¡°(Looks like we¡¯ll find only monsters that can survive inva here. I wonder what happened to the buildings though.)¡±

    ¡°(The monsters here will be like other high-temperature areas, I suppose. But yeah, those buildings are just weird. It¡¯s like they¡¯re encased in ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡».)¡±

    Shin and Schnee exchanged words via Mind Chat.

    As Shin said, the buildings encased in crystal seemed to retain high magic power.

    They appeared to be just like ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡», but were not exactly the same thing. At the moment, they were closer to magic stones.

    Since they could be technically ssified as minerals, ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ revealed their details. There was no exnation as to why buildings were transforming into ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡».

    ¡°(There¡¯s a Ley Line here.)¡±

    ¡°(Really?)¡±

    Yuzuha spoke while looking at the town under them. yers had little to do with Ley Lines or such topics, so very few of them learned any rted Skills. Shin was no exception.

    ces located over Ley Lines, however, tended to produce valuable items. If they also had mineral veins, it was even possible to find ¡ª albeit rarely ¡ª pieces of ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡».

    ¡°(Did the Ley Line cause this?)¡±

    ¡°(Definitely. But the Ley Line here is strange¡­it has gathered so much energy, yet I couldn¡¯t notice it immediately. In this situation, I would normally feel something was strange even if I was far away.)¡±

    Shin asked Yuzuha for confirmation and she replied, her eyes sharpened in concentration.

    Her tail also waved rhythmically. That was the reason why her ears perked up when the wall crumbled apparently.

    ¡°(It¡¯s probably because of these walls. They¡¯re keeping all of this umting energy from leaking out.)¡±

    Sety, who was tapping the walls with her ¡ºDusk Moon¡», answered Yuzuha¡¯s doubt. When the wall was ruptured, she reported feeling a surge of magic power.

    ¡°(I agree with Sety. This Guardian is definitely attempting something different from the rest.)¡±

    Schnee expressed agreement with Sety¡¯s assessment. Tiera too had felt something unusual from the area, though not as clearly as them.

    ¡°(Just to confirm, are we sure that this Ley Line is not in a normal state? Or these walls are just umting magic power?)¡±

    If the walls were acting as a dam, preventing magic power from flowing freely, all they had to do was to break them down.

    ¡°(The Ley Line is twisted. If it¡¯s left alone, soon more and more strong monsters wille out of here, I think.)¡±

    Yuzuha added that, because of the size of the area, the resulting monsters would be much more dangerous than those born in other pools of magic power.

    Shin wondered if that wasn¡¯t the Guardian¡¯s true n. If it could gain control over such powerful monsters, it could easily take over Number 37 and Eleven¡¯s Sacred ces.

    Based on the information they gathered up till now, it sounded usible. The Red Core Pirs set around the Sacred ce could have been born the same way.

    ¡°(Basically, if we can find the Guardian, we can solve the whole situation.)¡±

    There were not many buildings scattered across the burning town and few things of note. Because of this, Shin failed to recall any game era city that could match it.

    Even if he couldn¡¯t use his memories as a hint, they could just head for the building most simr to the enemy¡¯s stronghold, but there was no such ce.

    Shin was familiar with all of the monsters in the area, but none of them were the species or rank to possess precious items.

    ¡°(Did you notice anything useful?)¡±

    ¡°(It is quite bizarre¡­the presence of the core is very vague. It is definitely inside this Sacred ce, but I cannot locate it with precision.)¡±

    Gelganger, which had turned its body smaller and returned to human form, was now riding on Kagerou¡¯s shoulder. It replied to Shin¡¯s question with a frown: it seemed to be sincerely bewildered by its inability to find the core.

    ¡°(I guess we just have to search inside.)¡±

    Shin considered using the Skills he had saved up during the battles with the Red Mounds and Red Core Pirs.

    There were no enemies on the walls and the Red Core Pirs¡¯ beams could not pierce them, so there was no risk of being shot. They had some time to think.

    Using water to freeze the magma would surely be advantageous for the party. Even if they were equipped with countermeasures for the heat, exploring the town as it was burning was too dangerous.

    ¡°(Um, may I say something?)¡±

    While Shin and the others exchanged opinions, Tiera raised her hand.

    ¡°(It¡¯s really thin, but I feel there¡¯s some miasma over there. Isn¡¯t it strange, though?)¡±

    The word ¡°miasma¡±pelled everyone to look in the direction Tiera pointed to.

    From their position, it was slightly to the right of the center of the Sacred ce.

    The magma covered more than half of the area, making it difficult to see clearly, but it seemedpletely normal ¡ª the only difference from the rest of the town was that the concentration of buildings was slightly higher.

    ¡°(Kuu, check it out more.)¡±

    Yuzuha took Tiera¡¯s hand, which was apparently enough to enhance her ability to detect miasma.

    After about 30 seconds of staring at the location in question, Tiera nodded.

    ¡°(Thanks to Yuzuha, I¡¯mpletely sure now. The miasma ising up from under that building.)¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t tell if the miasma came from ¡°something¡± or ¡°someone¡± yet, but she was positive about its origin.

    Yuzuha nodded as well.

    Shin tried using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ to check the location, since it was underground, but the skill was blocked by a sort of veil.

    ¡°(Hmm, we can¡¯t see what¡¯s inside from here¡­but we don¡¯t have any other clues, do we.)¡±

    It could very well be a trap, but Shin decided to attack.

    The enemy was definitely already aware of their presence.

    Even if the Red Core Pirs¡¯ attacks couldn¡¯t reach them, it was too unnatural for them to be left alone like that. It was wiser to think that the enemy had put into effect another n against Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll use ¡¾Absolut¡¿ and see what happens. Schnee, please do the same. Sety, in case anythinges out, prepare a big concentrated firepower kind of spell.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood.)¡±

    ¡°(Got it!)¡±

    Shin, his ¡¾Limiter¡¿ stillpletely removed, started preparing the Skill. Schnee, especially proficient in Water magic, added hers too. Shin expected the results to be simr to the ¡¾Absolut¡¿ that caused a stir in the game era.

    Filma and the others were in charge of standing guard: if the enemy realized they were preparing such a powerful attack, they might try to get in the way or attack first.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go on the count of three. 1,2,3!)¡±

    Shin and Schnee activated the Skill at the same time. Their magic power turned into cold air and gathered above the building Tiera pointed to, leaving a white streak in its wake.

    Water-type Magic Skill ¡¾Absolut¡¿.

    The cold air, amassed into a sphere about 30 cemel wide, was released in a st.

    In the game era, this Skill was simply described as extremely cold air: in reality, it tranted to about -200¡æ (-328¨H). A sphere of such cold air was going to collide with magma measuring over 1000¡æ (1832¨H).

    This sh of extremes was followed by a sound like leaking gas, then ice cracking, then¡­nothing.

    This was a world of magic, a phenomenon that ignored thews of physics. The ¡°battle¡± between ice and magma dependspletely on the abilities of their creators.

    In this instance, Shin and Schnee imed the victory. The sphere of ice cold magic power instantly froze the target building, then stopped the magma around it.

    The chilling air quickly spread in the surroundings: it was like watching a video in fast-forward. More and more of the magma becamepletely still, as the¡ºDrop of Erathem¡»-like buildings were painted white.

    The freezing effect did not stop at the magma: it extended to the outer walls and froze them in their entirety, locking all monsters they met in solid ice cages.

    The castle walls were soon frozenpletely, on all sides.

    The chilling air, however, showed no signs of stopping: it leaked out of the breach in the walls and spread in the surroundings, covering the magma, Red Core Pirs, and the ground itself in ice.

    ¡°(I knew what was going to happen, but feeling the chills creep up to my feet is terrifying.)¡±

    ¡°(Same here.)¡±

    The Red Core Pirs were probably frozen to the core. Tiera voiced her feelings while hearing the sounds of the monsters¡¯ cores slipping out of their bodies and cracking on the ground. Sety, next to her, seemed a bit relieved.

    The quiet, overwhelming wave of cold air eventually reached the walls Shin and the others were standing on.

    Its effects weakened because of the party¡¯s resistance to magic, so Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» and the shields equipped by the others could protect them from any damage.

    The only safe area on the walls was the space Shin and the others were standing on, plus the five mel radius around them.

    ¡°(Okay then, I¡¯ll go with my big one now!!)¡±

    After making sure the cold air wave had died down, Sety released the spell she had prepared.

    Thin rays of light started raining on the building exuding miasma. A few secondster, a massive 10 mel globe of light smashed through the building.

    Light-type Magic Skill ¡¾Meteolight¡¿.

    Among the group of skills dubbed ¡°light beam type¡±, it boasted extremely high piercing power.

    The smaller beams that preceded it were guiding lights that set the target: crosshairs that pinpointed where therger beam would strike.

    Sety shot from above this time, but the skill could be used from any direction. It depended on the targeting beams¡¯ direction and position.

    ¡°Tiera, any changes in the miasma?¡±

    After shy spells like those, there was no need for Mind Chat anymore: Shin thus spoke to Tiera directly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything at the moment¡­¡±

    Tiera borrowed Yuzuha¡¯s help one more time and scanned the area where the building used to stand. ¡°Used to¡±, as it had been obliterated without a trace.

    ¡¾Meteolight¡¿ continued glowing for about 30 seconds.

    After the light disappeared, there was literally nothing left.

    They could only see arge hole, as wide as the beam of light was. Sety¡¯s spell had opened a small crater into the Sacred ce.

    For a moment, Shin wondered if it was already over ¡ª but then, arge response appeared in his detection range. It was inside therge hole that reced the miasma building.

    The size of the icon matched exactly the size of the hole: there had to be a reason behind it.

    ¡°There¡¯s something underground¡­probably a Demon. It¡¯sing up slowly.¡±

    Almost at the same time as the presence appeared on the map, a ck smoke-like aura rose from the hole. Even without Tiera¡¯s highly precise detection skills, it was clear to see what produced it.

 Book 18: Chapter 4 (3)

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 4 (3)</h4>

    Shin turned towards Sety.

    ¡°Sety, have them taste another one.¡±

    ¡°All right!!¡±

    If it was only the Guardian, Shin considered waiting until they showed themselves.

    Once he learned that the enemy leaked miasma, however, he discarded any such patience. Even if the Guardian was the source of the miasma, he did not expect a Guardian corrupted by miasma to be able to negotiate with other Guardians.

    Even in the extreme case such a Guardian proposed to negotiate, Shin would not ept. And since their avable ns of action were now reduced to one, there was no reason to give the enemy time to prepare.

    Without the slightest hesitation, Sety dropped another ¡¾Meteolight¡¿ in the crater.

    Also because of equipment bonuses, ¡¾Meteolight¡¿ would normally affect a much wider area, but Sety¡¯s was slightly different. She had modified it to focus on a smaller area but heighten the offensive power.

    Its piercing power had naturally increased too. She also used Shin¡¯s enhanced ¡ºDusk Moon¡» to fire it, so the Skill¡¯s power was easily superior to the game era version.

    Shin¡¯s detection field confirmed that the sphere of light hit the presenceing up the hole. Even so, the icon¡¯s ascension did not slow down at all.

    ¡°It won¡¯t stop even after all that¡­? I-it¡¯s almost out!!¡±

    The enemy presence was about 20 mel from the surface when Sety shouted. They couldn¡¯t see its HP, so they had no idea yet of how much damage Sety¡¯s spells had caused.

    Before the presence appeared, however, something changed at ground level.

    The ice started cracking near the crater. As time passed, the ice cracked and melted, hot vapors rising from it.

    ¡°I see¡­no wonder Sety¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t slow it down.¡±

    ¡ª B%=da#ry Gu&=?an L%¡±#7W5 Poss!*+$>

    Following Filma¡¯s whisper, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the presence¡¯s identity.

    Just like when they used it on the first Guardian, however, the information appeared bugged. Even if it hadn¡¯t revealed itself fully, it was still considered as a target.

    Before the party¡¯s eyes, the once frozen magma started flowing again. It started falling in the crater, only to flow back out several minutester, together with the magma rising from underground.

    The magma seemed to pulsate, just like a volcano immediately before eruption. Something about it was clearly different from before, though: only a small amount flowed back out on the ground. Most of the magma floated in midair instead, gathering into a single spot.

    ¡ª B%=da#ry Gu&=?an L%¡±#7W5 Poss!*+$>

    The magma progressively took a humanlike shape.

    It was strikingly simr to a Red Mound: long, stretched upper body and arms, a head-like appendage. The differences were its much greater size and therge globes of light encased in its chest and head.

    A red, sometimes white hot giant embedded with sludge colored spheres. It was surely not a pretty sight.

    ¡ª Boundary Guardian Level 755 Possession Type: Demon

    As they watched the red giant take shape, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ finallypleted its task. All bugged text was gone, revealing the creature¡¯s information in its entirety.

    ¡°My ¡¾Analyze¡¿ says that this guy is the boss. What about yours?¡±

    ¡°I agree as well. After it appeared, I could clearly feel its presence.¡±

    Shin asked Gelganger for confirmation and thetter nodded. It hypothesized that the reason why its presence was not clear until now was that it was melting inside the magma umted in the Sacred ce.

    ¡°And it¡¯s even possessed by a Demon¡­what do you think is going on here?¡±

    ¡°I cannot personally detect that, but¡­it would not be impossible. Guardians are different from other monsters, but they are notpletely above thews that govern this world. They will still sumb to opponents more powerful than them.¡±

    It was probably a Parasite-type Demon. Most of them targeted humans, but they could also inhabit the bodies of monsters.

    ¡°Parasite Demons can even possess Guardians? I feel like beating up whoever thought this was okay¡­¡±

    Parasite types were regarded as extremely annoying enemies since the game era. It was normal for Milt to grumble a bit.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know of any ways to remove the Demon or undo the possession, so we¡¯re taking it down, okay?¡±

    ¡°There is no other way, I suppose. Number 43 too surely feels humiliated by being used like this.¡±

    Shin stated they would take down the Guardian and the core with it: Gelganger nodded in response, a mncholic expression on its face.

    Shin faced the Guardian again, weapon in hand.

    The magma flowing in the Sacred ce was all absorbed by its body: only the remains of the buildings transforming into ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» were left.

    The ground and walls seemed to exhale heat. The entire party was equipped with heat resistant equipment, so they would not be burned even if they came in contact with them. Their lungs were safe, even if the air they were breathing was burning hot.

    They had to be wary of the Guardian¡¯s attacks. Even if their equipment resisted heat, it could not nullify physical attacks. The enemy¡¯srge size itself was a powerful weapon.

    ¡°First, Schnee and I will shave off its surface with Water magic. Then let¡¯s all see how it reacts and attacks together. There might be other monsters around too, so watch your backs.¡±

    The fighting style of the party members other than Shin and Schnee was more or less fixed.

    If the boss seemed to be affected by physical attacks, Filma and Milt would join in: if magic was more effective, Sety would take the lead. Tiera¡¯s arrows could serve in both cases, depending on what Skill she used.

    Kagerou had Sety, Tiera and Yuzuha on his back, to help them move more quickly and guard them in case of necessity.

    Yuzuha could boost Sety and Tiera¡¯s attacks, watching over the situation in case anything unexpected happened.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Following Shin¡¯smand, everyone started running down the castle walls.

    Shin and the others used Skills, while Kagerou relied on his own natural abilities.

    A few secondster, the Guardian moved too.

    The spheres on its head-like appendage started glowing fiercely, signaling it was aware of their offensive. There had to be a reason why it hadn¡¯t moved until then.

    ¡°Let¡¯s attack first.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Shin and Schnee lightlynded on the ground and prepared to cast another ¡¾Absolut¡¿.

    A mass of cold air formed over the Guardian. Before it could be released, however, the enemy made its move.

    Its magma body was more nimble than what they expected.

    The monster stretched its arms upwards, as if cupping the sphere of cold air in its palms.

    Even though the extremities of the monster¡¯s hands formed hand-like shapes, the fingers were rugged and choppy. It looked like the five fingers could easily morph in something else.

    Because of that, however, it could do something impossible for a regr five-fingered hand:pletely envelop the Water magic sphere. As soon as it did, the fingers fused together in a solid block.

    Even if trapped inside magma, ¡¾Absolut¡¿¡¯s cold air did not vanish and released its chilling wind.

    The monster¡¯s hands quickly froze, followed by its torso.

    The freezing effect stopped at the shoulders, though. Hot vapors started rising from the monster¡¯s body, gradually melting the frozen parts.

    It could not perfectly return to its original form, however.

    The Guardian¡¯s arms melted only up to the elbow: From there up to the hands, the monster¡¯s body was still frozen and even started cracking. Inside the cracked hands, however, the cold air was no more.

    ¡°(It can contain an ¡¾Absolut¡¿, I see. But since it blocked it, we know that it¡¯s not strong enough to ignore it. At the very least, its HP decreased.)¡±

    ¡°(Looks like it temporarily increased its body temperature. After the arms melted, its temperature went down.)¡±

    Shin observed the Guardian while running. The party scattered in all directions, so they shared their findings via Mind Chat.

    Milt, who was running close to him, told the rest of the party what she saw through the ¡¾Thermal Sight¡¿ Skill.

    ¡°(Doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s interested in recovering the frozen parts, though.)¡±

    The monster¡¯s hands, frozen and shattered, were scattered on the ground.

    A few secondster, they melted and evaporated. Schnee noted that they did not remain as magma.

    The monster fashioned new arms from the melting magma forming its body.

    It was a shapeshifter, so it could probably recreate any lost body parts, if given time. Its movements were not awkward either.

    ¡°(It¡¯s moving as if nothing happened, but it definitely lost HP. Once its body parts are cut off from the body, they probably can¡¯t regenerate. Let¡¯s try shaving or cutting its limbs off.)¡±

    As Shin spoke, one mel long, five cemel wide blue spears of ice formed in the air all around him. They followed him as he ran, maintaining the same height and distance.

    Water-type Magic Skill ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿

    This skill could create up to eight spears of ice, based on the caster¡¯s stats.

    If one wanted simply to throw a spear of ice, the Water-type Magic Skill ¡¾Ice Lance¡¿ would allow one to do so instantly, while also having more projectiles and higher offensive power.

    Shin had chosen ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿ instead, as it had an ability that ¡¾Ice Lance¡¿cked.

    Shin swung his arm, and the icences flew through the air, targeting the Guardian.

    The eight spears of ice traced arcs of light as they flew, deftly dodging the monster¡¯s attempts to knock them down: three of them pierced its torso, one the base of the left arm, three the right arm, guarding the body.

    Thest spear, finally, pierced the Guardian in the connection between torso and head ¡ª the part corresponding to the human neck.

    Thences pierced into the Guardian¡¯s body roughly 30 cemel: considering the monster¡¯s size, it was barely a scratch. Unlike humans, it did not possess muscles or bones, so it continued moving as if it felt nothing.

    ¡°It does raise its temperature after it gets frozen, after all.¡±

    At the same time of Milt¡¯sment, the Guardian¡¯s left arm was snapped off its body.

    With the sound of a shattering boulder, the left arm fell: from the point where the ice spear struck, the whole arm quickly froze and shattered as soon as it hit the ground.

    While the arm froze very quickly, the torso was barely affected: there was probably a difference in theirposition.

    ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿ spears had the power of freezing the surroundings of their target.

    As me skills caused burns and lightning skills caused paralysis, this skill focused on causing such a side effect.

    The Guardian, its movements dulled by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿, was enveloped in a st of white smoke.

    Fragments of ice and white clouds spread all around. It was the effect of Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Ice Explosion¡¿.

    It was a Water-type Magic Skill, like ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿: while Shin¡¯s Skill focused on freezing its targets and their surroundings, Schnee¡¯s Skill could freeze a wide area.

    The former could freeze the target deeply, but its range was small: thetter had a wider, albeit more shallow, area of effect.

    ¡°It seems like ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿ is more effective. It appears to especially loathe attacks targeting its head and torso. Unlike most shapeshifter monsters, its decorations might not only be for show.¡±

    The Guardian¡¯s left arm was torn, the right arm still slow and dull. The right arm, pierced by three spears like the torso and gradually freezing, was guarding the head and center of the torso.

    The torso too was slightly frozen, but, maybe because it was pierced only by the tip of the spear, it suffered little damage and quickly returned to its molten state.

    Following Shin and Schnee¡¯s spells, a white whirlwind flew towards the Guardian. Its size was just right to envelop the monster: the chilling air it produced gradually froze its body.

    ¡°(After Sety¡¯s spell I¡¯m going in)¡±

    ¡°(I shall move too.)¡±

    The whirlwind cleared, leaving the Guardian enveloped in ice. Without leaving it time to recover, Filma dashed through the air ¡ª thanks to her armor¡¯s magic power expulsion ability ¡ª and targeted its head, while Shibaid attacked the monster¡¯s torso with his ¡ºcid Moon¡»¡¯s throwing ability. Tiera also fired her arrows, in order to fill the gaps between their attacks.

    ¡°(Watch out, the Guardian¡¯s body temperature just shot up! It might be trying to do something!)¡±

    Milt, who continued observing the monster with the ¡¾Thermal Sight¡¿ skill, shouted a warning via Mind Chat. The next second, magma burst out from the Guardian¡¯s body, stretching like tentacles.

    Only the surface of its body was frozen: the magma tentacles, born from the monster¡¯s right arm and torso, broke through and shattered the ice.

    Filma shed the tentacles chasing her and moved away.

    Shibaid¡¯s thrown weapon was deflected by a bunch of tentacles.

    Tiera¡¯s arrows stopped at the monster¡¯s surface, probably blocked by the inner rise in temperature.

    ¡°(How is the temperature changing?)¡±

    ¡°(It started from the torso, then the rest of the body followed. Since it¡¯s based on Arahabaki, it shouldn¡¯t have a core like other regr Golems¡­but now it¡¯s closer to a Slime than a Golem, so the torso is probably hiding something important.)¡±

    Milt, who had continued observing the Guardian without participating in the attack, exined her thoughts.

    Arahabaki was a monster formed by minerals that produced high temperatures. It did not have a core that could be its weakness, so the only way to defeat it was to whittle down its HP.

    Maybe because of the Demon¡¯s possession, this monster shared few characteristics with its base monster. The only simrity was that both their bodies produced high temperatures.

    It could have absorbed the Sacred ce¡¯s core to use as an energy source, so the party decided to perform an all-out attack on its torso.

    ¡°(Those tentacles are a real pain¡­they even deflected Shibaid¡¯s throw, can you imagine?)¡±

    ¡°(I will try to lure attacks on one point. If not, we would have to try to overwhelm it with quantity. If allowed to group together, its tentacles can even parry my throw, after all.)¡±

    Shibaid had not used any Skills when he threw his weapon. His arm strength and ¡ºcid Moon¡» alone, however, easily surpassed the effects of any average Skill.

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» did carve through the tentacles that deflected it, but thanks to the Guardian¡¯s regeneration powers, they already returned to their original form.

    While cutting down the tentacles targeting him, Shibaid said that it would be better to increase the number of attacks, to force the enemy to focus on all of them and lower its overall concentration.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go with Shibaid¡¯s n. If the Guardian concentrates its attacks on him, Schnee, Filma, and I will take advantage of the opening and attack the glowing spheres on its torso. We can¡¯t leave the spheres on its head alone either, though: Sety, Tiera, please target those. If the aggro doesn¡¯t focus on Shibaid¡­Sety and Tiera, use attacks with a high number of projectiles. The other members should find the best opportunity to close in and attack from close quarters. Other than its size and tentacles, it attacks like a powered up Red Mound: considering that it¡¯s possessed by a Demon, the way it fights is way too clean. Don¡¯t let your guard down!)¡±

    They couldn¡¯t feel the Guardian or the Demon¡¯s true presence yet. The enemy surely had more tricks up its sleeves.

    Only Yuzuha and Milt did not participate in the offensive: Yuzuha was standing by in case of emergencies, as before, and Milt continued observing the Guardian for any changes.

    Shin did not need to give her instructions, as she naturally fit the role.

    In the game era, especially in raids of multiple parties against onerge monster, having one or two yers focus on information gathering was the irond rule.

    It could serve as insurance in case the party was wiped out, but its main purpose was to fight any uing battles with an advantage.

    In THE NEW GATE, unless the yer¡¯s stats and equipment were overwhelmingly superior, most boss monsters ¡ª especially the raid type ones ¡ª were extremely difficult to defeat in the first encounter.

    Ever since Shin and the others regrouped in this world, many of the enemy encounters they had were in situations where they couldn¡¯t flee, either literally or because it would have negative consequences. Because of this, they didn¡¯t spare anyone to act as an observer. This time they chose to do so also because Milt was a former yer.

    ¡°Face me, fiend!!¡±

    Shibaid held up his ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» and activated the ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿ Skill. If he could lure the Guardian¡¯s attacks towards himself, Shin and the others could focus on attacking.

    ¡°(It¡¯s working! The Guardian¡¯s main body and tentacles are both targeting Shibaid!)¡±

    Milt the observer reported that Shibaid¡¯s decoy n worked perfectly. She used a Skill that allowed her and her Water Spirit to share what they saw, so Milt could also see from positions impossible to see with the naked eye.

    This ability was another important reason as to why she took the observer role.

    The party members had all scattered in different directions, so they would have had to individually confirm if Shibaid¡¯s n worked; now that it was not necessary anymore, they could focus on their offensive.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s do this!)¡±

    From the Guardian¡¯s viewpoint, Shin was in fronting from the right; Filma and Schnee were behind,ing from the left and right respectively.

    They all activated Skills, making sure their trajectories did not hit the other members¡¯ paths.

    Their offensive motion was a thrust. As soon as the Skills were activated, the three¡¯s des glowed in a pale green light.

    The flickering de of wind did not seem very powerful at first nce.

    Someone with good enough eyesight, however, would notice that the pale green light was a result of the massive magic power concentrated in the des reacting with the magic power particles in the air.

    The three thrust their weapons in the exact same motion, albeit with different timing.

    A sharp, lightning-fast thrust. Without even the sound of cutting through the air, the des struck their target as if they skipped several frames ahead.

    This Team Skill could be performed only by three- or more people activating the Katana/Wind Combination Skill ¡¾Rising Wave¡¿ at the same time.

    The semi-transparent thrust pierced through enemy defenses and created a wide range shockwave, meant to rupture the enemy from within.

    Smaller ¡¾Rising Wave¡¿ shockwaves would also fly off in all directions, making it especially useful against monsters with sturdy armor or weak points such as cores.

    On the other hand, it required precise timing and aim, so it was not used often in real battles.

    The three¡¯s ¡¾Rising Wave¡¿ struck the Guardian¡¯s torso with perfect timing, thus unleashing the Skill¡¯s true power.

    The Guardian¡¯s torso swelled and popped, just like a balloon.

    Its head and arms, with nothing keeping them together anymore, were flung away. The monster¡¯s lower body stopped moving, as if it didn¡¯t realize what just happened.

    ¡°(HP down to half!)¡±

    Milt¡¯s voice reached the party¡¯s ears.

    Sety¡¯s magic and Tiera¡¯s arrows followed by targeting the head.

    The first attack to reach was a ck sh of lightning, Sety¡¯s Darkness Magic spell ¡¾Dark Devourer¡¿.

    The ck lightning it produced literally devoured its targets: in this case, it tore through the glowing spheres on the monster¡¯s head.

    Tiera¡¯s arrows, turning into blue lightning bolts, finished the job by annihting what remained of the head. She had used the Bow/Light Combination Skill ¡¾Light Comet¡¿.

    ¡°(We¡¯ve destroyed everything that seemed important¡­Milt, how much HP does it have left?)¡±

    ¡°(About 20%. Do we have to destroy its whole body?)¡±

    Milt looked at the monster¡¯s arms, lying motionless on the ground, and the lower body. As Shin had confirmed, its HP was not zero yet.

 Book 18: Chapter 4 (4)

    <h4>Book 18: Chapter 4 (4)</h4>

    Shin noticed Schnee was looking at him and nodded to her.

    In order to get rid of any possible concerns, they activated magic spells to destroy the monster¡¯s remaining parts.

    Schnee targeted the gradually melting arms, Shin the still immobile lower body.

    The arms were frozen and shattered, leaving nothing behind. The result was different for the lower body however: Shin¡¯s ¡¾Blue Erosion¡¿ ice spears were deflected before they could hit.

    ¡°(What the?)¡±

    The unprecedented phenomenon gave Shin a bad premonition. He focused his magic power and tried casting a more powerful spell, but something happened before he could.

    The magma was drained through the ground, just like water sucked in by sand.

    ¡°Did you see anything?¡±

    ¡°Just for a split second, but the name was all buggy.¡±

    No monster response could be found in the ground. The party regrouped for the time being and Shin asked Milt if she had discovered anything.

    ¡°Did you see anything from there?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m afraid. Number 43¡¯s presence grew fainter actually. It has not disappearedpletely, but¡­¡±

    Shin also asked Gelganger, which had remained on the castle walls, but its answer was simr to Milt¡¯s. The fact that the Guardian¡¯s presence had grown weaker was also concerning.

    ¡°So, what do¡ª ¡±

    Before Shin could finish his sentence, something ¡ª an inexplicable sensation ¡ª made him turn around.

    Yuzuha had probably felt the same: she hopped on his shoulder, her ears twitching.

    ¡°What¡¯s this feeling¡­¡±

    ¡°Milt, can you feel it too?¡±

    ¡°You too, Shin? It feels like¡­something is pulling my whole body. It¡¯s just weird.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I also feel like something¡¯s tugging at me.¡±

    Shin recalled what he experienced at the Kalkia Sacred ce.

    That time too, he felt something was pulling him. The feeling was weaker this time, but they were in a Sacred ce, just like then.

    Moreover, since Milt reported the same sensation, Shin concluded that it probably only affected yers.

    By that logic, Tiera might have been affected too, but in her case, she had only inherited a yer¡¯s abilities.

    Shin told Milt about his simr experience and told her to be careful.

    ¡°I see, so I suppose we have to rely on that golden light that came out of your body?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that was either though. It was colored gold at that time, but when we fought Ishkar it was purple¡­¡±

    Shin did not remember clearly what happened but he trusted what Schnee and the others reported seeing.

    ¡°Then, we shouldn¡¯t count on that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Oh, looks like break time¡¯s over.¡±

    A monster presence appeared in the ground, directly under where the Guardian¡¯s lower body was sucked in. Before Shin and the others could attempt to attack, the presence smashed through the ground and revealed itself.

    As the cloud of dust and sand dissipated, a burning hot human-like figure appeared.

    The bright red color was probably caused by the fact that the monster¡¯s body was made of magma. The shape was different, but they could clearly see magma flowing on the monster¡¯s surface.

    The monster¡¯s hands and feet were both equipped with thick and sharp hooked ws.

    On its back were two sets of L-shaped protrusions, longer than its arms, which sort of looked like wings.

    The monster¡¯s face resembled a ming skull. It only had one eye cavity, however, which hosted a glowing object of clearly different nature from magma.

    ¡ª Anguaini Level 930 %X# rank Demon

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the enemy¡¯s data. The first to react to its name was Milt.

    ¡°Whoa, this is weird. The Anguaini I know wasn¡¯t like this at all.¡±

    ¡°The rank is bugged out, and the level¡¯s totally different too.¡±

    Both Shin and Milt visualized the Demon¡¯s rank as a jumbled mess. That was not the real reason why they were surprised of course.

    The Demon of mes Anguaini was a rtively well-known monster in THE NEW GATE, because of how frequently it could be encountered.

    It was a Demon with low rank and level, which appeared in most if not all Demon-rted events: in other words, Demon mob.

    Something any yer with decent equipment and level could defeat. That was Anguaini¡¯s position. It also existed in every elemental version: the water Anguaini, wind Anguaini, and so on.

    It had short limbs and a roundish body, as it had been designed to be a sort of mascot for the Demons. It was normally far from level 900, nor did it look like the monster Shin and the others were currently facing.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve finally found our real target.¡±

    ¡°So the battle just now was a test of strength, or maybe it needed time to get ready?¡±

    Schnee and the others faced the searing winds emanating from Anguaini, weapons in hand.

    ¡°If its weak points didn¡¯t change, we should target the eye. But they might have changed, so watch it carefully! We don¡¯t know what attacks it¡¯ll use either, so¡ª ¡±

    Before Shin could finish his sentence, his instincts ordered him to jump high in the air. Over a beam of searing hot mes.

    After breaking out of the ground, Anguaini had been floating still in midair, but right before the attack its eye had turned towards Shin and red.

    Shin instinctively felt that he was the target and blocked the beam with his shield¡¯s barrier.

    The beam struck the barrier diagonally, chipping away at it as it was deflected. The barrier¡¯s endurance decreased by about 40%.

    ¡°(Make sure you dodge that beam! It took off almost half of my shield!)¡±

    Shin¡¯s shield, while not as sturdy as Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», was considerably powerful.

    Compared to the barely humanoid creature they were fighting until minutes prior, the speed and offensive power of the current enemy¡¯s long-range attacks were a whole nother level of strength.

    Shibaid stood in front of Schnee and the others and raised his shield without hesitation.

    Even if the monster did not actually target Shin, Shibaid would have surely blocked the attack. Shin trusted himpletely, so he followed his instincts and jumped.

    ¡°It just fired out of the blue¡­such speed and power are truly dangerous. Tiera, Sety, attack from behind Shibaid. Filma and I will assist Shin.¡±

    Schnee gave instructions while running. Anguaini¡¯s eye was still fixated on Shin.

    ¡°If only we had more things to hide behind!¡±

    ¡°Comining will not do us any good. I shall take all of its attacks, so cover Shin and the others as much as you can.¡±

    Even while grumbling, Sety was chanting her next spell. Tiera, on Kagerou, prepared her next arrow as well.

    Shin, after a nce to see how the others were doing, faced Anguaini.

    He was descending after the jump, but the eye never let him out of its sight. Shin could clearly feel the hostility it radiated.

    That was not all it expressed, however. Unlike other Demons, Shin could also feel a sort of euphoria towards fighting.

    Shin thought of waiting for an opening to attack, but no beams came his way. Instead, the monster roared. A vibration powerful enough to make his whole body shudder as it ripped through the air.

    The monster raised its hooked arms, staring at Shin, as it wanted to express that the real battle was going to start now.

    ¡°Here we go.¡±

    If Shin kept falling like that, Shibaid and the others would be affected by the monster¡¯s attack too. He activated ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ instead, to jump through the air in Anguaini¡¯s direction.

    He could have waited for Sety¡¯s support fire, but Shin could somehow tell that Anguaini¡¯s roar forcibly canceled half of the spells in its range, even if it couldn¡¯t actually see Sety¡¯s group.

    Anguaini refused to look at anyone but Shin, so there was no need to draw its attention.

    Shin realized this but also thought that it would be troublesome if Anguaini¡¯s beam targeted anyone other than him or Shibaid, so he decided to close in on the monster.

    Anguaini weed his approach with a sweep of its hooked ws. Because of its massive size, just one of the ws wasrger than Shin¡¯s body.

    The sweep was tremendously fast, as expected from the monster¡¯s level. Shin could have dodged it, but decided to block instead.

    Shin¡¯s katana tore through the ws, with the sound of grinding metal. If he couldn¡¯t use Skills to keep himself in the air, however, he would have surely been blown away by the momentum.

    Shin had raised his katana over his head before crossing against Anguaini¡¯s ws.

    The de was indeed cutting through the monster¡¯s ws, but it was certainly not as easy as a hot knife going through butter.

    Shin had used a katana specialized against me elemental enemies, the ¡ºRyujin Touka¡».

    As the name suggested, it was a katana with a beautifully sinuous de, just like flowing water, around which danced petal-shaped ice ribbons.

    It reduced me elemental damage against the user and caused additional damage to me elemental enemies: it was a bane for such enemies, through and through.

    Because of this specialization, its sharpness was slightly lower than other Ancient grade weapons, but it usually wouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    The current enemy was a me elemental one, so the katana¡¯s sharpness was naturally higher than the norm.

    Anguaini¡¯s ws, however, were sturdy enough to show considerable resistance even to a weapon it should be weak against.

    ¡°(Time to do our part!)¡±

    ¡°(Please lead the way, Filma.)¡±

    Filma and Schnee attacked Anguaini from the rear, respectively from its left and right sides.

    Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡» shed intermittently with a semi-transparent blue light. Her sword¡¯s de seemed to have grown in size: it was the Sword/Water Combination Skill ¡¾Lagoon Edge¡¿.

    It caused continuous Water elemental damage from the wound it created and could also lower the target¡¯s temperature: if the enemy was a high-temperature monster, it would slow down its movements.

    Schnee followed the blue sh with a crescent-shaped de of ice, ¡¾cial White Arc¡¿, a Skill that could freeze the wound it caused.

    Anguaini was still ring at Shin. Filma and Schnee¡¯s des were about to strike when something ripped through the air and deflected them.

    ¡°(Pretty good aim for a single-eyed beast.)¡±

    ¡°(Those are not just for show, evidently.)¡±

    The Skills were intercepted by the protrusions on Anguaini¡¯s back.

    The membrane wing-like objects extended for roughly half of the monster¡¯s height: they had moved independently, each stopping one of the shes.

    The protrusions had a shape close to curved des: the size of such ¡°wing des¡± was impressive enough to suggest that they could cleave the average yer or support character in two.

    The two pairs of wing des continued defending the body against Schnee and Filma¡¯s attacks.

    The wing de that blocked Filma¡¯s ¡¾Lagoon Edge¡¿ was torn to half its size and turned ck.

    The Skill¡¯s effect had likely lowered the monster¡¯s temperature: the wing de that met ¡¾cial White Arc¡¿ was two-thirds frozen, its movements dulled.

    They were going to fall with the next attack.

    I¡¯m going to smash them with the next attack.

    So the two thought, right before the wing des underwent a transformation.

    The discolored part instantly returned to its original form. The frozen part slipped off and fell, like a scab peeled off a wound. In just a few seconds, the wing des were as new.

    ¡°(Milt, did you see anything?)¡±

    ¡°(Like before, the spot that suffered damage showed a sudden rise in temperature. As you probably already noticed, though, the temperature isn¡¯t going back down this time. I think it might go up every time it¡¯s attacked!)¡±

    The wing des were now a color closer to yellow than red. The heatwave emitted by the monster now reached not only Shin, who was engaging the monster in closebat, but also Schnee and Filma, who were farther away.

    As for Sety and the others, Milt had asked her Water Spirit to cast a temporary heat protection enchantment on them.

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s handcrafted equipment, the heat could not actually affect them yet, but there was no harm in adding extra insurance.

    ¡°(Keep attacking from behind. If the wing des start attacking me instead, it¡¯s going to be a pain to fight.)¡±

    The four-wing des continued repelling Schnee and Filma¡¯s attacks,shing like whips. They could surely be used to target Shin, so he asked them to continue keeping them upied.

    ¡°(Are you ready to go?)¡±

    ¡°(Of course! I¡¯m not getting canceled this time! Make sure you don¡¯t get hit too!)¡±

    Shin cut off Anguaini¡¯s left-hand ws and blew away the right with a spinning kick when Sety¡¯s voice reached him. She had chanted a new, more powerful spell after the previous one had been canceled by Anguaini¡¯s roar.

    She told Shin not to get hit, but her spells would precisely target the enemy monster, so he would be safe as long as he didn¡¯t get too close.

    Shin and the others already knew what spell she was going to use, so they retreated the necessary distance from the monster.

    A blue and white spiral formed at Anguaini¡¯s feet then began rising upwards.

    The Anguaini attempted to move away, but the spell had already started: the monster¡¯s body was wrapped in chains, preventing it from moving.

    Water-type Magic Skill ¡¾Chlonothye¡¿.

    Following the light ascending to the sky, bands of cold air rose in spirals, wrapping around Anguaini and freezing its body as they did.

    The monster¡¯s body dropped in temperature, its color turning whiter and whiter by the second. A level 900+ monster, however, would not go down so easily. It started producing more and more heat from its insides, in order to resist the freezing effect.

    ¡°You little¡­! Give up already!!!¡±

    Sety pointed her¡ºDusk Moon¡»at Anguaini and shouted.

    She had infused additional MP into the spell before its effect would run out.

    The magic resistance of a Demon that had absorbed a Guardian¡¯s powers, however, surpassed her expectations: she realized that all one ¡¾Chlonothye¡¿ could do was slow down its movements.

    ¡°Let me help, at least a bit¡­!¡±

    Tiera started shooting arrows at the monster.

    Also thanks to Kagerou¡¯s support, Tiera¡¯s arrows struck the spots where the freezing effect ran deeper.

    While they couldn¡¯t pierce the monster¡¯s body, the arrows managed to crack and shatter parts of it.

    The monster¡¯s movements were slower, but its limbs moved in unpredictable ways: Shin and the others also could not tell which parts were frozen more than others.

    Tiera, however, managed to strike such parts with incredible precision. It couldn¡¯t possibly be chalked up to just her having sharp instincts.

    Anguaini¡¯s single eye, which was fixated on Shin until then, turned in Sety¡¯s direction. Its whole body was far from frozen: on the torso, only the surface was affected.

    It was using the moltenva in its body to repair any damage it suffered, but slowly but surely thatva was decreasing.

    Anguaini seemed to realize that it couldn¡¯t keep focusing only on Shin.

    The eye produced a spark.

    The next instant, the same beam that targeted Shin was shot towards Tiera and Sety.

    ¡°Not so fast!¡±

    With a vigorous shout, Shibaid and his¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»stood in the way of the beam.

    Shibaid had duly acknowledged how much damage the beam had caused to the protective barrier of Shin¡¯s shield. He reduced the radius of his own barrier and amplified its power, causing the beam to deviate and scatter in all directions.

    ¡°I am thankful for your support.¡±

    ¡°Even if I¡¯m the observer, I can do this much.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shibaid deflected the beam itself, but Milt¡¯s Water Spirit helped alleviate the heat it produced. Yuzuha had also boosted Shibaid¡¯s defenses, so the beam didn¡¯t even make him flinch.

    Tiera and Sety knew that Shibaid wouldpletely block the attack, so they did not pause in their offensive.

    ¡°(Just 10 more seconds!)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s more than enough. Let¡¯s go!)¡±

    After hearing Sety¡¯s Mind Chat, Shin, Schnee, and Filma prepared to attack again.

    Thanks to ¡¾Chlonothye¡¿ and Tiera¡¯s powered arrows, Anguaini¡¯s movements had dulled.

    Soon enough they would start carving away at the monster¡¯s flesh, but not even Sety could fire such a high-level skill continuously. She was bound to slow down eventually.

    She nned to inflict the maximum amount of damage as long as she could, then cancel the spell and switch with Shin and the others¡¯ close quarters offensive.

    The target was Anguaini¡¯s eye, the source of the deadlyser beam. Milt¡¯s observation confirmed that it was the spot with the highest temperature.

    When Sety started the countdown, Shin rushed the monster, keeping his stance low and gripping ¡ºRyujin Touka¡» at waist level.

    His next skill needed time to be charged. Shin could tell that Schnee and Filma too were gathering their energies for the next attack.

    ¡°(I¡¯m done!)¡±

    Sety gave the signal.

    Shin swung ¡ºRyujin Touka¡» as if releasing an arrow from a fully strung bow.

    At the same time, Schnee swung her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» from the left, Filma her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡» from above.

    They didn¡¯t hold anything back: all three used Shiden skills.

    The first one to strike was Shin.

    Katana-type Martial Skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Hollow Arc Moon¡¿

    The tip of ¡ºRyujin Touka¡» drew a line from Anguaini¡¯s nk through its chest, through the throat, towards the eye.

    Shin was not close enough for the sh to reach the target, in normal circumstances. He just drew a line over the monster in his sight. One momentter, however, a line following the exact same route appeared on Anguaini¡¯s body.

    The Skill used by Shin released an invisible sh that could cut anything in the user¡¯s view.

    It could reach anything the user could see: on the other hand, covering the target with a simple piece of paper was enough to neutralize it. It could cut through armor, but not the flesh under it.

    Anguaini would be hard-pressed to hide its massive body in any way, however. Its flesh waspletely exposed.

    ¡¾Shiden ¨C Hollow Arc Moon¡¿ was said to be impossible to dodge unless recognized from the preparatory movements: nothing could stop it from shing Anguaini.

    Schnee followed.

    Katana/Water Combination Skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Hakura Kamui¡¿

    Behind Anguini, bewildered by the unseen sh, came Schnee¡¯s follow-up attack.

    A white and blue sh was drawn in the air, flying towards the monster.

    The wing des, still moving freely, bent andshed, blocking the path of the sh from the side.

    All the wing des could cut through, however, was thin air. The blue and white sh continued on its path, passing through even Anguaini¡¯s head.

    ¡¾Shiden ¨C Hakura Kamui¡¿ was a mirage-like attack: a sh that bypassed all physical defenses, subsequently freezing the target from within.

    Anguaini did not seem toprehend what happened: the wound on its eye, opened by Shin¡¯s sh, bloomed with a flower of ice.

    Filma then delivered thest blow.

    Sword/Water Combination Skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Rea Spaar¡¿

    Seconds after Shin and Schnee¡¯s attacks, Filma¡¯s red katana was covered by a white light extending towards the sky, which then flew towards Anguaini.

    It could not pass through the wing des, but its path did not change nevertheless. Their resistance did not seem to mean anything for the white sh.

    The monster tried defending itself with the wing des, also using the ones that failed to intercept Schnee¡¯s attack, to no avail.

    The gigantic sh created by this Skill could not change its path after activation: if you knew it wasing, it could be dodged without fail.

    In exchange for this disadvantage, however, it could not be canceled in any way before its effect ended.

    There were some exceptions, but in most cases, it could not be stopped, not even by a giant taller than a mountain or a sea monster capable of devouring entire seas. The sh proceeded undisturbed by the wing des¡¯ resistance.

    ¡°Well done!¡±

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s ambush, followed by Filma¡¯s blow. The bright white sh cleaved Anguaini¡¯s head in two, extending up to the upper half of its torso. Milt rejoiced.

    The burst of ice created by ¡¾Hakura Kamui¡¿ on the wound opened by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Hollow Arc Moon¡¿ first extended to the surrounding flesh, but the head eventually managed to maintain its heat.

    After being sliced in two by ¡¾Rea Spaar¡¿, however, the head lost all of its energy, as the monster¡¯s whole body gradually turned into charred ck rock.

    The parts cut off from the body did not disappear, unlike what happened when the monster Guardian was in its name.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    ¡°Whoops, Tiera, you just raised the g.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What g?¡±

    Milt rebuked Tiera¡¯sment. Only yers and certain support characters would know what Milt meant, so Tiera was naturally perplexed.

    ¡°Its HP has reached zero, though.¡±

    ¡°That means we did it, right¡­?¡±

    A surprise resurrection of an enemy thought defeated was amon urrence in stories. It was not a rarity in THE NEW GATE either.

    The effect of Filma¡¯s ¡¾Rea Spaar¡¿ ended and the white de vanished. As if it was waiting for that exact moment, Anguaini¡¯s body crumbled down.

    All that remained was a mound of frozen rock.

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯sing back to life.)¡±

    ¡°(I can¡¯t see any such movements from here either.)¡±

    ¡°(Kuu, I don¡¯t think it wille back to life.)¡±

    The monster had already shown the ability to transform, so the party was wary it could have yet another form, but even after waiting a while, there was no sign. Shin asked Schnee and Milt, then Tiera ¡ª the most sensitive member to miasma ¡ª for confirmation.

    Anguaini was definitely dead. Shin was fairly confident but still exercised caution as he approached the monster¡¯s remains. After confirming that nothing happened, he called Gelganger ¡ª which was watching over the fight from the castle walls ¡ª to check for the Sacred ce core.

    ¡°Can you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothing at all, unfortunately. The faint traces of Number 43¡¯s presence seem to have disappearedpletely.¡±

    Since the monster had turned Anguaini, Gelganger apparently expected such a result.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this feeling?¡±

    Shin looked upwards, over the mound of rock that Anguaini¡¯s remains had turned into. His detection field had picked up on something there.

    It would be a disaster if the Demon had left a parting gift: Shin urged Gelganger to stay still and climbed the remains. On top, he found a pitch-ck, thorny object that clearly did not belong to the monster¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°This is¡­Chimeradite? No way¡­it¡¯s all-natural!?¡±

    What Shin found on the monster¡¯s remains was arge heap of Chimeradite, famous for being the greatest mineral in existence. But it was different from the kind cksmiths like Shin could produce.

    A rarity surpassing even Ancient grade weapons or¡ºDrop of Erathem¡».

    Excluding limited-time event rewards, it was the item with the highest rarity in THE NEW GATE, so difficult to find that many yers expressed rage to the developers about it.

    ¡°In the game era, I¡¯d be jumping with joy¡­but here¡­¡±

    Arahabaki was a monster that yielded rare drops, so it was certainly not an impossible event.

    Natural Chimeradite was surely a very rare mineral in the current world too.

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but think, however, that he would have preferred to find more information about the world instead of getting a rare material.

    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t hurt to take it with us anyway. We¡¯ll ask Eleven or Origin¡¯s half for information.¡±

    They were the most likely sources of information at the moment.

    While collecting the minerals, Shin sincerely hoped that what happened in that Sacred ce would not repeat again¡­

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Shin and his group were asked by Eleven, the 11th Boundary Guardian, to conquer a city ruled by a Demon.

    After breaking through the hot desert region and entering the Sacred ce of Number 43, known for its overwhelming pools ofva, Shin and his group were challenged to a battle against the Demon of mes Anguaini.

    He and hispanions cooperated to defeat Anguaini, who¡¯s power surpassed that of the game era, andter found a mountain of Chimeradite, a rare magical metal, left behind.

    ~

    After collecting the Chimeradite, Shin looked at his surroundings.

    The remnants of Anguaini were a treasure trove of materials, most likely because it was originally a mineral-based monster. Although he had been distracted by the Chimeradite, examining the area once again, he found a variety of other minerals and ores. Schnee, a support character whose cksmithing skill level had increased by helping Shin, also joined in the material investigation.

    The other members of the team, led by Tiera, were investigating the Sacred ce to see if anything left was tainted with miasma.

    ¡°The monster that was in the middle of the Sacred ce, the Red Core Pir, all of them have ckened cores and are lying on the ground. Maybe it had something to do with Anguaini.¡±

    Filma, a support character who had climbed to the top of the wall to check the surroundings, stated. ¡°If there were still some left, we would have had to fight one more battle when we went back so this saved a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, the Core is gone in this Sacred ce but is it okay to leave it as is?¡±

    Shin, somewhat curious, asked Gelganger, an elderly gentleman who was investigating nearby.

    ¡°That¡¯s the way it will be until we finish taking control of the ind. Eventually, a sub-core will be set up from the Master¡¯s core, with some authority handed over to it to manage the area. There is arge Ley Line running through what will be the Sacred ce, which will be very useful for the Guardians.¡±

    ¡°I have heard from Yuzuha the Element Tail that the disturbance of the Ley Line in this area is gradually being resolved.¡±

    ¡°Ley Lines¡­¡±

    In the game era, yers did not care much about the Ley Lines.

    On the other hand, in this world, he knew from experience that the Ley Lines were involved in various phenomena.

    He did some research in Falnido, the beast kingdom, but he can¡¯t say he has a good understanding of the Ley Line.

    Shin made a note in his head that he needed to do a thorough investigation. ¡°But still.¡±

    Muttering, Shin picked up a blueish-white lump from the wreckage at his feet.

    The lump was Orichalcum. Other than this, other precious metals like, Mithril, Adamantine, and Scarletite ingot were scattered.

    Since there was a Chimeradite, it was not surprising to find Orichalchum, from which Chimeradite was derived.

    When fighting Anguaini, its body parts that had been cut off had disappeared, so it did feel odd that the items remained after they had put an end to the fight.

    Since this case involved miasma, it may not be a proper guardian.

    However, when rare minerals were found in suchrge quantities, it almost made his game days of traversing mountains in search of a fragment of orichalcum seem ridiculous.

    Also, as Shin found out through his skills, the ores extracted here were of high purity, almost the same as the refined state.

    This would have been impossible in the game days, a time when minerals obtained as raw materials were refined to a higher purity or mixed with other minerals to make alloys.

    These minerals were like an item given away as a reward for an event.

    Though some minerals were mixed andyered in ces, it was a trivial matter.

    Schnee asked Shin, who was frowning, ¡°Was it more convenient for the Guardian to have a higher degree of purity?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. When it melted itself to a sludge, it may have been in a state like a melted Chimeradite. It ismon knowledge among cksmiths that mixing metals of low purity makes them brittle.¡±

    Was it the Guardian¡¯s special power or the influence of the energy of the Ley Line? It was not surprising that such a mysterious thing could happen.

    However, there is no point in worrying since Guardian number 43 has been defeated.

    Shin quickly stowed the items in the item box from one end to the other to finish collecting them.

    In the game days, the material had to be dug up from the ground and lifted out of the ground before it could be made into a card or stored in an item box, but now that restriction is gone.

    When Shin tried it, he found that the same material could be stored together too.

    Although there seemed to be an area limitation, which has to be connected to a ce where Shin is physically touching. Just by not having to dig around every single time, the efficiency of the work was much greater.

    Schnee, who had seen Shin working like this, also tried it and was able to store it without any problems. She was a little surprised.

    ¡°Schnee, you didn¡¯t know about this either?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I never had a chance to use it this way.¡±

    Most of the requests for Schnee¡¯s assistance were rted to battles and nts.

    Schnee¡¯s fighting skills are well known, and it ismon knowledge in this world that High Elves know a lot about nts. This kind of mineral gathering was the domain of the dwarves.

    ¡°I wonder if it became possible after [Dusk of the Majesty] or if it is because my cksmithing skills have improved. This is a difficult one to verify. Perhaps some of the people who own the item boxes are knowingly concealing this means.¡±

    With this method, as long as the minerals¡¯ tips are visible, they can be collected without digging.

    The efficiency of this method was iparable to that of the usual method, where one had to dig diligently with a shovel or a pickaxe.

    Depending on the capacity of the item box, it may be possible to recover a portion of a mineral vein outright. If they are rare metals, you can sell them in small quantities and be secure for the rest of your life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Shibaid and the others give it a try. It would be nice if Tiera could use the item box, too.¡±

    Wilhelm, a magic spearman in the Bayreuth Kingdom, told him before that in order for the residents of this world to use the item box, they would need an item called an ¡°Expansion Kit¡±.

    Shin had used an ¡°Expansion Kit¡± in the game days.

    In THE NEW GATE, it was treated as an in-game purchase. Though there were times you could get some of it as a reward for events and quests, and sometimes it was given as a gift at special times, such as the XX anniversary.

    Although the increase in item holdings was small, ¡°Expansion Kits¡± were the first items that yers would purchase, as they were inexpensive and easy to use.

    Since Shin had already maxed out his item box, he used the extra ¡°Expansion Kits¡± to trade for valuable items. So he had none in stock.

    Since the other ¡°Rokuten¡± members were the same way, it is unlikely that there is any leftover even at the guild house.

    In the game days, it was possible to get them from treasure chests in extremely rare cases in dungeons above a certain difficulty level. In this world, however, it is not so easy.

    The best way to get it is to ask someone who has it to give it to you.

    ¡°Oh right, if you¡¯re a chosen one, you¡¯re more likely to have an ¡°Expansion Kit¡± right? I wonder if Tiera has it.¡±

    There was no doubt that Tiera had the abilities of Shin¡¯s former lover, Marino.

    Marino had also said that Tiera was supposed to be the chosen one who inherited her abilities, so she should be approaching that state now.

    It would not be surprising if she was able to use the item box.

    ¡°We¡¯ll check backter. Do you want me to leave some for you to experiment with?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that. It won¡¯t be much trouble to clean up.¡±

    Shin and Schnee have learned a new way of collecting items. Even if Tiera could not recover the minerals in the same way, it would be easy to clean up the remains.

    ¡°Anyway, it looks like this is really just materials.¡±

    They had recovered 80% of the materials, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anything else.

    Anguaini is a Demon. Though Shin was not particr about the drop items, he was hoping that there might be something else.

    Gelganger also seemed to have finished investigating the surroundings.

    ¡°After seeing how you all fought, I¡¯m satisfied with the results.¡±

    Even without the drop items, they were able to secure their own safety, so they were satisfied with the result.

    When Filma and the others returned a short timeter, Shin immediately asked them about the item box.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never used it that way before. I just recognized it as a convenient storage box, to begin with.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m the same as sister Fil,¡± Filma and Sety answered after thinking about it for a short while.

    Shin was convinced that this is the way it would be for abat position.

    Sety also has a bit of experience in production. ording to her, she never had the opportunity to takerge quantities of something and make something out of it.

    He actually had them try it, but it only scraped the surface of the material slightly. In terms of Filma and the others, it would have been much faster to dig it out by force.

    Unlike the two of them, Shibaid spoke as he searched his memory.

    ¡°The same thing was thought of by others, but it wasn¡¯t adopted because it wasn¡¯t very practical,¡± said Shibaid.

    Like Filma and the others, Shibaid could not store it all at once.

    However, when Shibaid was busy building his country, a select group of cksmiths were apparently trying to see if they could extract ore in a simrly efficient manner.

    Shibaid said that the problem they had was the limited capacity of the cksmith¡¯s item box and it was impractical to search for a separate item box holder, so it did not be widespread.

    Only a few of the chosen ones in this world are able to use item boxes. Furthermore, each person has his or her own capacity.

    For the rare item box holders, there were many more ways to earn money than being an assistant in material collection.

    Working as a transporter would attract many people.

    They could also sell their skill of making items into cards.

    Even if someone doesn¡¯t choose to transport the items themselves, just being able to transformrge quantities of items and materials into thin cards makes transport much more efficient.

    Some people were contracted by the Government or a Company to convert items into cards.

    Although it depends on the job they choose, the pay was usually at least one digit higher than that of a regr job.

    No one but the most entric would want to work outside the city, where they might be attacked by monsters.

    ¡°Even among those who were working in production or honing their skills, there were only a few who could do it. The range was at most 20 to 30 Cemels from where you can see them. There was no one like Shin who could card a wide area. If there had been, it would have been a bigger story.¡±

    Shibaid paused for a moment, then continued,

    ¡°This is a bit off-topic. The truth is that there have been a few cases of thefts using item boxes,¡± he said.

    Once they are stored, they cannot be seen from the outside, and there is no point in checking the luggage. Since it takes very little time to store the items, it is difficult to catch them red-handed.

    So far, the only cases in which the criminals have been caught have been in pursuit of extra crimes after breaking things and trespassing, or when they have followed the criminals and raided them once they have materialized the stolen items.

    ¡°I hate to say it, but some of the culprits were yers just like Shin.¡±

    ¡°So there was¡­¡­ The yer¡¯s item box had a fair amount of capacity right from the start, and it wasmon practice to increase that capacity with items, but¡­¡±

    What the hell are you doing, Shin couldn¡¯t help but blurt out.

    If one was a former yer, they must have had some knowledge or fighting skills inherited from the game days. In addition, the item box holder is a winner. There was no need to go to the trouble of getting involved in evil deeds.

    ¡°If a wide range of items can be converted into cards as Shin did, this method could be used to dig a vein of ore. At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. That doesn¡¯t mean no one has done it, though.¡±

    Schnee, who was listening to the conversation on the side, agrees.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it either. Item boxes are very difficult to stop when they are abused, so if we ever encountered one, we could decide what to do about it then. It¡¯s beyond our control.¡±

    ¡°I see what you mean. Whenever you can do something that you couldn¡¯t do before, you tend to think about it a lot, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Shin lightly shook his head from side to side as he listened to Schnee¡¯s story.

    ¡°Just one more thing, all I need to know is if Milt can do it and if Tiera can use this method we¡¯re using.¡±

    ¡°I just tried it for a minute, and it¡¯s pretty much the same for me. It¡¯s a little wider range, but only by a fraction.¡±

    Milt, a former yer, said that it was wider than Filma¡¯s, but not by much. ¡°But if you use it repeatedly, you can do some pretty nasty stuff.¡±

    Milt continued, moving quickly on her feet while touching the wreckage.

    Shin understood the meaning of Milt¡¯s words when he saw this. The wreckage had a ditch along the area that Milt touched.

    Shin said, ¡°Even though the range is small, if you keep using it, I see you could do something simr.¡±

    ¡°I can go on for hours because I don¡¯t use any MP to convert it into a card and store it in the item box. If you are used to storing items like we are, it would be easy to dig through a mine. Well, just because it¡¯s easily stored, looks like it doesn¡¯t mean they can sort it.¡±

    When Milt materialized the minerals it stored, the minerals appeared as they were.

    Unlike Shin¡¯s storage, some of the minerals were in a state where multiple minerals were attached to each other or mixed together.

    ¡°In my case, the same type is lumped together to a certain extent. Milt and the others are like the original storage, so mine seems to be more unique.¡±

    When monsters are stored, the item box automatically sorts them by category. On the other hand, materials are usually left untouched. That rule seems to be in effect this time as well.

    ¡°Now all that¡¯s left is Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, I have an item box, huh?¡±

    Tiera was listening to Shin and the others, but she still seemed to be confused.

    In this world, it is said that any chosen one with an item box can use it from birth. They do not have to be taught how to use it by anyone, but they naturally know how to use it.

    In the case of a yer like Shin, the usage is the same as when he was in the game, so he can use it without any difort.

    You could say for Tiera she was born with it, but, because of her special background, she was closer to the yers in terms of her position.

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to do things my way for now. If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll find another way.¡±

    If she had inherited Marino¡¯s power, Shin thought, she might be able to use it from the menu screen.

    Shin taught Tiera how to use the item box, checking carefully to see if there were any differences.

    ¡°Take this, like this¡­¡­.. Oh!¡±

    The piece of magic iron used for practice disappeared from Tiera¡¯s hand.

    The item, which was part of the wreckage of Anguaini which was a reasonable size, fit in her hand in the form of a card when Tiera carefully manipted it. It was the same phenomenon as when Shin used the item box.

    From that state, Tiera put the card back into the item box again, this time making it appear in a materialized state.

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be able to use the item box ¡­¡­.¡±

    Tiera, who had been stunned for a little while, now excitedly put the piece of magic iron in and out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your excitement, but can we move on now?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Now I have to try if I can store the hidden parts of the ore as well, right?¡±

    Tiera, moved by Shin¡¯s words, approached the wreckage of the Anguaini. In the same way, as the magic iron, Tiera turned it into a card.

    What she was able to card was about 20 Cemels in diameter, centered on the spot where Tiera has touched. The depth was less than 10 Cemels.

    It was not much different from Filma and the others.

    ¡°Not good at all.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s shoulders slumped, and Shibaid called out to her,

    ¡°No, this is probably normal. Perhaps it has something to do with his ability as a production worker and high stats. Shin¡¯s ability and stats as a cksmith are both high, and the subject of storage is minerals. Nothing could be a better match. Maybe that¡¯s why Schnee, who helped him with his cksmithing work, has more storage space than we do.¡±

    Indeed, Schnee¡¯s storage space was thergest after Shin¡¯s. Schnee has learned some cksmithing with Shin¡¯s help and has a high skill level in cooking. She can also mix medicinal herbs, although she hasn¡¯t had a chance to do so.

    ¡°I guess that makes sense now that you put it that way. I don¡¯t intend to use this ability for mineral extraction, so it¡¯s just a matter of knowing that I can do this kind of thing. If anything, I need to remember the dangers of item boxes.¡±

    With this, everyone except the monster duo of Yuzuha and Kagerou could now use the item box. It was considerable in the game era, but in today¡¯s world, it was definitely a rarity.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not tell too many people we have ess to an item box.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen when you were here?¡± Milt asked.

    ¡°No, not particrly,¡± Shin replied.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not thinking, ¡®I¡¯m going to use the item box skill and rule the world!¡¯ I think it¡¯s fine. Unlike weapons and armor, it¡¯s not something you can see, so¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right but, well, after I got here, it¡¯s somewhat natural that events havee to me.¡±

    Shin looked back at what had happened so far and looked up at the sky.

    With this kind of condition-clearing event, I can¡¯t help but feel that a new event is about to begin.

    ¡°Stop staring at the distance. Ger is waiting for us, so let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    With Milt on the side, Shin surmised that he would end up reacting as he did in his video game days.

    After defeating Anguaini, he was a bit too rxed. Shibaid should have been concerned about the Empire, too, and he should have put off such things as verification untilter.

    By the way, Ger stands for Gelganger.

    Milt had been calling Gelganger Ger since the beginning of the attack on the Sacred ce.

    ¡°The biggest threat has been removed, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Apologizing to Gelganger for his concern, Shin quickly collected the rest of the wreckage and began to move on.

    Not having to worry about the attack of the Red Core Pir, he took a flight on the Gelgangar to the Sacred ce of Number 37. The group arrived at the next Sacred ce so easily that they wondered what all the hard work had been worth.

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    ¡°The forest is gone?¡±

    Shin, who saw the terrain from the sky, couldn¡¯t help but say so.

    The forest that had covered the entire area and protected it from the invasion of the burning red mounds had almostpletely disappeared.

    This saved him the trouble of searching for the Sacred ce that the forest had engulfed, but he still wondered if it was possible for it to disappear in such a short period of time.

    ¡°The trees are not naturally grown trees, so it is possible to restore them to their original state at the will of the Guardians. Originally, it was overstrained, so there¡¯s no reason to maintain it anymore.¡±

    Gelganger answered Shin¡¯s question.

    Next to the outer wall of the Sacred ce, a huge tree monster was looking up at Shin and the others. In the foreground, there was a clearing where Gelganger couldnd.

    ¡°It looks like Vanwood stayed just the way it was. Does this open field mean we have to go down there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the right size, perhaps that is the case.¡±

    Milt murmured at the sight below, and Schnee responded.

    Although the trees had thinned out and the Sacred ce was now visible, there was no other ce tond.

    Viewed from the ground, there was a sense of intimidation that was not there when looking down from the sky.

    This was because Vanwood was taller than the outer walls of the sanctuary. Once on the ground, Shin and the others were the ones who were looked down.

    The Vanwood¡¯s colossal body,posed of trees of various thicknesses, had a head, torso, two arms, and legs, and, as a whole, was almost humanoid in shape.

    The face had a mouth-like cleft but no eyes or nose. The silhouette of such a head was simr to that of a lion. Perhaps the mane-like leaves growing on its back make it appear so.

    Its arms were generally thin, but, from the elbows onward, they were several dozen timesrger than its arms, as if it were equipped with a wed arm guard.

    It has two legs, but they look as if they are made of thick trees that have been joined together to form a stick. They had no joints but are bent like human legs.

    Although it looks slow and heavy, it was also mobile and called a hasty wood golem because of its high defensive capabilities. Roots growing from the feet sometimes pierce the ground to scout the surrounding area.

    ording to information obtained by a volunteer yer, although it has a mouth-like structure, it has not been seen eating, and it was said that the roots may also serve as an energy supplier.

    Depending on their environment, they may acquire special abilities, in which case they were considered a subspecies. There was no doubt that they are much more troublesome than a fast-moving golem.

    ¡°There¡¯s the Wardogs, too, I see.¡±

    The Wardogs that came in contact with Shin were sitting at the feet of Number 37.

    After dropping Shin and the others off, Gelganger approached Number 37 without changing shape.

    When he got as close as one Mel, light gathered in front of Number 37¡¯s eyes as he lowered his head, and a translucent sphere of about 30 Cemels appeared.

    When Gelganger touched it, the sphere glowed strongly once and then slowly disappeared.

    As Shin thought that the control of the core had ended, the body of Number 37 turned gray.

    ¡°Thank you for your patience. Your work here is done.¡±

    ¡°Did the color change have anything to do with the control of the core?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is the Master¡¯s influence.¡±

    Eleven, the Master of Gelganger, was based on Faceman, a superior species of doppelganger.

    The base was a pitch-ck doll-like figure, so its body color may be an influence.

    Gelganger were done unexpectedly quickly, so they immediately started moving.

    When traveling through the air, neither sandy seas nor deserts matter.

    They just have to be careful of the sunlight and the heat.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Wait, could that be?¡±

    Tiera, who was looking down as they crossed the Sea of Sand, said.

    Shin looked beyond the expression on her face and saw that a huge mouth was about to close.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Giant Caput. It¡¯s rare to see predatory behavior while the sun is still up.¡±

    A fish-like silhouette could be seen in the sand being swallowed by the Giant Caput.

    As Shin enhanced his vision, he determined that it was a Desert Fang; a fish-shaped monster with a fang of a saber-toothed tigermon in the Sand Sea.

    It was arge carnivorous fish, 4 Mel long, but in the Giant Caput¡¯s huge mouth, it looks like a small fish.

    Eventually, the Giant Caput, its mouth closed, silently sank into the sandy sea.

    Milt seemed to have noticed too, and said to Shin in an audible voice,

    ¡°It¡¯s still a great show no matter how many times I see it.¡±

    ¡°The target is not so lucky, though.¡±

    Shin andpany were at ease because, even if the Giant Caput jumped up from the Sand Sea, they were far enough that it wouldn¡¯t be able to reach them.

    ¡°We were being targeted by that thing¡­¡­¡±

    Tiera, who had just found out what it looked like, was looking pale.

    ¡°It drops rare items, so it¡¯s pretty worth it if we take it down. And with decoys, it¡¯s not that hard to lure them out.¡±

    ¡°So for you Shin, that looks like a stack of material. I don¡¯t want to fight even if I could lure it out.¡± Tiera shuddered, probably for reasons other than the cold.

    After a short distance across the Sand Sea, Eleven¡¯s Sacred cees into view.

    It seemed to bending in the sanctuary, and Gelganger crossed the ramparts.

    Beforending, Shin looked around the Sacred ce and noticed that some of the buildings and walls, which had been destroyed in the raid before they left, had been fixed.

    It didn¡¯t seem to make much sense to fix the buildings, let alone the castle walls, but there must be something to it. Gelgangernded in a square that used to be crowded with yers in the days of the game.

    They could see monsters roaming around the Sacred ce, but they did not approach the square. Perhaps they instinctively sensed the danger.

    After getting down from Gelganger, Shin and the others proceeded through the Sacred ce, guided by Gelganger.

    Their destination was the building where they first met Eleven.

    As they proceeded deeper into the building, they found Eleven there, just as they had when they met him. The only difference was that he was not mimicking Shin¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°Hey, it looks like you did what I asked you to do. Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡±

    As usual, he seemed clownish.

    ¡°So, now you¡¯ll be able to prevent a monster outbreak?¡±

    ¡°Yes, without a doubt. But you have to understand that the Number 43¡¯s Sacred ce is notpletely under my control yet, so it will be a little while before we can get it back.¡±

    This was due to the intervention of the Demon. Even for Eleven, the destruction of the core was within its expectations. He said that if only this had been the case, he could have taken control of the area formerly controlled by Number 43 in a matter of days.

    However, it seems that they did not expect the Demon to unite with the guardian, and it will take time to investigate its condition.

    ¡°Of course, there will be no more magical outflow from my ce and from Number 37¡¯s ce. With Number 43 gone, there will be less magicing out of the Sacred ce. Therefore, the number of monsters on the continental side will be reduced. The strength of the monsters will definitely be several notches lower than before. In terms of level, I think it will be less than 200. But, as I said before, we can¡¯t immediately reduce the number of monsters to zero. You have to give it some time.¡±

    ?This was a sufficient aplishment since the monsters had been springing up at a level that ordinary people could notpete with.

    Even though a huge wall had been set up thanks to the efforts of Shin and his group, there was still a possibility that stronger individuals would be born from the monsters fighting each other.

    Some of the monsters that could fly in the sky could climb over that wall.

    Monsters adapted to the sea could bypass the wall.

    The wall could stop most of them, but it was not perfect.

    If the frequency and strength of the monsters were reduced, the possibility of strong Monsters being born and the possibility of surviving Monsters leveling up would also be reduced.

    In some cases, it might be possible to remove some of the walls.

    The time required topletely stop the outflow of magic power will be informed once again to the continental side ¨C the Dragon Empire Kilmont, Eleven said.

    The means ofmunication and the content of this conversation will be conveyed by Shin and his group to Zaikuin, the Emperor of Kilmont.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s move onto the subject you are most concerned about.¡±

    Eleven said, his voice dropping a little.

    This time, Shin epted Eleven¡¯s request not only for the reason that he wanted to deal with the monsters that were springing up on the continental side of the ind.

    It was to know the whereabouts of the other half of Origin I ¨C Hades.

    The being who could know the cause of Shin¡¯sing to this world. Finally, they know its whereabouts.

    ¡°He is deep in a dungeon in the lower half of your continent, the one called Est.¡±

    I was not surprised, since I had expected him to be in an inessible ce or a ce where he could not be reached in the first ce.

    ¡°A dungeon, you mean an unexplored or undiscovered dungeon?¡±

    ¡°It has been discovered. I don¡¯t know if you guys know this, but in the southern part of Est, there is a Kingdom called Bayreuth. North of there is a ce called the Wraith ins, where undead monsters roam. ¡­¡­ From the look on your face, I¡¯m guessing you already know about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been there. I remember that part of the dungeon is exposed to the surface, and the undead monsters spawn there because of it.¡±

    It was also the ce where the Skullface Lord, a monster never seen before in the game, appeared.

    Shin wondered if Hades had anything to do with that, and as he spoke, he recalled that time.

    ¡°You are correct. I don¡¯t even know why part of the dungeon is on the surface, either. But when I sent my subordinates alone to investigate, I felt the same presence from the depths as that of my creator, Origin I. Then, perhaps sensing my presence from my subordinates, it made contact with me. I¡¯ve confirmed his appearance. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Did you meet him in person?¡±

    ¡°I got visual information from the subordinates that had made contact. It¡¯s kind of like a little device.¡±

    Apparently, the subordinates he had released to gather information had almost no free will like what Gelganger had.

    ¡°It¡¯s like watching a video recording,¡± Eleven continued.

    ¡°It seems he recognized you, but something unexpected happened and he couldn¡¯t see you. Maybe my contact with Hades came after you went to the Wraith ins.¡±

    When Shin was told this, he thought of the Skullface Lord.

    The ability that surpassed the King and Queen, which were supposed to be the highest level individuals, was also understandable if such an extraordinary being as Hades was involved.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can meet with him in person now that the problem has been resolved. Hades wanted to meet you too. But when you¡¯re the other half of Origin I, you can¡¯t just casually walk around outside.¡±

    ¡°You mean he won¡¯t refuse me if I go to him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t.¡±

    Shin wonder what the reason for wanting to meet, but at least it was possible to meet.

    But Shin defeated Origin I, the other half of Hades. He had a feeling that the conversation would not go peacefully.

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to attack us out of the blue, is he?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but he didn¡¯t seem to be angry. He said he just wanted to talk.¡±

    ¡°A talk, I see¡­¡­¡±

    To Hades, Shin was the avenger of his other half.

    He couldn¡¯t understand why Hades would want to talk to someone like that.

    ¡°Maybe they weren¡¯t as close? it could be because it¡¯s the other half they were feuding with each other.¡±

    Milt has a point, Shin then asked Eleven,

    ¡°There may be such a case. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that much,¡± Eleven replied. ¡°What is clear is that Hades is the other half of my creator, Origin I. And he wants to have a discussion with you.¡±

    Eleven said he did not seem angry, but what did he want to talk about?

    The only thing Shin could think of was that Hades might want to know how thest days of his other half, Origin I, ended, if there was anything strange going on, that sort of thing.

    In this one case, they have learned that the Demons could even interfere with Guardians.

    It was possible that Origin I was also affected by something.

    ¡°If I go to the dungeon, will I see him right away? If he wants to talk to me, I don¡¯t think he would disturb me.¡±

    ¡°I wonder. were always moving in a disguised manner, but if I recall the way they moved, I think they were guided somehow. But there was never any convenient change in the structure of the dungeon.¡±

    Eleven mentioned before that it was difficult for Hades to leave the dungeon, but if he wanted a talk, it feels like he could at least lure them in.

    If it¡¯s the other half of Origin I, it¡¯s not surprising that it has such power to do so.

    ¡°For now, that¡¯s all I can offer. Was it helpful?¡±

    ¡°I can say it helped, but I think it was only a matter of time before we made contact.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. But the sooner this kind of information is known, the better, isn¡¯t it.¡±

    This was an information that could affect Shin¡¯s future. Eleven was right that the sooner it was known, the better.

    But I also felt like I was taken advantage in the matter.

    ¡°So, how are you going to negotiate with the kings?¡±

    After Shin and his group had heard what they wanted to hear, they decided to start preparing to return to Dragon empire Kilmont.

    The empire must be waiting for Shin and his group to return, as this information was rted to their future defense strategy.

    ¡°For the time being, could you please take this with you?¡±

    Saying this, Eleven held out a palm-sized, translucent, ckish slime.

    Shin epted it and observed the slime trembling in his palm. ording to [Analyze], it came out to be a level 50 Petit Slime.

    Thinking that the upper level limit for Petit Slime should have been around 30, he wonders what its role is.

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster formunication. Though you can onlymunicate with me.¡± When Eleven said this, a part of the Petit Slime¡¯s body extended and changed into a rectangr te.

    In addition, the t area bes bumpy, and letters emerge.

    ¡°My thoughts appear there. On the other hand, if you write something on it, it will be transmitted to me. It¡¯s simr to what you call chatting.¡±

    ¡°If Gelganger had this with him, weren¡¯t you able to talk to him anytime you wanted?¡±

    ¡°I was able to create this because I had the nearby Guardian under my control, which increased the power I could use. I couldn¡¯t do this when I first met you.¡±

    Once this was given to the king, they couldmunicate without Shin.

    Although they couldmunicate with each other by message card, there was no way that discussions with the royals would end quickly. If they sent cards to each other every time, no matter how much they had, it wouldn¡¯t be enough, so he created a Petit Slime.

    Shin had to agree that the chat and e-mail functions are really useful.

    ¡°Oh, yes. Can I get one of your message cards? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be using it to contact you, but there¡¯s no guarantee that the Demons won¡¯te after me. I just want to make sure I have a way to contact you.¡±

    Eleven also said that there was a possibility that another Guardian will invade.

    If anything happened to Eleven, the continental side could be overrun by monsters again, so Shin handed him a message card.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to do? If so, we¡¯re going.¡±

    After a few more checks, they were on their way home. The return trip to the continent was an instantaneous one since it involved a Teleportation. Since a Teleportation has been set up on the isted ind, it will be easy toe and go from here on out. Of course, this was only for Shin and his group.

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    Shin and his group flew to the ce they used to move the soldiers when they set up the wall.

    It would have been fine to fly all the way to the capital, but they thought it would be nice to at least talk to Reiner and Lourie, who had fought with them.

    They would want to know the results as soon as possible.

    Perhaps, because so much time had passed since Shin and the others had left, there was no sign of the Church Warband in the vicinity of where they had arrived. There were no familiar faces among the remaining empire troops.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as if they stayed behind to see if the wall was OK.¡±

    There was no indication of any monsters in the surroundings.

    However, the soldiers that Shin saw were all fully equipped, with both weapons and armor. From the map¡¯s reaction, he could see that they were forming a threeyered circr formation.

    ¡°The 3rd Division of Imperial Guard, huh? If it¡¯s in preparation for the monstersing over the wall, I don¡¯t see why not¡­¡±

    As Shibaid pondered, Shin had his own doubts about leaving troops to deal with high-level monsters in a deliberate state of readiness.

    The hordes of monsters on the other side of the wall had been swept away by Shin and his group.

    Thinking about it was not going to get them anywhere, so Shin and his group attempted to make contact with the 3rd Division of the Imperial Guard.

    Schnee, Shibaid, and Milt, who belonged to the Church Warband, were here, so I asked them to report what had happened on the isted ind, and they responded immediately.

    When we asked them about the report, they told us that Wolfreet, the divine beast that had recently brought down one of the forts, had appeared.

    ¡°What a surprise to hear a Wolfreet came by while we were gone.¡±

    It seems that the knights of the Church Warband, who were preparing to retreat to the nearest fort, were the first to spot it. It did not attack, but it looked up at the installed defenses.

    Since it was well known that Wolfreet was a mighty fighter, they did not make any moves either. Themander of the 3rd Division told us that, after a while, they ran off somewhere.

    ¡°I thought they might be hostile to us because they had attacked the fort, but that did not seem to be the case. It didn¡¯t feel like they back down because the odds were against them either.¡±

    Shin nodded.

    ¡°I agree with you. The mes were blue, so it must have been a unique monster. They must be stronger than normal ones, and they can set ordinary soldiers on fire just by walking around. If they wanted to fight, this area would have been burned to the ground by now.¡±

    It was an opponent who could take down a defensive fort without difficulty. In a proper fight, it was highly likely that both the Imperial Guard and the Church Warband would have been destroyed.

    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about the fact that they were looking at the wall. Did they want to destroy it?¡±

    Milt tilted his head.

    ¡°If so, shouldn¡¯t they have dealt one hit to see how strong it is? Wolfreet¡¯s skill structure is that of a hardcore fighting type. The unique monster is also a powered-up version of that, and nothing much should have changed. I don¡¯t think you can gauge the toughness just by looking at them.¡±

    Since Wolfreet was a popr monster, information on his skill structure and behavior patterns was studied in great detail by volunteer yers, known as the verification team.

    Wolfreet sometimes detected traps set by yers, but this was based on the five senses, such as smell and touch. Wolfreet¡¯s fighting style was to smash barriers used by yers and obstacles created by magic skills named ¡°~Wall¡± by brute force.

    ¡°Some monsters can sense the strength of barriers created by skills or magic without attacking. The Wolfreet that appeared this time may be one of them.¡±

    Schnee offered her opinion.

    Schnee, who had fought many monsters, seemed to know something that Shin and Milt did not know, a behavior that had not existed in the game days.

    ¡°Schnee, have you fought a Wolfreet after ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said.

    ¡°Many of the monsters known as divine beasts are rarely seen in public. The story I just told you is simply from my experience. But it is hard to imagine that a divine beast cannot do what ordinary monsters can do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    So far, there has only been one sighting.

    The wall itself was deployed over a wide area, so if someone just want to observe it, it shouldn¡¯t make any difference where they look from.

    ¡°There¡¯s just so much we don¡¯t know.¡±

    I felt that when one mystery was solved, a new one would spring up.

    ¡°Yes, yes. So much for pondering. You have better things to do now than to think about something that is not here.¡±

    Filma interrupted as if to switch the mood.

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Shin said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head for the castle.¡±

    My acquaintances have already traveled.

    Since we did not know how far they had gone, we decided to fly directly to the capital instead of chasing them.

    Since they were sure the Royal Castle will be in touch with them, Shin activated the Teleportation as Filma urged him to do.

    Having teleported to a ce a short distance away from the capital of Kilmont, Shin and his group materialize a carriage and approach the gate.

    They received stares from people waiting in line, but they did notin, perhaps because Shibaid was sitting on the driver¡¯s seat.

    The story of Shibaid, the first Emperor of Kilmont leaving the country seemed to be spreading, and people in line were specting whether he was the real one or just a look-alike.

    ¡°Let us escort you to the castle!¡±

    The knight calls out as we arrive at the gate as if they have been waiting for us.

    Shin and his group entered the capital through the gate, which was normally closed to the military and nobility.

    As they entered the castle, the knight offered to take care of the carriage, but they declined because it could be converted into a card. They showed it to the knight, and stowed it on the spot.

    ¡°You¡¯re back. I¡¯ve heard your report. You all did well.¡±

    When entering the room to which they had been led, they were greeted with words of thanks from the Emperor and the heavy hitters who had remained in Kilmont.

    Reiner and the other members of the Church Warband were also there, smiling and nodding at Milt.

    ¡°I see this is the monster used for contact. Able tomunicate with distant ces and only consume one loaf of bread a day. It¡¯s frightening.¡±

    Shin was not familiar with the biology of Petit Slime. But, since Eleven said it can live well enough with it, it must be so.

    Long-distancemunication was of tremendous value in this world.

    Even if Eleven was the only one It can contact at the moment, it¡¯s still worth a lot.

    ¡°But you really don¡¯t want a reward? In this case, the magnitude of his achievement is more than just a medal.¡±

    Though Shibaid was a former Emperor and Schnee does not ask for a lot of rewards in an emergency like this, the matter was way too big to be settled with just a single thank-you.

    The group had almost seeded in securing the safety of the wall, dealt with the hordes of high-level monsters, and even reduced the massive ¡®floods¡¯ that had been a burden for many years.

    The ¡®floods¡¯ was not yetpletely resolved, but fortunately, Eleven does not need gold,nd, or anything else that humans want. Therefore, unless humans were reckless enough to invade, there was no problem.

    Eleven even asked us to barter with them if we had anything interesting.

    ¡°This case brought a big profit enough for us, too. Look at this,¡± Schnee said, cing a chunk of orichalcum from the wreckage of the Anguaini on the table.

    Zaikuin narrowed his eyes and stared at the lump of orichalcum. There were several other Dragnils with wide eyes.

    They know what a lump of orichalcum, which must be the size of three fists, was worth.

    ¡°There are wagons full of this same size, and some other magical metals.¡±

    Scheme said.

    ¡°Are you serious¡­!¡±

    A single ingot of orichalcum would move a tinum Jul coin.

    A wagon-load of it would be an astonishing story.

    In fact, the wide-eyed Dragnils¡¯ mouths fell half open.

    ¡°And to top it off, we have a cksmith who can handle them with perfection. I hope you understand that this is more than enough of a profit.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, yes. We don¡¯t know how much they are worth in terms of money, and the value of the armors made from them is immeasurable.¡±

    It was safe to say that no one can handle the orichalcum better than Shin.

    Some of the yers in the game days were as skilled as Shin, but the number of deaths among production yers was small, and even fewer came to this world.

    Zaikuin, who knew the identity of Shin, could only nod his head, as he could tell.

    ¡°Well, well, guess I can¡¯t even fully show my gratitude. I¡¯d like to offer you all at least a medal, but Schnee here won¡¯t ept it right.¡±

    ¡°Even though Shibaid is involved with this country, we can¡¯t give any special treatment.¡±

    Zaikuin sighs in bewilderment.

    No matter how many aplishments Schnee may have achieved, she never epted any position, title, or medal in return.

    Schnee¡¯s only purpose was to spread the name of herself and the Tsuki no Hokora and make it easier for Shin to find her when he returned.

    She has never belonged to any country, has never had any deep involvement, abandoned every treatise, and has gained only fame. This attitude, which hassted for hundreds of years, was known to the world.

    However, this attitude was a problem for countries that wanted to express their gratitude in a sincere manner.

    Even if they wanted to show their gratitude in a form that words alone could not convey, she would not receive it.

    ¡°In normal circumstances, I would have weed you with the whole country¡¯s hospitality. But it can¡¯t be helped. If we hold a party to celebrate now, it might cause unnecessary trouble.¡±

    Kilmont was one of thergest countries on the continent.

    Therefore, there were many aristocrats and people with various ideas. Many of them tried to sneak past the king and the upper echelons of society and make secret contact.

    ¡°We have other things to do. I am sorry, but we cannot stay too long.¡±

    Shibaid spoke to Zaikuin.

    ¡°Is it rted to this case?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s something else. There¡¯s no immediate danger, so we just gave priority to this case. But we can¡¯t just leave it out forever.¡±

    Shibaid spoke about Hades in a blur.

    The fact that he was working with Schnee also helped to give the impression that there was something going on. It¡¯s safe to assume Schnee was traveling all over the continent. She sometimes has multiple cases, and no one seemed to doubt Shibaid¡¯s word.

    Shin apologized in his heart, as he could see that Shimaia, who apparently had a crush on Shibaid, was visibly discouraged.

    Although Shibaid has been loyal to Shin since they joined forces, I wish he would pay attention to such things.

    He has no intention of making his own support character serve him for the rest of his life.

    ¡°Well well, It¡¯s a bit frustrating that I can¡¯t do anything for you all after you¡¯ve helped me out so much.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to deal with this kind of thing again and again. I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to take care of the rest.¡±

    What Shibaid meant by ¡°take care of the rest¡± included dealing with the people who would contact him to get information about Schnee. Or rather, more than half of it.

    Diplomats from other countries were demanding disclosure of information simply because Schnee was involved.

    This time, not only Schnee, but Shibaid was involved, and even had other associates.

    With so many witnesses, there was nothing to stop the information from leaking out. There will be more contact from other countries than ever before.

    Zaikuinughed, saying that it was always more difficult for the people who were helped.

    Then, after a detailed report and some discussion, they quickly said their goodbyes.

    Zaikuin corrected his posture and said with a serious expression on his face to Shin and others.

    ¡°Last but not least, if you need our help, we will be there for you. Just remember that.¡±

    Zaikuin was not the only one who corrected its posture. The leaders of the Kilmonts, the captains of the various military units, and the members of the Church Warband were also looking at Shin and his group with serious looks on their faces.

    ¡°There are many things we cannot do on our own. We will rely on you in times of need,¡± Schnee replied as a representative of the group.

    Shin nodded, noticing Zaikuin¡¯s eyes on him.

    After leaving the room, Shin and his group started to ready for their flight to the Bayreuth Kingdom.

    Milt seemed to want to follow them, but since she was a member of the Church Warband, she could not just suddenly leave.

    Milt said that she would join them afterpleting the formalities since she was said to have worked hard enough to atone for her sins, but it seems likely that she would not be able to make contact with Hades in time.

    To avoid being osted by the airheads on the way, Shin and his group disappeared with skill Hiding as soon as they started moving. Naturally, they had permission to do so.

    After exiting the castle without anyone noticing, they moved along the wall to the gate and then stepped out from the shadows onto the street with a nonchnt looks on our faces.

    As they passed through the gate and were thinking about teleporting at the right time, Shin received a message.

    It was from Berett.

    The Vice-president of Golden Company, Berett, had been sending him investigation reports on a regr basis.

    The search for the guild house whose whereabouts were still unknown, had been slow, even with the informationwork of the Golden Company. The letter was so full of apologies that Shin felt rather ttered.

    He opened the message to see if there had been any progress this time.

    ¡°¡­ Sorry guys. I have to take a little detour.¡±

    Shin looked over the message and told Schnee and the others that he had changed his destination.

    The message was about the guild house number three, the ¡°3rd Moving Base Miraltrea¡± and the ¡°Golden Merchant¡± Reed¡¯s masterpiece that was being made there.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Miraltrea the guild house that we still haven¡¯t located? Is it so urgent that we have to prioritize it over Hades?¡±

    Tiera asked Shin after hearing the reason for the change. Tiera understands that the guild house is in danger, but she thinks Hades was more important.

    ¡°If it was the guildhouse I was in charge of that was found, I¡¯d leave it alone. No, that¡¯s not it. If only Miraltrea had been found, we could have chosen to go to Hades first.¡±

    Shin replied with a light sigh.

    The guildhouses that each member of the ¡°Rokuten¡± was in charge of were roughly divided into two systems: production andbat.

    Shin¡¯s guildhouse, ¡°1st Mysterious Studio Demi Eden¡±, is the former, specializing in the research, development, and production of weapons and armor. If the weapons stored inside were to be taken out, it would be a big problem, but if not, there would be no danger.

    The ¡°4th Forest Pce Palmirack¡± and the ¡°5th Daze Garden Romenun¡± were also of the same type, and were harmless if they were just there.

    On the other hand, ¡°2nd Assault Ship Celciutos,¡± ¡°3rd Moving Base Miraltrea,¡± and ¡°6th Sky Castle Rashugum¡± are in thebat category.

    Because they were designed for guildhouse-to-guildhousebat, they were equipped with several high-powered pieces of equipment.

    They do have some production capacity, but it¡¯s just a small bonuspared to the production category.

    Celciutos of the sea.

    Miraltrea of thend.

    Rashugum of the sky.

    They all have the aspect of powerful weapons, not to mention the potential for catastrophe if misused or even if they malfunction.

    In this case, Miraltrea was a moving fortress, looking almost like an armored train with a huge drill mounted on its tip.

    It has strong defensive capabilities due to itsbat-oriented design, offensive capabilities with a variety of weapons, and mobility that allows it to move even underground.

    Its greatest feature is its internal structure.

    Miraltrea was a guildhouse run by Reed, the ¡°Golden Merchant,¡± and inside it was a production facility for humanoid golems called ¡°dolls¡±.

    It can be almost like a factory that produces endless numbers of soldiers as long as you have the materials, and you can use the overwhelming amount of dolls to hunt down the enemy, a way of fighting that no other guildhouse can do.

    ¡°You say you had a choice, but you couldn¡¯t leave them alone anyway right?.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. So far, none of the equipment in any of the guildhouse has malfunctioned. So it¡¯s possible that I¡¯m just being overly cautious. But it would be a disaster if that were to happen.¡±

    The dolls produced by Miraltrea¡¯s production facilities vary in performance depending on the items they are made of.

    The materials used were mainly metals and ores, and the more valuable they were, the higher the doll¡¯s performance.

    The puppets that were created one after another show their full potential only when it was controlled by Reed¡¯s puppeteering ability, but it was impossible to determine how the puppets work in this world.

    If a puppet created by a malfunction of the equipment targets a person, it would be worse than a simple monster.

    After all, as long as there are materials, the number of dolls will continue to increase at regr intervals. They were not like monsters, which could only appear once and then disappear.

    And in a battle between guildhouses, the dolls were mainly targeting the yers running the other guildhouse, in other words, the people.

    In the event of a malfunction, there is a good chance that it will target a person.

    ¡°Well, the most decisive factor is that his masterpiece is on the move.¡±

    ¡°By ¡®masterpiece,¡¯ do you mean the giant doll that was jointly developed by Reed, Hecate, and Shin?¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t seem to know much about it either, so Shin spoke up, exining further.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. The basic structure was set up by Reed, I made the exterior, and Hecate put up the transmission system, it is one of the anti-guildhouse weapons. We¡¯ve had some help from other members, though.¡±

    The concept was simple: use as much rare magical metal as possible to give it highly offensive and defensive power, both physical and magical.

    A body made in this way was manipted with special fibers synthesized from precious materials through alchemy. That was all. But it was strong.

    The death game started before they could test-run it, so even though it was in storage, the exterior could not be easily destroyed even by the attacks of Shin, the best yer at the time.

    ¡°It could withstand your attacks? Why did you make such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Why? well¡­¡­¡­ It looked like something I could make, and it also looked fun.¡±

    In the game days, it was amon thing to say, ¡°I¡¯ll do it because it looks fun.¡±

    There was no doubt that half of it was for jokes.

    It was not limited to Reed, but it was quitemon to make something great out of jokes. 80% of the time, it would turn out to be a piece of junk, but it was interesting because it was sometimes a sess.

    In Shin¡¯s item box, there were multiple unique pieces of equipment made in a simr manner.

    To name some, ¡°The Great Sword of Adrenalin¡± made the upper limit HP to 1 percent, but all physical status increased dramatically.

    ¡°You-Cannot-Catch-Me Armor¡±, increases all damage received by 10 times but triples the ability rting to dodging.

    ¡°One for All Bow¡±, which instantly kills one party member and fires an arrow that deals heavy damage to enemies within a certain range.

    Regardless of the genre, he tried to recreate equipment from other content, challenged the upper limits of ability increases, and took on any number of other challenges that only a game can provide.

    Reed¡¯s masterpiece is almost the culmination of all of this.

    ¡°¡­ Sometimes I¡¯m not sure if Shin is supposed to be someone spectacr or not.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s head reeled when she heard Shin¡¯s description of the weapons he used as examples.

    A lot of equipment had no real use.

    In this world where life and death battles were the norms, no one would ever try to make them.

    And if the material was said to be a precious magical metal, one would definitely have a headache.

    ¡°You may not believe it, but in the old days, people were this stupid. Just know it as a fact that there were such days.¡±

    ¡°What was the world like before the Dusk of the Majesty¡­¡­?¡±

    Tiera had heard in the Elves¡¯ Garden that the world before Dusk of the Majesty was said to have been a time of prosperity in which various technologies were greatly developed.

    With the gap between what she heard and Shin¡¯s story, Tiera could not help but be puzzled.

    ¡°Well well let¡¯s cut the chit-chat here, so where is the Miraltrea?¡±

    ¡°It says, in the mountains northeast of the center of Est. He wants to talk to me directly about the details. Let¡¯s go to Berett¡¯s first. He¡¯s in Balmel right now, so it¡¯s just a short teleport.¡±

    While telling Filma the location of the sighting mentioned in the message, Shin took out a Crystal Stone.

    Berett was afraid that he should have been the one to meet up with them, but it was impossible for even Berett to keep track of the exact location of Shin and his group, who were moving around the continent.

    Since Shin and the group can move around quickly by teleport, it was definitely faster for them to travel than Berett.

    When teleported to a secretly registered point near Balmel, they materialize a carriage and drive it along the street.

    The carriage was pulled by Kagerou. When Shin and his group caught up with the carriage in front, the coachman was surprised when he realized that it was not a horse pulling the carriage which caught up with him.

    And when he saw Shin, he now had a look on his face filled with jealousy and anger.

    ¡°Aside from Kagerou, why did he look at my face and have a frustrated expression on his face?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t figure out the reason and expressed his doubts.

    ording to the skill Analyze, the man seemed to be a merchant.

    If it had been one of the women sitting next to Shin, he could understand the man¡¯s feelings, because Schnee and the rest of the women were all beautiful.

    However, only one person, Shin, was currently sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.

    He was wearing a long, ankle-length cloak to protect him from dust and to hide his equipment, so there was no reason for him to be disappointed with his expensive-looking equipment.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably because Kagerou is pulling the carriage. Most merchants who can tame arge monster and make it pull a carriage are exceptionally talented merchants in arge tradingpany. Maybe they thought Shin was one of them.¡±

    Schnee told me, leaning out from inside the carriage.

    Therge monsters have tremendous strength and staminapared to ordinary horses.

    They could carry arge amount of cargo at once and were a force to be reckoned with when ites to battles with bandits and stray monsters. They could even beat enemies at times.

    However,rge monsters require a reasonable amount of food and the people who tamed them needed to have enough money to cover their needs all the time.

    ¡°To the merchant, Shin must have seemed like such a special merchant. Anyone who sees this carriage can tell that it is no ordinary carriage either.¡±

    Since it was further customized when it crossed the Sand Sea, its performance was far superior to that of an ordinary carriage.

    Shin made sure the appearance of the carriage was not so different, but it has not been thoroughly disguised, so others could tell that a lot of work has been put into it, regardless of the details.

    ¡°Still, do I look like a merchant to you?¡±

    Merchants were not the only ones who used horse-drawn carriages. Shin felt it would be premature to judge him as a merchant immediately.

    ¡°Shin you don¡¯t have the threatening atmosphere of an adventurer, and the dust cloak is something that a traveling merchant would wear. Also, the fact that this carriage does not look like something adventurers or mercenaries would use for transportation may have been a factor in his mistaking Shin for a merchant.¡±

    The carriages used by Shin and his group were also treated to keep dirt away, so they were rarely soiled with mud or dust.

    A carriage of good quality and little or no dirt would not be thought of as the carriage of an adventurer who makes his living fighting or transporting prey, Schnee said.

    ¡°¡­But Schnee was the one to finish it off.¡±

    ¡°What? Oh, ¡­¡±

    Yuzuha, who hade up next to Shin, said as she looked at the carriage being pulled away.

    When Shin turned around and used the skill Through Sight to look at the merchant from earlier through the carriage, his frustrated expression changed and he was stunned.

    If he had to put that expression into words, he would say, you¡¯re joking¡­

    ¡°Young male look up to strong and powerful male. The mate is Schnee, withrge Kagerou aside. And sitting next to him is me, Yuzuha. Of course he gets envious!¡±

    Yuzuha wagged her tail and looked proud.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way though.¡±

    ¡°If Schnee was a man, maybe he would have thought you were a guard. Yea, either way, they would have envied.¡±

    Elves and other long-lived species tend to have a high level of experience as adventurers.

    The fact that they have such a partner as a guard was also a sign that they were special.

    Furthermore, elven women rarely teamed up with men, which may also have been a factor in the merchant¡¯s stunned reaction, said Shibaid, who was listening to the conversation.

    ¡°I guess strange rumors are going to spread, usually merchants¡¯works seem to be quite extensive.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Well we do have a business going, so it¡¯s not a mistake, is it?¡±

    ¡°The store was just an extra. I was all about restocking and product development, and the store was mostly left to Schnee wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    yers who owned their own stores generally hired NPCs from the country or region in which they set up stores as shopkeepers or used support characters as storekeepers.

    Some yers would stand in front of the storefront themselves, but Shin was not that type of yer, so he had his support characters take turns manning the store.

    Since money was exchanged through the buy/sellmand, there was no need for a yer to be present at all times.

    ¡°In the first ce, I may look like a merchant, but I¡¯m not.¡±

    Shin has never yed as a merchant, even in the video game days.

    He has looked up the market value of items for sale, but he did so out of concern for not disturbing the hardcore merchant yers.

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    ¡°Now, enough of the chatter, let¡¯s get off the road for a minute.¡±

    When the carriage that had passed them was out of sight, Shin and the others left the road and entered the woods. There was no human presence around them, but it was just in case.

    Using teleportation, they traveled to the ce where he had once rested with Rionne, the 2nd Princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.

    It was a ce about halfway between Balmel and Kalkia. It was a ce where monsters pass through during ¡®floods¡¯, so people rarely passed by.

    We used the Hiding skill just in case, so even if someone was here, they wouldn¡¯t notice Shin and the others.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    When Shin was with Rionne, he adjusted his speed so that Rionne¡¯s stamina wouldst.

    This time, however, there was no need for that, and it was Kagerou who pulled the carriage.

    At a much faster speed than before, they ran through the wilderness, which was hardly t.

    Since I had instructed Kagerou that he did not have to limit his speed, he was running at a speed iparable to the speed he had been running on the city streets.

    In a normal carriage, a single hole on the road would have caused the carriage to bounce up and down, but Shin¡¯s improvements had mitigated it down to the point where the carriage might sway a little.

    Theck of obstacles for the wilderness, perhaps because the monster had passed through it so many times, was another reason for theck of swaying.

    ¡°Kuh? Something¡¯s watching us.¡±

    Yuzuha murmured as she looked at the mountains after about an hour passed.

    ¡°Maybe Kagerou is bothering them? He lived there originally, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they must have sensed Kagerou¡¯s presence.¡±

    Shin knew what was watching them.

    The owner of the gaze was Mist Garuda, the boss of the mountain.

    It had helped to exterminate monsters that enter the mountains during flooding and, as a result, helped to reduce the harm that was caused.

    Shin had once seen a Mist Garuda burning up monsters when he was working with Rionne. That was one of the reasons he was able to recognize the presence of the Mist Garuda.

    ¡°Kuh, foster parent.¡±

    Yuzuha told us that it was a monster that had once ruled the mountain with Kagerou¡¯s parents and seemed to have taken care of Kagerou, who was left behind.

    Kagerou also seemed to be concerned about it and asionally turned his face toward the mountain.

    ¡°A Divine Beast taking care of another Divine Beast. I guess that¡¯s possible.¡±

    Shibaid mumbled something like that and was thinking about something.

    Beside him, Sety and Filma began to talk about the breeding situation of the Divine Beasts.

    ¡°Wait a minute, do Divine Beasts have children?¡±

    ¡°If they already have children, then wouldn¡¯t it mean that a Divine Beast gave birth to one?¡±

    Shin was not sure if monsters had the concept of homing, but he thought he could spare a little time to talk to them.

    ¡°We do have the time to at least say hello if you want to?¡±

    Hearing this, the Kagerou slowed gradually and stopped.

    Then he howled in ce.

    The howl echoed well in the unobstructed wilderness.

    When the howling ceased, they saw a Mist Garuda take off from the top of the mountain. After a short flight, it spread its wings wide.

    As Shin and the others stopped moving to see what it would do, they felt something like an invisible wave passing through their bodies.

    When the invisible wave all passed, Kagerou began to run again.

    ¡°Is it okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I checked with Yuzuha, who told me that the earlier act was their way of greeting each other.

    Shin and the others continue on, with their backs to Mist Garuda, who was heading back to the mountain.

    Kagerou kept running without any rest and was able to reach Balmel before dusk.

    Just before the gates closed, they could see other carriages in a hurry to get past.

    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t there a soldiering this way?¡±

    While we were waiting for our turn to enter Balmel, a soldier came out of the gate and came toward us.

    I thought he might be looking for someone else, but the eyes of the soldiering toward us were locked on us.

    ¡°Maybe he recognized you from the ¡®flood¡¯,¡± Sety said.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡±

    Shin¡¯s first appearance in Balmel was during the ¡®Great flood¡¯, arger-scale version of the phenomenon known as the ¡®flood¡¯, in which hordes of monsters swarm the city.

    It was probably well known that he was working with Rionne, and that he fought alongside former yers Hibineko and his friends.

    It was not surprising that the gatekeeper would recognize his face.

    ¡°Excuse me. I am Cassil, a member of Balmel¡¯s third squadron. You must be Shin, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. How can I help you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so rmed. The vice president of the Golden Company has informed me to notify you as soon as he arrives. I was on the front line during the ¡®great flood¡¯. That¡¯s why I remembered your face, and that is why I havee to call for you.¡±

    Apparently, it seems that Shin and his group have been given top priority, and they were allowed to skip the waiting list and go inside.

    ¡°So Berett had a hand in this. If the gatekeeper¡¯s unit is being notified, that means he must have lobbied the higher-ups.¡±

    Shin wondered if it was a message from the higher-ups in the military, since he had mentioned something that sounded like it might have something to do with them.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Berett under Reed¡¯smand, when did he get so high-ranked?¡±

    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t know current events, Sety. Nowadays, it is a big tradingpany with sales channels all over the continent. That¡¯s the Golden Company now. I was surprised when I met him for the first time.¡±

    The Golden Company, that Sety knew, was only one of manypanies out there.

    Thepany was owned and operated by Berett, so the products it handled were first-ss.

    In the past, they limited the sales channels, so the scale of the business was not sorge.

    Shin remembered that it was positioned as a kind of hidden gem.

    Now, at Schnee¡¯s initiative, they were continuously investigating the yer-killer¡¯s movements.

    However, yer-killers often stayed in hiding, and it seemed that definitive information was hard toe by.

    Are they hiding out in crime syndicates? Or are they like the man who was taken in by the miasma?

    ¡°¡ª-nnff?!¡±

    Shin, who was remembering thest moments of the man who had begged to be killed, was confused when his vision was suddenly blocked and his face was enveloped by something soft.

    He didn¡¯t fight back immediately because he didn¡¯t feel any hostility or killing intent.

    ¡°You have your scary face on. Here, rx, rx¡­.¡±

    Filma leaned forward and hugged Shin¡¯s head. In addition, for some reason, her outfit was the heat-resistant equipment she had used at the Sand Sea. As a result, his face was nestled in her chest.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why sister Fil secretly changed her clothes¡­¡±

    Shin hears Sety¡¯s words of dismay.

    I wonder if she had anticipated that the conversation so far would lead him to think in the direction of the yer-killer.

    She had no malicious intent at all, and since it was aplete surprise attack, Shin couldn¡¯t dodge it. Due to her melee-oriented status, her movements were quick.

    Shin grabbed Filma¡¯s arm and released her embrace, even though he could not see her. Filma did not resist and easily let go.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a better idea than that,¡± he said.

    ¡°I could have left it to Schnee, but it seemed like it would be hard for her in a ce like this.¡±

    Shin turned to Schnee, and at those words, she averted her gaze in embarrassment.

    Schnee also seemed to have noticed Shin¡¯s change.

    ¡°It¡¯s not often you get a chance to do something like this, and it was kind of an interesting experience. If Shin would like, I can do it again for you anytime you know? You knew how big they were, but you didn¡¯t know how they felt right.¡±

    Filma voluntarily raised her own breasts, which were very assertive partly due to her costume design. They were as big as Schnee¡¯s, but now they were noticeably more so.

    Sety looked at her own breasts, and then at Filma¡¯s, and a wistful look came over her face.

    ¡°No way I¡¯d wish for that. Give me a break.¡±

    It was Shin who created her, so he certainly knows the size, but there was no way he could say yes. He knew he was being teased, so he raised his hands in a pose of surrender. Also, for no specific reason, he apologized in his mind to Sety.

    At the same time, Shin was puzzled by the sharpness of the re directed at him.

    ¡°Umm, Schnee, if you could rx your re a little more, that would be great¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gaze was so painful that it seemed to have physical force.

    In addition, though not as much as Schnee¡¯s, Tiera¡¯s re was painful too.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have dodged that one if you wanted to?¡±

    ¡°Men are always like this.¡±

    Tiera and Sety were giving him cold stares.

    Filma, who was the cause of the problem, was covering her mouth and trying not tough.

    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡±

    Behind Shin, who was desperately trying to clear up the misunderstanding with Tiera and the others, Shibaid was warning Filma.

    ¡°Take more care about the surroundings. Think a little more about it before you do things like that,¡± he said.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do things like this before, so bear with me. Making fun of master is something you can only do at a time like this, so¡­¡±

    Shibaid too noticed Shin¡¯s present changed. Therefore he doesn¡¯t stop Filma¡¯s actions toward Shin.

    ¡°But you should have thought about what would happen next.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Immediately after Filma wondered what Shibaid¡¯s words were about, a hand was ced lightly on her shoulder.

    The hand, which only seemed to be gently touching,pletely stopped Filma¡¯s movement. It was Schnee¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Filma, you have helped me in many ways, but this time, I think we need to have a little discussion.¡±

    Before Filma knew it, Schnee had moved soundlessly behind her. On her face was a cold smile that frightened even Shin.

    Even in the cramped carriage, the abilities of the Kunoichi job seemed to be on full disy.

    ¡°Wait, what? Isn¡¯t this you know, the part where you make Shin blush by whispering to him, ¡°I¡¯ll do it for youter too.¡± isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will be doing that, but that¡¯s not the case. It¡¯s my fault that I waste to act, but wasn¡¯t there something you could have done differently?¡±

    The carriage was noisier than it was before arriving in Balmel.

    Only Shibaid, who had taken Shin¡¯s ce as driver, pulled the reins of Kagerou as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Not going to stop them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now.¡±

    Shibaid replied quietly to Yuzuha¡¯s question.

    They had found Miraltrea which was lost till now.

    Everyone had a sense of uing trouble. Yuzuha also gave a small squeak in response to Shibaid, who said that it was okay to make a fuss at least for now.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (6)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (6)</h4>

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you all. Pleasee in.¡±

    When Shin and his group arrived at the Golden Company, they were greeted by Berett, who was probably waiting for them.

    Shin and his group proceed to the back of the store, attracting the attention of the customers and staff.

    They were led to a room they had used before. It was soundproofed and Through Sight proofed.

    After each of them sat down on the sofa provided, Berett opened his mouth.

    ¡°I will tell you more about the contents of the message. I¡¯ll start with the circumstances that led to the discovery.¡±

    Shin nodded and urged him on.

    ording to Berett, the investigation began when a hunter reported seeing a monster in the mountains of northeastern Est.

    Seeing it moving around in the mountains, the hunter thought it was some kind of monster and reported it to the guild.

    However, when the guild dispatched an investigator, it was nowhere to be seen, and it left behind a distinctive trail that looked like something was being dragged.

    Because the Golden Company was aware of the moving weapon called Miraltrea and was collecting and analyzing reports of ruins and monster discoveries from around the country that they noticed the guild received a number of such reports.

    It was a huge, long-torso monster with a body made of some kind of steel.

    Berett had put a bounty on this information and was gathering more urate information.

    There was, of course, some misinformation for the sake of money, but the financial resources of the Golden Company and human tactics were used to work out the details.

    As a result, it was discovered that there were reports of monsters with simr characteristics in various locations.

    ¡°And just the other day, investigators from our Company discovered the Miraltrea.¡±

    After the long exnation, Berett¡¯s face was pale.

    ¡°What about the other thing that was mentioned in the message card?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In addition to Miraltrea, an individual that appears to be from the EX series has also been found. I have not confirmed this myself, but based on the information I have gathered, I am sure of it. This is the doll that Reed said was his masterpiece.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ Are you sure about this?¡±

    Shin asked again as if to make sure.

    The EX series was one of the code names given to Reed¡¯s dolls.

    The all-purpose ¦Á series.

    The closebat ¦Â series.

    The ranged ¦Ã series.

    The non-humanoid ¦Ë series.

    While there were various series for different purposes, the EX series was meant to be used against divine beasts.

    It was a special doll that was distinct from the other series.

    ¡°The investigator has confirmed its appearance with a pair of binocrs enhanced by the skill Hyperopia. Based on the sighting reports from various locations and the shape of the figure and equipment the investigator saw, we are almost certain.¡±

    The investigators apparently saw the EX Series disappear into the fog. Although it was not the entire body, some of the equipment was clearly visible.

    Since Berett had seen the actual device before it was activated, he was able to make a judgment based on the information he had confirmed.

    He also confirmed the information from the various sightings by showing the witnesses a paper drawing of what he considered to be the most likely sightings. The overall image, equipment, approximate physique, etc., were all carefully investigated.

    ¡°I believe that the activation test has not yet beenpleted.¡±

    The test was a kind of ritual for thepletion of the doll. Every doll was activated by Reed himself and given a name. That was what Shin calls the activation test.

    Conversely, a doll without it was like a car without a key and without an engine. It would be strange for it to be running.

    There was another EX series for which activation tests had beenpleted, but there were no sightings of them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it was found too recently if it malfunctioned due to a natural cmity of the Dusk of the Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Yes I am aware of that specific doll, but they are not equipped with a function to hide their appearance. Also, their size is iparable to a human being. If it were moving around, it would have been noticed at an earlier stage.¡±

    We don¡¯t know how it operates, Berett continued.

    ¡°Some of the information we¡¯ve gathered suggests that they saw a Titan near something that looked like Miraltrea. As for the Titans, we are pretty sure they are EX Series, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they were seen nearby.¡±

    Berett thought that Miraltrea might be apanied by the EX series. But there were some things that just didn¡¯t add up.

    ¡°If they are wandering around unintentionally, there is nothing wrong with trying to stop them. But if that¡¯s the case, you should just send out another EX series and seize it. It would be strange to just chase after them.¡±

    The fact that Miraltrea was moving means that there was no doubt that a puppet with activation authority was active.

    If they activate the maintenance dolls, they could run the other EX series. I don¡¯t see the reason not to do that, Berett says.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re equipped with a kill switch.¡±

    ¡°Yes, because they were treated as Reed¡¯s equipment. But I don¡¯t think the equipment would have the idea of fighting each other.¡±

    A doll was exclusive equipment to yers with the job Doll Master. Technically, they were treated as weapons, so they could not be manipted to attack the yer or other puppets.

    This was one of the advantages of being a Doll Master.

    The Onmyoji¡¯s spirit and the summoner¡¯s summoned beast were not treated as equipment, so they could attack their masters, other yers, and allied spirit and summoned beasts if they were subjected to effects such as confusion or charms.

    The disadvantage was that since it was treated as equipment, it would break if it falls below its durability value.

    Comparing the advantages and disadvantages, it was a pleasure for yers to choose one over the other.

    ¡°But that is not always the case. Some of Reed¡¯s puppets were more like support characters that made their own decisions and moved on their own. The masterpiece that we are talking about is also one of them. It is possible that they are trying to do something on their own.¡±

    In a world that has be more flexible since the Dusk of the Majesty, it was now possible to do things that were unthinkable in the days of video games.

    Schnee and the others were not bound by their position as support characters. It was not surprising that dolls that can act independently would do the same thing.

    ¡°Is it possible that this is the reason they haven¡¯t contacted you?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that that¡¯s not the case. I personally hope the reason for this is that the doll is treated as equipment, so items such as message cards cannot be used.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s possible.¡±

    Just as swords and spears do not use items, dolls do not use items. It¡¯s a very likely reason.

    It would be possible to have the puppets carry a message, but from their point of view, they would not know where Berett was. It was also possible that they were looking for Berett and the others.

    ¡°And, just a spection, it is possible that the EX Series was activated before the Miraltrea.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The EX Series is housed in the Miraltrea.

    Even if the EX series was activated first, it can¡¯t go out if the Miraltrea doesn¡¯t move. It would be a different story if they could pry open the doll¡¯s loading door.

    ¡°Although it is not confirmed, there is more information on the EX series, and it seems that it was sighted before the Miraltrea. Specifically, the EX series started to be seen about three years ago, and the Miraltrea about one year ago.¡±

    This difference in timing seems to be bothering Berett.

    ¡°I see, then it is possible that the EX series was activated first. Hm? But didn¡¯t you already find Miraltrea? Didn¡¯t you make contact with it?¡±

    Even if they don¡¯t know where Berett was, Berett has found Miraltrea.

    Shin asked why they didn¡¯t proceed to contact them.

    Then Berett shook his head, his face contorted.

    ¡°The problem is the location where it was found. The local investigators can¡¯t even get close to it.¡±

    ¡°No one can get close to it, huh? Tell me more about it.¡±

    Shin¡¯s first thought was that, like the Romenun, there was something harmful in the vicinity.

    He was told that Romenun was found early on, but they were unable to get close to it.

    ¡°The Miraltrea are currently stationed deep in a zone called the Grandmost Mountains. It is peaceful if you go up the mountain a little bit, but the deepest part of the mountain is a dangerous area where high-level monsters roam about, and a reasonablypetent person is required to conduct an investigation. Although the investigator was a Chosen One, she was not able to get close to them, and was only able to confirm its appearance with a pair of binocrs enhanced by the skill Hyperopia.¡±

    The level of monsters inhabiting the area around Miraltrea was at least in the 500s.

    The investigators could see no more than that.

    The local hunter, who had been pushed into guiding, finally agreed to apany them, promising not to engage inbat and to follow instructions, in addition to an outrageous fee. The investigators also followed Berett¡¯s instructions to strictly observe, was how they were able to bring back the information without incident.

    The investigator told them that she would not have been able to confirm the existence if she did not have the special binocrs made by the Golden Company. The distance was that great.

    ¡°On top of all this, the time of year is really bad. The Grandmost Mountains are in an ice and snow area with an unstable climate, and right now the entire mountain is covered with snow. The hunter who apanied usst time said that going up there is a death sentence.¡±

    ording to Berett, the climate around the mountain range cycled between autumn and winter. However, this effect disappears when traveling a little further from the mountain range.

    Such areas were scattered all over the country, so it was not umon, but this time it was an obstacle.

    ¡°I see¡­ high-level monsters and heavy snow. That¡¯s not very approachable.¡±

    The scorching hot areas like the Anguaini¡¯s Sacred ce where they fought on the isted ind were troublesome, but the icy and snowy areas where everything was frozen were troublesome in a different way.

    Even during the game days, it was said that the snowy mountains in the ice and snow areas were a difficult challenge. If this were the case, in reality, the difficulty of the investigation would be iparable to that of the game era.

    ¡°I would have to give you all this information in a very long message, so I decided to talk to you in person.¡±

    Shin thought for a moment, and then asked Berett, who had been dreading the whole process.

    ¡°¡­Is that really all there is to it?¡±

    If Berett were to write everything he has said so far in a message, it would take a good number of pages. Even so, Shin did not think it was something that needed to be told in person.

    ¡°Of course you noticed. Yes. I wanted to meet you in person this time because I had a favor to ask you.¡±

    With that, Berett stood up and kneeled on the floor.

    ¡°I know that I am weakpared to you all, but would you please take me with you.¡±

    He bowed deeply and spoke clearly.

    In this world, Berett was not weak by any means. However, whenpared to Schnee and others who were trained with an emphasis onbat, Berett was one rank below them.

    His highest status was over 600, and the average was around 500.

    This was not enough to apany Schnee and them, whose status exceeded 700 without any equipment.

    Even so, Berett expressed his desire to go with them.

    There were advantages to taking Berett. But it was unnecessary. With Shin, it was not as if he could not get into Miraltrea.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it? I would have felt rather ufortable if you had told me you weren¡¯t going with us.¡±

    However, that was a practical matter, such as status and systems. Emotion was another thing. Shin thought it was only natural that Berett woulde along, just as the members of Shigureya had asked to apany them when the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos was found.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Stop there, we should be the ones to thank you.¡±

    Shin stopped Berett, who was about to bow more deeply.

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have been able to find Miraltarea on our own unless something had happened. Even now, I¡¯m dependent on you to gather information. And it¡¯s natural to be concerned about the guildhouses of the people you served. I¡¯m also concerned about the guildhouses of my friends, and I want to make sure they are not misused. It¡¯s something we both need to do. So there¡¯s no need to thank me.¡±

    Shin said what he thought, chuckling inwardly, wondering if he was being a little too cool.

    Although out of sight, he had a feeling that Schnee and the others were nodding their heads in agreement.

    ¡°Well then, let me work harder than ever to gather more information. The only thing left is Shin¡¯s Demi Eden.¡±

    ¡°I seriously wonder where my guildhouse is.¡±

    Under the ground, at the bottom of the sea, or deep in the mountains where people do not enter. Or perhaps it has been destroyed. If it was safe, he could only hope that it would be found soon.

    ¡°Shall we leave immediately?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not a ce that people can approach at the moment, so it¡¯s not like someone is going to run into it, but there¡¯s still the possibility that the EX series goes down the mountain on its own, you know? We¡¯d better hurry, no?¡±

    So far, the paths taken by Miraltrea and the EX Series based on the sightings have been in secluded ces. The sightings that Berett has received have been in unpopr or physically inessible ces, such as mountains or deep in the forests.

    Some of these inessible ces were believed to be the domain of divine beasts.

    Many of the people who witnessed the Miraltrea or EX series were veteran hunters or experienced senior adventurers who had lived in the area for many years and were capable of going to ces where ordinary people would not set foot.

    They were lucky that they judged it to be an unknown monster and did not carelessly try to touch it. Some of them were unlucky enough to run into them head-on, but they were not attacked.

    ¡°I think it will probably be all right even if we take our time a little. I did say earlier that we don¡¯t know the principle of action, but we do have a pretty good idea of what its goal is.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you more on the way. I told you we do have time, but personally, I want to hurry.¡±

    Berett seemed to have his own justification.

    Shin decided to go ahead with his suggestion, as Berett had been gathering the information for a long time. Whether in a hurry or not, the sooner they leave, the better.

    ¡°Which method of transportation are we using, by air or bynd?¡±

    ¡°Bynd. I checked with Vizzy, but we can¡¯t move the dragon yet. We can gain a lot of distance by teleporting, so we¡¯ll have to ask Kagerou to do the rest.¡±

    Flying would have saved a lot of time, but Vizzy, Cashmere¡¯s support character, replied that the dragons had juste out of their breeding season so it would still be difficult for them to travel long distances with people on board.

    There were dragons of all sizes living in Rashugum, but surprisingly few species could be used as a means of transportation, as they were not good at flying or cannot transport people in the first ce.

    ¡°I understand. We have prepared a map. With this group, it will be unlikely for bad things to happen, but we should be able to travel as smoothly as possible along a route that is free of obstacles.¡±

    Even in a world where wars between countries were rare, a detailed map was a valuablemodity.

    Adventurers and merchants made their own maps by scribbling their own paths andndmarks on rough maps. The military almost always had urate maps.

    However, the Golden Company was one of the exceptions.

    They urately measured from the sky and produced maps that were, in some cases, more urate than the militaries. Of course, this was top secret, known only to a handful of people in the Golden Company.

    ¡°I will inform the shopkeeper of our departure. Please wait a moment.¡±

    After deciding on a rough route, Berett left the room. It seems that he had alreadypleted the transfer of work so that they could leave at any time.

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (7)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (7)</h4>

    After leaving the store, Shin and his group headed straight for the gate.

    As they did so, they received a message that the feudal lord wanted to see them, but Berett dismissed the message.

    Apparently, word had gotten around that Shin had been promoted to an A-rank adventurer, and that he had headed out into the dangerous waters of Barbatos and returned safely, and so on.

    The soldier was reluctant, probably because they had been told to stop Shin and his group from going.

    However, when Berett, the Vice-President of the Golden Company, and Schnee revealed their names and said that they had to go to the location as soon as possible, it seemed that they could not ask them to wait.

    Shin, too, knew that talking to the feudal lords would take more than a short time. Therefore, he decided to go.

    ¡°I know we came out here a bit aggressively, but would there be any problem?¡±

    ¡°Schnee and I have a different connection with feudal lords and other countries, so we can say that we were asked to cooperate with them. In fact, it will not be a problem. Now that the Tsuki no Hokora is gone, the only organization with a reliable connection to Schnee Raizar is our Golden Company. If they get on our bad side¡­ That¡¯s the end for them.¡±

    Even if people went to the Tsuki no Hokora, it was unlikely that they would be able to meet Schnee, but they could ask to pass on a message. If they were lucky, they could talk to her directly. But that was no longer possible.

    It was said that the Golden Company was receiving more requests than ever before for an intermediary to contact Schnee.

    ¡°You have hardly been active since I joined up with you. Are you okay with that, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°As I told you before, I was working to spread my name because I had a purpose. Now I don¡¯t need to do that anymore.¡±

    ¡°As far as our business, it benefits us a lot when Schnee is active, so we would appreciate it if she could be somewhat active.¡±

    Of course, I don¡¯t want to sit on it and neglect our business, Berett conceded.

    ¡°There was the case with the empire. That should be enough activity for the time being.¡±

    Perhaps stimted by his intuition as a merchant, Berett instantly took notice of Shibaid¡¯sment.

    ¡°Hmm. I think I¡¯m going to hear something interesting.¡±

    He exined the situation, since it was not something to be hidden, and was told that it would be nice to keep it off the record until more information became avable.

    ¡°Did you say there will be no more monster outbreaks? If thend in the buffer zone bes avable, it would be like expanding the country in real terms. Perhaps the branch office over there is in the process ofpiling the information. I must say, High Humans seem very active wherever they go.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just another way of saying that I always make a situation worse wherever I go?¡±

    The battle with the demons, the battle with Reforgerer, and so on.

    Battles almost became a daily thing.

    Shin did not intend to go on a rampage, but it would appear as if there wererge-scale battles taking ce everywhere he goes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but I think that¡¯s all right. I think it is highly likely that many of the disturbances in which Shin was involved would not have been resolved without you, or would have caused many casualties. For instance the case of Celciutos and the demon fiasco in Erkunt. You were also involved in the invasion of the monsters and Hinomoto¡¯s sword fight, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Berett even had information on Hinomoto, which was but a small ind nation. Shin could not hide his surprise at the breadth of thework.

    ¡°Zazie and his team contacted us about Selstooth, and we have a branch office in Erkunt. Hinomoto is also our business partner, but we have no definite information about the monster invasion. It is spection based on rumors. However, with that much information circting, it is easy to see that Schnee and you all are involved. Though it seems that the information about Shin was hidden.¡±

    Schnee and the others were not hiding their appearance, so we immediately recognized her, said Berett.

    ¡°Especially, I can¡¯t imagine anyone other than Filma flying through the air in particrly revealing armor, burning down her enemies with a greatsword and fire,¡± he added.

    ¡°Oh? I feel like I¡¯m being made fun of.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s just distinctive. Even if it wasn¡¯t me, if it¡¯s people under themand of the ¡®Rokuten¡¯ seeing that, they would have thought of you.¡±

    Filma was a little bit temperamental, but Berett responded to her without losing hisposure.

    ¡°Right, Shin too, went for the joke.¡±

    Shibaid said as if he had just remembered.

    ¡°No, because it looked like fun. Besides, there were famous yers with the same fighting style, you know? Mitya, known as the ¡®Sky-Falling Meteor¡¯, was known for her suicidal attacks inrge-scale battles.¡±

    High-speed movement by sting magic power.

    Though it was temporary, the actuality that you can experience something close to flying, which was impossible in THE NEW GATE, was well-known.

    There were even yers who would fight by charging into enemy lines with their entire bodies covered in magic power-st equipment and holdingrge spears like those used on horseback.

    Incidentally, Mitya was a yer who had mastered this style of y, and her nickname was ¡°Sky-Falling Meteor¡± because of the way she ignored the enemy¡¯s formation and charged into the main camp.

    By the way, she was said to have a 20% chance of making it back safely.

    ¡°But, hey! Can¡¯t you deny that the weapon is supposed to be a gimmick?¡±

    ¡°I think that impression has been spread too widely.¡±

    The magic power-st can enchant weapons as well.

    It could be given to the edge of a sword to increase its swinging speed, or to a throwing dagger or spear to increase its power and range, and there were many other ways to use it if you want to make it useful.

    However, due to the inability to master the use of the equipment, strange dance-like movements, and flying in the opposite direction happened, and aedy video was even made on the premise of failure. The impression that the equipment was just a gimmick had be widespread.

    ¡°I remember I enchanted the boots to make flying jet boots. I remember I jumped up, but I couldn¡¯t control them and plunged to the ground.¡±

    There were more than a few pieces of equipment and skills that were strong when mastered, but unfavorable due to the fact that few people could master them.

    The magic power-st was easy to use as a gag element due to its visual impact, which probably led to its widespread treatment as a gimmick.

    ¡°Schnee!! Shin is picking on me!!¡±

    ¡°Okay okay.¡±

    Shin too, thought he was on the side of the teasing, apologized as Filma hugged Schnee.

    Schnee, while soothing Filma, gave Shin a look. The meaning of the look was something like, ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far¡±.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s useful, really. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to add it to my equipment.¡±

    Even though it was a game, Shin did not have the taste to joke around by equipping a support character he has worked so hard to develop with a gimmick.

    While it wasmon among cksmiths to give magic power-st to weapons, Filma¡¯s ¡°Magic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡± was one of the few that seeded as a piece of armor.

    Normally, it would not help Filma make a big jump, but would instead blow her up while spinning wildly. Of course, there was no way tond on her feet, and she¡¯d end up doing a gag-like bodynding.

    ¡°If it¡¯s that useful, shouldn¡¯t it have been attached to Shin¡¯s armor?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t do it. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t jump straight.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t just jump up and fly like a rocket. The cksmith who learned to install magic power-st usually had this thought in their mind, and usually failed in the same way. In order to fly straight, it requires quite fine adjustments; They had to think of the design of the equipment, the position of the magic power-st, the adjustment of the output, and so on. The equipment was also unsuited for mass production, so it took materials, money, and time to learn.

    Incidentally, Shin also had the experience of rolling on the ground in a grand manner when he installed magic power-st on his own ¡°Hades Long Coat¡±. He had already experienced failure firsthand.

    ¡°So I¡¯m a little envious of her. With my current MP, I should be able to do what I call a little bit of flying.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you made it. Can¡¯t you use it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all about the shape of the person wearing it, if I borrowed Filma¡¯s equipment, I¡¯d end up rolling around on the ground.¡± Shin said.

    Even the famous Mitya¡¯s equipment was exclusive to her. Even if she borrowed equipment from other yers, she couldn¡¯t perform the same kind of assault.

    ¡°If it were easier to adjust, I could have made something like a multi-stage rocket.¡±

    ¡°Rocket?¡±

    Tiera, who didn¡¯t know what a rocket was, tilted her head.

    Schnee and the others were wondering what a rocket was as well, and all of them had a question mark over their heads. It wasn¡¯t surprising since rockets didn¡¯t exist in this world.

    ¡°It¡¯s a tool that uses a propulsion device like the magic power-st. Well, even if we could have actually made it, it would have been an error or would have been corrected because space was never implemented.¡±

    Many yers had tried to recreate modern-day equipment with fantasy technology, and Shin was convinced that someone had done it.

    ¡°In the end, what it all boils down to is Filma¡¯s exclusive equipment.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? Special equipment that others can¡¯t copy is very valuable.¡±

    ¡°When Berett says it, it sounds more like a financial thing than a practical one.¡±

    Both were right, in the sense of being valuable.

    The reason it sounded like money was because they knew Berett¡¯s job and his personality.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to get off the road. I think we¡¯re done chattering for now.¡±

    After confirming that there were no more carriages or travelers around, Shin turned his course to the nearby woods.

    The reason why they were proceeding while talking nonsense was because there were people¡¯s eyes following them immediately after leaving Balmel.

    ¡°First, we will teleport to Sigurd, and then we will head north as we discussed.¡±

    Their destination was located at what could be called the northern tip of the continent. They would teleport to Sigurd, which was the northernmost teleport point set up by Shin, and take a horse-drawn carriage going north from there.

    When Shin activated teleportation, the view of the surrounding trees changed. Since the teleport point was also set up in a forest, the surrounding scenery was almost simr.

    They could have teleported to Palmirack, 4th Forest Pce guild house, located in the center of Sigurd, from Tsuki no Hokora. However, it was easier to start moving right away by teleporting out of the gate from the beginning rather than hiding and exiting the gate, so they did not teleport into Palmirack. The problem with this method was that they would be leaving the Tsuki no Hokora behind.

    Once they were out of the woods, Shin asked Kagerou to run faster just enough to avoid their carriage from bouncing around. He had already experienced Kagerou fastest speed, which led to either a disastrous or terrible situation inside the carriage.

    ¡°I hope nothing strange appears this time.¡±

    Shin murmured as he gripped the reins.

    He didn¡¯t want any unnecessary distractions while he was trying to deal with Reed¡¯s momento.

    The carriage continued on its way, a cloud of dust billowing up from the road. After searching the surrounding area, Shin spoke to Berett.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think anyone will hear us here. Now it¡¯s time for you to tell me why you decided to go with us.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 19: Chapter 1 (8)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 1 (8)</h4>

    ¡°First, please take a look at this.¡±

    Berett took out the map he had used to determine the route to take. The locations of reported sightings were marked, and at a nce, one could tell if it was the travel route of the EX series.

    ¡°These just show where the sightings took ce, but if you look at it based on time instead of location, you¡¯ll see things differently. For example, here.¡±

    Berett pointed to a ce located on the way from the center of Kern toward the area where it connected with Est. It appeared to be a mountainous area.

    ¡°This is the Bamot Mountains, which are lower than the Grandmost Mountains, but still a series of 3,000-mel peaks. I¡¯m wondering how long it ns to stay there, is it temporary, about a month? On the other hand, this is¡­¡±

    The next thing he pointed to was an oval-shaped symbol at the end of the road northward from there. It seemed to be ake.

    ¡°Lake Calbaen, which is actually toorge to be called ake. This ce is also temporary, but this onests at least half a year. The length of stay is too different.¡±

    ¡°Maybe this one is longer and this one is shorter?¡±

    Schnee pointed to two other ces, probably inspired by the two ces and the time spent there. One seemed to point to a cave and the other to a forest area.

    ¡°Shin, I¡¯ll take over.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°You should listen carefully to everyone.¡±

    Yuzuha, who could not bear to see Shin, who had to turn around so many times because he was ying the role of a coachman, took the reins in human form.

    The only thing to watch out for was to make sure there were no carriages or travelers in front of them, so there was no problem if they just wanted to proceed with Kagerou pulling alone. However, it was unnatural if no one was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.

    After thanking Yuzuha, who had changed from fox cub mode to adult mode, Shin put the cloak he was wearing on her.

    A woman in a Miko costume holding the reins was a strange sight to others. After he made sure the size of the cloak was changed automatically, Shin joined Berett and the others in their discussion.

    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡±

    ¡°No. Let¡¯s continue. Schnee pointed out the Payak Great Forest, which is like a sea of trees with huge trees and small hills, but the inhabitants are ordinary monsters. In contrast, this is the Jayan Great Cave. It is said that the divine beast Aginosaura resides here.¡±

    The divine beast Aginosaura was a quadrupedal monster whose entire body was covered with a very hard armor-like outer shell.

    It had degenerated eyes and moved by digging through the ground with its huge ws like a mole. It had a unique diet in which it grew by eating minerals, and it protected itself by wearing part of the minerals on its body. It was also a monster whose drop items changed depending on its habitat.

    The Jayan Great Cave was a long cavern that extended more than 500 mels underground, and the Aginosaura was said to be found at the innermost end of the cavern. It was a perfect ce for an Aginosaura to live.

    ording to Berett, there were rumors of the dominion field of such divine beasts scattered all over the ce.

    ¡°The length of stay in the Payak Great Forest is about one month, and the Jayan Great Cave is about eight months. I hope that conveys my point.¡± Schnee said.

    ¡°I see. So they¡¯ve stayed in the divine beast¡¯s dominion field for a considerable period of time.¡±

    The length of stay differed too much between the dominion field of the Divine Beast and the other ces.

    The same was true for the other ces, too; one or two ces could be considered an error, but as far as they knew, there are five ces in the dominion field of the Divine Beast and six ces in the rest of the world. The duration of stay was clearly longer in the dominion field.

    ¡°What is going on with the divine beasts in the dominion field right now?¡±

    Listening to Berett¡¯s story, Shin¡¯s mind wandered to another question, whether or not they would be able to make it in time.

    The dominion field of the divine beasts was not a ce where people could live. That didn¡¯t mean it was okay to actively pick fights with divine beasts. Furthermore, there was a high possibility that it wouldn¡¯t end with a simple fight.

    ¡°So far, there have been no reports of any divine beasts or people being killed. It seems that they are fighting, but not to the point of killing.¡±

    Some of the investigators found a divine beast that seemed to survive the fight. It was battered and bruised, but it did not appear to be dead. There were also several other traces of what appears to have been a battle. They could not carelessly approach the dominion fields of the divine beasts, so not all of the ces were checked.

    Since there was no ce where it could be said that the divine beast had disappeared or that the dominion fields had disappeared, it seemed that the fight itself was the objective.

    ¡°I thought they were going around hunting down divine beasts, but I guess not.¡±

    The concept of the EX series was ¡°A doll that can fight head-on with divine beasts¡±.

    Fighting the divine beasts may be the raison d¡¯¨ºtre of the EX series, but it was not a reason not to finish it. Their ultimate goal was to defeat them. The dolls don¡¯t need food or materials, so there was no reason why the divine beasts must be killed.

    ¡°The first thing we saw in the Granmost Mountain was a figure advancing deep into the mountain. It seems that a hunter at the foot of the mountain reported to the guild that he had seen a giant at dawn. Then, a weekter, an investigator from our Golden Company witnessed the EX series. Considering the cases we¡¯ve seen so far, we can expect to still have about half a year to spare.¡±

    Berett also said that even if the EX-series were to descend the mountain, he had made arrangements for the observation teams surrounding the mountain range to contact them immediately. They were prepared to evacuate at once if they appeared to attack the vige at the foot of the mountain.

    ¡°If they¡¯re well-prepared, they must be in the Grandmost Mountains, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There are two mountains in the Grandmost range that are the same height, and it is said that the divine beast Maganna is at the top of the third highest mountain after those two. I can¡¯t say for sure, since the information is either eyewitness ounts or vague, but I am certain of it, considering the weather in the Grandmost Mountains and the lore that remains in the town.¡±

    The divine beast Maganna was a monster with a snake head and four arms, and the lower half of its body was a snake. Its total length exceeds 20 mels, and the part standing up from the ground alone was more than 5 mels. The entire upper body was covered in icy scales, as if wearing a scaled mail. Its arm strength was very strong, and its main method of attack was a physical attack using ice tridents. The divine beast manipted the trident so skillfully that it was hard to believe that it had only three fingers.

    The scales on its lower body were as hard as steel, and it wore ice scales on top of them, so its defense was extremely high. A blow from its whip-like tail was like a stinging steel ball flying straight at you in a line. Its only flying weapon was an ice press, and it was also a monster that excels in martial arts, which was rare among divine beasts.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it one of the highest mountains?¡±

    What is it? Shin asked in a roundabout way.

    ¡°The highest mountains in the Granmost mountains are called Iira and Venna, respectively, but we cannot get close to them at the moment.¡±

    In the center of the Grandmost Mountains were a pair of mountains of the same height. Maganna seemed to be located in one of the surrounding mountains.

    ¡°Also, this is unconfirmed information, but there was something intriguing about the information gathered and the records left behind by the lord of the town at the foot of the mountain.¡±

    Berett continued as if it were just a possibility.

    ¡°If any of them are correct, it is possible that there are not only divine beasts in the Grandmost Mountains, but also gods themselves.¡±

    Berett said with a slightly grim expression.

    In the world of THE NEW GATE, there were gods. Not an insubstantial god as a symbol of lore and belief. It was a god with a physical existence who could interfere in this world.

    A divine beast was something that had god-like powers in this world, or, in other words, an apostle of god. They had their own dominion field and, depending on the type of divine beast, could affect many things, from weather to vegetation. However, very few of them actively attacked people. Most of them stay within their own dominion field and were harmless as long as others did note close to it.

    God, on the other hand, had many connotations. Some gods would rage, wreaking havoc, while others healed and saved people and monsters alike. In addition, even the same god could take on a different appearance depending on the state in which he or she appears.

    Appearance conditions, location of appearance, fighting power, and standards of behavior.

    Even gods that appear in the same ce have different characteristics and behavior patterns, making it difficult to take countermeasures against them. The standard course of action when fighting a god was to take countermeasures under certain conditions, and to retreat immediately if it failed. It was not umon for the same monster to have different behaviors and appearances, which was why the lore that remained in the game was often varied. However, the gods were still ssified as monsters. Shin and his guildmate actually fought and defeated the gods many times.

    ¡°Legend has it that the gods live here on the highest peaks of the Granmost mountains. The fact that Maganna, who is the strongest in the Granmost mountains, does not approach either Iira or Venna further reinforces this possibility. Not much lore regarding deities can be relied upon. But it is also true that the lore does not match Maganna¡¯s behavior. So I assumed that there is a god and expected that his stay would be longer than if he were dealing with a divine beast. The reason we are preparing to evacuate is because if we are dealing with God instead of a divine beast, there is no guarantee that it will not affect us as well.¡±

    God is powerful. It¡¯s just an order of magnitude stronger than the monsters out there. What was particrly troublesome was the fact that the ce where they fight was inevitably a field in which the god was strong. If it was a god of fire, the surrounding area was a sea of fire; if it was a god of water, there was heavy rain or flooding.

    Shin had hunted them for materials in the game days, but he expected that they would not be that easy to defeat here. He had a hunch that the two, Iira and Venna, would be a little more difficult to beat.

    ¡°They are really well prepared, as you say, huh?¡±

    ¡°We had made preparations as soon as we had gathered information. If they start to move to another location, the tracking team will respond.¡±

    Until now, they only had information and could not directly confirm their appearance. However, this time, EX series and Miraltrea were definitely active in the mountain range. This reason was enough to gather the investigators who had been scattered. The fact that they were able to set up a surveincework around the mountain range as if it was a natural thing showed how much care Berett had put into this matter.

    ¡°If you¡¯re that thorough, it looks like it¡¯s going to be okay. Then, let¡¯s proceed without haste.¡±

    Berett had taken care of everything that Shin had been worried about, so Shin was able to rx his mind.

    As for the gods, there were too many factors to consider, so there was no other way but to deal with them on the spot. Even in the game era, even if one stepped into a dominion field or fought a divine beast, the gods did not always appear.

    ¡°Iira Suura and Venna Var, huh?¡±

    Shin, who returned to the coachman¡¯s stand, muttered the words while holding the reins, and a reply came from next to him.

    ¡°From the name, I think it¡¯s one of those two. A big mountain is sacred by itself, so it¡¯s easier for gods to manifest. The conditions are met, ording to him, anyway.¡±

    Yuzuha was in adult mode, so she spoke fluently, but Shin also has the impression that she has changed a little.

    ¡°Have you grown up a little?¡±

    ¡°Yes, just a little.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t notice because he was distracted by the conversation when he switched drivers and immediately put the cloak on her. Looking at her again, he got the impression that she has passed the stage of being a girl.

    He could sense that she was ratherid-back, but he chose to use a forward-looking word, as he was not trying to be a stranger, given her past personality. He had no other intention.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Now I can rx and enjoy the changes.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t quite understand how to enjoy a change in personality.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t Shin a little disappointed?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    A question mark appears above Shin¡¯s head, as he was not sure what Yuzuha means.

    With a mischievous smile on her slightly grown-up face, Yuzuha whispered in Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take off my clothes when I¡¯m this grown up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that like you were expecting me to!¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    I wonder if she was influenced by Filma or something like that. Thinking so, Shin dropped a ¡®Karate Chop¡¯ on Yuzuha¡¯s head. The pain in Yuzuha¡¯s expression was an act, since the knifehand strike was made as if he was stroking her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic. Do you think they wille out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe one or even both may appear?¡±

    ¡°As I said in our discussion earlier, it depends on what state theye out in. If theye out in battle mode, there is no way to stop them except by defeating them.¡±

    A god in battle mode was a fearsome force in its own right. If left unchecked, it would begin to move and destroy everything in its path. If that happened, Shin would have to leave the EX series and Miraltrea behind to face the god.

    ¡°If so, I¡¯ll help you then.¡±

    If we interfere with the mountain¡¯s ley line, we can at least prevent the god from leaving the mountain for a little while, Yuzuha said.

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that, I heard there is a town at the foot of the mountain. We don¡¯t want them heading that way.¡±

    Berett said he¡¯s well prepared, but it was better to have more cards in hand in case of an emergency. So Shin asked Yuzuha to be his reliable partner.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    While traveling the roads, Shin continues to scout the area.

    After about two hours of traveling, he noticed several presences and approaching carriages. The road was well maintained to make it easy for carriages to pass through, but apparently, the security aspect of the road was not quite as good as it could be.

    Bybining his detection skills, he had noticed signs of approaching presences, but by using them in conjunction with the map, he was able to obtain more urate information.

    With that in mind, Shin thought for a moment.

    ¡°They¡¯re getting a little closer, but with Kagerou¡¯s speed, can we get through before we¡¯re surrounded? ¡­No, Kagerou, slow down a little. Let them get closer and they¡¯ll think you¡¯re getting tired.¡±

    Hearing Shin¡¯s instructions, Kagerou slowed down the carriage. He even slowed down and acted like he was out of breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to shake them off?¡±

    Or are you going to go out of your way to fight? Sety poked her head out of the hood and asked.

    Everybody was scouting the area individually, so they had noticed the iing presence.

    ¡°If we shake them off here, the carriage we overtook just now is likely to be targeted. With those horses, even if they are not at full speed, they can¡¯t shake off those who have been following Kagerou¡¯s footsteps even for a little while. With this, that carriage will be targeted. If you were attacked and the people inside died, it would have a bit of a bad aftertaste, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    The carriage they passed was amon carriage. There were three armed men who were probably escorts. The armed men were surprised at Kagerou, but the driver was not chagrined. Rather, Shin remembered that he had the expression of having seen something good.

    In addition, there was a child in the carriage, whose eyes lit up when she saw the Kagerou. That made Shin even more determined to stop the presence that could be a threat.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Berett said there was plenty of time to spare, so we should be able to take care of that much.¡±

    Sety, too, was probably reminded of the child. The expression on her face was full of motivation. While they were talking, the carriage reached the speed of a normal horse.

    Then, the presences that had been moving around the carriage narrowed their encirclement.

    However, with the addition of [Far Sight] and [Through Sight], as well as [Analyze], the identity of the approaching presences were already clear. With their overwhelming searching ability, Shin and his team were able to gather information important to the battle, such as the number, cement, and type of enemies, even before the fight.

    The hunters, who thought they had cornered their prey, only realized they were the prey when they attacked.

    ¡°Do you need materials?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any use for it. But maybe we can sell it at the guild for some money.¡±

    Shin thought for a moment before replying to Sety, who asked him in a light tone as if they were discussing dinner.

    It¡¯s unlikely that his money would run out, but when it came to the money he had earned, he wondered when thest time he had an ie. The only time he could immediately recall was during his stay with Schnee in Erkunt, when he received amission from the guild. He was recognized as an A rank back then, so the request at least earned him enough to live on.

    ¡°I have my savings at Tsuki no Hokora, but ¡­are you in need of something?¡±

    ¡°If you just say the word, I can give you a loan.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. It just urred to me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Schnee and Berett talked to Shin, but he told them not to worry, because there was no particr reason for it. Each of them was talking in a different manner, probably because of their different positions.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll try to keep the material as pristine as possible.¡±

    Sety said she wanted to try to see how far she could go to minimize the damage and finish them off, and began preparing her magic, waving her right hand like a conductor¡¯s baton.

    A monster resembling a cheetah emerged from the trees growing on either side of the road. It was the High Runner, a monster that was said to have all of its stats allocated to speed.

    The level of the High Runners were around 250, and there were no particr individuals that stood out. The fur on its body stood up in an unnatural way and, every time it took a step forward, part of its body became transparent, making it difficult to see.

    ¡°I kind of feel like my eyes are going crazy.¡±

    Tiera, who had been watching the High Runners, said while rubbing her eyes.

    ¡°That bristling hair has a bit of a cloaking effect. It doesn¡¯t make their whole body transparent, but if you¡¯re not used to it, you can misjudge their distance. But you should be careful about speed. It produces a speed that is unthinkable for their level.¡±

    Other than speed, most of their stats were inferior to level 100 monsters, so they usually could be defeated if hit. They were not a scary opponent if one could hit them with a ranged attack that left no room to escape, or if one could hit them at a speed faster than that High Runner.

    Normally, they were the kind of monsters that would run away if they sensed Shin¡¯s presence, but it seemed that they were unable to sense Shin¡¯s strength because they suppressed their presence so as not to startle the travelers and the horses that pulled the carriage. If they had attacked the carriage running behind Shin and his group, at least they wouldn¡¯t have been annihted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±

    Sety stopped her swinging arm. Shin felt a release of magic power from the index finger of her right hand.

    In the next instant, the High Runner¡¯s head fell off.

    On Shin¡¯s map, not only showing the individuals¡¯ reactions, but also those that had been hiding among the trees, disappeared. It seemed that she had finished off the High Runners in the vicinity with a single blow.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    Seeing the heads of the High Runners that had been growling at them fall off, a voice that could be taken either as admiration or dismay escaped from Tiera¡¯s mouth.

    Although Sety took some time to prepare, she pinpointed and instantly killed enemies within detection range without any chants, no support equipment, and no vision.

    Her skill was far from that of a typical mage.

    ¡°Amazing!¡±

    ¡°This is what happens when you improvise.¡±

    Shin praised Sety, who was a bit proud of her performance.

    As far as Shin could tell, the MP consumption was lower than usual. The power was just right, neither strong enough to explode nor weak enough to cause a fatal injury.

    It would be easy to produce simple power, but the current Shin could not imitate such precise control.

    ¡°Shall I go retrieve it?¡±

    Shin quickly stowed away the dead body of the High Runner and returned.

    The good thing about the item box was that it would automatically separate the materials if he didn¡¯t want to leave them as they were, so he didn¡¯t have to spend time stripping them off.

    They picked up speed and hit the road. Other than being chased by the High Runners, they continued their journey until nightfall without much trouble.

    The ce where they stopped was neither a town nor a vige that were used as stopover points on the roads leading torge cities, nor campsites that were maintained for easy rest. It was close to a forest inhabited by monsters and wild animals, and was not a suitable ce for camping.

    But that was the story of ordinary merchants and travelers, who would set up one or two guards and then take turns resting in their carriages or in tents¡­this was not the case for Shin and the others.

    The [Barrier] and [Wall], which were automatically activated when the Tsuki no Hokora materialized, kept both hostile monsters and people at bay. If they tried to attack, the barrier would even automatically counterattack.

    Shin and the others themselves also had high-level detection abilities, so it was almost impossible to sneak into Tsuki no Hokora. Those who have tried to do so had been met with a savage reception.

    ¡°I have to say, I feel like I¡¯m staying at a luxury inn somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Because Cain and Reed also cooperated a lot. And even the other members joined in. Thanks to that, it turned out to be more amazing than I expected. It took us three months just to gather the materials.¡±

    Shinughed as he recalled the time when Berett said this to him while tucking into a bowl of stew for dinner.

    At first, the building was supposed to be morepact, with the cksmith shop as the main attraction. But when one opened its doors, the original concept of a cksmith shop and an extra dwelling was nowhere to be found.

    A room for Shin and his support characters, plus a room for visitors.

    A workshop and a storehouse for storing finished products.

    A shop area for selling equipment, various items for cooking, and so on.

    The number of building materials needed grew rapidly. If each member¡¯s opinion was taken into ount, there was no doubt that it would be a mansion, and there must have been more facilities that would make people say, ¡°You don¡¯t need that!¡±. However, Cain, who was an architect by profession, was not afraid to take the ideas of ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too excessive?¡±. He took the members¡¯ opinions and incorporated them into the blueprints, and said, ¡°It could be done with the mysterious space expansion unique to the game.¡±

    The final result was the Tsuki no Hokora (Moon Shrine). Thefort level was further improved with the addition of a toilet, which was not present in the game.

    ¡°I doubt I could gather even one-tenth of the materials used today. The chair I am sitting on now is made from the World Tree. The tes are made of Dien Stone, also known as ¡®White Gold¡¯ because of the rarity and the processing difficulty of the material , the pottery is made of Mma y, also known as ¡®Unmoving Assassin¡¯ which absorbs life force just by touching it. Even spoons and forks are mixed with orichalcum and mithril. Experts in that field would faint if they saw these.¡±

    Considering the current era, the precious materials that must be kept strictly in the treasury of a great nation were being used inrge quantities. Just taking out one set of dishes, a te, a cup, a fork, and a knife would be worth enough to live in luxury for the rest of your life, Berett grumbled in dismay.

    ¡°In the past, valuable materials were also circted to some extent. I¡¯m sure there are things that are valuable now, but weren¡¯t so in the past?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The overall quality has declined. The same goes for wood, but especially materials rted to the sea. Underwaterbat requires a different skill set than fighting on the ground, and equipment such as a sword without a specific attribute can only be used as a talisman. Mereme moss and sea magic stone, which grow on underwater rocks, are always in short supply.¡±

    Mereme moss was a necessary material for enchanting the [Dive I] skill, and sea magic stone was used to grant the water attribute. Berett said that both are now bing more difficult to obtain, since the deeper the material was, the higher the quality. The sea magic stone, in particr, was used in magical tools that produce drinking water, so there was a bidding war to purchase as much of it as possible.

    ¡°We still have the equipment left behind by Reed, so we can secure a certain amount, but only a handful of other merchant associations have a stable supply.¡±

    It was said that tradingpanies that employ fishermen and mermaids were strong in this area. There also seemed to be some tradingpanies that specialize in particr fields.

    Shin and the others proceeded down the road while hearing about the current business situation from Berett.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Two weeks after starting their journey, Shin and his group arrived at the first resupply point, Maca.

    Maca was arge city situated on the route to the north of Kern.

    Several cities have formed a federation to function as a single country. It was simr to the Beast Alliance Falnido. However, there was not as much racial prization here as in Falnido.

    The main poption consisted of Humans, Beasts, and Dwarves, who made up 90% of the total poption. Next were Elves, Pixies, and Dragnils, who made up about 10% of the poption. The Lords were few and far between.

    ¡°The Lords are gathered in the great northern kingdom, the Demon Empire Reigand. And unlike other races, the Evil Eye, which works just by looking at them, can easily be feared.¡±

    ¡°Are they also subject to discrimination now?¡±

    yers in the game era recognized that the Evil Eye*, a skill unique to the Lord¡¯s race, was quick to activate but weak in power. (TN: changed from Devil Eye)

    In terms ofbat, it was not as good as humans¡¯ magic resistance to status ailments, and the dwarves¡¯ bonus to specific skills. In the first ce, there were someints about the unique skills of each race, such as Dragnil¡¯s Breath, Elves¡¯ and Pixies¡¯ Spirit Arts were too strong.

    ¡°The Beast¡¯s Transformation and Physical Enhancement were epted normally though.¡±

    Shin recalled how race-specific skills were handled in the game era, and he mentioned that the perception of yers at that time was also a bit strange.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably why Breath and Spirit Arts were outstanding. I¡¯m well aware of the fact that they are easy to use and apply.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Although it is inferior to Breath in terms of power, in terms of practicality, Spirit Art is overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°Now you can use it together with magic. The power is about 30% stronger.¡±

    Schnee and Sety, who could also use Spirit arts, pointed out the advantages from Berett¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°Breath is focused on power so it¡¯s not very useful outside of battle. If you use it incorrectly, your allies will get involved, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll actively use it.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen you using it since you joined us, Shibaid.¡±

    It seemed that Shibaid had used it against a horde of monsters during the empire defense line, but Shin wasn¡¯t there so he didn¡¯t see it.

    ¡°He was sting away at them in a big way. It was different from the way Shibaid usually fights.¡±

    Sety, who was working with him, said as she recalled those days. After preventing a long-range attack aimed at Shin, he ran into a crowd of monsters and went on quite a rampage.

    ¡°Well, talking to everyone like this reminds me of when the Evil Eye was just a personality. Speaking of which, what kind of ability does Filma¡¯s Evil Eye have?¡±

    ¡°My evil eyes are a supportive ability that allows me to use my magic power more efficiently. The most important thing to remember is that the eye is not a recement for the beast¡¯s physical enhancement since it¡¯s less efficient. Also, I can boost magic, but I¡¯m better at cutting than that, so I don¡¯t use it much. You can imagine how it works.¡±

    Evil Eye was mainly ssified into three systems.

    The offensive type, which had effects simr to those of offensive magic.

    The abnormal type, which gave effects such as paralysis and charms.

    And the auxiliary types, such as Filma¡¯s evil eye, which boosted the effectiveness of skills.

    yers often chose the offensive type, while support characters often included abnormal and auxiliary types. The offensive type was useful in battles between yers because it could shift the timing of the opponent¡¯s attack without using skills and could also act as a deterrent. However, the higher the yer¡¯s level and equipment, the less useful they became, as they would be repelled by their own defenses.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about abilities. There are more peopleing.¡±

    A line of carriages was forming toward the gate of Maca. Even though they had arrived, it would be some time before they could enter the gate.

    Shin and the others lined up and waited their turn, exchanging information with a carriage vendor who happened to be next to them. Once inside Maca, they headed directly to the branch of the Golden Company. Urgent information was sent by message card, but everything else was to be received at each branch.

    ¡°No changes so far?¡±

    ¡°No change within the visible range, so there¡¯s a possibility that a battle is going on inside.¡±

    Berett said this, but his calm expression showed that he thought it was unlikely.

    Shin also agreed.

    If it was a battle between the EX series and a divine beast, he expected that there would be changes that could be recognized from the outside, such as ground rumbles and sounds. Most of the divine beasts and their equivalents that Shin and his guildmate had fought up to now had also caused a storm of destruction in their surroundings.

    In fact, in ces where the EX Series has been sighted so far, continuous bursts, crashes, earth rumbles, and other phenomena, that were believed to be the sounds of a battle between a divine beast and the EX Series, had been confirmed.

    The battle started before one knew it and ended before one knew it. This was not likely to happen.

    Food and other supplies had already been prepared, so they left as soon as they updated the information. Even though they had made up the distance by teleportation, it was a distance that would take more than a year to travel in this world. There was no reason to stay at the supply point for long.

    ¡°From here, it would take more than half a year even for a well-trained warhorse. But at this speed, I am sure it will be less than half that. The time is shortened only because we have Kagerou and a carriage that can withstand his running.¡±

    Inside the rattling carriage, Berett talked while looking at the scenery that was flying by.

    Since the carriage was traveling at the same speed as a car in modern times, the time it took to reach the destination couldn¡¯t bepared to that of a normal carriage. It could be shortened a little more, but, when passing other carriages and travelers on the road, the speed was slowed down, so it took longer than if they just drove on.

    If they went too fast, they may be mistaken for monsters or bandits and attacked. One time, when they were toote to slow down when overtaking a trading party, their escort was deployed and a battle almost broke out. Since then, they proceeded with caution.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just avoid the roads?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s a in, but otherwise it¡¯s not suitable for a carriage to run on. Shin would be able to modify the carriage to suit the environment, but it would be meaningless if he had to go a little further and modify it again and again. If it¡¯s Shin or Schnee, it¡¯s probably faster to run. But I¡¯m not confident that I can keep up.¡±

    ¡°I feel the same.¡±

    Sety nodded in agreement with Berett¡¯sment.

    There was also the option of riding Kagerou, but then only Shin and Schnee would have no problem, and Filma would be able to keep up with them with thebined use of magic power-st. Everyone else would be left behind if they didn¡¯t take a ride. Even if the AGI value, which was the speed on the status, was higher than Kagerou¡¯s, the strides were too different. Unless the difference in status was so great that it couldpensate for it, they will not be able to beat arge monster like Kagerou in simple movement speed.

    And no matter how big a monster Kagerou was, if they had Tiera, Sety, Berett, and even Shibaid on board, they would be over capacity. It was not impossible if Yuzuha also cooperated though.

    ¡°What about moving like when you were in the sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, though. I did it because there was no problem with pushing through that ce. If you do that here, you¡¯ll blow away the forest, the rocks, the mud, and everything else. It¡¯s pretty dynamic as it will be a great destruction of nature.¡±

    To add to that, it would definitely be considered an unknown monster.

    If something approached in a straight line through a ce that no one could pass through, it could cause confusion for Maca as well. Unless there was a pressing need to do so, they would not use that method.

    It was the same reason that they would not ride Yuzuha and Kagerou. Two divine beastsing toward the town on a pathless road would be a major nuisance to the said town. Even if they did not recognize them as divine beasts, rumors may spread that the town was suddenly targeted by tworge monsters. The damage caused by rumors in this world was nothingpared to that in the real world.

    There was also a way to use [Hiding], but even if Shin and the others could be concealed, the smoke, footprints, vibrations, etc. could not be hidden. It would either show up as a bizarre phenomenon, or it would result in more rming results if something unseen was moving around. Either way, it was certain to cause trouble for those who have nothing to do with it.

    ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped. But I have too much free time on the road.¡±

    This was a world without mobile games. If one were escorting a carriage, they have to be on the lookout while walking around the area.

    ¡°I have some books.¡±

    ¡°Reading is good once in a while.¡±

    While Shin was discussing cksmithing with Vulcan in Erkunt, Schnee used to wait for him by reading a book. She had a spare pair of sses and some books she used at that time. There were some stories that were unique to this world, and Shin would read them from time to time.

    ¡°Do you have any books on magic?¡±

    ¡°There are a few that summarize theoretical systems, but I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be of any use to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay, I¡¯m just trying to pass the time.¡±

    Schnee often reads not only books from the game era, but also books from the current era. Since she met Shin again, she didn¡¯t get many chances to see him because she had fewer opportunities to do so.

    She realized it again when she and Shin lived together in Erkunt. This was not a setting given by Shin when he created her as a support character, but something that Schnee herself, who had lived in this world, was interested in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, the reasons and conditions for the birth of Chosen Ones?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Shin, who had heard that it was a theoretical system and thought it had something to do with magic or skills and arts, just couldn¡¯t help but speak up when he heard the title of the book that Sety had mentioned.

    The book that Schnee materialized seemed to have been written by an inhabitant of this world.

    ¡°There are a fair number of people in this world who are trying to solve mysteries. But they don¡¯te out very often.¡±

    The Chosen Ones were also treated differently in different regions, and as the title suggested, there was a tendency for few people to think about why such an entity came into existence in the first ce.

    ¡°When I think about it, I don¡¯t know the definitive reason. I thought it was the reincarnation system at work.¡± Shin said.

    ¡°I agree with you. However, the reincarnation room in the solitary ind sacred ce didn¡¯t seem to work.¡±

    ¡°Did you check that part as well? It waspletely out of my head. I didn¡¯t have time to investigate when I was sent to Kalkia.¡±

    When he was transferred to Kalkia, he focused on getting Rionne safely outside. Even when he went to Eleven¡¯s sacred ce, Shin was thinking about where he was going to attack and whether there was a trap, so he didn¡¯t think about the internal structure.

    ¡°It was a special situation and we didn¡¯t have the luxury of time. I haven¡¯t confirmed it clearly either, so it¡¯s not impossible that I could be wrong.¡±

    ording to Schnee, when she and Shin went to the sacred ce ¨C the main city during the game ¨C she noticed a presence. There was a huge crystalline stone floating in the reincarnation room, which was used to change races or to upgrade to a higher race, that one could look up at. Schnee said she could feel a unique presenceing from the crystalline stone.

    ¡°Because it was a game, it¡¯s like something you just can do. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re starting over as a baby.¡±

    ¡°If you tried to integrate that into this world naturally, it would be like it is now.¡±

    The only thing that changed was the limitation of skills and equipment due to the decrease in level and status, but there was almost no change in physique after reincarnation in the game era.

    As one would expect, when one¡¯s race changed, one¡¯s appearance also changed ordingly, but there was no change except for one¡¯s racial characteristics. For Shin, it was more apt to say that the body was remade rather than reincarnated.

    ¡°If a race can be changed at will, that¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¡°I think all humans want to be of another race. Humans were unpopr in the world before ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t deny what you says, Berett¡±

    If one raised a human hard enough, they could fight reasonably well. However, other races were more morous in many ways. Combat, production, research. There was nothing that only a human can do. The fact that there were no strengths or weaknesses in acquiring skills was attractive in a sense, but that was not a reason to bother choosing humans.

    If they were going to go to the trouble, they would want to be active in the field in which they were going to advance. Even if that is not the case, there were many humans who yearn to be a long-lived species.

    Shin also believed that Berett was not wrong in thinking that if reincarnation were possible in today¡¯s world, there would be many people who would want to change their race.

    Especially those with position, power, and money often seek something that had the effect of prolonging their life or rejuvenating them in the end, which was often seen in fiction. In reality, it was no different.

    ¡°But I do wonder about babies being able to use their skills.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you on that. If you specialize in magic, it can be a disaster for everyone around you.¡±

    Shibaid, who had actually experienced such a thing, said with a serious look on his face. It was not umon for babies to almost blow up the people around them once or twice.

    ¡°In the empire, whenever possible, the birth of a child is attended by a Chosen One who excels in defense. Especially when a Chosen One¡¯s child was born.¡±

    ¡°If the parents are Chosen Ones, is it more likely that the child will be a Chosen One as well?¡±

    ¡°No, they are ssified as children of the Chosen Ones, but in most cases they can be said to have inherited their parents¡¯ abilities, unlike those who are born unexpectedly. This one is almost never harmed by mishandling of ability control. It is when a Chosen One is born from an ordinary person that it tends to go out of control.¡±

    However, it seemed that even the children of Chosen Ones were not entirely free from out-of-control abilities. In an emergency situation, they may use more powerful skills than their parents, and a more skilled Chosen One was said to be present at the birth of a Chosen One.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we were living in a world where people felt they had to risk their own safety to give birth to a child.¡±

    ¡°Hadn¡¯t you ever heard of anything like that? It¡¯s in no way that you didn¡¯t have to travel back and forth to the outside world, did you?¡±

    The fact that not all the ingredients were provided in the garden, Shin also heard the saying. If he had the chance to go out on the town, he could have heard about it there.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t go outside, but I didn¡¯t hear anything. If rumors spread, I might have heard it, but it doesn¡¯t happen that often, does it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There weren¡¯t many things that caused damage to the surroundings. Even when I was the king, it should have been about once every few years.¡±

    By making sure that the Chosen One was present at the birth, it seemed that even if it did happen, there was rarely enough damage. It didn¡¯t seem to be zero, though.

    ¡°In the empire, what would you do if a baby was born to be a Chosen One from ordinary parents? Will the parents raise them as they are?¡±

    There were those who had abilities that were different from those of ordinary people. Shin wondered if the parents would be able to handle it if they were ordinary people. It was quite possible that the child had the power of a monster¡¯s blow to their parents, even if they thought they were just ying around.

    ¡°If the baby is a Chosen One, the state is supposed to take care of it. Of course, the parents can visit them at any time.¡±

    In most cases, the country will take care of it. While confirming how much ability the child had, they teach them so that they could adjust their strength even against ordinary people.

    In any country, there were usually one or two Chosen Ones, so many countries have the same approach regardless of race.

    ¡°If there is a problem, it would be when the baby was snatched by an individual.¡±

    There were also those who recruit Chosen Ones outside of the country, such as nobles, local lords, andrge merchants who want the strength to fight. There was no problem if they were well-educated and work as escorts. However, it was also true that they may be forced to use their power for other purposes. Sometimes, they did not give them a proper education, but made them like puppets or made them do dirty work.

    Eline, who was once a knight under the control of a bishop, was a case in point. The bishop took in Eline, who was not strong enough, and gave him a unique education that distorted his personality.

    ¡°Some have even attempted to overthrow the state by assembling highlypetent Chosen Ones. In order to eliminate such things, the state is taking over. It¡¯s not yetpletely ingrained in the popce, though, and that sets my teeth on edge.¡±

    Prejudice against the Chosen Ones was more or less prevalent throughout the continent. If not for that, life may have been more peaceful. Shibaid concluded.

    ¡°Maybe we can look into that too the next time we¡¯re in the Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I suppose. If we can figure out the rules and trends, we can at leaste up with some countermeasures.¡±

    Even just a little, would be better than nothing.

    The problem, though, was that most of the time when they go to the Sacred ce it¡¯s an emergency, and they¡¯re likely to forget about it.

    ¡°Speaking of which, does the book say anything about the cause?¡±

    ¡°ording to the book, it¡¯s written that it might have something to do with the Ley Lines.¡±

    Babies endowed with special powers.

    Could such mysterious urrences be rted to the Ley Lines, which also have some kind of supernatural power surrounding it? Some schrs seem to think so.

    ¡°Ohe on sis, I just picked up the book, and now you¡¯re spoiling it with your conclusion.¡±

    ¡°My bad. Then again, it could also be fun to read while trying to figure out how I came to that conclusion.¡±

    ¡°I guess you have a point¡­fine then. I¡¯ll read it ande up with my own deduction.¡±

    Sety quickly opened the book and began to read, since it was originally intended to pass the time.

    Other books on magic were piled up beside Sety. She was going to read them all.

    ¡°You wanna read too, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the n.¡±

    ¡°Then could you pick one out for me as well? I¡¯m gonna be bored out of my mind otherwise.¡±

    Once Sety quieted down, Filma received a book and a pair of sses from Schnee. A lot of them seem to be reading books from before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.

    Tiera was sitting, holding what looked like a twig with both hands for support, with her eyes closed in silence. She seemed to be concentrating.

    Next to her, Shibaid was meditating. And Berett was flipping through a stack of papers.

    While each person was killing time in his or her own way, Shin was in the driver¡¯s seat watching the ever-changing scenery.

    He could rx and enjoy the scenery without having to worry about going off the road from negligence in making every little adjustment.

    And on Shin¡¯sp, Yuzuha was sprawled out in a baby fox mode. She waspletely out of it, and when the carriage bounced, so did Yuzuha.

    ¡°Be careful so you don¡¯t fall, okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fiiii-ne.¡±

    Her dazed voice was a little worrying, but in all rationality; even if she fell and rolled around on the ground, she wouldn¡¯t suffer any injuries.

    That¡¯s how stacked her stats were, it wouldn¡¯t stop Shin from trying to prevent it though.

    ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll soon be reaching the next town¡­howe you¡¯re all suddenly in sses mode?¡±

    All the members present were wearing sses and reading a book when he turned around to inform them of the staging post that was about toe into view.

    Tiera and Shibaid were participating as well, which seemed oddlyical.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. I just thought you all look good in those sses.¡±

    Schnee, Tiera, and Sety give the impression of being intelligent women. The sharp design of their sses may be one of the reasons.

    Filma wasn¡¯t included because she was wearing her ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡», not to mention her face. The armor covers a significant portion of her skin, making her look good, but at the same time unbnced.

    Berett was wearing round sses, which made him look more like a merchant. He might as well fiddle with an abacus and it would be perfect.

    The one that baffled him though was Shibaid. He was wearing a monocle.

    It was in Shibaid¡¯s right eye, which, unlike the original monocle, could be snugly attached without falling off no matter the position. These differed only in shape, and the effect of the monocle also extended to both eyes.

    Each of them seemed to be reading a book suited to their taste.

    Tiera was reading a botanical encyclopedia, while Sety was on another magic book, perhaps having finished reading the one she borrowed from Schnee.

    Shibaid was reading an adventure story, while Berett was reading a history book.

    Surprisingly enough, Schnee and Filma were reading the same love story.

    ¡°What? Is it so surprising that I¡¯m reading a romance novel?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything¡­¡±

    Filma noticed Shin¡¯s gaze and said in a sulky tone.

    It was a little unexpected, no doubt, but Filma was a woman, too.

    It¡¯s a little hard to imagine from her rough fighting style and the way she always teased Shin and the others, but it was nothing out of the ordinary that she¡¯d be interested in romance.

    It was rather understandable, considering the fact that she would smirk and question the rtionship between Shin and Schnee.

    Shin thought so, but Filma didn¡¯t seem to think so.

    She used the book as a shield, trying to escape Shin¡¯s gaze. The way she peeked out from the book and red at him was cute, unlike her usual dignified appearance.

    ¡°Why not cut her some ck? It is what she likes after all.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t say a thing. She¡¯s free to like whatever she wants.¡±

    He was a little defensive, perhaps because he thought he was going to get some payback for the teasing, as he usually did.

    Shin had no intention of venturing any deeper, so he waved for her to get back to reading, and then turned to hold the reins.

    They were now running on a in with a good view, so even if he looked away a little, he wouldn¡¯t bump into anything or go off the road.

    Despite this little episode, Shin and his party proceeded smoothly on their way.

    Thanks in part to Kagerou¡¯s efforts, they were somewhat faster than Berett expected.

    ¡°I can see it now. Yuzuha, do you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°The Ley Lines are a little more active. But I don¡¯t see any bad signs.¡±

    Yuzuha answered Shin¡¯s question in adult mode. It would seem that it wasn¡¯t umon in ces where there are thick ley lines or where multiple ley lines converge.

    ¡°But damn, it¡¯s huge looking at it again.¡±

    Shin looked up at the mountain range and murmured.

    The closer they got, the more he was made aware of its grandeur.

    The two tallest mountains, Iira and Venna, were hidden in the clouds that covered the sky. More than half of the mountains, not just the summit area, were obscured.

    Shin had once climbed the sacred Mt. Fuji back in Japan, and it didn¡¯te close to the Grandmost Mountains. It was simply enormous. Ridiculously so.

    ¡°We are, climbing this¡­¡±

    Tiera was overwhelmed by the majesty of the mountains and mumbled in a daze.

    Shin felt the same way.

    Despite having traversed simr mountain ranges back in his heydays as a gamer, he was still overwhelmed by its magnificence. Faced with reality that seemed to be trying to say: your experience is nothing more than fiction.

    ¡°I guess I better go over my gear.¡±

    He had already prepared his cold-resistant gear so that he could set out into the mountains at a moment¡¯s notice.

    However, having been met with more pressure than expected, Shin decided to review his equipment just in case.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó¡ó

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m calling it a day here.¡±

    After traveling during the day, he materialized the Moon Shrine*. It was getting progressively chilly, perhaps because they were getting close enough to feel the magnificence of the Grandmost Mountains. (T/N: Previously tranted as Tsuki no Hokora)

    Dinner was kimchi stew. A truly rare dish even back in his days as a gamer. There were even rumors that the inventor of this dish must have been a yer.

    After dinner was free time.

    Shin headed to the smithy to inspect his equipment.

    He had already finished modifying the resistance of the clothing, armor, and other equipment that were entrusted to him from heat-resistant to cold-resistant.

    At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t suffer from hypothermia, frostbite, or other natural phenomena. And even otherwise untold effects would be less severe.

    They would be putting on a heavy coat over their gear this time. Unlike thest time when they wore a cloak which was easily susceptible to the frequent blizzards in the mountains. So, he decided that a coat would make it easier for them to move around.

    ¡°Talk about luxury, not having to worry about materials.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Funding and materials are always a pain for artisans.¡±

    In addition to Shin, there were four others in the smithy: Schnee, Filma, Shibaid, and Berett.

    Schnee was there as usual, and Filma and Shibaid were there because Shin wanted to hear their opinion.

    Berett asked to observe since it was a rare opportunity for him.

    It wouldn¡¯t provide any professional benefit from looking, but since Shin had no reason to refuse, he allowed it.

    ¡°The coat is cold-resistant, but also water-resistant and generates heat. The divine beast Maganna basically only uses physical attacks, so I probably didn¡¯t need to go this far with the enchantments but just in case.¡±

    Given the current atmospheric conditions, Venna Var, the god of ice, would likely appear. Shin remembered that she radiated air so cold that it could prate the cold resistance buff cast on gear.

    Since the resources used for enchantment on the coat were geared towards making it more cold-resistant than defensive, the double protection of the gear and the coat should be able to withstand the cold without any problem.

    Although the condition of the mountains made it unlikely that Iira Suura, the god of fire, would appear, he had also prepared an essory with heat resistance should that happen.

    In which case, each of them could bring out a heat-resistant cloak from their item boxes.

    Since Tiera was now able to use an item box, he made her keep her current gear. He also prepared a few items for her.

    ¡°Please let me know if you have any requests orments.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t have anyment on a gear that you enchant personally, Shin, but if you could put something over the area around the neck and wrists thate in contact with metal, that would eliminate one concern.¡±

    Going straight into snowy mountains with metallic gear would indeed be suicide. Shibaid was concerned that the metal parts would stick to the skin.

    He was so used to Shin¡¯s gear that when he first headed into the snowy mountains in the present reality, he was warned by the locals. A lot of folks have had terrible experiences from overlooking it apparently.

    The gear itself should already be impervious to cold as a result of the enchantments, so it wouldn¡¯t stick to the skin, but it may be worthwhile taking such minor precautions.

    ¡°What about you, Filma?¡±

    ¡°This is new territory for me, so I¡¯m not quite sure. But I think it would be better to prepare an inner garment for this one. Both practically and emotionally.¡±

    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll prepare enough for everyone. I may as well use this opportunity to try and see if there¡¯s something that I can¡¯t enchant.¡±

    Putting aside the fact that they would be protected by the gears, it would normally be unthinkable for anyone to have their arms and thighs exposed in the snowy mountains.

    But even with the coat on, they should be prepared for the possibility that it may get damaged in battle and have to be taken off.

    From a game perspective, underwear would not qualify as gear, but in this world, it would not be surprising if it could be used as one. This would mean that countermeasures could be further enhanced.

    The countermeasure was stricter than preparing the heat-resistant gear, because, when dealing with heat, even if the gear or the bearer were to be on fire, one could escape the crisis by continuously using the skill, Heal.

    Unlike in the game, though, they would have to endure the pain with guts.

    However, when dealing with cold air, one would be rendered immobile as they slowly get eroded. Shin was mulling over this in order to devise a means to flee should they find themselves in such a disadvantageous situation.

    Not that they had encountered a situation where they had to turn tail, but then who could say that they wouldn¡¯t. Shin and his party had yet to face the gods of this world.

    ¡°God, huh?¡±

    A monster, but one with powers different from those of devils or demons.

    Back in the game era, they were quite an interesting monster.

    They obviously possessed highbat power. And yet, whenever it came time to challenge them to a fight, they would sometimes evade it altogether by giving trials or just end up telling stories about the past.

    One could only go with whatever they were dealt with, and that was how they dealt with the uncertain existence of god.

    But what if they could have a conversation?

    Once they were done with the current affairs, he would need to go visit a vital information source, Hades.

    But first, if one could have a conversation with god, the creator of this world, then it would be possible to obtain an entirely different kind of information.

    With how little he knew about this world, and the fact that he was able toe here. Hopefully, he would be able to talk to them.

    So Shin thought.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó¡ó

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve finally made it to town. And I can only say that, there¡¯s a whole world of difference between what I¡¯m seeing and what I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    After a long night, Shin and his party arrived at the town at the foot of the Grandmost Mountains.

    The name of the town was Meatra, which, in Elvish, meant pure.

    The ce was not toorge and surrounded by a wall about five or six mel tall.

    Shin was impressed because the townscape and its surroundings were tinged with white.

    The cause was the snow. At a distance, they could still afford to be aware of the majesty of the mountains. However, as they got closer, this was no longer the case.

    In the beginning, there was only a light cover of snow on the ground, and then the amount increased exponentially as they advanced.

    And not just a few cemels or dozens of cemels.

    The sheer amount of snowfall reminded Shin of the heavy snowfalls he had seen on TV.

    In addition to that, there was a terrible blizzard. Shin possessed a skill that improved visibility and a map function, so he could tell that he had arrived at Meatra, but otherwise it was difficult to see straight ahead.

    He checked with Berett to see if this was normal, and he replied that it usually piled up to about 1 mel.

    ¡°I rushed over here after I got your message, but wow.¡±

    ¡°Long-time residents of the town said that it is not unusual for it to continue snowing for several days, but they were surprised by the amount of snowfall and the prolonged blizzard. It is a region with a lot of snow to begin with, so that exins why there has not been any major damage yet.¡±

    It¡¯s snowing quite heavily. The message came three days before Shin and his party arrived.

    The message said that it had started four days earlier.

    At first, no one seemed to mind, thinking it was just the usual. Even the investigators who had been in town for an extended period of time paid it no mind.

    They only sensed that something was wrong when the blizzard gradually started to pick up while still snowing. That in itself was nothing out of the ordinary.

    However, not only was it snowing and blowing, but even thunderstorms began to form, and the temperature was said to be much colder than usual.

    Should the blizzard persist, it would only be a matter of time before either the people freeze to death or their houses copse.

    Shin and his party rushed to the town, wondering if the battle had begun.

    Fortunately, the streets were deserted as they approached the town, and there were no bystanders as they kicked away the piles of snow and proceeded. Even if there had been, it wasn¡¯t the best of conditions to be making inquiries.

    ¡°The gate is locked.¡±

    Yuzuha, in her fox cub mode, looked toward the gate, which was still closed. Having grown up quite a bit, she now seemed to be able to use her [Through Sight] and [Far Sight] abilities.

    And there was no reason for the gate to be left open under the circumstances.

    Thus, Shin and his party were stranded outside of the city gates.

    ¡°Sure enough, even the gatekeepers are nowhere to be seen. Or anyone that can open it for that matter. Wait, looks like there¡¯s someone on the wall.¡±

    Shin looked over the wall and saw two men in coats in a building that looked like a rest station for the guards.

    It would be difficult for them to keep watch out here under the circumstances, so they were probably standing by there.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent a message to the investigators inside, but I can¡¯t say for certain that they¡¯ll open it in this situation.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s probably snow on the ground inside the city, too. Imagine going through all that trouble just to open the gate for our little old party.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even noon yet, but the sky was covered with thick clouds while the snow and wind were blowing intensely. They wouldn¡¯t even want to step outside, let alone open the gate.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we clear the snow around the gate? Since it opens outward. Without the snow in the way, they might give it some thought, or what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I agree. It won¡¯t even be much of a challenge for us anyway.¡±

    The piled-up snow wouldn¡¯t even serve as a warm-up for Shin and his party, even though it almost doubled their heights. A single punch with a little force would blow away a few mels of snow in an instant.

    ¡°We already stand out enough getting here the way we did. Let¡¯s use this.¡±

    Shin materialized a snow shoveling weapon from his item box.

    The shovel was made by Shin. About 1.3 mel long. It was one of the weapons that were considered a necessity in the snowy mountain area.

    The sharp edge of the de could pierce the outer hull of a monster. The thin but easy-to-hold thick handle and hilt could easily withstand even a golem¡¯s blow.

    The shoulder width of the dirt scooping part was 25 cemels, and the specifications would allow it to scoop more snow than shovels using a barricade.

    Only when one could dig through the snow with it and slice through and beat down monsters could one venture into the snowy mountains. There was even a saying to that effect at one point. Of course, half of it was made up.

    ¡°It would be quite thebor on a normal day, but hey! Might as well.¡±

    Shin and Shibaid cleared the snow away from the walls surrounding the city.

    The amount of snow they dug out in one go would have been too much for the average person to lift. Although the snow was reasonably heavy, for Shin and the others it was like picking up a pebble and throwing it.

    They quickly thrust the shovel into the piles of snow and tossed it right away.

    With the force of what was practically a human snowplow, a path was made for the carriage to pass.

    Even though they had arrived in the city, the carriage had stopped at an open area leading to the gate, a little distance away.

    Shin and Shibaid went on and cleared away the snow that had also piled up in front of the gate. The blizzard would probably make the same pile up again in a short while, but it wouldst at least until they could get inside.

    ¡°Hello, is anyone there?¡±

    Shin shouted loudly to alert the guards, knowing they were there.

    After repeating it a few times, he could see the guards start to move. They must have realized they weren¡¯t hearing things.

    ¡°There really are people out there!¡±

    ¡°Howe there¡¯s no snow around there?¡±

    The voice of the guard who appeared from the top of the wall, reached Shin¡¯s ears.

    He had activated his [Listen] skill so he could hear them on the other side.

    ¡°Please let us in!¡±

    Considering the possibility that they might not have heard him clearly, Shin made gestures to convey his intentions.

    He heard the guard¡¯s voice telling them to hold on for a while, and while they did, the small pedestrian gate opened and a man who looked like a gatekeeper inside the cabin came out.

    He was wearing a thick coat, gloves, and boots designed for snowy countries* to shield from the cold. Underneath the coat, he was wearing leather armor and a sword at his waist. The other man was on the other side of the gate.

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m not sure if you heard me before, so I¡¯ll say it again, uh, could you please let us in? We don¡¯t want to spend the night out here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to do that too, but I¡¯m sure this area was covered in snow just a while ago. Who are you guys?¡±

    Given the situation, the man asked before checking their adventurer¡¯s card.

    Shin exined that they had excavated the snow with the special shovel, and then went on to demonstrate by scooping up arge pile of snow and tossed it away.

    ¡°Oh, I see. I can see how this could make a path in no time at all. Now I just need to see if you have any identification.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course you guys are adventurers, I knew it¡­hmm, A-rank?!¡±

    The guard received the card offered to him, and his eyes widened as he saw the rank listed on it.

    ¡°Exins why they¡¯re able to move about in this snow.¡±

    The man mumbled and adjusted his posture.

    ¡°Wee to Meatra. Decent adventurers are always wee.¡±

    The man signaled to the small gate from which he himself had emerged, and the main gate, which was closed shut, began to open.

    As soon as Shin and the others entered, the gate was closed. It wasn¡¯t possible to leave the gate open, and Shin and his party were pretty much the only ones who would dare visit on a day like this.

    Inside the city, the wind and snow were milder than outside. The roofs were covered with snow, but the main streets had been cleared of snow and were passable.

    ¡°The atmosphere here is calmer than outside, I suppose it¡¯s only natural since it¡¯s inside the city. But, it seems that the residents are also confused, as expected.¡±

    Although the environment was calmer than outside, few people were out and about.

    Meanwhile, a certain man was running toward Shin and the others. The blond-haired, blue-eyed young elf slowed down and came to an abrupt halt when he saw Berett.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for arrivingte to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Nah, we did arrive much earlier than we discussed. But more importantly, anything unusual?¡±

    Berett had the young man raise his head and urged him to get into the carriage.

    The only introduction was his name Roa, and he immediately asked how the situation was developing.

    ¡°As you all just came in from outside, I¡¯m sure you need no exnation, the ongoing blizzard has prevented supplies froming in. It¡¯s prettymon here for traffic to be totally shut down due to blizzards, so everyone is consuming their stockpiles to get by. However, if things continue as they are, they will eventually run out of food and fuel. I don¡¯t want to think too much about which wille first, whether it be hoarding or rioting.¡±

    Most people in Meatra still seemed to think that the blizzard was only somewhat prolonged, so there had yet to be any major disruptions.

    But some merchants, and those with good instincts, had begun buying up supplies little by little.

    ¡°How are things up in the mountains?¡±

    ¡°The blizzard up there seems to be even stronger than it is here. When the investigator couldn¡¯t find their way back, they climbed up to a certain extent and immediately turned back. I have them waiting at the branch so that you can talk to them directly.¡±

    So far, the situation didn¡¯t seem to have changed much since Berett got the message. When they arrived at the branch, they left the carriage behind and were immediately shown to the room where the investigator was waiting.

    Inside was a woman wearing leather armor. She seemed to be a Chosen One with a hunter job.

    While making introductions, Roa said that she was also the one who had sighted the EX series in the mountains.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Millea Nizza, and I am in charge of environmental surveys at the Golden Company.¡±

    Investigators are often out and about, more like adventurers than merchants. Even so, she seemed to have been well-trained in etiquette, as the manner in which she expressed courtesy looked very natural.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s the situation up in the mountains?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s several times the scale of what we¡¯re experiencing here in Meatra. I can still see way ahead to a certain degree down here, but I couldn¡¯t even see one mel ahead up the mountain after an hour of climbing. I would have retreated much earlier if not for the gear and items I had borrowed.¡±

    The hunter¡¯s job afforded skills that would allow the bearer to keep track of monsters and yers in thick forests and blizzards, and to project a treadable path in their field of vision.

    So a hunter getting lost would be as rare an urrence as it gets.

    Only this happened to be one of those rare times.

    ording to Millea, the effect of her skills seemed to have weakened. In fact, she almost lost track of the path she had traveled.

    ¡°So, we can be sure that this is not a natural phenomenon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t. We have encountered a simr situation in the dominion field of a Divine Beast. There is no doubt about it.¡±

    Shin was convinced after hearing Millea¡¯s report. Schnee had apparently encountered a simr situation in the dominion field of Goabulls, a boar-shaped divine beast with lightning discharging out of its body.

    Those hunter¡¯s skills are ssified as a search-and-rescue skill. They would sometimes be disrupted in and around a monster¡¯s dominion field. Especially in the middle of a battle or some kind of distressing situation.

    ¡°Could be that they¡¯re in the middle of a battle.¡±

    Shibaid said, looking out the window at the mountain range.

    ¡°That¡¯s the most likely scenario.¡±

    Filma nodded in agreement. The battle between the EX series and Maganna was affecting the surroundings in the form of a blizzard. It was entirely usible.

    ¡°Anything else going on, besides the blizzard?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing else. There are no sounds like from a battle or strong vibrations. Then again, it is possible that the sound is just not reaching us because of this blizzard. The barrier on the outer walls not only soothes the inner environment, but also has the effect of dampening loud sounds.¡±

    Millea answered briskly, as if she had been informed of the identities of Shin and his party.

    Thinking back on their experienceing here, Shin thought it was a possibility.

    The inner city aside, It was quite hard to hear even one mel away outside the city because of the wind and snow. He could hardly hear the conversation in the carriage from the driver¡¯s seat.

    With a skill, it would have been possible to listen in, but it was an impossible feat for the average person.

    As for the sound, it was apparently intended to prevent residents from panicking from a monster¡¯s roar should any appear.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to go up there and see for ourselves.¡±

    They didn¡¯t really learn anything new.

    Besides the bit they got from the on-site investigator. The only thing left to do was to see for themselves.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    After thanking Millea, Shin and his party left the branch. They put away the carriage in an item box and headed for the gate.

    ¡°You guys are the lot from earlier. Is anything the matter?¡±

    The guard standing behind the gate asked with a curious look on his face.

    They only just arrived a little while ago, and now they were on foot. It was natural that he¡¯d wonder what they were up to.

    ¡°Step outside? You already know what¡¯s going on out there. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    When Shin asked to be allowed to go through the smaller gate to step out, he was cut off by the guard before he could finish off his statement.

    If he didn¡¯t know about Shin and his party, this would be a natural reaction.

    With a carriage, they could still shrug off the wind and snow, but they couldn¡¯t do so on foot. If someone wanted to go out on foot in the middle of a blizzard with almost zero visibility, it would be strange not to stop them.

    ¡°The Golden Company requested that we investigate the cause of this blizzard. We have countermeasures in ce, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    Although rare, not exactly unheard of, for adventurers to be hired by merchants or merchant associations without going through the guild. It couldn¡¯t be called amon practice either since it almost always ended badly in one way or another, but seeing as the quest giver was the Golden Company, there was no cause for rm.

    Although they weren¡¯t reallymissioned, they shared the same objective as the assistant manager of the Golden Company, thus working together.

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why you were able to move through that blizzard. If that¡¯s the case, then I see no reason to stop you. Well, I don¡¯t have the authority to forcefully stop you anyway, unless you¡¯re criminals.¡±

    Normally, he would have just checked their guild cards and sent them out. Again, the situation being what it is, it would appear that they were keeping anyone from going outside.

    There had yet to be any major disruptions, but some folks were on the verge of doing something really reckless.

    ¡°Believe me, we have no intention of doing any more than necessary. If we decide it¡¯s more than we can handle, we¡¯ll turn right back.¡±

    They went out through the service entrance for the gatekeepers.

    The area around the gate that was cleared of snow by Shin and Shibaid, had already umted more than ten cemels of snow again. The unshoveled areas already formed a wall.

    Shin and the others crouched down on the spot, nted their feet firmly, and took a big leap. They aimed for the snow pile andnded on top of it.

    ¡°Even with how soft the snow is, we aren¡¯t sinking.¡±

    Tiera, who lightly scooped the snow with her hand, said, impressed by the softness of the snow.

    It would be one thing for Yuzuha in her fox cub mode or Kagerou in the size of a wolf cub, but for Shibaid who was fully equipped to also remain afloat and not sink, was nothing if not strange.

    What made this possible was the new gear Shin had devised.

    With their normal boots, leg armor, and greaves on, they could now put on¡ªin this case arger piece of foot gear, boots for snowy countries. It was an application of the automatic size adjustment function.

    The size adjustment allowed them to ovep with already equipped gears, so they would feel no difort when moving.

    The boots were enchanted with the skill, [White Walk], which allowed them to move on snow and ice in addition to being cold-resistant, making it possible for them to stand on the soft snow.

    ¡°The thing is, I still only know a fewbinations that work. If I could synthesize anything, I could further enhance the gear.¡±

    The original gear itself couldn¡¯t have been enchanted with [White Walk]. Doing so would have left concerns about the resistance.

    The real achievement this time was the increase, albeit temporary, in the resources essential for enchantments.

    The materials used for the boots were some cheap substitutes based on Shin¡¯s standards, with no particrly distinct change in defensive capabilities.

    If the gear were to be destroyed by a monster attack, they would outright sink, much less stand on snow.

    Of course, he made the necessary preparations in the case of such an eventuality.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m already thankful for these. And besides, you¡¯re looking at a considerable amount ofbinations, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s not going to be easy.¡±

    The gear in question currently equipped could be said to have been made from prototypes that had been used to a decent degree. Even when he tried using some random materials to create the gear, the automatic size adjustment function failed to activate.

    He even tried using some ready-made gears, but still didn¡¯t work out. Filma was a little dismayed since she was aware of the numerous trial and errors he had gone through.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just have to keep tryingbinations. I¡¯ll set time aside for it. For now, I¡¯d like to thank Tiera foring up with the idea.¡±

    ¡°Oh please stop. I only sort of uttered what popped into my mind, while you were the one that actually assembled the gear and came up with thebination.¡±

    Maybe it was because he said it in a slightly teasing manner. Tiera¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t exactly seem like she disliked it either. That¡¯s right, the new gear was not Shin¡¯s idea.

    The question now was whether or not the gears could be stacked on top of each other if Tiera¡¯s size could be adjusted automatically.

    The norm for Shin, Schnee, and the other support characters would be wearing one type of gear on the corresponding part.

    Nowadays, essories and weapons would be the exception.

    The idea of wearing one gear atop another gear using the automatic size adjustment function had never been conceived.

    So, why not give it a try? It was only natural for Shin to think and do so.

    Yet it failed spectacrly. The automatic size adjustment function failed to activate.

    If he had just given up, that would have been the end of it.

    But then Shin had an epiphany.

    The game era and the current world weren¡¯t the same. What he used now was the gear he had made back in the game era. Then, he wondered what would happen if he used the gear he had made when he came to this world.

    The end product was sessful. A leather glove was stacked over the gauntlet he had made hastily during the breaks in-between travel.

    He tried otherbinations, just in case, but the only sessful ones were the first gauntlet and the leather glove, and thebination of iron greaves and orichalcum greaves.

    That¡¯s right, depending on the kind of material and gear, some things were possible and some were not.

    Such a discovery would surely stir up a creator¡¯s blood.

    Shin used all the free time he had and continued to make prototypes of gears that could be stacked on his current best work.

    Whether or not it would be of any use this time remains to be seen, and waspleted just in time. Still, the new possibilities of the gear put a smile on his face.

    ¡°So where does that leave me who can¡¯te up with such ideas.¡±

    ¡°No, Shin is right. We¡¯re all stuck in the mindset we had before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ in one way or the other. We probably never had the same doubts as Tiera. What may be a trivial question to you may turn out to be a significant discovery for someone else. As a matter of fact, we¡¯re all now benefiting from something you thought of as trivial. So you¡¯re wee to keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so.¡±

    Despite Schnee¡¯s praise, Tiera was still feeling reserved.

    Even in a situation where Shin recognized the development as a major discovery andmended Tiera for having spoken out, she still couldn¡¯t see the worth in her actions.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be put off by what happened this time, and just ask about any doubts you may have. You never know where inspiration mighte from.¡±

    ¡°This was just a coincidence, so don¡¯t get your hopes up, okay?¡±

    With that, Tiera turned her gaze forward. The gentle uphill climb ended and a forest ofrge, thickly grown trees came into view.

    Shin, too, stopped talking.

    They were still pretty much on the outskirts of the Grandmost Mountains. An area where one should be more concerned about wild animals than monsters.

    But this time, apparently, it was different, and Shin turned his gaze to the reaction within his detection range. His vision-enhancing skills enabled him to see through the blizzard, and his eyes caught sight of what triggered the reaction.

    ¡°Oh, shit, please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s an Ice Elemental?¡±

    What Shin saw was a giant ice crystal.

    Centered on its weak point, the core, there were six leaf-like protrusions extending up and down and two diagonally, for a total of six of the same length.

    About one mel in length, floating in the air. This monster rarely made an appearance even in cold, snowy regions and wouldn¡¯t attack unless provoked.

    What surprised Shin was that the Ice Elemental was at such a low elevation.

    ¡°The situation doesn¡¯t look good. We¡¯ve got to do something before the city is engulfed in ice.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Looks to me like the situation has changed.¡±

    They were all probably looking at the Ice Elemental in the same manner. Even Berett had a hardened expression on his face.

    Shin and his party were rmed because of the Ice Elemental¡¯s ability to affect the environment.

    Ice Elementals were monsters that originally appeared in the depths of icy and snowy regions, in extremely cold areas where everything freezes over.

    Although neither a god nor a divine beast, they could transform the area in which they reside into an extremely cold ce surrounded by ice.

    To be precise, Ice Elementals do not exist in extremely cold areas, but rather that the area where the Ice Elementals is located is transformed into an extremely cold area.

    The Ice Elemental was found in the low ground, not far from the city.

    This meant that, if left unchecked, the area around the Grandmost Mountains would turn into an uninhabitable, extremely cold region. If that happened, of course the city at the foot of the mountains would not survive.

    ¡°So we¡¯re really taking them all down? If I remember correctly, the more of those things that are taken out, the longer the transformation takes, and if all of them are taken out, there won¡¯t be any transformation at all, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Let¡¯s just take out as many as we can.¡±

    The presence of the Ice Elementals wouldn¡¯t immediately change the environment.

    However, monsters named Elementals tend to enhance their abilities the closer the original environment is to their own attributes.

    It was pretty obvious that the raging blizzard was enhancing the Ice Elementals¡¯ abilities.

    Just the heavy snowfall was already menacing enough.

    If the Ice Elementals interfered with it, the change could ur at a rate several times faster than normal.

    ¡°So I just need to smash the core in the middle, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you can use arrows, magic, or even pummel it with your fists. As long as you destroy the core, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Ok. It feels a little different than usual, but that¡¯s about it.¡±

    Tiera took a little more time than usual to draw her bow and then released it.

    The arrow whizzed through the blizzard in a gentle arc and shot through the core of an Ice Elemental.

    The Ice Elemental, having lost its core, crumbled like sand and melted in the blizzard.

    The levels of the Ice Elementals, as indicated by [Analyze] was between 400 and 450. About 50 levels higher than any Shin had ever encountered.

    Still, even Tiera, who had the lowest offensive power, was able to finish one off in a single shot. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Shin and the others with their strength.

    Since the monsters weren¡¯t alerted to the assault from Shin and his party, they each shot through the Ice Elementals¡¯ cores with long-range attacks, arrows, and magic that excelled in speed and prating power.

    Although some of the monsters reacted to the attacks, their cores were either shot through faster than they could put up their defenses or their cores were shot through along with their defenses.

    ¡°This should buy us some time. Come on.¡±

    After confirming that there were no other reactions, Shin and the rest of the party proceeded onward.

    They only collected the dropped materials that were in their path.

    The group was led by Shin and Schnee, with Berett, Tiera, and Sety in the center and Filma and Shibaid in the rear.

    If not for his skills, the visibility was so poor that he could have easily lost sight of even Schnee, who was a little distance away from him. Which would exin why even the local hunter steered clear of the area.

    ¡°If not for the map function, we¡¯d have been lost by now for sure.¡±

    ¡°Not sure anyone besides us could have even made any progress.¡±

    Even the Ice Elementals just now would not have been visible without skill unless they were really close.

    Shin and his party were able to approach and destroy them easily because they had the map function and sufficient skills to maintain good visibility.

    ¡°Still, to feel this much wind even with the wind shields. We should probably assume that the blizzard itself is influenced by a god or a divine beast. Millea said she felt as if her skills were weakening.¡±

    The wind shields were set up using spirit techniques. Since quite a number of the members, Schnee, Tiera, and Sety, could use spirit techniques, they were all made to use it.

    Some magic skills may produce simr effects, but, unlike the spirit techniques, a single skill would be required to defend against a single attack.

    To defend against a blizzard, two skills would be exercised to prevent both the wind and snow.

    Originally, the same was true for spirit techniques, but now it had be more flexible. If one were to ask a spirit to prevent both snow and wind using spirit techniques, they could do so now.

    ¡°Cause with this gear, you shouldn¡¯t even feel a breeze. How about it? Do you feel anything?¡°

    ¡°I think the spirit technique is working fine. Just that, we can¡¯t tell if the effect has dropped even if the actual spirits have be weakened.¡±

    Schnee elucidated that since the desired phenomenon was manifested through spirits, it didn¡¯t feel as palpable as magic.

    If one were to ask a fire spirit to create a fireball, the MP consumption would be the same, but the actual fireball created would be smaller and less powerful than those created on level ground.

    Conversely, if the same scenario were to be done in a volcano, the fireball would berger, but it wouldn¡¯t consume any additional mana*. (TLN: Int. Magic power)

    ¡°I also tried using skills. The effect is definitely diminished. From what I gather, attributes with close affinity to ice are reduced by 10 percent, and the farther away from ice, the lower the effect.¡±

    Shin had tried some magic before being questioned. He then tried using a skill that creates four water balls.

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s hard to give an exact figure.¡±

    Four water balls of the same size appeared. If that were all there was to it, it would seem fine, but he could tell that they were smaller.

    Perhaps less powerful as well.

    Since it was just an evaluation based on perception, the effect was undoubtedly reduced, but he couldn¡¯t tell by how much.

    One reason may be that the magic used was of the water attribute, which is the closest attribute to ice, so the effect didn¡¯t drop significantly. When he tried using me magic, he felt the drop was greater than that of the water magic.

    ¡°Both magic and spirit techniques are less effective. From the looks of it, the gears and stats have not changed. Same thing with any kind of detection technique. It¡¯s difficult to grasp any presence. Which sucks for us, but I don¡¯t think it will pose any problem for the EX series. If Venna Vaal is the one causing this, then we¡¯re on the right track. Since it¡¯s not going to get all sluggish from the cold, like us.¡±

    The EX Series was almost entirelyposed of rare metals such as Orichalcum, as well as three or more types of Chimeradite.

    It was no exaggeration that it took more than half a year just to collect the materials. Given the properties of those materials, it excelled more in defense than attack. This was also a characteristic of the EX series.

    To begin with, the EX series, being inorganic, wouldn¡¯t be bothered by the cold, a byproduct of the blizzard, and the weakened effect on skills shouldn¡¯t be of any inconvenience to it either, since it doesn¡¯t rely on them.

    Although it would be immobilized if frozen, the fact that its bodily functions wouldn¡¯t getpromised from the cold would give it an advantage over Shin and his party in the fight against Venna Vaal.

    ¡°Left to me, I¡¯d rather it just stayed put.¡±

    ¡°The EX series is like us isn¡¯t it, like it has a will, right? What is it like?

    ¡°I have never spoken to it directly, but Master Reed, with special exceptions, has never made his dolls more belligerent than necessary. So, by nature, its behavior up to this point itself would have been unthinkable.¡±

    In response to Filma¡¯s question, Berett spoke of other dolls, including their personalities.

    Shin was well aware of this point. Even though dolls were treated no different from gear, fully humanoid ones looked indistinguishable from yers and support characters.

    Perhaps that¡¯s why they could be set up to have personalities like support characters.

    The reason why Berett was the only support character Reed had was because the dolls yed that role.

    And Berett was right, Reed never set up his dolls with belligerent personalities.

    Not that there weren¡¯t exceptions, but those were discarded after they served their purpose.

    ¡°As I recall, I thought thest one had a more loyal and serious nature.¡±

    ¡°So I heard. I haven¡¯t actually talked to it, so I can¡¯t confirm this, but I haven¡¯t heard anything about any sudden changes either, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s spot on.¡±

    Since they were working together, Shin was also informed of their characters. He hadn¡¯t heard of any one that changed in the same way as Berett.

    ¡°Could its personality have changed because it was activated abruptly?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t rule out the possibility, but I don¡¯t want to think too much about it. If I can¡¯t persuade them, then we¡¯ll have to resort to force.¡±

    Berett replied with a sullen expression to Shin¡¯s guess that a bug or error, and not what was programmed into the machine, might have caused the change in its assigned personality.

    Although he hade along, Berett would be of little use in a fight against the EX series.

    Its ability to fight divine beasts one-on-one wasn¡¯t just for show. So, it would be a tall task for Berett, who wasn¡¯t designed forbat.

    Shin, too, had thought that Berett might be able to persuade them on ount that they shared the same master.

    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that¡­?¡±

    While the conversation was going well, Tiera made a bewildered sound.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (6)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (6)</h4>

    Shin followed Tiera¡¯s gaze to see what was wrong, and saw something buried in the snow.

    It was about 1-mel high and a little wider. Through the piled-up snow, he could see what looked like sharp tree branches.

    There was no reaction on the map. The vibeing from it wasn¡¯t that of a living creature, either.

    ¡°This is¡­whoa, for real.¡±

    Half buried in the snow was a deer.

    Not a monster. But a wild deer. Six of them.

    The small ones were about 1-mel and the big ones were probably 2-mel. They were lying on the ground, snuggled up against each other. It turned out that the deers¡¯ antlers were the things protruding from the snow.

    ¡°No external injuries. Probably froze to death.¡°

    ¡°There are others like that, too.¡±

    After examining the deers¡¯ body, Shibaid announced the cause of death, Filma, who had looked around, found a simr small pile of snow.

    Looking through the snow with [Through Sight], she saw, in addition to the deer, other animals cuddled up to each other and dead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t animals that live in ces like this know how to avoid the cold?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it was probably useless. Look over there, see how all those little animals gathered around the bear.¡±

    Predators and prey were huddled together, trying to keep warm. They must have been in such dire straits for such a thing to happen.

    ¡°Looks like it hasn¡¯t been long since the weather got worse, so they couldn¡¯t handle it.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry, this mountain ecosystem will be destroyed, and so will the city.¡±

    Some reactions were still being registered on the map, most likely animals.

    They were probably taking shelter in caves or other ces where they could escape the cold, Tiera said.

    Shin and his party picked up the pace, running up the mountain without pausing.

    They crossed an altitude of 2,000-mel from the foot of the mountain. And then walked further and deeper into the mountains.

    Shin thought that climbing too high in one stretch might cause altitude sickness, Chosen Ones or not, but Schnee said that Chosen Ones could flexibly cope with such climatic changes.

    As a matter of fact, they didn¡¯t feel suffocated even after 3,000-mel.

    After crossing over the elevation of the clouds that had been dumping snow relentlessly, a strong wind hit his cheeks. The bizarre snow piles were no more to be seen, and from there onward, the ground was covered in ice instead of snow.

    Then, at an altitude of over 4,000-mel, Shin stopped.

    ¡°Okay, so we can¡¯t just keep sting through from here on out.¡±

    Until now, most of the animals and monsters had fled when they sensed the presence of Shin and the others.

    However, the area beyond Shin¡¯s gaze, an area that could be called another world where the ground and trees were frozen, imparted no feeling of trepidation.

    As if to say, this marks the end of the area with only low-level monsters that would flee at the mere sign of them, and the ice-covered ground spread out before Shin and his party as though it was inviting its prey. The ice-covered ground had also transformed into something more mysterious, emanating a bluish-white glow.

    ¡°Does this mean that we¡¯re now inside the dominion field?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think it knows we areing and is lying in wait for us¡­do you?¡±

    Filma and Sety¡¯s questions were prompted by the presence of a being standing on the ice-covered ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster that sometimes appears as a gatekeeper. There¡¯s nothing strange about it.¡±

    The monster with the human face hidden behind a helmet, gazed silently at Shin and his party. And stamping on the ground with the legs of a tiger.

    The name of the monster, which was sometimes assigned as a gatekeeper or a guardian of treasure chests, as Shibaid said, was Zhen Guo.

    It should be noted that this monster possessed a translucent crystal-like appearance.

    And thus, would change its appearance depending on the environment: where the attribute is inclined toward fire, its entire body would turn intova; and if inclined toward water, it would turn into flowing water, and so on.

    The upper body of a warrior in armor was growing out of the tiger¡¯s torso, which always remained the same regardless of the attribute, and the fighting style for each attribute was unique, with different weapons for each attribute.

    For fire, a great sword; earth, a hammer; wind, a bow; lightning, a sword & shield; light, a whip; and darkness, a dagger. Water and ice were both spears, but with the water variant being a long spear and ice being a short spear.

    They fall between level 600 and 700. With the Zhen Guo in front of them being at Lv. 648.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here to mess with the divine beast, so could you please let us through.¡±

    The Zhen Guo was already poised for battle with a short spear in both hands. The reason it hadn¡¯t made a move on Shin and the others was probably because they had yet to cross the line, which clearly indicated a boundary line.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure Miraltrea is just up ahead?¡±

    ¡°The route to this point is exactly as shown on the map, so I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±

    Berett checked the map and nodded.

    Shin nodded back and put his hand on the de around his waist.

    The handle was all ck with a crimson tsuba* that resembled a me. And a ck scabbard with a burning me painted on it. The ck de, which was pulled out, also had red ripples floating around it like mes. (TLN: Sword guard or nge)

    A superior ancient-grade katana. The name of the de was ¡®Scorching de¡¯. It stood among the best fire-attribute des, bearing the name of hell.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Saying that, Shin stepped forward alone with the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ in his hand.

    Although the gesture was aimed at the Zhen Guo, which didn¡¯t attack until he stepped forward even after he had drawn his weapon.

    However, the more important reason was to show the adversaries who were watching from the shadows how strong the one who came forward was.

    To show that he could overpower the Zhen Guo one on one. It would send a better message than if they defeated it with numbers. Now, If they were to feel threatened and choose to flee, it would make things a whole lot easier on Shin and his party.

    ¡°Shin, a member of ¡®Rokuten¡¯.¡±

    Stepping into the bluish-white ice world, Shin held up the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ and announced his name. The way Zhen Guo remained quiet even after taking up its stance prompted Shin to do so.

    The Zhen Guo did not attack until Shin had finished saying his name and had his ¡®Scorching de¡¯ at the ready.

    When Shin finished giving his name, the Zhen Guo struck its short spears together as if returning the gesture, and took a stance.

    Perhaps because the upper bodies of the two were in the shape of warriors, it was as if they were engaged in a singlebat.

    Shin held the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ aimed at the Zhen Guo, and watched it make its move.

    Two lights twinkled silently behind its helmet-covered head.

    Even though it seemed all geared up in armor, there was nothing but ice inside of it, and even if the helmet were to be peeled off, it wouldn¡¯t reveal its face.

    The helmet itself was the head. Without organs for sight, the two lights functioned as one, probably because it knew that the slit in the helmet is in the same position as the human eyes, and that it actually perceived the enemy through its vision.

    The light, which had been swaying at a constant brightness, became slightly more radiant.

    The next moment, Zhen Guo closed the distance with the sound of ice scraping the ground.

    Itunched the assault just as it was slowly moving both arms to change its stance. Because the lower part of its body wasn¡¯t that of a human but a beast, its preliminary movements were different from those of a human.

    It thrust the right short spear, with the left short spear still raised to shoulder height, perhaps to match Shin¡¯s movement.

    In the blink of an eye, the distance between them closed and their spacing ovepped.

    Shin responded to the surprise attack by swinging his ¡®Scorching de¡¯.

    The tip of the de drew an arc and bounced strongly off the short spear. From the bottom to the top. mes ran through the air, tracing the path of the de.

    The me fueled by magic power disappeared after about one second, inflicting a [Heat] status effect just bying in contact with it.

    When directly shed by the de, the me would run through the wound, resulting in a double attack of sh and heat.

    Zhen Guo, however, wasn¡¯t intimidated by the obscure sh.

    As soon as the short spear in its right hand was repelled, it thrust the short spear in its left hand, which had been kept at its shoulder, without a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    The mes tracing the trajectory of the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ had yet to disappear. Zhen Guo exploited the mes still lingering in the air as cover to unleash its thrust.

    (Yeah, nice try.)

    Even though its arm was burned, its momentum had not diminished in the slightest.

    However, the magical mes do not affect the person wielding the ¡®Scorching de¡¯. It wasn¡¯t clear whether Zhen Guo was trying to use it as a blindfold, but, even if it was, it would have been useless against Shin.

    Shin lowered his body to the ground, almost crouching.

    Concentrating strength on his legs, he stomped and shattered the ground,unching forward.

    He darted toward Zhe Guo¡¯s left side and swung his ¡®Scorching de¡¯ as he passed it. The ripples on the edge of the de shone brightly, and a red trail pierced through Zhen Guo¡¯s body.

    Shin stopped, stamping the frozen ground with his outstretched foot.

    Zhen Guo copsed, splitting into upper and lower halves, before the mes running through the air could catch up with the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ that he swung.

    ¡°The lower half won¡¯t move on its own¡­right?¡±

    With insect-based monsters that are half-human and half-insect, the insect part may attack even after being separated from the human part just like now, so Shin kept his attention on the tiger¡¯s lower half without letting his guard down.

    It seemed that it didn¡¯t die instantly, but Shin could see its HP drop to zero in one go.

    Then, both the upper and lower halves crumbled into small pieces likerge grains of sand.

    Leaving only the drop item, the core, in a small pile of ice grains.

    ¡°The ones lurking around seem to have scurried off.¡±

    ¡°They were probably nning to pounce on us if we had struggled with the Zhen Guo, but seeing it get cut in two with a single blow instead got them all flustered. A few of them were shaken up quite a bit.¡±

    Shin looked around and then retrieved the core, and Shibaid responded while looking around as well.

    ¡°They¡¯re talking about monsters, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah. Why?¡±

    Tiera, listening to the conversation between Shin and Shibaid, asked Schnee for confirmation, looking all skeptical.

    ¡°I thought maybe I felt a strange presence, but it could just be my imagination.¡±

    ¡°A strange presence. Can you be a little more specific?¡±

    Shin also listened to the conversation between Tiera and Schnee, curious about the strange presence.

    ording to Tiera, it was a faint and seemingly ambiguous presence.

    She also said that she felt a tingling sensation on her skin.

    ¡°Do you remember where?¡±

    With the map and detection skill, he was able to get a rough idea of where and how many of them were there.

    Shin and the others didn¡¯t feel the presence that Tiera mentioned, so they checked the spots and found out that those presences were much further away than they had assumed.

    Shin assumed that they were hiding within visible range, just like how the other reactions that they felt staring at them did within the expected distance.

    He had written it off as one of those types that were good at concealing their presence and that Tiera, who was more sensitive to presence, had noticed them.

    However, Tiera¡¯s testimony revealed that the strange presence was watching them from deep in the mountains.

    Although she couldn¡¯t be sure of the exact distance, considering the location and the situation, it couldn¡¯t have been some random high-level monsters.

    ¡°It should be possible for a monster with a Through Sight skill, though.¡±

    ¡°The fact that it¡¯s deep in the mountains makes a lot of sense.¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement with Filma¡¯s point. The direction was clear, and the two highest peaks of the Grandmost mountains were straight ahead.

    ¡°Or maybe, it¡¯s the divine beast, and it¡¯s already appeared¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely. Because even the presence of a god in a passive state is overwhelming. And someone other than Tiera would have definitely noticed it.¡±

    Even back in the game era, every one of them were existences that set detection skills off the charts at the slightest whiff of their presence.

    Including Iira Suura and Venna Vaal.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t shown up yet. But it¡¯s here.¡±

    While Shin and the others twisted their heads in doubt, Yuzuha looked straight at the mountain and said so. Apparently, there was no doubt a god was present.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. The monsters watching us have all dispersed, so we won¡¯t have to waste precious time fighting them.¡±

    The monsters that had been lurking and watching Shin and the others had collectively vanished, forfeiting the chance to attack by taking advantage of the aftermath of the battle.

    However, rather than fleeing at once, their movements seemed to indicate that they had withdrawn for the moment.

    So he wanted to move while they could, since there was a possibility of those monsters acting as scouts for monsters that attack in packs.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (7)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (7)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. Even though everything is covered in such transparent ice, there are still signs of life.¡±

    Tiera murmured in admiration as she looked at the ice-covered ground and trees.

    Normally, this would be and of the dead where everything is frozen over, but in fact, the trees, nts, and flowers were thriving. They were not trapped in the ice, but protected.

    This phenomenon had been observed in some dominion fields, and some medicinal herbs would have special effects when collected in this state.

    ¡°There are some things you just can¡¯t get unless you go to a ce like this. If only I wasn¡¯t upied right now, I¡¯d be out there collecting them.¡±

    Some of the items that grew in the dominion field or that could be collected would be impossible to make with even the generator that automatically creates items in the Moon Shrine.

    Although he had no need for them at the moment, these items would not be readily avable when he eventually did. It¡¯s in the nature of a creator to want to stock as many of these items as possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange that they can grow even though they¡¯re covered in ice. And they don¡¯t give off any bad vibe, too.¡±

    ¡°Some medicinal herbs take onpletely different final forms depending on the dominion field in which they grow. The dominion field must be special, to a varying degree.¡±

    Since they had to slow down their pace in order to remain vignt against the monsters, they had time to observe their surroundings.

    Schnee was going through the trouble of exining things to Tiera, who had been very talkative, probably because she had been moving in silence for a while. The blizzard had made it impossible for them to make any proper observations.

    ¡°They¡¯re keeping their distance, but aren¡¯t making any moves.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re growing in numbers.¡±

    Without moving her face much, Filma mentioned the signs she felt.

    Just as Sety said, the two reactions that had popped up when they started moving had now grown to seven.

    Since they were a bit too far away to start a fight, Shin and his party would not initiate one. It would be enough if they could pass through without incident.

    ¡°Choraltus, huh? Mid-sized pack from the looks of it.¡±

    Choraltus, white saber tiger-like monsters with ice fangs.

    Their white fur provides camouge in snowy fields, and somewhat interferes with detection skills.

    They fight in packs and could even defeat higher-ranking monsters in some situations. They were the kind of monster one would need to watch out for in icy and snowy areas.

    ¡°I can only make out four of them.¡±

    ¡°Choraltus can slip through detection skills. Some of them have skills that interfere with detection skills. Maybe the other three do.¡±

    There were asions of having detected their surprise attack and then lying in wait, only to be attacked from apletely unexpected angle and forced to respawn. Shin had also suffered a dreadful experience with another monster, and he made it a top priority to raise his detection skills.

    ¡°¡­Looks like there are more of them out there.¡±

    Shin noticed a new reaction within his detection range. While it wasn¡¯t exactly nearby, it was the closest anything hade undetected since he arrived in this world.

    Sinceing to this world, Shin had explosively expanded his detection range by using multiple detection skills inbination, but not all of them were infallible.

    The closer the target with him at the center, the more urate the detection. And should the target happen to be too far away, it would sometimes only inform of its presence, even if it were within the detection range.

    This time, however, the target was within the range of high uracy in terms of distance. And not a position that could be so easily missed. It probably had to do with the weakening of skills that they had been experiencing since entering the mountains.

    The reaction wasing from arge rock covered with ice.

    As Shin turned his gaze, the source of the reaction slowly appeared. A huge body covered in white fur looked down at Shin and the others. It was at least two timesrger than the Choraltus in Shin¡¯s memory.

    Its fangs were sharp, like a single-edged sword. The ws extending from its paws gripping the rock were sharper and tougher, due to the ice covering them from above.

    ¡°Could be the one leading the pack? Looks like a named one, Crimson Blizzard.¡±

    Its level was 785. Which was fairly above the limits of its race, since the level range of Choraltus was between 600 and 700.

    Unlike subspecies which have acquired abilities they didn¡¯t originally have or have had parts of their bodies altered, the named ones that Shin was referring to were simply special specimens with increasedbat ability.

    Back in the game era, they offered some really rare drops or materials for premium-spec gears.

    And it goes without saying, they were pretty strong. Iparably so to the monster they were supposed to be.

    ording to the plot, the named Choraltus were called Crimson Blizzard, which referred to a veteran and skilled Choraltus with a great deal ofbat experience umted over a considerable amount of time.

    The Choraltus in front of him had scars all over its body, giving off the impression of one who had seen a fair amount ofbat.

    ¡°¡­Why isn¡¯t it making any move?¡±

    About three minutes after confronting it. Sety, who was ready for battle with her staff at the ready, looked at Choraltus, which remained still and yet to make a move.

    It just stood on the rock as if observing Shin and the others, not threatening or jumping at them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense any hostilitying from it. Could it be that it didn¡¯te here to attack us?¡±

    Shibaid also wondered, unsure of the Choraltus¡¯s intentions. Still, he kept his ¡®cid Moon¡¯ at the ready without letting his guard down.

    After another minute or so, the Choraltus turned around and disappeared behind the rock.

    From the way it had been acting, he didn¡¯t think it would attack from the shadows, but just to be sure, he followed its presence.

    However, the reaction moved away, seemingly oblivious to Shin and the others¡¯ vignce.

    ¡°What was that about?¡±

    ¡°Beats me. Though it¡¯s pretty clear that it wasn¡¯t looking for a confrontation.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question, looking in the direction in which the Choraltus had left.

    Not only the leader of the pack, but also those surrounding them disappeared as if they were following it.

    Shin had thought they were gathering to hunt, so he readied his weapon, but now that they were nowhere to be seen, he sheathed his ¡®Scorching de¡¯.

    ¡°Looks like the Choraltus went in the same direction as where we are headed.¡±

    Berett, who was looking at the map, confirmed the direction.

    Berett wasn¡¯t really good with detection skills, but apparently he was able to track it even after it disappeared. Considering that the Choraltus hade so close without attacking, and left after staring at Shin and his party, it seemed like it deliberately informed them of its whereabouts.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what its intentions were, but for now let¡¯s keep moving.¡±

    In the first ce, they didn¡¯te here to fight the monsters that live on thisnd. And if they could go on about their business without having to do so, all the better, Shin urged them to move on.

    They proceeded down an uncharted path with their guards up.

    They kept going, going, and going¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªuntil they were sure.

    ¡°No sign of monsters.¡±

    Everyone nodded to Shin¡¯s words.

    At first, he thought that the weakened effectiveness of detection skillsbined with theck of monsters in the domain was probably the reason why they didn¡¯t encounter any.

    However, it was indeed strange that they couldn¡¯t even detect any monsters other than the Choraltus, even though they had trudged through a 6,000-mel-high mountain.

    It wasn¡¯t like the detection skills werepletely disabled.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s way too deserted, not even a shadow.¡±

    Shin looked around as he exhaled a misty cold breath.

    He was at the summit of a 6,000-mel-high mountain, after all.

    The scenery below would have been spectacr if only he could enjoy it without any worries. However, even though he used every one of his vision-enhancing skills, he couldn¡¯t make out a single monster.

    Just like with detection skills, visual skills were also less effective, still, it was a little strange that he couldn¡¯t sense any.

    When they entered into the domain, there were other presences besides the Zhen Guo and the Choraltus.

    Although weakened, Shin¡¯s detection range was still wide. And should be more than capable of picking up a presence even from outside the detection range.

    But that was far from being the case at the moment. There was literally no sign of them.

    ¡°Maybe they got scared of Shin and made a run for it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if I was leaking out killing intent or hostility in full force, but as you can see, I am not, no?¡±

    There were quite a lot of things he had learned sinceing here, such as controlling his magic power or suppressing his presence.

    And ever since, he couldn¡¯t think of one instance where his magic power or presence had made anyone skittish.

    Instead, he¡¯d been attacked by monsters and animals alike. Now that he¡¯d be even more proficient at suppressing his presence than he did back then, Filma¡¯s opinion that they may have fled in fear of Shin was quite unlikely.

    ¡°But with everything being so eerily quiet, we may want to look out for traps.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. But, we¡¯re not in any way hostile to the Lord of this ce, okay?¡±

    If they were enemies, it could be a trap to lure Shin and his party.

    However, they were not acquainted with the divine beast, the lord of the Grandmost mountains, nor with the gods. There was no reason to be wary of traps.

    ¡°We have no choice but to keep going. If it turns out to be a trap, we¡¯ll just have to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Right now, our priority should be to make contact with either the Miraltrea or the EX-Series.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Knowing that they would eventually find out, Shin and his party proceeded deeper into the mountains.

    They didn¡¯t increase their pace, but kept a steady pace as much as possible.

    Even though Chosen Ones were less prone to altitude sickness, it didn¡¯t mean that they werepletely immune to it.

    It was also a first for Shin, since he had only ever seen it on TV in the real world, so he opted to take it easy as he climbed.

    They walked on ice-covered ground, stepped over rocks, crossed ridges, following the uncharted path.

    They relied on their physical prowess to gain distance, but it still took them three days to reach the location where the EX series had been sighted.

    ¡°Sure enough, I didn¡¯t expect it to stick around.¡±

    They came here because it was a stopover spot on their way to where Miraltrea was stationed, but there was no sign that it had returned. The ice covering the ground was hard and there were no footprints.

    Shin and his party were in a huge fissure.

    The Grandmost Mountains were covered in all kinds of terrains that looked like widening cracks in the ground, and this was one of them.

    ¡°But, looks like there¡¯s another reaction.¡±

    Shin also turned his head in the direction Schnee was facing.

    Since there had been no reaction on the map nor any presence all the way here, he immediately noticed the appearance of a reaction that indicated an approaching presence.

    There were two reactions. Heading straight toward Shin and his party.

    One man and one woman jumped from the mountain slope into the fissure.

    Theynded a short distance away from Shin and the others, hardly making a sound as theynded.

    The man had dark hair and dark eyes, his hair was pulled back all the way and he wore a monocle. He was veryrge, perhaps two-mels tall.

    The woman had white hair and blue eyes, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was very petite, and alongside the man, they were like an adult and a child.

    Amidst the extreme cold, the man was wearing a butler uniform, and the woman, a maid uniform.

    More to the point, the maid uniform was very simr in design to Schnee¡¯s ¡®Moonlight Silver Maid Uniform¡¯.

    However, these were no surprise to Shin.

    Since the same person came up with those designs.

    ¡°It¡¯s you guys.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Master Shin.¡±

    The man in the butler¡¯s uniform bowed quietly. The woman in the maid¡¯s uniform next to him also bowed her head.

    They weren¡¯t human. They were the all-purpose ¦Á Series, the primeras.

    They were the humanoid dolls that Reed had granted the authority to activate Miraltrea.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (8)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (8)</h4>

    The man¡¯s name was Owl, and the woman, Mighty. Since dolls were treated as gear, they didn¡¯t have jobs or levels.

    If expressed in terms of grade, they would be Superior-Ancient grade.

    They didn¡¯t have stats like yers, so there was no way of knowing their exact figure, but Shin and his party had established that they average around 700.

    ¡°What impable timing. Did you know we wereing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we did. We were able to establish a cooperative rtionship with the Choraltus, whose territory is in this area, and based on the intel we obtained from them, we concluded that the characteristics match those of Master Shin, Schnee, and the others.¡±

    Their source of information seemed to be Choraltus, who observed us and left.

    ¡°And the fact that we didn¡¯t encounter any monsters on our way here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. An effort on our part to save you trouble.¡±

    It was Owl who gave the order, but before that, apparently, the Choraltus had determined that Shin and the others were bad business and had the monsters in their territory stay away.

    Perhaps it could be rted to the Crimson Blizzard back in the game era. It too was seen leading the monsters in its territory.

    ¡°I guess you know why we are here.¡±

    ¡°There is only one matter, at present, that could make a member of ¡®Rokuten¡¯ to personally make a move. It¡¯s about the EX Series, right?¡±

    Shin nodded in response to Owl¡¯s question.

    Seeing this, Owl and Mighty kneeled down on the spot and hung their heads. Perhaps because they were dolls, there wasn¡¯t the slightest deviation in their movements.

    ¡®We apologize for the inconvenience we¡¯ve caused due to our blunder, Master Shin.¡¯

    Even the pause in their voices were exactly the same. Even though their movements were mechanical, the emotion in their voices was genuine.

    ¡°First of all, shall we head to Miraltrea? You can tell me what happened there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    He urged Owl and his second up and asked them to lead the way.

    Deep in the Grandmost Mountains, they hopped their way through rocks and ice with no decent paths.

    They weren¡¯t attacked by any monsters along the way, perhaps because it was the Choraltus¡¯ territory.

    There were asionally reactions from monsters, but they never made any attempt to approach.

    After six hours, they arrived at Miraltrea.

    Miraltrea remained in the same spot marked on Berett¡¯s map. It would appear it hadn¡¯t moved even after the sighting.

    ¡°This ce is like a buffer zone with different monster territories surrounding it. Originally, it seems that there was a dispute over which monster would im the area as their territory, but it¡¯s been quite a while and still unresolved, so we¡¯ve been helping ourselves to it.¡±

    Some of the monsters attacked Owl and his crew when they suddenly appeared, but they had fought alongside Reed and were well-equipped and experienced inbat. So, they ended up wiping the floor with them.

    Instead of killing them, they sent them back to the fields with the impression that fighting them would be a futile endeavor.

    As for the Choraltus, apparently, they were able to quickly establish a friendly rtionship with them, partly because the non-humanoid ¦Ã-series were able tomunicate with them, albeit poorly.

    As Shin and the others approached, one of Miraltrea¡¯s cars rumbled and the doors opened. It seemed to have sensed Shin¡¯s arrival.

    Upon entering, they saw a row of dolls standing in a line.

    At the end of the row of dolls were tables and chairs with cups and pastries.

    There was no sign of messages being sent, so it could be that the dolls used mind chat.

    As Shin and the others took their seats, Mighty and other female-type ¦Á- series poured tea into their cups. The taste and aroma were quite familiar, so it must have been something that was always avable at Miraltrea.

    ¡°May I begin from when we woke up?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    After a short rest, Owl cut to it.

    Owl and his crew woke up about two years ago. In a cave at the northern end of the continent.

    They were buried along with Miraltrea with no memory of the time leading up to it.

    Thest thing they remembered before waking up was hearing a voice saying that the game had been cleared.

    He restarted the dolls that had also stopped functioning, and went on to check the condition of the Miraltrea, he found that the hatch of the vehicle storing the EX Series had been opened with the doll gone before it was activated. It appeared that a tunnel had been dug through the cave, leading to the surface.

    After activating Miraltrea, Owl and his crew set out to investigate the whereabouts of the EX Series.

    He couldn¡¯t reach out since he didn¡¯t know how to use the message card. Nor the whereabouts of Berett and the rest.

    He didn¡¯t even have a clue as to where they were, so he started gathering information about their surroundings.

    He knew that Reed wasn¡¯t logged-in through the Miraltrea function, and immediately understood that he was not in this world.

    ¡°It was only by chance that we found traces of 08.¡±

    08 was the doll¡¯s serial number. Reed¡¯s masterpiece was literally the eighth doll, and since it wasn¡¯t yet named, Owl and his crew were apparently calling it 08 for the time being.

    Upon activation, he discovered through the investigation that the hatch of the Miraltrea had been opened by force. Therefore, he assumed that 08 might have been snatched before activation.

    While gathering information, he heard about a giant d in metal armor, and upon closer inspection found that it had the same semnce as 08.

    Knowing its strength, he chose to track down 08 rather than join up with Berett and the others whose whereabouts were unknown.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already made contact with it several times. But it just wouldn¡¯t listen to us. And we¡¯ve confirmed that it¡¯s not doing it against its will either.¡±

    It had awakened its ego as configured, and was able tomunicate and fight without any problems. However, when Owl and his crew asked that it return to the dock at Miraltrea, it refused and continued to act separately.

    They could have put it down using Miraltrea¡¯s ordnance.

    Though it was before the activation, 08 was one of them. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to employ such powerful weapons used in battle between guild houses.

    They had been continuously tracking, monitoring, and attempting to persuade it, just in case, but it appeared unresponsive thus far.

    ¡°We thought maybe it was on a rampage. But looks like that¡¯s not the case, is it?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s never engaged in indiscriminate destructive behavior except in the battle against the divine beast, and on rare asions it¡¯s helped merchants and travelers who were being attacked by monsters. We¡¯ve determined that it wouldn¡¯t exhibit such behavior if it was on a rampage.¡±

    Except for the divine beast, it would randomly rout monsters and then move on, neither trying to finish them off nor chase after the ones that fled.

    It even spared the divine beast and stopped attacking once it became incapacitated, and didn¡¯t finish it off either.

    ¡°Is it able tomunicate effectively? Rather than just speaking unintelligibly, can itprehend and respond appropriately to spokennguage?¡±

    ¡°No doubt. We are able tomunicate with each other, just like the rest of us do now. However, it rarely listens to anything we have to say.¡±

    Owl and his crew were demanding that it put an end to the hostilities and return to the docks. As long as itplied, it was all good.

    ¡°What about the other EX series? They should at least be able to keep it at bay.¡±

    There were other EX series dolls besides 08, which were currently acting separately.

    While they may be ssified as experimental machines with inferior overall performance, their specific purpose was tobat divine beasts.

    Shin thought that if it were to be outnumbered, it ought to be enough to subdue it. But the damage would be terrible.

    ¡°We could probably take it down with numbers. But if we were to seize it by force, what happens next bes the real problem. Don¡¯t forget that it pried open the hatch of Miraltrea and broke out. We were able to repair it easily since the damage wasn¡¯t too extensive, so it wasn¡¯t too big a hassle. However, there¡¯s no denying that it did destroy the guild house of its own volition. If we shove it into the docks, and it shakes off its restraints and goes on a rampage, the mess this time won¡¯t be something that we could easily fix nor will the hassle be anything less.¡±

    Owl said with a reluctant expression on his face.

    Owl and his crew seemed unhappy that their first task upon awakening was to repair the Miraltrea, which was entrusted to them by their creator, Reed.

    And, as Owl said, even if it were to be subdued, the possibility of it going out of control couldn¡¯t be ruled out. The Miraltrea docks weren¡¯t equipped with restraining devices.

    If they were to proceed with that, they would need to deploy multiple units of another EX series to detain it. What would happen if it were to break free after that?

    Though it wasn¡¯t aplete sabotage, it did ruin the hatch previously. If it were to seriously go berserk, the damage would be unimaginable.

    Notwithstanding how tailor-made Miraltrea may be for guild warfare, it wouldn¡¯t withstand a significant amount of damage if an entity designed tobat divine beasts went out of control inside it.

    ¡°As ast resort, though, can¡¯t say we haven¡¯t thought about it.¡±

    ¡°For now, it seems that its primary area of activity is the remote, dominion field controlled by the divine beast.

    If it had been rampaging about anywhere, Owl and his crew would have mobilized all the dolls to suppress it.

    However, the purpose of the EX series was clear, and Owl and his crew believed that it hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where they would be forced to consider suppressing it.

    Shin, too, didn¡¯t want to see the characters left behind by his friend hurting each other. He felt bad for the divine beast that was being challenged to a fight, but he couldn¡¯t refute Owl¡¯s view.

    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you may not be able to keep behind that decision this time.¡±

    ¡°Because its opponent might not be a divine beast, but a god?¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    Shin was trying to be vague, but Owl clearly articted his words.

    ¡°We still have Venna Vaal and Iira Suura¡¯s battle data. Their mana reactions were detected in these parts.¡±

    ¡°Mana reaction?¡±

    Shin inquired about the mana reaction.

    Owl nodded and turned to Mighty, who was sitting next to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here. What we call mana reaction is the wavelength of a monster¡¯s unique magic power. yers, as well as special monsters such as gods and divine beasts, have a specific mana wavelength depending on their individual characteristics. They are recorded within the Miraltrea system, which tells us that there are gods here.¡±

    Shin heard something simr when his guild card was being made. That the monsters too had something like a mana fingerprint recognition.

    However, this method could only be used for the most special of monsters, and not for low-level goblins, slimes, and the like.

    ¡°Was there a system like that?¡±

    ¡°I remember that the members of ¡®Rokuten¡¯ used it as a monster dictionary. Although it appears it was only used in the guild house for a very short time. I found out about the mana reaction when I was checking the functionality of the system.¡±

    ¡°Monster Dictionary? Oh, right. That one.¡±

    Shin was wondering whether it was a feature that became avable in this world, but Mighty¡¯sment jogged his memory.

    The Monster Dictionary had a function that automatically recorded the habitats, weak points, and drop items of the monsters they fought.

    One could read more detailed information and descriptions of the monsters if they fought enough times or got items containing information about the monsters.

    In the guild house, it was also possible to view the monsters in 3D to use in building strategies to fight the monsters. This was exined in the tutorial section of the dictionary.

    Thinking back, Shin thought that the location of the monsters that appeared in a fixed spot were recorded in the dictionary. Mighty and her crew were using a more advanced version of that.

    ¡°I guess they stopped using it over here since it¡¯s now avable through the yer¡¯s personal menu after the update.¡±

    Shin called up the menu at the edge of his vision and called up the monster dictionary with his mind. The list of monsters disyed seemed to be the same as it was in the game.

    It would appear that it didn¡¯t reset when he came over here.

    The monster dictionary was a function that also came in handy for Shin when collecting materials.

    The only hassle, however, was that yers had to go back to the guild house every time to use it.

    After receivingints from yers who didn¡¯t have a guild house, a simplified version with limited functionality that could be essed anytime via the menu was made avable.

    And the fact that the system was improved at a very early stage, along with the fact that the simplified version was sufficient for providing yers with the information they sought, most yers didn¡¯t know that they could ess the system from the guild house before it turned into a death game. Even Shin had forgotten all about it.

    ¡°But, shouldn¡¯t it show unknown for the dwellings of gods, divine beasts, and other special monsters whose whereabouts are unclear? Or has that changed?¡±

    ¡°The function of being able to see the recorded reactions of nearby monsters was originally implemented. However, as far as we know, it has never been possible for yers to ess the monster dictionary while exploring an area.¡±

    Shin thought that this was a new feature, but, ording to Mighty, it had always been avable.

    Thinking about it again, yers essed the monster dictionary in safe areas such as towns and guild houses, and rarely went out of their way to ess it in areas where monsters were likely to appear. Let alone walk around while essing it.

    Moreover, whenever yers headed to a location with gods or divine beasts present, they usually were already aware of their presence, defeating the purpose of any need to ess the monster dictionary.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that by walking around with the dictionary open, we might have been able to locate the gods in the past without waiting for them to appear?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    When Shin heard that it was a technique that could be used even in the game era, he couldn¡¯t help but be in awe of the hidden function.

 Book 19: Chapter 2 (9)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 2 (9)</h4>

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that aside for now. Can you tell when the gods will appear from the mana reaction?¡±

    ¡°No, we can only confirm its presence. As for when and where it will appear, is only a matter of spection.¡±

    At any rate, the only thing they knew for sure was its presence. Shin was pretty confident that such a convenient function couldn¡¯t have been made avable since the game era.

    ¡°What about the divine beast? I heard that 08 is after the divine beast. So, if we can locate the divine beast, there¡¯s a good chance 08 won¡¯t be too far. Or, perhaps you already do?¡±

    Following the lead of Owl and his crew, Shin also referred to the masterpiece as 08.

    Shin and his party expected that the battle might have already begun.

    Since entering the mountain, they had not felt any battle sounds or vibrations that seemed like it. But that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t.

    The Grandmost Mountains were very steep with no paved roads, but that wouldn¡¯t be much of an obstacle for 08.

    As a doll, it wouldn¡¯t be immobilized by the thin oxygen or cold, nor would it require sleep. It possessed an indefatigable body, and, because of its huge size, it moved much faster than humans. It would certainly be easier for it to traverse the mountain range than a human.

    Then there was a good chance that it had already reached the divine beast.

    So, Shin asked, seeing as Owl and his crew had arrived in the Grandmost Mountains much earlier and even done some investigations, thus should be aware of the situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you guessed, we have 08¡¯s location. The reason why we¡¯re taking our time trying to persuade it without moving is because 08 too hasn¡¯t moved from its current location.¡±

    The battle had already been fought and ended in 08¡¯s favor.

    The divine beast, Maganna, was not dead and was healing its wounds in a shrine at the top of the mountain, although its weapon was shattered.

    08 was not unscathed either, and remained in a location with dense magic power to repair itself.

    Even though it was explicitly designed tobat divine beasts, it didn¡¯t mean it would achieve victory unscathed.

    The automatic repair function was a standard feature of the EX series, so with sufficient time, it would almost always repair itself. And its reason for remaining in a location with dense magic power was so it could recover faster.

    ¡°How much longer do you think it will take to repair itself?¡±

    ¡°It will be a while. Its left side was gouged rather deeply.¡±

    Apparently, Owl and his crew watched the battle from a distance.

    Shin thought that, since they couldn¡¯t contain 08, that was about the only thing they could do.

    Irrespective of how top notch the dolls made by Reed were, breaking into a battle between the EX series and the divine beast would have been too reckless an endeavor.

    Monsters fight utilizing their individual stats and skills, but some, like yers, wield weapons to fight beyond their capabilities.

    The weapon-wielding types tend to do this, and Maganna was no different.

    The battle apparently ended with 08 relying on its armored defenses to close the distance and knock it down. ording to Owl, although it was rtively short, Maganna¡¯s trident prevented 08 from easily getting close, and its arms, which were heavily used for defense, were also considerably damaged.

    And just because its body was made out of chimeradite, wouldn¡¯t stop it from breaking down if it were to receive a barrage of attacks from an entity like a divine beast. Same with Shin¡¯s weapon. Just as how Shin¡¯s beloved katana ¡®True Moon¡¯ shattered, even the EX series would crumble if it sustained damage exceeding its durability value.

    Just because it was made out of chimeradite, or perhaps because it was made out of ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯, or that it was of the Supreme Ancient-grade. Wouldn¡¯t keep it from breaking down all the same.

    ¡°It happened when it delivered the final blow even if it meant going down in the process. It seems that the armor could not withstand the attack, which was a decisive blow to a ce that was originally damaged.¡±

    In a game, a monster¡¯s attack would have a set damage value, and the damage would only be calcted based on the yer¡¯s gear and stats.

    However, in this world, the monsters were just as alive as the yers. If they were about to be defeated, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for them to exhibit some kind of adrenaline rush.

    Maganna¡¯s blow seemed to be equally matched as well, as Owl and his crew were surprised to see that the trident, which so far had been unable to prate deeply, burrowed cleanly in the side, albeit the armor was somewhat thin.

    The trident broke, perhaps due to overuse, and Maganna also fell after receiving a direct fist blow.

    08 then raised a war cry, very unlike a doll, in front of Maganna, who was still down, and left the scene. Since then, 08 had been trying to repair itself in the location with dense magic power that Owl mentioned earlier.

    ¡°You know where it is, right? Can you take me there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    It would have been great if Reed were here, but he wasn¡¯t. And if there was anyone who could persuade it, Shin thought it could either be him or Berett.

    Shin wasn¡¯t so conceited as to think that he could take Reed¡¯s ce. However, Shin knew the name that was to be given to it, something that neither 08 nor Owl and the others knew about. So, should Berett fail, he would have something up his sleeve to carry on.

    ¡°I hope ites back with us quietly, but if it doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll resort to force. Be prepared for that.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We also can¡¯t let it do whatever it pleases forever.¡±

    The dolls around nodded silently to Owl¡¯s words.

    Humanoid or not, all the dolls in Miraltrea possessed strong personalities. Owl and Mighty could be called the leaders of the dolls, so to speak, but they were hardly superior to the others in terms of being particrly clever or that the others could only speak in bits.

    Owl and Mighty took the leadership role because they were Reed¡¯s first creations.

    When they were first made, they were not as well-equipped or as good looking.

    While they were gears, they weren¡¯t weapons, so their parts could be reced, get new exteriors, and strengthened even further.

    Ordinary weapons were limited in how much they could be further enhanced using materials, but dolls could be reced except for the core, which preserved their personality, so one could potentially keep on using their first doll forever.

    This may not be strictly true, since all but the core would be different, but many yers who chose to be doll masters continued to strengthen and use the first puppet they made.

    Shin was envious of them for that.

    ¡°Sorry guys.¡±

    If the matter couldn¡¯t be resolved amicably, he would have to use force. Then, in the worst case, it would be seriously damaged. With that thought, Shin apologized again.

    ¡°No, we only have ourselves to me for not being able to persuade it or make a decision all this while. Rather, I must apologize for putting you in this position. No matter how many excuses wee up with, truth is, we just couldn¡¯t bring ourselves to turn our des against ourrade.¡±

    To Owl and his crew, all the dolls made by Reed were their irreceable brethren. Hence why they hesitated.

    One wrong move from carelessly messing around with a divine beast could spell irreversible damage to the surroundings.

    Even in the game era, only a fool would provoke a divine beast for no reason. Granting that it didn¡¯t finish off the divine beast, the conduct alone was nothing short of reckless.

    Under normal circumstances, they should have stopped it immediately, by force if necessary, but they couldn¡¯t. But they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to hurt their fellowrade no matter what.

    In the absence of Reed and Berett, Owl and Mighty assumed the authority to operate the dolls in Miraltrea. And the option of sing the EX series on 08 wasn¡¯t out of the question.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Even Reed himself might get angry, but he won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Thinking about Reed, Shin said to Owl, whose expression was contorted as if he were a human being.

    Shin chuckled as he reminisced about his former friend, who would have calmly yet vehemently ordered they go bring its ass back even if they had to kick the crap out of it.

    He would rather have a wrong by a kin than be set right by fellow kinsmen. And he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use an iron-fist to do so if necessary. He was like that.

    ¡°Can we go tomorrow? I would prefer we go in the daytime, given the possibility of a fight breaking out.¡±

    The sun would be setting soon. He also confirmed that it was snowing while they were on the move.

    Although it had not been decided that a fight would break out for sure, he could not simply assume that 08 would justply quietly.

    First time visiting a ce only to engage in nightbat. The opponent could be 08, or Maganna whose wounds had been healed, or even a god.

    This was a risky move, even back in the game era. It would be more prudent to head out after daybreak since there was little to no chance of 08 moving away from its current location.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll prepare a meal for you. Would you like to stay the night?¡±

    Owl and the others were in no hurry. They understood the dangers of nighttimebat without needing anyone to tell them.

    Evenbat guild housese fitted with amodations. Thus Shin nodded to Owl, thinking that there was no need to bother setting up the Moon Shrine.

    As Shin and the others stood up, the tables and chairs were quickly cleared away. Leaving Tiera impressed by their fluid movement.

    Owl led the way through Miraltrea.

    Although Shin was familiar with the inner structure, for what it¡¯s worth. He felt the dolls were more motivated by their first guests in a long time, so he let them lead the way.

    ¡°Every time I look at the guild house, I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s over 500 years old since it was built.¡±

    Tiera said as they walked through the lodgingpartment where they were led.

    One of the massive Miraltreapartments was all equipped for lodging, so not only were the rooms private, but there was also a restaurant, arge bathhouse, and other facilities that would leave one wondering when they would be used.

    While there were functions that keep the facilities clean, obviously, the dolls also worked hard day and night to keep the ce clean, so much that one could even say that it waspleted only recently.

    ¡°They used fairly decent materials, and it looks like they carry out regr inspections. So, in a way, it¡¯s probably nicer than Rashugum, since there¡¯s no shortage of manpower.¡±

    Rashugum, the sixth guild house of the ¡®Rokuten¡¯.

    The facilities were undoubtedly in perfect condition, thanks to the presence of a maintenance worker named Raster, but the cleaning aspect certainly left a lot to be desired.

    Even with the guild house¡¯s environmental preservation function, it couldn¡¯t be kept squeaky clean at all times without even a speck of dust.

    The impressive sight left Shin and the others rather speechless because the meticulous work wasn¡¯t the handiwork of humans, but dolls.

    Incidentally, the non-humanoid ¦Ë* Series were the ones responsible for cleaning. They may look like monsters or chimeras, but their work performance was wless. (TLN: This ¡°¦Ë¡± series wasbeled humanoid in the spreadsheet, but the raw is describing it as non-humanoid series.)

    ¡°Oh, thanks¡­¡±

    The group was led to the restaurant area.

    Tiera nervously thanked the doll that pulled out a chair for her so spontaneously.

    Partly because it was polite to her, but also because the doll, which looked like a tiger, pulled the chair with its two tails.

    There was no rule dictating only humanoids could tend to customers at Miraltrea.

    ¡°Whoa, this is good.¡±

    A full-course meal was prepared for them. Shin was no foodie, so he had the impression that it was somewhat French.

    In THE NEW GATE, dishes from various countries were reproduced.

    This may be the reason why some restaurants in the back alleys ofrge cities served mysterious dishes with an unknown country of origin.

    The chef this time seemed to be a doll who had once assisted Cook, the White Chef, in her cookery, and perhaps because of that, its cooking skills were the best among the dolls. And the taste lived up to that name.

    The tiger-looking doll that was serving Tiera couldn¡¯t help but smile when she expressed her honest impression of the food.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to stay upte today. Shall we go to bed?¡±

    After eating and bathing, Shin entered his private room and immediatelyy down on the bed. Yuzuha, who had been dozing off on Shin¡¯s shoulder, was curled up by his bedside.

    ¡°Single-mindedly fighting divine beasts alone, uh.¡±

    Shin closed his eyes and thought for a moment, just until he fell asleep.

    Based on the result of the investigation, Owl and the rest of the crew shouldn¡¯t have been too far behind after 08 woke up. What could have been going through 08¡¯s mind, leaving itsrades without waking them up and instead going around fighting divine beasts alone¡ª¡ªor in 08¡¯s case¡ª¡ªby itself.

    Demonstrating its raison d¡¯etre as an EX series. Shin couldn¡¯t help but feel there had to be more to it than just that.

    Then, he wondered if Schnee and the other support characters could empathize. As he pondered this, Shin¡¯s consciousness slowly sank into a slumber.

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Now then, shall we?¡±

    Having rested well and in tip-top condition, Shin and his party set off.

    With Owl serving as their guide. The other dolls were tasked with keeping the monsters away in case a fight broke out.

    The Choraltus were nowhere to be seen, perhaps anticipating what was about to happen.

    ¡°It¡¯s just beyond those mountains.¡±

    Shin peered at the mountain Owl indicated.

    The destination seemed to be a ce about four hours away from Miraltrea.

    He had thought it would be some distance away from the mountain where Maganna was, but it turned out to be much closer than he had expected. It was as if the two mountains, Iira and Venna were looking down on them.

    ¡°It¡¯s here, alright.¡±

    A marker appeared on the map, perhaps because it was quite close.

    In a color indicating a neutral party.

    Normally, the default color for guild members¡¯ support characters would be blue to indicate an ally, but as it would appear, it didn¡¯t seem to apply to dolls that had awakened in the current world.

    ¡°Let¡¯s grab a quick bite while we can.¡±

    It was just past noon. They had a light meal in case things go south.

    As soon as they got back on their way and crossed the mountain, Shin activated Far Sight.

    ¡°Looks like it hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet.¡±

    He saw the target within a crack that looked like giant w marks.

    Dressed like a knight in full-body armor and a full-face helmet, was Reed¡¯s masterpiece, the EX series number 08.

    Its entire body was a little over 4-mel. Although it would pale inparison in size to most divine beasts, its entire body was made almost entirely of rare metals, so it wouldn¡¯t falter even if it charged at them head-on.

    Its weapon of choice would be its fists.

    They considered arming it with a sword or a spear, but those would have been toorge and difficult to maintain. The amount of materials for repairs would also be enormous, since they would need to be acquired separately from the ones for the dolls.

    After much discussion, they decided to go with a ¡°Get ¡®em before they get you¡± setting, and reinforced both of its arms abundantly. Weapons could easilye off, but the chance of that happening with just its arms would be near impossible.

    As such, 08¡¯s arms, especially the fists, were about three times the size of a typical gauntlet gear.

    Its sturdiness and durability were outstandingpared to the other EX series. If it had been the fist that had been hit by Maganna¡¯s attack, it would have recovered by now.

    Shin could see across the distance that 08 was still on its knees.

    He could also make out the wound it had sustained from Maganna. The wound had not yet closed and was only about 70% fixed.

    ¡°It won¡¯t do to sneak around, so we¡¯ll go in directly.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t hiding his presence to begin with. And even dared to circle around to the front, facing 08 so that it could see them approaching at a nce.

    The cracks in its helmet lit up. Signaling that it had switched from standby mode to battle mode.

    08 slowly rose up from its initial position reminiscent of a knight kneeling before the king. Even without eyes, Shin could tell that it was watching them.

    ¡°It looks very intimidating.¡±

    Tiera said in a nervous tone.

    Even though 08 might sometimes appear small before divine beasts, its huge body could only be gazed upon from below in the presence of humans. Not to mention possessing arms and legs double the size of a typical knight armor design.

    The sense of intimidation of being looked down upon was no less than that of a divine beast.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite huge alright, but its magic power is nothing to scoff at as well. I wonder if it has anything to do with it recovering in a ce with dense magic power.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Since Chimeradite has high mana affinity.¡±

    Sety and the rest, who were ustomed to fighting divine beasts, were calmly analyzing it.

    Its high mana affinity was also rted to its recovery speed when on standby. As ces with high concentrations of magic power were prone to increase its speed of recovery.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it like this before, though.¡±

    Shin, who examined 08 using his Magic Vision, which allowed him to see the flow of magic power, was rmed by the magic power that seemed to be emanating from its entire body.

    Weapons d in magic power weren¡¯t anything new. Owl and his crew were also more or less clothed in magic power. This was especially true for the EX series, which were made of rare metals.

    Although a fixed amount was normally maintained on the surface of the body in a passive state.

    It would change as they channeled magic power, but with some exceptions, it would enshroud their bodies like armor.

    However, that of 08 was distinctly different from what Shin had seen. The magic power flickering like mes was closer to one emitted by a person, not an armament.

    As Shin also noticed using Magic Vision in this world, the magic power of a person was unstable and would flicker in response to their will, even though it covered their body like armor.

    The magic power that would be seen enveloping a tool was quite different from one that would be observed on a person. However, the magic power currently on 08 was simr to one of a person, or an exception in armaments, a cursed armament.

    While Shin and the others approached, 08 did not move even slightly from its upright position. It was staring at Shin and the others.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. Remember me?¡±

    Shin asked, standing in front of 08.

    Although they didn¡¯t carry out a start-up test, they actually activated it for a short time once, while still in development to confirm its character settings.

    Since Shin was deeply involved, he was also present.

    The question was meant to set a baseline that could help with the negotiation if it remembered.

    ¡°I do. A friend and coborator of my lord. One who stands alongside my lord.¡±

    Fluent words sounded from where a person would have a mouth.

    Mouthless doll types had built-in devices that function like a speaker, from which their voices were emitted. Since 08 was humanoid, its was built into the mouth position.

    ¡°So, you do remember me. How about Berett?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Master Reed¡¯s Support Character No. 1. Berett. It¡¯s my first time speaking to you like this.¡±

    Berett was also present at the start-up along with Shin.

    ¡°Berett Kilmar. My lord¡¯s first and only human retainer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Master Reed didn¡¯t create any other retainer than me, because he thought that with dolls, there would be no need for more support characters.¡±

    Listening to the conversation between 08 and Berett, Shin thought the story sounded familiar.

    Even dolls could be used as storekeepers, and when there were still few doll masters and exorcists, the store was once famous for one where non-humans were storekeepers.

    ¡°Do you know why we are here?¡±

    Berett cut to the chase. They were still in the negotiation stage, but the atmosphere was that of a battlefield.

    ¡°I presume it¡¯s to return to Miraltrea and go into suspension mode.¡±

    ¡°I would like you to return, but going into suspension isn¡¯t really necessary in my opinion. We may be in different positions, but we both serve the same master. I believe we can work together.¡±

    Hearing Berett¡¯s words, 08¡¯s magic power wavered a little.

    ¡°Why not think about it. I¡¯m sure that If Master Reed saw you now, he would also stop you.¡±

    Its magic power wavered strongly and clearly this time.

    The phenomenon seemed to express 08¡¯s state of mind.

    Shin was able to move because he could see it.

    08 raised its fist. And mmed it into the ground in front of it.

    The earth cracked and shattered. The fallout reached Shin and Berett.

    Thick ice as hard as bedrock and the frozen and hardened earth rose up, and debris of mixed sizes came flying at them. Shin kept his ¡®Scorching de¡¯ in its sheath and repelled the flying debris.

    ¡°If he saw me¡­?¡±

    A voice echoed from within the swirling torrent of earth and ice that appeared as if they had just exploded.

    It was nothing like the monotonous, machine-like voice until now. But more raw, and filled with emotion.

    ¡°What do you reckon he¡¯ll say exactly?¡±

    Its magic power was swaying vigorously. 08 looked at Berett as it pulled back the fist that it had struck down.

    ¡°To the creation that he abandoned and never used or even activated since it waspleted!¡±

    An outburst of emotion that belied theck of inflection up to this point. The magic power, which had been slowly wavering, transformed drastically and was now raging like a me.

    ¡°Please listen to me! Master Reed didn¡¯t abandon you! ¡±

    ¡°Then why won¡¯t he use me! Why won¡¯t he show himself to me? Because he¡¯s given up on me and deemed me unworthy of use!¡±

    The cries echoed through the mountains. They were filled with such raw emotions that it was hard to believe they were from a doll. The content, however, was sad.

    ¡°I remember vividly. The voice of my lord that I heard when I first awoke. He spoke passionately about my perfection, and I have never forgotten a single one of those words.¡±

    Suddenly, the tone of its voice dampened. As if to match it, the fury of its magic power lessened in intensity.

    ¡°I am his masterpiece. I have the perfect gear. Excellent performance. I was made to be of use to Him.¡±

    It was a fact. Both Shin and Reed had no doubt that 08,pleted using the best of the technology avable today, was the best.

    However, that was only in theory, and its performance were going to be clear after actually fighting a divine beast.

    Nevertheless, based on their experience up to number 07, they knew that it would almost certainly demonstrate strength in ordance with the specifications.

    And this was proven by 08 itself.

    Shin also became convinced that they were indeed not mistaken after learning it had already defeated several divine beasts without any supplies.

    However, 08¡¯s mumbling sounded more like he was reminding himself of the fact rather than stating the fact.

    ¡°But my master never came back without so much as booting me up even once. Even after a long passage of time enough to have recorded the rise and fall of a nation, I never caught even a glimspe of his shadow. So why did he say those words? Or devote that much time He did? What about those precious materials he invested in me? What exactly am I supposed to be, abandoned halfway?¡±

    It ced its palms on its head. Clearly looking like someone in agony.

    ¡°The answer is obvious.¡±

    Holding his head, 08 stopped moving.

    ¡°It¡¯s trash. Like a piece of scrap iron left in the corner of a warehouse, no longer needed.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, why would he leave me to collect dust for five hundred years? Nowhere to be seen.¡±

    Unused tools may as well be garbage. No point existing.

    That was what being unused meant to 08.

    ¡°Master Reed isn¡¯t the only one who hasn¡¯t been seen. Master Cook, Master Cain, Master Hecate, Master Cashmere. None of them have returned. So far, only Master Shin has returned. And it hasn¡¯t even been a year. Until then, we were all suffering the same as you.¡±

    Why hasn¡¯t hee back? Schnee and the others wondered the same thing about Shin, too.

    He wille back someday. They all lived day after day believing that.

    ¡°Master Shin.¡±

    He mumbled and looked up ploddingly, as if it just noticed him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Reed¡¯s fault, but¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    08 asked, interrupting Shin. No need to ask whom he was referring to, obviously.

    ¡°¡­In the real world, but you probably have no idea what I mean.¡±

    ¡°How do I get there?¡±

    The reply came without a moment¡¯s pause.

    If he wouldn¡¯te, it might as well go to him. It figured.

    ¡°No idea. I¡¯m in the process of figuring that out myself. Though this may sound harsh, you should probably give up any hope of going there.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t going to string it along on a false hope.

    Whether or not he¡¯d seed aside, the possibility of Shin, whose physical body still remained in the physical world, making it back, couldn¡¯t be written off. Even former yers would stand a fair chance.

    But it wasn¡¯t the same with 08. Far from worrying about the condition of the vessel to return to, it didn¡¯t exist in the real world to begin with.

    Even Shin would like to let them see each other if it were possible. But it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°¡­I defeated Divine Beasts.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve achieved the desired parameters. I¡¯ve also acquired real battle experience. I can now disy performance well beyond your expectations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Even that, is not enough?¡±

    Desperate appeal apparent in its voice. Still, Shin shook his head.

    Maybe there was a way to make 08¡¯s wishe true.

    But that only meant that the probability wasn¡¯t entirely nil, theoretically. Though not entirely nil because it had yet to be determined, may as well be at this point.

    It wouldn¡¯t be half as cruel as giving it a reason to cling onto a pipe dream.

    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±

    Seeing Shin¡¯s response, 08 stopped moving as if in a daze. It hung its head and its hands were ced helplessly on the ground.

    No one could say a thing.

    ¡°Listen, Reed actually¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡­Light up my hands.¡±

    How long it went on was anyone¡¯s guess.

    And just as Shin was about to tell it the name it was going to be given, at least for closure if nothing else, 08 suddenly spoke up.

    The glow behind its helmet turned red. In addition, its hands, which were on the ground, lit up.

    Seeing this, Shin immediately activated his skill and deployed a barrier.

    With both of 08¡¯s hands held up wide. Radiating in gold, with some pretty menacing magic powering off of them.

    ¡°OooOOOOOOORRGGGHHh!!¡±

    It mmed both hands into the ground as it roared.

    The ground exploded with a force iparable to the previous blow.

    Cracks running in all directions shattered the ground for more than 100-mels, and the impact of the st blew away even the rocks that were all over the ce, causing the ground to rise in some areas.

    ¡°This ain¡¯t good.¡±

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    While screaming, 08 raised both of its hands up.

    And mmed them into the ground a second, third, and fourth time.

    Its fists, having struck repeatedly, turned fiery red, and the ground cracked, shattered, and heated up, unable to release the energy that had been poured into it.

    The ice covering the ground melted, and the ground began to burn red.

    It spread beyond where Shin and the others were to the entire rift in the terrain where the mana pool had formed.

    The area wasn¡¯t very wide to begin with. Nor was it capable of withstanding the energy poured into it from 08¡¯s fists.

    As if in response to the final blow from 08¡¯s fists, mes shot up from the rocks and cracks.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll be able to resolve this through dialogue.¡±

    ¡°I guess not.¡±

    Berett, holding his shield, said sadly.

    08 seemed to be more human than the other dolls. It probably couldn¡¯t bear the reality that Reed was noting back and it couldn¡¯t go to see him.

    Even though its power was off the charts, it behaved like a child having a tantrum.

    In spite of the fact that it was given a personality, considering its activation time alone, 08¡¯s life experience was mostly spent inbat with divine beasts, except for the time it was activated to check its settings.

    Time spentmunicating with others. Time spent with Reed like Owl and the rest.

    08 didn¡¯t have nearly enough of those. Shin thought that its current behavior was, in a sense, justifiable.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to subdue it with force. I really am sorry we couldn¡¯t do this more peacefully.¡±

    ¡°No, we also are as much ountable for not being able to persuade it. So, there¡¯s no need to apologize. I guess now we know that no one besides Master Reed could have appeased it.¡±

    08 was now off the rails and no telling what it¡¯d do next. The lights in its fists were still going strong along with the flickering red light behind its helmet even after it had struck the final blow.

    Owl and Mighty were calm as if they knew this would happen.

    They may be of different models, but they were still dolls. Even without having to go wild, they could understand each other¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°First, we need to get out of here. It could copse at any moment.¡±

    Shin and the others were in a fissure in the mountain.

    The towering ground, almost like a wall, was now full of cracks and looked as if it could copse at any moment.

    Also, perhaps reacting to 08¡¯s magic power, red lines like blood vessels were visible on the ground surface.

    08 could go on a rampage without a care, but Shin and his party had to secure 08 withoutpletely destroying it.

    Even Shin and his party couldn¡¯t be too confident dealing with 08 in a ce where anything could happen.

    ¡°OooOOOOOOOOOOORRRRGGGHHh!!¡±

    08 roared again at about the same time that Shin and the others began to move away from the reddened ground.

    Mana erupted from its entire body, and mes red up from the ground in response. And the red lines running through the ground emitted a dazzling light.

    ¡°Everyone, gather around! Shibaid!!¡±

    ¡°On it!!¡±

    The surging mana, the erupting mes, and the strange glowing lines. All of these things reminded Shin of a certain phenomenon.

    He quickly gathered everyone together, and atop the equipped ¡®Great Shell Shield of Collision¡¯, deployed a barrier, stacking up the skills.

    Shibaid must have sensed the same danger. Without saying a word, he also went on defense.

    Furthermore, Schnee put her hands on the ground in sync with Shin and Shibaid. At the same time as their skills were activated, the ground froze around Shin and the others, about several dozen mel.

    The explosion urred almost simultaneously with the freezing of the ground.

    Shin and the others¡¯ vision wentpletely white. A vibration like that of a major earthquake shook their entire bodies, but there was no sound of the explosion as expected.

    They could see the st and mes hitting the barrier, so someone must have used a soundproofing skill to muffle the sound.

    ¡°Is everyone good? We¡¯re going to move while keeping the barrier up, okay?¡±

    Shin said after confirming the sound was back.

    The smoke from the explosion obscured the surrounding area, but with [Through Sight], they could find their way just fine.

    The barrier surrounding Shin and the others also kept out the smoke and dust, making it easy for them to move around as long as they watched their steps. The energy channeled into the ground seemed to have been used up in the explosion, and the lines running like blood vessels were no longer visible.

    ¡°It¡¯s not moving.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it lost sight of us though.¡±

    After the explosion, 08 was standing still, overflowing with magic power.

    It wasn¡¯t unscathed from the explosion, but some of its injuries healed rather quickly.

    Its faster recovery rate than what was known to Shin probably had something to do with that magic power.

    Perhaps because it was in a ce with dense mana, its output seemed to be higher than in thebat mode Shin knew.

    ¡°Shin! The cliff is copsing! ¡±

    ¡°Shit. Spread out, everyone! ¡±

    It would appear that the cliff could not withstand the impact of the explosion, and began to copse almost simultaneously with Filma¡¯s warning.

    As someone who resisted the impact of the explosion, Shin would much like tomend it for holding out until now and copsing immediately.

    Blowing away the smoke and dust obstructing their view with a wind technique, the party evacuated to an area without a copsing cliff.

    08 on the other hand, did not move. Nor did it resist the falling rocks and debris flow and soon faded from sight.

    ¡°Um, what are we going to do about this?¡±

    ¡°If it stopped functioning, we¡¯d simply dig it out and put it back in the docks, but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not the case.¡±

    The light on its helmet was still going strong. Same with the magic power enveloping its entire body.

    Kinda hard to believe that it was just going to remain silent and buried in the dirt. And on the map was a white marker at the location where 08 was.

    Neither foe, nor ally, nor neutral. A color that indicated a character treated as autonomous gear like a doll.

    However, an allied doll would have the same marker as an ally. Reed¡¯s dolls, Owl and Mighty, were blue markers indicating allies.

    Since 08 wasn¡¯t officially activated, it seemed that even though it belonged to Reed, it wasn¡¯t considered an ally of Shin. And considering its earlier behavior, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it were determined a foe.

    ¡°It¡¯sing out.¡±

    After waiting a while, some of the debris that had flowed into the fissure blew away as if it had exploded.

    On ount of 08, of course. The color of the marker had turned red, indicating a foe.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s pretty pumped up. Berett and co., you guys stay back.¡±

    ¡°So sorry about this. Thank you.¡±

    Bowing deeply, Berett and Owl moved out of the way.

    Berett would be at a disadvantage given his abilities if he were to join the fight.

    Same with Owl. Even though they were both dolls made by Reed, they couldn¡¯t be any further apart in terms of performance with 08. Hence why it was decided in advance to stay away should it devolve into a scuffle.

    08 slowly approached them. With its magic power peaking and fully armed. He waspletely ready forbat.

    ¡°So you¡¯re serious about this, huh?¡±

    ¡°If He sensed that Master Shin, his good friend, is in danger, he¡¯ll probablye back. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Shin perceived a certain kind of madness emanating from 08 that a desperate person would give off. It could no longer stop itself. For 08, meeting its creator, Reed, was all that mattered.

    ¡°Thene at me with all you got. Maybe that will calm you down a little.¡±

    Pulling out his ¡®Scorching de¡¯. He asked Schnee and the rest to keep an eye on the surroundings so as to prevent anything from getting in the way.

    Shin had already decided that should ite down to it, he would take it on.

    After Reed, Shin was the next person involved in its creation, so he felt somewhat obliged.

    To take on 08¡¯s bottled-up emotions. Shin didn¡¯t possess enough conviction, determination, or experience to pull off something like that.

    He was originally a college student who spent his days attending lectures and working part-time jobs. He survived the Death Game and fought countless battles in this world, but whether or not he had grown deep downparatively was a different thing.

    Most of the battles he¡¯d been through had been killfests with no room for discussion.

    With only such experiences on his belt, what could he possibly say to a crazy-ass doll who had gone and lost it from having waited centuries upon centuries for its lord to return.

    All he could do now was to serve as an outlet for its emotions. That was all he coulde up with.

    08 also took a stance as Shin drew his de.

    En garde. Just when everyone there was anticipating that, at that very moment, the ground rumbled.

    It wasn¡¯t the aftershock of the impact when 08 mmed its fists into the ground. But an actual earthquake, with the ground itself shaking violently.

    ¡°¡­Of all times, really?¡±

    In this world, earthquakes were rare urrences.

    Even long-lived races such as High Elves and High Pixies were oblivious to the structure of the earth.

    In the first ce, whether they were caused by interferences between tes as in the real world was still unknown.

    Hence, most earthquakes in this world were almost always caused by monsters.

    Some roamed beneath the ground, some specialized in earth-attribute magic, some would strongly interfere with the earth itself, and so on. The ground would usually shake under the influence of monsters with such abilities.

    And the earthquake this time was simply due to a monster emerging from within. And even if the monster itself didn¡¯t have such intention, its superabundant force would affect the surrounding environment.

    ¡°All hands, equip the heat-resistant gear! ¡±

    Shin, who had his eyes on the shaking ground, shouted and leapt backwards.

    Immediately afterward, arge burst of mes erupted and burned the area where he was.

    ¡°Damn it, was this because of that barrage of blows from earlier?¡±

    The mes were a double spiral of red and blue. Shin knew thatbination well.

    The earth was scorched.

    Unlike with 08, the mes erupted from every corner of the earth, forming a fire that threatened to consume the entire mountain. Looking up, he saw that one of the two mountains, Iira, was on fire.

    Shin, who was d in a heat-resistant cloak and drew another de, saw the fire take shape.

    The fire that had been covering the earth became one huge mass and swelled up. Then, a long me grew on each side, and then another, slightly toward the sky.

    Then they were covered by an orange, stone-like or leather-like material. In a word, they were gauntlets and a mask.

    However, they weren¡¯t ordinary gauntlets. Stretching from the hand to the elbow, the thinly armored gauntlets wereposed of only the frame hollowed out in ces.

    The mask was diamond-shaped, with only rectangr holes in the eye area. Everything but the mask and gauntlets were mes, and only these two seemed to be floating in the mes.

    It was the cmity manifestation of Iira Suura, the god of fire, which Shin had seen many times back in the game era. A scorching incarnation of two mes over 5-mel in length intertwined together.

    The mes of cmity would continue to rage until it got defeated or ran out of fumes.

    For yers, it used to be just a monster that dropped rare items, but that couldn¡¯t be said of it now.

    And the anomaly did not stop there.

    ¡®Shin, look behind 08!¡¯

    Upon receiving a Mind Chat from Schnee, he shifted his gaze. Iira Suura was still not fully formed. So he had the leeway to look away.

    08 had not moved from its spot. Its face was turned toward Iira Suura, but it wasn¡¯t about to attack.

    ¡°Oh fuckin¡¯ hell¡­you gotta be kidding me!¡±

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    Behind 08, about 50-mels away, purple ice grew out of the ground, which should have been scorched red.

    Shin knew what this was too. Apanied by a crackling sound of death that would freeze the nts and monsters that grew up protected by blue, transparent ice to the core.

    It was the signal for the manifestation of Venna Vaal, the god of ice.

    ¡°Please tell me that isn¡¯t what I think it is¡­?¡±

    Even as Shin mumbled, the ice kept growing. It stretched long, looking like an ice tube about 2-mels thick.

    Iira Suura remained motionless, as if waiting for Venna Vaal to appear. 08 also turned around to see what was going on.

    The stretched-long ice, about 10-mel, took shape as the surface peeled away. The first thing that appeared was a woman¡¯s face. Her shape was beautiful, with hair that extended to her back, shining in the sunlight.

    Everything was made of ice, making her look like a statue.

    Next came the human body. Plump and smooth skin. Combined with the beauty of her head, she looked like a woman in nude with no arms. There were only sharp surfaces where they should have been.

    The shedding progressed further.

    Next, scales appeared. If the upper body was that of a human woman, the lower body was that of a snake. The ratio of human-to-snake was about three-to-seven.

    Finally, the peeled ice gathered to form four wings.

    The diamond-shaped wings were paired into two on each side. And floated behind the upper body. All of the feathers had a pattern on them that resembled eyes.

    Venna Vaal also appeared in her cmity manifestation. The mountains seemed to be affected as well, and if Iira, from which it was named, burns, then Venna freezes.

    If Iira Suura was the fire that consumed everything, Venna Vaal would be the blizzard that froze everything.

    In Shin¡¯s experience, never had two gods appeared at the same time.

    He had never seen or heard of it.

    ¡°And they¡¯re both in their cmity manifestations, too.¡±

    A constant rampaging state with no brakes whatsoever. It would eventually get out, even if they were in the deepest parts of the Grandmost Mountains. With a town at the foot of the mountain. Both needed to be defeated here and now.

    ¡®Berett. Listen, I need you to¡ª¡ªtsk!¡¯

    Shin, who was in the middle of a Mind Chat with Berett, jumped out of the way. Then, a huge fist appeared out of nowhere.

    08, which had remained stationary since the appearance of the gods, attacked. It had leapt from its original position and closed the distance, so there was no sound of footsteps.

    The appearance of the two gods and the contact with Berett had made him less aware of 08, and this was a silent surprise attack exploiting that.

    Perhaps the deafening sound of the ground shattering was the impetus, and the two gods began to move.

    Iira Suura, the god of fire.

    Venna Vaal, the god of ice.

    EX Series number 08.

    All of them had their sights set on Shin.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Why are the gods looking at me now?¡±

    Iira Suura had no eyes, and Venna Vaal¡¯s eyes were just blocks of ice. Even though they didn¡¯t have functional eyes like humans or animals, Shin could clearly see that he was being watched.

    In the game era, they would preferentially target yers when they were nearby, but Shin was pouting that it didn¡¯t really have to be the same as it was there. Since it wasn¡¯t exactly a fixed action pattern.

    More to the point, 08 had been ring daggers at him, too. Perhaps it had noticed that the gods¡¯ attention was now on him since it wasn¡¯t making any sudden moves.

    ¡®W-What are you going to do?! Those are gods, right¡­?¡¯

    Tiera, who had heard the story from Shin and the others, got all worked up.

    Kagerou and Yuzuha were standing by her sides.

    ¡°I would have loved to focus on just 08, but I can¡¯t let those walking disasters be. They¡¯re both in a state where they can wreak havoc as they please. The reason they are still just looking at me and not moving is probably because both of them appeared at the same time.¡¯

    Even Shin couldn¡¯t be certain how the simultaneous appearance of the two manifestations would affect the gods.

    Both gods, now in the mostplete form Shin had ever seen, were only staring at him and moving sluggishly.

    However, they were intimidating enough, with nothing but hostility in their gazes, so he had long ago abandoned any hopeful expectation that they would remain docile.

    Deciding that the gods weren¡¯t going to move, 08 unleashed its fists, but Shin concentrated on avoiding them instead and gave out instructions.

    ¡®¡­Listen up guys. I¡¯ll deal with the gods, so Schnee and the rest need to take care of 08.¡¯

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that be a little too much, even for you, Shin?¡¯

    ¡®I can¡¯t let 08 get away for the sake of Berett and the others. Although, now I guess it¡¯s more likely toe charging at me rather than running away. But it seems that the gods too are itching to duke it out with me. So, I can¡¯t afford to hold my punches against them. With my stats, I could identally break 08 in half. That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving it to you guys.¡¯

    Facing off against two gods at the same time was a new territory even for Shin. And there was also the option of the two working together.

    Should 08 meddle in while confronting such opponents, there was no telling what could happen.

    He would like to stop the gods here once and for all. But he¡¯d also like to secure 08.

    Shin realized that he was being selfish. But he also knew that it would be possible if they all worked together. Their stats and gears were nothing like in the game.

    ¡®In that case, how about taking one or two people with you? With our current strength, I don¡¯t see us faltering even if we¡¯re down a few men.¡¯

    Schnee said with an air of confidence.

    Although the EX series was capable of fighting with divine beasts alone, Schnee and the others were also capable of fighting them if they worked together.

    Be it individually or in a party, the fact remained that they were capable of such feat.

    And while working together with Shin, Schnee and the others had evidently be more powerful. Their gears had also improved in performance, surpassing their former selves both individually and as a party.

    Furthermore, the most important point was that 08 had yet to fully recover from the damage sustained in battle with Maganna.

    To begin with, it couldn¡¯t have been fully restored with just the self-repair function. Otherwise, it¡¯d put cksmiths out of their jobs.

    So, with Schnee and the others powered up and in top form, going against 08 which was far from being in top shape, having being worn out from repeated battles. It probably wouldn¡¯t take all the support characters to subdue it.

    ¡®Fine. I¡¯ll leave 08 to you. Shibaid,e with me! Those two have a wide attack range. So, make sure they don¡¯t get in the way of Schnee and the others! ¡¯

    ¡®Copy that!!¡¯

    At Shin¡¯s request, Shibaid responded energetically.

    To be able to fight alongside his lord against the mighty two gods. There could be no greater honor for Shibaid, whose character setting was set up as a warrior.

    His overflowing fighting spirit mixed with magic power shimmered like a raging me.

    ¡®Tiera and the rest should keep their distance for now and watch. They¡¯re all gunning for me right now, but gods are indiscriminate rampagers by nature. So in case they try to go anywhere, just cover me.¡¯

    ¡®All right. Be safe.¡¯

    Tiera retreated with Kagerou and Yuzuha.

    Yuzuha was asked to guard Tiera and also to investigate the Ley Lines running across the Grandmost Mountains for any abnormalities.

    Based on Shin¡¯s experience to date, the simultaneous manifestations of the gods couldn¡¯t have happened spontaneously.

    The attack by 08 seemed to be the likely cause, but that was just the most probable exnation at this point. And not to say that demons or devils weren¡¯t the ones pulling the strings.

    Shin was taking all possible measures in case there were more surprises. He also gave instructions to Berett and Owl through Tiera to start prepping Miraltrea in case of an emergency.

    While Shin was doing all that, the gods made a move. Needless to say, he no longer had the leeway tomunicate via Mind Chats.

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    Iira Suura opened the floor by shooting out mes.

    He positioned his arm as if throwing a punch, the mes overflowing from his gauntlet erupted towards Shin like a cannonball.

    The me could easily consume Shin. However, he didn¡¯t flinch.

    He waited for Shibaid, who was about to put up a barrier, and pulled out his newly retrieved de.

    Emerging from the vivid blue sheath was a translucent de.

    The ripples on the surface of the de were reminiscent of one on water, giving the impression of a work of art rather than a weapon.

    A superior-ancient grade Katana, ¡®Still Water¡¯.

    The water-attributed de would release water droplets just from swinging, and was enchanted with a weakening status effect against fire attributes.

    Hebined a skill with ¡®Still Water¡¯ freshly unsheathed from its scabbard and swung it down.

    Katana/Water Combination Skill [Aozakura*]. (TLN: Lit. Blue Pomegranate. I went with the Raw.)

    A pale blue trail was drawn in the air following the de of the katana as it cut through the sky. The blue sh flew through the air and collided with the iing me.

    The shshed into the me as if slipping through, swelled up inside and split into multiple cuts of various sizes and continued through the air. The me burst from within and the split shes flew straight towards Iira Suura and Venna Vaal with explosive force.

    Iira Suura received the shes with his arm and Venna Vaal with her tail.

    A cut was made on Iira Suura¡¯s gauntlet, corresponding to the size of the sh. The mes in the area of the hit weakened slightly and quickly regained momentum again.

    As for Venna Vaal, an icy flower bloomed on the surface of her tail.

    shes with the water attributes were highly effective against the fire-attributed Iira Suura, but not so much against the ice-attributed Venna Vaal.

    Although the sh itself wounded her tail, ¡®Still Waters¡¯ enchanted water attribute was affected by the icy mana enveloping Venna Vaal, creating an ornate flower of ice.

    In her cmity manifestation, Venna Vaal possessed the ability to absorb ice generated by anything other than herself to restore herself. And when the icy flower shattered, the wound on her tail also disappeared.

    ¡°I guess this can¡¯t even be counted as a warm-up.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t gods for nothing, all right. Seems like it¡¯ll take way more than that to get them on their toes.¡±

    ¡°Is it just me or do you also feel like they¡¯re getting stronger?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that the pressure I feel from them is any different from before.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t exactly capable of urately gauging the strength of an opponent based on their appearance or the pressure they gave off.

    In trying to get a second opinion, he asked Shibaid who replied saying he hadn¡¯t noticed any particr difference in their strength.

    And he wasn¡¯t counting on that attack to do any damage to them either.

    Shin was being wary and testing to find out, as far as he could observe, of any inconsistency from his personal recollections.

    Iira Suura was level 833 and Venna Vaal 874. Thetter being higher in level, as if she was getting some sort of buff from the environment.

    To Shin¡¯s knowledge, both were in the 800-900 level range. Which seemed about right considering environmental factors. And no signs of any miasma too.

    So far, there had been no word from Yuzuha or Tiera confirming any anomaly with the Ley Lines.

    He turned his gaze away from the gods for a moment.

    Schnee and the others were standing in front of 08, which was about to advance his way.

    The only support character who was acquainted with 08 in the game era was Berett, so even though they had heard some stories, Schnee and the others were meeting 08 for the first time.

    He couldn¡¯t be sure how 08 felt about this, but it seemed that Schnee and the others weren¡¯t going to be pulling their punches more than necessary, even though they were subordinates of the same High Humans.

    Schnee, Filma, Sety. Despite their different personalities, an intense fighting spirit was emanating from all of them.

    08 seemed to understand that they were no ordinary opponents, and wasn¡¯t about to jump over them to get at Shin.

    ¡°Looks like Schnee and the others have a handle on 08. Then I better get my side of things over with as soon as possible.¡±

    Shin was fired up, thinking that by the looks of it, they might even clean up 08 before he¡¯d be done dealing with the gods.

    Even though this was his first time confronting two gods at the same time, he had friends around him that he could rely on. He couldn¡¯t see himself losing.

    He held out ¡®Scorching de¡¯ in his left hand pointed forward, while carrying ¡®Still Water¡¯ in his right hand over his shoulder.

    A dual-wielding stance taught to him by a yer who used to be his mentor.

    Shin added the experience he had gained in actualbat to it to create his own dual-wielding stance.

    Next to Shin, Shibaid tethered his ¡®Great Shell Shield of Collision¡¯ in his left gauntlet and was holding ¡®cid Moon¡¯ with both hands.

    Both of them were poised to focus more on offense than defense.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take on Iira Suura first. Five minutes. Can you hold off Venna Vaal for that long?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    Taking out the one with the lowest level as quickly as possible. This was one of the mostmon strategies when facing several powerful opponents.

    The environment was also a debuff for Iira Suura. If it were only Iira Suura that appeared, he could have erupted the mountain and turned the ce into a scorchingva stage.

    He possessed enough power to influence the environment.

    This time, however, there was another god, Venna Vaal, who had the environment on her side already.

    The two gods were almost equal in status. Meaning, Iira Suura wouldn¡¯t be as formidable as Venna Vaal, who already had control of the environment.

    So, it¡¯d be prudent to go after the one he had a higher chance of defeating faster and irrefutably.

    ¡°Watch my back.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    With his back to Shibaid, Shinunched off the ground toward Iira Suura.

    There was no looking back. He generally wouldn¡¯t rush in without caution, but, since he entrusted Shibaid to watch his back, Shin¡¯s attention was mostly focused on Iira Suura.

    He dashed with ¡®Still Water¡¯ slung over his shoulder.

    While Iira Suura¡¯s eyes were on Shin, he knew that his attention was on ¡®Still Water¡¯ in his right hand.

    Wondering when exactly he became able to tell when an opponent was paying attention to his weapon?

    It wasn¡¯t from one of his skills. But a byproduct of his own personal experiences.

    As he dashed toward Iira Suura, Shin increased the amount of magic power he was channeling into ¡®Still Water¡¯. Like ripples forming on the surface of water, the de surged immensely.

    Iira Suura didn¡¯t stand idly by as Shin approached.

    He pulled his right fist with such sheer force and thrust it toward the sky. And as if splitting from his own body, arger mass of me shot out. Bluish-white in color and seemingly igniting the frigid air around..

    ording to Shin¡¯s memory, this was one of his decisive moves named [Body-Immting Divine me].

    It was a technique that made yers weep by breaking through items designed to defend against fire attributes and inflict damage.

    Even though it couldn¡¯t bepletely nullified, the damage itself could still be reduced, so knowing that taking countermeasures wouldn¡¯t be a total waste of time was the silver lining.

    While pulling back the outstretched fist, he thrust the other fist upward.

    The color of the me that shot out was the same bluish-white from before with the same intensity. Back in the game era, this was already a one-shot technique, but right now Iira Suura is able to fire off both hands in rapid session.

    Three to four shots of mes were released, filling Shin¡¯s path with mes of varying size and number albeit with little dy in between bursts.

    ¡°Did the activation conditions for the technique change? No, the activation key is the amount of HP. Meaning he can use it whenever he wants.¡±

    While staring at the approaching mes, he calmly analyzed the discrepancy with his knowledge.

    Then he began contemting techniques that could or couldn¡¯t be used. And while listing the activation conditions and effects in his head, Shin pointed the tip of his ¡®Scorching de¡¯ at the me.

    The same blue me as the one looming erupted from his de.

    Shin slowed down and touched the mes with his katana at a very slow pace.

    The heat of the mes enveloped Shin¡¯s entire body, trying to burn him.

    However, because he was wearing a heat-resistant cloak, the heat that could incinerate even bones to ashes dissipated before it could engulf his body.

    Instead of cutting through the mes, Shin waved his ¡®Scorching de¡¯ as if to gently push it out. The mes, which would have been too much even for Shin if he had been hit directly, easily changed its trajectory with just that one movement.

    It passed him by like an invisible obstacle. The mes that passed behind Shin burned the vacant terrain into a melted portrait of steam and sleet.

    Katana/me Combination Skill [Spiral me Dance].

    It was a skill that enchanted the de with a buff that would repel fire-attribute attacks, and if it were magic, it could deflect the attack itself, just like Shin just did.

    Weapons and physical attacks could reduce or nullify the fire-attribute after effects and attribute damage.

    ¡°No sweat.¡±

    An avnche of mes burned the ground and scorched the surrounding sky.

    While the earth was dyed red, Shin¡¯s figure was still present. Only the ce where Shin was standing remained unaffected.

    He swung ¡®Scorching de¡¯ as if he were brushing away water from the de. The mes that covered the de quietly disappeared with a single swing.

    He became focused.

    In the five minutes he promised Shibaid, he would defeat Iira Suura. Shin was seriously nning to do this, which would have been impossible in the game.

    Was it because he was up against a god, a foe more tricky than any he had fought before, or because he had Shibaid watching his back? Or perhaps because he was inspired by Schnee and the others?

    Shin felt more focused than ever before.

    He activated his movement-type martial skill [Ground Shrink]. He lowered his body and stomped the ground vigorously.

    (Not just my legs, it seems like my whole body has been slightly reinforced.)

    He could feel the magic power used to activate the skill running through his body. He found that not only was a lot of it gathered from the ankles and beyond, but also that more magic power was dispersed to the joints.

    The magic power surrounding his entire body was also slightly concentrated more in his lower half. Various parts of the body were strengthened in reasonable proportions to withstand quick movement.

    Each step Shin took pushed his body harder than he remembered.

    The high-speed movement, which could be mistaken for teleportation, put Shin right under Iira Suura¡¯s nose in just three steps.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He exhaled quietly. The extra strength he contained in the hand that was holding ¡®Still Water¡¯ was released with that one breath. And the de that was resting on his shoulder floated slightly.

    With ¡®Scorching de¡¯ on his right, he charged forward. He then circled the de to his rear as if trying to conceal it with his body.

    The first move came from ¡®Scorching de¡¯.

    As he took his fourth step, he swung ¡®Scorching de¡¯ to cut Iira Suura in two diagonally.

    Katana/Darkness Combination Skill [Shimmering Dark Night].

    The edge of the ¡®Scorching de¡¯ was too short for Iira Suura¡¯s huge body. However, the blow that was delivered ran as a ck line from Iira Suura¡¯s left nk to his right shoulder.

    The ¡®Scorching de¡¯ katana was dyed ck, and the de that extended from it was of the same color.

    The sh appeared to have cut Iira Suura in two, but because his body was almost entirely mes itself, there were no identifiable wounds.

    There was only a slight dent on the gauntlet of his right fist, which he happened to pull back.

    The jet-ck sh with no apparent force would stimte the affinity of the attributes of the hit opponent. The higher the higher, the lower the lower. The more specific the attribute, the more pronounced the effect.

    The skill¡¯s effect was a kind of status effect, which often didn¡¯t work or was weakened on god-level monsters.

    However, Shin was confident that it would work. As proof, the red part of the me enveloping Iira Suura turned yellow immediately after receiving the sh.

    The temperature radiated around him rose even higher, and his body increased in size.

    The second move was from ¡®Still Water¡¯.

    As Iira Suura red up with increased strength and raring to vaporize the enemy in front of him, Shin swung his second de down without a sound.

    Katana/Water Combination Skill [Violent Ssh].

    A translucent sh shot out from the ¡®Still Water¡¯ de he swung down.

    It changed size by the time it reached Iira Suura, and sliced from his left shoulder to his right nk, crossing with the ck line from [Shimmering Dark Night].

    This was a skill that emphasized power rather than status effects, and was designed to deal damage.

    The sliced mes quickly returned to their original state, but the color of the mes in the area that received the sh became translucent, just like the skill.

    Like blood seeping from a cut, it eroded Iira Suura¡¯s body, and after a second or so, it exploded. And what sshed out was neither blood nor mes, but water. A part of Iira Suura¡¯s body turned into water and ruptured. The parts that became water evaporated as if they had been scraped, and even the water that sshed around dealt some damage in an attempt to extinguish the mes.

    [Violent Ssh] was but an attribute-enchanted sh against opponents with physical bodies, but possessed the special effect of forcibly transforming the bodies of incorporeal opponents.

    ¡°Now to wrap up.¡±

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (5)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (5)</h4>

    The damage done by [Violent Ssh] was greater than Shin had expected. And the effect of stimting the affinity of attributes triggered by [Shimmering Dark Night] had both the aspect of strengthening the monster¡¯s strong attributes and making its weak points more pronounced. The risk was that a misstep could result in being overrun by the enhanced monster, but, if one was strong enough to beat it, it could be defeated more quickly by exploiting its weak points.

    Shin sheathed ¡®Scorching de¡¯ and braced ¡®Still Water¡¯ with his unupied left hand.

    After the third move, it became a full-on tussle.

    Gods weren¡¯t so kind as to remain on the receiving end.

    Taking advantage of his newly enhanced attributes, Iira Suura set his entire body aze. The intense heat wave slowly scorched Shin¡¯s heat-resistant cloak.

    His mere presence reduced the beings around him to ashes. The current Iira Suura was truly the incarnation of divine fire.

    Now it was just a matter of whether Shin would be the first to whittle down Iira Suura¡¯s HP or whether Shin would be the first to be burned to a crisp.

    Seeing the ground beginning to melt with a side nce, Shin swung ¡®Still Water¡¯.

    [Violent Ssh] was a skill that remained in effect for a certain amount of time, so once activated, it could be prompted in an attack a number of times. The series of shes released in session turned Iira Suura¡¯s huge body into water and chipped away at it as if to hollow it out.

    (I feel stiff. I guess this is as far as I go with the skill.)

    The mana enshrouding ¡®Still Water¡¯ vanished. Perhaps because of the sheer amount of mana channeled into it, the effectsted longer than usual, but it seemed to have reached its limit.

    Even if it wasn¡¯t a body enhancement kind, but one that granted a specific effect to weapons, over-extended use of the skill would put a heavy load on the vessel all the same.

    Shin thought that the more powerful the skill, the stronger the recoil, and the time between reuses was proportional to the time span. He just wasn¡¯t sure whether the stiffness duration was the same.

    In the past, Girard, Support Character no. 3, used the skill by oveing the burden with sheer force alone.

    Shin also tried it once. Though the strain on the body would be huge, even if it were to be used forcefully, it wouldn¡¯t cause damage or any major hindrance to subsequent movements.

    He felt as if his body was being weighed down only when he was using the skill.

    Now he knew why. Even after the skill had worn off, there was still lingering mana around the weapon and Shin¡¯s body that was holding it.

    If he were to try activating a skill before it dissipated, the magic power that¡¯d be consumed to activate the next skill, be it the same or not, would interfere with it.

    (I need to be more efficient in transforming magic power from skill activation to the duration, all the way to the end. Use it up without leaving any mana residue to cause interference.)

    Then he forcefully moved his body that was getting heavier. And mmed ¡®Still Water¡¯, with [Violent Ssh] activated, into Iira Suura¡¯s counterattacking fists.

    Two strikes cracked the fists, and the third made it wide enough for Shin to pass through.

    He leapt and passed between them. Making sure not toe in contact with the mes.

    But Shin¡¯s cloak, which had protected him from the heat, caught fire. It was that hot.

    (I can see the mana flow. Eliminate the unnecessary discharge, and control every inch of it.)

    Shin, right now, wasn¡¯t even bothered that his cloak was on fire.

    He knew it was burning. Along with the fact that it wouldn¡¯t be for long before it burned out.

    Even though the effects of the gear would prevent the fire from immediately spreading to Shin himself or the gear, he couldn¡¯t be certain how long it wouldst.

    Shin also realized that when that time came, the scorching mes would burn his body.

    Still, Shin didn¡¯t think about recing the gear or keeping his distance.

    Iira Suura¡¯s fists instantly regenerated and were unleashed in rapid session.

    The mes grew hotter and, although not as concrete as rock or water, gave Shin a sense of gravity and pressure as if a meteorite were descending on him.

    He didn¡¯t suffer a direct hit. However, the mere fact that the fist passed close by caused the durability of the cloak to decrease sharply. Its maximum durability value had been reduced to less than 20% in just a few minutes.

    As if inspired by the fiercely burning Iira Suura, Shin¡¯s arm that was wielding ¡®Still Water¡¯ elerated.

    He was no longer feeling any strain due to the interference of magic power. And in the midst of the battle, his ability, which was different from his stats, was growing rapidly.

    (It¡¯s so quiet.)

    The sounds of battle still permeated his ears. Despite this, Shin had the strange sensation of being in silence.

    His consciousness, which had been focused on Iira Suura and himself, gradually expanded. It was as if he had a bird¡¯s eye view of his surroundings.

    Shibaid was repelling a blow from the tail of Venna Vaal, whose body had been half blown off, with [cid Moon].

    Schnee was parrying 08¡¯s fists, Filma was striking with [Scarlet Moon], and Sety was letting loose with her magic.

    Tiera was holding her bow and watching the whole battle.

    Kagerou and Yuzuha were gathering their strength while staying close to Tiera.

    Everyone was doing their utmost to do what they had to do.

    In the midst of all this, he suddenly felt a gaze.

    (There¡¯s no, hostility?)

    It¡¯ll no doubt burn if touched. Yet in the face of such overwhelming heat, Iira Suura¡¯s gaze directed at Shin no longer contained the will to destroy that it once had.

    What he felt instead was the will to fight.

    No anger, no hatred. Just the will to fight, topete with each other¡¯s strength, as one would do with a good adversary.

    It seemed that while fighting Shin, his true personality came out. Even if Iira Suura wasn¡¯t in his cmity manifestation, he would still engage in a bout with yers in his so-called trials.

    As they were fiercely striking at each other, the mes burning in Iira Suura¡¯s gauntlets moved as if beckoning Shin. Shin smiled, seeing the gesture, as if telling him to bring it on.

    (Fine, I¡¯ll bite. It¡¯s time we finish this.)

    Shin¡¯s consciousness returned to his body. The fiery Iira Suura was instantly regenerating no matter how much he cut him down, but Shin didn¡¯t need to use [Analyze] to know that he was nearing his limit.

    It was the same back in the game. it was difficult to judge whether it was getting weaker or not, except by looking at his HP. The missing parts recovered quickly, and he continued to rampage until the very end, so there was no apparent change except by looking at his movements.

    Gods that were embodiments of natural phenomena didn¡¯t have a definite weak point.

    Ones that looked like wolves and bears had weak spots in the neck and heart, and even irregrly shaped monsters such as slimes had weak spots in their cores.

    However, with a god like Iira Suura, there was no other way to defeat him except by chipping away at his very existence.

    Let them exhaust their strength by running amok and finally make them go dormant. That was what ¡°defeating a god¡± meant in [THE NEW GATE].

    ¡°Ready.¡±

    The exchange of fists and shes came to an abrupt stop. A momentary pause before the decider.

    At that exquisite moment, Shin¡¯s cloak burned out. And his whole body was engulfed in mes. Not his body or gears. But the atmosphere surrounding Shin was on fire. The gears he was equipping just barely prevented his bare body parts from being burned.

    The reason Shin had been able to move unhampered until now was because of the cloak that he had personally worked on. The gear withstood even the mes of the guardian, which was why it had been able to withstand this much heat up until now.

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    Tiera must have seen him burning. And her scream echoed.

    That was the signal.

    Shin charged forward, cloaked in mes. Even in the midst of such extreme heat, the de of ¡®Still Water¡¯ maintained the tranquility of akeside without waves.

    The de collided with the approaching fist. The de of ¡®Still Water¡¯ sliced through the back of the fist, the side with the gauntlet, and the ce where the sh hit turned into water and popped.

    Shin activated [Flying Shadow] and leapt to the sky with ¡®Still Water¡¯ stuck still.

    ¡®Still Water¡¯ sliced through the fist all the way to Iira Suura¡¯s arm.

    He then went from his arm to the shoulder, from the shoulder to the back, and from the back to his belly.

    Shin ran around Iira Sura with the de still in his hand. It must have looked as if a swirling current of water was about to swallow Iira Suura.

    The mes burning Shin¡¯s entire body gained momentum as he approached the main body, yet he didn¡¯t distance himself. Deciding the finisher, Shin leapt through the sky onest time, only harder this time.

    The de was pointed upward from a position close to the ground, and his body rushed up into the sky. As the ssh of water disappeared, Iira Suura split in half and fell to the ground.

    Just as a me on the verge of extinguishing would burn fiercely for a brief moment, Iira Suura¡¯s entire body also burned extraordinarily strongly. And in the next instant, Iira Suura vanished all too easily.

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (6)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (6)</h4>

    While Shin was confronting Iira Suura, Shibaid also confronted the other god.

    Her level was higher than Iira Suura¡¯s, and the environment was also on the god¡¯s side. And her domineering presence was one of the highest among monsters Shibaid had fought in this world. There were other higher-level monsters, but he had to say that the god was exceptional.

    The crystal-clear wings pped in the sky, enough to send an extremely cold chill through Shibaid. The earth, melted by 08¡¯s attack and Iira Suura¡¯s heat wave, waspletely frozen on the spot from the cold air passed through.

    However, Shibaid was never frozen. He had already prepared to march through a blizzard so he could withstand the extreme cold that froze not only the ground but the moisture in the air.

    Before Venna Vaal could make her next move, Shibaid used his skill to turn her attention from Shin to himself.

    ¡°How long will you keep looking at Shin?¡±

    Gods had a tendency to target yers, and Shibaid knew that. But to look away in front of an opponent that has a weapon was considered disrespectful. His fist¡¯s muscle squeezed his giant halberd,¡ºcid Moon¡», and produced a clenching sound.

    His mind was calm. A guardian who protects their allies must be able to identify enemy attacks, anticipate them, and repel them. They are required to keep theirposure even under difficult battle situations; it was not enough to simply stand firm with a shield.

    But right now, contrary to his mind, his emotions and body were burning hot.

    ¡®Leave it to me!¡¯

    Shin¡¯s voice, when facing the god, filled Shibaid¡¯s heart with roaring mes.

    Even though they might fight together, Schnee or Filma usually fought beside Shin. The same was true with Girard in the past.

    Shibaid sometimes drew the attention of monsters so that the vanguards could attack more easily, and sometimes he acted as a shield to protect the vanguards by blocking the monster¡¯s attack.

    It was Shibaid¡¯s pride to y a key role in the party, but at the same time, he was also envious of Schnee and the others who were also vanguards and fought alongside Shin. Due to his stats, he couldn¡¯t keep up with Shin and the others in high-speedbat. Though it could be said that they were just built differently, he was still slightly envious of them; their agility was too different.

    It was no longer the case now, however.

    Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Shin, and facing a god each. This difficult situation was one that Shibaid had longed for.

    Currently, Shibaid was the only one who could single-handedly take on god¡¯s attack without impacting the surroundings; it was inevitable that he was chosen to fight with Shin. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that he had been entrusted with the honor of having Shin¡¯s back.

    Venna Vaal¡¯s tail swished, and its tip blurred. The whip-like tail was so fast that it was barely visible, yet it weighed many times more than Shibaid. With the scaly ice on the surface of the tail that was far harder than steel, it was equivalent to a massive block of iron flying at nearly the speed of sound; an attack that even the fiercest warriors would be prepared to die from. For Venna Vaal however, it was just a small measure.

    In contrast, Shibaid was already in the act of swinging down his ¡ºcid Moon¡», and his 500 years of experience fighting monsters had taught him the timing of Venna Vaal¡¯s attack. You will pay for your recklessness if it¡¯s not a serious attack.

    His clenched teeth grind, and every muscle fiber in his body howled in anticipation. The de of ¡ºcid Moon¡» turned white and shone brightly as if responding to Shibaid¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» collided with the tail, and the sky shed with brilliant light. Venna Vaal¡¯s tail was superior in both mass and speed, but Shibaid did not fall back; as if he had be one with the earth.

    Shield technique martial arts skill ¡¾ Gaia Anchor¡¿.

    It was a skill that only anchors itself to the spot. It neither reduces the damage received nor gives reflective damage. It was a difficult skill to use, and if it did not catch the enemy¡¯s attack, it would cause serious damage to itself. Shibaid chose it without hesitation.

    Even if his opponent is a god, he will not be defeated. This thought supported Shibaid¡¯s unyielding body.

    There was piercing sound. It was a faint sound that would not reach anyone¡¯s ears amidst the echoing sounds of battle. It was the sound of ¡ºcid Moon¡» biting into the scaly ice.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!!¡±

    A voice full of spirit emanates from Shibaid¡¯s mouth.

    Before Venna Vaal could even realize the danger and turned tail, Shibaid swung away his ¡ºcid Moon¡». When they collided, the de only bit into the scaly ice. Just because he shed at it did not mean that it was soft inside like a living creature. But it was softer than the scaly things that were probably used for defense.

    The white light staining the de became a crescent-shaped sh and went deeper and deeper into the tail. By the time Venna Vaal pulled back on her tail, about 70% of it had already been sliced through.

    ¡°st it!¡±

    The tail, which had been cut in more than half by Shibaid¡¯s strike, exploded at the cut end.

    me/Light artbination skill ¡¾Sol Avda¡¿.

    The edge of the hatchet was dyed with a white light that contained high heat. The true nature of the strike was an ultra-hot de of light. Originally, it was a skill that sted the ce where it cut with a time dy, and it did not have the effect of making it fly in the form of a sh.

    How was this possible? It was because he watched Shin and his team¡¯s daily training in magic maniption and trained with them.

    The situation of fighting a strong enemy, which requires the mobilization of all the senses, elevates experience and training to the next level. This was the result of what might be called the ¡ºExpansion of Skill Effectiveness¡».

    The tail, which had been shorter than the main body, was torn off by the explosion, and the rest of the remaining tail was shattered as cracks spread through the entire tail. It was only the part near the tip but even so, 3 mels have been obliterated.

    (I got a feel for it.)

    The frustrating feeling of something missing from the daily training disappeared, and Shibaid felt the click into gear.

    It was not so easy to instantly apply all of his skills, but he was still convinced that he had taken another step forward. He readied his ¡ºcid Moon¡» and moved forward. If he kept his distance, there was a high possibility that he would be hit by a ranged attack. Daring to jump into the opponent¡¯s vicinity, he controls his aggro.

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» shone white again, and Venna Vaal¡¯s beautiful face made of ice, turned toward Shibaid. Having her tail shed off, she seemed to recognize Shibaid as an enemy.

    In the short time it took to approach, Venna Vaal¡¯s tail regenerated. Like Iira Suura, this one could not be defeated unless it waspletely cut down.

    Venna Vaal¡¯s mouth opened. The mouth had no teeth or tongue, and ice pricks grew from top to bottom. There was no cavity leading into the body like a throat. The mouth was also an attacking organ.

    Venna Vaal¡¯s mouth emits a white breath followed by cold air. It was one of Venna Vaal¡¯s special moves, which bore the name of ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿ and was even lower in temperature than the cold air released earlier. She had no intention of sparing it, even if only one enemy existed.

    It spreads in a nearly straight line in front of Venna Vaal, and if Shibaid dodges it, it will have an effect behind him.

    Shin and Schnee were out of range. But Tiera and the others were within range. Yuzuha and Kagerou were there, too, at a distance. It was not a move that couldn¡¯t be dodged if you noticed it right away.

    However, it would be meaningless to leave it to them if they were to dodge it that way. Shin, who was fighting next to him, cut off the mes so they wouldn¡¯t hit Tiera and the others.

    (How could I, the stronghold of our defence, fail to do the same thing?)

    His body responded exactly to the elerating thoughts. Applying full strength to his body, Shibaid jumped. Venna Vaal had just started exhaling and had not even reached her chest limit. He decided to rush in there with the attack-blocking barrier deployed around him. Holding ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» in his left hand as if it were a knuckle guard, he lunged forward.

    The breath had the characteristic of not being affected by wind, but the breath itself had neither weight nor physical impact. The barrier pushed through the fraction of breath that was exhaled. The barrier that touched the breath instantly freezes and cracks.

    The barrier shattered almost at the same time that Shibaid flew out in front of Venna Vaal¡¯s face.

    Although dispersed by the barrier, the breath itself did not disappear. What remained in the atmosphere and what was still being exhaled came close to lulling Shibaid into a deathly sleep.

    Shibaid was not intimidated, however. With the momentum of his leap, he mmed the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» toward the open mouth.

    Venna Vaal¡¯s face was thrown back with a loud crash. The weight of Shibaid himself, his equipment, and the leaping force of his full strength had turned into a huge cannonball.

    Her beautiful face was crushed and cracked by the impact, and her ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿ was canceled.

    She probably didn¡¯t expect that he would be leaping right into the middle of her special move; Venna Vaal¡¯s reaction was slow.

    One wrong move and his whole body would have frozen before contact, and the impact of the collision could have shattered it into pieces. But Shibaid had seized the opportunity to take that risk.

    The wings on Venna Vaal¡¯s back and her limp tail moved to strike Shibaid down. But Shibaid¡¯s action was faster than any of them. His left arm and the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» were used to break through the ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿. Then what about his right arm?

    ¡°Ooooooooh!!!¡±

    A dash of spirit.

    Even though he couldn¡¯t leap infinitely like Shin, even Shibaid could use the¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿.

    He caught the momentum of striking Venna Vaal with a foothold that appears in the air, and leaps again to the face of the knocked away. He then hit Venna Vaal in the face with his ¡ºcid Moon¡», which was imbued with the light of ¡¾Sol Avda¡¿.

    The glowing white de dug into the tip of Venna Vaal¡¯s crushed nose. It did not stop at the surface, as it did when it caught the tail, but went deep into the insides. The white light shone though the open holes on her nose.

    The light, which became a sh, cut through Venna Vaal¡¯s head, crossed her throat, and reached her chest. The white light permeated all of its cuts.

    In the short time before the explosion, Shibaid kicked Venna Vaal in the face and leapt into the air again. He pulled back the ¡ºcid Moon¡» he had struck and gripped the middle of the hilt.

    The muscles in his right arm groaned. The ¡ºcid Moon¡» turned blue in response.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    ¡ºcid Moon¡», d in a blue light, flew through the air like a meteor as he threw with all his might.

    The speed was so fast that it seemed to scorch the atmosphere; it took less than a second to reach the target.

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» flew into the cut from thest sh and entered the insides of Venna Vaal.

    At the same time as the ¡¾Sol Avda¡¿¡¯s explosion, he released the power stored in himself.

    Spear/me artbination skill ¡¾Blinkia¡¿.

    This was a skill for throwing a projectile that causes the weapon to explode in a certain area, starting from the point where it stopped. What would happen if it coincided with the explosion of the¡¾Sol Avda¡¿?

    The first sound was the explosion. Then, a shock passed through Shibaid¡¯s body. Shibaidnded on the ground, gripping the ¡ºcid Moon¡» that had returned to his hand.

    The explosion¡¯s mes cleared immediately; Venna Vaal¡¯s body was made of ice, so there was no burning element other than the explosion from the skill.

    The st blew away most of her upper body, leaving only part of her abdomen. Her wings were also cracked, probably due to the explosion¡¯s impact.

    ¡°Mwah!¡±

    If it were a regr monster, this would be the end. However, the tail of the lower half of her body, which was still intact, struck the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», which Shibaid had quickly raised.

    The tail, which shattered the barrier and came at him, was deflected at an angle.

    By the time he shifted his gaze from the tail to the upper half of her body, Venna Vaal had already regenerated to the neck.

    Shibaid readjusts his weapon. He knew he couldn¡¯t defeat it just by blowing it up once. He would fight with all his might, over and over again, until she was defeated.

    He moved forward with his ¡ºcid Moon¡» poised. Many of Venna Vaal¡¯s special moves, such as the ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿, have a widespread effect. Closing the distance was to Shibaid¡¯s advantage.

    The tail that was deflectedes at Shibaid again.

    It was the more powerful and faster tip that came at him. The ice scales stand on end like a hammer with a sting.

    At the same time as the tail, a particle of ice formed above her head. It was the skill ¡¾Cold Pile¡¿, used to scatter ice piles the size of a fist. She would send ice piles from almost all directions to stop his movement, and then reap him off with her tail.

    Shibaid deployed a barrier around himself but did not stop moving forward.

    If he stayed where he was, the ice piles would target everything but his feet.

    However, the closer he got to Venna Vaal, the more his huge body would somewhat reduce the line of fire. All that remained was to attack it while deploying barriers on the remainder.

    As expected, the first one to fly at him was an ice pike.

    Amon barrier would not stop it, but rather puncture it like a piece of paper. Still, this time it could not fully demonstrate its role. The barrier, which had a narrower range and was deployed more firmly, could withstand the barrage of ice piles like a torrential downpour.

    Leaving the protection of the ice piles to the barriers, Shibaid held ¡ºcid Moon¡»upright. The scenery around the de was distorted by thepression of the magic power of the darkness.

    Three types ofbination skill ¡¾Heavy Glow¡¿.

    The tail and the ¡ºcid Moon¡» both struck with great force.

    The tail and the ¡ºcid Moon¡» collided, but what was heard was not a hard collision sound, but a sound simr to a bang. Next came the sound of ice shattering.

    The ice, with its scales inverted, was crumbling all the way down to where muscles and bones would be if it were a living creature.

    Even with this much destruction, the de of the ¡ºcid Moon¡» had not even been chipped.

    It was only natural as the ¡ºcid Moon¡» and the tail did not touch directly in the first ce.

    The ¡¾Heavy Glow¡¿ was a technique thatpresses and surrounds the weapon with wind mixed with the dark attribute and then strikes it. The skill blew away the target before the weapon touched it, making it an effective technique for those who could not be touched directly.

    It was also a hammering skill used with maces and hammers, but it could be used with most melee weapons as long as they were of a certain size and weight.

    The most important feature of this skill was that its power increased with the strength of the wielder¡¯s muscles; it was a good match for Shibaid, which focuses on physical attack and defense.

    The tip of the tail shattered, and Shibaid was about to strike the lower half of her body as it was, but his intuition made him choose to evade the spot.

    What descended after a dy was a white haze of cold air. Its true identity was ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿.

    With Shibaid¡¯s attention focused on her tail and his vision blocked by the ice piles, Venna Vaal delivered a special move from a blind spot. Because of her huge size, her mouth, which was the source of ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿, was far above Shibaid¡¯s head.

    The closer he gets, the more difficult it bes to see the attack. Whether it was intended or not, it was an effective method of attack against Shibaid, who fought alone.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As Shibaid was about to make his next move, a ball of water poured down on the ¡¾Death Frost Breath¡¿.

    It was water skill ¡¾Water Ssh¡¿.

    The ball of water burst in mid-air when it collided with the ice piles that were raining down on Shibaid, bing like a shower. And whening in contact with the breath, the water ball immediately freezes and covers the breath like a curtain of ice. The insubstantial exhaled breath was coated with liquid to prevent further spreading.

    This technique was developed as a temporary measure during the game era. It shattered quickly, so it only buys time for a couple of actions. But that was enough for now.

    ¡°I wondered if I could beat it before you could?¡±

    ¡°If you beat me to it, I¡¯d lose confidence.¡±

    Shibaid said to Shin standing next to him. There was already no sign of Iira Suura.

    Venna Vaal and Iira Suura, thetter was lesspatible with the current environment and was at a lower level.

    In addition, Shin had higher stats than Shibaid.

    It was not apetition, but it would be more than disappointing if he could not beat Iira Suura first, Shin chuckled as he held up the ¡ºScorching de¡» he had retrieved.

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (7)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (7)</h4>

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s finish this one quickly and go cover for Schnee and the others. We can¡¯tpletely destroy them, so it¡¯s the most troublesome thing.¡±

    Against a god in disaster form, you could not go easy on them.

    The only thing was Shin and Shibaid were in a good position now to have an opponent and a ce where they didn¡¯t have to go easy on their opponent.

    Schnee and the others, whose opponent was 08, would have to take it easy, which would take longer and be more dangerous.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this with a final attack¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    With that one word, the atmosphere tensed up. The breath that had been solidified by the ¡¾Water Ssh¡¿ was spreading faster than expected as Venna Vaal crushed it with her tail.

    If not forcibly stopped as Shibaid had done, the entire mountain would be turned into a world of death by the breath that freezes at the slightest touch.

    Basically, the longer the battle went on, the more disadvantageous it became for the yer. The best way to deal with the gods was to fight them in short bursts of continuous, unrelenting attacks.

    Inside the barrier, Shin grabbed his ¡ºScorching de¡» in his opposite hand and threw it with all his might. The ¡ºScorching de¡» flew with a reddish-ck trail, ignoring the ice piles that were raining down on them.

    Venna Vaal noticed the projectile and instantly deployed an ice wall.

    However, the ¡ºScorching de¡» prated the block of ice as if it was not there.

    In the blink of an eye, the de closed the distance and thrust into the center of Venna Vaal¡¯s chest.

    It had the momentum to go straight through, but as if it had already decided to stop there, it pierced deep into the center of her body and stopped.

    From there, a crimson line of light began to spread erratically across Venna Vaal¡¯s body.

    Sword/mebination skill ¡¾me Binding¡¿.

    The lines that spread were the roots of mes. It was a restraint made of mes that absorbed Venna Vaal¡¯s life force and slowed her movement.

    Venna Vaal could not be defeated by the ¡¾me Binding¡¿ itself. The purpose was to temporarily slow down her movements and attacks.

    As the rain of ice piles decreased in number, Shin and Shibaid dived into Venna Vaal¡¯s bosom, weaving through the gaps.

    There was no signal. When they decided to attack, they understood what to do with each other. A strange concentration happened when they were fighting a god that tells them how to move with each other.

    Intuitivemunication.

    From Shin, the magic control when using the skill, and from Shibaid, the extension of the skill¡¯s effect was transmitted without words.

    Shin jumped. Before the tail reacted to the moves, Shibaid struck ¡ºcid Moon¡» into the lower half of her body.

    As the ice piles changed their aim to track Shin and Shibaid, a partially deployed barrier blocked them.

    In front of Venna Vaal¡¯s eyes, Shin clenched his fist tightly. Shibaid was preventing everything that stood in his way. Shin was in no hurry and had no hesitations.

    Barehanded-type martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Zekka¡¿* T/N: (Ultimate ¨C Matchless)

    This was a skill that Girard excelled at, crushing everything with the magic power that he had imbued in his fist.

    There were many skills that bear the name of ¡°Shiden¡± but none were as memorable as this one.

    With a short exhale, Shin unleashed his right fist.

    His hand was protected only by the ¡ºHades Gloves¡» and he was not equipped with an offensive weapon.

    It was just a blow of his fist. However, its power was more than any other skill used in that ce. The fist touched Venna Vaal¡¯s head. There was no resistance, and it was blown away as fine fragments.

    Shin leaped in the air.

    With ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, which he activated only for a moment, Shin closed the distance opened by the loss of the Venna Vaal¡¯s head.

    He pulled back his right fist and thrust out his left fist. ¡¾Zekka¡¿was a one-shot skill.

    If he released it with his right fist, the skill could not be used in his other fist. There was also a recoil.

    However, the outstretched fist crushed Venna Vaal from the neck to the waist.

    The ¡ºScorching de¡», which had remained deeply embedded in Venna Vaal¡¯s body, was thrown into the air. Shin did not care and thrust his right fist upward.

    The head was regenerating at the tip of his fist, but Shin¡¯s fist blew them all away.

    Continuous use of the ¡°Shiden¡± technique. This was also what Girard once showed in the middle of a battle.

    Shibaid blocked the attack, and Shin shattered the main body. Only two people are moving. Despite this, Shin and Shibaid felt like they were fighting as a three-man team.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°(It¡¯s look like it¡¯s going to be settled over there.)¡±

    ¡°(I thought it would take a little longer, no matter how much Shin and Shibaid?? Hey!)¡±

    While responding to Schnee¡¯s murmur, Filma cut apart a flying rock with ¡ºScarlet Moon¡».

    Several other rocks thrown by 08 flew toward Shin and Shibaid, but they were shot down by Sety and Tiera.

    ¡°(I don¡¯t think this was as bad as the old days. Maybe it was still too much for them.)¡±

    ¡°(We¡¯d be in trouble if there wasn¡¯t any penalty.)¡±

    The three of them fought against 08, and they had enough time to exchange a few Mind Chats.

    ¡°(If we could destroy it without mercy, there would be plenty of ways to do it, but it¡¯s still difficult to say as it doesn¡¯t work that way.)¡±

    ¡°(But we can¡¯t afford to take too much time, because there are three of us.)¡±

    Whilemunicating with Mind Chat, Schnee turned her attention to the rampaging 08.

    The 08 has only been trying to advance toward Shin since the beginning of the battle and had not seriously faced Schnee and her team.

    Schnee and her team were also unable to use more powerful techniques than necessary for the purpose of suppression and were being prevented by 08.

    As a result, the situation was close to a stalemate.

    ¡°(Shin also said that at least one limb is a necessary sacrifice, so it¡¯s time to get serious.)¡±

    ¡°(Sis Schnee, are you in a bad mood? The two of them are having a lot of fun together, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re thinking about it a little bit.)¡±

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (8)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (8)</h4>

    The two of them seemed to have changed a bit, Filma continued.

    Schnee also noticed. She sensed the familiar feeling of Shin and Shibaid bing more refined themselves, rather than being affected by gods.

    The way the demeanor changes when a trained soldier or adventurer ovees his or her own obstacles and grows a great deal. It was very simr to that.

    As Filma said, the two of them seemed to be having a good time in front of a strong enemy, and Schnee felt a little frustrated and sad that she was not there.

    ¡°(But I agree with you that we have to be serious about it, and even though there are limitations, we have to produce results beyond what we said we can do.)¡±

    ¡°(I agree. Well, I¡¯ll up the ante a bit too.)¡±

    Filma¡¯s ¡º Scarlet Moon¡» and Sety¡¯s ¡º Dusk Moon¡». The top-ss weapons, even among Ancient-grade weapons, glowed red and white with light magic. The same was true with Schnee¡¯s ¡º Blue Moon¡».

    Schnee and Filma kicked the ground, and Sety began chanting.

    Schnee¡¯s steps were soundless, gliding across the ground. In contrast, Filma¡¯s steps flew through the air, leaving a ground-shattering sound.

    Perhaps sensing the change in the atmosphere, 08 also turned his hostile intent, which had been directed at Shin, toward Schnee and the others. He imbued his fist with magic power and prepared to meet them head-on.

    ¡°It¡¯spletely different from before!¡±

    From slightly lower right to the upper left; Filma swung the ¡º Scarlet Moon¡» as if to cleave. The magic power she put into it shines stronger with the activation of the skill.

    Swordsmanship martial arts skill ¡¾Full sh¡¿.

    A fist was unleashed to strike down Filma.

    The fist and the de, each shed with the magic power that had been enveloped in them, and a vibration simr to a shockwave shook the air. Pushing aside the recoil, the gauntlet and the de produced sparks.

    08¡¯s fist, with its feet on the ground and its own weight.

    In contrast, Filma¡¯s own weight, including her armor, was much lighter than that of the 08, and only the propulsive force of the magic power st pushed her back. Looking at this alone, there was no chance for Filma to win the battle.

    The de slid over the gauntlet. The scraping sound ceased, and Filma crossed diagonally in front of 08¡¯s eyes. There was no follow-up. He knew that if he used his right fist, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with Schnee, who woulde after him.

    ¡°It¡¯s as hard as I¡¯d expect.¡±

    Filmanded on the ground and lightly swung the ¡º Scarlet Moon¡» on the spot. The de was not chipped. The durability value was reduced, but her weapon was still fully functional.

    Inparison, the 08 gauntlet had a clear cut. It was still usable as a weapon. However, there was no telling what would happen if the same spot was cut. That is what the cut was like.

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    It was not cut off.

    But it must have been a significant cut in a single blow, proof that Filma¡¯s speed and skill exceeded 08¡¯s weight and hardness.

    As if to show the 08¡¯s agitation, the magic power it was d in frayed. Schnee shed at him mercilessly.

    ¡°You are indeed a doll worthy of being called the masterpiece of Lord Reed and Shin.¡±

    Leaving a white afterglow, ¡º Blue Moon¡» arced in the air.

    Katana martial arts skill ¡¾White Light¡¿.

    Three shes of light run over his fist in the blink of an eye. The de bites deep into the gauntlet and reaches the internal mechanism.

    ¡°But that¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    ¡¾Full sh¡¿ and ¡¾White Light¡¿. Both were skills that increased the sharpness of a weapon. However, even so, it was not easy to sh the 08 gauntlet.

    To begin with, no significant difference could be called decisive in terms of performance.

    In terms of evaluation, ¡º Blue Moon¡» and ¡º Scarlet Moon¡» were superior in terms of the weapon¡¯s own attack power, and 08¡¯s gauntlets were excellent in terms of sturdiness. Overall, they were almost in the same ss.

    Shin and his colleagues rated the 08 gauntlets higher because of their excellent durability value and faster self-repair speed due to their size.

    It was thought that the yer¡¯s weapon and the doll should not bepared, even though they are in the same equipment category. Still, they were evaluated in the same category since they are equipment.

    Nevertheless, the two weapons enhanced by Shin have greater durability and repair speed.

    The magic power that can be put into them is also greater. In addition, there is an increase in stats and experience from previous battles. The two were more than a match for each other.

    ¡°We will stop you.¡±

    You will never reach Shin. Standing within the 08¡¯s attack range, Schnee tells him. She strikes with words and with attitude.

    08 reacted. His focus turned to Schnee. Sety took advantage of that opportunity. The earth-colored spear, which had been waiting in the air, was released and thrust at 08¡¯s joints.

    Water/Earthbination skill ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿.

    The speed of the spear was as fast as Schnee and the others, if not faster.

    Yet, the earth-colored spear that pierces the joints was not powerful enough to break through the armor. An ordinary person would be damaged, but a Chosen One would not be much affected. That¡¯s about the extent of its power.

    However, ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ was not an offensive skill to begin with. The moment it hits the armor, the y spear gnashes and crumples.

    As its name suggests, it spread around the joints like mud.

    And the next moment, it stiffens up stiffly. Instead of inflicting near-death damage to render them immobile, they are physically rendered immobile. That was ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    The hardened mud and armor rubbed against each other, making a grinding sound.

    The mud made by Sety¡¯s magic was much harder than metal when it hardened, and even 08 could not escape easily.

    ¡°I have already told you this. We are not here to defeat you. We are here to stop you. If you continue like this, you will eventually break. That would not be what lord Reed would want.¡±

    It¡¯s different from healing injuries by ingesting nutrients like a living creature. No matter how much repair capability you have, there will eventuallye to a limit. He would not want his masterpiece to rot away in some unknown ce. Schnee told 08.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    The hardened mud cracked. At the same time, strange noises were heard from the joints of the 08 and armor.

    The 08 is like a mechanical doll.

    If it ignores the damage to itself, it can temporarily produce an output that exceeds its own durability value.

    ¡°If I can stir Master¡¯s emotions even a little, I will even ept the fact that I will deteriorate.¡±

    I would rather do that than continue to sleep in the dust in a warehouse.

    There was a weight to 08¡¯s words that made one feel that he was serious.

    He also said that it would be if he could achieve results, but he didn¡¯t necessarily have to do so.

    ¡°But, still.¡±

    The wavering magic power began to shine with its original brilliance, or perhaps even more so.

    A few moments to exchange words. In the meantime, he had been preparing for this.

    ¡°I, can¡¯t lose to you guys.¡±

    The wounds on the gauntlet disappear as soon as they appeared.

    Schnee knew immediately that he was concentrating his magical power in one ce to speed up the repair process.

    But her experience working with Shin in the forge tells her that it was a double-edged sword. Sure, the wound healed. But in the long run, it has reduced its lifespan as a weapon.

    It was enough if you can use it now. It is good if itsts only for the duration of this battle. That¡¯s the kind of approach 08 uses.

    ¡°How reckless.¡±

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t lose.¡±

    The mud covering the joints began to break up. Even though he still could only move awkwardly, 08 swung his repaired fist without hesitation.

    Even the sound of the wind seemed to be filled with heat; 08¡¯s will was influencing the magic.

    ¡°For you, and only for you.¡±

    The restraint from ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ shattered.

    Sety fired additional shots, but they were smashed to pieces by the gauntlets.

    The magic power covering the gauntlet continued to be supplied directly from the main body, but the ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ is fired, it is all that.

    The gauntlet¡¯s magic power canceled out the y spear¡¯s magic power.

    08 stepped forward to close the distance. Then, a chain snagged his feet.

    Light art magic skill ¡¾Ark Bind¡¿.

    It was one of the most powerful restraint techniques in the light arts.

    The strategy was to hit ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ to 08 in a row and block his movement.

    It was a lot of work to keep up the ¡¾Ark Bind¡¿ and fire the ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ in rapid session, but Sety could hold out for a while.

    ¡°Gu, ooooOOHH!¡±

    From the front, from the back, from above. It was not possible to strike down all of the ¡¾Mud Capture¡¿ flying from all directions at 08, who were stopped in his tracks.

    Even if he were to head towards Sety, this time Schnee and Filma would stand in his way.

    The shattered mud was also hardened by the earth spear that was shot again. Still, 08 did not stop resisting.

    He no longer had his former speed.

    Even so, the way he continued to advance toward Schnee, who was right in front of him, could be called foolish.

    ¡°Will you stop?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop.¡±

    Even without the ¡¾Ark Bind¡¿, he could no longer move satisfactorily. Even in such a state, 08 did not stop moving.

    ¡°You exchange words with your Master, you make sacrifices, you are given armor, and you are given a role to y.¡±

    The sound of creaking armor. The repeated battles and reckless repairs, as well as the load of trying to shake off the restraints by force. The whole body of the 08 was tormented by these things.

    ¡°Oh, how happy you are! I envy you all. I envy you. I envy you. Why is not my master over there? No. Why is he the only one who came back?¡±

    08 extended his hand.

    There was no intention to attack. Just wanting to get a little closer to something that cannot be reached. That kind of movement.

    Ahead of him was Venna Vaal, who was crumbling, and Shibaid, who was holding up the ¡ºcid Moon¡» and spewing mes.

    And then there was Shin, whonded on the earth with overwhelming magical power.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t understand the helplessness of waiting, believing that you will see each other again someday. You don¡¯t understand the helplessness of waiting, believing that you will see each other again someday, and the emptiness of trying to convince yourself of that with words.¡±

    Resignation seeped into every word. His outstretched hand fell to the ground without effort.

    Schnee gently put her own hand on it.

    ¡°I understand. That much.¡±

    For a moment, a strong light shes in the 08¡¯s eyes.

    What do you know when your Master is by your side? He didn¡¯t say a word, but one could tell that he wasn¡¯t convinced by Schnee¡¯s remarks.

    ¡°I was like that too.¡±

    The hand that had been moving to grab Schnee¡¯s body stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle back. No matter how fragile that hope may be, no matter how impossible it may seem in my head, I still cling to it. I can¡¯t give up.¡±

    The expression on Schnee¡¯s face was not one of sympathy. Nor was it encouragement.

    ¡°I wanted to see him so much that I dreamed about him, but when I woke up, no one was there. Time passed. But my feelings didn¡¯t fade away.¡±

    Emotions were so strong that they could not be forgotten by time. No matter how much time passes, they never disappear.

    ¡°I used to do something simr. When my master returns, he will recognize me immediately. So that he would know that I am still here.¡±

    Spreading the name Schnee Raizar. It was also an act of self-preservation on Schnee¡¯s part.

    ¡°You are me, the one who was never reunited with Shin. You and I are different, but I still say it. I know how you feel.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Book 19: Chapter 3 (9)

    <h4>Book 19: Chapter 3 (9)</h4>

    08 did not deny Schnee¡¯s words.

    A number of counter-arguments came to mind. He was also angry with the words of those who were needed by their master.

    However, he could not express them as clearly in words.

    ¡°Did you also continue to wait?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have. Since the day I saw Shin leave, I have been waiting for him.¡±

    In his conversation with Owl and the others, 08 also asked them about the event called the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±, which took ce more than 500 years ago.

    The emotions in the spoken words did not let 08 dismiss them.

    An event that not only famous people like the High Humans, but also the members who ruled the guild, were all gone.

    They say that only a very small percentage have returned. But that information was hope for 08.

    Even if it is only a small percentage, there were people who had returned. If that is the case, I am sure that Reed wille back too.

    His heart, worn out from the battle, clung to that thought. 08 did not want to think that his master would note back.

    He could not deny Schnee¡¯s words because he knew they were not lies to persuade him.

    He understood that she had endured the same suffering as he had, far longer than he had slept without any logic.

    ¡°That¡¯s, good.¡±

    Her efforts and thoughts were being rewarded.

    He could hear her conversation with Shin. Even the slightest conversation was enviable for 08.

    How can I get him toe back?

    How can I get him to use me?

    As 08 thought about all of this during the battle, he began to lose sight of what he was thinking and saying to himself.

    Was this really what I wanted? Even that seemed to be lost.

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    The man who defeated gods approached with his Dragnil¡¯s subordinate.

    The strength of the magical power that surrounds him, and the intimidating feeling that was unleashed on his surroundings. 08 just felt nostalgic in front of it, which should have been terrifying.

    Shin.

    It was the name of the yer who made him together with his master. Except for the supreme existence of Reed, he was the person who 08 felt closest to.

    Shin called Schnee¡¯s name. Seeing this scene, 08 realized what he really wanted. He became aware of what he wanted.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    The fact that he became aware of this did not mean that anything would change. But he thought that he was prepared to be destroyed for such a trivial thing.

    With no maintenance at all, and repeated battles with the Divine Beast. His vision flickered.

    And he had even used his equipment beyond its limits against Schnee and the others. It was only natural that the damages woulde.

    The core that produced magic power was about to stop. Unlike humans, this would not lead to death, but it was unknown when he would awaken next.

    I have done so much. I will not bother to repair the cause of it. I am now a genuine piece of junk.

    So onest thing. If a miracle were to happen, I would ask only this.

    My Creator. The next time I wake up, please.

    ¡°Call my name¡­ and give me¡­¡±

    His vision faded to ck. After those words, 08 stopped all functions.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°It was over before we got here?¡±

    Schnee and the others stand in front of the 08, which had stopped functioning. Seeing this, Shin was relieved to see that they had somehow managed to control the situation.

    08 was clearly insane, and Shin did not know what he was going to do.

    He had intended to rush over as quickly as possible, but the field was just an icy zone, and Venna Vaal was not going to go down easily.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Shin called out to Sety, who was nearby.

    The atmosphere was a little strange for just after the battle was over.

    Shin noticed that not only Schnee, who was still in the touching hand of 08, but also Filma and Sety looked a little sad.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. More importantly, could you please take a look at his condition? He was pushing himself pretty hard.¡±

    Schnee, who seemed to have heard and was close by before Sety could answer, responded.

    ¡°¡­Okay. Give me some time.¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee and approached 08, thinking it would be better to talkter.

    At first nce, he could see that it hadpletely stopped functioning.

    Since it was damaged but not incapacitated, Shin guessed that the core, which corresponded to the heart in humans, must have gone haywire.

    Although the 08 was also a doll and treated as equipment, it needed a system that specialized in handling information as long as it acted independently.

    The core was the organization that collectively handled the analysis and application of information obtained from the outside, streamlining magical power operations, and optimizingbat behavior. If this core was destroyed, the dolls would not work.

    After having Sety deactivate the ¡¾Mud Capture ¡¿, Shin began examining the exterior first. The core was a delicate part, so a full-scale investigation would have to wait until after the doll was brought back to Reed¡¯s guild house, Miraltrea.

    ¡°It looks like he took it pretty far.¡±

    An examination of the gauntlets revealed that they had a lower durability value than Shin had expected. Some parts were clearly more brittle than others.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s because he forced himself to speed up his automatic recovery.¡±

    Schnee, who was helping with the work, answered Shin¡¯s question. Shin was convinced by the wear and tear on the machine¡¯s exterior after hearing about the condition of 08 at the time.

    ¡°I see. No wonder the exterior strength has been reduced.¡±

    The fast repair was an action that could not have been done in the game era.

    It would be effective if it were a short-term decisive battle, but it¡¯s not hard to imagine that using a method that differs from the original function will take a corresponding load.

    No matter how high the quality of the chimeradite, if the load is too strong, it will break or deteriorate. Even Shin, whose cksmithing skills were at the highest level, was no different.

    ¡°The overall durability of the doll has decreased, but there seems to be some rattling here and there.¡±

    The maintenance of dolls was not the same as that of weapons, where you could disassemble them in a little time and finish them quickly.

    Although it was simplified for the sake of the game, the parts used were still notpared to normal weapons and armor. That was why the cost was well worth the performance.

    ¡°Can you repair it?¡±

    ¡°The exterior can be repaired using only the materials on hand. However, the core of the device must be examined first. If the core is damaged, I don¡¯t know what will happen to the doll¡¯s personality.¡±

    When it was a game, if a doll¡¯s core was destroyed and stopped working, it could be restored by repairing the body or installing a new core. The personality that had been set up would not disappear.

    This was because the doll¡¯s personality data remained on the server that manages the data.

    However, there was no server in the world today that stores the personal data of dolls.

    If there was something like that, it would be a simple matter of time, but neither Shin nor Schnee had ever heard of such a thing.

    If this was the case, then the breakdown of the core means the disappearance of the ego, which was synonymous with death.

    ¡°Is that, so?¡±

    Schnee was disappointed, but Shin was sure that something had happened. As far as he could see, she was not directly harmed, but something that moved her heart.

    ¡°Do you want to save him?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Yes, I do. I don¡¯t want him to rot away like this.¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question clearly.

    ¡°You may have to fight him again.¡±

    ¡°Then when that timees, I will fight him as many times as I have to until he calms down.¡±

    She looked like she was really serious about it.

    Shin didn¡¯t want to let 08 rot away like this; if he thought about 08, he might as well leave it as it was.

    But there was also a part of him that thought that would be too sad.

    He decided to put aside the debate about whether or not this would be good for 08 and decided to get to the bottom of it, just to give it a try.

    Shin examined 08¡¯s entire body, thinking that if 08 attacked again, this time it would be he who would have to deal with it, not Schnee.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hurry with the Hades¡¯ matter?¡±

    ¡°When I came to stop 08, I already knew that I would bete. I¡¯ll have him wait a little longer.¡±

    To Sety, who seemed worried, Shin said bluntly.

    If the situation was such that they had to urgently head there, Hades would try to get in touch somehow. They could make sure that when they make contact with Eleven, they will be able to tell them about it.

    They knew it would take some time when they decided to head toward 08.

    Even by the time they reached the Grandmost Mountains, it had already been quite a few days. The fact that their departure was postponed by a few days was a slight margin of error.

    It was not as if they were not going to head out there in the first ce, nor would they leave it for years.

    Furthermore, they have not promised to go by any particr date. As for Shin, he was willing to give priority to his fellow subordinates in this situation.

    ¡°Is it okay to do so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, as long as 08 is repaired and the return trip is a short one by teleportation. It took us days to get here by carriage, so hurrying now is toote.¡±

    Filma didn¡¯t seem to care to give up an important key, to Sety who was wondering if it was okay to keep the other half of Origin waiting. In fact, what Filma said was reasonable.

    ¡°Well, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything we can do to help, so let¡¯s just survey the area until Berett and the others arrive. The terrain has changed a bit, so maybe we can find something interesting?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course, the terrain will change if two gods go on a rampage,¡± Sety said.

    Sety, perhaps feeling foolish for worrying, followed Filma and began to investigate the ces where the gods had fallen or where their attacks had changed the terrain.

    Even in the game era, there were things like items that normally couldn¡¯t be taken after the gods passed through, and objects destroyed by the gods changed into different materials.

    There were also objects that could not be destroyed by the yers but could be destroyed by the god.

    There were also yers who dared to lead the gods to destroy the objects instead of defeating the gods, and receiving the items.

 Book 1 Special

    <h4>Book 1 Special</h4>

    <b>Until the Day of the First Step</b>

    After she sent off thest customer, Tiera counted how many of each item were left on the shelves. She had plenty of salves used for healing wounds and ss 7 potions, which were ssified as high-ss potions, left over; probably because these were inconvenient to use. The most popr items at present were the middle-ss potions, ss 8 and 9 potions. They were reasonably priced and when you go off on an adventure, you want to take at least one.

    ¡°We have only two bottles left. I should make more.¡±

    She left the ¡®Please Call Us¡¯ sign on the counter and moved to the workshop.

    ¡°Hillock herb, purified water and a spoonful of magic stone powder¡­¡±

    She mixed dried hillock herb with magic stone powder, added rified water and heated the mixture. When thepound dissolved in the rified water, it changed color to light blue.

    Once she made sure that all theponents had dissolved, she poured the solution into a cylindrical container which was around 20 cemels in height and 1 cemel in diameter.

    Then all that was left to do was to put a lid on it.

    ¡°If it¡¯s as easy as this, I might be overconfident with my skills.¡±

    She gently sighed while looking at the ss 8 potion she had made in only half an hour.

    The workshop of Tsuki no Hokora was equipped with the best facilities.

    With these facilities, even Tiera who had just recently started to work as an alchemist, rarely failed unless she worked on challengingpounds.

    Normally, if she used ordinary tools, it would take a day or more to do the same work.

    She had heard of how the alchemists in her homnd had experienced hard times and saw the great works of Schnee, the acting store manager. That helped her avoid bing overconfident.

    Next, she made a ss 9 potion before she was called and then walked back into the store.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡±

    ¡°Hi Tiera. Your fur looks great as usual.¡±

    A catman stood at the counter. He was a regr customer.

    He liked Tiera and often visited the store. However, while Tiera looked like a catwoman to him, this was just an illusion created by Schnee.

    ¡°Sorry, Tiera. Our leader is clinging to you.¡±

    The catwoman spoke with a fed-up look on her face. She belonged to his party and was also a familiar face to Tiera.

    Tiera quickly looked around the store, but she didn¡¯t see the other members of his party such as the wolfman or the dwarf.

    ¡°Wee, good customer. Do you want the usual?¡±

    ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to tell you today, Tiera!¡±

    The man looked serious, while Tiera just showed a business like smile. ¡°Again¡­¡± Tiera muttered to herself.

    In her homnd, she had been famous for her beauty. Elves are generally beautiful but she was outstanding even for an elf.

    Since she started working for the store, Tsuki no Hokora, she had often been approached by men.

    Since she always rejected them, there were fewer suitors that approached her. Nevertheless, some like this catman still tried.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I will still not ept you. You are more like a younger brother to me.¡±

    Elves have much longer lifespans than beasts.

    In fact, Tiera had known him ever since he was a greenhorn adventurer. Although he grew into an experienced adventurer, she still felt as if he was just like a naughty little brother.

    He was disappointed by her answer. The catwoman tapped his shoulder and said, ¡°You see? I told you.¡±

    Officially, her reason for rejecting them was that as a resident of Tsuki no Hokora she didn¡¯t want to bother Schnee by having a rtionship with someone.

    In reality though, she was afraid that she would expose them to danger. She was cursed and ordingly strong monsters were attracted to her. Normal adventurers would be overwhelmed by them. Only someone like Schnee could deal with the monsters she attracted.

    She never wanted to be in the situation where someone was injured or killed because of her. Above all, she feared their reactions, when they discovered that she was a cursed girl who attracted monsters.

    She was still haunted by the sad memory of how the people in her homnd had treated her like a monster 50 years ago.

    ¡°Sigh¡­.¡±

    She leaned on the counter and looked out of the window.

    There were no clouds in the sky and the sun shone down on the trees.

    Tiera went out for a change.

    Closing her eyes, she soaked up the sunlight and felt the wind on her cheeks. It made her smile slightly.

    Leaving the door open, she opened her eyes but soon she looked down at the ground.

    Between Tsuki no Hokora and the forest surrounding it was the boundary of the spiritual barrier that protected the store. It was a boundary for Tiera, too.

    If she stepped outside of the barrier, she couldn¡¯t predict what kind of monster would appear. Furthermore, whichever monster appeared it would attack her without reason.

    She sighed and moved back towards Tsuki no Hokora. Though the border was a bit further, so she could have gone farther, her feet refused to move forward.

    ¡°Well, I will make some sweets.¡±

    She decided to make some sweets to forget unpleasant things.

    Her sweets are one of the most popr items of the store. She reminded herself that she had to make them as recements anyway and went to the kitchen.

    She measured ingredients, kneaded, baked, wrapped them with a stic bag, and then closed the bag with a ribbon.

    There were few sweets in this world, her sweet that contained honey called ¡°Cayfal¡±, which Schnee called financier, was popr with both men and women.

    Some adventurers who have kids came to the store only to buy Cayfal.

    ¡°Good, now I should ce these on the shelf.¡±

    She felt happy whenever she thought about those who told her how much they enjoy it.

    Even without magical power, it made her happy that she could make someone smile.

    ¡°Oop, I have to take care of the store.¡±

    It seemed that nobody came while she made the sweets. But that didn¡¯t mean she could leave the store unattended.

    She reflected, she had focused too much on making sweets, so she sat on a chair at the counter.

    At that moment, as if it were scheduled, the door opened.

    Tiera saw an armored man from Bayreuth Kingdom. After she heard his story, she decided to notify Schnee.

    Dealing with customers, managing items and trying to improve her skills in the workshop, she just repeated this day after day. While she seemed to repeat the same thing every day, no day was exactly the same as any other.

    Days while she waited for Schnee to find a way to break her curse, days when she saw one person after another while the seasons changed. Tiera didn¡¯t realize that these ordinary days would soone to an end.

    Next¡ú

 Book 2 Special

    <h4>Book 2 Special</h4>

    <strong>Keep Hope Alive</strong>

    That person was the first to be a direct follower of the High Human, dubbed the ¡ºDark cksmith¡». Not bound to any country, the Cmity that was endangering the people was repelled by that Heroine.A beautiful High Elf, whose beauty had charmed the Kings of many nations.

    Any of these three could be used when describing the person called Schnee Raizar.

    To be recognized by the great existence known as High Humans, who held overwhelming strength, there is no end to the people nning to win over Schnee. However, none were sessful.

    Uninterested in both power and riches, even gifts of incredible value failed to sway her.When she was surrounded and approached by good-looking gentlemen of noble birth, she just smiled kindly and rejected them.

    The only thing able to sway that Schnee¡¯s heart was info regarding her master, the ¡ºDark cksmith¡», Shin.

    If she hears that a person like that was in the west, then she goes to the west. If she hears that a man like that was spotted in the east, then she goes to the east. Schnee ran with all her strength.

    ¡°Well Tiera, I¡¯m going to clean the entire store. Come get me if you need me.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Someone like her has a daily life.

    People were often threatened by some danger. Most normal issues could be addressed by nations or by the guild of adventurers. If they always had to call on Schnee, national prestige would be at stake.

    Also, it was difficult to get reliable information on Shin. Some seemed shady or was obviously a trap.

    For this reason, she wasn¡¯t as busy as they thought.

    For example, today she would spend the whole day thoroughly cleaning Tsuki no Hokora so that it would always be ready for Shin¡¯s return.

    She let Tiera, an elf who she was protecting, to take care of store and then went to the smithy.

    As nobody had used the smithy now, it was the same as thest time she visited. Nevertheless, she carefully checked to make sure none of tools were dusty.

    Although dust didn¡¯t matter to tools made of the best materials, Schnee faithfully wiped each one in turn.

    After she finished wiping them all, she sat on a chair at the corner and closed her eyes.

    Alone in the room, she felt the silence.

    With her eyes closed, she saw Shin; he was swinging a hammer and hitting iron; she heard the sound that was made every time that his hammer hit the iron. She remembered the days of being with her master. While today Shin was respected as a great cksmith, he was not like that in the beginning. One day he learned a technique which required magical power. However, as he didn¡¯t have enough magical power, Schnee would sometimes have to help him make a sword. The first sword that he had made back then was stored in the storage room that she couldn¡¯t open.

    The more Shin improved, the less he needed her help. Still, she was always there watching him work. Those memories never faded, no matter how many years passed by.

    After a while, she opened her eyes and her master disappeared from view. Now all she could see was the idle furnace and tools without an owner.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    She left the room without saying anything. The smithy was just the first ce that needed cleaning. She moved on to the workshop. Weapons and protectors cannot be made solely of iron. cksmiths need many other materials such as the skins and scales of monsters and chemicals to treat them. As many kinds of materials are used in the workshop, it can easily get dirty. Even though there was a venttion system here, the floors and walls sometimes got sticky. Thus, when Schnee was at Tsuki no Hokora, she cleaned here every day. When she was away, Tiera would clean here every couple of days.

    ¡°¡­Tiera worked here to make recement items. Since she already finished them, she won¡¯t be working here for a while.¡±

    Schnee cleaned up with a brisk efficiency. She carefully wiped the ss door of the shelves. Tiera was surprise at her dedication to cleaning when she just came to Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s done.¡±

    She was satisfied with the shiny floors and walls.

    She continued cleaning Tsuki no Hokora with utmost dedication. She didn¡¯t check Tiera¡¯s room to maintain her privacy. Then again, she didn¡¯t have to do that as Tiera didn¡¯t let her room get messy.

    She took a break to do theundry and prepared a meal, then went back to cleaning. Finally she started to clean Shin¡¯s room. She basically asked Tiera to clean the store, but his room was an exception. Only he or his servant was permitted to enter this room.

    She sat on the bed and looked around the room. There was only a bed, a desk, a shelf with some trophies and basic furniture¡ªthe room was Spartan-like.

    As he wasn¡¯t interested in interior decoration, his room was simple and in in a good way . It was non-descript in other words. She had very few memories of this room. Shin used this room just for sleeping¡ªhe described it as the ¡°logout¡±.

    ¡°¡­just for a little bit, ok?¡±

    She mumbled to herself as shey down on his bed. As he was particr about his tools and furniture, his bed gently embraced her.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Schnee held his pillow and closed her eyes. Perhaps it was partly because she had just finished a meal, she fell to sleep.

    It was 3 pm when Schnee woke up.

    ¡°¡­¡­I did it again.¡±

    She buried her face in his pillow and sighed. She hated herself for what she did in her master¡¯s room. She couldn¡¯t count how many times she had done the same thing. Despite her awareness, she couldn¡¯t help but think; ¡°I could see him in my dreams, I could be allowed to see him in my dreams¡±.

    ¡°I can¡¯t show him myself like this.¡±

    With the thought that he might be disappointed with her, she returned to her normal self. She pped herself on the cheek to wake up. It made a dry sound and dispelled her mncholy mood.

    ¡°I¡¯ve not searched everywhere for him yet. So it might still be possible to find him.¡±

    She stood up and cheered herself up.

    She would keep her hope alive and never give up as long as there was the possibility of finding him.

    Suddenly, she heard Tiera outside. Schnee switched her mood and left Shin¡¯s room. A visitor was with Tiera who asked Schnee to help him investigate the abnormal behavior of some monsters and if necessary, eradicate them.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    She nodded and asked him for details.

    She was waiting for the day when her master came back. She kept her hope that her dream woulde true.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (1)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (1)</h4>

    Shin and his team were contacted by Berett Kilmar, a subordinate of ¡®Golden Merchant¡¯ Reed, one of the Rokuten, and headed for the Grandmost Mountains to stop Reed¡¯s masterpiece, a doll.

    In the Grandmost Mountains, which was said to be the dwelling ce of the gods, Shin and his team had a battle with two gods, but they fought them off and secured the doll.

    Shin told the half-destroyed doll, which was still struggling to prove its existence, the name ¡®Welberad,¡¯ which Reed had told him. By telling him that he had not abandoned the doll, Welberad regained hisposure.

    ?

    ¡°If you need any materials to repair the exterior, contact me. I¡¯ll send it to you right away.¡±

    Owl, the all-purpose doll, nodded in response to Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Thank you. If you need anything, please feel free to contact us. We will do everything we can to help you.¡±

    Owl and his colleagues were to repair the tattered Welberad¡¯s exterior using the facilities at Miraltrea.

    Shin could have done it, but he was reluctant to take up any more time.

    Shin thought that since they had already told Hades they would go to her after they were done with Welberad.

    Shin and the others could move on to their next destination with peace of mind, knowing that Berett would take care of the town at the foot of the mountains.

    ¡°See you then.¡±

    As Shin said this, Owl, Berett, and the others, bowing their heads, disappeared, and lush trees appeared before them.

    Shin and his group had been teleported to where the Moon Shrine was previously located near the Bayreuth Kingdom. They used ¡¾ Hiding¡¿ so that they would not be seen when they teleported.

    ¡°There are some guards here. It must have been quite a while since the Moon Shrine disappeared.¡±

    When Shin was previously teleported to this location, it had not been long since the Moon Shrine had disappeared, and many people seemed to be spy agents or surveince.

    At that time, Schnee¡¯s well-being, the acting owner of ¡°Moon Shrine,¡± had not yet been confirmed, so it was probably inevitable. But now, despite her well-being being known, they still haven¡¯t stopped monitoring because Schnee is a High Elf, a long-lived species. It seems that it is still too early to say for sure that she will not return. Schnee had informed them that it is important to wait patiently because long-lived species can be gone for several years, just like a trip of a few weeks for short-lived species.

    However, since there were no ns to return the Moon Shrine to this location, he felt that monitoring it would be futile, but there was no reason to bother telling them. Shin just said good luck in his mind and left the ce.

    The group headed to a guild in Bayreuth Kingdom. There, they would gather information about the dungeon where Hades was said to be.

    Shin had been to Wraith ins before, but had no idea where the entrance to the dungeon might be.

    The other members didn¡¯t seem to know either, so Shin thought he¡¯d ask if the guild had any information. If they don¡¯t have any information, he¡¯ll have no choice but to head to the ins and look for it.

    ¡°It kind of reminds me of when I came here.¡±

    Shin suddenly mentioned this on the way to the guild.

    When Shin showed the gatekeeper his letter of introduction, the guard was surprised, which was nostalgic.

    He still remembered the face of the gatekeeper who guided him to the guild, but he could not find him.

    He walked from the gate to the guild, stealing nces from people on the street. Yuzuha, the Element Tail, was riding on Shin¡¯s shoulder in her little fox mode.

    Shin was somewhat reminiscent of when he used to attract attention by putting Yuzuha on his head. Although nowadays, he was rather more subdued, as all the members of the group attracted more attention than Yuzuha.

    Since he moved by teleportation and then walked, his carriage was in the item box. So, Kagerou, the Divine Beast Gruefago, hid in the shadow of his partner, Tiera, the elf.

    The group entered the guild and headed straight for the reception desk.

    The receptionist did not seem to have changed, and there was Celica, who took care of the registration, and Els, an acquaintance of Tiera¡¯s.

    ¡°Mr. Shin! It¡¯s been a while. Are youing back?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I have something to do here.¡±

    Although he had not spent much time in Bayreuth, Celica seemed to remember Shin. It had been quite a while since Shin had been teleported from the royal castle to the Sacred ce, but she was still smiling at him as usual. Meanwhile, Els was happy to be reunited with Tiera.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen you at all since I heard you were summoned to the royal castle, so I was wondering what happened to you. But I¡¯ve heard various rumors about you, so I knew you were safe.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either, so it was tough. More than that, I¡¯m worried about what kind of rumors are being spread.¡±

    The ¡®Great Flood¡¯s¡¯ monsters in the fortress city of Balmel must have been well known. Rionne, the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, was also involved in the event. If the princess of their own country had participated in the battle, they would want to know what had happened then.

    Besides, Schnee¡¯s participation in the war must have been conspicuous, and Shin¡¯s nickname, ¡°the shing Hammer,¡± was also widely known. It would not be surprising if rumors and information were spreading other than the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re doing well enough to be worthy of your A-rank status. I thought you were a bit out of the ordinary when you first came to the guild, but it was better than I expected. I see that you are now working together as a party.¡±

    Celica¡¯s gaze turned to the members behind Shin.

    Except for Tiera and Shibaid, the other members had changed their eyes and hair color with disguise items. The reason for this was that with so many members in the group, there was a possibility that some would recognize them as Shin¡¯s support characters.

    Schnee and Shibaid have made a name for themselves through their past deeds.

    However, for former yers and long-lived species who have been alive since before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty,¡± they¡¯d have a strong impression that they were Shin¡¯s support characters.

    It would be fine if each of them were alone, but now almost everyone was gathered together. Furthermore, the leader was a person named Shin. It was not difficult to associate Shin as a yer at this point.

    In the game era of THE NEW GATE, especially since the Death Game began, Shin¡¯s name has be more widely known than he was aware of.

    It was the same even if one were not a yer. For long-lived species, 500 years was just a short time ago, so those who¡¯d notice would also recognize Shin.

    But shouldn¡¯t such measures have been taken earlier? Shin couldn¡¯t argue with that.

    ¡°There are a lot more beautiful people here, Mr. Shin.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t deny it, but Baid is a man, you know?¡±

    Shin said to Celica, who was smiling, while looking at Shibaid.

    Shibaid himself was not in disguise, but he used an alias instead of his real name. Although there were many Dragnil named after the former Dragon King, there were very few who had the exact same name. So Shibaid had a guild card to operate as just an adventurer of Dragnil, not an adventurer known as the former Dragon King. His name was Baid, only the second half of his name, and his adventurer rank was A.

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Mr. Baid, people would have thought it was Mr. Shin¡¯s harem party.¡±

    ¡°¡­I suppose.¡±

    In fact, there were parties like that.

    Except for Shin and Shibaid, all the other women in the room were beautiful. The fact that Shin and Shibaid were there meant that no one was going to mess with them, but they still attracted the attention of the entire guild. If Shibaid had not been there, it is easy to imagine that the murderous nces would have been focused on Shin.

    ¡°I apologize if I have caused any inconvenience to you. However, please be very careful. Troubles among high-level adventurers can cause more damage than those of average people.¡±

    Adventurer¡¯s parties are often made up of people of the same gender.

    No matter what race you are, there is always a love affair or a falling out, and parties that break up due to such problems are a fact of life.

    Shin had heard that it was not umon for parties to break up or for people to leave or be kicked out, although some parties sessfully resolve their problems and continue, and some rtionships are based on nothing more than profit and loss.

    Apparently, there were also one-man parties in which other members supported one talented person, but Shin and the others spoke in a manner that made it clear that this was not the case.

    In fact, Celica continued, there had been an incident in which a part of the wall surrounding the city was damaged due to trouble among the Chosen Ones.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything like that, but I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Shin¡¯s partner has been decided to be Schnee, so there was no such thing as¡­ with the other members.

    However, Shin was a little unsure whether he should mention it here, so he nodded anyway and continued the conversation.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. I came to the guild today to ask you something about the Wraith ins. It seems that you can¡¯t enter deep inside unless you¡¯re A-rank or above, but if there¡¯s a restriction, that means you have reasonable information, right?¡±

    In the past, Shin, along with Sister Rashia and herpanion Wilhelm, who had inherited the church, ventured into the depths of the Wraith ins. He remembered a zone where dangerous high-level monsters appeared, separated by an invisible wall.

    He forgot whether the country or the guild set it up, but the guild must have had something to do with it, since it was restricted by adventurer rank.

    The reason Shin stopped by the guild house in Bayreuth Kingdom instead of heading straight for Wraith ins was that he thought he might be able to ask for such information.

    In addition, since he did not know the location of the entrance to the dungeon in Wraith ins, he thought he would ask for it on the way there.

    ¡°You are asking for information?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. Are there any restrictions?¡±

    Shin asked Celica if there were any restrictions based on adventurer rank, or if there was a need for permission from another organization, such as the country.

    ¡°No, but I can¡¯t talk about it here. I¡¯ll bring you some materials, so please go to the back room.¡±

    Apparently, this was not a topic that could be discussed in the lobby, where some of the new adventurers were also present. Since there were likely to be people listening in, Shin had no objections.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (2)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (2)</h4>

    Along with Schnee and the others, Shin followed Celica down the corridor next to the reception counter.

    They were led to a room about the size of a small office.

    It seemed to be a ce used for discussions with parties. The room was equipped with soundproofing and irvoyance measures, so it seems to be used for trading valuable items or exchanging restricted information such as this one.

    To be safe, Shin also took his measures against eavesdropping and irvoyance.

    ¡°Here are all the documents in the guild.¡±

    Celica, who had left her seat, brought a one-mel-square map and a stack of A4-size papers.

    The map showed the topography of Wraith ins and its surroundings, including the inside of the area where only A-rank or higher could enter.

    ¡°The entrance to the dungeon is said to be located roughly in the center of this restricted area. But no one has actually confirmed it, only in documents. The depths of Wraith ins are infested with high-level monsters. Neither the kingdom nor the guild could afford to send out a precious Chosen One to such a dangerous ce. Besides, I don¡¯t rmend getting too close now, even more than before.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°About a month ago, some higher-level of Skullface began to appear. For now, they only move within a certain range but attack anyone approaching them without mercy. Previously, when simr higher-level Skullfaces appeared, they were fewer in number and instead tried to migrate to nearby forests and beyond. We are still investigating whether this is rted.¡±

    This was probably a reference to a request Schnee had received before meeting Shin again.

    Shin remembered it well, as it was the first time he had seen a Skullface higher level than even the above-average Skullface.

    Now that he had obtained a lot of information, Shin wondered if that was also influenced by Hades. However, he felt that the change was too great to be simply an influence.

    The unique individual, Skullface Lord, had said something at the end, but Shin didn¡¯t know what it was. He didn¡¯t have any clues, so although he investigated the items he recovered, he didn¡¯t know how to use them.

    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine what¡¯s happening near the dungeon¡¯s entrance now. There is a possibility that the higher-level Skullfaces are still there, so I¡¯m hoping that Mr. Shin and party can help us investigate.¡±

    Apparently, they had been thinning out the poption of Skullface in consideration of the possibility of too many of theming out of the Wraith ins. However, at night, they spawned inrge numbers, so, rather than trying to reduce their numbers in a hurry, the adventurers were asked to maintain a certain level of numbers.

    This was because if the number of adventurers who could work were reduced due to overwork, the burden would be ced on others.

    It was rare to find a party like Shin¡¯s where all members were the advanced Chosen Ones. Usually, there were only one or two Chosen Ones in a party, and they were only slightly stronger than the average person. Even in an advanced level party, the party members were not always organized like Shin¡¯s.

    In addition, since Chosen Ones were valuable, they often y an important role as the core of the party. It was not an easy task to gather only such persons to investigate Wraith ins.

    Even if it were possible, a hastily formed party risks the party itself splitting up when trouble urs.

    That was why they wanted Shin and his party to investigate, since they were a single party and had the perfect fighting skills to do the job.

    Chosen Ones alone could not search deep into the dungeon amidst the monsters, so it was inevitable that they had no information about the dungeon entrance area, which they did not even know if it really existed.

    ¡°Well, I understand the situation. So, you¡¯ve been silent since a while ago. Is there something you need?¡±

    Shin turned his attention to Barlux, the guild master who had entered the room with Celica and was sitting on the sofa.

    ¡°No, what the guild wants is just as Celica told you.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the adventurers be more motivated if the guild master told them himself?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not that type of person, are you? My task is to determine if your party is suitable for the job. Well, I quickly learned there¡¯s no need to worry. It¡¯s both encouraging and frightening to see so many powerful people in your party.¡±

    Even though word has spread about their activities in the ¡®Great Flood¡¯ and their investigation of the sea area in Barbatos, not much was known about their party members¡¯ outstanding achievements except for Shin and Tiera.

    Schnee and Shibaid disguised their appearance and identities, and Filma and Seti, who were also Shin¡¯s support characters, were rarely seen by the public.

    They were still unknown in the adventurermunity.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Is it a coincidence? Tiera seems to be a different person than before, is that also a coincidence?¡±

    Barlux took one look at Schnee and the other party members, but did not speak to them.

    Shin didn¡¯t know about Barlux¡¯s battle history, but he must have yed an active role in his current position. He could probably gauge the person¡¯s strength without confirming it directly with the person himself. His face was smiling, but his mood was not light.

    Tiera, the topic of conversation, looked away and answered.

    ¡°Well, I have a lot of experiences that I can¡¯t tell anyone about.¡±

    ¡°I see, looks like you have been through a lot.¡±

    Barlux did not pursue the matter any further. He looked at Tiera with a slightly pitiful look in his eyes, as if he was thinking of Tiera¡¯s hardships.

    There was no significant connection between Tiera and Barlux, but Tiera had visited the guild when she had juste out of the Moon Shrine.

    If Barlux had figured out how strong she was at that time, he would know that Tiera was stronger now than she could have ever been.

    Tiera¡¯s strength was not something that humans in this world could acquire with a little training. Considering that it had not been decades since herst visit, it was not surprising that Barlux would misunderstand that she must have experienced extreme adversity.

    Perhaps the flow of conversation was a little unnatural, but he still couldn¡¯t help but ask the question.

    ¡°Well, anyway, we have business in the dungeon, so inevitably we have to go to the center of the Wraith ins. I¡¯m sorry to say it¡¯s a bit of a coincidence, but I can help you with the investigation before we enter the dungeon.¡±

    If what Eleven, the number 11 Boundary Guardian, said was true, there was a special being called Hades in the depths of the dungeon.

    If nothing else, they would like to enter immediately, but since they were already in the middle of an abnormal situation, they have to at least do some preliminary investigation.

    The most Shin could provide would be the information obtained before entering the dungeon, which he would then pass on to the guild.

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. We don¡¯t have enough information at the moment, so any help will do. By the way, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, could you tell me why you want to go to the dungeon in Wraith ins?¡±

    ¡°Due to the circumstances, I can¡¯t go into too much detail, but I received information that the clue to the case I¡¯m currently investigating is located deep in the dungeon. Since there were no other clues, we decided to go there. Just for your information, we didn¡¯t know about Skullface until after we got here. And we don¡¯t know if the case we are looking into is rted to the appearance of Skullface. But at least, as far as we know, it is unrted.¡±

    Celica said the Skullface¡¯s event started about a month ago. This was slightly different from the time Shin and his group made contact with Eleven. Even if Eleven had some means ofmunication and tried to find Shin and the others ahead of time, the Skullfaces had not left Wraith ins, and releasing arge number of monsters would be too problematic.

    And if Hades were exchanging information with Eleven, she must have some understanding of what goes on outside the dungeon. Then she would not have done it this way.

    It¡¯s not impossible that he could be wrong, but it¡¯s not something that could be concluded here, so for now Shin nned to remain neutral.

    ¡°We are not doubting you either, Shin. As I¡¯ve said many times, there are too many things we don¡¯t know this time. We¡¯d like some information to figure out the situation. If you can help us in any way, we have nothing toin about.¡±

    Wraith ins was situated near the main road leading from Bayreuth Kingdom to other countries. There were also towns along the road, and some countries were located closer to the ins.

    A joint extermination party was organized thest time Skullface went out of the Wraith ins because a higher-level individual¡¯s appearance could affect many countries.

    This time there were also many adventurers from outside the Adventurers¡¯ Guild of the Bayreuth Kingdom, as well as knights and soldiers dispatched from other countries.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how useful it will be, but I¡¯ll give it a shot. So, are you sure you don¡¯t have any other information other than this document.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t hide anything from you, Shin, now that you are an A-rank adventurer. There¡¯s no point in doing something that will cause displeasure when you¡¯re willing to cooperate with us, right? This is really the only document left in the guild. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t done anything, but it¡¯s a matter of location. But I heard some more documents are in the kingdom¡¯s archives. No, I¡¯m not trying to be presumptuous. The documents are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.¡±

    When Shin asked and scrutinized him, Barlux calmly told Shin to wait. The documents from the royal castle need to be processed before they can be taken out, and it seems that permission has finally been granted.

    ¡°In fact, the timing of your arrival is so good that it makes us want to be suspicious of you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t me you, but I can¡¯t say this is a coincidence either.¡±

    Even though it wasn¡¯t intentional, it was true that the timing was so good that Shin thought there might be something going on.

    ¡°All right, that¡¯s all I have to say about the current situation in Wraith ins. And this has nothing to do with the Wraith ins, but if Shines back, I¡¯ve been told to contact the royal castle. Do you have any idea?¡±

    ¡°¡­By any chance, is it Lady Rionne?¡±

    Shin has no other ideas. And she had the personality to say something like that.

    ¡°It seems like you had a prediction. That¡¯s right. I have not been given much information about the situation, but I was constantly reminded to tell her about you as soon as possible and as urately as possible. I¡¯ve heard about your work in Balmel, so I assume that¡¯s what she¡¯s talking about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. She is somewhat interested in me.¡±

    Shin refused to escort Rionne to Bayreuth Kingdom, and they parted ways, but it seemed that she had not given up on him.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (3)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (3)</h4>

    ¡°Since we are meeting in person like this, we have no choice but to report it to the kingdom.¡±

    Barlux said in a way that somewhat implicitly told them not to be straightforward and not just go to the royal castle.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being summoned, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was told to contact them, but I was never told to keep you in custody until the princess came, or to give you the orders toe to the castle. Even if they did, I wouldn¡¯t obey them unless you¡¯re a criminal. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild is not a subordinate organization of the country. Of course, as long as we are active in this country, there is no doubt that we are in a cooperative rtionship and willing to be flexible. But in a case like this, it is up to you to decide what to do. Well, if you haven¡¯tmitted a crime, you¡¯re usually willing to go. I can¡¯t say there isn¡¯t a chance that, perhaps, if you asked, they would let you read the documents on the spot.¡±

    It would be a problem for the guild to lose talented people, but their lives would be more stable if they served the country. Barlux said many adventurers would be tempted to leave the guild and work with the government, considering their future prospects.

    Gadras, the leader of the knights in Bayreuth Kingdom, was also a former adventurer.

    However, in this world, neither was the correct answer.

    If one served a country, they would have to take the lead in fighting when a crisis approached their country. There were battles with monsters and wars between people. When the time came, one would have to fight for their country even if they knew they would die.

    ¡°Right now, I have no intention of serving the country, so I¡¯ll just hide and get by. The documents are expected to arrive tomorrow anyway.¡±

    If he were to use ¡¾Hiding¡¿, he could stay undetected. Since he had no intention of staying here too long, he shouldn¡¯t get involved. If the documents were not loaned to the guild, he might have gone to the royal castle and negotiated with them.

    ¡°Hahaha, I knew you would say that. When I heard the story in Balmel, I thought that you were heading to the aid as a subordinate of Lady Rionne, but your movements after that were clearly different from those of a man serving his country.¡±

    A soldier from the Bayreuth Kingdom would never go to the trouble of surveying the sea of a faraway ce.

    Barlux, being a guild master, seemed to have a detailed grasp of this information, and Shin and the others were listening to the report with half question and half curiosity.

    ¡°Actually, your name has spread quite a lot among Adventurer Guilds. It is rare to find someone who can work on the sea as well as onnd. In fact, we have received requests for your services from the Adventurer Guilds of sea-facing cities and merchant associations engaged in the shipping business.¡±

    Barlux then took out a small bell and rang it twice.

    A momentter, there was a knock at the door, and Celica¡¯s twin sister, Cilica, brought a list of nomination requests addressed to Shin.

    Many adventurers did not stay in one ce, and it seemed that the requests were sent to all guilds.

    As Shin flipped through the list, he saw a few familiar names.

    ¡°That old man didn¡¯t give up, did he?¡±

    Shin smiled, remembering the dwarf who had snorted when he saw the ship Shin took out from the item box in Barbatos.

    There were a few other requests here and there, such as oceanographic surveys and escorts for transport ships, and some of them ¨C though not quite on par with the Golden Company ¨C were big enough to be called major.

    The contents were, as one might expect, rted to the sea.

    The fact that they had entered those waters and returned without a scratch, even if it was to search for the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos, Cook¡¯s guild house, was apparently quite appealing to those working in the shipping industry.

    ¡°I would take it if I had free time, but it¡¯s not possible right now. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be free, so please let me decline.¡±

    ¡°I see. I have a suggestion, how about refusing only those jobs that are close to the deadline? We don¡¯t want you to forget that you have a nomination request when you are free in the future.¡±

    There were two types of requests: those that were as urgent as possible and those that could be done at any time within a certain period.

    It seemed that refusing to ept anything immediately could damage one¡¯s reputation. Of course, there were parties that didn¡¯t ept nomination requests at all, but they were not viewed favorably.

    While Shin didn¡¯t care much about his reputation as an adventurer, there was no need to go out of his way to damage it.

    With Barlux¡¯s advice, ¡°That reputation can help you,¡± he decided to hold off on responding to the request, which had a deadline to meet, and would consider whether or not to ept itter. Although he believed that personalities were the most important thing, reputations were not to be underestimated either.

    Shin and his party left the guild after making a promise to meet Barlux tomorrow at 2 p.m. If they had not had their watches with them, the appointment would have been more vague.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After leaving the guild, the group headed for Bear Point Pavilion, the inn where Shin was first amodated in the early days. Due to the trouble of being teleported to Balmel, he didn¡¯t have the chance to say goodbye to the inn.

    They could have left the gate and put up the Moon Shrine, but the next day they would be back in Bayreuth again. It would be somewhat suspicious behavior for those who did not know this. And since it was a good opportunity, he decided to stay at the inn again.

    The bustling noise leaked in through the entrance door.

    Shin opened the door with a nostalgic feeling.

    Bear Point Pavilion was thriving as usual. Perhaps because it was almost dinner time, there were men who looked like adventurers, a group of merchant-like people, and other people who looked like ordinary people at the table.

    ¡°Wee to¡­Ahh!!¡±

    It was Tsugumi, the daughter of the owner of this inn, who called out to Shin.

    Tsugumi, who had been staring at Shin¡¯s face for a moment after greeting him as a waitress, suddenly shouted out loud.

    From this reaction, Shin thought she remembered him, but then he reconsidered and thought that Schnee and Tiera were more likely to make an impression on her than him. They had not spent a long time together either.

    ¡°Um, it¡¯s been a while. Do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not been a long time! I heard you went to the castle, but the person you were with suddenly said she didn¡¯t need change and left a bunch of gold Jul coins behind. My whole family was wondering what to do!¡±

    It seemed like she remembered them well. Apparently, the amount of money left on the table far exceeded the cost of the stay.

    ¡°I had a little trouble. And she was in a hurry, so it wasn¡¯t that bad. Right, Schnee?¡±

    Schnee must have been a bit distracted because it was right after Shin had been teleported away to Balmel at the time. Though it was better than not having enough.

    ¡°Yes, I had to hurry at that time. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡±

    Tsugumi¡¯s momentum was halted when Schnee bowed to her. She noticed that a customer sitting nearby was watching her, so she lowered her volume and continued.

    ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m notining. It¡¯s fine because we were trying to make money. It was a bit of an amount that I was reluctant to receive at once. I mean, there¡¯s a limit to how much you can receive. If you all stay the night, you don¡¯t need to pay for half a year.¡±

    ¡°Half a year¡­¡±

    Shin chuckled as he wondered how much money she had put down. The number of people in the party had doubledpared to that time.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s end this conversation. This time, we¡¯ll stay here like other regr customers, so I¡¯ll pay you normally.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need it! You are giving me too much! Here, write down the name of the representative. How will we allocate the rooms? We only have single or double rooms.¡±

    Having said that, Shin felt reluctant to use six single rooms.

    ¡°Three double rooms are fine, right?¡±

    When Shin suggested a room for two, she had no objections.

    The rooms were divided intobinations of Shin and Shibaid, Schnee and Tiera, and Filma and Sety. When they stay at the inn, they basically have one room for two men, and the rest of the women are appropriately paired up. Since no one had a particr dislike for anyone, the decision was made easily.

    ¡°Here is the key to your room. What about food? We can have it sent to your room right away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go down to eat.¡±

    Shin enjoyed eating local food. But he had not been able to enjoy them much because of all themotion.

    The foods at Bear Point Pavilion were as tasty as ever and different from Schnee¡¯s home-cooked meals. Shin and his party were the center of attention, but no one bothered them, and they were able to rest quietly for the day.

    By the way, Tsugumi excitedly asked Shin how he gathered such a beautiful group of peopleter.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (4)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (4)</h4>

    The next day. After leaving Bear Point Pavilion, Shin and his group visited the church orphanage.

    After the rescue mission for the kidnapped Millie, Shin was swept away to Hinomoto while traveling on a ship and since then had not been in contact.

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it Mr. Shin! It¡¯s been a while!¡±

    Rashia, who had learned ¡¾Purification¡¿ and had officially taken over the church, was the first to notice Shin and the others. She seemed to be cleaning the garden and had a broom in her hand. Standing before Shin and the others, she straightened her back and put on a serious expression.

    ¡°Rashia?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you, we can survive without destroying the orphanage. Once again, I would like to thank you.¡±

    The broom in her hand made it awkward, but her voice and gestures were very polite and conveyed that she was speaking from her heart. She wore a solemn aura, unlike how she screamed against undead monsters.

    ¡°I heard that you also helped Millie and helped expose the fraudmitted by the priest. Thank you very much.¡±

    It was supposed to be her first time meeting Schnee and Shibaid, but she must have heard about their cooperation, and Rashia once again bowed to everyone.

    Rashia was teary-eyed, probably ovee with emotion as she recalled that time.

    ¡°No, I just couldn¡¯t overlook it. Besides, I also had something to gain, so it¡¯s a win-win situation. Right guys?¡±

    Shin, who had not expected Rashia¡¯s behavior, spoke to Schnee and the others in as cheerful a tone as possible.

    Although it was a coincidence, they rescued the former yer Milt from being manipted and released Filma after being sealed in the ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯.

    If Shin had not been involved in the church incident, Milt might have been used as a fighter for the Summit Faction, and Filma might have remained sealed up or been used for evil purposes. He didn¡¯t receive a reward for saving Millie, but he did get something in return. Shin felt a little ufortable if they were too formal about it.

    ¡°The church has saved many people, and it is natural for us to work together to overthrow the unscrupulous people who stand in the way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Besides, they tried to kidnap Millie and use her, so it¡¯s a deserved retribution.¡±

    Picking up on Shin¡¯s intention, Shibaid and Tiera spoke to Rashia. Schnee also smiled gently.

    Rashia, perhaps sensing the mood, rushed to exin.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to make you all ufortable. I¡¯ve been getting a lot of help, so I wanted to say at least thank you.¡±

    ¡°No worries, let¡¯s make ourselvesfortable with each other. What about Millie? Wilhelm was with her, so I trust her to return safely.¡±

    Shin had left Millie in Wilhelm¡¯s care, so it was understandable that he was concerned.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well. She had a somewhat eye-opening experience, so she¡¯s a lot more mature than before.¡±

    Rashia smiled as she said that Millie was leaving the orphanage less frequently. However, it seemed that she had not stopped. It was also when she was sneaking out that she met Shin, so perhaps she was not sneaking out just to satisfy her curiosity.

    As Shin was thinking about this, he noticed multiple presences approaching.

    ¡°Brother Shin!¡±

    It was Millie who took the lead and jumped on him. The children from the orphanage followed her, and then Sister Thoria came up behind them.

    ¡°Mwah!¡±

    Shin was reminded of Yuzuha doing the same thing when he was rubbing her head as she hugged him.

    Shin stroked her head in the right spot, and she, in turn, moved her head that way. Somehow Shin felt like he was dealing with a beloved cat.

    He looked at the kids who had caught up with him, and they opened up a little distance, looking alternately at Shin and behind him.

    Behind Shin was Shibaid. The Dragnil¡¯s huge body would make the children look up at him and might be hard for children to approach.

    However, rather than being scared, the children¡¯s expressions were a mixture of interest and wariness. Since Shibaid was acquainted with Shin and Tiera, their interest outweighed their fear.

    Nheless, it seemed that even in this world, Dragnil was considered cool, and it was no illusion that the boys¡¯ eyes seemed to be shining.

    ¡°This dragon person here also helped us to save Millie. He¡¯s a good person, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Tiera said, and the children slowly approached and bowed their heads. Like Rashia, they thanked them for helping Millie. Not to the individual, but most likely to everyone.

    ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t Wilhelm here?¡±

    Shin said, looking around as he responded to the children. Wilhelm was not at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, so Shin wondered if he was here.

    ¡°Brother Wil is at work. He said he¡¯s going to defeat a skull or something?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean the Skullface subjugation?¡±

    Although Wilhelm had no party, hisbat powerpletely differed from an ordinary party¡¯s. His weapon had been strengthened, so his ability was several levels higher than before he rescued Millie.

    While Wilhelm may have appeared blunt, he was a kind man who cared about the children. He was among the few people who saw Shin¡¯s fight with the unique Skullface firsthand. He might also be wary of the possibility of another one like it appearing.

    ¡°Is there something you need from Wil?¡±

    Rashia tilted her head.

    ¡°I wanted to ask him a few questions about Wraith ins. There seems to be a bit of amotion.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s not a big deal at the moment, but if it continues, I might not be able to say that anymore,¡± said Rashia.

    It seemed that even the townspeople were also starting to hear rumors. They do not appear on the roads, and there is no direct damage, so it is still only a rumor.

    When Shin first arrived here, merchants and adventurers were attacked by Skullface, which appeared in the forest. He remembered some people heard the adventurers talking about it.

    People from all walks of lifee to the church, including those whoe to pray and those who wish to be cured of injuries and illnesses. Rashia said that since there are different types of people, she can find out somewhat how such rumors are spread.

    Shin had requested information as a reward when he had her learn ¡¾ Purification¡¿, so she was conscious of remembering even the smallest conversation.

    When she took notes and summarized them, she said excitedly that she was surprised to find more information than she expected.

    ¡°Come to think of it, did I request that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot about that¡­¡±

    Rashia was stunned, but Shin was hardly aware of the reward at the time. He just wanted a reason to lend a hand.

    ¡°My bad. Also if Wilhelm is there, it should be okay even if the number of monsters increases a little, and we n to help out a bit. So when the timees, I¡¯ll blow them away all at once.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    Shin said it jokingly, so Rashia seemed to take it that he hadn¡¯t really forgotten. She responded in a light tone that matched Shin¡¯s.

    She and Wilhelm must have seen Shin reap Skullfaces, but she was quite confused at the time, so she may not remember it.

    ¡°So, aside from that, I came today to find out how Millie was doing after that incident. I couldn¡¯t spend much time with her because of the trouble. From what I saw, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything out of the ordinary about her.¡±

    Shin decided to send Wilhelm a message cardter and changed the subject.

    While Rashia and Shin were talking, Millie was running around the square in front of the orphanage riding on Yuzuha, who had grown a little bigger than her.

    Previously, Yuzuha had run away to Millie after being pulled by the children who had gathered around her. However, when she was big enough for a child to ride, the children at the orphanage did not needlessly pull her tails and whiskers. Perhaps Yuzuha had learned that if she remained small, she would be again used as a toy by children.

    ¡°I agree. She didn¡¯t want to leave Wil when she returned, but now she¡¯s doing the same as before.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    Earlier, Rashia mildly described the experience as ¡°eye-opening,¡± but it could have been traumatic.

    However, from what Rashia said, that did not seem to be the case, and Shin breathed out a sigh of relief for a moment. Mental trauma could not be healed by recovery magic; Shin could not do anything about it.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, what do you tell the other kids about Millie?¡±

    ¡°I told them that she had gone out for a while. Fortunately, no other children besides Millie saw her at the crime scene.¡±

    Fortunately, Millie was the only one who came to the crime scene.

    Rashia¡¯s wounds were quickly healed with Shin¡¯s items, and both Millie and Wilhelm returned safely. They also wiped up the blood at the scene so no one would know they were injured.

    Some of the orphans were beasts. The children with a sharp noses might have noticed by smell that something had happened, but Rashia and the others stayed the same, so they didn¡¯t poke at them.

    ¡°It¡¯s over now, so if they don¡¯t know, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    The original culprit was eliminated. There was no guarantee that someone with knowledge of Millie¡¯s power would not do something simr, but the danger had been greatly reduced. There was no need to go out of your way to tell the other children.

    The orphans were divided into two groups: those chasing Yuzuha, Millie¡¯s ride, and those ying with Schnee and her group.

    It all started with Millie and Yuzuha, but the child who had begged Tiera to y with her made the same request this time. Starting with Tiera, who was already popr with the orphans, other members also seemed to have gathered orphans.

    The boys either followed Yuzuha or went to Shibaid. The girls either approached the women they were interested in or went to Shibaid.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that they were wary of him initially.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s quite fond of children.¡±

    Shin and Rashia look over to see Shibaid walking with the orphans on both shoulders. The boys were on the right, and the girls on the left. Both were cheering and frolicking. The children who couldn¡¯t get on were clinging to his arms or hanging on, but his strong arms didn¡¯t budge.

    When the child clinging to him was about to fall, he deployed a small defensive barrier to catch the child. Shibaidter told them that he used to do the same thing in the early days of his empire¡¯s establishment.

    Shibaid would take turns carrying the children who begged him, ¡°I¡¯m next!¡±, ¡°Then me!¡±. Some of the older children were also mixed in there.

    ¡°I guess you could say he¡¯s the most popr.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me and Thoria who deal with the children. Many other women havee here also. So the children don¡¯t get to y like that very often.¡±

    Not that there weren¡¯t men who would be willing to y with the children. However, few of them were ustomed to ying with children, so it was a bit awkward for them. The situation seemed different for those who y with the children instead of those who receive them.

    After leaving the orphanage and starting work, they were already adults in the world. It was not easy to change jobs, and it was difficult to make a living unless you had a job.

    They must learn to work hard to make a living and cannot think about ying. Rashia said that¡¯s probably why she was worried.

    Shin did not know what to say to this reality, which was harsher than he had imagined. Even the children smiling innocently would eventually have to contend with this reality.

    While she was thinking about this, some boys approached Shin and the others.

    They were probably waiting for them to finish their conversation.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong? Is it me? Or is it Rashia?¡±

    ¡°Um, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    A few of the boys pointed toward Shibaid.

    Oh, that¡¯s what the kids wanted, Shin thought.

    Many of the children were excited to be on his shoulders or hanging from his arms, but only Shibaid was currently doing that. The women were either fussing with the little ones or ying make-believe with the girls, making it difficult for the boys to get close to them.

    Sety was the only one being chased by the children, and there must be a childish reason for it.

    Schnee and the others could easily carry a child on both shoulders if they wanted to.

    But it would be unreasonable to expect a child to know what they were capable of, and even if they did, a boy would probably be too embarrassed to hold on to them.

    Shin, however, was different. He was not as big as Shibaid, but his physique wasn¡¯t bad either. He had once visited the orphanage, so his personality was somewhat well-known. And above all, they were both male. It was easier to ask for a favor.

    ¡°All right! Those who want to ride on my shoulders, line up! Take your turn!¡±

    Shin announced with a smile, trying to make it as casual as possible. In these circumstances, he couldn¡¯t say no to the children.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

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 Book 20: Chapter 1 (5)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (5)</h4>

    ¡°It was strangely noisy, what the hell are you doing, man?¡±

    Shin stopped counting how many times he had put the children on his shoulders, and then he heard such a voice.

    He turned toward the voice and saw a man standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

    It was Wilhelm Avis, the adventurer who had once apanied Shin to the Wraith ins for Rashia to learn purification. Next to him stood Milt.

    As for Milt, Shin wasn¡¯t surprised to see her as she was on her way to y with the kids and informed him that she would be arriving in Bayreuth soon. However, Shin was a little surprised to see her with Wilhelm.

    ¡°As you can see, this is what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Shin gently raised his arms and shoulders. The children on his shoulders were amused by his movements, and they were urging him to do it one more time.

    ¡°What about you, Wilhelm? I thought you were going to deal with the Skullfaces.¡±

    While greeting Milt, Shin said he was about to send Wilhem a message card.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I was assigned an area for a certain period, but it ended a while ago, and I was reced. Also, I just met this runt at the entrance.¡±

    Wilhelm said, pointing his thumb at Milt.

    Apparently, Chosen Ones and high-ranked adventurers were fewer in their respective areas, and yet they were given arger area to cover. The number of Skullfaces that should be killed was also set as a guideline because it would be a problem if they were to spring up all at once.

    ¡°When I tried to enter the building, I bumped into this guy.¡±

    ¡°I thought you came to pick up where we left off, but then they said you wereing.¡±

    In the past, Wilhelm was temporarily controlled by a Demon in an incident during which a church saintess was taken away, and he fought with Milt at that time.

    Contrary to her petite and cute appearance, Milt¡¯s fighting ability was overwhelmingpared to adventurers who specialize in defeating monsters. Since they were unable to settle the matter, they were talking about the next time if they wanted to fight again.

    Incidentally, Milt was now wearing the same ¡ºOriental Battle Garb¡» that she was wearing before joining Shin. The upgraded ¡ºFlowing Grace Garb¡» stood out in many ¡®ways¡¯, so Shin had it newly made at Milt¡¯s request.

    ¡°Not that I didn¡¯t think about it, but I¡¯m not going to do it right now¡­and Ie here for my own personal enjoyment.¡±

    ¡°Hey, your words and actions don¡¯t match.¡±

    Milt was hugging Shin around the waist with a smile on her face. Both his arms were in use to support the children, so she clung herself to the free spot for now. Because of the children, Shin could not dodge.

    ¡°We can settle it anytime when you¡¯re free, Milt. Also aren¡¯t you letting your guard down, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Wilhelm took his gaze away from Shin, who had a question mark on his face, and looked at the square. Immediately after, a chill ran down Shin¡¯s spine.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. This is to show that I¡¯m not someone to be wary of, and I¡¯m not thinking about any benefits.¡±

    As if trying to make an excuse to someone else, Shin immediately moved to get away from Milt. Milt felt the same thing and moved away without protest.

    Then, mysteriously, the chilling sensation disappeared.

    Wilhelm¡¯s eyes seemed to tell Shin, ¡°You¡¯re a daredevil, aren¡¯t you?¡±. He seemed to have guessed how Schnee would react.

    ¡°M-More importantly, I would like to ask you about the situation.¡±

    With a gut feeling that he shouldn¡¯t continue this topic, Shin asks what he had nned to ask in the message card.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being hush-hush about it.¡±

    Wilhelm started speaking by saying that he only knew what he knew.

    The area he was in charge of seemed to have more high-ranking monsters than in other areas, and Queen and King ss individuals also appeared.

    However, the strength and equipment were generally known, and no monsters had been found equipped with special armor like the ones Schnee had fought before.

    In addition, despite the Skullface being a high-ranking individual, its movements were slow, and depending on how it fought, even ordinary adventurers could buy time.

    ¡°The Skullfaces are as tough and strong as always, but they move more slowly. If you focus on evasion, you won¡¯t be defeated that easily, you know? Adventurers from other areas and knights visiting from other countries did not suffer any major damage. Usually, even if the number is small, it causes more damage; The fact that there are fewer of them is not a bad thing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing, but it¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what it is. To me, the Skullface is the same as a mere sandbag.¡±

    An average adventurer would have difficulty defeating the Skullface because of its durability. Still, it was not an opponent that could not be defeated if one had a certain amount of attack power.

    For Wilhelm, whose attack power and speed were far superior than the average adventurer, it seemed to be just like a mere target.

    The children on Shin¡¯s shoulders and those waiting their turn around him were either excited or relieved to hear Wilhelm¡¯s story.

    Although this man was feared in the adventurermunity, he was also a hero to the children at the orphanage.

    Wilhem continued.

    ¡°Next is¡­ Uh, you guys go y over there with her for a second¡±

    ¡°Ehh?¡±

    The children should not hear this. Shin had guessed this, so he put down the children who then voiced their dissatisfaction, and pointed at Milt, promising to do it againter.

    ¡°Here, she will y with you until we finish talking.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Milt was surprised when the topic was suddenly changed.

    ¡°Hmm. In that case, let¡¯s y chase. If you can catch me, I¡¯ll reward you with sweets.¡±

    After saying that, Milt started running slowly, and the children all started chasing after her.

    Milt was small and didn¡¯t look intimidating, acquainted with Shin, and rewarded them with sweets as an added bonus. It seemed that these were enough to eliminate the children¡¯s hesitation.

    ¡°(I leave it to you,)¡± he sent via voice chat ¨C also known as ¡®Mind Chat¡¯ ¨C and Shin moved to a corner of the za with Wilhelm.

    ¡°So, do you have something to tell me, Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something that needs to be hidden, but just in case. The one you defeatedst time was a Lord ss, right? I thought I¡¯d let you know that no one seems to have seen anything like that. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if it came out again. The other thing is¡­ I guess right now, there¡¯s nothing that can exin this situation or solve it.¡±

    It seemed that Wilhelm told the stories about the King and Queen sses to reassure the children. As an adventurer, if he made a mistake, he could lose his life. There were probably some kids who were worried about Wilhelm.

    Shin had only seen the additional information of the Lord ss once. The items he recovered that time were still in his item box.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to the Wraith ins¡¯ center, have you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve poked around ande back, but I¡¯ve been instructed not to provoke the monsters inside. Well, you¡¯re going anyway, so I guess it¡¯ll work out somehow.¡±

    Wilhelm spoke lightly, as if the situation had already been resolved.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily rted to what we¡¯re investigating.¡±

    ¡°Even if that were the case, I don¡¯t think someone so good-natured as you, that going out of their way to stick their noses in the turmoil of a church, would leave this situation alone.¡±

    Although they had only known each other briefly, it seemed like they knew each other¡¯s personalities. Shin could not deny that if there had been no incident involving Hades, he would have helped resolve this situation if he had known about it.

    ¡°Ok I give up. We have business in the dungeon in Wraith ins. Do you know anything about it, WIlhelm?¡±

    ¡°A dungeon? I¡¯ve heard that it exists, but I¡¯ve never heard of anyone diving into it.¡±

    In unknown dungeons, one could find items and weapons that have never been found before, and some people specialize in searching for such items and weapons.

    However, there were restrictions just to enter the Wraith ins¡¯ center, and furthermore, there was no guarantee that there would be an entrance within it. Even the guilds had very little documentation.

    As Barlux mentioned, it was not realistic to expect adventurers who were qualified to go around looking for the entrance to a dungeon, that may or may not be there, while defeating high-level monsters. They would not ept it unless they were offered a great reward.

    Wraith ins was not that dangerous except for its central area, so guilds and countries would want to send their adventurers and soldiers to the more urgent areas.

    ¡°Right. Given the situation, the dungeon would be full of undead. These kinds of dungeons are not very profitable regarding materials and items. Even those making money in undiscovered dungeons don¡¯t bother trying to get their hands on them, you know? Even if they do find them, hardly any people can explore them, and they probably don¡¯t get any reward either.¡±

    Thest and biggest reason why the dungeon in Wraith ins was neglected. It was the fact that it was not very profitable.

    The materials for undead monsters had limited use, so there was little demand for them.

    Even in games, dungeons with undead monsters often had poor items, and it seemed this was still the case today.

    In the game, cursed equipment and items of limited use were often dropped. However, although the probability was low, there were times when first-ss healing potion (Potion One), first-ss magic recovery potion (Ether One), and even more rarely, cure-all potion (Elixir) could be obtained. So it was not at all unpopr.

    In addition, it was sometimes possible to obtain an Elixir of Life (Revival Potion) in the early days, which was difficult to make, and Shin had dived for it on several asions.

    Taking these circumstances into ount, it was not surprising that there were a few who would dive for it. Shin remembered the game, and wondered about it.

    ¡°Hey, Wilhelm. Is there anyone who can make a Revival Potion right now?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh?¡±

    There was no particr intention behind that question.

    However, when Wilhelm heard this, his mood changedpletely, and he put heavy pressure on Shin, as if he was in a battle.

    ¡°¡­I apologize if I offended you. Really, I was just curious.¡±

    ¡°Are you really curious? ¡­Ah, no, I see. Come to think of it, you¡¯re one of those so-called ¡®yers¡¯.¡±

    Satisfied with Shin¡¯s attitude and lines, Wilhelm dispersed the tense atmosphere.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ms. Schnee tell you about that?¡± Continued Wilhelm.

    ¡°Ms., Schnee?¡±

    Shin raised an eyebrow as he was ufortable that Wilhelm was calling her ¡°Ms.¡±.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (6)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (6)</h4>

    ¡°Huh? Are youining about what I call her?¡± Wilhelm asked.

    ¡°No, adventurers often called each other names; I thought you would call her Raizar or something.¡±

    The background behind a support character¡¯s name ¨C the part such as Raizar, Tolmeya Etraku, etc. ¨C corresponded to the family name in this world.

    In this world, where it was not umon for ordinary people to have only a first name, unless they were nobles, the basic rule was to call them by their first names. However, famous people like Schnee were often called by their family name, if they had one.

    Shin didn¡¯t know because Wilhem didn¡¯t have a chance to call Schnee thest time they went out together, so Shin had assumed that Wilhem would just refer to her by family name.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that calling her on a first-name basis is only allowed if it¡¯s you or other ¡®sapot kyaraters*¡¯, right? Most adventurers with whom I knew usually call her Ms. Schnee. Other than that, well, it depends on the person. Still, there aren¡¯t many people who call her family names like that. Not the Raizar part.¡± (TLN: Wilhelm can¡¯t pronounce ¡®support characters¡¯ words correctly in the raw)

    ording to Wilhelm, adventurers who get carried away sometimes get beaten up for being too friendly. There was a deep-rooted belief in adventurers that strength equated to greatness, and it was said that some Chosen Ones did not listen to the instructions and advice of their predecessors for this reason.

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t care about that. It¡¯s about what happened earlier. Don¡¯t mention that bloody item,¡± continued Wilhelm.

    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±

    It was one of those items that one could take for granted in a certain sense in the game. Of course, there was no doubt that it would be a big problem if it existed. However, it was no exaggeration to say that this world had beenpletely influenced by the game THE NEW GATE. So it should have been possible for it to exist.

    ¡°It¡¯s more than magic that affects the mind. If people know you have it, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for someone to try to kill you¡­ no, they definitely will.¡±

    Apparently, Revival Potion existed in this world as well. It was an item that any yer who seemed to have reincarnated from the game would have. Shin thought that if the effect was real, it would be traded at a tremendous price, but from Wilhelm¡¯s tone, it didn¡¯t seem to be that simple.

    ¡°It can be obtained in dungeons, but if even the slightest bit of information is leaked, the owner will turn into a corpse the next day. There are even stories that say that. It¡¯s like a fairy tale to us, but not to you. Damn, why haven¡¯t you talked about this?¡±

    ¡°You know what? Believe it or not, yers back in the day were immortal. The potion was also considered amon medicine to revive the yer from an incapacitated state. I think that¡¯s why I don¡¯t talk about it since it¡¯s amon item.¡±

    Even though they had known each other for a short time, Shin knew Wilhelm¡¯s personality. That¡¯s why he talked about it, including spection.

    Except for special cases such as intentional character deletion or ount deletion by management, the yer ¨C more precisely, the avatar ¨C never died. Although it was recorded as death on the system, it was simply a state of being unable to fight, which was different from death in this world.

    At the beginning of the game, Shin was basically only dealing with monsters that he could defeat, and halfway through, he no longer died due to his overwhelming status. That¡¯s not to say he wouldn¡¯t have died at all, but Shin was a cautious fighter, so he wouldn¡¯t have died in a situation where he would have taken Schnee and the others with him.

    Furthermore, in the game era, yers never really died; they were resurrected even when defeated by monsters. For Schnee, Shin¡¯s disappearance would literally mean that he would be teleported from this world, or disappear in some way, and he would not be expected to die.

    Shin would not want anyone in his party to be revived, if possible.

    ¡°Immortality, you say¡­? Does that mean you too?¡±

    Wilhelm asked with an expression as if to say, ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Shin, however, kept a serious expression on his face.

    From the perspective of humans in this world, this may seem far-fetched, but Wilhelm knew that Shin was a High Human.

    This was a serious statement from a being who lived in the past. Wilhelm was not so hard-headed as to deny it out of hand.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s probably not anymore. There was something called the ¡®Dusk of Majesty¡¯, I think that¡¯s when our immortality disappeared.¡±

    Although he has never actually died in this world, something intuitive convinced Shin that he could not return after death.

    ¡°Though, if you ask me, it¡¯s a funny thing. It¡¯s not hard toe up with some sort of reason why Schnee didn¡¯t tell me about that potion. But it¡¯s kind of weird that I never thought of it.¡±

    It was true that they were not in a situation where they would need to use it.

    However, there was no doubt that the Revival Potion was an item that one must test to see how it worked and whether it was effective. Anyone would agree to this if asked.

    Raising the dead, something that has been considered and concluded to be impossible in the real world, was something that can only be done in fantasy. But in this world, it may be a feasible concept.

    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s the shackles of the old generation.¡±

    Wilhelm, who had remained silent for some time, said something. The sound of the words stirred up a negative image.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°People today don¡¯t question it, and people who have been around for a long time don¡¯t think about it. That¡¯s what it meant. You should do this, you should check this. Don¡¯t do that, don¡¯t think about it. Like you did this time.¡± (TLN: Basically a boomer)

    Wilhelm continued that it was not a physical issue, but rather a difference in thinking between the new generation and the old generation.

    ¡°Not all of them are like that,¡± Wilhelm said, ¡°but those who are known as ¡®sapot kyaraters¡¯ tend to be more so. The guy who taught me this said that the more people know about the ¡®gemu¡¯ era, the more likely they are to be like that.¡±

    Among Shin and the others, Tiera was the only one of the new generation. Perhaps Tiera did not think that reviving elixir or reviving magic actually exist, or perhaps she didn¡¯t know the words themselves. Because she doesn¡¯t think it exists, she didn¡¯t ask Shin and the others.

    And because of the shackles of the old generation, Shin and his friends don¡¯t even think about it even though they have the goods and the means. That¡¯s why they came this far without anyone noticing. Wilhelm said that¡¯s probably the case.

    ¡°How did you know that potion really exists, Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°I had a lot of trouble with that in the past. I knew about it, but I didn¡¯t know much more than that. And it doesn¡¯t matter if I knew it or not. Some people have thought about raising the dead. I¡¯m no different. As adventurers, death surrounds us.¡±

    I want to bring the dead back to life; The more people who have lost loved ones to illness, idents, or attacks, the more they think about it.

    They want to get back their loved ones, their family, their friends, someone they lost. They want to see them again, to talk to them again.

    Sometimes, the death of someone close to one¡¯s heart is so painful and agonizing that it can even cause mental illness.

    Therefore, even if it is just a dream, it is something to think about. They wonder if there is a way to bring the dead back to life.

    ¡°It¡¯s like I want it to work, but I also don¡¯t want it to work.¡±

    It¡¯s more of a problem in the current situation, but if the potion really works, it will serve as insurance against emergencies.

    Shin took out a Revival Potion in card form from his item box.

    The all-purpose healing potion, Elixir, which restores HP and abnormalities, was golden in color. On the other hand, the Revival Potion that brings back life was silver in color. The substance itself was liquid, which itself emits a slight luminescence.

    When drunk or poured over the yer, the Revival Potion would take effect, reviving the yer with 10% of his or her HP.

    ¡°Hey, no way, it can¡¯t be that.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know if it was a card, right?¡±

    ¡°Put it away!¡±

    Shin obediently obeyed Wilhelm, who said he didn¡¯t know where the information would leak. It was certainly thoughtless action, Shin reflected.

    ¡°You¡¯re from the old generation after all. Nothing to be scared of.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Knowledge of the game has helped Shin so far. However, it is up to him to handle it well.

    ¡°By the way, has anyone really been revived? If it¡¯s a long-lived species that has been alive since before the ¡®Dusk of Majesty¡¯, then it seems like they¡¯ll have something to do with it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard that it works, but I haven¡¯t seen it in person or on the job.¡±

    It seemed like he never met someone who was definitely dead. Although it wouldn¡¯t be strange for any yer to have one.

    While talking with Wilhelm, Shin sent messages to Hibineko and other former yer acquaintances, as well as support characters such as Berett.

    Then hemunicated with Milt via Mind Chat.

    ¡°(Revival Potion? Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never used it.)¡±

    She had not encountered any situation where she had to save a dying person since she came to this world, and she replied that she does not know the effect of the potion.

    Milt basically acted alone, so there was no chance to use it on herpanions. Even when it came to people, she didn¡¯t think about trying to revive them after seriously killing each other. Therefore, she didn¡¯t know its effect.

    ¡°(What¡¯s wrong with Revival Potion?)¡±

    ¡°(It seems that in this world, just having it in your possession is enough to be a fatal threat. I was warned not to carelessly mention its name.)¡±

    ¡°(Isn¡¯t it something a former yer in production job could make?)¡±

    ¡°(They want to kill you just for having it, you know? Even if you could, you couldn¡¯t tell them.)¡±

    Or maybe one could, but they haven¡¯t thought about it.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll talk about the detailster.)¡±

    ¡°(Sure.)¡±

    He hung up the chat with Milt and returned to his conversation with Wilhelm.

    ¡°If items don¡¯t work, how about magic? Some divine magic has the same effect.¡±

    ¡°That has beenpletely lost, and there are no people who can use it anymore. Well, most valuable skills are like that. I¡¯m sure some people are hiding them.¡±

    You guys definitely know that. Wilhelm continued.

    Divine magic skill ¡¾Revive¡¿ ¨C The names of resurrection magic and items vary depending on the game, but in THE NEW GATE, they were called by this name. Since it has a longer cast time, it was more effective than items, and one would be revived with up to 20% of their HP recovered.

    Shin tried to bring the skill back to its pre-activation state, being careful not to activate it. Since he had learned Chantless, it would only take a moment to get there.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (7)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (7)</h4>

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any sign of it being activated.¡±

    Was it because there was no target for the effect to be activated, or was the revival skill itself disabled? There was no sense of activation.

    Martial arts, magic, and divination. They all had an indescribable feeling for the pre-activation stage. This time, however, there was none of that. Even if it were to be activated as it was, he knew that nothing would happen.

    Perhaps the elixir of life was the same, and in this world, neither item-based revival nor skill-based revival was possible.

    ¡°Hey, what were you trying to do just now?¡±

    ¡°I tried to stop it before it was activated, but there was no response. I think the Revive skill can probably no longer be activated.¡±

    Shin decided to have Sety try itter. She was the only one of the support characters who could use the skill Revive, having been trained as a perfect rearguard.

    ¡°That¡¯s something that researchers can¡¯t hear.¡±

    There were many skills that were said to have been lost, and some researchers were working hard to restore them. Wilhelm looked at Shin, who was trying to use the skill easily, with a shocked look on his face.

    ¡°This used to be the norm. I wonder why it¡¯s no longer usable.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I could use it if I could, but it would be a pain in the ass.¡±

    Shin was simply posing a question, but Wilhelm seemed to think in the wrong way. Shin, too, can¡¯t help but feel that way because he can think of so many ways to misuse it.

    ¡°Well, this is normal, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once you die, that¡¯s it.¡±

    Presumably, asking Hibineko and the others or Sety would only confirm that they were just as unusable as Milt said.

    Shin, however, did not feel too discouraged by this.

    For him, this world is already the same as reality. What Wilhelm said, ¡°Once you die, that¡¯s it.¡± was a matter of course.

    Even in the Death Game before he came to this world, a person could only die once.

    Eleven said that this world was influenced by Shin¡¯s world, but not the game itself. No matter how much one died, they woulde back to life ¨C there was probably no suchw here.

    ¡°What are Mr. Shin and Wil doing in a corner like that?¡±

    As Rashia approached, Shin signaled to Wilhelm and ended the conversation.

    ¡°I was just asking about Wraith ins, it¡¯s not really something you talk about in front of children.¡±

    After that, they spent some time with the children, who said they hadn¡¯t had enough fun yet.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After lunch, more than half of the children fell asleep, probably because they were tired from ying.

    Today seemed to be a free rest day, since neither Rashia nor Thoria had stopped them, and the children seemed to have yed to their limits. Comparatively, older children were spending the day on their own.

    ¡°Thank you for spending time with the kids.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Shin smiled at Rashia, who seemed to be very grateful, and got up from his seat.

    ¡°Are you going right away?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re nning to leave after getting the documents at the guild. Even if it gets dark on the way, it won¡¯t be a problem for us.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s probably pointless to worry about someone like you, but still, anything can happen in a dungeon, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°Ah, thanks for the reminder.¡±

    ?

    Shin and the others left the orphanage and headed for the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.

    On the way there, he checked with Sety about revival magic, but she said it was still not working. Schnee was also seriously considering why she had not thought of it.

    Before they coulde to a conclusion, they arrived at the guild. At the reception desk, Celica weed them, saying that she had been told about them, and the group was led to the back of the guild.

    When Shin saw the person waiting for him there, his face tightened.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I just brought some documents. I guess I do things like this every once in a while.¡±

    Averting his gaze from the smiling woman, Shin turned his attention to Barlux. In response, Barlux shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Shin thought that the guild had sent a report to the royal castle, but it turned out not to be the case.

    ¡°Anyway, since it¡¯s our reunion, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to look a little more happy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very happy to meet you, Lady Rionne. It¡¯s an honor to be able to meet you in person.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re trying to make fun of me when you say that.¡±

    Shin was not serious for sure. He was just thinking that he had read this kind of line in a manga. They exchange words like this because he knew she won¡¯t be offended by such a thing.

    ¡°There¡¯s only Barlux in this ce besides us. No need to worry about thenguage.¡±

    ¡°I can hear that, sir?¡±

    In response to Shin, Barlux sighed with his hand on his forehead.

    ¡°Well, given my position, I can¡¯t just agree to that.¡±

    Rionne said that he often came to the castle, so she must be familiar with Barlux.

    ¡°Anyway, you knew I was here. I guess you had been keeping watch at the gate the whole time.¡±

    ¡°I would never do such a thing. I came here today on a hunch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re working hard, Intuitive skill.¡±

    Shin said so to himself, but he reminded himself that Rionne was no longer at the level of good intuition.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for the moment, can you show me the documents?¡±

    ¡°I thought it would be easier if we studied them together. We want to hear from you too.¡±

    It seemed that the two of them went out of their way to wait for Shin and the others to arrive.

    Shin thanked Barlux and turned to Rionne.

    ¡°Please exin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you a curt one? Well it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Rionne took out a scroll from her bag which might have been a kind of item box, as the scroll was obviously longer than the width of the bag.

    On the scroll was a map of Wraith ins and the surrounding area. Unlike the rough and sketchy maps that were generally avable, the map detailed the terrain of thend and the distribution of roads. And the most important part, the inside of the area sealed with items, was also drawn.

    ¡°This frame indicates the part that is currently sealed off. Also, from the documents left at the royal castle, it is estimated that the entrance to the dungeon is within this range. Considering that knights and adventurers moving around in the Skullface¡¯s case, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it was already discovered if it was outside the restricted area. So, unless it¡¯s buried, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s somewhere in here.¡±

    Rionne took out a translucent cloth andy it over a portion of the area inside the restricted area. ording to the scale, the area to be searched would be approximately 10 Kemel from north to south and 7 Kemel from east to west.

    ¡°It would have been faster if we knew the exact location, but we haven¡¯t been able to do a detailed survey. I have also added information from the knights who have been to Wraith ins in this case. If the entrance was in the surrounding forest, it would have caught someone¡¯s eye,¡± Rionne continued.

    Although adventurers had been mobilized to thwart Skullface, the main forceprised knights from various countries. They kept in touch with each other to see if any areas were different from the rest of the area or if there were any peculiar individuals.

    Rionne also said there was no doubt that there was a dungeon, so there should be no other entrances than Wraith ins and its surroundings.

    ¡°I appreciate this info. In that case, we¡¯ll be heading there right away.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving right now?¡±

    ¡°If we leave now, we will arrive at night. Given the current situation, that would be more convenient.¡±

    Skullface also became active at night.

    Shin wanted to investigate the dungeon at night first, because there are dungeons that have a certain time of day when they appear.

    ¡°I wanted to talk a little more, but I can¡¯t ask anything unreasonable in this situation. Just don¡¯t be reckless.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found the entrance yet, you know? Should I tell the investigation results to the people on site?¡±

    Havinge here, he thought that Rionne would say she would go with him, but there was no sign of that. Shin felt relieved and asked her about the means of transmitting information.

    ¡°There are bases set up in each area that also serve as liaison offices. If you report the results there, we will receive them the same day. I will inform the knights on site that a party led by an A-rank adventurer will assist in the investigation.¡±

    Even if Shin was not a knight, an A-rank adventurer carried a different weight when it came to statements.

    However, since many adventurers were mobilized this time, he would be called ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡± so he would not be mistaken for other adventurers with the same name.

    Did Rionne know his nickname as well? ¡­Shin sighed; it seemed that he could no longer escape this nickname.

    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ve made the preparations, so let¡¯s leave immediately.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (8)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (8)</h4>

    Once back at Bear Point Pavilion, Shin and the others informed the innkeeper they had epted a request. They left the inn, saying they might be away again for an extended period.

    Tsugumi looked disappointed, but she sent them off with a smile at the end.

    Behind Bear Point Pavilion, where merchants and some adventurers put their carriages, Shin took out a carriage from his item box.

    They nned to ride the carriage to distance themselves from the town and then run together.

    Considering their abilities, it would be faster if they ran on their own feet from the start, but it would be extremely conspicuous if they suddenly started running out of the gate.

    Not wanting to attract attention, they quietly moved by carriage until they could no longer see the castle walls.

    In the same way, they kept their distance from the carriages traveling on the road and used the forest to disappear from sight.

    All the carriages were not paying attention to anything but the front, so unless they were making a lot of noise and not careful about the carriagesing from the rear, it was not difficult to disappear.

    After quickly putting away the carriage, the group ran through the road at a speed that could not bepared to traveling by horse-drawn carriage.

    That evening, they arrived at Wraith ins. After a light meal, they first approached the ce where the knights were gathered. It was the base Rionne had mentioned.

    The knight seemed to have already been informed, and they handed Shin a palm-sized coin. This was to show that Shin was a coborator, a kind of identification. The knight exined that even if information had not been conveyed due to mimunication or personnel turnover, the other party would understand if they were shown this.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s head to the restricted area while keeping an eye on the situation. The guy I exined to you while we were moving also appeared there.¡±

    While running along the road, Shin exined to all the members about the Skullface Lord he once fought.

    Shin and Schnee were the only ones in the current party who knew about those days. It might not necessarily appear again this time, but there was no harm in sharing the information with them.

    ¡°By the way, were there any other monsters that didn¡¯t exist back in the game?¡±

    Milt, who has heard the story, asked Shin. Milt had been in this world longer than Shin, but she had no idea.

    ¡°So far, I¡¯ve only seen the Lord one. The others are just guys I¡¯ve seen or heard of. But the way they move, or rather what they do, is very different from the game. It¡¯s like they are possessed by a yer. So you can never be too careful, even if you¡¯ve seen one before.¡±

    As for the Skullface Lord, Shin confirmed not only with Milt but also with the former yers, Shadow and the others. But they replied that no one had heard of it.

    Shin believed that since it spoke, albeit only slightly, it must not be just another boss monster.

    Was it a hidden monster in the game, or did it ur uniquely in this world?

    Its level alone was too much for the inhabitants of this world to bear. There was a possibility that it came out of the dungeon in the Wraith ins, so he would investigate that as well if time permitted.

    ¡°The atmosphere here doesn¡¯t seem to have changed.¡±

    Shin and his team proceeded to investigate the situation in Wraith ins.

    There were some monster reactions, but when they checked with ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, the monsters were all Skullfaces. Most of them were Pawn ss, and asionally they would see a group of what appeared to be knights or adventurers fighting.

    From the knights at the base, they were informed that the Skullfaces outside the restricted area could be left to the patrolling knights and adventurers, so they avoided them and proceeded on their way. The Skullfaces were slow-moving and would not chase them once they were some distance away.

    The restricted area could be essed using Shin¡¯s guild card. This was also the same as when he came with Wilhelm and the others, a space opened up that several people could pass through, and they entered through it.

    ¡°It seems like there are a lot of them because they haven¡¯t been thinned out inside.¡±

    Shibaid, sensing the presence of the approaching monsters, stepped forward with his shield at the ready. Filma, who was next to him and had pulled out her ¡ºScarlet Moon¡», was showing her enthusiasm.

    ¡°It looks like they are weing us.¡±

    There were an iparable number of monster reactions inside the restricted areapared to outside.

    Even taking into ount the fact that the area had not been thinned out, there were definitely more monsters in the restricted area than when Shin was here before. Furthermore, the level of monsters seemed to have increased.

    A group of Pecker Hollows, which they did not fightst time because Rashia was there, and Gelbones, which looked like slime clinging to human bones. Dragles, bipedalrge lizards with skin folds and no eyes. Other undead monsters, which could hardly be described as low-level, were also targeting Shin and his group.

    The average level of the monsters that came at them was around 500, but there were a few that exceeded 600 here and there.

    Even veteran knights and adventurers who specialize in monster extermination would not think of fighting them head-on.

    ¡°Should we have hidden before entering?¡±

    Milt responded to Shin¡¯s murmur.

    ¡°But, Shin, you were saying that the Lord absorbed the power of the other undead, right? Shouldn¡¯t we reduce it a bit, just in case?¡±

    ¡°You have a point.¡±

    Last time, there weren¡¯t as many high-level individuals gathered here.

    The area that was absorbing the demon essence should have been the entire Wraith in, but if its strength was determined by the total amount absorbed, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to reduce the number here.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s just eliminate the ones thate after us. Apparently Wilhelm also told us not to provoke them carelessly, and I don¡¯t know if the barrier willst if all of them head outside at once.¡±

    It would be a disaster to do something like that on the first day of the investigation.

    To check the situation first, Shin moved his arm horizontally to the ground on the spot. As if to follow his movement, a ming arrow of about 10 cemels appeared in the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome that so many of them have detection abilities that don¡¯t rely on their five senses.¡±

    While muttering this, Sety activated a simr skill.

    There were some undead monsters that detect targets using things other than their sense organs, such as sight and smell. For such monsters, the ¡¾Hiding¡¿ skill was sometimes less effective or ineffective.

    In the descriptions containing the details of the monsters, some were written to have the ability to detect elements unknown to the yer, such as detecting spiritual signs.

    Most of the monsters were incorporeal type monsters such as wraiths and ghosts, and their weaknesses were clear, so Shin and his team did not have much difficulty in dealing with them.

    ¡°After firing, use ¡¾Hiding¡¿.¡±

    ¡°Roger that!¡±

    Schnee prepared her skill next to Shin without even needing to call out her name.

    With a small signal, Shin released a fire arrow together with Sety.

    When the fire arrow pierced the volleyball-sized soul, Pozzet, that hade flying from the sky, it disappeared without a sound.

    Divine magic skill ¡¾Divine Bonfire¡¿ ¨C At first nce, it was a smaller version of the me magic skill ¡¾Fire Arrow¡¿ that shoots out ming arrows. However, contrary to its appearance, it was not fire attribute magic.

    It only had enough power to shock nothing but undead monsters, and its speed was only slightly faster than a regr arrow. It was one of the skills that specialized against incorporeal monsters. High damage could be expected against high-level wraiths and ghost-type monsters.

    ¡°Everyone, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. In any case, we won¡¯t be able to proceed until we find the entrance.¡±

    Shin said as he made his way through the monsters, who had lost sight of their targets due to Schnee¡¯s skill ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    However, as he continued his investigation until the sun came up, using ¡¾Far Sight¡¿and ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, he was unable to discover anything.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°It¡¯s already morning.¡±

    ¡°I thought for sure the entrance would be visible by now.¡±

    Milt and Shin conversed in exhausted voices as they watched the undead monsters dive into the ground as the earth was illuminated by the rising sun.

    It appeared that low-level Skullface would disappear at dawn, but this did not seem to be the case with the higher level ones.

    Shin and the others had walked around all night, but had not found the entrance to the dungeon. Even though there were still some areas that had not been surveyed, they had finished checking the area that was the central part of the restricted area.

    The game theory expected the entrance of this kind of dungeon was in the center of the area, but it was not that simple.

    ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s something in the corner of the restricted area?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen something like that happen before, so I think the possibility is not zero.¡±

    The fact that there was no response to the ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ also worried to Shin.

    During the game, it was treated as a separate area, so it didn¡¯t matter if there was no reaction from the dungeon under the entrance. However, as far as Shin knew, the dungeon and the entrance werepletely connected spatially here. Even if they couldn¡¯t find the entrance, they should be able to find the underground space, but they couldn¡¯t find any response like that.

    ¡°By any chance, did something happen before we came here?¡±

    Shin shook his head in reply to Milt¡¯s concern.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange if the dungeon itself disappeared? Besides, Hades is half of Origin, right? If anyone is going to do something, it¡¯s probably a demon, but she¡¯ll probably just return the favor.¡±

    Origin was an opponent that Shin, the best yer in the game, cornered and managed to push through after using items like hot water. If he had been in a hurry and made the wrong choice of skills in the final moment, Shin might not be standing here.

    In terms of the game, it¡¯s an existence that¡¯s only talked about in lore, so it¡¯s not known if it¡¯s actually possible to fight. However, at the very least, it was supposed to be of a higher rank than the demon, and he couldn¡¯t imagine it being defeated or manipted.

    ¡°Shall we continue our investigation?¡±

    ¡°No, let¡¯s report to the people at the base and get some rest. Finding the dungeon is important, but the real action wille after that.¡±

    Thanks to his high stats, Shin still had plenty of energy left. However, even if his physical strength were fine, he would lose his concentration if he got sleepy. There was a non-zero chance that something could happen before finding the entrance to the dungeon, so Shin decided to be cautious.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 1 (9)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 1 (9)</h4>

    ¡°Hmm, I was worried about the increase in monsters, but I didn¡¯t expect that unidentified ones were also appearing.¡±

    The knight who heard the report from Shin mumbled as he looked at the list of monsters reported to be in the restricted area.

    There were a total of five unidentified ones. All of them were high-level monsters that Chosen One would have to deal with.

    ¡°If it turns out likest time¡­ Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t worry about it. Thank you for the valuable information. I would like to ask you to continue investigating. I will raise this matter.¡±

    ¡°Has something like this happened before?¡±

    The knight¡¯s words leaked out a little. Shin thought it would be better to ask, regardless of whether he would talk.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­ No, you¡¯re exploring within a restricted area. It would be good for you to know.¡±

    With that, the knight told them that the wards covering the restricted area had once been destroyed. The cause was unknown, and for some reason the monsters in Wraith ins had temporarily disappeared, and there was no damage to the surrounding area.

    The st time¡± mentioned by the knight was probably the destruction of the wards by the Skullface Lord. Since Shin, Wilhelm, and Rashia were the only ones who saw it firsthand, it must have seemed like an unusual situation to the knights that the wards were suddenly destroyed.

    However, when he said that it was destroyed, someone may have seen Skullface Lord. The Skullface Lord made a big jump and destroyed the wards in the air.

    At that time, as the knight said, all the monsters in the wards had been absorbed and disappeared, so defeating the Skullface Lord would have been the end of it.

    However, if the wards had been broken without Skullface Lord, the high-level monsters would have unleashed chaos. If that had happened, there was no doubt that the area surrounding Wraith ins would have suffered tremendous damage.

    ¡°That¡¯s why. I¡¯ve heard that you guys are excellent, but if you feel in danger, I want you to step back and share information. We are in a position to protect our country. We don¡¯t want to burden the Chosen Ones with everything.¡±

    Shin nodded to the knight, who spoke with a serious expression on his face, and left the base.

    The information about Skullface Lord had not been reported to the guild. Shin hadpletely forgotten about it, due the reunion with the support characters Schnee and Girard, the encounter with the unknown monster, and so on.

    There was a possibility that Wilhelm might have reported something, so Shin decided to check backter. If there was no report, Shin was going to tell the guild about the Skullface Lord.

    If Shin mentioned Schnee¡¯s name, they might try to find out his connection with her, so he could just say, ¡°I heard about this from a long-lived species.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words, those of an A-ranked adventurer, would not be dismissed as impossible.

    ?

    ¡°Shin, did you get any new information?¡±

    ¡°No, there hasn¡¯t been any progress there. As usual, the monsters disappear in the morning.¡±

    Milt¡¯s question was answered. This information came from the knights and adventurers who were dealing with the Skullfaces.

    They had heard that Jack ss and Queen ss monsters appeared outside the restricted area as well, but the monsters seemed to bepletely different from those that appeared inside the restricted area.

    ording to the knight, the monsters couldst for a while, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to move from that spot and would soon disappear. It¡¯s just that it doesn¡¯t disappear quickly because of its high HP.

    ¡°I¡¯m not tired, but let¡¯s get some rest first. Isn¡¯t everyone sleepy?¡±

    When Shin looked around at the members, everyone nodded and said they were fine. No one seemed to be forcing themselves to be awake.

    Shin himself did not feel sleepy.

    When he was sent to Erkunt with Schnee, he had already confirmed that staying up all night for two or three days was not a big burden.

    However, not feeling sleepy does not mean he does not feel tired.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve be more awake since I came here. But I feel better when I get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±

    ¡°Me too; I don¡¯t feel sleepy anymore, or rather, I¡¯m more resistant to sleepiness. Before I leveled up, if I got too absorbed in an experiment and stayed up all night, I would get headaches, get tired eyes, and feel unwell.¡±

    Tiera agreed with Milt¡¯s statement.

    ¡°Is it the same for the two of you? If I tried to stay awake, I would probably be able to do it better than you, but I can¡¯t seem to concentrate.¡±

    Shin, too, hardly ever felt the heaviness in his head and body sensation he used to feel when he wasn¡¯t sleeping in real life.

    Again, he wondered why high stats affected even these physiological aspects of his life.

    However, he didn¡¯t have time to verify it, so he¡¯d leave it for now.

    There were ways to use items to postpone sleepiness and fatigue, but he didn¡¯t want to use them if possible because of the side-effects.

    ¡°What do Schnee and Shibaid do in these situations?¡±

    ¡°Most of the time I deal with it on my own, so in cases like this I have to shift my sleeping hours.¡±

    Schnee seemed to be in a sudden shift from an early bird to a night owl. She was not suffering much because she had plenty of strength.

    ¡°I often work in groups. We took turns to spread the physical load. But when I work alone, it¡¯s simr to Schnee.¡±

    ¡°With this number of people, taking turns is not an option.¡±

    If they included Yuzuha in the head count, there would be eight of them. It¡¯s not impossible, but it¡¯s not a sufficient number.

    ¡°How about dividing it into day and night?¡±

    ¡°Day and night?¡±

    Sety, who had been listening to the conversation, suggested that half of the members should be assigned to the daytime search and half to the nighttime search.

    Even though only one night had passed since their arrival, they still had not found the entrance even after searching more than half of the restricted area.

    Then again, Sety said, it might be possible that it appeared during the day.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that pattern doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°If we could find it tonight, we probably wouldn¡¯t need to split. But if there is a condition for its appearance, then we would need to investigate again and again, wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    When the condition is met, the object appears in the ce already surveyed. There were countless such cases.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t find it tomorrow night, we¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Taking a break for now, Shin materialized Moon Shrine in the forest a little distance away from the in. Of course, he did this while keeping it out of sight of the surrounding area.

    After eating broth prepared by Schnee, Shin and the others decided to sleep until noon.

    ??

    After a while, Shin woke up.

    There was still plenty of time until the scheduled time, but he didn¡¯t feel like going back to sleep, so he decided to get dressed and go to the living room.

    Perhaps due to his status, he felt as light as if he had had a good night¡¯s sleep.

    He quietly moved out of the room so as not to wake Yuzuha, who was still sleeping, and found that Schnee had already started to prepare the meal.

    ¡°Schnee, are you awake already? I doubt it, but you didn¡¯t sleep, did you?¡±

    ¡°Good morning,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve had a good night¡¯s sleep. I only woke up about 20 minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s good.¡±

    Since some preparations seemed to have already been made, he was worried that he might have woken up earlier than everyone else, but it seemed that was not the case.

    When he looked for the other members¡¯ locations on the map function, he found Filma and Shibaid¡¯s markers moving outside. ording to Schnee, they were doing light exercise.

    Sety, Tiera, and Milt¡¯s markers were inside the room. Tiera appeared to be awake because her marker was moving. The other two markers were not moving, so they were probably still sleeping.

    ¡°Now, what should we do?¡±

    Even if Shin wanted to help with the food preparation, he could do nothing more than set the tes on the table. He thought about joining the practice, but a message card had arrived, so he sat down in his chair and opened it.

    The message was a reply from Shadow and the others. They had never seen a monster that wasn¡¯t in the game after all.

    As for the revival magic and items, most of them had never used them or seen them used. It was noted that Holly had the skill and tried it, but like Shin, there was no sign of it being activated.

    However, it was mentioned that only Hibineko had used the revival potion.

    Since the details were to be discussed in the chat, Shin quickly sent up a chat.

    After a few calls, he was connected to Hibineko.

    ¡°(I contacted you about the revival potion. Is this a good time?)¡±

    ¡°(I was expecting to hear from you. I thought you would call, so I closed the store today.)¡±

    It was probably because of the nature of the content. His usual cat person style ending ¡°~Nyaa¡± was absent, and his tone was a little different.

    ¡°(The first time I used revival potion was when I helped a merchant who was being attacked by bandits. They were a young couple and we knew each other. By the time I noticed the attack and rushed to the scene, the husband had already been cut down.)¡±

    The bandits were not very high level and were killed instantly by Hibineko.

    But already at that time, neither recovery by divine art skills nor by items had much effect on the in man.

    ¡°(His wounds were healed and his HP was recovered but it was quickly depleted. Even the all-purpose healing potion, elixir, didn¡¯t help.)¡±

    Hibineko said that the man was probably already dead, but the effects of magic and items were forcibly prolonging his life.

    ¡°(MP and items will eventually run out. So I decided to use the revival potion.)¡±

    At that time, Hibineko was already firmly aware that this world, though simr to a game, was by no means unrealistic. Naturally, he also wondered how much of an uproar this item would cause if its effects were toe to light.

    Still, Hibineko says he could not stand by and watch a young man disappear before his eyes.

    ¡°(My item box¡¯s contents haven¡¯t changed since I arrived here. Holding out a gleam of hope, I used the revival potion. As a result, his HP stopped decreasing.)¡±

    The man¡¯s wounds had already been closed by the healing skill and items, and he soon regained consciousness.

    Hibineko then falsely told the woman, his wife, that he had used a special recovery item he had obtained during the adventure.

    At that time, Hibineko was working as an adventurer to rebuild his store, and words were spreading that his skills wereparable to those of a high-level adventurer, so the woman apparently believed his exnation.

    The all-purpose healing potion, elixir, was also a legendary item, so it seemed like he was nning to use its effects in case of an emergency.

    The couple now owned a small store in Balmel and had a son.

    But the story did not end there.

    ¡°(I was curious to know how effective the revival potion would be, so I used it on a bandit as well.)¡±

    It was a forced analogy, but what Hibineko had done to the young man could be interpreted as resuscitating a person in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.

    As long as he could recover his HP with his skills, he should not have beenpletely dead.

    Nevertheless, this was not the case with the bandit. Time had passed, and the bandit¡¯s corpse hadpletely lost the light of life. If the potion was used and the corpse was brought back to life, it would be nothing more than the resurrection of the dead.

    Hibineko used the revival potion with the determination that he would take care of it himself if the bandit came back to life.

    ¡°(I had a strange feeling,)¡± Hibineko continued, ¡°(as if I wanted it to seed, but I didn¡¯t want it to.)¡±

    It was an experiment to see if it would bring people back to life. It was not a pleasant feeling.

    At the end, the experiment was a failure.

    Hibineko said that neither the severely damaged nor the barely damaged corpses ever turned back into human beings.

    ¡°(The young man wasn¡¯tpletely dead, so he survived?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯ve never used it on anyone else in a simr situation, so I can¡¯t be sure, but it probably is.)¡±

    Having said that much, Hibineko let out a big breath. It seemed that all this time, he had felt bad for not telling anyone.

    It might be helpful to save someone¡¯s life, but it was likely that it would not be aplete resurrection of the dead. It was just a reversal for someone who was close to dead.

    However, if this fact became public, there would surely be people who would study it.

    The perfect resurrection of the dead.

    The creation of a perfect revival potion.

    There would be people who aimed for these.

    ¡°(Death is closer to us in this world than in ours. If resurrection of the dead bes a reality, more lives will be saved. But I couldn¡¯t help but think that it is something that should not be touched so easily.)¡±

    That was why he did not tell Shin and the other former yers about it.

    Hibineko stated that he could not speak about it until he would eventually learn about it when he had the chance to actually use it.

    Even his voice was tinged with fatigue.

    ¡°(This is my personal opinion, but I don¡¯t think your judgment is wrong, Hibineko.)¡±

    Research of the revival potion was close to the study of life.

    How much was good and how much was bad? Even in the real world, where science had developed, opinions were divided.

    If it was simply used as a medical technology, it might be fine, but there always be people who would abuse it. Shin and Hibineko, who have no deep insight into this matter, could not give an answer to this question.

    ¡°(Also, in fiction, this type of research usually yields poor results. You don¡¯t need to tell them that there is such research.)¡±

    Shin said cheerfully.

    This kind of technology was only possible in a game. Shin thought, no matter how much this world resembles the game, it doesn¡¯t have to be the same.

    ¡°(It makes me feel a little better to hear you say that. That¡¯s all I know. I¡¯ll leave it up to you to decide what to do with this information, Shin.)¡±

    ¡°(I have no intention of making it public. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s aplete revival. Maybe it¡¯s the same reason why other former yers don¡¯t make a fuss about it.)¡±

    Besides Shin and others, former yers also came here.

    If their item boxes were intact, many of the yers would have revival potions. In some cases, they would have used it.

    Even so, it was understandable that the reason why it had not spread was because it was not effective. Also, it could be information restricted only to the upper echelons of the government or organizations of a certain size.

    Shin stopped his contemtion for a moment, almost thinking about unnecessary things.

    It was enough to know that he could not be easily revived as he had been in the game.

    Shin thanked Hibineko, turned off the ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿, got up from his chair, and stretched widely.

    It felt good to rx his stiffened muscles.

    Although he had not been talking for a long time, he could feel his body had stiffened up. He was more tense than he expected.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (1)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Nothing happened after all.¡±

    Milt¡¯sment was the result of a day-and-night shift of searching the restricted area.

    The members had already been notified about ¡°Arkhan¡¯s Abandoned City.¡±

    Wilhelm already sent a reply, saying that he would report it to the guild as he had heard it from Schnee.

    Incidentally, like Shin, he seemed to have forgotten to report the Skullface Lord.

    He mentioned that the fact that Schnee¡¯s master, a High Human, had reappeared and somehow helped him in the church inheritance, was a much more important incident than the Skullface Lord being defeated so easily.

    He had no more information about the dungeon than what he had told Shin. In Wilhelm¡¯s case, he was not convinced that there was a dungeon, because he had heard this information from others.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say something simr yesterday?¡±

    Shin pointed out, and Miltughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t help it, you know.¡±

    Even though the Wraith ins was vast, at the speed Shin and his team were traveling, it would not be impossible to search the entire area in a single day. However, they hadn¡¯t been able to find any clues. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Milt¡¯s expression was a little dull as she looked at the rising sun.

    The night search team consisted of Shin, Milt, Filma, and Sety. Filma and Sety had gone to inform the knights at the base about the results of the night search, so Shin and Milt were the only ones here.

    Schnee, Shibaid, Tiera, and Yuzuha, the members in charge of daytime search, were waiting at the Moon Shrine while resting as well.

    Schnee might be preparing a meal for them, as a savory smell wafted from the Moon Shrine.

    ¡°But since we haven¡¯t found the entrance, I think the story about the abandoned city that Shin mentioned will be more relevant. Even if it doesn¡¯t, there will definitely be some conditions.¡±

    Milt did not seem to think that the dungeon had disappeared. Shin, too, was searching under the assumption that it exists.

    ¡°There¡¯s still time until the full moon, right? Are you going to continue exploring during that time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a decision after consulting with everyone, but I think it¡¯s possible to continue. However, for now, I¡¯d like to give myself a little leeway until the full moon.¡±

    Shin was hoping to upgrade everyone¡¯s equipment in his free time.

    Although it¡¯s a rare urrence, the possibility of fighting the other half of Origin was not zero. If that were to happen, Shin had no idea what would happen. He wanted to be as prepared as possible.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not going to be a hindrance, am I?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, all of a sudden?¡±

    Milt responded after hearing what Shin had said. She didn¡¯t have her usual cheerful atmosphere, and instead had a worried look on her face.

    Milt¡¯s current stats had increasedpared to when she was in the game, and her equipment had been adjusted, so it could be said that she was one of the top fighters in this world.

    However, Shin and his party members were all even higher in status than the powered-up Milt. Even after taking into ount the buffs of her equipment, she was still left behind in terms of stat¡¯s number.

    Because of her fighting style, Milt fought as a vanguard with Shin and the other party members.

    She was worried that her inferior status would leave a gap in the front line, where she would have to face the enemy directly.

    ¡°If we talk about status, it means that Tiera¡¯s status is low, too. Also, when ites tobat experience, isn¡¯t Milt on a whole other level?¡±

    ¡°Tiera is a rearguard and her monster partner is Kagerou, right? I¡¯m sure that, when she awakens to her skills as a tamer, she¡¯s going to do great things. But I don¡¯t have that kind of hidden card.¡±

    What Milt meant by that skill was a special skill that allows the tamer to be one with their monster partner and power it up. This skill was also one of the tamer¡¯s secrets, and it¡¯s called ¡¾Man-Beast Unity ¡¿.

    There were various ways to power up depending on the strength and ability of the monster partner, and some yers switched monster partners depending on the situation so that they could respond to any situation.

    By the way, this tactic was poprized by Cashmere, the ¡°Silver Summoner¡± of Rokuten.

    ¡°Due to the game¡¯s design, you can¡¯t raise your status easily. In-game items can¡¯t be purchased.¡±

    ¡°Even if you could, it would be impossible, especially since the price is way off.¡±

    Some of the in-game items had a limited number of usages, but some of them have the effect of permanently increasing the basic value of the status. It¡¯s a subtle change like ¡°STR+1¡±, and you have to use it to its maximum limit in order to feel the effect.

    However, on the flip side, it also meant that as long as you had money, you could definitely power up to some extent. That said, the cost was almost a rip-off.

    That item was strangely well-known among yers as it was an item that was limited to some rich people called ¡°Whale gamers¡±. Shin¡¯s acquaintance said that even working adults would hesitate to pay such a price.

    ¡°The first thing thates to mind is wearing all kinds of essories. Rings, bracelets, anklets, nes, earrings, and emblems that can be attached on. Or maybe even circlets?¡±

    ¡°It soundsplicated, but does it work?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already confirmed that two or three of them don¡¯t interfere with each other. I have never equipped all of the essories I mentioned at the same time.¡±

    The game only allowed one essory to be equipped at a time. It was possible to wear multiple items that were treated as decorations, but only one type of effective equipment could be worn at a time, even if they were attached to different parts.

    Here, however, it was normal to wear a ring on each of the five fingers, or a ne and earrings at the same time. Even if everything was treated as equipment.

    The only concern was, as Milt said, whether the effect will work properly.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to experiment with it in my spare time. If it works, we could benefit from it.¡±

    It sounded a bit phony, butbat was basically a matter of risking one¡¯s life. It would not be a waste of time to test it out in anticipation of more powerful opponents in the future.

    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re suddenly so worried? Did something happen before you came here?¡±

    Milt also fought alongside Shin during the conquest of the Sacred ce. Since her status had increased, she seemed more reliable than she did back in the game. That¡¯s why it bothered Shin that Milt let out a whine at this timing.

    ¡°I¡¯m working with Shin and the others now because I¡¯m an ally for most of the time, but if I¡¯m useless inbat, which is what I¡¯m best at, I¡¯ll have nothing to stand on, right?¡±

    When Milt expressed a desire to work together, Schnee and the others did not particrly object.

    She was a former yer like Shin and a friend who had conquered dungeons together. They also knew that they had worked together to avenge Marino¡¯s death. That¡¯s probably not the only reason, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯re working together just because she¡¯s useful in battle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. We¡¯re not together just for profit and loss.¡±

    Shin patted Milt on the head, as if to tease her.

    He was expecting Milt toin that she was being treated like a child, but unexpectedly, Milt froze with a surprised expression on her face.

    Shin, who had intended to change the atmosphere that had be a little heavy, was somewhat ufortable.

    He said, ¡°Uh, this is the part where you get mad, okay?¡±

    ¡°No, I think I know what you¡¯re thinking, too, Shin. Unlike before, I don¡¯t dislike it at all. In fact, I want you to do it even more. Ugh¡­what the heck is this?¡±

    She seemed confused as well, and her face gradually became redder.

    She seemed to be upset and flustered, something Shin couldn¡¯t imagine from the way she was teasing him by pressing her chest against him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to cool down a bit!¡±

    ¡°Oh, hey!¡±

    With her face still red, Milt ran into the Moon Shrine.

    Shin, who was left behind, couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled by her reaction. He thought she was in a slightly different position from the one who was in love with him, saying things like, ¡°My marriage is~.¡±

    Then, Filma and Sety returned at the perfect time.

    The two had also seen Milt running to the Moon Shrine.

    Filma was grinning because she had something to tease Shin with.

    ¡°Hey Shin~? I don¡¯t like it when you make fun of a girl.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t teasing her.¡±

    ¡°Her face was bright red when you patted her on the head. Isn¡¯t she serious about this?¡±

    Filma as well as Sety poked Shin with a grin.

    ¡°No, I was just expecting a different reaction.¡±

    Apparently, Milt had heard that Shin was talking about marriage. For Shin, Schnee was enough, but the support characters other than Schnee, sometimes say and do things that encourage a second or additional partner.

    It should not be like the rule of the beast that Yuzuha said, ¡°a male should mate with many females¡±. If that¡¯s the case, it would be strange if Filma and Sety didn¡¯te forward as well. But they shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I know that things like that are not umon in this world. But that and this are different.¡±

    Shin had no desire for a harem, although he was not sure what Shibaid and his group were up to.

    ¡°Schnee is so loved.¡±

    ¡°This is as good as it gets.¡±

    ¡°What was that all about earlier, you guys?¡±

    Shin, slightly annoyed by Filma and Sety¡¯s constant grinning, put a hand on each of their shoulders, radiating intimidation. His expression was smiling and his tone was polite, but it was enough to make the two changeplexion.

    ¡°I surrender, I surrender! My shoulder! My shoulder is creaking!¡±

    Sety was the first to raise her voice.

    She had the lowest defense among the support characters. With Shin now, he could even squeeze her shoulder with his bare hands. But of course he wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it going to prate the equipment¡¯s defense?¡±

    Filma also asked with a frown.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can demonstrate your armor¡¯s full potential in front of the creator, do you?¡±

    In a serious battle, it would be a different story, but in a situation like this, which included a bit of tomfoolery, the protective gear was not really effective.

    Originally, THE NEW GATE was designed so that friendly fire could not be turned off. Perhaps as an extension of that, there were times when he was able to pass through shocks and pressure that didn¡¯t reduce any HP, like this time.

    The reason Sety was in so much pain was because the opponent was Shin.

    Shin had learned a lot sinceing to this world. With the armor he made, he could do more than he could when he was ying games.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Sety is going to cry soon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying!¡±

    Shin let go of his hand because it was true that she was teary-eyed. He didn¡¯t want to go that far.

    ¡°So, have you heard anything new?¡±

    ¡°Nothing majorpared to what we¡¯ve seen so far. But I heard that the tamer¡¯s monster partners are acting strangely. It seems that an adventurer who has worked in this area before said that it might not be due to the magic of thisnd.¡±

    ¡°Monster partners?¡±

    There were many different types of monster partners. However, regardless of the type, the monster partners seem to be acting differently than usual, such as being excited, frightened, or walking around restlessly. It was said that the smaller the monster partner was, the more pronounced the change was.

    When Shin heard Filma¡¯s story, he thought about Yuzuha and Kagerou. Neither of them had been acting differently than usual, he thought.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they be sensing the presence of Hades or something? Monsters are more sensitive to such things, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Sety said, while rubbing her shoulder.

    Shin agreed with that opinion. But then, there was something else that bothered him.

    ¡°If they felt something like that, they would have said something.¡±

    Shin also had a monster partner ¨C Yuzuha. But s, Shin¡¯s skill as a tamer was only that of an amateur at best.

    The proficiency level of a tamer as a job increased just by working with monster partners, so it¡¯s better than before, but this was a different story. Although he had knowledge because he was acquainted with a top tamer named Cashmere, his skill level and track record as a tamer were not very high.

    However, Shin¡¯s skill as a tamer aside, Yuzuha could speak, and had intelligence unlike a child. Even though she was mostly in the form of a little fox, she was a high-level monster on the inside. She naturally understood that Shin was looking for the whereabouts of Hades, so it was not surprising that she would tell him if she sensed a small monster as well.

    ¡°In that case, the quickest way would be to ask her. She¡¯s probably awake by now, so why don¡¯t you ask her before eating?¡±

    ¡°I suppose I will.¡±

    If the event went as nned, there¡¯s still plenty of time. Yuzuha was nearby, so there was no reason not to ask her.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (2)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (2)</h4>

    Shin walked into the Moon Shrine and looked for Yuzuha.

    He could have asked Kagerou, but since Kagerou could not speak, Yuzuha would have been more convenient for him to ask about details.

    ¡°You look so happy; you¡¯ve fallen asleep.¡±

    Yuzuha was in Shin¡¯s room. When he was sleeping, Yuzuha would sometimese into the futon* in fox cub mode, so it was no surprise to him. (TLN: Traditional Japanese style of bedding.)

    This morning was no different.

    However, unlike when Shin woke up, she was now sleeping in human form. She must have transformed on the way to sleep. A smile was on her face, as if she was having a good dream.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s time to eat!¡±

    As Shin had expected, Schnee was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

    She had rested early after the daytime exploration. It seems that they had arranged for the cooking to coincide with the time Shin and the others were leaving, so that when Yuzuha woke up, they would all be eating together.

    As it seemed that there would be no time to ask Yuzuha before the meal, he nned to talk about what he said earlier after the meal.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±

    Yuzuha woke up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

    Even though she looked half-asleep, she still had an inhuman beauty.

    It¡¯s fine because Shin was used to it, but if not, this defenseless appearance would be an element that attracts people.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯re awake, you¡¯re awake?? what¡¯s with that hand?¡±

    When he tried to take Yuzuha, who was not yet fully awake, to the bathroom, Yuzuha stretched out her hands with her eyes closed.

    It was the gesture of a young child demanding to be held. The meaning of the gesture was probably the same as it was now.

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    Shin poked her on the forehead.

    Yuzuha always liked to be attached to him, even in her fox cub mode. When she was in human form, he seemed to put up with it, but sometimes she did this when she was sleepy.

    Usually Yuzuha would wake upining, but this time it was different. Yuzuha sprang out of bed and hugged Shin, then wrapped her tail around him to hold him up so he wouldn¡¯t slip out of bed.

    ¡°Mwahhhh~¡±

    The sleepy expression on her face had changed to one of satisfaction.

    Yuzuha¡¯s free tail was swaying back and forth as if to express her mood. It seemed that Yuzuha wanted him to take her to the bathroom.

    Recently, Shin felt that this kind of pampering had been increasing. When Yuzuha was in little child form, he thought it was inevitable, but since she no longer looked like a child, he had to drag her away depending on the situation.

    This time, since there was no hurry, Shin started to move on in the spirit of letting her be pampered once in a while.

    Incidentally, if he could dodge the hug, then he would. So far, the sess rate was 50-50.

    Shin was confident that he could react instantly to an enemy¡¯s attack, but his instincts were not up to the task when it came to Yuzuha¡¯s.

    ¡°Where did the dignity of the highest-ss monster go?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Shin¡¯s petnt words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The intellectual behavior and calm atmosphere during the game era would not be avable until she was fully grown.

    After washing her face, Yuzuha went into fox cub mode and climbed on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    When she ate, she didn¡¯t have a particr form, such as humanoid or monster form, so they didn¡¯t care which form she took anymore.

    By the way, although there was a clear difference in size between a humanoid and a small fox, the amount of food they eat remained the same. In the case of the little fox mode, one might have wondered where such a volume of food was stored, but considering its original size, it was a rather small meal, so he did not go into it.

    Since she was basically a woman, words that might be rted to her weight were taboo.

    ¡°So, do you feel anything?¡±

    After finishing their meal, Shin asked Yuzuha about the matter that Filma had told him about the strange behavior of the monster partners. As far as he could see, there was nothing unusual about either Yuzuha or Kagerou.

    ¡°Do you know that the magic and presence of the undead are always gushing forth in the Wraith in?¡±

    Yuzuha, who had changed into human form, looked out the window and said, perhaps making it easier for her to talk. Whaty beyond her gaze was the restricted area.

    Shin also knew the idea that the dungeon was releasing its magic power. However, when asked if he could feel it, he was not sure. When he told her this, Yuzuha nodded her head.

    ¡°The magic power is very weak, and it is impossible for humans to feel it unless they are very sensitive. However, monsters can sense it. Shin is referring to the dungeon magic that is being released. But there is a little bit of a different kind of magic mixed in. I think the kids who are acting strangely are sensing it.¡±

    It probably belongs to Hades. Yuzuha told him so.

    The reason she didn¡¯t tell Shin was that the magical power was spread almost evenly throughout the Wraith ins, so she couldn¡¯t pinpoint where it was suspicious.

    Besides, not knowing Hades¡¯ magical power or presence, she couldn¡¯t say for sure that this was the case.

    And the biggest reason was that she was not clearly aware of it until she was told.

    ¡°Can¡¯t monsters feel it?¡±

    ¡°If you ask me, I have a feeling that¡¯s the case. Weaker monsters have the ability to detect things like this.¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, it was difficult to sense a faint sign like this when surrounded by strong magical power. The same reason why Kagerou did not show any reaction.

    He asked Kagerou again, and when he had the results tranted, he got a reply saying that he didn¡¯t think it was a little different. When ites to Yuzuha¡¯s level, it seems like it¡¯s a level of change that they don¡¯t even notice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how topare Yuzuha and the others with the monster partners of ordinary adventurers.¡±

    Filma confirmed that most of the monster partners taken by adventurers currently active in Wraith ins are ofmon races and individuals, and their levels are around 100. Even though they were not perfect, Yuzuha, an Element Tail, and Kagerou, a special individual of Gruefago, were more powerful than them.

    ¡°I have no doubt that something is wrong. But I am not sure if it is Hades¡¯ fault.¡±

    ¡°I see. I wish I knew, Yuzuha. If you know, do you know if that magic power will have a negative effect on people or monster partners?¡±

    The fact that Yuzuha and Kagerou didn¡¯t care means that it would definitely have no effect on high-level or high-status opponents.

    But what about those who are not? Many adventurers and knights who were not Chosen Ones are mobilized for the monsters¡¯ thinning out. If there were any adverse effects, Shin thought, they would need to be reported immediately.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    It¡¯s a level of magical power that you don¡¯t notice until it¡¯s pointed out to you. Even Yuzuha doesn¡¯t know how effective it would be against someone much weaker than himself, he said. Just to be sure, he asked Kagerou, who also tilted his head.

    ¡°If you¡¯re concerned about magic, would you like to find out?¡±

    Shin was surprised by what Sety, who was listening to the conversation, said and asked back.

    ¡°Can you do it?¡±

    There was a skill to see magical power, but he didn¡¯t think there was a skill to investigate what kind of influence it had.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sealed up like my sis Fil, nor was I busy like Shibaid. I had time to do a lot of research.¡±

    Sety also developed a technique for analyzing the nature of the magic that exists in space.

    However, it was time-consuming, and while analyzing it, she concentrated on it so much that she could hardly use any other magic. She exined that if the need arises, she could stop the analysis and use magic, but then she would have to start the analysis all over again.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s useless in actualbat. It has a few other ws, and in that sense it¡¯s unfinished, but it can be useful in a situation like now.¡±

    If one could use the technique quickly, they should be able to tell which type of magic their opponent was trying to use when they released their magical power, but in reality, it couldn¡¯t be used instantly and was shelved. It seemed that there were other such unfinished techniques.

    ¡°For now, I just need to know if it¡¯s harmful or not. Can you do it for me?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Saying this, Sety went outside. Shin also decided to take a look.

    After prefacing up front that it would be fine to watch, but it would just be boring, Sety looked toward the center of the Wraith ins and held his special weapon, the ¡ºDusk Moon¡», perpendicr to the ground.

    A few seconds passed, and then the magic power was released from Sety¡¯s body. They flowed from her chest, deep into her heart, tracing the contours of her body.

    Fast and skillful.

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but admire in his heart the vivid control of magic power.

    Shin too had been practicing magic control whenever he could find the time, but he still couldn¡¯t control it this fast and consistently.

    While he could be unusually precise when using production skills or making rted movements, he was stillcking in everything else.

    When Shin tried to do the same thing, the magic leaked all at once from his entire body and the surface was blurred.

    The skill activated with no problem, and there was no loss of power. However, there was still a difference in efficiency between what could be done and what could not be done.

    Because of the increased realism, he experienced this firsthand.

    The reason why Shin has had no problems so far is because his maximum MP was already maxed out, and he had already reached his limit. Otherwise, there would have been several asions when he would have had to rely on items in terms of MP.

    In Shin¡¯s party, Schnee and Sety were the only ones who could control the magic that coated their bodies with magical power.

    With the other members, the control would be shaky except in their areas of expertise. But they were still as good as or better than the best warriors, and far more stable than Shin, so every time he saw them, he felt that he had to learn it quickly.

    Furthermore, Milt, a former yer like Shin, controlled it as well as a matter of course. Not as good as Sety and Schnee, but still better than Shin. Shin would surely never forget the look of triumph on her face at that moment.

    Sety said to Shin, who was remembering what happened back then, with an astonished look on his face.

    ¡°Why are you frowning? For the time being, it doesn¡¯t seem to be harmful to the human body. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve experienced this reaction, but it¡¯s close to the magical power that a high-level monster like Yuzuha-chan over there releases unconsciously.¡±

    Wraith ins was a special ce to begin with. Sety¡¯s thought was that the magic power released from the dungeon reacted with the Hades¡¯ magic power, resulting in the current state of the dungeon.

    ¡°Even with harmless magic, I can sense the source¡¯s power to some extent. I guess the affected monster partners must be feeling insecure because they sense the difference in power.¡±

    That¡¯s probably why the powerful Yuzuha and Kagerou don¡¯t care, Sety said.

    No matter how powerful the source was, the magical power leaking into the Wraith in had neither hostility nor favor. It was like air.

    ¡°It¡¯s a relief to know that there is no danger that requires immediate action.¡±

    Shin thanked Sety and returned to the Moon Shrine. While continuing the investigation to some extent, he decided to wait for the next full moon first.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (3)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (3)</h4>

    ?And then, three dayster.

    In the center of the restricted area, the entrance to the dungeon appeared.

    The door was about 5-mel high and 3-mel wide, with precisely carved nt vines and flowers on the frame, and a rough spiral pattern in the center.

    It was different in design from the doors leading to the abandoned city of Arkhan that Shin knew.

    ¡°This is, I believe, the Gate of Kardamia, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡±

    Shin, who recognized the carving on the door that was the entrance to the dungeon that appeared in the restricted area, nodded in agreement with Milt.

    A door for entering a dungeon that only appeared for a certain period of time. At the event, there were pictures of various weapons drawn on it.

    However, what was depicted on the door that stood in front of Shin and the others was a ¡®spiral pattern¡¯ engraving. Shin and Milt were all too familiar with it.

    Although it did not seem to exist here, in the days of the game, it was an borate construction in which light magic was given to the pirs to make it look as if a drill was carving the gate.

    He remembered the decorations on the door frame well, so he was sure of it.

    That¡¯s right, it¡¯s clearly a piece of work created by a yer that had some humor in it.

    Kardamia, as Shin called it, was one of the cities where many of the production yers were based, a magical city where prototypes, experimental works, and sometimes even artifacts were lined up together. It was what today would be called a Sacred ce.

    ¡°Conditions-wise, it¡¯s an abandoned city in Arkhan, but what¡¯s inside is Kardamia?¡±

    That would make things very easy.

    After all, Shin knew the streets of Kardamia well, and he had a good idea of where Hades was most likely to be.

    ¡°If we can walk around freely, I wonder if we will be able to see Hades soon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier that way,¡± Filma said.

    Shin concurred, but he had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t work out that way. If it were that easy, Hades wouldn¡¯t go to the trouble of appearing like this.

    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±

    Shin turned around and asked everyone. After making sure everyone nodded, he put his hand on the door.

    As soon as the door moved inward, a high-pitched squeaking or grinding sound could be heard.

    ¡°Since there was no visual movement, I thought it was just a regr door, but it wasn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°This one seems to be a gimmick using the movement of the door.¡±

    Shin nodded to Milt, who said in dismay as the serious atmosphere was gone.

    The way the door moved inward,bined with the echoing sound, as if a drill was scraping the door and prying it open. Had the apanying magic worked, it would have made the experience more realistic. It was a wasteful cosmetic technology made possible because it was a game.

    Tiera, who was the only one who did not know about this gimmick, was startled by the high-pitched sound, which did not usually ur just by opening a door.

    ¡°Is this normal¡­?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, it is¡­¡±

    Shin had no idea why such a ridiculous specification was approved.

    If one were to say that it was just a joke for the sake of the game, he wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it.

    ¡°Is the person who made it sane¡­?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes¡­¡±

    The bizarre specifications, which would not be possible in this world, made Tiera, a local resident, doubt the sanity of the creator.

    ¡°Now, I feel like I¡¯m off to a bad start, but I¡¯m going to focus from here on out.¡±

    Shin said this, also as a reminder to himself.

    The internal structure was only a prediction. Until he saw it with his own eyes, he would not know what was going on.

    While Shin and the others were talking, the doors were opening.

    Eventually, a passageway the same width as the door appeared. It was a cave like a hollowed-out rock.

    ¡°Inside the door must belong to Arkhan.¡±

    The group proceeded through the cave, wary of the traps.

    Using the ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, they found a cylindrical space leading underground about 10 mels ahead. When they were investigating on the ground, there should have been no such space here, but no one had an answer when it was pointed out.

    After descending the tubr space and proceeding underground, there was arge open area.

    This was the same structure as the abandoned city of Arkhan.

    However, there were no detailed descriptions of the open space.

    Perhaps detection was blocked, or the area was blurred as to howrge it was and what kind of structures were there. It was as if the camera was out of focus, giving only vague and ambiguous information.

    ¡°I guess we have no choice but to go and check it out.¡±

    In any case, there was only one way to the basement. There may be a time limit set just like the event, so he proceeded without hesitation.

    When the group reached the end of the passage, part of the wall opened to the left and right. This too happened ording to their knowledge.

    The cylindrical space was like an elevator in reality. When Shin and the others entered the tube, the rock wall closed and a magic circle appeared at their feet.

    ¡°(¡­this is going to be okay, right?)¡±

    In a situation where it seemed like they were trapped, Tiera asked with ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    In this world, elevators that use magic circles were notmon, so it was no wonder she was confused.

    ¡°(It¡¯s all right. Well, just watch.)¡±

    A few seconds after the magic circle appeared, the rock that Shin and his group were on began to slowly descend. After a slight floating sensation, there was a period of silence.

    ¡°(It¡¯s going down¡­ right?)¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, it¡¯s a little hard to see because of the unevenness of the wall, but it¡¯s going down at a pretty good pace.)¡±

    Only the cylindrical part inside the elevator was almost even, as if the surface had been hardened with concrete. If one looked closely, one could see that they were moving from the bottom to the top ¨C to be exact, it was Shin and the others who were moving.

    Kagerou, too, was looking out of the shadow and fidgeting, as if the unfamiliarity of the ride was making him feel ufortable.

    The ride must havested a few minutes. There was a sensation of slowing down, and a littleter the magic circle disappeared.

    Finally, the rock wall on the opposite side from where Shin and the others boarded opened.

    Beyond the door, there was a small za. The pavement spread out in a fan shape around the spot where Shin and the others were standing.

    The radius of the area was about 30 mel.

    ¡°It seems ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ is useless here.¡±

    There were no enemies within visual range. Shin released a magic wave while searching for any response other than his own, and muttered when he felt no response.

    Thisck of response was probably the reason why they couldn¡¯t get the whole picture when they were above ground. Since the map function was still active, it seemed that the only way to get aplete picture was to steadily explore the map.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reaction from monsters.¡±

    Said Schnee, who was searching for signs around her, just like Shin.

    Shin pondered if she, who has the job of a Kunoichi (a woman who also has the ability to act as a scout), came to the same conclusion, meaning that they could conclude that the area was free of monsters.

    In the abandoned city of Arkhan, there was a rest stop where one could replenish items before moving on to the next stage. Perhaps it was a remnant of this.

    ¡°The monster¡¯s, or rather,ck of a reaction from anything, right?¡±

    There was no reaction from the NPCs who sold the items or the small animals that were supposed to be living in the city. Only the buildings remained. That¡¯s their impression.

    ¡°We won¡¯t learn anything if we stay here. We have no choice but to move forward.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s not keep our guard down and look out for enemies.¡±

    Shibaid urged them on, and the group set out on foot.

    Shin and Schnee were in the lead, with Filma and Milt on the left and right, Shibaid standing behind them, and Sety and Tiera in the center.

    Yuzuha was on Shin¡¯s shoulder in fox cub mode, while Kagerou was lurking in Tiera¡¯s shadow.

    They took a straight path from the za, being careful not to hurry or be too cautious.

    Normally, the halfway point would only be about 50 mel. However, even after traveling halfway, 25 mel, there was no sign of the road ending, and they were convinced that it was not hidden by illusion.

    It certainly appeared to be different from the original n of the event.

    ¡°Can you see inside the store? I wonder if my detection skills are also effective.¡±

    Shin knew that the ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ didn¡¯t work, but after actually using it, he found that skills that work on the sense of sight, such as the ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, also didn¡¯t work.

    Based on this fact, it suggested that the detection skills were not functioning, rather than the monsters not reacting. Filma said to Shin, who had voiced this doubt.

    ¡°No one reacts except for us. I wonder if we should consider the danger of relying on our detection skills.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that would be better. Then how about offensive skills?¡±

    Shin lightly fired his magic skill at the ground.

    This activated smoothly, and the stone pavement shattered, scattering fragments. There was no difort in the feeling of use or the magical power consumed.

    ¡°Is the attack system still the same?¡±

    ¡°I feel like it hasn¡¯t changed.¡±

    Schnee watched Shin use her magic skills, but she tried using her martial arts skills herself and gave her own impressions. It was a basic and simple skill, but her movements weren¡¯t awkward.

    They also tried several body enhancement systems and barriers, and these were also activated without problems.

    ¡°Only the detection system is obstructed. In the event, we didn¡¯t have this limitation, did we?¡±

    Shin agreed with Milt¡¯s confirmation.

    ¡°That should be it. Even so, I didn¡¯t use any detection skills at the rest stop in the first ce.¡±

    The main purpose of the rest stop was to replenish supplies, and no monsters appeared. If there was going to be a battle, the opponent would be 100% yer killers (PK).

    However, it was nothing more than harassment to have a PK here during the game, and the PK, perhaps reading the atmosphere as expected, did not attack the yers.

    Therefore, for yers, not just Shin, the midway point has no meaning other than a refueling spot. So they did not bother to use their detection skills.

    ¡°But if nothinges up, that¡¯s just in creepy.¡±

    There was not a single sound except for Shin and the others¡¯ footsteps and equipment rubbing against each other.

    If Wilhelm and the others were right, there must be undead monsters here based on the magical power being released in Wraith ins. The term ¡°ghost town¡± was fitting in many ways.

    ¡°¡­! Shin.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard you.¡±

    Shin nodded at Schnee¡¯s voice. The ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill, which Shin had activated in case he could not use his detection skills, picked up a sound different from them.

    ¡°The sound, or rather the voice. I have a very bad feeling about it.¡±

    Milt also activated her ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill, and she readjusted her weapon, ¡ºOrdgand¡» with a frown.

    ¡°What is this presence?¡±

    Tiera trembled while looking around her. Shin had no idea, but she seemed to sense something.

    ¡°Do you know which way it¡¯sing from?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing from all directions. Like the teleportation that Shin uses, the presence is getting stronger rapidly. But I wonder what it is. It¡¯s simr to the presence I know, yet something different about it¡­¡±

    Tiera looked around with a puzzled look on her face.

    Kagerou also seemed to sense something and was moving his face and ears impatiently to the right and left out of the shadow.

    Shin again used ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿and ¡¾Search¡¿, but he could not pick up any reactions that Tiera and the others seemed to be sensing.

    The map only showed the location and surroundings where they had passed, and there was no response from anyone other than Shin and the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the presence of living things. But it¡¯s not the presence of undead either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The mysterious presence seemed to be getting closer and closer. Yuzuha felt it too, but couldn¡¯t put it into words.

    ¡°It would be faster to actually see it. I¡¯m going to leave for a while.¡±

    With Yuzuha on his shoulders, Shin jumped to the roof of a nearby building. ording to Tiera, the creature appeared to surround them. Shin stared at the front of the building, thinking that there wouldn¡¯t be a wrong direction.

    He also used ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, but it had no effect. However, perhaps because he was based on an avatar, his vision was much better than in reality.

    Since there were few things blocking the view from the roof, there was a possibility that the mysterious presence could be seen.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not smoke. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s a wraith or anything.¡±

    Shin moved along the roof, being careful not to stray too far from Schnee and the others, and what he discovered was something like a white mist.

    There were many of them, all about a mel or two in size. As far as he could see, they were scattered along paved pathways or in stores.

    ¡°They were changing shapes?¡±

    At first they looked like a mass of smoke or haze, but over time they changed shape. Its color changed from white to translucent. The shape changed from a long, vertical, unrecognizable object to a human or animal form.

    It must have been about two minutes since Shin found it. The uninhabited town had been transformed into a state where translucent inhabitants were walking around.

    ¡°Are we being shown the scenes from the past?¡±

    Maybe because of the distance, or theck of information, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was not triggered. However, he was familiar with simr scenes.

    Among the sub-quests rted to history and culture in the game, there were some that allowed one to see how people in extinct civilizations lived as if they were actually there.

    ¡°Shin, Shin.¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s paw touched Shin¡¯s cheek as he concentrated on the scene in front of him. When he asked what was going on, Yuzuha pointed behind Shin with her tail.

    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t feel any presence of the¡­undead?¡±

    ¡°Not even now. That¡¯s no ordinary undead.¡±

    While listening to Yuzuha¡¯s words, Shin was thinking about what he could see when he turned around.

    He was able to hear what appeared to be voices using his ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill. But from Yuzuha¡¯s and Tiera¡¯s words that there was no sign of undead, he thought it was a ghost or a non-corporeal type such as a wraith.

    Yet, such wishful thinking vanished.

    What was in front of my eyes was apparently a human corpse ¨C albeit a little chipped and drooping ¨C and it was a moving corpse, in other words, a zombie.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who they are, but this time they¡¯re zombies with no presence of undead.¡±

    The reason why nothing had happened until now was probably it¡¯s the calm before the storm. One of the zombies was hopping around on the roof with the contents of his stomach hanging out, so Shin jumped up and saw a group of zombies walking or crawling toward him on the ground.

    Unlike the translucent people who looked as if they were going about their daily lives, the group of zombies was heading straight for Schnee and the others.

    ¡°(Listen to me! A horde of zombies is approaching from where Filma is looking!)¡±

    Shinmunicated with ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ as he moved. Filma and the others seemed to have noticed the approach. Before they could even hear Shin¡¯s voice, they were already in a state of alert.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (4)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (4)</h4>

    Should we intercept them?

    No, its too much trouble to deal with zombies in the city, and we dont know why they suddenly sprang up. Our goal is to meet Hades. Ignore them and move on.

    There were no zombies in the game event. There seemed to be a lot of unknowns, but their priority was not to exterminate the zombies.

    As for the speed of movement, the zombies moved slower than a person running at full speed, so it was unlikely that they would catch up to them.

    Do you know which way to go?

    Im going straight down this main road for now. If not, well take the one without the zombies.

    Shin answered Milts question as he did not know the way himself. The map may be functioning, but that didnt mean he could see whaty ahead. He decided to ignore the zombies, and leave it up to luck to see if there was a door to the next area ahead of him.

    If he couldnt find it, he would probably have to burn this ce down.

    Isnt this is the part where you say, Ill take care of it?

    You know that knowledge of the game doesnt apply here. Dont be absurd. Or do you recognize this thing?

    No, I have no idea. My grandma says Im not supposed to do horror quests!

    It seemed that Milt was not good at horror genres. Such yers were not umon, regardless of gender.

    However, that didnt mean that Shin was okay with being chased by zombies either.

    I saw a door. It seems to be closed.

    Schnee told him that she could see a door at the end of the main road.

    It seemed that part of the outer wall covering the city was a gate.

    Shin could see only a slight difference from the outer wall, but Schnee could already see it clearly enough to be certain.

    In real life, it would be difficult for me to go about my daily life without sses, so Im a little jealous.

    With Shins real body, he could see a distance of 30 centimeters blurry without sses.

    Oh, so youre a boy with sses.

    Is that what youre reacting to? Im sure its not umon.

    Even though he was having a meaningless conversation with Milt, Shin did not slow down his running speed. He wasnt in a situation where he had to panic, where he was being chased by zombies. There was still some distance between them.

    When they arrived in front of the gate, Shin pushed the door with all his might. This time, it opened quietly without any gimmicks.

    There are a lot of them, arent there?

    Shin heard Filmas voice as he passed through the gate and turned around. Ahead of him, he saw the horde of zombies that filled the main street running after him.

    But there was still some distance to go, so it would be impossible for the zombies to reach them before the gate closed.

    Without hesitation, Shin closed the gate.

    Sorry, but we have nothing to do with you.

    The gate led to what looked like an arena.

    Is this ording to my knowledge of the game?

    In the center of the square, seven lights glowed. They changed shape and became humanoids.

    In each of their hands was a curved sword simr to a katana, a dagger, a great sword, a halberd, a battleax, a bow, and a staff. Depending on the weapon, the physique of the humanoids and the shape of their armor also differed.

    To ssify them, the types with the great sword and the halberd wererge. They had great strength and high HP. They were either attackers or defenders.

    The types with the curved sword or the dagger were medium-sized. They did not have outstanding abilities, but they were bnced types with no weaknesses.

    The types with the bow and the staff were small. Depending on the weapon, they often specialized in either speed or magic.

    If I remember correctly, they appear in the same number as the members who have entered, right? However, there doesnt seem to be any sign of a shadow opponent for Yuzuha or Kagerou.

    In the case of tamers and summoners, the yer and the follower are counted as one unit.

    The great sword wielder, halberd wielder, and battle ax wielder stepped forward, and the others took their positions behind them.

    It was a typical battle formation where the durable power types served as a defensive wall, and the rear guard and guerri attack dealt damage.

    The halberd wielder seemed to be modeled after Shibaid and also carried a shield. The formation was also centered around this individual.

    Hoh, they know what theyre doing, cing an individual that imitates me in the middle.

    It would have been annoying if they had also copied the abilities of our equipment.

    Filma sighed beside Shibaid, who was impressed.

    Since she often relied on his back as a fellow vanguard, she seemed to have learned how troublesome it could be when he became an enemy.

    But isnt it strange? The humanoids are supposed to be thest to show up, right?

    Milt said, suspicious of the humanoids movements. Surely, ording to the events of the game, the monsters should appear at the end of the dungeon.

    Shin also had his doubts about the sudden appearance of a dungeon boss ss enemy.

    Upon closer inspection, the shape of the humanoids looked a bit rough. When he looked at them as a whole, they did not look too strange, but when he looked at them more closely, he felt that they looked a bit cheap.

    The levelI cant see it.

    Simr to Far Sight, skills rted to the eyes could not be used.

    It was a battle against an opponent for whom he had no prior information, something he had rarely had since arriving here.

    Here too, with Shibaid in the middle, Filma and I on the left and right. Milt will be the link to the rear guard. Yuzuha and Kagerou, attack if you see an opening. We will take advantage of our numbers.

    Even at the time of the game, in the abandoned city of Arkhan, those in positions that allowed them to increase their numbers, such as tamers and summoners, were valued. Since there were only as many humanoids as there were yers, in the worst case scenario, if you could stop each of them from moving, you could win by the difference in followers.

    Shin and the humanoids sh. The vanguards with the same weapons shed violently, and sparks flew.

    It was the humanoids who were pushed back.

    The halberd wielder was sent flying backwards. Although he did not let go of his weapon, his shield shattered and his arm was broken.

    At almost the same time, the great sword wielder and battle ax wielder were also blown away along with their weapons. The curved sword wielder who was positioned behind the halberd wielder was caught up in the blown away vanguard.

    Judging from the way they rolled around in a shy manner, there was no doubt that they did not have the fighting power of the individuals that appeared in the final stage.

    Kuh

    As Shin felt relieved after seeing such a simple enemy, an oversized fireball and lightning strikended on the fallen humanoids. After a spectacr explosion, only scorched and shattered ground remained.

    Yuzuha, and Kagerou too. Its too much.

    Shin knew they were motivated by the fact that they were being relied upon, but even so, it was still too much.

    Even though he didnt deliver the finishing blow, he was being cautious because he wanted to test a little to see how it differed from his own game knowledge.

    Its just a shadow. Theres no point in looking into it.

    Yuzuha said, swinging her tail.

    The reason why her tone was not in the childish mode was because she was excited for the big day or maybe because Shin was relying on her. Either way, if she knew what it was, he would like to know.

    He looked a little different then the ones I know, you know? And he was weak.

    The deeper you go into this dungeon, the stronger the Magic Essence* is. And the stronger the shadows be. (TLN: Previously tranted as Demon Essence)

    Wilhelm also said that. Come to think of it, what is Magic Essence? Isnt it magic power?

    Shin had previously seen an undead monster desate after its magic essence was absorbed by Skull Face Lord.

    In other words, he believed that magic essence existed as some kind of substance. Like thepanions of atoms and molecules.

    Magic Essence is one of the substances that make up a monsters body. Its like air. The more incorporeal and far from life it is, the higher the proportion of it is. Creatures in this world more or less inhale the magic essence from the atmosphere.

    Is that okay?

    When he heard that it was one of theponents of a monster, he felt that he should not leave it unattended.

    It has almost no effect on living things, so its okay. This dungeon has a lot of magic, but even if you spend ten years here without ever going outside, it wont affect you at all.

    Is that so?

    Thats what it is.

    Yuzuha, who had been walking on the ground, ran up to Shins body and dexterously stepped on both of his shoulders with her hind legs andid her head on top of Shins head.

    Whats wrong with you all of a sudden?

    I have a premonition that we should stick together.

    What kind of hunch do you have

    Shin didnt really understand Yuzuhas premonition, but she wasnt going to get in the way of the battle, so he let her do whatever she wanted.

    Even in this state, Yuzuhas magic was very precise.

    While they were talking about this, Shin and the others came to the door to enter the next stage.

    Nothing on the door this time.

    There was nothing particrly unusual about it, and Filma looked disappointed.

    No, thats normal. The previous door was strange.

    She didnt want things like that to be normal.

    It has a simr vibe to the town we saw earlier.

    I dont want to be chased by zombies again.

    Schneesment probably reminded Milt of the zombies rushing to the gate, and she shivered.

    Shin also braced himself for a continuation of the earlier events when he entered the area, but after waiting for a while, there was no change.

    I dont feel that strange feeling like before.

    Tiera said she would know if she felt it because it was a unique presence.

    If you feel it, tell me immediately. There was a timeg before. Speaking of which, did you see anything other than zombies?

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (5)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (5)</h4>

    Shin told them about the scene he had seen at the previous supply stop as they moved on. The impact of the zombie horde had been so great that he hadpletely forgotten to mention it.

    A scene from the past, huh? I havent seen it.

    Neither Schnee nor the other members of the group had seen it. It seemed that only Shin and Yuzuha, who were there, had seen it.

    I wonder if what Shin saw was the old Kardamia scene? Or was it Arkhan?

    I dont know. In Arkhan, there are only recognizable buildings in the final area, and in Kardamia, there are no recognizable features in residential ormercial areas.

    To put it another way, Kardamia was so unique that anyone who knew it other than the candidates Shin mentioned could easily recognize it. The stalls were overflowing with dubious items, and the atmosphere in the back streets, for example, was a ck market. It was said that there were explosions every day as a result of experiments, so there was always seven-colored smoke somewhere in the city. The problem was that it seemed that if there were no people, there would be no such things.

    For now, this seems to be the closest resupply point. I cant resupply though.

    With no NPCs to sell items, they would just pass through. The stores shelves were empty.

    Ah! Shin, thats it!

    Milt suddenly spoke up.

    Looking where she was pointing, he saw a figure disappearing around the corner.

    Is that a scene from the past that Shin was talking about?

    Maybe. This is the ce well pass. Lets see whats on the other side of the corner. Also, please raise your alert level. After seeing the scene from the past, zombies suddenly appeared.

    There was a presence from the beginning, but it started moving after Shin saw what seemed to be a scene from the past.

    Milt became more cautious after Shinsment, but Tiera remained calm.

    But theres no presence right now. Right, Yuzuha-chan?

    Kuh!

    Yuzuha nodded in agreement as well, so it seemed like they didnt have to worry about zombies for now.

    As they walked quickly to the corner, a scene from the past spread out before them.

    Instead of the existing buildings Shin had seen at first, where people and things were added to the existing buildings, everything, including the buildings, had be something else.

    Itspletely different from the one from before.

    Shin told the surprised members what he had seen at the previous supply site.

    It doesnt look like a scene from an ancient civilization.

    Thats right. Its definitely a scene from before The Dusk of Majesty.

    Shin and the others nodded at Schnees confident statement.

    Some of the passersby were clearly wearing equipment that seemed to be made for fun, and the names and product lines of the shops seemed to have nothing to do with seriousness.

    In other words, there was a sense ofxity that was only allowed because it was a game.

    In todays world, that kind ofxity was rare, both in business and in equipment.

    Equipment was directly rted to life and safety, and business was directly rted to livelihood, so no one would cut corners. Since Shin had actually seen such a scene, he was sure that the scene in front of him was from the time when it was a game.

    Hey, Shin, I see something that looks like Celciutos!

    What?

    Milt, who had climbed up on the roof to look for anything that might help her locate the ce, shouted, pointing at something.

    When Shin also climbed onto the roof and looked in that direction, he could definitely see the distinctive hull of the ship.

    If you can see the sea and the Celciutos is docking there, then it must be either the Kaganka or the Rokou.

    Both of the cities Shin mentioned haverge harbors and Celciutos have docked there.

    Does this mean that there are Shin and the others from the game era?

    If this were a scene from the game era, it wouldnt be strange to see us. But back then, you could teleport from ce to ce.

    Just because Celciutos was anchored didnt mean that Shin and the others were there. In fact, it was more likely that he wasnt there.

    Besides, it doesnt really matter if we were there or not.

    Saying that, Shin threw a stone he had picked up before going up to the roof.

    The stone flew straight into a wooden box held by a young man walking on the streetand passed to the other side without colliding with it.

    There was no change in the young man, and there was no damage to the wooden box that the stone should have prated.

    In other words, they were illusions and could not be touched.

    As expected.

    Shin was not sure, since there were some illusions that could be touched, but he was mostly right.

    What do you want to do about it?

    Theres no harm in it for now. Well just have to leave it alone.

    In the game event, such a scene from the past never appeared.

    The door to the next area was visible at the end of the main road, so there was no reason to interfere.

    Aftering down from the roof, Shin joined Schnee and the others, telling them what he had seen and what he deduced from it as he walked away.

    Could this sight have something to do with the zombie outbreak?

    I doubt it. They didnt show up this time.

    This time, there were no shadows, no shapes, no signs of zombies.

    I prefer it that way.

    Milt interrupted Schnee and Shins conversation.

    Are you really that bad with horror? You fought undead in the Wraith ins, didnt you?

    Its not that I cant fight, but Im not good with zombies.

    Milt said she had a bad experience in another VR game where she was attacked by zombies.

    It was my first time in VR, so I didnt know what to do. I was grabbed and bitten, and my internal organs were ripped out right in front of me.

    I cant help but guess the name of the work. But why did you choose that for your first time? Theres an age restriction, right?

    There must have been other VR games that were softer, such as those in which one could interact with animals.

    Theres no such thing as an age limit for games. I wanted to move my body as much as possible, so I did it on the spur of the moment! And I regret it very much.

    Incidentally, in real life, she was bedridden in the hospital and was caught up in a hospital checkup that resulted in her being scolded by her doctor and nurses.

    Youd probably get mad at that. I mean, how could they allow you to y games?

    There are a lot of things to take care of, like mental health care. I was physically weak, but other than that, I had no problems.

    But the physical weakness was life-threatening.

    Look, Im done talking about that! Next area!

    There was no reason to pursue the matter too deeply, so they stopped talking at the door.

    Shin also had no intention of talking lightly while fighting.

    Behind the door was the arena area.

    What appeared were the same seven humanoids as in the first area.

    Their formation was the same, with power types holding halberds and shields that appeared to be modeled after Shibaid.

    So its another test of strength?

    It feels strange that were doing the same thing. But I dont get the feeling that a trap is being set.

    Although he thought they were trying to lure him in, there were only so many traps that could be set in an unobstructed arena. Shin and his team stood in the same formation as before, waiting to see what would happen, and then the other side began to move.

    Is there really nothing there?

    Its strange, but we have no choice but to attack.

    Shibaid led the way as they collided with the humanoids.

    As before, the shield shattered and the humanoids were thrown back.

    The difference this time was that the rear guard dodged the humanoid projectiles. The bow wielder fired arrows, and the staff and dagger wielders cast fire and ice magic, respectively.

    I dont think its time for this rear guard toe out yet.

    Shin, Filma, and Milt jumped out from beside Shibaid, whose momentum had slowed after blowing the halberd wielder away

    Filma swung her Scarlet Moon and the enemys arrow flew through the air like a piece of wood as Shin stepped in and the magic lost its momentum.

    Shin prepared his sword in the manner of Cutting the Carps Mouth*, and stepped in further. (TLN: It looks something like this: YouTube)

    He had not been able to take a turn before, but this time he had already told Yuzuha and the others not to interfere, even if it was just to check their reaction.

    Shin took one step forward and moved directly in front of the curved sword wielder. Then he drew his sword and unleashed a single sh. It sliced the curved sword wielder in half.

    This was abination of the movement-based martial arts skill Ground Shrink and katana martial arts skill Iai Shadow Hunt.

    It looked like a single skill thatbined movement and attack, but it was a so-calledbo attack that was also used in the game era.

    It was a technique to cancel the pause in the attack after a skill and link it to the next skill, and there were some who created their own originalbos bybining multiple skills.

    However, the difficulty increased as the number of skills linked increased. In addition, the repercussions after each skill also increased.

    Shin, who mainly worked solo, did not use shy techniques due to therge gaps in his skills, but rather used a fewbos that linked one or two skills together.

    Sorry, but just in case.

    As usual, Analyze couldnt be activated, so he didnt know if its HP had gone down to zero.

    Shin dealt another blow to the neck of the curved sword wielder who was about to fall to the ground.

    In the game era, their weaknesses were the same as humans, so he should have been able to defeat the curved sword wielder with this.

    Almost at the same time as he was about to finish him off, he felt the presence of a battle axe wielder approaching from behind, just as he was about to turn his back on his opponent.

    But Shin ignored it and stepped towards the archer.

    Before Yuzuha, who was still clinging to him, could unleash her magic, Milt blocked the axe that was swung at him.

    You cant just ignore me!

    Their des collided, sparks flying.

    Looking at their respective weapons at a distance from each other, only the battle axe wielders de was shattered.

    Milt approached again without pausing.

    She grabbed the middle of the hilt and began to twist it slightly.

    Without losing her momentum, she turned and shifted the position of her hilt toward the stone end.

    Her first spin was a deliberate miss, the second spin hit the de of the axe wielder, the third spin made the axe wielder lose his bnce, and the fourth spin smashed the axe along with the human figure.

    I didnt need five rotations.

    Axe technique martial arts skill Axel Turn.

    This powerful technique could be performed up to five times, with the power increasing with each rotation. The skill allows the yer to move freely to a certain extent while swinging the de around the yer, and some yers have performed acrobatics such as kicking walls and trees while spinning and cutting enemies in half from the head. It was also a skill that was rarely used because it risked of turning your back on an enemy, even if only for a moment.

    Filma, for her part, caught a great sword swinging down with her left arm and used Scarlet Moon to cut the human figure in half. Since she did not have a shield, she adjusted her arms and legs to have higher durability so that they could be used as shields. It was the same as Shin using his hand and leg armor as a defense in case of emergency.

    Such adjustments were possible with the type of armor that was covered with an equal protective film that had the same defensive power as her equipment.

    Is that what the second area would be like?

    Shin muttered as he quickly annihted the rear guard.

    It was still early in the game. There was nothing to show for it.

    Dont you think it looks a bit luxurious?

    Ah, thats what I thought too. The ornaments on the weapons were a bit shy.

    Shin was thinking the same thing as Filma and Milt.

    Although they were in a battle, the difference in strength between them was overwhelming, so they had time to observe their opponent. It seemed that not only the decorations but also the quality of the weapons had improved.

    It disappears after I defeat it. If theres anything left, we can look into it.

    The humanoids that Shin and his team defeated disappeared, including their weapons. There were no dropped items either. This area seemed to be following the events of the game.

    Since there was nothing to investigate, they opened the door to the next area.

    What spread out beyond the door was a supply area with no visible signs of life.

    Will we see scenes from the past again?

    I wonder. I think thats the pattern so far.

    Scenes from the past were being projected at both the first and second supply points. There was no harm in that, but not knowing what it meant was problematic.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (6)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (6)</h4>

    We just had to keep going.

    For now, the door to the next area was at the end of the main street.

    At present, it was difficult to explore areas that could not be seen with the naked eye, so they first proceeded down the main street, hoping that the pattern would be the same as it had been up to now.

    However, within a few minutes, a roaring sound suddenly echoed through the area.

    When looking in the direction of the sound, they saw fireballs over 1 mel in diameter falling from the sky like rain. The first sound seemed to be from when the first fireballnded.

    illusions?

    Probably. Theres a sound, but theres no vibration from explosions or the smell of burning things. I think its a scene from a battle in the past.

    Shin asked to confirm, and Schnee answered.

    As she said, despite the fact that several huge fireballs hadnded on the ground, he didnt feel any shaking or impact at all.

    Nor did he smell anything burning, even though he could see the fire burning.

    A fireball with substance No, it wasnt.

    One of the fireballs raining down fell near Shin and the others.

    At first, Shin thought it was a re-up spewed by a monster. But he refuted his thought when he saw something like a rock in the mes start to move.

    In the blink of an eye, the town is on fire. Did this really happen in the past?

    When asked by Tiera, who saw the city lose its shape, Shin answered with a frown on his face.

    Yes, I remember it very well.

    He didnt notice it at first, but after a while he remembered this scene.

    Hey, Shin. Could this be?

    While everyone was speechless, only Milt, a former yer, seemed to notice.

    I think its probably what you are trying to say.

    This ce is definitely Kaganka.

    I guess so.

    Burning stores, shattered and crumbling exterior walls, yers being obliterated. A storm of destruction and ughter on a level that would remain in history if it werent for the game era.

    But the real challenge was yet toe.

    Shin, do you know anything?

    Schnee and the others were at the Moon Shrine, so its not surprising that they didnt know about it. This is an event called the Angry Earth, which was meant to be a warning to the yers well something like that.

    Shin said as he looked at the burning cityscape.

    The mountains were filled with pits to collect materials. The forest was covered with stumps. Monsters were overhunted.

    The event was about natures anger at the yers who were doing things that would cause environmental problems in real life.

    Among them, there was one in which a huge mountain-like golem attacked a city by firing small golems as me bombs.

    What was unfolding now was exactly how the attack happened back then.

    This small golem is troublesome. It has the ability to convert unused materials into scrap materials, making it a natural enemy of production workers.

    Countless production workers have broken down in tears when their unused materials were trashed in this event.

    ording to the system, the trees will regrow in a few days, and the caves will be restored to normal. And the monsters will be repopted naturally. Therefore, the purpose of the event is different.

    Another purpose?

    There were some guilds that upied good hunting grounds and gathering ces. They used various methods to evade warnings from the management.

    Everywhere in the world, there were people who tried to sneak through the web of rules andmit fraud.

    They always act just in time to avoid ount suspensions and other punishments.

    There were a few yers who tried to cause trouble to other yers or gain unfair advantage in ways that they did not disclose.

    There were many yers who had their materials ruined in this event, but the ones who suffered the most were the yers and guilds who had profited from these rules.

    There were rumors among yers after the event that they had apparently put a lot of effort into investigating the event, and at the time of the attack, golems from the Raid Boss ss were swarming around and attacking.

    The yers impression was that it was some kind of purge in the name of the event.

    Shin, by the way, was not harmed at all. He was attacked by a golem, but it was only as strong as a low-level monster.

    So, they were under the wrath of God?

    Yes, I guess you can say that.

    Shin thought it would be hard for Tiera to understand his exnation about ounts and operations, so he changed the names to something that sounded more like ount and operation, but she seemed to take it with a great deal of panache.

    Shin. Look at that. The one you just said.

    Where Milt pointed,rge golems were crowding around a building that looked like a warehouse.

    Although the yers were resisting, they were quickly overrun by the golems strength, which was clearly different from other golems.

    For now, lets move on.

    The wild situation was so different from before that they stopped in their tracks, but this was just another scene from the past.

    All Shin and his party could do was just watch.

    They could not stand still forever, so they continued onward.

    After opening a door, they step into the third arena.

    Dont let your guard down from here.

    Shibaid tightened his grip on his weapon.

    Yeah, it seems like the real thing starts from here.

    Once again, seven humanoid figures appeared. However, the weapons they possess have been upgraded to the point where they could be seen as advanced weapons at a nce.

    From Shins perspective, they were definitely above the middle of the Mythology grade.

    Is the formation unchanged?

    It was the same as before, with the halberd wielder leading the way and closing the distance.

    However, the further the area proceeded, the better the humanoids performance would be. If the power-ups were kept added to their equipment after each area, they wouldnt just keep bouncing back and forth forever.

    The shield held by the halberd wielder had a long vertical diamond with a diagonal cross drawn on it like an X. When the humanoid started running, the cross began to glow.

    It looks like the weapon is imbued with abilities

    Thats troublesome.

    Shin agreed with Filma, who grew more wary. Shields have many uses other than simply enhancing defensive capabilities.

    Depending on its size, it may have a built-in weapon or be given attack abilities, making it a weapon that one must be careful of.

    In response to the charging humanoid, Shibaid also stepped forward with his Great Shell Shield of Collision.

    Like the defensive barrier generated by this shield, the type of ability that moves in ordance with the user bes a powerful weapon depending on how it was used.

    Shibaids assault, which deployed a defensive barrier with a rangerge enough to bounce several people at once, was no different from arge monster rushing in.

    The distance between the two narrows, and the shield and barrier collide.

    At the moment of the collision, the light that had gathered in the cross burst and disappeared.

    Nu!

    Shibaid groaned.

    Shin, who was running beside him, saw that the barrier seemed to shake violently.

    Are you the type to reflect back on the impact you receive?

    Shibaids legs, which had never stopped moving forward, even though his speed slowed to a crawl as he recoiled from sting away his enemies, hade to aplete halt.

    However, the opponents shield, which had caught Shibaids assault from the front, was not safe either. Although it managed to protect the user, it was cracking all over and beginning to crumble into tatters.

    Ille forward.

    The halberd-wielding shield had shattered the defensive barrier deployed by Shibaid at the cost of its ability and itself. Perhaps due to a special effect, the barrier other than the part that collided with the shield also shattered. Then arrows and magic came flying from the rear guard.

    The first one to arrive was fire magic. It was not the type that explodes like a fireball, but the type that spreads like a breath.

    Then, arrows flew in to hide behind them. Each arrow was shining, as if its grade had been raised. They split up in mid-air and came down like a sideways rain.

    Finally, its my turn to shine!

    With Setys proud voice, arrows and magic flew over Shin and his others heads.

    The first one to be fired was also magic. The continuous hitting of the giant water balls was a water-based magic skill Water Spread that was used frequently during the attack on the Sacred ce.

    The water sphere, which was as tall as Shibaid, rushed through the waves of me and swallowed the arrows that were approaching from behind.

    And without letting up its momentum, itnded where the rear guard was. The ball of water popped, and arge spray of water sshed up.

    Then, two thunderbolts struck.

    The water ball was dodged, but the bow and staff wielders of the rear guard, who were exposed to the water spray, were electrocuted. Within seconds, they were scorched ck.

    The only one of the dagger wielders to escape being electrocuted was shot through by Tieras arrow as he jumped.

    Leave the rest to me!

    On the other hand, the four humanoid bodies in the vanguard attacked even though the rear guard had been destroyed.

    Shin, Filma, Shibaid, and Milt each engaged their opponents with the same weapons as themselves.

    The curved sword in the humanoid hand, which had closed the distance between it and Shin, looked like a full-fledged sword.

    The attack from the bottom was sharp enough to set it apart from the humanoid in the previous area, and the speed of the attack was close to that of the movement martial arts skill Ground Shrink.

    When these factors werebined, the blow that was delivered is truly like a sh of lightning.

    Shin, however, met it head-on.

    The blow from a high-speed move was an attack method often used by yers with samurai jobs. That was why he was familiar with that move.

    Shin drew his weapon from its scabbard. The crimson de pattern on the lead-colored de floated like a burning me; it was a swing of the Ancient-grade Burning Sword.

    Although it looked like a me-attribute sword, it had no attribute attached to it, and unless the conditions were met, it would be nothing more than a sword of the highest quality.

    However, the true power of this sword was demonstrated when using skills rted to fire attributes.

    Shin held the Burning Sword on his shoulder and swung it down at the right moment.

    The trajectory of Shins Burning Sword intersected with the de of the curved sword, which drew a long line from the right nk to the left shoulder, and sparks flew.

    The sparks left a momentary glow in the air as hard objects rubbed and scraped against each other.

    As the red sh line remained in the air, there, a humanoid split in two passed by Shin.

    The de of the curved sword that was blown away drew an arc in the air, disappearing before it hit the ground as the humanoids body disappeared.

    Swordsmanship/me artbination skill Fire Race.

    The skill, which enhanced and elerated the sh with mes erupting from the de of the sword, showed a power several orders of magnitude greater than its original effect due to the ability to amplify the me attribute of the Burning Sword.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 2 (7)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 2 (7)</h4>

    Filma and Shibaid met their opponents de a littleter than Shin.

    Both of their opponents des wererge and sturdy.

    Thanks to their improved quality, they were not broken by a single blow.

    However, just because a weapon could withstand a blow did not mean the wielder was safe.

    The greatsword wielders weapon that had collided with Filmas Scarlet Moon cracked its de, but it held up without breaking.

    However, the humanoids arm holding it could not support the greatsword. The des of the shing swords bounced off, and the de of the greatsword injured the humanoid wielder.

    We cant afford to waste any more time.

    The humanoid did not react to Filmas words.

    The first time the humanoid was hit, it was not blown away by the momentum of the attack. But the impact caused the humanoids feet toe off the ground this time.

    In the second round, the humanoids stance copsed, and in the third round, it fell face down with its greatsword on the ground. If it werent for the greatsword, it would have been cut in two at that point. The impact was so significant that the humanoid body was half buried in the ground. Fragments of the de were scattered on the ground.

    By the third round, it was clear to everyone that the greatsword wielders abilities had reached their limits. It knew if it did not move, a follow-up attack woulde. However, the humanoid body could not move.

    Swordsmanship martial arts skill Tyrant Beat.

    The humanoid could not do anything as it was continuously struck with a slight paralyzing effect.

    This was no longer a battle, but an annihtion.

    In the fourth round, the humanoid, unable to move, had no strength left to withstand Filmas blow.

    Its not just the shield thats special, huh?

    Simr to the shattered shield, the quality of the halberd-wielding items that were meant to face Shibaid had also improved.

    Shibaid praised the humanoid for throwing down its shield and unleashing a full-body thrust.

    Even with its shield shattered, the humanoid showed its ability and moved out of range just as Shibaids footsteps stopped.

    There was no gap in the humanoids stance with the halberd, and it unleashed blows that matched the greatsword and curved sword wielders that were running side by side.

    The blows, which were aimed right at Shibaids head, bounced off his shield. However, the humanoid was able to use the force of the bounce to spin on the spot. In a quick but wide arc, it came chasing after his legs, while hiding behind Shibaids shield.

    On the left side of Shibaids field of vision, there was a blind spot due to his shield. However, someone as skilled as Shibaid could read the halberds swing direction just by looking at the humanoids stance, and he knew the length of his opponents weapon.

    Still, the battle was not as predictable as expected.

    While the humanoid was spinning, another de extended sideways from its halberds de. It looked like a scythe held by the god of death. By changing the shape of the weapon when it entered the blind spot, it would probably catch the enemy by surprise. Normally, one would not expect a halberd to turn into a sickle in the blink of an eye.

    The de slipped into the depths of Shibaids shield.

    But the de never touched Shibaid.

    Im used to this kind of thing.

    Shibaid took half a step back and shifted his shield to his left side. The de that had slid in was pushed by the side of the shield, deflecting it from its trajectory toward his leg.

    Instead of blocking it with the shield, he moved the shield itself, deflecting the de further back from where he stood. From the humanoids point of view, this meant that not only was the attack deflected, but the attack was taken away from it. If it had let go, there wouldnt have been a huge gap, but the humanoid didnt choose that.

    Shibaid immediately changed the way he held his huge halberd, cid Moon, and thrust it into the humanoid, which was about to lose its bnce and fall forward.

    To deflect the humanoids attack, Shibaid turned his body to the left side. In this state, with no build-up and at such a close distance, he could not deliver satisfactory power.

    So, he let go of cid Moon in his right hand for a moment and grabbed it again, holding it in the opposite hand near the stone tip.

    Hepensated for the unstable aim caused by the length of the weapon and the position of his grip by cing the part near the tip of the spear against the side of the shield.

    The humanoid used one arm as a shield in front of the approaching cid Moon de. However, it was useless in the face of Shibaids physical strength and the sharpness of the cid Moon.

    Even though the way Shibaid held the de was different from usual, it was powerful enough. Due to his leaning forward position, the tip of cid Moon pierced through the arm it was using as a shield and halfway through the humanoids head.

    While Shin and the other three fought on the ground, only Milt was in the air.

    She did not miss the battleaxe wielder as she jumped into position to leap over Shibaids head.

    I wont let you attack on my watch!

    The battleaxe and the Ordgand collided. In the air, speed and weight matter more than power.

    The two leapfrogged each other with little difference in speed. Their weapons wererge and heavy. The obvious difference was the physique of the wielder.

    It was obvious who had the advantage between the petite Milt and the big battleaxe wielder, but it was the battleaxe wielder who was blown away.

    Axe technique martial arts skill Power sh.

    It was a skill that only had the simple effect of increasing the power of the weapon once when it was swung. However, it had a hidden effect that even when there was no support, such as in the air or underwater, it could produce the same power as if it had been swung as hard as possible on the ground.

    The power of the skill was also affected by the status of the user. The difference between the two was more than enough topensate for the difference in physique.

    Isnt it too easy for someone with the same weapon as me to get beaten up?

    Milt, who had knocked the battleaxe wielder into the air, said something along those lines.

    In this formation, she guessed from the timing of the attacks and movements that the battleaxe wielders role was either to take advantage of the gap between the front line and the opponent and attack, or to take advantage of the gap to attack or obstruct the rear line.

    However, against Shin and his group, there was almost no chance, and the humanoids they faced were defeated in less than ten rounds. This was one of the reasons why the battleaxe wielder seemed to be in a very half-hearted state.

    Unlike the first battle in the arena, Milt is currently in the middle guard of Shins party, leaning toward the vanguard.

    In times of need, while supporting the vanguard with magic and spirit arts, her role shifts to protecting the rear guard from enemies who have gotten through the vanguard.

    If youre going to use the same type of weapon, you should be a little more active!

    The Flying Shadow, that had created a foothold in the air seemed to activate, kicking through the air in pursuit of the battleaxe wielder who had been blown away.

    Milt struck Ordgand at the humanoid as it stood up.

    Her de prated halfway into the battleaxes de. The weight of Ordgand and the momentum of his movement seemed to have exceeded the durability of the battleaxe. However, it did not result inplete destruction.

    Milt pushed the humanoid to the ground along with the weapon, and mmed the palm of her hand as hard as she could at the part of Ordgands handle near the de.

    The impact of the blow immediately pushed the hilt into the ground.

    Barehanded martial art skill Empty Strike.

    Originally, this skill was used to check and repel an opponents weapon in meleebat, but it was also used to drive in a fixed stake or, as in this case, to push a weapon in close proximity.

    Yo!

    Pushed by a shock simr to an explosion, Ordgand, which had stopped midway through the de, cut the battleaxe in half along with the humanoid, and sank itself into the earth.

    Her shout was light, but Milts Empty Strikewas so powerful that it could send a living human flying by more than 10 mels.

    Milt pulled out her Ordgand that was stuck in the ground and turned her attention to the de.

    If it had been the Breogand she had used before, she would have to worry about its de breaking.

    Yeah, Its fine. After all, its easier when I can use equipment that matches my abilities.

    Using a weapon that could break if used with full force was a different kind of tension than fighting a strong enemy.

    The fact that Milt did not have to worry about that made her feel more rxed.

    If it continues like this, it looks like they will be quite strong in the end.

    Thats right. They might even be stronger than they were in the game.

    After confirming that all the humanoids had disappeared, Shin and his group discussed their impressions of the battle as they walked toward the door to the next area.

    During the game, the humanoids only appeared in the final area, so it was natural that both the weapon and its user were strong.

    Even though Shin didnt know all the abilities given to the weapons, he knew that they were using them.

    However, from the impressions of the yer group, Shin and Milt, if the humanoids continued to get stronger, there seemed to be a possibility that they would be stronger than the humanoid version of the final area version that they fought.

    They probably wouldnt lose with the current members, but it wouldnt be an easy fight. The humanoids they had just defeated were strong enough to make them think so.

    Is it Hades influence?

    Maybe. Even just the gates, the city, and the events are different here and there

    There was no guarantee that the supply areas and arenas would remain as they were.

    Lets keep our heads up.

    After saying that, Shin opened the door and took a step.

    Immediately after that

    It was different. The moment he saw it, Shin stopped his next step.

    It was not the bright supply area it used to be.

    The whole area was dark, there were no buildings, and there were cobblestone streets everywhere.

    It was almost the same size as the arena. However, because the entire area was dark, he couldnt feel howrge it was as he could see using the map function.

    Shin. Everyone is missing.

    Shin turned around in surprise when he heard Milts voice from next door.

    There was only a closed door behind him.

    Schnee and the others who were supposed to be following behind were nowhere to be seen.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (1)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (1)</h4>

    What the hell is going on?

    He didnt feel like he had been teleported. Besides, aside from Yuzuha, who was clinging to Shin, what did it mean that Milt, who was supposed to be behind Schnee and the others, was with him?

    Shin couldnt understand the situation.

    Calm down. Weve been summoned.

    Summoned?

    Yuzuha seemed to understand the situation and stroked Shins cheek with her tail to calm his questioning eyes.

    Oh, no, I see. Hades, right?

    The answer was clear in his mind. It came to him immediately, and Shin exhaled heavily to calm himself.

    Thats when the Mind Chat call came in.

    (Shin! Can you hear me!? Shin!)

    (Its okay. I can hear you. Im okay.)

    Hearing Schnees screaming voice, Shin realized that he was calmer than he thought he was. When he responded, he tried to keep his voice as calm as possible.

    Even though it was through Mind Chat, they could tell a little bit about the other person by listening to his or her voice.

    After Schnee calmed down, they checked each others situation.

    (Theres only me, Milt, and Yuzuha here. Is there anyone else missing?)

    (All the other members are here. It looks like its the same resupply area as before.)

    (I guess things went smoothly over there. Judging from the location on the map, it looks like we were the only ones who took a shortcut to the arena. I think its probably at or near the destination.)

    (Are you okay there?)

    Shin guessed that they were further into the final area. He thought it would be behind the throne, where he had expected Hades to be at the beginning of the search.

    Schnee must have made the same prediction, and he could tell that she was worried about him and the others.

    Shin

    In the middle of our conversation, Milt tugged at the sleeve of his clothes as he looked toward the far side of the room.

    The reason was obvious: the enormous presence emanating from the back of the room. Shin noticed this too, but put his index finger to his mouth and motioned for her to be quiet.

    Although he had not yet confirmed it with his own eyes, he was also aware of Yuzuhas words earlier. It was almost certainly Hades who was waiting for him in the back of the room.

    If he told Schnee that Hades was already nearby, it would only make her worry more than she needed to under the current circumstances. Even if she hurried, she wouldnt be able toe to his aid right away, and there was a possibility that she might do something reckless by prioritizing joining with him.

    Hades had not yet been identified to be an enemy.

    Even though Schnee and the others were in contact with Shin, Hades did not attack them, nor did she interrupt their conversation.

    She might have a presence, but Shin didnt feel any hostility, so she was probably waiting for them to finish their conversation.

    (It should be fine. Well be wait for you here, so take it easy.)

    The part about It should be fine wasnt just said through Mind Chat, but he actually said it out loud.

    Those words were also directed at Milt. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and gave her a look that said it was no problem.

    He had no idea what was going to happen, but he couldnt let her worry.

    Now, lets go.

    Gathering his courage, he stepped deeper into the darkness.

    I dont like it. My skins tingling.

    Milt said and rubbed her arms, but walked next to Shin. Yuzuha stayed at Shins side, her tail wagging.

    For now, the Burning Sword remained sheathed to show that there was no hostility from them. There was no reaction that he could see or feel.

    However, the feeling of oppression seemed to increase as they walked on.

    After about five minutes of walking, the darkness suddenly lifted.

    The walls, floor, and ceiling emitted a faint glow, illuminating the room.

    Thanks to the map function, Shin and his team did not lose their bearings, but since night vision could only be activated near the entrance, they moved slowly, illuminating their surroundings with their light arts skills.

    They were now about two-thirds of the way across the room.

    Then, about 10 mels away, there was what looked like a shimmering pir. It was translucent and seemed to have something sealed inside.

    Drop of Erathem?

    It was a rare item called Drop of Erathem, that stretched from the ground to the ceiling like a pir.

    It was translucent and looked as if something was trapped inside, reminding Shin of the Drop of Erathem that had sealed Filma.

    When Shin asked Filma why she was in such a state after themotion had subsided, she replied that she didnt really know.

    All she remembered was that she was suddenly surrounded by light, and the next thing she knew, Shin was right in front of her. She said that this happened while she was moving through the wilderness, so he could only guess that some tectonic movement must have urred after she was trapped in the Drop of Erathem.

    There seemed to be no people or monsters around that could be the cause.

    If it was the same as when Filma was trapped, it was believed that a person, not an object, was trapped inside the Drop of Erathem.

    Is this the same one that trapped Filma?

    Perhaps. But why is it in that state?

    If one used their skills to process the Drop of Erathem, they could get out from inside.

    Shin thought that maybe Hades was sealed away after talking to Eleven, but he also doubted that such a coincidence could exist.

    Huh? Is it starting to get transparent?

    Just as Milt had said, the transparency of the pir was rapidly increasing, to the point where it was almost as if there was something humanoid inside.

    It seems to be different from Filmas.

    The Drop of Erathem that sealed Filma was transparent from the beginning, and there was no change to be seen until Shin touched it.

    The only thing they had inmon was that they were found underground.

    The pir made of Drop of Erathem became transparent enough to clearly see the other side in about 30 seconds.

    This allowed them to see what was inside.

    Milt looked into the pir.

    Is it a Dragnil?

    By the look of it, yes. Origin looked like Shibaid, so maybe this one is more human-like.

    Inside the Drop of Erathem was a woman with white translucent horns.

    Two horns sprouted from between her silver hair, which extended down her back, as if they were reaching for the sky. She also had a tail and wings, which were all silver, from the scales to the wing membranes.

    Everything else looked human. The well-developed face was of Western European descent. She had feminine curves and a tall, model-like figure.

    However, it was a little difficult to look at her because she was not wearing a single stitch of clothing.

    The womans eyes opened.

    Immediately, the Drop of Erathem that had confined her body melted away, creating an open space.

    Part of the melted Drop of Erathem wrapped around the womans body, transforming into a light bluish silver dress. It was a simple but high-quality type of dress that fit her body well, and if one did not know her original appearance, one would not be able to tell that the dress was made from the Drop of Erathem.

    In addition to the dress, the melted Drop of Erathem also took the form of a chair behind her.

    As if she knew it was made, the woman sat on it without looking back and slowly crossed her legs.

    The skirted dress had a slit in it, exposing her thighs. Her legs remained bare. It seemed that the dress would not change into shoes.

    Have you finished speaking with yourpanions?

    Her voice was a little deep and calm for a woman. Her eyes, directed at Shin and the others, had long, golden pupils.

    The way she looked down from above gave her the air of a queen.

    Sorry to keep you waiting.

    I dont mind. It was a bit of a rough move. I guess you heard from Eleven, right? I wanted to contact you, but I too have various restrictions. I apologize for summoning you here so abruptly.

    As Yuzuha said, the sudden move seemed to be her doing.

    Now, before we discuss anything, let me first introduce myself. I am Hades. I am the half-body of Origin, the one who knows the outside of this world.

    The pressure increased slightly when she said her name.

    When Shin fought Origin, it was a game, so he could not directlypare the feeling of pressure, but with the opponents he faced here, it was close to that of Reforgerer and Tzaobath.

    And that was without being in battle mode. She was definitely strong.

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 Book 20: Chapter 3 (2)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (2)</h4>

    You may already know this, but I am Shin. I defeated Origin.

    Shin said as he stared at Hades.

    He wondered what she thought about this fact. How would she react? He wanted to find out in his own way.

    Hmm, I can feel the remnants of his power and presence from you. I knew that before, but I was convinced after meeting you in person. Ah, you can speak casually. Its been a long time since I talked to anyone. I dont like formalities.

    The way Hades nodded her head was very calm.

    Shin, who had thought that in the worst case scenario, they could go straight into battle, was also taken aback by the reaction.

    Now, that girl over there, may I ask your name?

    Ah, Im Milt.

    Milt also seemed nervous and a bit listless.

    Hmm?It seems like Im intimidating you. Wait a minute.

    When Hades said that, the feeling of intimidation that weighed on them disappeared.

    I thought I was holding it back, but it doesnt seem to be working well. Please forgive me.

    It seemed that the intimidating atmosphere that he clearly felt was a trivial thing that leaked out even after Hades suppressed it.

    Shin braced himself, wondering if her strength was on par with Origin.

    Then, the one sticking to Shins head is

    Yuzuha. Thats my name.

    Interrupting Hades words, Yuzuha introduced herself. Hearing this, Hades smile deepened a little.

    Hehe, I feel a deep connection with Shin. Did you foresee me calling? But I see. I had heard from Eleven that you were with your master, but I thought it strange that Shin and the others did not know of me. Besides, you seem to be quite weak.

    Thats because of the miasma.

    Ah, you were the one who sealed it away.

    There was an ease between Hades and Yuzuha that made it hard to believe that they were meeting for the first time.

    Do you know each other?

    Synchronization.

    When Shin asked Yuzuha, he got an unexpected answer.

    Synchronization?

    When Shin wondered what a synchronization of monsters was, Hades answered.

    We are the earliest beings to be formed in this world under the influence of your world. We are the originals of the seven races and half of each of them. We are also the strongest monsters in this world, including Yuzuha. Arent we just like the students who enrolled at the same time?

    Hades seemed to be in a good mood as she exined. It was hard for Shin to imagine Hades and Yuzuha as students. He somehow understood what she wanted to say, but

    After listening to what you just said, I have more questions to ask.

    From your point of view, there are probably many things you dont understand, including the fact that youre here.

    The tone of Hadess voice dropped. She seemed to be serious about talking about this topic.

    I heard from Eleven that you wanted to talk to me. Can I ask you to tell me the important details?

    She seemed to want to talk, but he had no idea what it was about. Was there something she wanted to ask Shin, or was there something she wanted to say? Or was it something else?

    Looking back to the game era, Hades was not implemented as a character or NPC. Therefore, Shin did not know what kind of character she was, and it was difficult to predict the content of the story.

    Theres something I think I should tell you. I cant just tell you this through my subordinate.

    Such information would be important for a being of Hades caliber to convey. Thoughts of powerful monsters and beings on the same level as Hades that he had yet to encounter shed through Shins mind.

    You dont need to be so defensive. Its not about who will be your enemy. But is it good for you or bad for you? I dont know.

    I honestly thought someone like the Guardian Divine Beast Reforgerer would show up.

    Even with the current Shin, there were still opponents that he could not necessarily defeat.

    Thinking about such a direct threat, Shin asked Hades for an answer.

    Its true that there are beings that the yers havent seen. However, this is a different issue. The main issue is about you and the girl there.

    Eh, me too?

    Milts eyes widened when the subject was turned to her.

    Since they were summoned here together, Shin thought something must have happened, so he wasnt too surprised.

    So you mean its something to do with the yers?

    When Shin phrased his prediction as a question, Hades replied calmly.

    No, thats not true. Im talking about the fact that you will eventually return to the world where you came from.

    It took Shin and Milt a long of time to understand what she was talking about.

    They understood the meaning of the words. But they didnt understand it right away.

    No, it would be more correct to say that they did not want to.

    Thats how shocking Hades words were to Shin and the others.

    Please tell me the details.

    You seem confused. Do you need more time before we continue?

    Hades looked as if she wanted to say, I knew it woulde to this.

    Shin, however, shook his head.

    Are you sure?

    If I give it some time, Ill start thinking too much.

    But Shin looked at Milt, who might not be so sure.

    The shock she received seemed to be more than Shins, and her face turned pale.

    Just when he thought it might be better to give her some time, Milts body lost its strength and copsed. Shin immediately caught her body as she was about to fall.

    Ah, sorry

    Its okay. Im more worried about you.

    She was in great shock herself.

    Knowing Milts situation, Shin thought the shock she must have received was greater than his own, and used the Item Box to materialize a mattress that resembled a leisure sheet.

    He slowlyid Milt down on it.

    He looked at Hades for a few seconds and received a small nod.

    With a small bow to Hades, who closed her eyes as if asleep, Shin turned to Milt.

    Lets get some rest.

    Im sorry, Shin. For some reason, my body suddenly lost its strength.

    Shin gently held Milt back as she tried to get up.

    Her weak tone was reminiscent of the time when Milt was terminally ill, something Milt had once said. She had no strength at all.

    I guess there was a chance that I coulde back.

    Im surprised by that too. If its just me I can understand it, whether Im convinced or not but Milt is fundamentally different.

    Shin sighed and said to Milt as shey there.

    If Shin suddenly came to this world without dying in the game world, then her story would make sense.

    At least she didnt die like in the game, so it made sense that her spirit would just return to her body.

    But Milt was different. No doubt, Shin had dealt her the final blow with his own hands.

    Shin could still remember Milts words and expressions back then.

    I thought that if I died in the game, I would also die in real life, but actually?

    I have a feeling its different. Well, the answer is right there.

    Shin slowly helped Milt to her feet. As they talked, she seemed to have recovered a bit, and herplexion looked better.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (3)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (3)</h4>

    Are you ready to continue?

    Hades asked, and Milt answered stoutly, even though she was a little unsteady.

    I was a bit surprised, but I had no choice but to ask. To me, its more important than my own life.

    You are a strong girl, arent you? How bout you, Shin?

    Shin nodded, gently supporting Milts back, thinking it was better than not doing anything.

    Then, lets talk about it step by step. First, lets talk about how you came to this world. The main reason is that Origin invaded your world and was subsequently defeated by Shin.

    Compared to the world Shin and his friends came from, this world was small and weak.

    But there were strong ties and simrities in certain parts.

    Of course, the changes made by the management were reflected exactly as they were. Its natural that they look alike.

    The world that was directly influenced and transformed by the overwhelmingly superior world that was the world Shin and his team were in now. From their point of view, it was only a programmed world and they were unaware that they were influencing it.

    Nevertheless, this world certainly existed. There were people living in it.

    Even if it was not in its original form, even if there was no awareness of it, it was not a fictional worldposed of zeros and ones.

    If everyone had just epted it as such, we wouldnt be here today.

    However, that didnt happen.

    Most people in this world were not aware that they were being influenced, and lived their lives by adapting to the ever-changing world. Even those who were aware of it epted it as natural, since they had been like this since birth. However, among those who were conscious, there were those who were unable to ept and rebel.

    Origin

    Thats right. This guy, who is one of the pirs among beings with remarkable power in this world, objected to being treated as if he were a subordinate of the upper world. He said, why should we continue to be influenced unterally by a world that we just happen to be connected to?

    For Shins side, they were not even aware that they were influencing this world. Hades said that when it was still a normal VRMMO, even the life and death of people was really no different from a game.

    That, too, was something Origin could not stand.

    We were not like this from the beginning. We were just a collection of powers with a vague consciousness. We simply existed. However, in this world, we had the strength of a god. That is what you call boss monsters, gods, divine beasts, and miasma.

    Fourteen particrly powerful beings were given the form of a pair of progenitors of mankind, and the others were given a different form. Of course, this was from the Hades point of view; from Shins world, they simply designed the monsters by running a program that they had set up.

    For us, it was an astonishing sight. The world that had no form at all was filled with life as the earth, the sea, and the sky were born. Perhaps it was because we had already had a form that we were able to understand how it was done.

    The difference in status between the two when viewed in terms of the world. The difference between the two was clearly shown to them.

    Hades said that at this point, even the thought of defying no longer urred to her.

    However, Origin his official name is Origin I, but now, lets call it by this name. He was different. No matter how much difference there is in power, he always takes revenge. Thats the kind of guy he is.

    Perhaps it was the character he was given that made him that way. Hades continued with a distant look in her eyes for a moment. But it was only for a moment, and she quickly returned her gaze.

    He used all the power he had, and even stole the power from the other Origin series and seeded in interfering with your world. That resulted in the world you currently experienced.

    Death in the game became a reality. It was an event so sudden and without warning. And whether or not one was involved was truly a matter of luck.

    Shin did not know what to say to the cause.

    Shin, and Milt. Before we talk about whats toe, I ask you one thing. How did you guys know that dying in that world would lead to death in reality?

    Hades asked Shin and Milt, who were speechless.

    How is that?!?

    Shin realized this while trying to answer the reason.

    He didnt know.

    They didnt know how they knew about it.

    There was no way to contact reality.

    There was no way for Shin and his friends to know what happened to the yer who died in the game in real life.

    There was no way for them to know what happened to the yer who died in the game in real life. It was just the way it was.

    Shin

    Milts hand was shaking as she held his arm.

    She didnt understand the reason either, and she was probably just as confused as Shin. Milt herself thought that it would all end if she died.

    You seem to have noticed. Thats one of the things Origin did when he invaded your world. Of course, there are other things as well. Said Hades.

    There were four main changes that Origin made to the game THE NEW GATE.

    The first was to capture Shin and other yers in the game world.

    It could only be influenced within the game that was connected to this world. Thats why it was necessary to prevent logged-in yers from escaping.

    At the same time, the avatar in the game and the body were synchronized, making death in the game and death in reality the same.

    This was due to supernatural forces that could not be exined by science. This was possible only because the power of this world interfered with the real world, even if only partially. In addition, at this point, even if the equipment was turned off in reality, the mind would no longer be released. This was the first thing he had done since he became able to interfere in reality.

    The second was the imprinting of knowledge on the yers.

    There was only one life. If one was hunted by a monster, they would die. Fighting was a battle of life and death. He intentionally gave this information to help yers understand.

    The third was modification to NPCs. Awakening of consciousness as a human being.

    This was a product of Origins anger that they were not just a thing to be consumed.

    The fourth was the separation of ones own manifestation and the world.

    This was half a sess and half a failure.

    Origin descended upon Shins world with a force that could be described as overwhelming and carried out the changes. Wary of a reverse invasion by the yers, he also deployed guardians.

    However, the power that Origin had taken from the Hades ran out at that point. And now the other side interfered. Origin was confined to the dungeon boss category, and the world of Shin and his friends had given him the role of the guardian of the singrity that connected this world and the game world.

    Even if it happened at the end of the fictional world, it seems that the world itself would not let such a barbaric act go unchecked. It seems that a lot of things have spilled over into our world, albeit in small amounts.

    It was said that an undefined force was circting across the world, from here to there and from there to here.

    Although it was not known what kind of influence it had on the world, it was said that it stopped after Origin went to Shins world. So, Hades continued, Origins presence must have served as a kind of corkscrew.

    Is that why you were called Gatekeeper?

    It was certainly called that in the game.

    From the perspective of Shin and his friends world, they might have thought that there was someone who hade over here, so lets take advantage of them.

    Then I came here.

    When the cork is pulled out, what remains there flows in. Considering the difference in capacity across the world, some amount probably flowed there from here. Originally, Shin, who is from the other side, shouldnt have been affected that much, but he had already absorbed the power of Origin at that time.

    From the real world side, he was swept away by the torrent of mysterious power, and from this world, he was pulled in as the being he should have been because he possessed the power of Origin. And the ce was right too. Shin and his friends were fighting in a ce that could be called the base that connects the two worlds. The conditions to jump between the worlds were perfect.

    Anyway, I understand that I came here. Then what on earth is going on with Milt?

    Death in the game bes death in real life. Whether that knowledge was given or not, the phenomenon of dying was a fact.

    Death in the game does not immediately lead to physical death. It takes some time for the avatar to disappear and for the physical body to be affected. Furthermore, the fact that it was Shin who delivered the final blow was the decisive factor.

    In a world that had be a death game, Shin had cleared various dungeons.

    Sometimes alone, sometimes with the help of other yers, he had to challenge a dungeon called the Gate of the Otherworld, where the Origin resided.

    Those things were born from the influence of the Origins power on the system. The more you clear the battle, the more the Origins power resides in your body or should I say, in your avatar.

    Shin was clearing dungeons by himself that would normally be cleared with a party.

    It was said that his avatar itself became close to Origin because he continued to harbor the power of Origin, which should have been dispersed among many yers and was not supposed to exhibit much power, was kept in one person.

    When Shin killed Milt, he had already cleared many dungeons, so it seemed that she was affected by it.

    However, the main reason was that Milt did not refuse your de. Fear of death diminishes Origins influence. However, Milt epted without hesitation. No, perhaps she even wanted to? This can only be described as a miracle of coincidences. By nature, living things avoid death. This is the main reason why many of the yers killed by Shin acted in a slightly hical manner. They seemed to be epting their own death.

    Shin immediately realized that she was talking about yer Killer (PK). They were the ones who enjoyed fighting to the death. It was no surprise that they had less fear of death than the average yer, which should have reduced their influence.

    But, in the end, Im still going to die, right?

    Milt asked, looking confused.

    Originally, yes, it would have been, Milt. When you were cut by Shin, your body was at its limit.

    What?

    Shin knew that Milt was too sick to get out of her hospital bed by herself. As soon as he heard Hades story, he could imagine that Milts condition took a sudden turn for the worse.

    If you die here, the living body on the other side dies. However, this time the opposite phenomenon urred. Its like the information from this body was overwritten by the body on the other side.

    In other words, her body, which was supposed to die, has be healthy and has superhuman physical abilities?

    Shin, who asked the question, did not immediately believe it.

    It was beyond the realm of modern medicine that a body that had been wandering on the border between life and death could suddenly be healthy. That was the realm of fantasy.

    I dont know what happened to her physical abilities. The only thing I know from the extent of my power is that her illness has disappeared.

    It went beyond what could be described as a miracle.

    Shin did not know what the time flow was between the other world and this world, but he could only guess that there must be or will be a big fuss.

    Is it all just a coincidence?

    At that time, it was difficult for us to even interfere with you. It was also difficult to obtain any information other than the part rted to Origin. I dont think there are people who can manipte you in such a state without you even realizing it, Shin. You continued to clear dungeons by yourself and didnt hesitate to wield your de. Milt wanted to die. She chose Shin as her final opponent. And what happened was just before Milts body reached its limit. If there is someone who can arrange all of these things, it would be a real God, not an imitation like me.

    Hades said and shrugged her shoulders.

    While you thought the conditions were too good to be true, on the other hand, you also thought thats true if you listened to the story. It truly was something that was beyond humanprehension.

    Then, at least Milts worries have been resolved?

    Milt wanted to die because caring for her would ce a physical and financial burden on her parents. If she was able to live a normal life again, she had no reason to wish to die.

    Well, I guess thats the case.

    Milt was probably worried because she thought she would return in the same condition as before she started the game. However, now that she had heard what Hades had to say, one could see a hint of relief amidst her confusion.

    Now that Milts issue has been resolved for now, what about me? Did my body change like Milts?

    As far as I know, there is no change in your body at present. If there is a change, it will be after you return.

    Isnt it the end when the spiritual thing returns to its original body?

    Even if he has superhuman strength in this world, he was just an ordinary person in his original world. Thats Shins understanding.

    The power of the Origin is not in your avatar, but in your spirit. When it returns to your body, there will be some kind of change. However, you can rest assured that your appearance will not change. The power that resides in you already remembers the shape of your body.

    He wouldnt suddenly grow horns or scales like in Origin, nor does his face change into the shape of a dragon.

    Really.

    After saying that, Shin sat down on the spot.

    Then, after taking a deep breath, he asked the most important question.

    When? When will I go back over there?

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (4)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (4)</h4>

    As for the physical body, Shin only asked incidentally because of what happened to Milt. That was what he wanted to know the most.

    I dont know exactly when. But there is no doubt that the power on the other side is increasing its pull on your spirit. And we have no power to stop it. Ever since you gained the power of Origin, the other sides pull seemed to be weakening, but it still wontst forever. If the other side seriously tries to take it back, it will only take a moment.

    That was already the principle of the world. It was a fate he couldnt escape.

    I had made up my mind to stay here! Isnt it usually the case that one cant go back?

    That is not my concern.

    Shin raised his voice involuntarily, and Hades replied calmly while rearranging her crossed legs.

    Im sorryI just took it out on you.

    I dont care. I can understand that its not an easy story to ept.

    Hades was just giving out information.

    Its not like Hades brought Shin here, so there was probably nothing that could be done about it.

    If you let your emotions get the better of you and take the brunt of your anger, its no surprise that you might feel ufortable.

    Realizing this, Shin immediately lowered his head.

    However, Hades, understanding Shins feelings, did not raise her voice or show her anger.

    Hmm, I cant say for sure, but from my perspective, if the flow of power continues as it is, it will be around 50 to 60 years. But if you use the power of Origin within you, that time will be shortened. The greatest power that keeps you in this world is the power of Origin that resides within you.

    She said that there would be almost no change in the power of Origin in a normal battle.

    I can tell that you have already used this power several times, probably in battles with the same guardians as Eleven.

    I do remember that a strange power was working when we fought those guys.

    Shin had something in mind, like the ability to prevent the suction of Gryphon-type guardians, and the aura surrounding his body when he fought Ishkar.

    50 to 60 years, huh?

    That was also on the condition that he didnt have to fight against a guardian-like being.

    However, considering the journey he had taken so far, he had a feeling that it would be inevitable for him to interact with unusual people in the future.

    Yuzuha had already exined that Shin would be led to such a ce.

    Is there a way to extend it?

    The first thing Shin thought about was Schnee.

    High elves have a long lifespan. If the settings were right, 50 years would be just a moment for them.

    If he couldnt avoid going back there, at least he wanted to stay here for as long as possible. Shin thought so.

    That is impossible. Even if we gather all the power in this world, it will onlyst a few years.

    I see, thats not possible.

    It was no longer something that one person could handle.

    Shin

    If we were both just humans, I could have been satisfied with that.

    The time Hades told was more than half a lifetime for a human.

    Even if we assume exactly 50 years, Shin would be over 70 years old by the time it ended. Shin believed that even though it was too early to die in the modern era, he was old enough to look back on his life.

    Schnee, however, was a High Elf. ording to the settings, the lifespan of a long-lived species was abination of race and status-basedpensation. Hence, their lifespan easily exceeds 1,000 years. That was literally an order of magnitude difference.

    For me, 50 years is enough time to live. But, its too short for Schnee

    Schnee waited 500 years before meeting Shin again.

    Still, the time Shin had left was only about a tenth of the time she had waited.

    If Shin could have lived his life as a High Human and remained in this world, there would have been no problem.

    Humans were a short-lived species, but High Humans were a long-lived species. It was even said that a High Human has a lifespan longer than a High Elf. Normally, they could have spent more time together than the time she had to wait.

    Kuh!

    Yuzuha suddenly squealed over Shins dejected head. Yuzuha kicked Shin in the shoulder and jumped up, transforming into a humanoid form.

    It was the one Shin recognized the most, as she had grown even more than thest time he had seen her.

    She has waist-length silver hair and a beautiful face. She has grown taller and her body shape has be more defined.

    She has nine swaying tails. Other than her clothing, she was the same as the Elementail of the past.

    Her clothes didnt seem toe off like before, so she wasntpletely naked.

    However, the automatic size adjustment did not seem to have been activated, and various lengths were missing. Some of the clothes seemed quite tight and ufortable.

    Have you grown?

    This body is temporary. Its not perfect yet. Just give me some more time.

    To Shins surprise, Yuzuha smiled kindly.

    Her smile was iparably more beautiful than anything Shin had ever seen before.

    There is a way for Shin to live with Schnee.

    Yuzuha said, turning to the Hades with a tense expression on her face.

    What do you mean?

    Shin reacted immediately.

    Hades had just told him that there was nothing that could be done.

    Dont waste our time and say it quickly.

    I dont mean to be presumptuous, but instead of getting angry, wouldnt it be better for you to tell him?

    Hades asked Yuzuha who exuded anger.

    If I could do that, I would do it already.

    I see, it seems that your knowledge-rted part is still not perfect. I cant believe that you would go out of your way to unleash your power just to intimidate me No, I see, you

    As if realizing something, Hades expression changed.

    If thats your decision, then thats fine. Now lets continue the talk. Shin, youll eventually return to the other side. If you dont want to leave the woman you have set your mind on, you should just take her to the other side.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (5)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (5)</h4>

    What?

    Shin didnt understand the meaning of Hades words.

    No, he understood the theory, but he had doubts as to whether such a thing was even possible.

    No matter how much this world was a reality, Schnee didnt have a physical body on the other side like Shin or Milt.

    Is it possible?

    Its probably in your item box. Its the relic of the only being who crossed over from this world to that world.

    After receiving the suggestion from Hades, Shin checked his item box.

    He took out three cards.

    They were Guardians Corpse, Guardians Soul, and Guardians Heart, respectively. (TLN: Changed from Protectors Remain, Protectors Soul, and Protectors Heart. I think the term Guardian is more appropriate)

    With them, it is possible to take a person from this side of the world to the other side. Origin used its power for different things. Even though its the remnant, if you focus on one use, its flexible enough to be used that way. However, since it is based on the connection with Shin, the species will be the same as Shins body on the other side, in other words, it will be just a human. If they are a long-lived species, they will lose their life span and race characteristics, and if they are a short-lived species, they will lose their race characteristics and possibly part of their body. They will also lose all the time they were originally able to live, the powers they had from the time they were born, and the many connections they had in this world.

    It seemed as if one could already tell who Shin was thinking of since he first determined that it was a woman.

    Will she be able to give up everything but herself and Shin? He probably wanted to force himself to make a decision for Schnee.

    I dont want to be separated from Schnee. I want to be with her if possible. Thats what Shin wanted. However, the price to pay was too high for Schnee.

    As someone who hasnt been here long enough, Shin could give up on most of his connections, fame, and power.

    But he wondered if letting Schnee throw them away was really a good thing.

    Schnee probably agreed even after hearing these conditions. Shin couldnt say that they had known each other that long, but he could tell that much anyway.

    What are you hesitating about?

    The amount of stuff we throw away is too different between me and her.

    To tell the truth, he wanted her to follow him. He wanted to tell her toe with him. He didnt want to leave her.

    But, but. Shin couldnt help but think about it.

    Shin was just a student on the other side, without the strength or skills that he has in this world.

    He wondered if he would make life inconvenient for the person who came along with him. Would she be disappointed? Fear was all he could think of.

    Then should you give up and go back with Milt?

    That is

    He didnt think it would be better that way.

    With Shin gone, she might be attracted to someone else. Shes pretty popr after all.

    Hades provoked Shin, but Shin epted Hades smile.

    He suspected that her true intentions were obvious.

    No matter how much he tried to reason with Hades, Shin could not agree with what she said.

    Leave Schnee in this world and go home?

    Leave Schnee with another man?

    Impossible. If he could do that, he wouldnt think of staying here, even if he had to give up his connection to the other side.

    Thinking about it, Shin suddenly realized.

    Family, friends, and hometown. He would give up all ties to the other side and live on this side.

    In Shins case, there was a lot to gain on this side, so despite the conflict, he was able to ovee it, and there was also a sense of resignation that he would never be able to return to his original world.

    But even if he hadnt, he was sure he would have made the same choice if Schnee had been with him.

    Hmm!

    To shake off his hesitation, Shin pped his cheeks with both hands.

    The sound of the p echoed and cleared the feeling of indecision.

    What was he still thinking about? Hadnt he already made up his mind?

    Shin?

    Sorry, Im having a bit of a bad day.

    Yuzuha looked worried, but she smiled and replied that its okay.

    Gathering his energy, Shin turned to Hades and saw that her smile had deepened.

    Hehe, you look better now, dont you?

    Im sure Ive made a bit of a mess, too. Anyway, Id like you to continue the conversation.

    Shin picked up Yuzuha, who had reverted to her fox cub mode, and urged Hades to continue.

    Even if he was told that he could take a person with him, he couldnt do anything if he wasnt taught how to use it.

    The preparation doesnt require much effort. All you have to do is fuse the three items you have with the person you want to take. No special ceremonies are required. Its the same as using status-raising items. Right now, its just a bundle of power. It will merge with the object, and once it crosses the border, it will transform the object into a form suitable for the afterlife. However, if the person dies here before going to the other side, it will be useless. You must protect them well.

    That goes without saying.

    He had absolutely no intention of letting her die. If necessary, hes willing to use the power of Origin, even if it means shortening his stay here.

    I want to confirm one thing. How does it feel to go back over there? I hardly felt anything when I came here.

    When Shin saw the door, that he thought was just a scenery, opened, he was in this world. He was a little worried about what would happen when he returned.

    You will understand automatically when the timees. Itll be soon. When that happens,e to me. Ill send you as peacefully as possible.

    Send me? Once the power that keeps me here is gone, wont I return naturally?

    Perhaps its better to say that I will cooperate with the pull of the other side? It just pushes you out of this world a little bit. If you just leave it to the pulling force of the other side, there is a high possibility that you will be sent to different ces. Shin and Milt will probably be sent there because you have bodies, but whoever follows you could end up anywhere in the world. If it were me, I could at least send them to the same ce. You dont want to be separated, do you?

    It was not something that was originally nned to be moved. It seemed like it would be a state of random teleportation.

    No matter how high Schnees abilities or knowledge were, it would be difficult for her to join up with Shin if she was randomly teleported.

    Even Shin would not be able to find a single person from all over the world with hardly any clues.

    Why would you go to such lengths? For us, Origin was an enemy, but for you, its your precious half. And Im the one who killed him.

    She was so cooperative that Shin could not shake off the suspicion that she was up to something.

    Shin asked her directly.

    Sure, you can be called my enemy. But at the same time, you are also my benefactor.

    Hades had a sad expression on her face as she said this.

    Origins invasion of Shins world. The one who opposed the most was Hades.

    Putting your heart and soul into a battle you cant win was pointless.

    She tried to stop him, but her powers were taken away from her, to the point where she had to sleep in the ley line to restore her powers.

    I already knew that he wouldnt stop until he was destroyed. Thats why Im d that you stopped him. The rtionships between worlds are things that those who live there cant even know. Besides, no gamests forever. We knew that when the service ended, the connections between the worlds would weaken.

    Hades had received some information about Shins world.

    No matter how popr it was, THE NEW GATE was just one of many online game titles. The day woulde when the service would end.

    Only after the game ended would this world begin to move on its own.

    A world without form. Hades seemed to think that they should just wait until then.

    In the worst case scenario, our world might disappear. The world has no personality like ours, but it has no tolerance for hostile behavior.

    To use an analogy, it would be like a level 1 monster trying to pick a fight with a divine beast.

    Hades said that considering the difference in power between them, there was nothing strange about it. There was an absolute difference: one could be wiped out on a whim.

    I feel like Ive been overlooked since you defeated Origin, and theres no need for me to do anything about it. In that sense, I was d that Shin defeated Origin. Well, that is my answer to your question, have you resolved your doubts?

    Hades asked Shin.

    For now, I guess its okay to believe you.

    Thats good enough. Is there anything else you want to ask? Ill go back to sleep after this. The next time Ill see you is when I send you over there. So if you have any questions, Ill answer them.

    Theres so much profit for us, its a little scary, that Im starting to suspect that theres something behind it.

    Just the information that he would return to the other side was significant.

    I dont know everything, and there are questions I cant answer.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (6)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (6)</h4>

    Shin thought for a moment, then decided to take the opportunity to list all the questions he could think of.

    Is it possible to make the guardians stationed in the sacred ces docile?

    What about the yers who havee to our world, especially the PKs?

    Why the miasma demons* were quiet and about their ability to interfere with yers. (TLN: This used to be tranted as demon but the raw stated with demon as furigana above miasma. I thought it was better just to say miasma demon.)

    About the titles and skills gained from Origin, etc.

    A few answers were obtained.

    It was said that understanding detailed yer trends was especially difficult. Unless they were prominent beings like Shin and the others, they seemed almost indistinguishable.

    Not a substitute, but it seemed that Hades would notify the guardians of the sacred ce so that they wouldnt be hostile to Shin. She said she couldnt take responsibility for whether or not they obeyed, but it was not a bad idea if it would give them a chance of not having to fight.

    As for the miasma demon, it would be better to ask Yuzuha than me. Or do you not recall anything about that?

    I remember interfering with the ley lines and blocking their movement.

    Yuzuhas attitude toward Hades was somewhat off-putting as if she still had some grievances.

    Even so, she remembered that she had suppressed the earths crust and at the same time sealed away the miasma demons that were about to break out.

    The price to pay for that is what she looks like now. I sensed that it was doing something, but I thought she was dead.

    The fact that the Elementail was sopatible with ley line was the only reason she was able to do all that she did. However, Hades said that she was too greedy.

    Although the sealing was sessful, Yuzuha seemed to be able to feel the miasma leaking from the main body through the ley line and gathering around her.

    Although there were differences in the miasma leaking from each individual, Yuzuha was alone. Among the sealed miasma demons, the top Miasma King was also included. If all the miasma was concentrated, it wouldnt be strange for even a level 1000 monster to lose its life.

    I guess the timing of my encounter was really just in the nick of time.

    If Shin had been a little slower, Yuzuha would have been torn apart by the invading golem.

    Yuzuha, who had just met Shin, had no strength left to do anything about it.

    Shin realized once again how dangerous the situation was at that time, and even though it was now, he broke into a cold sweat.

    I think it would be best if you limit the amount of time you get close to people.

    Hmph.

    Hades shrugged.

    Yuzuha looked away, thinking that it was unnecessary.

    As for titles and skills, I dont have enough information to be able to say for sure. Origins ability is now in a more suitable form when transferred to Shin. Thats about all I can guess. I can look into it in more detail if you want.

    If its Origin-derived ability, it seemed like it could be investigated. It seemed to be simr to an appraisal and there were no disadvantages, so he decided to have her look into it.

    The title is as expected. It seems to have some effect on people who are rted to you, but this one is derived from a skill.

    Among the skills he acquired by defeating Origin, the most noteworthy one was Hades Surge.

    It seemed to have the effect of not only strengthening his own abilities, but also influencing those around him to strengthen their abilities.

    How wide is the area effect around me? Also, what are the usage conditions?

    I dont know that much. I thought the effect would be the same since it has the same name as the skill I have, but apparently its different. I was only able to read part of the effect.

    Maybe its part of that effect. I wonder why they have the same name in the first ce.

    While thinking that just strengthening himself and those around him was powerful enough, she suddenly said what he thought. Shin searched his memory, thinking that it must have been a different name when Origin used it.

    Now then, did he have an idea what he was doing? Or did he apply a power that doesnt exist in the system to something close? I dont know.

    Hades shook her head with a slightly sad expression.

    Hades said that the Scattering Surge and Concentrated Surge would be a wide-area attack and a single-point concentrated attack respectively, using the special aura generated when the Hades Surge was activated. She didnt have any simr skills for these two, so it seemed like she couldnt read much of the information.

    Well, in a way that was the most mysterious part. Im just d we got any information.

    It was a skill that he didnt know if it had been activated or not since he got it before he came here. It still felt more secure than having a skill whose effects werepletely unknown residing in his body.

    Well, that was thest question.

    Ah, I would like you to tell me as much as you can about the revival potion.

    As of now, there was no word from anyone other than Hibineko that he had used it. Kuchinashi, who didnt reply right away, didnt seem to be using it either.

    As its name suggests, it has the power to revive the dead. However, it has little effect on things that were originally born here. It only takes effect immediately after death. Moreover, it is no good if the physical damage is too great.

    The elixir, a universal healing potion, also has tremendous healing power, but Hades said that the order of magnitude of energy required to heal a living person was different from that required to revive a dead person.

    However, for former yers, reincarnated people, and now the chosen ones, the effect on them is simr, if not the same.

    ording to Hades, it seems that resurrection through items and skills is built into the yers biological function.

    Chosen Ones who inherit this power also have a simr function, though not asplete.

    Revival potion works on the resuscitation function and restores the body. It doesnt mean you can always revive a corpse if you use it on a corpse, butpared to the inhabitants of this world, the effects and time limit are quite different.

    The potion was most effective for former yers like Shin and Milt. Next were the supporting characters. Then, in the following order of effectiveness, Chosen Ones were less effective.

    Still, the potion was able to be used to revive people within half a day, even if half of their bodies had been blown up.

    As for the offspring of ex-yers, support characters, and Chosen Ones, it seemed that it was difficult to generalize as there wererge individual differences.

    In that case, I think it would be good if more research was done.

    Well, it requires materials that are almost impossible to obtain these days. The method of making it may have been lost. The skills needed are also not easily attainable.

    Nowadays, even healing potions that were effective for body parts loss have be extremely valuable items.

    The revival potion, which was created using superior materials and high-rank skills, was probably already bing lost to myths.

    Above all, people are being led to think that they will note back to life after they die. It must have had an impact on the NPCs at the time as well. Didnt you and the people around you even think about revival potion, until something happened?

    Milt is the same way. I remembered it in a sh of inspiration.

    Shin recalled it in the middle of his conversation with Wilhelm, without any particr trigger.

    Maybe its because it contains the power of Origin.

    Is it somehow rted?

    Its a remnant of the consciousness maniption that you and others received from Origin that death in the game is death in reality. You didnt think about the revival potion back then, did you?

    Now that you mention it, I havent heard of anyone trying it.

    It was not umon for yers to die during battle.

    It wouldnt be strange if there were yers who originally used it because it didnt work, but Shin has never heard of such a story.

    The same goes for major guilds. The yers who were helping Shin didnt even talk about what would happen if he could use the revival potion.

    Perhaps the maniption of consciousness included the fact that there was no point in using the potion.

    Right now, there is almost nopulsion left. It may not be as easy as Shin, but if you are a long-lived species or a former yer, you will be able to think about it after some time.

    Hibineko also said that he finally came to his senses when he was faced with an emergency situation where someone he knew was on the verge of death.

    Does the revival potion we have still have any effect?

    The ones you got beforeing here are more effective. yer inventory is a treasure trove here. There are probably people doing research on the potion. Its just that things are things. The study of life sometimes drives people crazy. Even if they are conducting research, whether or not it is legitimate depends on the researchers temperament.

    Thinking back to his conversation with Wilhelm, Shin thought that it probably wasnt being used for any meaningful research. You could even say that this was the norm of the world.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (7)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (7)</h4>

    Well, I answered all the questions you asked, but is there anything you forgot to ask?

    Youre strangely thorough.

    It seemed that Hades was so thorough that the idea of her being too cooperative came back to his mind.

    Doubts about this world, and doubts about yourself. I want to eliminate those things as much as possible. What resides in your body is a part of a being that had the power to transcend the walls of the worlds. You never know what might trigger it and turn it against the world.

    Didnt you say thank you for stopping Origin at first?

    That is true. But it is also true that you are a dangerous being. By looking at the people around you, I dont have to worry, but I am still a person who has been called a god. It would be good to be a little concerned about the welfare of the world.

    Listening to Hades, he got the feeling that even in his current state, Shin himself could not fully utilize his powers.

    If an individual had too much power, others would feel a sense of danger. Even he could understand that.

    It was better that Hades didnt jump to the conclusion that youre dangerous, so Im going to eliminate you.

    He put aside his concerns about Hades aside for the moment, because they could change in any way, depending on the situation that followed.

    There might not be another opportunity like this. Shin searched his memory to see if he had forgotten anything.

    Thinking about what had happened since he had arrived here, he suddenly remembered something.

    When I first came here, I fought a guy called Skullface Lord, but do you know anything about that? Also, I just remembered that there was some kind of trouble when I came in contact with Eleven.

    Oh, that. It was what you guys call an undeveloped monster. It had a slightly special appearance condition, but it got its physical form through the influence of the dungeon and the ley line. Thats the problem that Eleven was talking about. Because of that, the recovery of my power was dyed a bit.

    Is that so?

    Just to be sure, Shin told her about the time he encountered Skullface Lord.

    It was out there while I was recovering my strength. It was a miserable existence, too. I thank you for stopping it. It was like a victim of a natural disaster.

    Victim?

    I did some research on it. It was originally Pixie royalty. It seems that it was caught in the copse caused by the natural disaster while they were visiting a city built by a yer. I dont even know if they were conscious when they became the Skullface Lord.

    When Shin heard the word conscious, he remembered that Skullface Lord had said something at the end of its life.

    He could not hear clearly, but perhaps some of its wishes had leaked out in words.

    If the Skullface Lord was a victim of a natural disaster, doesnt that mean that the dungeons current isnt meant to be?

    Some of the dungeons in this world are like dungeonsbined like here. Its like the dungeon borrowing a part of another dungeon. This is also one of the consequences of natural disasters. Dungeons have a kind of self-healing ability. In the process of repairing damaged walls and floors, multiple dungeons can be one dungeon. You could say that this is one of them. What has beenbined is a yers town rather than a dungeon, but there is no great difference. In such ces, thews set for each area interact, and phenomena that have never happened before may ur.

    Hades said that this seemed to be the case here as well.

    Hades was waiting in the dungeon because it was one of the convergence points of the ley line to regain her power.

    It was a coincidence that the dungeon was moved due to a natural disaster, and Hades was not the dungeon boss. Although she used it as a passageway to send terminals to the surface, she never actively interfered with the dungeon. It seemed like she didnt have a detailed understanding of what was going on inside the dungeon.

    Lets take a look. Wait a moment.

    Hades didnt seem to care much about it so far, so she didnt look into it in detail, but she could have examined the inside of the dungeon if she wanted to.

    Hades closed her eyes for a few minutes and seemed to concentrate.

    It seems that certain monsters have information about past yers mixed in with them. This is probably due to the effect of merging with the yers city.

    What do you mean the yers information is mixed in?

    There are monsters that imitate yers, right? Thats the specific monster. Normally, they would only imitate the opponents they fight, but now they seem to be trying to imitate the strength and fighting styles of yers who have challenged them in the past. I suppose you have fought in the past as well?

    It seemed that Hades needed some time after Shin and the others entered the dungeon before she woke up, and she had not seen any battles with humanoid figures.

    Is that why humanoids appeared from the beginning? But their equipment and appearance seemed to be imitations of ours.

    Hmm, maybe theyre bound by thew of gradually bing stronger, or maybe its not perfect. Based on the information Ive read, I predict that there will eventually be copies of Shin and his friends.

    Eh?

    Come to think of it, he once challenged the dungeon with Rokuten members.

    Although the humanoids imitate the yers, they did not fight against the Rokuten themselves, so they were able to clear the challenge without any difficulty, but what about now?

    The uniqueness of the cey in the converging ley lines.

    Furthermore, the yers information especially the troublesome Rokutens information was mixed in.

    ording to Hades, there was a high probability that it would eventually take the form of the strongest yer.

    Therefore, it was safe to assume that what would appear would be a copy of Rokutens member.

    From Shins point of view, Hades prediction could almost be considered a prophecy.

    When we attacked, Im pretty sure we had a full team

    The time when the event took ce was what made Rokuten famous in the first ce.

    It was a time when his status and equipment were more than sufficient.

    Even if its from the game, isnt it really bad?

    If the equipment is also copied, it might be tough.

    Milt, who was well aware of Rokutens strength during the game, asked him this, and Shin began to get nervous.

    If theybined the upgraded equipment with this technology and the increased status, Schnee, Firma, Shibaid, and Sety would probably have no problems. However, Tiera and Kagerou still have a long way to go.

    Although the Rokuten members had different equipment based on their professions, they were practically all all-rounders. They could y both the vanguard and the rear guard with ease.

    If the Rokuten members werepletely imitated, even Schnee and the others would be in danger.

    Do you know where ourpanion is now?

    When I looked inside the dungeon, they were about to enter the final arena.

    What bad timing. Can you teleport us there like you summoned us here?

    The humanoids showed no mercy to opponents who entered the arena. The battle would continue until you or the opponent was annihted.

    The battle has probably already begun. If possible, he would like to join them immediately.

    It is possible. But if that happens, you wont be able to ask any more questions. Dont you want to get more information?

    The current Hades was only temporarily suspending the sleep she needed to recover in order to meet Shin, and it seemed that the amount of time she could stay awake was limited.

    I dont care. Schnee and the others are given priority!

    Yeah.

    Kuh!

    Yuzuha and Milt nodded as well, saying they had no objections.

    He wanted information. But considering the situation, there was no time to talk long and hard. Shin answered Hades question clearly and asked her to do it immediately if it was possible.

    Very well. Then, go. When you cross the world, well see each other again.

    Hades held out his hand, and Shin and the others bodies were enveloped in a white light.

    The next moment, two people and one animal disappeared from the scene.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (8)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (8)</h4>

    Immediately after Shin, Milt, and Yuzuha were teleported to another location, Schnee and Shibaid noticed it first.

    Both of them were so surprised to see Shin and Yuzuha, who should have passed through the door before their eyes, disappear like a haze, that they stopped dead in their tracks.

    They didnt even hear the call of Filma and others from behind.

    Schnee came back to her senses a little faster than the others.

    Ill try to contact him through Mind Chat. Please exin to everyone and be on guard, Shibaid.

    Mm, I understand.

    Ive seen cases before where the response suddenly disappears. So it will be okay this time, too. Schnee, with this in mind, pushed down her agitation and sent a Mind Chat message to Shin.

    She felt herself bing calmer as she heard Shins calm voice.

    What did Shin say?

    Shibaid spoke to her just as Schnee hung up the

    It seems that Shin, Yuzuha, and Milt were teleported to the same location. They said it might be the deepest part of this dungeon.

    If it was just Shin and Yuzuha, I would understand, but Milt too?

    Yuzuha was in close contact with me, so I can think of them as being together, but Im curious about Milt as well.

    What immediately came to mind was that Milt was a former yer and someone close to Shin.

    Schnee also knew that Milts life had been cut short by Shin before she came here. Even if she was called along with Shin, she wouldnt feel out of ce.

    Do you think it makes sense that its just Shin and the others, not everyone?

    I suppose it does. There are stories that we cant hear, or that only Shin and the others can understand. Maybe there are things like that.

    Both were possible, Schnee thought.

    Hades was at least half the body of the Origin that Shin fought.

    There was a high possibility that Hades had information that was unknown to them, or in other words, the residents of this world.

    Among them, there may be stories that could shake the foundations of this world.

    It was possible that Hades temporarily disconnected themselves from the world in order to prevent them from hearing such information.

    Also, if they talk about the world beyond where Shin was, Schnee and the others might not even be able to understand it.

    It was not impossible to say that Shin left the message here so that they would not have to give unnecessary exnations.

    As she listed the possibilities, Schnees mind, which should have been calm, began to stir again.

    Look, dont look so difficult and move on. Shin and the others are deep in the dungeon, right? In that case, we have to go get them soon.

    Filma patted Schnee on the shoulder as she pondered why.

    There was no time to stop and worry, because there were no answers to be found. With her natural cheerfulness, Filma softened the atmosphere of the party.

    Schnee nodded in return and turned to the door at the back of the supply area.

    Master, just to confirm, Shin and the others are safe, right?

    Yeah, it seems like thats definitely true. They said theyll be waiting, so lets proceed without rushing.

    Schnee kindly answered Tiera who was worried about Shin and the others who suddenly disappeared.

    Tiera, who was advancing in the back row, had witnessed Milts disappearance.

    Seeing Schnee calmly caring for Tiera, Shibaid, and Filma looked impressed.

    Whats wrong? Why is everyone making that face?

    Because you seem to be the first one to rush in at times like this, Schnee. I dont know why you would be so concerned about Tiera.

    Wait a minute. What does Filma think I am?

    Thest time Shin went to sea to save the samurai girls, you looked like you wanted to go after him. But this time, he suddenly disappeared. Id be worried that you might not be keeping your cool.

    Schnee was aware that when it came to Shin, she couldnt see what was going on around her, so she couldnt argue back strongly enough.

    I understand, but I am no longer the same person I was then.

    She still worried about the same thing. However, her rtionship with Shin was different between then and now.

    At least he was safe and sound, so she was not in a hurry to leave her allies behind.

    There was once a time when Shins presence suddenly disappeared in Bayreuth Kingdom, but she would not be as upset as she had been then.

    Schnee took a deep breath as if to confirm her feelings.

    I guess a lot happened while I was gone.

    Theres never a dull moment with Shin. There are things I havent told you yet, Sety, and Ill tell you when all this is over. Ill have to ask Tiera about Schnee, too.

    Sety and Filma were curious.

    Schnee silently smiled at Tiera, who seemed unsure of how much to tell them.

    Huh!? Eh, uh

    You know what I mean, right? Tiera seemed to get the message without saying it, and she was nodding in a cold sweat.

    Shibaid sighed, but Schnee pretended not to see it.

    Now, since we have fewer members, well change our formation a little.

    In front of the gate leading to the arena, Shibaid looked back at the remaining members.

    As he said, they needed to get into formation again.

    With Shin and Milt gone, it was like having two less vanguards, and Yuzuha was both a rear guard and a cover for the vanguard.

    However, Kagerou assumed the role of tank, and Sety was not yet ready to take her role seriously.

    With that in mind, Shibaid and Filma were the vanguard. Sety and Tiera were still the rear guard, with Schnee in between them to fill in any gaps.

    Kagerou changed to about the size of a 3-mel as the rear guard.

    Perhaps Hades is trying to contact Shin. We shouldnt be impatient, but I think we need to hurry up a bit.

    I agree. We cant just sit back and wait to see what the enemy can do.

    Okay then.

    Assuming that the formation was as they had just decided, Schnee and Sety proposed to attack first with magic.

    Hmm, lets proceed that way while we can.

    It was not for the drop items, nor was it for the act of fighting itself.

    Even if it was not for Schnee, Sety wanted to hurry up and join Shin and the others.

    Hehehe. Looks like my turn hase!

    Sety was fired up when she heard that magic would be the main part of the battle.

    She was the only one who could really handle magic among the support characters.

    I will show you the results of my research.

    Before opening the door, she moved her right arm in front of her chest with her palm up. There, seven red light balls, each about two cemels radius, appeared in a circle.

    Shibaid, could you open the door when I give you a signal?

    Sure.

    While they were talking, the red light balls gradually became lighter in color and finally turned white.

    Please open it.

    Shibaid nodded and opened the door.

    As the group advanced slowly along with Sety, five humanoid figures appeared.

    The number seemed to decrease in the absence of Shin and the others.

    Entering the arena, Sety floated soundlessly on the spot and stretched her arms forward, which she had kept in front of her chest. Then, five of the light balls that had formed a circle disappeared without a sound.

    Eh?

    It was Tiera who let out a voice.

    In front of her, the five human figures were melting and copsing from the chest down.

    Its a magic Ive never seen before. Is it something newly developed?

    Yeah. Its still full of ws, but itll one shot this kind of opponent.

    Schnee had a rough idea of what Sety had done, based on the state of the humanoid and its previous movements. Thats why she immediately realized the danger.

    Dont teach it to others.

    I cant tell anyone for many reasons, and if someonees along who can use it, Im not going to give them the details. I mean, sis Schnee, do you know what I did?

    I can at least guess what you did. It doesnt mean Ill be able to do the same thing right away, though.

    The development of new magic was a challenge not only for Sety, but also for many other magicians.

    Schnee, who had traveled all over the continent and met people from many different countries, knew someone who was thinking along the same lines as Sety.

    Um, what did Sety do just now?

    Schnee answered Tiera, who twisted her head in confusion.

    What she did was extremely simple. She teleported the fireball created with her magic skill into the humanoids body. Thats why theyre melting from the inside.

    Teleported into their body?

    I dont know what youre talking about those words seemed to be floating on Tieras dumbfounded face.

    Nowadays, there are very few people who use teleportation. They probably wonte up with an idea like Setys. However, if you can use it freely, it will be more threatening than light magic or lightning magic. At first nce, it is almost impossible to dodge.

    Shibaid was thinking seriously about it, and Sety said with a troubled expression.

    Its nice to lift it up, but its not really easy to use, okay?

    Well, well, for now, lets just say its a quick way to move on.

    Filma put her hand on the door, urging the members who were thinking about various things to go ahead.

    Even as they talked, everyone was moving their feet steadily.

    As soon as the door opened, everyone stopped.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (9)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (9)</h4>

    Based on the pattern so far, everyone thought there was a supply area, but what unfolded beyond that was a strange scene where buildings and ground intermingled.

    Some buildings had sunken bottoms, while others had brick-shaped blocks of earth piled up on the sides.

    Other buildings were more or less buried or sunken, and not a single one was decent.

    Isnt this a bit too outrageous?

    Filma looked appalled, as the ce was so different from the previous supply sites.

    Schnee and the others had the same thought since the ce was in such a shambles that it looked like it was telling them something was wrong.

    I thought we had to cross one or two more arenas to get to the deep end, but I guess well have to change our minds about that.

    The pattern of events doesnt seem to be reliable.

    They knew from the beginning that it was not only the abandoned cities of the event. But things were going so well so far.

    Lets proceed with maximum vignce. We dont know if our detection skills will be effective, so dont be overconfident.

    Got it.

    Each of them headed towards the back of the area while paying attention to their surroundings.

    Although the buildings were strange, there was still a straight line that looked like it could have been a road.

    Schnee maximized and activated her detection skills.

    It was not as convenient as the yers map function, but if it worked, she could get some idea of the terrain.

    Im going to continue on the straight route.

    Do you have a clue?

    No, just get to the edge of the area. There has always been a door to the next location at the edge of the area, so at worst, it will serve as a guide to the next direction. However, this is not the case if the skills effect is not applied correctly.

    The boundaries of the area she learned using skills were blurry and ambiguous. Schnee had no experience with it being this ineffective.

    Is it just that the supply ce is out of whack, or beyond that, too? Its always when you need to hurry that things go wrong.

    Oh, yes. It happens.

    It was probably Shibaids way of saying it lightly. Filma, who was in agreement with Shibaid, did not change her tone.

    It may not have been in response to the exchange between the two, but there was a change in the area.

    Kagerou growled and snarled.

    From the way it was moving itself not in one direction but here and there, it seemed that the enemy was not a single entity.

    There was no noticeable change in Schnees search range. However, there were things that caught on when searching for enemies that relied on her five senses other than her skills.

    Itsing from underground!

    A few seconds after Schnees warning, ck humanoids appeared from the ground.

    The appearance was the same as the humanoids that they had fought in the arena so far. The difference was that each individual was equipped with weapons and armor.

    The rule that says the number of humanoids thate out is equal to the number of people who enter the arena doesnt seem to apply this time.

    Filma said as she cut away a spear that had sprouted from the ground.

    A total of ten humanoids emerged from the ground. They formed in a circle surrounding the party.

    Three of them point their weapons at Shibaid and Filma, four at Sety and Tiera, and three at Schnee.

    This seemed to be a way of separating the vanguard, the rear guard, and even the main fighter role. Sety and her group have one more, probably because of the Kagerou.

    Only Schnees opponents are different in number and quality. Is that because theyre on their guard?

    Did they see through her ability, or did they judge that she had troublesome abilities based on her position?

    The three humanoid figures pointing the sword at Schnee were fully armed with full body armor and even a shield.

    As Shibaid said, it was obvious at a nce that the three were different from the other seven.

    No problem. Everyone should deal with it on their own.

    Schnee announced as she readied her Blue Moon and stepped towards the humanoid figures.

    There was some distance between the humanoid figures and Schnee when they emerged from the ground, but Schnee was able to close the distance with them in a single step.

    Suddenly, Schnees figure seemed to vanish, and the next moment, her figure wielding Blue Moon appeared and disappeared in front of a humanoid figure.

    Three times in that order: center, right, left. Only the arcing trajectory of Blue Moon remained in ce for a slightly longer time, but it also fade away.

    At that point, the humanoid finally moved.

    Schnee muttered as she was close enough to lend a hand to both Shibaid and Sety.

    Do you need help?

    The humanoid moved to attack Schnee, who was turning her attention to herpanions and showing her back to them.

    But they were unaware that they already had no weapons in their hands. Not only the hand that held the weapon. Knees, shoulders, and necks were falling apart.

    The sound of the weapons and armor worn by the humanoids colliding sounded instead of the screams of death.

    No way!

    In response to Schnees question, the same words were uttered at the same time by the vanguard duo of Shibaid and Filma.

    When Shibaid mowed down cid Moon, the humanoid lost its bnce along with the weapon it was trying to wield. Filma then struck the humanoid with a sh of her Scarlet Moon. With that alone, the three humanoids were cut in half.

    It was abination that made them think that they needed support. But the quality of the humanoids was lower than that of the ones facing Schnee, so it was a foregone conclusion.

    It seems like theres no problem with either of them.

    Beyond Schnees sight, Sety and the others were also defeating the humanoids without any difficulty.

    Two of them had been demolished by Setys magic, one had fist-sized holes in its head and torso, and the remaining one had had its head torn off by Kagerou.

    Looks like this isnt the end. Lets hurry.

    At Schnees urging, they proceed to the back of the area.

    However, before the defeated humanoidpletely disappeared, the ground shook.

    There were various things that popped out, including weapons and limbs, but there was no doubt that they were all humanoid.

    There werent any individuals of a different rank like those heading towards Schnee, but there were more of them this time.

    Ill erect a defensive barrier. Come closer to me!

    Shibaid shouted as he saw more and more individuals with staffs and bows. He proceeded to blow away the other melee humanoids with his body.

    Theres a door in front, but a lot of humanoids gathered there.

    Filma stepped forward in response to Schnees warning.

    So theyre going ahead of us. Then Ill go and kick them out.

    If they were stuck, one way out would be to use magic to destroy the humanoids all at once, but in that case, there was a possibility that the door would also be destroyed.

    Although it was standard for this kind of door to be indestructible in games, it could not be said that this was the case in this world as well.

    Up until now, the door had been opened and passed through normally, so Schnee and his team did not know how much of an attack it would take to break it.

    Even if they were able to break the door and move on, they would not do so because of the avnche of humanoids that would probably overwhelm them.

    If we go through the door, do you think they will give up?

    Lets just do what we can. Then, Ill be on my way.

    Filma kicked the ground hard after saying this to Sety.

    Filma jumped out of Shibaids defensive barrier and was inundated with arrows and magic, but she used her armors ability to st magic power and flew to the door in a single bound.

    The humanoid, which could still attack at long range, aimed at Filma, but was unable to catch her as she switched the direction of the st and zigzagged through the air.

    Filma, who was holding the Scarlet Moon as if she were carrying it,nded a short distance away from the door. At the same time, she swung down Scarlet Moon, obliterating the humanoid figures directly below and gouging out the ground.

    mes were glowing on the de of the Scarlet Moon as if they were engulfing it. The mes did not disappear even after burning the humanoid figures, and were sucked into the ground. After a short timeg, the mes danced around Filma.

    Swordsmanship/me Combination Skills me Edge.

    This skill produced mes within a certain range from the point where the weapon was inserted, and additional damage from burns and scalds urred even if the weapon went out of the range of the mes.

    This skill would also work as a substitute for fire enchantment without producing mes.

    I need to watch out for the door.

    There was a gaping hole around Filma in the mes of me Edge.

    Shended where the door was not within the range of the mes, so the door was unharmed, but there were still humanoid figures in front of it.

    Before the humanoids could move, Firma held Scarlet Moon at her waist, kicked the ground, and plunged into them.

    Not only because her opponents level had increased, but also because there were more of them, the thrusting swords and spears from the humanoids grazed Filmas arms and shoulders.

    However, even the des that hit what appeared to be nothing more than bare skin were unable to hurt her, and they were repelled with sparks produced.

    The weapons held by the humanoids were unable to prate the defense of the magic armor made by a High Human.

    A step, a sh.

    The weapon, the armor, and the humanoids themself were all cut in half.

    Before the pieces could fall to the ground, Firma shed at the next opponent.

    She swung through Scarlet Moon and made a full turn without losing her momentum. With a centrifugal force added to the cleave, more than a dozen humanoids were sent flying through the air.

    Lets move on!

    The group led by Shibaid rushed into the space that Filma had just opened up.

    Shibaid moved to the rear of the group as if to protect the door, and deployed a defensive barrier.

    Filma then jumped in. Shibaid, who was adept at dealing with defensive barriers, created a hole just for Filma to pass through.

    Shibaid made sure that everyone had passed through the door, and finally slipped into the closing door.

    Just in case, Shibaid held his shield up against the door, and Schnee and the others who entered first took a look around.

    It seems okay.

    There was no sign of the door being pushed from the other side.

    There was no doubt that the doors separated each area.

    If the order was correct, they should be at the supply location.

    But this ce was the arena.

    It wouldnt be surprising if a humanoid figure appeared at any time, but considering the previous area, everyone at the party thought that things wouldnt be the same here.

    Here we go.

    In the center of the arena, the humanoids appeared.

    There were five of them. Although nobody knew why the number was smaller than it should be, they were still the enemy.

    Before the humanoids could fully take shape, Sety unleashed her magic. As in the arena once before, she had prepared before the humanoid appeared.

    However, the results were not the same.

    I wonder if they are sharing information. You cant dodge them at first sight, can you?

    Their movements also seem different from before.

    Filma and Shibaid grew wary of the humanoids agile movements.

    All of the humanoids dodged, and Sety, with a hint of frustration, deployed another magic skill.

    Are you sure youre going to guesswait a minute, thats

    There was a hint of confusion in Setys voice.

    Schnee and the others were the same way.

    The humanoid shape appeared different, and it was now possible to clearly tell what kind of person it was.

    The man in the bluish thief-like clothes, had a mask that hid half his face and holding a walking stick.

    A woman in a crimson robe holding a staff as tall as she was.

    A man in a golden merchants outfit with two dolls in tow.

    A woman with a fluttering silver cloak and a whip at the ready.

    A woman wearing a white chefs suit with the length adjusted for ease of movement and holding a willow-leaf knife.

    The name of each was

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (10)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (10)</h4>

    Blue Magician Cain.

    Red Alchemist Hecate.

    Golden Merchant Reid.

    Silver Summoner Cashmere.

    White Chef Cook.

    It was not just the faces. Everything from their hair and skin color to their equipment was exactly as Schnee and the others remembered.

    If one was familiar with the game era, theyd probably have seen or heard this figure and name.

    The six of them, including Shin, were extremely famous as members of a guild called Rokuten.

    Dont tell me they copied their skills and weapons as well?

    From what Ive seen, I dont think they copied thempletely.

    Even in Shibaids reply to Filma, you could feel his anxieety this time.

    Tiera, perhaps sensing something unusual about the situation, timidly asked Schnee.

    Why is everyone so cautious? What on earth are these people

    These people are modeled after Shins formerrade. Be careful. From what Ive seen, they dont seem to be fully equipped, but depending on their abilities, theres not much room for error. Thats right. Think of it as five Shins, and well be just fine.

    Up until now, the humanoids had been slowly raising their weapon as if looking at them, but that was as far as the chitchat would go.

    The fake Hecate raised her staff and unleashed magic around her. The number of magic spells was not ten or twenty, but more.

    There was no way I could lose in a magic fight!

    Sety, perhaps in preparation, also began to unleash magic in response.

    In the sky above each partys head, an unusual number of magic spells were fired.

    Im going for a surprise attack. Can you handle the rest?

    Go. If we fight in the same way, it will be difficult.

    Shibaid, answering in a low voice, shifted his position in front of Schnee to hide her from the humanoids view.

    At that moment, Schnee disappeared.

    Theyreing!

    With Filmas voice as the signal, the fake Hecate and Sety waved their wands at each other.

    The magic that was being used took on a shape ording to the spell and rained down on the two groups.

    Much of the magic that flew through the air collided with the others magic, either offsetting or deflecting it, but the numbers were great. Those that made it through the rain of magic reached the vanguard of each party.

    Their reaction ispletely different from before. If theye out behind me, do your best to avoid them!

    Shibaid warned in front of the mes and lightning that crashed into the defensive barrier.

    No one doubted it.

    The sound and impact transmitted beyond the defensive barriers made Shibaids words even more true.

    Even if I tried toe out and attack, I wouldnt be able to attack in this condition.

    They shot magic at each other with the tanker in front of them.

    The intensity of the barrage was such that even Filma, who was the most agile, had difficulty breaking through. It was only a matter of time before they would be pushed out of the way of the magic fight.

    No matter how much you try, this number is impossible!

    The characteristics of the job did not matter to High Humans as they were capable of ying both vanguard and rear guard.

    So, with the exception of fake Reid, who acted as a tank and set up a barrier on the dolls, and fake Hecate, who used magic first, the humanoids started shooting magic.

    Filma was also shooting magic, Kagerou was shooting electric shocks, and Tiera was shooting arrows, so they were not immediately overwhelmed, but even so, the difference in power and numbers was insurmountable.

    The fact that everyone except the tank could fire a barrage of magic with much higher power than a poor mage was a threat.

    Huh? The barrage is a bit weak Oh no!? Thatsing!

    A few seconds after Setys warning, the ground began to rise.

    What appeared was a wall of earth. Rectangr earthen walls, about 4 mels high, sprout from the ground one after another, dividing the party.

    Huh? What?!

    (This is an earthen wall made by the fake Cain. Its not easy to break it down. If you are not surrounded by walls, leave immediately. If you are surrounded, escape with Kagerou while you still can!)

    Shibaid could faintly hear Tieras confused voice, and immediately contacted her through Mind Chat.

    (Wont they shoot us with magic?)

    (She didnt get there in time to before the earthen wall activated, but Schnee is taking the fakes by surprise from behind. Now you shouldnt be targeted by more than one humanoid. But be very careful.)

    Shibaid, who was at the front of the group, was not surrounded by an earthen wall.

    The earthen wall appeared behind him. Some were covered with earthen walls all the way to the top, like a dome, while others were not, perhaps because they were fake and thereforecked the ability to do so.

    None of the party members were within sight of Shibaid. Even though he could tell that they were safe, he was not sure if he would be able to join them soon.

    As he stared at the three humanoids approaching from the front, Shibaid devoted his thoughts on how to prevent their invasion.

    Ooooh

    With a spirited voice, the sound of crushing echoed.

    Filma jumped out and blew away the shattered mud wall.

    The faint remains of the mes indicated that the skill had been used.

    Ill take the right side!

    Got it!

    Filma jumped out and headed for the fake Cook, one of the three fakes that were approaching.

    The rest were the fake Reed and the fake Cashmere. For whatever reason, each of the three kept their distance.

    Filma chose the fake Cook without hesitation because fake Cook was the most dangerous in this situation.

    Among the non-system skills that the real Cook possessed was Wall Passing, which allowed her to pass through some obstacles, and she often fought in such a way that Cain would build a wall and Cook would attack through the wall.

    Not every obstacle could be slipped through at will, but Cooks fighting style did not seem to have that limitation.

    Filma and Shibaid remembered this well, as they had seen yers and monsters being cut to pieces at the mercy of Cook, who appeared and disappeared through the wall.

    It would be very dangerous if additional earthen walls were formed, or if the fakes targeted Sety, who had not yet joined them.

    Ill help!

    Tiera, astride Kagerou,nded behind Shibaid. They did not seem to be blocked by an earthen wall, and she seemed to have escaped quickly.

    In that case, I want you to keep fake Cashmere in check. While you buy me some time, I will defeat the fake Reed.

    Shibaid readied his shield and charged at Reed.

    One of the dolls following the fake Reed has a shield and the other has a greatsword. The shield-bearer doll was the one who was blocking Setys magic.

    The shield-bearer was standing in front of the fake Reed, holding its weapon like a greatsword bearer would carry.

    It looked like a simple puppet suspended by a string, but it was about two mels tall. And it didnt seem to be able to resist Shibaids attack.

    However, even after colliding with the shield, the doll only retreated about 30 cemels and was unharmed. Then, the other doll swung his greatsword down at Shibaid, who had stopped in his tracks, as if to return the favor.

    The barrier that had been cracked when Shibaid and the shield-bearer collided waspletely shattered, and his shield and the greatsword collided.

    Blocking the undecorated, rugged sword, the shock from the sparking shield ran through Shibaids entire body, digging his feet into the ground.

    A golden sh of light struck him.

    I see theyre copying each individuals fighting style as well.

    Shibaid blocked the approaching sh with cid Moon.

    The sh of light was an attack by the fake Reeds magic.

    Reeds basic battle strategy inbat was to put the dolls in front and support them with magic from behind.

    This was an orthodox style for jobs such as summoners and tamers who used something other than themselves. Reed and Cashmere were close to perfecting this style, and both they and their own servants were strong enough to make their opponents call them fouls.

    The only saving grace at present was that the equipment used by the dolls and the abilities of the humanoids themselves were not copies of those in their heyday.

    But that did not mean that the attacks were not a threat.

    The sh from earlier was repelled because Shibaid knew how to fight Reed, and if he hadnt known it wasing, his weapon would have been blown away.

    His own skills and equipment. The cement of allies and enemies. Based on these factors, Shibaid intended to decide the match at once in a short battle.

    Hmph!

    He swung his cid Moon while receiving the greatsword with his shield.

    cid Moon was about to reach the dolls torso, but the shield bearer caught it.

    There was a loud metallic sound, and the shield bearers foot slipped and lined up with the greatsword bearer. The shield bearers shield was only dented, not shattered.

    Shibaid rxed his foot and, lowering his body, let his opponents greatsword slide over his shield.

    Then, when the pressure was gone, he immediately stepped forward

    Movement-based martial arts skills are not only used by those who specialize in high-speedbat like Shin and Schnee. Shibaid moved to the side of the greatsword bearer using the high-speed movement skill Ground Shrink.

    The greatsword bearer cleaved its weapon horizontally, but before it could reach Shibaid, he thrust cid Moon into its torso.

    Spearsmanship skill Prate Down.

    cid Moons de pierced through the dolls that lined up next to each other. Due to the effect of the skill, the movement of the doll was greatly reduced.

    Confirming this, Shibaid let go of cid Moon and jumped away.

    It was a magic attack from the fake Reed.

    Shibaid moved to position himself using the dolls as a shield, but of course the fake Reed also moved so that he was in its line of fire.

    At this distance, however, he could see where it was moving even if he wasnt looking.

    Shibaid took his eyes off the dolls, raised his shield, and charged towards the fake Reed.

    Perhaps because the doll couldnt move, the fake Reed switched his magic from a pinpoint attack to a ranged attack.

    Game on!

    The defensive barrier had been shattered by the greatsword bearer, so there was only a short time left before it could be redeployed.

    Trusting in the defensive power of the armor he wore, Shibaid stepped forward.

    The attacking from the fake Reed was blocked by the shield, and the rest was absorbed by the thicker part of the armor as much as possible.

    Since it was intended to be a long-range attack, its attack power was lower than that of a pinpoint strike. Through the smoke of the explosion, Shibaid approached the fake Reed.

    However, for a moment, the fake Reed disappeared in front of him.

    Dammit!

    His shield was blown away.

    Even if its a fake, what the humanoid was imitating was the highest peak of High Human. Its strength was greater than that of its followers. Shibaids arm holding the shield must have been tired from the constant attacks, but he didnt know if he could have parried it without it.

    The fake Reed turned his back on Shibaid, probably using his martial arts skills like a left-to-right roundhouse kick.

    But his focus had already shifted to his next move.

    The barrage of fists from the rotation of his body would damage Shibaid beyond the protection of his armor.

    But Shibaid was not afraid.

    He didnt think he would be able to defend himselfpletely.

    Hence, he was unprotected. Even if he received a prating attack, he would receive it in a ce where he would not die instantly.

    Shibaid grabbed the fake Reed tightly with both arms. His current STR wasparable to that of a High Human in his prime. Even if the fake Reed tried to wriggle out, he would not be able to escape easily.

    The distance between them was several tens of cemels. Before the fake Reed could move, a ck me shot out of Shibaids mouth.

    Dragnils unique skill Breath was said to be the most powerful among the seven races.

    The ck me burned the fake Reeds head and torso, and flowed backwards with unstoppable momentum.

    Shibaids Breath had a maximum release time of five seconds.

    There was no counterattack.

    After the Breathdisappeared, all that remained were the arms and legs that Shibaid had grabbed.

    Eventually, they too melted and lost their shape, disappearing like water being sucked into the ground.

    Behind Shibaid, the dolls, which had lost their master, copsed. When there was no one left to control the dolls, the dolls would not move. It was safe to assume that it had been defeated.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 20: Chapter 3 (11)

    <h4>Book 20: Chapter 3 (11)</h4>

    Im saved.

    Shibaid muttered, looking at the burnt ruins a short distance away.

    It was difficult to defeat it quickly without concentrating on the dolls and the main body.

    But there was also a fake Cashmere here. She was better at controlling monsters, and it was easy for her to intervene in Shibaids and his groups battles. Sety prevented that from happening. While Shibaid and the others were fighting, Sety escaped from the earthen wall.

    Even now, Sety waspletely preventing the most dangerous attacks from the fake Cashmere, leaving Tiera and Kagerou in charge of the summoned beasts that kepting out one after another.

    Contrary to her cute appearance, the way Sety unleashed magic with various effects gave off the impression of a veteran of battles.

    Shibaid was even more determined that he still had a lot of training to do.

    He called back his weapons from a distance and immediately went to join them.

    I made you wait!

    Kicking away the monsters summoned one after another, Shibaid approached the fake Cashmere. It seemed that the more powerful the monster, the longer it took to summon, the same limitation as the real one.

    There was the sound of the wind breaking. An attack from out of sight.

    Cashmeres whip moved like a living creature within a certain range.

    Shields alone could not protect against it. Attacks woulde from everywhere except under the ground as soon as one entered Cashmeres attack zone.

    Shibaid, who excelled more in defense than in mobility, had no choice but to avoid ces where he could be fatally wounded or where his actions would be hindered.

    Against shields and armor, the whip would produce a cracking sound. The sound was not light; it was like a burst of air, like an explosion.

    Shibaids legs trembled due to the weight of the blow. But he didnt stop.

    The further he advanced, the more intense the whips attacks became, but at the same time, the summoning speed of the monsters slowed down.

    That meant that the attacks of Tiera and Sety, who were dealing with monsters, would be directed at the fake Cashmere.

    The fake Cashmere was hit by a rain of arrows and fireballs, a mixture of physical and magical attacks.

    However, the fake Cashmere was able to fend off all of them.

    A wild dance of whip that looked like a barrier. However, even with such a high density of attacks, the more targets there were, the fewer moves could be directed at a single target. It was enough for Shibaid to break through the whip dance.

    Ohhhhhh!

    Shibaids voice was full of spirit. He let out a roar, which asserted his presence, to attract the fake Cashmeres attention.

    cid Moon had a shining effect when activating a skill. It was like he was announcing that he would unleash a big blow.

    Perhaps sensing Shibaids strength, the fake Cashmeres attack is focused on him.

    (Now!)

    At the same time as he shouted with Mind Chat, he put his shield in front of him and strengthened his defense.

    The cid Moon effect was a fake. It was just one of the props to draw attention to himself.

    Immediately after, an earthen spear grew from the ground. Small and sharp, it skewered the fake Cashmere from the knees down.

    Even though it was a fake, it was still a High Humans protective gear. It was Sety who attacked the fake Cashmere, piercing through it.

    The power waspletely different from before.

    A follow-up attack wasing. Shibaid sensed this before Tieras Mind Chat reached him and activated his defensive skill.

    Space distorted above the fake Cashmeres head, who was distracted by the earthen spear.

    Instantly, the fake Cashmeres head melted, followed by the chest, arms, and stomach.

    I cant see the fire, but its burning.

    A transparent me with high viscosity. Shibaid had this impression.

    But the firepower was terrifying. Both the equipment and the body melted before they could resist the mes.

    Shibaid gasped at the heat he could feel even through the shield.

    The surface of the Great Shell Shield of Collision was melting like butter roasted over a fire. The inside had not be brittle, but this was probably the worst damage this shield had ever sustained.

    A skill Shibaid had never seen before. He decided to ask Setyter if this was another result of her research.

    (Youre fast for a fake.)

    Filma, who left the fake Reed and the fake Cashmere to Shibaid and confronted the fake Cook, pondered while dodging the wild dance of the willow-de knife at an open distance.

    Although she did not intend to let her guard down because they were fakes, the barrage of blows they unleashed did not seem so different from the real Cook she remembered.

    Filma was lucky that the two fakes were at a distance from each other, and she was able to create a one-on-one situation with Cook.

    From magic power st to sword skill, she used Scarlet Moon and let the propulsion force take over to get away from the other two fakes.

    Still, she could not let our guard down as the opponent was sure to use long-range attacks.

    The fake Cooks body tilted slightly.

    From a movement that seemed to fall, she instantly elerated and came to hunt down Filmas neck with a willow-leaf knife.

    Even though she was blown away when the magic power st was stopped, it wasnt a huge distance for the fake Cook.

    Filma flicked the first de close to the handle of the Scarlet Moon and then deflected her upper body to the right as if she were sliding.

    A small spark scattered from her left gauntlet, and a high-pitched metallic sound rang out.

    She could feel her own HP decreasing. Some of the damage went through the armors defense. It was a tactic that Cook used against heavily armed yers and opponents with hard outer shells.

    The fakes also imitated skills.

    The fake Cook used Filmas Scarlet Moon de to conceal her own willow-leaf knife and wielded a second de.

    Furthermore, she mixed her attack with illusionary skills, making it difficult to dodge even if Filma knew what the fake was doing.

    Even if Filma factored in the performance of her equipment to her status, she would not be able to instantly nullify the hallucinations caused by high-level monsters and yers like High Humans.

    The only way to reach that realm was to change her race.

    Filma switched her thinking to the futility of thinking about what she could not do and turned on the offensive herself.

    Fortunately, the fake Cooks willow-leaf knife could notpletely break through the defense of Shins masterpiece, the Hollow Lacquer Series. She decided it would be better to focus on her attacks while protecting her vital points.

    If it were a copy from its heyday, it probably wouldnt be like this.

    Based on the attack speed, power, and weapon performance, Filma was convinced that the fake Cooks abilities and equipment were below their peak. Thats why she could be a little reckless.

    Filma swung Scarlet Moon sideways in a firm and slightly upward motion.

    Because of the close distance, it hit the fake Cook, but no damage was done because a willow-leaf knife caught the Scarlet Moons de as she jumped back from the spot.

    However, the fake Cooks body was suspended in the air due to the recoil from receiving Filmas de without dodging it.

    As the power-increasing effect of the swordsmanship martial arts skill Heavy sh was used when swinging the Scarlet Moon, the greater the sword speed and centrifugal force, the greater the power.

    The effect diminished with the sword swing bing more concentrated, but it was enough to lift the slender fake Cook into the air.

    Before the fake Cook could react, Filma let go of the Scarlet Moon on the spot and fully released the armors magic power st. Considering the opponents strength, just putting her in the air was not enough to create an opening.

    Filma chased after the fake Cook and moved directly under her.

    As soon as she stopped moving, she used her leg strength to make an emergency braking maneuver, and then fired her magic power st again. She flew toward the fake Cook.

    It was a ridiculous move, using her physical strength and equipment to change her trajectory almost at right angles.

    The fake Cook also tried to move by using her skill to create a foothold in the air.

    However, Filma was faster because of the magic power sts assistance.

    She grabbed each arm holding the willow-leaf knives and performed a knee kick.

    Barahanded/Lightningbination skill Thunder Kick.

    The skill that covered both legs with lightning was focused on a single point on Filmas knee, and mmed into the fake Cooks sr plexus.

    The thunderbolt bursted, and the sound and impact spread throughout the surrounding area.

    Even while attacking, she did not cut off the magic power st. The overwhelming propulsive force carried the two into the sky while she was still in the position of delivering a knee kick.

    The fake Cooks body shook as she was hit in the abdomen by the Thunder Kick with the eleration from the magic power st.

    Filma was sure that the fake Cook had been paralyzed, as she felt the arms in her grasp and saw the fake Cook drop her weapon.

    Filma deactivated the Thunder Kick and left the fake Cook to rise further.

    The distance of the two, after two seconds of unleashing magic power st, was approximately five mels.

    Filma suddenly rotated while reaching out her hand as if to grab something. She turned off the magic power st for a moment and changed the direction of her movement downward.

    Come!

    At the same time as the shout, Scarlet Moon appeared in her hand.

    The re-ignited magic power st propelled Filma toward the earth.

    The destination was the fake Cook, whose paralysis was being lifted. The reason why the status abnormality was not immediately lifted was probably due to the copying.

    Filma was only a few seconds away.

    The de of the Scarlet Moon was glowing red. The skill that carried the weapons weight and the propulsive force from the eleration sted into the fake Cook.

    Swordsmanship martial arts skill Gigas de.

    The fake Cook received the Scarlet Moons de using her trembling arm as a shield.

    However, the red glowing de did not stop, and the fake Cook was cut vertically in two. After a few more seconds, the fake Cooks split body exploded from inside.

    The Gigas de inflicted additional damage to the target hit by the sh, ignoring defense. The fake Cook popped due to not being able to withstand the power of the additional damage.

    (Schnee is!!)

    Filma confirmed that the fragments of the fake Cook had melted away and disappeared and quickly turned her gaze to where Schnee was.

    Including her, Shibaid, Tiera and the others were sessfully fighting one by one against the fake. Schnee, however, was different. Even if they were not copies of their prime, it would be dangerous for Schnee to simultaneously take on two High Humans.

    When Filma saw Schnee, she immediately activated her magic power st.

    Previous | Next (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (1)

    Shin and his friends once headed for Bayreuth Kingdom to meet Hades, the being who was said to be half of Origin I.

    There, they heard that something strange was happening in the Wraith in, where Hades was supposed to be.

    In the process of investigating, Shin and his friends rushed into the dungeon to find Hades. However, as they progressed through the dungeon, the party was divided and Shin was separated from his support characters, Schnee and the others.

    Those who were sent further into the final area of the dungeon were Shin, former yer Milt, and Element Tail Yuzuha. There, they met Hades. Shin then learned from her the secrets of this world and what happened to Shin himself.

    Meanwhile, Schnee and the others were attacked by monsters that were modeled after members of the once powerful guild ¡°Rokuten¡±.

    After safely joining the fight and defeating the monster, Shin and his group returned to the Moon Shrine to rest for a while. Shin told Schnee about his conversation with Hades and his ns for the future.

    ??

    After spending two hours with Schnee, Shin sneaked out of her room.

    It would have taken too long to exin everything Hades had told him, so he only told her the parts that pertained to her and nned to go back to his room, but¡­ the mood between them made him change his n.

    However, there was nothing suspicious about the two of them spending time together, just sleeping together. Even so, Shin was a timid person who couldn¡¯t help but be mindful.

    Schnee called out to him from behind.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if you just go out in a dignified manner?¡±

    ¡°No, I felt a little guilty because I said I was going to take a break.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he pushed through his own convenience by saying he would be taking a break.

    ¡°I think they already noticed your presence.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    Inside the Moon Shrine, where Shin and his friends were based, there were no restrictions on the ability to use detection skills or map functions to find out where people were.

    The wall was fairly airtight and the material was high-quality, so there was no need to worry about any sounds leaking out, but if you were inside the Moon Shrine, you could easily tell where and who they were.

    Shin¡¯s actions had no effect other than convincing himself.

    He left the room with resolve and returned to his own room.

    When he entered the room, Yuzuha was sitting on the bed. She was in the same posture as when she sent Shin away.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back. Could it be that you¡¯ve been waiting for this long?¡±

    ¡°I just woke up.¡±

    Yuzuha was asleep in bed, and woke up when she heard Shin¡¯s presence approaching. She was now in the form of a little fox, but inside she seemed to be in adult mode.

    ¡°You have made a new connection¡­ With Schnee?¡±

    ¡°You can tell? The integration with the Origin drop item went well. It seems like we were connected at that time.¡±

    ¡°She can rest easy now.¡±

    Yuzuha nodded in the direction of Schnee¡¯s room.

    ¡°When I disappeared, I made her worried.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    Yuzuha shook her head.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, Schnee was apparently concerned about theck of a special connection between her and Shin.

    ¡°But I chose Schnee, and I¡¯m almost finished with the ring.¡±

    Shin thought it didn¡¯t matter even if there wasn¡¯t a special connection, but Yuzuha was in lecture mode, saying that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°I, Yuzuha, have a contract with Shin. This is a connection that only I have. Tiera also has a connection through her presence, which is not here. But Schnee doesn¡¯t have that. The connection with you as a support character isn¡¯t unique to her.¡±

    As Yuzuha pointed out, the elf Tiera had a special connection in a sense, since she was imbued with the abilities of Shin¡¯s former lover, Marino.

    Of course, Schnee was happy that Shin had chosen her.

    But that was why she sought her own special connection. A one-of-a-kind connection that others could not rece.

    ¡°You should be more loving toward Schnee.¡±

    Apparently, Schnee had been consulting Yuzuha from time to time. She asked Yuzuha, who had grown internally and could now be said to be the oldest in a sense, for her opinion.

    ¡°Seriously, I didn¡¯t notice it at all¡­¡±

    Yuzuha sometimes went somewhere during the night. They must have been talking at that time.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do anything about that even if you tell me.¡±

    He could say that he¡¯d be happy to go along with her in terms of loving her, but as for the special connection, Shin had no way of dealing with it.

    In the case of Yuzuha, because she was treated as a monster, there was a systematic connection that made it possible for her to connect with him. The connection with Tiera was never Shin¡¯s intention in the first ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s a man¡¯s duty to deal with that.¡±

    Even so, Yuzuha¡¯s words had such a different mood and sound that it was easy to tell that she was joking.

    Shin replied with a sigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so unreasonable¡­ Well, I guess this time she could lessen her anxiety a little.¡±

    ¡°Kuh~¡±

    While Shin was relieved to see Yuzuha exaggeratedly nodding her head, he also thought he needed to be a little more perceptive.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (2)

    After his conversation with Yuzuha, Shin went to the living room.

    He had to tell the other party members what had happened when he met Hades. They must be getting antsy.

    ¡°Did I keep you waiting?¡±

    Everyone except Schnee had already gathered in the living room. Although the time specification was ambiguous, Shin was not particrlyte. Still, Shin reflected a little on the fact that they were all gathered like this, perhaps they were all too anxious to take a rest.

    ¡°Sorry, did you wait long?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve only just arrived. Schnee is not here yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be here soon. Let¡¯s get something to drink and wait.¡±

    Shibaid and Filma, Shin¡¯s support characters in the game, replied that they didn¡¯t mind. Both of them seemed to have guessed that Shin had talked to Schnee about something, and were surprisingly calm.

    Sety, another support character, was talking with Milt, a former yer, while interacting with spirits.

    Only Tiera looked ufortable, and her monster partner, a mutant form of the divine beast ¨C Kagerou, was leaning close to her.

    ¡°Sorry I made you wait.¡±

    About five minutester, Schnee arrived as well.

    After confirming that everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, Shin began to tell the story of his meeting with Hades.

    Perhaps the part that got the biggest reaction was the part about Shin returning from the current world to his original one. He thought about telling that first, but then he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk about anything else, so Shin concluded his talk with this topic.

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you took a break.¡±

    Filma murmured, as if she was satisfied.

    Filma and the others could tell immediately that Schnee, who should have been the most responsive to this topic, showed no signs of being upset.

    The support characters were looking at Shin as if he was the one who had no choice, but only Tiera was looking at him with a zed look in her eyes. The frustration feeling on her part was piercing through her gaze.

    Filma continued.

    ¡°Anyway, if you return to your original world, that means you¡¯re noting back here, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°And are there other peopleing back here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but probably not.¡±

    However, it was questionable whether all of the people who hade to this world now had any connection with Shin.

    The PK yer/killer that Shin beat up and crushed, and the yer that he had a friendship with. There were probably a certain number of others who havee here as well.

    Some of them may havee to this world in a different way than Shin did.

    Hades also said that the main bodies of all but Shin were dead ¨C Milt being the exception among exceptions ¨C so the hurdle foring here was lower than for Shin.

    It seemed that originally there was some cirction of ¡°formless power¡± between worlds, so it would not be surprising if something like a soul flowed with Shin as he moved.

    Hades did not know everything about the situation, so she prefaced her talk by saying that it was a matter of spection.

    However, if Shin returned to the other side of the world, the cirction of such power would cease.

    The connection between the two worlds would be weak, and even something as vague as a soul would not be able toe and go. Once that happened, there was no going back.

    Not only Shin, but also Schnee, who was going with him, would not be able to return.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m going to miss you.¡±

    There was no disturbance in Sety¡¯s tone as she muttered this, but her expression seemed a little sad.

    Shin¡¯s support characters, with the exception of the High Beast Girard, were long-lived species. They must have experienced separation and bereavement many times over the long years.

    Still, parting with someone close to you was probably something you couldn¡¯t get used to.

    ¡°But I felt relieved. If you told me that you are going to leave sis Schnee behind, I would punch you in the face.¡±

    ¡°When I heard about it, my first thought was also, ¡®I¡¯m going to have to leave Schnee.¡¯¡±

    When Shin heard how much time he had left, he wanted to hold her head in his hands.

    ¡°But that would make it a little harder on the others.¡±

    ¡°The others?¡±

    ¡°Berett, Zazie and the others. They all believe that their master will return someday. In fact, Shin has returned.¡±

    In a sense, the support characters of the other Rokuten members, such as Berett and Zazie, were shown hope just when they were about to give up.

    Even if it was not Shin¡¯s intention, his return was seen as ¡°that way¡± by those around him.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Of course, Shin¡¯s return is like a miracle due to a series of coincidences. He¡¯ll just return to his original form.¡±

    But once you obtain hope, it¡¯s hard to let go of it¡­ Shibaid continued.

    Of course, Shibaid knew what Sety meant. He knew the longing to wait for the master and the joy when it came true.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell the others.¡±

    Filma shook her head and looked at them.

    It was unknown what percentage of Berett, Zazie and the others¡¯ hearts were upied by the reunion with their master.

    Was it good or bad to tell the other Rokuten¡¯s support characters that their wish would no longer be granted? No one could decide.

    They might not care, or they might despair.

    But not everyone knew the truth and could shake off their thoughts and just move on.

    Filma said that they could not choose to talk about it, just because they had been there themselves.

    Neither Shibaid nor Sety argued with that.

    ¡°Um, Shin¡¯s world, huh? I heard that you need to be one with an item in order to go to Shin¡¯s world with you. Has that already been done?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done. I¡¯m sure you already know that, but the reason I took a break earlier is because I needed time to talk to Schnee about it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, from what I could tell with Schnee¡¯s behavior, it seems like there was no problem.¡±

    Shibaid looked at Schnee, who was standing quietly.

    ¡°But you took the plunge. You gave up everything to go with Shin.¡±

    ¡°I have no regrets. If he had tried to leave me behind, I would have chased after him.¡±

    Schnee replied to Filma¡¯s jokingment in a way that did not sound like a joke.

    ¡°Schnee would have done it.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I have no doubt.¡±

    ¡°¡­I know, right?¡±

    The fact that no one, including Tiera, denied it showed how well people around Schnee understood her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be lonely, but if Schnee is going to do what she really wants to do, I don¡¯t me her.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it would have been a big problem if someone other than Schnee had been chosen.¡±

    Filma smiled kindly at Shibaid, who nodded his head in agreement. She didn¡¯t seem shocked that Shin would be gone.

    ¡°I would have preferred if you had stayed here¡­¡±

    Sety pouted.

    She was a little deliberate, but there was no doubt that she was being sincere.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for everyone.¡±

    Shin responded to Filma¡¯s wry smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was really nning to stay here.¡±

    He would never have proposed to Schnee if he didn¡¯t want to.

    However, if he had not known anything about it, they would have parted one day, so he was thankful to Hades for that.

    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll have to make more fun memories before you go over there. If what Hades said is true, then we¡¯re going to be in for a lot of trouble from here on out.¡±

    Filma suggested with a big p of her hands, changing the mood of the ce.

    Shin thought back to the fact that he had only enjoyed a few times of pure entertainment since he came here, and then Milt sent him a ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°(You¡¯re so loved, Shin.)¡±

    ¡°(Hey, aren¡¯t you having too much fun watching from a distance?)¡±

    Milt was watching themotion from a little distance.

    The two of them were talking in ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿, so they appeared quiet, but the soundless voices that reached Shin¡¯s ears were as noisy as Filma¡¯s and the others¡¯.

    ¡°(Just like you, I will be evicted from this world, so I don¡¯t have to worry about being separated from you. Oh, before we go back there, please give me your contact information, Shin!)¡±

    She was right about the part about not being able to contact him over there if he didn¡¯t give them his contact information, so Shin promised to tell Miltter.

    ¡°Are you two just going to watch, Shin and Milt? Join in the discussion!¡±

    Filma was in charge. She was suggesting to everyone that they should take this opportunity to travel for pleasure.

    However, in this world, traveling over long distances from one country to another was fraught with danger, so recreational travel was not popr. Therefore, there was little information avable on sightseeing spots, tourist attractions, and recreational facilities.

    Filma herself was not familiar with the world after the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±, partly because she had been asleep for a long time, so she asked Schnee and Shibaid to talk about it.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a country that focuses on tourism and entertainment, there are a few ces that sound good. How about it, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°I have some ideas, but the purpose is too vague. I think it would be better to narrow down what we are going to enjoy.¡±

    Shibaid was also enthusiastic. Due to his position as a former Dragon Emperor, he was probably well versed in information from other countries. And there was no need to mention Schnee, who had traveled all over the world.

    ¡°What about Milt?¡±

    ¡°A ce I can rmend? I don¡¯t know much, and there¡¯s a lot of unreliable information I¡¯ve heard, so I can¡¯t think of a ce I can confidently rmend.¡±

    Some countries seem to have tourism as their main attraction, and the discussion proceeded to consider those ces as candidates.

    In the midst of this discussion, Shin noticed someone tugging at his sleeve.

    When he turned around, Tiera hade near him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Tiera, who had spent a lot of time in the elven vige of Garden and the Moon Shrine, was still not familiar with information about other countries like Schnee and the others.

    Shin wondered if this made it difficult for her to join in the conversation, but that did not seem to be the case. Tiera started to speak to Schnee and the others without hesitation.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to say in this atmosphere, but what are you going to report to the guild about the investigation of Wraith ins? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea not to say anything, but then again, we can¡¯t be honest with them, can we?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­I guess I¡¯ll say it¡¯s the influence of dungeons that appear under certain conditions.¡±

    The truth was that the dungeon for the event was strange with the addition of Hades¡¯s power, but it was doubtful if the guild would believe them if they told them that honestly.

    Given the words of A-rank Shin, it wouldn¡¯t seem like aplete fabrication, but there weren¡¯t any items to prove it either.

    ¡°Once Hades falls asleep, the urrence of monsters should be the same as before, so after confirming that, I¡¯ll think of a usible story.¡±

    This area was originally a monster-infested area, and people seldom went near it. As before, if the ce was kept in a state close to istion, there would be no problem.

    ¡°However, we will need to stay a few nights and see how things go, just to be sure.¡±

    The fact that monsters ur frequently was based on Hades¡¯ spection. Shin decided that it would be better to see if this was really the case.

    ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s better that way.¡±

    ¡°Tiera¡­yourplexion doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    She looked less energetic than she had when they had gathered in the living room.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she will be able to behave as usual after hearing the news, you know.¡±

    Filma¡¯s personality may be a factor, but the people in this room had experienced encounters and partings over and over again, for better or for worse.

    It was clear that everyone didn¡¯t think parting with Shin and Schnee was a bad thing.

    However, Tiera didn¡¯t seem to be able to make that kind of decision right away.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There might have been a better way to tell you guys, but I couldn¡¯t think of one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Shin¡¯s fault. I just haven¡¯t been able to take it in.¡±

    If anything, Shin thought Tiera¡¯s reaction was more normal. In fact, Filma and the others were too quick to switch from one thing to another.

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m going to rest for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well, I guess I¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    Sety moved after Tiera as she headed for the living room exit. She gave a small nod to Shin and the others as if to say, ¡°Leave her to me.¡±

    Filma and the others seemed to have sensed this and nodded back silently.

    When Tiera was out of sight, Milt approached Shin.

    ¡°It seems like it was shocking for her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s calm now though, but it was a surprise even to us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not the only reason, though.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    Shin responded to Milt, who was staring at him while emphasizing the part, while frowning at her.

    Shin wasn¡¯t so insensitive that he couldn¡¯t guess Tiera¡¯s inner thoughts, who had been with him up until now.

    Although he was a little unsure of himself since Yuzuha had just scolded him for not understanding a maiden¡¯s heart.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to leave it to Sety to follow up.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, Milt talks to Sety sometimes, too.¡±

    It was rtively recently that Milt started interacting with people other than Tiera.

    ¡°In the current party, me and Sety are the petite ones. I guess I can understand how she feels. It¡¯s also easy to talk to each other as High Pixies.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what the average height was in this world, but the party members were generally tall. The male members, Shin and Shibaid, and the female members, Schnee and Filma, were all taller than the rest of their race.

    In Shin¡¯s opinion, Tiera was normal. However, since Tiera was a long-lived elf, she was still in her growth stage, so there was a possibility that she would grow even more in the future.

    However, Milt and Sety were different. Milt¡¯s height was said to reflect her real-life physique, so she would not grow any more, and Sety would probably not grow any more since Shin had set her at her current height.

    ¡°(Really, the only thing that¡¯s left of the support characters is their appearance.)¡±

    Milt abruptly switched from verbal conversation to ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    Shin, wondering if it was something the other members shouldn¡¯t hear, pretended to be unconcerned and only looked at Filma and the others as they discussed the matter

    ¡°(What¡¯s the matter, all of a sudden?)¡±

    ¡°(Until now, I¡¯ve had very few opportunities to talk to the support characters. These people¡ª I guess you could call them locals. I knew the difference in my head, but subconsciously I was pulled by the image of the game. I thought there was something different about them. But the more I talked to them, the more I realized they are real.)¡±

    Although Shin had worked with Milt and Schnee and the others when they met again here, it was a short time and they didn¡¯t talk much. But this time was different. After spending so much time together, Milt said she felt like she was able to see things that she hadn¡¯t been able to see.

    Perhaps because Shin had been reunited with Schnee not too long after he arrived in this world, he had few images of the game that Milt described.

    The locals and support characters were the same in the sense that they were treated as NPCs ¨C characters not controlled by the yer ¨C at the time of the game.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (3)

    ¡°(They¡¯re people too, of course, and I realized that a littlete.)¡±

    Milt, who told him about what had happened since she came here, responded to Shin.

    ¡°(Did you have a story that made you think that?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s like they made me change my perception. I didn¡¯t have any special story or anything like that. It¡¯s just that Sety was thinking about a lot of things. When you see her in her everyday life, knowing what she is doing, you can see her in a different light.)¡±

    ¡°(What do you mean by that?)¡±

    Did something happen? Shin thought about it, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything.

    ¡°(Look, you said that you set up Sety as a younger sister character, right? For her part, it seems like there are times when she acts subconsciously, and times when she acts consciously. She seemed troubled at first, but now she doesn¡¯t worry about which one is the real her, she epts that they are both as her true self. She has given a clear answer to her own existence. To me, that was a little dazzling.)¡±

    ¡°(I didn¡¯t know you thought that way.)¡±

    Shin wondered if Schnee and the others were troubled in the same way as Milt¡¯s story.

    The friction between the personality character given as a game setting and the self-consciousness of this world. Shin did not realize that Schnee and the others had such problems, even though he had been with them longer than Milt.

    It may simply be that they have resolved themselves over the course of 500 years and have note to the surface enough for Shin to notice.

    He wouldn¡¯t have known about Sety if he hadn¡¯t asked Milt.

    In that sense, Filma, who had been asleep for so long, was the one to worry about, but Shin was not confident that he would be able to find out, since she seemed to be the best at hiding it.

    ¡°(I feel like 500 years isn¡¯t just a time span. I need to be more mature too.)¡±

    ¡°(Well, in terms of age, Milt is¡ª)¡±

    Just when Shin was thinking that she was already in the realm of an old woman in human terms, he received a silent body blow.

    Even if you were on good terms with someone, it was taboo to talk about age with women. Milt gave him a big smile, and Shin apologized to her.

    Sety approached them and asked in a tone of exasperation.

    ¡°What are you two doing?¡±

    ¡°I made a slight slip of the tongue. By the way, has anything been decided?¡±

    Shin asked if they had decided where they were going and hade to call for him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a few options, and I thought we¡¯d get your input, Shin.¡±

    Several maps were spread out on the table, and on top of them were several oval ss balls about one cemel in size.

    ¡°The blue ss balls are for countries and cities that focus on tourism, while the red ones have a slightly different scenery or have delicious food. What else do you want to do? The destination will be decided by that.¡±

    Sety gave a rough exnation while working on the map.

    ¡°Hmm, can you tell me about the tourist attractions?¡±

    There were many kinds of tourist destinations. There were six blue ss balls ced on the map. Of the map that divided the continent into upper and lower parts, there were four on the Est side at the top and two on the Kern side at the bottom.

    The information seemed to have been provided by Schnee, who exined.

    ¡°The two on the upper side of Est. This is the country where the hot springs are located. I¡¯ve actually been there, so I¡¯m sure of it. On one side, there was also a lot of cksmithing. There was also a pool that used geothermal heat.¡±

    Schnee had been there before, apparently, when she was asked to help with a survey of the volcano.

    Next, Shibaid pointed to a ss bead.

    ¡°Of the remaining two, this one is a country with a botanical garden with a collection of rare nts. The other one is the one with the fire and ice tree.¡±

    ¡°Fire and ice trees?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but ask the unfamiliar words.

    ¡°When Shin was still around, there were nts where the entire tree was literally made of fire and ice, right? It would have had little impact on its surroundings and would have been valuable as a material.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that.¡±

    Shin pulled out the relevant information from his memory of the game era.

    The official names were Holy me Tree and Holy Ice Tree. The nt grew just like a real tree, with roots, trunk, branches, and leaves made of fire on one side and ice on the other.

    Aside from the ice, Shin could not exin well what fire with substance was like, but the Holy me Tree was a tree that burns but had a kind of soft core in the center.

    In the game era, it was treated as a material item that randomly appeared somewhere in the area.

    The scene that the discoverer saw was a lone tree growing alone in the middle of a in forest, without the surrounding area burning or freezing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think there¡¯s more than one of those things growing there? It sure seems like a sight to behold.¡±

    The Holy me Tree changed the color of its fire depending on the time of day, and the Holy Ice Tree glowed seven different colors depending on the amount of sunlight. It was said that they were famous for their beautiful appearance.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt. What about the rest?¡±

    ¡°One on the Kern side is a country guarded by dragons. It seems that the dragon likes the princess, and she can enjoy traveling in the air by riding on their small dragon. It¡¯s close to the sea so you can also go cruising. And thest one is an amusement park.¡±

    ¡°An amusement park?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but ask Filma about the words, which he had never heard of here before.

    ¡°It looks like the facility from before the ¡®Dusk of Majesty¡¯ is still standing. Sety has the information.¡±

    It was apparently true that Sety had been gathering information outside of the ¡°Orchard,¡± the Pixie settlement, as well.

    And she seemed to have been participating in the discussion in parallel with ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ while following up with Tiera.

    ¡°How big is it, Sety?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a small city. The royal family lives in a castle that stands in the middle. There¡¯s something like a basket that moves at high speed on rails, and other vehicles that make you feel like you¡¯ve traveled to different countries in an instant. There are also some things I don¡¯t really understand.¡±

    Additionally, the outer walls surrounding the amusement park were built using past technology, so it was said to be safe even if a horde of monsters charged in.

    The country built its own defense wall in the form of an amusement park inside. In terms ofnd area inhabited by people, it seemed to be one of thergest on the continent.

    ¡°It looks like something that would be built by ¡®Dreand¡¯ or ¡®Fiction = Non-Fiction¡¯.¡±

    Shin was referring to famous guilds that were often mentioned to build an attraction facility among production guilds.

    The ¡°Dreand¡± side tinkered with the underlying data of the objects, and managed to create an amusement park in the game that was indistinguishable from the real thing. The result was so good that the game management praised it.

    However, it was too simr to the real amusement park, and no matter how they tried to exin it, it was out of the question due to copyright issues.

    Just when they were on the verge of awsuit, the original amusement park unexpectedly contacted them, and some of the facilities were allowed to continue for publicity purposes.

    The other guild, ¡°Fiction = Nonfiction,¡± was mainly engaged in the production of attractions that incorporate magic, which is impossible in real life.

    Judging from the characteristics of both guilds, Shin thought that it would be the ¡°Dreand¡± that built the amusement park that Sety mentioned.

    ¡°I think if I were to go, I¡¯d go to a hot spring, but what do you all think?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in favor. It¡¯s soothing not only for the body, but also for the mind.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good one.¡±

    Shin asked, and Schnee and Shibaid immediately agreed.

    The baths at the Moon Shrine were among the finest in the world, but this was a different story. Even if theposition of the water was the same, when it came to hot springs, the healing effect was different.

    Milt nodded her head in agreement and spoke to Shin in ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°(Actually, I have never been to a hot spring. I heard that table tennis is the best thing to do after a bath.)¡±

    ¡°(Hot springs are great. I don¡¯t know about table tennis though.)¡±

    Milt, who was bedridden most of her life in real life, seemed to think of table tennis when she thought of hot springs because of her knowledge from manga and video games.

    ¡°I was curious about the dragons, but now that Shin is going, there is going to be amotion, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    Since Filma¡¯s expression and the tone of her voice indicated that thement was made out of mischief, not malice, Shin responded with a slight overreaction.

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure there¡¯s nothing going on?¡±

    ¡°Guh¡­ I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±

    Shin could only offer a feeble rebuttal, as the probability of trouble was high.

    ¡°(Tiera said she was fine with the hot springs, but I¡¯m more interested in the amusement park.)¡±

    Sety spoke for Tiera¡¯s opinion via ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    Sety, who provided the information, had never been to an amusement park herself, and her curiosity was piqued. Tiera, on the other hand, seemed to have calmed down from the agitation she felt when she heard Shin¡¯s story, and she preferred not to do anything that required her to move around.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go to the hot springs this time.)¡±

    Shin decided after asking everyone¡¯s opinion.

    Hot springs were originally in the majority, and it was a reasonable decision.

    The other ces could be visited at another time, possibly after the hot springs.

    Since Filma and Sety were not particr about where they wanted to go, they decided on a destination first. All that remained was to decide which of the options to go to.

    ¡°Which one is bigger?¡±

    ¡°This one is bigger. It¡¯s a country of considerable size.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s slender finger pointed to a multi-ethnic nation called ¡°Kurikara¡± located slightly northwest of the center of the continent. It was amercial country, and although it had a king, he was not an absolute authority, and it seemed that the heads of influential tradingpanies and talented engineers were also involved in national politics.

    The other was ¡°Madereni¡± located northeast of the center of the continent, which was also amercial country. It was about one third the size of Kurikara, and was still developing. It was originally a sessful development project funded by Kurikara merchants, and it seemed that the hot springs were discovered by chance.

    ¡°In that case, I guess we should go to Kurikara. The name sounds Japanese, do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a guild house being built anywhere like Hinomoto, so maybe the first representative was a yer like Shin.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the words, but he did know that there was a Japanese word for Kurikara. However, he didn¡¯t remember any famous guilds with the same name.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll decide on our next destination as Kurikara.¡±

    With no objections from the members, the destination was decided.

    Next, they considered the approximate route they would take. As they exchanged opinions on this and that, the night was passing by.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (4)

    A few days have passed since they left the dungeon in Wraith ins.

    Shin and his team returned to Bayreuth Kingdom, after judging that the situation had returned to the same as before.

    The knights at the scene also confirmed that there would be no problems after seeing how much the monster count had decreased.

    As soon as Shin and his team reported to the guild that they hadpleted their investigation, they were called by Barlux, the guild master.

    It was as if he knew that Shin and his team were the ones who solved the cause of the problem.

    Since Shin alone would be enough to report, Schnee and the others were asked to return to the inn first. However, for some reason, Shibaid apanied Shin this time.

    But, in the room to which Shin was ushered, there were not only members of the guild, such as Barlux and Arad, who was in charge of item appraisal, but also Princess Rionne.

    ¡°Now then, can you tell us what happened?¡±

    Shin was asked by Barlux to report, but before he could start talking, he turned his attention to Rionne.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind that, but why are you here again this time?¡±

    ¡°I had a feeling you¡¯de today, so I asked to wait here.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the ability to predict the future?¡±

    She said it was just a hunch, but Shin could only assume that it went beyond just having a good hunch.

    However, Rionne¡¯s status was that of the second princess of the Bayreuth Kingdom. The kingdom¡¯s knights were also on their way, so even if they were not here, they would hear about it sooner orter.

    Rionne was the type who would take up the sword herself and fight when it came to battle. Shin wondered if something was bothering her about the monsters that had appeared and the cause of this strange incident.

    Shin did not want to ask about it, so he proceeded after introducing Shibaid.

    ¡°As for what happened in Wraith ins, the rumored dungeon did exist. However, it is no longer possible to enter the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean to say that the dungeon has disappeared?¡±

    Barlux tilted his head slightly.

    ¡°I think the dungeon itself may reappear. The appearance rate and trend of the monsters in Wraith ins has returned to the state before the recent turmoil. Monsters will still appear, and the central area remains dangerous. However, the entrance to the dungeon in question disappeared, and nothing resembled it underground. Monsters that had never been seen before have not appeared, which is thought to be the influence of the dungeon. We will have to monitor the situation for a while, but I don¡¯t think there is anything to worry about.¡±

    When Shin and his group spent a few days in the Wraith ins, the rate of monster appearance had dropped considerably from when they first arrived.

    The fact that high-level monsters appeared in the central area and that the monsters¡¯ types were more skewed toward undead remained unchanged, but there were none of the monsters that were not there before, and there was no information from the knights about them. Shin decided it would not be a problem to return to the original method of dealing with the monsters, which was to surround the central area with barriers.

    Hades must have returned the dungeon to its previous state before she went to sleep.

    ¡°What kind of dungeon was it?¡±

    ¡°It was the type where an entrance would only appear under certain conditions. It seems that the monsters that weren¡¯t supposed to be there were born inside the dungeon, and that had an impact on the outside world.¡±

    The real cause was Hades, but Shin had no intention of being honest about it. The next time something simr would happen would be if Shin went back over there or if something happened to Hades.

    ¡°Hmm, did you know about that dungeon?¡±

    ¡°No, Shibaid knew about it. His parents were from the older generation. Apparently they often heard stories from back then.¡±

    Shibaid nodded silently. He had been using a false identity, but as for his name, he said his parents gave it to him in honor of the Dragon Emperor.

    ¡°I see, if you¡¯re a long-lived species of the old generation, you must have experienced things that we think of as fairy tales.¡±

    Barlux was enough of a character to get a letter of introduction to the Moon Shrine. Shin didn¡¯t ask how much interaction he had with Schnee, but he definitely had at least some idea of what the old generation was like. The look of satisfaction on his face told the story.

    ¡°May I ask about the conditions for the dungeon to appear?¡±

    ¡°The condition is that it must appear at night. However, it doesn¡¯t seem like it can always appear every night.¡±

    When Barlux asked, Shibaid told him how it was then.

    In the game era, after it was first implemented, it was only fixed once with the appearance condition and period loosened due to its bad reputation.

    This time, the conditions for appearance were from the early days, so it was unclear when the entrance would appear again, or if it would even appear in the future.

    However, ording to Hades, there would have been no change if she hadn¡¯t interfered, so it¡¯s highly likely that the entrance never appeared until the very end.

    ¡°I confirmed it beforeing here. It seems that an entrance appeared once, for a certain period of time, over 500 years ago, and has never been seen since. Therefore, I can¡¯t deny the possibility that we haven¡¯t heard anything for over 500 years.¡±

    Shibaid confirmed this at the time of the meeting, since it was said that a certain number of long-lived species could use long-distancemunication using ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°I guess the documents stored in the castle were barely passed down.¡±

    Arad said, stroking his beard. The documents in the archives of the Bayreuth Kingdom that he talked about may have been left behind by the yer or a supporting character.

    ¡°I see. Shin, what were these monsters that weren¡¯t supposed to exist?¡±

    ¡°There was a higher level monster called the Faceman, a doppelganger that imitated the human form. It was a strange feeling to fight them. But there were no materials left after I killed it, so there was no way to prove it.¡±

    It would have been a quicker story if there had been any human-shaped equipment left behind from the dungeon, but since nothing was left behind, there was no proof that the monster had ever been there.

    Shin had secured supplies and building materials from the supply points when he escaped from the dungeon, not knowing if they would serve as substitutes, so he took them out of the cloth bag and ced them on the table.

    He had taken them out of his item box before entering the guild, and had put them in a materialized state in his cloth bag.

    ¡°Tableware and ore, I guess. It doesn¡¯t make sense that they were inside the dungeon though.¡±

    ¡°There were alternating arena-like fighting areas and supply points inside the dungeon. This seems to be the same as when they appeared before. However, there were no items of the kind we had heard about.¡±

    Barlux was a little skeptical, but Shibaid exined the dungeon to him, prefacing his exnation with the information he had obtained from his parents.

    However, as this information came from someone who had actually explored the dungeon, and Arad had appraised the tableware and ore and dered that they were not just iron or stone, it made Barlux understand.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. Do you have any ns after this?¡±

    Rionne spoke up as they reached a conclusion.

    ¡°This was more exhausting than I thought, so I¡¯m nning to take a long break. In fact, I already have a specific destination decided.¡±

    It was not umon for adventurers to take a break after a big job. Shin and his group had challenged the dungeon that was the cause of themotion, and were halfway through conquering it. Objectively speaking, this was a case where it would not be strange to take time off.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be formal at this point. Just talk casually.¡±

    Shin thought it would be a bad idea to do that to a member of royalty, but seeing Rionne¡¯s expectant face, it was hard to refuse.

    Barlux and Arad looked as if they were about to say, ¡°Good grief.¡±

    Thinking that this was fine with these people, Shin decided to return to his normal manner of speech.

    ¡°So, may I ask where you are going?¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re not going to follow me, are you?¡±

    Rionne might do it. And Shin felt that way, so he asked.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything to interrupt a party that was nning to take a vacation. I was just curious.¡±

    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then. We¡¯re nning to go to a ce called Kurikara.¡±

    ¡°Kurikara?¡±

    Since Rionne had never heard of it before, Shin gave her a simple exnation.

    ¡°A country on the Est side? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±

    From the Bayreuth Kingdom, you need to cross Kern and travel at least halfway through Est. In this world, it was a distance that was rarely traveled. Naturally, there was no exchange as a country and little information was avable.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a distance that you would go on a vacation. It would take an unbelievable amount of time to go by carriage.¡±

    ¡°I have my ¡®way¡¯ to travel. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll think of another ce.¡±

    There were several teleportation points set up on the Est side. Even the simple speed of travel that could be reduced would be unimaginable to this world if Kagerou pulled the carriage at full speed.

    However, Rionne was unaware of this, so she was curious about how Shin and the others intended to go such a long distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about your ¡®way¡¯ but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good thing to ask just out of curiosity. If your ¡®way¡¯ turns out to be wrong,e to me. I¡¯ll treat you as a friend.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (5)

    After parting ways with Rionne and the others, Shin and Shibaid headed for their usual inn, the Bear Point Pavilion. They had used it as a meeting ce.

    After meeting up with Schnee and the others, the group set off from the Bayreuth Kingdom to Kurikara. First, they would perform a ¡¾Teleportation¡¿ to avoid being seen by others.

    The scenery changed, and it was no longer Kern, but Est.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for Kagerou to take action again. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    When Shin, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, called out to him, Kagerou let out a cry and then started running.

    The information brought by Hades was more than enough to shock Shin and the others, causing them to have all sorts of thoughts.

    His mind and body wanted to rest. He wanted to be soothed in the hot springs as soon as possible. Shin thought about this as he gripped the reins.

    Thanks to their high-speed travel using ¡¾Teleportation¡¿ and Kagerou¡¯s speed, Shin and the others arrived at Kurikara in about two weeks.

    From the direction Shin and the others were heading, they could see a city with a mountain in the background. The name of the mountain was Mount Kurikara, and it seemed that the name of the city came from that.

    ¡°Is Mount Kurikara by any chance an active volcano?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There was a small eruption about ten years ago.¡±

    Schnee replied to Milt, who had said this while looking at Mount Kurikara.

    Milt said that she had seen fire spirits scattered around the area. Shin couldn¡¯t see them, but active volcanoes tend to attract fire spirits.

    Schnee told him that, due to the influence of the spirits, the magic stones obtained from monsters often have fire attributes, and that they were used in cksmithing and other aspects of daily life.

    ¡°Shin, did your forge also use magic stones?¡±

    ¡°In general, yes. My ce takes the best of various types, so it¡¯s difficult to say what type it is in a single word. The forge of the top cksmiths was generally like that. Some metals and materials don¡¯t melt just by raising the temperature. Even with weapons, in the game era, each cksmith had a different way of doing things, which was pretty interesting. Even though there is only one answer, it feels like there are many routes to get there.¡±

    When he was still a beginner at cksmithing, he and other yers were amazed at how well the program had been programmed, from the metalbination to the temperature of the forge and how the iron was forged ¨C Shin reminisced about those days.

    ¡°But well, the fire from the magic stone is definitely the easiest to handle. As long as it¡¯s not a really strange furnace, the temperature of the fire will be very stable. Tools like cooking stoves that can adjust the heat are usually of this type.¡±

    The stove at the Moon Shrine was also of the type that used magic stones. It automatically stored the surrounding magic energy in the magic stones and used it as needed.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, the outdoor mini stove I use also uses magic stones.¡±

    Milt was looking at her list of items, scrolling through the list to see if there were any others.

    She didn¡¯t use it while serving at the church because there were other members there.

    ¡°Still, there are more people in line than I expected. Is it because it¡¯s a popr tourist spot?¡±

    Schnee answered as Shin looked around.

    ¡°There are a lot of people who don¡¯t look like merchants, so maybe there¡¯s some kind of event going on.¡±

    A line of carriages led to the entrance to the defensive wall surrounding Kurikara. There were obvious ones, like merchants and their guards, but there were also ordinary adventurer parties and groups of cksmiths.

    The ordinary people who weren¡¯t merchants were probably just tourists, but the line seemed longer than any other city he had seen so far.

    ¡°This is going to take a while.¡±

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re checking each carriage carefully.¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s muttering, Tiera checked the front of the line from the top of the carriage. It seemed that the luggage was being checked quite thoroughly.

    ¡°If they¡¯re inspecting the luggage, does that mean there¡¯s some kind of ceremony going on?¡±

    ¡°The Wrought Iron Battle Festival is going to be held.¡±

    Surprisingly, the voice that answered Shin¡¯s words was a man who wasn¡¯t one of the party members.

    Shin looked in the direction of the voice that had replied.

    He knew someone was approaching, but he didn¡¯t expect them to speak to him.

    When he turned around, there was a young man with short hair standing there.

    Judging from his appearance, he was either a human, dwarf, or lord. He was a head shorter than Shin but judging by the muscr arms that extended from his short-sleeved clothing, he guessed that he was no ordinary person.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you like this. You seemed confused, so¡­ Oh, my name is Kluck.¡±

    The man apologized for being nosy, to which Shin replied, ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡°I was just wondering what was going on. My name is Shin. So, what is the ¡®Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡¯? What kind of event is it?¡±

    ording to Kluck, the ¡°Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡± was a joint event of the ¡°Wrought Iron Festival,¡± a fair for cksmiths to disy their work, and the ¡°Battle Festival,¡± which was a martial arts tournament open to all weapons and all statuses.

    It was held once every four years, and participantse not only from all over Est, but even from Kern in some cases.

    Hearing that the festival was held once every four years reminded Shin of the Olympics.

    The Wrought Iron Festival was divided into two categories: the ¡°Mass Production Division,¡± in which participantspare works made with the same materials and equipment, and the ¡°Master Division,¡± in which participants were free to bring their own materials and tools and create the best piece of ironworking.

    The winning masterpieces in the ¡°Mass Production Division¡± were donated to the Kurikara Treasure Hall and were open to public viewing only during the ¡°Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡± was held.

    The winner of the ¡°Battle Festival¡± would be decided in a tournament among the winners of the battle royal, excluding the seeded contestants. The winner would receive a prize of his/her choice from among the prize-winning entries in the ¡°Master Division¡±. Incidentally, Kurikara would bear the cost of the prize and pay it to the creator.

    The creator could not refuse the sale. The contract stated that if the ¡°Master Division¡¯s¡± work was selected, it would be sold.

    In this way, the ¡°Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡± was abination of two major events, but the main focus was on the weapons made by the cksmiths.

    Battle festivals or martial arts tournaments, in which peoplepete for power, were held regrly for each country to find hidden talents and those with potential. Since the only ce needed was an arena, many countries held suchpetitions.

    However, a cksmithingpetition required much more time and effort than a battle festival, including the need for a cksmith forge, procurement of materials, and fuel.

    Because of that, events like this ¡°Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡± ¨C if you win you can get a high-quality weapon, and even if you don¡¯t, you might be able to make connections with a skilled cksmith ¨C have a different kind of excitement to them than other events.

    After hearing Kluck¡¯s exnation, Shin blurted out his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little interested in the ¡®Mass Production Division¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps that thing on your waist is one of those too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I forged it myself.¡±

    Kluck¡¯s eyes were fixed on the Rare-grade sword hanging from Shin¡¯s waist. The sharpness of his gaze was a far cry from the calmness he had when he was talking.

    Even while traveling, they were not immune to attacks from thieves and monsters.

    But carrying Ancient or Mythology-grade weapons around town could lead to unnecessary trouble, so Shin and the others deliberately equipped themselves with lower-grade weapons.

    ¡°As you may have guessed, I am a cksmith myself. To tell you the truth, I was interested in that sword, so I talked to you.¡±

    At first, Kluck thought Shin was a cksmith participating in the Wrought Iron Festival because of the aura he exuded. However, when Shin voiced his questions, he realized that Shin came here by chance, and then he called out to him.

    Shin had also known from ¡¾Analyze¡¿ that Kluck was a cksmith, so he went along with the conversation.

    ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t we show each other our work? The uniformity of the magic power that surrounds your sword is amazing, even from the outside.¡±

    Kluck¡¯s serious eyes suddenly changed. His expression looked like that of a child who had found a toy.

    Ah, this person is like Vulcan, whom I met in Erkunt, and Kanedzuka of Hinomoto¡­ Shin realized. He had the aura of a craftsman who enjoyed making things and aimed to make the best possible product when it came to making them.

    Although they had only just met, Shin wanted to see Kluck¡¯s work and agreed to his proposal.

    ¡°Then, this one.¡±

    Kluck, upon hearing his reply, quickly offered him the sword he carried at his waist as he was the one who first brought it up.

    Taking it, Shin also held out the sword hanging from his waist, ¡ºWhite Cloud¡».

    ¡°¡­Beautiful.¡±

    Staring at the sword with about a third of its de out, Kluck muttered in a daze.

    Ignoring him, Shin also turned his attention to the sword he had received.

    The sheath was a simple structure, made of a wooden body coated with metal, with no decorations. Like Kluck, he pulled out about a third of the de and a dull shine appeared.

    (Judging from the skill, it wasn¡¯t a weapon with a ¡®name¡¯ like those registered in the game. It was a simple long sword. The materials were a mixture of magic steel and¡­ ordinary iron? And yet, the grade was Rare ¡ª close to Legend.)

    Having continued cksmithing sinceing here, Shin had be able to appraise weapons that didn¡¯t exist in the game without relying on skill.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t something unfair like being able to tell the materials and effects just by looking at them. He could sense the grade and the general materials used.

    However, such personal intuitions were difficult to exin and could be vague.

    As such, Shin appraised the weapons sold in stores and stalls without relying on skill and confirmed that he had reached a level where he was certain that his intuition was correct. If he went around appraising items too tantly, it would arouse suspicion, so he was thorough and hid himself using ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    And now, that intuition was whispering to him that the maker of this sword possessed top-ss skills out of all the ones Shin had ever encountered.

    ¡°Sorry if I offended you, but are you perhaps born with this skill?¡±

    Shin asked in a hushed voice so no one could hear, and Kluck answered in a low voice.

    ¡°People sometimes ask me that question, but no. I¡¯m a cksmith who belongs to the ¡®ck Faction¡¯. You can think of it as something like a dwarven guild.¡±

    ¡°The ¡®ck Faction¡¯¡­ huh? I¡¯ve heard rumors about it, but this is the first time I¡¯ve met someone who belongs to it.¡±

    Shin was a little shaken when he heard the name.

    The ck Faction was one of the six major factions that worship the ¡°Dark cksmith¡±. They were said to be focused on reviving lost techniques and developing new ones, and looking at the quality of the sword he held in his hand, it made sense. It was not a work of art that he was born with the skill, but a piece that he had created by honing his own technique, and it showed the effort that Kluck had put into it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask you this, but are you sure it was all right for you to reveal it to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It would be a shame to end our rtionship here. If it were possible, I¡¯d love to discuss cksmithing here and now.¡±

    This man, Kluck, must really love cksmithing.

    Normally, he would be thinking about recruiting Shin to the faction, but there was no sign of him trying to lead him into such a conversation.

    Some cksmiths make weapons for money or honor, but Kluck seemed to have no interest in such things.

    ¡°May I ask you something as well, Shin? Are you a Chosen One?¡±

    Kluck knew the term Chosen One, which wasn¡¯t a verymon term.

    As a member of the ck Faction, he must have known some Chosen Ones in that field.

    An innately strong person with the ability to use skills and high stats. That was the definition of a Chosen One in this world.

    Although Shin did not fall into that category, he was above averagepared to ordinary Chosen Ones in terms of ability.

    He only used the words ¡®Chosen One¡¯ as an excuse when he showed his strength.

    However, he didn¡¯t want people to think that his cksmithing skills were innate, so he let it be known that he did it himself.

    ¡°Something like that. Well, my master is an excellent cksmith.¡±

    Kluck looked even more intrigued after hearing Shin¡¯s answer.

    ¡°May I ask the name of this master?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m forbidden to tell you his name. But he was the kind of person who would forge Mythology-grade weapons while humming.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to believe at first, but after seeing your sword, I have no choice but to believe it. I¡¯d like to learn from him.¡±

    To the cksmiths of this world, even being able to forge Legend-grade weapons was enough to make the country value you. And anything above that was like being a monster to a cksmith.

    Shin said this knowing that Kluck wouldn¡¯t believe him, but Kluck didn¡¯t seem to doubt him at all.

    The ¡ºWhite Cloud¡» Shin had shown him must have been that impressive.

    There was no doubt that Kluck was disappointed, but there was no jealousy in that Shin had been blessed with a skilled master. Rather, there was interest and respect for his high level of skill.

    Though they only spoke for a short time, Shin liked Kluck.

    Shin had a theory that there were no bad people who were serious about cksmithing. Of course, there were cases in this world where this was not the case. But Shin trusted his own instincts.

    As Shin was thinking that maybe he should get his opinion on another prototype, he sensed someone approaching.

    ¡°Hey, Kluck. Did you ask to see someone else¡¯s weapon again? I¡¯m sorry about that guy over there. This guy did ¡®this¡¯ like an illness.¡±

    A woman with short blue hair and blue slit eyes spoke to him. She looked almost human. The horns and tail extending to the back of her head, as well as the scales in various ces, indicate that her race was Dragnil.

    The light armor she wore and the short spear she held in her left hand are both from the same workmanship as the longsword she used earlier.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an awful way of putting it?¡±

    The way Kluck responded in a familiar manner, it seemed that the two knew each other.

    ¡°Do you know how many times you¡¯ve tried to negotiate with a passing adventurer to see their weapon while I¡¯m not looking? I told you to refrain from doing so this time, right?¡±

    The woman approached Kluck with such force that you can almost hear the rumbling sound effect. She had a smiling face, but she wasn¡¯t smiling.

    ¡°C-Can you just let me off the hook this time? It¡¯s not something you¡¯ll see easily.¡±

    Sweat dripped from his forehead, but Kluck still refused to give in. To an outsider, it looked like a child throwing a tantrum and a mother scolding him. She¡¯s probably Kluck¡¯s guardian most of the time.

    ¡°Well, I got to see some good stuff too, so let¡¯s say we¡¯re even. Oh, I¡¯m Shin.¡±

    Shin calmed the woman down, telling her he was also a cksmith.

    ¡°I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry. I¡¯m me. I¡¯m his bodyguard and watchdog.¡±

    ¡°Th-that hurts.¡±

    meughed as she kneaded Kluck¡¯s head. Kluck didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    Their interaction made you feel how long they¡¯d been together.

    As Shin was watching the two of them, Schnee came out of the carriage.

    ¡°Shin. How¡¯s the queue?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it¡¯ll take another hour, no, two. They¡¯re holding an event called the ¡®Wrought Iron Battle Festival.¡¯ That¡¯s why it¡¯s so crowded.¡±

    ¡°¡®Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡¯?¡±

    It seemed that Schnee had never heard of this event.

    When Shin asked, she shook her head.

    ¡°I already had a weapon given to me by Shin, and I wasn¡¯t interested in the battle festival.¡±

    Many famous cksmiths also participated in the Wrought Iron Battle Festival.

    However, there were hardly any cksmiths who could forge Ancient-grade items without much failure even if they had the materials.

    At best, they only got Legend-grade items, and asionally Mythology-grade items, and even then, they were lower-level items.

    To catch Schnee¡¯s eye, one must be at the same level as Shin.

    It was a hurdle that was too high for the inhabitants of this world.

    ¡°But then, it must be hard to find a ce to stay tonight.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡±

    It was obvious from just a quick nce that there were a lot of people. No matter how prosperous a tourist spot was, there was a limit to the number of inns. Looking to the side of the castle gate, instead of carriages, there were temporary housing like tents and yurts lined up. It seemed like they were doing business with the people in line.

    Kluck, who had been listening to Schnee and Shin¡¯s conversation, added an exnation.

    ¡°Right now we¡¯re in the preliminaries before the main tournament, so I think we still have some time. Anyway, if you make it through the preliminaries for the Wrought Iron Battle Festival, the country will provide lodging for your party members and the group you belong to.¡±

    ¡°I see. I guess that¡¯s what we¡¯ll aim for.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t really want to win, but he honestly wanted to see the skills of a famous cksmith. He thought it would be okay to participate in the preliminaries at least.

    ¡°I¡¯m also going to try out for the preliminary round, and maybe we can work next to each other.¡±

    Saying this, Kluck grinned.

    ¡°Next to each other?¡±

    ¡°I mean that literally. In the ¡®Mass Production Division,¡¯ we work all together under the supervision of the country to make sure there is no cheating. So each of us has to show off our skills to the extent that we are willing to show them.¡±

    Doesn¡¯t that mean they can steal as many techniques as they want? Shin frowned.

    His thoughts were probably showing on his face. Kluck added that since techniques that were too advanced could not be imitated even by watching, most cksmiths who win top prizes do it seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that there are quite a few things that you can¡¯t tell what they¡¯re doing just by looking at them. But if you¡¯re skilled, you can probably figure out how they do it just by looking at them, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, to be honest, I thought the same. ording to someone who participatedst time, the top runners were so skilled that it seemed like they wanted others to try and imitate them if they could. They also said that they don¡¯t have the time to steal techniques.¡±

    If you have time to steal techniques, use that time to hammer the iron. If you didn¡¯t do that, you wouldn¡¯t be able to win in the Mass Production Division, Kluck continued.

    ¡°So you¡¯re a real craftsman if you¡¯re devoted to your own work?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    Augh escaped from both of them.

    Thepetition was so serious that there was no time to look away. The opponent was not another cksmith, but yourself. It was apetition of how much you can concentrate on demonstrating your own skills.

    The higher the quality of a weapon, the more ambiguous it became.

    After hearing Kluck¡¯s story, Shin thought that the top prize winners probably weren¡¯t all that interested in the rankings given by the judges.

    When Shin participated in simr events back in his gaming days, he had felt several times that ¡°Is there really a need to rank these?¡±

    There were other yers like him, and even after the rankings were decided, they would continue to discuss cksmithing, telling each other how you did it, or how this person should do it this way.

    ¡°I was suddenly very motivated. Thank you very much for the good information. I¡¯ll see you again when I get a chance.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s both do our best.¡±

    As they were talking, the line had moved forward without them realizing, and it was Shin¡¯s turn.

    Kluck was right behind them, but with his cksmithing tools and luggage, it looked like the inspection would take a long time.

    It was time to say goodbye to them.

    The guards only checked Shin and his group¡¯s food ingredients and themselves. The tools needed for camping were on item cards, so it was easy to tell what they were by looking at the picture; being A-rank adventurers, it was no surprise that they had them, Shin confirmed beforehand.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (6)

    ¡°Equipment is on the item card. The main thing you¡¯re carrying is food? Alright, you can go through.¡±

    Shin was able to go through the gate more easily than he expected.

    Shin wondered if it might be a little too easy, but as he moved through the gate, he had the feeling that something had passed through his body.

    ¡°(Shin. It seems that a magic wave was just released.)¡±

    Schnee seemed to have felt the same, and confirmed through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿. She didn¡¯te out of the carriage probably because she thought it wasn¡¯t an emergency based on the people¡¯s movement and the noise.

    ¡°(I think there¡¯s a magic tool that reacts to dangerous objects. So it¡¯s not just because we¡¯re A-rank that our inspection was so easy.)¡±

    There were magic tools or skills used by merchants and architects that were triggered when unauthorized persons brought hazardous materials such as explosives or poisons onto the premises.

    The source of the information was Cain, the ¡°Blue Architect¡±, and Reed, the ¡°Golden Merchant¡±. Both of them used magic tools that forced the unauthorized persons to be teleported outside of the building.

    By the same token of the guild, a simr mechanism had been installed in Shin¡¯s Moon Shrine.

    However, there were cases where such dangerous items were left in the item bag and forgotten, in which case the effect would be activated the moment they materialized outside.

    It was unclear how effective the items used in Kurikara were.

    ¡°A double inspection using both human eyes and magic tools. They¡¯re pretty thorough.¡±

    The more people there were, the more disputes there were. It must be part of crisis management.

    While talking with Kluck, Shin remembered the existence of a group that could be called a terrorist organization called the ¡°Summit Faction¡±.

    ¡°For now, we need to find a ce to stay.¡±

    The traffic of people and wagons was quite heavy. Shin and his friends were not familiar with the area, so they decided to go a little further and stop at a store that sold fruits and vegetables, and, while shopping, they asked the owner about lodging.

    To get the conversation going, Shin mentioned that he was nning to enter the ¡°Mass Production Division¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure all the ces are full this time of year. If you¡¯re a cksmith, the quickest way is to pass the preliminary round and have lodging arranged for you.¡±

    The answer was as expected, all the inns seemed to be full, and the owner looked very sorry.

    ¡°But if you have money, there might be a ce for you to stay.¡±

    Saying this, the owner turned his attention toward the wall that surrounded the town. There was probably a ce to stay in that direction.

    ¡°You mean?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an inn where foreign nobles and big merchants stay. Apparently some important people from the country have stayed there. It¡¯s only a rumor, but it seems they use the facilities and equipment from before the ¡®Dusk of Majesty¡¯. And even if there¡¯s a vacancy, you can¡¯t stay if you can¡¯t pay the fee. There are quite a few people whoe back after asking the price. Even though I¡¯ve been living here since my parents¡¯ generation, I¡¯ve never heard of that luxury inn being full. Well, whether it¡¯s full or not, it¡¯s nothing to do withmon people.¡±

    The owner said this while shrugging his shoulders.

    It seemed that the owner didn¡¯t know how much it cost for a night, but as ast resort if Shin couldn¡¯t find a ce to stay, he asked for the name and location.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa¡­ are you rich, mister?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s free to ask. I will also have a good story to tellter.¡±

    Shin gave an amusedugh to the astonished shop owner and returned to the carriage.

    Their destination was a stable where carriages could be parked. Compared to other countries, the area covered by defensive walls in Kurikara was muchrger, and many people used horse-drawn carriages to get around.

    For this reason, the area was always crowded with many horse-drawn carriages, even outside of this time of the year.

    Seeing this scene, Shin was reminded of coin parking lots in the real world.

    ??

    On the way, the group traveled while searching for an inn, and arrived in front of the luxury inn the owner had told them about earlier.

    ¡°Seriously, isn¡¯t this a repurposed guild house from somewhere?¡±

    Shin immediately realized that part of the building he saw was just as rumored.

    There were buildings in the present day that were endowed with skills. These include buildings known as luxury inns and royal castles.

    However, the technology was different between now and the past. Unless there was a skill inheritor or Chosen One, the skills granted to buildings were usually of a low rank.

    However, the gate to enter the inn in front of them had a high-rank ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿, which were level VII. These skills were not limited to the guild house, but the design of the gate was clearly different, so he knew it right away.

    The building that seemed to be the main building was designed simrly to Japanese architecture made of wood, reminiscent of a Japanese hot spring inn. On the other hand, this gate had two thick, round pirs that were probably about four-mels high, and at the top of them were angel statues holding bows with heart-shaped arrows pointed to the left and right.

    The statues might have been moved from somewhere else, or they might have been here originally. Either way, the design was so different that it felt strange.

    Two armored men were standing on either side of the gate, probably gatekeepers. Although their level was in thete 150s, the atmosphere they exuded was clearly different from the adventurers and soldiers in that area. They were perhaps Chosen Ones or veteran warriors.

    ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯d like to ask about the avability of a room and the price.¡±

    As expected of a customer-oriented business, when Shin spoke, the gatekeepers¡¯ sharp gazes and tight-lipped mouths turned into perfect smiles.

    To put it in a positive way, they were well-trained employees. To put it in a negative way, their sudden change was creepy.

    ¡°We have one first-ss room, three second-ss rooms, and two third-ss rooms avable. Each room can amodate up to 10 people. The rates are 50, 30, and 10 gold coins per night, respectively. However, we have a rule that you must be at least B-rank or higher if you are an adventurer, and at least Gold rank in the Merchant Guild if you are a merchant.¡±

    Even the lowest level, the third ss, was enough to stay at a typical inn for a month or more. The fact that this price was for one night was surprising.

    One had to earn a lot of money to be able to stay here. The conditions for customers were also quite strict.

    Shin didn¡¯t know much about merchants, but it was not easy to be an adventurer B-rank or above.

    In fact, since the highest rank was A ¡ªas the S-rank was only attainable under special circumstances¡ª one rank below that, B, would also be considered quite proficient.

    In other words, only adventurers who have reached that level could stay there.

    Shin could not help but to agree that the inn would never be fully booked.

    The name of this luxury inn was ¡°Dream & Reality.¡± Its motto was ¡°to provide the best facilities and the best hospitality.¡±

    As the gatekeeper exined, the first and second-ss rooms were spacious enough to be used for parties.

    Shin thought it would be okay to use the first ss at this time, so he checked with the members of the group.

    ¡°What do you think? Our rank isn¡¯t an issue, and we have money to spare.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the price ridiculous?¡±

    Tiera flinched when she heard the price, but Sety was enthusiastic.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re all going on vacation together, let¡¯s splurge once in a while. If we just save up, the economy won¡¯t get going.¡±

    The other members of the group nodded their heads in agreement with Sety.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided.¡±

    Shin told the gatekeeper that he was going to stay the night and was escorted to the main building.

    At the entrance, they were asked to show their adventurer¡¯s card, and their rank was thoroughly verified.

    After paying the fee, a woman who seemed to be an innkeeper guided the group to their room.

    The exterior of the main building resembled a Japanese inn, but the inside was also identical to Japanese inns in the real world.

    When Shin talked to the innkeeper, he learned that a yer was involved in the establishment of the inn as one would expect.

    The person was a human and had already passed away, but the innkeeper was a long-lived Lord race and had been working at the inn since it was built.

    ¡°Wow. This is a Japanese inn! I can¡¯t believe I can experience this in another world!¡±

    ¡°You look excited, Milt.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it in pictures before. I never thought I¡¯d go out of my way to stay there when it was a game.¡±

    Milt said she had never visited a Japanese inn in a game before, even though she had longed to do so, because she knew it was a digital creation.

    ¡°But still, it seems like the appearance and facilities are almost the same as in real life.¡±

    The view outside the window revealed the defensive wall blocking the monsters that were unique to this world, but, other than that, the tatami mats, cushions, tea cups, and other essories, as well as the atmosphere, were the same as the Japanese inn Shin had experienced in real life.

    Naturally, no shoes were allowed inside the rooms.

    The washrooms and toilets were also very simr to modern-day designs ¡ªprobably made by the Golden Company¡ª so much so that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he had the illusion that he had returned to the real world.

    ¡°There are even yukatas*.¡± (TLN: Summer kimono)

    Milt, opening the wardrobe, held up a yukata with a woven pattern of white and green. Shin casually looked at the yukata and noticed each had an automatic size-adjustment function.

    ¡°I wonder if it is a consideration for the difference in body size among the races.¡±

    Having previously heard Milt talk about the automatic size adjustment function, Shin was impressed by the thoroughness of the service, wondering if they had made a special request to have it added.

    That way, even in this world where there wererge differences in physiques between races, there would be no problems with the size not fitting and being unable to wear it.

    Since they were there, everyone changed into yukata. Schnee, Filma, Milt, and Tiera were wearing a hanten* over their yukata. (TLN: Short winter coat)

    Due to the structure of the yukata, one of the physical features stood out more than expected when the obi* was fastened. And the automatic size adjustment function made the robe fit better, so the curve was emphasized even more. (TLN: Wide sash)

    The hanten was meant to hide that.

    ¡°I guess the automatic size adjustment function can sometimes work in a bad way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is.¡±

    Shin and Milt looked at each other and gave a wry smile.

    Because it was automatically adjusted, there was almost no way to make it a little looser and give it some room.

    ??

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (7)

    Since there was still some time before dinner, Shin and the others split up, one stayed in the room and the other went to explore the inn.

    Milt and Sety were the ones who suggested it. They had the vibe of overly excited students on a school trip.

    Shin, Yuzuha, Milt, and Sety were going to explore, while the others were going to rx in their rooms.

    The inn had restaurants, gardens, ygrounds, other things familiar in Japan, and shops that were a little different. One of them was a store selling weapons. Perhaps because the inn was located in a city where martial arts and cksmithing festivals were held, everything was rare and valuable, and there was a row of items that would be featured in a normal store.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so many rare items on disy.¡±

    ¡°Want to buy some?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m torn.¡±

    Shin was unsure if he wanted to buy some of the items at Milt¡¯s casual suggestion. If he started thinking about it, there would be no end to it, such as the fact that they might have been made with techniques he didn¡¯t know about.

    ¡°You really like it, don¡¯t you? More of a cksmithing maniac than a weapons enthusiast?¡±

    ¡°A man is always fascinated by swords and spears. Well, I¡¯m sure that while I was making them, they became more interesting and I got into it.¡±

    The avatar could be moved in the game, just as you would move your own body. This made it possible to do things that were not possible in games where the avatar was controlled from off-screen.

    The more borate the game, the more things you could do.

    This was especially true for THE NEW GATE. Shin still couldn¡¯t forget how impressed he was when he first tried cksmithing, making a fire, heating the iron, and hammering it, and doing the same kind of work as the real thing.

    There was a time when he found this kind of work troublesome, but now it was a fond memory.

    ¡°There were times when I tried to use materials I couldn¡¯t handle and it caused me a lot of pain.¡±

    ¡°So Shin had a time like that, too.¡±

    Sety said in surprise.

    From her point of view, it seemed Shin had good skills from the beginning.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I work in the forge, holed up in it. I¡¯m sure Schnee and others don¡¯t know about it either.¡±

    Support characters seemed to have some memories from their time in the game, but Shin rarely took them to the forge, so they might think he was joking when he said he had failures.

    ¡°By the way, what do you mean it caused you a lot of pain?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in forging, there is a process of mixing materials with metal, or carving the material itself to process it into weapons and armor. Some materials cause abnormal conditions just by touching them, or can only be used as a forging material under certain conditions. When handling such materials, you need to have the appropriate equipment, skills, and facilities. But back then, I didn¡¯t know about that and just tried to use them normally.¡±

    Shin spoke as he left the weapon shop and headed towards the garden.

    At the time, Shin had finally gotten his own forge, and he was still a human. And at the same time, he was getting a little carried away. He was happy to have prepared expensive materials, thinking that it would be okay to make the forging a little more difficult, but he mishandled them, affected by both ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ and ¡¾Hi-Paralyze¡¿ at the same time, and died in his home forge.

    Although it was quite an embarrassing thing to do, no one saw him, and it was only a game. If one were afraid of the death penalty in a game, there would be no technological advances or new discoveries, so he had quite a few failures like this.

    Milt, who was listening to the story, grimaced slightly.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re acting like berserkers challenging an opponent they can¡¯t beat¡­¡±

    ¡°Not many people know this, but the production guilds do some pretty stupid things too, you know? It wasn¡¯t umon forbs to explode when developing chemicals, and it wasmon for tool development to result in strange objects. The many useful tools that everyone used were onlypleted thanks to the failures behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s no good if explosions aremon! Ah, so that¡¯s why the production guilds were in the corners of town.¡±

    Milt was a bit convinced, even as she rambled on to Shin, who wasughing as he spoke.

    In some cities, the area where the production guilds were located was designated as a danger zone. There was probably some joking around to cause an explosion because it was a game, but even if they were serious, there were times when damage was done to the surroundings.

    Until the properties of the materials were revealed, it was impossible to know what would happen. That was the material of THE NEW GATE. The consensus among the production guilds was that the reason there were so many strange explosions must have been the intention of the management.

    ¡°But Milt uses poison too, so surely you had simr experiences?¡±

    ¡°I was not doing anything as crazy as the production guys in my line of work. The materials are what they are, so I took proper defenses and countermeasures.¡±

    ¡°Tch, what a boring life.¡±

    ¡°You are the one who is strange, Shin.¡±

    Shin was hoping for some interesting failure stories, but Milt didn¡¯t seem to be as proactive in experimenting as the production workers.

    ¡°Listening to Shin¡¯s story, it seems like I took a safe route from basic to advanced stage. I feel like I have that experience to draw on when I experiment on my own.¡±

    Sety has acquired some production-rted skills using items and procedures that Shin had acquired. Unlike Shin, she didn¡¯t just try things out from a blind perspective.

    While the system did not allow for such a thing, even Shin did not want his support characters to explode or to die strange deaths. In that regard, he had acquired the items and procedures with reasonable funds.

    ¡°You¡¯re still researching, right Shin? It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s been any explosions yet.¡±

    ¡°My past experiences areing in handy. I can kind of tell when it is about to explode.¡±

    ¡°How many explosions have you caused¡­?¡±

    Shin could only give a wry smile at Sety¡¯s amazement.

    No matter what anyone said, he was having fun. He had thought that if it was going to explode, he could use that to his advantage.

    Even if it was about to explode, Shin in his current state would be able to contain it with ease. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, the Moon Shrine¡¯s forge was an extremely sturdy building. It wouldn¡¯t be shaken by a small explosion, and the mechanisms to prevent anything dangerous from escaping were perfect.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wrap up this scary story now. We¡¯re heading to the garden.¡±

    Milt called out to Shin, and he turned his gaze outside the building.

    The pathway they had taken led to a veranda, where he could see the beautifullyndscaped trees.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about gardens, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re bad.¡±

    ¡°Only by the looks.¡±

    Sety¡¯s answer was suggestive.

    ¡°What do you think, Sety?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they look bad either. But as someone who lived with Tsumugin, it feels a bit strange.¡±

    The garden where Sety lived was maintained in a very good environment by the Tsumugin a.k.a Tsumugi tribe[1].

    No particr nt grew too much, and even rare nts grew, which was the result of Tsumugin¡¯s ability to adjust the bnce.

    Sety said that this one seemed a bit forceful inparison.

    ¡°Even nts have their ownpatibility. Take that tree, for example.¡±

    Sety pointed to a tree about two-mels tall with moderately lush leaves. It was a Thibo, a tree whose leaves could be used to make poison neutralizers.

    ¡°Actually, it should be a bit more leafy at this time of year. But if the leaves grow any more than that, it will lose its bnce with the other nts in terms of appearance. They probably limit its growth by not letting the roots spread any further. Maybe they even prune them.¡±

    ¡°If you call it a technique of keeping the appearance looking good, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    The tree was not in its original shape, but there¡¯s no sign of anything withering. The person who managed this ce must be doing a good job of that.

    Shin¡¯s impression of the garden was that it looked like a Japanese garden, and he didn¡¯t find it particrly strange.

    ¡°I see, you can look at it that way. I had an image of what a garden should be like, so it didn¡¯t feel strange to me.¡±

    ¡°The trees don¡¯t seem to be weak, and it¡¯s not wrong to entertain the guests, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Sety said while looking at the garden, to the impressed Milt.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why not many peoplee.¡±

    ¡°I wonder. I think there¡¯s simply no culture of enjoying this kind of scenery, or rather, the atmosphere.¡±

    Adventurers see a variety of scenery when they get requests, and merchants see luxury goods whether they like it or not.

    Shin agreed with Sety¡¯s opinion that the culture of enjoying looking at gardens may not be well established.

    ¡°We should go back to our rooms. After we take a bath in the hot spring, it will be time for dinner.¡±

    It was a little early, but it would be bad to keep Schnee and the others waiting, so Shin suggested.

    ¡°Hot springs and food. This feels like a trip.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the entertainment facilities too!¡±

    Milt was filled with anticipation, and Sety was also ready to switch gears and have fun.

    Shin and his group took a slightly different route back to their room, where they met up with Schnee and the others and headed for the hot springs.

    The room also had a small bathroom, but everyone agreed that they would like to use therge bathhouse since they hade this far.

    Shin and Shibaid took the men¡¯s bath, while all the other members took the women¡¯s bath. Yuzuha was also in human form for this asion.

    Kagerou was not allowed to enter the baths with them due to the terms of use, so he waited in Tiera¡¯s shadow. He would be bathedter in the small bathroom.

    The milky white water was a little hot, and when Shin immersed himself up to his shoulders, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a moan.

    ¡°Ahh¡­ hot springs really are different.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my fatigue seems to melt away in the hot water.¡±

    Shin muttered earnestly, and Shibaid agreed.

    The signboard in the changing room described various hot spring¡¯s benefits, but at any rate, it felt good. Those were the only words he could think of right now.

    The bath at Moon Shrine wasn¡¯t bad by any means, but it still couldn¡¯t beat a hot spring.

    ¡°It¡¯s like we have the ce to ourselves. There¡¯s no one here but us.¡±

    ¡°There are presences gathering in the room. They¡¯re probably already eating. It¡¯s probably because there aren¡¯t many people there to begin with. Many of them don¡¯t think of baths as something to enjoy, but as a way to wash away dirt. I guess that¡¯s not the case where Shin is from?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s wrong to think of it as washing away dirt. But it can also have other effects besides washing away dirt, like relieving fatigue or rxing.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve realized that since I started working with Shin and the others. I wish the people of every country could afford to do the same.¡±

    ¡°I understand that there are people who take baths frequently and those who don¡¯t. And it¡¯s hard to heat up a bath here.¡±

    In reality, especially in Japan, it was notmon not to take a bath for several days.

    However, in this world, baths were a luxury item, and some circumstances made it difficult to take a bath casually.

    The average citizen wiped their body with a cloth dampened with hot or cold water, or poured water over themselves.

    In such a situation, Shin had always stayed at inns with baths, and when traveling, he could take a bath whenever he wanted by bringing out the Moon Shrine. This could be considered quite special. Only a very limited number of people had a portable building with a bath.

    However, in this case, the bathing time was more likely to be simply different.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting naked together as men. Let¡¯s change things up and talk about something we don¡¯t usually do.¡±

    When Shin spoke up, Shibaid grinned.

    ¡°Hmm, let me ask a few personal questions.¡±

    ¡°With you on the other side, it¡¯s hard to predict what you¡¯ll say, Shibaid.¡±

    It was rare for the two men to spend alone together since they were in a party. Shin listened to Shibaid¡¯s questions, a little on guard.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    [1] Tsumugin was first mentioned HERE

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (Now with 7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (8)

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of new to me that there¡¯s an entire procedure for taking a bath.¡±

    Filma walked through the door leading to the bath, nked by a signboard that said ¡°Manners for the bath¡±. Schnee, Tiera, Sety, Milt, and Yuzuha followed.

    Like in the men¡¯s bath, there were no guests other than Schnee and the others.

    ¡°Oh, it looks like we have the whole ce to ourselves.¡±

    Sety looked around the bathhouse beside Milt, who was excited.

    ¡°I wonder if there are many women among the other guests.¡±

    ¡°Well, there are more male adventurers and merchants than females.¡±

    Just as Schnee had said, adventurers who fight a lot of monsters and merchants who often go outside the city tend to be men rather than women.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about that. Let¡¯s hurry up and get in.¡±

    Filma urged everyone to hurry. Schnee and the others followed her lead and washed their bodies first, as instructed by the signboard. After that, they slowly soaked themselves in the hot water.

    ¡°Ah, so this is a real hot spring.¡±

    Milt¡¯s voice sounded more exhausted than usual as she stretched out her arms and legs and soaked up to her shoulders.

    ¡°The baths at Moon Shrine are nice, but this one is different. Maybe it¡¯s the quality of the water.¡±

    Filma said as she lifted her arms and looked at the hot water running over her skin.

    Schnee also soaked in the bath next to her and exhaled.

    ¡°In terms of efficacy, Moon Shrine is on par with a small hot spring, but I guess the atmosphere also ys a factor.¡±

    The baths at Moon Shrine that Schnee and her group used were not just ordinary water. In terms of efficacy, Moon Shrine¡¯s water might actually be superior, butpared to real hot springs, it felt somehow inferior.

    Tiera also seemed to be impressed, as it was her first time at a hot spring.

    ¡°This is a hot spring¡­¡±

    ¡°I can see why people would want toe all the way here. If the other guests don¡¯t go in, they will probably regret itter on.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuh~¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha were nodding enraptured at Sety¡¯s words. It was obvious to everyone that they liked the hot springs.

    ¡°Even so¡­¡±

    After soaking for a while, Sety slid her gaze around the group of women, keeping it at a constant height.

    What she was looking at was a soft flesh-colored object floating in the bathtub.

    As she moved her gaze from Tiera, Yuzuha, Filma, Schnee, and Milt in order of proximity, Sety¡¯s expression became more and more grim.

    ¡°Sety. Even women should not stare at each other so much.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, Sis Schnee. I mean¡­ they¡¯re all too big! I don¡¯t want to notice it either, but when they¡¯re this different, I can¡¯t help but notice it!¡±

    Although Schnee gently reprimanded her, Sety growled in disagreement.

    Even if she did not specify where exactly she was referring to, they could tell what she was referring to.

    Everyone else except Sety had something that far exceeded the standards of this world.

    ¡°I can sort of understand that.¡±

    Sety immediately responded to Milt¡¯s statement.

    ¡°Well, how can you tell, Milt? In a way, yours look the biggest out of all of us.¡±

    Milt has a petite build simr to Sety, but her twin hills wereparable to Schnee¡¯s. In terms of appearance, she was the most noticeable.

    Sety was not happy because of the simrity of their physiques.

    ¡°Yeah, you see. I told you while we were traveling, right? I¡¯m just like Shin; my real body is in another world. I¡¯m like half dead over there. And my body here is almost the same height and limb length as my real body, but¡­ I intentionally made it bigger! The other side was t!¡±

    Milt confessed, lifting it up from the bathtub. Therefore, she could understand the feelings of the one without it.

    ¡°Intentionally making it bigger?¡±

    After hearing Milt¡¯s confession, Sety muttered with a look of shock as she stared at Milt¡¯s asset. Even her tone had changed.

    ¡°Oh, Hades said that my current body seems to overwrite the other one, so maybe this one is the same size as the other one.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that unfair?¡±

    In a sense, it could be said that she set her own ideal body shape and reflected it in her own real body. Many people, even those who were not women, would envy her.

    ¡°But it¡¯s precisely because I didn¡¯t have it that I can understand the inconveniences that some people have. I can¡¯t see my feet, I have to think about bnce when moving, and there are restrictions on what I can wear. It¡¯s the same for you, right, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±

    Schnee looked troubled by the question.

    There were ways to deal with bnce and clothing, but it was difficult to deal with the limited field of vision. Schnee had made up for that with years of ustomed experience and improved perception.

    Filma seemed to have an idea of what she was talking about and nodded her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not something that can be made smaller like spot weight loss, and it¡¯s a problem if blind spots increase.¡±

    ¡°Filma, that seems like another different problem.¡±

    Tiera questioned her statement that she was more of a warrior than a woman. However, the fact that she didn¡¯t deny anything about herself meant that the answer to Milt¡¯s question was ¡°yes.¡±

    ¡°I, I want to say that line once¡­¡±

    Sety didn¡¯t even try to hide her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°But men¡¯s gazes are annoying, you know?¡±

    ¡°The members of this group are good looking, so men are drawn to them. The same goes for sis Schnee and sis Filma, but Milt and Tiera are also pretty.¡±

    ¡°If you put it that way, Sety is pretty, too.¡±

    Filma followed up by saying that this was not something to be pessimistic about. There was no doubt that all of them were above a certain level of good looks.

    ¡°This is just one of the physical characteristics. Sety is also an attractive and charming woman.¡±

    Schnee approached Sety and looked her in the eye. There was no doubt that her feelings were being conveyed. However, when Sety heard this, her eyes became a little distant.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re being sincere, sis Schnee. But there¡¯s just too much of a difference in specs¡­¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t understand why Sety¡¯s gaze was wandering.

    Filma and Tiera, who were watching them, said in resignation.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s like she¡¯s taken the best parts of what a man thinks of as an ideal and what a woman thinks of as an ideal.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t feel like I can win.¡±

    At this point, Schnee realized what they were trying to say.

    ¡°She has slender arms and legs and a thin waist. Her body is toned like a model, but her breasts are just like that. If you were in the other world, you¡¯d be inundated with scouts, I bet.¡±

    Schnee reacted to Milt¡¯s words, ¡°In the other world.¡±

    ¡°Are these scouts like the ones here who recruit you to be a party member?¡±

    She would be headed to the other world with Shin. Schnee had already made up her mind and was already prepared. It¡¯s just that the time hadn¡¯te yet.

    Milt¡¯s knowledge of the other side was useful information to Schnee to certain degrees.

    ¡°It¡¯s simr, I guess. Over there, there are jobs that sell acting, singing, dancing, and the like. There are various ssifications, so I think I¡¯d get in trouble if I lumped them all together. In Schnee¡¯s case, I think it¡¯s more like gravure or idol than modeling. Well, I don¡¯t know much about that sort of thing, so it¡¯s just my opinion.¡±

    Milt said that models you see on TV didn¡¯t necessarily have extremelyrge breasts.

    ¡°That¡¯s not something I¡¯m interested in. Besides, I do my best to maintain my figure, you know?¡±

    Schnee retorted that it was annoying to be thought of as maintaining her current figure without any effort. Milt, hearing this, spoke up a random thought.

    ¡°Do you think that if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, it affects your body shape and skin too, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It doesn¡¯t matter what race you are. It definitely applies to support characters too. I¡¯ve seen people who ate and drank as much as they wanted because they thought there was no way they could change from the preset values, and as a result, they ended up in a sad situation.¡±

    Schnee dered that there was no such dream as ¡°No matter how much you eat, you won¡¯t get fat.¡±

    Weighing scales exist in this world, too. Even in the dressing room of the Moon Shrine, they were installed for some reason.

    ¡°I can see that your slim waist is the result of your efforts, but I can¡¯t imagine Schnee getting fat. Putting aside the sad things that happened to those people, did they actually change?¡±

    ¡°¡­I actually gained a little.¡±

    Schnee, averting her eyes, answered Filma¡¯s question.

    Even so, Filma recalled Schnee¡¯s naked body that she had seen earlier and couldn¡¯t see where the excess fat had gone.

    ¡°¡­Raise your hand if you know where the fat is!¡±

    ¡°I think your waist and upper arms are toned!¡±

    ¡°Um, I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Milt responded enthusiastically to Filma¡¯s slightly silly behavior, while Tiera replied hesitantly, wondering if it was okay. Only Sety was silent and staring at Schnee¡¯s body.

    ¡°Hey, stop it!¡±

    Schnee faced everyone¡¯s gaze and turned around on the spot.

    The water was cloudy and white, so it was impossible to see inside, so if she turned her back, all they could see was from her shoulders up, and even then only to her backside.

    ¡°Schnee, can you stand up for a moment?¡±

    ¡°I can kind of tell what you want, so I refuse.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so thin, how can you tell where the fat is? Isn¡¯t it just an error in the amount of food or water you ate that day?¡±

    ¡°The scale was normal.¡±

    Schnee turned her head to refute the skeptical Filma. However, there was no sadness or irritation about her weight gain.

    At this, Sety, who had been silent up until then, began to mutter softly.

    ¡°Sis Schnee, is it possible that the weight gained is on your breasts?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Silence was synonymous with affirmation. Hearing Sety¡¯s statement, everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Schnee. Even though she turned her back, it was clear where they were concentrating.

    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s what you mean by gaining a little. So you honestly told me that it has grown bigger. I wonder when it grew.¡±

    ¡°I will remain silent.¡±

    Filma asked with a smirk, to which Schnee replied in a nonchnt manner. The reason why her ears were red was definitely not only because of the hot spring.

    ¡°Sis Filma, it must be that. It was after she was teleported together with Shin. I felt something was off after they were teleported and reunited.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I guess that¡¯s one of the reasons why it got bigger.¡±

    ¡°Sety, what were you looking at?¡±

    Filma understood Sety¡¯s point of view. Schnee did not know whether to be angry or appalled at Sety for noticing this.

    Tiera, on the other hand, was stunned, unable to grasp the situation.

    Filma and Sety saw this and looked chagrined.

    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m sorry, Tiera, you can stay as you are.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve be dirty, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°What? What?¡±

    Milt reassured Tiera, who was confused, by saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a joke.¡± However, she didn¡¯t exin the reason.

    ¡°For now, let me touch it a little.¡±

    ¡°For now, what¡¯s the point? Get away! Sety too!¡±

    Schnee ran away from Filma and Sety, who were approaching with their hands waving in the air. Milt, seeing this, quietly moved away, while Tiera was simply puzzled.

    ¡°Humans are foolish.¡±

    Amidst all the hustle and bustle, only Yuzuha was rxing and enjoying the hot springs.

    ??

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (9)

    When the group returned to their room after taking a bath, dinner was already being prepared.

    The group had returned quitete after finishing a game that started with Milt¡¯sment that she wanted to y table tennis. It was not the duration to simply say that they had only been to the hot spring. They had told the room attendant that they could prepare dinner even if they were not in the room, and yet, the meal was still steaming as if it had just been prepared.

    Perhaps an employee of the entertainment facility had informed the room attendant.

    It was a service that was rarely seen here, where a feast was prepared for you when youe back after refreshing yourself. It was truly a very thoughtful service.

    ¡°This is the hospitality of 50 gold coins.¡±

    After finishing her meal, Miltid down on the tatami mat with a smile that looked like she was really happy. Everyone was the same, to varying degrees.

    ¡°Milt, you¡¯re a bit sloppy.¡±

    Saying this, Schnee fixed Milt¡¯s yukata, which hade undone. It was probably because she wasn¡¯t used to wearing it, but her chest and bare legs were a bit exposed.

    ¡°Hehe~.¡±Despite being warned, Milt didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    ¡°Now that I think of it, Schnee, when did you start calling Milt by her first name?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have a reason for it. It just sort of happened.¡±

    Shin was asking Schnee how it all came about, when Milt stood up and hugged him from behind.

    ¡°Well, when I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s called with honorific, I feel like I¡¯m being left out, and I don¡¯t like that~¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t cling to me!¡±

    Even though she was wearing a yukata, the fabric was thin. Shin could clearly feel that the soft parts pressed on his back as she put her weight on him.

    Even when he tried to pull her away, Milt seemed to have forgotten how to hold herself back, and clung to him with all her might. Moreover, she was using not only her arms but also her legs, clinging to him with her whole body.

    ¡°Shin~!¡±

    When she used her natural strength, the person trying to pull her away needed to use a corresponding amount of force. If he took one wrong step, he could end up throwing her away with great force.

    Although Shin knew it would be bad to do something like that in the inn, he couldn¡¯t escape Milt that easily.

    ¡°Uh, this is tricky. Sorry, give me a hand.¡±

    Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t get anywhere if he continued like this, Shin asked for help.

    Schnee and Shibaid responded by lending a hand.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stand this.¡±

    At this point, Milt couldn¡¯t hang on to him. She put up some resistance, but it was no use against Schnee, whose stats were second only to Shin¡¯s, and Shibaid, who was a power type.

    ¡°Milt, you¡¯re being a little too silly this time¡­ aren¡¯t your face a bit red?¡±

    Milt, who had been pulled away by Schnee and the others, had her legs stretched out and her eyes were dazed.

    She had just finished her bath and had done some exercise.

    But that didn¡¯t exin why Milt¡¯s face was so red. Shin realized that this was why he had thought her behavior was a little strange.

    ¡°Nyuuuu~¡­¡±

    ¡°You look drunk. Can you recognize me?¡±

    Filma¡¯s hand waved in front of Milt¡¯s face.

    She seemed to be conscious, but Milt was clearly not in her right mind when she took Filma¡¯s hand and rubbed it against her cheek.

    ¡°Is Milt a weak drinker?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen her drink alcohol here.¡±

    Sety asked, and Shin searched his memory.

    Considering the situation in the real world, Shin thought that she probably had no experience drinking alcohol.

    However, she had been active in this world for over 20 years and was physically an adult. It was hard to imagine that she never had alcohol before.

    Of course, it was possible that today was her first time.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rest first with Milt. I¡¯m told that if we close this sliding door, no one can hear us. But it¡¯s interesting that there¡¯s a partition in the room.¡±

    Saying this, Sety took Milt by the hand and led her to the back of the room.

    The room attendant exined that there was a futonid out there, and that if the sliding door was closed, it wouldpletely block out light and sound.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Milt about her drinking experience tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even if she can drink, we should make sure how much is safe. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just us, but depending on who you¡¯re talking to and where, it could be dangerous.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s eyes were fixed on Milt¡¯s back, who was so defenseless. There were people in this world who would try to get others drunk and do evil things. This applied to both men and women.

    If nothing had happened before, Milt might have her own defensive measures, and they agreed to check on them tomorrow.

    Tiera said she would wash Kagerou before resting, and headed for the small bathroom provided in the room.

    ¡°What should we do tomorrow? There are a lot of people here, and I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to do much sightseeing.¡±

    When the room was quiet again, Filma asked Schnee what her ns were for tomorrow.

    ¡°Our purpose here is to rest in the first ce, so I think we can spend the day freely to a certain extent. And Shin seems to be interested in the Wrought Iron Festival.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help myself when I hear things about cksmithing.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t stay quiet after hearing that people with skills like Kluck were gathering. It was a rare day off. He thought he might as well participate. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t use his skills at full throttle.

    ¡°In that case, I think I¡¯ll join the Battle Festival too. It seems like this one is big, so it¡¯s a chance to find out how skilled the strong ones are.¡±

    Since Filma should be overwhelming in terms of ability, she would be limiting her stats to see how far she could go. This was also training to battle against other people.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t had many solid days off until now. Everyone should do what they want to do.¡±

    As Shibaid said, this was a great time to rest. You could rest, walk around, shop, or participate in an event. Everyone had their own way of using their days off. It¡¯s okay to do what you want to do sometimes, so the n was decided.

    Sety and the others who went off earlier would be informed tomorrow.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I guess I¡¯ll go to rest too.¡±

    Schnee and the others were still awake, so Shin said good night and headed for the back of the room. Yuzuha, who had been curled up in hisp, was with him. Shin gently lifted Yuzuha up and opened the sliding door.

    He moved as slowly as possible so as not to wake Sety and the others, but there was less light than he had expected. The light must have been dimmed for a good night¡¯s sleep.

    He crawled into the empty futon. Yuzuha was still in her fox cub mode, so this time they shared the futon. Shin closed his eyelids, wrapped in a nostalgic feeling.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ª The next morning.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything since the time I began eating.¡±

    ¡°Are you the type to lose memory after a drunken night, Milt?¡±

    Shin responded to Milt as she woke up by offering her a ss of water.

    Milt didn¡¯t seem to have a hangover, and her face looked good.

    ¡°Just to be sure, was this your first time drinking alcohol?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a few, but this is the first time I¡¯ve cked out.¡±

    It was not umon for adventurers to be invited to drinking parties.

    Milt seemed to understand the dangers of getting drunk, and thought she knew her limits.

    ¡°It could be the difference in alcohol content. Last night¡¯s drink felt stronger than themonly consumed ales.¡±

    Shin agreed with Shibaid¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°It looked like it was closer to shochu or sake*.¡± (TLN: ¡®Shochu¡¯ is a Japanese distilled beverage and ¡®Sake¡¯ is a Japanese rice wine.)

    It depended on the product, but even today, the alcohol content of beer and sake was almost twice as high. Shochu was even higher.

    If you drink the same amount at the same pace, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯ll get drunk faster.

    The sake served at yesterday¡¯s meal was called Kiyokura, and was advertised as being made by an affiliate of the inn. It was clear and not cloudy, and very easy to drink. After it went down your throat, the aroma wafted through your nose. That was the kind of sake it was.

    Shin did not feel that the alcohol content was too high, but since his body became like this, he no longer felt a sense of intoxication when he drank, only slightly inebriated.

    He wondered if the drunkenness was being nullified as an abnormal state, and felt a little strange.

    ¡°Even the higher races are weak to alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was a mistake to think that it would be okay to drink a little more, since it was only us friends here.¡±

    It seemed she was aware that she had been drinking more than usual. Milt said she would be more careful from now on and took a sip of water. It was understandable that some friends might let loose a little among themselves, so Shin made a light joke, saying ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll throw you on the futon.¡±

    ??

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (10)

    After breakfast, everyone was free to go on their own.

    Shin, Filma, and Milt were the three participants in the ¡°Wrought Iron Battle Festival¡±. Only Shin was in the cksmithingpetition. Milt was also participating in the battle festival as part of her training.

    Schnee, Tiera, and Sety went shopping. The merchants had gathered, so they went for a stroll to see if there was anything unusual. Yuzuha and Kagerou were with them.

    Shibaid was looking at the weapons. He seemed interested in the masterpieces forged by past winners in the cksmithingpetition.

    ¡°Then, if there¡¯s anything you need to contact me about, use ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿. I think I¡¯ll be back by night, but this is my first Wrought Iron Festival, so I might have to stay overnight.¡±

    Overnight work was not an impossible proposition. Filma and Milt, who would be at the martial arts festival, should not have such a time-consuming match, so Shin informed them that if anyone could not return, it would be him.

    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±

    The innkeeper told them that the reception desk for the Wrought Iron Festival was located at the entrance to the arena, so Shin, Filma, and Milt walked down the main street to the reception desk.

    Many stalls were set up on the main street, which was filled with voices calling for customers. There seemed to be some stalls in the back alley as well, but there were very few customers as it clearly had a suspicious atmosphere.

    Milt checked out the assortment of goods in the stalls as she walked.

    ¡°There are all kinds of things for sale. Maybe because it¡¯s a cksmithingpetition, there seem to be a lot of weapons and armor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fun just to look at these things. In the game days, there were hidden bargains, or conversely, there were weapons that were just for jokes.¡±

    Those who hid and sold one special item among their ordinary workpieces. Those who were passionate about making equipment that resembled anime and manga characters for cosy. There were people who made and lined up items that randomly applied buffs, debuffs, and so on. It was all fun and games.

    ¡°Did they sell anything that caught your eyes, Shin?¡±

    ¡°There was a guy who made weapons with interesting mechanisms built in. It was different from my principles, so we just exchanged opinions; it was fun.¡±

    The person made gauntlets that shoot small arrows from the wrist and helmets that have incredibly bright eyes. They were basically used for surprise attacks.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that glowing helmet thing before. They were used as torches in caves. At first I thought it was a monster. Isn¡¯t it too dazzling to the user themselves?¡±

    Milt, remembering those days, asked Shin with augh.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually a function to blind the opponent at close range. But you can¡¯tunch a surprise attack if you yourself are blinded. The person who made it burst outughing when he heard that story.¡±

    ¡ªI¡¯m not sure how many people would use my armor in an area where magic lights are forbidden. It¡¯s so funny! I-I can¡¯t stopughing! Ahahahaha!

    The person¡¯sughter reyed in Shin¡¯s mind.

    In fact, it even became a bit of a topic of conversation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you make things like that, Shin? You say it¡¯s not your principle, but you¡¯re still interested in that technology, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Filma asked in an amusing tone, and Shin nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some as jokes. Things like a gauntlet that flies towards the target using fire-element magic, and a helmet that shoots de-like decorations using wind magic.¡±

    Influenced by the cosy equipment craftsman and the gimmick craftsman, it was the result of trying to recreate rocket punches and special effects hero techniques.

    ¡°You also had a lot of fun, Shin.¡±

    ¡°When you think you can make something, you make it, that¡¯s what engineers do.¡±

    When Shin started making them, it was more fun than he thought, and he ended up making something with ridiculous power, which was a secret only Shin knew. To use something like a flying gauntlet properly, one would need a STR of at least 500, otherwise the user would either fly through the air or roll on the ground.

    ¡°Then that thing on my armor, it¡¯s not the original, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Filma was referring to the magic power-st function in her armor.

    ¡°Well, there were already people who tried to attach it to a tube and make it fly like a multistage rocket, and people who tried to challenge the limits of height. That¡¯s the kind of function it has.¡±

    ¡°Are they a fool?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the nature of engineers to want to see how far they can go.¡±

    There was no doubt that they were joking around, but they were serious in the sense that they were challenging the altitude limits of the area and the impossibility of flight.

    While the three of them were chatting away about old times, they arrived at the arena.

    The reception desk for the cksmithingpetition and the battle festival seemed to be separate, so Shin parted ways with Filma and Milt and got in the line.

    There were a few people ahead of Shin, and it was soon his turn.

    In addition to his name, the form also had a section for writing down his school and the highest grade of the weaponry he had ever made.

    Shin hadn¡¯t heard of any cksmithing schools sinceing here, but he guessed that each school passed down their skills and techniques.

    Shin himself didn¡¯t belong to any particr school, so he wrote it as his own style.

    The preliminary round would start tomorrow, and he was actually right before the registration deadline, but as long as he could participate, he didn¡¯t mind.

    Some people seemed toe early to check the environment they would bepeting in, what kind of equipment they would be using, and so on.

    ¡°Number 56? Is that too many? Or is it too few?¡±

    Shin had expected there to be more people, but he changed his mind, thinking that it was strange that there were hundreds of famous cksmiths.

    As Shin was convinced that this was the case considering the time and effort required to move around, a buzzing sound mixed with screams reached his ears, different from the good kind of the bustle of people calling out and customers and merchants interacting with each other.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The arena was on a hill, higher than the main street. Because of this, Shin happened to be able to see themotion from where he was.

    ¡°With more people, there will be more trouble. But that¡¯s going too far.¡±

    The source of themotion was a young man swinging a sword around. He was swinging his sword wildly as if everything around him was an enemy. His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was heavy, making it hard to believe he was sane.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    Shin felt something was off about the sword the man was holding and was about to activate his skill to get a better look. Just then, some men in conspicuous red uniforms came over and restrained the raging man with ease.

    They were probably guards or something. Two of them immobilized the violent man, while the remaining two informed the surrounding area that it was safe.

    The sword lying on the ground was hidden in the shadow of the men and could not be seen.

    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t¡±

    The one who spoke to him was Kluck, whom he had met yesterday. A little distance away, me was also visible.

    Shin knew he was approaching, so he replied calmly.

    ¡°Yes. they¡¯re very skilled at it.¡±

    ¡°Have you registered?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was surprised as I made it just in time.¡±

    ¡°Me, too. I was in a cold sweat when I found out that the preliminaries started tomorrow.¡±

    Unlike Shin, who was just hoping to participate, Kluck, whose goal was the tournament, must have been terrified. There were traces of cold sweat on Kluck¡¯s forehead as he said he was also d he made it in time.

    ¡°I was number 49. Can I get your number, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m number 56. If that¡¯s the number of people who registered, is it too many? Or is it too few?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the number was less than 50 for the previous participants, so maybe there are more this time.¡±

    Shin wanted to see other people¡¯s skills, and he was a little hopeful that there would be more people so he could gain from arger number of people.

    ¡°Even so, when people gather together, conflicts increase, and many of these are no joke.¡±

    ¡°By that, you mean there are others like the one just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, once yesterday when I was looking for a ce to stay, and once on my way here. There was a man with a weapon like the one I just saw who was on a rampage. All of them were quickly subdued, but isn¡¯t that a bit worrisome?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. The person who just came in seemed to be acting a little strange.¡±

    The flow of people returned to normal, and there was no sign of anyone causing a disturbance. However, Shin¡¯s intuition told him that the source of the strange feeling was not good.

 Book 21: Chapter 1 (11)

    ¡°Let¡¯s be careful, everyone.¡±

    With those words, Kluck left with me, and Shin walked towards the main street.

    Filma and Milt hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    Unlike the cksmithingpetition, the number of participants in the battle festival was much higher, so it seemed that the registration was taking a long time. Even though it was almost time for the registration deadline, there was a constant stream of people climbing the stairs to the arena.

    Since he was here, Shin thought he might as well walk alone for a change, and moved his feet. Thanks to the map, he didn¡¯t get lost, so he was able to go wherever his mind took him.

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    A little way off the main road. At a stall selling weapons, which were not umon in Kurikara at this time of year, Shin found something that caught his eye.

    The owner seemed to be a cksmith. He was in his forties, and his right arm was a little thicker. This wasmon among cksmiths, but also in professions that put a lot of strain on one arm. Looking at his strength, you could tell the owner was still active.

    He must have his own creations on disy. There were many weapons that could be used with one hand, such as broadswords, short daggers, and hand axes.

    ¡°Can I take a look?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    Shin held the broadsword in his hand and stared intently at the de. He then concentrated, trying to see through the dull glow.

    ¡°Did you make this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not exactly a masterpiece, but I can guarantee that it¡¯s better quality than mass-produced weapons.¡±

    The owner¡¯s expression was clear. Shin nced at the other weapons. In terms of grade, they were Normal, close to Rare. Only the broadsword was just barely Rare-grade.

    ¡°What are they made of?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about seven parts iron and three parts magic steel. You can get good quality iron in Kurikara that you can¡¯t get in other towns. And no weird stuff mixed in. I don¡¯t mind if you appraise it. What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it¡­¡±

    Shin had to return the broadsword and pay for it before receiving it again. It seemed to have a function that prevented it from being stolen, and the stall owner removed that function.

    Leaving the street, Shin muttered as he sat on the edge of the fountain in the square.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a shape, but it¡¯s cursed.¡±

    He looked at the de again, briefly removed from its sheath, but the result was the same.

    It didn¡¯t show up clearly in ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    However, Shin could tell. The sinister, ominous presence of a cursed weapon. There was definitely a glimpse of it.

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel like that person is doing it on purpose.¡±

    Although it was a low grade, it was carefully made, and the de was perfectly smooth all the way to the tip. It didn¡¯t seem like the work of someone who would use shady methods.

    It wouldn¡¯t be good to put it in his Item Box here, so he walked with the broadsword in his left hand. Once he noticed it, he started to feel something was off about the other things, which was strange.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? There are simr things everywhere.¡±

    Weapons such as swords and spears, armor and gauntlets, essories and even consumable items. There were minute but definite cursed signs mixed in that one wouldn¡¯t notice if they weren¡¯t aware of them.

    One wouldn¡¯t notice even if they used it; that was the magnitude of this situation. But with so many of them, Shin couldn¡¯t help but feel that someone was nning something.

    ¡°(Schnee, where are you now?)¡±

    Shin informed Schnee through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ that he wanted to meet up. He also wanted to ask Tiera and Yuzuha for their opinions.

    Shin reunited with Schnee and the other members of the shopping group and immediately exined the situation and asked to see some of the armaments and items they were buying.

    ¡°I have an unpleasant feeling, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a curse or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it would have any effect on children.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s and Yuzuha¡¯s answers were hard to describe.

    Sety tilted her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    ¡°Tiera and Yuzuha are sensitive to that kind of presence. I only noticed it because it was a weapon.¡±

    Shin added that he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if it wasn¡¯t an area he was familiar with.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s because Shin was holding it, but the curse is already fading.¡±

    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Shin was surprised by Tiera¡¯s words, and Yuzuha added.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be Shin, if you¡¯re a person who has reached a certain level, it will disappear just by holding it.¡±

    The only people who were affected are low-level ordinary people or people who were physically or mentally weak.

    ¡°If I knew how strong the original curse was, I might have felt it a little more clearly.¡±

    ¡°From what I saw, they were all on the verge of bing a curse. To be honest, I don¡¯t know if they were all curses of the same strength. It¡¯s not like it was easy to see it as a stats number.¡±

    In Shin¡¯s case, he could tell if it was a weapon, but with other items, his senses became a little vague. He didn¡¯t have the same senses as Tiera and Yuzuha.

    ¡°Do you feel anything, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°If I concentrate, I can sense an unpleasant sensation, but if I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll miss it. There wasn¡¯t anything that particrly caught my attention on the way here.¡±

    As he told Sety, if Shin hadn¡¯t happened to notice the broadsword, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything else either. It was such a trivial and insignificant difort.

    ¡°Tiera, did you feel anything strange on the way here?¡±

    ¡°There were too many people for me. It¡¯s so different from any other city I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    On every side, there were people, people, and people. Shin was also surprised by the number of people, and Tiera seemed to have been overwhelmed by the crowds. Apparently, she was just taking a break when Shin contacted them.

    ¡°A lot of people were calling out to us, and Sety used her illusion magic to make it harder for us to attract attention, so it was a little easier.¡±

    No matter how well they disguised themselves, if Schnee and Tiera were together, they would attract attention sooner orter. Shin felt a little regretful that he or Shibaid should have apanied them.

    Now if Yuzuha had been in human form, it would have been even worse. Perhaps because she knew this, she was now in fox cub mode.

    The illusion that Sety had cast was weak, and if an average person didn¡¯t speak to them, they would know that the girls were there, but would not be able to properly recognize their faces or body shapes.

    In terms of avoiding people, there was Kagerou, but if he grew big enough for people to avoid them, that could be a problem in itself, and if he were too small, they would not be intimidating enough.

    It seemed that there were also people who would purposely set up feuds with monster partners and demand money from the caretaker, so it was a wise decision not to show the Kagerou.

    ¡°Yuzuha, how about you?¡±

    Since Tiera was in no condition to help, Shin tried talking to Yuzuha. However, on the contrary, it seemed that Yuzuha thought there was no end to the things she could sense because there were too many things she could sense.

    ¡°What Shin had found was the remains of a curse. It was like a faint residue left behind. There are malicious items of that level all over the ce, ¡± Yuzuha said in a disgusted tone.

    Items meant to deceive someone, items meant to trap someone. They all have a simr vibe to them, she added.

    ¡°Humans are stupid.¡±

    Shin patted Yuzuha, who looked a little tired.

    It bothered him, but he didn¡¯t want to force her to investigate.

    ¡°There are people who think bad things, even without things like miasma demons and curses. For now, let¡¯s wait and see. It¡¯s not like we can do anything. It¡¯s better than not knowing, at least.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t certain that trouble would ur.

    However, as Yuzuha said, not all people were good people.

    ??

    Afterwards, to change their mood, they all went out to eat. asionally, some men broke through Sety¡¯s illusions and tried to pick them up, but when Shin smiled intimidatingly at them, they would run away.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not that effective against adventurers with a certain level of skill.¡±

    ¡°If you use too much illusion, it¡¯s a problem in itself. People who know will see your actions as very suspicious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing. I¡¯ll deal with those kinds of people.¡±

    Intimidate only certain people. This was a technique he learned from Shibaid. Shin had also taught himself, but he asked Shibaid to teach him so he could do it more precisely.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s make people avoid us.¡±

    Schnee then wrapped his arm around Shin¡¯s and leaned in close.

    The strange thing about this was that, despite the illusion, the gaze that had been directed at Schnee was now directed at Shin.

    But the feelings from the gaze have changed from longing and euphoria to jealousy and murderous intent.

    ¡°I see, it makes it hard for them to talk to us. Well, then, I¡¯ll do it too.¡±

    Tiera, who had realized the reason for Schnee¡¯s actions, also wrapped her arm around Shin a little hesitantly. Her cheeks were a little red, perhaps due to embarrassment.

    Shin felt the murderous intent in the gazes from those around him increase.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do this, right Tiera?¡±

    ¡°That would make it seem like I¡¯m the only one without a partner. Besides, this is¡­ you know. It¡¯s just a pretense, so it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s make them think it¡¯s just a waste of time to pick us up.¡±

    Considering the number of men trying to pick up girls earlier, it was understandable.

    Aside from that, Shin was afraid of Schnee¡¯s reaction.

    But Schnee didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    ¡°This is good enough¡±¡­such words were conveyed through her upturned gaze.

    ¡°Hm? Wait a minute. What about Sety?¡±

    Shin had been preparing himself for Sety at this rate, but before he knew it, he had lost sight of her. He checked the map and found that she was already too far away to call out to.

    ¡°She smiled and saluted, then cast an illusion on herself and left.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely looking at me from afar and enjoying it!¡±

    Shin pictured Sety¡¯s face with her tongue out,ughing.

    Yuzuha was still in fox cub mode on his shoulder, and Kagerou was in Tiera¡¯s shadow. At this point, there was no choice but to give up, so Shin decided to continue.

    He had flowers in both hands. He walked around, unconcerned, and strangely enough, he gradually stopped worrying about the gazes of those around him.

    Thinking back, he often received simr stares.

    He¡¯d gotten used to the gazes. But that was only if he was just walking.

    ¡°Hey, are you really doing this? There are people around us.¡±

    The reason Shin was flustered was because of the small wooden spoon Schnee held out to him. On top of it was a milky-white icy treat, or ice cream, as it was called. Schnee happened to find it in a stall and bought two portions, one for herself and one for Tiera. Just as Shin was thinking, ¡°Huh, where¡¯s my share¡­?¡±, this happened.

    ¡°Shin can¡¯t use both hands, so this is only natural.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this since you lend me an arm.¡±

    The spoon was held out in front of Shin¡¯s mouth, and what he was doing was basically ¡°Aahh.¡±

    Tiera, incidentally, held out a spoon as well, and the men who saw this looked at him with a wave of murderous intent and for some reason looked at her with respect.

    ¡°This is more tense than fighting a monster.¡±

    The two¡¯s ¡°Aahh¡± didn¡¯t stop in one go, and in the end, Shin ate one portion of the ice cream, and Schnee and Tiera each ate one portion.

    Since they had been the center of attention to begin with, the ¡°Aah¡± in public eyes took a toll on Shin¡¯s spirit.

    And it didn¡¯t end with just this one time.

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (1)

    ¡°You had fun yesterday, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    The next day, on the way to the cksmithingpetition after the meal, Milt said to Shin.

    From her teasing tone, Shin realized that Milt knew what Schnee and Tiera had asked him yesterday.

    Milt and Filma were on their way to the arena. Shin¡¯s preliminaries were on the way, so they were walking together when she said this line.

    Schnee and the others were out exploring the city, like yesterday. This time, Shibaid was with them, so it was unlikely that they would get into trouble.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, wasn¡¯t it? It seems like you were showing off quite a bit. There were some rumors about it.¡±

    ¡°I heard that too. The rumor of a man being served by two beautiful women.¡±

    Filma joined in on the conversation, leaving Shin flustered.¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a rumor, but Sety is the source of the information.¡±

    She hadn¡¯t said it in Shin¡¯s presence, but she wasn¡¯t always with everyone.

    Shin thought they had talked about it in the bath, but it seemed that other people besides Sety had really heard about it as rumors.

    Now a lot of people heard the rumor. No matter how conspicuous they were, Shin had thought it would only be a one-time thing, so this was an unexpected blow.

    ¡°Shall we do it next time?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that would be nice.¡±

    ¡°Please spare me. It was so embarrassing.¡±

    It would be one thing if they were out of sight, but they were in full view of everyone.

    Depending on the shops they visited, some people looked at them with expressions that were almost amusing. Shin was used to hostility and murderous intent, but he wasn¡¯t used to those kinds of looks.

    If the two people he was with were different people from yesterday, Shin couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of looks he would receive.

    ¡°Schnee was in a good mood, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen Schnee in such a good mood.¡±

    Just as Milt and the others had said, Schnee was smiling the whole time after returning to the inn. Shin could tell that she was enjoying herself, so he endured his embarrassment.

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice date.¡±

    ¡°But Tiera was there too.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like a double date, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not quite right.¡±

    Shin remembered Tieraughing at him being embarrassed by Schnee.

    It was a slightly annoyed, distantugh. She didn¡¯t hold back when teasing him, though.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. But I¡¯ve decided it¡¯s Schnee.¡±

    Shin also understood what Filma was trying to say. He had no intention of pretending not to notice.

    Whether the timing was good or bad. Before anyone could say the next thing, the three of them reached a fork in the road. Filma and Milt were heading to the arena, while Shin was heading to the designated cksmithpetition, so they said their goodbyes for now.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough about this. Shin, be careful not to overdo it, okay?¡±

    ¡°I know. I know. There are things I want to try, too. You¡¯re the one who should remember to keep things in moderation, okay?

    They exchange light-hearted jokes and then part ways.

    After seeing Shin off, Filma and Milt also started walking.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I wish there was one more person who could have gone with him. Then I could have sent him off without any worries.¡±

    After parting ways with Shin, Filma spoke as if it had just urred to her as she walked alongside Milt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should go?¡±

    In response to Milt¡¯s question, Filma shrugged with a small smile.

    ¡°Everyone is asking the same thing. Okay? My feelings towards Shin are different from those of Schnee and Milt. If I had to say, it¡¯s respect and trust. It might have been different if I was the only one left beside Shin, but fortunately that didn¡¯t happen. I prefer to watch Shin and the others from the side.¡±

    Sometimes I feel like stirring things up, Filma said with a mischievous smile.

    ¡°You have a chance, Milt, so do your best.¡±

    Filma said in a voice that made it hard to tell if she was serious or not.

    ¡°Even if you say we can return together, they¡¯re monogamous over there. The walls are high.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t give up, can you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡±

    Everyone already shared the story of how Milt ended up returning with Shin.

    Even after learning about the situation in the real world, Filma didn¡¯t deny Milt¡¯s feelings.

    Filma¡¯s opinion might be because polygamy was not umon in this world.

    Still, it was a relief for Milt that she wasn¡¯t denied outright. In the real world, she would have had no choice but to give up.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should give it your all. If you¡¯re serious, Schnee will take that into consideration. Or maybe even turn a blind eye.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought Schnee was quite possessive when we were working together, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    In a sense, this was probably because they were acting only with their own people. It was not the same as letting one¡¯s guard down, but there were times when one could see a side of everyone that they did not usually show.

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re that in love with someone, you definitely wouldn¡¯t want to give them to anyone else. But, well, when you¡¯re sure you¡¯re number one, you can be a little generous.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is the kind of fort of a legal wife¡¯ I¡¯ve only seen in manga¡­!¡±

    Milt exaggerated a little in surprise, thinking that she would have to experience this herself. In reality, it was a battle she had no hope of winning.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m going to cause trouble for Shin and the others, but I¡¯ll do my best. This is the first time in my life that I¡¯ve ever loved someone this much.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, so it was your first love. That makes it even more so. Those feelings can¡¯t be suppressed by reason.¡±

    Filma responded to Milt¡¯s words in a quiet tone.

    For Filma, Schnee was her top priority. Even Milt, who had only known her for a short time, knew that. Milt thought that Schnee¡¯s priority became a little lower when it was confirmed that Schnee would apany them back to the other side.

    ¡°Just hypothetically, if I were epted, would that be okay with you, Filma?¡±

    ¡°If Schnee and the others are okay with that, I won¡¯tin. Besides, I¡¯m not in a position toin anyway.¡±

    Who will be epted and who won¡¯t? It¡¯s up to Schnee and Shin to decide. Filma said decisively.

    ¡°But he still needs to show he¡¯s worthy of raising a girl who¡¯s fallen in love with him. I heard it¡¯s apletely different world from ours, so Shin needs to do better.¡±

    With a cheerful finale, Filma steps onto the stairs leading to the arena¡¯s entrance. Milt followed behind as they nned their next strategy.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (2)

    Meanwhile, after parting ways with Filma and Milt, Shin came to the front of the building, where the walls had been fortified with a skill to increase their strength. It was obviously built to suppress impacts from the inside.

    Both the forge at the Moon Shrine and the guild house that Shin was in charge of had the same concept, so he recognized it immediately.

    After entering and receiving a brief exnation, one of the guards announced the start of work.

    ¡°These are the only tools we¡¯ll be using. Everyone, show us the best of your skills! Begin!¡±

    To ensure that there would be no cheating, two observers were assigned to each group.

    Inside the building were a miniaturized furnace and various tools. The space wasn¡¯t veryrge. There were eight groups in the building where Shin was alone. Everyone except those working alone seemed to have a hard time.

    ¡°Is that iron with a lot of impurities?¡±

    Shin assessed the quality of the tools and materials provided. By the standards of the game, these were tools used by cksmiths who have left beginner status and reached the next level.

    If Shin used them seriously, it would shatter after just one swing.The iron was mixed with minerals that were not verypatible for making weapons. If he were to forge a sword like this, it would undoubtedly be dull.

    Shin spent 30 minutes assessing the iron. Others around him were already heating and forging iron.

    Shin nced slightly at the heated iron. It was not heating up like a regr fire. The furnace seemed to have a higher level of performance than expected.

    A high-pitched, shrill sound echoed chaotically. Skilled craftsmanship could sometimes turn iron into a musical instrument.

    Sometimes a rhythm that sounds like music could be created, but with this many people, it seemed that this was not possible.

    If you listened carefully, the sounds were different even with the same tools and materials. Some people¡¯s rhythms were thrown off by the rhythms of others.

    Two people didn¡¯t lose their rhythm at all. The unknown white-haired man and Kluck. Perhaps the sorting was done in the order of reception, as Kluck was in the same venue as Shin.

    ¡°Now then.¡±

    After observing his surroundings for a moment, Shin put the iron on the fire.

    The mes created by magic were different from normal mes caused by burning mmable materials. They maintain a constant temperature, the temperature changed when magic power passed through them, and they were easy to control.

    If you used the original method of using coal or something, it was several levels more difficult to maintain the temperature of the fire.

    Even with such easy-to-use magic furnaces, the feel of using them varies depending on the item.

    Sensing that the temperature was rising more than expected, Shin removed the iron from the furnace.

    It was within the eptable range. Deciding that, he ced the iron on the anvil or something. Being careful with the amount of force he applied, he struck first. Along with a high-pitched sound, he felt a recoil in his hand.

    (A little weak.)

    Feeling that he¡¯d rxed too much, Shin put a little more force into his arm gripping the hammer. A sound a little higher-pitched than before resounded.

    (This is the feeling.)

    From there, he continued striking. When he felt that the temperature of the iron had dropped, he put it in the furnace and struck again.

    Perhaps it was because they were striking a longsword, or perhaps the technique hadn¡¯t been passed down. No one was doing the work of folding the stretched iron together, called Folding. Everyone simply hammered the iron to stretch it out.

    Even in modern times, there were times when iron was hammered, carved, and turned into des. Shin thought that this was probably the mainstream here.

    (It¡¯s difficult to make a difference with just equipment and materials. So it¡¯s the way it¡¯s struck.)

    Some slowly shaped it. Others quickly shaped it. Each struck the iron in the way they thought was best. Among them, there were some striking the iron with magic.

    They were Kluck and the white-haired man, whom Shin had noticed earlier. Both of their hammers were imbued with magical power.

    Shin stopped swinging the hammer and let out a small sigh.

    He had gotten a grasp on the amount of force and the feel of the material. Now the real action began.

    He was aware of the flow of magical power. From his arm to his hand, and from his hand to the hammer. He controlled the magical power as if wrapping it thinly.

    He was aware of keeping it weak and small. If he went any more than this, the hammer would not be able to withstand Shin¡¯s magical power.

    Lightly and gently. He struck the iron.

    The magical power that had been wrapping the hammer permeated the iron with the impact. There was no need to m it down. If he did that, the shining material on the anvil would shatter in an instant. This was the optimal solution for now.

    The sound that echoed had changed from a high-pitched metallic sound to a clear sound like ss being struck.

    He struck at a steady pace, with constant force.

    He could tell that he was concentrating. The surrounding noise faded away, and only the necessary information came in.

    Sight and touch allow him to sense the temperature of the iron. Hearing allowed him to sense the amount of impurities mixed in.

    The iron, permeated with magical power, changedposition, as if in tune with Shin¡¯s will.

    The iron retained its red color, but with each strike it changed shape. When heated iron was struck, impurities and other impurities usually appeared on the surface, but this no longer urred.

    Only the flying sparks and sound told him how the work was progressing.

    Normally, it would take dozens or even hundreds of swings of the hammer to shape the piece, but with twenty-four movements, the form waspleted.

    ¡°¡­Not bad.¡±

    What Shin picked up with his fire tongs was a longsword with a sharp de.

    He ced it on a thin stand. It may have been a stand for finished items, but the longsword needed to be cooled slowly from here, so he ced it there.

    There was no instruction on what to put it on in the exnation beforehand.

    As Shin was checking the finished product, he noticed for the first time that it was quiet all around.

    As he looked around, his eyes met with every single one of the cksmiths. Five of the groups were frozen in ce with looks of shock on their faces.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (3)

    Kluck and the white-haired man didn¡¯t look surprised. Or rather, they had no expression on their faces. They stared intently at the longsword on the stand with straight faces.

    The other cksmiths seemed toe to their senses when they met Shin¡¯s eyes, and resumed their work.

    Pretending nothing had happened, Shin returned his gaze to the longsword.

    The longsword on the stand was darkening from the edge of the de. As the magical power that had been trapping the heat in the iron escaped, the temperature was dropping. After a while, the de changed to the color of steel. It gave off a dull glow in the light leaking from the other forge.

    ¡°Um, it¡¯s finished.¡±

    Shin called out to the supervisor after making sure that the longsword hadpletely cooled. He had been told beforehand that the supervisor¡¯s job was to transport and store the finished product.

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, I see. That¡¯s right. We¡¯re supposed to keep the finished product here. Can I have it?¡±

    The supervisor carefully wrapped the longsword Shin handed over in cloth and put it in a box in the corner of the forge. It seemed he was going to carry it all together to where the judges were.

    Among the cksmiths who resumed their work, only Kluck and the white-haired man, apart from Shin,pleted their work that day. The remaining cksmiths didn¡¯t have good results, with some breaking the de midway through, perhaps due to impatience, and others abandoning, saying they would start their training over again.(Did I go too far? No, I did put magic into it, but I used almost as little as possible, and I didn¡¯t use any skills. Besides, I wasn¡¯t the only one who put magic into it.)

    There were others who were doing the same thing, so Shin thought it would be okay, but he was getting more attention than he expected, which worried him.

    He had already prepared himself for a certain amount of attention, but he didn¡¯t expect the other cksmiths to stop working to stare at him. Meaningless excuses ran back and forth in his head, thinking that it wasmon for craftsmen like him to lose sight of their surroundings when they were really concentrating.

    ¡°Sir Shin. Do you have a moment?¡±

    It was Kluck who called out to the troubled Shin.

    Behind him was a white-haired man from the same group. From what he could see, there were no visible external features that would indicate his race. Shin guessed that he was either human or dwarf.

    ¡°I was fascinated by your technique earlier. I thought it would be nice to talk about it over a meal. Oh, I¡¯m not trying to find out any technical secrets! It¡¯s just that after seeing that, I couldn¡¯t stay still¡­¡±

    It was half impulse, and Krueck made an excuse in a hurry. It was clear from his eyes, like those of a boy excited at a hero show, that he wasn¡¯t thinking of anything sinister.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early in the day, so it¡¯s fine, but who are you?¡±

    Shin turned his gaze to the white-haired man.

    ¡°First, let me introduce myself. My name is Jayf Calgan. I¡¯ve known Kluck since before I came here.¡±

    As one could tell from his participation in the cksmithingpetition, Jayf was also a cksmith. Kluck added that his skills were superior to his.

    They said they would like to talk about cksmithing if possible, and Shin nodded. The two of them were clearly skilledpared to the others. Shin also wanted to talk more.

    Not wanting to just stand there and talk, the three moved to the shop.

    Kluck led them to a residential area. There were a fair number of people, but it was quietpared to the festival-like hustle and bustle of the main street.

    The shop was located in the middle of a narrow alley in such a residential area. It had an atmosphere like a little hideaway.

    Jayf said something to the shop assistant, and the group was led to the back of the shop. When talking about cksmithing, some thingse up that you don¡¯t really want to share with others. Wondering if this was out of consideration, Shin followed the two.

    In the room I was shown to, a round table and chairs were prepared.

    The walls were mainly white, and vases and paintings were disyed in the corners and on the walls. It was small, but not oppressive.

    ¡°This ce is well soundproofed, so no one will be able to eavesdrop.¡±

    It seems that some people follow influential cksmiths around, hoping to get hints for their techniques from even a small conversation.

    ¡°I wish we could talk more casually. But even so, Kluck, if you¡¯ve be acquainted with such a great person, you should have introduced me sooner.¡±

    ¡°We only met the other day. To begin with, I was surprised that you¡¯de here, and that you¡¯re participating in the cksmithingpetition.¡±

    Jayf replied without any shame, saying that he had wanted to surprise him a little. He seemed like a yful person.

    ¡°When you say you know Kluck, do you mean the one you belong to the same guild?¡±

    Kluck answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°No, Jayf is a cksmith who belongs to the association. Do you know of the Dwarven association?¡±

    ¡°I know there is such a thing, but this is the first time I¡¯ve met someone who belongs to it. Now that I think about it, you two were the only ones other than me who used the magic technique. So that technique hasn¡¯t been passed down to the general public?¡±

    Kanezuka, who was known as the best cksmith in Hinomoto, didn¡¯t know how to use magic. Although, since he was able to forge Legendary-ss swords, it¡¯s possible that he was doing it unconsciously.

    On the other hand, judging from what Shin had seen earlier, the two people in front of him were definitely doing it intentionally.

    ¡°Normal cksmiths probably don¡¯t know about it. It¡¯s mostly treated as a secret technique or a special technique. The method seems to vary depending on the school and the user. What was it like around you, Sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°After I got out of the beginner stage, I just trained to infuse magic into it.¡±

    He said training, but it was more urate to say it was not training to hone his technique, but doing it a lot to improve his skills.

    In the game era, once you reach a certain level of experience, you can automatically infuse magic into your forging. So it was only aftering here that Shin started to devise ways to infuse magic into his forging without relying on skill.

    ¡°Should I say it¡¯s wonderful, or incredible? Sir Shin, did you learn it from your master?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the basic method of my cksmithing. The rest depends on the material.¡±

    After hearing Kluck¡¯s words, Jayf also wanted to know the name of Shin¡¯s master, but Shin refused, saying he couldn¡¯t tell him.

    Shin did have someone in a simr position to his master, but that¡¯s not what they wanted to know. In that case, since they didn¡¯t actually exist, there¡¯s no way to tell them.

    ¡°Hmm. What if I were to show you my technique and ask you to teach me how to infuse magic into things?¡±

    As he asked, Jayf had the face of an craftman. He looked serious, but you could tell he was excited. He was definitely the same kind of person as Kluck. And at the same time, he was the same kind of person as Shin.

    ¡°Right¡­ that¡¯s fine. It seems like you all can already use the technique itself. I wanted to know more about how other cksmiths do it.¡±

    Perhaps because of the special environment of VR, the way people infuse magic into things during the game felt different for different people. Shin decided that if he could confirm how it worked in this world, he would be willing to ept the exchange.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll start by speaking from the side that brought it up. I, or should I say, we, focus the magical power we gather in our hands on the surface of the hammer and push it into the material. If the amount of magical power exceeds the material¡¯s tolerance, it will be useless, so it¡¯s important to be able to judge that.

    Jayf¡¯s method was the same as Kluck¡¯s, pushing magical power up to the limit of what the material could hold. It was like connecting a hose to a balloon and pouring water into it under pressure. The material had a certain amount of flexibility in terms of how much it could hold, but if you put too much in it would burst. This was what it meant when a material became useless.

    If the magical power wrapped around the material was too strong or the cksmith¡¯s magical maniption skills were inexperienced, it seemed that it was not possible to inject magical power in the first ce.

    ¡°As you probably already know, this method doesn¡¯t naturally transform the materials into weapons. In terms of weapon grade, if the cksmith uses his best power, the most he can achieve is Mythology grade. I think Sir Shin¡¯s method ispletely different from ours. It¡¯s probably a technique from before the ¡®Dusk of Majesty¡¯ that we lost.¡±

    Jayf seemed to have sensed the limitations of his current method from his many years of experience, and he really wanted to talk to Shin.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (4)

    ¡°I was certainly fascinated by your unknown technique. But I was also moved by the sight of you hammering the iron. It was like I was catching a glimpse of the pinnacle of cksmithing that I had only heard about.¡±

    Jayf spoke in a slightly dreamy tone, perhaps remembering the scene of the work.

    He wasn¡¯tpletely wrong, but it would be inconvenient if he followed up on it, so Shin revealed the information to him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you everything, but my method is to imbue the material with magic. I wrap the entire hammer in magic, and when I strike, the material itself is soaked with it. It¡¯s like water soaking into cloth. It¡¯s a difficult technique because you have to manipte magic at the moment the hammer strikes. If your method adds additional magic to the free space in the magic capacity, then my method adds magic and increases the maximum capacity¡±

    With Jayf¡¯s method, one could only add 3 parts of magic to a material with a maximum value of 10. No matter how hard they tried, the maximum value was only 10.

    However, with Shin¡¯s method, you could increase the maximum value itself. They could increase the maximum capacity from 10 to 20, 30, and so on. In a sense, it could be said to be a process of exceeding the limits of the material. However, there was a limit to that. Since this was about infusing magical power, Shin did not mention that the material could automatically take the form of a weapon.

    ¡°I see. In the past, there have been cases where the quality of the materials used did not match the description, but is it possible to achieve this using this method? No, I already missed the point.¡±

    Seeing Jayf unable to hide his excitement, Kluck was stunned.

    However, if Shin had been in Jayf ¡®s position, he would have had a simr reaction.To learn a technique he didn¡¯t know. That alone was interesting. And if it was something simr to their own skills and looked like it could be applied, they couldn¡¯t help but want to try it out right away.

    In a sense, the craftsmen were researchers. If it seemed possible, they would do it. If it seemed possible, they would make it. For better or worse, there was no hesitation in doing things that interested them.

    ¡°Now let me ask you, do you know how to forge iron by folding it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you makeyers of iron. In that case¡ª¡±

    Shin, Jayf and Kluck had a heated discussion thatsted until thest minute, when Shin returned to the inn.

    It was such a fun time that Shin thought he could keep thempany a little longer by contacting them via ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    It was also the day he got a better understanding of what ¡°normal¡± is in this world.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day. Shin was walking down the street with Filma and Milt, who had easily passed the preliminary round.

    ¡°By the way, what are you doing today? You made the sword for the preliminaries yesterday, right?¡±

    ¡°Apparently I can visit the ces where the other preliminary rounds are being held. I¡¯m nning to look around. Actually, that¡¯s the same for Milt, isn¡¯t it? Apparently the preliminary round was a piece of cake.¡±

    Not many cksmiths could finish making swords in one day like Shin and Jayf. Most of them were still at it today. One of the rules of the Wrought Iron Festival was that visitors were allowed to observe, so Shin was nning to look around without hesitation.

    Milt and Filma wanted to participate in the lottery to determine the participants for the main tournament in the arena.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡±

    In the middle of their conversation, Shin noticed that the flow of people about 50 mels in front of him had be a little strange.

    The flow of people had be partially circr, as if they were avoiding something. In the center of the circle, a single presence was moving around. He used his skill to check on the situation, and saw a man swinging his sword and raging just like the other day.

    ¡°Again? That¡¯s way too many, no matter how you look at it.¡±

    ¡°I saw someone raging like that yesterday too. It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s suffering from any abnormal conditions, but I wonder what it is.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ also didn¡¯t show any abnormal conditions on the man. However, he had encountered them two days in a row, and Milt and the others had also encountered a simr scene in a different ce, so it was too many to be dismissed as a coincidence.

    ¡°Ah, he was arrested¡­ Shin-san?!¡±

    With Milt¡¯s voice in his back, Shin ran through the crowd and approached the man and the guards.

    Without jumping out, he blended into the crowd and appraised the weapon the man was carrying.

    ¡°I thought so.¡±

    Confirming the ¡°certain words¡± that appeared in his field of vision, Shin waited for Milt and the others toe.

    ¡°So, what did you find out?¡±

    Filma, who had rejoined them, asked Shin as if it was the obvious thing to do.

    ¡°The weapon the man carried. It was cursed. It¡¯s one of those that confuses you only while you¡¯re holding the weapon. It¡¯s not very effective, but it¡¯s dangerous for ordinary people or low-level adventurers.¡±

    A different guard from the one who had arrested the raging man retrieved the sword, but he didn¡¯t seem to be affected. The guard¡¯s level was high at 170. He didn¡¯t know if they were Chosen Ones or not, but Shin¡¯s senses told him otherwise.

    Considering the weakness of the curse, it seemed safe to assume that even if they weren¡¯t Chosen Ones, they wouldn¡¯t be affected by the status ailment.

    ¡°Maybe there is a miasma demon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but based on past patterns, it seems likely that it is involved.¡±

    This was a well-deserved break. He didn¡¯t want any trouble. However, with all this turmoil, he couldn¡¯t just ignore it.

    ¡°For now, if you find anything, please contact me. I¡¯ll let Schnee and the others know.¡±

    ¡°All right!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ??

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (5)

    After saying goodbye to Milt and Filma, Shin went to a different forge than yesterday.

    Kluck and Jayf said they wanted to visit another forge as well, so Shin decided to meet them and ask them about the cursed weapons.

    Even the cursed weapons that weremon in the game did not appear in this world for no reason.

    The ce Shin went for was one of the eight testing grounds. It was the ce where Jayf and Kluck told him that there was a candidate for the championship.

    It looked like the same structure as the building Shin had worked in, and it was almost the same size.

    When he told the guard waiting outside that he was a participant in the cksmithing Division and that he had already finished his piece, he was asked to show his participant¡¯s card.

    It seemed that the card he received at check-in would serve as his participant¡¯s card.

    Shin pretended to take it out of his inner pocket, which was in his item box, and handed it over.

    When the guard brought a palm-sized stone close to it, the stone glowed faintly, and a pattern resembling a crossed sword and hammer appeared on the card.It seemed to be a function to determine whether it was genuine or not.

    ¡°All right, you cane through.¡±

    Entering the building, Shin was greeted by heat and high-pitched sounds.

    There were no empty furnaces and everyone was working.

    If they were supposed to be potential winners, it was possible that they had finished their work yesterday, like Shin and Jayf, but that did not seem to be the case.

    Jayf and Kluck had already arrived, and they were staring at the middle-aged man swinging his hammer.

    (His method of hammering is simr to mine, but this¡­)

    Every time the man swung his hammer, there was a faint ng. It was a sound that was distinctly different from other cksmiths, as if he was hitting iron with something softer than iron.

    Shin focused his attention on the man¡¯s hammer.

    Just like Shin, the hammer was covered in magic power. However, the amount was different.

    It was clear that there was an excessive amount of magic power clinging to the hammer. When it was struck, the magic power was transferred to the iron. If it were Shin, most of it would have soaked into the material.

    However, the man¡¯s magic power didn¡¯t seem to have prated the iron very much. Only a small amount had pratedpared to the magic that had been struck.

    (I see. He¡¯s on the verge of using the same method as me.)

    He was probably hammering like that because he couldn¡¯t prate as fast as Shin.

    It took time, but it would be a good product. When Shin saw the man swinging his hammer, he was convinced.

    ¡°Who is that man?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s one of the few people on the continent who can make Mythology-grade weapons. I can¡¯t believe I got to see him work like this.¡±

    Shin asked Kluck in a low voice, and Kluck replied excitedly.

    Shin agreed that if he could do that kind of hammering, he could do that much.

    The work itself seemed to be nearing its end, and the sword was already roughly shaped. He predicted that the finished product would be something rare, close to legendary grade.

    As soon as the man finished his work, Shin and the others left the forge. Several other visitors came out of the forge. They all seemed to be there for the same reason.

    ¡°Do you two have ns for the rest of the day? There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to you about¡­¡±

    ¡°No, nothing in particr today.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    When Shin asked, Kluck and Jayf both shook their heads.

    ¡°Um, don¡¯t you have ns, Sir Jayf?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. This gathering will be just fine without me. My intuition tells me that what Sir Shin has to say is more important.¡±

    Jayf was unfazed by Kluck¡¯s remark, perhaps sensing that they were about to have a serious discussion.

    When Shin told them that it was something he didn¡¯t want anyone to hear, they decided to go to the shop they had visited yesterday.

    ¡°So, what do you mean by talk? You don¡¯t want to talk about cksmithing, do you?¡±

    Jayf said right after he was led to the back room of the shop.

    Shin nodded and materialized a dagger from an item card.

    ¡°First, I want you to look at it with an open mind.. What do you think of it?¡±

    Jayf took the dagger Shin handed him and stared intently at the de.

    Kluck stared at it as well.

    After a few tense minutes, Jayf looked away from the de and handed the dagger to Kluck.

    But Kluck shook his head and refused. He had a look on his face that said he had already seen all there was to see.

    ¡°I wonder. It¡¯s probably of a quality that a low-level adventurer would have. The materials aren¡¯t very good either.¡±

    ¡°But that makes up for it by keeping the price low. As a first weapon for a novice adventurer, it¡¯s probably above average.¡±

    The two shared Shin¡¯s opinion. It was a little better than a cheap mass-produced weapon.

    But that was not what they should discuss now. Just like the longsword from yesterday, the dagger had a hint of a half-baked curse on it.

    ¡°Sir Shin, was this originally a cursed weapon?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°I felt a tingling sensation in my hand and a strange sensationing from the core of the de. It was simr to the characteristics of a weapon that had not beenpletely freed from a curse.¡±

    Wondering if that was what it felt like, Shin looked back at the dagger Jayf was holding.

    ¡°I bought this from someone who had a stall on a corner of the main street. The first thing I noticed was a different item, but it was in almost the same condition. I sensed something was wrong, so I took a look and realized it was a curse. It was like a weak curse before it took shape. My friend with keen senses said that such items are not umon.¡±

    Shin spoke about the longsword incident.

    ¡°I thought it was just weapons, but cursed items too?¡±

    ¡°As far as I¡¯ve seen, none of the weapons were made with any malice. None of them have much effect if you don¡¯t care about them. That¡¯s the kind of item they are. However¡­¡±

    Jayf continued what Shin was about to say.

    ¡°It is highly effective. Can¡¯t we rule out the possibility that a fully formed cursed weapon has gotten mixed in?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was thinking that maybe the reason why there are so many people going wild with weapons is because they¡¯ve been affected by the curse.¡±

    Shin prefaced his words by saying that it was a possibility.

    ¡°Have you two seen anything like that?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really looked at the weapons in the stalls. Besides, it would be hard to notice something strange without concentrating like Sir Shin.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    It seemed that even Jayf and the others would have a hard time seeing through it. Shin also noticed something strange by chance, so he told them not to worry about it.

    ¡°If you see something strange, be careful. That¡¯s all I wanted to tell you. There are many things we don¡¯t know about curses, so all I can say is to be careful with the tools you use.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s enough. Thanks for the valuable information. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. From what you said, Sir Shin, it¡¯s possible that they are mixed in with everyday items.¡±

    They didn¡¯t know what caused this. But if they knew that such things exist, they could at least be on guard.

    Shin didn¡¯t want the curse to affect Jayf and Kluck, whom he had been lucky enough to meet.

    After saying goodbye to Kluck and Jayf, Shin didn¡¯t feel like going to see other cksmiths¡¯petition, so he looked around the town to see if there were any weapons with strong curses.

    In the end, however, he did not find anything like that, and the next day came.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (6)

    The results of the preliminary round for the ¡°cksmithing Division¡± were to be announced in two days, so Shin and the others came to watch Filma and Milt¡¯s fights.

    ¡°They were overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only the first round. That¡¯s how it is.¡±

    Even with their restricted stats, the two of them defeated their opponents in an instant. However, since well-known and powerful yers were seeded, Shibaid expected that the real thing would begin after a few more matches.

    It seemed that there were rare cases of people who were skilled but not well-known. These people were usually the Chosen Ones, so the organizers would mark them as candidates for recruitment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been on the judge¡¯s side before.¡±

    Shibaid, who was the first Dragon Emperor,ughed and said that he could understand what the judges were thinking, since the Dragon Empire of Kilmont also heldpetitions on a regr basis.

    While watching the other contestants until Filma and the others¡¯ next turn, Shin and the others noticed a familiar face among the people in the arena.

    It was me, Kluck¡¯s bodyguard. Her armor was still the same, but her weapon had a cover over the de to seal its sharpness for the tournament.¡°So me is participating. But is it okay to leave her duty?¡±

    There was no point in being an escort if they were separated. Shin looked around to see if Kluck was there to watch as well, and sure enough, he spotted him in the first row of spectator seats.

    Since it was still the first round of the tournament, there was enough space between the spectators to see their faces.

    Shin told the others, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± and approached Kluck.

    ¡°Hello. Are you here to support me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I made me¡¯s equipment, so I¡¯m also here to test its performance. However, she told me that there is no point in being an escort.¡±

    Participants in the martial arts festival could borrow weapons prepared by the tournament, but the general rule was to bring your own.

    Kluck told Shin that as long as the weapon was not extremely dangerous, it could be used by covering certain parts with cloth.

    The performance test was mainly about strength, he said

    The weapon me was holding was a spear. It would be powerful not only for thrusting, but also for sweeping shes with its length.

    However, when wielded by a Chosen One, the handle may break if it was not strong enough. It seemed that he had experimented with various things in this area.

    Achieving both strength and flexibility was a problem for craftsmen who made long weapons even in the game days.

    ¡°A martial arts tournament is ideal for getting information closer to actualbat. Besides, I can buy myself some time if necessary.¡±

    It seemed that Kluck wouldn¡¯t send his guards away without some preparation.

    As soon as me¡¯s fight began, the two stopped talking and turned their attention to her.

    Her opponent was a male Lord who seemed to use dual swords. Like me¡¯s spear, the des were covered.

    The man boldlyunched an attack, trying to get within the spear¡¯s range. As you¡¯d expect from a fighting tournament, he was quite a skilled swordsman.

    However, me deflected all of the man¡¯s dual swords and won the match without getting within range. As expected, the strength rankings were all over the ce in the first round, so there seemed to be many one-sided matches like this.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be a test unless the opponent is a worthy user.¡±

    ¡°My friend finished her first match in no time. If she advances a little further, you won¡¯t be able to say that.¡±

    The higher one went up thedder, the more the field was narrowed down to the best. The real battle was yet toe.

    After me disappeared into the participants¡¯ passage, Milt came out next.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s her turn already?¡±

    It seemed that the tournament had advanced to the second round.

    ording to Milt, the main tournament of the Battle Festival was divided into several blocks, and the top three from each block would advance to the final tournament.

    Today, there were three blocks of matches. Filma was in a different block from Milt, so if the two of them met, it would be the final tournament.

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Milt waved to the audience, and a number of cheers came back. Shin was impressed by her poprity, since she had only just made it through the first round.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural with her looks and strength.¡±

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°She is one of my friends who is participating in the martial arts festival. She said she wanted to see how strong the people around here are.¡±

    Shin watched Milt¡¯s fight while talking to Kluck.

    Her opponent was a man who used a battle axe. He¡¯s a big man, almost two mels tall, and standing next to Milt, they looked like an adult and a child.

    But Milt was a girl who wouldn¡¯t make him worry.

    The weapon she used was a battle axe that Shin had collected in his item box.

    It didn¡¯t have a specific name, but it was just one step below legendary grade.

    In a match where sharpness didn¡¯t matter, it was just a sturdy battle axe.

    At the signal to start the match, both of them moved.

    The distance between them closed, and the man¡¯s battle axe and Milt¡¯s battle axe collided.

    Even though the de was not sharp, it was still a solid piece of iron. In a way, it could be said to be like a sledgehammer. When they collided, the impact alone was enough to numb the hand holding the weapon.

    But that was only if the wielder was an ordinary person. Neither the man who had made it through the preliminary rounds of the martial arts tournament nor Milt were anything but ordinary.

    Both drew back their battle axes as if nothing had happened, and the man swung his battle axe with great force from above, while Milt spun and delivered a blow from below so powerful it made the wind howl.

    A dull, heavy sound echoed.

    The des of the two battle axes collided, bending one and leaving the other untouched.

    It was the man who lost his bnce when his battle axe was sent flying.

    Undeterred by the centrifugal force, Milt stopped her battle axe and aimed it at the man¡¯s throat.

    The man instinctively looked both ways. But when he saw his prized battle axe lying on the ground in a pitiful state, his shoulders slumped and both hands rose.

    ¡°The winner, Milt!¡±

    A cheer went up from the crowd as the judge announced the winner. When Milt waved back, the cheers grew louder.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Kluck¡¯s face was serious as he spoke.

    Milt handled the battle axe, which was taller than her, without being affected by its weight, and the battle axe, which struck with full force and remained unfazed.

    ¡°Oh, is me up next?¡±

    After Milt¡¯s match, me came out.

    Her opponent was a male swordsman with an orthodox style, using a sword and shield. As the match began, the man brought his shield forward and closed the distance between him and me.

    me, on the other hand, did not move. She was in a waiting position.

    The man entered the spear¡¯s range.

    At that moment, me¡¯s spear shook. With the sound of an impact, the man¡¯s stance was thrown off.

    The man blocked the spear¡¯s blow with his shield. He was able to react. However, he was unable to parry it. Although he avoided a direct hit from the spear, he was pushed away along with his shield, and his body was bent slightly.

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not done yet.¡±

    As the man fell to the ground, he hit the ground with the hand holding his sword to prevent himself from copsingpletely.

    However, perhaps injured by me¡¯s blow, his left arm hung limp and he had dropped his shield.

    Still, the tip of the sword was pointed straight at me.

    The man regained his breath and came back within range of the spear. me caught it with a thrust.

    The man immediately blocked it, using his sword as a shield. However, the sword broke and the tip of the spear hit the man¡¯s stomach. The tip was covered by a shield, so he wasn¡¯t actually stabbed.

    ¡°The match is over! Winner, me!¡±

    While listening to the referee¡¯s voice, Shin looked at me¡¯s spear.

    Even when she mmed it into the shield and thrust it into the sword, me¡¯s spear didn¡¯t seem to wear out. Of course, if the spear was legendary or higher, it wouldn¡¯t wear out in a battle of this magnitude, but as far as Shin could see, me¡¯s spear was rare quality. And it wasn¡¯t a high-end weapon either.

    The quality of the weapon used by the opponent swordsman wasn¡¯t high, but considering its grade, the spear should have shown some wear and tear after such a fierce battle. And yet, it was nowhere to be seen. It was probably not made just to test its durability.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (7)

    Neither Milt nor me were in any danger in the fight. Thinking that both had made it through the block, Shin watched the match with relief.

    However, an unexpected pairing was announced at the end.

    ¡°Is me¡¯s opponent Milt?¡±

    ¡°I wonder what will happen?¡±

    Shin was a little surprised because he hadn¡¯t seen the matchups for the tournament within the block, but he thought to himself that these things happen, so he decided to watch the match.

    It¡¯s not like they absolutely have to win. But the battle between Milt, with a restriction, and me would be interesting, and the sh between his own battle axe and Kluck¡¯s spear, even if it was a makeshift one, would also be interesting.

    Thinking that this was something to behold, Shin focused on the battle between the two.

    ¡°Start!¡±

    The referee announced the start of the match.Milt was the first to attack. As in the previous match, me was waiting for her opponent.

    me aimed her spear at the approaching battle axe, letting out a roar. She mmed the tip of her spear into the sideways sh from the right, as if thrusting.

    By holding the spear closer to the base, she was able to increase the distance and make contact before the battle axe reached a position where it would be most effective. The tip of the spear precisely caught the battle axe¡¯s de.

    However, despite being attacked before its full momentum had been fully realized, Milt¡¯s battle axe barely lost any momentum.

    ¡°Ah!!¡±

    Both of their expressions changed. me was surprised that she had been pushed back despite having taken the initiative. Milt was interested in me¡¯s attack method.

    The battle axe pushed back the thrusted spear and swung with enough force to m it into me. me quickly realized that she couldn¡¯t push it back, so she pulled her spear back and put some distance between them.

    Following her, Milt attacked.

    me changed her strategy to hit-and-away while keeping her distance. She seemed to have judged that she would be overwhelmed by power if she was in a close range.

    Instead of avoiding the spear cleave, Milt dared to take it with her battle axe. She was trying to catch it by wedging the spear between the de and handle of the battle axe.

    me, realizing her intention, quickly pulled back her spear and switched to a thrusting attack.

    After several attacks, Milt, reading the timing perfectly, dodged the tip of the spear and moved inside the gap.

    Milt stepped forward faster than the spear could be pulled back. She held her battle axe short and made apact swing to m me.

    me, on the spur of the moment, let go of her spear and jumped away from the battle axe. The spear left in its ce made contact with the battle axe and bounced.

    me dodged the attack at thest moment, and then jumped again, grabbing the spear that had been deflected by Milt and was flying towards her.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± muttered Filma, who had somehow ended up next to Shin.

    It seemed that the girls had approached him since Shin and Kluck had gone into spectator mode.

    They were all paying attention to the fight between Milt and me. Everyone, including the other spectators, was holding their breath as they watched the oue of the battle.

    It was unclear if the other people were aware of this, but at the very least they did not seem to be as Shin and the others observed.

    As a Chosen One, Milt¡¯s stats were probably higher.

    However, since she was currently fighting with her stats restricted, the difference in ability wasn¡¯t that great. If she let her guard down, she could lose.

    The two of them red at each other, keeping their distance. Inevitably, the tension rose.

    me was the first to attack.

    She was probably activating a skill. The tip of her held spear was wrapped in a bright red light. Milt, who was waiting, also had a transparent green light emanating from her battle axe.

    As one would expect from a tournament where skilled fighters gathered, there were quite a few who used Arts. However, not many could use Skills.

    The glow emanating from Milt and the others¡¯ weapons was clearly different from that of Arts. The light, which seemed to be that of techniques from Dusk of Majesty, even fascinated the other fighters fighting in other rings.

    The match would be decided with the next blow. Everyone watching the match was convinced of this. Without slowing down, me ran like a meteor across the ground. She elerated with such force that it seemed as if she would smash through all defenses together.

    On the other hand, Milt held her battle axe with half her body, ready to intercept. She was nning to swing it down with all her might, holding it as if slung it over her shoulder.

    Before me could get within range, Milt moved.

    However, considering me¡¯s speed and weight of the axe, it was actually rather slow.

    Did she misjudge the speed? A cry of disappointment escaped from one of the spectators, thinking this, but the tip of the battle axe disyed a terrifying eleration, drowning out such a voice.

    The spear and battle axe shed between them.

    As if by chance, the spear was thrust into the ce where the tip of the battle axe would be most powerful.

    It made a loud sound and impact that made one flinch.

    The battle axe came from above, and the spear from below. They were pushing each other in opposite directions.

    Red and green lights flickered violently, trying to drown out each other.

    Although neither weapon should havee into direct contact, a crack appeared in the arena ring, centered on the spot where the two shed.

    The standoffsted for about ten seconds, then Shin heard a snapping sound.

    As if that was the signal, Milt and me drew their weapons and jumped back. The entire venue fell silent.

    The source of the sound that sounded like ice cracking was me¡¯s spear. Fine cracks appeared from the tip to the handle, and a few secondster it broke into pieces.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    The moment the spear broke, Shin¡¯s eyes caught a ck mist-like thing moving from the hand that was touching the handle to me¡¯s body.

    The mist moved quickly, and disappeared in an instant, so it¡¯s unclear how many people noticed it.

    me didn¡¯t seem to notice the mist, and after gazing at the spear fragments scattered across the arena for a while, she took up her stance again.

    The festival included both unarmed andbat participants, so there was no rule that said you lose just because your weapon was broken.

    It was clear from her expression that she hadn¡¯t given up yet.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t withstand it¡­?¡±

    It was Kluck, the creator of the weapon, who was most shocked when it shattered. Even though it was just a realbat test, he must have been confident.

    However, Shin couldn¡¯t help but be concerned about the ck mist.

    He called out to Kluck, saying that there was something more important than that right now.

    ¡°A ck mist, you say? No, I haven¡¯t given it any powers that would affect the body.¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s story, Kluck said he had no idea what it was.

    The mist only appeared for a very short time. It¡¯s understandable that he thought he was mistaken. However, in this world, Shin¡¯s kic vision had improved significantly. Even though it was a little hard to see, Shin himself didn¡¯t think that he would mistake the mist for something that wasn¡¯t incredibly fast.

    It didn¡¯t bode well, but for the time being there was nothing unusual. The referee didn¡¯t seem to want to stop the match, so he couldn¡¯t interfere.

    Shin asked Kluck if he could examine the weapon after the match was over.

    The match continued while they were talking.

    me tried to approach Milt while using both arms as a shield.

    Milt mercilessly swung her battle axe.

    me dodged the horizontal sh by lowering her body so low that she was almost touching the ground, then jumped close the distance and thrust out her fist. She must have been using a skill or an art. Milt blocked the fist with the handle of her battle axe, but the impact caused her body to slide back several steps.

    The ground of the arena still bore fresh marks from Milt¡¯s shoes.

    ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±

    Grinning deeply, Milt thrusts out her battle axe. Even if the shape of the axe meant it couldn¡¯t stab, the long reach was a sufficient advantage.

    me stepped forward, deflecting the battle axe that cut through the air with her arm. It was as if her body from elbow to fist had hardened, deflecting the battle axe. It must be a skill or art that boosts defense or reflects attacks.

    Perhaps she was not able to kill the impact momentumpletely, me closed the gap between her and Milt while slightly losing her stance. Then she caught Milt again in fist range.

    With the momentum of dodging the thrust, me threw a punch.

    Milt¡¯s reaction was dyed and it¡¯s toote to pull back her battle axe and block the punch.

    All she had left was to either drop her battle axe and defend herself, or jump out of the way to dodge the fist. Anyone who was following the fight between the two would have thought so.

    However, Milt didn¡¯t throw away her battle axe. While pulling back her left foot, which had been stepping forward along with her battle axe, she rotated her body half a turn to the left, using her right foot as the axis.

    Suddenly, me¡¯s momentum towards Milt decreased, as if she was being pulled by something.

    As Milt spun her battle axe around and me¡¯s body flew into the air.

    Shin squinted his eyes and saw a translucent light extending from the battle axe connecting with me¡¯s waist. It was probably the skill ¡¾Sky Thread¡¿ that one learned when they obtained the Magician job.

    Milt spun her battle axe once and stopped it just before it touched the ground.

    Naturally, me, which was being pulled by the battle axe, came flying as well. However, she was mmed into the arena without stopping.

    It seems that being pulled so forcefully was not enough to properly ward off the attack, and she tried to get up, but she ran out of strength and copsed.

    As Milt pointed his battle axe at her, the referee stopped the battle and checked on me¡¯s condition.

    Then, judging that further fighting was impossible, he dered Milt the victor.

    ¡°The contest is over! The winner is Milt!¡±

    Immediately, men dressed in white and red who appear to be medical staff rush over to me.

    They handed her a recovery potion. It was a quality product that was widely avable in this world. The recovery amount was small, but in an instance like this, drinking it would at least enable her to move.

    me uncorked the potion herself and drank the contents, then stood up after a while. There was no awkwardness in her movements. Even though there was injury, there seemed to be nothing wrong with her bones.

    The two exchange a few words and then each head to the entrance for the participants.

    However¡­ when they reached the stairs leading down from the arena, something strange happened. me stumbled and began to clutch her chest in pain.

    Her scales turned ck, and something like red-ck mes erupted from her horns. Seeing her screaming with her face contorted in pain, it was clear that she was not in her right mind.

    The medical staff walking next to her were also shocked and kept their distance, but were unable to react to me¡¯s next action. Then, a grown man flew through the air.

    Even afternding in the arena ring, his momentum did not stop, and he fell outside, trailing a trail of blood.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (8)

    ¡°What on earth happened¡­¡±

    Kluck was stunned by me¡¯s sudden transformation and ferocious aura.

    Meanwhile, Shin, who was next to him, quickly moved.

    He used a skill to make it difficult for those around him to recognize him, and quickly changed his equipment.

    Navy blue cks, a white dress shirt, a knee-length patterned cloak that covered only the left half of his body, and a top hat. He also put on ck gloves, and in his right hand he held a walking stick with a white crystal on the handle.

    To finish off, he put on a mask to hide his face, and his disguise wasplete.

    These were prototypes of equipment he had made for Cain, the magician and a fellow member of Rokuten.

    me let out a roar. It was nothing like her usual voice. It sounded like a beast. Hearing it, Shin leapt over the boundary between the stands and the arena.

    Her eyes, filled with madness, turned towards the remaining medical staff. Shocked and frightened, they were unable to move.¡°Wait!!¡±

    Milt slipped in between me and the medical staff. She hadn¡¯t been able to protect the first medical staff, but she had no intention of allowing any more casualties.

    Milt blocked the mercilessly swung fist with the hilt of her battle axe. The impact sent her bouncing off the ground, but she regained her bnce andnded.

    ¡°Oh, noooo!¡±

    Even though she hadn¡¯t released her restrictions as quickly as she could, the force was too much for Milt to parry. She was a different person from the one in the match.

    ¡°Hurry up and get out of here!¡±

    ¡°I-I got it!¡±

    Milt¡¯s voice brought the medical staff back to their senses and they hurriedly left.

    me had already targeted Milt and did not pursue them.

    Milt dodged the barrage of punches that easily shattered the arena floor with just her battle axe and body movements. The speed had increased and it was difficult to pull her away, but it would be troublesome if she kept her distance and headed towards the audience. Another participant tried toe to her aid, but, even though it was a martial arts festival full of strong people, they were not strong enough to face me in her current state.

    Just as Milt was thinking about charging head-on instead of dodging to draw more attention to herself, chains of light stretched out from around me and immobilized her.

    Shin had no intention of dying any more.

    ¡°Nice timing!¡±

    Milt spun her battle axe and drove the tip into me¡¯s sr plexus.

    me was immobilized by the chains of light and could neither dodge nor avoid the impact. Although they were holding back, the damage was still enough.

    me dropped to her knees as if pulled by chains, her head drooping.

    After making sure that she didn¡¯t move, Milt drew her battle axe. However, as if targeting that slight moment of ckness, me suddenly raised her head.

    A breath¡¯s light flickered in her slightly open mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡±

    Milt quickly used her battle axe as a shield to try and get out of the line of fire, but she was too close.

    me turned her head to track Milt¡¯s movements, and fired a breath from the front.

    A torrent of dark red, fiery energy scorched the arena along with Milt.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    A spectator sitting directly in front of the breath muttered.

    The breath, which was undoubtedly on a direct hit course, was blocked by a translucent wall that suddenly appeared and dispersed into mist. It was a barrier set up by the Schnee and the others.

    It didn¡¯t even flinch when hit by the breath. But the arena was in ruins. It¡¯s not hard to imagine how powerful the breath was, looking at how it cracked, shattered, and scorched.

    The spectators were saved, but Milt, who was close by, was undoubtedly hit directly by the breath. Remembering this, the spectators¡¯ faces grimaced.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?!¡±

    Someone called out.

    When the embers of the breath disappeared, there was a masked man, Shin, and Milt, protected by a semi-transparent oval barrier about two mels in size. Both were unharmed.

    Shin held Milt close with his left arm as if to protect her, and pointed the walking stick he was holding in his right arm towards me. This walking stick had the ability to generate a barrier.

    ¡°Shin, that was a bit tight¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, sorry. It was a sudden thing, so I can¡¯t help it.¡±

    Releasing Milt from his embrace, Shin approached me. She seemed to have already lost consciousness, and when Shin released her restraints, she copsed. The changes to her horns and scales have also returned to normal.

    ¡°Maybe she just put her whole power into that strange breath from earlier?¡±

    Shin crouched down to make sure she¡¯s breathing, then picked her up.

    From ¡¾Analyze¡¿, there were no abnormal status indications. However, Shin had confirmed that strange letters reading ¡ºCurse of $#&¡» had appeared during the battle.

    Just to be sure, Shin used a skill on me to remove abnormal status. At the very least, this would remove any existing curses. The unpleasant sensations of the curse had disappeared, so she shouldn¡¯t have gone berserk again.

    There was also the option of leaving the curse as it was for the sake of investigation, but it would be pointless if she went berserk and caused damage again.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s get the tournament¡¯s medical staff to check her.¡±

    ¡°If something like this happened, there¡¯s no way they could continue the match. And by the way, when did you get that kind of equipment ready?¡±

    Milt pointed to Shin¡¯s disguised outfit.

    ¡°I had it set up as a shortcut in case there might be a time when I would have to go out in public concealing my true identity. I¡¯d never had such an opportunity before.¡±

    This time Shin had to jump into the middle of arge audience, so he made use of it. He could have used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ skill, but in the end this turned out to be the right choice.

    ¡¾Hiding¡¿ was certainly perfect for stealth, but if he were to block the breath with a barrier, it woulde undone.

    If that happened, Shin¡¯s figure would be exposed to the public¡¯s eyes.

    Considering Shin¡¯s adventurer rank, it might not be surprising if he were to pull it off. However, being too conspicuous would make it easier for trouble toe his way. It was Shin¡¯s small measure of defense.

    As he headed towards the entrance to the arena, an avnche of fully armed soldiers poured in from there. Perhaps someone had contacted him about me.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay! This guy is an acquaintance of mine. He came to watch the match and came to help me!¡±

    The soldier pointed his spear at Shin, but Milt raised her voice and exined that he was arade.

    ¡°Do I look that suspicious?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a mask and hiding your face, and on top of that, your gear doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s forbat at first nce. There aren¡¯t many magician-style outfits around here.¡±

    ¡°Is this another gimmick outfit, too¡­?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle bitterly.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin, who had barged in in a strange outfit, was looked upon with obvious suspicion by the soldiers.

    Still, perhaps it was because Milt, who was a rising star in the tournament, had clearly stated that he was arade, which worked to his advantage, or perhaps it was because he had said that he was an A-rank during questioning. After that, he was released after only a brief questioning.

    He couldn¡¯t help but give his name, and his identity was already known the moment he yed his adventurer card.

    After me was treated, she was put in a cell. It seemed that she was also judged to be at risk of bing violent. And there was one other person who was put in a cell.

    Kluck, who was in charge of me¡¯s weapons, was also arrested as a rted party.

    It seemed that the tournament organizers were aware that strange weapons were circting, and may have thought that there was some connection to me¡¯s rampage. Shin only saw Kluck being taken away by soldiers in the audience, so this was only a guess.

    However, visiting someone just because they met here was not allowed.

    Shin gave up and decided to return to the inn after meeting up with Schnee and the others.

    ¡°I guess the tournament is temporarily canceled.¡±

    Milt responded to Shin¡¯s mutter.

    ¡°That is, until the investigation ispleted, but do you think the two are rted, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any evidence to say for sure, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re the ones dealing with curses at least.¡±

    There was no basis for it. It was just Shin¡¯s hunch, but after spending a few days with Kluck, he was sure he wasn¡¯t a bad guy. That¡¯s what Shin thought.

    When they returned to the inn, Shin asked Schnee and the others if they had noticed anything.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see the curse directly, but I felt something bading out of me¡¯s weapon when it broke. I think it¡¯s probably the curse Shin was talking about.¡±

    Schnee also seemed to have felt its presence. Filma, Shibaid, Sety, and Milt all had simr opinions, though to different degrees.

    Tiera and Yuzuha were more specific.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin, but I think it¡¯s something disgusting, like resentment, jealousy, the malice of people like that solidifying. I think it¡¯s a curse, but¡­ how can I put it, it felt like it was born in a different way than something like miasma. It was the first time I¡¯d ever felt that way.¡±

    Tiera shrank back, hugging herself with both arms.

    Yuzuha, in adult mode, furrowed her brow and made no attempt to hide her displeasure.

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 2 (9)

    ¡°I think the curse was inflicted like a skill. In a way, it¡¯s even more horrifying than the miasma. It¡¯s an artificial curse based on people¡¯s negative emotions. Curses are originally born out of resentment, but this was a deliberate collection of them. It¡¯s really disgusting.¡±

    Yuzuha said that it was not umon for people, monsters or both, to leave behind resentment or regret when they die. If they die an unjust death, something like a seed of resentment was born from it.

    Most of the time the seed would disappear immediately, but sometimes it would umte and be a powerful curse. And cursed weapons and tools were usually created when a powerful curse happened to reside in something that was left behind. If the original owner had a strong power, the cursed weapons or tools might directly harm the entity who caused the owner¡¯s death, or have a negative effect on the surroundingnd.

    In some cases, the curses were linked to, or used by, miasma or miasma demons.

    ¡°Even weapons made by people with resentment can also be cursed.¡±

    To kill someone. To torment someone. Yuzuha continued that it wasmon for such wills to reside in weapons. This time, something simr seemed to havee out of me¡¯s weapon.

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s always been a bit of a hassle, but it¡¯s not impossible to make such weapons if you really wanted to. I guess it¡¯s a variation of that.¡±

    What Shin did know was that a method of inflicting a curse was a disadvantage, and increasing the number of inflicted curses and their effects as a trade-off was an advantage.

    The effect was just a way of managing a weapon¡¯s capacity. It appeared as a curse, but if one asked whether the weapon was truly cursed, the answer was probably no.¡°Is it possible to collect and control formless curse things like that?¡±

    Milt nodded at Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°You can. Among yers, the people known as sorcerers did that.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I remember, there was a job like that.¡±

    Shin searched his memory and said that it must have been a job that was good at long-range and indirect attacks, such as magicians. However, he didn¡¯t know any yers who had that job even in game, so the information was vague.

    ¡°As far as I know, their main job is to cast debuffs, and they can also summon undead monsters.¡±

    Milt seemed to think that the sorcerers were a difficult opponent.

    In terms of position, they seemed to be simr to a puppeteer or an ¡®onmyouji¡¯. The reason Shin and the others hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them was because High Humans¡¯ extremely high resistance and the support of their equipment allowed them to repel debuffs, which was the sorcerers¡¯ greatest advantage.

    In PvP, Shin and his guildmate were their nemesis.

    ¡°Is this the hint of a curse I¡¯ve felt sinceing here? Surely it¡¯s intentional, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable assumption to make. But is what Shin was talking about the same as what happened at the arena? I don¡¯t know how skilled Kluck is, but I wonder if it¡¯s possible not to notice a curse that can transform me to that extent.¡±

    Shin had the same doubts as Schnee.

    Even though Kluck¡¯s weapon was only a prototype, it should have been well-maintained. Shin thought that, with skill like Kluck¡¯s, it would not be surprising if he noticed something strange.

    ¡°If we can hear what he has to say, we might be able to find something.¡±

    They said they couldn¡¯t meet him, but Shin and the others had a way of doing it.

    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to sneak into the prison, are you?¡±

    Tiera was surprised, and Shin nodded.

    ¡°Of course not. But I can¡¯t just sit back and watch. The curse was likely ced on the weapon without the knowledge of its creator.¡±

    It was safe to say that there was no one in this world who could seriously find Shin if he decided to hide himself. It was a skill he honed as he went around defeating PK yers.

    Plus, as a cksmith, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch his own work being disgraced.

    He already knew the location of the prison where Kluck was being held, so he intended to go thereter.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to go too, but I¡¯d get in the way.¡±

    Since she had actually fought me, Milt was keen to investigate.

    However, there was a difference in their stealth abilities, so Shin asked her to do another job.

    ¡°Milt, I want you to work with Schnee to gather information. There may be rumors circting that could be rted.¡±

    Filma and the others waited at the inn. Using items and equipment, it was possible to act stealthily, but that didn¡¯t mean they would know where the important information was being handled.

    That was just a bonus. They could only hope that there would be something there.

    After the discussion, Shin checked the weapon Milt had used to make sure it wasn¡¯t cursed.

    There was nothing during the match, but when Shin tried to touch it to investigate, a curse erupted as if it had exploded. However, it was blown away by the resistance of the High Human.

    Although the clues had disappeared, the curse was clearly stronger than that of me¡¯s. Milt¡¯s current equipment and status would allow her to resist it, but Shin could not remain calm when he thought of what would have happened if Milt had been affected by it.

    Before he knew it, it waspletely dark all around.

    Shin activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and blended into the darkness of the night.

    He left the inn grounds and moved along the rooftops. His destination was one of the guard bases.

    The country wasrge, and there were ces like guardhouses here and there. However, the prison was located in thergest of these.

    The prison Shin headed for was close to the arena. It was probably used when there was trouble in the arena. It was bigger than the other bases and even though it was the middle of the night, there were a lot of guards moving around.

    Shin made his way to the back, blending in just in time with the guards as they came out and entered the building.

    He used abination of detection skills and his unique presence detection to search for any possible presence.

    (The motionless presence in the basement seems to be that of a prisoner.)

    He checked with ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and headed down the passage to the basement. Naturally, some of the doors were locked, but he got through with the help of items.

    The lockpicking tools used by the scouts were also part of Shin¡¯s repertoire of items.

    (Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to use my skills.)

    Shin cast a weak ¡¾Sleep¡¿ on one of the two guards in the room leading to the floor with the cell.

    If he put them both to sleeppletely, the others might suspect that something had been done when they came inter.

    Only one of them could see the door. Shin waited until the guard was distracted by the effects of ¡¾Sleep¡¿, and showed him the door that was still closed with an illusion. He then used ¡¾Area Silence¡¿ to mute the surrounding sound, unlocking the door and opening the door.

    Shin quickly slid himself through the door, closed it and deactivated the illusion skill. The door¡¯s lock was on the wall, so this was easy.

    On the other side of the door he could hear the guard pping his cheek to clear his mind. He seemed to be the type who was loyal to his job. If Shin had put him to sleeppletely, the guard might have felt something was wrong when he woke up.

    Shin watched the situation with ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, but they didn¡¯t seem to be concerned about the prison.

    The prison area had only faint light. It was dim overall, and without using a skill, it was impossible to see inside the prison on the other side.

    The prison was about six tatami mats in size, and there was only a single rug inside.

    The walls were probably shaped with a skill. Each prison had the exact sameyout.

    Of the six prisons, there were four that contained people. It seemed that there were other people there besides me and Kluck. Perhaps they had been cursed, like the man Shin had seen rampaging around during the day. Both were asleep at the moment.

    me did not seem to have fully recovered and was also sleeping on the rug.

    Shin approached Kluck¡¯s prison and unlocked the entrance. It seemed that his lockpicking skills from his gaming days could handle prison locks he had never seen before.

    There was no sound due to the effect of ¡¾Area Silence¡¿, but Kluck noticed that the door had opened, and Shin¡¯s eyes met.

    Kluck looked surprised and said something, but the effect of ¡¾Area Silence¡¿ prevented Shin from hearing it. Shin gestured to him for silence and activated another skill. An earth wall created by earth magic further divided the narrow prison. After making sure that the wall was tightly attached to the other side, Shin released ¡¾Area Silence¡¿.

    Now, no one should be able to hear anyone talking. There was no one on the other side of Kluck¡¯s cell, so even if a sleeping person woke up, it wouldn¡¯t be noticed.

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    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Book 21: Chapter 3 (1)

    After returning to the inn, Shin went to the venue with Filma, Milt, and Shibaid.

    From the start, Shin used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to make himself invisible.

    The town was just as lively as yesterday, as if me¡¯s incident had never happened.

    Themotion was mostly limited to the arena, so most people probably didn¡¯t know about it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on things in town. It¡¯s likely that more violence will ur. If I see them, I¡¯ll take them down.¡±

    There were soldiers on guard, but there were so many people that they couldn¡¯t cover every corner. Shibaid¡¯s involvement didn¡¯t lead to a significant improvement in efficiency, but having more people on board was always beneficial.

    Shibaid left, saying he was heading to an area with a lot of weapon stores.

    ¡°(It looks like you¡¯ll have some free time, Milt. I¡¯ll be there soon, so let¡¯s get started.)¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, I¡¯ll follow you, Filma. Milt, don¡¯t let your guard down, okay?)¡±¡°(Of course, I¡¯ll be on my guard.)¡±

    Shin had disappeared, and the conversation was being conducted through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿, so, from the outside, it looked like Filma and Milt had waved goodbye to each other after Shibaid had left.

    ¡°(But still, I wonder why they didn¡¯t put a curse on me.)¡±

    Following behind Filma, Shin replied through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°(I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s only a limited number of people who can get the curse. Perhaps they need a special item? After all, you and Milt stood out from the crowd. I think it¡¯s only natural that they would try to put a curse on both of you if they could.)¡±

    Milt¡¯s weapon had a curse on it, but Filma¡¯s didn¡¯t.

    There might be some standard for the person who put the curse on, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t be put on this time either.

    Walking behind Filma, it wasn¡¯t long before they reached the weapons inspection room.

    There were three tables lined up for the weapons, each with two inspectors on each, one looking young and the other a veteran. Perhaps the veteran was showing the younger ones how to do the job.

    Soon it was Filma¡¯s turn. The two people in charge were at the center table. Both were male cksmiths in the level 100s. Judging by their appearance, they were likely human or dwarf.

    Filma ced the greatsword that Shin had produced to improve his skills on the table, one that focused on durability.

    The sword was wrapped in sh-resistant cloth. Once it was wrapped and secured, it was basically powerless as a sword. With Filma¡¯s strength, it would have more than enough power to be used as a blunt weapon, even if it had no sharpness. But this was just toply with the tournament regtions, so she had no choice but to adapt ordingly. ?

    It looked like the veteran was in charge of the inspection. He was checking to see if there were any issues with the part that secured the cloth. He was carefully checking to make sure the cloth wouldn¡¯te off and expose the de.

    Once the veteran had finished his inspection, the younger one took over. It seemed he wasn¡¯t just watching. Maybe he just looked young, but he was actually more skilled.

    ¡°(¡­He did it.)¡±

    The young man lowered the greatsword. At that time, the greatsword had been cursed.

    It was the young man who was responsible. Shin noticed that the young man was hiding a small, round ck stone between his fingers. He could see that when the young man touched the greatsword, the stone melted and was absorbed into it.

    The young man¡¯s expression was serious, but he also looked nervous, as if he was afraid that his misdeeds would be discovered.

    ¡°(Is it okay to touch this?)¡±

    Although it didn¡¯t show on her face, Filma¡¯s tone of voice made it clear that she didn¡¯t want to touch it.

    ¡°(You¡¯re still wearing the ring I gave you this morning, right?If youbine it with your ¡®Age of Gods Earring¡¯, it would be a perfect countermeasure against the curse. Yuzuha and Tiera were happy with the result too. So, please bear with me this time. I¡¯ll remove the curse if necessary.)¡±

    Nobody wanted to put their hands on a cursed item on purpose.

    Although Shin had asked Filma to pretend not to notice beforehand, she asked again. She knew the curse wouldn¡¯t work on Shin, so if there was something wrong with Filma, he was nning to stop her.

    ¡°(I know. What are you going to do next, Shin?)¡±

    ¡°(All the young guys here seem to be the set-up people, so if anyone moves, I¡¯ll follow them. This might not be the only setup, so Filma, be careful, okay?)¡±

    ¡°(You too, Shin.)¡±

    Shin gave a nod in response to Filma¡¯s wink and stayed put.

    Apparently there was some kind of standard in ce, where some people were cursed and some weren¡¯t. Most of the ones who were cursed were strong participants who were likely to win.

    After a while, when the participants who were waiting for the test had left, the inspectors left too, leaving only a few behind.

    When Shin followed them, it looked like they were heading to an exhibition hall attached to the arena.

    The exhibition hall disyed some of the weapons made at the Wrought Iron Festival.

    It was a popr tourist spot in Kurikara, where people came to see the best works from the ¡®Mass Production¡¯ and ¡®Master¡¯ divisions.

    (Restricted areas of the exhibition hall?)

    There were a few areas in the exhibition hall that weren¡¯t open to the public, like the areas where the next exhibition was being prepared and the areas that were only open at certain times. The area the inspectors went to was one with really tight security. It was well away from the public areas, so it was unlikely that anyone would wander in. Even so, there were soldiers on guard. The inspectors showed some kind of document and went into the exhibition room.

    The weapons on disy in the exhibition hall were in a different league to those in the areas open to the public. While the upper limit for the public areas was rare and unique grade, about half of the weapons here were legendary and some were mythology grade. If it were to be stolen, it would be a major incident.

    (I see, security is necessary here.)

    The quality and number of security personnel was on apletely different level from the areas open to the public.

    Even so, it would not be hard for Shin to steal some of the weapons on disy without anyone noticing. Even if he wasn¡¯t Shin, a participant or Chosen One who specialized in thief-rted jobs or skills would be able to get past the numerous traps set up in front of him, which were so obsessively set up.

    (These guys¡­)

    The inspectors took out the weapons that were kept in the transparent cases and rubbed them against the ck spheres that were likely the source of the curse.

    Most of them were nullified by the magic power of the weapons, but some of the weapons had already been corrupted by the curse. Even though the curse in the spheres was weak, it gradually changed the weapons over time and in numbers.

    In the exhibition room, the sounds of the inspectors¡¯ breathing, the rustling of their clothes, and the sounds of the spheres colliding and rubbing against the weapons echoed quietly.

    There was no other sound. Even though there was nowhere to be found, Shin thought he heard a scream.

    He realized he¡¯d unconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword when he felt something hard in his hand. All of the items lined up in the exhibition room were pieces that could be said to have been created with the soul of a craftsman. Seeing them smeared with mud ¨C no, like spilling filth ¨C made Shin feel so angry that he almost forgot why he was there.

    Maybe they sensed his anger because several of the inspectors looked around with scared expressions.

    (Sorry. I¡¯ll break the curseter, I promise.)

    He apologized mentally and waited for the work to finish.

    In the middle of this, he received a ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ from Schnee. It looked like a guy carrying a bag hade out of theboratory. He seemed to have been infected by a Hihigan too. He was heading somewhere, but he wasn¡¯t the mastermind. Shin asked Schnee to keep an eye on him.

    Meanwhile, Shin would keep the inspectors¡¯ actions known to the party members through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    Some time after finishing the ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ with Schnee, the inspectors started moving, even though there were still spheres left, as if there was a time limit.

    ¡°How long are we going to keep doing this¡­¡±

    One of the inspectors, walking with a gloomy expression, muttered to himself. Another inspector gave him a stern warning.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We have no other choice.¡±

    The person who scolded him also looked gloomy. They seemed scared during the inspection, but when they were working in the exhibition room, the inspectors themselves looked distressed.

    There must be a reason why they were doing this, even though they weren¡¯t being controlled.

    ¡°Damn, if only that old man wasn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You don¡¯t know where they can hear you.¡±

    Perhaps inspired by the voices, another inspector alsoined. The inspector walking next to him warned him, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°We¡¯re tarnishing the great achievements of our ancestors who reached the pinnacle of cksmithing! Now I can already hear the screams of the weapons! I don¡¯t even know how I forged a sword even when I held a hammer! It¡¯s driving me crazy!¡±

    The man continued to talk, as if venting his pent-up frustration. He bent over and sobbed, wing at his head, and finally copsed to his knees.

    Originally, he was probably a serious cksmith who worked sincerely with iron. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t bear what he was doing.

    ¡°It¡¯s to protect what¡¯s important. Who else would do something so dreadful? Come on, get up. You won¡¯t make it in time for the next test.¡±

    From what they were saying, Shin guessed that they might have been ckmailed.

    Tekkosai was a man of such high status that he was given a researchb inside the castle. Since they were using parasitic monsters, it was possible that they had the management, and even the central government of the country, in their hands.

    (It might be better to get rid of the cause before it even starts.)

    Even if they found a likely mastermind or a suspicious ce, they couldn¡¯te up with a concrete solution. If they could find and deal with Tekkosai, that might solve the problem. But that was only what Kluck and Jayf had judged, and Shin had no proof that it was really the case.

    While the others looked after one of the inspectors, who seemed a little confused, the inspectors left the exhibition room.

    Just a short distance from the exhibition room, a man approached them. From his appearance and what he was carrying, Shin could guess that he was the one from Schnee¡¯s report.

    The corpse of the parasitized Hihigan that was guarding the researchb. It was the same one. The man silently held out a cloth bag the size of a handbag.

    Inside was the same ck sphere. It was likely an additional one. The inspectors epted it in silence, their expressions distorted.

    After parting ways with the inspectors, the corpse man walked off in a different direction than he hade.

    Shin decided to follow him. The corpse man might just go back to theb, but if he did something different, Shin might be led to the hostage or to Tekkosai.

    Following the man, he walked down the corridor. Shin was disappointed to see that the man¡¯s destination was theb.

    The man walked straight towards the entrance to theb. There was nothing Shin could do against a natural rm system that would give away any intrusion if touched. If he could levitate, he could avoid this as long as he didn¡¯t touch it, but THE NEW GATE had no such skill.

    For a very short period of time he could imitate the skill, but it was pointless in a situation where he needed to infiltrate for a long time.

    (It would be much easier if I had flying magic or something. Is there anything? It doesn¡¯t have to be flying. If it¡¯s just to counter Hihigan¡¯s detection, I¡¯ll just need to be floating off the ground. Maybe some applied skill or something¡­Ah!)

    Thinking that far, Shin suddenly remembered. One of the skills had a changed effect.

    Shin used that skill while remaining invisible. Due to the effect of the movement-type martial arts skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, a tform appeared in the air.

    Normally he would step firmly on the ground to jump, but this time he only ced his foot lightly on it, without applying any force. Then, he was able to stand in the air. He then created another tform and jumped across it.

    It was exactly the kind of aerial movement Shin had been wondering if he could do. Since it was activated so close to Shin, the semi-transparent tform that was normally only slightly visible due to the effect of ¡¾Hiding¡¿ was invisible to those around him.

    (I think I can do this.)

    It would be difficult to open doors or examine things, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to find out what was going on inside theboratory.

    If the man he was following opened the door, Shin might be able to sneak in.

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Book 21: Chapter 3 (2)

    Shin contacted Schnee through ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ and conveyed his thoughts.

    ¡°(I think it¡¯s possible, but you¡¯ll have to wait for someone to go outside when you want to escape. Right now, the only people entering and leaving are those who have been infected by the Hihigan. Even if there are supplies of ck spheres as Shin mentioned, you don¡¯t know when you¡¯ll be able to leave¡­ We can set up a diversion here, but if we cause amotion, it¡¯ll ruin the infiltration.)¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t say it was dangerous, given Shin¡¯s strength. However, she seemed to be worried that Shin was depending on the other person to do something as he couldn¡¯t enter or exit by himself.

    ¡°(It¡¯s just a spur of the moment idea, so it¡¯s not very strong when you put it that way. I think it¡¯s important to know what¡¯s going on inside. If ites down to it, I¡¯ll use ¡¾Teleport¡¿.)¡±

    If he used ¡¾Teleport¡¿, he didn¡¯t need to worry about the entrance or exit. The location of the Moon Shrine, which was materialized to analyze the poisonous smoke, was registered as the teleport destination.

    When Schnee said she would be monitoring the researchb alone, Shin allowed it because of this.

    ¡¾Teleport¡¿ allowed one to move from the location in an instant, so it was better as a means of escape than as a means of transportation.

    ¡°(¡­I understand. I¡¯m nning to use ¡¾Teleport¡¿ in case of an emergency, and there¡¯s a chance things are moving along while I¡¯m doing this. However, it¡¯s far more risky to infiltrate than it is to surveince. Just be careful, okay?)¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, I know. I intend to do as little as possible. However, depending on the situation, there is a possibility that I will have to get involved. I¡¯ll let you know that in advance.)¡±Sacrificing the little one to save the big one. Shin couldn¡¯t do that. If someone was about to be killed as a sacrifice, Shin would have no choice but to get involved.

    Leaving Schnee to contact Filma and the others, Shin walked behind the corpse parasitized by the Hihigan.

    The corpse approached theboratory with firm steps that looked alive to an outsider. The guard corpses didn¡¯t react, so he just passed by.

    Shin followed the man¡¯s corpse through the door.

    Since he had tested the continuous formation of tforms with ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ before passing through the door, there was no problem. Shin walked at a height about 20 cemels above the ground. Once inside theboratory, the map began to function. Like a dungeon, it seemed to be distinguished as something separate from normal areas.

    Although it was a section of the royal castle, theboratory was not particrlyrge. There was an area where the poisonous smoke was likelying from and there were five small rooms, each about 6 tatami mats in size. There were also two rooms that seemed to be storehouses, each 10 mels wide.

    There were 10 moving presences, including the corpse in front of them. Of these, four were at the point where the poisonous smoke wasing from. Three in what appeared to be a warehouse. One in each of the two small rooms. And one for the corpse in front of him.

    Shin followed after the corpse for the time being. Their destination was the warehouse. Thanks to ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, he knew that the three presences in the warehouse weren¡¯t corpses. They were trying to hide their figures with robes, but Shin could see right inside. There were two young men and one woman. All of them were in the level 150s, higher than the average adventurer, and all of them were alchemists.

    It looked like the warehouse was where they kept the ck spheres. The woman took one from a box and put it in a bag, then threw it at the corpse. The corpse caught it without any trouble and left the warehouse.

    (Should I keep an eye on the poisonous smoke?)

    The source of the poisonous smoke was in an area with no door connecting it to the hallway. There was no need to follow the door to the corpse.

    Just as Shin had predicted, at the end of the hallway was a cauldron about three mel in diameter, and poisonous-colored smoke was being sucked into the upper part of the room. It didn¡¯t look like there was any wind, but the smoke wasn¡¯t drifting into the room.

    The things stirring the cauldron were corpses parasitized by Hihigan. There were two of them. One woman was throwing what looked like ingredients into the cauldron, and another was an old woman working at a different table. Both were at level 150, just like the men in the warehouse.

    Checking the materials in stock, Shin approached the old woman working at the table. And he noticed it right away. An eyeball had been carelessly ced into the basket. Next to it was a small, thin human arm.

    He wasn¡¯t mistaken. There were few monsters that resemble humans in THE NEW GATE. That was not to say there weren¡¯t any, but their skin color and shape were different from the arms of the participant or any other human, and even the human-like creatures like zombies look clearly strange. There were certainly no monsters with arms that were the color and shape of a young child at a nce.

    Shin thought back to the Shiten cult ritual he¡¯d learned about when a church priest kidnapped Millie, a child with precognitive powers. It was a ritual in which humans were sacrificed. When he heard that they were doing such a terrible thing, he thought they were crazy. But seeing what was going on, he couldn¡¯t help but think that they were insane.

    Shin left the room and took a quiet breath, partly to calm himself down.

    Then, he switched his focus and walked forward. He also needed to check the presence of the two in the small rooms.

    With ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, he could see a man with the build of a professional wrestler and an old man with a long beard in each room. The man appeared to be meditating, remaining still and not moving. The old man appeared to be working with his longsword, which was resting on a stand.

    Shin made his way over to the room where the old man was. The door was half open, probably because there weren¡¯t many people there. That way he could enter without touching the wall or door. Also, since the old man had his back to the door, it would be difficult for him to notice if he opened it.

    When Shin arrived in front of the room, he entered carefully so as not to touch anything with his clothes. The old man was still working. He didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Shin.

    (¡­This guy!)

    The name of the old man revealed by the skill was FunkyFunky. Shin recognized that name.

    As death in the game became a reality, yers sought better equipment for various reasons, such as to protect themselves and progress through the game.

    Amidst all of this, one yer was selling high-performance equipment cheaply. His name was FunkyFunky.

    High-quality equipment wasid out with the slogan, ¡°I¡¯m donating my personal wealth to help everyone.¡± Some yers were suspicious, but many took the opportunity to buy the equipment.

    Then, tragedy struck.

    An incident urred in which all of the equipped weapons, armor, and essories suddenly exploded. Yes, FunkyFunky had given the equipment the ability to explode after a certain number of uses. It was only in exchange for that negative element that it was high quality.

    It would be unreasonable to expect non-cksmiths and otherbatants to see the hidden disadvantages. The explosion that came at a price was extremely dangerous, and even high-level yers were at best close to death, and at worst, it was enough to kill them instantly.

    By the time the incident came to light and the cause was identified, FunkyFunky had already fled. Shin cooperated with the investigation.

    When he was arrested and taken into custody, FunkyFunky gave the reason for the crime as being because it looked like fun, something that Shin and the others couldn¡¯t understand.

    The worst criminal prankster in the history of THE NEW GATE. That was the yer named FunkyFunky.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re ready.¡±

    A twitchingugh escaped from his wrinkled mouth.

    The longsword he held in his hand was eroded by a curse on a level iparable to anything Shin had seen before.

    Shin slightly unsheathed his sword silently. What was he doing here? What had he done up until now? Those were the questions he should find out, but Shin was certain that FunkyFunky wouldn¡¯t talk.

    The yer in the form of an old man before him was the type of person who wasn¡¯t afraid of his own death. Even during the game days, he was the type of guy who would only say what he wanted to say and then try to self-destruct. Just looking at his current words and actions, it was clear that he hadn¡¯t changed at all.

    FunkyFunky¡¯s eyes, staring at the longsword, seemed even more cloudy than when Shin hadst seen them.

    In addition, the hand holding the sword was quickly rotting due to the effects of the curse. It was hard to imagine that someone who wouldugh at that could be sane.

    Shin stepped forward and drew his sword at the same time. In the blink of an eye, the de approached FunkyFunky¡¯s neck.

    The longsword that FunkyFunky was holding responded to the attack.

    The de, which had turned a poisonous color, deflected the de as Shin swung it. Perhaps because FunkyFunky was holding it, he was unable topletely parry it. Forced to move in an unnatural way, FunkyFunky¡¯s body could be heard creaking in its bones and joints.

    ¡°Int-Intruder! But you¡¯re too slow. You¡¯re too slow. Even if you cut me, I won¡¯t stop!¡±

    After just a few blows, FunkyFunky was out of breath.

    Not only was he originally a nonbat ss, but the sword was forcing his body to move. His bones, joints, and muscles were all reaching their limits, and the vivid sounds of hard things breaking and tearing echoed through the room.

    Even though it must have hurt and must have been painful, FunkyFunky spoke with an expression full of joy.

    The synergistic effect of his unreasonable movements and the curse had put his HP in the red zone, even though the attacks hadn¡¯t hit him. Even if the attacks didn¡¯t hit him, two or three more blows would push FunkyFunky¡¯s body beyond its limits.

    ¡°What are you nning!?¡±

    Shin asked, knowing there would be no answer.

    He didn¡¯t let up on his attacks during that time. If he was a yer, he might be able to escape using ¡¾Teleport¡¿. There was no doubt that the items and skills he possessed far exceeded the standards of this world.

    If Shin let him go now, he would soon recover and return to his evil ways. Even if he couldn¡¯t get any information out of him, Shin couldn¡¯t let him escape.

    Shin didn¡¯t give him time to take out the crystal stone. He parried the longsword, which moved against FunkyFunky¡¯s will, and cut off the arm holding it.

    FunkyFunky fell. In that brief moment, the crystal stone was about to materialize. Shin stepped in instantly, cutting the shining stone in half along with FunkyFunky.

    The upper half of FunkyFunky¡¯s body, split into two, and fell to the ground. A momentter, the lower half also fell.

    ¡°It¡¯s a festival, have fun.¡±

    ¡°A festival?¡±

    A festival, as the former PK yer said. Shin had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°You came toote. It¡¯s a shame I won¡¯t be able to see the results of my experiment.¡±

    FunkyFunky opened his mouth to answer Shin¡¯s question. However, before he could say another word, a de shed through the air.

    FunkyFunky¡¯s head separated from his body and rolled to the floor. A twisted smile remained even in death.

    ¡°He was a joker until the very end.¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice came out of his mouth in a low, cold voice that even he realized was different from usual.

    Shin¡¯s senses sharpened against the PK yer as if he had gone back to the past. His emotions were not dragged down, but his body still seemed to have remembered when he fought as an avenger. However, it helped him now. His sharpened senses told Shin that FunkyFunky was about to unleash his skill.

    An unnatural surge of magic covered FunkyFunky¡¯s body. Shin had seen the skill that was about to be activated many times during his time in the game, and once in this world.

    ¡¾Self-destruct¡¿ skill. Some PK yers did not hesitate to use the skill to take their opponents down with them in exchange for their own lives. Those who prioritized their own desires and pleasure. Those who, even after it had be a death game, did not change their belief that the world was just a game.

    They were those who, always dragging others down and destroying themselves, were the yers¡¯ top priority.

    To stop the self-destruct skill, it was necessary to reduce their HP to 0 before the countdown reached ¡°0¡±. Somehow, FunkyFunky¡¯s countdown was ¡°1¡± the moment it appeared.

    Thanks to his former senses, Shin was able to react in the short time before the countdown reached ¡°0¡±. It was difficult to judge whether he was happy about that or not, though.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°He noticed me, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    The man in the next room moved towards him. Shin tried to disappear again, but he immediately sensed something else.

    ¡°Could he have set it so that his death would be the trigger!?¡±

    Under the floor, the walls, the ceiling. The roots of Hihigan grew everywhere. The man who was heading in this direction, the women in the cauldron room, and the parasitized corpses all got entangled with the roots and dried up.

    This was Hihigan¡¯s special attack. It caused a giant flower to bloom and produce seeds ording to the total amount of HP drained. More vicious nt-type monsters would emerge from those seeds, so yers who knew the ecology of Hihigan knew that if it used this attack, they should just burn it.

    ¡°It¡¯s even absorbing poison. Who knows what¡¯lle out.¡±

    As Shin gathered magic power in his palm, he connected ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ to Schnee.

    There was a PK yer, Shin had shed him, and Hihigan was trying to eliminate the humans inside as well.

    After concisely rying the information, Shin held his palm over the ground.

    ¡°Burn!¡±

    From Shin¡¯s hand, pale blue mes spread in all directions like fire running along a fuse. They branched out finely and ran all over the room, spreading throughout theb ¨C or more precisely, the entire Hihigan.

    If one could see the roots of the Hihigan, they would see that the pale blue mes reached every single one of them.

    me-type magic skill ¡¾Ash me¡¿.

    Shin poured more powerful magic into them, and the thin mes red up all at once. The fantastical blue mes were visible for only a few seconds. When the mes disappeared like an illusion, the roots of the Hihigan had turned to white ash. With no remaining power, they would crumble at the slightest vibration.

    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to copse. I¡¯ll take as much as I can.¡±

    With the disappearance of the Hihigan that had taken root, theb was full of holes. It wouldn¡¯t happen immediately, but it was only a matter of time before the whole building copsed.

    At this point, the only clues they had were the documents that were left behind. Shin put every single stack of papers that seemed to be research materials into his item box.

    After collecting the materials from the room, Shin immediately went to the next room.

    Fragments were falling from the ceiling. After collecting the materials from the small room before theb copsed, Shin went to the room where the cauldron was. He collected the remaining materials and ingredients in the same way.

    He nned to mourn some of the materials, the ones that had been human,ter.

    About half of the contents of the cauldron in question remained. If the cauldron were to break when the building copsed and the contents spilled out, it would likely result in deaths.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave this like that, can we?¡±

    Shin tried to see if he could store the whole cauldron in his item box, but there was no change in the cauldron. It didn¡¯t seem to work that well.

    Next, he tried freezing some of the poison inside and storing it. Doing this to some liquid materials changed the storage category. The attempt was sessful, and he quickly froze the rest and stored them separately in his item box.

    *** (10th Anniversary Announcement)

    Can you believe it? It¡¯s been 10 years since we kicked off Shin Trantion with The New Gate! Back then, we never imagined this little project would grow into such an amazingmunity.

    To everyone who¡¯s been with us since the start and those who joined along the way¡ªthank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your love for the novels, support, and encouragement have made this an unforgettable decade.

    To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we¡¯re giving you 10% off on Patreon memberships (code: <strong>SHIN10</strong>)¡ªthe offersts until the end of January! It¡¯s our way of saying thank you for being such an incredible part of this journey. Let us know when did you start reading TNG or any novels we tranted in thement!

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 3 (3)

    Shortly after Shin escaped, theb copsed. Soldiers who had sensed that something was wrong arrived.

    While Shin was still hiding and observing the situation, three soldiers arrived, wearing high-grade equipment in both appearance and performance. From what the soldiers around him said, he could tell that they were the Royal Guard Knights. The three made the other soldiers stand back and talk in front of the rubble that was once aboratory.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is he dead?¡±

    ¡°ording to the soldiers on guard, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong. Maybe we should think that they destroyed the evidence and fled.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about them. The problem is that we won¡¯t be able to lift the curse on those people.¡±

    As Shin approached, he heard some ominous words.

    Shin had suspected that the cksmiths were obediently following the orders because they had been taken hostage, and it seemed he was right.

    ¡°(Can you hear me, everyone? A monster has appeared in the area where the weapons are on disy. One by one, the weapons on disy are turning into monsters and going wild!)¡±

    While Shin was thinking about his next move, Shibaid¡¯s ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ popped into his head.Shibaid had gone to one of the weapon exhibition halls when he saw a greatsword transform into a monster.

    It was the masterpiece of a master craftsman, and it was said that the monsterization had transformed it into a very powerful monster.

    This must be what FunkyFunky was talking about.

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®fun¡¯ about it? Are you kidding me?¡±

    Among the exhibits Shin saw, there were even some that reached Mythology-grade. Shibaid said that the weapon had turned into a monster, but looking at simr monsters, the level should easily exceed 600.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll head to the exhibition hall. Can you help deal with the curse, Schnee?¡±

    Even if Shin were to break his ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and show himself there, there¡¯s no guarantee that he would be trusted. In a situation like this, there wouldn¡¯t be the time to check the introduction letter every time. However, if it was Schnee herself, her reputation would be on another level. It¡¯s a bit pathetic to rely on her so heavily in a situation like this, but Shin had no other choice, so he asked Schnee.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. However, I can¡¯t use ¡¾Purification¡¿ to remove the curse. Is there an item I can use instead?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have it. I¡¯ve already upgraded it, just like the rest of my equipment. If it doesn¡¯t work, just let me know.¡±

    Shin took out a bracelet decorated with a sunlight motif from his item box.

    He usually upgraded his items whenever he had free time, but he¡¯s only started working on this recently. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the situation that seemed to have been timed, but there was no point inining now. Leaving Schnee to take care of things, Shin ran off in the direction of the exhibition hall. ??

    Shin ran through the castle, and reached the top of the castle walls in less than five minutes. From the top of the castle walls, he had a good view of the city. It¡¯s obvious where themotion that Shibaid had reported was happening. ck smoke was rising from a part of the city below the castle.

    Thanks to the inspectors who he had followed earlier, Shin had a good idea of ??where the most important items in the exhibition hall were kept. The ck smoke was rising from that very ce.

    The exhibition hall was close to the royal castle, so after confirming the location, Shin jumped straight from the castle walls towards his destination. No matter how strong Shin¡¯s legs were, he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the exhibition hall in one leap.

    Gravity pulled him down, but Shin quickly activated his skill and jumped again. One way to use ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to form a foothold in the air was to gain distance while falling.

    Normally, one could only form a foothold in the air twice, but with no limit on the number of time footholds, Shin could move forward in a straight line without falling, as if there was an invisible path.

    It was a power he had unexpectedly gained when he was caught up in the World Tree¡¯s turmoil some time ago, and its effects were something that many yers had longed for. In this world where flying magic didn¡¯t exist, it was very reassuring to be able to do something close to it. He could get to the scene much faster than simply moving along the rooftops.

    Shin¡¯s line of sight was amidst the ck smoke and the ruins of a building, where strange creatures were wriggling about. A translucent slime-like thing appeared around one or more pieces of armament, forming various shapes.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was activated, and although he could see the HP gauge, the monster¡¯s name was garbled. It must not have been a normal monster.

    ¡°Are they using the armament as their core?¡±

    Shapeless monsters often had a core that was their weak point. However, this time it was not that simple. The cores of these types of monsters were smallpared to their flesh, but what reced the cores of the formless monster in front of him were a number of armaments that have been forged by cksmiths of the past. Depending on the grade, it was not something that could be easily destroyed.

    Even in this world, there were weapons that had turned into monsters.

    For example, the Living Mail, a moving armor possessed by a vengeful spirit, and the Blood de, a sword without a wielder, that flew in search of blood.

    However, Shin had never heard of a monster that used armament as its core to form its body like the monster in front of him.

    The monsters came in all different sizes and shapes, ranging from small ones about 1 melrge to ones over 5 mel.

    Their shapes also varied, from beast-type ones like wolves or tigers, to ones with long necks, tails, and wings like dragons or wyverns. Among them were some that looked like failed chimeras made by jumbling together parts of various creatures. Even though they were half-baked, their original shapes could be roughly discerned, so they were more eerie than strange.

    However, no matter what they looked like, they were still high-level monsters. They seemed to have the power to match their size and level, and buildings could copse with just a single blow from one of their arms or wings. Debris then rained down on the people who had not managed to escape.

    Suddenly, a barrier appeared and repelled the debris.

    ¡°Shibaid!¡±

    It seemed that Shibaid had been at the scene from the beginning of themotion. The reason why the monsterized weapons hadn¡¯t scattered too much yet was probably because he had attracted them.

    ¡°Please help the people escape from here!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Because it had happened so suddenly, there were still many people in and around the exhibition hall.

    Some people immediately ran into buildings. Some people ran around in confusion, not knowing where to go. Some people were scared of the intimidating presence of the monsters. If Shin and the others fought with all their might, they would get caught up in it. However, Shibaid, who could use shields and barriers and even manage the monsters¡¯ aggro, would be able to help people escape more urately. He would have acted even without Shin¡¯s orders.

    In terms of attracting attention, Shibaid acting as a decoy would attract more enemies, but the problem was that the enemies themselves were too scattered.

    It was unclear how many shapeless monsters there were, or in what area they would appear. At this point, he decided that it would be more efficient for Shibaid to focus on defending with a barrier, while Shin went around killing enemies.

    For now he just had to reduce their numbers. Shin aimed at an enemy with no one around and drew his sword.

    A sky-blue de pattern emerged from its scabbard, which was painted with w marks. Everything except the de pattern was very transparent, so much so that you could see through the de to the other side. Depending on the light, the de could be quite hard to see.

    It had a mysterious appearance, as if only ripples were extending from the hilt; it was a high ss Ancient-grade sword, and was called ¡ºBlue Cloud¡».

    ¡°Is the core formed from ¡ºRankui¡»?¡±

    Looking at the core of the shapeless monster he was targeting, Shin could see through to its name. It was a weapon he had knowledge of from his gaming days, so he knew right away.

    It looked like a short sword decorated with sharp and spiky patterns. The de was serrated, and it had the effect of dealing a small amount of additional damage to normal attacks.

    The shape of the monster was that of a lizard with spikes all over its body. Its appearance was simr to that of a monster called Stillengar that dropped one of the materials used to make ¡ºRankui¡».

    Shin decided to tentatively call the monsters before him as ¡°Weapon Monsters.¡±

    Perhaps the Weapon Monsters were imitating the monsters that were the source of their materials? While thinking, Shin swung his ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» at the arm that was stretched out towards him.

    He sliced ??off the arm, which had transformed into a w-like thing. Its monster level was 429. Its shapeless flesh seemed to have only the appropriate strength, and there was almost no resistance.

    The arm that had separated from the main body could no longer maintain its shape, and disappeared as if melting. It was unclear where it wasing from, but a high-pitched metallic scream rang out from the main body.

    Shin immediately stepped forward and shed at it. Dodging the weapon, he sliced off the top of its chest.

    ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» was effective against shapeless monsters such as slimes and elementals. Combined with this effect, Shin felt like he was cutting through mist.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t regenerate.¡±

    Just like the arm he¡¯d cut off earlier, the parts that were separated from the main body disappeared after a while, as if the mist had cleared.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Some monsters of this kind have the ability to regenerate so quickly that they could restore missing parts if their core or weakness wasn¡¯t destroyed, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case with the monster before him.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what the translucent material was that made up its body. However, it seemed to exist as a substance and made a crunching sound when it hit the ground or a wall. Shin decided to call it ¡°Gel¡± for the time being, and observed the Weapon Monster.

    The Weapon Monster in front of him took a few steps forward with the remaining lower half of its body. Its feet were unsteady, perhaps because its vision wasn¡¯t working.

    If he wanted to finish it off, he could do it right now. But what should have been easy, Shin couldn¡¯t do right away. Finishing them would mean destroying the weapon that was their core. Even though they had turned into monsters, Shin was reluctant to destroy the weapons that past cksmiths had put all their effort into creating.

    While this was happening, other Weapon Monsters were destroying buildings and attacking people.

    ??

    ¡ûPrevious | Next¡ú (7-Days Free Trial)

 Book 21: Chapter 3 (4)

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    Shin hesitated for a few seconds. He tried to limit the damage as much as possible so he could repair the weaponter.

    With a kick to the ground, he closed the distance.

    The de of ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» cut the ¡ºRankui¡» that was its core in half, along with the gel that covered it. It probably didn¡¯t sense Shin¡¯s attack because there was no counterattack.

    When the ¡ºRankui¡» was destroyed, the gel that made up the Weapon Monster¡¯s body melted away and disappeared.

    Shin caught the severed de and handle of the falling ¡ºRankui¡». There was a slight curse remaining, but other than that, there was nothing abnormal.

    The de was missing near the handle, so its durability as a weapon was 0. It was almost impossible to use. However, while it would not be strange for it to disappear in a game, in this world the actual item remained. Thinking that there was a chance to repair it, Shin changed his mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put it in the item box at¡­¡±

    It seemed that once it got to this point, it would be considered just a weapon. Deciding to keep damage to the weapon to a minimum and retrieve it, Shin approached a nearby wolf-like Weapon Monster with a gauntlet as its core.When the monster leapt and tried to bite him, Shin dodged by slipping under its belly. As he passed by, he swung his ¡ºBlue Cloud¡». The de split the Weapon Monster¡¯s mouth into upper and lower parts, and cut the gauntlet that formed its core in half.

    The gel other than the core disappeared, and the gauntlet fell. He quickly picked it up and moved on.

    After fighting a few, he began to see trends among the Weapon Monsters. The quality and number of weapons that form their core. These seemed to be proportional to the strength of the gel. Specifically, the higher the quality of the weapon, the greater the increase in the strength of the gel.

    He prioritized reducing their numbers first, starting with the ones that were easy to defeat.

    Perhaps because of the curse, or simply because of the difference in power, Shin was able to destroy most of the weapons in a single blow.

    Even if there were a certain number of them, as long as they were only Unique-grade, they weren¡¯t much of a threat. It got a little tricky when it came to Legendary-grade weapons, but even then, if Shin shed them twice, it¡¯d usually be over. Their reaction speed was different to begin with. Their movements were slow and their defenses were weak, so there was no reason for Shin to struggle.

    However, it was not the same for those who didn¡¯t have high stats like Shin or Shibaid. For an ordinary person, one hit from this monster could cause serious injury, and in the worst case, it could kill them instantly.

    ¡°That¡¯s¨Cthat¡¯s no good!¡±

    Shin stepped in between the attacks aimed at the wall of the building.

    He protected the child who was cowering and trembling on the other side of the wall.

    There were many buildings, so using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ as a countermeasure against surprise attacks worked well.

    Shin shed away the gels that had transformed into vines, but there were too many of them. He activated the earth magic skill ¡¾Earth Lance¡¿with minimal firepower to prevent them from escaping. While avoiding a direct hit to the core, he surrounded the Weapon Monster with earth spears.

    When the Weapon Monster was unable to move, his ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» ran through it. He sliced it in half along with the earth spear, and immediately retrieved the weapon.

    Since the evacuation had not yet beenpleted, there was a possibility that there were still people in the buildings and alleys. It was important to defeat the Weapon Monsters, but it was also important to limit human casualties.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    This time, whether by ident or on purpose, the monster¡¯s attack was about to hit a ce where someone was hiding, and he was able to react immediately. Shin breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Hmm? I better not let that get away.¡±

    Sensing a presence, he looked up and saw a Weapon Monster resembling a four-winged bird taking off from a ce corresponding to the back of the exhibition hall.

    Shin jumped at the Weapon Monster as it headed toward the crowded shops. He stomped on it with enough force to break the ground, and then rocketed into the air.

    He activated ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ and kicked 10 steps in the air. Still too far away to fight with a sword, Shin unleashed a magic skill.

    A translucent ball of wind flew with force, stopping just above the Weapon Monster¡¯s head.

    The Weapon Monster was unaware of the wind ball. As Shin approached, it tried to increase its altitude from horizontal flight to put some distance between them, but came into contact with the ball of wind that was waiting above.

    With a loud popping sound, a strong gust of wind was released toward the ground. Wind magic skills were designed to catch flying monsters off guard. Rather than simply hitting them head-on with a mass of wind, they forced the opponent to fall to the ground.

    For yers without air attacks or aerial movement skills, it was one of the skills that was considered worth learning when fighting flying monsters.

    This time, it was used because a direct magic attack would likely pulverize the entire weapon.

    Unable to resist the sudden gust of wind, the Weapon Monster lost its bnce and fell, leaving it no time to react to the approaching Shin.

    Shin swung his de past the Weapon Monster. The Weapon Monster also attacked with its beak. It was iplete, but Shin didn¡¯t stop his de. The de of ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» slipped through the closed beak and sliced the feathered gauntlet that was its core in half.

    The Weapon Monster¡¯s body melted and disappeared. Just as Shin was about to retrieve the gauntlet that had been thrown into the air, he instantly jumped away from the spot.

    A gel that had transformed into a short sword passed by where Shin had been just a moment ago.

    When he turned his eyes to where he thought the person who had fired it was, he saw a Weapon Monster that looked clearly different from the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the others.¡±

    It was humanoid. And just like a human wearing equipment, it was wearing armament that was likely on disy. It had a helmet decorated with lion-like decorations, armor, and gauntlets and greaves of the same standard. Its whole body was dyed a bluish silver, perhaps resembling a blue knight.

    Shin could tell that it wasn¡¯t human thanks to its status disy. But the main reason was that it had a mask on its face that seemed to sink into the gel.

    The mask featuredrge fang-like decorations. The specifications of this part of the armament seemed different from the rest of the armament, maybe because it was a core. This thought crossed his mind.

    Gel was visible from around its neck and joints, so the inside of its armor was probably filled with it. Shin paid close attention to the joints and the mask. He thought that just because it was a humanoid, he might get hurt if he fought by thinking it would imitate human movements.

    Armaments weren¡¯t the only thing the humanoid wore. It held a spear that was dyed indigo blue. From the tip of the spear, a white line spiraled down to the de. This was the ¡ºBlue Sile¡», a spear that was ssified as one of the high ss Mythology-grade. A special octagon-shaped blue magic stone was set into the joint where the handle and the tip joined, and it was clear that it was imbued with strong magic power.

    Shin had also seen it in all its vivid glory when he had entered the exhibition hall once.

    Of all the weapons disyed in the exhibition hall, he had predicted that it would be the most powerful weapon. The Weapon Monster seemed to intend to use it as a weapon, not as a core.

    It seemed different from the Weapon Monsters he had seen so far, and Shin became more cautious.

    The humanoid readied its ¡ºBlue Sile¡». It drew the tip of the spear backward while twisting its body.

    Shin was still in the air, and there was some distance between him and the humanoid. However, Shin didn¡¯t think that it was in a ¡®waiting¡¯ position to intercept the enemy.

    Shin kicked the air toward the humanoid. The distance closed in an instant, but still, the humanoid was faster in swinging its spear. No, it was too fast. Even with Shin approaching, it was clearly not the right time.

    However, that perception was wrong.

    Shin kicked the air again and changed direction. A blue de had suddenly appeared, slicing through the empty space where Shin had been. The de that shed through the air disappeared within a few seconds, as if it had been an illusion.

    Just as expected. Thinking this, Shin closed the distance even more.

    Having looked at the weapons before, he recalled from memory the performance of weapons of Mythology-grade and above, including the ¡ºBlue Sile¡». From what he had seen, the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» had the highest power, and he was able to remember it instantly due to its high grade.

    The ability of this spear was to extend its attack range. It was able to generate water-element des several mels away from the spear¡¯s range. He didn¡¯t know if the humanoid would use this ability, but since his ¡¾Insight¡¿ skill had also reacted to its previous movements, he was sure that it was the right thing to dodge.

    Since he knew it wasing, Shin¡¯s movements after dodging were smooth. ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» reached the humanoid before it could point the tip.

    It was difficult to see when it was swung at high speed, so the humanoid blocked it with the handle of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡».

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    A high-pitched ng reverberated like a scream.

    Shin cut the handle of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» in half and aimed his sword at the humanoid¡¯s face. This was because he believed that its mask was different from the others and that it was likely to be the core.

    As Shin¡¯s de approached, the humanoid pulled the ¡ºBlue Sile¡», which had been cut in half in length, bringing the tip together. Not wanting to waste time letting go, the humanoid also moved its arm to withstand the impact.

    Instead of meeting the de head-on, the humanoid moved to deflect it. Perhaps due to its monster¡¯s survival instinct, or perhaps due to its skill with a weapon as its core. The tip of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» caught the de of ¡ºBlue Cloud¡», scattering shy sparks.

    The next blow, too, was parried by the shortened handle. The handle was now roughly half its length, but the humanoid deftly controlled the ¡ºBlue Sile¡», which had be like a short spear. It withstood two or three more blows.

    Next, in the fourth round, the humanoid made a move. A total of eight gels stretched out toward Shin from between the greaves and gauntlets. They were thin and sharp like needles. But it was clear that their power was no ordinary one, considering the level of the humanoid, which probably had Mythology-grade armament at its core.

    Shin dodged three of the eight approaching him by stepping forward and shifting his position. He blocked the rest with his gauntlets, leg guards, and coat. These armaments were Ancient-grade, surpassing Mythology-grade. Their defenses refused to let the needle-like gel prate.

    However, the gels that collided with his gauntlets and leg guards made a hard sound. They changed shape and wrapped around Shin¡¯s arms and left leg. It would not be surprising if the pressure of the gels was enough to break his limbs along with his equipment if Shin had average stats.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Shin exhaled softly and stepped forward with his unrestrained right foot. At the same time, his left hand released the ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» that he had been holding with both hands. While shaking off the gel restraints that were trying to hold him back, he gently touched the mask.

    However, the mask, which must have been of high grade, was split in half.

    Barehanded martial arts skill ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿.

    When he had used it on a golem before, it had shattered the opponent to pieces. Now, Shin was able to minimize its effect.

    It seemed that his prediction that the mask was the core was correct, as a change immediately urred.

    The restraints that had been wrapped around Shin¡¯s arms and legs disappeared.

    However, although the humanoid¡¯s gauntlets and armor shook unnaturally, there was no sign of the gel inside disappearing.

    As Shin stood at a distance to watch, the gel still covered his right gauntlet. It was in the same state as the mask that had been split in half earlier.

    Shin deduced that if the armament that was the core was destroyed, the humanoid might be able to turn other armaments into cores and continue fighting.

    The tip of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» was pointed at Shin again. There was no gap in the humanoid¡¯s stance. Both the tip and the handle of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» were covered in gel, reinforcing the severed handle. It seemed that the humanoid intended to use it at its original length, rather than as a short spear.

    Shin stepped forward, anticipating that the gel covering the weapon might have strengthened it.

    As if the humanoid had read his movement, the tip came flying.

    To Shin¡¯s eyes, the tip was barely a dot. It was an illusion of the distance between the tip of the spear and the user. The spear¡¯s movement read the opponent¡¯s line of sight, not one¡¯s own. It was without a doubt the skill of a master.

    The tip of the spear was thrust silently, yet swiftly, aimed at Shin¡¯s head. Shin changed the direction of the spear that was about to pierce his forehead. He tilted his head and dodged with minimal movement.

    Having anticipated the dodge, the humanoid instantly pulled back the ¡ºBlue Sile¡».

    At that moment, Shin sensed something approaching from behind.

    Utilizing the ¡ºBlue Sile¡»¡¯s ability to extend its attack range, a de appeared next to the tip as it was pulled back Like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, it came to chop off Shin¡¯s head.

    Shin silently grabbed the handle of the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» with his left hand. The fact that he was able to touch something covered in an unidentifiable substance without hesitation was precisely because Shin was almost never affected by abnormal conditions. The gel, which felt like a slightly hard jelly, offered a slight resistance. It was crushed in his grip.

    Shin applied just enough force to avoid crushing the handle.

    The humanoid who had been pulling the ¡ºBlue Sile¡» back stopped moving. They started pulling on each other. Shin thought about taking the spear away, but suddenly the resistance disappeared and he lost his bnce.

    The handle that had been connected by the gel separated. The end with the tip fell into Shin¡¯s hand.

    Shin stored the short spear in his item box, and the humanoid let go of the handle. It was probably a useless item at this point.

    Shin regained his bnce and tried to attack again. But before he could, the gel exploded.

    The gel overflowed from the gaps in the armor and gauntlets. It wrapped around the nearby Weapon Monsters, absorbing them as if they were prey. Tentacles made of gel sprouted from the humanoid¡¯s back.

    At their tips, the cores of the Weapon Monsters it had absorbed asserted their presence. All of them were aimed at Shin. There were two long swords, three daggers, and an axe. In addition, the humanoid held a curved sword in each hand.

    ¡°That saves me the trouble of having to retrieve them all!¡±

    Shin stepped forward without any hesitation.

    The Weapon Monsters absorbed by the tentacles could not defend themselves in time due to the short distance. The only thing that reacted urately to the de of ¡ºBlue Cloud¡», which was swung with a slight miracle of trajectory, was the curved sword in the humanoid¡¯s hand. The tentacles with the daggers growing out of them also reacted, but not enough to stop Shin. Even though the absorbed Weapon Monsters were connected to the main body, it seemed that their reaction speed was not the same.

    ¡ºBlue Cloud¡»¡¯s cross sh sliced the two curved swords and the armor¡¯s torso in half. The de whipped around and drew an arc. The shing sh cut through the left and right gauntlets that held the curved swords almost simultaneously.

    Like the mask, they ceased to function as cores when destroyed, and the humanoid¡¯s movements slowed.

    Shin wanted to destroy the helmet and greaves as well. But he spun around and swung ¡ºBlue Cloud¡» with his back to the humanoid. A tentacle with a weapon sprouted from the humanoid and suddenly attacked Shin from behind.

    Though its reflexes were slow, the tentacles themselves had great athletic ability.

    The dagger came first. Shin cut off the dagger¡¯s de that reached him first, and slipped through the tentacles.

    The momentum of the tentacles did not stop even after the dagger was destroyed. The gel did not disappear even after the weapon it was holding was destroyed, perhaps because it was connected to the main body. Contrary to appearances, the gel that made up the tentacles has incredible power. If he were to intercept it on the spot, he would be crushed by the gel itself, not to mention the weapons.

    (I have no intention of being hit by that!)

    With Shin¡¯s equipment and status, that might not be a problem, but there was no reason to take that risk here.

    Shin sliced through the approaching tentacles as he slipped through. He grabbed the long sword that was floating in the air.

    He tried it and thought it would work. But it seemed possible to retrieve the weapon without destroying it by cutting the tentacles. Maybe it was possible because the weapon wasn¡¯t a core.

    Shin grabbed the other long sword that camete with a barehanded de grip technique and stopped it from moving. With the sharpness of ¡ºBlue Cloud¡»bined with the power of its special effect, it would be easy to cut off the tentacles even with one hand.

    A momentter, an axe flew toward his right foot. He blocked it with his leg guard and stepped on the handle with his left foot, pinning it down in ce. The cobblestones shattered from the impact of the axe, but his leg guard demonstrated its toughness to the fullest, not allowing the de to reach Shin¡¯s body.

    Shin grabbed the long sword from the tentacle that he had stopped from moving and stored it in his item box. He was wary that more tentacles would grow out of it, but maybe there was a limit to its shape since there was no such change.

    He collected all the weapons the humanoid had absorbed and turned around. The main body of the humanoid was still standing. Its movements were sluggish, perhaps because it had lost the weapons that had served as its core one by one. The only remaining weapons that had kept their shape were the helmet and the greaves.

    Just as Shin was about to take a step forward before retrieving another weapon, a change different from before urred in front of his eyes.

    Large cracks appeared on the helmet and greaves which should have been undamaged. They were covered in gel, so it looked as if they had cracked due to the pressure. But if the weapon was damaged it would no longer function as a core, and from the monster¡¯s perspective it would be tantamount to suicide.

    After a few seconds, the helmet and greaves broke into pieces before Shin even had to lift a hand.

    With the core weaponry gone, the humanoid form could no longer be maintained.

    A few more secondster, the neatly broken and severed gauntlets and armament rolled to the ground. With smooth cross sections, they looked like they could be used again if glued back together.

    This made the misshapen cross sections of the shattered helmet and greaves all the more conspicuous.

    With a solemn feeling, Shin stored them all away in his item box. It was as if the self-destructing weaponry were struggling to deny that they were being used for evil, something other than their intended purpose.

    The true nature of weaponry was as a tool for battle. Who it hurt and who it protected was up to the user.

    But this time was different.

    No, Shin thought.

    It was wrong for weapons that master craftsmans must have poured their soul into making to be used in this way.

    It was impossible to read the thoughts of the makers when they made these weapons. Still, the people who made these weapons did not approve of harming people with malicious intent.

    It was likely that this will was present in the weapons. Shin thought so.

    ¡°¡­Next.¡±

    Changing his mood, Shin looked around for signs of movement.

    There were many weapons on disy in the exhibition hall. There were still many Weapon Monsters out there.

    Shin jumped up on the spot. He charged into the area where there were many of them. He found that Filma and Milt had also arrived at the scene and were fighting. They were using their skills to attract the attention of the surrounding monsters, so that the Weapon Monsters would not flow into the city.

    Still, Shin and the others alone would not be able to attract all the Weapon Monsters, so they would have to rely on the guards to do their best to catch any that were missed. In some ces, it seemed that the participants of the Battle Festival were also fighting.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you do that!!¡±

    Shin cut in half an ogre-like weapon monster that was about to attack the parent and child who were toote to escape, and told them a safe route to travel. There were Shin and his friends, the skilled fighters who participated in the festival, and high-level guards.

    Even so, there were some people lying in pools of blood. Their bodies were so destroyed that it was obvious at a nce that they were dead. This was because the cores of the Weapon Monsters were powerful weapons.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    Seeing the gruesome scene, Shin couldn¡¯t help but curse. What was the point of doing something like this, what was fun about it? He had no idea.

    FunkyFunky said that it was a festival. But what was so festive about it? What was the purpose? No matter how much he thought about it, Shin couldn¡¯t find the answer.

    If this was the work of a miasma demon, then it could be said that its purpose was to torment people, and if it was a reenactment of some event, then he had no choice but to ept it as such.

    But this was neither of those things. It was not the work of a monster, nor a phenomenon that urred when certain conditions were met.

    It was a disaster caused by humans, a man-made disaster.

    Shin felt as if a different threat to the ones he had faced before was lurking in the unseen.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

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